PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Thomas Manton — Volume 3
Thomas Manton · 314,970 words · 315 reading sections
Section 121
[2.] Because of their want of due observation how God did fulfil his promise concerning the Messiah, few troubled themselves about it. Only the pious Jews lived in a continual expectation of it, and their hearts were always upon the wing of strong and earnest desires after it. It is said, Luke ii. 25, Simeon ' waited f…
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[2.] A fond reverence of Moses and the proj)hets, as if it were derogatory to them to close with Christ : John ix. 29, ' We are Moses' disciples ; as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.' This ISA. LIIL I.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 197 Christ confutes, John v. 46, * If ye had believed Moses, ye w…
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[2.] An easy slightness ; men do not labour after faith. It is true our diligence alone can never attain it, but yet we should use the means. Men marry to beget children, yet it is impossible they should generate a rational soul without the concourse of God. So we should do those things that are likely, and leave the s…
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[4.] A light esteem of Christ. As we do not see our own needs, so not his worth. As the heart is, so it judgeth. A carnal heart valueth all things by outward pomp and splendour. Such objects take as are most excellent in the eyes of the world : Ps. cxliv. 15, ' Happy is the people that is in such a case ; yea, happy is…
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[7.] Self-confidence. When men's consciences are troubled, they would fain get them eased. Those that are so greedy after quiet and peace, rather than holiness and grace, usually ease themselves in a wrong way ; they fly to a few outward duties, or to some slight resolu- tions for God, and there rest. It is better to k…
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ISA. LIII. 1.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 205 away his wif(^ and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return to her again ? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers ; yet return unto me again, saith the Lord.' Use 1. Is by way of information. It informeth us of divers truths ; as — 1. …
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3. It is said to be the arm and power of God, chiefly as it is a glori- ous instrument in his hands, as a weapon that is managed by the Spirit, which will work mightily indeed. It is observable that when Isaiah speaketh of the woid as pronounced by the prophets, he saith our re- 'port ; but as revealed by the Spirit, t…
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1. To purchase and gain the world for a kingdom and an inherit- ance for Jesus Christ. 2. To conquer all the enemies of Christ. Secondly, Private, so it is to convert souls. The appointment of tiie gospel for these ends showeth there is the arm of God in it. First, Public, which are — 1. To purchase the whole world…
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[3.] All lesser errors, like the little foxes, are slain by this sword. Those that went greedily after Balaam and the doctrine of the Nico- laitans, what doth God say to them ? ' Repent, or I will come and fight against thee with the sword of my mouth,' Rev. ii. 16 ; that is, with his word. That is punishment enough, t…
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Use 1. Is exhortation. And that — 1. To ministers. Is the gospel the arm and power of God ? Then— [1.] Be not ashamed of it, but preach it boldly. St Paul saith, Kom. i. 16, ' I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.' Many are asliaraed of the naked simplicity of the gospel, and therefore hanker the more after profo…
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Use 2. Is of examination. See whether any of this power hath passed upon your hearts. Have you ever felt the power of the Spirit in the ordinances, that will convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment ? 1. Hath it powerfully humbled you for sin? There is the power of the word seen to bring men upon their faces…
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3. Because the least of Christ that is made known to the soul is made known by the Spirit ; even common illumination, any slight taste of the doctrine of life, it cometh from the Spirit. Those that apos- tatised afterwards are said, Heb. vi. 4, to be ' made partakers of the Holy Ghost.' A historical persuasion of the t…
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[2.] In the heart there is carelessness and stubbornness. And there- fore, as God must teach their minds, so he must draw their hearts ; as it is said, John vi. 44, ' No man cometh unto me, except the Father draw him.' The power of the Spirit must be put forth into the soul to bend it to Christ. Let us take notice of …
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ISA. LIII, 1.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 215 justice is to be copied out from God's will ; it is just because God did it. Secondly, The beauty of God's justice sbinetli ia this, in that the positive cause of unbelief — [1 .] Is in ourselves, it being through our own blindness and stub- bornness. We ' will n…
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[.5.] It is very likely God will come in and meet with us if we seek him in his own ways ; and who would not venture upon a likelihood of safety to come out of a certain danger ? If you do not use the means, you are sure to perish ; if you do, you may be likely to obtain mercy ; and certainly it is the safest course to…
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4. In case you have it, praise God for it. Oh, get largeness of heart io conceive of this great privilege, to have Christ not only to be revealed to you, but in you ! There is a threefold ground of thankfulness : — [1.] In respect of yourselves, that God was not discouraged with your often resistance of him, but that …
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2. By your fickleness ; when a man embraceth a thing upon wrong grounds, he will leave it upon wrong grounds : Gal. i. 6, ' I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel ;' 2 Tlies. ii. 2, ' I beseech you, brethren, be not soon shaken in mind.' 3. By the d…
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3. Before him. Whom ? Some say himself, for so they say the Heb- rew word is to be understood. As if the sense were, if you look to the state and presence of the person himself. But I shall pass by that, and take notice but of two persons to whom this him may be referred ; for the scriptures have this privilege, to abo…
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should desire him.' But you will say, ]Iow then is Christ said to be the desire of all nations, as we read, Hag. ii. 7, ' I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come'? I answer — [1.] Though he is not actually desired, yet he is nevertheless ISA. LIII. 2.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. …
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2. Do not despise things for their meanness, for so thou mayest condemn the ways of God. God will have his people love him for his own sake, not for the outward accommodation and advantages we have by him. As it is said, John vi. 26, ' Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me not because…
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VOL. III. P 22G A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [ISA. LI 1 1. 2. in the world ; men look upon it as some humorous, misshapen conceit, that looketh enviously upon their pleasures, contrary to their natures, and unbefitting their quality. That you may not thus despise the things that any way concern the kingdom of Chriist …
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(4.) Deny carnal reason and sense; do not judge of divine things by outward appearance. Hear what the apostle saith : ' Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, what God hath prepared for them that love him' — that is, carnal eyes, carnal sense, and carnal thoughts ;…
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This point alfurdcth us many useful considerations, as this decree of Gotl may be referred — 1. To Christ. 2. To the wicked. 3. To the godly. 1. To Christ. God decreed this, and Christ fulfilled it. It is a ISA. LIII. 2.J THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 229 wonder to see how all things did conspire to make Chr…
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2. Now for his life and manner of appearance in the world. He was altogetlier found in fashion as a man, as the apostle saith ; that is, to outward appearance just as other men, for his growth was as other men's, by degrees : ' And Jesus increased in wisdom and sta- ture, and in favour with God and man.' Though he had …
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1. That poverty and meanness is not disgraceful. Christ himself was a carpenter, Paul a tent-maker, and the apostles fishermen. Christ, you see, scorned that glory, pomp, and greatness which the world doteth upon. Men look upon the outside as if the horse were the better for the trappings, or anything without a man cou…
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Doct. 4. That Christ is so outwardly mean, that the men of the world do not any way desire him, or that carnal men do see nothing in Christ wherefore they should desire him. To his spouse he is all beauty, ' altogether lovely ;' but to them there was no beauty why they should desire him. The reasons of the point are t…
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ISA. LIU. 2.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 235 The ways of God are fenced up with thorns to them: Prov. xv. 19, ' The way of a slothful man is an hedge of thorns.' Everything is grievous and troublesome that requireth care and diligence. Thus they reject Christ because he is not suitable to them. To apply it now…
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ISA. LIII. 2.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 237 2. A holy indignation. Passions usually serve and accompany one another. If there be a holy desire, there will be a holy anger. And this is at two things : — [1.] At anything tliat would rival the affection. P " " [2.] At what would hinder the enjoyment of the ol…
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4. Another effect is a powerful command over the whole man. De- sires are the most vigorous faculties, they carry the whole soul along with them. They will take up your thoughts, time, care, endeavours, speeches. Look and you shall observe that a man is so affected in earthly things, and, therefore, why not so in heave…
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[1.] Consider nothing is a fit object for your desires without Jesus 240 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [IsA. LIII. 2. Christ. The creatures are beneath you. The desire of the soul is like a member of the body out of joint wlien it is fixed upon a wrong object. All thinj^s without Christ are either sin or the creatures.…
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(2.) Christ is a necessary good. Things may be excellent, yet if they be not needful to us, the affections move but faintly after them. Now Christ is umcm necessarium, the one thing needful. It is not enough to choose that which is good, but that which is needful : Luke X. 42, ' But one thing is needful, and Mary hath …
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IsA. LIII. 2.] TOE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 243 will not have us look to the end of his counsels, and therefore the younger is the most eminent. 3. That he may declare his displeasure against th<3 pomp of the world. God maketh least use of that which we so much adore, out- ward glory and splendour. Most of his …
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To apply it now. It affordeth divers inferences of duty, suitable to our divers cases and conditions. 1. To keep up the heart in case the means be weak. Take heed, do not sink to any base despondency of mind or spirit. Usually when means are weak men fly to wicked means, to a base desertion of the cause of God that th…
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1. You have no cause to distrust God ; though he doth not find means, he can create them. The root of Jesse, though there be no branches, it can bear a sprig. God, that could make the world out of nothing, can preserve the church by nothing ; you do not know his in- visible way of working. Believe beyond what you can s…
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4. To encourage those that are weak in grace. Mat. xii. 20. God will not despise smoking flax, though it cannot flame : Phil. i. 6, ' Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,' Be humble and thankful in admiring Grod's goodness towards y…
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ISA. LIII. 3.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAU. 2 19 from a thing ; but sometimes it is in one affection, and sometimes in another ; as — [1.] Sometimes in anger; to hate them so as we will not give them a look. Thus God is said to hide his face from his church to express his anger against their sins. [2.] Sometim…
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2. As he was not esteemed, so actually he was despised, and became an object of scorn and contempt. [1 J He was despised and contenmed in their thoughts. They looked upon him as an abject, the Icaving-ofF or ofF-scouring of men ; they thought it was a disgrace for them to converse with him ; and there- fore Nicodcnms …
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252 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [IsA. LIII. 3. was a man of sorrows. I tlo not touch upon tlie last scene of his death, the sorrows of his life justly give him that character. 4. Acquainted with grief. It was not only now and then, hut it was always miserable with him. Acquaintance with a thing or person implieth the…
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2. That he might be a perfect mediator for us. Christ was perfect in himself, but he wanted somewhat to make up his office : Heb. ii. 10, 'It behoved the captain of our salvation to be made perfect through sufferings ; ' Heb. v. 8, 9, ' By the things which he suffered he was made perfect.' Christ was perfect in himself…
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ISA. LIII. 3.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 255 endear him to us ? And this was done for our sakes. Let it melt our hearts, and draw them out in love to God again. I proceed now to the second point. Doct. 2. That carnal men do not look upon Jesus Christ as worthy of any esteem from them. Christ was mean and mi…
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4. Because they do not know what it is to want Christ. Men make other things serve instead of him, and therefore they do not care for Christ. Now when the soul looks upon the insufficiency of all things else to give rest and quiet to it, then it will prize him. When a man extremely wants a thing, nothing will satisfy h…
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[2.] They do not esteem him always, nor at all times. It appeareth plainly that Christ is set at nought by them in times of outward or inward opposition. Our esteem is shown when it cometh to these cases, (1st,) In time of outward opposition ; when the profession of Christ is oppugned, they lay it down, they do not th…
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[3.] By prizing those things where they find most of Christ, viz., his ordinances and servants, judging they are the excellent ones of the earth : Ps. xvi. 3, and Ps. xxvii. 4, 'One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the…
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Surely. To note— (1.) The reality of the thing in regard of Christ's suffering, it was verily and really done. (2.) To note the truth of the proposition ; this is a true'proposition. Christ hath borne our griefs ; he bore them, and it is true that he bore them really. And then for the acts, he bore and carried. They no…
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ISA. LIII. 4.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 263 myself in the chapter. (1.) From that deep assertion with which this truth is proposed, surely, look upon it, it is a sure thing : this is a true proposition, that Christ did bear our sins and carry our griefs; it noteth the truth of the thing, and the unquestionab…
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1. In the general, look upon it as a faithful saying, that Christ the Son of God came into the world. There is a great deal of difference in men's assent to the gospel in the general. Everyone doth not believe it to be a word of truth. First, In some there is but a conjectural ap- l)rehension ; it may be true, or it ma…
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[L] That he might make a change with us : 2 Cor. v. 21, ' He was made sin for us that knew no sin, that we might be made the right- ■eousness of God in him.' He would take our sins, that we might have his righteousness. What a great exchange is here ! As if a king should take a beggar's weeds and dunghill rags for his …
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[1.] The assaults of spiritual wickednesses. The'devil, seeing Christ under great agonies, thought he had a great advantage upon him, and therefore was very busy with him. Now God gave him leave,, and Christ offered as it were the occasion, being stirred with passions ; though, as a glass of clean water that is shaken,…
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ISA. LIII. 4.] THE FIFTY- THIKD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 269 Father, even as nmcli as would have sunk any soul to hell eternally, if it had been laid upon him. These arguments, I conceive, are sufficient. I will not traverse all the arguments and doubts that might be objected. Solid and funda- mental truths are much weaken…
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[2.] Observe it with admiration. One said he had gotten this good by philosophy, that he had learned to admire at nothing. The more you know of the things of God, the more you will admire at every- thing, especially at this great mystery. There is an observation of curiosity, when men look into every creek of it by the…
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272 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [IsA. LIII. 5. Pythias, Pambo, Sec. But none risetli so high as this, to wit, the leaving of infinite glory to snffer infinite wrath for us — that was a hard oxcliange. Oh, then, work it npon your thoughts, that you may live to that God that gave himself for you. The main argument that …
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[2.] Healing. A strange paradox, you will think, that we should be healed by another's stripes ; but so it is. The meaning is, by this our souls are cured from the wounds and infection of sin. From the wounds, Christ took them upon himself. From the infection, sin is wounded by it, as you will see hereafter. I come to…
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1. In case thy greatest woe is brought about to thee by the men of thine own family and cherishing, remember Christ was so used, and so was St Paul. Among the other dangers that he reckoned up, he saith, ' In perils among false brethren.' And divers of the martyrs in church history have been betrayed into the hands of …
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ISA. LIII. 5.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 277 numbered among transgressors, to be counted heretics, factious, schis- matics ; this is what the people of God hath suffered from the proud men of the worhl Papists would make Protestantism a bundle of old errors, as Baily says in the Jesuit's Catechism. Thus the e…
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2. Here is an object for your love. It is a great testimony of the love of Christ, that he was wounded for our transgressions. Viscera patent per vulnera — you may see his bowels through his wounds. A strange kind of surgery ! The whole body is sick, and the head wounded to cure it. We committed the sins, and Christ su…
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called ' the Prince of peace.' Look, as we call men by the better title, as we say the kin<i^ otEn<^lan(l, not mentioninfj the lesser dominions, as Scot- land, Wales, Ireland ; and the kinfj^ of France, not taking in the petty •governments in our ordinary way of speakin^^ ; so Christ is set forth by the great privilege…
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Use 1. This serveth to reprove those — 1. That fetch their peace anywhere else. No comfort is lasting but what floweth from the blood of Christ ; that only is the true peace that he hath merited. 2. Those that are against peace, or the settling of the heart in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. I begin with these first,…
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[4.] When men do what they can to divert all care and minding of their condition : this is like a few stolen waters, when they can get con- science asleep. As it is said, Pro v. ix. 17, ' Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.' They lull the soul asleep by pleasures, or distract it by business.…
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(2dly.) From God to us. There are some flashes of wrath, and open- ing of our consciences, fears of hell, horrors, Hosea ii. G. Hedging up our ways with thorns, and making a wall that we should not find our j)aths, which maketh us to vex and .storm when we cannot have as much as we desire. So likewise by turning all pr…
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By his stripes lue are healed. Doct. That the healing of our natures, as well as peace and reconci- liation with God, is the fruit of Christ's sufferings. Three things are here to be taken notice of : — 1. Healing puts us in mind of a disease incurable by human art, or any remedies that are in our power. 2. Health i…
1,036 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.