• them.

us to make our Life uneasy, nor to render his Service irkfome and unpleasant to us. He permits us to indulge our felves a modeft freedom in innocent Things: And it is Superftition to think, he is pleas'd with the Sacrifice of Tri· fles. But fancy that thou hearest thy God thus fpeaking to Thee: My Child, I know that this is a great Snare; for it is not the Matter thou refufeft, that is weighed by me; but the Act of Refufing: I refuse not the Day of Small Things; don't Thou defpife But thou art farther advanc'd, as thou thinkeft; and wou'dft fain leave this Leffon, 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 Mathematicks, because the be-" ginning is full of plain and evident Axioms and Propofitions, that feem to be fo eafy, as to be of no ufe, will foon find the want of these first Principles; and be glad, with fhame, to look back, on what he de'fpis'd before. So likewife, Thou, when thou findeft thy felf uncapable to conflict with thy Paffions, and to command thy Thoughts and Inclinations, wilt then, too late, confider thy Neglect, in not having train'd thy Mind by degrees to Self-denial. If thou gainest not the Victory over thy felf in small Things, how wilt thou be a< ble to do it in greater? Set apart then to 'thy felf fome time; and fay in this time, I will deny my felf in every thing I have a mind to; yet do it calmly, without Super

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ftition,"

ftition, without Anxiety. This thou wilt think perhaps, at first, a strange Task: Thy inferior Part will repine, and make many Complaints, and thy Body be fick, at fuch fudden Checks and Contradictions. "But mind none of thefe, My Son; smile at

thy foolish fenfitive Part, for it does not understand that this is even for its eternal • Benefit. In a little time, this very Denial will grow a Pleasure, because it will have ' little of Reluctance in it; and the Pleasure ' of triumphing over thy own Inclinations, ⚫ will make the remaining Trouble infenfible. • Then thou may'ft advance to confider, v what things of Moment thou haft a mind to; and there apply thy Difcipline, and teach thy Mind to obey; and in general, take 6 this for a certain Rule, To fufpect thy self in whatever Thou haft a strong inclination to.

"Here's the great Point of Self-Denial, to to deny our Thoughts, and turn them from 'Objects to which they incline, to others. Our Actions have fomething Grofs and "Perceptible in them; but our Thoughts are Refin'd; not to be obferv'd, but by nice Application. This is the true fource; get the Mastery of these, and you command all the reft. It is in vain to think, to deny our felves in Actions, if we can't do it in Thoughts; nor to command our Paffions, if we can't govern our Thoughts. Paffion lives in the Thoughts, and the Effect of it is, to engage and determine our thoughts; 6 but if we have an habitual Command of thefe,

thefe, and us'd our felves to deny them; .. to turn and wind them as we please: We 'fhall easily govern our Paffions too, and a

void any Actions we are prompted to by 'them. Why fhou'd it then feem hard to Thee, O my Soul, or a matter worthy to be once nam'd; to deny thy felf in Trivial and indifferent Concerns, that thou may'st gain the Maftery of thy Will in greater? If thou standeft in the prefence of a Prince, 'thou haft loft all thy Will in these things. If thou haft a mind, to fee any thing par. ticularly in the Room; yet the Will Dyes L as foon as Born, fo much does a Prince's 'prefence awe thee. Is not thy Chamber, O < my Soul, the Presence Chamber of Almighty God? (0 that thou wert more sensible, and more worthy of fuch an Honour !) And yet here can thy Will live, fo much as to give thee the leaft fhock, when thou denieft thy felf an indifferent thing thou hast a mind to, that thou may'ft with the greater Ease and Chearfulness, give up thy felf to the Will of God.

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'Herein appears the admirable Wisdom of God. God faw that the Contempt of 'Outward things, of the Pleafures of Sense, of Riches, and Glory, and the like, (which C are the Baits, the Devil lays for us, and < whereby he drowns many Souls in Perdition,) was neceffary for Man, in order to his being reftor'd to Blifs; what courfe therefore did the Divine Wifdom take to ← embit

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How be dif charg'd the

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• embitter these things to Man; and make
their Contraries, that is, Chastity, Poverty,
Humility, Patience, and the Contempt of
'the World, Pleafing and Eafie? God him-
felf came down from Heaven, and taking
upon
him the form of a Servant, did by his
6 own Example, make this Medicine, (fo ne-
ceffary to Sick Men, but withal, fo bitter
and loathfome,) become fo pleasing, and de-
lightful, that good Men now love Fafting,
'more than worldly Men do Excels; Pover-
ty more than Riches; and Mortification,
. more than fenfual Pleasures.

But as Mr. Bonnell had noble and exalted thoughts of God, and a flaming Love to his Maker and Redeemer; as he was Meek and Lowly, Mortifi'd and Patient; fo these Divine Graces, led him to all neceflary Acts of Devotion. I fhall therefore now confider, How he discharg'd the Duty of Prayer,both Publick and Private: How conftant and Devout a Guest he was, at the Lord's Table! How Religiously he obferv'd the Lord's-Day, and the Feafts and Fafts of the Church.

As to the Duty of Prayer, it was his conftant and daily Work, and moft delightful Duty of Pray- Entertainment; and he discharg'd every part of it in fo exact and regular a way, that his Private Devotions were not omitted for the fake of the Prayers of the Church; nor did any Conftancy at the former, make him Neglect being daily at Thefe. His Practice from his Youth, was to begin the day with God, and confecrate to Him his earliest

Thoughts,

Thoughts, and in this he perfever'd all his life long: For the first thing he did in the Morning, was repeating Pfalms proper for it, as the Sixty Third, the latter part of the Seventy Third,and Others: And all his Dreffing and Washing time he repeated the 103. 116. and 145th Pfalms. In this part of his Devotions, it was his Defire that his Wife fhou'd bear her part; And when they were over, he at large offer'd up his own Private Prayers in his Closet. The Evening he confecrated to God, as well as the Morning. His first Exercife (as foon as he cou'd get free from Company) was repeating the Magnificat, and fome other Hymns of Praise, his Wife in these ftill joining with him. Then he usually retir'd into his Clofet, and with great exactness examined the state of his Soul; and by Reading and Meditation, put himself into a right Temper for Prayer; which was then per form'd in the fulleft and devouteft manner. And he concluded the day, in the fame manner that he began it; repeating the Fourth, and Other Pfalms, while he undrefs'd. And when ready to ftep into Bed, he kneel'd down and offer'd up a fhort Prayer, and then lay down in Peace. This was his Practice. fo conftantly, that neither the Coldness of the Weather, nor any Bodily Indifpofition or Weariness, made him neglect it.

But it is from himfelt, the Reader must have the clearest view, of the regular conftancy of his Private Devotions: For Writing to a Religious Friend, with whom he was very intimate,

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