Manton on “desiring God” (long before John Piper)

Careful reading of the following quotation will yield much reward. Here, puritan Thomas Manton reminds us that God is content and happy in Himself, and the one who comes to know God (and love what He loves) will share in this great happiness. Manton, and all the puritans really, were “Christian hedonists” long before John Piper smartly coined the phrase. Manton also takes a poke at those who think (wrongly) that the way of holiness is an unhappy path (far from the truth!) — so if that’s you, read this twice and reconsider!
— pdb

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“God loves Himself, and acts for Himself, and pursueth His own glory. Now when the word of God breaks in upon the heart, we pursue the same design with God. Men are prejudiced against a course of holiness; it seems to look upon them with a sour and austere face. Surely God loves a pleasant life; whoever is miserable, He hath a full contentment. Doth He that made all thinks want [lack] true joy and contentment? Who should have happiness if God hath not? Now when we learn God’s statutes, we come to be conformed to the nature of God; we love what He loves, and hate what He hates, and then we begin to live the life of God. The happiness of God lieth in loving Himself, enjoying Himself, and acting for His own glory; and this is the fruit of grace, to teach us to live as God lives, to do as God doth; to love Him and enjoy Him as our chiefest good; and to glorify Him as our utmost end.”
— Sermon on Psalm 119:12 (I:99; emphasis added).

Manton: Get & keep the Word in your Heart

If you are to store up God’s word in you heart (Psalm 119:11), what must you be careful to do? Puritan Thomas Manton speaks plainly about two vital steps to take:

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Oh, therefore, let us get it into our hearts; let it not only move the lighter part of the soul, bet get rooting, that it may have its full power and force. That we may not only have alittle knowledge to talk of it, but we are to hide it deeply, that it may take root, and spring up again in lur lives and conversations. To this end meditate often of it, and receive it in the love of it.

(1) MEDITATE OFTEN ON IT. ‘Mary kept all these sayings…’ How did she keep them? ‘She pondered them in her heart’ (Lk 2:19)….

(2) RECEIVE AND LOVE THE WORD. The Apostle makes this to be the ground of apostasy, ‘Because they received not the truth in the love of it…’ (2 Thess. 2:10). Oh let it soak into the affections; if it only lie in the tongue, or in the mind only, to make it a matter of talk and speculation, it will be soon gone.

Help us, Lord, to purposefully ponder and love the Word.
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