SERMON XXXVII:

AN INFIRMARY SERMON.

MATT. XXV. 35.

I was an bungered, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in.

BY

Y the introduction of sin into the world, a very material, and affecting change took place in the present condition, and future expectations, of the whole moral creation. Expelled from paradise, man entered into a state of probation. And "when the fulness of "the time was come," the Supreme Being was, graciously pleased to make a Revelation of His will, in which, He, in the most unequivocal language, declared, that, according as His creatures should fulfil, or transgress, the laws of this Evangelical Covenant, they would be entitled to an high reward, or subject to a tremendous punishment.

In analyzing the constitution of our natnre, in contemplating the various conditions of society, we perceive how admirably the Christian dispensation is

adapted to the moral state, and calculated for the ge neral good, of man; how wisely it embraces the interest, and how powerfully it promotes the happiness, of the human race. Man, with respect to man, becomes the representative of God. "I was an hun"gered, and ye gave me meat. Then shall the righte66 ous answer Him saying, Lord, when saw we thee an "hungered, and fed thee. And the King shall an66 swer, and say unto them, verily I say unto you, in"asmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of "these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

In this description of the general Judgment, animating in the information it conveys, and awful in the consequences it establishes, the mind is, irresistibly, led to consider the state in which it shall then appear, and to anticipate the sentence to which it shall, in consequence, be entitled. "The Son of man shall come

in His glory, and all the holy Angels with Him," in order that the virtues and the vices of every human being, from the commencement of creation to the consummation of all things, may be proclaimed aloud before the assembled world. To this awakening prelude shall, immediately, succeed the final separation between the righteous, and the wicked-the one set at the right, the other, at the left hand; when THỊ KING, as our Lord styles himself, of Angels and of men," shall say unto them on His right hand, come, ye" blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre"pared for you from the foundation of the world." How! Shall man, a worm of the earth, find such distinguished favor in the sight of God? Yes-because, continues the Almighty Judge, " when I was an "hungred, ye gave me meat; when I was thirsty,

"ye

ye gave me drink; when I was a stranger ye took 86 me in." Our Lord may, as some suppose, express himself here by a figure of speech, not infrequently used in the sacred writings*. He may, under these images of substantial relief, comprize all the moral virtues, and social qualities, which Christianity, when embraced from conviction, and observed from principle, uniformly, produces. But allowing this general latitude of interpretation, I must still contend that, if all other virtues are, by our Blessed Lord, comprehended under them, the practice of these more especially, in order to obtain His approbation, must be of unceasing obligation, and indispensable necessity. He, says the Scripture in another place," shall have judg "ment without mercy, who himself hath shewed no

mercy." And again" whoso stoppeth his ears at "the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but "shall not be heard." Do you hope, in that solemn scene, to hear addressed, personally, to yourselves this transporting invitation, " come, blessed of my Fa

ther?" Be it your care, as it is, equally, your interest and your duty, to perform acts of mercy, and works of benevolence. Are you sanguine in such hopes? from the hungry whom you have fed-from the thirsty to whom you have given drink-from the stranger whom you have preserved from nakedness, and protected from cold, must proceed intercessions for your acceptance, and prayers for your reward.

Since Providence hath, in His wise dispensations, placed one man in a station which abounds with whatever can delight the imagination, and gratify the senses;

and another in a condition, exposed to all the mortifications of want, and all the embarrassments of poverty; it is, evidently, His intention that "the abundance of "the rich should supply the wants of the poor." For riches-whether acquired by the application of labor, bequeathed by the kindness of friends, or enjoyed by virtue of succession-through whatever channel conveyed-are the gift of God. The natural enquiry then is to what end He gives them? For what purpose He designs them? Is it to encourarge the meanness of accumulation-to indulge the propensity to sensuality to support the splendor of distinction? What! shall we, "whom He hath made all of one "blood to dwell on the face of the earth," presume to entertain thoughts so mean, and so unworthy of the Eternal Providence? Would not this be to accuse the Almighty of a blind attachment to the rich, and of cruel injustice to the poor? His merciful design, in constituting so material a difference in the several situations in society is, assuredly, to render one man instrumental to the happiness of another; and at the same time, to prove the fidelity of one in the distribution of His blessings, and the patience of the other, in the support of His chastisements.

"The rich and poor," says the Scripture," meet "together; the Lord is the maker of us all." We have, if I may be allowed the expression, been interwoven into civil society, to the end that we may, by mutual good offices, assist, comfort, and support each other. Now, as we are all clay in the hands of the same Potter, to suppose one part of His creatures abandoned to the uncertainty of chance, and the sport of caprice, would be treating them as infants exposed,

to

to the mercy of passengers, by a parent who is devoid of the affections and the bowels of a man. We arrive then at this necessary conclusion, that a portion. of the wealth you call your own, and which you consider as your exclusive property-exempt from any account to the author of it in the pious distribution, the parsimonious hoard, or the injudicious profusion -is to be reserved for works of mercy, and compassion; and that, being not the proprietor, but the steward only, you are not allowed by Him, who entrusted it to you, to appropriate it to other purposes, and alienate it from its original destination; that what you can, without inconvenience, spare, is due to the alleviation of the wants of the poor, and the relief of the indigent.

*

We are to consider further, that, in the present unequal state of things, it is the intention of the Almighty, that all men of every degree, and of every condition, should unite in praises to Him for His blessings, and in thanksgivings for His benefits. But he who is afflicted with disease, pining in neglect, and languishing in sorrow-how shall he exalt his voice in this harmony of praise, in this concert of thanksgiving? Whilst you are in possession, many, of the elegances, and all, of the comforts of life-whilst the dictates of your heart are- I will give thanks unto "Thee, O Lord; I will be glad, and rejoice in "Thee; yea, my songs will I make of thy name, "O most Highest. I will magnify Thee, O Lord, "for Thou hast set me up, and not made my foes to "triumph over me. Thou hast put off my sackcloth, "and girded me with gladness, therefore will I give "thanks unto Thee, O my God, for ever." Whilst

ઃઃ

your.