" elect number, as have not bowed their 6 knees to fin, nor bent their minds to atheifm and profaneness. And next, let it be thy bleffed will to caft my lot among them, and make me one of that happy number; let me spend my days with them; and among them let my life end; and when I come ' abroad into the world, let their spirit follow and act in me, that I may continue uniformly the fame man in all places. Let not the overflowing of ungodlinefs be able to extinguish my devotion, nor cause me to comply with, or approve of their wicked 6 practices. In conclufion, O that all the people of these lands, were the Lord's people; that thy will may be done by all upon earth, as it is by all in Heaven! That wherever we come, we might find 6 every heart filled with thy love, and every mouth with thy praife, especially on thy day! Accept, O Lord, of my unworthy prayers; and answer them fo far as is good in thy fight; but vouchfafe to leave a blefs⚫ing upon thy fervant.'

year

Is a great

promoter

of the re ligious focieties.

The religious focieties which began in Dublin about the 1693, gave him great comfort and joy; he not only approved of that pious defign, but did very much encourage and promote it. He pleaded their cause, writ letters in their defence, and was one of their most diligent and prudent directors. He confidered very well the

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abuses,

abuses, to which, by length of time, decay of zeal, and the neglects of those who are principally concerned to overfee and govern them, thofe focieties might be liable; but he found they did prefent good, and that made him rejoice; and he ufed to argue, that the poffibility of a thing being abused, is no reason to decline the use of it. He was likewife a zealous promoter of the focieties for Reformation of Manners; who apply themselves to the fuppreffing of profanenefs and vice; he was always prefent at their meetings, laid their design truly to heart, and thought much of it; he contributed liberally towards its neceffary charge, and conftantly prayed for their fuccefs. And all who with well to them, or their cause, are fenfible, how useful a friend they have loft, by Mr. Bonnell's death; though he, no doubt, enjoys the reward of his indefatigable zeal, in fo glorious an undertaking.

Agreeable to his zeal for the religious focieties, and all public undertakings which might ferve the interefts of piety, were his private endeavours to promote it in all he converfed with; but he chiefly applied himfelf to young people, and took a particular pleasure in forming their tender minds to the love of God and religion; he catched at all occafions of fuggefting good thoughts to them; and encouraged, directed, and even reproved them with u.h tenderness, concern, and addrefs, as firfl to gain upon their affections.

himself,

himself, and then, fo to improve the power he had with them, as to make them in love. with their duty, to excite ftrong defires after holiness in their hearts, and to arm them with firm refolutions of adhering to it.

A great

And as he industriously embraced all opportunities of gaining profe- promoter lytes to piety, fo he ftudied to of religious make religion the fubject of his converfaconftant converfation; and talked tion.

of nothing else with pleafure. He had a peculiar art of engaging company, upon fuch fubjects; and managed his part of fuch difcourfe, with that modefty and prudence, that there appeared nothing of artifice or defign; nothing that aimed at magnifying himself, or railing his own character: but when he spake of religion, it was with a natural eafiness,, with calmness and humility; and never foured fuch converfation with uncharitable reflections upon others, who either differed from him in opinion, or fell fhort of him in practice.

But his judgment of religious converfation, chiefly as to the manner of it, and with what modefty and caution he managed it himself, the following letter will fufficiently fhew,. written to a religious friend upon that fubject. I think I cannot better employ this day, than in taking the leifure it affords me, to entertain myself with my dear fellow fervant of our great Mafter, in fome fuch matters, as we should • perhaps

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St. Peter's

day, 1693.

'perhaps be talking of, if we were together: there is particularly one thing, that I have ftarted in difcourfe, which I intended, when

I got leifure, to speak of more at large in writing; and that was, about outward expreffions of piety. I confefs, as to myself, 'I have been always reserved in them; such I mean as were eafily imitable by perfons of any fort; as lifting up the hands and C eyes, godly words, and expreffions of ⚫ endearment concerning God. Since I have • converfed with you, I have fpoken more of these things than ever I did before; but I have complied with it only towards you. Now the cafe, I think, is this: it is our duty, on fit occafions, to declare ourselves publicly for God, and for the cause of his holy religion, when it may be for his < glory, and the edification of others; and the engaging and rivetting ourselves in his fervice, by fetting the eyes of the world upon us, and making them witnesses against us, if we fwerve or falter from our pro• feffions. But then, this ought to be done by fome folid, effential expreffions of true piety, which none but thofe that are indeed truly pious can attain to; fuch as a gracious countenance, an humble mien, an unaffected modefty, and a cheerful and fincere frank'nefs in declaring that we are the fervants of God, and devoted to him; or fpeaking words drawn from the foul of piety, which amount to fuch a declaration as thofe of the • apoftle;

apostle; "If any man love not the Lord "Jefus, let him be accurfed." But then these words must not be borrowed from others, or even from scripture itself, but originally our own; for any one may speak good fentences by rote. There are some ex'preffions that tend not fo much to fhew a ' devotedness to God, or refolutions or defires to ferve him, as our nearness to him. These are carefully to be avoided; for they tend too much to heighten a good opinion of ourselves; are apt to move envy or • cenfure; and may happen in some measure to deprive us of that nearness, by cafting a little damp upon our confciences, and caufing God to withdraw his favours; fuch · are, accounts of tranfports and elevations that God gives us in his fervice; and very endearing expreffions in mentioning of • God; as, my dearest Lord, my fweet Jefus, 6 my loving Father, instead of faying only "God; which I have heard fome persons use 6 upon too ordinary occafions, when one could not well fuppofe that they had a prefent, lively fenfe and feeling at their heart, of what they fpoke, anfwerable to the heighth of the words: for none can have a fense in their hearts, adequate to fuch words as thefe, but it will put them into a tranf6 port, which will either exprefs itself in a flood of tears, or in filence; and hinder them from readily going on with other talk. There are other expreffions, which are the • language

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