which a soft and flattering hand can give them; and that the others, to which he feels no propensity, appear at once naked and deformed, surrounded with all the true circumstances of their folly and disho nour. When David surprised Saul sleeping in the cave, and cut off the skirt of his robe, we read, his heart smote him for what he had done:-strange, it smote him not in this matter of Uriah, where it had so much stronger reason to take the alarm!-A whole year had almost passed from the first commission of this injustice, to the time the prophet was sent to reprove him; and we read not once of any remorse or compunction of heart for what he had dore: and it is not to be doubted, had the same prophet met him when he was returning up out of the cave, and told him, that, scrupulous and conscientious as he then seemed and thought himself to be, he was deceiving himself, and was capable of committing the foulest and most dishonourable actions ;—that he should one day murder a faithful and a valiant servant, whom he ought in justice to have loved and honoured;-that he should without pity first wound him in the tenderest part, by taking away his dearest possession, and then unmercifully and treacherously rob him of his life :--had Nathan in a prophetic spirit foretold to David that he was capable of this, and that he should one day actually do it, and from no other motive but the momentary gratification of a base and unworthy passion, he would have received the prediction with horror, and said possibly with Hazael upon just such another occasion, and with the same ignorance of himself," What! is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing?" And yet in all likelihood, at that very time there wanted nothing but the same degree of temptation, and the same opportunity to induce him to the sin which afterwards overcame him. Thus the case stands with us still. When the passions are warmed, and the sin which presents itself exactly tallies to the desire, observe how impetuously a man will rush into it, and act against all principles of honour, justice, and mercy!-Talk to him the moment after upon the nature of another vice to which he is not addicted, and from which perhaps his age, his temper, or rank in life secure him; take notice how well he reasons, with what equity he determines,-what an honest indignation and sharpness he expresses against it, and how insensibly his anger kindles against the man who hath done this thing. Thus we are nice in grains and scruples, but knaves in matters of a pound weight; every day straining at gnats, yet swallowing camels;-miserably cheating ourselves, and torturing our reason to bring us in such a report of the sin as suits the present appetite and inclination. Most of us are aware of and pretend to detest the barefaced instances of that hypocrisy by which men deceive others; but few of us are upon our guard, or see that more fatal hypocrisy by which we deceive and overreach our own hearts! It is a flattering and dangerous distemper which has undone thousands; we bring the seeds of it along with us into the world, they insensibly grow up with us from our childhood, they lie long concealed and undisturbed, and have generally got such deep root in our natures by the time we are come to years of understanding and reflection, that it requires all we have got to defend ourselves from their effects. To make the case still worse on our sides, 'tis with this as with every grievous distemper of the body, the remedies are dangerous and doubtful, in proportion to our mistakes and ignorance of the cause; for in the instances of self-deceit, though the head is sick, and the whole heart faint, the patient seldom knows what he ails. Of all the things we know and learn, this necessary knowledge comes to us the last. Upon what principle it happens thus, I have endeavoured to lay open in the first part of this discourse which I conclude with a serious exhortation to struggle against them: which we can only hope to do by conversing more and oftener with ourselves, than the business and diversions of the world generally give us leave. We have a chain of thoughts, desires, engagements, and idlenesses, which perpetually return upon us in their proper time and order: let us, I beseech you, assign and set apart some small portion of the day for this purpose,-of retiring into ourselves, and searching into the dark corners and recesses of the heart, and taking notice of what is passing there. If a man can bring himself to do this task with a curious and impartial eye, he will quickly find the fruits of it will more than recompense his time and labour. He will see several irregularities and unsuspected passions within him which he never was aware of; he will discover in his progress many secret turnings and windings in his heart to which he was a stranger, which now gradually open and disclose themselves to him upon a nearer view. In these labyrinths he will trace out such hidden springs and motives for many of his most applauded actions, as will make him rather sorry and ashamed of himself than proud. 66 In a word, he will understand his errors, and then see the necessity, with David, of imploring God to cleanse him from his secret faults,—and with some hope and confidence to say, with this great man after his conviction, Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart;-prove me, and examine my thoughts;-look well if there be any way of wickedness in me,—and lead me in the way everlasting." Now to God the Father, &c. &c. SERMON V. THE CASE OF ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW OF A Charity Sermon. TO THE VERY REVEREND RICHARD OSBALDISTON, D.D. SIR, DEAN OF YORK. I HAVE taken the liberty to inscribe this Discourse to you, in testimony of the great respect which I owe to your character in general; and from the sense of what is due to it in particular, from every member of the Church of York, I wish I had as good a reason for doing that, which has given me the opportunity of making so public and just an acknowledgment; being afraid there can be little left to be said upon the subject of Charity, which has not been often thought, and much better expressed by many who have gone before: and, indeed, it seems so beaten and common a path, that it is not an easy matter for a new comer to distinguish himself in it, by any thing except the novelty of his vehicle. I beg, however, Sir, your kind acceptance of it, and of the motives which have induced me to address it to you; one of which I cannot conceal in justice to myself, because it has proceeded from the sense of many favours and civilities which I have received from you. I am, REVEREND șir, your most obliged, and faithful humble Servant, LAURENCE STERNE. SERMON V. THE CASE OF ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW OF 1 KINGS, XVII. 16. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Elijah. THE words of the text are the record of a miracle wrought in behalf of the widow of Zarephath, who had charitably taken Elijah under her roof, and administered unto him in a time of great scarcity and distress. There is something very interesting and affectionate in the manner this story is related in holy writ; and, as it concludes with a second still more remarkable proof of God's favour to the same person, in the restoration of her dead son to life, one cannot but consider both miracles as rewards of that act of piety, wrought by Infinite Power, and loft upon record in scripture, not merely as testimonies of the prophet's divine mission, but likewise as two encouraging instances of God Almighty's blessing upon works of charity and benevolence. In this view I have made choice of this piece of sacred history, which I shall beg leave to make use of as the ground-work for an exhortation to charity in general: and, that it may better answer the particular purpose of this solemnity, I will endeavour to enlarge upon it with such reflections as, I trust in God, will excite some sentiments of compassion, which may be profitable to so pious a design. Elijah had fled from two dreadful evils; the approach of a famine, and the persecution of Ahab, |