XU MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER
Dr Manton had a great respect for Mr Christopher Love, who was beheaded in the year 1651, by the then Parliament, for being concerned with some others in sending remittances abroad to support the royal family in their distress. I am informed that he attended him on the scaffold at Tower Hill, and that Mr Love, as a token of his respect, gave him his cloak. The doctor was resolved to preach his funeral sermon, which the Government understanding, signified their dis- pleasure, and the soldiers threatened to shoot him ; but that did not daunt him, for he preached at St Lawrence Jury, where Mr Love had been minister, to a numerous congregation, though not graced with the pulpit cloth, or having the convenience of a cushion. He was too wise to lay himself open to the rage of his enemies ; but the sermon was printed afterwards, under the title of ' The Saint's Triumph over Death.' Lord Clarendon i speaks of Mr Love in terms of great dis- respect, upon the report of a sermon he preached when he was a young man, at Uxbridge, at the time of the treaty. How far he might fail in his prudence in so nice a circumstance, I am not able to say ; but it appears, from the accounts of them who well knew him, and by the resentment his death generally met with at that time, as well as by several volumes of sermons printed after his death, that he was a person of worth and esteem. It was certainly a rash and ungenerous censure in the noble author, of one he knew so little at that time, and who afterwards lost his life for serving the royal family.
The Government afterwards, for what reason it was best known to themselves, seemed at least to have an esteem for him, though he was far from courting their favour. When Cromwell took on him the Protectorship, in the year 1653, the very morning the ceremony was to be performed, a messenger came to Dr Manton, to acquaint him that he must immediately come to Whitehall. The doctor asked him the occasion : he told him he should know that when he came there. The Protector himself, without any previous notice, told him what he was to do, that is, to pray upon that occasion.^ The doctor laboured all he could to be excused, and told him it was a work of that nature which required some time to consider and prepare for it. The Pro- tector replied that he knew he was not at a loss to perform the service he expected from him ; and opening his study-door, he put him in with his hand, and bid him consider there, which was not above half an hour. The doctor employed that time in looking over his books, which, he said, was a noble collection. It was at this time, as I am informed, that the worthy Judge Rookesby had the misfortune, by the fall of a scaffold, to break his thigh, by which he always went lame, and was obliged to have one constantly to lead him. He was an upright judge, and a wise and religious person ; he was constant to his principles, and always attended the preaching of good old Mr Stretton to his dying day.
About this time the doctor was made one of the chaplains to the Protector ; and appointed one of the committee to examine persons
1 History, in folio, vol. ii., pp. 445, 446 ; vol. iii., pp. 337, 338.
2 Whitlock, who was present, says, ' He recommended His Highness, the Parliament, the Council, and forces, and the wiiole Government and people of the three nations, to the blessing and protection of God.' — Memorials, p. 661.
OF THOMAS MANTON, D.D. Xlll
who were to be admitted to the ministry, or inducted into livinj2;s ; as lie was afterwards appointed one in 1659, by an act of that Parlia- ment in which tlie secluded members were restored. And though this proved troublesome to him, considering his constant employment in preaching, yet he has been heard to say, that he very seldom absented himself from that service, that he might, to his power, keep matters from running into extremes ; for there were many in those days, as well as in these, who were forward to run into the ministry, and had more zeal than knowledge ; and perhaps sometimes persons of worth liable to be discouraged. There is a pretty remarkable instance of his kind respect to a grave and sober person, who appeared before them (cap in hand, no doubt), and was little taken notice of, but by himself : he, seeing him stand, called for a chair, in respect to his years and appearance ; at which some of the commissioners were displeased. This person appeared to be of a Christian and ingenuous temper ; for, after the Restoration, he was preferred to an Irish bishopric, perhaps an archbishopric ; for he used to give in charge to Bishop Worth, whose occasions often called him over to England, that on his first coming to London he should visit Dr Manton, and give his service to him, and let him know, that if he was molested in his preaching in England, he should be welcome in Ireland, and have liberty to preach in any part of his diocese undisturbed. What interest he had in the Protector he never employed for any sordid ends of his own, who might have had anything from him, but purely to do what service he could to others : he never refused to ap ply to him for anything in which he could serve another, though it was not always with success. He was once desired by some of the principal Royalists to use his interest in him for sparing Dr Hewit's life, who was condemned for being in a plot against the then Government ; which he did accordingly. The Protector told him, if Dr Hewit had shown himself an ingenuous person, and would have owned what he knew was his share in the design against him, he would have spared his life ; but he was, he said, of so obstinate a temper, that he resolved he should die. The Protector convinced Dr Manton before he parted that he knew how far he was engaged in that plot.