If ever mortal lived the life of an angel upon earth, Janeway seems to have been the man. How far do the enjoyments even of lively christians fall short of those lengths, and breadths, and heights, and depths of the love of Christ with which he was favoured? To evince this, I will present the reader with a short sketch of his dying scene, and leave him to judge, whether he ever saw or perused any account of an exit so far beyond the common run of christians. And yet, by the grace of God, and a diligent use of the divinely appointed means, this, or something like this, might be the attainment of all. He was born in the year 1633, at Tylly, in Hertfordshire. At about twelve years old, he had made a considerable proficiency in mathematic science, and in the study of astronomy, and other parts of useful literature. At seventeen he was admitted to King's College in Cambridge. At eighteen it pleased God to enlighten his understanding, and to give him the knowledge and experience of evangelical truth. Baxter's Saints Everlasting Rest became his favourite book. This he read, studied, imitated. Now he knew that astronomy, with which he was so delighted, surveyed but a dunghil in comparison of that system of things which the religion of Jesus contemplates. Stars are but dirty clods, when compared with that glory which lies beyond the reach of the highest human contemplation. He was now, therefore, wholly occupied with divine contemplations, and tasted so much sweetness in the knowledge of Christ, that it was discernible in his very appearance, and he counted every thing but dross and dung, in comparison of the knowledge of Christ, and him crucified. Not that he looked upon human learning as useless: but when fixed below Christ, not improved for Christ, or set in opposition to Christ; he looked upon wisdom as folly, upon learning as madness, and upon genius as a curse, which would make a man more like the devil, more fit for his service, and put a greater accent upon our misery in another world. At the age of twenty he was admitted a fellow of his college. Still, however, he went on with his religious contemplations, and became so mighty in prayer, and other sacred exercises, that he forgot the weakness of his body, and injured his health. He studied much, prayed much, and laboured much in every way he could contrive to be of use to mankind, and to promote the honour of the Divine Being. Sickness coming on, he was never permitted to preach but twice. His disorder, which was of the consumptive kind, increased rapidly upon him, but yet with some intervals of relief. During the greatest part of his sickness, however, he was so filled with love, and peace, and joy, that human language sinks under what he saw and felt. During the greatest part of his illness, he talked as if he had been in the third heavens; breaking out every now and then into ecstasies of joy and praise. Not a word dropped from his mouth but it breathed of Christ and heaven. He talked as if he had been with Jesus, and came from the immediate presence of God. At one time he said:-" Stand and wonder; come, look upon a dying man and wonder. Was there ever greater kindness? Were there ever more sensible manifestations of rich grace? Why me, Lord? why me? Sure this is akin to heaven. And if I were never to enjoy more than this, it were well worth all the torments men and devils could invent. If this be dying, dying is sweet. Let no christian ever be afraid of dying. Death is sweet to me! This bed is soft. Christ's arms, his smiles, and visits, sure they would turn hell into heaven! Oh! that you did but see and feel what I do! Come, and behold a dying man, more cheerful than ever you saw any healthful man in the midst of his sweetest enjoyments. Worldly pleasures are pitiful, poor, sorry things, compared with one glimpse of his glory which shines so strongly into my soul. Why should any of you be so sad, when I am so glad! This is the hour that I have waited for." About forty-eight hours before his dissolution he said again: "Praise is now my work, and I shall be engaged in that sweet employment for ever. Come, let us lift up our voice in praise. I have nothing else to do. I have done with prayer, and all other ordinances. I have almost done conversing with mortals. I shall presently be beholding Christ himself, that died for me, and loved me, and washed me in his blood. I shall in a few hours be in eternity, singing the song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb. I shall presently stand upon mount Sion with an innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. I shall hear the voice of much people, and be one amongst them who say-Hallelujah! salvation, glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God! And again we say, Hallelujah! Methinks I stand as it were one foot in heaven, and the other on earth. Methinks I hear the melody of heaven, and by faith I see the angels waiting to carry my soul to the bosom of Jesus, and I shall be for ever with the Lord in glory. And who can choose but rejoice in all this?" In such a rapturous strain as this he continued, full of praise, full of admiration, full of joy, till at length, with abundance of faith and fervency, he cried aloud: "Amen! Amen!" and soon after expired. (1) (1) Janeway arrived at these high attainments in the divine life, by a constant perusal of his Bible; a frequent perusal of Baxter's Saints Everlasting Rest, a book for which multitudes will have cause to bless God for ever; and by spending a due proportion of every day in secret prayer, and devout contemplation. Mirandola, who died in the flower of his age, after he had for some time quitted all his great employments under Charles the fifth, And now, with sentiments of the most benevolent and affectionate regard, for every human being, whether Jew, Turk, Infidel, Heretic, or Christian, I submit these reflections, concerning religion and was esteemed the most beautiful person of that age, and a man of the most exalted genius; and yet, after having read all that could be read, and learnt every thing that could then be learned, he wrote to his nephew, an officer in the army: “I make it my humble request to you, that you would not fail to read the holy Scriptures night and morning with great attention; for as it is our duty to meditate upon the law of God day and night, so nothing can be more useful; because there is in the holy Scriptures a celestial and efficacious power, inflaming the soul with divine fear and love." Spencer, though a man of dissipation in his youth, in his more advanced years entered into the interior of religion, and his two hymns on heavenly love, and heavenly beauty, hath expressed all the height and depth of Janeway's experience: "Then shalt thou feel thy spirit so possest, Kindled through sight of those fair things above." Spencer's religion was "a religion of feeling;" which is unquestionably the religion of the Bible. "Whom having not seen ye love; in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." This same devout and heavenly spirit breathes strongly in all the old authors. Augustine is famous for it; so were several others of the ancient fathers of the church. Thomas a Kempis is excelled by none in this way. Bernard is very pious. His hymn on the name Jesus is in a high strain of this kind. "Desidero te millies, Mi Jesus! quando venies? the Sacred Writings, to your most serious consideration. What impression they may make upon your minds, is known only to the God of the spirits of all flesh. (2) My earnest request to you, is, that you Augustine's hymn, which begins, "Ad perennis vitæ fontem is in the same strain; and has been imitated in that favourite old hymn recorded in the Pilgrim's Guide. "Jerusalem, my happy home, O that I were in thee; O would my woes were at an end, Thy joys that I might see!" &c. &c. Almost every thing of this kind, however, which has been left us by our forefathers, is written in a stile highly depraved, and is usually equally devout and superstitious. The pious reader, therefore, will be upon his guard in the perusal of such. authors, and take the good, and cast the bad away. The Bible alone is free from human weakness. (2) If the reader should find himself dissatisfied with this Plea for Religion and the Sacred Writings, let him by no means give up the cause as desperate, but rather let him lay it aside, and have recourse to those more able and explicit treatises, which I have occasionally recommended. Or, if he thinks himself capable of rendering a more effectual service to the cause of evangelical truth, let him take up his own pen, and confound the enemies of religion. Learned laymen, especially, should come forward in vindication of the gospel; since every thing which proceeds from the clergy on religion, is supposed to spring from a self-interested source. Wilberforce has done himself much honour. He is a bold and able advocate for a much injured cause. Nor less so is Miss Moore. She is a credit to her sex, and a blessing to her country. It is scarcely possible, however, for authors on this sub. ject to be too numerous. We are not wanting in clerical writers; but those who have treated on subjects purely religious, among the other ranks of society, are, comparatively few; and especially among the princes and nobles of the land. Walpole has given us a catalogue of the royal and noble authors of England, Scotland, and Ireland since the conquest; and he produces only, during all those ages, 10 English princes, 92 peers, and 14 peeresses. To these he adds 24 Scotch royal and noble authors, with 11 Irish peers: In all about 150; a small number, when it is considered they are usually the best educated men in the country. |