to the same purpose in every fit of pain. When any medicine was given him, he would, after begging God's blessing, take it; and then would usually say; "it is better than I deserve! I bless God for it, and for giving me such assistances in this extremity. Oh! how many of his better servants want these comforts! blessed be his holy name for giving them to me."

Nor was he only patient under bodily pains, but submissive to the will, and satisfied with the wisdom of God in every affair of life, under every disappointment, difficulty, and trouble. He considered that God gives us different talents, different capacities and employments, and will not proportion our reward to the part he gave us to act, but our faithfulness in it. To this purpose is the following meditation upon 1 Sam. xxx. 24. "And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day, that as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff; they shall part alike."

"O blessed Son of David, and captain of our salvation, under whose banner thy servants fight, and are thy sworn soldiers to their lives' end; when I hear some say, thy yoke is easy, and thy burden light,' and they seem to speak as they think, because they find not much difficulties in life, but run on in a happy and even composure of health, and of business proportioned to their strength, freed by their circumstances from violent temptations, and by thy favour in framing them from strong passions, (though I own, and exultingly declare with them, that thy

yoke indeed is an easy yoke, and thy service perfect freedom, and that the keeping thy commandments is its own infinitely abundant reward; yet) I consider that in warfare all have not the same posts of hardship and danger. Some confront the enemies, and some must stay by the stuff.' What earthly commander knows how to suit these parts exactly to his men? But thou, O Lord, dost it with the highest degree of wisdom, and fitness to thy several soldiers' strength and abilities. And because thou givest each his burden, according to his might in nicest equity, therefore thou hast ordained it for a perpetual law to them, that those that tarry by the stuff,' shall part alike with those that confront the enemy. Both share alike in thy favour, both enjoy alike thy love, and both partake alike in thy glory; only here is the difference; not who have had the hardest posts, but who have behaved themselves faithfully in the posts they had, whether hard or easy, shall be rewarded by thee."

His self-denial.

Such was Mr. Bonnell's humility, such was his meekness and patience; and agreeable to these was his mortification and self-denial; a grace, which always proceeds from a meek and lowly spirit. I shall not here speak of his mortification in point of fasting, and the great severity of his life; that must be reserved for another place. The mortification here meant, and what Mr. Bonnell constantly laboured after, was an unconcerned indifference to the world; to its profits and pleasures; to honour and fame; and all the other idols of mankind. His great endeavour was, to gain the entire mastery

of his will and affections; and so to discipline and tame them, that they might not grow stubborn and rebellious. In order to this, his usual practice was to deny himself in small matters, to which he found his inclinations prompted him, that so they might be under his government in greater. This point he had nicely considered; and treats of it in several places of his writings, with his usual piety and judgment; as will appear from one or two meditations upon this subject.

"That denying ourselves in particular and little instances of lawful enjoyments, is not," says he, "a superstitious and unprofitable exercise, appears from hence, that God, who is a bountiful rewarder of a cup of cold water,' gives us good thoughts for it: which flow into our minds, with a sensibly more freedom and affectingness, upon such occasions, than at other times. On the contrary, our not complying with such a hint, when we have a motion to deny ourselves in small things; but yielding to our appetite, or curiosity, and perhaps palliating our doing so, with saying, that it is a trifle, not fit to make a sacrifice of to God,' deprives us of good thoughts, and hardens our minds against them; unless we recover ourselves, by being humbled before God, and fortifying our resolution against the next encounter. For though this yielding to our appetite be not a sin; yet it has such a resemblance and image of sin, that no lover of God, but ought to have an aversion to it. What is sin, but giving way to our appetites and inclinations, against the checks of our conscience? the headstrong violence of our wills carrying away for

cibly our powers and faculties, to act against our reason and understanding. And this agrees so far with sin, that it is an instance, though in a lesser degree, of the headstrong unruliness of our will, carrying us on to act, though not against our consciences, because the matter of it is lawful; yet against the counsel of our reason, exhorting us to exercise ourselves in little self-denials; that we may have the better, and more habitual mastery over our appetites; and be able to watch and resist more easily the first motions of sin, in which the whole strength of a Christian lies: for who is master of himself, without a miracle, if these are once consented to? wherefore the holy Psalmist cries out, after he had prayed God to cleanse him from secret sins of infirmity and surprise; Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins;' from sins that flow from an ungovernable will, against the preceding checks of his conscience, though in never so little instances: for should he at all give way to these, his appetites would gain such mastery, and his will be so chained to them, (for will and appetite are very near akin, we hardly know the line that bounds and distinguisheth their natures; only that will is a kind of spiritual appetite, and appetite a sort of corporeal will) that he could not hope to be long innocent and free from the great offence;' that finishing sin, which bringeth forth death."

the same

The meditation that here follows, is upon argument, "the benefit of Self-denial" in things of lesser moment, and that are indifferent in their own nature.

My soul,' you will be apt to say, 'this is an in

nocent desire; why should I put myself to the trouble of thwarting it? Were it unlawful, I hope I should refuse it, how much self-denial soever it required. God does not require us to make our life uneasy, nor to render his service irksome and unpleasant to us. He permits us to indulge ourselves a modest freedom in innocent things: and it is superstition to think he is pleased with the sacrifice of trifles.' But fancy that thou hearest thy God thus speaking to thee: 'My child, I know that this is a great snare; for it is not the matter thou refusest, that is weighed by me; but the act of refusing: I refuse not the day of small things; do not thou despise them. But thou art farther advanced, as thou thinkest; and wouldest fain leave this lesson to beginners.' But he that advances, without laying a good foundation, will be again to begin. He that begins in the middle of a book of mathematics, because the beginning is full of plain and evident axioms and propositions, that seem to be so easy as to be of no use, will soon find the want of these first principles; and be glad, with shame, to look back on what he despised before. So likewise thou, when thou findest thyself incapable to conflict with thy passions, and to command thy thoughts and inclinations, wilt then too late consider thy neglect, in not having trained thy mind by degrees to self-denial. If thou gainest not the victory over thyself in small things, how wilt thou be able to do it in greater? Set apart then to thyself some time; and say in this time, I will deny myself in every thing I have a mind to; yet do it calmly, without superstition, without anxiety. This thou wilt think, perhaps,