tures, you would have great Regard to their eternal Good: and that, as you are employed for the Service of God, you would express your Concern for his Honour, by endeavouring confcientioufly to imprint a Sense of Religion and Virtue upon all that come under your Care in these Places. It is the Want of Religion and Virtue, that principally occafions this dreadful Number of Distresses and Diforders in the World: and fo long as the Cause subsists, the Effect will follow. Let your Children therefore be carefully bred up to Piety, without Superftition or Uncharitablenefs; to Loyalty, and Honesty; to Humility, and Industry. Let your Sick be instructed and admonished, fuitably to their Capacities, their present Condition, and paft Behaviour. And let the Correction of your Offenders be made as medicinal as it can and a charitable Care for reclaiming them, by proper Expostulations, and friendly Advice, be joined with whatever Severity it is necessary they should undergo. There are undoubtedly amongst them great Objects of Pity; Perfons, of whom there is no Caufe to defpair: and furely these, as far as it is possible, should have fome diftinguished Regard shewn them. But so much Regard at least should be shewn to them all, and to the Publick at the same Time, if we have any Concern for its Welfare; as never to suffer Places, appointed for the Punishment of Wickedness, to become Schools for learn

ing it.

G

And

And now, having taken upon me to fay thus much to you, it is but Justice to add, that Exhortations by no Means imply Diftruft. Having Confidence in thy Obedience, faith St. Paul to Philemon, I write unto thee, knowing, that thou wilt alfo do more than I fay*. And never can there be better Ground for a Confidence of this Kind, than at present: when these Charities are conducted by so large a Number of good, and wife, and experienced Men, under the Inspection of a Magistracy fo worthy of Honour; and over which prefides a Perfon +, whose uncommon- Abilities we all fee exercised every Day, for the Promotion of Religion and Virtue, of the Peace and good Order, the Welfare and Happiness of this great City, with the most exemplary Difinterestedness, and the truest Prudence, the most active Zeal, and the tenderest Humanity.

I proceed therefore now, with great Satiffaction, from the Duty of managing these Charities well, to that of supporting them. And one Way of fupporting them is, by speak-, ing of them with the Esteem which they deserve. These publick Institutions, and fome of them more especially, have had vehement Accusations brought against them by many Perfons. But stay to enquire, and hear, before you condemn. You may poffibly judge wrong, concerning what ought to be done: and you may very probably be misinformed, concern

* Philem. Ver. 21.

+ Sir John Barnard.

ing ing what is done, Things which have happened very feldom, if at all, may be told as happening frequently. Mistakes corrected long ago, may be charged as continuing still, Inconveniencies may be unjustly heightened; Advantages unjustly depreciated, Should this be so; and should the Things, against which you are declaiming, be all the while excellently good ones: think only, what Harm you are doing to Mankind. Perhaps indeed, nay certainly, they are not perfect. But are they not highly useful? Or if not, cannot they be made fo? If they can, use your Endeavours that they may. Shew a good Meaning, and you will acquire an Influence. But even should you after all be unsuccessful; still reflect a second Time; is it not more eligible, that these Institutions should continue as they are, than fall to Ruin? For, supposing some better Way might be contrived; is there any Certainty, is there any Prospect, of this better Way being taken? And if not; never pull down, till you are likely to build again.

But affording good Words alone to Charity, is very insufficient. As faithful Stewards of the Divine Bounty, you must communicate of the Wealth also, which is placed in your Hands for that Purpose; and minister, as of the Ability which God giveth*. The Importance of fupporting these Methods of doing Good, fo far as it appears from their general Nature,

you have already heard. But when you are acquainted also with their large and increasing Extent, and their necessary Dependence on new Benefactions every Year; these Things will be weighty additional Motives to your Liberality: and I intreat your compaffionate Attention to the following Report of them.

Here the Report was read.

YOU have now heard the most forcible Arguments, that you well can hear, for contributing plentifully to the Charities before you. Eight Hundred Vagrants and disorderly Perfons, confined and employed, relieved and corrected, for their own Reformation, and your Security: Thirteen Hundred poor Children maintained, taught their Duty to God and Man, and qualified for Usefulness to the Publick: Thirteen Thousand fick Perfons, of whom Care hath been taken in their Sickness. And these excellent Establishments, you perceive at the same Time, cannot subsist without continual Help: though, would but your Bounty afford the Means for it, they are capable of being greatly enlarged. Still a Provifion is wanted for Multitudes of poor Children: and no fmall Part of them are either taught, or reduced, to get a Livelihood by Wickedness and Dishonesty. Still too many Offenders, of more advanced Years, infeft your Streets. And a very large Proportion of the Sick, that apply to your Hospitals, are forced to be rejected, jected, and left in their Mifery, for want of Room to receive them, or Income to support them. Think then, what is incumbent on you in relation to these Things.

There are but two Reasons, and they are both very bad ones, that hinder Men from being charitable according to their Power: either Covetousness makes them unwilling; or Expenfiveness makes them imagine they are unable.

If the former influences you; confider well, that your Happiness for ever depends on doing your Duty: but your Happiness even here doth not depend on enlarging your Fortunes. You may, if you will form yourselves to it, enjoy great Satisfaction in doing Good. But what Felicity can you possibly find, either in the Confciousness of having, or the Vanity of being known to have, ever so much Wealth more than you have any Occasion for? And befides, if the Enjoyment of Man's Life did confift in the Abundance of the Things which he poffeffed * : Charity may often be so contrived by Prudence, as not to diminish Wealth; and is often fo blessed by Heaven, as greatly to increase it. I am sensible, that you have heard these Things, till fome of you perhaps have brought yourselves by Degrees to be very little moved by them: but remember, God will expect, that having been reminded of them fo frequently, you should regard them the more.