this means, we in this generation may welf be all pygmies in grace, and hardly any of . us come up "to the measure of the ftature of Jefus Chrift;" but measuring ourselves by one another, may think ourselves proper • Chriftians. Where do we see piety practifed in all its parts, private, domeftic, and public? fome few, that are much converfant in good books, and primitive accounts of things, may have an idea of Chriftianity, beyond what this age could give them: but then, how easy is it for the corruption of the age we live in, to make this be forgotten, or hinder it from being brought down to practice? piety is rarely learned wholly by books; we need continual example, and the converfation of good people, to bring these notions into practice. The reafon of this feems to be, that piety always decays in the peace of the church. A good man, that lives in the continual prospect or apprehenfion of death, is quite another thing from the fame good man that lives out of this profpect. When the whole church therefore lives continually in this apprehenfion, (as was the ftate of the pri mitive church for the first three hundred years after Chrift) no wonder if it be quite • different in the measure and exercise of piety from the church at other times. It is true, they were not always under actual · perfecution; but then it must be confidered, that for fome time after, God frees men

• from

'from this hard ftate; the sense of their <former troubles leaves a deep impreffion ' upon their minds. They had contracted 'firm habits of ftrict and pious living; and the firft freedom that God gave them from their fears, did not make them relax any thing of their ftrictnefs; but only encreased ❝ their thankfulness, and more cheerful ferving him in their former road, till God 'thought fit to bring again their former ftraits upon them, by a renewed perfecution. And 'fo it was, for a while after, God put a final end to their perfecutions, by the Emperor • Conftantine's becoming a Christian. With

what zeal did the Chriftians flock to the public churches, confecrated from heathen fanes, to temples of the living God, and cover the pavements with their proftrate 'bodies? but by degrees this fervour decayed: lukewarmness and worldliness crept into the church, and has been ever fince ftriking its roots deep into it, to this very day; the whole Chriftian church having never fince fuffered any general perfecu⚫tion. It has pleafed God fometimes to afflict particular churches, and rouze them up; but this has been fo little general, that we may well fear that the fpirit of religion is almost decayed in the world and as nothing but a great perfecution, in human ap、 pearance, can awaken it, fo in the mean time we know not where to look for it; • but have reason to fear, that if we think it

• enough

enough for us to be as good as our neighbours, we fhall come fhort at laft of the • kingdom of heaven. Alas! it is the eafieft · thing that can be, to go to heaven according to the notion of the men of the world now. At their rate, who will be damned? but • surely there must be two heavens at great diftance the one from the other: one for the fuperficial Chriftians of this age, and another for the pious and painful, the mortified and religiously strict Chriftians of old; or elfe thefe fuperficial Chriftians can go to

"no heaven at all.'

To both these, I fhall add a prayer of his upon his birth-day, November 14, 1690, and though only part of it falls in with what went before; yet no doubt the pious reader will be fufficiently pleased with the whole

O moft high and glorious Lord God! who haft made me and given me fuch great capacities, even to be able to love thee: I was nothing when thou wert pleased to give. me a being, and am nothing yet, but what thou fhalt be pleafed to make me. Thou ordereft and difpofeft of me with the tenderness of a father, and with infinite wif dom: fometimes thou haft vouchfafed me • leisure, and the quiet enjoyment of thy felf: at other times, thou haft filled me with • hurry and bufinefs, and with cares, if not fo much hurrying, yet more diftra&ting than either. Sometimes thou haft granted me health, a cheerful temper, and the fenfe of 'thy

thy love: at other times thou haft left me " no more than the bare remembrance of these enjoyments, to carry on my foul in the ⚫ unrelishing difcharge of my duties. But as thy wisdom produces ftrong trees from tender plants, by bringing them through the viciffitudes of day and night, of Summer and Winter, and leaving them fometimes' ftript of all their leaves in the very fhadow of their death, making these changes the neceffary means of their growth and folid'nefs; fo thou haft instructed me hereby, not to wonder at thy appointing fuch changes to my foul; but in them all, to blefs and 'adore thee, and to make it my bufinefs, in whatever ftate I am, to endeavour to go on to ferve thee. When laft I began my yearly collections of this fort, thou hadit thut me up, and thy fervants, in this place, in diftrefs and terrors: we are now, by thy mercy, freed from dangers, yet involved in new troubles: delivered from judgments, yet oppreffed with old fins. Good God! what will become of us? why should we be ftricken any more; we will revolt more < and more. Surely thy exterminating fentence will next go out against us, and make us ceafe to be a people, fince we will not • cease to be a wicked one.

But, O moft gracious governor and guide of my whole life, fhut not up my foul with thofe who will not be reformed: enable me to reform myfelf, and then vouchsafe to E • make

make ufe of me for thy glory, in the way thy wisdom has ordained for me: O thou, who haft known me before I was, and made me what I am. Amen.'

Refolves again to quit his employ

ment.

These apprehenfions of the decay of piety, ftirred up anew in Mr. Bonnell's mind, his former defires of betaking himself entirely to the fervice of God, and quitting all fe

cular business. In order to this, he entered into a firm refolution of parting with his employment, fo foon as he could find one upon whom, with an easy mind, he might devolve fo great a truft; and in a little time he actually agreed with a gentleman of fufficient abilities for it. But that gentleman's delays firft, and afterwards his refolutions of living conftantly in England, kept Mr. Bonnell much longer engaged in his employment, than he could poffibly have expected. But at laft he was freed from it by a new agreement which he made with the gentleman who now enjoys it, but even fo, much time was fpent before he could be fettled in it.

His mar

While this tedious affair was tranfacting, Mr. Bonnell changed riage. his condition of life, and entered into a married state, which he did in the latter end of the year, 1693. The perfon he made choice of was Jane Conyngham, daughter to Sir Albert Conyngham; a gentleman very well known in this kingdom, for his firm adherence to the Royal Family during the