Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

litany as it is in our fervice book, fhe gave it him as rendered more primitive by Mr. Whif ton, and at the end, refused to repeat the creed of St. Athanafius. This enraged the uncle beyond measure. He rofe like a fury from his devotion, and in a rage that almost choaked him, afked this young lady, What apoftate or devil had feduced her from her holy religion?

Carola replyed, that in religion, she thought it her duty to think for herself, and by fo doing, was convinced, that what he called the basis of chriftianity was an injunction the most unrighteous; a doctrine calculated by the monks for a tryal of our credulity. Their prefumption in defending the creed of Athanafius is enough to ftrike a heathen with amazement. It never was the de- . fign of revelation to make us worship three diftinct confcious beings, of co-ordinate powers, equal independency and unorigination, that is, three proper deitys; and to have the fame high conception of him who was the minifter and representative of the fupreme God, as we have of the fupreme God himself. This is against the light of nature. It is against the mind of the Lord Jefus. That great and ever bleffed being, our glorious redeemer, came down from heaven to earth, to propose such arguments and motives as are proper to reduce us to, and engage us in the love and

practice

practice of the great law of nature;
to perfuade us to put on fuch an agreeable
useful temper and conduct, as will, in the
nature of things, render us truly amiable and
lovely in the eyes of fuch a wife and good
being as God is; and to worship him
through one only mediator, appointed in the
reason of things, for the advancement of vir-
tue, and for an everlasting bar to idolatry of
every kind. This is a fair and heavenly re-
ligion. The other is the fad invention of
churchifm. God is one. Jefus is his fervant,
bis prophet, our Redeemer and mediator, our
king and our Judge. From this day then I
renounce the religion of Athanafian churchmen,
tho poverty be my lot for the remainder of
my life, and rags my covering. Welcome
pure religion and perfecution, if it must be
fo. Away with prophane and old wives
fables.

Hatchet, the old faith-man, was fo amazed at this unexpected discourse from his niece, that he stood fixed like a poft, after she had done, and was not able to produce a fyllable. His eyes were wildly faftened on her, and he feemed to have neither fenfe nor motion left. But at last, he brought it out, and proceeded in the following manner. O thou black apoftat, and moft impious of women; who art forfaken by the triune God, and no longer a member of the holy, orthodox,

catholic

45

catholic church; but a curfed heretic; denying the trinity in unity, and of confequence, a limb of the devil; depart from my house, you infernal monfter, and never expect, from this day, the least support from me; unless in the face of fome congregation, you lament this impiety, and return to the Athanafian faith of the orthodox church, which you have forfaken and blafphemed. Your watch and jewels you fhall not have: but your linnen and cloths you may take. Here is likewise a bank-note for a hundred pounds, that you may turn your felf to fomething, and, if it be poffible for one of the religion you now profefs, not become a prostitute. This is all, and the only favor you are ever to expect from me, except as before excepted; and he swore it by the holy and undivided trinity.

Thus was this innocent turned out of doors for declaring against the religion of monks, and bravely daring to confefs the truth, according to the fimplicity that is in Chrift. She became an abomination alfo to the zealots in the orthodox way, among whom were the most of her acquaintance; and those she knew who had no extraordinary attachment to any religion, called her a fool for lofing fifty thousand pounds for any scheme of faith upon earth, and fayed, to be fure fhe is running mad.

In thefe circumstances, abandoned by her uncle, hated by fome, and laughed at by others, Carola came up to that town, where the happy and the wretched from all quarters of the world affemble. What to do with her felf in London, fhe could not tell for fome time, but at last refolved to open a room, and fell millinary things. To purchase goods for this purpose, away fhe went one morning, and defigned to lay out fifty pounds on things within her scheme. The defign however fhe could not execute, for her pocket was cut by the way, and fhe loft her hundred pounds. Then her beft cloaths went, for bread, gown after gown, till fhe had but little left. Service was to be her next relief, but as no one knew her here, she could not get into any place, anfwerable to what she was able to perform. She told her story to two ladys; and one of them, with contempt, bid her begone, for fhe was an ideot, or a cheat the other let her know, that if what the fayed was true, yet an infidel of all people should never come into her house. Here mifery began to ftare her in the face. She knew not which way to turn. She was compelled at last to be fatisfyed with a service of the meanest kind. The beautiful, the pious, the ingenious mifs Chaucer, did the dirty work in a tradesman's houfe. Amazing turn from ease and splendor, and from a prospect

of

of thousands of pounds! O Carola, thy faith was heavenly and glorious! tho bigots call thee infidel, and declare themselves thy foes.

[ocr errors]

Three years mifs Chawcer lived in this mean flavery, and went through difficultys that would have been infupportable, but for the comforts which for ever flow from virtue, and the pure, original religion of Jefus Chrift. At the end of this period, there was something better offered to her. A lady of diftinction from Scotland by accident had an account of her, and hired her for her own woman; at the fame time that the agreed with mifs Janfon to wait upon her daughters. To this country they were both journeying, when we met them at the inn, and had travelled from Newcastle, to which they went by fea. Here miss Chaucer's labors were at an end. Mrs. Benlow took her to her breast, and became her friend. She found in Carola a faithful, charming companion, who was able to make her profperity more happy; and adverfity more easy to her, if that was ever to be her lot in this ftate: and therefore, fhe committed to her truft not only all her fortunes, but all the fecrets of her foul. They live in the most perfect amity, and are, I believe, the happyeft pair in the world. They are both poffeffed of the finest qualitys; blesfed with good fenfe, good humour, and an equity of mind; an affability the most engaging;

« AnteriorContinuar »