the charioteer of the chariot, which carries me lying at ease and peace, through the seas and wilderness of this night thou art near to me, and I desire to speak to thee, to bless thee, and adore thee, who art so near to me. Amen."

Waking in the morning.

"O my God, who hast vouchsafed to carry me through the seas of this night, and to set me down in peace and safety on the shore of this day, where I would be, among my acquaintance of the things of this world; let me not enter into conversation with them, till I have first payed my humble homage to thee, my most adorable and gracious God. I lift my heart to thee."

First getting out of bed, kneeling.

"To thee, my most adorable Preserver, I humbly offer up my preserved self; my body, my soul, my members, my senses, my faculties, my thoughts, my words, my desires, my inclinations, my affections, my actions, to be governed, guided, and sanctified by thee, and to be made conformable to thy holy will this day and always. Amen."

Washing.

"Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin.. O wash me with thy precious blood, O most gracious Lord Jesus, who hast

loved us, and washed us from our sins. Except thou wash me, I have no part in thee. Thou hast made me sensible that I stand in need of thy amazing condescension to be washed from the stains which I daily contract, that thou mayest engage me to practise daily the same condescension to my Christian brethren. Amen."

Kneeling down in the day-time.

"O my God, to thee I humbly offer up myself, accept of me graciously to be thine in thy dear Son. Thou hast made me what I am, and given me what I have; I live by thee, O that I may live to thee. By thee I am this moving body, and this thinking soul. O that both may pay homage to thee; thou upholdest and sustainest me every moment, I am a living monument of thy mercy, O that I may be a living monument of thy praise: glory be to thee, O Lord, most high. Amen."

Thus did Mr. Bonnell discharge the great duty of prayer, in every part of it, both public and private: and as he prayed without ceasing, so he was a constant and devout guest at the Lord's table: and, therefore, I now come to shew what his practice was, with respect to the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

He was very early touched with a lively sense of his obligations to commemorate our Saviour's passion, in that holy mystery; and I find from his own meditations, that as he improved in knowledge and years, his desires after that divine feast grew stronger still. For there he found all the endearing comforts of reli

gion; God's goodness displayed, and his justice satisfied: the contemplation of which gives the truest peace and joy to humble and penitent minds.

A great part of his private writings consist of meditations preparative to the Sacrament, or thanksgivings after it: so that for several years of his life, hardly a week passed over, but he put down some communion thoughts in writing; some meditation or prayer upon the love of God to mankind; or some part of our Saviour's life or sufferings; especially during the late troubles, when he needed the supports of religion most, and seems to have enjoyed them in a greater degree than at other times.

After his settling in Dublin, his constant practice, for many years, was, to communicate twice every month; beside all the solemn times, when the Holy Sacrament is administered. But such longing desires had he after that sacred memorial of our Saviour's love, that he could not allow himself to want it whenever it might be had; so that at last, he received every Lord's-day.

Though his life was a constant preparation for the Holy Communion, yet he had very strict and particular retirements in order to put his mind into that divine frame, which he judged so necessary for near and solemn approach to God: and these happy retirements were employed in strict examinations of his life and a severe enquiry after his smallest failings; and the warmest meditations upon the love of God, and bitter passion of our blessed Saviour. And in his latter years, he lamented nothing more, than that his time was so taken up with business, that his re

tirements were interrupted; and, consequently, his thoughts not so much his own as they used to be: and particularly, it troubled him that he was often forced to be late at his office on Saturdays, lest his going to the Sacrament the next day, might have an ill effect upon his servants; and tempt them to presume too far, and approach the Lord's table without sufficient preparation : "For though," as he would sometimes say, "I steal minutes at my office, they are not enough to satisfy myself, much less to give good example to others."

As it was his great study to prepare himself aright for the Holy Sacrament, that so he might come to it with a truly penitent heart, a lively faith, and inflamed affections; so during the whole administration, so intense were his thoughts, so earnest were his prayers, that those who were near, and observed him, hardly ever beheld him without tears; which he concealed as much as he could, by keeping close in the most private corner of the seat; and he was forced to take some time, to make his face fit to appear before the congregation. For though a sorrowful countenance does very well become every devout communicant; yet his principal and constant practice was, to avoid every thing that might make him observed by others, or any way raise the character of his piety among men; reserving that chiefly to the eye

of God.

When he returned from church, he immediately retired into his closet, and spent a considerable time in his own private prayers and praises. And as his wife was still his fellow-communicant; so with her

66

he prayed before dinner, Blessing God for that happy opportunity given them both, of commemorating our Saviour's sufferings, and receiving the pledges of his reconciled favour; and praying for all those who had been partakers with them that day, or at any other time, of those blessed means of grace, which they had then received."

That unhappy controversy, which disturbs our church, about the posture in receiving the Holy Sacrament, was a great trouble to him: his great humility did then, in a particular manner, prompt him to fall low on his knees. And in one place, speaking of the Sacrament, he thus delivers his sense of that dispute.

"What need these nice disputes about posture in this holy exercise? We sit at God's table, though we kneel in the church. The favour and the privilege he grants us, is that of acceptable guests, who have leave to sit in his presence, and at meat with him. It is our souls that sit! well may our bodies be as they that serve. The table, which we call the holy altar, is but a shelf of wood: God's table is a spiritual thing; it implies privilege, and favour, and honour, and freedom and those that are admitted to this divine feast, sit at his table, whatever posture their bodies be in. Were Christ indeed on earth, the table he sat at, we should expect (if we were favoured) to sit at too; because equality in posture is honour; but now he sits not at this outward table which is before us; why then should we? The food which we receive, comes not from thence to us, but from heaven. We sit at the table from

H