employment enough at home: befeeching 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, whofoever liveth is counted dead before him.

SERMON VII.

9 SAM. xii. 7.

AND NATHAN SAID UNTO DAVID, THOU ART THE MAN.

NOTHING can fhew the frailty of human

nature in a stronger light, than the story of Nathan and David, which you have just heard read in the leffon of the day*.-David, no doubt, after the commiffion of his horrid crimes, had leffened them to himself as much as he could, by little excufes and fhuffling apologies. This is fufficiently intimated in the history. His adultery, and vile ingratitude to a faithful fervant, he could not poffibly excufe- 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 cause 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 profeffion. Thus he tells his general, Joab, not to be difpleafed at this matter — that is, at the death of Uriah; for the fword 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 fome 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 refemblance, though but a diftant one, to his own:

Two men, faid the prophet, lived in the fame city; one was rich, and the other poor. A guest coming to the house of the rich man, he fpared 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 nurfed in his family.-David, who in all cafes, except his own, could judge very accurately,

eafily faw the injuftice of such an action. There was nothing in this matter to draw his judgment afide the cruelty of so 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 he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing fhall furely die. But how was he confounded when the Prophet anfwered, 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 paffion-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 then that against which he had paffed fo righteous a sentence.

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

OUR

OUR aptness to deceive ourselves proceeds entirely from felf-love. If it was not that we love ourfelves 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 fkreen them often under harmlefs names, fo are

we blind to our faults, and have a thousand excufes for them, which neither fhew their nature nor our guilt, but merely our own felf-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 lofe your bufinefs, as few people care to have dealings with a man who can be fo little depended on: your family fuffers: in fhort, you have made yourself a very contemptible fellow. Yet ftill you ftand 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 yourfelf; as if the kinder God is to you, the more right you have to fquander 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