PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Thomas Manton — Volume 21
Thomas Manton · 313,086 words · 310 reading sections
Section 61
5. It is a duty that fitteth us to partake of the blessing which God hath commanded for his people when united : Ps. cxxxiii. 1-3, 'Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon Aaron's head, that ran down upon the beard, that went down to the skir…
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VeR. 12.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. ^ 97 SERMON XVIir. Not as Cain, loho loas of that luickecl one, and sleio his brother. And loherefore sleiv he him f Because his own ivorks taere evil, and his brothers righteous. — 1 John iii. 12. The apostle having urged the precept of brotherly love, now speaketh of the contrary…
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2. By way of instance and example, to see how this spirit of enmity hath been working, and how the men of God have had bitter experi- ence of it. Thus Abel was slain by Cain ; Isaac was scoffed at by Ishmael ; and Jacob was driven out of his father's house by his brother Esau. II. Discoveries that this hatred that is …
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1. What is our state, what is the ground of our quarrel, what are the ends and motives in all contests that we have with others. 2. If the cause of the quarrel be never so good and just, yet it may be carried on with too great heat and animosity against godly brethren ; bitter zeal argueth some breach made upon brothe…
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Thii-dly, The means to avoid it. 1. Keep up the love of all men. He is not godly that loveth not all men with the love common to Christianity, and tiiose that fear God with a 8[)eciiil love; the one is the preservative from dashing against the other. Free the mind from malice, and you will free it from 102 SERMONS UP…
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For distinctness we will put it in two propositions. 1. That the world hatetli God's children. 2. That when we feel the effects of it, we should not marvel at this hatred. For the first point, we shall handle four things, and show you — (1.) What the world is ; (2.) What God's children are ; (3.) The haired of the o…
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VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN iir. 105 and surely he hath rage enough against the sanctified ; and they have then* portion in this world, Ps. xvii. 14, all that which they prize and value. These are one of the parties which are here described, the world. Secondly, What God's children are and should be ? A wise, holy,…
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VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III, 107 never goeth well oflf unless they scoff and rail at some that fear God. Fourthly, The reasons ; and they are — 1. Ignorance ; which is twofold — simple and plain ignorance, or the ignorance of prejudicate malice. [1.] Simple and plain ignorance : 1 John iii. 1, 2, ' The world …
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[3.] He that soundly believeth the promises of God will not stick much at suffering by the hatred of the world ; he doth but lose a feather to win a crown : Mat. v. 11, ' Kejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.' [4.] This kind of government is necessary to prevent that scurf and dross which …
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110 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. XIX. 3. Because it was fulfilled in our head : John xv. 18, ' The world hated me before it hated you.' If the world hated Christ, no wonder if it hate us ; if Jesus Christ, who never committed sin, who came into the world with a design of love, to do mankind the greatest good, was li…
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Use 3. If this hatred be restrained, be the more thankful to God and men. 1. To God. Certainly a good day should be well improved ; Acts ix. 31, when the church had rest, they walked in the fear of God and comforts of the Holy Ghost. When we are not called to passive obedience and sufferings, our active obedience shou…
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VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 113 SEKMON XX. We know that loe have passed from death unto Ufe^ because loe love the brethren : he that loveth not his brother abideth in death. — 1 John iii. 14. For the connection of this verse with the former, this may be given as a reason why we should not be troubled with the…
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2. In this state of separation from God, man is impotent to every good work, and liable to eternal death and condemnation, [1.] Impotent to every good and saving work : Eph. ii. 1, ' We were sometimes dead in trepasses and sins.' We are all deprived of original righteousness, or any principle of grace which might incl…
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116 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. XX. the one by his Spirit, the other by his new covenant gift. The one by his Spirit : 2 Peter i. 3, ' By his divine power hath given us all things necessary to life and godliness.' Therefore Christ is said to be our life, Gal. ii. 20. The other by his free donation, or grant, or dee…
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1. It must be a real love, not pretended only, or showed in bare words; for so it is explained, ver. 18, 'My little children, let us not love in word, or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.' Verbal compliments may make up a love and friendshij) in the world, but christian love is u knitting of souls, or a communicatio…
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Thirdly, Let me consider it as laid down as a sure note and evidence of our passing from death to life; and there we shall consider — (1.) Why so much is ascribed to love of the brethren ; (2.) What sort of evidence this is. 1. Why is so much ascribed to the love of the brethren, that the decision of our spiritual est…
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[7.] Christ's heart is much set upon the good of this society, which is preserved by love, but destroyed by, hatred and division. Our Lord Christ foresaw what grievous wolves would enter into the flock, to scatter them, and to destroy them, and how much they would be weakened by their own divisions ; therefore he would…
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2. Love them notwithstanding some personal injuries done to our- selves. When God forgiveth us talents, shall not we forgive pence to our brother ? Mat. xviii. 24, ' And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents ; ' ver. 28, ' But the same servant went out, and found one …
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124 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN IH. [SeR. XXI. cruelty. The best objects are worthy of our best love, and our respect to the inferior relations must not be a snare to us. 2. There is a hatred of the sins and evil courses wherein our brother walketh,and notof hisperson; aswe must not love the sin forthe person's sake, so we m…
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2. In a special and limited sense, our brother is our fellow-citizen, whether in reality or profession only. With respect to them, love is called brotherly kindness, in opposition to that common love which is due to all men, 2 Peter i. 7 ; and the nearer the bonds are, the greater is the sin if we hate them ; as when u…
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Secondly, The passion forbidden is diatred, ' Whosoever hateth his brother.' 1. Not to love him is a great crime ; that is the notion in the former verse ; and indeed it is hard to keep without hatred, if we do not love. The softest sort of carnal men do not love God's children ; but the venomous part of the world hat…
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4. I need but one consideration more to make the demonstration full, and what is that ? It is that the usual effects of hatred are blood and mischief ; thence come the factions, and quarrels, and persecutions, and contentions in the world. Once entertain hatred, and there is nothing so bad, and mischievous, and cruel, …
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[2.] The second use is moral, to make us hate sin. Oh, how care- fully should we abstain from all indulgence to the beginnings of it ! In mortifying sin, let us not weigh things in man's balance, but in God's, and not consider what is hateful to the world, but how things will appear before God's tribunal. There are sin…
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Second point. Now I come to the perniciousuess and danger of this sin, ' No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.' I shall clear it by these considerations — 1. That it is a blessed thing to have eternal life abiding in us before we enter into the i)os.se8sion of it. This will appear sufficiently by explaining th…
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2. For us ; not only for our good, but in our place and room : John X. 15, ' I lay down my life for my sheep.' 3. Hereby perceive we the love of God. Here is love testified by some notable effect and fruit. Love lieth hidden in the breast of those that love, but it is visibly known and seen by the effects. We perceive…
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VeR 16.] . SERMONS UrON 1 JOHN III. 135 make the world and things therein sooner, that he might be sooner happy ? Again, as man, he was to be in subjection : ' For being made of a woman, he was made under the law/ Gal. iv. 4 ; and as mediator he had a commandment : John x. 18, ' This comraand- mant I received of my Fa…
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Fourthly, The consequent benefits. 1- Relative privileges, pardon, justification and adoption. Pardon : Eph. i. 7, ' In whom we have redemption through his blood, the for- giveness of sins.' To have sin pardoned, which is the great make- bate, which is the worm that eateth out the heart of all our comforts, the venom …
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138 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. XXII. liveth not by bread alone ;' but we could not be redeemed without the death of the Son of God : 1 John iv. 10, ' Herein is love, not that wo loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.' Therefore here is the true glass wherein to see God…
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Secondly, I come to the duty hence inferred, ' We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.' Dod. Christians ought to be ready to lay down their lives for the brethren. This is the use we are directed to make of God's laying down his life for us, not only that we may love him again, and be reconciled to him, but …
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YeR. 16.] SERMOXS UPON 1 JOHN III. 141 preserve the strong, that they may do more good. So where a great obligation is ; as to our natural parents : we have received our lives from them, A private christian suffering for Christ should be owned, since a man cannot without it perform necessary duties in owning Christ's …
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Object. It is true, I must love my neighbour as myself ; but by this it seemeth I must love him above myself. Ans. 1. I love myself when I only hazard temporal life to obtain eternal. It is not a hard law for them to keep that have an eternal life assured to them for the loss of a temporal one : John xi. 25, ' He that…
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4. How much all that profess chri.stianity should be above the fears of death, and in readiness to lay down their lives when God in his pro- vidence calleth them to it. Love to God calleth for it, Luke xiv. 26. Yea, love to man calleth for it : Acts xxi. 13, ' I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusal…
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2dly. The censure and charge pronounced on us, * Whosoever they be ; ' where mark — (1.) The form of proposal ; it is by way of question or appeal to common reason. Can any man be so absurd as to imagine that this man can have the love of God in him ? (2.) The heinousness of the crime or matter charged, ' The love of…
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[1.] The trial of the rich. (1.) Their thankfulness to God. God might have laid them low as well as others. If they abuse their high estate to pride and oppression, they tax the wisdom of the great governor of the world, and are un- thankful to him : Prov. xxii. 2, ' The rich and the poor meet together, the Lord is th…
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3. This ought the more to move us, if the necessitous be our chris- tian brethren, for it is in the text, * seeth his brother hath need.' We ought to do good to all sorts who are real objects of our charity. The necessitous in general should be more welcome to us than the rich who may requite us; for then we make a mar…
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150 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. XXIII. [2,] It must needs be so, for love to God doth formally contain or naturally produce this love to our brethren. (1.) It doth formally contain it ; for our love to God is not a fond affection or fellow-like familiarity, but is seen in our profession of real respect; which is m…
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(2d) Trust. Love looketh to what is to come. Surely he that joveth God trusts him, for the graces are connected. Now none trust God that count their estates safer in their own hands than God's, that will venture nothing on his promises : Prov. xix. 17, ' He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord, and that which…
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Use 2. Is to exhort us — 1. To show compassion to those in necessit}'. 2. To show it not in word or tongue only, but in real kindness. 1, To persuade you to mercifulness and charity. A cheap profession of the name of Christ will do you no good ; that which costs nothing is worth nothing. To quicken you — [1.] Witho…
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[4.] To dissemble in anything maketh our sincerity in the main ques- tionable ; the man that contents himself with words in charity will con- tent himself with a cold dead assent in point of faith, and a cold pro- fession instead of thorough obedience ; with the talk of virtue and godliness when he hath it not. A fruit…
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156 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. XXIV. also trusted, after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your sal- vation : in whom also, after that ye beUeved, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of hi…
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3. Before God no confidence will hold good but what is founded in the double righteousness of justification and sanctification ; they are inseparable, and go together in the dispensation of the new covenant : 1 Cor. vi. 11, ' And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in t…
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VeR. 19.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 159 there our graces were weighed, here tried. Now if the best of us were put into the balance of the sanctuary, we should be found wanting as to matter or manner and principle or aim, and then who could be saved? But now all the blessings of God's family are entitled to the upright …
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[2.] It must be constantly exercised. A man may force himself into an act or two ; Saul in a fit may be among the prophets. A man is judged of by his course and walk. A child of God may be under a strange appearance for one act or two ; you can no more judge of them by those acts than you can of a bunch of grapes by tw…
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VOL. XX [. L 162 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeK. XXIV, on. He is serious in his faith: 2 Tiiu. i, 12, 'For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.' Diligence in his attendance upon this business : Phil. ii. 12, ' Work out your salvation…
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Object. Why then do so many good people want assurance ? Ans 1. There need two witnesses, because the heart of man is so deceitful, and the operations thereof are so various, dark, and confused : Jer. xvii. 9, ' The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and des- perately wicked, and who can know it ? ' There nee…
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Use 1. To inform us, that the grounds of a well-tempered assurance are clear and positive: 'Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.' Foolish presumption costs nothing ; like mushrooms, it groweth up in a night, or as Jonah's gourd; we did not labour for it ; it cometh upon them …
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[2.] In point of knowledge. Conscience in many things is blind, partial, inattentive, insensible, but none of these things can be imagined in God, he knoweth all things. Therefore since the business is to be transacted before him, and not before man, we had need look to it, that we may assure our hearts before him. (1…
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2. The safety and benefit of man, that he may have an oracle in his own bosom to direct him to his duty, and to warn him of his danger. In scripture we shall find two offices of conscience, to direct and censure, to judge by order of law and right ; dejiire, what we ought to do, and de facto, what you have done, or wha…
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But now some objections may arise. Object. 1. May we not be deceived in our judgment concerning ourselves ? Ans. 1. Not ordinarily ; in condemnation man is over-prone to love liimself, and therefore unless compelled by the manifest force and evidence of the truth, he would not condemn himself, especially when affecti…
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3. Suppose the worst ; there is a passing from state to state : John V. 24, 'He shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from deatli to life.' You are in a state of condemnation now, but get out of it as fast as you can : Mat. iii. 7, ' Flee from wrath to come ; ' and carry yourselves accordingly, till your cond…
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2. It is either the beginning of heaven or hell ; a good conscience is the beginning of heaven, and peace and joy in believing is a foretaste of that fulness of joy and pleasure which you shall have when you come into God's immediate presence. The glorified spirits carry a good conscience with them to heaven : ' Their …
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[2.] When the legal conscience condemneth us, we must seek our peace in the evangelical conscience. Now the evangelical conscience reflecteth on what Christ hath done for us, and wrought in us. Christ hath shed his blood for sinners : Heb. ix. 14, ' How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spiri…
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176 SERMONS UPON ] JOHN III. [SeR. XXVI. lie willeth them, and he willeth them from all eternity. God also knoweth all things that might have been. He knew that Abimelech would have defiled himself and Sarah, if he had not withheld him, Gen. XX. 6 ; that the men of Keilah would have betrayed David into the hands of Sa…
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3. God's knowledge is most exact and accurate ; it is good to see ho\y it is expressed to us in scripture : Heb. iv. 13, ' All things are naked and open before him;' cut down by the chine-bone. When a beast is dissected and opened, every part is seen, the soundness or unsoundness of it presently appears. Heathen sooths…
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observe all the world : you may take liberty to sin when God is gone or absent from you, and you can get behind his back ; but that can never be, and therefore we must do all things as in his presence. 2. From creation. God hath made our hearts, given us the power to affect, think, purpose, and do, and therefore knowe…
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2. Some question it, if they do not deny it : Isa. xxix. 15, ' Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us ? and who knoweth us ? ' Ezek. viii. 12, ' They say, Who seeth us H the Lord hath forsaken the earth.' 3. Some forget it : he is n…
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2. Comfort to the godly. [1.] God knoweth their persons: Exod. xxxiii. 12, 'I know thee by name : ' he taketb special notice of them. All tilings are under a providence, but they are under a special providence ; a father cannot forget how many cliildren he hath, though in a large and numerous family he cannot presentl…
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Thirdly, We must actually revive this thought in solemn duties, when we come to act the part of angels, and to behold the face of our lieavenly Father. In every duty God knowetli the frame of our hearts, and affections; and wilt thou be cold and careless in the sight of God? There God immediately is the party with whom…
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VeR. 21.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 185 our sincere obedience. Our hearts may accuse us of imperfection, but not of insincerity and hypocrisy, or partial dealing with God. In this latter sense is the text taken. Secondly, The privilege, ' Then have we confidence towards God.' 1. What is this confidence ? [1.] It is …
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3. The majesty of God, and the state which he kept during the old testament dispensation. In the whole frame of that worship, God would show them how unworthy sinners were to approach and draw nigh to him and his holy things. When they were married to him in the covenant on Mount Sinai, there was a rail between him and…
961 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.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.