PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Thomas Manton — Volume 14
Thomas Manton · 322,013 words · 314 reading sections
Section 181
By promises are meant things promised. They must receive the promise, or else there were no room for faith. Some take iira^p/ekia^ for the spiritual promises ; these they saw but in figure, or afar off. Temporal promises they had of a numerous posterity, the calling of the gentiles ; an heir, Christ ; an inheritance, C…
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Vi':n. 13.] SERMONS upon Hebrews xi. 283 for duties and afflictions ; but we are careless of things to come. But when we come to die faith is exercised about things to come ; then it is put to the push to meet and grapple with the great and last enemy, death. Then we come to receive the great promise of our final esta…
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4. There are most conflicts at death ; sin is revived, and fears are revived. A man is never so serious as then ; now we come to feel what we never felt before. Christ bids us come to him, as he did Peter on the waters, then if ever we have need of faith. And Satan is most busy now, as dying beasts bite shrewdly ; Sata…
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286 SERMONS uroN HEBREWS XI. [Ser. XLY. fool, this night thy soul shall be reqirired of thee ! ' They do not com- mend their souls into the hands of God, but God requireth it of them. A wicked man would fain hold out a little longer, but God will not suffer him ; the Lord puts his bond in suit, he requireth their soul…
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[4.] Meditate on the happiness into which you are entering. Stephen's eyes were opened — ' And he looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,' Acts vii. 55. Whether in vision, or by ecstasy and the elevation of faith, I dispute not ; I only urge it for this,…
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VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 289 fication of the Spirit he puts on the robes of glory. And it is a sad thing to die and not to be at peace with God, when death surpriseth us with our weapons of defiance in our liands. When a town is taken by storm, if there be pity shown to children and aged persons, yet thoy die…
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1. We had need make trial of that faith we must die by. In hello non licet his -peccare. Have you tried your faith ? A man had need have experiences of the strength of his faith, and of the truth of Grod's word, that the word of the Lord is a tried word. Hath it been thy practice to make trial of promises all the days …
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Use 1. Eeproof. 1. It reproves those that live as if they should never die, and then they die as if they should never live ; they fill up the measure of their sins, and so do but provide matter for despair, and horror, and agonies on their deathbeds ; for at their latter end they shall taste the fruit of their own doi…
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1 Because of the advantage it hath in the promises ; for consider what the promises are in three things. [1.] They are the eruption and overflowings of God's love. God's heart is so big with love to his people, that it cannot stay till the accomplishment of things ; but his love breaks out and overflows in the promise…
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2. Because of the work of faith upon the heart of a believer. There is not only a work of faith upon the promise, but a work of faith upon the heart of a believer. [1.] It calms the affections and deadeneth the heart to present enjoyments. Carnal affections must have things present and pleasing to sense — ' Demas hath…
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Again, in spiritual distresses, though you feel no comfort aud quick- ening, yet you have his word. Men cast anchor in the dark, and a child takes his father by the hand in the dark ; can you stick to God in the dark ? Though you see nothing, yet can you clea\e close to him, and wait and stay upon his name ? In the abs…
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Secondly, More particularly, I shall speak to the several acts of faith, and they are three — 1. Apprehension — Theij saiu them afar off. 2. Firm assent — They loere persuaded of them. 3. Affection — They embraced them. First, The first act of faith is apprehension of the blessings — ' They saw them afar off.' Henc…
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Secondly. The second act of faith in and upon the promises in firm assent, Treto-^eWe?, — ' They were persuaded of them.' From hence I observe — Doci. Faith is persuaded of the certainty of the blessings which it beholdeth in the promises. That there is a firmness of assent and persuasion in faith, these 300 SERMONS…
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[4.] Because of the many experiences of his faith fulness, the saints have been witnesses of God's fidelity : Ps. xviii. 30, ' The word of the Lord is tried.' Never any had to do with God, but they have beeii witnesses of his truth. There is more than letters and syllables in the promises ; there is comfort, support, l…
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VeR. 13.] SEKMONS UPOX HEBREWS XI. 303 not be so coldly affected as they are. We that are so dead-hearted to heavenly things, surely "we do not judge them real. It may be we do not actually call them m question, but we have not a firm persuasion of the truth of them ; if we had, we would more ' rejoice in hope of the …
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(3.) This joy i^ manifested by a weanedness from worldly pleasures. There cannot be such an affectation of worldly gi-eatness, because by embracing the promises the affections are diverted and prepossessed. The affections are the most active faculties of the soul, and they cannot remain idle ; as water in the pipe must…
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Use 2. Of examination. Have you such a faith? What kind of actings have you towards the promises ? Do you see the blessings pro- mised afar off ? are you persuaded of them ? do you embrace them ? Are you contented with the word of promise though you have not the blessings promised ? 1. Are you careful to get an intere…
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■SOS SEKMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XLVIL 4. Do they put. you upon thauksgiviDgs in tlie midst of wants, straits, and miseries ? Faith is a bird that can sing in winter, and a believer can rejoice in his hopes when he hath little in hand. The patriarchs built altars, and offered sacrifices of praise, whenever God rene…
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8. Do they engage yon to any self-denial ? Do you part Avith any- thing upon your hopes? as these patriarchs left their country, and lived as sojourners in a strange land, for they looked for a better country^ that is a heavenly. Whoever hopes for anything from God must leave something for God ; one time or another God…
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VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 311 bieak out into irregular thoughts and words. If you have not this faith, you will never be able to hold out till the crown come. This bore up Paul, that he looked beyond the present life : Kom. viii, 18, * I reckon that the sulferings of this present time are not worthy to be com…
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1. Keep the eye clear, the world is a very blinding thing : 2 Cor. iv, 4, ' In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.' Satan hath that title of ' the god of this world ' because the world is the means that he useth to blind men withal ; the profits of the world are as dust cast int…
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(1.) For promises of temporal mercies. 1st. They are to be understood with limitation of convenience. God knows what is best and fit for us, therefore we must trust his choosing. Agur prays, Pi'ov. xxx. 8, ' Give me neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me.' A garment too short will not cover o…
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5. Observe how they are made good. You will have a double ad- vantage hereby, for you will have a more clear ground for faith and thankfulness. It will show you what mercies come as blessings. It is not enough to observe nakedly how a mercy comes to us, but whether it comes by virtue of a promise, pleaded, trusted in, …
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[2.] By being unsatisfied with their present comforts. The children of God would not abide here for ever if God would give tliem leave. It is good to be here, sailh a worldling: here is not our rest, saith a VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 317 child of God : Micali ii. 10, ' Arise ye, and depart, for this is not y…
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[2.] Faith shows a better home. Faith values all things according to the presence of God ; it values all states and conditions as we enjoy God in them. Here in the world thei'e is but little enjoyment of God : 2 Cor. V. 6, ' Whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.' A christian is nowhere a strang…
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320 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. XLVIII. 2. You will l)e taken off from worldly admiration. This is a tliin<^ we are very prone to, to say, 'Happy is the people that is in such a case ; ' but if yon are strangers and pilgrims, you will say, ' Happy is the people whose God is the Lord,' Ps. cxiv. 15. If the heart were…
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[2.] If you had the world at will, you have no reason to take up your rest here, because the happiness of this world is short, unsatisfac- tory, and not perfective. It is short, we are mortal, and all things about us have their mortality, and many times these things are more fading than we are. Many a man outlives his …
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[6.] Consider, nature teacheth us this lesson, to look upward for our home. Look to the frame of man's body, not only to the constitution of his soul, but to the frame of his body ; we do not go grovelling on the ground as beasts, nor are we stuck into the earth as trees. Grod hath given man an upright stature ; his he…
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[3.] Meditate often on the promises, they are our cordials in our journey : Ps. cxix. 54, 'Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.' They are cordials to cheer us and strengthen us in our way ; and it is good to feed and strengthen the soul. And they are our antidotes against the infection of the …
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326 SEEMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. XL VIII. thing hath its season ; or when others may receive detriment, and we are hke to give offence to our weaker brethren : Rom. xiv. 1, * Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.' Our liberty in indifferent tilings is not to be urged to the preju…
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328 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XLIX. Use 2. It condemns llie backwardness of God's children, that they do no more talk of theh' hopes, and the glory of their kingdom, and of the world to come, that they may go hand iu hand, and comfort and quicken one another in God's ways. SEKMON XLIX. For they that say such ti…
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[5.] By the light of nature, nothing is more odious than a lie. We love a just and true man, that is without guile, we acknowledge it a 2uoral perfection ; but a lie among men is accounted the greatest dis- grace. And nothing stirs up revenge and wrath more than the impu- tation and charge of a lie ; because it comes f…
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words witliout sense and spiritual affection ; and what is this but to compass God with lies, when the heart is gone after and taken up with vanity ? And then in private worship ; how often in confession of sins do we lie to God ! not that we can speak worse of ourselves than we do deserve, but we do not believe that i…
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Use 2. We learn hence that in reading of the scriptures we are to mark not only what is spoken, but what may be thence inferred. It is notable that Jesus Christ taxeth the Sadduceos as ignorant of the scriptui'es, because they were ignorant of the consequences of scrip- ture : Mat. xxii. 29, ' Ye do err, not knowing th…
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334 SERMONS UPOX HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XLIX. Use 1. Do not reckon tlie absence of a temptation to be grace. Grace is seen in tlie conflict, when you have an opportunity to start from him, and yet your hearts keep close to God ; the opportunity is present, but grace forbids. Joseph had not only a temptation, but an opportu…
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Use. This note is useful in public reformations and private conver- sation. 1. In public reformations. Israel was ready to return to Egypt when they were sensible of the difficulties and inconveniences of the wilderness. So because reformation is clogged with many inconveni- ences, sottish people wish for their old ti…
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[3.] We must get a sanctified use of the things of the world. Then we have such a sanctified use of them, when they make us love God more, and not less. That which comes from love causeth love ; when the blessings of this world are given us from God in love to us, they work up the heart to love God again, and then have…
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[4.] They declare plainly that they seek a country. There was not only a verbal, but a real confession ; for by dwelling in tents they did more openly acknowledge their desires of another country. They did not go up and down, and tell men that they were strangers and pilgrims; but by dwelling in these poor movable habi…
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By opening this place our text will receive some light. If the patriarchs had nothing to look for but what they had in this world, it had been a dishonourable thing for God to be called their God and their benefactor ; but now he hath prepared for them a city. It is called a city with allusion to the walled towns of th…
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Use. O ye that are citizens ! put in for an interest in this great city ; that you may go to a better city when you are called away from this ; that you may go to the citizens above, and enjoy the freedom of that happy place. You who are countrymen, take heed you be not shut out of this city of God. Ohs. 3. This city …
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[L] The essence of God is thine ; he will do all things auswerably to an infinite power and goodness ; as glorious, as infinite, as mighty, as excellent as he is, it is wholly made over to us. His mercy, wisdom, love, power, justice, all this is thine ; his mercy is thine, to pardon thee; his wisdom is thine, to pi'ovi…
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344 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. L. he seeth it good fur us. And he will glorify as a God ; the apostle speaks of ' a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory/ 2 Cor. iv. 17. As God is an infinite God, so he will give an infinite reward ; and as he is an eternal God, so he will give an eternal reward ; for in …
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(2.) We resign and surrender ourselves to God. When the saints choose God for their portion, they give up themselves to God again.. Look, as in the covenant that was made between the prophet and hi» wife : Hosea iii. 3, ' Thou shalt not be for another man, so will I also be for thee,' so in the covenant that is between…
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VeR. 26.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 34T goodly heritage.' He that hath God for his portion hath enough. All other portions have a ^ant annexed to them, but this alone sufficeth : Kev. xxi. 7, ' He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God. and he shall be my son ; ' therefore he shall inhent all th…
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Application. Use 1. Information ; It informs us of two things. 1. Of the great love of God, that he would be our God, and take us for his people. The apostle saith, Heb. vi. 13, 'Because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself.' So when God had no greater thing to give us, he gave us himself. There is nothi…
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(3.) He is most able to give us contentment, for he is sufficient to himself. Conscience cannot take contentment in the world, though the heart may be besotted with the world. The conscience is a sore place, and all the world cannot give us a plaster for it. Worldly things, the more we enjoy them, the more vm see the v…
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2. How do you behave yourselves in the covenant ? Do you love God as the chiefest good ? Do you seek his glory as the utmost end ? Do you obey him as the highest Lord ? Do you depend on him as your only paymaster ? For this is to give God the glory of a God. [1.] Do you love him as the chiefest good? After marriage th…
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[1] The occasion — ' When he was tried.' irecpa^ofievo'; — whea he was tempted, and that by God: Gen. xxii. 1, 'God did tempt Abraham,' See. But now God tempts no man : James i. 13, ' Let no» man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God ; for God caunoS be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he auy man ; ' that is,…
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[3.] The act itself. All this was to be done by his own hand — an aged father to kill his own son ! the father of the faithful to sacrifice the son of the promise ! A jewel lately given was now demanded again. If God had told Abraham that his son must die, it had been grievous, but that he must offer him, hei'e was the…
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(1.) Our sincerity. We have but notions about the comforts of Christianity till we are ca.st into great afflictions. The word of God cometh to us in word only, but then we prove our belief and sense of. it. A gilded potsherd may shine till it cometh to scouring, then the varnish is worn off. When all things are prosper…
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358 SEKMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LI. out of our fool's paradise. We promise ourselves too much when we dream of nothing but pleasure and contentment, as if we would go to heaven without exercise, without warrings within and fightings with- out. God hath but one Son without sin, but he has none without a cross. We mu…
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Doct. 2. Observe, — the greater the faith, the gre^iter the trial. Abraham is put to offer his only son. Look, as Jacob drove, as the little ones were able to endure, Gen. xxxiii. 14 ; such is' the conduct of providence : God proportions our trials as he hath given in strength of grace : 2 Cor. x. 13, ' There hath no …
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2. Sometimes he permits us to be tempted by Satan or evil men. By Satan ; thus we i)ray. ' Lead us not into temptation;' that is, give us not up to the devil's tempting. And Christ tells Peter, Luke xxii. 32, ' I have prayed that thy faith fail not.' He doth not say, I have prayed that temptation come not, but that thy…
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Ohs. We are never tried to pm-pose till we are tried in our Isaac. This was Abraham's trial — ' Offer now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest,' Gen. xxii. 2 ; so we are tried in our Isaac. What is that? in things that are nearest and dearest to us. It was an easy matter that Solomon offered so many thousand beas…
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364 SERMONS UrON HEBREWS XI, [SeR, Lll, unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy,' &c. Nay, Abraham was to deny his reason : he might doubt whether the revelation were from God, or a delusion of Satan, or whether he were absolutely obliged ; no, but he simply resigneth up himself to God's wisdom and will…
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2. Faith solves all doubts and riddles, whenever we are in a puzzle ; for Abraham was divided — What ! shall I offer Isaac, and put the promises to slaughter, or must I disobey God on the other side ? Now faith doth silence this riddle — ' He accounted that God was able to raise him from the dead.' Faith by a resolute …
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5. Faith worketh by love, and then nothing is too near and dear to him, so God may be glorified. Faith doth not only look forward, but backwaid ; not only forward to things to come, but backward to things past. It reports to the soul the great things God hath done for us in Christ ; he hath given us his Son, who is inf…
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tlse. I would apply it thus — If God takes purposes for performances, and accounts things done when really purposed, let us take God's pro- mises for performances ; if God saith, it shall be done, account it as if it were done — ' Babylon is fallen, is fallen,' Rev. xiv. 8. VeR. 19.J SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 3G9 SEPt…
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One is implied, the other expressed. Truth is implied, in that he looked for Isaac to be restored to him again because of the promise ; and the ground of his expectation is expressed to be God's almighty power — ' God is able,' &c. Sometimes we find truth and mercy joined togethe'r as the grounds of hope ; we find this…
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372 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. LIII. abilities of grace and present supplies : Phil. iv. 13, ' I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me;' Eph. vi. 10, 'My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.' It is the pov/er of God that carrieth us through : 2 Peter i. 3, ' The divine po…
1,032 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1870); OCR text from Internet Archive. OCR may contain scanning/transcription errors. Verify quotations against page images when precision matters.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.