reformation appears. And what can those now do, who see this state of our age, who see it, and see themselves without power to help it? who see the wickedness of the world, and cannot snatch men out of the fire? where is the Lord God of Elijah? where is the promise of the Comforter, so plentifully fulfilled to the blessed apostles of our Lord? where is this double portion of his Spirit that descended on them? is not the promise, He shall remain with you always?' Lord God, these are thy flock now, as much as they were of old; thy people and the sheep of thy pasture, though they have gone astray, though they refuse to be reclaimed. O comfort thy servants with power to call home these wanderers from thee, and bring them into thy fold: to convert the unrepenting world, to turn many to righteousness, and cover a multitude of sins. Amen."

When in the progress of the war, the Protestants in Dublin were denied the exercise of their religion; their churches turned into prisons, and their ministers confined: Mr. Bonnell deeply lamented those sins which brought down that which he accounted the severest of God's judgments; and endeavoured to supply the want of the church's public prayers by the greater constancy and fervour of his private devotions. Thus June the 25th, 1690, a few days before the victory of the Boyne, he expressed the sorrows and devotion of his soul in the following meditation.

"Justly, O Lord, for our negligence in thy worship and service, dost thou shut us out from the liberty of meeting together to celebrate it. Yet even

this, I trust, will turn to good, to those that fear thee, in making them more zealous and fervent in praying to thee in private; and afterwards, that thou wilt give them grace to redeem the faults they have been guilty of, by greater fervency in public, when thou shalt graciously restore to us the liberty of it. But, Lord, we are not better than thy servants, who are totally deprived of these means. (Ah! that it is not to be said how far we may be worse than they ;) why then should it be presumed that thou wilt deal with us so much more graciously than thou hast thought fit to do with them? we are in thy hands, and have deserved no good from thee. Justly mayest thou deprive us of the liberty and exercise of our religion. But then, let not the extraordinary supplies of thy grace be wanting to us: for thou canst work without means as well as with them; and even this severe dispensation of thy providence will be turned to a mercy to all of us, if it puts us upon repentance for all our abuses of that great freedom of thy holy ordinances, which thou hast so long indulged to us; for our irreverent, careless, undevout behaviour in thy worship; for our pleasing ourselves in other things, in our coming into thy house of prayer, besides meeting and serving thee our God. If it help us to repent of these abuses of thy house here, before thou take us to thy house in the heavens; and if it fills us with hungerings and thirstings, and longings after those opportunities of serving thee, which we have too slightly valued hitherto; thou mayest make even a total deprivement turn to a greater blessing to us, as I trust thou wilt do, if thou

shalt think fit so to deal with us, than the freest enjoyment. Thou knowest how to conduct thy servants to thyself; for this is the end of all their travails; O let this aim fill our souls, and we shall unconcernedly leave to thee the ordering of the things of this world, which we have done with."

But these calamities were soon over, and succeeded by all that joy which long wished for liberty, safety and peace, could give. One general release discharged all our prisoners; and our churches again returned to their true use, and became houses of prayer. And as Mr. Bonnell had always expressed his sorrow in penitential complaints and fervent prayers to God, so now his joy turned all to praises. But how different were his reflections upon that surprising turn of affairs, from those of most others, who shared in the deliverance it gave! as different, it is to be feared, as his behaviour had been before. The mutual caresses of the Protestants, after their new-gained freedom, he improved to the noblest purposes, thence to raise his mind to heaven, and contemplate those endearments, that seraphic love and joy which shall fill the souls of the faithful at their meeting in that happy place.

liverance.

"How did we see," says he, "the pro- The day of testants on the great day of our Revolu- Dublin's detion, Thursday the third of July, (a day ever to be remembered by us with all thankfulness; O had it been begun with visiting our churches, and presenting ourselves there to God our deliverer,) congratulate and embrace one another as they met, like persons alive from the dead! like brothers and sisters

meeting after a long absence, and going about from house to house, to give each other joy of God's great mercy; enquiring of one another how they past the late days of distress and terror! what apprehensions they had; what fears or dangers they were under: those that were prisoners, how they got their liberty, how they were treated, and what from time to time they thought of things.

"O that this may be a happy type to us, as it is as lively an emblem as this world can give, of the joyful meeting of the servants of God in heaven at the great day of jubilee; when all the terrors of death and judgment shall be over, and Christ our great deliverer shall have put all our enemies under his feet, How will they then embrace and congratulate for their escape from all their terrors and fears! how will they welcome one another into that blessed and secure abode of eternal peace and joy! how may we suppose, will they enquire of one another, how they past through those days wherein they were parted! what difficulties they met with in life, after the others had left them! with what apprehensions or terrors they past through their last agony! and what comforts or supports they had under it! one will say, I remember you were a prisoner, in bondage to sin, and under the slavery of divers lusts; how were you set free? how did you conquer those great and stubborn enemies we left you conflicting with? I remember, to another, you were with child in those days, loaded with the incumbrances of the world, the cares of getting and keeping riches, and providing for a family, in a degree above what was necessary,

either for their happiness or your state. To another, you were on the bed of sickness in the time of this alarm, oppressed with distracting crosses, domestic disturbances, foreign enemies and oppressions, inward pains and diseases; how did you get through all your infirmities? how did you escape, who were not able to stir from the bed? with joy, each will reply, God did all this for us."

After this manner did Mr. Bonnell improve that great deliverance; and so much did religion possess his thoughts, that (as I find from his papers) it was his usual practice, from the daily occurrences of the world, and the most familiar affairs of life, to draw such reflections, as might best keep his mind in a devout frame, and confirm him in his duty.

But his share in that general joy was soon abated, from two causes; the one particular to himself; the other, of more public concernment. The death of his mother was his particular cause of grief, which he heard of by the first letters that came from England, and which he lamented with true religious sorrow. He bore her the tenderest respect, as well as greatest love; for she had done every thing for him which natural fondness, or religious concern, could suggest; and he was sensible of all his obligations to her, from duty and gratitude, as well as nature. His meditations upon her death, (too long and particular to be here inserted) shew a spirit truly afflicted for such a loss; yet submitting without murmur to the will of God, the greatest love to his parent, yet greater to Him who had taken her away.

His other cause of trouble, and what touched him