Category Archives: Manton

“One leak may sink a ship” (Manton)

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Puritan Pastor Thomas Manton wrote the following, while preaching on Psalm 119:6. It reminds us that if we allow even one sin to linger around our feet, we may be undone.

“Keep but your passion afoot, or your lust afoot, or your worldliness afoot, and it will carry you further [away]. One sin keepeth possession [of you] for Satan; allow but one lust and corruption in the heart, and that will undermine all,and become thine eternal ruin; as one leak may sink a ship. A bird, tied by the leg, many make some show of escape. You never totally renounced Satan’s government, and wholly gave up yourselves to God. By keeping a part, the whole falleth to his share.”

Resolved to battle sin in me more fiercely,
pdb

Why does God love us?

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Thanks to my friend Tony for spotting this quote for us (and for the fine illustration):

In a sermon on John 3:16 (“God so loved, that he gave…”), Puritan Thomas Manton makes the following point on God’s indescribable love towards sinners in sending His Son:

“Love is at the bottom of all. We may give a reason of other things, but we cannot give a reason of his love, God showed his wisdom, power, justice, and holiness in our redemption by Christ. If you ask, Why he made so much ado about a worthless creature, raised out of the dust of the ground at first, and had now disordered himself, and could be of no use to him? We have an answer at hand, Because he loved us. If you continue to ask, But why did he love us? We have no other answer but because he loved us; for beyond the first rise of things we cannot go.

And the same reason is given by Moses, Deuteronomy 7:7-8: ‘The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you…’ That is, in short, he loved you because he loved you. All came from his free and undeserved mercy; higher we cannot go in seeking after the causes of what is done for our salvation.”

humbled by the truth,
pdb