Convinced though he was of the enormous advantages of Heaven over an earth which he knew to be extremely sinful, the Rev.Mr.Knight, like the rest of the world, shrank from the second alternative, which, as he stated in a letter of thanks to Sir Samuel, however much it might benefit him personally, would cut short his period of terrestrial usefulness to others.

So he accepted the rectorship of Monk's Acre with gratitude.
In one way there was not much for which to be grateful, seeing that in those days of depreciated tithes the living was not worth more than L250 a year and his own resources, which came from his wife's small fortune, were very limited.

It should have been valuable, but the great tithes were alienated with the landed property of the Abbey by Henry VIII, and now belonged to the lay rector, Mr.Blake, who showed no signs of using them to increase the incumbent's stipend.
Still there was a good house with an excellent garden, too good indeed, with its beautiful and ancient rooms which a former rector of archaeological knowledge and means had in part restored to their pristine state, while for the rest his tastes were simple and his needs few, for, of course, he neither drank wine nor smoked.

Therefore, as has been said, he took the living with thankfulness and determined to make the best of it on a total income of about L350 a year..