employment enough at home; beseeching God, above all things, in the words of that excellent collect of our church, that he would fend his Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity-the very bond of peace and of all virtues; without which, whosoever liveth is counted dead before him.

(98)

SERMON VII.

2 SAM. xii. 7.

AND NATHAN SAID UNTO DAVID, THOU ART THE MAN.

NOTHING can fhew the frailty of human na ture in a stronger light, than the story of Nathan and David, which you have just heard read in the lesson of the day *.-David, no doubt, after the commission of his horrid crimes, had leffened them to himself as much as he could, by little excuses and shuffling apologies. This is sufficiently intimated in the history. His adultery, and vile ingratitude to a faithful fervant, he could not possibly excuse-he does not attempt it; but the death of Uriah admitted of fome defence. Though David could not but know in his heart

* Sixth Sunday after Trinity.

he

he was the caufe of Uriah's death, by ordering him to be placed in the fore front of the battle, and there to be deferted; yet it is plain he endeavoured to wipe off the guilt from himself. He had a right to fend his foldiers on any service he thought proper; and if they fell, it was not his fault they died in their profession. Thus he tells his general, Joab, not to be displeased at this matter that is, at the death of Uriah; for the sword devoureth one as well as another-that is, he had fallen by the chance of war, and there was an end of the affair. - With some delufion of this kind, it is probable, David had been endeavouring to deceive himself, when the prophet Nathan stood before him, and, to make him his own judge, proposed a cafe, which in cruelty and wickedness bore fome resemblance, though but a distant one, to his own:

Two men, faid the Prophet, lived in the same city; one was rich, and the other poor. A guest coming to the house of the rich man, he spared his own flocks and herds to entertain him; but Violently took from his poor neighbour an ewe lamb, which he had brought up, and tenderly nursed in his family.-David, who in all cafes, except his own, could judge very accurately, eafily

H2

eafily saw the injustice of fuch an action. There was nothing in this matter to draw his judgment afide: the cruelty of fo wanton a piece of robbery appeared to him in its true colours, and he gave sentence like a righteous judge: His anger was greatly kindled against the man; and be faid to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that bath done this thing shall surely die. But how was he confounded when the Prophet answered, Thou art the man! He had never looked into his own heart while the Prophet was speaking to him: he faw not, the guest coming to the house of the rich man was his own base passion-that his poor neighbour was Uriah; and the ewe lamb, his wife. His thoughts were entirely occupied by what he thought the cafe of another finner; and was blind to his own crime, which was much greater than that against which he had passed so righteous a fentence.

:

This story of David is one of the strongest in. stances of self-deceit; and I shall take occafion from it, in the following difcourse, to make a few obfervations: first, on our aptness to deceive ourselves; fecondly, on the danger that attends fuch felf-deceit; and, thirdly, on the proper means to prevent it.

4

OUR

1

Our aptness to deceive ourselves proceeds entirely from self-love. If it was not that we love ourselves better than our neighbour, we should be as quick-fighted to our own faults as we are to his. But felf-love blinds us. As parents are blind to the blemishes of their children, and skreen them often under harmless names, so are we blind to our faults, and have a thousand excuses for them, which neither shew their nature nor our guilt, but merely our own self-love.Perhaps all your neighbours know you lead a fottish life: you spend much of your time, and much of your money, in company and liquor: you lose your business, as few people care to have dealings with a man who can be so little depended on: your family fuffers: in short, you have made yourself a very contemptible fellow. Yet till you stand high in your own esteem. You have your excufes always ready. Perhaps you can afford to spend your money, so that you injure nobody but yourself; as if the kinder God is to you, the more right you have to squander what he gives, Or perhaps, though you may have been fometimes guilty of a little excess, yet it has been very feldom, and never without a good reason: you were fatigued, and wanted a little

H3