Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-13
WHAT WE CAN'T BUY
An ELOQUENT SERMON ny DIR.
LEVY Ar BETH AHADA.
TIE REAL WORTH OF RICHES,
Ancient Philosophy and Modern In
voIScd To show the True Value OF
Things Which Men May Acauire--A
Large Audience Present.

Synagogue, yesterday morning. There
was large audience present, and the
eloquent sermon received very close at
tantion.
WHAT WE CANNOT BUY.
DIT. Levy's subject was. What We
Cannot Buy" He spoke in part as fol-
lows.
Are you certain? are you sure? are
questions which always make US hesi-
tate for a moment after making n state
mcnt. The old cant about our being
certain Of nothing but death and taxes
was lar from being the truth. for. We
are much more certain that We are alive
than that We shall die; far surer that
We possess some wealth than that we
shall have 70 pay for that privilege. There
are many things in life of which we
might be certain. II we would. The
shifting. drifting careers Of many wan
dering human beings is largely due TO
this lack OF certainty. We want 10 be
sure, and we can be sure, II We only viii.
Sure Of what? We can be sure OF our
own selves. Of our own natures, Of the
laws at work within and around Us.
our uncertainties have 10 do with the
most trifing concerns: the greatest part
OF life is sure If we Will only make ii so.
There are great laws controlling all our
affairs. and We can utilize them if we
Will. or II We violate them we must suf-
FER Most men pretend 10 believe IN the
law Of cause and effect. but their actions
belle their pretended belief They think
that they are smart enough TO evade
the consequences of their actions.
How many criminals expect 10 be
caught when they coTmit their crimes?
Many OF Us are petty criminals, SHINING
against our best selves, thinking that we
shall manage somehow to eyade the con-
sequences. forgetting tht old dictum Of
our sages, "Be sure your sins will find
YOU out" And yet this very precept
has been misunderstood and misapplied.
Many men have done wrong and sue
Ceeded in concealing their ill-dOing from
the eyes OF ali the world, but nOtwith-
standing there was one man who knew.
once and always. the "sin had found him
out" and that man was himself. and
the conscience that God gave him made
that knowledge perpetual punishment.
OTHER BINDING LAWS.
There are other laws just as insistent,
Just as relentless, whose operation none
can escape. The prophets of old tried
70 make their hearers as certain Of these
laws as they were themselves. When
Isaiah cried 10 the people, Come, every
one that thirsteth, buy without money
and without price, wine and milk he
announced a law as certain as that OF
cause and effect. He startled his hear
ers by telling them, come and buy with
out money, and the same teaching might
we'll be repeated to-day. The law that
lay behind was this Like buys like.
You may buy houses, lands, foods, for
money, but it IS only one kind of mat
ter exchanges for another. The best
and highest things in life we rightly call
priceless. What value will you set upon
the precept Love thy neighbor as thy
self2" How much should we pay for
he law. Thou shalt not stealY' We
Bll know in our heart of hearts that the
most precious things In life cannot be
bought with money.
TWO GREAT CF,RTAINTIES.
IF duty be one Of the certainties Of
our nature. there is the consequent GER
tainty of the happiness which comes
from being in accord with our own ma
lures Ii is the ascetic who degcades
duty to penance. the true man makes his
duty his happiness, because he finds that
he can smile or laugh; that he has
the capacity for enjoyment, and he turns
the phrase into the duty 10 be happy. II
is the Jewish idea as opposed 10 the
Puritan-our Sabbaths are festivals, made
holy by proper JOY. This, too, viii lead
us 10 a certainty; which every one admits,
that earnestness and sincerity are the
realities. the real truths; while pretence
and affectatiOn make the travestles on
life. We have the conviction, which Is
one Of our modes OF thought, that effect
and cause are inseparabie, yet men are
not convinced Of the absolute certainty
IF this. or they would not carelessly or
ginate causes Of which they kno" not
the distant effects.
yorr life and nv life is n constant
rroof Of the constancy OF the principle;
-, from lack of care and thouSht' tion
uncertain appreciation Of necessary con-
sanuences. there are many nrst Steps
witch we would never have taken had
we known what surely followed. But
tbis principle will help us when properly
understood.
TnIITLESS POSSIBILITIES.
"vybo can tell the world of thought
which may be set in motion by YOU OF
fua2 Are we not certain that the true
iEeal win be realized; willing that the
false die: glad If We may only near OF tne
Promised Land into which our people VIII
surely pass2 OF this We are assured-'hat
the world has never been what 1t Is TO-
Qav. that there were never Ireer Doule9
and freer minds than to-day; that the
means OF culture were never so numeF-
ous as now; that the masses cf men stood
am a lover plane in all past time than
the one they occupy 10 day lhat VI
rt1d i'm our schools knows more oI tue
xorld in which he lives thah "a ms
.,randfatber when life was o|e'' Anu Sii
his we are certain comes from TIC ie"''-
tstion of ideals born long ago.
MORALITY OF The BIBLE
owe are certain mat The morality OF
o,,r Rook is that which fits all NE anu
y,ru solve an doubts; hat the sPTlt oI
tho Dible Is the purityins stream NHiO"
.rsu wash all men clean. Ihe cei 'dln-
~, ~ IFS morality IS the cenifh h'Pe ~
sr of ms. If we properly apprecla'"u ,iIis .i1r,
l.f.,t,, a. ,,ould end all STRIFE pilohs
,,, 49,. need be no question Of Cr1ho-
-, - rosorn-but the Jew IS ne "l0
49, mn 20 our morality. Nhe'heI Ho
- ~, or no shoes or no, coat or no.
30 cert,in OF his Judaism II ne haVe
fl. spirlt II not, he may oe poii ~ sar,,o.
ish parents. marry a Je"V9a' ter
,,erg form Of all rituals; but ne ~ %
o,,t ,ur ranks. our greatest cei 'oi''sy -,
,ba+ the nerfect man is the PEREZ. 'D"' 80.
and we need mercy 20 meit an ',,,a,,t
,sinties together and find TINS ieSri - 49,
"Au in life that is worth having - ,','ys
tain. tbat worth buys honor uu'h 80 ~
I'm good must triumph; that i'iono io,
60, 40 free To ALI. and love the hisne'