be imitated nor acted, when it does not reside in the heart; and appeared always easy and unforced. His natural and acquired seriousness was tempered with a very engaging cheerfulness in conversation.

He was master of the accomplishing, as well as necessary parts of learning; had thoroughly digested the Greek and Roman authors, understood the French language perfectly well, and had made good progress in the Hebrew. In philosophy and oratory he exceeded most of his contemporaries in the University; and applied himself with good success to mathematics and music. In the course of his studies he read several of the Fathers; and among his private papers, I find some parts of the Greek Fathers, particularly Synesius, translated by him into English. He had a delicacy of thought and expression that is very rarely to be met with; so that there was a particular beauty and flame in any thing that he composed, especially upon pious subjects. He had a nice taste both in men and books, and was very conversant in our best English divines: but he particularly admired Hooker; whom he used to commend, as an author who writ with a primitive spirit, but modern judgment and correctness. All books of devotion he read with a very sensible pleasure, but was particularly fond of two authors, Kempis and Sales, and has left behind him a correct translation of "The Introduction to a Devout Life," written by the latter. But the Holy Scriptures were his constant and daily study; he read them, he thought them, nay, he prayed them over too; abundance of his meditations taking their rise from those passages of Scripture he

then read. Few understood, or practised better, the arts of gentle conversation; and none more industriously avoided all discourse that looked affected and vain, or any way seemed to aim at raising his own value. He seldom talked with any, but (without designing it) he gained upon them, and had a particular art of obliging. His abilities for business are very well known to all the officers of the revenue, and many others, who had the experience of them besides and those who were obliged to attend him, were so treated by him, as if it had been his duty to wait on them: it being his great study to give every one ease and dispatch; and none knew what delays or difficulties meant where he was concerned, or had power to remove them.

But these are things of a lower nature, (though very excellent in themselves) when compared with his piety towards God, his justice and charity to man, his sobriety and temperance with respect to himself: I shall, therefore, in the prosecution of this work, consider Mr. Bonnell as a Christian; and give the justest account I can, from such materials as I have before me, of his discharging the several duties we owe to God, our neighbour, and ourselves.

The love of God, the first and greatest His love to duty of the law, was what he earnestly en

God.

deavoured to excite and confirm in his soul. His papers are full of excellent meditations, to engage us to love God, with all our faculties and powers and penitential complaints of his love falling so short, both of his duty and desires. And he took the true way to kindle this heavenly flame of

divine love in his heart, even by frequently contemplating those attributes of God which are aptest to command our love; his infinite goodness, and unlimited bounty; his paternal care, and watchful providence; but chiefly that stupendous instance of his love, the redemption of the world by the death and passion of his Son.

He had great and noble thoughts of Christianity, and never reflected on the wonderful compassion of God in sending his Son to die for us without the strongest emotions of love, and thankfulness, and wonder. The love of Christ was the subject of his daily thoughts; it filled his heart, and employed his pen. And his private meditations upon the astonishing love of our Redeemer, do shew of what spirit he was that composed them; a spirit truly affected with that infinite love, all over humility and gratitude, and overflowing with love, acknowledgements, and praise.

I shall here insert a few of these meditations, by which the reader may judge of the rest.

"Can my soul," says he, in one place,

Meditations

to excite our

love to God.

ever think enough, O my God, of the wonders of thy love, in all that thou hast done for thy creatures! that the Majesty of Heaven, and the whole incomprehensible Trinity, should be concerned and engaged for our redemption, when one word of thine, O my God, might have made infinitely more creatures than all the sons of men! By this the holy angels know, and wonder at the unaccountable methods of thy proceeding: one while looking with adoration and amazement on thee, our common

E

Creator and Lord; and another while, on us men, to see whether we are not affected with the like adoration and wonder, who are so deeply concerned in it. 'Can ye, O mortals,' say they, be patient to let our God do all this for you, and take no notice of it; as if it were your due, and not the wonder of heaven! Did you know, O mortals, did you know what our God is, that does these things for you; did you know him, as we know him, you would shrink back at the thoughts of it, and your souls would be overpowered with confusion. O too stupid men! too highly favoured, and too little sensible of it; were it not that some few souls among you have burning and reverend thoughts of this astonishing condescension, surely we should sue to the majesty of our God, to have leave to make you examples of vengeance, for your brutish ingratitude. But, O ye tender souls, who honour, who adore our God, and partake of the effects of his wonderful clemency and love; since it has pleased him so to proceed, so to condescend, we envy you not this extraordinary effect of his grace, this miraculous mystery of his goodness and unsearchable wisdom, which we ourselves desire to look into and adore, not yet being able to comprehend it, till the consummation of all things; but know withal that ye can never do it enough. O then awaken your souls, and think that time sadly lost, (to ingenuous and grateful spirits) in which you have not a continued sense of this before you; that God, when with one word he might have created beings more numerous and glorious than you shall ever be, yet hath chosen thus to deal with you, with such

wonderful condescension, and miraculous methods of

love and mercy.'

"Yes, O my Father! O my God, I will continually contemplate and adore thy boundless love: and though we cannot fathom the reason of this thy choice, yet we cannot but see, that thou didst design hereby to make us creatures of love. For even in this dark vail, where our capacities are so narrow, and our conceptions so imperfect and weak; we cannot but see, that this wonderful method that thou hast taken, constrains us to love thee. For this thou hast desired to have us, (and desired it so earnestly, as not to think much, to pay thy precious blood to thy Father's justice for our ransom,) that thou mightest love us, and we might love and adore thee for ever. Where now is our soul, that we run not hastily to meet this thy love; and prostrate ourselves humbly before it! Shall the Son of God desire us for his love, and that at so dear a rate (to shew us the earnestness of his desiring it;) and shall we ourselves be so backward, to be at the pains to be made worthy of it! so heavy, as not to conceive more highly of it! so dull, as not to desire it more, and delight in the thoughts of it. Ah! most gracious Saviour, shed abroad thy love in our hearts; and if we cannot love thee as we ought, let us at least delight in the thoughts of thy love to us, and thy so earnestly desiring to have us for thy love. Amen."

The following meditation, composed at another time, will properly succeed the former, as breathing the same spirit.

"Ah Lord Jesu! though thy servants, who enjoy