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From this fainting fit, however, the Lord was pleased to relieve him; and for several weeks after, his soul was so devoutly engaged in the contemplation of the love of Christ, and the adoring exercises of Heaven, that he forgot, in a great measure, his pains and indisposition. His faith, love, and joy, exceedingly abounding, he frequently exclaimed, “O that I could but express the joy and sweet satisfaction I find in Christ, you would then be constrained, all of you, to make religion the chief business of your whole lives. O my dear friends, you little know, you little imagine, what Christ is worth to a poor unworthy and guilty sinner on his death-bed.”
A friend who visited Mr Janeway, observed that the Lord might yet restore him to health and usefulness in His Church for a long time to come. “And do you think to please me with this? (said he) — No, my friend, you are quite mistaken; the world has no pleasure in reserve for me. How poor and contemptible is it in all its glory! How unsatisfying are all its enjoyments! How precarious are its blessings, and how fallacious are all its promises and prospects, when contrasted with that world to which I am travelling, and already in sight of, and with the inhabitants of which I long to associate. Dear mother, (said he) I as earnestly request you as ever I requested the throne of mercy in your behalf, that you will freely and cheerfully give me over to Christ. Why that desponding countenance, these untimely tears of sorrow? I only go before you to that haven of rest to which you are directing your course; and can you think of detaining me, now that I am going to the complete and eternal possession of a kingdom that cannot be moved? Would you keep me back from my crown? The arms of my Saviour are ready to embrace me, the angels are in waiting to transport my soul to the New Jerusalem, and the Tree of Life. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. O why are His chariots so long in coming? Wherefore tarry the wheels of His chariots? As he experienced the intermissions of these triumphant exultations, he cried out, “What! wilt thou, canst thou, thus unworthily slight this astonishing condescension of thy God? Hold faith and patience, yet a little longer, and your work is finished.” One of his brothers having prayed with him, his joy became unutterable, he broke out in unbounded strains of heavenly rapture, “Stand still, and wonder, O my friends (said he) was there ever a more sensible manifestation of rich and sovereign grace? Come, look on a dying man, and wonder. Why me, Lord, why me? Surely this is a-kin to Heaven! Is this dying? If so, it is sweet, O it is sweet! Christ’s arms, His love, and the gracious smiles of His countenance, would change hell into Heaven! O that you could but see and feel what I now do! Behold a dying man more cheerful than ever you have seen a man in the greatest health and worldly enjoyment. O, sirs, worldly pleasures are poor, pitiful, sorry things.”
Mr Janeway took his leave of his friends every night, expecting to see them no more till the morning of the resurrection, exhorting them all to make sure of a comfortable meeting in a better world. “O (said he) help me to praise God. henceforth to eternity I shall have nothing to do but love, praise, and adore my God and Redeemer. I have had my soul’s desire on earth. I know not what I could pray for, which I have not already received. The wants capable of being supplied in this world have all been furnished me. I want only one thing more, and that is, a speedy lift to HEAVEN. I expect no more here; I desire no more; I can hold no more. He hath pardoned all my sins, He hath filled me with the joy of His salvation, He hath given me grace and glory, and no good thing has He with-held from me. All ye mighty angels, help, O help me to praise God. Let every thing that hath being assist me in this delightful exercise. Praise is my work now, and will be for ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”
During his sickness, he found the Word of God sweet and pleasant to his soul, more particularly the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of John’s Gospel, and the fifty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, often repeating these words, With great mercy will I gather thee. A short time before his death, he said, “I have almost done with conversing among men; I shall presently behold Christ Himself, who loved me, and washed me from my sins in His own blood. In a few hours I shall join the innumerable company of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect, and take part in their triumphant song — And who can help rejoicing in all this?” The day before his death, his brother James having prayed with him, he said, “Dear brother, I thank thee for thy love; I know thou lovest me; but Christ loves me infinitely more. Come, brother, kiss me before I die.” Having kissed the clay-cold lips of the dying man, he said, “I go before thee to Glory, and I hope thou wilt follow me, in due time, to that land of quietness and assurance for ever.” A few hours before his departure, he called together his mother, sisters, and brethren, to give them his last admonitions, and pray with them before he departed. His affectionate mother being first called, he thanked her for her love and tender concern for him, and desired her to labour to have Christ formed in the hearts of her children, that they might all meet together with joy at last in Heaven. He prayed that his elder brother might be wholly taken up with Christ and the salvation of men; that he might be holy in his life and successful in his ministry, and hold fast, that no man take from him his crown. For his brother Andrew, living in London, he prayed, “That God would deliver him from the sins of the city, and make him a fellow-citizen of the saints, and of the household of faith; and, oh! said he, that he may be, as his name imports, a strong man, and that I may one day meet him in heaven. Brother James, said he, I hope God has given thee a goodly heritage, the lines have fallen to thee in pleasant places. The Lord is thy portion; hold on, dear brother, Christ and Heaven are worth the contending for; and may the Lord give thee abundance of His grace.” To his brother, Abraham, he said, “May the blessing of the God of Abraham rest upon thee, and make thee father of many spiritual children.” To his brother, Joseph, he said, “Let him bless thee, O Joseph, who blessed him that was separated from his brethren; my heart hath been long working towards thee, poor Joseph; and I am not without hopes that the everlasting arm will support thee. The God of thy Father bless thee.” To his sister, Mary, he said, “Poor Mary, thy body is weak, and thy life will be filled with bitterness. The Lord sweeten all with his grace and peace, and give thee health of soul. Be patient, secure an interest in the favour of God, and all shall yet be well. Sister Sarah, said he, thy body is healthful and vigorous, may thy soul also be healthful and active in the work and ways of the Lord; and O may He make thee a pattern of modesty and humility, of holiness, charity, and all christian virtues.” To his brother, Jacob, he said, “The Lord make thee an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Mayest thou wrestle with God for a blessing, and prevail.” Of his younger brother, Benjamin, an infant, he said, “Poor little Benjamin, O that the Father of the fatherless would take care of thee; and as thou hast never seen thy father on earth, may you see him with joy in Heaven. The Lord be thy Father and portion.” He then said to them all, “O that none of us may be found on the left hand of Christ, when He cometh the second time, without sin, unto salvation. O that we may, all of us, appear with our honoured father and dear mother amongst the ransomed from the power of death, that they may be enabled to say, Lo, here are we, and the children thou hast graciously given us. And now, my dear mother, brethren and sisters, farewell. I leave you a short time, and commend you to God and the word of His grace, which is able to build you up in holiness and comfort, and give you an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading. And now, Lord, my work on earth is finished; I have fought the good fight; I have run the race that was set before me; I have pressed towards the mark for the prize; and, O Lord what wait I for, but Thy call to take possession of the crown of righteousness Thou hast awarded to all who love Thy second appearance. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” Having thus exhausted what little strength remained, he spoke no more, but almost instantly expired, June, 1657, and in the twenty-fourth year of his age. ‘When the Memoir of this extraordinary young man was originally published, the authenticity of the narrative was attested by four eminent presbyterian divines. Wood denominated Mr Janeway, a zealous presbyterian. His three brothers, William, James, and Abraham, were all non-conformists, and ejected in 1662.