Invisibles Realities Demonstrated in the Life and Death of John Janeway, Chapter 13 – Chapter 14
CHAP. XIII.
His Love and Compaſſion to Souls.
HE was full of pity and compaſſion to ſouls, and yet greatly grieved and aſhamed that he did no more to expreſs his ſenſe of the worth of ſouls and that his bowels did no more ſenſibly yern over them, who he had juſt cauſe to fear, were in a Chriſtleſs ſtate. Though there were few of his Kindred and Relations, nay of his neighbours and acquaintance but he did make a perſonal application to, either by letters or conference: Yet for all this, who more ready to cry out of want of love to ſouls, and unprofitableneſs to others in his generation, that he was no more full of compaſſion, and that he made no better improvement of all the viſits that he made; in which, we ſhould not make carnal pleaſure and recreation our end; but the imparting & receiving of ſome ſpiritual gift. This made him, after a conſiderable abſence from a dear friend, to groan out theſe complaints. God by his providence hath off brought us together; but, to how little purpoſe, God and our Conſciences know. As for my part, I may juſtly bewail my barreneſs. Oh, that I ſhould be of ſo little uſe where I come! Oh, that my tongue and heart ſhould be ſtill ſo unfruitful! I am ready to hope ſometimes, that, if it ſhould pleaſe God in his providence to bring us again together, we may be more profitable one to another.
And this indeed makes me more deſirous of coming to you again, than any thing elſe. That I may do ſome good among you. Oh, how few ſtudy to advance the intereſt of Chriſt and the benefit of one anothers ſouls in their viſits, as they ſhould and might do! I am not able, at preſent, to order my affairs ſo as to come comfortably over to you, but I hope, e're long, the Lord will give me leave to ſee you, and be refreſhed by you, I deſire to ſupply my abſence by this ſure token of my remembrance of you, and alſo that I might have an opportunity for that which we ought to eye moſt in the injoyment of one anothers ſociety. But I have found, that partly becauſe of the narrowneſs of my heart, not being inlarged to bring forth into act what I have greatly deſired, partly becauſe of the malice of the Enemy of our ſouls, who indeavours all that poſſible he can, to lay ſtumbling blocks in our way to real union and nearer acquaintance with God and Chriſtian communion: from theſe, and other cauſes, it is, that I have been too little beneficial to you for mercy.
It may be, I may write that with freedom, which in preſence I ſhould not have ſpoken. I ſhall take occaſion from your deſire of my preſence with you to look higher to the deſires of our ſouls to be in conjunction and communion with the higheſt good, who fills up all relations to our ſouls; who is our Father, our Husband, our Friend, our God; yea our all in all. But, when I ſay, He is all in all; I mean more than that which we count all; For every one doth confeſs, that it is God alone, that doth bleſs all other things to us, and that it is not out of the nature of thoſe things that we injoy, that they are bleſſings; but it is God, which makes them comforts to us. And thus God is to be acknowledged All in all common injoyment!
But, beſides this, God is ſomething to the ſoul, which he is by himſelf and not in the mediation of the creatures, where God is as a portion, and lived upon as our true happineſs; He is, not only the complement of other things, but He himſelf is the ſouls ſufficiency. I am a little obſcure, I deſire to be plainer, I mean, that through the diſpenſation of the Goſpel, God is to be lived upon, delighted in, and choſen before all, for, for this very end, hath Chriſt appeared, that he might make God approachable by man, and that we who are a far off, may be mad nigh.
There is a nearneſs to God which we are not only allowed but called to in the loving diſpenſations of the Goſpel, ſo that now we are not to be ſtrangers any longer, but friends; we are to have fellowſhip and communion with God. Why do not our hearts even leap for joy, why do not our ſouls triumph in theſe diſcoveries of love? Even becauſe, we know not the greatneſs of our priviledges, the highneſs of our calling, the excellency of our advancement, the bleſſedneſs of this life, the ſweetneſs of theſe imployments, the ſatisfaction of theſe injoyments, the comfort of this heavenly life, the delights of this communion with God. We know not the things which belong to our peace: and thus when God calls us to that which he ſent his Son for, when Chriſt offers us, that which coſt him ſo dear; we with the greateſt unworthineſs, the vileſt ingratitude, refuſe, ſlight and contemn it. What think we! doth it not go even to the heart of Chriſt; and (to ſpeak after the manner of men) doth it not grieve him to the ſoul to behold his greateſt love ſcorned, & the end of his agony to be more vilely accounted of than the baſeſt of our luſts?
Let us therefore according to that high calling wherewith we are called, enter into a more intimate acquaintance with God, and as we find our ſouls acting naturally towards thoſe things, which are naturally dear to us; ſo let us ſtrive to highten our ſpiritual affections.
We are very apt to look upon duties as burdens rather than priviledges and ſeaſons of injoying the greateſt refreſhments; but theſe apprehenſions are very low and earthly. O that we could at length ſet our ſelves to live a ſpiritual life, to walk with God, and out of a new nature, to ſavour and relliſh thoſe things which are above! Could we but really, intenſely, believingly deſire that which is real happineſs, and the Heaven of Heaven, union and communion with God; theſe deſires would bring in ſome comfort.
As for me, you muſt give me allowance to get my affections more emptied into God; though it be with a diminution of love to you; and bleſſed will that day be, when all love will be fully ſwallowed up into God. But ſpiritual love doth not deſtroy natural affections, or relative obligations, but perfect and rectifie them; and ſo I may, giving up my ſelf to God be ſtill yours.
CHAP. XIV.
His trouble at the Barrenneſs of Chriſtians.
HE was not a little troubled at the barrenneſs of Chriſtians in their diſcourſe, and their not improving their ſociety for the quickning and warming of their hearts; the expence of pretious time unaccountably, the ill management of viſits, and the impertinency of their talk, he oft reflected upon with a holy indignation. It vext him to the ſoul, to ſee what prizes ſometimes, were put into the hands of Chriſtians and how little skill and will they had to improve them, for the building up one another in the moſt holy faith: and that they who ſhould be incouraging of one another in the way to Zion, communicating of experiences, and talking of their Country, and of the glory of that Kingdom which the Saints are heirs of, could ſatisfie themſelves with empty common vain ſtuff; as if Chriſt, Heaven and Eternity were not things of as great worth as any thing elſe, that uſually ſounds in the ears and comes from the lips of profeſſors. That the folly of common diſcourſe among Chriſtians might appear more, and that he might diſcover how little ſuch language did become thoſe that profeſs themſelves Iſraelites, and that ſay, they are Jews; he once ſate down ſilent and took out his pen and ink, and wrote down in ſhorthand the diſcourſes that paſſed for ſome time together, amongſt thoſe which pretended to more than common underſtanding in the things of God: and after a while he took his paper and read it to them, and asked them whether ſuch talk was ſuch as they would be willing God ſhould record. This he did, that he might ſhame them out of that uſual unobſerved & unlamented unprofitable communication and fruitleſs ſquandring away that ineſtimable Jewel, Opportunity. Oh, to ſpend an hour or two together, and to hear ſcarce a word for Chriſt or that ſpeaks peoples hearts in love with holineſs; Is not this writing a brave rational divine diſcourſe? Fie fie. Where's our love to God and ſouls all this while, where's our ſenſe of the pretiouſneſs of time, of the greatneſs of our account? Should we talk thus, if we believed that we ſhould hear of this again at the day of judgement? And do we not know that we muſt give an account of every idle word? Is this like thoſe that underſtand the language of Canaan? Did Saints in former times uſe their tongues to no better purpoſe? Would Enoch, David, or Paul, have talked thus! Is this the ſweeteſt communion of Saints upon earth! How ſhall we do to ſpend eternity in ſpeaking the praiſes of God, if we cannot find matter for an hours diſcourſe.
Doth not this ſpeak aloud our hearts to be very empty of grace, and that we have little ſenſe of thoſe ſpiritual and eternal concerns upon us?
As the barrenneſs and empty converſe of Chriſtians was a ſin that he greatly bewailed, ſo the want of love amongſt Chriſtians, and their diviſions, did coſt him many tears and groans; & he did what he could to heal all the breaches that he could, by his tender prudent and Chriſtian advice and counſel; and if prayers, tears & intreaties & counſels would prevail & cement differences, they ſhould not long be open. Nay if his letters would ſignifie any thing to make an amicable and Chriſtian correſpondencie, it ſhould not be wanting. And becauſe, the wounds of diviſion are yet bleeding, I ſhall inſert two healing Letters of his, which ſpeak what ſpirit he was of: Which take as follows.