The Life of Dr. Thomas Manton

Thomas Manton was born in 1620, at lawrence-Lydiard in the county of Somerset. Both his father and grandfather were ministers. He went to Oxon at 15years of age. He was first minister of Culliton, in Devon and afterwards of Stoke-Newington in Middlesex, before he came to Covent-Garden, where he succeeded Mr. Sedgwick. He was in great reputation at the time of King Charles's return, one of the Savoy commissioners and very earnest in his endeavors to get the declaration for Ecclesiastical affairs fed into a law. And had it been compassed would have accepted the Deanery that was offered him. He was a man of great learning, judgment and integrity; and an excellent unwearied preacher, one of great temper and moderation and respected by all that knew him, whose spirits were not incurably cankered. Dr. Bates, in his sermon at his funeral, gives this account of him: "A clear judgment, rich fancy, strong memory, and happy elocution met in him, and were excellently improved by his diligent study." In preaching he was of that conspicuous eminence, that none could detract from him, but from ignorance or envy. He abounded in the work of the Lord and though a very frequent preacher, yet was always superior to others and equal to himself.

Archbishop Usher was wont to say of him, " That he was a voluminous preacher:" Not as if he was tedious for length, but because he had the art of reducing the substance of volumes of divinity into a narrow compass. And Mr. Charnoch oft represented him as the best collector of sense of the age. He was no fomenter of faction, but studious of the public tranquility. His generous constancy of mind in resisting the current of popular humor, declared his loyalty to his divine master, he was imprisoned for his nonconformity and many ways a sufferer and yet kept up a considerable interest at court and with men of note and figure. The Noble Earl (afterwards Duke) of Bedford, who had for some time been his parishioner at Covent-Garden, was his cordial friend unto his death and so also was my Lord Wharton, and many other persons of considerable quality. He generally had the chair in the meetings of the dissenting ministers of the city who found the want of his prudence, activity and interest joined together, when he was taken from them. He died October the 18th, 1677, leaving behind him the general reputation of as excellent a preacher, as this city or nation hath produced.