due to him, because he can fay no more in his true cafe than counterfeits fay every day in a false one.

There is another very great discouragement which charitable perfons are under, from obferving the ill use which the poor often make of their benefactions to them. One would imagine that a man who wanted food and raiment, and all other neceffaries of life, was pretty well fecured against the exceffes of ftrong liquors, or any other temptations, which muft neceffarily exhauft his little stock, and leave him unable to provide for his wants. But the case is far otherwife; the general corruption of manners, too plainly to be seen in this country, has spread among the loweft; and neceffity itself is grown luxurious. It is very much to be lamented, that fo much art and skill have been fhewn of late years to make drunkenness the cheapest of all vices; for it will, it already has made it the commoneft, and let in all the vices which follow this excefs upon the poorest of our people; who were formerly fo far happy in their poverty, that their want fecured them from many vices, to which their richer neighbours were expofed.;

How to advise charitable perfons to steer clear of these inconveniences in their private benefactions, I know not; perhaps it may be a good rule in general not to be too curious, or hard to be fatisfied in these cafes. But with respect to the great work of charity, which has called us together this day, I can with pleasure observe to you, that it stands free of these difficulties; it will appear fo to do from the nature of the charity itself, and the method in which it is conducted and though neither the perfons

who have undertaken this good work defire to have their praises fet forth, nor is it my intention to do it; yet, in juftice to the work itself, give me leave to mention very briefly fome circumftances attending it, that may recommend it to the approbation of good people.

In the first place then, the perfons admitted to partake in this charity are real objects, and from the nature of the thing they must be fo: the blind, the lame, the diseased of various kinds, refort hither for a cure of their evils. That fuch are proper objects of charity, there is no doubt; but when complaints of this nature are used to move private charity, they are often counterfeited; and the money intended for the relief of a poor cripple is perhaps given to a sturdy vagabond. But that case can never happen here; for cheats and counterfeits never come to an hofpital to be cured; they never defire that their complaints fhould be examined by the skilful eye and hand of the furgeon. Whatever therefore may happen in other cafes, you may be fure to meet with no frauds of this kind in this charity.

There are distempers, indeed, which may be pretended, and in judging of which even the skilful may be impofed on; but neither will fuch frauds come here; for nobody will pretend such diseases merely for the fake of going into a course of phyfic, and fubmitting to the rules and orders of a place, which, though it affords ample provifion for the wants of the miferable, yet it affords no temptation to the idle and vicious, that they fhould defire to come under the rule and difcipline of it.

Secondly, Whatever is given in support of this in

ftitution flows from the true and generous principle of charity, before defcribed: all perfons are entitled to relief here, if they really want it; and every contributor is moved by the general regard to the good of men, without any regard to the little partialities, which often influence our private charities, whether we intend they fhould or no. But to fubfcribe to support an hospital, open to all just complaints, is a general subscription for the affiftance and comfort of men in mifery and diftrefs, without any other confideration whatever: and therefore this charity has this excellent ingredient in it, that it is love without partiality.

Laftly, There is one inducement more, which is the good management and economy fhewn in the application of this charity. I have mentioned now a thing worthy to be highly commended and extolled, but not by me in this audience. I shall take notice of it, therefore, only as a fact, a fact published by laying the accounts of this charity before the world, and in which every man, who pleases, may at an eafy rate have full fatisfaction.

If this confideration is, and furely it is a great inducement to benefactors to encourage this good work; it is an argument alfo to thofe who have employed their time and their pains in the affairs of this house, to persevere in this work of love their charity is more, perhaps, than they imagine: others give whatever their proportion amounts to; but these, by their good and wife administration, encourage many to give; it is a circumftance which they may reflect on with comfort here, and it will surely have its reward hereafter.

Go on therefore with cheerfulness in this great and good employment; and in confidence that you are ferving a Master, who will not forget this work and labour of love.

your

DISCOURSE XII.

DEUT. xxxii. 45, 46.

And Mofes made an end of speaking all these words to all Ifrael.

And he faid unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I teftify among you this day; which ye shall command your children to obferve, to do all the words of this law.

You have in the text the laft piece of advice which Mofes gave to the people of Ifrael; for on the self-fame day, on which he made this exhortation, he was fummoned by God to depart from this world; accordingly he died on the mountain of Nebo, and was gathered to his people.

The last advice of dying friends naturally makes a ftrong impreffion on the minds of those who furvive them; and it is as natural for those who are leaving this world, to make the thing, which they efteem to be of the greateft confequence and importance to their friends, who are to ftay behind them, the fubject-matter of their last advice.

Confider now the character of Mofes; the many years he spent in conducting the people of Ifrael from Egypt to the land of promife; the high of