and occafions of falling; let me have grace to wait upon thee with never ceafing diligence in well doing, with humble, constant, and earnest prayer; let me proceed in holinefs, exemplarinefs, and all chriftian graces; make me both inwardly found in refpect of myfelf, and outwardly influential to all I converfe with; that thy grace may be in my heart and on my tongue, in my looks, and in my eyes, and fhine bright in all my • actions. Deliver me from temptations and offered occafions of falling, and may it pleafe thee, for Jefus fake, to establifh my foul in fuch truth, as it may not go to find out for itself opportunities of finning, that it may be eftablished in thy fear and thy love, and that I may be preferved evermore in perfe&t integrity and honefty of heart before thee my God. This is it which I humbly beg; and if I want faith, it is because I know my felf unworthy to receive but my humble request being agreeable to thy heavenly will, I am bold to affure my foul, I fhall not go wholly without an anfwer. Amen.' 6 Comes for and enters upon his office of Accomptant Ge. neral, In the year 1684, Mr. Bonnell leaving Mr. Freeman in France, came directly from thence into Ireland and took his employment of Accomptant General into his own hands which had been fince his father's death managed by others for his ufe. This is an office of much bufinefs business and great truft; in the discharge of which he was fo remarkably diligent and faithful, fo dexterous in dispatch, and so ready to oblige, that he foon equally gained the esteem of the government, and the love of all who were concerned with him. Is defirous to quit all employments. fecular But as religion ever had the principal fway in his affections, fo a mighty zeal for that, a contempt of this world, and a mind raised above its perifhing concerns, had before this time given him strong defires of quitting all fecular employments, and dedi cating himself entirely to the service of God; it could be no worldly confideration which fuggested that thought to him; for the temporal advantages of his office, were greater than what he could have expected in a long time, from any ecclefiaftical preferment; and his ftation was befides of fufficient dignity and credit. But in things relating to God, "he conferred not with flesh and blood;" and nothing hindered him from actually entering into holy orders, but the confideration that his employment was a great truft, and that he must render an account to God, not only for his discharge of it, but for the hands into which he should put it: a man of knowledge and fufficient skill, but chiefly who had established a character of piety and unfhaken virtue, was what he wanted. And fuch an one, in the year 1688, he thought he had found; and had actually agreed with him. about C 4 about it, being not a little rejoiced with the hopes of being foon freed from noife, and hurry, and worldly bufinefs: and having nothing to do, but to take care of his own foul, and do good to the fouls of others. But the news of the late Revolution changed that gentleman's thoughts, and broke Mr. Bonnell's measures. An enemy to folicit ing for prefer ment. His defires of entering into the miniftry were of a very early date; for I find that feveral attempts were made by his friends, during his refidence in England, to procure him fome fettlement in the church there; fome of which might have fucceeded, had he feconded his friend's zeal by any endeavours of his own but that he was fo far from doing, that he reckoned it a great unhappiness to the church, that intereft and application had any fhare in the difpofal of fpiritual things. And when his friend Mr. Freeman, out of a fenfe of Mr. Bonnell's great merit, and the fervices he had done him, defigned to have purchased the advowfon of a benefice, that he might prefent Mr. Bonnell to it; he himself was the only perfon that opposed it, and fo difappointed the kind intentions of his friend. And it is probable that fome endeavours of his friends, for his advantage, occafioned the following meditation, written in the year 1680, wherein we will fee what were his fentiments of foliciting for employments in the church; and what motives he propofes to himfelf, why why he should, in all those affairs, chearfully fubmit to the will of God, and acquiefce in his wifdom. I have often thought it,' fays he, a great misfortune of fome men, whofe condition engages them in foliciting for preferment and places, which they often mifs; and an unhappy effect of fome employment, particularly in divinity. And I cannot but pity fuch men, whofe employments almost neceffarily engage them in fuck conflicts, as feem very uneafy to flesh and blood, and very apt to fhock a Chriftian temper; for to what is one carried more violently, than to grudge and hate a rival or competitor? to fpeak evil of him when occafion is offered, and envy him if he fucceeds? and what jealoufies, what animofities, what heart-burnings, are commonly the effect of fuch debates; are naturally apt (without much • ftruggling with one's felf) to be produced by them? yet this, O my foul, will be made eafy to thee, if thou dost all with relation to God. If thou counteft it thy only business in this world, to ferve God; and confidereft, that no fervice can be pleafing to him that is not fubmiffive; for if I ferve God but as I will myfelf, I cannot fuppofe it will be acceptable to him: wherefore I will defire no place, preferment, nor employment, to pleafe myself, (elpecially in the church, but indeed no where elfe), but to ferve God. If therefore I fail of any thing C5 6 thing of this nature, for me to be diffatisfied, or envious, or angry, or the like, is as if I fhould proffer my fervice to a master, with great profeffions of humility and refpect, to do fuch a piece of work, which he thinks fit to fet another fervant about, and I immediately flung out into the moft unmannerly and undutiful expreffions, both against one and the other. I cannot fay ⚫ that God wholly cafts me out of his fervice; for wherever I am in this world, I am in it: all I wait for is, a change of duties; and if God thinks not fit to employ me in • that way, if indeed I principally defire to ferve him, as I profefs, I ought to be far from being difpleafed. Fancy, O my foul, that thou hearest thy 'God thus fpeaking to thee: My fon, it is but a little time you will ftay in this world; no matter how you was employed, fo you do it faithfully and well: the greater the charge is, the greater duty, and the greater < account will be expected: fince by all your labour, you strive only to please me, you will do that more, by labouring according to my will, where I fet you, than where you feek to place yourfelf. It will not be long ⚫ before I fhall take you to myself; in the mean time, the higheft thing you can do to procure my favour is, to do your duty where my providence fhall place you. And if other things fail which you defire, or aim at, count that I think not fit to remove you, and |