SERMON III. ACTS XXVII. VERSE XXII. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you. *I CONSIDER myself as fortunate, that it has fallen to my lot to recommend, from the pulpit, the establishment of an humane society in this neighbourhood, for the preservation of life; because, as I am sure, from the benefits it will confer, that it must be long remembered, and zealously supported, I cannot but be pleased to connect myself, however humbly, and distantly, with that * This Sermon was preached at Watford, to recommend the institution of an Humane Society, rendered expedient by some very dreadful accidents which had recently occurred there. which I believe will impart happiness, and security to so many human beings. I dare say there are few here present, who are unacquainted with the great progress which has been lately made, in the art of recovering persons apparently dead; it appears, from the reports of the society established in London, that men have been restored to life, nearly an hour after every sign of animation had disappeared, and after they had been given up, by common observers, as completely dead; it appears also by the records of the same society, that under their exertions, and by the means they have recommended, more than three thousand persons have already been restored to life, whose preservation, but for the skill diffused by the society, would have been considered as impossible. It is of the greatest importance to remember this, because it shews the enormous extent of those accidents which are fatal to life, and the high degree of perfection to which this art of resuscitation is already carried-four thousand human beings rescued from sudden death: Let any man of common humanity, reflect upon the rapturous happiness which this mercy has excited; the tears which it has dried up; the broken hearts which it has healed; the tender relations of life which it has restored; the dreadful thoughts of everlasting separation which it has spared; think of this, and there is not a man, whose heart, and whose understanding would not urge him to take part in so noble, and inte resting a charity: Four thousand human beings, won, with labour, and difficulty, from the grave; an hour of war, would have overwhelmed twice their number, so easy it is to destroy, so difficult to save; God be thanked that this latter is our task; that while all Europe is again rushing into arms, we are met together in the name of Christ to see how we can increase the security of life, and diminish the victory of the grave. We may consider such sort of institutions as the sure signs of the prevalence of good laws, sound morals, and of a general state of prosperity; it is not so much an object, that there should be many people, as that those who are, should exist in the greatest attainable |