but he would answer such questions as are not in the Catechism with greater understanding than could be expected of one of his age 7. He took great delight in discoursing about the things of God and when my Friend had been either praying or reading expounding or repeating of Sermons he seemed very attentive and ready to receive the truths of God and would with incredible gravity diligence and affection wait till duties were ended to the no small joy and admiration of them which observed him 8. He would ask very excellent questions and discourse about the condition of his soul and heavenly things and seemed mightily concerned what should become of his soul when he should dye so that his discourse made some Christians even to stand astonished 9. He was greatly taken with the great kindness of Christ in dying for sinners and would be in tears at the mention of them and seemed at a strange rate to be affected with the unspeakable love of Christ 10. When no body hath been speaking to him he would burst out into tears and being asked the reason he would say that the very thoughts of Christs love to sinners in suffering for them made him that he could not but cry 11. Before he was six years old he made conscience of a secret duty and when he prayed it was with such extraordinary meltings that his eyes have looked red and sore with weeping by himself for his sin 12. He would be putting of Christians upon spiritual discourse vvhen he savv them and seemed little satisfied unless they vvere talking of good things 13. It s evident That this poor Childs thoughts vvere very much busied about the things of another vvorld for he vvould oftentimes be speaking to his Bed-fellovv as mid-night about the matter of his soul and when he could not sleep he would take heavenly conference to be sweeter than his appointed rest This was his usual custome and thus he would provoke and put forward an experienced Christian to spend waking hours in talk of God and the everlasting rest 14. Not long after this his good Mother died which went very near his heart for he greatly honoured his Mother 15. After the dead of his Mother he would often repeat some of the promises that are made unto Fatherless Children especially that in Exod. 22.22 Ye shall not afflict any Widow or the Fatherless Child if thou afflict them in any wise and they cry at all unto me I will surely hear their cry These words he would often repeat with tears and say I am Fatherless and Motherless upon Earth yet if any wrong me I have a Father in Heaven who will take my part to him I commit my self and in him is all my trust 16. Thus he continued in a course of holy duties living in the fear of God and shewed wonderful grace for a Child and died sweetly in the Faith of Jesus My friend is a judicious Christian of many years experience who was no ways related to him but a constant eye and ear-witness of his godly life and honourable and chearful death from whom I received this information EXAMPLE VII Of a notorious wicked child who was taken up from begging and admirably converted with an account of his holy Life and joyful Death when he was nine years old 1. A Very poor Child of the Parish of Newington-Butts came begging to the door of a dear Christian friend of mine in a very lamentable case so filthy and nasty that he would even have turned ones stomack to have looked on him But it pleased God to raise in the heart of my friend a great pity and tenderness towards this poor child so that in Charity he took him out of the streets whose Parents were unknown who had nothing at all in him to commend him to any ones Charity but his misery My friend eying the glory of God and the good of the immortal soul of this wretched Creature discharged the Parish of the Child and took him as his own designing to bring him up for the Lord Christ A noble piece of Charity And that which did make the kindness far the greater was that there seemed to be very little hopes of doing any good upon this Child for he was a very Monsier of wickedness and a thousand times more miserable and vile by his sin than by his poverty He was running to Hell as soon as he could go and was old in naughtiness when he was young in years and one shall scarce hear of one so like the Devil in his infancy as this poor Child was What sin was there that his age was capable of that he did not commit What by the corruption of his Nature and the abominable example of little beggar boyes he was arrived to a strange pitch of impiety He would call filthy Names take Gods Name in vain curse and swear and do almost all kind of mischief and as to any thing of God worse than an Heathen 2. But his sin and misery was but a stronger motive to that gracious man to pity him and to do all that possibly he could to pluck this fire-brand out of the fire and it was not long before the Lord was pleased to let him understand that he had a design of everlasting kindness upon the Soul of this poor child for no sooner had this good man taken this creature into his house but he prays for him and labours with all his might to convince him of his miserable condition by Nature and to teach him something of God the worth of his own Soul and that Eternity of Glory or Misery that he was born to and blessed be Free-grace it was not long before the Lord was pleased to let him understand that it was himself which put it into his heart to take in this Child that he might bring him up for Christ The Lord soon struck in with his godly instructions so that an amazing change was seen in the Child in a few weeks space he was soon convinced of the evil of his ways no more news now of his calling of Names Swearing or Cursing no more taking of the Lords Name in vain now he is civil and respectful and such a strange alteration was wrought in the child that all the Parish that rung of his villany before was now ready to talk of his reformation his company his talk his imployment is now changed and he is like another creature so that the glory of Gods Free-grace began already to shine in him 3. And this change was not only an eternal one and to be discerned abroad but he would get by himself and weep and mourn bitterly for his horrible wicked life as might easily be perceived by them that lived in the house with him 4. It was the great care of his godly Master to strike in with those convictions which the Lord had made and to improve them all he could and he was not a little glad to see that his labour was not
These Three Books of the same Author Mr. James Janeway are Printed for and Sold by Dorman Newman HEaven upon Earth or the best friend in the worst of times The third Edition enlarged Price 2 s. 6 d. Death unstung a Sermon Preacht at the Funeral of Thomas Mousley an Apothecary With a brief Narrative of his Life and Death also the manner of Gods dealings with Him before and after his Conversion Drawn up by his own hand Price 1 s. A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of Thomas Savage Price 4 d. A TOKEN FOR CHILDREN BEING An Exact Account of the Conversion Holy and Exemplary Lives and Joyful Deaths of several young Children By James Janeway Minister of the Gospel Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God Mark 10.14 LONDON Printed for Dorman Newman at the Kings Arms at the Corner of Grocers Alley in the Poultrey 1676. To all Parents School-masters and School-Mistresses or any that have any hand in the Education of Children Dear Friends I Have oft thought that Christ speaks to you as Pharaoh's Daughter did to Moses's Mother Take this Child and Nurse it for me O Sirs consider what a precious Jewel is committed to your charge what an advantage you have to shew your love to Christ to stock the next Generation with Noble Plants and what a joyful account you may make if you be faithful Remember Souls Christ and Grace cannot be over-valued I confess you have some disadvantages but let that only excite your diligence the Salvation of Souls the commendation of your Master the greatness of your reward and everlasting glory will pay for all Remember the Devil is at work hard wicked ones are industrious and a corrupt nature is a rugged knotty piece to hew but be not discouraged I am almost as much afraid of your laziness and unfaithfulness as any thing Do but fall to work lustily and who knows but that rough stone may prove a Pillar in the Temple of God In the Name of the living God as you will answer in shortly at his Bar I command you to be faithful in Instructing and Catechizing your young ones If you think I am too peremptory I pray read the command from my Master himself Deut. 6.7 Is not the duty clear and dare you neglect so direct a Command Are the Souls of your Children of no value Are you willing that they should be Brands of Hell Are you indifferent whether they be Damned or Saved shall the Devil run away with them without controul Will not you use your utmost endeavour to deliver them from the wrath to come you see that they are not Subjects uncapable of the Grace of God whatever you think of them Christ doth not slight them they are not too little to dye they are not too little to go to Hell they are not too little to serve their great Master too little to go to Heaven For of such is the Kingdom of God And will not a possibility of their Conversion and Salvation put you upon the greatest diligence to teach them Or are Christ and Heaven and Salvation small things with you If they be then indeed I have done with you but if they be not I beseech you lay about you with all your might the Devil knows your time is going apace it will shortly be too late O therefore what you do do quickly and do it I say with all your might O pray pray pray and live holily before them and take some time daily to speak a little to your Children one by one about their miserable condition by Nature I knew a Child that was converted by this sentence from a godly School-mistress in the Country Every Mothers Child of you are by Nature Children of wrath Put your Children upon Learning their Catechism and the Scriptures and getting to pray and weep by themselves after Christ take heed of their company take heed of pardoning a lye take heed of letting them mispend the Sabbath put them I beseech you upon imitating these sweet Children let them Read this Book over an hundred times and observe how they are affected and ask them what they think of those Children and whether they would not be such and follow what you do with earnest cries to God and be in travel to see Christ formed in their Souls I have prayed for you I have oft prayed for your Children and I love them dearly and I have prayed over these papers that God would strike in with them and make them effectual to the good of their Souls Incourage your Children to read this Book and lead them to improve it What is presented is faithfully taken from experienced solid Christians some of them no way related to the Children who themselves were Eye and Ear-witnesses of God's works of Wonder or from my own knowledg or from Reverend godly Ministers and from Persons that are of unspotted reputation for Holiness Integrity and Wisdom and several passages are taken verbatim in writing from their dying Lips I may add many other excellent Examples if I have any encouragement in this Piece That the young generation may be far more excellent than this is the Prayer of one that dearly loves little Children James Janeway A PREFACE Containing DIRECTIONS TO CHILDREN YOV may now hear my dear Lambs what other good Children have done and remember how they wept and prayed by themselves how earnestly they cryed out for an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ May you not read how dutiful they were to their Parents How diligent at their Books how ready to learn the Scripture and their Catechisms Can you forget what Questions they were wont to ask How much they feared a lye how much they abhorred naughty company how holy they lived how dearly they were loved how joyfully they died But tell me my dear Children and tell me truly Do you do as these Children did Did you ever see your miserable state by Nature Did you ever get by your self and weep for sin and pray for grace and pardon Did you ever go to your Father and Mother or Master or Mistress and beg of them to pity you and pray for you and to teach you what you shall do to be saved what you shall do to get Christ Heaven and Glory Dost thou love to be taught good things Come tell me truly my dear Child for I would fain do what I can possibly to keep thee from falling into everlasting Fire I would fain have you one of those little ones which Christ will take into his Arms and bless How dost thou spend thy time is it in play and Idleness and with wicked Children Dare you take Gods Name in vain or swear or tell a lie Dare you do any thing which your Parents forbid you and neglect to do what they command you Do you dare to run up and down upon the Lords day or do you keep in to read your book and to learn what your
Vision of Angels When he was out of his Trance he was in a little pett and asked his Nurse why she did not let him go go whither child said she why along with those brave Gentlemen said he but they told me they would come and fetch me away for all you upon Friday next And he doubled his words many times upon Friday next those brave Gentlemen will come for me and upon that day the Child dyed joyfully 21. He was very thankful to his Master and very sensible of his great kindness in taking him up out of the streets when he was a begging and he admired at the goodness of God which put it into the mind of a stranger to look upon and to take such fatherly care of such a pitiful sorry creature as he was O my dear Mother said he and child of God I hope to see you in Heaven for I am sure you will go thither O blessed blessed be God that made you to take pity upon me for I might have dyed and have gone to the Devil and have been damned for ever if it had not been for you 22. The Thursday before he dyed he asked a very godly friend of mine what he thought of his condition and whither his soul was now going for he said he could not still but fear least he should deceive himself with false hopes at which my friend spoke to him thus Child for all that I have endeavoured to hold forth the grace of God in Christ to thy Soul and given you a warrant from the Word of God that Christ is as freely offered to you as to any sinner in the world if thou art but willing to accept of him thou mayest have Christ and all that thou dost want with him and yet thou givest way to these thy doubtings and fears as though I told thee nothing but lyes Thou sayest thou fearest that Christ will not accept of thee I fear thou art not heartily willing to accept of him The Child answered indeed I am Why then Child if thou art unfeignedly willing to have Christ I tell thee he is a thousand times more willing to have thee and wash thee and save thee than thou art to desire it And now at this time Christ offers himself freely to thee again therefore receive him humbly by Faith into thy heart and bid him welcome for he deserveth it Upon which words the Lord discovered his love to the Child and he gave a kind of a leap in his bed and snapt his fingers and thumb together with abundance of joy as much as to say Well yea all is well the match is made Christ is willing and I am willing too and now Christ is mine and I am his for ever And from that time forward in full joy and assurance of Gods love he continued earnestly praising God with desiring to die and be with Christ And on Friday morning he sweetly went to rest using that very expression Into thy hands Lord I commit my spirit He died punctually at that time which he had spoke of and in which he expected those Angels to come to him he was not much above nine years old when he dyed This Narrative I had from a judicious holy man un-related to him who was an eye and ear-witness to all these things FINIS A TOKEN FOR CHILDREN The Second Part. BEING A farther Account of the Conversion Holy and exemplary Lives and Joyful Deaths of several other young Children not published in The First Part. By James Janeway Minister of the Gospel Psal 8.2 Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings host thou ordained strength LONDON Printed for D. Newman at the Kings Arms at the Corner of Grocers Alley in the Poultrey 1673. A PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader IN the former part of my Tokens for Children I did in part promise that if that piece met with kind entertainment it might be followed with a second of the same nature If it did not seem a little to savour of vanity I might tell the World what encouragement I have met with in this Work but this I will only say that I have met with so much as hath perswaded me to give this little Book leave to go abroad into the World I am not also ignorant what Discouragement I may meet with from some but as long as I am sure I shall not meet with this that it 's improbable if not impossible that it should save a Soul I think the rest may easily be answered or warrantably slighted But because I am perswaded by some that one Example in the former viz. that of a Child that began to be serious between two and three years old was scarce credible and they did fear might somewhat prejudice the authority of the rest I shall say something to answer that They which make this Objection are either good or bad if bad I expect never to satisfie them except I should tell them of a Romance or a Play or somewhat that might suit a carnal mind it is like holiness in older persons is a matter of contempt and scorn to them much more in such as these I mention The truth of it is it is no wonder at all to me that the Subjects of Satan should not be very well pleased with that whose design is to undermine the interest of their great Master nothing will satisfie some except Christ and holiness may be degraded and vilified But hold sinner hold never hope it Heaven shall never be turned into Hell for thy sake and as for all thy Atheistical Objections Scoffs and Jeers they shall ere long be fully answered and the Hosannah's and Hallelujah's of these Babes shall condemn thy Oaths Blasphemies and Jeers and then thou wilt be silenced and accept converting Grace turn thy heart quickly thou wilt for ever rue thy madness and Folly when it is too late to remedy it But if the Persons that make this Objection be godly I question not but that I may give them reasonable satisfaction First consider who it is that I had that example from It was one Mrs. Jeofries in Long-Lane in Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Parish in the County of Surry a woman of that same in the Church of Christ for her exemplary Piety Wisdom Experience and singular watchfulness over every punctilio that she speaks that I question not but that her name is precious to most of the Ministers of London at least in the Burrough and as a reverend Divine said Such a Mother in Israel her single Testimony about London is of as much authority almost as any one single Ministers And having since discoursed this matter with her she calls God to witness that she hath spoken nothing but the Truth only in this she failed in that she spake not by far so much as she might have done concerning that sweet Babe I might add that I have since that seen a godly gentleman out of the Countrey that did profess to me that he had seen as
Ministers of the place to be publickly instructed and catechised 2. It pleased the Lord to bless holy education the good example of her Parents and catechising to the good of her Soul so that she soon had a true savour and relish of what she was taught and made an admirable use of it in a time of need as you shall hear afterwards 3. She was a Child of great dutifulness to her Parents and of a very sweet humble spiritual nature and not only the truth but the power and eminency of Religion did shine in her so clearly that she did not only comfort the hearts of her Parents but drew the admiration of all that were witnesses of Gods works of love upon her and may well be proposed as a pattern not only to Children but to persons of riper years 4. She continued in a course of Religious Duties for some considerable time so that her life was more excellent than most Christians but in her last sickness she excelled her self and her deportment was so admirable that partly through wonder and astonishment and partly through sorrow many observable things were past by without committing to paper which deserved to have been written in letters of gold But take these which follow as some of many which were taken from her dying lips and first published by religious and judicious Christians in Dutch afterward translated into Scotch and with a little alteration of the stile for the benefit of English Children brought into this form by me 5. In the month of August 1664. When the Pestilence raged so much in Holland this sweet Child was smitten and as soon as she felt herself very ill she was said to break forth with abundance of sense and feeling in these following words If thy Law were not my delight I should perish in my affliction 6. Her Father coming to her to encourage her in her sickness said to her be of good comfort my Child for the Lord will be near to thee and us under this heavy and sore Trial he will not forsake us though he chasten us Yea father said she our heavenly Father doth Chasten us for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness no chastisement seemeth for the present to be joyous but grievous but afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised thereby The Lord is now chastening of me upon this sick bed but I hope he will bless it so to me as to cause it to yield to me that blessed fruit according to the riches of his mercies which fail not 7. After this she spake to God with her eyes lift up to Heaven saying Be merciful to me O Father be merciful to me a sinner according to thy word 8. Then looking upon her sorrowful Parents she said It is said Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee and he will never suffer the righteous to be moved Therefore my dear father and mother cast all your care upon him who causes all things to go well that do concern you 9. Her mother said unto her O my dear child I have no small comfort from the Lord in thee and the fruit of his grace whereby thou hast been so much exercised unto godliness in reading the Word in Prayer and gracious Discourse to the edification of thy self and us The Lord himself who gave thee to us make up this loss if it be his pleasure to take thee away from us 10. Dear mother said she though I leave you and you me yet God will never leave us for it is 〈◊〉 Can a woman forget her sucking Child that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her womb yet will not I forget thee behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands O comfortable words both for mother and children Mark dear Mother how fast the Lord keepes and holdeth his people that he doth even grave them upon the palms of his hands Though I must part with you and you with me yet blessed be God he will never part either from you or me 11. Being weary with much speaking she desired to rest a while but after a little time awaking again her father asked her how it was with her She made no direct answer but asked what day it was her father said it was the Lords day Well then said she have you given up my name to be remembred in the publick Prayers of the Church Her father told her he had I have learnt said she that the effectual fervent Prayer of the righteous availeth much 12. She had a very high esteem for the faithful Ministers of Christ and much desired their company where she was but knowing the hazards that such a visit might expose them and the Church to she would by no means suffer that the Ministers should come near her person but chose rather to throw her self upon the armes of the Lord and to improve that knowledge she had in the Word and her former experience and the visits of private Christians and those which the Church had appointed in such cases to visit and comfort the sick 13. One of those which came to visit her was of very great use to her to comfort her and lift her up in some measure above the fears of death 14. Though young she was very much concerned for the interest of God and Religion for Gospel Ministers and for the Sins and the Decay of the power of Godliness in her own Countrey which will further appear by what may follow 15. Her father coming in to her found her in an extraordinary passion of weeping and askt her what was the cause of her great sorrow She answered have I not cause to weep when I hear that Domine de Wit was taken sick this day in his Pulpit and went home very ill Is not this a sad sign of Gods displeasure to our Countrey when God smiteth such a faithful Pastor 16. She had a high valuation of God and could speak in David's language whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I can desire in comparison of thee She was much lifted up above the fears of Death what else was the meaning of such expressions as these O how do I long even as the Heart panteth after the water brooks so my soul panteth after thee O God for God the living God when shall I come and appear before God 17. She was a great hater of sin and did with much grief and self-abhorrency reflect upon it but that which lay most upon her heart was the Corruption of her Nature and Original Sin How oft would she cry out in the words of the Psalmist Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me and I was altogether born in sin She could never lay her self low enough under a sense of that Original Sin which she brought with her into the world 18. She spake many things very judiciously of the