in the blood, and i have giveën it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your fouls."* This prohibition, it is wel known, the Jews themselves have all along obey'd and obferve'd down to the present time. That fuch allfo was the practice of the primitive or early Christians we learn from The acts; where they are told, in a letter from the apostles, "For it feem'd good to the holy ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than thefe necesfary things; THAT YE ABSTAIN from meats offer'd to idols, and FROM BLOOD."†

"We Christians," fays Octavius, in Minucius Felix, dread the thoughts of murder, and cannot bear to look upon a carcafe; and we so abhor human blood, that we abstain from that of beafts." "We are fo cautious," fays Tertullian, "of tafteing blood, that we abstain from things ftrangle'd, and even fuffocateëd beafts; and, therefor, when you have a mind to try whether we be Christians, you offer us puddings ftuf'd

* Ibi, XVII, 10, 11. (The original is lives (as above, the life of the flesh) not fouls, for the Jews of that period did not know they had fouls, nor believe'd in their immortality) This injunction is repeated in two other verfees of the fame chapter; and, again, in Deuteronomy, XII, 16, 23; and XV, 23.

+ XV, 28, 29.

with blood."* That this practice continue'd in the western church, to, at least, the middle of the eleventh century (for it is stil observe'd in the eastern) is manifeft from the words of cardinal Humbert: "for retaining," fays he," the ancient ufeage or tradition of our ancestors, we, in like manner, do abominate these things: infomuch that a fevere penance is impofe'd on thofe, who, without extreme peril of life, do at any time feed on blood, or any animal dead of itsfelf." The reverend doctor Grabe, an eminent Engleish divine, acknowlegeës certain "abufees and defects" to have crept into our church, particularly baptism by bare sprinkleing, not mixing water with wine in the lords fupper, and the eating of things ftrangle'd: all which

*

Apology. Thefe, it is prefume'd, were what we now call black-puddings: a great luxury of modern Christians, at leaft in this country, at the anniversary of the birth of Chrift, who, by the way, would not have touch'd one himfelf.

+ Tolands Nazarenus, p. 44. "Neft-il pas bien fingulier," fays M. Boulanger, " que les Chrêtiens l'abstiennent de viande [on fast-days], abstinence qui n'eft ordonnée nulle part dans le nouveau testament, tandis qu'ils ne s'abstiennent point du fang, de boudin, et de la chair des animaux étouffés, qui font abfolument défendus par les apôtres, & ausfi févérement que la fornication?" Christianifme devoilé, p. 176.

abufeës, he fays, we are guilty of, in oppofition to the ancient church all the world over," and the plain testimonys of the fcriptures.* Let the constftent Christian defend himself against this charge as he can.

* Preface to Esfay on the doctrine of the apostles, p. 11.

CHAP. X.

HUMANITY.

As the use of animal food makes man cruel and barbarous, and to take delight in pain and torture, whence the fondness of the Romans for the fhews of fighting gladiators, and wild-beafis, the Spaniards and Portuguese, for their bulfeasts, their inquifition, and auto da fè, the Neapolitan for his fiesta di cocagna, and the Engleishman for his bul- and bear-baitings, his cockfights, his boxing-matches, his pleasures of the chace, &c. fo the abftinence from that habit has an immediate tendency to foften the manners, and dispofe the mind to receive uncommon fatisfaction from the exercife of gentlénefs and humanity toward the minuteëft objects of creation. It is not to be expected that a cannibal should pity the tortures of a fubject of the holy inquifition; and as little emotion, perhap, wil the eater of beef and mutton experience from the beautyful and affecting pictures reprefented in the following anecdotes :

The philofopher Xenocrates, a fevere and rigid moralift, gave numerous proofs of the be

nevolence and humanity of his nature toward all

creatures.

One inftance is particularly worthy of notice. A fparrow, pursue'd by a hawk, flew to him for refuge: he fhelter'd it in his bofom, and release'd it as foon as the danger was over.* It is allmost imposfible that he could have devour'd animal-food. No one, at the fame time, feems to have carry'd his affection to animals so far as St. Francis of Asfife, who was wont to address hares, lambs, fwallows, and grasshopers by the endearing appellations of brothers and fisters. His charity extended itsself even toward lice and worms, which he would not suffer to be kil'd, inasmuch as the pfalmift bath fay'd, "I am a worm.”

Is not, asks Plutarch, the accustomeing of onesfelf to mildness and a humane temper of mind an admirable thing? For who could wrong or injure a man that is so sweetly and humanely dispofe'd with refpect to the ils of flrangers that are not of his kind?. I remember that three days ago, as I was discourfeing, i made mention of a faying of Xenocrates, and how the Athenians gave judgement upon a certain person who had flay'd a liveing ram. For my part i cannot

Aelian, B. 13, C. 31.