The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-12-02
THANKSGIVING HOMILY.
"NEIrnER POVERTY NOR RICHES"

There was n wise old man in the days of
yorc, and his name was Agur; and one day
he made an excellent prayer, which it would
be well for every one to commit to memory :;
and while they learn their hearts to feel
the force of its sentiments, also make their
practices in life be in accordance with its
precepts. You will find it in very ancient
book, which, although is fashionable to have
be caught pcrusng. A part of it reads in
this way: " Give me neither poverty nor
riches feed me with food convenient for me
lest be full, and deny thee and say who is
the Lord or lest l be poor and STEAL and
take the name of God in vain.' Now if that
is not one of the most sensible and reasonable
petitions in regard to earthly matters ever
offered up by man to the Deity, we do not
know what is In our intercourse with man
kind-(and in the former practice of our pro-
fesson we have been conversant with people
in all sorts of conditions in lit)-we have
uniformly found the most solid enjoyment
and comfort among that class of mankind who
had "nether poverty nor riches" Indeed
some of the most miserable and wretched,
both as it regards health of body, and peace
and happiness OF mind, are to be found among
those who have more riches than is actually
needed, and in fact more than they can well
take care of without great labor and anx-
iety
The extremes of property are to be avoid
ed-for with the exception of the stings of
hunger in the poor there is but little to
choose between the care and anxiety of the
very poor and the very rich. Too little and
too much are both evils, and both destroy the
usefulness of man. A very practical writer
has said, al have seen many rich, burdened
with the fear Of poverty. | have seen many
poor buoyed with all the carelessness Of
wealth for the rich had the spirit of pau
per, and the moneyless liberal heart. The
first enjoy not the money, and the latter hath
nothing but enjoyment None is poor but
the mean in mind, the timorous, the weak
and the unbeieving. None is wealthy but
the affluent in soul, who is satisfied and flow.
eth over. Many poor have the pleasures of
the rich, even in their own possessions; ana
many rich miss the poor mans comforts, and
vet feel all his cares" Wouldn't it be lit
lie, nay, great deal better for mankind TO
strive to equalize their desires and eXertions
somewhat? Let the very poor drop any per-
nicious or demoralizing habit they may have,
and strive to come up to Agur's standard; and
let the rich let 90 their grasp little so as to
leave little for the poor to gather up and
help them to live. In old Testament times,
under the Levitical law, it was enjoined upon
those who reaped the harvests of the land, not
to make clean radiance of the corners offield,
but the gleanings should be left for the poor
and the stranger.
The accumuations of property are the
harvests from the fields of the world; don't
be too anxious to scrape the whole into your
own garner. Leave few clippings of the
corners at least for the poor and the stranger
Bethink thee of the venerable Agurs PRAYER
: and try to repeat in the spirit gifts wisdom
" Give me neither poverty nor riches