Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-04
TIE EAST To-Day.
An Expression OF Opinion as TO how
IL ought 20 be KePt-The Evil
Wedge I'm the Camp

IL ought 20 be kePC-The Evil
Wedge i'm the Camp.
To he Editor Of The N. y. Tribune.
SIR: All who believe, even intellectually
only, that God Almighty has revealed him.
self TO mankind, by inspiring holy men of
old, prophets and apostles, to write the
holy volume, which we call the Bible, must
rejoice that our government has proved it.
self to be Christian Government by ta-
king counsel from Gods Word, and in this
their day of peculiar trial and calamity, to
call upon all our people, as the prophets
and rulers in Israel of old used to do un-
der similar circumstances, to humble them
selves before God by fasting and prayer,
and have set apart the 4th day of August
for that purpose. Now, sir, believe you
and every intelligent reader of the Bible
must feel deep concern in regard to the
proper observance Of that day of fasting
For it is not more plainly revealed iu scrip
ture that God commands men to fast aud
| pray under circumstances of adversely,
either Of a temporal or spiritual kind, than
the manner and spiritin which itshould be
kept, in order to be acceptable to Him who
holds the destiny Of every son and daughter
| Of Adam, aud each nation on the globe
| We may fast in such n way as only 10 pro-
woke Him to more wrath and greater indig-
nation against US, as Israel OF old some
times did. We have at the commencement
of our hoTridum Gsilum QnaugurRted by
FOLDERS, and for their benefit alone
to perpetuate the bondage of the African
race among US, and spread II all over our
country observed day, or days, of fasting
a nd en- anuivncal mn the ghOle.
has been the answer of God that We might
adopt tho language or thoughts that God
saw or heard of the people OF Israel after
some of their fasts, which are recorded in
the Sd verse of the bsth chapter of Isaiah
"WheFefore have We tasted and thou sesst
not have we afflicted our soul, and thou
takest no knowledge2"
Now, let us hear with fixed attention
what the Almighty God of Love says was
the reason or cause why he heard and
answered not. His reply to their ques-
tioning, commencing in the middle OF the
third verse OF the 18th chapter, which we
have Just in part quoted, goes on to the
tenth verse inclusive, as follows; "Behold,
in the day of your fast, yc find pleasure, aud
exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast for
strife and debate, and to smite with the
fist of wickedness ye shall not fast as ye
do this day, to make your voice to be heard
on high. Is it such fast that 1 have
chosen day for a man to afitct his sOul2
70 bow down his head as bulrush, and TO
spread sack cloth and ashes Wilt thou
call this u fast, and an acceptable day to
the Lord Is not this the fast that have
chosen ITO loose the bands of wiCkedness,
to undo the heavy burdens, and to let
the oppressed go tree, and that ye break
every yoke. Is it not to deal thy bread to
the hungry, and that thou bring the poor
that are cast oup 1.-THE fugitive slave
as well as others) ITO thy house?" when
thou: seest the naked, that thou clOthe him;
and that thou hide not myself from thine
own fiesh2 Then (thRt is. when they keep
fast in such manner and spiriD shall thy
light break forth as the morning, and thine
health shall spring forth speedily, and thy
righteousness shall go before thee; the
glory of the Lord shall he thy reward
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall
answer; thou shalt cry and he shall say,
here am. II thou take away from the
midst OF thee the yoke, the putting forth of
the finger, and speaking vanity; and II thou
draw out thy soul to the hungry, and sat-
isfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light
rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as
the MONDAY" o that God, for Chrlst's
sake, would give us us a whole people, to
next. Alas, such was the manifest reluc-
lance of Christ's ministers in this city, on
the former fast day, to confess our ma
tional sin in regard to Slavery, which
stands prOminent-manifest TO all except
shareholders and their abettors or apologists
such the earnest entTeaties for peace and
prosperity to the domiuunt race aud utter
forgetfuluess of the down trOdden Africans
among us-that the writer of this article
went home from the public services Of
both OLD School and New Presbyterian
with a more sad and discouraged hear
than when went. For l said in my heart
5 God will never forgive our ain, as Nation
or withdraw his shifting rod until we for
sake onr Gins. And this backwarduess OF
. the part of a vast majority of the minister
d of Christ in this city to make full comics
= sion of our national guilt, and hypocriti
n cal preteusions TO the love of universe
:, liberty, has discouraged my hope of
II speedy close Of this most accursed Rebel
y lion more than all the Bull Run disaster
or reverses that have happened to on
e arms. The Gospel ministry does more t
q shape the morals of people than the pres:
: and though, praise God, there is in thi
i Republic no union of Church and State
: yet such is, and God be praised that it is
fact, that Christ's ambassadors shape th
morals of the people. Hence my grea
sorrow that they have so generally ignore
in their public prayers our great nationa
5 guilt in regard to oppression, God forgiv
t them. There have been q few noble ex
. ceptions; but Conservatism .(another Wort
for seltishness) has been the rule. y
A DAY or two ago we publ;sbed a latte