OF THOMAS MANTON, D.D. XXV
hypocrisy, and live in open violation of Christ's precepts, and yet presume to be saved by him.
' I shall only add further, they commend to our ardent affections and endeavours true holiness, as distinguished from the most refined unregenerate morality. The doctor saw the absolute necessity of this, and spake with great jealousy of those who seemed in their discourses to make it their highest aim to improve and cultivate some moral virtues, as justice, temperance, benignity, &c.,by philosophical helps, representing them as becoming the dignity of our nature, agreeable to reason, and beneficial to society, and but transiently speaking of the operations of the Holy Spirit, which are as requisite to free the soul from the chains of sin as to release the body at last from the bands of death ; who seldom preach of evangelical graces, faith in the Redeemer, the love of God for his admirable wisdom in our salvation, zeal for his glory, humility in ascribing all we can return in grateful obedience to the most free and powerful grace of God in Christ, which are the vital principles of good works, and derive the noblest forms to all virtues. Indeed, men may be composed and considerate in their words and actions, may abstain from gross enormities, and do many praiseworthy actions, by the rules of moral prudence, yet without the infusion of divine grace to cleanse their stained nature, to renew them accordincj to the image of God shining in the gospel, to act them from motives superior to all that moral wisdom propounds, — all their virtues, of what elevation soever, though in a heroic degree, cannot make them real saints. As the plant-animal has a faint resemblance of the sen- sitive life, but remains in the lower rank of vegetables, so these have a shadow and appearance of the life of God, but continue in the corrupt state of nature. The difference is greater between sanctifying saving grace, wrought by the special power of the Spirit, wdth the holy operations flowing from them, and the virtuous habits and actions which are the eflect of moral counsel and constancy, than between true pearls produced by the celestial beams of the sun, and counterfeit ones formed by the smoky heat of the fire.' No doubt the proper Christian graces require the influence of the Divine Spirit, and are the effect of nobler motives than mere pagan morality.
In 1679 was published, in octavo, ' Eighteen Sermons on the Second Chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, containing the Description, Rise, Growth, and Fall of Antichrist; with divers Cau- tions and Arguments to establish Christians against the Apostasy of the Church of Rome.' This was well fitted for common use, and very seasonable at that time. In the preface to this volume, Mr Baxter says of him, ' How sound he was in judgment against extremes in the controversies of these times ; how great a lamenter of the scandalous and dividing mistakes of some self-conceited men ; how earnestly desirous of healing our })resent breaches, and not unacquainted with the proper means and terms ; how hard and successful a student ; how frequent and laborious a preacher ; and how highly and deservedly esteemed, is commonly known here. The small distaste which some few had of him, I took for a part of his honour, who would not win reputation with any by flattering them in their mistakes, or unwarrant- able ways. He used not to serve God with that which cost him
VOL. I. c
XXVI MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER
nothing ; nor was of their mind who cannot expect or extol God's grace without denying those endeavours of men to which his necessary grace exciteth them. He knew that, " without Christ we can do nothing;" and yet that, "by Christ strengthening us, we can do all things" which God hath made necessary to be done by us. He was not of their mind who think it derogatory to the honour of Christ to praise his works in the souls and lives of any of his servants ; and that it is to the honour of his grace that his justified ones are graceless, and that their Judge should dishonour his own righteousness, if he make his disciples more righteous personally than the scribes and pharisees ; and will say to them, "Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." He knew how to regard the righteousness and intercession of Christ, with pardon of sin and divine acceptance, in- stead of legal personal perfection, without denying either the necessity or assigned office of our faith and repentance, and evangelical sin- cerity in obeying Him who redeemed and justifies us. He knew the difference between man's being justified from the charge of being liable to damnation as Christless, impenitent, unbelieving, and un- godly ; and being liable to damnation for mere sin as sin, against the law of innocence, which required of us no less than personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. He greatly lamented the wrong which truth and the church underwent from those who neither know such differ- ence, nor have humility enough to suspect their judgment, nor to forbear reviling those who have not as confused and unsound appre- hensions and expressions as themselves.'