Invisibles Realities Demonstrated in the Life and Death of John Janeway, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
His Temptations from Satan.
THus, you have a taſt of his Spirit, and may perceive, what it was that he had his heart moſt ſet upon; and what kept his graces in ſuch vigor and activity; and how deſirous he was that others ſhould be ſharers with him in this mercy: Yet, for all this, he had his gloomy days, and the Sun was ſometimes overcaſt, his ſweets were ſometimes imbittered with dreadful, and horrid temptations. The Devil ſhot his poiſonous arrows at him; yet, through the Captain of his ſalvation, he came more than a conqueror, out of the field. He was, with Paul, many times lifted up into the third Heavens, and ſaw and heard things unutterable: but, leſt he ſhould be exalted above meaſure, there was a Meſſenger of Satan ſent to buffet him.
It would make a Chriſtians heart even ake to hear and read what ſtrange temptations this gratious ſoul was exerciſed with. But he was well armed for ſuch a conflict, having on the ſhield of faith whereby he quenched the fiery darts of that Wicked-One: yet, this fight coſt him the ſweating of his very body for agonies of ſpirit; and tears and ſtrong cries to Heaven, for freſh help. As for himſelf, he was wont to take an arrow out of Gods quiver, and diſcharge it by faith and prayer, for the diſcomfiture of his violent enemy, who at laſt was ſain to fly.
Theſe temptations and conflicts with Satan did not a little help him afterwards in his dealing with one that was ſorely afflicted with temptations of the like nature. And becauſe I judge it of ſingular uſe to tempted-ones, and find very many of late to be exerciſed in this kind, I ſhall inſert a Letter of his ſuitable to all Chriſtians in the like caſe.
A Letter of Mr. John Janeway.
Dear Friend,
YOur Letters are bitter in the mouth, but ſweet in the belly; they contain matter of joy, under a diſmal aſpect: they are good news, brought by a meſſenger in mourning: I had rather hear of that which is matter of ſubſtantial real joy, though mixed with many ſighs, and interrupted with many groans and ſobs; than of that laughter, in the midſt of which the heart is ſad.
You ſay that you are troubled with blaſphemous thoughts: ſo then, though they are blaſphemous, yet they are your trouble; and thoughts they are too, and that neither ſent for, nor welcome; and ſo are not aſſented to in your mind. What then ſhall we think of them? If they were of your own production, your heart would be delighted in its own iſſue: but you do nothing leſs. Sure then, they are the injections of that wicked one, who is the accuſer of the brethren, and the diſturber of the peace of the people of God. But, doth Satan uſe to imploy thoſe weapons but againſt thoſe that he is in ſome fear of loſing? He is not wont to aſſault and fight againſt his ſureſt friends, in this manner. Thoſe that he hath faſt in his own poſſeſſion, he leads on, as ſoftlyand quietly as he can; fearing leſt ſuch diſturbance ſhould make them look about them, and ſo they ſhould awake, and ſee their danger. But as for thoſe, that have, in ſome meaſure, eſcaped his ſnares; he follows them hard, with all the diſcouragements he can. Surely, theſe things can be no other but a bitter reliſh of thoſe things which you know to be bitter after that you have taſted the hony and the hony-comb; after you have ſeen, how good the Lord is. What then ſhall I call theſe motions of your mind? They are the ſouls loathing the morſels which Satan would have it to ſwallow down: yea, they are the ſouls ſtriving with Satan, whilſt he would raviſh the Spouſe of Jeſus: And let the enemy of all goodneſs know, that he ſhall e're long pay dearly for ſuch attempts. But you will ſay, If theſe horrible thoughts be not your ſin, yet they are your trouble and miſery, and you deſire to be freed from them; and the moſt loyal and loving Spouſe, had rather be delivered from thoſe aſſaults; But you will ask; How ſhall I get free from them? Firſt, See that you poſſeſs your ſoul in patience; and know this, that God hath an over-ruling hand in all this: and wait upon him; for he can, and will bring forth good out of all this ſeeming evil. At preſent, you are in the dark and ſee no light: yet, Truſt in the Lord, and ſtay your ſelf upon your God. Can Chriſt forget the purchaſe of his own blood, the price of his ſoul, thoſe whom he hath ſo intimately indeared to himſelf? Can a mother forget her ſucking child? Yet, God cannot forget his. God hath loving and gratious intents in all this, and his bowels yearn towards his. Yes, our Saviour ſuffers with us, through his ardent love by ſympathy, as well as he hath ſuffered for us. But, for your being berid of theſe thoughts, you know who hath all power in his hand who doth imploy this power in a way of love towards his. This power is made yours through the prayer of faith: but, for your own work, do this.
Firſt, Let not ſuch thoughts have any time of abode in your mind; but turn them out, with all the loathing and abhorrence you can; but, not with ſo much trouble and diſturbance of mind, as, I believe, you do. For, by this the Devil is pleaſed, and he makes you your own Tormentor.
Secondly, always then divert your thoughts to ſome good thing, and let thoſe very injections be conſtantly the occaſion of your more ſpiritual meditation. Think the quite contrary, or fall a praying with earneſtneſs: and the Devil will be weary if he find his deſigns thus broken, and that thoſe ſparks of Hell (which he ſtruck into the ſoul, to kindle and inflame corruption) do put warmth into grace, and ſet Faith and Prayer a working, when he perceives, that, what he intended as water to cool your love to God, proves like oyl to make it flame the more vehemently he will be diſcouraged. Thus reſiſt him, and he will flee from you.
Thirdly, Conſider that this is no new thing: For, we are not in this ignorant of Satans wiles, that, if any ſoul hath eſcaped out of the chains of darkneſs, if he will have Heaven he ſhall have it with as much trouble, as the Devil can lay on; and if he and his had their wills, no good man ſhould have one peaceable hour: But, bleſſed be God for his everlaſting and unchangeable love to his that the Devil cannot pluck us out of thoſe Almighty arms, with which he doth imbrace his dear children.
Dear heart, my prayer for thee, is, that God would give thee the peaceable fruit of righteouſneſs, after all thy afflictions; and that thou maiſt come out of theſe trials, refin'd and purified and more fit for thy Maſters uſe; having this the end of all, to purge away thy droſs, and take away thy ſin.
Thus hoping that, as the length, God will turn thy mourning into joy, thy trouble into triumph, and all thy ſorrows into a ſure and ſtable peace; I leave you with Him, and reſt,
Yours in our dear Lord, John Janeway.
He was much afraid of any decays in grace, of apoſtacy, yea, of flatneſs of ſpirit, either in himſelf or others: and if he ſuſpected any thing of this nature in his neareſt relations, he would do what he could poſſibly, to recover them out of the ſnares of Satan, and to quicken them to higher & more noble vigorous ſpiritual acts of religion. He laboured to maintain a conſtant tenderneſs and ſenſibility upon his heart, and to take notice of the leaſt departure of his ſoul from God, or Gods abſenting of Himſelf from the ſoul, (which was an expreſſion that was much in his mouth). He had a godly jealouſie over his brother: One of which, was awakened by his ſerious and particular application of himſelf to him, when he was about eleven years old: But he knew, that Conviction and Converſion are two things, and that many are ſomewhat affected by a warm exhortation, who quickly wear off thoſe impreſſions, and return to their former trifling with God, and neglect of their ſouls. Wherefore, he deſired to carry on the work that he had ſome hopes was well begun: he laboured to build ſure, and build up; that he might be rooted and grounded in the faith ſtedfaſt and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord. Wherefore he followed him, not only with private warnings, and frequent patheticall counſels and directions; but with letters, one of which ſpoke in this language.
Another of his Letters, of Private warning and Pathetical Counſel.
YOU live in a place where ſtrict and cloſe walking with God, hath few or no examples, and moſt are apt to be … their company; and Gods own children are too apt to forget their firſt love: our hearts are apt to be careleſs▪ and to neglect our watch; we are ready to grow formal in duty or leſs ſpiritual, and then, it may be, leſs frequent: and Conſcience is put off with ſome poor excuſe: and thus Religion withers, and one that ſeemed once a zealot may come to be Laodicean; and ſome that looked once as if they were eminent ſaints, may fall to juſt nothing. It's too common, to have a name to be alive and yet to be dead: Read this, and tremble leſt it ſhould be your caſe. When we are lazy and aſleep, our adverſary is awake: when we are ſloathful and negligent, then he is diligent. I conſider your age, I know where you dwell, I am not unacquainted with your temptations. Wherefore, I cannot but be afraid of you, leſt, by both inward and outward fire, the buſh be ſinged: Though, if God be in it, it cannot be burnt up.
Give me leave to be in ſome meaſure fearful of you, and jealous over you, and to mind you of what you know already. Principles of civility will be but as broken reeds, to ſtay our ſouls upon; without thoſe higher principles, which are planted in the ſoul, by the working of the ſpirit of God. O, remember what meltings ſometimes you have had: remember, how ſolicitouſly you did inquire after Chriſt, how earneſtly you ſeemed to ask the way to Zion with your face thitherward. Oh, take heed of loſing thoſe impreſſions you once had, take not up with a ſleight work. True converſion is a great thing, and another kind of buſineſs, than moſt of the world take it to be. O therefore, be not ſatisfied with ſome convictions, taking them for converſion; much leſs, with reſting in a formal lifeleſs profeſſion.
There is ſuch a thing as being almoſt a Chriſtian; nay, as drawing back unto perdition: and ſome, that are not far from the kingdom of Heaven, may never come there. Beware leſt you loſe the reward; the promiſe is made to him that holdeth faſt, and holdeth out, unto the end and overcometh.
Labour to forget what is behind, and to preſs forward towards things that are before. He that is contented with juſt grace enough to get to Heaven and eſcape Hell, and deſires no more; may be ſure, he hath none at all: & is far from being made partaker of the divine nature. Labour to know what it is, To converſe with God; ſtrive to do every thing as in His preſence; deſign Him in all; act, as one that ſtands within ſight of the Grave and Eternity. I ſay again, do what you do, as if you were ſure God ſtood by and looked upon you, and exactly obſerved and recorded every thought word and action; and you may very well ſuppoſe that, which cannot be otherwiſe.
Let's awake, and fall to our work in good earneſt: Heaven or Hell are before us, and death behind us. What do we mean to ſleep! dulneſs in Gods ſervice is very uncomfortable, and at the beſt will coſt us dear: and, to be contented with ſuch a frame, is a certain ſymptom of a hypocrite. O, How will ſuch tremble, when God ſhall call them to give an account of their ſtewardſhip; and tell them, They may no longer be ſtewards. Should they fall ſick, and the Devil, and Conſcience fall upon them, what inconceivable perplexity would they then be in!
O, live more upon inviſibles and let the thoughts of their excellency put life into your performances. You muſt be contented to be laughed at for preciſeneſs and ſingularity. A Chriſtians walking is not with men but with God; and, he hath great cauſe to ſuſpect his love to God, who doth not delight more in converſing with God and being conformed to Him than in converſing with the world, and being conformed to it.
How can the love of God dwell in that man, who liveth without God in the world? without both continual vvalking vvith him in his whole converſation, and thoſe more peculiar viſits of him in prayer, meditation, ſpiritual ejaculations, and other duties of Religion; and the workings of faith, love, holy deſires, delight, joy and ſpiritual ſorrow in them! Think not, that our vvalking vvith God cannot conſiſt vvith vvorldly buſineſs: yes, but Religion makes us ſpiritual in common actions, and there is not any action in a mans life, in vvhichwhich a man is not to labour to make it a religious act, by a looking to the Rule in it, and eying of Gods glory; and thus, he may be ſaid to vvalk vvith God. To this vve muſt indeavour to riſe, and never be content, till vve reach to it, and if this ſeem tedious (as to degenerate nature it vvill) vve muſt know that vve have ſo much of enmity againſt God ſtill remaining, and are under depravation and darkneſs & know not our true happineſs: Such a ſoul is ſick and it hath loſt its taſte, vvhichwhich doth not perceive an incomparable ſweetneſs in vvalking vvith God, without whom all things elſe under Heaven are gall and bitterneſs, and to be little valued by very true Chriſtian.
But, We are all apt even at the worſt, to ſay, that we prefer God above all things; But we muſt know that we have very deceitful hearts: And thoſe who, being inlightned, know for vvhat high ends they ſhould act, and vvhat a fearful condition even a hazard in our caſe, is; theſe I ſay, will not believe their own hearts without diligent ſearch and good grounds.
Reſt not in any condition in which your ſecurity is not founded upon that ſure bottom, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Labour to attain to this, to love God for himſelf, and to have your heart naturalized & ſuited to ſpiritual things. O for a heart to rejoyce and work righteouſneſs! O, that we could do the will of God, with more activity, delight and conſtancy! If we did know more of God, we ſhould love him more; and then God would ſtill reveal more of Himſelf to us, and then we ſhould ſee more and more cauſe to love him, and wonder that we love him no more. O this this, is our happineſs, To have a fuller ſight of God, to be wrapped up, and filled with the love of Chriſt; O, let my ſoul for ever be thus imployed! Lord, whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there is none in earth, that I can deſire in compariſon of Thee.
You hear what kind of language he ſpake; and you may eaſily perceive what it was that ſwallowed up his heart, and where his delight, treaſure, and life was. O, How much do moſt of us, who go for Chriſtians, fall ſhort of theſe things: and, How vaſt a diſtance between his experience, and ours; and, what reaſon have we, to read theſe lines with bluſhing, and to blot the paper with tears? and to lay aſide this book a while, and to fall upon our faces before the Lord, & bemoan the curſed unſuitableneſs of our hearts unto God; and to bewail, that we do ſo little underſtand what this walking with God, & living by faith means! O, at what a rate do ſome Chriſtians live! and how low, flat and dull, are others. His love to Chriſt, and ſouls, made him very deſirous to ſpend, and be ſpent in the work of the Miniſtry, accordingly, he did comply with the firſt loud and clear Call to preach the everlaſting Goſpel; and, though he was but about two and twenty years old, yet he came to that work like one that underſtood what kind of employment, Preaching was. He was a workman that needed not to be aſhamed, that was throughly furniſhed for every good word and work; one that was able to anſwer gainſayers, one in whom the Word of God dwelt richly; one full of the ſpirit and power; one, that hated ſin with a perfect hatred, and loved holineſs with all his ſoul; in whom Religion in its beauty did ſhine: one, that knew the terrors of the Lord, and knew how to beſeech ſinners, in Chriſts ſtead, to be reconciled unto God: One that was a Son of thunder, and a Son of conſolation: In a word, I may ſpeak that of him which Paul ſpake of Timothy, that, I know none like-minded, that did naturally care for ſouls. And, had he lived to have preached often, O what uſe might ſuch a man have been of, in his generation! one, in whom learning and holineſs did as it were ſtrive which ſhould excel. He never preached publickly but twice, and then he came to it as if he had been uſed to that work forty years; delivering the Word of God with that power and Majeſty, with that tenderneſs and compaſſion, with that readineſs and freedom, that it made his hearers almoſt amazed: He was led into the Myſterie of the Goſpel, and he ſpoke nothing to others but what was the language of his heart, and the fruit of great experience, and which one might eaſily perceive had no ſmall impreſſion firſt upon his own ſpirit.
His firſt and laſt Sermons they were upon Communion and intimate converſe with God, out of Job 22. 21. A ſubject that few Chriſtians under Heaven were better able to manage than himſelf, and that ſcarce any could handle ſo feelingly as he; for, he did for ſome conſiderable time maintain ſuch an intimate familiarity with God, that he ſeemed to converſe with Him, as one friend doth converſe with another. This text he made ſome entrance into, whilſt he was here: but, the perfecting of his acquaintance with God was a work fitter for another world.
He was one that kept an exact watch over his thoughts, words and actions, and made a review of all that paſſed him, at leaſt once a day, in a ſolemn manner. He kept a Diary, in which he did write down every evening what the frame of his ſpirit had been all the day long, eſpecially in every duty. He took notice what incomes and profit he received, in his ſpiritual traffique; what returns from that far-country, what anſwers of prayer, what deadneſs and flatneſs, and what obſervable providences did preſent themſelves, and the ſubſtance of what he had been doing; and any wandrings of thoughts, inordinancy in any paſſion; which, though the world could not diſcern he could. It cannot be conceived by them which do not practiſe the ſame, to what a good account did this return! This, made him to retain a grateful remembrance of mercy, and to live in a conſtant admiring & adoring of divine goodneſs; this, brought him to a very intimate acquaintance with his own heart; this, kept his ſpirit low and fitted him for freer communications from God; this, made him more lively and active; this, helped him to walk humbly with God, this made him ſpeak more affectionately & experimentally to others of the things of God: and, in a word, this left a ſweet calm upon his ſpirits, becauſe he every night made even his accounts, and if his ſheets ſhould prove his widing-ſheet, it had been all one: for, he could ſay his work was done, ſo that death could not ſurprize him.
Could this book [of his experiences, and regiſter of his actions] have been read, it might have contributed much to the compleating of this diſcourſe, & the quickning of ſome, and the comforting of others. But theſe things being written in characters, the world hath loſt that jewel.
He ſtudied the Scriptures much, and they were ſweeter to him than his food; and he had an excellent faculty in opening the mind of God in dark places.
In the latter part of his life he ſeemed quite ſwallowed up with the thoughts of Chriſt, Heaven, and eternity, and the neerer he came to this the more ſwift his motion was to it, and the more unmixed his deſigns for it; and he would much perſwade others to an univerſal free reſpect to the glory of God, in all things; and making Religion ones buſineſs, and not to mind theſe great things by the by.