PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Thomas Manton — Volume 4
Thomas Manton · 310,631 words · 303 reading sections
Section 121
Rich in faith. — So they may be said to be two ways : Either in regard of high measures and raised degrees of faith ; as Abraham was said to be ' strong in faith,' Kom. iv. 20, or that woman, Mat. xv. 28, * 0 woman ! great is thy faith.' So when the apostle presseth them to a spiritual abundance in gifts and graces, he…
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/' Noluit prius eligere fsenatorcs, .scd piscatores, magna artificis nii.scricordia ! Seiebat enim quia si eligeret senatorem, diccret senator, dignitas mea electa est, &c. Et paulo post. — Da milii, iuquit, istum piscatorem, veni tu pauper, sequere me, nihil babes, nihil nosti, sequere me.' — Aug. Her. xix. de Verb. B…
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^ Qu. 'in ' or ' duriug ' ? — Kd. JaS. II. 5.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 197 world, or in tlie world to come ; ' i.e., an act of })ardon can neither now be really passed, or then solemnly declared. So for redemption : we shall not understand that privilege till we are redeemed from death and the grave, and have a fu…
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Ohs. 7. That the faithful are heirs to a kingdom. Heaven and glory is often set out to us under that notion. You have places every- where. Kingdoms are for kings ; and every saint is a spiritual king: Rev. i. 6, ' He hath made us kings and priests unto God his Father.' Suitable to which expression it is said, 1 Peter i…
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Ver. 6. But ye have des2yised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment-seats? Here the apostle endeavoureth to work them to a sense of their own miscarriage. For, having proved respect of persons a sin, he falleth directly upon their consciences ; and you have been guilty of it, you have…
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Ohs. 2. From that hut you. He opposeth their practice to God's dispensation; that despising the poor is a sin, not only against the word and written will of God, but his mind and intent in his works and dispensations. It is a kind of gigantomachy, a resisting of God. (1.) It is against the mind of God in their creation…
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JaS. II. 7.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 203 Tim. vi. 17, ' Trust not in uncertain riches ; ' and Ps. Ixii. 10, 'If riches increase, set not your hearts upon them.' Usually the creatures rival God ; and when we enjoy them in abundance, it is hard to keep off the heart from trust in them. (3.) Worldliness. We are tainte…
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Obs. 3. That Christ's name is a worthy name. Christianity will never be a disgrace to you ; you may be a disgrace to Christianity. ' I am not ashamed,' saith the apostle Paul, ' of the gospel of Christ,' Eom. i. 1(). Many are ashamed to own their profession in carnal com- pany, as if there could be any disgrace in Ixji…
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206 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 8. laws. God's laws are royal laws because of the dignity of the author of thcra. The Syriac iuterpreter favoureth this sense, for he trans- latelh it ' the law of God ; ' or they may be called so from their own Avorth : that which is excellent, we call it royal ; or else becau…
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Obs. 4. That the rule that God hath left us is laid down in the scriptures ; there is the signification of his will, and from thence must it be sought : they are ' able to make the man of God perfect.' Obs. 5. The scriptures require we should love our neighbour as our- selves. Paul saith. Gal. v. 14, ' All the law is …
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Secondly, What kind of love is required in this expression, we are to love them as ourselves ? I answer — The expression showeth the manner of our love, not the measure of it ; a parity and likeness for kind, not for proportion. It cannot be understood in the same degree, partly because in some cases a man is bound to …
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And are convinced of the law. — This may be understood, either generally, that, whatever their pretences were, yet the law would find them out, and distinguish their unjust partiality from a necessary re- spect ; or else, more especially, it may be understood of the law which they urged, ' Love thy neighbour as thyself…
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Ver. 10. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one j)oint, is (juiUy of all. The connection between this verse and the former is this : They had pleaded that their respect of the rich was but a necessary civility, and a duty of the law ; or, at . least, that it was but a small offence, .such as mig…
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^ Aug. Retract., lib, ii. cap. 45 ; et Epist. 102 adEvodium ; et Epist. 29 ad Hieron. 214 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 10. heathens may have a cooler hell. (3.) You cannot apply it to them whose care of obedience is universal, though the success be not answerable : Ps. cxix. G, ' Then shall I not be ashamed w…
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There are many uses of this note : because they are of profit and concernment to you, in the right application of this place, I shall give them you in their order. 1. It showeth how tender we should be of every command: wilful violation amounteth to a total neglect ; therefore, as wisdom adviseth, Prov. vii. 2, ' Keep…
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Ver. 11. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also. Do not kill. Xoia if thou commit adultery, yet if thou do not kill, thou art become a transgressor of the laic. Here is a proof of the intent of the former sentence, that we are not to look to the matter of the command, how it complieth with our desires and…
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As they that shall be judged. — Some read, ' as those that will judge,' as applying it to the direct context ; and they make out the sense thus : — In the Old Testament, differences of persons were not so ex- pressly forbidden ; but now, as chfferences of nation, so of relation, are taken away by the law of liberty : b…
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220 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 12. <;racc. So that you see we ou^lit to look to tlie law's utmost, though we be not judged by the law'.s rigour. Failings not allowed are par- doned, and weaknesses passed by ; the obedience required of us being not that of servants, but children : Mai. iii. 17, ' I will spare…
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Again, if we shall be judged according to the measure of light and knowledge that we have of the law, it presseth us to bring forth fruits answerable to the dispensation of God, It is sad to put the finger in nature's eye, much more to grow black and wanzy in the sunshine of the gospel. As God looketh to the rule, so t…
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Lastly, To awaken their souls to an earnestness of desire and expec- tation. The good servant expecteth his master's coming, Mat. xxiv. 45, and ' the bride saith. Come,' Kev. xxii. The day of judgment is the day of Christ's royalty and your espousals : here we are betrothed, not married. When Christ went out of the wor…
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Ver. 13. For he shall have judgment luithout meraj that showed no mercy ; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. He applieth the former direction to the matter : ' So speak, and so do,' as those that would not come under the rigour of the covenant of works ; for if you allow yourselves in any sin, or do anything agains…
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JaS. II. 13.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 227 rejoice over Satan, sin, death, hell, and his own conscience. In the coiirt of heaven the mercy of God rejoiceth ; in the court of conscience, the mercy of man : the one noteth a victory over the divine justice, the other a victory over our own fears. The observations are …
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But you will say, how shall we more distinctly know what is our claim and tenure ? I answer — 1. It is a shrewd presumption that you are under the old bond. if you cannot discern how your copy and tenure is changed. The heirs of promise are described to be those that ' fly for refuge to JaS. II. 13.J UPON THE EPISTLE…
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Obs. 2. Unmerciful men find no mercy. (1.) It is a sin most un- suitable to grace. Kindness maketh us pity misery : ' Thou wast a stranger, be kind to strangers.' He that was forgiven, and plucked his fellow-servant by the throat, had his pardon retrieved, Mat. xviii. We pray, ' Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive…
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Ver. 14. What doth ii pi'ofit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, and hath no ivorJcs ^ Can faith save him ? 232 AN EXPOSITION, WITU NOTES, [JaS. II. 14. Here is the second exhortation against boastins^ of an idle faith, and it suitetli with the last ar2:innent urged in behalf of the former mat- ter. He had spo…
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Ohs. 4. From that can faith save him? that is, will you come before God with these hopes for salvation ? We should cherish no 234 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. 15, 16. other confidence than such as will abide the day of the Lord, and hold out to salvation. Will this be a plea, then, when all mankind is either …
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1 John iii. 18, ' Let us not love in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth.' What doth it profit ? that is, the poor ; the belly is not filled with words, or the back clothed with wishes. This is but like that mad person that thought to pay his debts with the noise of money, and instead of opening his purse, sh…
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^ ' Venter non habet aiires.' Jas. II. 17, 18.] UPON THE epistle of james. 237 Yer. 17. Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead, being (done. Here he cometh to accommodate the instance and similitude, and showeth that a naked profession of faith is no better than a verbal charity ; God looketh upon it as dead, …
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Slioio me thy faith luithout thy icorks. — This clause is diversely read in the original. Some, as CEcumenius, read only hel^ov ryjv TTiaTcv (Tov, ' Show me thy faith,' and I will soon warrant mine. Most copies read e/c rcou epycov, that is, prove thy works, since they are such inseparable fruits of faith, where are th…
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Ver. 19. Thoti helievest thei'e is one God, thou dost well ; the devils also believe, and tremble. ^ ' Bona opera sunt spei qusedam seminaria, caritatis incentiva, occulta pra)destina- tionis judicia, noa fiducise f undamenta, futurse felicitatis prsesagia,' &c. — Bernard. 240 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [Jas. II. 19.…
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Ohs. 2. From that tJiou chest ivell. It is good to own the least ap- pearance of good in men. So far it is well, saith the apostle. To commend that which is good is the ready way to mend the rest. This is a sweet art of drawing on men further and further : so far as it is good, own it : 1 Cor. xi. 2, with 17, ' In this…
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Ver. 20. Bid lolU thou knoiv, 0 vain mau, that faith without luorks is dead ? J AS. 11. 20.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 243 Here he reinforcctli the dispute against a carnal professor ; the disputation is not about the cause of justification, hut what we shoukl think of an empty faith. But wilt thou know ; that is, …
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Ver. 21. Was not Abraham our fail ler justified hy luorlcs, tvJien he offered Isaac iqjon the altar ? Here he propoundeth the demonstration that might convince the vain man, which is taken from the example of Abraham ; the believers of the Old and New Testament being all justified the same way. IVas not Abraham our f…
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246 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [J AS. II. 21. former justification by such experiences and fruits of faith, for in them we are "found faitliful ; that is, before God and man approved to have a right faith. And to this purpose Diodat excellently glosselh, that justification in Paul is opposite to the condemnation of a …
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^ Saltmarsh in his Free Grace, cap. v., pp. 62-64. 248 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. II. '<il. TTpo? Oeov, Piom. v. 1 ; but in the court of conscience there must be gome evidence and manitestation. A broken man hath peace in court as soon as the surety hatii paid his debt, but hatli the comfort of it within himsel…
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2. You must go to work evangelically, and with a spirit suiting the gospel. Consider and understand your evidences and graces not in a legal perfection, but as ' sprinkled with the blood of the covenant.' If you should look for love, fear, faith, hope, in that perfection which the law requireth, the heart will still be…
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^ Nazian. Orat. xiii. circa med. JaS. II. 21.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 251 Ohs. 3. From that lolien lie offered Isaac. Isaac is counted offered, because he was .^^o in Abraham's purpose. The note is, that serious purposes of obedience are accepted for obedience. God hath given in pardon upon a purpose of returning…
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JaS. IL 22.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 253 or seek some other meaning ; perhaps offer the image of Isaac, or some youngling of the flock, and call it Isaac ; as now we often pervert a command by distinctions, and invent shifts to cheat our souls into a neglect of duty ; as the heathens, when their gods called for (fx…
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* Jackson of Faith. * Qu. ' impartation ' — Ed. Jas. II. 23.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 255 * When I am weak, then am I strong.' There is no heart so dead but God can quicken it,, and he is wilHng. It is said, 1 Chron. xv. 26, ' God helped the Levites,' when the work was bodily ; and we are less apt to be indisposed…
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• Luth. Prajf. in banc epistolam, ubi dicit, llac verba Mosis riolcntcr a Jacobo trahi ct torqturi, tie. 2 ' Fides, nisi bonorum opennn fructibus perficiatur, jastificationein perfectam ac salu- tem Bempiteruam conciliare Loininibus non potest, ut apertissime testatur Jacobus. — Volkcl de Vera Religione, lib. iv, cap.…
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Ohs. 2. Believers are God's friends. This was not Abraham's title alone, but the title of all the righteous. Thus Christ saith, John xi. 11, ' Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.' And more expressly, John xv. 15, ' Hencefoilh I call you not servants, but friends.' Now they are friends to God — (1.) Because they are perfectly …
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Ver. 24. You see then hoio hy luorks a man is justified, and not hij faith only. You see then. — It is either a consectary out of the whole discourse, or out of the particular cxami)le of Abraham ; he alludeth to Paul's manner of reasoning: Rom. iii. 28, 'Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without …
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2G2 AN ExrosiTioN, WITH NOTES, [Jas. II. 24. justified by works ; and therclbre the Popiish gloss will not remove the seeming contrariety between the apostles. 2. The Arniinians and [Sociniaus go another way to work ; and that they may deceive with the fairer pretence, seem to ascribe all to grace, and to condemn the…
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Briefly to clear this point more fully, let me lay down a few propositions. (1.) Whosoever would be accepted with God must be righteous : Hab. i. 13, ' Thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.' God cannot give a sinner, as a sinner, a good look. (2.) Every righteousness will not serve the turn : it must be such…
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Out of the whole discourse you may observe : — Obs. 1. That in the scriptures there is sometimes a seeming differ- ence, but no real contrariety. The to evavrio^avh, the seeming dilfer- cnce, is ordered with good advice. God would prevent misprisions and errors on every side ; and the expressions of scripture are orde…
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Justified hy ivorls ; that is, approved to be sincere, and honoured by God before all the congregation ; there being a special charge to save her and her household Avhen all her countrymen were slain, and she being after joined in marriage with a prince of Israel. When she had received the messengers, and sent them ou…
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monuments of free j^racc. It is ' Rahab, the harlot,' thoiip^h justified hy works. The scars and marks of old sins remain, not to our dis- honour, but God's glory. Ohs. 4. Ordinary acts are gracious when they flow from faith and are done in obedience ; as Rahab's receiving the messengers : enter- tainment in such a ca…
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Is dead ; that is, cannot perform the functions and offices of life, or of a man. So faith luithout ivories. — The Papists understand true justifying faith, for they suppose it may be without works; but dead faith cannot be true faith, as a carcase is not a true man, and a true faith cannot be without works, Gal. v. 6…
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Knoiuing that lue shall receive the greater condemnation. — This is the first reason the apostle produceth against the pride of censuring, which is grounded upon a consideration of the danger of the sin, or the severity of judgment following it ; ixel^ov Kplfia, ' a greater judgment,' either from men. Censurers have th…
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JaS. III. 1.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 273 the cross of Christ.' A good man taketh no delight to rake in a dung- hill, others' failings cannot serve his mirth and triumph : ' My soul shall weep sore for your pride in secret places/ Jer. xiii. 17. Censures are full of passion, but Christian reproofs of compassion ; s…
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Obs. 5. Eash and undue judging of others, when we are guilty our- selves, maketh us liable to the greater judgment. The apostle pro- ceedetli upon that supposition. Sharp reprovers had need be exact, otherwise they draw a hard law upon themselves, and in judging others pronounce their own doom ; their sins are sins of …
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^ Euseb. Eccl. Hist., lib. ii. cap. 1. ^ ' Opus bonum optime factum mortale peccatum est' ; et paulo post, ' Omne opus justi damnabile est, et mortale peccatum, si iudicio Dei iudicetur.' — Luther in Assert., arts. 31, 32, 35, 36. ^ ' Omne virtutis nostrse meritum est vitium, et omnis humana justitia injustitia est s…
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And able to bridle the tohole body. — By body, Grotius under- standeth the church, which is called ' the body,' 1 Cor. xii. 20, Eph. iv. 12 ; and he maketh the sense out thus : He that can bridle him- self in disputation is able to govern the church ; an exposition curious, but strange to this context. By bridling the …
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J AS. III. 2. J UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 279 xiii. 3, ' He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life ; but he that openeth wide his Hps, shall have destruction.' He intimateth a simi- litude of a city besieged : to open the gates betra}x^th the safety of it ; all watch and ward is about the gate. So the tongue is the…
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For apt remedies — (1.) Get a pure heart; there is the tongue's treasury and storehouse. A good man is always ready to discourse, not forced by the company, but because the law of God is in his heart : Prov. xv. 7, ' The lij)s of the wise disperse knowledge, but the ' * Aeivov ?Tos (fjir/tv ipKo% 6b6vTuv. ' — Homer. …
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Out of these verses observe : — Obs. 1. That it is good to illustrate divine things by similitudes taken from earthly. (1.) Our knowledge is by sense ; by things known we the better apprehend those that are unknown : and by an earthly matter, with which we are acquainted, we conceive of the sweetness and worth of that…
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Behold how great a matter a little JireJcindleth. — Another similitude, to show that great inconveniences come from the abuse of so small a member. A man would think that words, that pass away with the breath in which they are uttered, had not such a weight and deadly 284 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [Jas. III. 5. infl…
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Ver. 6. Aiid the tongue is a fire, a loorld of iniquity : so is the tongue among the members, that it defileth the ivhole body, and settetk on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. Here he applieth the similitude of a little fire to an evil tongue : ' And the tongue is a fire,' &c. I shall open the…
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The points observable are these : — Ohs. 1. There is a resemblance between an evil tongue and fire: — (1.) For the heat of it. It is the instrument of wrath and contention, which is the heat of a man — a boiling of the blood about the heart. Solomon saith, ' A man of understanding is of a cool spirit,' Prov. xvii. 27.…
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Ohs. 5. From that the lohole body. An evil tongue hath a great influence upon other members. When a man speaketh evil, he will commit it. When the tongue hath the boldness to talk of sin, the rest of the members have the boldness to act it : 1 Cor. xv. 33, ' Evil words corru[)t good manners.' First we think, then speak…
1,023 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.