LIBRARY OF PRINCETON
MAR 2 4 ?0G
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
THE
WORKS OF THOMAS MANTON, D.D.
VOL. I.
COUNCIL OF PUBLICATION.
W. LINDSAY ALEXANDER, D.D., Professor of Theologj-, Congregational Union, Edinburgh.
JAMES BEGG, D.D., Minister of Newington Free Church, Edinburgh.
THOMAS J. CRAWFORD, D.D., S.T.P., Professor of Divinity, University, Edinburgh.
D. T. K. DRUMMOND, M.A., Minister of St Thomas's Episcopal Church, Edinburgli.
WILLIAM H. GOOLD, D.D., Professor of Biblical Literature and Church History, Reformed Presbyterian Church, Edinburgh.
ANDREW THOMSON, D.D., Minister of Broughton Place United Presby- terian Church, Edinburgh.
45eneral "CDitor. REV. THOMAS SMITH, D.D., Edinburgh.
THE COMPLETE WORKS
OF
THOMAS MAXTON, D.D.
CL^Iitfa IJlcmoir of tin §.utbor
BY THE REV. WILLIAM HARRIS, D.D.
^ntr ail Cjssau
BY THE REV. J. C. RYLE. B.A.,
VICAK OF STRiDBROSE. SrrFvJLK
VOLUME I.
MEMOIK BY EET. DR HARRIS.
A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PFvAYER.
ON CHRIST'S TEMPTATION AND TRANSFIGURATION.
ON REDEMPTION BY CHRIST AND HTS ETERNAL EXISTENCE.
LONDON
JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNEBS STREET.
1870.
Mr Ryle's Essay will form the Prefatory matter to Vol. II. — Ed.
CONTEXTS.
Memoir by the Rev. William Harris, D.D.
A Practical Exposition of the Lord's Prayer. Preface, . . . . •
Introduction, . . . . -
" Our Father -vvhich art in Heaven," . " Hallowed be thy name," " Thy kingdom come,"
" Thy vrill be done in earth, as it is in heaven," " Give us this day our daily bread," . " And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," " And lead us not into temptation," . " But deKver us from evil," . "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. " For ever. Amen. ' .....
Christ's Temptation and Transfiguration. To the Reader, The Temptation of Christ, Sermon I. Mat. iv. 1. XL ., iv. 2-t, III. „ iv. 5, 6, lY. „ iv. 7, . V. „ iv. 8, 9, TL ,. iv. 10, . Vli. „ iv. 11, . The Transfiguration of Christ. Sermon I. Mat. xviL 1
II.
xvii.
Luke ix. 28, „ ix. 29.
PACK
vii
3
4
39
66
90
120
U9
167
199
232
243
253
257 259 259 267 276 286 301 313 323 337 337 347
VI
CONTENTS.
Sermon III. Mat. xvii. 3; Luke ix. 30, 31, IV. „ xvii. 4 ; „ ix. 32, 33, V. „ xvii. 5, . VI. „ xvii. 5, . VII. „ xvii. 6-8,
Christ's Redemption and Eternal Existence. To the Christian Reader, Sermon I. Col. i. 14, II. „ i. 15,
III.
i. 16,
IV.
i. 17,
V.
i. 18,
VI.
i. 18,
VII.
i. 19
ii. 9,
VIII.
i. 20,
pAC:E
358 370 382 392 402
41.5 417 427 434 444 453 464 47G 494
SOME MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE XW CHARACTER
OF THE REVEREND AND LEARNED
THOMAS MANTON, D.D.
By WILLIAM HARRIS, D.D.i
Though the lives of great and excellent persons have been always reckoned a useful piece of history, and scarce anything is read with greater entertainment, yet it has often happened that they have been undertaken with great disadvantage, and not till the best means of col- lecting proper materials, either by the neglect of their fi-iends, or the distant publication of their works, have been in a great measure lost. So it was in the Life of the famous Mr Richard Hooker, which was not undertaken by Dr Walton till near seventy years after his death. By this means there is reason to fear some memorable passages were past recovery, after all inquiry, in the lately-published account of that extraordinary person, Mr John Howe, by Dr Calamy. And thus it has proved in the present case. One cannot but wonder that the life of a person of so great worth and general esteem, and who bore so great a part in the public affairs of his own time, was never attempted while his most intimate friends, and they who were best acquainted with the most remarkable passages concerning him, were yet alive. It has been thought, however, not improper upon this occasion to retrieve that error as far as may be, and lay together in one view what can be now gathered from some of his relations yet living, from his own writ- ings, and the memoirs of those who published his works and were contemporary with him. And it is to be hoped that this short and imperfect account, drawn up under disadvantage indeed, but with strict regard to truth, may do some justice to the memory of so excel- lent a person and the interest he espoused, and give some entertain- ment and instruction to the world.
Dr Thomas Manton was born in the year I G20, at Lawrence-Lydiat, in the county of Somerset. His father and both his grandfathers were ministers. He had his school-learning at the free school of Tiverton,
' This Memoir was originally prefixed to a second edition of Mautou's works, uf which nnly the tirst volume appears to have been pubUshed. — Ed.
Vlll MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER
in Devonshire. He run through his grammatical studies, and was qualified to enter upon academical learning at the age of fourteen, which was very unusual in those days, when the methods of school- learning were more difficult and tedious, and youth designed for the university were commonly detained to eighteen or nineteen years of age. But his parents, either judging him too young, or loth to part with him so soon, kept him some time longer before he was sent to Oxford. He was placed in Wadham College in the year 1635 ; and, after preparatory studies, he applied himself to divinity, which was the work his heart was chiefly set upon, and which he designed to make the business of his life.i By a course of unwearied diligence, joined with great intellectual endowments, he was early qualified for the work of the ministry, and took orders much sooner than was usual, and than he himself approved upon maturer thoughts and after he had more experience. There is a remarkable passage to this purpose in his Exposition of James, in which he expresses the humble acknowledgment of his fault, and which has proved monitory and affecting to others. He delivered it with tears in his eyes. It is on the 19th verse of the first chapter, ' Be slow to speak.' ' I remember,' says he, ' my faults this day ; I cannot excuse myself from much of crime and sin in it. I have been in the ministry these ten years, and yet not fully com- pleted the thirtieth year of my age — the Lord forgive my rash intru- sion.' He was ordained by the excellent Joseph Hall, then Bishop of Exeter, afterwards removed to Norwich, who took particular notice of him upon that occasion, and expressed his apprehensions ' that he would prove an extraordinary person. '2 The times when he first entered into the ministry were full of trouble, the king and parliament being at open variance, and hostilities breaking out on both sides. He was confined to Exeter when it was besieged by the king's forces. After its surrender he went to Lime. He preached his first sermon at So\\i:on, near Exeter, on those words, ' Judge not, that ye be not judged,' a copy of which is now in the hands of a relation. It was some time before he had any fixed place for the exercise of his minis- try. He first began at Culliton, in Devonshire, where he preached a weekly lecture, and was much attended and respected. There he had an occasion of reforming the disorderly practice of those who, after the example of a leading gentleman, fell to their private devotion in the congregation after the public worship was begun. At his coming to London, he was soon taken notice of as a young man of excellent