HISTORY OF 



my opinion very unwisely, the religious force of 

 the obligation. She enjoined that her subjects 

 should fast from flesh on Fridays and Saturdays ; 

 but at the same time declared, that this was not 

 commanded from motives of religion, as if there 

 were any differences in meats, but merely to favour 

 the consumption of fish, and thus to multiply the 

 number of mariners ; and also to spare the stock 

 of sheep, which might be more beneficial in ano- 

 ther way. In this manner the injunction defeat- 

 ed its own force ; and this most salutary law be- 

 came no longer binding, when it was supposed 

 to come purely from man. How far it may be 

 enjoined in the Scriptures, I will not take upon 

 me to say ; but this may be asserted, that if 

 the utmost benefit to the individual, and the 

 most extensive advantage to society, serve to 

 mark any institution as of Heaven, this of absti- 

 nence may be reckoned among the foremost. 



Were we to give a history of the various bene- 

 fits that have arisen from this command, and how 

 conducive it has been to long life, the instances 

 would fatigue with their multiplicity. It is sur- 

 prising to what a great age the primitive Chris- 

 tians of the East, who retired from persecution 

 in the deserts of Arabia, continued to live in all 

 the bloom of health, and yet all the rigours of ab- 

 stemious discipline. Their common allowance, 

 as we are told, for four-and- twenty hours, was 

 twelve ounces of bread, and nothing but water. 

 On this simple beverage, St Anthony is said to 

 have lived an hundred and five years ; James the 

 hermit, an hundred and four j Arsenius, tutor to 



