THE character of Dr Manton is so generally known by his
celebrated preaching so many years in this city, and by the numerous
collections of excellent discourses published since his death, that I cannot
think it needful to give any account of him here, as I do not pretend to add
anything to the accounts already given by those excellent persons that
published his former works. It will be sufficient to remark, that his works
have been esteemed by some of the best judges one of the most valuable
collections of scriptural and practical divinity, and to have been as generally
serviceable to the world as most that have appeared in these latter ages, and
in many respects no way inferior to some of the ancient monuments of the
Christian church.
I shall reckon myself concerned only to give some account
of this treatise.
As to the subject of it, I shall only observe, that as
the prophecy of Isaiah contains the clearest revelations of the Messiah, and is
writ in the loftiest style of any part of the Old Testament, so this excellent
chapter is an eminent instance of both, containing an exact description both of
his sufferings and his glories, represented in bright and lively colours, and
in a phrase, though somewhat difficult and obscure, exceeding lofty and
sublime. The veil of the temple seemed to have been drawn aside, though not yet
rent asunder, and the light of the gospel shone forth with a brighter glory
than ever it had appeared before. Upon those accounts this chapter has
exercised the thoughts and employed the diligence of several eminent persons in
former and later times; though, through some or other misfortune, they have
been buried with their authors, and have never seen the light. Perhaps this is
the only thing that can pretend to a just discourse now extant.
It would
not be proper, in the preface to a practical discourse, to undertake the
defence of this chapter, and to rescue it from the violence offered it in the
posthumous annotations of a learned critic, who, with a great deal of force,
and frequent absurdity, has applied this whole chapter to the prophet Jeremiah;
not only cross to the brightest evidence of truth, and the general
consent of Christian interpreters, but in flat contradiction to himself in two
very accurate and elaborate treatises published by himself, - in the one of
which, arguing against the Jews, he has these remarkable words, 'That the
Messiah was to pass through sufferings and death in the way to his kingdom, and
in order to bestow invaluable blessings on his seed, there is no man can doubt
that carefully considers Isaiah liii.' And afterwards he adds, 'To whom of all
the kings and prophets can this agree? To none.' In the other he settles the
true sense of the place, and exposes the perverse glosses of Socinus.
As to
these discourses themselves, they bear the lively signatures of the excellent
author, and are of a piece with the rest of his works. There is a judicious
choice of pertinent matter, disposed in a regular method, expressed in a plain
and native elegance, quickened and enlivened with proper images, and tinctured
throughout with a deep savour of true piety. And though they may be thought
neither so polished nor correct as his riper years and his last hand could
easily have made them, or as were necessary to gratify the nice and the
curious; yet they seem, however, excellently fitted to a better end, - to
promote saving knowledge and real godliness, to move and to instruct the mind,
and give entertainment as well as profit to the serious and the wise, and are
particularly suitable to sacramental occasions. It will be only further
necessary to acquaint the reader that, as these sermons were preached in his
stated and ordinary course, so they were preached in his early youth, and are
younger than any of those that have seen the light; which must be his apology
to the world if any expressions are found up and down less accurate and clear,
or anything different from what was known to be his sense in some of his later
writings.
This account may be collected from the preface of his Exposition
on James: - 'I have the rather chosen this scripture, that it may be an allay
to those comforts which in another exercise I have endeavoured to draw out of
Isaiah liii. I would at the same time carry on the doctrine of faith and
manners, and show you your duties together with your encouragements, lest, with
Ephraim, you should only love to tread out the corn, and refuse to break the
clods. We are all apt to divorce comfort from duty, and content ourselves with
a barren and unfruitful knowledge of Jesus Christ; as if all he required of the
world were only a few naked, cold, inactive apprehensions of his merit, and all
things were so done for us that nothing remained to be done by us. This is the
wretched conceit of many in the present age; and therefore they either abuse
the sweetness of grace to looseness, or the power of it to laziness. Christ's
merit, and the Spirit's efficacy are the common places from whence they draw
all the defences and excuses of their own wantonness and idleness.'
I have
compared the transcript with the original notes, and find reason, after all the
care that has been taken, to beg the reader's candour and excuse for any
smaller errors that may have escaped, both of the copy and of the press.
Home | Sermons | Biography | Writings | Links