Page images
PDF
EPUB

.

His Humili

ty.

[ocr errors]

Grace; and that we may obtain that which
Thou doft Promife, make us to love that
which Thou doft Command, through Jefus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thus did Mr. Bonnell love God, with all his Heart and Soul; and upon this Foundation, were all the other Graces of Christianity ftrongly built: But none took earlier and deeper Root in his Soul, than Humility: That virtue fo peculiar to Chriftianity, fo becoming a Creature and a Sinner. How foon this Grace took poffeffion of his Heart, appears from the account already given of his early Piety; particularly his care to conceal his keeping Fafting-days at the University: And afterwards it encreafed and improved with his Life; it being his conftant Study and Prayer, to be like Him whom he fo dearly loved; and be lowly in heart as our Redeemer was.

None cou'd more industriously avoid all approaches to Pride and Vain-Glory; or when ever he was furprized into a fecret Com. placency, at Efteem and Praise, cou'd be more humbled before God, for it; and more bitterly bewail it. He always aggravated the Fault in himself, represented it in its blackest Drefs, and was his own fevereft Accufer. His private Papers are full of Arguments against Pride, Meditations upon the deformity of that Sin, and devout Prayers to be protected from its Affaults: Some of These I fhall infert here, both to fhew us how truly Humble he was, and to engage us to follow his Example.

• My

My Yoke is eafy, and my Burden light,

Matt. 11. 30.

• Did Thou, O bleffed Lord, feel fo many His Medita Inconveniences, and endure fuch Contra-tions upon 'diction of Sinners? Didft Thou come from Humility.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Heaven, to be a Man of Pain and Sorrows? To be despised among thy Friends, flander⚫ed and blafphem'd by thy Enemies, and not to have where to lay Thy Head? Wert 'Thou oppos'd in all thy Endeavours to do good, and ill requited for many of thy Mer cies? Coud'ft Thou hear thy felf call'd a 'Friend of Publicans and Sinners; a Glutton ' and Wine-bibber, and a Confederate with • Beelzebub the Prince of the Devils? And yet coud'ft Thou fay, My Yoke is easy, and my Burden is light. O what love was that to Man, which made fuch great Troubles ⚫ and Miseries seem light and easy! Shou'd it be faid, How can this be? Thou thy 'felf giveft us the Reafon, For I am meek and lowly in Heart; and 'tis this, in the midst of all Troubles, that procures reft to my Soul. So then to be cloathed with thy Humility, is fo far from being a Burden, that like our ' ufual Garments, it ferves to defend us from 'the injuries of the Air and Weather; from piercing Cold and fcorching Heat; from the cold of Difdain and Want; and the heat of Injuries and Perfecutions.

6

6

Hear then, O my Soul, the charming 'Language of thy kind Saviour! Put on the Cloaths that he wore, Humility and Meeknefs; in which he found fo much eafe, and

6

.

← which will bring fo much Rest to thee. ← And grant, O my dear Saviour, that I may groan to be cloath'd upon with Thy Robes; and out of love to Thee, may think that • Work easy ; which by making me like Thee, (in Humility and Meekness) will make all other things eafy to me, and bring true and ' eternal Rest to my Soul. Amen.

[ocr errors]

To the fame purpose does he argue with himself in another place, as follows.

[ocr errors]

Lord, Thou inviteft me to come unto Thee for cafe; But is it not by becoming lowly in Heart, as Thou wert? But what means lowly in Heart? Surely there is a low‹ liness that is not in Heart: An affected shew ' of Humility before Men, while Pride may yet reign Within. Outward Fawning, Affected Complaifance, or Submissiveness, ' is not that lowlinefs of Heart which will give us eafe; while at the fame time, we may grow impatient at an Affront, and not be able to bear an Outrage. If our Heart boil within us at an Injury, and be put into a Tumult by a flight or disrespect, it is plain that we have not eafe, and confequently have not learn'd to be lowly in Heart.

[ocr errors]

6

• We find Three correfpondent Expreffions, us'd by our Bleffed Saviour; Poor in Heart, Pure in Heart, and Lowly in Heart, All which must refer to the inward fentiC ments and affections of our Minds, in oppofition to the ufual acceptation of these Words: Poor, Pure, and Lowly, when apply'd to outward things: And that in which they

all

all feem to agree, is Defire. Thus he is poor in Heart, who Defires not Riches, whether he hath them or not; he is pure in < Heart, who Defires not fenfual Pleasure, whether he is capable of it or not; and he is lowly in Heart, who Defires not Honour, whether he hath it or not: And these Defires all proceed from this Principle, that we fo value unfeen things, the things of God and Heaven and Eternity as not to defire Wealth, nor be troubled at the Disrefpect of Men; and to dread that Pleasure, which fhou'd make us unworthy of Pleasure, in the favour of God.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

.

[ocr errors]

• That therefore which makes us lowly in Heart, is converfing with another World; for that renders us uncapable of being • Proud of any thing that Men can do to us. • What cares a truly learned Man, to be thought learned by Peafants? They will think the fame, of One that has no other Learning, but hard Words; nay, perhaps, will think fuch a one, more learned than he · who is truly fo. What cares that happy Soul, whofe Converfation is in Heaven, for the judgment of the Men of this World? They value me, fays he, for my outward Figure, Beauty, Riches, Wit, Accomplish6 ments, that is, for Trifles: Thefe things ⚫ don't make me valuable; 'tis real Goodness does that, in respect of that World which ❝ only is of value: And God only, is Judge of this, because it lies in the Heart: Men ' of

[ocr errors]

H

[ocr errors]

of this World, are no more Judges of it, than Peasants are, of Learning. If they ⚫ think well of me, it is but by accident; a meer chance; they guefs at it, and may as well guefs wrong as right; and shall I think 'my felf more valuable for their gueffing? If I am good I am indeed more valuable for being fo, not for their thinking me fo. But if Thou, my God, dost not think me so, wo be to me; their judgment will do me little fervice.

[ocr errors]

C

In another place,I find the following Prayer. Lord, it is not enough, that thou givest me leave to think of Thee; give me a Heart alfo, to think humbly of my felf: It is not enough, That thou openeft me a Glade to look towards Thee; O fhut up the World on each fide alfo, from my Eyes. For the remembrance of having thought on Thee, will not yield me pleafure; If I cannot think on Thee, without being moved C to confider, what the World will think of me. If thou giveft me leave to think on Thee, O let me gain this by it; to know my felf to be Nothing, and the World worfe than Nothing. And, O Lord! O gracious Goodness, heal my Soul, and change the Evil affections that are there; and then fhall I neither think of the World, nor of my felf, but of Thee, who art the only Center and Happiness of my Soul. Amen.

It is probable that fome commendations which he met with for his Piety, gave occafion to the following Prayer.

• We

« PreviousContinue »