happy number; let me spend my days with them; and among them let my life end; and when I come abroad into the world, let their spirit follow and act in me, that I may continue uniformly the same man in all places. Let not the overflowing of ungodliness be able to extinguish my devotion, nor cause me to comply with, or approve of their wicked practices. In conclusion, O that all the people of these lands were the Lord's people; that thy will may be done by all upon earth as it is by all in Heaven! That wherever we come, we might find every heart filled with thy love, and every mouth with thy praise, especially on thy day! Accept, O Lord, of my unworthy prayers; and answer them so far as is good in thy sight; but vouchsafe to leave a blessing upon thy servant."

Is a great promoter of the

religious societies.

The religious societies which began in Dublin about the year 1693, gave him great comfort and joy; he not only approved of that pious design, but did very much encourage and promote it. He pleaded their cause, writ letters in their defence, and was one of their most diligent and prudent directors. He considered very well the abuses, to which, by length of time, decay of zeal, and the neglects of those who are principally concerned to oversee and govern them, those societies might be liable; but he found they did present good, and that made him rejoice; and he used to argue, that the possibility of a thing being abused, is no reason to decline the use of it. He was likewise a zealous promoter of the societies for Reformation of Manners; who apply themselves to the suppressing of profaneness and vice; he was always present at

12

their meetings, laid their design truly to heart, and thought much of it; he contributed liberally towards its necessary charge, and constantly prayed for their success. And all who wish well to them, or their cause, are sensible, how useful a friend they have lost by Mr. Bonnell's death; though he, no doubt, enjoys the reward of his indefatigable zeal, in so glorious an undertaking.

Agreeable to his zeal for the religious societies, and all public undertakings which might serve the interests of piety, were his private endeavours to promote it in all he conversed with; but he chiefly applied himself to young people, and took a particular pleasure in forming their tender minds to the love of God and religion; he catched at all occasions of suggesting good thoughts to them; and encouraged, directed, and even reproved them with such tenderness, concern, and address, as first to gain upon their affeetions himself, and then, so to improve the power he had with them, as to make them in love with their duty, to excite strong desires after holiness in their hearts, and to arm them with firm resolutions of adhering to it.

A great pro

moter of re

And as he industriously embraced all opportunities of gaining proselytes to piety, so he studied to make religion the ligious consubject of his constant conversation; and

versation.

talked of nothing else with pleasure. He had a peculiar art of engaging company upon such subjects; and managed his part of such discourse with that modesty and prudence, that there appeared nothing of artifice or design; nothing that aimed at magnify

ing himself, or raising his own character: but when he spake of religion, it was with a natural easiness, with calmness and humility; and he never soured such conversation with uncharitable reflections upon others, who either differed from him in opinion, or fell short of him in practice.

But his judgment of religious conversation, chiefly as to the manner of it, and with what modesty and caution he managed it himself, the following letter will sufficiently shew, written to a religious friend upon that subject.

St. Peter's day, 1693.

"I think I cannot better employ this day, than in taking the leisure it affords me, to entertain myself with my dear fellowservant of our great Master, in some such matters, as we should perhaps be talking of, if we were together: there is particularly one thing, that I have started in discourse, which I intended, when I got leisure, to speak of more at large in writing; and that was, about outward expressions of piety. I confess, as to myself, I have been always reserved in them; such I mean, as were easily imitable by persons of any sort; as lifting up the hands and eyes, godly words, and expressions of endearment concerning God. Since I have conversed with you, I have spoken more of these things than ever I did before; but I have complied with it only towards you. Now the case, I think, is this: it is our duty, on fit occasions, to declare ourselves publicly for God, and for the cause of his holy religion, when it may be for his glory, and the edification of others; and the engaging and riveting ourselves in his service, by setting the eyes of the world

upon us, and making them witnesses against us, if we swerve or faulter from our professions. But then, this ought to be done by some solid, essential expressions of true piety, which none but those that are indeed truly pious can attain to; such as a gracious countenance, an humble mien, an unaffected modesty, and a cheerful and sincere frankness in declaring that we are the servants of God, and devoted to him; or speaking words drawn from the soul of piety, which amount to such a declaration as those of the Apostle;

If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be accursed.' But then these words must not be borrowed from others, or even from Scripture itself, but originally our own; for any one may speak good sentences by rote. There are some expressions, that tend not so much to shew a devotedness to God, or resolu tions or desires to serve him, as our nearness to him. These are carefully to be avoided; for they tend too much to heighten a good opinion of ourselves; are apt to move envy or censure; and may happen in some measure to deprive us of that nearness, by casting a little damp upon our consciences, and causing God to withdraw his favours; such are, accounts of transports and elevations that God gives us in his service; and very endearing expressions in mentioning of God; as, my dearest Lord, my sweet Jesus, my loving Father, instead of saying only God; which I have heard some persons use upon too ordinary occasions, when one could not well suppose that they had a present, lively sense and feeling at their heart, of what they spoke, answerable to the heighth of the words for none can have a sense in their hearts,

I

adequate to such words as these, but it will put them into a transport, which will either express itself in a flood of tears, or in silence; and hinder them from readily going on with other talk. There are other expressions, which are the language of our hearts im mediately to God himself: and it is ill to use ourselves to speak or write these, but when our hearts indeed go along with them, and have intercourse with God. But it is hard to suppose, when we use them too frequently, our hearts can always go along with them: and this gives matter of offence to good people, and is a prejudice to ourselves: for if we use to speak such words as ought to be spoke only to God himself, without speaking them indeed to him with our hearts, it will certainly indispose our hearts to speak to him in those words when we would. Because we shall get a way of speaking such things by rote, and not be able to discern, when indeed we speak to God, and when we do not.

"My conversing with you, has put me upon speaking and writing more things of this sort than I did before, except in my closet, or in my private papers; in which I seldom allowed myself to use any expression but what proceeded immediately from my heart; or to say, my God, instead of God, unless my heart boiled with a fulness to express itself in those terms; so that I trust those papers are the transcript of my heart. But I cannot say so of all I have writ to you : indeed I cannot tax myself with any thing in particular to the contrary; but having writ so much, I have a fear upon me, that something may have been said rather to the occasion, than from the present sense