wife. A general love attended him in his life, and as general forrow waited on him to his grave.

And now, from the preceding account of Mr. Bonnell's life and character, I leave it to all competent judges to determine, if he was not a truly great man, according to all juft notions of greatnefs, which can neverbe feparated from piety and goodness? And whether many, who are reckoned heroes in the records of time, do not fall fhort of him in many inftances of fubftantial virtue. For wherein did their greatness principally confift, but in raising a duft, and making a noise in the world? In commanding armies, and laying countries wafte? In committing acts of violence and cruelty, and doing much mischief to mankind? Whereas his principles led him on to make all rejoice, but none mourn; to do men good in their valuable concerns, in their fortunes, their bodies, but chiefly in their fouls. He ftudied to transcribe in his life, all the imitable perfections of God; and to be truly great, by refembling, as much as poffible, that infinite fountain of greatness and goodness.

And from the fame account of Mr. Bonnell's piety, and the feveral inftances given of his virtues, we may see how glorious Chriftianity appears, when it duly influences our lives, and governs our actions: when it fmooths our native roughness, and foftens us into love and good nature, humility and

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meeknefs,

meeknefs, gentlenefs and charity: when it enlightens the head with exalted thoughts of God, and warms the heart with his love and fear when it opens our mouths in prayers and praises, our hands to the poor, and our doors to ftrangers: when it plants a firm faith in the foul, which is fruitful in producing all graces and virtues there: when it arms us with steady juftice and truth, unfhaken conftancy, and invincible patience: when it exalta us above the world; gives us juft fentiments of its vanity, and ftrong defires after unfeen delights: when it enlarges our profpect beyond the grave, and prefents the fpiritual world to our view, and fills us with enlivening hopes of being for ever happy there: when thefe hopes fo powerfully act upon our fouls, that we can be unconcerned fpectators of human greatnefs, and defire filently and calmly to pafs through this world: in a word, when Christianity makes us live, converfe and act here, as this great example of piety before us did; it is then that it fhines with an irrefiftible beauty, and ravifhes all, who attentively behold it, with its charms.

:

May we not likewife learn from what has been faid of Mr. Bonnell's ftrict life, and conftant discharge of every religious duty; that religion is no impoffible work, when we in earnest set about it: and that the difficulties of piety, and preffures of temporal affairs, are no reasonable excufe for neglecting the duties of it. For here we have an inftance

of

of one who reconciled a life of religion and bufinefs together; who omitted no office of civil life, nor act of devotion; who lived in the midst of temporal affairs, yet had his converfation in Heaven. Here we may fee what mistaken notions they have, who think a wilderness or a cell, the only scenes of true devotion: for what is that, but putting our candle under a bushel, and not letting it fhine before men? Whereas Mr. Bonnell, like Enoch, walked with God amidst the throng of daily bufinefs; the private cares of a family, and the confcientious discharge of a weighty employment. Let this then filence our complaints of religion, and turn them all against ourselves, and make us own, that we want not time to ferve God, but zeal; and that we have not too much business, but too little grace.

From the foregoing life may we not farther learn, what little ground there is for fpiritual pride and vanity in the world? Here we fee a perfon, who made it his conftant study to "deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously and godly;" yet did all this with the profoundelt humility and lowlinefs; none could have meaner thoughts of himself; none could be farther from defpifing others: let this confideration make us, who fall vaftly short of him in many inftances of goodness, instead of boafting of our righteousness, or trusting in it, as the proud Pharifee did, ufe the humble language of the publican,

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publican, and fay, God be merciful to us finners!

And is it not for the honour of the reformed religion, that it can give fuch an instance (and bleffed be God, that many others can be given likewife,) of all that strict severe piety which the Romanists pretend to, as only to be found in their religious houses? Sure I am, that were the lives of their most celebrated faints, compared with this gentleman's character, (if they can be called lives, which are fo full of fable,) a manifest difference would foon appear. Here all that ftrictnefs in reality, to which many of them were only pretenders: but withal, a piety that was rational and fober; prudent and intelligible; meek and charitable; useful to the world, and charming in itfelf: a piety, that was not clouded by melancholy, nor difturbed with fuperftition, enthusiasm, and other foolish paffions: a piety that was not fupercilious and proud; cruel and defigning; but was tempered with the meeknefs and lowlinefs of Chrift: and that love and joy, peace, long-fuffering, goodnefs, and faith, which are the genuine fruits of the spirit of God.

Muft it not alfo be matter of great joy to the Church of England, to fee all its principles and laws, fo truly transcribed in the life of one of its excellent fons ? Here is all that generous piety, that unbounded charity and love, which are fo remarkable in our church.

Here

Here is religion in its native beauty, and moft charming drefs; as it bears the greateft refemblance to its divine Founder; and has moft of God, and Chrift, and heaven in it. And would we behold a Church-of-England man, who has all the accomplishments fhe can give him; who has fully imbibed her doctrine, and gives himself up to the conduct of her laws; who joins daily in her devotions, and receives the Holy Sacrament from her hands who partakes of her extenfive charity, and is acted by her primitive spirit; who honours her laws, and lives up to her precepts: confider Mr. Bonnell well, and "it is he." This church he honoured and loved; and her misfortunes he bewailed: he faw her conftitution primitive and apoftolical: her doctrine pure; her service rational and heavenly: but lamented that fo many, who call themselves by her name, fhould bring fo much scandal upon her by their immoral lives. But what he could not amend in others, he ftudied to prevent in himself; and effectually fhewed to all who knew him, how glorious our church would be, did all who own her authority come up to her principles in their lives.

And now at laft, to come to a conclufion, I would defire every one, who confiders the life of this excellent man, to ask themselves this ferious question: Whether, all things duly weighed, this world, and the next; the fhortnefs of life, and the eternity to follow; they would not rather live and die like Mr. Bonnell;

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