While he was minister at Covent Garden, he was invited to preach before the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, and the Companies of the city, upon some public occasion, at St Paul's. The doctor chose some difficult subject, in which he had opportunity of displaying his judgment and learning, and appearing to the best advantage. He was heard with the admiration and applause of the more intelligent part of the audience ; and was invited to dine with my Lord Mayor, and received public thanks for his performance. But upon his return in the evening to Covent Garden, a poor man following him, gently plucked him by the sleeve of his gown, and asked him if he were the gentleman who had preached that day before my Lord Mayor. He replied, he was. ' Sir,' says he, ' I came with earnest desires after the word of God, and hopes of getting some good to my soul, but I was greatly disaj)pointed ; for I could not understand a great deal of what you said ; you were quite above me.' The doctor replied, with tears in his eyes, ' Friend, if I did not give you a sermon, you have
XIV MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER
given me one ; and, by the grace of God, I will never play the fool to preach before my Lord Mayor in such a manner again/ Upon a public fast at Covent Garden church, for the persecuted Protestants in the valleys of Piedmont, Dr Manton had got Mr Baxter, who hap- pened to be then in London, and Dr Wilkins, who was afterwards Bishop of Chester, to assist him. Mr Baxter opened the day, and preached upon the words of the prophet Amos, chap. vi. 6 : ' But they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph.' He, after his manner, took a great compass, and grasped the whole subject. Dr Manton succeeded him, and had chosen the same text : he was obliged often to refer to the former discourse, and to say, eveiy now and then, 'As it has been observed by my reverend brother,' Dr Wilkins sat cruelly uneasy, and reckoned that between them both he should have nothing left to say; for he had got the same text too. He insisted upon being excused, but Dr Manton obliged him to go up into the pulpit ; and by an ingenious artifice, he succeeded admirably. Before he named his text, he prepared the audience by expressing the fears of their uarrow-spiritedness, and little concern for the interest of God in the world : ' For,' says he, ' without any knowledge or design of our own, we have all three been directed to the same words.' Which, spoken with the majesty and authority peculiar to the pre- sence and spirit of that excellent person, so awakened the attention, and disposed the minds of the people, that he was heard with more regard, and was thought to do more good than both the former, though he had scarce a single thought throughout the sermon distinct from the other two.
In the year 1G60 he was very instrumental, with many other Pres- byterian divines, in the restoration of King Charles II. It must be owned, by impartial judges, that the Presbyterian party, who had the greatest influence in the nation at that time, had the greatest share in that change ; nor could all the Episcopal party in the three kingdoms have once put it into motion, or brought it to any effect, without them, though they had all the favour and preferment bestowed upon them afterwards; which, whether it were more just or politic, more agree- able to the laws of equity or the rules of prudence, I leave to the reader to determine. i Perhaps, if the king had been brought in upon the conditions the noble Earl of Southampton would have proposed, and which were approved by the Earl of Clarendon, when it was too late, it had prevented a great deal of the arbitrary and violent pro- ceedings of that loose and luxurious reign, and contributed to the safety and happiness of the prince, and people too. He was one of the divines appointed to wait upon the king at Breda, where they were well received, and for some time after greatly caressed. The doctor was sworn one of the king's chaplains by the Earl of Man- chester, Lord Chamberlain, who truly honoured him. He was one of the commissioners at the Savoy Conference, and used his utmost endeavours in that unsuccessful affair. Dr Reynolds, afterwards Bishop of Norwich, joined with those divines who were for alterations in ecclesiastical aftairs. He was the first who received the commis- sion from the Bishop of London, of which he immediately acquainted
^ See Bishop Burnet's ' History of his Own Times,' p. 8i>.
OF THOMAS MANTON', D.D. XV
Dr Manton. The orig^inal letter is now In my hands, and expresses the candour and goodness of that excellent person, and his great respect for Dr Manton. It is in these words : —
' Sir, — Tills morning the Bishop of London sent me the commission about revising the Liturgy under the great seal, to take notice of; with direction to give notice to the commissioners who are not bishops. I Avent to Mr Calamy, and it is desired that we meet to-morrow morning at nine o'clock, at his house, in regard of his lameness, to advise together, and send a joint letter to those who are out of this town. He and I desire you not to fail ; and withal to call upon Dr Bates and Dr Jaconib in your way, to desire their company. 60, with my best respects,