civil wars; in whofe caufe he often exposed his life to the greatest dangers; and for his bravery and conduct in the late war, commanding a regiment of dragoons, and at laft dying in the fervice. Mr. Bonnell had fome years before entered into a ftri&t friendship with this gentlewoman. He believed her temper and manner of life very well fuited to his own, and that fhe had thofe qualities which he chiefly defired in a wife. And as this was an affair of the greatest moment to him of any in this world; fo I have those materials in my hands, which fhew, that with all imaginable conftancy and ardor, he begged God's direction in his refolution and choice, that every thought of his mind, and every ftep he fhould take, might be over-ruled by his providence; that providence, to whofe conduct and difpofal he had long before refigned up himself and all his concerns; and whofe motions he was fully determined, without the leaft reluctancy, to follow.

He had at all times different thoughts of the happiness of a married ftate from the generality of men, who are governed more by violent and diforderly paffions, than by reason and religion. The following meditation is a fufficient proof of this, written by him in the 26th year of his age, and which he entitles, The Wish, or an Idea of Marriage.

Marriage is the reprefentative of the most facred union between Christ and his church; Chrift, who left his bleffed Father to become • married

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married to mankind, and espouse a whole church for a wife. Until this was inftituted, ' man was but half made and imperfe&t; "For this fhall a man leave his father and mother," faith God himself."

For this, firft let me ferve a fufficient time of courtship, but let it be sweetened with the converfation of the perfon I love; and if there be oppofition of others to fruggle with, it will but render the conversation the more favoury, and afford matter for entertainment and discourse, and likewife many times for divertisement; at leaft it will the more endear under a common fuffering. Next, upon marriage, let 6 us immediately remove from the mixt company in which hitherto we have lived, to

enjoy each other in a more folitary retire6 ment, where all things about us are our own, and to be our own care: and here, let us be fufficient company to each other, as Adam was to Eve in Paradife. Here let me in my family be the priest of the most high 6 God, and let his praises be always in my mouth. And when God gives a child that can begin to talk, let it be both my wife's 'concern and mine, with equal zeal, and equal naturalnefs, to make the works of God the conftant matter of our discourse, and inftruction to our child. As others talk to their child of a grandmother, an aunt, or the vanities of the world; let us talk to ours of its Maker and our Father, • God;

• God; and of the place whither we hope to 6 go, Heaven; and of the company we fhalt have there, the bleffed angels. Let me therefore have a wife of a natural, free, 'ingenuous and noble piety, which fhall not confift in phrafes, and tone, and me lancholy, and cenfure; but in vigorous • zeal, uprightness, and integrity, and faithfulness of heart to God: a clear, cheerful, unaffected difpofition, with a most ardent and bold love to God. So that we may not converse of God because it is our duty, but because our hearts are full of him, and we are used to it, fo that we fhall do it before we are aware. Then fhall we fleep and awake with him, walk. and fit in his prefence, and live the lifeof angels upon earth. Nor fhall it be in the power of the wicked one to inject • peevishness, or quarrels, or displeasures, as being out of humour, the effects of folly and impiety, but we fhall ever be one in the Lord. The Lord, if any, grant me fuch a companion.'

He continued in a married ftate five years and five months; but the latter part of that time, it pleafed God to allow him but little health; the laft year efpecially, when his. diforders returned more frequently, and with greater violence than before. Thofe bodily diftempers shocked his refolutions of entering into holy orders, at least thus far, that, if he fhould take that facred character upon hung

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him, he would apply himself to the duties of it fo far as he was able, but without undertaking a parochial cure: for thus I find him expreffing himself fome years before his death: "If my want of health fhould hinder me from taking a cure, which I very much apprehend, I could contentedly spend my time in the most profitable manner I was capable of, for the good of the church, particularly in devotional things, which feem to be my talent, and in which, without much more ftudy, I might hope to fucceed." And fuch high thoughts had he, of the extent and difficulty of the pastoral duty, that he esteemed his frequent returns of fickness equivalent to a declaration of Providence, that he was not defigned for the more laborious performances of it, though the bent of his defires was continually that way.

His ficknefs and death.

But even thefe defires were at laft interrupted, by that fatal ficknefs which brought him to his end. For in April 1699, he was feized with a malignant fever, which about that time reigned very much in Dublin; by it, his head was fo much affected, that he had not a conftant command of his thoughts, nor that undisturbed exercife of his faculties, which all men defire in thofe extremities. For fome days of his fickness, his reason was clear, and to the laft, he had frequent intervals of perfect understanding. And then it is impoffible to conceive one in the greatest

greatest pain and anguish, more fubmiffive, more patient, more refigned to the will of God: then prayers and praises were his only language, or calling upon others to pray for him. But no murmur, no complaint came out of his mouth. And though, no doubt, he had all the comforts of a good confcience, and powerful fupports from God, in that great conflict of nature; yet he expreffed himfelf with all that humility and awful concern which becomes a finner, when he reflected upon that pure and holy God, at whofe bar he was foon to be tried. "Now," fays he, "must I ftand or fall before my great Judge." And when it was answered, that no doubt he would ftand firm before him, through the merits of our crucified Saviour: his reply fhews upon what a firm foundation he built his dependance and hopes: "It is in that," fays he," I truft; he knows it is in that I truft." And his laft moments of reafon were spent in those heavenly exercises, wherein every good man would defire to breathe out his foul; and which, to him, no doubt, were the happy beginnings of endless praises above. He died the twenty-eighth day of April, 1699, in the forty-fixth year of his age; and his body lies interred in St. John's church in Dublin. Of three children, (wo fons and a daughter) wherewith God had bleffed him, the daughter only furvived him. And he left behind

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