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blood of Jefus;" becaufe "the blood of Jefus Chrift cleanfeth us from all fin," 1 John i. 7. So then the pardon of our fins gives us this confidence in God. Come, O my foul, let us go to the blood of Jefus, that we may be cleanfed by it; that our 'body may be made clean by his body, and our fouls washed by his precious blood: 'that we may obtain this confidence, our only means of ftrength and fupport in this time of danger.'

The effect of these exercises was a refolution of not attempting to remove from Dublin during the war, whatever dangers might threaten him there. He had quite different notions of the means of fafety, from the generality of the world, as you may fee by the following meditation, written not long after the former.

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It is not always the most fancied place for fecurity is indeed the most secure. The remnant of Judah, after the captivity, thought Egypt most fecure. Whereas abiding in the place where they were, would • have been most secure for them. And the reafon is, because it is God only can make 6 any place fecure to us. And a quiet confidence in him, arifing from an humble walking with him, is the only means to engage him to fecure our abode to us. If becaufe of the prefent diftrefs, St Paul advised the Corinthians not to marry, that they might better attend upon the Lord without dif • traction,"

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traction,” (1 Cor. vii. 35.) the fame reason will hold againft projecting removals, as a thing likely to diftract our thoughts in diftreffed times, when we moft need to have them recollected and ftayed upon God; and to be every minute compofed and ready to lay hold on his hand at the appearance of ' danger.'

Thus armed with confidence in God, Mr. Bonnell waited the iffue of our common dangers and as he put himself into God's hands, fo from God he had fafety and protection, and even liberty during all our troubles. He was continued in his employment without his defiring it, and it was happy for many proteftants that he was fo: fince whatever he received out of it he diftributed among them with a liberal hand. He fought out

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in the Bifhop of Kilmore's funeral fermon.

opportunities of relieving his needy brethren, and went about doing good to the neceffitous and oppreffed. He boldly pleaded for them to thofe who were then in power; and ventured without concern, intereft, favour, and even his neceffary fubfiftence, (fo courageous does piety and charity make men) to get the injured proteftants relieved.

And indeed, as bounty to the poor was one of thofe virtues which always fhined eminently in him, though none more induftrious to conceal it than he; fo I find him in more places than one, offering arguments to himself why he fhould in thofe times of distress, be more

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large in his alms than he ufed to be at others. I fhall here infert two meditations exciting to charity, one written in the year 1688, the other in 1689. The firft is as follows:

"Man lives not by bread alone;" much lefs by gold and filver; for bread may maintain one, when money cannot keep from ftarving; "but by every word of God," by his favour and bleffing; it is his command, and giving the bleffing, that makes any thing effectual to fuftain us. And his command can make what is left as effectual to fuftain thee, as what thou haft given away, and • much more added to it, would have been.

But without his command, what abundance can fuftain thee? the ruft and the canker. will eat it up, and thy riches will make themselves wings, and fly away from thee. Infure then thy stock in a time of trouble and danger in the great infurance office in heaven. It will be done at a reasonable rate, and all the world cannot give thee fuchfecurity of being anfwered as thou wilt find there. Thou wilt certainly find thy principal here or hereafter with an hundred fold. It is infallibly certain as God is true; as • God is God, thou mayest depend upon it. The other meditation was written June 19th, 1689.

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This day being the public faft-day in England for this kingdom, had for its fecond leffon in the morning, Luke iii, wherein is remark

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remarkable John Baptift's difcourfe to the 'people: "The axe is laid to the root of the tree:" Now no longer to be forborne, either immediately to bring forth good fruit, or to be cut down: and to the people, demanding what they fhould do; his anfwer is," He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that has meat, let him do likewife." Teaching us, that in a time of public trial, when matters are come to extremity, and God arifes to judgment against a people, works of mercy and charity are most likely to prevail for a ⚫bleffing; either to the turning away the public fcourges, or faving particular perfons from the general calamity. And are not works of mercy at fuch times particularly ⚫ reafonable? For what fignifies keeping of fuperfluities, when we know not how long < we fhall live to ufe them? or if we live, is it not better to give them now to those that need them, than to keep them to be taken away by fuch as will only deftroy them.'

Though Mr. Bonnell bore his own fhare of the calamities of that time, with a very calm and ferene mind; yet there was one thing that gave him no fmall difturbance, and that was, our troubles not producing that reformation among proteftants which might have been expected while the rod was upon them, though no doubt, a great many were very much bettered by it. What his fenfe of

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these things were, will fufficiently appear by the enfuing meditation, composed on WhitSunday, 1689.

To have a heart full of concern for the 6 glory of God and the fouls of men; to fee

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the world lye in wickedness and ignorance ' of God, and not be able to remedy it; is it not an uncomfortable ftate? but to be filled with a divine power and ability to work upon the hearts of men, to convince them and bring them off from this fin and ⚫ ignorance, as the apoftles were by the coming down of the Holy Ghoft, can any thing be a greater comfort? to force the world to believe the truth of what they witneffed, and acquit them from being deceivers, is it not an exceeding comfort? but how is this comfort fulfilled to us? we fee a world, in which we are, lying in wickedness; the judgments of God gone out against it, and yet the inhabitants of it do not learn righteoufnefs; God feems refolved to reform 6 or cut us off, and yet little reformation ap 6 pears. And what can thofe now do, who fee this ftate of our age, who see it, and fee themfelves without power to help it? who fee the wickedness of the world, and cannot • fnatch men out of the fire? where is the Lord God of Elijah? where is the promife of the Comforter, fo plentifully fulfilled to the bleffed apoftles of our Lord? where is the double portion of his fpirit that de• fcended on them? is not the promise, " He D 6 • fhall

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