2.^0
��An Elder of Ye Olden lime.
��way, and if he preaches ably and well I will yield the point and drop my salary as you desire."
It was agreed upon. The day ar- rived ; throngs of people came from far and near ; extra seats were provided, the broad window-ledges were filled, entry-ways and doors were blocked. The hour drew near ; the vestryman who had become responsible for Leland's appearance grew a trifle nervous as they waited ; but when the pointer on the dial told five minutes of the hour he noted a horseman in the distance, and soon the preacher alighted at the church-yard gate. A path was made through the surrounding crowd, and he passed up the aisle and entered the pulpit. x-Vfter the customary introduc- tions were over, the established minister said :
" Elder Leland, if you have any pre- liminary exercises in the way of songs or prayers, you can proceed with them, and I will hand you your text when- ever you are quite ready for the sermon."
A prayer was offered, a song sung, and then upon a slip of paper the ec- centric man read the words, "And Balaam saddled his ass." Smoothly and witliout hesitation he lent himself to the work of the hour. Telling first of Balaam's life and history as a false prophet ; of that memorable ride upon the wonderful animal when he went forth at the request of Baalik to curse Israel, and ever as he essayed to pro- nounce curses, words of blessing flowed from his mouth ; he then said that in his text he saw three distinct applications which he would proceed to improve. Balaam fitly represented the hireling clergy who, with their exorbitant salaries, oppressed the people of the day. The saddle was the burden that they laid upon the Churches, while the beast, which,
��bearing long and patiently the kicks and rebuffs of Balaam, at last opened mouth and spake, was an exponent of the people who, in their ignorance and stupidity, submitted to the terrible bur- den imposed upon them by the clergy- Having thus laid out his sermon, he lashed without mercy the evil he had strongly desired to see broken up, much to the joy of the vestrymen, and the discomfiture of the minister, who could do no less than keep his word.
The cause of religious liberty was very near the heart of Leland, and his efforts perhaps contributed as much, if not more, than those of anv other man to the throwing off of the ecclesiastical bondage existing in the state of his adoption. We find him, in 1789, as messenger to the General Assembly ap- pointed to draft memorials respecting the Incorporating Act and the use of the waste lands. Not versed in college lore, he used the best abihty he had, and fought for the right with such illustrious sons of Virginia as Washington, Jeffer- son, and Madison ; making the strength of his opinion and influence tell upon every occasion.
Very many will remember the graphic story told of the meeting of Madison and Leland, when the former was filled with doubt as to the pending election in which he was candidate for a seat in the convention to adopt the Constitu- tion. His election was deemed neces- sary to carry Virginia, which seemed a vital point. Expressing his doubts to a political friend, he was told that if he could see John Leland, and convince him that it was for the good of the country that he won the election, his success would be sure, for so wonderful was the influence of the man that he could marshall a throng ot voters from the wilderness — Spotsylvania and vicinity.
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