For the present discourse, the style of it, I confess, is too turbid, and hath too much of inculcation in it to be fit for the press, and therefore I should have adjudged it to keep company with some other neglected papers, but that, in obedience to your order, and condescension to the re- quests of some friends, I have now made it public ; and, my employ- ment being much, am forced to send it forth without refining. I do not know what blessing the Lord, whose power is usually perfected in
1 ' Qui pacern tractat non repetitia conditionibus dissidii, is magis animos dulcedine pacis fallit quam aequitate componit.'
* ' Mijirore KarayivibaKoj fjtiv riji depfidnfroi ,' &o. — Naz. Or at. de Moderat. in DisjnU.
414 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
weakness, 2 Cor. xii. 9, may ordain by it. I desire to wait upon him, commending it to his grace.
In many things I have freely expressed myself, and possibly some may think, uncovered our own nakedness. The mouth of iniquity is soon opened; and it is hard to speak against the sins of religious per- sons without giving some advantage to religious enemies. All that I shall say to this is, that offenders give the scandal, not the reprover. I confess, I like rolling in the dust at Aphrah, Micah i. 10, that Gath may not know it ; but when offences are public, it were an injury to religion to be silent. We cannot do it a greater right than to declare and witness against such miscarriages ; and, therefore, when the house of Jacob offendeth, it must be told its own with a full throat.i It will be our honour to shake off the vipers upon a discovery, though they would still stick on. But for the enemies ; —
Nullane habent vitia ? immo alia haudfortasse minora : •
are they so innocent as to be able to cast the stone at us ? John viii. 7. Shall they that have wounds upbraid us with scars ? -' and they that halt downright, charge us with tripping? or the blackamore object spots to a fair woman? Let them first pluck out their own beam, and then possibly they may understand what an injury it is, and a wicked malice, to throw personal guilt in religion's face, and out of a dislike to one Mordecai, to seek the destruction of all the Jews, Esther iii. 6, and to charge that upon the order which is but the just blemish of some persons sheltered under the name and pretence of it. As Nazianzen speaketh of some : 01 KaTamoiVTai rov vo/xov avTov o)? kuklu^ ZihdaKoXov, Kai fxdXiaQ brav 7roX\.OL<i ivTV)^wcn Trovr}poL<i TOiv irpoaraala'i '>]^io/xevcov : that for some bishops' sake ac- cuse Christianity itself as an evil law.4
For yourselves, right honourable, I beseech you, remember religion flourishing will be your defence ; and that it is better to trust God with your protection, than to fly to ill counsels,^ or condescensions, whereby you may gain the respects of men. The Lord grant that you may live up to such a principle ; and in these times of violence, do nothing unworthy of God, or of his oath that is upon you.
So prayeth your meanest servant in the Lord's work,
Tho. Manton.
1 Isa. Iviii. 1, opened to this purpose by Mr Richard Vines in the morning.
2 Horatius.
^ * Td rpav/xara exovres, Kcd roiis fidAwTras 6v€i5i^ovT€s, ol' to. 7r/30(TK(5,u,uara SLaa^'povres fcal TO. TTTti/xara avrol Tratrxoires, ol iv riS ^op^opcj iyKv\i.v5p6pi,€voi, Kal rots 6/J.i\ois TjfJLUv eirev<p' paivofievoi.' — Nazinanz. de inimicis Ecclesice, Orat. I. 13.
4 Naz. Orat. 14.
^ 'Admonendi suntpacis auctores ne dum pacem nimis diligant, et cum omnibus qurr- rant, consentiendo perversis ab auctoris sui se pace disjungant, ne dum humana foris jurgia metuant, interni foederis discussione feriautur.' — Anibros.
ENGLAND'S SPIRITUAL LANGUISHING;
WITH
THE CAUSES AND CURE.
Be waichful, and strengthen the things luhich remain, that are ready to die; for I have not found thy luorks perfect before God. — Rev. III. 2.
In scriptures wherein the expression is anything more difficult, wits are most rank and luxuriant, every one taking a liberty to affix his own sense there, where the true and genuine sense is not so obvious and easily found out ; and because two or three false interpretations may be asserted with equal probability, the scriptures have suftered as an uncertain rule, or nose of wax (it is the blasphemy of the Papists), which is ductile and pliable to every fancy and purpose. The truth is, we are more happy in discovering falsehood than in clearing truth, and those which come after can more easily discern wherein others have halted and are defective, than reach the truth themselves. I have always looked upon that as a grave observation,! Facilius est aliorum convellere sententias quam stahilire propriam — men are always better at confuting than confirming ; in which, though I am strengthened by the censure of Jerome on Lactantius,- who observed that his arguments were more valid and strong which he brought against false worships, than those other by which he confirmed the true ; and Tully wished he could as easily find out the true God as disprove the false.3 Whether it be through that natural desire that is. in us to blemish others, or from the weakness and imperfection of our apprehensions, or from an obstinate prejudice against divine truths, or from God's hiding and reserving many things till the age next their accomplishment, I will not now dispute. I only hint it to show that therefore it is why men have disputed so unhappily, and with such variety, about some difficult places of scripture, always acquitting themselves with more honour, success, and satisfaction in disproving the opinion of others, than in vindicating and clearing their own.