Invisibles Realities Demonstrated in the Life and Death of John Janeway, Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CHAP. III.
His Carriage, when Fellow of the Colledge, at twenty years of Age.
WHen he was about twenty years old, he was made Fellow of the Colledge, which did not a little advance thoſe noble projects which he had in his head for the promoting of the intereſt of the Lord Chriſt. Then how ſweetly would he inſinuate into the young ones, deſiring to carry as many of them as poſſibly he could along with him to Heaven: Many attempts he made upon ſome of the ſame houſe, that he might ſeaſon them with Grace, and animate and incourage thoſe which were looking towards Heaven. And as for his own Relations, never was there a more compaſſionate and tender-hearted Brother. How many pathetical Letters did he ſend to them? and how did he follow them with prayers and tears that they might prove ſucceſsful! how frequently would he addreſs himſelf to them in private! and how ready to improve providences and viſits that he might ſet them home upon them? How excellent would he ſet forth the beauty of Chriſt! He earneſtly would perſwade them to inquire into the ſtate of their ſouls. How would he indeavour to bring them off from ſandy foundations, and reſting upon their own righteouſneſs! In a word, he was ſcarce content to go to Heaven without, and through mercy he was very ſucceſsful among his own Relations, and the whole family ſoon ſavoured of his ſpirit; how were the Children put upon getting choice Scripture and their Catechiſms, and ingaged in ſecret prayer and meditation. Father, Mother, Brethren, Siſters, Boarders were the better for his excellent example and holy exhortations. He was a good Nurſe if not a ſpiritual Father to his natural Father, as you may read afterwards; and ſome of his Brethren have cauſe to bleſs God for ever, that ever they ſaw his face, and heard his words, and obſerved his converſation, which had ſo much of lovelineſs and beauty in it, that it could not but commend Religion to any that did take notice of it. He could ſpeak in St. Pauls words, brethren, my hearts deſire, and prayer to God for you all is, that you may be ſaved.
Read what his heart was in theſe following lines.
Distance of place cannot at all leſſen that natural Bond whereby we are conjoyned in blood, neither ought to leſſen that of love. Nay, where true love is it cannot; for love towards you I can only ſay this, that I feel it better than I can expreſs it; as it is wont to be with all affections: but love felt, and not expreſſed, is little worth: I therefore deſire to make my love manifeſt in the beſt way I can. Let us look upon one another not as Brethren only, but as Members of the ſame Body whereof Chriſt is the Head. Happy day will that be wherein the Lord will diſcover that Union; let us therefore breathe and hunger after this, ſo that our cloſeſt knot may meet in Chriſt: if we are in Chriſt, and Chriſt in us, then we ſhall be one with one another. This I know, you cannot complain for want of inſtruction, God hath not been to us a dry Wilderneſs, or a barren heath; you have had Line upon Line, and Precept upon Precept; he hath planted you by the Rivers of Water; it is the Lord alone indeed who maketh fruitful, but yet we are not to ſtand ſtill, and do nothing. There is a Crown worth ſeeking for; ſeek therefore, and that earneſtly. O ſeek by continual prayer, keep your ſoul in a praying frame; this is a great and neceſſary duty, nay, a high and precious priviledge. If thou canſt ſay nothing, come and lay thy ſelf in an humble manner before the Lord. You may believe me, for I have through mercy experienced what I ſay. There is more ſweetneſs to be got in one glimpſe of Gods love, than in all that the world can afford. O do but try; O taſte and ſee how good the Lord is. Get into a corner, and throw your ſelf down before the Lord, and beg of God to make you ſenſible of your lost undone ſtate by nature, and of the excellency and neceſſity of Chriſt. Say, Lord, give me a broken heart, ſoften, melt me: Any thing in the world, ſo I may be but inabled to value Chriſt, and be perſwaded to accept of him, as he is tendred in the Goſpel. O that I may be delivered from the wrath to come; O a bleſſing for me, even for me, and reſolve not to be content till the Lord have in ſome meaſure anſwered you. O my bowels yern towards you, my heart works: O that you did but know with what affection I write now to you, and what prayers and tears have been mingled with theſe lines! The Lord ſet theſe things home, and give you an heart to apply them to your ſelf; the Lord bleſs all the means that you enjoy, for his bleſſing is all in all. Give me leave to deal plainly, and to come yet a little cloſer to you, for I love your ſoul ſo well, that I cannot bear the thoughts of the loſs of it. Know this, that there is ſuch a thing as the New birth, and except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; Gods favour is not to be recovered without it. This New birth hath its Foundation laid in a ſenſe of ſin, and a godly ſorrow for it, and a heart ſet againſt it; without this there can be no Salvation. Look well about you, and ſee into your ſelf, and thou wilt ſee that thou art at Hells mouth without this firſt ſtep, and nothing but Free Grace, and pure Mercy is between you and the ſtate of the Devils. The Lord deliver us from a ſecure careleſs heart! Here you ſee a natural mans condition; How dareſt thou then lye down in ſecurity? O look about for your Souls ſake. What ſhall I ſay, what ſhall I do to awaken your poor Soul! I ſay again, without repentance there is no remiſſion; and repentance it ſelf may loſe its labour if it be not in the right manner. Then tears, and groans, and prayers will not do without Chriſt; moſt when they are convinced of ſin, and are under fears of Hell, run to duty, and reform ſomething; and thus the wound is healed, and by this thouſands fall ſhort of Heaven. For if we be not brought off from our ſelves, and our righteouſneſs, as well as our ſins, we are never like to be ſaved. We muſt ſee an abſolute need of a Chriſt, and give our ſelves up to him, and count all but dung and droſs in compariſon of Chriſts righteouſneſs. Look therefore for mercy only in Chriſt, for his ſake relye upon Gods mercy. The terms of the Goſpel are repent and believe, gracious terms! Mercy for fetching, nay mercy for deſiring, nay for nothing but receiving. Doſt thou deſire mercy and grace, I know thou doſt; even this is the gift of God to deſire, hunger after Chriſt; let deſires put you upon endeavour, the work it ſelf is ſweet; yea, repentance and mourning it ſelf hath more ſweetneſs in it, than all the Worlds comforts. VponUpon repentance and believing comes Juſtification, after this Sanctification, by the Spirit dwelling in us. By this we come to be the Children of God, to be made partakers of the Divine Nature, to lead new lives, to have a ſuitableneſs to God. It's unworthy of a Chriſtian to have ſuch a narrow ſpirit, as not to act for Chriſt with all ones heart, and ſoul, and ſtrength, and might. Be not aſhamed of Chriſt, be not afraid of the frowns and jeers of the wicked. Be ſure to keep a Conſcience void of offence, and yield by no means to any known ſin; be much in prayer, in ſecret prayer, and in reading the Scriptures: Therein are laid up the glorious Myſteries which are hid from many eyes. My greatest deſire is, that God would work his own great work in you. I deſire to ſee you not as formerly, but that the Lord would make me an inſtrument of your Souls good, for which I greatly long.
CHAP. IV.
His Particular Addreſſes to his Brethren, for their Souls good, and the ſucceſs thereof.
HE wrote many Letters of this nature, and deſired oftentimes to be viſiting his Brethren, that he might particularly addreſs himſelf to them, and ſee what became of his Letters, Prayers, and Tears; and he was very watchful over them, ready to reprove and convince them of ſin, and ready to incourage any beginnings of a good work in them. To inſtance in a particular or two.
One time perceiving one of his Brothers aſleep at Prayer in the Family, he preſently took occaſion to ſhow him what a high contempt it was of God, what a little ſenſe ſuch a man muſt have of his own danger, what dreadful hypocriſie, what a Miracle of Patience that he was not awakened in flames. After he had been a while affectionately pleading with him, it pleaſed the Lord to ſtrike in with ſome power, and to melt and ſoften his Brothers heart when he was about eleven years old; ſo that it was to be hoped, that then the Lord began ſavingly to work upon the heart of that Child: For from that time forward a conſiderable alteration might be diſcerned in him. When he perceived it, he was not a little pleaſed. This put him upon carrying on the work, that Conviction might not wear off till it ended in Converſion. To this end he wrote to him, to put him in mind of what God had done for his Soul, begging of him not to reſt ſatisfied till he knew what a thorow change and effectual calling meant. I hope, ſaid he, that God hath a good work to do in you, for you, and by you; yea, I hope he hath already begun it. But O take not up with ſome beginnings, faint deſires, lazy ſeekings; O remember your former tears; one may weep a little for ſin, and yet go to Hell for ſin; many that are under ſome ſuch work, ſhake of the ſenſe of ſin, murder their Convictions, and return again to folly. O! take heed! if any draw back, the Lord will take no pleaſure in them; but I hope better things of you.
He would alſo obſerve how his Brethren carried it after Duty, whether they ſeemed to run preſently to the World with greedineſs, as if Duty were a task, or whether there ſeemed to be an abiding impreſſion of God, and the things of God, upon them.
His vehement love and compaſſion to Souls may be further judged of by theſe following expreſſions, which he uſed to one of his Relations. After he had been ſpeaking how infinitely it was below a Chriſtian to purſue with greedineſs the things which will be but as gravel in the teeth, if we mind not the rich proviſion which is in our Fathers Houſe. O what folly is it to trifle in the things of God! but I hope better things of you; did I not hope, why ſhould I not mourn in ſecret for you, as one caſt out among the dead? O what ſhould I do for you, but pour out my Soul like water, and give my God no reſt till he ſhould graciouſly viſit you with his Salvation; till he caſt you down, and raiſe you up; till he wound you, and heal you again.
Thus, what with his holy example, warm and wiſe exhortations, prayers, tears, and ſecret groans, ſomewhat of the beauty of Religion was to be ſeen in the Family where he lived.