A sermon preach'd before in the Lord-Mayor and Court of Aldermen [and governors of the several hospitals], on ... April 23, 1728 / [Roger Altham].

Roger Altham

Date:: 1728

Credit: A sermon preach'd before in the Lord-Mayor and Court of Aldermen [and governors of the several hospitals], on ... April 23, 1728 / [Roger Altham]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$[M] mity oblige us to proced to brotherly Correp* tion. To reprove a miftaken Brother, and as far as we are able, make him feufible of his faults; and when this is done with ehriftian Prudence, when the One reproves with Meek- nefs, the Other hears with Patience, it is apt not only to produce an Amendment in the faulty, but alfo to create a mutual Love and AfFedion between one another. But this is only What may be privately exercis'd between Brother and Brother; there is a Charity of this kind in which the publick Juftice is concern’d, foj? in feme Cafes 'cis high¬ ly charitable to inftid Puniftimetifc; there are two forts of Men which are the Bane and Scandal of a Common-Wealth, the Idle and the Immoral; of the fir ft St. *Paul fays (e)9 He that will not work neither foould he eat\ of the other he fays, that The ruler is the minifief of God\ a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil {/) ; This part of Charity therefore muft be left to the judge and to the Magiftrate, for .indeed fuch as chufe rather to beg than earn their Liv¬ ing, luch as make our Streets their Hofpitals, and would rather expofe their Difeafes than have them cur’d; are in my opinion fo far from being abjeds of our Charity, that they ought to be the publick Care of juftice $ when our Laws ' have fo pioufly provided, that even the pooreft Perfon may in Juftice demand a neceftary Subfi- (e) 2The{T. iii. io. (fj Rom. jciii 4. ftancc$