on the in

as if they were contented and happy. They were all extremely handfome, and quite clean their linen fine and white: their gowns a black stuff. The women dined at one table: the men at another; but all fat in the fame room.

The whole house was

in bed by ten, and up by four in the morning, winter and fummer. What they said at their table I could not hear, as they spoke low and little, and were at a distance from me, in a large apartment: but the converfation of the men, at table, was very agreeable, rational and improving. I obferved they had a great many children, and kept four women-fervants to attend them, and do the work of the house. The whole pleased me very greatly. I thought it a happy inftitution.

Some §. 3. As to the marriage of the friars thoughts in this cloyftral houfe, their founder, Ivon, ftitution of in my opinion, was quite right in this noregulars. tion. Chafte junction cannot have the leaft

married

imperfection in it, as it is the appointment of God, and the inclination to a coit is fo ftrongly impreffed on the machine by the author of it; and fince it is quite pure and perfect; fince it was wifely intended as the only best expedient to keep man for ever innocent, it must certainly be much better for a regular or retreating prieft, to have a law

I

ful,

ful female companion with him; and so the woman, who chufes a convent, and diflikes the fashions of the world, to have her good and lawful monk every night in her arms; to love and procreate legally, when they have performed all the holy offices of the day; and then, from love and holy generation, return again to prayer, and all the heavenly duties of the cloystered life; than to live, against the inftitution of nature and providence, a burning, tortured nun, and a burning, tortured friar; locked up in walls they can never pass, and under the government of fome old, cross, impotent fuperior. There is fome fenfe in fuch a marriage chretien in a convent. Ivon's convent is well enough. A cloyster may do upon his plan, with the dear creature by ones fide, after the daily labours of the monk are over. It had been better, if that infallible man, the Pope, had come into this fcheme. How comfortable has Ivon made it to the human race, who renounce the dress and pageantry, and all the vanities of time. Their days are spent in piety and usefulness; and at night, after the completorium, they lie down together in the most heavenly charity, and according to the first great hail, endeavour to increafe and multiply. This is a divine life. I am for a cloyiter on these terms. It pleafed me fo much

to

to fee thefe monks march off with their fmiling partners, after the laft pfalm, that I could not help wifhing for a charmer there, that I might commence the Married Regular, and add to the stock of children in this holy houfe. It is really a fine thing to monk it on this plan. It is a divine inftitution: gentle and generous, ufeful and pious.

On the contrary, how cruel is the Roman church, to make perfection confift in celibacy, and caufe fo many millions of men and women to live at an eternal diftance from each other, without the leaft regard to the given points of contact! How unfriendly to society! This is abufing chriftianity, and perverting it to the most pernicious purposes; under a pretence of raising piety, by giving more time and leisure for devotion. For it never can be pious either in defign or practice, to cancel any moral obligation, or to make void any command of God: and as to prayer, it may go along with every other duty, and be performed in every ftate. All ftates have their intermiffions; and if it fhould be otherwife fometimes, I can then, while discharging any duty, or performing any office, pray as well in my heart, O God be merciful to me a finner, and bless me with the bleffing of thy grace and providence, as if I was proftrate before an altar. What Martha was reproved

for,

for, was on account of her being too folicitous about the things of this life. Where this is not the cafe, business and the world are far from being a hindrance to piety. God is as really glorified in the discharge of relative duties, as in the discharge of those which more immediately relate to himself. He is in truth more actively glorified by our dif charging well the relative duties, and we thereby may become more extenfively useful in the church and in the world, may be more public bleffings, than it is poffible to be in a fingle pious state. In fhort, this one thing, celibacy, (were there nothing else) the making the unmarried ftate a more holy state than marriage, fhews the prodigious nonfenfe and impiety of the Church of Rome, and is reafon enough to flee that communion, if we had no other reafons for protefting against it. The tenet is fo fuperftitious and dangerous, that it may well be efteemed a doctrine of thofe devils, who are the feducers and deftroyers of mankind: but it is (fays Wallace *) fuitable to the views and defigns of Differtaa church, which has difcovered fuch an tion on the enormous ambition, and made fuch havock of manof the human race, in order to raife, efta- kind. blifh, and preferve an ufurped and tyrannical

power.

§. 4.. But

numbers

A further account of

lars I met

with a

fells of

Land.

§. 4. But as to the Married Regulars I the Marri- have mentioned; they were very glad to fee ed Regu- me, and entertained me with great civility and goodness. I lived a week with them, mong the and was not only well fed with vegetables Weftmore- and puddings on their lean days, Wednesdays and Fridays, and with plain meat, and good malt drink, on the other days; but was greatly delighted with their manner and piety, their fenfe and knowledge. I will give my pious readers a fample of their prayers, as I imagine it may be to edification. These friars officiate in their turns, changing every day; and the morning and evening prayers of one of them were in the words following. I took them off in my fhorthand.

A Prayer for Morning.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, the creator and preferver of all things, our law-giver, faviour, and judge, we adore thee the author of our beings, and the father of our fpirits. We prefent ourselves, our acknowledgments, and our homage, at the foot of thy throne, and yield thee the thanks of the most grateful hearts for all the inftances of thy favour which we have experienced. We thank thee for ever, O Lord God Almighty, for all thy mercies and bles

fings