Prayer Meeting 9/1/2024

How To Deny Ungodliness And Carnal Lusts

(Thomas Manton)

As I’ve not done a full teaching on Thomas Manton, let me give you a tiny snippet of his life. Manton was born 1620 died 1677. He was raised in Tiverton, Devon, in the west of England not far from my brother in Christ’s James Sedwell’s area. He studied at Oxford and pastored firstly in a church in Sowton, Devon. Once married, he moved to London to pastor.

Like most puritans he was ejected for non-conformity in 1662. Where he continued afterwards to preach in his home, or wherever he could. He was known as the king of preachers among the puritans. It was said he never ever preached a poor sermon.

Before we draw from one of his works, our puritan prayer tonight is from

‘Into His Presence’ page 80. This is a prayer by Manton called ‘Heaven In My Eyes’. I am going to read half of it. It’s very much in line with tonight’s topic, as we try and do.

May heaven be in my eyes that sin might have less power upon my heart. May faith give substance to my hopes that I might mortify corruption. May I set the pleasures that are at your right hand against the pleasures of sin. When Christ calls me to suffer unpleasant austerities, may I know heaven makes amends for them all. When the devil would make me lazy in your service, may faith present the brevity of the present difficulty. May views and foretastes of heaven give birth to such strong persuasion in my heart, that all the reasons in the world shall not alter or break the force of my spiritual purpose. When the devil tempts me to filthiness and uncleanness may faith present hopes of being a companion of the unspotted and immaculate Lamb. When I am tempted to neglect duty for worldly advantages may faith respond with the glory of my inheritance, the riches of the new Jerusalem, the hope of my high calling, and the good treasure of the new covenant.

Manton’s works are vast, at 22 volumes. Mostly the vastness is due to it been made up predominately of sermons, and Manton wrote his full sermons out. Which when I read it, it warmed my heart.

The tiny section we are going to draw from tonight is from Manton’s sermons on Titus chapter 2 verses 11-14.

Titus is another of Paul’s pastoral epistles. Titus being another one of Paul’s spiritual sons along with Timothy. Paul most likely, or there is a least a good chance, wrote to Titus from Corinth. So among pastoring there and planting and building the church there, he was helping and pastoring others including spiritual sons like Titus.

Titus preached in both Dalmatia and Crete. We would know Dalmatia now as Croatia. But Paul is writing to him as he pastors in Crete. And the letter is mostly about encouraging him to stick to sound teaching and warn the people what happens when they do not stick to it. So not unlike the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 4:6

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.

Titus is simply (well, not simply) a letter that Paul reminds Titus, that its sound teaching that leads to godliness. And he ought to not appoint anyone that does not do that. Many were putting works before sound teaching, or legalism.

Truth and godliness goes hand in hand. Therefore truth and sound teaching, and sound teachers will always be under attack. Even more so as the world turns from God, and the so called godly turn from sound teaching.

The attack on sound teaching does not come from outside the church but from within. It was no different in Paul’s time or Titus’ time.

As we won’t be exegeting the full book, but a snippet from Manton’s sermon, you wouldn’t know the context without that little bit of info, unless of course you already know the theme of Titus of course (which you all obviously do).

In these four verses, not even long verses, Manton preached 22 sermons: 250 pages packed with depth and wisdom.

I will read the four verses but I will but be covering one sermon from a section from one of the verses. If I spend a good few months I could maybe take a tiny bit from each and make it into a series. Maybe I will do that in the future at some point with Manton’s work or another puritans work. I think that would be most helpful.

Let me read the four verses first, then I will let you know where we are going to parachute in.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works.

Amazing verses, packed with so much wisdom and depth. The more I read them, the more I understand how Manton rang them dry. Manton must have just been warming up at the start, as he only preached two sermons on verse 11. Although it’s not exactly a long verse ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.’ (Titus 2:11). In saying that, it’s still thirty pages worth.

By the time he gets to the next verse, verse 12, he preached 11 sermons on one verse. 104 pages worth. Thats only what he wrote in his sermon, not necessarily every word he said.

Let me read the verse again:

Titus 2:12 NKJV

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

NASB:

Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

ESV:

Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

I like all three, and each for me has better words at different times. Anyway, we are going to drop in at verse 12 but we are going to do so half way through.

Going with the New King James:

“and worldly lusts.”

“teaching that denying ungodliness. And worldly lusts.”

Manton has 27 packed pages, and two sermons on these three words “and worldly lusts.”

This is where we will delve in. Of course, we can’t ignore the full context.

Manton starts the sermons by saying:

Grace that teaches us to deny ungodliness, teaches us to deny worldly lusts.

He adds:

They are fitly coupled. Ungodliness feedeth worldly lusts, and worldly lusts, increase ungodliness.

How true: they go hand in hand. If we don’t seek righteousness. If we don’t seek God and His holiness we will find ourselves soon seeking worldly things, that will lead us to less and less godliness or seeking God.

When the heart is not being satisfied by God, Manton says:

The heart lies open to every object… …and the next suiter is entertained.

Meaning when God is not the one who is our refuge and our comfort, and our heart’s resting place, then the first thing that brings comfort to us is where we will take rest in and seek to unite with.

Now it might not start at major things. But that comfort, that refuge, that place of escape, becomes the catalyst that starts the ball rolling.

Manton preaches:

When God is refused anything serves the turn instead of God.

Let me quote what Manton says next, then share a frighting thought and observation. Not that Manton’s capture isn’t frighting in itself. Let me read the full statement:

When God is refused, anything serves the turn instead of God… …and partly by God’s just judgement, to evidence our baseness (depravity) and folly, God suffers us to match our affections with anything that comes next.

I could talk on that statement for days. What Manton is highlighting is twofold. Firstly God allows it, and permits us to pick as we wish, when we don’t pick Him. Secondly He does so, to show how utterly depraved we are. By the insane, unbelievable choices we make when we don’t chose Him.

I am astounded and never fail to be astounded at what people chose, and chose to do, when they are not perusing godliness. The things they chose and the things they do, and then the things they pursue are insane.

The way people are capable of behaving, acting, talking, and walking like when they chose not to make Christ their refuge, or do not pursue righteousness, when they don’t capture thoughts.

It’s like they are capable of seeking almost anything, saying anything; and then doing anything. Not all at once but it sets the lusts in motion. And before long they are doing things that, to those that are walking with God, even to the world, are utterly shocking.

I’ve sat and heard someone talk like a saint, and all of sudden they haven’t caught their thoughts. And it’s like the incredible hulk has burst out through them in an instance.

They denied God, they refused to capture their thought. And the next thing, it’s a war. They picked up instantly that which their flesh desired and their pain desired and ran with it.

You do that long enough and you will see someone doing things that you would think is impossible. Yet in it we see, and God lets us see, that man’s depravity holds no bounds. For when He is absent, evil and sin will run riot.

Well that’s Manton’s introduction to his first sermon on ‘and carnal lusts’. Believe or not he says all that in under two paragraphs. Manton’s writing is profound by the line. And he has twenty seven pages full of this stuff. On these three words ‘and carnal lusts’.

In the book of James, chapter one James writes (which really ties in with what Paul is writing to Titus about:

James 1:12-15

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the lord has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Notice also how similar this to 1 Corinthians 9-10

James starts with ‘blessed is the man who endures temptation’. Not in his own strength, but by resting on God and His ways and truth.

But look what happens James warns when we don’t: ‘but each one is tempted when he is drawn away’…Drawn away from what? From God. A lack of endurance.

Then he writes; ‘then when that desire is conceived; it gives birth to sin.’ You see, when you chose to live with temptation, water temptation, and not bring that temptation to and seek comfort and help from the Lord. Then that foetus will develop, and it will grow until you need to give it full blown life. It grows into something that can no longer be contained.

It started by “not denying ungodliness.” As verse 12 of Titus 2 starts with. And then what? -

“and then carnal lusts.”

Manton says:

Lusts depress the heart and sink it down to the present world and the world’s contentment’s, therefore are called worldly lusts.

Did Manton only share the problem? Not at all. Because we can talk all night about the problem. But what must we do to deny and overcome these temptations? These carnal lusts?

Manton in his sermon then rhetorically asks the listener/reader. Not just:

What is it to deny those worldly lusts, but how far they must be denied.

Meaning to what length must we go.

I will close by sharing the ‘three degrees’ in which they must be denied according to Manton.

Firstly Manton says:

The top and highest degree to deny worldly lusts is to keep them from rising and prevent their very workings.

By, as Manton says: ‘deadening the roots.’

Often with carnal lusts we don’t extinguish them enough. We don’t kill them. We quieten them don’t we?

We at times don’t cast it into the abyss. We keep the door ajar. We don’t truly, at times, let it go, we leave it and attempt to repackage it:

I’ve seen countless times in meetings, where I know the person hasn’t let go, they still want to be in control, they still want to be the one who fixes things or controls things. They won’t fully hand their insecurities, sin, fear, over to God. And as a result, the root begins to once again find fertile soil to feed on. That soil of course is carnal lusts and desires, that once again keeps feeding and rebirthing the sin.

Not capturing thoughts, holding onto man and not God - all will result in the root once again igniting into life. Hence why Manton says it needs to be ‘deadened at the very root.’ In order as Manton says ‘to prevent the breaking out of lust.’

Secondly, or the second degree Manton says is:

We must keep a watchful eye and a hard hand over lusts.

He then brutally says this:

We must smother the sin in its conception and disturb the birth.

Just as I said in from the epistle of James (I love when I write something then read it from my peers, such an encouragement for me.)

Manton gives some examples. I will give you one of them for the sake of time:

We cannot hinder the bird that flies over our heads, but we must not suffer it to rest and nestle.

We can never ever be comfortable with temptation. We cannot ever find a place where we are okay with it, and not keeping a watchful eye over it. Lest it swoops down when we least expect and camps in our world.

Or worse we lose sight of its danger, and think we can allow that bird to sit in our garden. Before long it’s not flying away but now we are feeding it, and before long our life has become the nest where it now resides.

Okay last degree as we close. This is truly a sublime capture by Manton. He says:

There are many things that will solicit for lusts and plead hard, so that we have a great deal of grace to give them denial.

Okay, in other words: Lusts won’t go away easily, many factors that are part of our sinful nature will bargain and work on behalf of our lusts, so we don’t cast them out, but will find a place for us to think they are not that bad and we need not be so brutal with them.

Let me put it this way, then I will close with Manton. If we are not truly seeking God, and due to our sinful nature to try and fight against temptation in our own strength is a seriously uphill battle.

Or as Manton puts it:

To deny worldly lusts is to row against the stream or to roll the stone upwards.

I would add, that the more we yield to temptation and not seek God, that stream becomes a raging river. That stone becomes a huge rock we can no longer hold, never mind push. They will take us way, way down steam and downhill.

I will close with this from Manton. This is truly jaw dropping. There is one more thing that we can do, in order to help us endure. And I say ‘we can do’ but truly it’s the work of the Lord.

Manton says:

Grace goes to work as opposition, and planteth the opposite principles in our hearts and maketh use of an opposite power.

Manton continues:

Grace out reasons and out pleads lusts.

There is one ingredient that helps us die to self, to put on the new man, that goes to work for us and reminds us of who we truly are in Christ.

Its God’s grace that goes to work for us, and reminds us of His love, His mercy, His goodness, His forgiveness, His sacrifice, His calling of us to the beloved. His unrelenting kindness. How He shrouded us and has given us unmerited mercy.

That grace goes to work for us, and that heart that He is continually breaking and softening and moulding is the one that cries out ‘get behind me Satan, I am a child of God. My God loves me, my God is with me, my God is greater. I serve a great a God who bled for me, who took my place. Who told me He loved me and would never leave me or forsake me’.

I close with this:

Psalm 91:1-16

He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the lord, “he is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him I will trust.” Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall take refuge; his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the lord, who is my refuge, even the most high, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “because he has set his love upon me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”

Amen.