behind him a truly afflicted widow, who, I am perfuaded, will perfevere to fhew the world, how juftly the prized his excellent qualities and tender love; and who has fpared no pains to get his life and character published, that fo fome juftice may be done to his memory, and the world benefited by his example. And even that child which did furvive him, has fince followed her father, after having lived fo long as to fhew that the inherited his virtues, the sweetness of his temper, his devoutnefs and patience; fo that had it pleafed God to have continued her in the world, fhe promised to have been a very fhining example of piety and goodnefs. And indeed, both from what I saw in her myself, and from the informations of others, upon which I entirely depend, I have been ftrongly inclined to mention fome of her particular fayings and actions, and to have given inftances of her piety and patience at four, five, and fix years old. But they are fo extraordinary that I choose to fupprefs them, because they would hardly obtain belief. I fhall only obferve from what I knew of that child, that parents do not begin time enough to form their children's minds to religion. Sin gets the first poffeffion of their hearts, and they are taught lying and vanity much fooner than to love God, or pray to him. Whereas, if the fame early care was ufed with the generality of children, as was taken with her, to give them fuch ap

prehenfions

prehenfions of God, of fin, of truth, of hea ven and hell, as they are capable of, though the fuccefs would not in many be equal to what it was in her, few having fuch natural difpofitions to goodnefs as appeared in her,. yet would it be fuch, as would go a great way in reforming the world, and making the next generation good and virtuous

PART II.

HAVING thus gone through the moft remarkable paffages of Mr. Bonnell's Life, and withal given the reader fome general view of his piety and virtue; I fhall now enter upon that part of this work, for the fake of which the reft was put together, and without which, the world is not much concerned to know his ftory: and that is, particularly to describe his character and excellencies; to recommend him as a pattern worthy our imitation, in all the duties of the Chriftian life; and to fhew from him, how beautiful Chriftianity is, when reduced to practice; when it becomes a rule of life and manners; and not, as it is with most men, confined to the thoughts, and made an unactive notion of the mind.

His perfon, tem

As to his perfon, he was tall, well fhaped, and fair. His afpect was comely, and fhewed great fweetnefs, mixed with life and plishments. fprightline fs. There was a vener

per, and

accom

able gravity in his look, a natural modefty, and fincere opennefs. But in the houfe of God, his countenance had fomething in it that looked heavenly and feraphi-. cal; an undiffembled piety; a devoutnefs

that

that never can be imitated nor acted, when it does not refide in the heart; and appeared al-. ways eafy and unforced. His natural and acquired ferioufnefs was tempered with a very engaging chearfuinefs in converfation..

He was mafter of the accomplishing, as well as neceffary parts of learning; had thoroughly digested the Greek and Roman. authors, understood the French language perfectly well, and had made good progrefs in the Hebrew. In philofophy and oratory he exceeded moft of his contemporaries in the Univerfity; and applied himfelf with good fuccefs to mathematicks and mufick. In the courfe of his ftudies he read feveral of the fathers; and among his private papers, I. find fome parts of the Greek Fathers, particularly Synefius, tranflated by him into Englifh. He had a delicacy of thought and expreffion that is very rarely to be met with; so that there was a particular beauty and flame in any thing that he compofed, especially upon pious fubjects. He had a nice tafte both in men and books, and was very converfant in our beft English divines: but he particularly admired Hooker whom he used to commend, as an author who writ with a primitive fpirit, but modern judgment and correctnefs. All books of devotion he read with a very fenfible pleasure, but was parcularly fond of two authors, Kempis and Sales, and has left behind him a corre&t tranflation of "The Introduction to a De-...

But the

vout Life, written by the latter. Holy Scriptures were his conftant and daily ftudy; he read them, he thought them, nay, he prayed them over too, abundance of his meditations taking their rise from those paffages of Scripture he then read. Few underftood, or practifed better, the arts of gentle converfation; and none more industriously avoided all difcourfe that looked affected and vain, or any way feemed to aim at raising his own value. He feldom talked with any, but (without defigning it) he gained upon them, and had a particular art of obliging. His abilities for bufinefs are very well known to all the officers of the revenue, and many others who had the experience of them befides: and those who were obliged to attend him were so treated by him, as if it had been his duty to wait on them: it being his great fudy to give every one eafe and difpatch; and none knew what delays or difficulties meant where he was concerned, or had power to remove them,

But thefe are things of a lower nature, (though very excellent in themselves) when compared with his piety towards God, his juftice and charity to man, his fobriety and temperance with refpe&t to himfelf: I fhall therefore, in the profecution of this work, confider Mr. Bonnell as a Chriftian; and give the jufteft account I can, from fuch materials as I have before me, of his discharging the fe