known to the rich, and lefs minded, amidst their hurry of bufinefs or pleasure, than in villages or fmaller towns. Now multitudes of these, are continually falling fick, and receiving hurts, and, if left to themselves in their miserable cellars and garrets, muft fuffer beyond conception, and most of them die. As therefore this is, to fpeak moderately, one of the largest of cities, and the bufieft alfo, which increases accidents, hofpitals are peculiarly neceffary for it.

Some may think there were enough before the erection of ours. But the contrary is manifeft: for the others are not emptier fince. And though, instead of fix beds, with which it began thirteen years ago, it hath now one hundred and thirtyfive, which have been filled near nine times each, during the laft year; yet a large proportion of pitiable objects, brought in or recommended, have been rejected for want of room: how cutting a difappointment to them, you may, by fuppofing their misfortunes your own, in some low degree imagine. Of out patients, there have been nine thoufand four hundred, within the fame time; and were, on the first of January laft, fixteen hundred on the books; which great refort, a remarkable diftinction of our hofpital from all others, proves the neceffity of it, particularly in that quarter; and, at the same time, the good success of the remedies administered in it. But ftill that fuccefs would be vaftly augmented, if more could be taken in; becaufe from a distance many cannot come at all for advice; and few will come for it so often, or follow it fo ftrictly, as they fhould: nor will they be either dieted or nurfed at home near fo well:

It may seem an objection to the enlargement of hospitals, that the inhabitants within the bills of mortality are leffening. But alas, their difeafes and diftreffes are increasing at the fame time. Intemperance, especially in fpirituous liquors, and debauchery, deftroy their health and fruitfulness: Love of pleafures and amufements, makes them idle and neceffitous; and contempt of religion, leaves bad inclinations unrestrained. Were we wife, the utmost zeal would be fhown to stop this torrent of folly and fin, by the authority, and above all by the example, of fuperiors: which, efpecially when it is bad, the next beneath them will imitate; and fo downwards, to the lowest of all. For it is a strange defect in policy, not to think VOL. III,

4 B

of

of preventing perfons from making themfelves afclefs and wretched, but only of reftoring them to a condition of doing it again. But unless the former be vigorously attempted by well advised methods, of which God grant us better hope, there will be a growing demand for hofpitals, till the number of our people is reduced yet further.

Still it may be alleged, that the burden of fupporting them, inftead of refting, as it oth on a few, fhould be laid on the community by a law. But the poor cannot make this law; nor doth it appear that the rich will: not to say, that if it were made, the charitable would lofe one principal method of fatisfying their own minds, as well as others, that they are truely fuch. And befides, how are we fure that the care would be fo effectual, and the charge, indeed our own fhare of it, less, or fo little, under the management of legal officers, taking the overfight by conftraint, or for lucre, as of those who take it willingly, and of a ready mind? However, at prefent, hofpitals muft depend on voluntary gifts, as they have done in time past.

Not that this excellent inftitution began early in the world: which may feem very strange. But poffibly distempers were formerly fewer. And certainly, among the ancient heathens, tenderness of heart towards the wretched was no common virtue +. Nor did it among the Jews extend far; though Mofes enjoins it towards all men, repeatedly and pathetically t. But our bleffed Saviour, the fingular good-nature of whose doctrine is one ftrong evidence of its divine original, befides teaching more efficaciously, than had ever been done before, the obligation of mutual love in general, hath particularly

⚫ I Pet. v. 2.

The direction and practice of Cato the Cenfor was, to fell flaves, when they became difeafed, or otherwife unfit for labour. Cato de Re Ruftica, Plut. in Cat. And Suetonius faith, that in the reign of Clawdus, (when the Romans were polished in the highest degree, and philofophy had tried its utmost influence upon them) some exposed their fick flaves to perish in the isle of Æfculapius ať Rome: on which account the emperor ordered, that expofing them, should be deemed giving them their liberty, if they recovered; and that, if any chofe ra ther to put them to death, it fhould be punished, as murder. Suet. in Claud, c.

25.

Exod. xxii. 21. xxiii. 9, 12. Lev. xix. 33. 34. xxv. 25, 37, 37. Deut. x. 19. xxiv. 14, 15, 17.-22. xxvii. 19.

larly inforced mercy to the fick, by his miracles of healing, by his parable of the good Samaritan *, by his affecting defcription of his own future behaviour at the great day of judgement. In confequence of this, we find the primitive Christians, the most benevolent of men : and the affection of their fucceffors to each other, a fubject of general wonder §. We find thofe of Rome, who were the richeft, fending alms to their brethren throughout the earth||: and those of Alexandria and Carthage, in the defolations of a dreadful plague, miniftering to the infected, with astonishing courage, while the heathens gave proofs of the moft fhocking neglect and barbarity T. Nay, thofe of the whole eastern empire, just after the feveral cities of it had been perfecuting them, in the reign of Maximin, were the only perfons, who affifted others in the double diftrefs of peftilence and famine; attending on the dying, burying the dead, feeding the hungry, without diftinction; which they did continually, with fuch tenderness and bounty in every respect, that they and their Ged were publicly celebrated and honoured for it by all men **. Nor do Christian writers alone ascribe to them this character. The profane Lucian acknowledges and ridicules their plentiful almfgiving tt. The apoftate emperor Julian confeffes, that the worshippers of his gods, difregarded their own poor, and the Chriftians mantained those of both profeffions. He gives exhortations to the former, and undeniably taken out of the New Testament, to amend, and imitate the Galileans in this and many other points. But, diftrufting their effect, he had begun to appropriate large revenues to the fupport of the credit of paganifm, against the influences of the charity of Chriftians ‡‡. Nor were thefe

Luke x 30---37

P 2

+ Matth. xxv. 31.---46.

Rom. xv. 25, 26.

As ii. 44. 45. iv. 32.---37.-xi. 27.-30. xxiv. 17.

2 Cor. viii. 1.---4. ix. I, 2.. Col. i. 4. Theff. iv. 9. 2 Theff. i. 3. I Tim. v.. 10. Philem. verfe 7. Rev. ii. 19. Clem. Rom. Eph. i. § 1, 2, 33.

Tert. Apol. c. 39, 42.

Dionyf. ap. Eufeb. H E. l. 4. c. 23. & 1 7. c. 5.

Dionyf. ap. Eufeb. H. E. 1. 7. c. 22. Cypr. Vit. per Pontium, p. 5. ** Eufeb. H. E. 1. 9. c. 8.

++ De Morte Peregrini, p. 996, 997, 998. Ed Bourdelot. Par. 1615.

# Julian. Fragm. Ep. p. 290, 305. Ep. 49. p. 429. &c. Ed. Spanh. Lipf. 1696. Greg, Nazianz. Orat. 3. p. 101, 102. Ed Bilii. Par. 1630. Sozomen. Hil. Eccl. 1. 5. c. 16.

thefe bountifu! only to make and preferve converts: for they continued so after their faith became the reigning one. Then, for it was impracticable before, a vast variety of beneficent foundations, and, amongst them, hofpitals for the fick, things unknown to preceeding ages +, rofe from the private liberalities of believers ‡, and were authorised and regulated by the civil power §, which have spread wherever the gospel hath spread and make one principal glory of our own church, our own times, and the reign of our gracious fovereign. Thefe facts, I hope, will recommend, not only charity to Christians, but Christianity to charitable perfons: and fhew the wildom of learning from scripture, the proper directions for carrying on the good work, which we are met to countenance.

Now there can be no better directions, than those of the text. For it comprehends the three neceffary points: a due provifion, a vigilant fuperintendence, a willing execution.

I. A due provifion. He that giveth, let him do it with fimplicity: fairly allowing every right motive its full effect upon him. The mere inftinct of pity will operate irregularly, and fometimes hurtfully. Mere worldly prudence will be generally milled by prefent felf-interest. A fenfe of moral

fitness, without the sanction of divine authority, will scarce ever produce much fruit, in common foils at least. And the religion of reafon alone, will but seldom furnish precepts determinate enough, or excite hopes and fears powerful enough, to fupply the deficiency. Doubtlefs we Chriftians ought fincerely to esteem thofe, who from any true principle, benefit their fellow-creatures: but at the fame time, earnestly to pray God, that he would make them altogether fuch as we are .

Chryfoft. Hom. 66. in Matth. p. 658. Tom. 7. Ed. Montf.

The

The word aletudinarium is in several Roman authors; but feems to mean only a receptacle for the fick fervants of a family, in or near the house.

Ferom faith, that Fubiola, a wealthy Christian widow, of a noble Reman faily, who died in his time, first erected a public infirmary; prima omnium serenoprios inflituit, in quo ægrotantes colligeret de plateis & confumpta languoribus atque inedia miferorum membra foveret. Ep. 84. Ed. Bened. 77. Ed. Veron. And Gregory the Prefeyter, in his life of Nazianzen, faith, that Befil, who lived in the fame age with Jerom, built a large hofpital for lepers, with charity money, which he colleted for that purpose.

Cod. 1. i. tit. 2. leg. 15, 19, 22. tit. 3.leg. 18.
Acts xxvi. 29.

The gospel weakens no other inducement: and adds fuch perfuafive ones of its own, that whoever embraces it in fimplicity and godly fincerity*, muft be charitable. And hence I prefume it is, that the word, translated fimplicity in the text, figniñes liberality, in feveral places of the New Testament +, and perhaps in no book written before it. For one, who is a Christian in fingleness of heart 1, can neither covet immoderate wealth, nor hoard up against improbable accidents, nor make falfe pleas of inability, nor examine the merits of the diftreffed with rigour §, nor confine his alms to fome favourite objects of beneficence; but will fairly confider the claims of every different fort. And none hath better, than this hofpi

tal, on various accounts.

It ftands remote from others, in the neighbourhood of innumerable mariners and artificers, whom their manner of life fubjects to many grievous cafualties and difeafes. Of thefe it takes care, if the cafe fo require, (and there have been three hundred and thirty fuch during the last year,) without any recommendation; but in all cafes, without any payment on their admiffion, or any fecurity for their burial, fhould they die: which two demands, exclude the most helpless from other hofpitals, and throw them on ours: but the advantage increases far beyond the expence.

Its fupport hath always been from spontaneous gifts; and, within the compass of the annual account lately published, they have fallen fhort of the disbursements by three hundred and fifty pounds. Now it could not fubfift, much less be enlarged as it ought, were this dimunition to continue. But, we truft it is only temporary; proceeding from zeal to carry on with speed a separate, but important part of the general defign. A new structure, discreetly poftponed at first, is now erecting, in a purer air, with larger and loftier rooms, yet wholy contrived for health, not fhow, in which far greater numbers will be far better accommodated. And, indeed, the erection of it is a double charity, by employing the healthy

2 Cor. i. 12.

† 2 Cor. viii. 2. ix. 11, 13. Jam. i. 5.

Acts ii. 46. Eph. vi. 5. Col. iii. 22.

poor

Le Clerc apprehends, that the apostle meant particularly to give this direction; which fome of the early Chritians carried to a great length. See the epherd of Hermas, 1. 2. mand. 2.