their utmoft, and by the mighty power given to the Mediator, for his worthyness, come forth from the dark chambers, to participat of that extreme happyness, which is prepared for those which do the work which the Lord has given them to do; that is, as the apostle Paul expreffes it in the third chapter to the Philippians, who have that righteousnefs which is through the faith of Chrift, and the righteousness which is of God by faith; that is, that righteoufnefs which confifts in obferving the rules of the gospel, and acting up to the whole will of God, as reveled in the books, by Jefus, the fervant and meffenger, the Romans of that time should have renounced all the conveniencies of life, trodden under foot all fciences, recalled the inconveniencies and barbaritys of the age of Saturn, and facrificed human victims to him. In the next place, the religion of the Romans was very much altered fince Saturnus, and even Romulus's time; fince Romulus, the number of the Gods was infinitely encreased Roma antiqua fibi non conftat: verfa per ævum Sanguinis hectorei populum probo tempore longo Non multos coluiffe Deos, rarifque facellis Contentum paucas pofuiffe in collibus aras. These two things against Symmachus, are fo judicious, that the most learned innovator, or reformed, cannot anfwer a miffionary better. the the minifter and mediator of the bleffed God (a). The fepulchral infcriptions in this place, that I was able to read, are in the following words. Cha (a) I anfenfible, that a partiality and prejudice puts a very different interpretation upon this text; but it is arbitrary and groundlefs. It is not from prepoffeffion we must learn the fenfe of fcripture, but from the ob vious and neceffary meaning of the words, and the fcope of the place. We must obferve then, that the apostle cautions the Philippians to beware of the Jews, whom he calls with great propriety the concifion. Beware of degs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concifion, ver. 2: And notwithstanding all their boafts of having the law, and Abraham their father; their confidence of being the chofen people; let them know, that we (chriftians) nevertheless are the circumcifion, who worship God in fpirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ver. 3. that is, in circumcifion and outward things. The legal rites and performances, and a descent from Abraham, which is the righteousness of the law, are to be regarded and accounted as nothing now. Our business is to win Chrift, and be found in that rightroufnefs which is of or through the faith of Chrift, the righteoufnefs which is of God by faith, ver. 9. that is, that moral righteousness, that virtue and piety, that exact rectitude of mind and life, which is of the gofpel of Christ. The works of the law fignify nothing. It is the righteousness which God requires of us by our subjection and conformity to the gospel, that is to be the terms of our acceptance. Our actions must be ftrictly good and virtuous, muft come as near the ftandard of perfection fet up in the gofpel by the chofen fervant and commiffioned minifter of God almighty, as it is poffible for Charitas de Shareshull anno 1220, die 2 Aprilis, fub pavimento conditur. Mente pia vixit annos 37, et puro plena amore. Caroletta de Shoreditche anno 1222, die Aprilis fub pavimento deponitur. Vixit apnos 52, et fola gaudebat fimplicitate boni. Cæcilia Giffart anno 1229. die 9 Maii, in hac tumba deponitur. Vixit annos 29, om for fuch weak creatures as we are to make them; and by this true profeffion of the gospel, we put on Chrift: that' is, if we do our best, all we are able to do in this imperfect state, to express the life of the holy Jefus in our lives, then we fhall be adopted, notwithstanding there may be defects in our obedience, and imperfections in our fervice. The propitious God beholding us in fuch a fituation, ftriving, according to our meafure to come up to the fpotlefs virtue, and perfect obedience of our divine mafter, will fee nothing but Chrift. When our life is hid with Chrift in God, that is, fo hid as to make his gospel our rational life, the fole fpring of all our actions, then we are covered, as it were, all over with Chrift, as a man is with the cloaths he hath put on. This, Jewks, is the right faith. We must believe in Chrift, by practising to the utmost of our power those acts of virtue and piety, which his gospel requires, and by being fo intirely conformed to our Lord, are commended to God. Stick to this. It is a mere idle fancy to fay, as many theologers do fay, that a righteousness through the faith of Chrift is the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to us by God. There is not a phrafe in fcrip>ture for fuch a thing. I nibus nibus grata, et humili pietate nunc vivit cœlefti luce. Clara de Denam anno 1225, die 7 Junii in hac tumba deponitur. Vixit annos 30, et virtute et pietate præcelluit. Agnes de Shardelow, anno 1225, die 9 Junii depofita eft. Annos triginta confecit, et omni virtutum laude ac fanctitatis gloria vivens præcelluit. Caffandra Bacon vita functa est anno 1226, die 2 Martii, et corpus ejus in hoc fepulchro conditum eft. Vixit annos viginti novem menfes tres dies viginti duos, et virtutes fanctorum fuerat æmulata. Adelina de la Zouche in hoc marmoreo tumulo requiefcit. Mente beata fuit, et moribus fulfit. Vocata ad Dominum anno 1230, die 5 Martii. Vixit annos triginta fex. Hawifia de Pomeri conditur hoc tumulo. Vixit annos viginti feptem, actibus et meritis compta, et evolavit in cœlum, anno 1274, die 4 Martii. Helwifa de Manny confignatur hoc tumulo die primo Maii anno 1276, ad diem noviffimum. viffimum. Vixit annos quinquaginta, et cuncta Chriftiani Munia complevit. Hic requiefcit in fomno pacis Dorcas FitzPeter, filia Richardi comitis Effexia. Exceffit e vita anno 1230, et in hoc Sacophago marmoreo corpus ejus depofitum eft die 5 Julii. Vixit annos quinquaginta feptem, munifica, fapiens, pia, et omnibus radiantibus virtutibus beata. Dorcas condidit hoc monafterium anno 1213, fedente Innocent. Papa III. anno 16. Et Romanæ ecclefiæ pontifex donavit donariis magnis. Damaris de Camoys, exemplar innocentiæ ac fanctitatis, migravit ad Dominum anno 1419, et corpus ejus fub hoc lapide humatum eft die Junii 2. Vixit annos 49. Cafia de Ribaire, in hoc Sarcophago reponitur anno 1464, die Maii 31. Vixit annos 34, facris meritis cumulata, et fpiritus jam eft cum calicolis fuper aftra. These were all the Latin fepulchral infcriptions that I was able to read in this place; and I thought them worth writing down, not only as they appear to have been ladies of diftinction, but on account of the various excellent, and well-expreffed historys of the nuns in very few words. Other Infcriptions, Ff very |