_His great love to prayer._
HE was mighty in prayer, and his spirit was oftentimes so transported
in it that he forgot the weakness of his own body. Indeed the
acquaintance he had with God was so sweet, and his converse with him so
frequent, that when he was engaged in duty, he scarce knew how to leave
off. His constant course for some years was this. He prayed at least
three times a day in secret, sometimes seven times, twice a day in the
family or college. And he found the sweetness of it beyond imagination
and enjoyed wonderful communion with God. He could say by experience,
that the ways of wisdom were ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
peace. He knew what it was to wrestle with God, and he could scarce
come off his knees, without his blessing. He was used to converse
with God, with a _holy familiarity_ as a _friend_, and would upon all
occasions run to him for advice, and had many strange and immediate
answers of prayer. One of which I think it not impertinent to give an
account of.
His father Mr. _William Janeway_, minister of _Kelshall_ in
_Hertfordshire_, being sick, and under dark apprehensions as to the
state of his soul, he would often say to his son _John_: “Oh! Son! This
passing into eternity is a great thing, this dying is a solemn business,
and enough to make one’s heart ake, that hath not his evidences for
heaven clear. And truly, son, I am under no small fears, as to my own
estate for another world. Oh! That God would clear his love! Oh! that
I could say chearfully, I can upon good grounds be able to look death
in the face, and venture upon eternity with well grounded peace and
comfort.”
Seeing his father continuing under despondings of spirit (though no
Christians that knew him but had a high esteem of his uprightness)
he got by himself and spent sometime in wrestling with God, earnestly
begging that he would speedily give him some token for good, that he
might joyfully and honourably leave this world. After he was risen
from his knees, he came down to his father, and asked him, how he felt
himself. His father made no answer for sometime, but wept exceedingly,
(a passion he was not subject to) and continued for some considerable
time weeping, so that he was not able to speak. But at last having
recovered himself, he burst out: “O! Son! now it is come, it is come,
it is come: I bless God I can die; the spirit of God hath witnessed
with my spirit that I am his child. Now I can look up to God as my dear
Father, and Christ as my redeemer; I can now say, this is my friend,
and this is my beloved. My heart is full, it is brim full, I can hold
no more. I know now what that sentence means, The peace of God which
passeth understanding; I know now what that white stone is wherein a
new name is written, which none know but them that have it, and that
fit of weeping which you saw me in, was from overpowering love and
joy, so great that I could not contain myself: neither can I express
what glorious discoveries God hath made of himself to me. And had that
joy been greater, I question whether it would not have separated soul
and body. Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless
his holy name, that hath pardoned all my sins, and sealed the pardon.
He hath healed my wounds, and caused the bones which he had broken to
rejoice. Oh! help me to bless the Lord, he hath put a new song into my
mouth: now I can die! It is nothing, I bless God I can die. I desire to
be dissolved and to be with Christ.” You may well think his son’s heart
was not a little refreshed to meet the messenger that he had sent to
heaven returned back so speedily.
After the death of his father, he did what he could to supply his
absence, doing the part of a husband, son, and brother; so that he was
no small comfort to his poor mother in her disconsolate state, and all
the rest of his relations, that had any sense of God upon their spirits.