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by it. It is unreasonable for us to expect, that those who make a Confcience of ferving God with Devotion, but are strangers to our Methods, fhou'd immediately Change their way of Worship, and heartily Close with ours; tho' better in it felf, and they C were fatisfi'd that there were nothing unf lawful in it. Time and Pains muft Work that happy Change.

In his Devotions both Publick and Private, he avoided every thing, that had the least Appearance of Affectation, or might any way Minister to Vanity; all violent Motions of the Body, and unnatural Modulations of the Voice. His Eehaviour was Grave and Simple, Natural and very Plain. And though never Man, was lefs apt to entertain hard Thoughts of Others, yet he cou'd not but fufpect those, who were very Noifie in their Prayers; who affected strange Gestures of Body, and a forc'd Tone of Voice. And I believe the Reader will excufe me, for delivering his Judgment of the true and false Signs of Devotion, in his own Words: He will find it fo rational and clear, as must needs be very fatisfactory to him.

We mistake our felves oft times in Signs The true and of Devotion; outward Actions of the Bo,falfe Signs of Devotion. dy, may be Signs of Devotion; but we are to judge aright of them, and give them their due weight. Devotion is to the Soul, • what Blood is to the Body, which is the Life of it: Now the beft ftate of the Body is, when the Blood moves regularly, and

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evenly in it; fo as for us to be least sensible, that we have fuch a thing as moving Blood 'within us; which is, when it is in its natural Condition, and we are in firm Health. We don't think we have moft Life, when we have convulfive and extraordinary Motions in our Bodies; these things proceed not from the free moving of the Blood, but from the stoppage of the Blood and Spirits; from which Nature endeavouring to set it felf free, excites thofe violent Motions in the Body. These are not Signs of Health, but of Sickness. In respect of our Souls, the best state is, when our Minds in our Devotions, have a compos'd and gracious Intercourfe with God, in fuch intentnefs, and recollectedness of Thought, that we are hardly fenfible our felves, that we are at our Devotions. Thus it is when we are in firm Health of Mind, our Confcience right before God, and our Affections fanctifi'd and free from incumbrances. It is when 'we come short of thefe, in any respect, that our Devotion becomes tuniultuary, and fhews it felf in outward figns: Bodily Motions proceed only from the Convulfions of our Devotions; and are figns of Obstructions in them, not of their free Paf fage. The Conflict that arifes between our Flesh and our Spirit,begets those odd Symptoms. It is when we find it difficult to raise up our Minds to God, hard to keep our Thoughts intent and recollected, as we 'wou'd have them; that we beat our Breafts,

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that we caft up our Eyes, that we move our ¿ Hands. They are figns at beft, not that we are Devout, but that we wou'd be fo. Every fudden Motion of the Head, or Hand, or 6 Eye, is not a fign of an orderly, but of a convulfive Devotion; and is the Effect of a troubl'd and difcompos'd State of Mind. 'Not that these are always to be cenfur'd: Such Troubles are many times our Unhap'pinefs, not our Sin. Thus perhaps it was with Hannah when he pray'd unto the Lord in the bitterness of her Soul. 1 Sam. 1. 10. And Eli obferving her outward Gestures, particularly the motion of her Lips, thought hardly of her. Our Bleffed Lord, when he 'offer'd up his laft publick Prayer to his Father; the perpetual and moft gracious Legacy of his Love to his Church, and the Model of his continual Interceffion in Heaven for us; began it with a fixt lifting up of his Eyes to Heaven. When Jefus had spo'ken these things, he lifted up his Eyes to Heaven, and faid, foh. 17. I This cannot be reckon'd of the fort we are fpeaking of; for it was only a compos'd fetting of his Eyes in one Posture. If his proftrating himself on 'the Ground, in his great Agony, be offer'd ' as an Inftance of the other fort, and it be atgued from thence, that fuch violent Motions of the Body, are not Arguments of a Difcompos'd, or more Imperfect Devotion; because our Lords Devotion, cannot at any time be fuppos'd Imperfect: It is not neceffary to fay any thing to it; only this,

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that fuch Difcompos'd or Imperfect DevoC tion, as cou'd be without Sin, may be fafely apply'd to our Saviour, in refpect to his Humane Nature; but in refpect of Us, it is 'certain that fuch Trouble or Diftraction as our Bleffed Saviour underwent, at that time, wou'd neceffarily make our Devotion more Imperfect; tho' not neceffarily lefs prevalent with God, when we offer unto Him the best service we can, in the Anguish of our Spirits.

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What has been faid of Bodily Motions, С is to be faid alfo of the Tone of our Voice in Prayer. The Vehement Earneftness of this, is not always a fign of the Intentnefs of our Thoughts, or Devotion of our Minds; but rather the contrary. A Modeft, even 'fram'd Voice, with a chearful Accent, or Modulation of our Words, is the natural Expreffion of a Devout Spirit; much less ⚫ can I look upon that Voice to have any part in Devotion, which runs all in one Tone of a Melancholy Dejectedness. (I will not call it Whining, becaufe prophane Men who are ready to Scoff at all Religion, have made 'this word too light:) But 'tis certain, the thoughts of the praying Perfon, may be at the other end of the World, confiftently enough, with fuch a Tone; fo little neceffary connexion is there between it and true • Devotion. The Mind of fuch a Perfon perhaps has been Devout, and he is Melancholy that he is not fo ftill; but unwilling to be at pains enough to make himself fo.

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€ If there be any that take up fuch a Tone, purely out of Hypocrifie, I fhou'd be loath to pafs fo hard a Cenfure upon them, as the Poet does; unless they manifeftly discover, great Contrariety to their Devotions, in their Lives and Practices.

Quifquis ficto fub Damone prodit,
Crede mibi, multum Demonis intus habet.

That great Infirmity of Humane Nature, with which the beft Men are frequently difturb'd, Unattention and Wandring Thoughts in Prayer, Mr. Bonnell had very well confider'd; he himself not being intirely free from it. It is what he often complains of, with great Pasfion, and for which he prefcribes the propereft Remedies. His Meditations upon Wandring Thoughts in Prayer, are too many to be here inferted; yet a few of them I can't pass over. They fhew a Mind fo deeply affected with the fenfe of its Imperfections; fo defirous to have its Burdens remov'd; yet so patient and fubmiffive under them; that they muft needs make due Impreffions on every Devout Reader.

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Lord (fays he in one place) it is but a plaints of befew Hours ago, that I was Triumphing in ing difturb'd thy Favour; and in the Bleffed Liberty with wanthou gavest me, of attending upon Thee. dring thought 3 What have I done fince, to make my felf in Prayer; 'fo Miferable, and lofe all this Privilege; medies he prethat from being attentive to a whole Prayer, feribes for I can now fcarce attend to a few Sentences. that Infirmi

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