SERMONS

BY

LAURENCE STERNE,

A.M. PREBENDARY OF YORK, AND VICAR OF SUTTON ON THE FOREST, AND OF STILLINGTON NEAR YORK

CONTENTS

SERMON XXII

THE HISTORY OF JACOB CONSIDERED

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of

my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and

evil have the days of the years of my life been. - GENESIS

xlvii. 9.

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3

21

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the

prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one

should rise from the dead. — LUKE xvi. 31.

But thou, when thou art bidden, go and sit down in

the lowest room, that when he that bade thee cometh,

he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher; then shalt

thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat

with thee: for whosoever exalteth himself, shall be abased;

and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. - LUKE

xiv. 10, 11.

Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and

shall find rest unto your souls. — MATTHEW xi. 29.

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59

ye

SERMON XXVI

ADVANTAGES OF CHRISTIANITY TO THE WORLD

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. -

ROMANS i. 22.

SERMON XXVII

THE ABUSES OF CONSCIENCE CONSIDERED

For we trust we have a good conscience.

HEBREWS xiii. 18.

SERMON XXVIII

TEMPORAL ADVANTAGES OF RELIGION

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are

peace. PROVERBS iii. 17.

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SERMON XXIX

99

121

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Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved,

what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conver-

sation and godliness? looking for and hasting unto the

coming of the day of God. - 2 PETER iii. 11.

147

SERMON XXXI

ST. PETER'S CHARACTER

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people,

Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye

so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness

we had made this man to walk?-ACTS iii. 12.

And I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift

up my face to thee, my God:- for our iniquities are

increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto

the heavens. - Since the days of our fathers have we been

in a great trespass unto this day. — EZRA ix. 6, 7.

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SERMON XXXIII

EVIL.

195

not knowing that the

Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbear-

ance, and long-suffering,

goodness of GOD leadeth thee to repentance?- ROMANS

xi. 4.

SERMON XXXIV

TRUST IN GOD.

Put thou thy trust in the Lord. — PSALM Xxxvii. 3.

SERMON XXXV

211

AGAINST THE CRIME OF MURDER.

227

thou shalt take him from my

But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour,

EXODUS xxi. 14.