Aructors was fo bleffed, by the grace of God, that he fet out betimes in the way to Heaven;" profecuted his journey with indefatigable diligence, and perfevered in it to the laft.

And that Mr. Bonnell's piety was of this early growth, I fhall fhew, by inferting here at large, his own account of it, which I find among his private papers.

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in the 22d

year of his

From the beginning of my life,' fays he, I had a great fenfe of Written 6 piety. Lord! my corruptions I anno 1675, had from nature, I brought them • with me into the world; this was age. thy grace, thy gift, thy unde- · ferved favour. I remember the great delight I took in reading books of devotion at ten years old, and said then to my mother, "If we were as holy as David, how happy fhould we be?" At eleven years old, I ufed to get up from my bed-fellows on Sunday mornings, to fay the prayers for that day, out of the Practice of Piety, which was fent me as a token from a friend, and which I was pleafed with, as an invaluable prefent. At twelve, I remember I found it difficult at waking to begin with God, as the Practice of Piety directs, and therefore I writ out the words which are there propofed to be faid, and put them under my pillow, to have them ready at waking. At • thirteen, I had read feveral books of niety and devotion. In the perufal of the Practice of Piety, I was pleafed with the pro

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pofal of a methodical courfe of religion, and allured with the arguments it ufes to urge it; having been all along poffeffed that it was my duty, fo I was more eafily inclined to it. At length, by my intenfe reading of this book, and being delighted ' with the meditations, foliloquies, and paffionate paffages of it, my whole thoughts · were taken up with the things of another world, and I grew cool to all the delights • of this. While these thoughts were upon me, the Lord's-Day came welcome to me, which I was prepared to fanctify, accordding to the directions of my book, and former inftructions, which I had long be'fore received with my education; but never found myself fo willing to practise them, as then. On that day, my thoughts were wholly • taken up with religious contemplations; fo that when I went into my chamber in the evening, and there made a recollection of my whole life, according to the schemes for • examination, which I had in the Practice of Piety and other books, and being taken up in an intenfe confideration of my fins, and my duty; of God, and heaven, and hell, &c. my affections were raised to a pitch. higher than ordinary, and my fpirits more fixed and compofed. I then proftrated my⚫ felf before God, and humbled myself for my fins; being as I imagined, in fuch a pitch of godly forrow, as would answer the characters of it, which my book propofed

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to me.. Then taking up refolutions of • amendment, and begging ftrength of God, I rofe up from my knees, in a pleafed per• fuafion that the work of repentance (which my book told me I must begin with, and be very folemn) was paft. And that now I might with comfort pafs on to the methodical practice of the duties of religion. So I chearfully lay down, and chearfully rofe. I read the bible, I prayed, making ufe of the forms in the Practice of Piety and other books that I had, and on Sunday mornings more largely confeffing my fins, and examining myself. Thus went I chearfully · on, endeavouring to maintain my ground, and perfift in my practice; rejoicing much that the work of converfion, as I thought, was paft with me, which the books I then read, and the perfons that difcourfed with me, had fo much poffeffed me with. Nevertheless under what opinion or notion foever I then did it, I do, as I have juft caufe, blefs and praise the God of heaven, that He did fo early let me fee, what was the practice of Godliness; that I enjoyed fo 6 great an encouragement after holiness, as a tafte of the fweetnefs of it. For this great and distinguishing goodness of the Lord, my foul doth, and ever will praise his holy • name! At this time Mr. Tenifon my Master, (of whofe religious care of me I shall al6 ways have a very grateful remembrance,) difcourfed with me about receiving the facrament,

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crament, I readily confented, not being a little rejoiced at the invitation, which feemed to come as it were from God himself. So I practifed the directions which my books gave me, and endeavoured to prepare myfelf according to my light and ability. My notions of it were obfcure, for the books I had read were fo, and very allegorical. Yet I hope God will lay no fin to my charge, that might arife from thence; fince it was what I was then capable of, from the inftructions I had.'

Thefe were the happy beginnings of Mr. Bonnell's piety: and what mighty advances in religion might not be hoped from a zeal fo early, and yet fo ftrong? How few, even in their happiest periods of life, when their reafon is beft improved, and their graces moft lively and vigorous, can give a better account of their piety, than Mr.Bonnell in the beginning of his youth? How firm and lafting muft the building be, whofe foundation was fo deeply laid? And fuch his piety proved, encreafing with his reafon and years, till all were compleated in a happy eternity.

At fourteen years of age, being fit for the University, he was removed from Trym fchool: but his friends, who were nicely folicitous about his education, chofe to fend him to a private philofophy fchool in Oxfordfhire; believing him there more out of the way of temptation, and refolving not to expofe him to the infectious dangers of a great

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city, and numerous acquaintance. But how much persons of the like fentiments are miftaken in their opinions of these private feminaries, may appear from Mr. Bonnell's account of that, which his friends made choice of for him, and preferred to all our famous feats of learning. I was fent,' fays he, to "Oxfordshire, to a private house, for fear of being corrupted at the University: Our tutor was Mr. Cole, who had formerly been Principal of St. Mary Hall in Oxford; he read to us Ariftotle's Philofophy, and in• ftructed us in the claffics and oratory: he preached twice every Sunday to his family and us: here I ftaid two years and a half; but my unhappiness was, that there was no practice of receiving the facrament in that. place, fo that I could have no folemn earneft,. and ferious recollection of myself; neither were my affociates fuch from whom I might learn any part of godlinefs, but, on the contrary, all debauchery; fo that my friends. & care seemed herein to be deluded, had I not • been otherwife principled before, and had fome tincture of my Trym fentiments ftillmind: our tutor was too remifs in matters of morality and religion, though I cannot accufe himself of any thing that was 'ill.' At last he concludes, I cannot with comfort reflect upon the time spent in that place.' And he has been often heard tofay, when fpeaking of that private fchool,.

• on my

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