pleasure of bestowing their bounty, a part of it immediately flows back upon them again. And how much may so flow back, and with what large accessions of blessing, God only knows; as he only can tell, what casualties and diseases are warded off, what prosperity and success in affairs may be allotted, as the token of his favourable regard to this pious munificence. Neither can it be improper for me to add upon this head, that what was more directly intended as a benefit to the body, may prove a blessing to the soul. For dissolute persons, by this means being brought for a while under regular discipline, may perhaps be broken and reclaimed: The good instructions they receive from ministers who attend them, especially while the rod of God is upon them, and his sword may seem to hang over them; the spectacles of mortality frequently before their eyes; together with regularity and good order to which in such places they will be accustomed, and their being sheltered from many temptations, from which, in some kinds of sickness, the patient is not necessarily secure; may all, under the influence of divine grace, prove the means of sowing the seeds of true religion in their hearts, and of infusing into their minds that noblest of all cordials, an antidote against the servile fears of the second death. Nor does it appear to me a contemptible effect of this charity, that as it is necessarily concerted upon a plan, in which all parties and denominations are equally concerned, it will probably be a means of promoting more candid and catholic sentiments, in consequence of repeated opportunities of mutual converse. This wears out that narrowness and bigotry of spirit, which, where it prevails, renders the christian so unlike himself; and which is generally the effect of ignorance, and arises from viewing our brethren through false mediums, which represent, what may in itself be regular and fair, in a distorted and disagreeable form. As interviews with each other have a general tendency to rectify such mistaken apprehensions, that tendency is peculiarly evident, where this circumstance is added, that all are associated in the same good design, and have agreed on laying aside every party view in pursuing it. This may promote something of that unity of heart, under a variety of professions, which good men on all sides wish; and which, amidst such an unavoidable diversity of sentiments, is the only method of securing the honour of christianity, and the peace of the church. I must by all means add, that whatever good consequences VOL. III. this scheme may produce, which are many more than I have enumerated above, our engaging heartily in it may render them both extensive and lasting. It is probable, that neighbouring counties may quickly learn to imitate our example, when they see in fact that it is no impracticable design: An apprehension, which I suppose has hitherto been the chief obstruction, where its obvious benefits have been at all thought of. At length it may spread from county to county, till perhaps there will not a parish be found in Britain which shall not have an interest in some such charitable foundation; to which they may send their sick in the most obstinate chronical cases, with some prospect of relief. Thus the remotest regions of our land may have reason on this account to call us blessed ; and I will add, the remotest generations may also have reason to do it. Reflect how many hundreds are at this day, enjoying the benefits of those wise and charitable foundations, which our nation owes to the pious and beneficent king Edward the Sixth, of truly sacred and itnmortal memory. So would I hope, that in this place, when our children, and our grand-children are in their graves, their remotest descendants, which arise in their stead, and God only knows, what revolutions may bring any of them to need it, may have cause to reflect on this year 1743, as the happy æra of an establishment, to which many around them may owe their health, their comfort, their usefulness, and possibly, under God, their christian principles, and their immortal hopes. Whatever streams may in the mean time have flowed into it, and God grant, they may be as large as shall be needed, the fountain will be traced up hither; and blessings will be pronounced on the memory of those, who have opened to these refreshing and healing waters so free and so pleasant a course. These considerations I lay before you, not to extort any thing from you, as against your wills, by mere importunity; but to convince you of what I hope will be abundantly sufficient to engage your concurrence in the design; I mean, that it is eminently calculated for extensive usefulness. I wish you may heartily join in it, because I wish your present happiness, and your future comfort. It is observable, that when our blessed Redeemer sent forth his apostles, as sheep among wolves, he gave them this consolation in the midst of their poverty and affliction, that though as for silver and gold they had none, they should be able to command one of the noblest delights which riches could purchase, in being the means of Healing the sick *. This was, * Mat. x. 8. if I may be allowed the familiarity of the expression, one of the great perquisites which he permitted to these his most favourite servants; that their hearts, rendered no doubt by his grace exquisitely sensible, should have the God-like pleasure of beholding from time to time the cheerful countenances of those, who had lately been among the most lamentable spectacles of human nature, and now under God owed their health, their limbs, and their lives to them; and of seeing the joy of families and neighbourhoods, made happy by the recovery of those who were dear to them. I wish you, my brethren, beloved in the Lord, a pleasure something like this of the apostles; and may I not add, of their master too, so far as a diversity of circumstances will admit. And it is not only in compassion to the afflicted, but in the overflowings of the sincerest friendship to you, that I go on, unnecessary as it may almost seem, in the conclusion of my discourse, III. To touch on some circumstances peculiar to the present season, which may especially recommend this scheme to our immediate regard. And here it is obvious to think of the war in which we are now engaged, of the mercies of the harvest which we have lately reaped,—and of the crisis to which the scheme is now brought, which therefore must be immediately supported, or sunk beyond all probable hope of future recovery. 1. The consideration of the war, in which we are embarked, may properly be introduced as what should have some weight with us on this occasion, This should engage us as a nation, to conduct ourselves in as virtuous and pious a manner as possible; as the most probable way of drawing down the divine blessing upon our arms; Now it is very reasonable to suppose, that acts of public charity, being in their own nature so peculiarly pleasing to the gracious Father and Governor of the universe, must have a great tendency to this. An ancient Jewish writer expresses this in terms remarkably adapted to the present purpose: "Help the poor," says he," for the commandment's sake; and shut up alms, as it were, in thy store-house ;" almost as if he had said, raise hospitals for magazines: "And it shall fight for thee against thine enemies, better than a mighty shield, or a strong spear;" that is, than any kind of defensive or offensive armour. Nay an inspired prophet, when giving advice to him, who was then the greatest monarch upon earth, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, expresses himself thus: Oh King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee: Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening out of thy tranquility And as a view to our future interest, especially in this nice conjuncture of affairs, may require such a care; so it will be a very proper expression of our gratitude, for the assistance which God has lately given us. The victory at Dettingen was a very remarkable and seasonable appearance of providence in our favour, which we have been solemnly acknowledging again and again in our public devotions. Let us also acknowledge it in our actions. Let us present some grateful tribute toward this good work, as a thank-offering to him, who Givetk salvation to kings †, for having so graciously guarded the life, the liberty, and safety of our sovereign, king George. Had The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, been taken in the snares of the enemy ‡, And our glory in any sense been delivered into their hand §, expences of a very different nature might have been occasioned, and have fallen upon our broken spirits with a very afflictive weight. But I will not dwell on so melancholy a thought. We are presenting our daily prayers for his majesty's security and prosperity, while, with a generosity which I hope our nation will never forget, he is Hazarding his life for us in the high places of the field || :. Let our alms rise with our prayers, if we desire they should Come up as a grateful memorial before God ¶. 2. The mercies of the harvest may likewise properly be mentioned, as rendering the charity I have been proposing peculiarly seasonable. God has remarkably appeared for us, to Crown the year with his goodness **, and to load the earth with his bounty; and he has added this, to complete the favour, that he has reserved to us, in as agreeable a manner as we could ourselves have wished, The appointed weeks of the harvest ++. More seasonable weather on such an occasion has not, so far as I can learn, been known in the memory of man: Seasonable in this respect, that as The bottles of heaven have been so restrained ‡‡, that there have been no violent rains in the time of harvest, to sweep away or corrupt the fruits of the earth; so for several of the most busy and important days, God has spread his cloud over the heavens, so as to shelter the reaper in the midst of his toil from those excessive heats, which often render autumn much * Dan. iv. 27. + Psal, cxliv. 10. Lam. iv. 20. § Psal. lxxviii. 61. †† Jer. v. 24. more sickly than it would otherwise be. Since then God hath made such provision for Satisfying our poor with_bread*, and for preserving our health too, he may seem thereby to call upon you, by the gentlest voice, to give him, in this pious work, a part of that substance with which he hath replenished you. And surely you must feel yourselves drawn, as by the cords of a man, to lay out this way some of the stores which he has with so liberal a hand poured in upon you, and which in sparing your health he has both spared and sweetened. Honour the Lord, therefore, with your substance, and with the first-fruits of all your increase†, as a thankful acknowledgment of what he hath already done; and then you may by his promise be encouraged to hope, that in future instances, Your barns shall be filed with plenty, and your presses burst out with new wine ‡. Kuow, my friends, that God hath given you your corn, and your wine, and your oil §, and hath multiplied your wool and your flax. Lay by therefore for charitable uses, as God hath prospered you, and as you hope and desire he should prosper you in years to come: Otherwise you may chance to have calculated your interests very wrong, and may find to your cost, that as There is that scattereth, and yet greatly increaseth, so there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to poverty. Once more, 3. Let me plead from the particular crisis, to which this affair is now brought, which is such, that it must be determined by what is immediately, or at least quickly, done. The scheme of a county hospital among us was thought of, and hinted at long ago; but it was then looked upon as a thing to be wished, rather than attempted and hoped. The attempt is now courageously and vigorously made, and no inconsiderable sum has already been subscribed for that purpose: And what is much more important than any subscription yet made, many of the nobility and gentry of the county who have not yet ascertained particulars, have declared their approbation of the general design, and their resolution to favour it. It is greatly for their honour to have done it, and we may have reason to bless God who hath put it into their hearts: But it would be most ungenerous and unreasonable, to leave the whole burden upon them. It is the general concurrence of the inhabitants of this county, which must give the greatest strength, stability and extent to the scheme. * Psal. cxxxii. 15. #1 Cor. xvi, 2. + Prov. iii. 9. + Prov. iii. 10. Hos. i 8. Prov. xi, 24. |