SERM. in heart; to be holy in all manner of con-
XX. verfation +. Much of the Form of godliness

is laid afide amongst us: this itself should ad-
monish us to attend more to the Power there-
oft. We have discarded many burdenfome
Ceremonies: let us be the more careful to
cultivate inward Religion. We have thrown
off a Multitude of fuperftitious Practices,
which were called Good Works: let us the
more abound in all moral Virtues, thefe be-
ing unquestionably fuch. Thus our Lives
will justify and recommend the Reformation ;
and we fhall || adorn the doctrine of God our
Saviour in all things.

A

SERMON

Preached before his GRACE

CHARLES Duke of Richmond,

PRESIDENT;

And the GOVERNORS of the
LONDON INFIRMARY,

For the Relief of Sick and Diseased Perfons,
especially MANUFACTURERS,

SEAMEN in Merchant-Service, &c.

and

At the Parish Church of St. Lawrence-Jewry,
On Thursday, March 31, 1748.

I PET. iv. 8.

And above all things have fervent Charity among yourselves: for Charity fhall cover the Multitude of Sins.

S we owe our Being, and all our SERM. Faculties, and the very Opportu- XXI. nities of exerting them, to Almighty God, and are plainly His and not our own, we are admonished, even though we should have done all thofe things which

Gg 3

A

SERM. are commanded us, to fay, We are unprofitXXI. able fervants *. And with much deeper Humility muft we make this Acknowledgment, when we confider, in how many things we have all offended +. But ftill the Behaviour of fuch Creatures as Men, highly criminal in Some Refpects, may yet in Others be fuch, as to render them the proper Objects of Mercy, and, our Saviour does not decline faying, thought worthy of it \\. And, conformably to our natural Senfe of Things, the Scripture is very express, that Mercy, Forgiveness, and in general Charity to our Fellow-creatures, has this Efficacy in a very high Degree.

SEVERAL copious and remote Reasons have been alledged, why fuch Preheminence is given to this Grace or Virtue; some of great Importance, and none of them perhaps without its Weight. But the proper one feems to be very fhort and obvious, that by fervent Charity, with a Courfe of Beneficence proceeding from it, a Perfon may make Amends for the Good he has blameably omitted, and the Injuries he has done, fo far, as that, Society would have no Demand

mand upon him for fuch his Miíbehaviour; SERM. nor confequently would Juftice have any in XXI. Behalf of Society, whatever it might have upon other Acconnts. Thus by fervent Charity he may even merit Forgiveness of Men: And this feems to afford a very fingular Reason, why it may be graciously granted him by God; a very fingular Reason, the Chriftian Covenant of Pardon always fuppofed, why divine Justice should permit, and divine Mercy appoint, that fuch his Charity fhould be allowed to cover the multitude of fins.

AND this Reafon leads me to obferve, what Scripture, and the whole Nature of the Thing fhews, that the Charity here meant must be such hearty Love to our Fellow-Creatures, as produceth a fettled Endeavour to promote, according to the best of our Judgment, their real lafting Good, both present and future; and not that Easiness of Temper, which, with peculiar Propriety, is expreffed by the Word Good-humour, and is a Sort of benevolent Instinct left to itself, without the Direction of our Judgment. For this Kind of Good-humour is fo far from making the Amends before-mentioned, that, though it be agreeable in Converfation, it is

SERM. often moft mifchievous in every other InterXXI. courfe of Life; and always puts Men out of Capacity of doing the Good they might, if they could withstand Importunity, and the Sight of Distress, when the Case requires. they should be with ftood: Many Instances of which Cafe daily occur, both in Publick and Private. Nor is it to be fuppofed, that we can any more promote the lafting Good of our Fellow-creatures, by acting from mere kind Inclinations, without confidering what are the proper Means of promoting it, than that we can attain our own perfonal Good, by a thoughtless Purfuit of every thing which pleafes us. For the Love of our Neighbour, as much as Self-love, the focial Affections, as much as the private Ones, from their very Nature, require to be under the Direction of our Judgment. Yet it is to be remembered, that it does in no fort become fuch a Creature as Man to harden himself against the Diftreffes of his Neighbour, except where it is really neceffary; and that even well-difpofed Perfons may run into great Perplexities, and great Miftakes too, by being over-follicitous in diftinguishing, what are the most proper Occafions for their Charity, or who the greatest Objects of it. And

therefore,