" and in the love of God, above all things, and " of our neighbour as ourselves, for God's fake, " that the more we advance in this, and in this 66 only, the more perfect we are; and that all these " exterior practices of abstaining from fenfual pleasures, and inflicting bodily pains, are only to " be confidered and used as means and helps for acquiring this purity of heart, to which they 66 are certainly most conducive; by lessening our " inordinate love and attachment to creatures; " by withdrawing the feuel from our concupifcence; by curbing our paffions, and by reftraining and diminishing the ardour of our inordi"nate defires." What a different idea does this give us of these things, from what our charitable author would make us believe! how confonant to reason and experiance! But the Catholick does not stop here; he defires me to observe further: "That this their real belief in these mat ters is so far from being against the scripture, or owing to any forced interpretation of the " facred oracles, that nothing is more clearly "contained in them, than the neceffity of mortifying the corruption of our flesh, by voluntary austerity, and the many and great advan tages that accrue to us from so doing. Our " blessed Saviour, Matth. ix. 15. expressly fore" tells us, that, after his ascension, his follow" ers should practise fasting; and, Matth. vi. gives rules how to do it so as to please Almighty God, and obtain a reward for fo doing from him. In consequence of this, we " find the apofstles and first Christians practising " it on several occafions, as related Acts xiii. 8. "2 Cor. vi. 5. and xi. 27. Anna the prophetess is "praised for ferving God in fastings and pray. "ers. Luke ii. 37. And Christ himself affures 66 us, that some assaults of fatan are of fuch a "nature as not to be overcome but by prayer and " fafting, Matth. xvii 21. Mark ix. 29. Again, " does not Jesus Christ absolutely require it as " " a condition of being his disciple, that we prac"tise self-denial and mortification, and affure us, "that Except we deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him we are not worthy of him? See Matth. xvi. 24. and Luke ix. 23. compared with Matth. x. 37. 38. and Luke " xiv. 33. Does not St Paul declare to us the neceffity of the fame in the most express terms, " when he tells us; If you live after the flesh ye “ shall die; but if by the spirit ye mortify the deeds 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 of the body ye shall live, Rom. viii. And again, " when he gives it as a fign of our belonging to Chrift, if we not simply mortify the flesh but crucify it; and that not its vices alone but its very lufts and affections also. They that are Chrifts (fays he) have crucified the flesh with the affections and lufts, Gal. v. 24? And, that we may be at no loss to understand the force of these texts, does he not confirm them by his own example and practice, which, he affures us, was to keep under his body and bring it into fubjection? And observe his reason: leaft that by any means, (fays he), when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway, 1 Cor. ix. 27. St Paul, the vessel of election, who was not be"hind the chiefest of the apostles, who laboured more abundantly than they all, is yet afraid of himself, and afraid least he should become a castaway; and, to prevent this, judged it ne"cessary, by felf-denials and mortifications, to " keep under his body, and bring it into fubjection; 66 66 66 66 66 " and shall any one that calls himself a Christian, " dare to say St Paul was guilty of fuperftition in " so doing, and of extravagancies the most marvel"lous, the most frantic? and yet, such must be his condemnation, if our author's reasoning stand good! What shall I say of the many advantages which the scripture affures us are to be " obtained by voluntary afflictions, and affures us of this in the most convincing manner, by pointing out to us the examples of those, who by so doing have actually obtained them? Mo"ses and Elias were prepared by fevere fafting to be admitted to the Divine-prefence, and to enjoy the conversation of God himself. By fasting and abstinence, and voluntary afflic"tions, the prayers of Daniel were heard, and 66 66 66 an angel fent from heaven to tell him all he de" fired to know, Dan. ix. and x.; who also exprefsly affured him, that his very chastening "himself before God was the cause why his prayer was heard, and he (the angel) fent to “him, Dan. x. 12. By humiliations and fast 66 66 ings, and other voluntary austerities, sack" cloth, and lying on the ground, the impious " Ahab appeased the wrath of God, and pre"vented the severe punishments he had been "threatened with, I Kings xxi. By the fame 66 means, the Ninivites averted the anger of "God enkindled by their fins, and saved them" selves from utter destruction. And, shall we "say, after all these plain, evident and convin"cing teftimonies of God himself in his holy "word, that to practise these things is super"stition, and a dishonour to the name of religion? " and that they who practise them, and recom" mend them as useful means of obtaining a *bleffing from God, and of purifying their " hearts from finful attachments, are guilty in "so doing of frantic extravagancies, and misinter "preting the fcripture? let reason judge and de " termine. Seeing, therefore, that these volun tary felf-denials and austerities are, by the express and repeated declarations of holy writ, " so powerful helps, both to purify our own " hearts, and gain admittance in prayer to the Divine-prefence, and of course to increase our " love to him; and alfo, to appease the wrath of " God provoked by fin, and turn away the ef "fects of his vengeance from us; can we, with ४८ ४८ any shadow of reafon, blame or condemn, yea, have we not rather the utmost reason to "praife and admire those generous fervent fouls, "who cheerfully renounce all the most endear ing enjoyments of nature, and embrace a state " of life whose very effence confifts in the con" tinual practice of these austerities; and who "do fo, on purpose, that, by this means, they may more and more purify their own fouls, and " offer up a continual sacrifice of themselves to "God, with fervent prayers to him, in order to appease his wrath for the fins of the world, and, through the merits of their dear Redeemer, (through whom alone all these their endea"vours are acceptable to God), avert the judge"ments these fins deserve, and obtain a blessing " in their stead? The word of God affures us, " that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avail"eth much, James v. 16.; and how often have "the prayers of a fingle person, of a Mofes, of "an Elias, obtained favours from heaven for a " whole nation? what then may we not expect, D 1 " when numbers of holy fouls, favourites of " heaven, and friends of God, are daily pour ing out their most fervent prayers for the happiness and prosperity of their people? But your author tells me, these religious people are idle useless members of society, and public nui"fances. What an unpardonable ignorance does "this affertion difcover! Pray, confider a mo"ment. Is it poffible, that the civil powers in "all Catholick countries should not perceive fo "interesting an evil to the state, if it really be " fo? and can common sense imagine, that they "would ever be allowed fo much as an existence by those civil powers, much lefs be encouraged " and protected by them, if they were found to " be public nuisances? When any of them are " but fuspected of being of any prejudice to the "state, we fee how rigoroufly they are dealt : with, so as even to be utterly extirpated; as " has of late been the cafe with the Jesuits in no " less than three Catholick kingdoms: no fear " of their interest with the people; no refpect " for their character as religious or priests;, no "dread of church-cenfures, could restrain the "civil powers from exerting their authority up " on them; although perhaps it is yet a problem "whether they had really been guilty of any "thing that could in justice deserve such treat 66 66 66 ment, Now, is it confiftent with common " sense to suppose, that all the others would not meet with the fame fate, if they were idle ufeless members of Society, and public nuisances? But "what an infult does the author offer to the "common sense of mankind, by fuch an affer"tion? Is it not a common fubject of converfation, among fuch as know any thing about |