Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1, Title page – To the reader
A Learned COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION UPON The first CHAPTER of the Second Epistle of S. Paul to the CORINTHIANS.
BEING The Substance of many SERMONS formerly Preached at Grayes-Inne, London,
By that Reverend and Judicious Divine, RICHARD SIBBS, D. D.
Sometimes Master of Catherine-Hall in Cambridge, and Preacher to that Honourable Society.
Published for the Publick Good and Benefit of the Church of CHRIST.
By Tho. Manton, B. D. and Preacher of the Gospel at Stoake-Newington, near London.
—Vivit post funera virtus.
Psalm 112. 6.
The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
2 Pet. 1. 15.
Moreover, I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease, to have these things alwayes in remembrance.
LONDON, Printed by J. L. for N. B. and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst, at his Shop over against the Great Conduit, at the Lower end of Cheapside. 1655.
RIC:SIBBS S:THEOL:D:AVL:KATHARINAE CANTAB:MAG:NEC NON HOSPITIO GRAI:AS:CONCIONIBVS.Aetat: Suae 58.
The Portracture of the Late Reverend and Iudicious divine Richard Sibbs D: D: Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb: and sometimes Preacher to that Honble: Society of Grayes-Inn London
Printed for Nich: Bourne at the South entrance of the Royall Exchange 1655
To the Reader.
Good READER,
THere is no end of Books, and yet we seem to need more every day; there was such a darknesse brought in by the Fall, as will not thoroughly be dispelled till we come to Heaven, where the Sun shineth without either cloud or night: for the present all should contribute their help according to the rate and measure of their abilities; Some can onelyonly hold up a Candle, others a Torch, but all are usefull: The Presse is an excellent meanes to scatter Knowledge, were it not so often abused: all complain there is enough written; and think that now there should be a stop: indeed it were well if in this scribling age there were some restraint; Uselesse Pamphlets are grown almost as great a mischief as the erroneous and prophane: Yet 'tis not good to shut the door upon industry and diligence; there is yet room left to discover more (above all that hath been said) of the Wisdome of God, and the riches of his grace, in the Gospel; yea, more of the stratagems of Satan, and the deceitfulnesse of mans heart: meanes need to be encreased every day to weaken sin, and strengthen trust, and quicken us to holinesse: Fundamentals are the same in all ages, but the constant necessities of the Church and private Christians will continually enforce a further explication; as the Arts and sleights of besieging and battering encrease, so doth skill in fortification: if we have no other benefit by the multitude of Books that are written, we shall have this benefit, an opportunity to Observe the various workings of the same Spirit about the same truths; and indeed, the speculation is neither Idle, nor unfruitfull.
There is a diversity of gifts as there is of tempers, and of tempers as there is of faces, that in all this variety God may be the more glorified: The Pen-men of Scripture that all wrote by the same Spirit, and by an infallible Conduct, do not write in the same stile: In the Old Testament there is a plain difference between the lofty Courtly stile of Isaiah, and the Priestly grave stile of Jeremiah; In Amos there are some marks of his Calling in his Prophecie: In the New Testament you will find John sublime and Seraphicall, and Paul rational and argumentative; 'tis easie to track both by their peculiar phrases, native elegancies, and distinct manner of expression: this variety and *1 Pet. 4. 10. Ubi Vulgat. dispensatio multiformis gratiae.manifold grace still continueth, the stones that lye in the building of Gods house are not all of a sort, there are *Isai. 54. 12. Varia gemmarum genera propter varia dona quae sunt in Ecclesiâ. Sanct.Saphires, Carbuncles and Agates, all which have their peculiar use and lustre, some are doctrinall, and good for information, to clear up the truth, and vindicate it from the Sophismes of wretched men; othets have a great force and skill in application: Some are more Evangelical, their soules are melted out in sweetnesse, others are sons of Thunder, more rouzing and stirring, gifted for a rougher strain, which also hath its use in the art of winning soules to God: *Gallica mirata est Calvinum Ecclesia nuper, Quo nemo docuit doctius. Est quoque te nuper mirata … tonantem, Quo nemo … fortiùs. Et miratur adhuc fundentem mella Viretum, Quo nemo fatur dulcius. Beza.'twas observed of the three Ministers of Geneva, that none thundred more loudly than Farell, none piped more sweetly than Virett, none taught more learnedly and solidly than Calvin: so variously doth the Lord dispense his gifts, to shew the liberty of the Spirit, and for the greater beauty and order of the Church; for difference with proportion causeth beauty, and to prevent Schisme, every member having his distinct excellencie, so that what is wanting in one, may be supplyed by another, and all have something to commend them to the Church, that they may not be despised; as in several Countreys they have several Commodities, to maintain traffique between them all: we are apt to abuse the diversity of gifts to divisions and partialities, whereas God hath given them to *Tunc bene multiformis Dei gratia dispensatur, quando acceptum donum … ejus qui hoc non habet, creditur, quando propter eum cui impenditur sibi datum putatur. Greg…r. moral. lib. 28. cap. 6.maintain a communion; in the Churches Vestment there is variety but no rent, varietas sit, scissur a non sit.
All this is the rather mentioned, because of that excellent and peculiar gift, which the Worthy and Reverend Authour had in unfolding and applying the great Mysteries of the Gospel in a sweet and mellifluous way, and therefore was by his hearers usually termed, The sweet dropper; sweet and heavenly distillations usually dropping from him with such a native elegancie as is not easily to be imitated: I would not set the gifts of God on quarrelling, but of all Ministeries, that which is most Evangelical, seemeth most usefull, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecie, Rev. 19. 10. 'tis spoken by the Angel to disswade the Apostle from worshipping him: you that preach Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen from the dead, have a like Dignity with us Angels that foretell things to come, your message is the Spirit of Prophecie: As if he had said, This is the great and fundamental truth wherein runneth the life, and the heart-blood of Religion.
The same Spirit is breathing in these discourses that are now put into thy hand, wherein thou wilt find much of the Comforts of the Gospel, of the sealing of the Spirit, and the constant courses of Gods love to his people, fruitfully and faithfully improved for thy edification.
Let it not stumble thee, that the work is posthume, and commeth out so long after the Authours death; it were to be wished, that those who excell in publick gifts, would during life publish their own labours, to prevent spurious obtrusions upon the world, and to give them their last hand and pollishment; as the Apostle Peter was carefull to write before his decease, 2 Pet. 1. 12, 13, 14. But usually the Churches treasure is most encreased by Legacies; as Elijah let fall his Mantle when he was taken up into heaven; so Gods eminent servants when their persons could no longer remain in the World, have left behind them some worthy pieces as a Monument of their graces and zeal for the publick welfare; whether it be out of a modest sense of their own endeavours, as being loath upon choice, or of their own accord to venture abroad into the world, or whether it be that being occupied and taken up with other labours, or whether it be in a conformity to Christ, who would not leave his Spirit till his Departure, or whether it be out of an hope that their Works would find a more kindly reception after their death, the living being more liable to envy and reproach; but when the Authour is in heaven, the work is more esteemed upon earth, whether for this or that cause usually it is, that not only the life, but the death of Gods servants hath been profitable to his Church, by that means many useful Treatises being freed from that privacy and obscurenesse to which by the modesty of the Authour they were formerly confined.
Which as it hath commonly falne out, so especially in the Works of this Reverend Authour, all which (some few onelyonly excepted) saw the light after the Authours death; which also hath been the lot of this usefull Comment; onelyonly it hath this advantage above the rest, that it was perused by the Authour during life, and corrected by his own hand, and hath the plain signature and marks of his own spirit; which will easily appear to those that have been any way conversant with his former Works, this being signified, (for further commendation it needeth none,) I commend thee to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build thee up, and to give thee an inheritance among the sanctified, remaining
Thy servant in the Lords work, THOMAS MANTON.