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ed) Compos'd in the Year 1687, will fufficiently thew.

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The Wicked(fays he) flies when no Man purfueth, but the Righteous is bold as a Lion. "Grace reforms and changes Nature: It makes 'the Proud Man Humble; The Furious Man Meek and Patient; The Luxurious Man Temperate and Mortified: But can it also < mare a Coward Valiant? This feems to be f deeply rooted in our bodily Frame, 'that without molding us a new, it cannot ad'mit of any alteration. And on the other hand, Men that are naturally Stout, tho' never fo Vicious, ftill retain their Courage. How then shall we understand this fentence of the Wifeman? Either we must conceive it of Wicked and Righteous Men, who have naturally equal Degrees of Courage, and then in Cafe of Terror, fee who is the Bra' veft Man: Or elfe we must take it in case ' of Publick Calamities when God visits; then 'the Wicked tremble as a Leaf, but the Righteous is bold as a Lion. Fear is a great Sin in a good Man; for why fhou'd He fear, who has the Lord of Hofts for his Shield, and moft fure Protector? His Heart ftandeth fast and believeth in the Lord; his Heart is eftablish'd and will not shrink; he is not afraid of any evil Tidings; nor of any Terror or Amazement. Tho' the Earth be mov'd, and 'tho' the Hills be carried into the midst of the Sea, yet will he not fear. These are the Cha<racters of the good Man. Faith that removes Mountains, works this change alfo;

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and makes Women and Children out-brave 'Death and Tyrants in their cruelleft Forms. 'It is only want of Faith, of believing in the Lord, that makes good Men fear. Peter who had ventur'd out, where never Man ⚫ went before, when he faw the Waves arife, was afraid. Our Saviour gives the reason, O Thon of little Faith, Wherefore didft Thou • Doubt? I believe that except the Lord keep the House, the Watch-man waketh but in vain; I believe that God is my keeper in the way of my lawful Calling, and abode; If I Fear, I either do not believe, or do not 'believe enough. If it be his will to give me up to the violence of evil Men, where'fore thou'd I fear his Will? We fear only for fomething we are fond of: The good Man has given up all his earthly Concerns to God. If I am still afraid for any of Thefe, and think this Fear, only an innocent and unavoidable Infirmity of my Nature, I mistake; for it is a certain proof, that I am ftill fond of what I pretend to have given up to God; It is a contradiction to my Profeffion, and a manifeft Sin. But if (as I faid) it be the Will of God, to give me up to the violence of evil Men; my Body, my Goods, or my Life: why' fhou'd I ⚫ be afraid of the Will of God, which is full of goodness and kind Intentions towards me? If it be not his Will, I know all the Powers of Earth and Hell cannot hurt me. I will lay me down therefore in Peace, and £ take my rest, for Thou, O Lord, only makest

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me dwell in fafety. I will repofe my felf < under the shadow of thy Divine Pleasure, and in it will I find a fure retreat, tho' my

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Body and all my Earthly Concerns be given up to violence.

The other Meditation is as follows.

In time of Wealth and Profperity God requires us to watch and be fober; to keep the 'World at a diftance from our Affections; to ' live in it, but not to live to it ; to be reafonably pleas'd with it, but not to dote on it. But there is a time, when he requires us to be utterly eftrang'd from it; when the dif 'pute is not about enjoying it more or less, but about quitting it altogether. When we are to have the lo ns of our Minds girt up, as the Ifraelites had their Bodies, the Night they were to go out of Egypt; when we are to be as indifferent to Life, or this World, 'as they were to the Land they were leaving; when we are to put our Lives into our Hands and not love them to Death: And this time is when fuch a cafe happens, as we find mention'd in the 13th of the Revelations when we have our choice to Worship or 'Die; no way to escape Death, but by a fine ful compliance; when none but they whofe Names are Written in the Book of Le, and have "Ears to hear, of all that dwell upon the Earth, 6 fhall refufe to Worship the Beast, or his Image. When power is given to it, to fight against the Saints, and to overcome them, then is the time

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for the Patience and Faith of the Saints. This is a time when there is to be no parlying with the World; it must not come into our thoughts; we muft either refift bravely,and fave our Lives by lofing them, or Dye for We may obferve more fevere, and lively expreft Punishments, denounc'd againit fuch finful compliance, than against all the Immoralities and Sins reprov'd in holy Writ. Thus Rev. 14. 9, 10, 11. If any Man Worship the Beast and his Image the fame fhall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God,which is poured out without mixture, in the Cup of his Indignation; and he shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone, in the prefence of the Holy Angels, and in the prefence of the Lamb: And • the Smoke of their Torment afcendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no reft Day and Night: And the reason is, because the Temptation is greater to this, than any other Sin; and therefore it is ballanced with greater Terrors, to Arm us against it. The Difpute here,is not about refifting fome little Temptation, from which we might hope to recover our felves again, and Repent; but about 6 refifting a Sin, that can never be repented of; about parting with Life and All at once, or Falling for ever. And on the other hand, as the Terror is great; fo God ftands by, heartning his own Soldiers, and encouraging them to quit the World refolutely, and Die bravely. Verf. 12, 13. Here is the Patience of the Saints, here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the Faith of Je

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And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me, Bleffed are the Dead that Die in (or for) the Lord, even so faith the Spirit for they reft from their Labours, and their Works Shall follow them. And they fing the Song of "Mofes and the Song of the Lamb. Chap 15. 3. < The Triumphal Song after the overthrow of Pharoah, and the Lambs Triumphal Song ' after his Glorious Refurrection when he 'ceas'd from his Labours, and all the Sons of 'God fhouted for Joy.

By fuch Exercises as thefe, Mr. Bonnell was very well fitted for whatever cou'd befal him ; and he took the true way to make Dangers not only tolerable but eafie, by flying to him for fuccour, who can either give fafety, or enable us to bear trouble; can remove the Rod, or fweeten its Pains. Nor was he lefs earnest in his Prayers for the removal of those Calamities he faw falling upon the Church, than careful to fit himself to bear his own fhare of them. And we have reason to Blefs God that he (among other Religious Perfons) was then devoutly employ'd in fervent Addresses to God for his Church and our Holy Religion; fince we may reasonably believe that their Pious Interceffions fhorten'd our Troubles and preferv'd us under them. Such publick Bleffings are the Devout and Religious, fince to their Prayers even the Wicked owe their peace and fafety.

And how constant, how earnest his Prayers in those Days of Trouble were, the following Meditation will fhew..

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