For the rich who are here it is of course a mere mockery to talk about it. But of the rest of you whom I am addressing, members of this household, there is probably not one who has the slightest expectation or ought to have the slightest expectation or idea, of ever coming upon the parish, still less of anything like starvation. Now this difficulty of realising to ourselves even the meaning of this dreadful scourge which is laying waste a country within a few hours' journey from this place, is what we should try, on a day like to-morrow, in some degree to overcome. Endeavour to think of it and to bring it before your minds. Endeavour to imagine what we should feel if we were absolutely without all food for days together, and not knowing where to have any hope of finding it. Above all, for this must be by far the worst of all, let us think of how we should feel if we looked round upon starving families; the wife upon the husband, or the husband upon the wife, slowly wasting before our eyes. Let those of us who have children, and women, to whom married or unmarried a peculiar Providence seems ever to give a tenderness and a care for children, imagine the light and the hope of our homes, the speechless infants, the maiden and the stripling, the sunshine of early childhood and the vigour of opening manhood, taken from us by the cold hand of a creeping and lingering decay. The more we bring these things before our minds the better we shall be prepared for the observance of to-morrow.

The Government, and the people of this country, since the time that this famine broke out, have done much to soften the extreme severity of the visitation. The Government have given large sums of money, and

in various ways have sought to employ and to feed the people. In every manner the charity of the people of England has been called forth. A very large sum of money has been collected; to us in this church some time ago the appeal was made, and we who are here have given, each as he had grace from God to move him to do so. Something has also been done very generally in this country, to save more than usual in the consumption of all kinds of food, but especially of flour and bread, which is the likeliest way to give relief. To guard against waste is indeed our duty at all times; but now we are more urgently called to do so than at any time, particularly, as I have said, in the consumption of flour, as the commonest kind of food. We in this household have attempted to do this; and on this point I need say no more than ask the continued assistance of all of you in this attempt: every one taking care not to consume more of any kind of food or of drink, but particularly of flour, than is necessary for him.

But though all this has been done, the horrors of the famine are frightfully great, and thousands have died and are dying of it. And now, when all human means have been brought to bear upon this fearful evil, wisely and piously have the rulers of the State and the Church of England resolved that the nation shall betake itself, as one man, to the chiefest and best of remedies, the first and simplest of God's commands, and shall "give itself unto prayer."* Far be from us that "evil heart of unbelief," and thinking only of the things that are seen, which would disparage or make light of the solemn exercise which this whole people are called to engage

* Psalm cxix. 3.

Heb. iii. 12.

in to-morrow. It will indeed produce no instant or visible results, like giving money or sending food. But the prayer of a whole people and a whole church will go up, in the name of God the Son, before God our Father which is in Heaven, who alone giveth us our daily bread, who can do all things, and without whom all we can do is vain, and emptier than a dream; before Him who openeth His hand and filleth all things living with plenteousness; who is nigh unto all such as call upon Him; yea all such as call upon Him faithfully.* This do our rulers know: and they have trusted that if with one heart and voice, and with much sorrow and selfabasement, we shall confess as David did of old, a fruitful land maketh He barren, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein," with him also hereafter we may be able to say, "So we cried unto the Lord in our trouble; and he delivered us out of our distress."†

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Together with this united prayer, the people are called upon to an united act of humiliation before God; to a general fast. On the duty of fasting generally it is not necessary to say much. In the introduction to the Prayer-book, our Church specifies certain days in every year which are to be kept as days of fasting and abstinence. That those days ought in some manner to be observed, no one can doubt who looks on the rules of the Church, as contained in the Prayerbook, as an authority and guide of conduct. But the particular way and degree in which they should be kept is not prescribed to us, either in the Bible or by our Church and it may probably be said that those who live by their daily hard labour, as well as some *Psalm cxiv. 16-18. + Psalm cvii. 34-36.

other persons, are not called to the duty of fasting or abstaining from food, in its literal sense. And all per

sons are to remember that our Lord gives a special command with regard to this duty, that it is to be done in secret: When ye fast," He says, " appear not unto men to fast."* And it is left accordingly by the Church to the conscience of each. Of course, however, this command of secrecy cannot apply when, as in the present case, a public and general fast is commanded us by authority. Nor, since it only occurs very seldom, and is but for one day, can most persons feel any difficulty in observing the command literally, at least as concerns the quality of our food: wherefore, as you are aware, this household generally are to abstain from eating meat to-morrow. Thus shall we pay proper attention to the command which has been issued by the highest authorities.

In all ages of the world fasts have been observed both by nations and individuals in time of distress and sorrow, as a mark of self-abasement and self-chastisement, accompanied with public prayer. We can most of us remember the last of these general fasts that took place in this country, on occasion of the appearance of the cholera among us. The cholera was a scourge which carried along with it a peculiar terror: but in the amount of suffering, of disease even, and of death, which it caused, this Irish famine is a far more dreadful infliction.

But let us observe what are the proper accompaniments of a public fast. That outward observance ought only to be the outward mark of an inward state of mind. * Matt. vi. 16-18.

I have said that to-morrow we should try to picture to ourselves, the horrible scenes which occur in Ireland. Having done this, let us immediately go on and attribute these horrors to their true cause: to the sins of this whole nation and of each individual in it. I speak generally. We may not attribute individual suffering to individual sin: but, undoubtedly, that there is suffering at all in the world, is the result of the sin of the world. It is on this account, as we were told in the Queen's Proclamation, that this fast is appointed. It is the pride, and the luxury, and the covetousness, the neglect of the temporal and eternal welfare of the poor, the discords and divisions, the vices of the flesh, the unbelief and contempt of religion, which prevail too much among us, which have surely brought upon us this visitation. I say that they have brought it upon us. It is true that we in this place, perhaps in this country, hardly feel it at present. But, in the first place, we must not speak of ourselves in so narrow a way. The people of Ireland and of Scotland are our brethren, part of ourselves: subjects of the same Queen, bound by the same laws: we speak of them as of ourselves, of their sufferings as our sufferings. In the next place, if we do not yet feel this visitation, we assuredly shall. Indeed many do already feel it. The high prices of all things, the additional taxation, not to speak of anxiety and fear for the future, are caused mainly by the Irish famine. But this is comparatively trifling. How shall we be at the end of this year? It is doubtful whether half the land of Ireland will be cultivated at all: and no words can express too strongly the misery and woe which will ensue throughout this kingdom if there should be a