ed, Christ he commended. And how did he rejoice when any that before rejected the Lord Jesus were persuaded to give their consents to him." The discourse itself is throughout an excellent specimen of Puritanic simplicity and power. It displays, moreover, a great deal of ingenuity. At the close of it he enters into considerable detail respecting his character and the circumstances of his death, the fidelity of which we cannot question. These sketches are fraught with an interest that will more than justify their transcription.

"What I have to say concerning my dear deceased brother, I shall speak in this order. I shall tell you wherein the Lord made him to excel in his lifetime, and what his carriage was at his departure.

"For the first there are those following particulars very remarkable.

"1. Great was the sweetness of his natural temper and disposition. And his excellence of nature was very much heightened and ennobled by the grace of God. He was far from moroseness and bitterness of spirit; candour was to be discerned in his very countenance, and by conversing with him it was much more apparent; and in his kindness and affa bility, and proneness to oblige, he had a design of good upo1. souls, for he knew he could not more oblige any than to endeavour their eternal welfare.

"2. He made it his business to be religious. He practised himself what he preached to others, and was a follower of Christ, as he exhorted others to follow him His works were good as well as his words; and oh, how oft and seriously did he lift up his soul to God, desiring nothing more than to be a man and pastor after the heart of the Lord!

"3. He was a serious mourner for the decays of godliness in this backsliding age. How would he mention the old Puritan strictness and circumspection, and bewail the excesses and licentiousness of professors!

"4. His heart was inflamed with love to Christ. And though his affections were so strong and vehement, yet they were still aspiring higher. His expressions sometimes showed unusual raptures and ecstacies of love. He would beg that he might equal Paul or John, nay, the very seraphims, in loving, that he might be sick and die of love. Blessed soul, thou

hast now thy fill! Thou lovest thy Lord now, and enjoyest this love to the uttermost of thy capacity!

"5. His bowels of compassion yearned towards immortal souls. He knew the worth of his own, and the souls of others; and as he was acquainted with the value of souls, so he was sensible of their danger. How earnestly would he warn them to flee from future wrath! How eagerly and sweetly would he woo them to give their consents to be espoused to Christ! How admirably would he expostulate with them concerning their egregious folly in refusing! He pitied the souls of all,old and young; nay, he was deeply concerned for little chil dren: witness those books which he styles tokens for them.

"6 He laboured abundantly, spending himself in his Master's work. If he had wrought less, he might in all probability have lived longer; but he chose rather, like the candle, to consume, that he might give light to others. He preached, he visited, he catechised; he was instant in season, out of season; and truly the Lord honoured him exceedingly in making him instrumental to convert the profane, to strengthen the weak in grace, to speak comfortable and healing words to the distressed and wounded in their spirits.

"7. He was a man mighty in prayer. There was an elegant (eloquent?) fluency in his expression, both when he prayed and preached; but, oh, the spiritual and heavenly matter was most to be admired. Augustine tells us of a certain person who prayed as if he would expirare orando-breathe out his very soul and life in prayer, and adds, quas tuorum preces si non has exandis. What supplications will be prevalent if not such as these? This may be applied to my brother Janeway. He was a mighty wrestler with God, and would not be put off without a blessing.

"8. He was much for unity and love. Though, according as it was foretold, love is grown so cold in most, it was warm in him. He followed peace as well as holiness, and was of a inost yielding spirit, ready, as far as he might, to comply with any, rather than a breach should be or be continued.

"9. He abounded in works of charity, having seriously pondered that saying of our Lord, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' As he was liberal in imparting the treasure of the gospel, so of his own substance which God had given

him. It was his constant course, whatever he received, to give two shillings in the pound, that is, the tenth, unto good uses. He endeavoured to persuade others to be charitable. The widows and the fatherless had a great interest in his compassions, and may well bewail his departure, by whom now they can be no more relieved.

"10. Which crowned all his other excellences, he was exceeding humble. He was much in praising, admiring, and adoring God, and had very low thoughts of himself, and in honour preferred others before himself. He would say he was the least of ministers, less than the least of all saints.

"In these particulars you have something of his character, but the half has not been told you; yet enough has been said to make you sensible how heavy the stroke was which took him away. The loss of him is not only his relations' loss, but Redriff's (Rotherhithe's) loss, London's loss, England's loss, the church's loss; for he was of such a public spirit that all are like to miss him.

"In the next place, I am to speak of his carriage at his death.

"He had a great conflict with Satan somewhile before his leaving the world; and truly I do not wonder that the devil should buffet him who had with such vigour and success endeavoured to overthrow his kingdom. To prepare him for the encounter, the Lord at first did shine upon his soul, and gave him some assurance that heaven was his inheritance. But afterwards there intervened a cloud, and Satan's chain was lengthened. That lion roared upon him, and endeavoured to disturb his peace. The great thing he blamed himself for was his aptness to slubber over private duties, since he was so much engaged in public work. The accuser of the brethren was very fierce in his accusations, and so far prevailed, that Mr. Janeway cried out, I am at infinite uncertain ties as to my future state. I thought I had been sincere, but Satan tells me I have been a hypocrite; and then added, Whatever you do, do not dally in religion; it is only godliness in the power of it that can strengthen against the fear of death. Satan would not yet give over, but having begun to batter his faith, gives a fresh assault; then, with a mournful voice, he cried out, Eternity! Eternity! Eternity! Infinite! Infinite!

Infinite! Everlasting! Everlasting! Everlasting! A relation that stood by added, An eternity of glory! To which he replied, Of horror! of horror! unspeakable horror!

"This was his conflict, and truly it was a sore one. But after this blackest darkness followed the break of day. Satan prevailed so far, that he might be the more remarkably foiled, for the God of peace did 'tread the evil one under his feet.' The Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, did visit him, and bare witness with his spirit that he was a child of God, and helped him to discern and look back upon the uprightness of his heart with satisfaction.

"Not long before he died, he blessed God for the assurance of his love, and said, He could now as easily die as shut his eyes; and added, Here am I longing to be silent in the dust, and enjoying Christ in glory. I long to be in the arms of Jesus. It is not worth while to weep for me. Then, remembering how busy the devil had been about him, he was exceeding thankful to God for his goodness in rebuking him.

"Afterwards, he brake forth, saying, though so weak, with a loud voice, Amen! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! and desired others to join with him; which they not presently doing, he added, James Janeway is the only singer. He was quickly seized upon with another rapture of joy, and thus expressed it, Millions of praises to the most high Jehovah! Heaven and earth praise him! Ye mountains and hills praise him! All his hosts praise him! All ye saints bless him, who hath visited us in our low estate, and redeemed us unto himself! All must be ascribed to free grace, from the beginning to the end.

"Then he begged of God that he would bless his people, and take away animosities and names of division from among them. These were the last words which he was heard to speak distinctly.

"Thus triumphantly he went to glory. Thus an abundant entrance was administered to him into the everlasting kingdom! But if his joy and praises were such before he was got quite thither, when he was actually come within heaven's gate, and first saw the Lord face to face, oh, who can conceive his joy and wonder!"

To some persons it may seem mysterious that so eminent a servant of Jesus Christ should have been so agonized, as the

previous account represents him to have been, with apprehensions of an awful eternity, and with suspicions of his own sincerity in religion. But all Christians are more or less subjected to the temptations of Satan, and often the more exalted the character, the more severe is the trial. In general this may have a tendency to produce beneficial searchings of heart, and to perfect piety, by inducing watchfulness, increasing diligence and prayer. It is part of that parental discipline by which our heavenly Father trains his children for heaven, and detaches their too deeply rooted affections from the soil of earth. Rough is the instrument indeed, but kind the purpose, that plucks them up, for their predestined transplantation to a better place and more congenial skies. And they learn not to repine, and not to mistake his gracious dealings, when they realize the effects in their happy experience. Consistently with the same principle in the divine proceedings, he suffers Satan to molest, in some instances, their dying hours-it may be, to exterminate some latent evil, to subdue yet unextinguished pride, to conquer some self-seeking passion, or to give an intensity of feeling to the hour of final triumph, which shall clear the mind of every past apprehension, every recent consideration, and tend to the confirmation of religion in sur viving friends and a distant posterity.

But we have not unfrequently to encounter an objection of a different kind, when the world, or even professing Christians insinuate the charge of enthusiasm against the sublime ardour of an impassioned religion. On this subject we may quote the observations of a distinguished writer, in his brief preface to the modern edition of John Janeway's life, as equally appli cable to the closing scene of James, as just narrated. "I am aware that some will object to the strain of devout ecstacy which characterizes the sentiments and language of Mr. Jane way in his dying moments; but I am persuaded they will meet with nothing, however ecstatic and elevated, but what corresponds to the dictates of Scripture and the analogy of faith. He who recollects that the Scriptures speak of a peace which passeth all understanding, and of a joy unspeakable and full of glory, will not be offended at the lively expressions of those contained in this narrative; he will be more disposed to lament the low state of his own religious feeling, than to suspect the