' Consider him as a Christian, his life was answerable to his doc- trine. This servant of God was like a fruitful tree, which produces in the branches what it contains in the root. His inward grace was made visible in a conversation becoming the gospel. His resolute con- tempt of the world secured him from being wrought upon by those motives which tempt low spirits from their duty. He would not rashly throw himself into troubles, nor, spreia conscientia, avoid them. His generous constancy of mind in resisting the current of popular humour, declared his loyalty to his divine Master. His charity was eminent in procuring supplies for others, when in mean circumstances himself. But he had great experience of God's fatherly provision, to which his" filial confidence was correspondent. I shall finish my character of him by observing his humility. He was deeply affected with the sense of his frailty and unworthiness. He considered the infinite purity of God, and the perfection of his law, the rule of duty ; and by that humbling light discovered his manifold defects. He expressed his thoughts to me a little before his death. " If the holy prophets were under strong impressions of fear upon extraordinary discoveries of the divine presence, how shall we poor creatures appear before the holy and dreadful Majesty ? It is infinitely terrible to appear before God, the Judge of all, without the protection of the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel." This alone relieved him, and supported his hopes. Though his labours were abundant, yet he knew that the work of God, pass- ing through our hands is so blemished, that without appealing to pardoning mercy and grace, we cannot stand in judgment.' This was the subject of his last public sermon, upon 2 Tim. i. 18, which was published from his notes, with the second edition of his funeral sermon.
Mr Collins, a man of a most sweet and obliging temper, as well as of great abilities and worth, on his turn to preach at the merchants' lecture, after the doctor's death, took great notice of it, and was much affected with the loss of so valuable a person. Good old Mr Case used to say, long before his death, that he should live to preach his funeral sermon ; and he did preach upon that occasion, when he was almost dead himself, for he was above eighty years of age. His text was, 2 Kings X. 32 ; ' In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short.' After he had considered the text, he came to speak of several worthy ministers cut off by death about that time, as well as others cut oft' by the laws which forbade their preaching. The last he named was Dr
XXIV MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER
Manton. At the mention of his name he stopped, and wept for some time before he could proceed ; and then said, ' If I had mentioned no other but Dr Manton, I might well say, that God began to cut England short;' with other expressions of his love and esteem. He had always a high opinion of the doctor's preaching, and would often urge him to print. When the doctor answered him that he had not time, in the midst of such constant employments, to prepare anything, with due care, for the public view ; he would reply, ' You need only send your notes to the press, when you come out of the pulpit.' Dr Manton wrote a very ingenious and serious preface to Mr Case's Meditations, drawn up when he was prisoner in the Tower, and pub- lished under the title of ' Correction, Instruction ;' which is a very useful practical book upon the subject of afflictions. He also wrote a preface to the second edition of ' Smectymnus ; ' to Mr Clifford's 'Book of the Covenant;' to ' Ignatius Jourdain's Life;' Mr Strong's 'Sermons of the Certainty and Eternity of Hell Torments;' and to the second edition, in quarto, of the Assembly's ' Confession of Faith,' &c.
His works were published by several principal ministers of that time, and it will entertain the reader to see the high apprehensions they had of him, and the beautiful variety in which they represent them. They have indeed drawn their own character, as well as his, in the different turn of their mind and manner of expression. The first which came out was ' Twenty Sermons,' in quarto, in the year 1678. Dr Bates gives this fine and beautiful account of them : ' The main design of them is to represent the inseparable connexion between Christian duties and privileges, wherein the essence of our religion consists. The gospel is not a naked, unconditionate offer of pardon and eternal life in favour of sinners, but upon the most con- venient terms for the glory of God and the good of men, enforced by the strongest obligations upon them to receive humbly and thankfully those benefits. The promises are attended with commands to repent and believe, and persevere in a uniform practice of obedience. The Son of God came into the world, not to make God less holy, but to make us holy ; and not to vacate our duty, and free us from the law as a rule of obedience, for that is both impossible, and would be most infamous and reproachful to our Saviour. To challenge such an exemption in point of right is to make ourselves gods ; to usurp it in point of fact is to make ourselves devils. But his end was to enable and induce us to return to God as our rightful Lord and proper felicity, from whom we rebelliously and miserably fell, in seeking for happiness out of him. Accordingly, the gospel is called the law of faith, as it commands those duties upon motives of eternal hopes and fears, and as it will justify or condemn men with respect to their obedience or disobedience, which is the proper character of a law. These things are managed in the following sermons in that convincing, persuasive manner as makes them very necessary for these times, when some who aspire to extraordinary heights in religion, and esteem themselves favourites of heaven, yet wofully neglect the duties of the lower hemi- sphere, as righteousness, truth, and honesty ; and when carnal Chris- tians are so numerous, who despise serious godliness as a solemn