Surely watching unto Prayer, confifts in carefully avoiding all thofe things, that have C too strong an Influence on our Minds and Affections; and are apt too forcibly, to take up and engage our Thoughts. But there is no Watching against Bodily Diforders which God thinks fit to fend upon us, (O that they may be all in mercy!) and which make every Triffe harafs our thoughts, C as much as an Important Affair.

'Pity me, O God of all Pity, who puttest Pity into the Hearts of Men, towards one another; and who yet are influenc'd, but by flender Drops of thy overflowing Ocean of Goodness. Fain wou'd my Heart come before Thee; fain wou'd my Thoughts af cend to Thee, and stay themselves upon Thee But like Feathers thrown up into the Air, a crafs Wind of Earthly Diftracti ons comes, and hurries them away, and fcatters them over all the Earth. If there is Pain in Life, furely it is, to defire to ferve Thee, and not to be able. But the desire 'fhall certainly prevail at last, for Thou art in the Defire, but the Inability is not from Thee.

Again, in another place he thus expreffes himself.

It seems an intolerable Burden to me, to be thus diftracted in my Devotions by worldly things, and makes me impatient, till I may get more out of the way of them, by changing my Employment, and Station in the World. Yet the thought

of

of this it felf is Dampt, when I confider thefe Two things: First, that Bodily Indifpofitions, may make my Head as unfit to attend on Holy things, in the midst of the greatest Leifure, and most facred Employment, as Wordly Bufinefs does now; and < that even then, Charity will oblige me to defcend to the worldly matters of my Friends: Orphans, Widows, and Distress'd Perfons must be Affifted and Reliev'd. Secondly, What fhall become of the rest of • Mankind? Of my Chriftian Brethren, who' • remain under the fame Circumstances, in which I am now; and from which they can't get free, though perhaps I may? Muft not they go to Heaven, nor have Comfort on Earth, in the worship and fervice of God? God forbid! Why then shou'd not I be content to bear my Burden in Life, ast as well as they; and ftruggle with, Difficulties in common with them? This is not the place of our Enjoyment, but of our Warfare; therefore I will humbly prepare my felf to the Combat, O my God: And • when thou seeft me ready to go on to fight, in obedience to thy pleasure; thou wilt order for me, what thou knoweft for the Good and Comfort of my Soul.

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Thus you fee that all Mr. Bonnell's Advances in the Divine Life, did not raise him above the Infirmities of Humanity, and the Incumbrances of Flesh and Blood. And this is matter of great Peace to the Pious, but weak Chri ftian; who labours under the fame Difficul

ries,

ties, and is apt to be too much Dejected when Affaulted by Vain, and Worldly Thoughts in Prayer. For thefe are Tryals, which will exercise the Faith and Patience of the greatest Favourites of God; and from which only Heaven will entirely fet us free. But then if we wou'd have Peace of Mind under thefe difturbances, we must not only Pray against them, with Mr. Bonnell's Zeal, but endeavour as he did, to prevent or remove them. And fome of the Remedies,which he Prescribes for this Disease, are these that follow.

"The happiest means of gaining RecollectiC on, when we Pray, is to have nothing to do, but to Pray. It is fo hard to compose our Thoughts, which are apt to fly after every Trifle; and to find innumerable things to take them off from their Duty; that we must go to work by Art, and deal with them as we do with irratio'nal Creatures; fome of which (as Hawks

C

and Horfes) we Hood-wink, when we 'wou'd keep them intent on particular matters. We must shut all other Businesses out from our Minds, at that time. We must 'neither have any thing to do our felves, nor 'expose our selves to be disturb'd by Others. We must not only enter into our Closets, but fhut our Doors about us. The great Art to attain this Happineis lies in faying I have nothing to do this half hour, but to wait on my God. For if we determine our felves no time, but are in hafte to do fomething elfe; as foon as we have done our Prayers,

it is a great hazard if ever we are recollect'ed. This is fpoken of the orderly Courfe 6 of our Devotions, when we have nothing a 'mifs in our Bodies or Minds. But if either Care, Trouble, or Indisposition distract our t Thoughts, and make them apt to ramble from our Duty, there will be more Pains ftill requifite: It is not enough to fe: our felves a certain time, but we must lay aside i fo much at large, as will be necessary to recite our Devotions attentively. If when C your Mind is in a good frame, a Quarter of . an Hour is fufficient for this; you are not fo think much, if now you can be able to do it in a whole Hour. That is, if you can . recite your Devotions fo, in an Hour, as C. to be able to attend to each Article of them. For taking in the large Intervals, in which (in fuch a cafe) your Thoughts will be quite C loft, and roving far away from the matter < they are about, and in which time you pro⚫ceed nothing at all, in your Devotions; and ⚫ that many times you will be forc'd to repeat ' that fame Sentences, over and over again, before you will be able to acquit your felf ' of your Duty, and attend to what you say: Thrice your ufual time, or more, may well be fuppos'd to be fpent; and 'tis well if you come off fo. From which we fee, that Pa• tience is a virtue, as neceffary fometimes in 'Devotion as in Afflictions; and the want • of Patience, does as often make our Devotions defective, as the want of Recolle• Ation.

· Ano

.

"Another Rule to prevent Distractions in Prayer, is to give no way to Vain Amusements out of it. By vain Amusements, I mean thinking of things that never will be, or perhaps never can be; meer Chimera's. It is a good Mastery of our Thoughts, to be able to reject thefe immediately, as foon as we reflect, that our Minds are bufied about them: For perhaps, our Minds may be got a good way in them, before we take notice of it. "Tis enough then, when we find it, C to caft them out, and fay, Away with this vain Amusement: To what purpose this Chimera? Why do I Spend Time and Thought dbout it, who have so many necessary things to • take both.

ир Again, in another Place he Advises thus: If thou art troubl'd with Unattentiveness and wandring Thoughts in Prayer; confider whence they Spring, and that will discover what they are. If they are fuch, as depend upon any Affection, or Paffion in thy Heart, which is not yet mortify'd, as it fhou'd be: Then believe me, they are unclean Birds, ⚫ and pollute thy Sacrifice. If they spring from any thing, that is thy Burden, and which thou laboureft to fubdue; 'tis ftill a little better. Be not difcouraged; caft < them from thee calmly, beg Pardon, and purfue thy Duty. If they be the Thoughts of Bufinefs, in which thy Affections are not concern'd; only that thou art unhappily engag'd in an over-multiplicity of Affairs: Rid thy Hands by degrees, as fast as thou

canft,