Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-08-25
FAST DAY

~k NaS ~ ~
heard the sermon Of the Rev. Dr.. Ainnege-
rode, Of St. Paul's Church, on Friday last, We
requested the sermon for publication. and lay
it before our readers this morning The ser
vices of the occasion were the morning prayer,
with psalms 6, 80 and So from the Psalber.-
The Lessons were 1st Chronicles 18th chap.
to v. Is, and Hebrews, 18th chap. from Y. "A
to Is =. Of 18th chap. The entire Liiany was
read by Bishop Johns, with the special col
lects for Ash Wednesday before the genera!
Thanksgiving.
and oliveJsrds, and vineyard, AID sh-e2 and OXEN,
and nen-tsrvarts and nad-seTvInts: TIE !epreey,
therefore, o! Sazaaa shall cleave unto tie aud Unto
:hy SD forev.r--l Kngs, 5a chap, so:s and H;s
ve-ses
What was the crime of Gehazi, for which
the heavy curse Of leprosy vas pronounced
upon him the seyeresr afa lotion which could
befall a citizen of Israel or Judah, which OK
lied him from the intercourse With bis fellow
men; the universal snathema Of society the
recommendation from all the b~lessings-na-
tional and-religion-wh;ch they cherished
as the people Of God'
K vas a time when true religion was at n
low ebb, when the Church of God was in the
minority in Israel: when the prophets Of Je-
hoTah were sent 10 protest against the ldola-
uies Of the people, TO reprove the evils Of the
times and the sins Of the nation when the
highest interests Of the Church aud the State
had to be guarded By their authority: and IN
the sight of their cwE people and ;!'e nations
around them was &c be shown icrth, oy these
exponents and representatives OF the trath-
the ministers Of the mos. High sinGieEe>s
Of purpose anu purify OF conduct which should
ssay the corruption OF the times,
the approval of all who could appreciate VIVA
was good and noble, prove the heafE-tonyeri-
ing. Gfe-reformins power Of true reiiSion to
Jew and Gentle, and win over the enm!ty oil
the world 10 the cause Of truth and holiness.
Naaman, the Syrian, was a leper: MS h'Sh
position, his martial exploits, his wealth, the
favor of his King were OF no avail; all means
resorted to failed to restore him 10 health a:
one hope only was left, and he applied I" the
Prophet Of Israel. Elisha met him with all
the authority which belonged to the me=sen-
ger Of Jehovah, and wrested from the naughty
spirit Of the Heather General humiliation and
obedience to that God, in whose name. nc
acted. Naaman learned the lesson Of sub
mission; the proud ~courtier humbled himself
TO obey the command Of the Prophet: he
dipped himself seven times in Jordan. lhDw-
ever much in his native pride he though; that
Pharpar and Abana-Iivers Of Damascus
we're better than all the waters in Israel, and
his flesh ZANE back as the flesh Of "a little
child. DeliYerance from his terrible disease
followed his course Of obedience; and the sig
nal mercies vouchsafed TO him brought his
hear, into submission to the Lord. lie re-
turned, a p~enitens, and a suppliant for greater
mercies than health Of the body, gave glory
70 God, and declared himself the servant o!
Jehovah.
1t was quite right in him to propose a boun-
tiful remuneration to the Prophet. who was
made the instrument to convey this mercy,
and to prove his gratitude by bestowing upon
him a portion Of the wealth with which "a gra-
cious God had favoted him. BUTT wasIights,iu
more in Elisha, to keep his prophetical char
arter clear, and teach the new convert from
Heathendom, that the gifts Of God are no,
sold for money and earthly advantages: but
that the servant of Jehovah-freely a. he has
receired-frsely gives; that-in other words
the Church opens her portals wide to tie evil
and the good, the high ami the low. the rici,
and the poor and offers the gift of God
without money and without price" Gehazi
thought otherwise: bis sordid soul. his selfish
disposition could not withstand the tcmpta-
ton. He coveted the reward; and az his mas.
ter had declined it, sought to secure it for him
self. The curse was in his heart, before il
broke out risibly in the plague-spots of his
condemnation. He had betrayed his trust.
compromised his master, dishonored the cause
he served: yet, like the adultress in Proverbs,
" she esteth and wipeth her mHuth, and saith:
I have done no wickedness," he appeared IN
concerned before bis master, as if innocent Of
any sin. Whence contest thou, Gehazi -
"Thy servant went no WHITTIER" But vain
his falsehood event not mine heart with
thee ?" Did not 1 see thee, when the man
turned again from his chariot u meet thee:
Did not God show me all you did? And then
came the unexpected, but the merited retri-
button "Is ita time to receive money, and 10
receive garments, and oliveyards, and vine
yards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-scr-
wants, and maid-servants ? The ~leprosy.
therefore, Of Naaman shall clea7e unto thee
and unto thy seed forever. and he went out
from his presence, a leper as white as snow"
Now, brethren, do not mistake the object Of
my sermon to-day. You may think. from the
announcement of the text, and ever CIis expo
sition, that once more we are employing this
fast day for a crusade against what i called
'.tbo extortioners and spectators" Alas I.
that we cannot pass them by; that. in spite
of all that has been said, and preached, and
written against them in spite Of the curses
of the poor and the sufferings Of the country,
they yet keep on in their course Of iniquity,
and bury themselves in deeper damnation. as
they pile gains upon gains, and feed their
greedy souls with the suferings Of others and
their blood-bought profits. But, alas, still
more! that the circle enlarges TO which VIC
are speaking, and that the word Of God,
which explicitly refers here to but one Of the
forms of wickedness in our midst, tclls-in
the spirit and in its true bearing-upon many,
many who, upon this single charge, would
readily acquiesce in the reproof and the curse,
and put it conlplacently upon their neighbor.
whilst in the sight Of God, they are guilty Of
the same sin in it's essence, its Nervousness
and terrible issue.
The crime of Gehazi is but one form, but
one development Of the sin Of the unregenerate,
ungenerous, u%nrighteous heart Of the natural
man, who seeks his own at the price Of con-
science and duty and justice the sin Of self
seeking, self-loTe-no matter at what sacrifice
to the honor of God, the good Of others, the
veal Of the country, their own cternalinteres;s.
The spirit reproved here, and inconsistencies
with the general duty towards God and loyal
ty towards our neighbor-so emphatically in
consistent with the times-then and now it
is the spirit phich seeks self and the gratifca-
ton ofsclf in any form s%elf-will, ~self:aggran-
dizement, self-pleasing, ~selflove, in opposition
to the plain dictates Of duty, the tender ap-
peals Of mercy, the clear demands Of wisdom
and truth.
Beloved, the times are as serious as those
which pressed upon Elisha. The truth of God,
the true interests of the country. are as deep
ly involved now as then. All that VIC hold
dear and sacred is at stake; our affairs are
desecrated, our homes p~illaged, our fields des-