commendable, the chief employment of those who lead it
being to celebrate the praises of God; O, that the would likewise,
betake themselves intirely to a regular and sober life! how much
more agreeable would they render themselves in the sight of God!
What a much greater honour and ornament would the be to the world!
They would then be considered as saints, indeed, upon earth, as
those primitive Christians were led, who joined sobriety to so
recluse a life. By living, like them, to the age of one hundred and
twenty, they might, like them, expect, by the power of God, to work
numberless miracles; and they would, besides, enjoy constant health
and spirits, and be always happy within themselves; whereas they are
now, for the most part, infirm, melancholy, and dissatisfied. Now,
as some of these people think, that these are trials sent them by
God Almighty, with a view of promoting their salvation, that they
may do penance, in this life, for their past errors, I cannot help
saying, that, in my opinion, they are greatly mistaken. For I can
by no means believe, that it is agreeable to the Deity, that man,
his favourite creature, should live infirm, melancholy, and
dissatisfied, but rather enjoy good health and spirits, and be
always content within himself. In this manner did the holy
fathers live, and by such conduct did they daily render themselves
more acceptable to the Divine Majesty, so as to work the great and
surprising miracles we read in history. How beautiful, how glorious
a scene should we then behold! far more beautiful than in those
antient times, because we now abound with so many religious orders
and monasteries, which did not then exist; and were the members of
these communities to lead a temperate life, we should then behold
such a number of venerable old men, as would create surprise. Nor
would they trespass against their rules; they would rather improve
upon them; since every religious community allows its subjects
bread, wine, and sometimes eggs (some of them allow meat) besides
soups made with vegetables, sallets, fruit, and cakes, things which
often disagree with them, and even shorten their lives. But, as
they are allowed such things by their rules, they freely make use of
them; thinking, perhaps, that it would be wrong to abstain from
them, whereas it would not. It would rather be commendable, if,
after the age of thirty, they abstained from such food, confined
themselves to bread, wine, broths