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O that this may be a happy Type to us, as it is as lively an Emblem as this World can give of the joyful meeting of the Servants of God in Heaven at the great day of Jubilee, when all the Terrors of Death and Judgment fhall be over, and Christ our great Deliverer fhall have put all our Ene'mies under his Feet. How will they then 'Embrace and Congratulate for their Escape 'from all their Terrors and Fears! How will they welcome one another into that blessed and fecure abode of eternal Peace and Joy! How may we fuppofe, will they enquire of one another, how they past through those days wherein they were parted! What dif < ficulties they met with in Life, after the o'thers had left them! With what Apprehen'fions or Terrors they past through their 'laft Agony ! And what comforts or fupports 'they had under it! One will fay, I remem'ber you were a Prifoner in Bondage to 'Sin, and under the flavery of divers Lufts; 'How were you fet free? How did you conquer thofe great and stubborn Enemies we 'left you conflicting with? I remember, to another, you were with Child in those days, ' loaded with the incumbrances of the World, " the cares of getting and keeping Riches,and providing for a Family, in a degree above what was neceffary, either for their Happi'nefs or your State. To another, you were ( on the Bed of Sickness in the time of this Alarm, opprefs'd with Distracting Croffes, Domestick Disturbances, Foreign Enemies

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' and Oppressions, Inward Pains and Diseases; How did you get through all your Infirmimities? How did you efcape, who were not able to ftir from the Bed? With Joy, each 'will reply, God did all this for us.

After this manner did Mr. Bonnell improve that great Deliverance; and fo much did Religion poffefs his Thoughts, that (as I find from his Papers) it was his ufual Practice,from the daily Occurrences of the World, and the most familiar Affairs of Life, to draw fuch Reflections, as might best keep his Mind in a devout frame, and confirm him in his Duty.

But His share in that general Joy was foon abated, from Two Caufes; The one particular to Himself; The other of more publick Concernment. The Death of his Mother was his particular caufe of Grief, which he heard of by the first Letters that came from England, and which he lamented with true Religious Sorrow. He bore her the tenderest Respect, as well as greatest Love; for She had done every thing for him, which natural fondness or religious concern cou'd fuggeft; and he was fenfible of all his Obligations to her, from Duty and Gratitude, as well as Nature. His Meditations upon her Death, (too long and particular to be here inferted) fhew a Spirit truly afflicted for fuch a Lofs; yet fubmitting without Murmur to the Will of God, the greatest Love to his Parent, yet greater to Him who had taken her away.

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His other cause of Trouble, and what He Laments touch'd him as fenfibly as any Lofs cou'd do, the prevalenwas the little Reformation which the Judg-cy of Vice afments of God had wrought in this Kingdom. Troubles. He reasonably expected that those who had lamented the want of their Churches, fhou'd throng to them with Joy, when they were reftor'd to them, and Praife God continually for that great Mercy: That Unity and Love fhou'd univerfally prevail among those who were not only Profeffors of the fame Religion, but had been Fellow-fufferers for it; But that Difputes, Contentions, and Revenge fhou'd be for ever done away. But when he faw our Troubles fucceeded by a torrent of Vice, and the Rod no fooner remov'd, but God who had appointed it, by too many forgotten; when he faw Immorality and Prophanenefs Conquer as faft as our Victorious Arms; and that the fame Army that deliver'd us, did corrupt us too; fo melancholy a prospect did very much move him, rais'd many fad Thoughts in his Mind, and made him conclude that the time of our compleat Deliverance was not yet come.

The following Meditation written July the Third 1690, will express his sense of these things, and particularly fhew how he lameed the violent Behaviour of fome Proteftants, immediately upon their Deliverance.

I fee now plainly that it is from the Un' chriftian Enmity and Spite against one another in this Kingdom, that the Judgment of the Sword is fent upon it, fo much oft

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ner than on other Places; and that once every Fourty Years we most expe&a Commotion. Perhaps Commotions may happen as of ten in Frontier Places which lie between two • Countries; and for the fame reason, because 6 they consist of mixt People: And this Vice ' being most apt to happen between fuch, God 'punishes it periodically, by letting its natu'ral effect take place I look upon it as in⚫ curable in this Kingdom, while it confists of different People; For all the Laws of Chriftianity will not reform it, because the great'est part of Mankind are not guided by those • Laws. If ever it cou'd have been mended, furely it wou'd now, on the Protestant side, when for above a Year and a Half, we have been learning our Religion in the best . School, that of Difcipline; when the whole Proteftant Caufe has been at stake, and others have led us the way in the fevereft Sufferings. To fee now a Company of < Men, that call themselves Proteftants, committing the fame Outrages that Roman Catholicks had done before; to start up from the midst of Slavery to the height of Vio'lence and Injuftice: What made these Men be at the pains to call themselves Proteftants at this time? Why did they not profess any Religion, fince they had None? Certainly for no other reafon, but because it pleased God that our P eflures were not extream, and that they look'd that the Roman 'Catholick Caufe cou'd not long ftand on foot in thefe Kingdoms. Some Religion

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they were us❜d to; or rather, they were us'd to call themselves by fome Names, and in• lift themselves under fome Faction; which they adher'd to, becaufe People love to gratifie their Humour of oppofing others. 'There's fomething pleafing in it to Carnal C Minds. Thus, O Almighty Lord God, Thou punishest each Sin with a Viper bred out of its own Bowels. O that Men may 'fear Thee, and learn to be Wife at last! But how few find the way of this Light! To how few does this flender and bright Beam dart it felf! Inftead of breaking open our Church Doors this day, with the firft dawn of it, to praise thy ftupendous ' and amazing Mercy to us, we ran together into Herds, we met in Crouds to Arm our C felves, as if there were no way but this to

keep the Enemy from returning back upon C us; when it was Thou alone, O Lord, who, without any Arms of ours, hadft driven them from us.

Ah Lord! lay not this Sin to our charge; After having fo long cry'd unto Thee, Thou haft graciously delivered us; After having loft our Churches thou haft now "allow'd us the free use of them. Thou haft 'driven away our Enemies, as it were with a ftrong Wind, and the rumour only of a purfuing Army laft Night, tho' none drew ' nigh: That thou mightest make us fee, that our Deliverance is from Thee our God, on whom we have waited. What a Dream did this Night feem to us? We found our F • felves

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