PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Thomas Manton — Volume 7
Thomas Manton · 317,571 words · 317 reading sections
Section 181
Doct. That Grod's mercies bestowed upon some of his children should be and are an occasion of joy and comfort to all the rest When David was a pattern of Cxod's gracious help and deliverance, he saith, ' They that fear thee wiU be glad when they see me.' I shall give you some scriptures : Ps. cxlii. 7, ' The righteous …
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3. It is for the profit and comfort of all ; partly because by this means they come to understand one another's experiences for their mutual support and edification. What God is to one that feareth him, he is to all that fear him sincerely, aft'ected to them all ; there- lore the goodness of God to one beUever bringeth…
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VeR. 74.] SERMONS UPON P8ALM CXIX. 285 Every answer of prayer is a new proof or fresh experience of God's love and special respect to us ; it is a sign that God regardeth us and is mindful of us, nay, it is a sign of God's favour, when he will not only hear us for ourselves, but for others also. If a man come to a kin…
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4. It informeth us — (1.) How much itconcerneth us to preserve an interest in the hearts of God's people, and to behave ourselves so that they that fear God may be glad of our mercies, and bless God for them. The communion of saints is a sweet thing ; we must not for- feit this privilege by our inordinate walking, prid…
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288 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXIII. of hawking and hunting, the best wine and delicious meats, of honours and purchases in the workl, all which tend but to increase the gust of the flesh, and the carnal savour which is baneful to^ us ; or else with idle stories, the clatter of vanity, which are impertinent to …
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2. The particular accommodation of it to David, ' In faithfulness tliou hast afflicted me.' Pray mark, in the general case he observeth justice; in his own, faithfulness. The book called Hid rash TUlim referreth these words to David's flight from Absalom, when he went to Mount Olivet weeping ; it was an ill time then w…
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So did David silence all his murmurings when the hand of God was sore upon him ; so should we silence all our murmuring, all our sus- picions of God's dealing, when we are under the cross. I know the Lord doth nothing unjust, but is faithful ; he will not retract his covenant love, and I know his covenant love binds hi…
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Consid. 4. It is not enough to acknowledge justice, but we must also acknowledge faithfulness ; not only his just severity in the punish- ments of the wicked, but his fidelity and love in the correction of his children : it is not enough that we justify God, and forbear to murmur against his afflicting us, but we must …
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First, There is much of justice in all God's judgments. I prove it : — 1. From Gods nature : Ps. cxix. 137, * Righteous art thou, 0 Lord, and upright are thy judgments ; ' his work is as his being is, holy and 294 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXIII. righteous ; all his providences carry a condecency and becoming…
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4. The judgments inflicted are always short of the cause, surely they uever exceed the value of it : Ezra ix. 13, ' Thou hast punished us less than we have deserved.' God doth not exact the whole debt of sinners which they owe to his justice. It was a heavy stroke that then lighted upon Jerusalem. VTas their wound but …
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VeR. 75.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 297 we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.' The carnal reprobate world are left to a looser and larger dis- cipline. Brambles are not pruned when vines are. New creatures require a more close inspection than others do. Self-confidence and spiritual…
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2. Let it check immoderate sorrow and uncomely dejection of spirit ; he is just in the afflictions of his people, but yet so that he is also faithful ; he is a father when he beateth and indulgeth, when he smiles and when he frowns. Afflictions do not make void our adoption, they rather increase our confidence of it, H…
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[5.] You must resign your souls to God entirely without exception, refer yourselves to his methods, and let him take his own way to bring you to everlasting glory. When you do with quietness of heart put yourselves into God's hands, as being persuaded of his love and faith- fulness, you will be the sooner satisfied in …
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302 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXI2. [Ser. LXXXIV. j^ity in God, that moved hira to spare them for the time. So he doth sometimes for those that cry to him but in a natural manner, as a beast maketh its moan when it is in pain. But much more will his com- passion show itself to his people, when they bemoan themselves in a spi…
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[3.] His mercy is more to his people than to others. There is a general mercy and a special mercy. (1.) There is a general mercy 304 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXTX. [SeR. LXXXIV. by which God snstaineth and helpeth any creature that is in misery, especially man : so Christ calleth him merciful as he showeth himself ' kind t…
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[2.] Let us consider it subjectively. Comfort is the sti-engthen- ing of the mind when it is apt to be weakened by doubts, fears, and sorrows. As by patience we are kept from murmuring, so by comfort we are kept from fainting. It is the strength, stay, and support of the heart against any grievance whereby it is likely…
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Consider : — 1. That natural comforts are the gifts of God : 1 Tim. i. 17, ' He giveth us richly all things to enjoy,' and sets forth the bounds of our VeR. 76.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 307 liabitation, where and how much we shall have, and giveth and taketh these things at his pleasure, raising up some from the du…
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Fourilily, The subject capable, ' thy servant.' Here we may ask the eunuch's question, ' Of whom speaketh the prophet this, of himself or of some other man ? ' Of himself questionless, under the denomina- tion of God's servant. But then the question returneth, Is it a word of promise made to himself in particular, or G…
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escape the death his enemies intended to him. Certainly in the former verse he speaketh as a man under deep troubles and afflictions, and in the following words he telleth us that the proud dealt per- versely with him, and therefore he might have some apprehensions of dying in his troubles, which he beggeth God to prev…
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[2.] The utility of it ; this giveth boldness and more hopeful expecta- tion ; that will appear if we consider what mercy is. It is God's propension and inclination to do good to the sinful and miserable, so far as his wisdom seeth convenient. As mercy is a perfection in the divine nature, so God is necessarily mercifu…
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[1.] That it is not enough to hear of somewhat of God's saving mercies, but we should beg that it may come unto us, be effectually and sensibly communicated unto us, that we may have exjjerience of them in our own souls ; the hearsay will do us little good without ex- perience ; the hearsay is the first encouragement: …
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[2.] Life spiritual : the soul hath no life but in communion with God, who is the fountain of this new life. Now the more sensible and close this is, the more they live ; the vitality of this life lietli in the sensible participation of the effects of his special grace and mercy ; then we have it more abundantly, John …
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[2.] They are renewed. Till a man be holy he cannot rejoice in spiritual things; the fool's heart is always in the house of mirth, Eccles. vii, 4. For masks, and plays, and merry meetings, feasts and banquets, and vain company, and idle games and pastimes, these are the life and joy of their souls. A fool will make a f…
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2. A ready and cheerful obedience must be willingly and heartily undertaken ; love to the work for the work's sake. A man is never truly converted to God till God hath his love, and his law hath his love ; for the constitution of the heart is not seen in our opinions so much as in our affections, love, desire, and deli…
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Object. But you will say. How, then, shall we take comfort in the new covenant, who are so many ways faulty ? Ans. We must consider — (1.) What it exacts; (2.) What it accepteth. 1. What it exacts. To quicken us to more earnest endeavours and humble confession of failings, it exacteth perfect obedience, admits of no …
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TeR. 77.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 321 sit easy. Comfort follows holiness as light doth fire, and sin will cause trouble as the prick of a needle doth pain. The soul cannot be serious and mind things but it will be so. Indeed, at some times, by careless- ness, our sense of the necessity of obedience is extinguished, a…
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VeR. 78.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 323 xviii. 10, 11, ' The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.' Every man is as his trust is ; for, as the Psalmist speaketh of idols in general, ' They that tr…
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2 Chron. xi. 14. So it was pride in Nebuchadnezzar to command all men to bow before his image, Dan. iii. 15, 16. God's prerogative must not be incroached upon ; there is a superior sovereign. Partly in vexing, molesting, and oppressing them at their pleasure ; the formal Christian hateth the spiritual, Gal. iv. 29. Now…
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326 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXVI. upbraid others with pimples. The infirmities of the godly do not justify your contempt of godliness ; and because of their faults, you must not scorn at their holiness and expect indemnity. 4. Take heed of moral pride, which consists in a lofty conceit of our- selves, joined…
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[3.] By undutifulness to superiors, or those that are preferred in honour before ourselves. Proud men would be admired of all, well thought of and spoken of by all, and preferred above all ; and if it be not so, they are discontented, and a secret enmity and malignity invadeth their spirits and settleth itself there ; …
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[1.] Let us pray often, for in prayer we profess our subjection and dependence. Where prayers are fervent, earnest, frequent, it argueth great humility ; where rare, cold, unfrequent, little humility; where none, no humility. Seeking to God, who is so excellent, mindeth us of our own baseness ; seeking his daily relief…
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Doct. That when the proud are troublesome and injurious to God's people, they may boldly commend their cause to God. The reasons : — 1. The effects of their pride are grievous to be borne. Now, it is well when any grief findeth a spiritual vent, when it puts the godly upon praying : Phil. iv. 6, ' In everything, by pr…
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2. That the humble soul which casts itself into the arms of God's providence shall either have a full and final deliverance or present support : Isa. xl. 31, * They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.' To wait on the Lord is with patience and tranquillity of spirit to expect the performance of the promi…
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Secoiidbj, These things must be improved by meditation ; so saith David, ' I will meditate on thy precepts.^ 1. Sleepy reason is unuseful to us, and truths lie hid in the heart without any efficacy or power till improved by deep, serious, and press- ing thoughts. Non-attendancy is the bane of the world : Mat. xiii. 19…
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Use. Let all our troubles drive us to the word of God ; there we shall find — 1. Grounds of comfort and support. 2. Hopes of deliverance. 3. Quickenings to duty, which being concocted by serious thoughts, and blessed to us by the Spirit of God, will enable us to ride out the storm cheerfully, and allay our cares and…
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Vers. 78, 79.] sermons upon psalm cxix. 337 3. Thoiigli it be so great a blessing, yet often it falleth out that there are great discords and estrangements between those that fear God and know his testimonies ; godly men may be strange one to another. David complaineth, Ps. Ixix. 8, ' I am become a stranger to my bre-…
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4. When this f alleth out, we should use all due means to recover those ' that have deserted us, and draw them unto us again ; the favour is worth diligence. A man would not be cast out of the hearts of God's people. The apostle saith, Heb. xii. 14, ' Follow peace with all men,' StcoKeTe etp/]v'>]v, not only embrace it…
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3. The person prayed unto, intimated in the word thy. Secondly, Here is the benefit asked, a sound heart ; in which you have — 1. The nature of it. 2. The value of it. Doct. That sincerity and soundness in a holy course is a great bless- ing, and earnestly to be sought of God in prayer. First, This will appear if …
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S42 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXYIII. is made our work, because we work under God: Ps. cxix. 11, ' Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee ; ' and Prov. vi, 21, 22, ' Bind his commandments upon thy heart ; tie them upon thy neck.' When we look for the deep implanting of the word in ou…
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4. There is required that the afi'ections be purged and quickened ; these are the vigorous motions of the will, and therefore this must be heedfully regarded : purged they must be from that carnality and fleshliness that cleaveth to them. This is called in scripture the cir- cumcision of the heart, Deut. xxx. 6 : ' The…
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[1.] Before God, either in our addresses to him at the throne of grace, or when summoned to appear at the last day before the tribunal of his justice. (1.) If you understand it of our present approach to him, we cannot come into his presence with confidence if we have not a sound heart : 1 John iii. 21, ' If our heart…
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(2.) Before others; and so our shame maybe occasioned by our scandals or our punishment : it is hard to say which is intended here. (1st.) By scandals. When the heart is not sound with God, dis- orders break out before men, and many that make a fair show for a while afterwards shipwreck themselves and all their credit…
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348 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXVIII. An unsound heart will not bear out, but fall off to its own shame : James i. 8, The apostle telleth us, that ' a double-minded man is un- stable in all his ways.' Between God's supplies and carnal shifts he goeth backward and forward, or this way and that, as occasion re- q…
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2. For the exhibition of Christ in the flesh : Ps. xcviii. 2, 3, * The Lord hath made known his salvation : his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and truth to the house of Israel : all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.' Clearly that psa…
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VeR. 81.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 351 stay God's time, for here is fainting and hoping, or, as the apostle saith, hastening to and yet waiting for the coming of the Lord, 2 Peter iii. 12. One is the effect of desire, the other of hope ; desire hasten- ing, and hope waiting. These things being cleared, let us first a…
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2. It is the devil's design to tire and weary out the people of God, and therefore stirreth up all his malice against us : Luke xxii. 31, 32, ' Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat : but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' The devil, if he might have the shak…
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Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them : I will increase them with men like a flock ; ' and Jer. xxix. 12, 13, ' Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you : and ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with …
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3. The kinds of fainting. (1.) There is a fainting which causeth great trouble and dejection of spirit. (2.) There is a fainting which causeth apostasy and defection from God and the cause of religion. [1.] There is a fainting which causeth dejection and ti-ouble ; this is spoken of Heb. xii. 5, ' My son, despise not …
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Doct. 3. Though the soul be in a fainting condition, yet it will accept of nothing but God's salvation, 'Thy salvation:' Ps. xciv. 18, VeR. 81.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 357 ' When I said, My foot slippeth ; thy mercy, 0 Lord, held me up ;' and ver. 19, 'In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy com- forts deligh…
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[2.] Hope representeth the excellency and certainty of these future things, and so causeth earnestness and patience. (1.) The excellency. It is a question among divines what is the difierence between faith and hope, because they are much of a like nature. One difierence is, faith looks to the truth of the promise, hop…
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Well, then, hope for these things. We shall hear of few in whom the former part of the text is verified, if understood of eternal salvation, * My soul fainteth for thy salvation.' This temper is very rare, and few have such a spirit as Paul had : Phil. i. 23, ' I desire to be <lissolved, and to be with Christ,' &c. But…
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1. By the effect, his looking after the accomplishment of the pro- mise ; as, Judges v. 28, when Sisera's mother expected him, ' She looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming ? why tarry the wheels of his chariots ? ' and Eom. viii. 19, ' The earnest expectation of the …
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[2.] The eye of sense being shut, we are not discouraged with con- trary appearances, nor with fears and troubles and the trials of the present life, because hope seeth sunshine behind the back of the storm. We have a notable emblem of the eye of faith and the eye of sense iu VsR. 82.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 363 th…
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1. It must be a serious and earnest expectation : Phil. i. 20, ' Ac- cording to my earnest expectation, that in nothing I shall be ashamed.' Earnest expectation is that which exciteth the heart to be ever looking and longing for the things promised. Our eyes are always looking to heaven, which is the seat and solace of…
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The second point is from the incident weakness, because of the delay of help : ' Mine eyes fail for thy word.' He had his eyes fixed upon the promise till they were quite wearied. BocL 2. Though his people wait for him, yet God may so long delay and suspend the performance of the promises till they count it a hopeless…
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Secondly, The other branch is, that God may delay so long till they be disheartened, and give it over as a hopeless business. David saitli his eyes failed for the word. When a man is disappointed of the things he looketh for, then his eyes are said to fail. So the captive Jews complained, Lam. iv. 17, ' As for us, our …
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3. Though it be a sin and punishment, yet the fault is not in God's delay, but in the weakness and faintness of our hope. There was a fault in our first resolution for faith and patience. Tlie children of God usually set to themselves a shorter period than the Lord doth. And so God is not slack, but we are hasty : 2 Pe…
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I come now to the second clause, his longing desire after it, saying, When loilt thou comfort rne f that is, David was ever and anon re- peating and saying, 'Lord, when?' The Hebrews express their wishes by way of question : Oh, that thou wouldest comfort me ! Docf. 3. When our hope and help is delayed, we may complai…
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[1.] Partly because prayer giveth ease ; it is a vent to strong aftections. [2.] It reviveth the work of faith, hope, and patience. [3.] Though God knoweth when to bestow blessings, yet he will not blame the desires of his children after them. Use. Well, then, let us seek comfort, and complain not of God, but to God…
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Doct. That though our trials be never so sharp and tedious, yet this must not lessen our respect to God or his word. In handling this point I shall show you three things : — 1. That God may exercise his childi-en with sharp and tedious afilictions. 2. That these afflictions are apt to draw us into manifold sins and …
905 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.