proof of God's favour to the fame perfon, in the restoration of her dead fon to life, one cannot but confider both miracles as rewards of that act of piety, wrought by infinite power, and left upon record in fcripture, not merely as teftimonies of the prophet's divine mission, but likewife as two encouraging inftances of God Almighty's bleffing upon works of charity and benevolence.

In this view I have made choice of this piece of facred story, which I fhall beg leave to make use of as the groundwork for an exhortation to charity in general and that it may better answer the particular purpose of this folemnity, I will endeavour to enlarge upon it with fuch reflections, as, I trust in GOD, will excite fome fertiments of compaffion which

which may be profitable to fo pious a defign.

Elijah had fled from two dreadful evils, the approach of a famine, and the perfecution of Ahab an enraged enemy : and in obedience to the command of God had hid himself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. In this fafe and peaceful folitude, bleffed with daily marks of God's providence, the holy man dwelt free both from the cares and glories of the world: by miraculous impulfe the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook; till by continuance of drought, (the windows of heaven being fhut up in those days for three years and fix months, which was the natural caufe likewife of the famine,) it came to pafs after a while

that the brook, the great fountain of his fupport, dried up; and he is again di rected by the word of the Lord where to betake himself for fhelter. He is commanded to arife and go to Zerephath, which belongeth. to Zidon, with an affurance that he had difpofed the heart of a widow-woman there to fuftain him.

The prophet follows the call of his GOD: the fame hand which brought him to the gate of the city, had led alfo the poor widow out of her doors, oppreffed with forrow. She had come forth upon a melancholy errand, to make preperation to eat her laft meal, and fhareit with her child.

No doubt, fhe had long fenced against this tragical event with all the thrifty management which felf-prefervation and parental

parental love could infpire; full, no doubt, of cares and many tender appre henfions left her flender stock should fail them before the return of plenty.

But as the was a widow, having loft the only faithful friend who would best have affifted her in this virtuous struggle, the preffing neceffity of the times at length overcame her; and fhe was just falling down an easy prey to it, when Elijah came to the place where fhe was. And he called unto her her, and said, fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I drink. And as he was going to fetch it, he called unto her and faid, bring me, I pray thee, a morfel of bread in thine hand. And fhe faid, as the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a crufe, and behold I am gathering two fticks, that I 3 I may

may

I may go in and dress it for me and my fon, that we may eat it and die. And Elijah faid unto her, fear not, but go, and do as thou haft faid; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy fon. For thus fays the Lord God of Ifrael, the bar rel of meal fhall not waste, neither shall the crufe of oil fail, until the day that the Lord fendeth rain upon the earth.

True charity is always unwilling to find excufes elfe here was a fair opportunity of pleading many: fhe might have infifted over again upon her fituation, which neceffarily tied up her hands; fhe might have urged the unreafonableness of the requeft; that the was reduced to the loweft extremity already; and that it was contrary to juftice and the first law of nature, to rob herself and

child