would hope it might be brought, cannot be effectually supported, any more than the expenses of civil government, without the contribution of great numbers. You have already the assistance of persons of highest rank and fortune, of which the list of our governors, and the present appearance, are illustrious examples. And their assistance would be far from lessening by a general contribution to it amongst yourselves. On the contrary, the general contribution to it amongst yourselves, which I have been proposing, would give it still higher repute, and more invite such persons to continue their assistance, and accept the honour of being in its direction. For the greatest persons receive honour from taking the direction of a good work, as they likewise give honour to it. And by these concurrent endeavours, our infirmary might at length be brought to answer, in some competent measure, to the occasions of our city. § 24. Here lies the best prerogative of riches. Blessed are they who employ their riches in promoting so excellent a design. The temporal advantages of them are far from coming up, in enjoyment, to what they promise at a distance. But the distinguished privilege, the prerogative of riches, is, that they increase our power of doing good. This is their proper use. In proportion as men make this use of them, they imitate Almighty God; and cooperate together with him in promoting the happiness of the world; and may expect the most favourable judgment, which their case will admit of, at the last day, upon the general, repeated maxim of the gospel, that we shall then be treated ourselves as we now treat others. They have moreover the prayers of all good men, those of them particularly whom they have befriended; and, by such exercise of charity, they improve within themselves the temper of it, which is the very temper of heaven. Consider next the peculiar force with which this branch of charity, almsgiving, is recommended to us in these words, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord m: and in these of our Saviour, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it, relieved the sick and needy, unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto men. Beware you do not explain away these passages of scripture, under the notion, that they have been made to serve superstitious purposes: but ponder them fairly in your heart; and you will feel them to be of irresistible weight. § 25. We should be stimulated by our sense of sin. Lastly, let us remember, in how many instances we have all left undone those things which we ought to have done, and done those things which we ought not to have done. Now whoever has a serious sense of this will most earnestly desire to supply the good, which he was obliged to have done, but has not, and undo the evil which he has done, or neglected to prevent; and when that is impracticable, to make amends, in some other way for his offences-I can mean only to our fellow-creatures. To make amends, in some way or other, to a particular person, against whom we have offended, either by positive injury, or by neglect; is an express condition of our obtaining forgiveness of God, when it is in our power to make it. And when it is not, surely the next best thing is to make amends to society by fervent charity, in m Prov. xix. 17. n Matt. xxv. 40. a course of doing good: which riches, as I observed, put very much within our power. § 26. The miserable choice of the dissolute and miserly. How unhappy a choice then do those rich men make, who sacrifice all these high prerogatives of their state, to the wretched purposes of dissoluteness and vanity, or to the sordid itch of heaping up, to no purpose at all; whilst in the mean time they stand charged with the important trust, in which they are thus unfaithful, and of which a strict account remains to be given! A CHARGE DELIVERED TO THE CLERGY AT THE PRIMARY VISITATION OF THE DIOCESE OF DURHAM, IN THE YEAR MDCCLI. § 1. General decay of religion; zeal for negation. T is impossible for me, my brethren, upon our first meeting of this kind, to forbear lamenting with you the general decay of religion in this nation ; which is now observed by every one, and has been for some time the complaint of all serious persons'. The influence of it is more and more wearing out of the minds of men, even of those who do not pretend to enter into speculations upon the subject: but the number of those who do, and who profess themselves unbelievers, increases, and with their numbers their zeal. Zeal, it is natural to ask-for what? Why truly for nothing, but against every thing that is good and sacred amongst us. 1 Butler here repeats, in 1751, what he had written in 1736. In the Advertisement to the Analogy he says that many persons take it for granted that the falsehood of the Christian religion is now 'an agreed point among all people of discernment.' § 2. Is predicted, and is the mark of the age. Indeed, whatever efforts are made against our religion, no Christian can possibly despair of it. For he, who has all power in heaven and earth, has promised, that he will be with us to the end of the world. Nor can the present decline of it be any stumblingblock to such as are considerate; since he himself has so strongly expressed what is as remarkably predicted in other passages of scripture, the great defection from his religion which should be in the latter days, by that prophetic question, When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth? How near this time is, God only knows; but this kind of scripture signs of it is too apparent. For as different ages have been distinguished by different sorts of particular errors and vices, the deplorable distinction of ours is an avowed scorn of religion in some, and a growing disregard to it in the generality. 3. Religion binds us to treat negationists with As to the professed enemies of religion, I know not how often they may come in your way; but often enough, I fear, in the way of some at least amongst you, to require consideration, what is the proper behaviour towards them. One would, to be sure, avoid great familiarities with these persons; especially if they affect to be licentious and profane in their common talk. Yet if you fall into their company, treat them with the regards which belong to their rank; for so we must people who are vicious in any other respect. We should study what St. James', with wonderful elegance and expressiveness, 1 In ch. iii. 13. |