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nefs and Worldlinefs crept into the Church, and has been ever fince ftriking its Roots deep into it to this very day; the whole • Chriftian Church having never since suffered any general Perfecution, It has pleas d God "fometimes to Afflict particular Churches, and rouze them up; but this has been fo little general, that we may well fear that the Spirit of Religion is almost decay'd in the 'World: And as nothing but a great Per'fecution in Humane appearance can awaken ' it, fo in the mean time we know not where to look for it; but have reason to fear, that "if we think it enough for us to be as good as our Neighbours, we fhall come short at last of the Kingdom of Heaven. Alas! it is the eafieft thing that can be, to go to Heaven according to the Notion of the Men of the • World now. At their rate, Who will be

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damn'd? But furely there must be Two "Heavens, at great distance the one from the other: One for the Superficial Christians of this Age, and Another for the Pious and Painful, the mortified and religiously strict • Christians of Old; or else these Superficial Christians can go to no Heaven at all.

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To both these I shall add a Prayer of his upon his Birth-day, November 14 1690, and tho' only part of it falls in with what went before, yet no doubt the Pious Reader will be fufficiently pleas'd with the whole.

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Omoft High and Glorious Lord God! Who haft made me and given me fuch great Capacities, even to be able to love Thee: I

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was nothing when Thou wert pleas'd to give me a Being,and am nothing yet, but what Thou shalt be pleas'd to make me. Thou 'ordereft and difpofeft of me with the tenderness of a Father, and with infinite Wif dom: Sometimes Thou haft vouchfated me leifure, and the quiet enjoyment of thy felf: At other times Thou haft fill'd me with Hurry and Business; and with Cares, if not fo much Hurrying, yet more Distracting than either. Sometimes Thou haft

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granted me Health, a chearful Temper, and 'the fenfe of Thy Love: At other times Thou haft left me no more than the bare remembrance of thefe Enjoyments, to carry on my Soul in the unrelishing discharge of my Duties. But as Thy Wisdom produces ftrong Trees from tender Plants, by bringing them through the viciffitudes of Day and Night, of Summer and Winter, and leaving them fometimes ftript of all their Leaves, in the very fhadow of their Death, C making these changes the neceflary means of 'their Growth and Solidnefs; fo Thou haft inftructed me hereby, not to wonder at Thy appointing fuch changes to my Soul; 'but in them all to blefs and adore Thee,and to make it my business, in whatever state I am, to endeavour to go on to ferve Thee. When laft I began my yearly Collections of this fort, Thou hadst shut me up, and Thy Servants, in this place, in diftrefs and terrors: We are now by thy Mercy free'd from Dangers, yet involv'd in new Trou

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'b'es: Deliver'd from Judgments, yet opprefs'd with old Sins. Good God! What . will become of us? Why thou'd we be 'ftricken any more; we will revolt more and more. Surely thy extirminating Sentence will next go out against us, and make us cease to be a People, fince we will not cease to be a wicked one.

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But, O moft gracious Governour and Guide of my whole Life, fhut not up my 'Soul with thofe who will not be Reform'd: 'Enable me to reform my felf, and then ' vouchsafe to make use of me for Thy Glory, in the way Thy Wisdom has ordain'd for me: O thou who haft known me before I was, and made me what I am. • Amen.

These Apprehenfions of the decay of Piety, Refolves aftirr'd up a new in Mr. Bonnell's Mind, his gain to quit former defires of betaking himself entirely to his Empleythe fervice of God, and quitting all Secular ment. Bufinefs. In order to this, he entred into a firm refolution of parting with his Employment, fo foon as he cou'd find one,upon whom with an easie Mind he might devolve fo great a Trust; and in a little time he actually agreed with a Gentleman of fufficient Abilities for it. But that Gentleman's Delays first, and afterwards his Refolutions of living conftantly in England, kept Mr. Bonnell much longer engag'd in his Employment, than he cou'd poffibly have expected. But at last he was free'd from it, by a new Agreement which he made F 4

with

His Marri

age.

with the Gentleman who now enjoys it; but even fo, much time was spent before He cou'd be fettled in it.

While this tedious Affair was tranfacting, Mr. Bonnell chang'd his condition of Life, and entred into a Marri'd State, which he did in the latter end of the Year 1693. The Perfon he made choice of, was Jane Conyngham, Daughter to Sir Albert Conyngham; a Gentleman, very well known in this Kingdom, for his firm adherence to the Royal Family, during the Civil Wars; in whofe Cause, he often expos'd his Life to the greatest Dangers; and for his Bravery and Conduct in the late War, commanding a Regiment of Dragoons, and at last Dying in the Service. Mr. Bonnell had fome Years before, entred into a ftrict Friendship with this Gentlewoman. He believed her Temper and manner of Life very well fuited to his own, and that she had thofe Qualities which he chiefly desir'd in a Wife. And as this was an Affair of the greateft Moment to him, of any in this World ; fo I have those Materials in my hands which fhew, that with all imaginable Conftancy and Ardor,he beg'd God's direction in his Refolution and Choice, that every thought of his Mind, and every step he fhou'd make, might be overrul'd by his Providence: That Providence to whofe conduct and difpofal he had long before, refign'd up himself and all his concerns; and whofe motions he was fully determin'd, without the least Reluctancy, to follow.

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He had at all times different thoughts of the Happiness of a Marri'd State from the generality of Men, who are govern'd more by violent and diforderly Paffions, than by Reafon and Religion. The following Meditation is a fufficient Proof of this, written by him in the 26th Year of his Age, and which he Intitles The Wish, or an Idea of Marriage.

Marriage is the Reprefentative of the 'moft facred Union between Chrift and his 'Church,Chrift, who left his Blessed Father to < become Marri'd to Mankind, and espouse a whole Church for a Wife. Till this was In'ftituted Man was but half made and Imperfect; For this fhall a Man leave his Father and Mother faid God himself.

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• For this, First let me ferve a fufficient time of Courtship, but let it be sweetned with the 'Converfation of the Perfon I love, and if there be oppofition of others to struggle with, it will but render the conversation the more favoury, and afford matter for • Entertainment and Discourse, and likewise many times for Divertisement; at least it 'will the more endear under a common Suffering. Next upon Marriage, let us imme'diately remove from the mixt Company in ' which hitherto we have liv'd, to enjoy each 'other in a more folitary Retirement, where all things about us are our own, and to be our own Care: And here,let us be fufficient 'Company to each other as Adam was to Eve in Paradice. Here let me in my Family be the Priest of the most High God, and let his

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• Praises

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