Stray leaves from the portfolios of Alisander the seer, Andrew Whaup, and Humphrey Henkeckle

STRAY LEAVES.
21
THE FAST DAY:
A SERMON
Delivered upon the 23d of July, 1835, being the day appointed
by the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, to be set
apart as a day of Fasting and Humiliation, throughout the
whole of the Church bounds.
By ALISANDER THE SEER.
4 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern Israel?
Arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name,
and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to
the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in
the letters, saying, PROCLAIM A FAST, and set Naboth on high among
the people. And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness
against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king; and then
carry him out, and stone him that he may die.’—First Booh of Kings.
xxi, 7-11.
This, I believe, my friends, is the first fast, proclaimed by
royal authority, of which we have any account in the sacred
volume; and, when we take into consideration the purpose
for which it was decreed to be held, we are fully warranted
to look with a jealous eye upon all such solemnities of mere
human appointment. That fasts may be productive of
good, when set about for a proper purpose, and in a right
spirit, I am not disposed to dispute at present ; but when
the rites of religion are had recourse to, to sanctify or cover
the worst of crimes, it is then the duty of every right-think¬
ing man to ‘ Cry aloud, and spare not.*