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attain to; fuch as a Gracious Countenance, an humble Mien, an Unaffected Modefty, C and a Chearful and Sincere Franknefs in Declaring, that we are the Servants of God, and devoted to Him; or speaking Words, drawn from the Soul of Piety, which amount to fuck a Declaration as thofe of the Apostle, If any Man love not C the Lord Jefus, let him be accurfed. But then C these words, must not be borrowed from

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others, or even from Scripture it felf, but . originally our own; for any one may speak 6 good Sentences by roat. There are fome C Expreffions, that tend not fo much to fhew 'a Devotedness to God, or Refolutions or Defires to serve him, as our Nearness to Him. These are carefully to be avoided 'for they tend too much to heighten a good Opinion of our felves; are apt to move Envy or Cenfure, and may happen in fome measure, to deprive us of that Nearness; by cafting a little damp upon our Coni fciences, and caufing God to withdraw His Favours; fuch are, Accounts of Tranfports and Elevations that God gives us in his Service; and very endearing Expreflions in mentioning of God; as, my deareft Lord, my Sweet Jefus, my Loving Father, instead of faying only God; which I have heard fome Perfons ufe upon too ordinary Occafions, when one cou'd not well fuppofe, that they had a prefent, lively Senfe, and Feeling at their Heart, of what they spoke, anfwerable to the

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heigth of the Words: For none can have a Senfe in their Hearts, adequate to fuch Words as thefe, but it will put them into a Tranfport, which will either express it felf in a Flood of Tears, or in Silence; and hinder them from readily going on with other Talk. There are other Expreffions which are the Language of our Hearts, immediately to God himself: And it is ill to use our felves to Speak or Write thefe, but when our Hearts indeed go along with them, and have intercourse with God. But it is hard to fuppofe, when we ufe them too frequently, our Hearts can always go along with them:

And this gives Matter of Offence to good People, and is a Prejudice to our Selves: For if we ufe to speak fuch Words, as ought to be, fpoke, only to God himself, without fpeaking them indeed to Him with out Hearts, it will certainly Indifpofe our Hearts, to speak to him in thofe Words, when we wou'd. Becaufe we fhall get a way of fpeaking fuch things by roat, and not be able to difcern, when indeed we fpeak to God, and when we don't.

My Converfing with you, has put me upon fpeaking and writing more things of this fort, than I did before; except in my < Clofet, or in my private Papers; in which I feldom allow'd my felf to ufe any Expref८ fion, but what proceeded immediately from my Heart; or to fay my God, instead of God unlefs my Heart boil'd with a fulness, O 2 ⚫ to

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to Express it felf, in thofe Terms; fo that I truft, thofe Papers are the Tranfcript ' of my Heart. But I can't fay fo, of all I have writ to you: Indeed I can't tax my felf with any thing in particular, to the contrary: but having writ fo much I have a fear upon me, that fomething may have been faid rather to the Occafion, than from the present Senfe or Feeling of my Mind. Tho' I do not cenfure you for this Language, believing it to proceed from your • Zeal, and the lively Senle you have of God; yet this Caution against it, will not be amifs in the Courfe of your Life.

It were eafie to add other Instances of Mr. Bonnell's Piety, and to enlarge upon these : But I must proceed to confider him with refpect to the Duties we owe to our felves, and our Neighbour; as well as those we owe to God.

How he perAs to the Duties we owe to our selves, I form'd the Du have shew'd how he discharg'd fome of them ties we owe to by what I have faid of his Humility and Meekour felves. nefs, Mortification and Self-denial. These

being duties, which in many Instances of Action, have an immediate Reference to our felves; as in others, they have to God and our Neighbour. But the general duty which we are to perform to our felves, and which comprehends all others under it, is a due Regulation and Government of our Paffions, and Affections; and none cou'd keep a stricter watch over these than Mr. Bonnell did: He confider'd humane Nature with great Applica

Application and particularly how our Passions Act within us, what Feeds and Inflames them; And how they are to be Check'd and Subdu'd, made Governable and Calm. To this purpose he speaks in one place.

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Paffions of the Mind are like a Running Gout It is the fame Morbific Matter, that fhews it felf, fometimes in the < Knee, then in the Elbow; That cau'fes Giddinefs in the Head, Sickness in the L Stomach, and Cholicks in the Bowels: It is the fame Morbific matter in the Soul, (Irregular Paffions and Unmortify'd Affetions) that fhews it felf, fometimes in Love, fometimes in Averfion; then in Envy, then in Ambition; fometimes it is "Love of Efteem, fometimes of Beauty; fome' times of Riches and Grandure, and abundance of like Variety. Seldom above one . of these is Predominant at a time, and then the Party is free from others; and all commonly is, as the Bodily Temper varies. These come and go by Fits unaccountably; but while the Root of the Matter Lives in C our Hearts, we are ftill under the Power ' of the Disease; which we nourish by things 'that are Pleasing; as we do the Gout, or Scurvy, by Meats that please our Palate. • We feldom contract or encrease these Diftempers, by eating of Rhubarb or Aloes; but by high Saufes and delicious Meats. We indulge our pleafing Paffions, and they bring us under the fmart of the more painful Ones. Ceafe to Defire (fays Seneca) and

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you will cease to fear. Who fhall deliver us C from the Body of this Death? Thy Cross,

O bleffed Saviour, is a fufficient Remedy C to all: For who can allow themselves to 'Love, or be overmuch Pleas'd with their

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Fellow-Creatures, who ftand under the 'fhadow of this direful Tree? Had not the Bleffed Virgin, and the belov'd Difciple fomething else to think of, while they ftood there, than gratifying their Minds in worldly Amours? But we are not always to ftand there; it is not requir'd 6 of us. Yes, while we are in this World, in which our Lord Suffer'd, we are always to be there, more or lefs; because we are always to be free from the Slavery of thofe Affections, from which he dy'd to fet us free: And to be most there, when we find our felves in most danger of being pleas'd. For if we keep our felves from being pleas'd, God hath commanded Nature, to keep us from being difpleas'd. If we mortify for his fake, those Affections which are pleafing to us, he will certainly deliver us from thofe, that only bring Torment. And they that are Chrift's, have Crucifi'd the Flesh, with its Affections and Lufts..

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To the fame purpose, in another place he expresses himself thus.

What a Round do Paffions make in our ' miferable Souls; we . fultory Enemy, which often as we agrefs it.

fight againft a Defhifts and changes as As the Humours of ⚫ the

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