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perfect and entire, wanting nothing*. Whatever due inftruction I may have omitted to give you, it ought to have been, and is, your concern to fupply it to yourselves; and if I have in any measure performed that duty as I ought, remember, improvement will be expected from you, in proportion to the advantages which you have enjoyed: Through God's mercy, fome of you, that were bad, I have cause to think are become good; and fome, that were good, become better: but alas, how few are thefe, amongst the thoufands of whom this parish confifts! O may there prove to be many more than are come to my knowledge! Elfe I must give account of the fuccefs of my ministry with grieft: for the largeft and best part of it hath been employed on you and fain, therefore, would I perfuade myfelf, that it will be found to have produced a tolerable fhare of good effect. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye, in the prefence of our Lord Jefus Chrift, at his coming t? But however I have failed hitherto, let me not, I beseech you, fail now to obtain, that if ever I have faid any thing to you, which raised any one Chriftian purpofe or defire in your hearts, you would at length fet yourfelves to recollect and accomplish it; and that if you have experienced nothing of this kind from my preaching, you would the more confcientioufly open your breasts to the impreflions of that which you will attend next: for glad fhall I be to have promoted your fpiritual welfare, be it only by this final requeft; and to learn, that the feed which fhall be fown from henceforward, yields, beyond comparifon, a more plentiful harveft than that which preceded. For God is my record, if I may prefume to adopt the apoftle's words, bow greatly long after you all, in the bowels of fefus Chrift : and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in judgment, that ye may approve the things that are excellent, that ye may be fincere and without offence till the day of the Lord, being filled with the fruits of rigbteorfnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift, unto the glory and praise of God. Let then your converfation be as becometh the gofpel; that whether I come and fee you, or be abfent, I may

bear

of

James L. 4. + Heb. xiii. 17.

1 Theff. i. 19. § Phil. i. 8,-11.

of your affairs, that ye ftand faft in one fpirit, with one mind not as in my prefence only, but now much more in my abfence, working out your own falvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do †,

Understand me not to mean taking an abfolute and final leave of you. As long as I live in this tabernacle, to speak the language of St. Peter, I fhall think it meet, if defired and able, to fir you up, by putting you in remembrance 1. But this is the last time I fhall ftand here in that peculiar relation to you which I have borne fo long. And now, therefore, brethren, to conclude with pronouncing over you the folemn farewell of St. Paul, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are fanctified §. There may we meet again, never to part more!

* Phil. i. 27. † Phil. ii. 12, 13.

2 Pet. i. 13.

§ Acts xx. 32.

SER

SERMON CXXXV.

(Preached before the Governors of the London Hofpital, or Infirmary, for the Relief of Sick and Difeafed Perfons, efpecially Manufacturers, and Seamen in Merchants Service, c. at the Parish-Church of St. Lawrence-Jewry, on Wednesday, February 20. 1754.

SIMPLICITY MINGLED WITH LIBERALITY, ACTIVITY WITH GOVERNING, AND CHEERFULNESS WITH MERCY, STRIKING MARKS OF THE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT,

ROM. xii. 8.

-He that giveth, let him do it with fimplicity; be that ruleth, with diligence; be that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Of all the benevolent feelings which God hath planted in our nature, compaflion is the moft valuable for it prompts us the moft directly to relieve the miferable, whose diftreffes are much greater than the enjoyments of the happy can be here below; and yet, without the call of this tender fympathy, we should, far oftener than we do, turn our eyes from them, and leave them to their fate. Perfons of all ranks are frequently in circumftances that demand pity: but the higher part of the world have it more in their power to avoid fufferings than the loweft; and it is eafier to affift the latter effectually. Their poverty alone, indeed, if they are well able to provide themselves neceffaries, wants no affistance. It is one requifite ftate in the scale of things, appointed by the wifdom of Providence; and allows them a very comfortable

enjoyment

enjoyment of life. But if work, be fcarce, or their families. large, they may be grievously ftraitened, even in health; and in their ficknefs, their condition, though fingle, is lamentable; and, when married, often extremely fo. If only a child be fick, they have seldom leisure to attend it duly, but if the parents are fick, all the children must be neglected; and the labour, which used to maintain them, ceafe. They are deftitute, both of-knowledge what to do, and of money to procure directions and medicines, nay, perhaps, proper food. They follow, at random, the fuggeftions of neighbours, no wifer than themselves; or, after languishing long, and growing worfe than they needed, have recourfe for cure, often to ignorant, often to rapacious creatures; who, if thy chance to recover, yet ftrip them of all, and load them with debts, that dif quiet the rest of their days; and too commonly drive them to destructive cordials, which unhappily the most needy can afford; or defperate acts of injuftice to others, or violence to their own perfons.

Religion, humanity, common prudence, loudly require us to rescue them from fuch dreadful evils. For they are our brethren, and God hath committed them to our care; we owe to their industry all that we enjoy; and without their aid, fhould be far more helplefs than they. It is true, many of them fall into difeafes and want through their own faults; and bounty to them may encourage thofe faults. But many also, with the utmost diligence and parfimony, can but juft live. Now furely fuch ought to have the comfort of knowing, that in all events they fhall be fecured from extremities. And even could we diftinguish the blameable from the reft, we should make allowances to them, for ignorance, frailty, temptation; as we hope God and Man will do to us, who have less excufe. While they are well, indeed, it will be right to let them fare more hardly; but neglecting them, when they are ill, is expofing them to perifh, is next to murdering them. Their diftemper, it must be owned, is from God's hand; but he commands us, both by nature and fcripture, to alleviate it, if we can; and doubtful confequences afford no plea to the contrary. How do we know, that mercy, exercifed prudently, will not reclaim them; or that refufing it will prove a warning to them, or to others?

If

If then the fick poor ought to have relief, what is the beft manner of giving it? Barely fupplying them with food, is doing little or nothing towards their cure; and every days continuance of their ficknefs, that can be prevented, is juft fo much unneceffary addition of wretchedness to themfeves, and of damage to the public. If we furnish them with money allo, they will often mifapply it. If we procure them advice and medicines; difperfed, unprovided, and unteachable as they are, the charge will ufually be heavy, and the success very uncertain. Therefore parochial infirmaries have been erected, where they could; and may be of confiderable use, but far inferior to larger hofpitals. They are much more liable to the bad influence of private intereft and partiality: Governors, practitioners, attendants, will feldom be near fo well qualified; and the coft of each patient, will be vaftly greater. Public hofpitals then, are evidently the most defirable. There, cheats will never apply: proper objects may have what is needful, as foon as ever they are indisposed: If able, may go on with their bufinefs; if not, may be taken into the house. Thus, in both cafes, they partake of the united skill of learned perfons, almoft as largely as the higheft of their betters. And, in the latter cafe, their families are difburdened of them; their lodgings are much quieter and wholefomer, than their own can eafily be; their phyfic is duly given, their diet and whole regimen fuited to their condition; and the fymptoms and turns of their disease watched over, and reported, by experienced nurfes. Then further, the art of healing is improved in thefe places beyond all others: not, as the vulgar fometimes fancy, by rafh trials of dangerous experiments; but by frequent occafions for able profeffors to confult, and ingenious candidates to learn from them, to the common advantage of all ranks of men.

But, though public infirmaries are in general highly useful; and have accordingly been fet up in many parts of this nation lately; and in none, I believe, laid down again, or difliked: yet they are the most useful in the most populous cities. For to thefe, helplefs wretches need not be fent from a distance, but are always at hand in them: they contain many poor frangers, that come occafionally; many fojourners, that have no legal fettlements. And befides, even fuch as have, are lefs known

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