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MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. PHIMP HENRY, 
 
 BY HIS SON 
 
 REV. MATTHEW HENRY, 
 
 THE COMMENTATOR. 
 
 ^ X r ^* 
 
 ABRIDGED FROM THE STANDARD EDITION, A3 CORRECTED AND ENLARGED 
 
 BY J. B. WILLIAMS, LL.D. 
 
 One of the most preciot 
 
 Dgtaflfl 
 
 inguage. Br. Chalmers. 
 
 OF THE 
 
 T7 
 
 UNIVER 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 
 
 150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 0. R. "Kings- 
 bury, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 •^r/4 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 His birth, early education, and piety, 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 His residence at the University, 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 His removal to Worthenbury, his ordination, and the exercise of his 
 ministry there, 27 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 His marriage, family, domestic religion, and the education of his 
 children, 78 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 His removal from Worthenbury to Broad Oak, and his efibrts to do 
 good there, 112 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Specimens of his correspondence, 167 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 His sickness, death, and burial, ... 232 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A miscellaneous collection of some of his sayings, observations, coun- 
 sels, and comforts, out of his sermons, letters, and discourses, 270 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A sermon preached at Broad Oak on occasion of his death, by his son 
 the Rev. Matthew Henry, 307 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Soon after the death of the eminent servant of Grod 
 of whom these pages form a memorial, his son, the 
 Rev. Matthew Henry the commentator, prepared and 
 pubUshed his memoir. The original work reached a 
 third edition during the lifetime of the author, which 
 was published in the early part of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury. More than a hundred years afterwards, J. B. 
 Williams, Esq., LL. D. — subsequently Sir J. B. Will- 
 iams — published an enlarged and corrected edition, 
 obtaining additional materials from the most reliable 
 sources, and chiefly from authentic manuscripts in 
 the possession of descendants of the subject of the 
 memoir. 
 
 But the English edition, edited by Dr. Williams, 
 excellent as it is, embodies much matter which is not 
 of special interest to the great mass of readers at the 
 present time; yet the main portions, both of the 
 original work and of the enlarged edition, are too val- 
 uable to lie on the shelves of the few in this country 
 who may be in possession of them. It is therefore 
 believed that an important service has been rendered 
 to the interests of vital godliness, and to the well-be- 
 ing of those into whose hands this work may fall, by 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 the labor which has been performed in preparing the 
 present abridged edition, in which the work by Will- 
 iams has been condensed, revised, and in some de- 
 gree rearranged. 
 
 This volume is peculiarly adapted to instruct and 
 edify the Christian, to administer consolation to the 
 afflicted, to encourage the faithful minister of the gos- 
 pel, to guide the wayward into the path of peace, to 
 point to heaven and lead to its enjoyments. It is a 
 book for every stage of life : for youth in its inexpe- 
 rience ; for manhood in its maturity ; for old age in 
 its infirmities. It is a book for all classes: for the 
 poor, for the rich, for the inquiring, for the backslider, 
 for the advancing believer. The eternal world is 
 brought by it into close and interesting proximity to 
 the present state ; and the life that now is, is here seen 
 to be but the prelude to endless happiness or misery 
 beyond the grave. 
 
 But the reader shall not be detained from perusing 
 its interesting pages for himself, any longer than to 
 hear what some eminent men have said of this work 
 and its subject. The Rev. "William Jay of Bath, Eng- 
 land, author of Morning and Evening Exercises, and 
 many other valuable works, inquires, " Who, without 
 sentiments of love and veneration, can think of Philip 
 Henry?" The Rev. Job Orton, author of the Life 
 of Dr. Doddridge, speaking of the Memoir of Philip 
 Henry, says, "I esteem it one of the chief excellences 
 of this book, that it is the history of a person who 
 manifested such an eminence of piety, prudence, hu- 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 mility, zeal, and moderation, as would have adorned 
 the highest station, and is scarcely to be equalled. He 
 is, therefore, a suitable and bright example to persons 
 of every rank, as well as an admirable model for min- 
 isters of the gospel." The Rev. John Angell James 
 says, "One page of Philip Henry's Life makes me 
 blush more than all the folios of his son Matthew's 
 peerless Exposition." 
 
 May the Grod of all grace crown this present edition 
 with his effectual benediction, and make it the instru- 
 ment of converting, edifying, sanctifying, and saving 
 a multitude of precious souls. And to his glorious 
 name be all praise, through Jesus Christ. 
 
 J. W. B. 
 
S^ OF THB ^ 
 
 VEESITY 
 MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. PHILIP HENRY, A. M. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HIS BIRTH, EARLY EDUCATION, AND PIETY. 
 
 Philip Henry was the son of Mr. John Henry and 
 Magdalen Rochdale, his wife. His father heing in the 
 employ of the government, lived at Whitehall, near 
 London, where the subject of this memoir was horn, 
 on the 24th day of August, 1631. His mother was a 
 virtuous, pious gentlewoman, and one that feared Grod 
 above many. She was dead to the vanities and pleas- 
 ures of the court, though she lived in the midst of 
 them. She looked well to the ways of her household ; 
 prayed with them daily, catechized her children, and 
 taught them the good knowledge of the Lord betimes. 
 This her only son often mentioned in subsequent life, 
 his great happiness in having such a mother, who was 
 to him as Lois and Eunice were to Timothy, acquaint- 
 ing him with the Scriptures from his childhood ; and 
 
 there appearing in him early inclinations both to learn- 
 
 1# 
 
10 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 ing and piety, she gave him up in his tender years 
 to the service of G-od in the work of the ministry. 
 She died of a consumption, March 6, 1645, leaving 
 her son and five daughters to mourn their loss. A 
 little before she died, she said, " My head is in heaven, 
 and my heart is in heaven ; it is but one step more, 
 and I shall be there too." 
 
 He was called Philip, after Philip earl of Pem- 
 broke, who was a friend to his father, and who during 
 his lifetime was kind to his young namesake. Prince 
 Charles and the Duke of York being somewhat near 
 of age to him, he was in his childhood very much 
 an attendant upon them in their play; and they were 
 often with him at his father's house, and were wont 
 to tell him what preferment he should have at court. 
 These and other such circumstances of his childhood 
 he would sometimes speak of among his friends, tak- 
 ing occasion thence to bless God for liis deliverance 
 from the snares of the court, in the midst of which 
 it is so very hard to maintain a good conscience and 
 the power of religion, that it hath been said, "Let him 
 who would live godly, shun a courtier's life." 
 
 Yet it may not be improper here to observe, that 
 Mr. Henry was marked through life by a most sweet 
 and obliging air of courtesy and civility, which some 
 attributed in part to his early education at court. His 
 mien and carriage were always so very decent and 
 respectful, that he could not but win the hearts of all 
 with whom he was acquainted. Never was any man 
 farther from that rudeness and moroseness which some 
 scholars, and too many that profess religion, either 
 
BIRTH, EDUCATIONj AND PIETY. 11 
 
 willingly affect or carelessly indulge, sometimes to the 
 reproach of their profession. It is one of the laws of 
 our holy religion, exemplified in the conversation of 
 this good man, to "honor all men." Sanctified civil- 
 ity is an ornament to Christianity. Mr. Henry used 
 often to say, "Religion does not destroy good man- 
 ners." And yet he was very far from any thing of 
 vanity in apparel, or formality of compliment in ad- 
 dress; but his conversation was natural and easy to 
 himself and others, and nothing appeared in him which 
 even a severe critic could justly call affected. These 
 characteristics tended very much to the adorning of 
 the doctrine of Grod our Saviour ; and the general tran- 
 script of such an excellent copy would do much tow- 
 ards healing those wounds which religion has received 
 in the house of her friends by the contrary. 
 
 The first Latin school to which he was sent was 
 at St. Martin's church, under the teaching of Mr. Bon- 
 ner. He was afterwards removed to Battcrsea, where 
 Mr. Wells was his schoolmaster. The grateful men- 
 tion which in some of his papers he makes of those 
 that were the guides and instructors of his childhood 
 and youth, brings to mind the French proverb to this 
 purpose : " To father, teacher, and God all-sufficient, 
 none can render an equivalent." 
 
 When he was about twelve years old, he was 
 admitted into Westminster school, in the fourth form, 
 or class, under Mr. Thomas Vincent, then usher, whom 
 he would often speak of as a most able, diligent school- 
 master. Shortly afterwards he was taken into the 
 upper school, under Mr. Richard Busby, subsequently 
 
12 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Dr. Busby ; and after a year or two, he was admitted 
 king's scholar, and was first of the election, partly by 
 his own merit, and partly by the interest of the Earl 
 of Pembroke. 
 
 Here he profited greatly in school-learning, and all 
 his days retained his improvements therein to admi- 
 ration. Nor was there any part of his life which he 
 more frequently spoke of with pleasure, than the years 
 he spent at "Westminster school. When he was in 
 years, he would readily and accurately quote passages 
 out of the classic authors that were not common ; and 
 yet he rarely used any such things in his preaching, 
 though sometimes, if very apposite, he inserted them 
 in his notes. He was very ready and exact in the 
 Grreek accents, the quantities of words, and all the 
 several kinds of Latin verse ; and often pressed it upon 
 young scholars, in the midst of their university-learn- 
 ing, not to forget their school authors. 
 
 Here, and before, his usual recreation at vacant 
 times was, either reading the printed accounts of pub- 
 lic occurrences, or attending the courts at Westmin- 
 ster Hall, to hear the trials and arguments there ; 
 which he often did to the loss of his dinner, and 
 oftener of his play. 
 
 While he was at Westminster school, there was a 
 daily morning lecture set up at the abbey church, be- 
 tween six and eight o'clock, and preached by seven 
 worthy members of the assembly of divines in course. 
 It was the request of his pious mother to Mr. Busby, 
 that he would give her son leave to attend that lecture 
 daily ; which he did without abating any thing of his 
 
BIRTH, EDUCATION, AND PIETY. 13 
 
 school exercise, in which he kept pace with the rest. 
 And the Lord was pleased to make good impressions 
 on his soul, by the sermons he heard there. His 
 mother also took him with her every Thursday to Mr. 
 Case's lecture at St. Martin's. On the Lord's day he 
 sat under the powerful ministry of Mr. Stephen Mar- 
 shal. This minister, and this ministry, he would, to. 
 the close of life, speak of with great respect, and 
 thankfulness to God, as that by which he was, through 
 grace, in the beginning of his days " begotten again 
 to a lively hope." He also attended constantly upon 
 the monthly fasts at St. Margaret's, where the best 
 and ablest ministers of England preached before the 
 House of Commons ; and the service of the day was 
 carried on with great strictness and solemnity, from 
 eight in the morning till four in the afternoon. He 
 likewise frequented extraordinary fasts and thanksgiv- 
 ings. From the time he was eleven or twelve years 
 old, it was his constant practice to write, as he could, 
 all the sermons he heard ; which he kept very care- 
 fully, and transcribed many of them afterwards. 
 
 At these monthly fasts he often had sweet meltings 
 of soul in prayer and confession of sin, and many warm 
 and lively truths brought home to his heart. Many 
 years after, he reflected upon these early scenes and 
 experiences in the following manner : 
 
 ^' If ever a child such as I then was, between the 
 tenth and fifteenth years of my age, enjoyed ' line upon 
 line, precept upon precept,' I did. And was it in vain ? 
 I trust, not altogether in vain. My soul rejoiceth and 
 is glad at the remembrance of it ; the ' word distilled 
 
14 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 as the dew, and dropped as the rain.' I loved it, and 
 loved the messengers of it ; their very feet were beau- 
 tiful to me. And, Lord, what a mercy was it, at a 
 time when the poor countries were laid waste, when 
 the noise of drums and trumpets, and the clatter- 
 ing of arms, was heard there, and the ways to Zion 
 mourned, that then my lot should be where there was 
 peace and quietness, where ^ the voice of the turtle 
 was heard,' and there was great plenty of gospel op- 
 portunities. ' Bless the Lord, my soul. As long 
 as I live will I bless the Lord. I will praise my G-od 
 while I have my being.' Had it been only the re- 
 straint that it laid upon me, whereby I was kept from 
 the common sins of other children and youths, such 
 as cursing, swearing, sabbath-breaking, and the like, 
 I were bound to be very thankful. But that it pre- 
 vailed, through grace, effectually to bring me to God, 
 how much am I indebted ! And * what shall I 
 render ?' " 
 
 Thus it is seen how the dews of heaven softened 
 his heart by degrees. From these early experiences 
 of his own, he drew the two following items of im- 
 provement in subsequent life. 
 
 1. He would blame those who laid so much stress 
 on people's knowing the exact time of their conver- 
 sion, which he thought was, with many, not possible 
 to do. Who can so soon be aware of the daybreak, 
 or of the sprouting of the seed sown ? The work of 
 grace is better known in its effects, than in its begins 
 nings. He would sometimes illustrate this by that 
 saying of the blind man to the Pharisees, who were so 
 
BIRTH, EDUCATION, AND PIETY. 15 
 
 critical in examining the recovery of his sight. This 
 and the other I know not concerning it, but ^' this 
 one thing I know — that, whereas I was blind, now I 
 see." John 9 : 25. 
 
 2. He would bear his testimony to the comfort and 
 benefit of early piety, and recommend it to all young 
 people as a good thing to bear the yoke of the Lord 
 Jesus in youth. He would often witness against that 
 wicked proverb, " A young saint, an old devil ;" and 
 would have it said rather, A young saint, an old angel. 
 He observed it concerning Obadiah — and he was a 
 courtier — that he "feared the Lord from his youth," 
 1 Kings, 18 : 3, 12, and feared him " greatly." Those 
 that would come to fear Grod greatly, must learn to 
 fear him from their youth. No man did his duty so 
 naturally as Timothy did, Phil. 2 : 20, who, from a 
 child, knew the holy Scriptures. He would some- 
 times apply to this subject that common saying, " He 
 that would thrive, must rise at five." And in deal- 
 ing with young people, he would earnestly say, '' I 
 tell you, you cannot begin too soon to be religious, but 
 you may put it off too long. Manna must be gathered 
 early ; and He that is the first, must have the first of 
 our time and affections." He often inculcated Eccles. 
 12 : 1 : ' Remember now thy Creator in the days of 
 thy youth ;" or, as some render it, thy choice days, thy 
 choosing days. He would sometimes say, " The life 
 of a Christian is a life of labor : ' Son, go work ;' it is 
 necessary work, and excellent work, and pleasant work, 
 and profitable work ; and it is good to be at it when 
 young." 
 
16 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 But it is time we return to Westminster school, 
 where, having begun to learn Christ, we left him in 
 the successful pursuit of other learning, under the eye 
 and care of that great master Dr. Busby, who, on 
 account of his proficiency and diligence, took a partic- 
 ular liking to him, called him his child, and would 
 sometimes tell him he should be his heir ; and there 
 was no love lost between them. To a descendant of 
 Mr. Henry, Dr. Johnson the lexicographer once re- 
 marked, " Sir, you are descended from a man whose 
 genuine simplicity and unaffected piety would have 
 done honor to any sect of Christians ; and as a scholar 
 he must have had uncommon acquirements, when 
 Busby boasted of having been his tutor." Dr. Busby 
 was considered a very severe schoolmaster, especially 
 in the beginning of his time. But Mr. Henry would 
 say sometimes, that as in so great a school there was 
 ne-ad of a strict discipline, so, for his own part, during 
 the four years he was in the school, he never felt the 
 weight of his hand but once — and then, deserved it ; 
 for, being monitor of the chamber, and according to 
 the duty of the place, being sent out to seek one that 
 played truant, he found him out where he had hid 
 himself, and at the truant's earnest request promised 
 to make an excuse for him, and to say he could not 
 find him ; " which," says he, in a penitent reflection 
 upon it afterwards, " I wickedly did." Next morn- 
 ing, the truant coming under examination, and being 
 asked whether he saw the monitor, said he did ; at 
 which Dr. Busby was much surprised, and turned his 
 eye upon the monitor, with this word, Kai ov^renvovi 
 
BIRTH, EDUCATION, AND PIETY. 17 
 
 What) thou, my son ! and gave him correction, and 
 appointed him to make a penitential copy of Latin 
 verses ; which being done, he gave him sixpence, 
 and received him into his favor again. 
 
 Among the mercies of God to him in his youth, 
 he recorded a remarkable deliverance which he expe- 
 rienced at Westminster school. It was customary 
 there, among the studious boys, for one, or two, or 
 more, to sit up during the former part of the night 
 at study ; and when they went to bed, about midnight, 
 to call others, and they others at two or three o'clock, 
 as they desired. His request was to be caUed at 
 twelve : being awaked, he desired his candle might 
 be lighted, which stuck to the bed's head ; he dropped 
 asleep again, and the candle feU, and burnt part of the 
 bed and bolster before he awoke ; but through the good 
 providence of Grod, seasonable help came in, the fire 
 was soon quenched, and he received no harm. This 
 gave him occasion, long after, to say, "It is of the 
 Lord's mercies that we are not consumed." 
 
 When he was at Westminster school, he was em- 
 ployed by Dr. Busby, a;s some others of the most in- 
 genious and industrious of his scholars were, in their 
 reading of the Grreek authors, to collect, under his 
 direction, some materials for that excellent Greek 
 grammar which the doctor afterwards published. 
 
 But, let the school be ever so agreeable, youth is 
 desirous to commence the man by a removal from it. 
 This step was taken by the subject of this memoir in 
 the sixteenth year of his age. It was the ancient cus- 
 tom of Westminster school, that all the king's schol- 
 
18 REV. PHILIP henry; 
 
 ars who stood candidates for an election to the Uni- 
 versity, were to receive the Lord's supper the Easter 
 before, which he did with the rest, in St. Margaret's 
 church, 1647 ; and he would often speak of the great 
 pains which Dr. Busby took with his scholars that 
 were to approach to that solemn ordinance, for sev- 
 eral weeks before, at stated times — with what skill 
 and seriousness of application, and manifest concern 
 for their souls, he opened to them the nature of the 
 ordinance and of the work they had to do in it, and 
 instructed them what was to be done in preparation 
 for it. "What success this course had, through the 
 grace of God, upon young Mr. Henry, to whom the 
 doctor had a particular regard, read from his own 
 hand: 
 
 " There had been treaties before, between my soul 
 and Jesus Christ, with some weak overtures towards 
 him ; but then, then I think it was that the match 
 was made, the knot tied : then I set myself, in the 
 strength of divine grace, about the great work of self- 
 examination in order to repentance ; and then I re- 
 pented, that is, solemnly and seriously, with some poor 
 meltings of my soul. I confessed my sins before Grod, 
 original and actual, judging and condemning myself 
 for them, and casting away from me all my transgres- 
 sions, receiving Christ Jesus the Lord as the Lord my 
 righteousness, and devoting and dedicating my whole 
 self, absolutely and unreservedly, to his fear and ser- 
 vice. After which, coming to the ordinance, there, 
 there I received him indeed ; and He became mine — 
 I say, mine. Bless the Lord, my soul !" 
 
BIRTH, EDUCATION, AND PIETY. 19 
 
 Of Dr. Busby's agency, under Grod, in this blessed 
 work, he makes a very grateful mention in divers of 
 his papers. " The Lord recompense it," he says, " a 
 thousand-fold into his bosom." 
 
 " Encouraged by this experience, I have myself," 
 he says in one of his papers, *' taken like pains with 
 divers others at their first admission to the Lord's 
 table, and have, through grace, seen the comfortable 
 fruits of it, both in mine own children and others. To 
 Grod be glory." 
 
 Thus was the great concern happily settled before 
 his launching out into the world. Through grace, he 
 had all his days more or less the comfort of it, in an 
 even serenity of mind, and a peaceful expectation of 
 the glory to be revealed. 
 
 In May, 1647, he was chosen from "Westminster 
 school to Christ-church college in the University of 
 Oxford, with four others, among whom he had the 
 second place. 
 
 ■UNIVERSITY 
 
20 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 HIS RESIDENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY. 
 
 Although he was chosen to the University in May, 
 yet being then young, under sixteen, and in love with 
 his school-learning, he made no great haste thither. In 
 December following, he removed to Oxford. Being a 
 young traveller, some merciful providences in his jour- 
 ney affected him much, and he used to speak of them, 
 with a sense of Grod's goodness to him, according to 
 the impressions then made by them. He has recorded 
 them with this thankful note : that there may be a 
 great mercy in a small matter ; as the care that was 
 taken of him by strangers, when he fainted and was 
 sick at his inn the first night ; and his casual meeting 
 with Mr. Annesly, son to the Viscount Yalentia — 
 who was chosen from "Westminster school at the same 
 time that he was — when his other company going 
 another way had left him alone, and utterly at a 
 loss what to do. Thus the sensible remembrance of 
 old mercies may answer the intention of new ones, 
 which is, to engage our obedience to Grod, and to en- 
 courage our dependence on him. 
 
 To the proper studies of this place he now vigor- 
 ously addressed himself, still retaining a great partiality 
 for the classic authors, and the more polite exercises 
 he loved so well at Westminster school. Here he duly 
 performed the coUege exercises : disputations every 
 
AT THE UNIVERSITY. 21 
 
 day, in term-time ; themes and verses once a week ; 
 and declamations when it came to his turn ; in which 
 performances he frequently came off with great ap- 
 plause. And yet in some reflections, written long 
 after, in which he looks hack upon his early days, he 
 charges it upon himself, that for a good while after he 
 came to the university, though he was known not to 
 he inferior to any of his standing in puhlic exercises, 
 yet he was too much a stranger to that hard study 
 with which afterwards he hecame acquainted, and that 
 he lost much time which might have heen hetter im- 
 proved. Thus he is pleased to accuse himself of that 
 of which, for aught that appears, no one else ever did 
 or could accuse him. But the truth is, that in all 
 the private accounts he kept of himself, he appears to 
 have had a very quick and deep sense of his own fail- 
 ings and infirmities, in the most minute instances — 
 the loss of time, weakness and distractions in holy 
 duties, not improving opportunities of doing good to 
 others, and the like ; lamentably bewailing these im- 
 perfections, and charging them upon himself, with 
 as great expressions of shame and sorrow and self- 
 abhorrence, and crying out as earnestly for pardon and 
 forgiveness in the blood of Jesus, as if he had been the 
 greatest of sinners. For though he was a man that 
 walked very closely, yet withal he walked very hum- 
 bly with God, and lived a hfe of repentance and self- 
 denial. In a sermon in subsequent life, from Rom. 
 7 : 24, "0 wretched man that I am I who shall deliver 
 me from the body of this death?" he says, *' A strange 
 complaint to come from the mouth of one who had 
 
22 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 learned in every state to be content. Had I been to 
 have given my thoughts concerning Paul, I should 
 have said, 0, blessed man that thou art, that hast 
 been in the third heaven, a great apostle, a spiritual 
 father to thousands ; and yet he was a wretched man 
 all this while, in his own account and esteem. He 
 never complains thus of the bonds and afflictions that 
 did abide him, the prisons that were frequent, the 
 stripes above measure ; but the body of death, that is, 
 the body of sin, that was it he groaned under." And 
 he feelingly observed from thence, that the remainders 
 of indwelling corruption are a very grievous burden to 
 a gracious soul. 
 
 One of the causes to which he ascribes his loss of 
 time when he first went to the university was, that 
 he was young, too young, and understood not the day 
 of his opportunities ; which made him afterwards ad- 
 vise his friends not to thrust their children forth too 
 soon from school to the university, though they may 
 seem ripe in respect of learning, till they have discre- 
 tion to manage themselves. While they are children, 
 what can be expected but that they should mind child- 
 ish things ? Another cause was, that, coming from 
 "Westminster school, his attainments in school learn- 
 ing were beyond what generally others had that came 
 from other schools ; so that he was tempted to think 
 there was no need for him to study much, because it 
 was so easy for him to keep pace with others ; of which 
 he had been warned by some kind friends at his com- 
 ing to Oxford. And yet another cause was, that there 
 were two sorts of persons who were his contempora- 
 
AT THE UNIVERSITY. 23 
 
 ries : some, of the new stamp, that came in hy the 
 visitation, and were serious, pious young men, but of 
 small ability, comparatively, for learning, and those 
 with whom for that reason he desired not to have much 
 fellowship ; and others, that were of the old spirit and 
 way, enemies to the Parliament and the reformation 
 they made, who, while they were better scholars, were 
 not generally the better men. "With these last, for a 
 while, he struck in, because of their learning, and con- 
 versed most with them ; but he soon found it a snare 
 to him, and that it took him off from the life of re- 
 ligion and communion with Grod. But "for ever 
 praised be 'the riches of Grod's free grace," he says, 
 " that he was pleased still to keep his hold of me ; and 
 not to let me alone when I was running from him, 
 but set his hand again the second time, as the expres- 
 sion is, Isa. 11 : 11, to snatch me ' as a brand out of 
 the fire.' " His recovery from this snare he would 
 call a kind of second conversion ; so much was he 
 affected with the preventing grace of Grod in it, and 
 sensible of a double bond to be for ever thankful, as 
 well as of an engagement to be watchful and humble. 
 It was one of his sayings, " He that stumbles and does 
 not fall, gets ground by his stumble." 
 
 And hence he writes, '' Forasmuch as I have by 
 often experience found the treachery and deceitfulness 
 of my own heart, and being taught that it is my duty 
 to engage my heart to approach unto G-od, and that 
 one way of doing it is by subscribing with my hand 
 unto the Lord ; therefore, let this paper be witness, 
 that I do deliberately, of choice, and urureservedly, 
 
24 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 take orod in Christ to be mine ; and give myself to 
 him, to be his, to love him, to fear him, to serve and 
 obey him ; and renouncing all my sins with hearty 
 sorrow and detestation, I do oast myself only upon free 
 grace, through the merits of Christ, for pardon and 
 forgiveness ; and do purpose, God enabling me, from 
 this day forward, more than ever to exercise myself 
 unto godliness, and to walk in all the ways of religion 
 as much as ever I can, with delight and cheerfulness, 
 as knowing that my labor shall not be in vain in the 
 Lord." 
 
 At the latter end of the year 1648, having received 
 permission to visit his father, he spent some time with 
 him at "Whitehall. While there he witnessed, with a 
 sad heart, the beheading of king Charles the First, 
 which took place Jan. 30, 1649, before Whitehall gate. 
 
 In the year 1650-1, he took his Bachelor of Arts 
 degree ; and he has recorded the goodness of Grod in 
 raising him up friends, who helped him out in the 
 expenses. Such kindnesses have a peculiar sweetness 
 in them to a good man, who sees and receives them 
 as the kindness of Grod, and the tokens of his love. 
 
 He would often mention, with thankfulness to God, 
 what great helps and advantages he enjoyed while in 
 the university, not only for learning, but also for relig- 
 ion and piety. Serious godliness was held in reputa- 
 tion; and besides the public opportunities they had, there 
 were many of the students that used to meet together 
 for prayer and Christian conference, to the great con- 
 firming of one another's hearts in the fear and love of 
 God, and the preparing of them for the service of the 
 
AT THE UNIVERSITY. 25 
 
 church in their generation. The sermons which he 
 heard at Oxford he commonly wrote, not in the time 
 of hearing, hut afterwards in reflecting upon them, 
 which exercise he found a good help to his memory. 
 
 In Decemher, 1652, he took his degree as Master 
 of Arts, and in January following preached his first 
 sermon at South Hinksey, in Oxfordshire, on John 
 8 : 34 : *' Whosoever oommitteth sin is the servant of 
 sin." On this occasion he wrote in his diary what 
 was the breathing of his heart towards Grod : " The 
 Lord make use of me as an instrument of his glory, 
 and his church's good, in this high and holy calling.'* 
 
 His great talents and improvement, notwithstand- 
 ing his extraordinary modesty and humility, made 
 him so well known in the university, that he was 
 chosen in the following year out of all the masters to 
 answer the philosophy questions in vesperiis, which he 
 did with very great applause, especially for the very 
 witty and ingenious orations which he made to the 
 university on that occasion. Dr. Owen, who was 
 Vice-chancellor at the time, spoke with great com- 
 mendation of these performances of Mr. Henry to some 
 in the university afterwards, who never knew him 
 otherwise than by report. And a worthy divine who 
 was somewhat his junior in the university ^ and there 
 a perfect stranger to him, declared how much he ad- 
 mired these exercises of his, and loved him for them ; 
 and yet how much more he admired, when he after- 
 wards became acquainted with him in the country, 
 that so curious and polite an orator should become 
 so profitable and powerful a preacher, and so readily 
 
26 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 lay aside the enticing words of man's wisdom which 
 were so easy to him. 
 
 There is a copy of Latin verses of his in print 
 among the poems which the University of Oxford pnb- 
 Hshed upon the peace concluded with Holland, in the 
 year 1654, which show him to be no less a poet than 
 an orator. 
 
 He has note^/ it of some pious young men, that 
 before they removed from the university into the 
 country, they kept a day of fasting and humiliation 
 for the sins they had been guilty of in that place and 
 state. And in a visit which he afterwards made to 
 the university, he inserted in his book, as no doubt Grod 
 did in his, " a tear dropped over my university sins." 
 He would sometimes say, <'When we mourn for sin 
 because Grod is offended by it, and abstain from sin 
 because of his honor, that we may not wrong him or 
 grieve him, this is more pleasing to him than burnt- 
 offerings and sacrifices." 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HIS REMOVAL TO WORTHENBURY, IN FLINTSHIRE — 
 HIS ORDINATION, AND THE EXERCISE OF HIS 
 MINISTRY THERE. 
 
 WoRTHENBURY is a little town by the side of the 
 river Dee, in Flintshire ; and though it is thus nomi- 
 nally in Wales, yet in language and customs it is 
 wholly E nglish. The principal family in Worthenbury 
 parish was that of the Pulestons of Emeral. The 
 head of the family in Mr. Henry's time was John 
 Puleston, Sergeant-at-law, one of the Judges of the 
 Common Pleas. 
 
 This was the family to which Mr. Henry came 
 from Christ-church college, Oxford, shortly after he 
 obtained his Master's degree in 1653; ordered into 
 that remote and to him unknown corner of the coun- 
 try by that overruling Providence which determines 
 the times before appointed, and the bounds of our 
 habitation. 
 
 The judge's lady was a person of more than ordi- 
 nary qualities and wisdom, in piety inferior to few, 
 but in learning superior to most of her sex. This 
 lady's agency first brought Mr. Henry into that part 
 of the country. She wrote to a friend of hers, Mr, 
 Francis Palmer, a student of Christ-church, to desire 
 him to recommend to her a young man to be in her 
 family, and to take the oversight of her sons, some of 
 whom were now readv for the universitv ; also to 
 
28 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 preach at "Worthen'bury on the Lord's days : for which 
 a very honorable remuneration was promised. Mr. 
 Palmer proposed it to his friend Mr. Henry, who was 
 willing to undertake it, provided it might be required 
 of him to preach but once on the Lord's day, and that 
 some other supply might be got for the other part of 
 the day ; he being now but twenty-two years of age, 
 and newly entered upon that great work. Provided 
 also that he should be engaged but for half a year ; 
 not intending to break off so soon from an academical 
 life, in which he much delighted. But preferring 
 usefulness before his own private satisfaction, he was 
 willing to make trial for a while in the country, as one 
 that sought not his own things, but the things of Jesus 
 Christ, to whose service in the work of the ministry 
 he had entirely devoted himself, bending his studies 
 wholly that way. 
 
 In the latter part of his course at Oxford, he em- 
 ployed his time mostly in searching the Scriptures 
 and collecting useful scripture observations, which he 
 made very familiar to him, and with which he was 
 thoroughly furnished for the good work which he had 
 in view. He got a Bible interleaved, in which he 
 wrote short notes upon texts of Scripture as they oc- 
 curred, and would often say that he read other books 
 in order that he might be better able to understand the 
 Bible. Thus it was that he acquired a stock of scrip- 
 tural knowledge with which to begin his ministry, and 
 which he used to good advantage. Though he was 
 so great a master in ihe eloquence of Cicero, yet he 
 preferred far before it that of Apollos, who was '* an 
 
MINISTRY AT WOUTHENBURY. 29 
 
 eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures." Acts 
 18 : 24. And although he had very fair prospects of 
 university preferments, yet the salvation of souls was 
 the great object upon which his heart was set, and to 
 which he subordinated all his other interests. 
 
 He went to Emeral in September, 1653. Here 
 he prayed in the family, was tutor to the young gen- 
 tlemen, and preached once a day on the Sabbath at 
 Worthenbury, other help being procured for the other 
 part of the day, according to his request, out of a fear, 
 being so young, to take the whole work upon him. 
 But it soon happened, that one Lord's day the supply 
 that was expected failed, and so he was necessitated, 
 rather than there should be a vacancy, to preach 
 twice ; in which he found the promise so well fulfilled, 
 " As thy day is, so shall thy strength be ;" and, " To 
 him that hath," that is, that hath and useth what he 
 hath, "shall be given, and he shall have abundance ;" 
 that to the great satisfaction of his friends there, from 
 thenceforward he waived looking out for other help 
 than what came from above, and would sometimes 
 speak of this as an instance that we do not know 
 what we can do till we have tried. 
 
 Here he applied himself to a plain and practical 
 way of preaching, as one truly concerned for the souls 
 of those to whom he spoke. He would sometimes 
 say, " We study how to speak that you may under- 
 stand us ; and I never think I can speak plain enough 
 when I am speaking about souls and their salvation." 
 He said he thought it did him good, that for the first 
 half-year of his being at Worthenbury, he had few or 
 
30 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 no books with him ; which engaged him, in studying 
 sermons, to a closer search of the Scriptures and his 
 own heart. "What was the success of his labors in 
 that parish, which, before he came to it, was accounted 
 one of the most loose and profane places in all the 
 country, may be gathered from a letter of the lady 
 Puleston to him at the end of the first half-year after 
 his coming to Emeral, when he was uncertain of his 
 continuance there, and inclined to return to settle 
 at Christ-church. 
 
 ^'Dear Mr. Henry — The indisposition that my 
 sadness hath bred, and the stay of Mrs. Y here yes- 
 terday, hindered my answering your last expressions. 
 As to ordering the conversation and persevering to the 
 practice of those good intents taken up while one is 
 in pursuit of a mercy, you and I will confer, as God 
 gives opportunity ; who also must give the will and 
 the deed, by his Spirit, and by the rule of his word. 
 As to begging that one thing for you, God forbid, 
 as Samuel said, that ' I should cease to pray,' etc. 
 This I am sure, that having wanted hitherto a good 
 minister of the word among us, I have oft by prayer, 
 and some tears, above five years besought God for 
 such a one as yourself ; which having obtained, I can- 
 not yet despair, seeing he hath given us the good 
 means, but he may also give us the good end. And 
 this I find, that your audience is increased three for 
 one in the parish, though in winter, more than for- 
 merly in summer ; and five for one out of other pla- 
 ces. And I have neither heard of their beinsr in the 
 ale-house on our Lord's day, nor ball-playing that 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTilENBURY. 31 
 
 day, which before you came, was frequent, except 
 that day that young Ch. . . preached. I think I can 
 name four or live in the parish, of formal Christians 
 that are becoming or become real. But you know all 
 are not wrought on at first by the word. Some come 
 in no misfortune like other men, and this is the cause 
 they be so holden with pride. Yet God may have 
 reserved those that have not bowed the knee to Baal, 
 and may call them at the latter part of the day, 
 though not in this half-year. It is a good sign, most 
 are loath to part with you ; and you have done more 
 good in this half-year, than I have discerned these 
 eighteen years. But however, whether they will 
 hear, or whether they will forbear, you have delivered 
 your own soul. I have prayed and do pray, seeing 
 God hath sent you, that you may be for his glory and 
 not for our condemnation." 
 
 It is easy to imagine what an encouragement this 
 was to him, thus at his first setting out, to see of the 
 travail of his soul, and what an inducement it was 
 to him not to leave those among whom God had thus 
 owned him. However, that spring he returned to 
 Oxford. The lady Puleston soon after came to him 
 thither with her five sons, of whom she placed the 
 two eldest under his charge in the college. In the 
 following vacation, he went to London to visit his rela- 
 tions ; and while there, in October he received a letter 
 from Judge Puleston, with a very solemn and afiec- 
 tionate request, subscribed by the parishioners of 
 Worthenbury, earnestly desiring his settlement among 
 them as their minister ; which he was persuaded 
 
32 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 to comply with, having fixed to himself that good 
 rule, " In the turns of life to follow providence, and 
 not to force it." Accordingly in the winter following 
 he came down again and settled with them. 
 
 For some years he continued in the Emeral fam- 
 ily, where he laid himself out very much for the 
 spiritual good of the household, even of the lowest of 
 the servants, hy catechizing, repeating the sermons, 
 and personal instruction ; in which he had much en- 
 couragement in the countenance and conversation of 
 the judge and his lady. Yet he complains sometimes 
 in his diary of the snares and temptations that he 
 found in his way there, especially because some of 
 the branches of the family, who did not regard him 
 as their parents did, were uneasy at his being there, 
 which made him willing to remove to a house of his 
 own ; which when Judge Puleston perceived, in the 
 year 1657, out of his abundant and continued kind- 
 ness to him he did, at his own proper cost and charg- 
 es, build him a very handsome house in Worthen- 
 bury, and settled it upon him by a lease, bearing date 
 March 6, 1657, for threescore years, if he should so 
 long continue minister at "Worthenbury and not ao- - 
 cept of better preferment. 
 
 He has noted in his diary, that the very day that 
 the workmen began the building of that house, Mr. 
 Mainwaring of Malpas preached the lecture at Ban- 
 gor, from Psalm 127: 1 : "Except the Lord build 
 the house, they labor in vain that build it." " There 
 never was truth," saith he, " more seasonable to any, 
 than this was to me." lie has recorded it as his 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 33 
 
 great care, that his affections might be kept loose from 
 the new house, and that it might not encroach upon 
 Grod's interest in his heart. When it was finished 
 he thus writes : '' I do from my heart bless G-od that 
 no hurt or harm befell any of the workmen in the 
 building of it." 
 
 Being thus settled at Worthenbury, his next care 
 was touching ordination to the work of the ministry, 
 to which he would see his call very clear, before he 
 solemnly devoted himself to it. Having submitted 
 to the necessary trials, the day for ordination was 
 appointed to be September 16, at Frees, of which 
 notice was given at Worthenbury by a paper read in 
 the church, and afterwards afhxed to the church door 
 on the preceding Sabbath ; signifying also that " if 
 any one could produce any just exceptions against 
 the doctrine or life of the said Mr. Henry, or any suf- 
 ficient reason why he might not be ordained, they 
 should certify the same to the classis or the scribe, 
 and it should be heard and considered." Mr. Henry 
 was very desirous to have been ordained at Worthen- 
 bury, in the presence of his own people, which he 
 thought most agreeable to the intention ; but the min- 
 isters who were to officiate overruled his wish. 
 
 On the day of ordination, there was a very great 
 assembly gathered together. Mr. Porter began the 
 public work of the day with prayer, then Mr. Parsons 
 preached on 1 Tim. 1 : 12 : " I thank Christ Jesus our 
 Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me 
 faithful, putting me into the ministry." Putting men 
 
 into the ministry is the work of Jesus Christ. After 
 
 2* 
 
34 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 sermon Mr. Parsons, according to tlie usual method, 
 required of him a confession of his faith, which he 
 made satisfactorily. Mr. Parsons then proposed cer- 
 tain questions to him, to which he returned answers 
 as follows : 
 
 Question 1. •'What are your ends in undertaldng 
 the work and calling of a minister ? 
 
 Answer. "As far as upon search and inquiry I 
 can hitherto find, though there he that within me 
 that would seek great things for myself — if indeed 
 they were to be found in this calling — yet with my 
 mind I seek them not ; hut the improvement of the 
 talent which I have received in the service of the 
 gospel, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, 
 I hope is in my eye : if there he any thing else, I own 
 it not, I allow it not. While so many seek their own, 
 it is my desire, and shall he my endeavor, to seek the 
 things of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Question 2. "What are your purposes as to dil- 
 igence and industry in this calling ? 
 
 Answer. " I do purpose and resolve by the help 
 of Grod to give myself 'wholly' to these things — to 
 prayer, reading, meditation, instant preaching, in 
 season and out of season ; wherein I shall very gladly 
 spend and he spent, if by any means I may both save 
 myself and them that hear me. And when at any 
 time I fail herein, I desire God by his Spirit, and my 
 Christian friends, neighbors, and brethren, by season- 
 able reproof and admonition, to put me in mind of 
 this engagement now made in the presence of this 
 great congregation. 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTIIENBUR Y. 35 
 
 Question 3. " Do you mean to be zealous and 
 faithful in the defence of truth and unity against error 
 and schism ? 
 
 Answer. " I believe what the Spirit hath foretold, 
 that in the last days pe^^lous times shall come, wherein 
 men w^ill not endure sound doctrine, but after their 
 own lusts shall heap unto themselves teachers. It 
 is my resolution, by the grace of Christ, to w^atch in 
 all things, to contend earnestly for the faith, to hold 
 fast the form of sound and wholesome words, even 
 the words of our Lord Jesus, and the doctrine which 
 is according to godliness ; in meekness, as I am able, 
 instructing those that oppose themselves. And for 
 peace and unity, if my heart deceive me not, I shall 
 rather choose to hazard the loss of any thing that is 
 most dear to me, than be any way knowingly accessory 
 to the disturbance of these in the churches of Christ. 
 
 Question 4. ^'What is your persuasion of the 
 truth of the reformed religion ? 
 
 Answer. '^ My persuasion is, that the bishop of 
 Rome is that man of sin and son of perdition, whom 
 the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of his 
 mouth, and destroy by the brightness of his coming. 
 And the separation which our first Reformers made, 
 I do heartily rejoice in and bless G-od for; for had 
 we still continued to partake with him in his sins, 
 we should in the end have partaken with him also in 
 his plagues. 
 
 Question 5. ^'"What do you intend to do when 
 the Lord shall alter your condition and bring a family 
 under your charge ? 
 
36 REY. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Answer. " When the Lord shall, please m his 
 providence to bring me into new relations, I hope he 
 will give me grace to fill them up with duty. It is 
 my purpose to wait upon him and to keep his way ; 
 to endeavor, in the use of means, that all that are 
 mine may be the Lord's. 
 
 Question 6. '' Will you in humility and meek- 
 ness submit to admonition and discipline ? 
 
 Answer. '' I believe it to be a duty incumbent 
 upon all that profess the name of Christ to watch 
 over one another, and that when any is * overtaken 
 in a fault,' those that are spiritual are to restore him 
 again ' with the spirit of meekness.' It shall be my 
 endeavor, in the strength of Jesus Christ, to walk 
 without rebuke ; and when at any time I step aside — 
 for who is there that lives and sins not ? — I shall ac- 
 count the smitings of my brethren kindness, and their 
 wounds faithful. 
 
 Question 7. " What if troubles, persecutions, and 
 discouragements arise ? Will you hold out to the end 
 notwithstanding ? 
 
 Answer. " Concerning this I am very jealous 
 over my own heart, and there is cause : I find a great 
 want of that zeal and courage for G-od which I know 
 is required in a minister of the gospel ; nevertheless I 
 persuade myself that no temptation shall befall me 
 but such as is common to man ; and that God, who 
 is faithful, will not suffer me to be tempted above 
 that which I am able, but that with the temptation 
 he will also make a way to escape, that I may be able 
 to bear it. I promise faithfulness to the death ; but 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 37 
 
 I rest not at all in my promise to Grod, but in his to 
 me, ' When thou goest through the fire and through 
 the water, I will be with thee.' " 
 
 When this was done, Mr. Parsons prayed, and in 
 prayer, he and the rest of the presbyters laid their 
 hands upon him, with words to this purpose, " Whom 
 we thus in thy name set apart to the work and office 
 of the ministry." At the same time there were five 
 other young men, after the like previous examinations 
 and trials, professions and promises, in like manner 
 set apart to the ministry. 
 
 Then Mr. Maiden of Newport closed with an 
 exhortation directed to the newly ordained ministers, 
 " In which," says Mr. Henry in his diary, '' this word 
 went to my heart, ' As the nurse puts the meat first 
 into her own mouth and chews it, and then feeds the 
 child with it, so should ministers do by the word, 
 preach it over beforehand to their own hearts ; it loses 
 none of the virtue thereby, but rather probably gains. 
 As that milk nourishes most which comes warm from 
 the breast, so that sermon which comes warm from 
 a warm heart is likely to do most good. Lord, quick- 
 en me to do thy will in this thing.' " 
 
 It was said by those who were present at this 
 solemnity, that Mr. Henry did in his countenance, 
 carriage, and expression, discover such an extraordi- 
 nary seriousness and gravity, and such deep impres- 
 sions made upon his spirit, as greatly affected the 
 auditory and even struck an awe upon them. 
 
 His reflections upon it, recorded in his diary, cor- 
 respond with the preceding remark. He says, " Me- 
 
38 iiEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 thought I saw much of God in carrying on the work 
 of this day. Oh, how good is the Lord ! he is good, 
 and doeth good ; the rememhrance of it I shall never 
 lose ; to him he glory. I made many promises of 
 diligence, faithfulness, etc. ; hut I lay no stress at 
 all on them, hut on Grod's promise to me, that he will 
 be with his ministers always to the end of the world. 
 Amen, Lord, he it so. Make good thy word unto thy 
 servant, wherein thou hast caused me to put my 
 trust." *' I did this day receive as much honor and 
 work as ever I shall he ahle to know what to do 
 with ; Lord Jesus, proportion supplies accordingly." 
 " Lord, I desire thou mayest have the glory of all 
 my abilities, natural, moral, spiritual. If they were 
 more, then thou shouldst have more glory. And I 
 beg of thee to overlook my failings, especially the 
 pride and selfishness that is often stirring itself in my 
 soul, for Christ's sake." Two scriptures he desired 
 might be written in his heart : 2 Corinthians, 6 : 4, 5, 
 etc., and 2 Chronicles, 29 : 11. 
 
 A great part of Mr. Henry's regular diaries was 
 lost or destroyed. From what has been gleaned out 
 of those which survived him, the greatness of the loss 
 of those documents may in some degree be estimated. 
 It is worthy of remark, that he commenced keeping 
 a diary in the year of his ordination to the work of 
 the ministry. On this topic he has recorded the 
 following : " 1657. This was the first year in which 
 I began to keep an account of my time in this meth- 
 od. If the Lord bless me, I mean to hold on, and I 
 hope use will make me more and more perfect in it ; 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 39 
 
 it is a pleasing, profitable, heavenly art. Oh God, 
 teach me to number my days." 
 
 Two years after his own public consecration to the 
 work of the ministry, being present at an ordination 
 at Whitchurch he thus wrote : " This day my ordi- 
 nation covenants were in a special manner renewed, 
 as to diligence in reading, prayer, meditation, faith- 
 fulness in preaching, admonition, catechizing, sacra- 
 ments, zeal against error and profaneness, care to 
 preserve and promote the unity and purity of the 
 church, notwithstanding opposition and persecution, 
 though to death. Lord, thou hast filled my hands 
 with work, fill my heart with wisdom and grace that 
 I may discharge my duty to thy glory and my own 
 salvation, and the salvation of those that hear me. 
 Amen." 
 
 Let us now see how he applied himself to his work 
 at Worthenbury. The sphere was narrow, too nar- 
 row for such a burning and shining light. There 
 were but forty-one communicants in that parish when 
 he first administered the ordinance of the Lord's sup- 
 per ; and they were never doubled. Yet he had such 
 low thoughts of himself that he not only never sought 
 for a larger sphere, but would never hearken to any 
 overtures of that kind made to him. And withal he 
 had such high thoughts of his work and the worth of 
 souls, that he laid out himself with as much diligence 
 and vigor here, as if he had the oversight of the great- 
 est and most considerable parish in the country. 
 
 The greatest part of the parish were poor tenants 
 and laboring husbandmen ; but the souls of such, he 
 
40 P-KV. PHILir HENRY. 
 
 used to say, are as precious as the souls of the rich, 
 and to be looked after accordingly. His prayer for 
 them was, ^' Lord, despise not the day of small things 
 in this place, where there is some willingness, but 
 much weakness." And thus he writes upon the 
 Judge's settling a handsome maintenance upon him, 
 " Lord, thou knowest I seek not theirs, but them. 
 Grive me the souls." 
 
 He was in labors more abundant to win souls : 
 besides preaching, he expounded the Scriptures in 
 order, catechized, and explained the catechism. He 
 set up a monthly lecture of two sermons, one preached 
 by himself, and the other by his friend Mr. Ambrose 
 Lewis of "Wrexham, for some years. He also kept 
 up a monthly conference in private, from house to 
 house, in which he met with the more knowing and 
 judicious of the parish ; and they discoursed familiarly 
 together of the things of Grod, to their mutual edi- 
 fication, according to the example of the apostles, 
 who, though they had the liberty of public places, 
 yet taught also fxom house to house. Acts 5 : 42 ; 
 20 : 20. By this means he came better to understand 
 the state of his flock, and so knew the better how to 
 preach to them and pray for them, and they to pray 
 one for another. If they were in doubt about any 
 thing relating to their souls, that was an opportunity 
 of getting satisfaction. It was likewise a means of 
 increasing knowledge and love and other graces ; and 
 thus it abounded to a good account. 
 
 On those occasions the records of inspired truth 
 formed the basis of communications as interesting as 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 41 
 
 they were conducive to edification. A manuscript of 
 Mr. Henry's, commencing July 1, 1656, ending Au- 
 gust 7, 1660, and embracing observations on the first 
 forty-four psalms, affords a satisfactory illustration of 
 the plan adopted in his monthly conferences. From 
 that source of information it appears that after a brief 
 exposition of the psalm, a question was propounded 
 for conference. A brief selection of the topics, with 
 Mr. Henry's remarks, are as follows. 
 
 Thus, on the 10th psalm the inquiry was drawn 
 from the 4th verse, " The wicked, through the pride 
 of his (Countenance, will not seek after Grod." " What 
 is it that keeps men from seeking after God ; from 
 seeking after the friendship of God ; from seeking 
 after the glory of God ?" To this Mr. Henry replied, 
 " Pride, Luke 19 : 14 ; ignorance, Rom. 3:11; Psa. 
 79 : 6 ; John 4 : 10 ; strong inclinations after some- 
 thing else ; things of the world possessed or labored 
 after ; credit with men of the world ; and reproach 
 feared, Mark 10: 22; Luke 14: 16; presumption and 
 evil company. Hence, see the apostle's counsel to 
 young converts. Acts 2 : 40." 
 
 On the 1st verse of the 18th psalm, " I will love 
 thee, Lord, my strength," the question was, " "What 
 are the fruits of the true love of God?" Answer, 
 *' It will appear in reference to sin. Where the true 
 love of God is, there is hatred of sin, Psa. 97 : 10 ; 
 universal, without exception ; constant, without inter- 
 mission; implacable, without reconciliation. There 
 is also sorrow for sin, Zech. 12 : 10 ; 13 : 6. In 
 reference to duty^ where love is, there is willins:- 
 
42 REV. PHILIP IIENllY. 
 
 ness to it, 2 Cor. 5 : 14 ; delight in it, Psa. 84 ; 1 John, 
 5 : 3. Where love is, it causes the heart to run out 
 after Grod, Psa. 63 : 8 ; he is highest in the thoughts, 
 oftenest, dearest. Sincerity, Cant. 1:4; Eph. 6 : 24. 
 Love is boundless ; it never thinks it has done enough. 
 In reference to sufferings it is ready for it ; it is pa- 
 tient under it, E-om. 5 : 3, 5 ; Cant. 8 : 6, 7. To these 
 may be added, love is tender of G-od's honor ; it loves 
 all that belong to G-od ; see 1 John, 3 : 20. That love 
 to the brethren which will evidence love to Grod, 
 1 John, 3 : 14, must be to all, poor as well as rich ; 
 strangers as well as acquaintance ; to those that differ 
 in opinion from us, as well as those that agree with us ; 
 wheresoever we see the image of G-od : it will show 
 itself when the brethren are persecuted ; it will be 
 willing to cover their infirmities ; the more godly, the 
 more we love them. It eats up the love of the world, 
 1 John, 2 : 15 ; Rom. 8:7; there is no looking upon 
 heaven with one eye, and earth with the other. It 
 longs for the appearance of Jesus Christ, Cant. 8 : 14." 
 From the drift and scope of the 22nd Psalm, the 
 inquiry was, " What may and ought a Christian to 
 learn from the sufferings of Jesus Christ?" An- 
 swer, '^ We learn the great love of G-od to mankind, 
 John 3 : 16'; Rom. 5:8; we learn how just he is ; we 
 learn the great evil that is in sin ; a lesson of godly 
 sorrow, Zech. 12 : 10 ; humility, Phil. 2:5, 6, etc. ; 
 holiness, 2 Cor. 5 : 15 ; hatred of sin, 1 Cor. 5 : 7 ; 1 
 Pet. 4:1, 2 ; patience in afflictions, Heb. 12 : 1-3 ; 
 1 Pet. 2 : 20, 21, etc. ; consolation against accusa- 
 ti'^iis, Ptom. 8 : 33, 34 ; John 1 : 29 ; courage against 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 43 
 
 the fear of death, 1 Cor. 15:55, etc.; Heb. 2:14, 
 15 ; love to our brethren, Eph. 2 : 13, 14 ; thankful- 
 ness. Blessed be Grod for Jesus Christ." 
 
 Upon Psahn 28, it was inquired, " How many ways 
 may we become guilty of other men's sins ?" An- 
 swer, " By command, 2 Sam. ch. 11, 24 ; by coun- 
 sel, 2 Chron. 22:2, 3; Num. 31:16; by consent, 
 Psa. 50 : 18 ; Acts 22 : 20 ; 1 Kings, 21 : 16, 19 ; by 
 provocation, Eph. 6:4; Hab. 2 : 15 ; by example, 
 Jer. 32 : 29 ; by neglect to warn, Ezek. 33 : 7, 8, to 
 restrain, 1 Sam. 3 : 13, to punish, 1 Kings, 20 : 42, to 
 reprove. Lev. 19 : 17, to mourn, 1 Cor. 5 : 2." 
 
 On Psalm 31, the question was, "What are the 
 common sins of professors in these days ?" Answer, 
 " Empty, vain discourse, James 3:2; lukewarmness, 
 Rev. 3 : 15, 16 ; hypocrisy, formality. Matt. 15 : 7, 8 ; 
 want of love towards one another, John 13 : 35 ; de- 
 bates, quarrellings ; want of meekness to bear injuries ; 
 neglect to watch over one another, to reprove, exhort ; 
 easiness of belief of slanderous reports ; abatement in 
 first love to Jesus Christ, Rev. 2:4; worldliness, 
 pride, sensuality, flesh-pleasing, Luke 17 : 26, etc. ; 
 itching ears, 2 Tim. 4 : 3, 4." 
 
 And on Psalm 35, it was proposed, " Wherein con- 
 sists the power of godliness ?" Answer, " See Psalm 
 119 : 104, ^ I hate every false way.' A hypocrite 
 does not hate every false way. Naaman, 2 Kings, 5 ; 
 Matt. 8 : 19, etc. He has a Rimmon to bow to, a 
 father to bury, some secret lust. But the true Chris- 
 tian can let all go. See Phil. 3 : 20, ' Our conver- 
 sation is in heaven.' A hypocrite hath not his con- 
 
44 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 versation in heaven, but either in hell or earth ai 
 best ; whereas the heart, thoughts, affections, desires, 
 trading, discourse, are all heavenly, where there is the 
 power of godliness. See Hab. 3 : 17, 18. A hypo- 
 crite cannot rejoice in G-od in the want of creature 
 comforts ; his form withers in winter. He is in straits 
 in the fulness of his sufficiency ; whereas a child of 
 God hath a fulness of sufficiency in his straits. Job 
 20 : 22. See Prov. 4 : 23. The power of godliness 
 consists in keeping the heart ; not the eyes, feet, hands 
 only, but the heart. See Psa. 1:2,^ His delight is 
 in the law of the Lord.' He can call ' the Sabbath a 
 delight.' ' wretched man that I am ! who shall de- 
 liver me from the body of this death V Rom. 7 : 24. 
 The Christian has complaints about and combats 
 with the whole body of sin. He looks on his heart as 
 his worst part. A hypocrite counts it his best. Where 
 the power of godliness is, there will be endeavors to 
 promote it in others, especially in such as are under 
 our charge, Gen. 18 : 19 ; Josh. 24 : 15 ; there will be 
 willingness to part with any thing if God calls for 
 it, Gen. 22 ; also, willingness to be tried, Psa. 139 : 23 ; 
 tenderness of God's honor, Psa. 115 : 1 ; care in 
 second-table duties even as in first ; and in all we do, 
 to do it with an upright heart. Here the true Chris- 
 tian and the hypocrite part. Both do duties ; they 
 pray, hear, etc., but in the manner they differ. The 
 one does all from love to God, with an eye to his 
 will and glory ; the other from form. Evenness of 
 conversation is a part of the power of godliness." 
 On one occasion, the question being proposed spon- 
 
y^ OF THB ^ 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 MINISTRY AT ■WORTHENB^RIf- ,46 . 
 
 taneously by one present, "What mean^ agg^geMl^ ^ ^ 
 use that we may get knowledge, particularly that 
 which is divine?" Mr. Henry gave the following 
 answer, which may be of use to others who are seek- 
 ing instruction : 
 
 "Be convinced that knowledge is not a matter of 
 indifference. See John 17 : 3 ; 2 Thess. 1:7, 8 ; 
 Hos. 4:6; Isa. 26 : 11. Without knowledge there 
 is no faith; ignorant believing is but presumption. 
 Isa. 53 : 11. Labor to see your want of knowledge. 
 Prov. 26 : 12 ; 1 Cor. 8:2; Isa. 28 : 9. It is certain 
 you can never know too much. Be diligent and con- 
 stant in the use of ordinances. Public — Hear the 
 word preached. In hearing be sure to observe the 
 doctrine, which for the most part is very short, and 
 for the help of those whose memories are weak, given 
 usually in the very words of Scripture, or taken from 
 the text itself. If you can carry away nothing else, 
 fail not to carry away that. But should I be speak- 
 ing to you an hour about any worldly business, you 
 would remember a great deal more than one sentence. 
 Turn to proof afterwards. Private — Read the Scrip- 
 tures, or get others to read them to you, in your fam- 
 ilies. Read those that are most for edification. Re- 
 gard not so much how many chapters you read, as 
 how many truths you can make up to yourselves from 
 what you read. Unless where continuance of story 
 requires, let ordinarily one or two chapters suffice ; 
 and let them be read once and again. Also, get some 
 good books, catechisms, etc., that contain the principles 
 of religion. If you cannot buy, borrow. Keep com- 
 
46' REV. PHILIP HENEY. 
 
 pany with the wise, and when you are with such, he 
 inquiring, "What means this ? not out of curiosity, hut 
 for edification. You who have knowledge, he wilUng 
 to communicate. You will lose nothing hy it. Pray 
 much, especially hefore hearing, reading, etc. See 
 James 1:5; Prov. 2 : 3, etc. Use some short ejacu- 
 lation ; Psalm 119 is full of such." 
 
 Mr. Henry was very industrious in visiting the 
 sick, instructing them, and praying with them ; and 
 in this he would say he aimed at the good not only 
 of those that were sick, hut also of their friends and 
 relations that were ahout them. 
 
 He preached funeral-sermons for all that died in 
 his parish, rich and poor, old or young, or little chil- 
 dren ; for he looked upon such occasions as opportu- 
 nities of doing good. This he called setting in the 
 plough of the word when Providence had softened and 
 prepared the ground. 
 
 When he first administered the ordinance of the 
 Lord's supper at Worthenhury, he did it with very 
 great solemnity. After he had endeavored to instruct 
 his people, in his puhlic preaching, touching the nature 
 of that ordinance, he discoursed personally with all 
 that gave up their names to the Lord in it ; inquired 
 as to their knowledge, experience, and conversation ; 
 ohliged them to ohserve the law of Christ, touching 
 hrotherly admonition in case of scandal ; and gave 
 notice to the congregation who they were that were 
 admitted ; adding this : " Concerning these and my- 
 self, I have two things to say : 1. As to what is past, 
 we have sinned. If we should sav we have not, we 
 
MINISTRY AT WQRTHENBURY. 47 
 
 should deceive ourselves, and the truth were not in us ; 
 and yet this withal w^e can say, and have said it, some 
 of us with tears, we are grieved that we have sinned. 
 2. For time to come, we are resolved by Grod's grace 
 to walk in new obedience ; and yet, seeing we arc 
 not angels, but men and women, compassed about 
 with infirmities and temptations, it is possible we may 
 fall ; but if we do, it is our declared resolution to sub- 
 mit to admonition and censure, according to the rule 
 of the gospel." And all along he took care so to man- 
 age his admissions to that ordinance, as that the weak 
 might not be discouraged, and yet that the ordinance 
 might not be profaned. He would tell those whom 
 he was necessitated to debar from the ordinance on 
 account of ignorance, that he would undertake, if 
 they were but truly willing, that they might in a 
 short time, by the blessing of Grod upon their diligent 
 use of means, reading, prayer, and conference, get 
 such a competent measure of knowledge as to be able 
 to discern the Lord's body. And he would also tell 
 those who had backslidden, if they would but come in 
 and declare their repentance, and resolutions of new 
 obedience, they should no longer be excluded. 
 
 To give a specimen of his lively administrations of 
 that ordinance, the notes of his exhortation at the first 
 sacrament that he administered, November 27, 1659, 
 are here transcribed. These notes are supposed to be 
 but hints of what he enlarged more upon, for he had 
 always a great fluency upon such occasions. 
 
 '' Dearly beloved in our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, we are met together this dav about the most 
 
48 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 solemn, wciglity service under heaven. We are come 
 to a feast where the feast-maker is G-od the Father ; 
 the provision, G-od the Son, whose flesh is meat indeed, 
 and whose blood is drink indeed ; the guests, a com- 
 pany of poor sinners, unworthy such an honor ; the 
 crumbs under the table were too good for us, and yet 
 we are admitted to taste of the provision upon tha 
 table ; and that which makes the feast is hearty wel- 
 come. God the Father bids you welcome, and ten 
 thousand welcomes this day, to the flesh and blood of 
 his Son. Think you hear him saying it to you, 
 believing souls, 'Eat, friends ; drink, yea, drink 
 abundantly, beloved.' Sol. Song 5:1. The end of 
 this feast is to keep in remembrance the death of 
 Christ, and our deliverance by it, and thereby to con- 
 vey spiritual nourishment and refreshment to our 
 souls. But withal, give me leave to ask you one ques- 
 tion : What appetite have you to this feast ? Are 
 you come hungering and thirsting ? Such as have 
 the promise, they shall be filled. * He filleth the hun- 
 gry with good things, but the rich are sent empty 
 a,way ;' a honey-comb to a full soul is no honey-comb. 
 Canst thou say as Christ said, ' With desire I have 
 desired to eat this V 
 
 *' In this ordinance, Christ and all his benefits are 
 exhibited to thee. Art thou weak ? here is bread to 
 strengthen thee. Art thou sad ? here is wine to com- 
 fort thee. What is it that thou standest in need of? 
 a pardon ? here it is, sealed in blood ; take it by faith, 
 as I offer it to you in the name of the Lord Jesus ; 
 * though thy sins have been as scarlet, they shall be 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTITENBURY. 49 
 
 as wool, if thou be willing and obedient.' It may be, 
 hero are some that have been drunkards, swearers, 
 scoffers at godliness, sabbath-breakers, and what not ; 
 and God hath put it into your hearts to humble your- 
 selves, to mourn for and turn from all your abomina- 
 tions. Oh, come hither, here is forgiveness for thee. 
 What else is it thou wantest ? 0, saith the poor soul, 
 I would have more of the spirit of grace, more power 
 against sin, especially my own iniquity. Why, here 
 it is for thee ; * from the fulness that is in Jesus Christ 
 we receive, and grace for grace.' John 1 : 16. We may 
 say as David did, ' Grod hath spoken in his holiness,' 
 and then ' Gilead is mine, and Manassch is mine.' 
 Psalm 108 : 7, 8. So God hath spoken in his word, 
 sealed in his sacrament, and then Christ is mine, par- 
 don is mine, grace is mine, comfort mine, glory mine ; 
 here I have his bond to show for it. This is to those 
 among you that have engaged their hearts to approach 
 unto God this day. 
 
 " But if there be any come hither with a false, 
 unbelieving, filthy, hard heart, I do warn you seri- 
 ously and with authority in the name of Jesus Christ, 
 presume not to come any nearer to this sacred ordi- 
 nance. You that live in the practice of any sin, or 
 the omission of any duty against your knowledge and 
 conscience — you that have any malice or grudge to 
 any of your neighbors, leave your gift and go your 
 ways ; be reconciled to God, be reconciled to your 
 brother, and then come. Better shame thyself for 
 coming so near, than damn thyself by coming nearer. 
 I testify to those who say they shall have peace, though 
 
 Houry. 3 
 
50 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 they go on still in their trespasses, that there is poison 
 in the bread ; take it and eat it at your peril : there is 
 poison in the cup too ; you drink your own damnation. 
 I wash my hands from the guilt of your blood. Look 
 you to it, on the other hand, you poor penitent souls 
 that are lost in yourselves, here is a Christ to save 
 you. Come, come, 'all ye that labor and are 
 heavy laden.' " 
 
 His carriage towards the people of his parish was 
 very exemplary ; condescending to the meanest, and 
 conversing familiarly with them; bearing with the 
 infirmities of the weak, and becoming all things to all 
 men. "Weak Christians," he remarked, "have in- 
 firmities ; but infirmity supposes life, and all who are 
 alive to God have an inward sense of sin, and their 
 own lost condition by reason of it : they heartily close 
 with Christ upon gospel terms for pardon and peace, 
 and have unfeigned desires and endeavors to walk in 
 the way of G-od's commandments. But such are, of- 
 tentimes, very dull of apprehension in spiritual things. 
 Matt. 15 : 16 ; Heb. 5 : 11, 12. They are often pee- 
 vish and froward, inexpert, unskilful in duty, and apt 
 to envy and judge and censure, being unacquainted 
 with the extent of Christian liberty in indifferent 
 things. They are often fainting in adversity, much 
 taken with earthly things, easily disquieted and cast 
 dovfn, and frequently questioning the love of Grod. 
 "We must not, however, despise them, Eom. 14 : 3 ; 
 Zech. 4:10; not in heart, word, or carriage. We must 
 rather deny ourselves than offend them. Rom. 14 : 21: 
 Rom. 15 : 1, 2 ; 1 Cor. 8 : 9, 13. We must svjiport 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 51 
 
 them — bear them as pillars bear the house, as the 
 shoulders a burden, as the wall the vine, as parents 
 their children, as the oak the ivy. And this, because 
 they are brethren. Are they not of the same body ? 
 Shall the hand cut off the little finger because it is 
 not as large as the thumb? Do men throw awny 
 their corn because it comes into the barn with chaff ? 
 They are weak. Bear with them out of pity. In a 
 family, if one of the little ones be sick, all the larger 
 children are ready to attend it, which they need not 
 do if it were well. It should be done, likewise, be- 
 cause Jesus Christ does so. ' Bear ye one another's 
 burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ' — the law of his 
 command, and the law of his example. He takes 
 special care of his lambs, will not quench the smoking 
 flax, and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. 
 Heb. 4 : 15." 
 
 The pastor of Worthenbury was exceedingly ten- 
 der of giving offence or occasion of grief to any body, 
 noting in his diary upon such occasions that the wis- 
 dom that is from above is '' pure, and peaceable, and 
 gentle." Yet he plainly and faithfully reproved what 
 he saw amiss in any, and would not suffer sin upon 
 them ; mourning also for that which he could not 
 mend. There were some untractable people in the 
 parish who sometimes caused grief to him, and called 
 forth his boldness and zeal in reproving. Once hear- 
 ing of a merry meeting at an ale-house on a Saturday 
 night, he went himself and broke it up, and scattered 
 the company. At another time he publicly witnessed 
 against a frolic of some vain people, that on a Satur- 
 
52 E.EV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 (lay night came to the church with a fiddler before 
 them, and dressed it up with flowers and garlands, 
 making it, as he told them, more like a play-house ; 
 and this was their preparation for the Lord's day and its 
 duties. He reminded them of Eccles. 11:9, "Rejoice, 
 young man, in thy youth ; but know thou, that for 
 all these things G-od shall bring thee into judgment." 
 
 Many out of the neighboring parishes attended 
 upon his ministry, and some came from far, though 
 sometimes he signified his dislike of their so doing, so 
 far was he from glorying in it. But they who had 
 " spiritual senses exercised to discern things that dif- 
 fer," would attend upon that ministry which they 
 found to be most edifymg. 
 
 He was about eight years, from first to last, labor- 
 ing in the word and doctrine at Worthenbury, and his 
 labor was not in vain m the Lord. He saw in many 
 of the travail of his own soul, to the rejoicing of his 
 heart ; but with this particular dispensation — that most 
 or all of those in that parish, whom he was, through 
 grace, instrumental of good to, died before he left the 
 parish, or shortl}^ after ; so that within a few years 
 after his removal thence, there were very few of the 
 visible fruits of his ministry there ; and a new gener- 
 ation sprung up, who " knew not Joseph," Yet the op- 
 portunity he found there was of doing the more good, 
 by having those that were his charge near about him. 
 made him all his days bear his testimony to parish 
 order, where it may be had upon good terms, as much 
 more eligible and more likely to answer the end de- 
 signed by the institution of the gospel ministry, than 
 
MINISTRY AT WOIITIIENBURY. 53 
 
 the promiscuous way of gathering churches from pla- 
 ces far distant, which could not ordinarily meet to 
 worship G-od together. 
 
 He had not heen long at "Worthenbury, before ho 
 began to be taken notice of by the neighboring minis- 
 ters, as likely to be a considerable man. Though his 
 extraordinary modesty and humility, for which even 
 in his youth he was remarkable, made him sit down 
 with silence in the lowest room, and say as Elihu, 
 " Days shall speak ;" yet his eminent gifts and graces 
 could not long be hid : the ointment of the right hand 
 would bewTay itself, and a person of his merits could 
 not but meet with those quickly who said, " Friend, 
 go up higher;" and so that scripture w^as fulfilled, 
 Luke 14 : 10. He was often called upon to preach 
 the week-day lectures, which were set up plentifully, 
 and diligently attended upon in those parts, and his 
 labors were generally very acceptable and successful. 
 The popular voice fastened upon him the epithet of 
 Heavenly Henry, by which title he was commonly 
 known all the country over ; and his advice was sought 
 for by many neighboring ministers and Christians, for 
 he was one of those that found favor and good under- 
 standing in the sight of God and man. A person who 
 was intimately acquainted with him, testified that he 
 was noted at his first setting? out for three thinofs : 
 1. Grreat piety and devotion, and a mighty savor of 
 godliness in all his converse. 2. Grreat industry in 
 the pursuit of useful knowledge ; he was particularly 
 observed to be very inquisitive when he was among the 
 aged and intelligent, hearing them and asking theni 
 
54 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 questions — a good example to young men, especially 
 young ministers. 3. Great self-denial, self-diffidence, 
 and self-abasement ; this eminent humility put a lus- 
 tre upon all his other graces. A striking contrast to 
 this character of Mr. Henry once presented itself when 
 he was present. At a meeting of ministers, a ques- 
 tion of moment was started, to he debated among 
 them : upon the first proposal of it, a confident young 
 man "shot his bolt," or discharged his arrow, as is the 
 meaning of that old proverb, presently. " Truly," said 
 he, "I hold it so." " You hold, sir !" said a grave 
 minister ; " it becomes you to hold your peace." 
 
 Besides Mr. Henry's frequent preaching of the lec- 
 tures about him, he was a constant and diligent at- 
 tendant upon those within his reach, as a hearer ; and 
 not only wrote the sermons he heard, but afterwards 
 recorded in his diary what in each sermon reached his 
 heart, affected him, and did him good ; adding some 
 proper, pious ejaculations, which were the breathings 
 of his heart when he meditated upon and prayed over 
 the sermons. 
 
 The following instances will illustrate the forego- 
 ing statement, and preserve at the same time some 
 pleasing specimens of the pulpit excellences of Mr. 
 Henry's friends and fellow-laborers. 
 
 " Jan. 7, 1657. I heard two sermons at Bangor; 
 one from Acts 17 : 31 : * He hath appointed a day 
 wherein he will judge the world.' My heart was very 
 dead in hsaring ; the Lord in mercy forgive it ; but the 
 truth made up to myself is this : I would fain be cer- 
 tified. Am I ready for that day ? It will be terrible 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTIIENBURY. 55 
 
 to sinners ; it will be comfortable to tlie godly ; it is 
 not long to it. Where shall I then appear ? Lord, 
 let me be found in Christ ; at his right, not at his left 
 hand ; among the sheep, not among the goats. I have 
 been a wandering sheep, if yet a sheep. Oh, save me, 
 for thy mercies' sake. 
 
 " The other from Acts 24 : 25 : ' FeHx trembled.' 
 Much was spoken that reached my heart and present 
 condition, as if the Lord had sent the minister to 
 preach purposely to me. Blessed be God. It is a 
 dreadful thing to sin against conviction ; and that I 
 have done many a time. Father, forgive me. A 
 convinced person finds a great deal less pleasure in sin 
 than others do. I can set my seal to that truth, and 
 acknowledge myself, therefore, so much the more a 
 fool to transgress without a cause. Sure, my sin is the 
 greater. Sins against conviction border upon the sin 
 against the Holy Ghost. Oh, how near then have I 
 been to ruin ! There hath been but a step between 
 me and death ; but God hath had mercy. 
 
 " Saving convictions melt the heart, set the soul a 
 praying, subdue the will to live according to them. 
 Mine this day produced the two former effects, with 
 hearty unfeigned resolutions touching the latter. Lord, 
 undertake for me. 
 
 " I was told that I must not stay till some remark- 
 able time from which to date my conversion to God, 
 as many do, but I must make this day remarkable by 
 doing it now. After dangerous backsliding, lo, I come 
 to thee, for thou art the Lord my God ; my God in 
 Christ." 
 
56 REV. PlIILir HENRY. 
 
 " April 1. I heard two sermons at Bangor. The 
 one from Psalm 119 : 37 : * Quicken thou me in thy 
 way.' In the prayer before sermon, this confession 
 was put up, which my heart closed with : * Lord, we 
 want wisdom to carry ourselves as we ought in the 
 world, by reason whereof the work of the gospel in 
 our hands is much hindered. Oh, my G-od, bestow 
 upon me a wise and an understanding heart.' The 
 doctrine was, that God's people often want quicken- 
 ing in Grod's way. I am sure I do. Oh,-w^hen had I 
 not cause to complain. My heart is dead to the world, 
 creatures, pleasures, sin? But to duty, praying, 
 preaching, when almost, is it otherwise ? Lord, thou 
 gavest life at first ; give more life." 
 
 *'May 6. At Thistleworth, from Matt. 6:10: 
 * Thy will be done.' In this petition we pray that the 
 secret will of Grod, which is always wise, may be done 
 upon us ; and that the revealed will of G-od, which is 
 always righteous, may be done by us — ^the will of his 
 purpose, and the will of his command. * In earth as 
 in heaven.' A true Christian hath perfection in his 
 eye, though he cannot reach it, Phil. 3, that if possi- 
 ble, he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 
 Lord, then shall I be perfect, when that that is in 
 part shall be done away." 
 
 " May 10. At Thistleworth, from Matt. 12 : 36. 
 The doctrine was. Idle words must be accounted for. 
 Words that are unprofitable bring no glory to God, no 
 real good to ourselves or others, are very sinful, be- 
 cause they are an abuse of our best member, our tongue, 
 which is our glory. AVe are guilty of very many every 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBUR if. 57 
 
 day, in every company. From hence was inferred, 
 what need there is for us to reckon with ourselves 
 every night for the idle words and other failings of the 
 day. It is no wisdom to defer. If we reflect not quick- 
 ly, we shaU forget. My heart accuses me of much 
 guilt in this respect. I have formerly been very talk- 
 ative, and in the multitude of words there wants not 
 sin. Lord, cleanse my soul in the blood of Christ, 
 and mortify that corruption for me, by thy Spirit, 
 every day^ more and more." 
 
 " From 1 Pet. 4 : 18, it was urged that it is no easy 
 matter to be saved. It was difiicult work to Jesus 
 Christ to work redemption for us. It is difficult worlc 
 to the Spirit to work grace in us, and to carry it on 
 against corruptions, temptations, distractions. I was 
 exhorted to inquire, 1. Can I choose to undergo the 
 greatest suffering, rather than commit the least sin? 
 2. Can I embrace Christ, with his cross ? 3. Can I 
 work for Grod, though there were no wages ? 4. Can 
 I swim against the stream ; be good in bad times, and 
 places ? 5. Can I puU out right eyes for Christ, and 
 cut off" right hands ? I can do all this, and much more, 
 through Christ's strengthening me." 
 
 '' June 3. At Bangor, from Phd. 1 : 27. The doc- 
 trine was, It is the great duty of Christians to have 
 their conversation as becomes the gospel ; that is, cloth- 
 ed with the graces of the gospel, faith, love, humility, 
 meekness, self-denial, patience ; and in these to abound 
 and grow. It is an uncomely sight to see an old pro- 
 fessor a young saint. We discredit our keeping. Lord, 
 water me every moment ; keep me night and day, that 
 
58 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 I may thrive to thy praise, having my conversation 
 not only as becomes the gospel, but which is more, as 
 becomes a minister of the gospel." 
 
 ''June 10. At Ellesmere, from Matt. 5:6, The 
 doctrine was, Hungry, thirsty souls shall be filled, 
 partly here, perfectly hereafter, wdth grace, comfort, 
 glory. Such put a great value upon Christ. Men will 
 part with any thing for food ; they will go far for it, 
 take pains to get it. Lord, evermore fill my soul with 
 thyself. Creatures will not satisfy." 
 
 '' July 1. At Bangor, from Matt. 13 : 44. The 
 observation was. Those who have found Christ ought 
 to hide him — not from others, but within themselves, 
 in the safest, inmost room of their hearts. This is done 
 by faith, love, humility, obedience, entertainment. 
 There is all the reason in the world for it ; he is treas- 
 ure worth hiding ; there are great endeavors to rob us 
 of him ; if once lost, he is not easily found again ; till 
 he can be found again, there can be no true peace. 
 Some lodge Christ as they do beggars, in their out- 
 houses, by making a visible profession ; but sin dwells 
 in the heart. The Lord grant that I may not be one 
 of those." 
 
 " From Eccles. 1:2, it was stated, that there is 
 nothing under the sun but what is full of the vainest 
 vanity, unsatisfying, unprofitable, unsuitable, uncer- 
 tain, not worthy our affections when we have them, 
 nor our afflicting ourselves when we want them. The 
 saints have always thought so ; dying men will not fail 
 to tell us so. Oh, what cause have we to bless Grod, 
 who hath revealed this unto us, to take us from things 
 
MINISTEY AT WORTHENBURY. 69 
 
 here below, which otherwise we might have ventured 
 our souls for, and so have perished for ever ! I bless 
 Grod ; it is as if a friend had stopt me from giving all I 
 have for a counterfeit pearl. Oh, do not venture ; it 
 is but counterfeit." 
 
 " From James 5 : 9, the solemn truth was enforced, 
 ^ Behold, the Judge standeth before the door ;' that is, 
 very near. There is but a hair's breadth of time be- 
 tween us and our account. This we ought to behold 
 with an eye of faith, thereby to bring it near to us, 
 and make it as present. We must not think in the 
 mean time that forbearance is payment. Patience doth 
 not take away sin ; only the pardoning gi-ace of Grod 
 doeth that. The time to come will be as swift as that 
 which hath been, and concerning which we usually 
 say, ' It was but the other day,' though it may be it 
 was thirty or forty years ago. This should quicken us 
 to ply time. The Lord wi'ite this truth in my heart, 
 and help me to see the Judge — not sitting, but stand- 
 ing before the door, in a moving posture ; that I may 
 study and preach and pray and live accordingly. 
 Amen, for Christ's sake." 
 
 "Oct. 5. At Welsh-Hampton, from Col. 3 : 8. The 
 doctrine was, It is the great duty of all Christians to 
 put off anger. It unfits for duty. A little jogging 
 puts a clock or watch out of frame, so a little passion 
 the heart. A man cannot wrestle with Grod and wran- 
 gle with his neighbor at the same time. Short sins 
 often cost us long and sad sorrows. An angry man is 
 like one in a crowd who hath a sore boil, every one 
 thrusts him and troubles him. *With the froward 
 
60 E-EV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 thou wilt show thyself froward,' a dreadful scripture 
 to a peevish, froward man. Those .who are too merry 
 when pleased, are commonly too angry when crossed. 
 Blessed Lord, subdue this lust in my heart; I am 
 very weak there. Turn the stream of my anger against 
 self and sin." 
 
 What a wonderful degi-ee of piety and humility 
 does it evidence, for one of so great acquaintance with 
 the things of G-od, to write, "This I learned out of 
 such a sermon;" and, "This was the truth I made 
 up to myself out of such a sermon ;" and indeed, 
 something out of every sermon. His diligent improve- 
 ment of the word preached contributed, more than 
 any one thing, as a means to his great attainments in 
 knowledge and grace. He would say sometimes, 
 that one great use of week-day lectures was, that it 
 gave ministers an opportunity of hearing one another 
 preach, by which they are likely to profit, when they 
 hear not as masters, but as scholars — not as censors, 
 but as learners. 
 
 His great friend and companion, and fellow-la- 
 borer in the work of the Lord, was the worthy Mr. 
 Richard Steel, minister of Hanmer, one of the next 
 parishes to Worthenbury, whose praise is in the 
 churches of Christ for his excellent and useful trea- 
 tises, "The Husbandman's Calling," "An Antidote 
 against Distractions," that is, wandering thoughts, 
 and several others. He was Mr. Henry's other self, 
 the man of his counsel ; with him he joined frequently 
 at Hanmer and elsewhere, in Christian conference, 
 and in days of humiliation and prayer, besides their 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 61 
 
 meetings with other ministers at public lectures ; 
 after which it was usual with them to spend some 
 time among themselves in set disputations in Latin. 
 This was the work that in those days was carried on 
 among ministers, who made it their business, as iron 
 sharpens iron, to provoke one another to love and good 
 works. What was done of tliis kind in Worcester- 
 shire, Mr. Baxter tells us in his Life. 
 
 In the beginning of his days, Mr. Henry often 
 labored under bodily infirmity ; it was feared that he 
 ■was in a consumption ; and some blamed him for 
 taking so much pains in his ministerial work, suggest- 
 ing to him, "Master, spare thyself." One of his 
 friends told him he lighted up all his pound of 
 candles together, and that he could not hold out 
 long at that rate ; and wished him to be a better 
 husband of his strength. But he often reflected upon 
 it with comfort afterwards, that he was not influenced 
 by such suggestions. He would sometimes say, 
 "The more we do, the more we may do, in the 
 service of God." Yv^hen his work was sometimes 
 more than ordinary, and bore hard upon him, he 
 thus appealed to G-od : "Thou knowest. Lord, how 
 well contented I am to spend and to be spent in thy 
 service ; and if the outward man decay, let the 
 inward man be renewed." Upon the returns of his 
 indisposition, he expressed a great concern how to get 
 spiritual good by it ; to come out of the furnace, and 
 leave some dross behind ; for it is a great loss to lose 
 an affliction. He mentions it as that which he hoped 
 did him good, that he was ready to look upon every 
 
62 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 return of illness as a summons to the grave ; thus 
 he learned to die daily. "I find," said he, "my 
 earthly tabernacle tottering, and when it is taken 
 down, I shall have a building in heaven, that shall 
 never fail. Blessed be Grod the Father, and my 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and the good Spirit of grace. 
 Even so. Amen." This was both his strength and 
 his song, under his bodily infirmities. 
 
 "While he was at "Worthenbury he constantly laid 
 hy the tenth of his income for the poor, which he care- 
 fully and faithfully disposed of, in the liberal things 
 which he devised, especially the teaching of poor chil- 
 dren. And he would recommend it as a good rule to 
 lay by for charity in proportion^ according as the cir- 
 cumstances are ; and then it will be the easier to lay 
 out in charity. "We shall be the more apt to seek for 
 opportunities of doing good, when we have money 
 lying by us of which we have said, " This is not our 
 own, but the poor's." To encourage himself and others 
 to works of charity, he would say, " He is no fool who 
 parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure 
 to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose." 
 And yet to prove alms to be righteousness, and to 
 exclude all boasting of them, he often expressed him- 
 self in those words of David, " Of thine own. Lord, 
 have we given thee." 1 Chron. 29 ; 14. 
 
 In the year 1658, the ministers of that neighbor- 
 hood began to enlarge their correspondence with the 
 ministers of North Wales ; and several meetings they 
 had at Ruthin and other places that year, for the 
 settling of a correspondence, and the promoting of unity 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 63 
 
 and love, and good understanding among themselves, 
 by entering into an association, like those some years 
 before of "Worcestershire and Cumberland, to which, 
 as their pattern, those two having been published, they 
 referred themselves. They appointed particular asso- 
 ciations ; and notwithstanding the differences of ap- 
 prehension that were among them, some being in their 
 judgments episcopal, others congregational, and others 
 classical, they agreed to lay aside the thoughts of 
 matters in variance, and to give to each other the right 
 hand of fellowship, that with one shoulder and with 
 one consent they might study, each in their places, to 
 promote the common interests of Christ's kingdom and 
 the common salvation of precious souls. He observed 
 that this year there was generally throughout the 
 nation a great change m the temper of God's people, 
 and an increased tendency towards peace and unity ; 
 as if they were, by consent, weary of their long clash- 
 ings ; which, in his diary, he expressed his great rejoic- 
 ing in, and his hopes that the time was at hand when 
 ''Judah shall no longer vex Ephraim, nor Ephraim 
 envy Judah," neither should they "learn war any 
 more." And though these hopes were soon disap- 
 pointed by the change of the scene, yet he would often 
 speak of the experience of that and the following year 
 in those parts, as a specimen of what may be expect- 
 ed, and therefore in faith prayed for, when the Spirit 
 shall be poured out upon us from on high. From this 
 experience he likewise gathered this observation: '' It 
 is not so much our difference of opinion that does us 
 the mischief, for we may as soon expect all the clocks 
 
64 REV- PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 in the town to strike together, as to see all good people 
 of a mind in every thing on this side heaven, but the 
 management of that difference." 
 
 In the association of ministers it was referred to 
 Mr. Henry to draw up that part of their agreement 
 which concerned the worship of Grod, which task he 
 performed to their satisfaction. His preface to what 
 he drew up begins thus : 
 
 " Though the main of our desires and endeavors 
 be after unity in the greater things of God, yet we 
 judge uniformity in the circumstances of worship a 
 thing not to be altogether neglected by us ; not only 
 in regard to that influence which external visible order 
 hath upon the beauty and comeliness of the churches 
 of Christ, but also as it hath a direct tendency to the 
 strengthening of our hands in ministerial services, and 
 withal to the removing of those prejudices which many 
 people have conceived even against religion and wor- 
 ship itself. "VYe bless G-od, from our very souls, for 
 that whereunto we have aheady attained ; and yet we 
 hope some further thing may be done, in reference to 
 our closer walking by the same rule and minding the 
 same things. The word of Grod is the rule which we 
 desire and resolve to walk by in the administration ol 
 ordinances ; and for those things wherein the word is 
 silent, we think we may, and ought to, have recourse 
 to Christian prudence, and the practice of the reformed 
 churches, agreeing with the general rules of the word." 
 
 These agreements of theirs were the more likely 
 to be for good, inasmuch as here, as well as in Wor- 
 cestershire, when they were in agitation, the minis- 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBUE-Y. 05 
 
 ters set apart a day- of fasting and prayer among them- 
 selves, to bewail ministerial neglects, and to ssek to 
 G-od for direction and success in their ministerial work. 
 For this purpose they met sometimes at Mr. Henry's 
 house at "VYorthenbury. 
 
 An incident may not improperly be mentioned here 
 which serves to illustrate his integrity. At a meeting 
 of ministers, being desired to subscribe a certificate 
 concerning one with whom he had not sufficient ac- 
 quaintance, he refused — giving this reason, that he pre- 
 ferred the peace of his conscience before the friendship 
 of all the men in the world. This brings to mind the 
 fact, that one of the doctors who visited John Huss, 
 said toiiim, " If the Council," of Constance, A. D. 1414, 
 " should tell you that you have but one eye, though you 
 have really two, you would be obliged to agree with 
 the Council;" to which he replied, "While G-od keeps 
 me in my senses, I would not say such a thing against 
 my conscience, on the entreaty or command of the 
 whole world." 
 
 On the 29th of September, 1658, the Lady Pules- 
 ton died. " She was," said Mr. Henry, '' the best 
 friend I had on earth ; but my Friend in heaven is still 
 where he was, and he will never leave me nor forsake 
 me." He preached her funeral-sermon, from Isaiah 
 2 : 23 : " Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his 
 nostrils." He noted this expression of hers, not long 
 before she died: "My soul leans to Jesus Christ; 
 lean to me, sweet Saviour." About this time he writes, 
 " A dark cloud is over my concernments in this family ; 
 but my desire is, that whatever becomes of me and my 
 
6G REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 interest, the interest of Christ may still be kept on foot 
 in this place. Amen, so be it." But he adds soon 
 after, that saying of Athanasius, which he used often 
 to quote, and from which he derived comfort, *' It is a 
 little cloud, and will soon blow over." 
 
 About a year after, September 5, 1659, Judge 
 Puleston died, and all Mr. Henry's interest in the 
 Emeral family was buried in his grave. He preached 
 the judge's funeral-sermon, from Nehemiah 13 : 14 : 
 *' Wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for 
 the house of my Grod, and for the offices thereof" The 
 design of the sermon was not to applaud his deceased 
 friend ; but he took occasion, from the instance of so 
 great a benefactor to the ministry as the judge was, 
 to show that deeds done for the house of Grod and the 
 offices thereof are good deeds ; and to press people, 
 according to their ability and opportunity, to do such 
 deeds. Some points of his discourse are as follows : 
 
 " They are acts of piety : such acts as have im- 
 mediate relation to Grod. That which is given to the 
 poor members of Jesus Christ, to feed the hungry, 
 clothe the naked, is charity. That which is given to, 
 or done for, the house of our God, is piety. They are 
 acts oi justice. Alms in Hebrew are called justice. 
 When bestowed upon the house of Grod, they are as a 
 rent-penny for what we enjoy. They have a tendency 
 to the good of souls. The minister's success will 
 further the patron's account. To be an instrument to 
 bring and keep the means of grace among a people, is 
 indeed a good deed. They tend very much to the 
 credit of religion. Tt is often cast in our teeth by 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 67 
 
 the Papists, * Wliat good deeds are done among you for 
 the house of the Lord since the Reformation ? Pater 
 noster huilt churches, and Our Father pulls them 
 down ;' whereas, probably, most of their good deeds 
 were fines imposed for penance. 
 
 "'Wipe them not out.' This implies that Grod 
 notes them as in a table-book ; as every sin, so every 
 good deed. Allusion to Esther 6 : 1. And it is in 
 order to a requital, Malachi 1 : 10. Indeed, the work 
 itself is its oivn wages. Church-work is honorable 
 work ; it is an honor to be permitted to do any good 
 deed for the house of Grod. Let us be ashamed of our 
 barrenness in good deeds for the house of our God ; 
 especially those that have wherewithal — estates, op- 
 portunities. How much of our rent are we behind 
 with God ! We can be liberal and bountiful upon 
 other occasions, in housekeeping ; but what is done 
 for the Lord's house ? Are we not as an almanac, 
 on one side full of red and black letters and figures, 
 and on the other side blank ? God takes it very un- 
 kindly. Haggai 1:4. Let the subject stir us up to do 
 what good we can for the house of our God: where 
 much is given, much will be required. It is not build- 
 ing of churches that I am persuading you to, but to 
 do something to promote religion. Sit down and con- 
 sider, Can I do nothing for the house of my God ? 
 And what you do, do quickly, Eccles. 9 : 10 ; do self- 
 denyingly, 1 Chron. 29 : 14 ; do believingly, Heb. 
 11 : 6. Sprinkle it with faith." 
 
 In his diary, he says, " Some wished that I had 
 chosen some other subject for that sermon ; but I ap- 
 
68 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 proved myself to Grod ; and if I please men, I am not 
 the servant of Christ. See 2 Tim. 2 : 15 ; Gal. 1 : 10." 
 What personal affronts he received from some of the 
 branches of the deceased judge's family at that time, 
 need not be mentioned ; but vs^ith what exemplary 
 patience he bore them, ought not to be forgotten. 
 
 In March, 1658-9, he was very much solicited to 
 leave Worthenbury, and to accept of the vicarage of 
 Wrexham, which was a place that he had both a 
 great interest in, and a very great kindness for ; but 
 he could not see his call clear from Worthenbury, so 
 he declined it. And during the same year he had an 
 offer made him of a considerable living near London ; 
 but he was not of them that are given to change, nor 
 did he consult with flesh and blood, nor seek great 
 things for himself. 
 
 This chapter may be brought to a close by glancing 
 at two topics distinctly. 1. The course of his ministry 
 at Worthenbury ; and, 2. The state of his soul, and 
 the communion he had with Grod, in the years of his 
 residence there. 
 
 1. Let us see hoiv he exercised his ministry. 
 
 As to the subjects he preached upon, he did not 
 use to dwell long upon a text. Better one sermon 
 upon many texts, that is, many scriptures opened and 
 applied, than many sermons upon one text. 
 
 He used to preach in a fixed method, and linked 
 his subjects in a sort of chain. He adapted his 
 method and style to the capacity of his hearers, fetch- 
 ing his similitudes for illustration from those tilings 
 which were familiar to them. He did not shoot the 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBUR 5f . 69 
 
 arrow of the word over their heads, in high notions, 
 or the flourishes of affected rhetoric ; nor under their 
 feet, by blunt and homely expressions, as many do 
 under pretence of plainness ; but to their hearts, in 
 close and lively application. His delivery was very 
 graceful and agreeable ; far from being either noisy 
 and precipitate on the one hand, or dull and slow on 
 the other. His doctrine dropped as the dew, and dis- 
 tilled as the rain, and came with a charming, pleasing 
 power, causing many to wonder at the gracious words 
 which proceeded out of his mouth. 
 
 He wrote the notes of his sermons pretty large 
 for the most part, and always very legible. Most of 
 them he wrote twice over ; the first time more briefly, 
 forming, as he called it, the bones of his sermons ; 
 and afterwards, more at large. Yet even when he 
 had put his last hand to them, he commonly left 
 many imperfect hints, which gave room for enlarge- 
 ment in preaching, wherein he had a great felicity. 
 And he would often advise ministers not to tie them- 
 selves too strictly to their notes, but having well 
 digested the matter before, to allow themselves a 
 liberty of expression, such as a man's affections, if 
 they be well raised, will be apt to furnish him with. 
 But for this no certain rule can be given ; there are 
 diversities of gifts, and each to profit withal. 
 
 He kept his sermon-notes in very neat and exact 
 order ; sermons in course, according to the order of 
 the subject ; and occasional sermons according to the 
 scripture order of the texts ; so that he could readily 
 turn to any of them. And yet, though afterwards he 
 
70 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 was removed to a place far enough distant from any 
 of that auditory, and though some desired it, he sel- 
 dom preached any of those hundreds of sermons 
 which he had preached at "Worthenbury, not even 
 when he preached ever so privately ; but to the last 
 he studied new sermons, and wrote them as elabo- 
 rately as ever ;■ for he thought a sermon best preached 
 when it was newly meditated. Nay, if sometimes he 
 had occasion to preach upon the same text, yet he 
 would make and write the sermon anew ; and he 
 never offered that to Grod which cost him nothinsf. 
 
 When called, as he was several times, to preach 
 before the Univ^ersity at Oxford, his labors were not 
 only very acceptable, but they were also successful. 
 Particular mention may be made of one sermon which 
 he preached there, on Prov. 14:9, "Fools make a 
 mock at sin ;" for which sermon a young master of 
 arts came to his chamber afterwards to return him 
 thanks, and to acknowledge the good impressions 
 which divine grace, by that sermon, had made upon 
 his soul, which he hoped he should never forget. 
 
 In his diary he frequently records the frame of his 
 spirit in studying and preaching ; sometimes blessing 
 G-od for signal help vouchsafed, and owning him the 
 Lord G-od of all his enlargements ; and at other times, 
 complaining of great deadness and straitness. ''It is 
 a wonder," saith he, "that I can speak of eternal 
 things with so little sense of the reality of them. 
 Lord, strengthen that which remains, which is ready 
 to die." And he once, on a studying day, writes 
 thus: "I forgot explicitly and expressly when I be- 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBl 
 
 L 
 
 01 THE ' ^l 
 
 NIVF7JISITY 
 
 gan, to crave help from Grod, and the cl 
 drove accordingly. Lord, forgive my omission? 
 keep me in the way of duty." 
 
 In June, 1657, he writes, "This month I had the 
 remembrance of much guilt set home upon my con- 
 science in reference to the Sabbath-day. I used to 
 lie longer in bed than I ought, which has been 
 occasioned by sitting up overlate the night before, 
 and that by neglecting to make preparations for 
 preaching sooner in the week.* I am often put to it 
 to hurry over truths. So that two sermons were pro- 
 vided, I have not cared how poorly. Lord, I confess 
 it to thee with shame, and beg thy grace that it may 
 be so no more." 
 
 2. As to the state of his soul in these years, it is 
 evident by his diary, that he was exercised with some 
 doubts and fears respecting it. He says, "I think 
 never did any poor creature pass through such a mix- 
 ture of hope and fear, joy and sadness, assurance and 
 doubting, down and up, as I have done these years 
 past." The notice of this may be of use to poor 
 drooping Christians, that they may know their case 
 is not singular ; and that if God for a small moment 
 hide his face from them, he deals with them no other- 
 wise than as he useth sometimes to deal with the 
 
 * Mr. Shepherd of New England usually had his sermons 
 finished upon Friday night. He sometimes expressed himself 
 in public thus : " God will curse that man's labors that lum- 
 bers up and down in the world all the week, and then upon 
 Saturday in the afternoon goes to his study ; when, as God 
 knows, that time were little enough to pray and weep in, and 
 to get his heart in frame." 
 
72 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 dearest of his servants. It is affecting to hear one 
 that Uved a life of communion with God, complaining 
 of great straitness in prayer, as he did thus: ''No 
 life at all in the duty, many wanderings; if my 
 prayers were written down, and my vain thoughts 
 interlined, what incoherent nonsense would there be ! 
 I am ashamed, Lord, I am ashamed. pity, and 
 pardon." 
 
 At another time he writes, "I find m nothing 
 more of the deceitfulness of my heart, than in secret 
 worship. Oh, how hardly am I brought to it, and 
 how little sweetness and delight do I, for the most 
 part, find in it. I blush, and am ashamed. Lord, 
 pity, and pardon, and help ; for with my mind I serve 
 the law of Grod, though with my flesh the law of sin." 
 
 And again, "I have a fro ward, peevish spirit unto 
 this day, impatient of contradiction. Oh, that it were 
 mortified, that the grace of meekness might abound 
 in me more and more." 
 
 To hear him suspecting the workings of pride of 
 heart when he gave an account to a friend who 
 inquired of him touching the success of his ministry, 
 and that he should record this concerning himself, 
 with this ejaculation annexed, " The Lord pardon and 
 subdue," was a sign that he kept a very watchful 
 eye upon the motions of his own heart. 
 
 Upon another occasion he writes, "These follow- 
 ing sins were set home with power upon my con- 
 science : 
 
 "1. Omissions innumerable. I fall short of duty 
 in every relation. 
 
MINISTRY AT WOE-TIIENBURY. 73 
 
 "2. Much frowarJness upon every occasion, which 
 fills my way with thorns and snares. 
 
 "3. Pride ; a vein of it runs through all my con- 
 ver.^ation. 
 
 "4. Self-seeking; corrupt ends in all I do. Ap- 
 plause of men oftentimes regarded more than the 
 glory of Grod. 
 
 "5. My own iniquity. Many bubblings up of 
 heart-corruption, and breakings forth too. Lord, 
 shame hath covered my face. Pardon, and purge, for 
 Jesus' sake." 
 
 To hear him charging it upon himself, that he 
 was present at such a duty in the midst of many 
 distractions, not tasting sweetness in it, and other 
 similar confessions, shows true Christian meekness, 
 and that contrition of heart which the Lord of angels 
 witnesses and approves. "When a fire is first 
 kindled," saith he, ''there is a deal of smoke and 
 smother, that afterwards wear away ; so, in young 
 converts, much peevishness, frowardness, darkness ; 
 so it hath been with my soul, and so it is yet in a 
 great measure. Lord, pity ; and do not quench the 
 smoking flax ; though as yet it doth but smoke, let 
 these sparks be blown up into a flame." 
 
 "Great mercies, but poor returns; signal oppor- 
 tunities, but small improvements :" such are his com- 
 plaints frequently concerning himself. And though 
 few or none excelled him in profitable discourse, yet 
 in that he often bewails his barrenness and unprofit- 
 ableness thus: "Little good done or gotten such a 
 day, for want of a heart ; it is my sin and shame. 
 
74 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 that I had wings like a dove ! Lord, cleanse me 
 from my omissions. The world thinks better of me 
 than I do of myself, God knows. Nothing troubles 
 me so much as that I am so unprofitable in my 
 generation. Lord, give me wisdom, that I may 
 preach in all my discourses." 
 
 And yet, when he lacked a faith of assurance, he 
 lived by a faith of adherence. "Such a day," saith 
 he, "a full resignation was made of all my concerns 
 into the hands of my heavenly Father ; let him deal 
 with me as seemeth good in his eyes. I am learning 
 and laboring to live by faith. Lord, help my unbe- 
 lief." At another time he notes that many per- 
 plexing fears being upon his spirit, they were all 
 silenced with that sweet word, which was seasonably 
 brought to his remembrance, "Fear none of those 
 things which thou shalt suffer." 
 
 " There is no living by a dead faith," he observes; 
 "no, nor by a living faith, unless lively. Help, Lord, 
 thy poor servant, that my faith fail not. I do not 
 know that I ever saw my way clearer. Then, 
 * Why art thou cast down, my soul V " 
 
 From that passage, " The rather give diligence to 
 make your calling and election sure," he notes, 
 " This has many sweet advantages. It promotes god- 
 liness, keeps humble, is got with pains, etc. A man 
 may be a child of God who hath it not ; yet such 
 will seek and press after it. I have both sought and 
 found it, in some poor measure. Lord, increase it 
 every day more and more, unto full assurance. 
 
 "This assurance is attainable, as may be proved 
 
MINISTRY AT WURTHENBUIIY. 75 
 
 from those scriptures wliicli make it our duty to 
 labor after it, 2 Pet. 1 : 10, and from scripture 
 instances of such as did attain it, both in the Old 
 Testament and in the New. Job 19 : 25 ; 2 Cor. 5:1; 
 Gal. 2 : 20 ; 1 John, 3 : 19 ; 4 : 13. Where it is attained, 
 it sweetens all conditions. We then see that all our 
 mercies and all our crosses not only consist with, but 
 flow from the love of Grod. It is a great furtherer of 
 obedience. None walk so close with Grod as those 
 who have the clearest evidences of his love. Assur- 
 ance makes a man truly willing to die. 2 Cor. 5 ; 1, 
 etc. ; Luke 2 : 29. Then labor after it. How ? Not 
 without diligence. Bring thy condition to the word 
 of Grod. See what it saith of those who shall be 
 saved, and then inquire. Am I such a one ? Jolin 
 3 : 36. Do I believe ? Do I accept of Jesus Christ ? 
 Rom. 8 : 9. Have I the Spirit of Christ ? 1 John, 
 3 : 14. Do I love the people of G-od ? 
 
 " Scripture marks of those who shall be saved are, 
 faith in the Lord Jesus, John 3 : 16 ; 6 : 47 ; love 
 to G-od, 1 Cor. 2:9; obedience to his command- 
 ments, Heb. 5:9; Matt. 7:21; John 10 : 27, 28 ; 
 faithfulness in his service. Matt. 25 : 21-23 ; perse- 
 verance to the death, Rev. 2 : 10." 
 
 At the commencement of a new year he thus 
 writes, and it is only a specimen of his usual devotion 
 at such seasons : 
 
 "January 1, 1671. Covenants of new obedience 
 solemnly renewed with Grod, and sealed, this new- 
 year's day, in the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 Lord, be surety for thy servant for good. I yield 
 
76 RHV. rHlLlP HENRY. 
 
 myself, and all my concerns, to be at thy dis- 
 posal ; and I am heartily glad that my times are 
 in thy hand, and not my own. Do with me and 
 mine, this year, as seemeth good in thine eyes. So 
 he it." 
 
 Again he says, "I met with a friendly seasonable 
 admonition. Blessed be G-od. My heart was then 
 somewhat in a better frame than ordinary for the 
 receiving of it, and I hope it hath done me good. The 
 Lord is very gracious, in that he follows me thus 
 from time to time. The eyes of many are upon me ; 
 some for one end, some for another; some for good, 
 some for evil. I had need to be watchful. Lord, 
 hold up my goings in thy path, that my footsteps 
 slip not. Thou tellest all my wanderings. For 
 Jesus' sake, let them be forgotten." 
 
 He very frequently kept days of fasting and humil- 
 iation in secret, which he calls his days of atonement. 
 Sometimes he observed these monthly, and some- 
 times only upon special occasions ; but the memoran- 
 dums in his diary, not only while he was at Worthen- 
 bury, but often after, show what sweet communion 
 he had with G-od in these solemn duties, which no 
 eye was witness to but His who seeth in secret and 
 will reward openly. Thus he frequently admonishes 
 himself: "Remember, my soul, such a day, as a 
 day of more than ordinary engagements entered into, 
 and strong resolutions taken up of closer walking and 
 m.ore watchfulness. my G-od, undertake for me." 
 And upon another of those days of secret prayer and 
 humiliation he notes, ''If sowing in tears be so sweet. 
 
MINISTRY AT WORTHENBURY. 77 
 
 what then will the harvest be, when I shall reap in 
 joy? Bless the Lord, my soul, who forgiveth all 
 thine iniquities, and will, in due time, heal all thy 
 diseases." And still on another occasion, he says, 
 "It is good for me to draw near to God. The 
 oftener and the nearer, the better. How sweet is 
 heaven indeed, if heaven upon earth has so much 
 sweetness in it." 
 
78 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HIS MARRIAG-E; FAMILY, DOMESTIC RELiaiON, AND 
 THE EDUCATION OF HIS CHILDREN. 
 
 Mr. Henry removed from Emeral, to the house 
 in Worthenbury which Judge Puleston had built for 
 him, in February, 1658-59 ; and then had one of his 
 sisters with him to keep his house. And no sooner 
 had he a tent, but Grod had an altar in it, and that a 
 smoking altar. There he set up a repetition-meeting 
 on Sabbath evenings, the object of which was to 
 review the sermons and religious exercises of the pre- 
 ceding day ; and to this he welcomed all his neigh- 
 bors who would attend. Days of fasting and prayer 
 were also frequently kept at his house, both with his 
 Christian friends and his brethren in the ministry. 
 He used, moreover, to tell his people, when they had 
 built new houses they must dedicate them, that is, 
 they must invite Grod to their houses, and devote them 
 to his service. 
 
 Divine Providence having thus brought him into 
 a house of his own, a help-meet was in due time 
 graciously provided for him. After long agitation, 
 and some discouragement and opposition from the 
 father, he married Catharine, the only daughter and 
 heir of Mr. Daniel Matthews of Broad Oak, in the 
 township of Iscoyd, in Flintshire, and about two miles 
 distant from Whitchurch, a considerable market- town 
 in Shropshire. Mr. Ma thews was a gentleman of very 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 79 
 
 competent estate. Catharine was his only child ; and 
 very fair and honorable overtures had been previously 
 made for her disposal in marriage ; but it pleased God 
 so to order events, and to overrule the spirits of thoso 
 concerned, that she was reserved to be a blessing to 
 this good man and devoted servant of the Lord, in 
 things pertaining both to life and godliness. 
 
 There is a pleasing traditionary anecdote concern- 
 ing this match which may be gratifying to the reader. 
 After Mr. Henry, who had come to Worthenbury a 
 stranger, had been in the country for some time, his 
 attachment to Miss Matthews became manifest ; and 
 it was reciprocated by her. Among the objectioriS 
 urged by her friends against the connection was this, 
 that although Mr. Henry was a gentleman, and a 
 scholar, and an excellent preacher, he was quite a 
 stranger, and they did not even know where he came 
 from. " True," replied Miss Matthews, " but I know 
 where he is going, and I should like to go with him." 
 
 The opposition of Mr. Matthews to the marriage, 
 and the imposition of inequitable terms with a view to 
 breaking off the acquaintance, was, for a considerable 
 time, a severe trial to the faith and patience of Mr. 
 Henry. But in this affair, the influence of the holy re- 
 ligion which he professed was exceedingly conspicuous. 
 
 At length the articles preliminary to the marriage 
 ceremony were drawn up, bearing date March 20, 
 1659, and stipulating for the solemnization ^' at or 
 before the first day of May next ensuing." Circum- 
 stances however arose which seemed to render pro- 
 crastination expedient, and a fresh difficulty having 
 
80 UEv'. riiiLir 11 n^^i- 1 . 
 
 presented itself to the mind of Mr. Matthews, it is, 
 in a letter dated Worthenbury, June 13, 1659, thus 
 amicably referred to. 
 
 " Far be it from me to blame your due paternal 
 care ;. but truly, sir, my condition being such as, bless- 
 ed be G-od, it is, and my desires and expectations 
 being proportioned accordingly, and no way exceed- 
 ing, I am apt to think it might be an easy matter to 
 remove that obstruction. For my own part I am will- 
 ing to refer it to yourself. You may deal in it as 
 you see cause, and I shall acquiesce in your pleasure ; 
 only favor me in her towards whom my affections 
 are, which is the great request and sole ambition in 
 this present address of, sir, 
 
 "Your friend and servant in the Lord, 
 
 "PHILIP HENEY." 
 
 His purpose of marriage was published in the 
 church three Lord's days in succession; a laudable 
 practice which he greatly approved, and persuaded 
 others to pursue, in preference to obtaining a license 
 from a magistrate. 
 
 The day before his marriage, which took place 
 April 26, 1660, he kept as a day of secret prayer and 
 fasting. Among Mr. Henry's papers also, the follow- 
 ing statement has been preserved ; and as it appears 
 to have been placed in the hands of Miss Matthews, 
 and may be of use to others, especially in like circum- 
 stances, it is here introduced. It may be regarded 
 as a gratifying specimen of the prudence, the sim- 
 plicity, and devotional frame of mind, for which the 
 writer is so deservedly eminent. 
 
HIS MARRJAGE. 81 
 
 " April 16. Day of prayer and fasting. 
 
 " What warrant for this duty ? 
 
 *' Answer. From Phil. 4:6: * In every tiling by 
 prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made 
 known unto G-od.' 
 
 ^' If in every thing, then, surely, in a thing of so 
 much weight as marriage. Col. 3 : 17. 
 
 " But why are friends called ? 
 
 " Answer. "We are commanded to bear one an- 
 other's burdens. Gal. 6:2; to sympathize with each 
 other in all our concerns ; to weep with them that 
 weep, and to rejoice with them that rejoice. David's 
 practice, calling others to join with him. Psalm 34 : 3. 
 The command in case of sickness, James 5 : 14, 16. 
 Besides, union is strength. ' Many hands make light 
 work.' 
 
 " For what end is this duty ? 
 
 *' Answer. There are many ends of it. These 
 are some of the chief: 
 
 '' 1. To bless God, who hath so ordered things in 
 his providence as to bring things to pass as they are — 
 in this plain way ; more comfortable to us, and less 
 offensive to others, who, not knowing the grounds we 
 proceeded on, might have drawn ill consequences 
 from it, and sinned by our example. 
 
 ''2.. To seek atonement for sin in the blood of 
 Christ. James 5:15. In general, for all the sins of 
 our single state. In particular, for miscarriages in 
 the carrying on of this affair ; distrust of God, un- 
 belief, impatience ; distractions occasioned by it ; 
 irregularities of affection. It being my desire, that 
 4# 
 
82 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 no guilt may go with me into that condition, which 
 may be as poison and gall, but that I may enter into 
 it as innocent as Adam in the day when he was mar- 
 ried in the garden. 
 
 "3. To beg the presence and the favor of God, 
 which is the happiness and sweetness of every con- 
 dition and relation ; that he will own and bless us. 
 
 ''4. To beg a frame of heart suited to the con- 
 dition ; that, as Saul had another spirit given when 
 he was crowned, so we may have when we are mar- 
 ried. As cares and burdens will be new, so strength 
 may be renewed also to bear them ; as temptations 
 will be new, so sufficient grace may be bestowed to 
 resist them ; as comforts will be new, so a heart may 
 be given to enjoy Grod in them, and to sit loose from 
 the creature ; as duties will be new, so we may be 
 enabled to perform them, that we may live together 
 as heirs of the grace of life. 
 
 "5. In reference to events as to outward things, 
 that the Lord will take into his own hand the dispo- 
 sal of them, and quiet our hearts in what he deter- 
 mines, whether it be for the worse, or for the better. 
 That, if he see good, he will please to grant us the 
 comfortable fruits and pledges of marriage." 
 
 He used to say that those who would have com- 
 fort in that change of their condition, must see to it 
 that they bring none of the guilt of the sins of their 
 single state with them into the married state. And 
 that the presence of Christ at a wedding will turn 
 the water into wine ; and he will come if he be in- 
 vited by prayer. 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 83 
 
 He took all occasions while he lived, to express 
 his thankfulness to God for the great comfort he had 
 in that relation. " A day of mercy," so he writes on 
 his marriage day, " never to be forgotten." God had 
 given him one, as he writes afterwards, every way 
 his helper, in whom he had much comfort, and for 
 whom he thanked God with all his heart. A long 
 time afterwards he writes in his diary, " This day 
 we have been married twenty years, in which time 
 we have received of the Lord more than twenty 
 thousand mercies ; to God be glory." Elsewhere he 
 writes, ''"We have been so long married, and never 
 reconciled ; that is, there never was any occasion for 
 it." His usual prayer for his friends in the married 
 state was according to his own practice in that state, 
 that they might be mutually serviceable to each 
 other's faith and holiness, and jointly serviceable to 
 God's honor and glory. 
 
 Although Mr. Matthews had put some hardships 
 upon him in his terms," and had been somewhat averse 
 to the match, yet, by Mr. Henry's great prudence, and 
 God's good providence, he was influenced at last to 
 give a free consent to it ; and he himself, with his 
 own hand, gave his daughter in marriage. From 
 this, as from other experiences, Mr. Henry learned to 
 say with assurance, " It is not in vain to wait upon 
 God, and to keep his way." Mr. Matthews settled 
 part of his estate before marriage upon them and 
 theirs ; he lived about seven years after ; and when 
 he died, the remainder of it came to them. This 
 competent estate which the divine Providence brought 
 
^4 REV. THILIP HENRY. 
 
 into his hand, was not only a comfortable support to 
 him when he was turned out of his living, and when 
 many faithful ministers of Christ were reduced to 
 great poverty and straits, but it enabled him like- 
 wise, as he had opportunity, to preach the gospel 
 freely, which he did to his dying day ; and not only 
 so, but to give for the relief of others that were in 
 want, in which he sowed plentifully to a very large 
 proportion of his income, and often blessed Grod that 
 he had the means to do so, remembering the words 
 of the Lord, how he said, " It is more blessed to give 
 than to receive." 
 
 Such was his house, and such the vine which God 
 graciously planted by the side of his house. By her 
 Grod gave him six children, all born within less than 
 eight years : the two eldest were sons, John and Mat- 
 thew ; the rest daughters, Sarah, Catherine, Eleanor, 
 and Aim. John died of the measles in the sixth 
 year of his age ; but the other children were in mer- 
 cy continued to be a comfort to their parents. 
 
 The Lord having thus built Mr. Henry up into a 
 family, he was careful and faithful in making good 
 his solemn vow at his ordination, that "he and his 
 house would serve the Lord." He would often say, 
 " Yfe are that really, which we are relatively. It is 
 not so much what we are at church, as what we are 
 in our families. Religion in the power of it will be 
 family religion." In this his practice was very ex- 
 emplary. His constant care and prudent endeavor 
 was, not only to put away iniquity far from his tab- 
 ernacle, but that where he dwelt the word of Christ 
 
^,5!^ 
 
 ^^ Oh THE 
 
 DOMESTIC RELIGIOirUNI VE^SIT 1 
 
 might dwell richly. If he might H^^^g^^jpfJ^ pi *^ 
 church, yet he would have a church in uTy iiouse. 
 1 Cor. 16 : 19. 
 
 He made conscience of closet worship, and 
 abounded in it, not making his family worship an 
 excuse for the neglect of private devotion. Upon the 
 removing of his closet but from one room in the house 
 to another, he has this affecting note in his diary : 
 *' This day my new closet was consecrated, if I may 
 so say, with this prayer : that all the prayers that 
 ever should be made in it according to the will of Grod, 
 morning, evening, and at noonday, ordinary or ex- 
 traordinary, might be accepted of Grod, and obtain a 
 gracious answer. Amen and Amen." It was the 
 caution and advice which he frequently gave to his 
 children and friends, *' Be sure to look to your se- 
 cret duty ; keep that up, whatever you do. The soul 
 cannot prosper in the neglect of it. It is secret trad- 
 ing that enriches the Christian." He observed, that 
 apostasy generally begins at the closet door. Secret 
 prayer is first neglected and carelessly performed, 
 then frequently omitted, and after a while wholly 
 cast off, and then farewell Grod and Christ and all 
 religion. 
 
 In reference to this duty, he made the following 
 important observations : 
 
 " Besides the deadness and coldness, the dis- 
 tractions and wanderings, which the people of God 
 often find cause to complain of, there is also a kind 
 of weariness which many times seizes their spirits. 
 Something from within calls upon them to have 
 
86 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 done — ' eiiougli for this time, you may conclude 
 now' — before a quarter, or perhaps half a quarter 
 of an hour be fully spent. Against this we have 
 great need to watch. If the devil cannot keep us 
 from Grod, he will try to work a loathness to tarry 
 with him. "We are to look upon it as a cursed mem- 
 ber of that body of death which we carry about with 
 us ; one of the Canaanites left behind, to be a thorn 
 in our eyes and a goad in our sides. We are to be 
 really and deeply sensible of it, and affected with it, 
 and to mourn under it as our burden. A few for- 
 mal, customary complaints one to another, that so it is 
 with us, will not serve. We should be humbled in 
 secret before the Lord, and take shame to ourselves. 
 It is a sign we are very unfit for heaven. We should 
 consider that prayer is not only our duty, but our 
 privilege. We should get our hearts filled with love 
 to Grod, and look up to the Spirit, and put that sweet 
 promise in suit, Isa. 40 : 29-31, ' He giveth powder 
 to the faint ; and to them that have no might he in- 
 creaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and 
 be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall : but 
 they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 
 strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; 
 they shall run, and not be weary ; and they shall 
 walk, and not faint.' We should go on against 
 temptation. When we think we shall be heard the 
 sooner for long praying, we are like the heathen, 
 Matt. 6 : 7. When we use long praying for a pre- 
 tence, we are like the Pharisees, Matt. 23 : 14. Yet 
 neither instance condemns long prayer as in itself a 
 
DOMESTIC RELiaiON. 87 
 
 sin ; see Luke 6 : 12. One being oppressed with, this 
 corruption, and drooping under it, a godly friend who 
 was acquainted with this condition, meeting him sud- 
 denly, said, ^ I will tell you good news, the best that 
 ever you heard. As soon as you are in heaven, you 
 shall serve the Lord Jesus without being weary ;' 
 which much revived him." 
 
 In continuation of the same subject, Mr. Henry 
 thus writes : " The Spirit deals not with us as stocks 
 and stones, but as rational creatures. Hosea 11 : 4. 
 He expects and requires that we should put forth 
 ourselves to the utmost, towards the working of our 
 hearts into a fervent frame, and where we are 
 weak and wanting, he comes with help. Thus much 
 seems to be implied in that expression, * the Spirit 
 helpeth our infirmities.' It is an allusion to a man 
 who has a great burden, suppose a heavy log of wood, 
 to carry, and he cannot manage it unless some one 
 will come and lay a shoulder under one end. But if 
 that help be offered, he is not altogether excused. 
 He must lay his shoulder under the other end. If 
 we find our hearts dead and dull, and indisposed to 
 prayer, we are ready presently to cast the blame up- 
 on the Spirit, and say, All our life is from him. That 
 is true, but he conveys life in the use of the means. 
 And commonly, the fault that we do not receive more 
 life and quickening from him, is in ourselves. "We 
 are wanting in stirring up our affections, in laboring 
 with our hearts by meditation, which is a special 
 means. ' The Spirit meeteth him that rejoiceth and 
 worketh righteousness.' Sometimes, however, a cause 
 
88 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 of deadness may be overmuch confidence in our- 
 selves — when we set about duties in our own strength, 
 and have no eye to the Spirit, but rely altogether up- 
 on self. Phil. 3 : 3. This is as bad as the other. The 
 true mean between both is this : so to labor with our 
 hearts as if we were to expect no assistance from the 
 Spirit, and yet so to rely upon his aid as if with our 
 own hearts we had labored nothing." 
 
 Again, in reply to the inquiry, "When we are 
 called to duty, may we be sure it is always from the 
 Spirit? Is it not possible that Satan may have a 
 hand in stirring us up to prayer ? Mr. Henry writes 
 as follows : 
 
 "It is possible he may. The devil transforms 
 himself into an angel of light. This is one of his 
 extraordinary devices. "Where he moves us once to 
 prayer, he moves ten thousand times to sin ; where 
 he moves once to perform duty, he moves ten thousand 
 times to neglect it. "When he does so, it is always 
 with a design. You may be sure it is neither out of 
 love to us, nor out of love to prayer, for there is no 
 duty he is so much an enemy to. His object is ever 
 some advantage against us ; and usually this : he 
 observes a time when the soul is most dead and 
 heavy, and unfit for prayer, and then he spurs on to 
 it with as much eagerness as if it were the very spirit 
 of grace. Now, when deadness and distraction mark 
 our performance, he takes occasion to trouble and 
 disquiet us. Thus he often tires out young converts. 
 This is one of the ' depths of Satan,' which believers 
 ought to know and study, that they may be armed 
 
JjUiMCSTlC ILELIGION. 89 
 
 against it. Besides, in general, when the Spirit calls, 
 he helps and enlarges ; so doth not Satan." 
 
 Further, he remarks, " If we find ourselves at any- 
 time indisposed and unfit for prayer, is it not best to 
 let it quite alone ? No ; we are not to choose rather 
 to omit a duty than not to perform it in a right man- 
 ner. It is incumbent on Christians, ordinarily, to set 
 apart that time for prayer, both by themselves and in 
 their families, wherein they are most likely to be at 
 liberty from distractions. And when duty is required 
 of us, and we find ourselves unfit for it, we are to 
 take pains beforehand with our own hearts, to see 
 if it may not be possible in the use of means to shako 
 ofi" our indisposition. So that if, after all our pains 
 taken with ourselves, we yet continue unfit, we are 
 notwithstanding to perform the duty, though with 
 grief of heart at our unpreparedness for it." 
 
 He advised that secret duty be performed secretly ; 
 which was the admonition he gave sometimes to those 
 who caused their voice to be heard on high in that 
 duty. " There are two doors," he would say, " to be 
 shut, when we go to prayer : the door of our closet, 
 that we may be secret ; and the door of our hearts, 
 that we may be serious." 
 
 Besides the practice of secret prayer, he and his 
 wife constantly prayed together morning and evening ; 
 and never, if they were together, at home or abroad, 
 was it intermitted : and from his own experience of 
 the benefit of this practice, he would take all oppor- 
 tunities to recommend it to those in that relation, as 
 conducing very much to the comfort of it, and to their 
 
90 HEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 furtherance in that which, he would often say, is the 
 great duty of yoke-fellows, and that is, to do all they 
 can to help one another to heaven. He would say, 
 " This duty of husbands and wives praying together 
 is intimated in that text of the apostle, 1 Peter, 3 : 7, 
 where they are exhorted to live as 'heirs together 
 of the grace of life, that their prayers,' especially 
 their prayers together, ' be not hindered ;' that 
 nothing may be done to hinder them from praying 
 together, nor to hinder them in it, nor to spoil the 
 success of those prayers. This sanctifies the relation 
 and brings a blessing upon it, makes the comforts of 
 it the more sweet, and the cares and crosses of it the 
 more easy, and is an excellent means of preserving 
 and increasing love in the relation." Many to whom 
 he recommended the practice of this duty, have bless- 
 ed God for him, and for his advice concerning it. 
 "When he was abroad, and slept with any of his 
 friends, he would remind them of his rule, that they 
 who lie together, must pray together. In the per- 
 formance of this part of his daily worship, he was 
 usually short, but often much affected. 
 
 He recommended it to others, that the wife should 
 be sometimes called upon to pray with the husband, 
 that she might be more free to perform the duty in 
 the family in the husband's absence, or in case he be 
 removed by death ; which he sometimes pressed upon 
 his friends, who had much comfort in taking his 
 counsel. It is comfortable if the moon rises when 
 the sun sets. 
 
 In addition to these exercises, he made conscience 
 
DOMESTIC RELiaiON. 91 
 
 and made a business of family worship^ in all the 
 parts of it ; and in it .he was uniform, steady, and 
 constant, from the time that he was first called to 
 the charge of a family to his dying day ; and accord- 
 ing to his own practice, he took all occasions to press 
 it upon others. The doctrine which he once deduced 
 from Joshua 24 : 15 was, that family worship is 
 family duty. He would say, sometimes, " If the 
 worship of Grod be not in the house, write, *Lord, 
 have mercy upon us,' on the door ; for there is a 
 plague, a curse in it." It is the judgment of Arch- 
 bishop TiUotson, in an excellent book on this subject 
 which he published a little while before his death, that 
 constant family worship is so necessary to keep alive 
 a sense of Grod and religion in the minds of men, that 
 he sees not how any family that neglects it can in 
 reason be esteemed a family of Christians, or indeed 
 to have any religion at aU. How earnestly would 
 Mr. Henry reason with people sometimes about this 
 matter, and tell them what a blessing it would bring 
 upon them and their houses, and all that they had. 
 He that makes his house a little church, shall find 
 that Grod will make it a little sanctuary. 
 
 It may be of use to give a particular account of 
 his practice in this matter of family worship, because 
 it was very exemplary. As to the time of it, his rule 
 was, commonly, " the earlier the better," both morn- 
 ing and evening. Early in the morning, before worldly 
 business crowded in. '' Early will I seek thee." He 
 that is the best, should have the first. Nor is it fit 
 that the worship of Grod should stand by and wait 
 
92 REV. PHILIP HENEY. 
 
 while the world's turn is served. And early in the 
 evening, before the children and servants began to 
 be sleepy ; and therefore, if it might be, he would 
 have prayer at night before supper, that the body 
 might be the more fit to serve the soul in that service 
 of G-od. And indeed he did industriously contrive 
 all the circumstances of his family worship, so as to 
 make it most solemn and most likely to answer the 
 end. He always made it the business of every day, 
 and not as too many make it, a by-business. This 
 being his fixed principle, all other.afFairs must be sure 
 to give way to this ; and he would tell those who 
 objected against family worship, pretending that they 
 could not get time for it, that if they would but put 
 on Christian resolution at first, they would not find 
 the difficulty so great as they imagined ; but after a 
 while, their other affairs would fall in easily and 
 naturally with this, especially where there is that 
 wisdom which is profitable to direct. Nay, they would 
 find it to be a great preserver of order and decency 
 in a family, and it would be like a hem to all their 
 other business, to keep it from ravelling. He was 
 ever careful to have all his family present at family 
 worship, though sometimes, living in the country, he 
 had a great household; yet he would have not only 
 his children, and sojourners if he had any, and domes- 
 tic servants, but his workmen and day-laborers, and 
 all that were employed for him, if they were within 
 call, to be present, to join with him in this service ; 
 and as it was an act of his charity many times to set 
 them to work for him, so to that he added this act of 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. 93 
 
 piety, to set them to work for Grod. And usually, 
 when he paid his workmen their wages, he gave them 
 some good counsel about their souls. Yet, if any that 
 were expected to come to family worship were at a 
 distance, and must be waited for long, he would rather 
 proceed without them than put the duty much out of 
 time ; and would sometimes say at night, '* Better 
 one away than all sleepy." 
 
 The performances of his family worship were the 
 same morning and evening.* He observed that, un- 
 der the law, the morning and. the evening lamb had 
 the same meat-offering and drink-offering. Exodus 
 29 : 38-41. He always began with a short but very 
 solemn prayer, imploring the divine presence and 
 grace, assistance, and acceptance ; particularly beg- 
 ging a blessing upon the word to be read, in reference 
 to which he often put up this petition : that the 
 same Spirit that indited the Scripture would enable 
 us to understand the Scripture, and to make up some- 
 thing to ourselves out of it that may do us good. 
 And esteeming the word of Grod as his necessary food, 
 he would sometimes pray in the morning, that our 
 souls might have a good meal out of it. He common- 
 ly concluded even this short prayer, as he did also his 
 blessing before and after meat, with a doxology, as 
 Paul was wont to do upon all occasions, " To him 
 be glory," etc., which is properly adoration, and is an 
 essential part of prayer. 
 
 * The justly celebrated Mr. Wesley, recommending the pe- 
 rusal of Mr. Henry's Life to the preachers of his connection, 
 pointed out his mode of conducting family worship as a pattern 
 worthy of their imitation. 
 
94 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 He next sung a psalm, and commonly he sung 
 David's Psalms in order throughout ; and his usual 
 way was to sing a whole psalm, though perhaps a 
 long one, and to sing quick, yet with a good variety 
 of proper and pleasant tunes ; and that he might do 
 so, usually the psalm was sung without reading 
 the line between, every one in the family having a 
 book ; which he preferred where it could convenient- 
 ly be done, as more agreeable to the practice of the 
 primitive church and of the reformed churches on the 
 continent of Europe ; and by this means he thought 
 the duty more likely to be performed ''in the spirit, 
 and with the understanding ;" the sense being not so 
 broken, nor the affections interrupted, as in the alter- 
 nate reading and singing of the lines. He would 
 say, that a scripture ground for singing psalms in 
 families, might be taken from Psalm 118 : 15, " The 
 voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the tabernacles 
 of the righteous ;" and that it is a way to hold forth 
 godliness, like Rahab's scarlet thread, Joshua 2 : 18, 
 to such as pass by our windows. 
 
 He next read a portion of Scripture, taking the 
 Bible in order ; and he would sometimes blame those 
 who only pray in their families, but do not read the 
 Scripture. In prayer we speak to Grod ; in the word 
 he speaks to us ; and is there any reason, he would 
 ask, that we should speak all ? In the tabernacle the 
 priests were every day to burn incense, and to light 
 the lamps ; the former figuring the duty of prayer, the 
 latter the duty of reading the word. Sometimes he 
 would say, " Those do well that pray morning and 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. 95 
 
 evening in their families ; those do better that pray 
 and read the Scriptures ; but those do best of all that 
 pray and read and sing psalms, and Christians 
 should covet earnestly the best gifts. 
 
 He advised the reading of the Scripture in order ; 
 for though one star in the firmament of the Scripture 
 differ from another star in glory, yet wherever Grod 
 hath a mouth to speak, w^e should have an ear to 
 hear ; and the diligent searcher may find much excel- 
 lent matter in those parts of Scripture which we are 
 sometimes tempted to think might have been spared. 
 How affectionately would he sometimes bless Grod for 
 every book and chapter and verse and line in the Bi- 
 ble. " Every word of God," he would say, "is good, 
 but especially God the Word. How sweet is it to a 
 lost, undone sinner, to be acquainted with a Saviour !" 
 
 "What he read in the family, he always expound- 
 ed ; and exhorted all ministers to do so, as an excel- 
 lent means of increasing their acquaintance with the 
 Scripture. Yet his expositions were not so much 
 critical, as plain and practical and useful, and such 
 as tended to edification and to answer the end for 
 which the Scriptures were written, which is to make 
 men wise unto salvation. And herein he had a pe- 
 culiar excellence, performing that daily exercise with 
 so much judgment, and at the same tune with such 
 facility and clearness, as if every exposition had been 
 premeditated ; and very instructive they were, as well 
 as affecting to the auditors. His observations were 
 many times very pertinent and surprising, and pecul- 
 iarly original. Commonly, in his expositions, he re- 
 
96 REV. rillLIP HENRI'. 
 
 duced the matter of the chapter or psalm read to some 
 heads — not hy a logical analysis, which often heing 
 too minute, confounds the sense with the terms, but 
 by such a distribution as the m.atter most easily and 
 naturally fell into. He often mentioned that saying 
 of Tertullian, " I adore the fulness of the Scriptures." 
 AVhen sometimes he had hit upon some useful obser- 
 vation that was new to him, he would say afterwards 
 to those about him, " How often have I read this 
 chapter, and never before novv^ took notice of such a 
 thing in it." He put his children, while they were 
 with him, to write these expositions from their own 
 recollections of them, and when they were gone from 
 him, the strangers that sojourned with him did the 
 same. What collections his children had, though but 
 broken and very imperfect hints, yet were of good use 
 to them and their families when afterwards they were 
 dispersed in the world. Some expositions of this 
 nature, that is, plain and practical, and helping to 
 raise the affections and guide the conversation by the 
 word, he often wished were published by some good 
 hand for the benefit of families ; but such was his 
 great modesty and self-difiidence, that he would never 
 be persuaded to attempt any thing of that kind him- 
 self, though few were more able for it. As an evi- 
 dence how much his heart was upon it, to have the 
 word of Grod read and understood in families, the fol- 
 lowing extract from his last will and testament is 
 both pleasing and impressive : " I give and bequeath 
 to each of my four daughi^ers, Mr. Poole's English 
 Annotations upon the Bible, in two volumes, of the 
 
DOMESTIC RELIG-ION. 97 
 
 last and best edition that shall be to be had at the 
 time of my decease, together with Mr. Barton's last 
 and best translation of the singing psalms, one to each 
 of them, requiring and requesting them to make daily 
 use of the same, for the instruction, edification, and 
 comfort of themselves and' their families.*' 
 
 But it is time we proceed with his method of his 
 family worship. 
 
 The chapter or psalm being read and expounded, 
 he required from his children some account of what 
 they could remember of it ; and sometimes would 
 discourse with them plainly and familiarly about it, 
 that he might lead them into an acquaintance with 
 it, and if it might be, impress something of it upon 
 their hearts. 
 
 He then prayed, always kneeling, which he re- 
 garded as the most proper gesture for prayer ; and 
 he took care that his family should address themselves 
 to the duty with the outward expression of reverence 
 and composedness. He usually derived his matter 
 and expressions in prayer, from the chapter that was 
 read and the psalm that was sung ; which was often 
 very affecting, and helped much to stir up and excite 
 praying graces. 
 
 In family prayer he was usually most full in 
 giving thanks for family mercies, confessing family 
 sins, and begging family blessings. Yery particular 
 he would sometimes be in prayer for his family ; if 
 any were absent, they were sure to have an express 
 petition put up for them. .He used to observe con- 
 cerning Job, that he offered burnt- offerings for his 
 
98 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 children '' according to the number of them all," an 
 offering for each child ; and so would he sometimes, 
 in praying for his children, put up a petition for each 
 child. He always ohserved, at the annual return of 
 the birthday of each of his children, to bless Grod for 
 his mercy to him and his wife in that child ; the 
 giving of it, the continuance of it, and the comfort 
 they had in it ; with some special request to Grod for 
 that child. Every servant and sojourner, at their 
 coming into his family and their going out, besides 
 the daily remembrances of them, had a particular 
 petition put up for them according as their circum- 
 stances were. The strangers that were at any time 
 within his gates, he was wont particularly to recom- 
 mend to God in prayer, with much affection and 
 Christian concern for them and their affairs. He 
 was daily mindful of those who desired his prayers 
 for them, and would say sometimes, "It is a great 
 comfort that God knows who we mean in prayer, 
 though we do not name them," Particular provi- 
 dences concerning the country, as to health or sick- 
 ness, good or bad weather, or the like, he commonly 
 took notice of in prayer, as there was occasion ; and 
 he would often beg of God to fit us for the next 
 providence, wdiatever it might be. Nor did he ever 
 forget to pray for the "peace of Jerusalem." 
 
 He maintained that supplication must be made 
 for all saints ; " for those you do not know, as well 
 as for those you do ; for those that differ from you, as 
 well as for those with whom you agi-ee ; for those 
 who are in prosperity, as well as for those who are in 
 
DOMESTIC RELiaiON. 99 
 
 adversity : for all saints, because all are alike related 
 to Jesus Christ ; because all are alike related to you, 
 as fellow-members, and it will be an evidence that 
 you love them as brethren, when you love them all 
 and pray for them all. ' When you have the near- 
 est communion with God, then remember me,' said 
 Bernard to a friend ; ' then speak,' say I, * for the 
 church.' " 
 
 He always concluded family prayer, both morning 
 and evening, with a solemn benediction, after the 
 doxology : " The blessing of Grod Almighty, the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be with us, 
 and rest upon us all for ever. Amen." Thus did he 
 daily " bless his household." 
 
 Immediately after the prayer was ended, his 
 children together, with bended knee, >sought a blessing 
 of him and their mother, that is, desired of them to 
 pray God to bless them ; which blessing was given 
 with great solemnity and affection ; and if any of 
 them were absent, they were also remembered thus : 
 " The Lord bless you and your brother, or you and 
 your sister, that is absent." 
 
 This was his daily worship, which he never 
 altered, nor ever omitted any part of, though he went 
 from home never so early, or returned never so late, 
 or had never so much business for his servants to do. 
 He would say that sometimes he saw cause to shorten 
 them, but he would never omit any of them ; for if 
 an excuse were once admitted for an omission, it 
 would be often returning. He was not willing, unless 
 the necessity were urgent, that any should go jfrom 
 
100 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 his house in the morning before family worship ; hut 
 upon such an occasion would say to his friends, 
 ^' Prayer and provender never hinder a journey." 
 
 He managed his daily family worship so as to 
 make it a pleasure, and not a task, to his children 
 and servants ; for he was seldom long, and never 
 tedious in the service : the variety of the duties made 
 it the more pleasant ; so that none who joined with 
 him had reason to say, " Behold, what a weariness is 
 it !" Such an excellent faculty he had of rendering 
 religion the most sweet and amiable employment in 
 the world, and so careful was he, like Jacob, "to 
 drive as the children could go," not putting " new 
 wine into old bottles." If some good people that 
 mean well would do likewise, it might prevent many 
 of those prejudices which young persons are apt to 
 conceive against religion, when the services of it are 
 made a toil and a terror to them. 
 
 On Thursday evenings, instead of reading the 
 Scriptures at family worship, he catechized his chil- 
 dren and servants, or else they read, and he examined 
 them in some other useful book. 
 
 On Saturday evenings, his children and servants 
 gave him an account of what they could remember of 
 the chapters that had been expounded all the week 
 before, in order, each a several part, helping one 
 another's memories for the recollecting of it. This 
 he called "gathering up the fragments which re- 
 mained, that nothing might be lost." He would say 
 to them sometimes, as Christ to his disciples, "Have 
 ye understood all these things ?" If not, he took 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. 101 
 
 that occasion to explain them more fully. This 
 exercise, which he constantly kept up all along, was 
 both delightful and profitable, and being managed 
 by him with so much prudence and sweetness, helped 
 to instil into those about him betimes the knowledge 
 and love of the holy Scriptures. 
 
 When he had sojourners in his family, who were 
 able to bear a part in such a service, he had com- 
 monly in the winter time, set weekly conferences on 
 questions proposed for their mutual edification and 
 comfort in the fear of God ; and the substance of 
 what was said, he himself took and kept an account 
 of in writing. The following selection from his 
 records, it is presumed will not be unacceptable : 
 
 " How far may a man go towards heaven, and 
 yet fall short ? 
 
 " In general, a great way, Mark 12 : 34. Almost 
 a Christian, Acts 26 : 28. In particular, a man may 
 have a great deal of knowledge, 1 Cor. 13 : 1, 2 ; even 
 so much as to teach others. Matt. 7 : 22. He may 
 be free from many, nay, from any gross sins, Luke 
 18 : 11. He may perform not only some, but all 
 manner of external duties of religion — pray, fast, give 
 alms. Matt. 6:1, 2, etc. He may be a lover of good 
 men, as Herod, Pharaoh, Darius. He may repent, 
 after a sort, as Ahab ; and believe, after a sort, as 
 Simon Magus. He may suffer much for religion, as 
 no doubt Judas did, while a retainer of Christ. If a 
 man may go thus far, and yet fall short, then what 
 will become of those who go not so far ? Then, what 
 need have we to look about us, and to- make sure of 
 
102 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 regeneration and sincerity, which are things that cer- 
 tainly accompany salvation. 
 
 '' What are the common hinderances of men's 
 salvation ? 
 
 ^' Ignorance, John 4 : 10 ; unbelief, John 5 : 40 ; 
 love of the world, 2 Tim. 4 : 10 ; pride — men will not 
 stoop to be saved by the righteousness of Christ, Rom. 
 10 : 3, nor to be ruled by his laws, Luke 19 : 14 ; 
 prejudice against the ways of Grod, and against the 
 company that walk in them — ^their paucity, their 
 poverty ; presumption upon Grod's mercy, and upon 
 long life. See that none of these things hinder us, 
 especially now being forewarned. 
 
 " What are evidences of love to G-od ? 
 
 " Hatred of sin,. Psa. 97 : 10, and that especially 
 because it dishonors him ; care to keep his command- 
 ments, John 14 : 15, and that of choice, and with 
 delight, 1 John, 5:3; love to the people of G-od as 
 such, 1 John, 3 : 14 ; willingness to part with any 
 thing for his sake, G-en. 22 : 12 ; desire of fellowship 
 with him in his ordinances, Cant. 1:2; grief when 
 he withdraws ; love to and longing for the appearance 
 of Christ ; mourning that we love him no more. 
 
 '' How are we to express love to our neighbor ? 
 
 " By praying for him, for all men, 1 Tim. 2:1; 
 even for enemies, Matt. 5 : 44. By reproving him. 
 Lev. 19:17; unless he be a scorner, which we are 
 not rashly to conclude. By not envying him because 
 either of what he is, or hath, or doth, 1 Cor. 13 : 4 ; 
 but rather rejoicing in his prosperity, Rom. 12 : 15. 
 Doing to him -as we would have him do to us, Matt. 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. 103 
 
 7 : 12. Being tender of his name, neither to raise 
 nor receive an ill report against him, Psa. 15 : 3. If 
 a superior, we are to honor and respect him ; if an 
 equal, or inferior, to be affable and courteous and 
 condescending towards him. If good, to associate 
 with him, Psa. 16 : 2 ; if bad, to pity him and pray 
 for him, but not to be overfamiliar with him." 
 
 But the Lord's day he called and counted the 
 queen of days, the pearl of the week, and he observed 
 it accordingly. The fourth commandment intimates 
 a special regard to be had to the Sabbath in families : 
 '' Thou, and thy son, and thy daughter ;" " It is the 
 Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." Lev. 
 23 : 3. In this, therefore, he was very exact, and 
 abounded in the work of the Lord in his family on 
 that day. "Whatever were the circumstances of his 
 public opportunities, his family religion on that day 
 was the same. Extraordinary sacrifices must never 
 supersede the '^continual burnt-offering and his meat- 
 offering." Num. 28 : 15. His common salutation of 
 his family or friends, on the Lord's day in the morn- 
 ing, was that of the primitive Christians, ^* The Lord 
 is risen ; he is risen indeed ;" making it his chief 
 business on that day to celebrate the memory of 
 Christ's resurrection ; and he would say sometimes, 
 " Every Lord's day is a true Christian's Easter-day." 
 
 He took care to have his family ready early on 
 that day, and was larger in exposition and prayer on 
 Sabbath mornings than on other days, remembering 
 that under the law the daily sacrifice was doubled on 
 Sabbath-days, two lambs in the morning and two in 
 
104 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the evening. He had alvv^ays a particular subject for 
 his expositions on Sabbath mornings, such as the. 
 harmony of the evangelists, several times over, the 
 Scripture prayers. Old Testament prophecies of Christ, 
 Christ the true treasure sought and found in the 
 field of the Old Testament. He constantly sung a 
 psalm after dinner, and another after supper, on the 
 Lord's day. And in the evening of the day his chil- 
 dren and servants were catechized and examined in 
 the sense and meaning of the answers in the cate- 
 chism, that they might not say it by rote like a par- 
 rot. Then the day's sermons were repeated, com- 
 monly by one of his children, v/hen they were grown 
 up and while they were with him ; and the family 
 gave an account of what they could remember of the 
 word preached during the day, which he endeavored 
 to fasten upon them as a nail in a sure place. In 
 his prayers on the evening of the Sabbath, he was 
 often more than ordinarily enlarged ; as one that 
 found not only God's service perfect freedom, but his 
 work its own wages and a great reward, not only 
 after keeping, but in keeping G-od's commandments, 
 a present reward of obedience hi obedience. In 
 that prayer he was usually very particular in pray- 
 ing for his family and all that belonged to it. It 
 was a prayer he often put up, that we might have 
 grace so to live, as a minister, and a minister's wife, 
 and a minister's children, and a minister's servants 
 should live, "that the ministry might in nothing be 
 blamed." Nor did he forget to intercede for the towns 
 and parishes adjacent. He closed his Sabbath work 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. 105 
 
 in his family with singing the one hundred and thirty- 
 fourth psahTi, and after it pronouncing a solemn bless- 
 ing upon his family in the name of the Lord. 
 
 To others, in reference to Sabbath sanctification, 
 he would say, "It is an excellent thing, and very 
 desirable and to be labored after, that we be ' in the 
 Spirit on the Lord's day ;' and that is, not to be 
 either in the world, or in the ftesh, or in the devil. 
 Sabbath-time must not be spent in worldly employ- 
 ments — no manner of work except that of necessity 
 and mercy. It is a good rule to defer what may as 
 well have been done before, or be left alone till after. 
 Neither must we be in the ilesh in recreations. There 
 should not be feasting on the Lord's day. Nor must 
 we be in the devil, in wrath and malice, in strife and 
 envy. But we should be in the Spirit, that is, in a 
 spiritual frame of heart, as walking, living in the 
 Spirit, worshipping God in holy ordinances — ^public, 
 private, secret ; and also we should be spiritual in 
 them, that is, sincere and serious. When we are out 
 of actual worship we must be spiritual in our thoughts 
 and words. If we are doing works of necessity or 
 mercy, eating, drinking, passing to and fro to ordi- 
 nances, attending sick people, taking care of cattle, 
 we must not do it as at other times. The day is holy 
 and must be sanctified. Learn to keep Sabbaths 
 better. Christian resolution, care and watchfulness 
 over ourselves, and over one another, will do something. 
 Let us so act for the commandos sake — an easy and 
 sweet command ; for the consequents^ sake ; for the 
 promise and threat ening^s sake, wherewith the com- 
 
 5* 
 
106 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 mand is backed ; for the conversation'' s sake the week 
 following ; for the Redeemer'' s sake, whose day it is ; 
 for religiorCs sake, which is adorned by it ; for the 
 reckoning-accoiinV s sake hereafter. It is supposed 
 that Christ will come to judgment on the Lord's day. 
 Remember the Sabbath, and prepare for it before- 
 hand. Set out well ; the Lord is risen. Look up 
 for the Spirit's help. Do what you can. See to your 
 families." 
 
 Mr. Henry frequently observed days of humilia- 
 tion in his family. Some of those occasions are noted 
 in his diary. The following are instances : 
 
 ^' July 10, 1661. A day of family humiliation. 
 The Lord was sweetly seen in the midst of us, and I 
 trust it was a day of atonement. Sin pardoned, re- 
 quests made, covenants renewed, in Jesus Christ. 
 
 '< October 10. We kept a day of private prayer 
 and humiliation in the family, and the Lord was 
 with us. This confession much affected me, that 
 things are not so among us as they should be among 
 those who are the relations of a minister of Jesus 
 Christ. Lord, pardon, and gi'ant for time to come it 
 may be better." 
 
 Thus was he prophet and priest in his own house ; 
 and he was king there too, ruling in the fear of God, 
 and not suffering sin under his roof. 
 
 On one occasion, a man-servant in his employ- 
 ment was overtaken in drink abroad ; for which, the 
 next morning, at family worship, he solemnly reprov- 
 ed him, admonished him, and prayed for him, with 
 a spirit of meekness, and soon after parted with him. 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. 107 
 
 But there were many that were his servants, who, 
 by the blessing of G-od upon his endeavors, received 
 good impressions upon their souls which they retain- 
 ed ever after, and blessed G-od with all their hearts 
 that ever they came under his roof. Few went from 
 his service till they were married, and went to fami- 
 lies of their own ; and some, after they had been mar- 
 ried, and had buried their yoke-fellows, returned to 
 his service again, saying, '^ Master, it is good to be 
 here." 
 
 He brought up his children in the fear of G^od, 
 with a great deal of care and tenderness ; and did, 
 by his practice, as well as upon all occasions in dis- 
 course, condemn the indiscretion of those parents 
 who are partial in their affections to their children, 
 making a difference between them — which he observ- 
 ed did often prove of ill consequences in families ; 
 laying a foundation of envy, contempt, and discord, 
 which turns to their shame and ruin. His carriage 
 towards his children was with great mildness and 
 gentleness, as one who desired rather to be loved than 
 feared by them. He was as careful not to "provoke 
 them to wrath," nor to '^discourage them," as he 
 was to '' bring them up in the nurture and admoni- 
 tion of the Lord." He ruled indeed, and kept up his 
 authority, but it was with wisdom and love, and not 
 with a high hand. He allowed his children a great 
 degree of freedom with him, which gave him the op- 
 portunity of reasoning them, not frightening them 
 into that which is good. He did much towards the 
 instruction of his children in the way of familiar dis- 
 
108 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 course, according to that excellent directory for relig- 
 ious education, Deuteronomy 6:7,' Thou shalt teach 
 these things diligently unto thy children, and shalt 
 talk of them when thou sit test in thy house," etc. 
 And. this made his children love home, and delight 
 in his company, and greatly endeared religion to them. 
 
 He would ohserve, sometimes, that there are five 
 good lessons, which they are blessed who learn in 
 the days of their youth. 
 
 ''1. To remember their Creator. Not only re- 
 member that you have a Creator, but remember him 
 to love him, and fear him, and serve him. 
 
 "2. To come to Jesus Christ. ' Every man that 
 hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh 
 unto me.' Behold, he calls you ; he encourages you 
 to come to him. He will in no wise cast you out. 
 
 " 3. To bear the yoke in youth. The yoke is that 
 which the young cannot endure. But it is good for 
 them to bear it. The yoke of the cross. If Grod lay 
 affliction on you when young, do not murmur, but 
 bear that cross. It is good to be trained up in the 
 school of affliction. The yoke of Christ. ' Take my 
 yoke.' It is an easy yoke ; his commandments are 
 not grievous. 
 
 "4. To flee youthful lusts. Those who are taught 
 of Grod have learned this. See that you do not love 
 your pleasures more than the sanctifying of the Sab- 
 bath. • ' This man is not of G-od, because he keepeth 
 not the Sabbath-day.' 
 
 "5. To cleanse their way. How? 'By taking 
 heed thereto according to thy word.' Love your Bibles. 
 
DOMESTIC RELiaiON. 109 
 
 Meditate in them day and night. And if you do 
 thus, you are taught of Grod." 
 
 Yet, with all his instructions, Mr. Henry did not 
 burden his children's memories by imposing upon 
 them the getting of chapters and psalms to repeat 
 without book ; but endeavored to make the whole 
 word of Grod familiar to them, especially the scripture 
 stories, and to bring them to understand it and love 
 it, and then they would easily remember it. He used 
 to observe, from Psalm 119 : 93, " I will never forget 
 thy precepts, for with them thou hast quickened me ;" 
 that we are then likely to remember the word of Grod 
 when it doth us good. 
 
 He taught all his children to write, himself ; and 
 set them betimes to write sermons, and other things 
 that might be of use to them. He also taught his 
 eldest daughter the Hebrew language when she was 
 about six or seven years old, by an English Hebrew 
 grammar which he made on purpose for her ; and 
 she went so far in it as to be able readily to read and 
 construe a Hebrew psalm. 
 
 For the use of his children he drew up a short 
 form of a covenant, which was as follows : 
 
 " I take God the Father to be my chiefest good 
 and highest end. 
 
 " I take Grod the Son to be my Prince and Saviour. 
 
 " I take Grod the Holy G-host to be my sanctifier, 
 teacher, guide, and comforter. 
 
 '' I take the word of Grod to be my rule in all my 
 actions. And the people of God to be my people in 
 all conditions. 
 
110 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 "I do likewise devote and dedicate unto the 
 Lord, my whole self, all I am, all I have, and all 
 I can do. 
 
 "And this I do deliherately, sincerely, freely, and 
 for ever." 
 
 This he taught his children ; and they each of 
 them solemnly repeated it every Lord's day in the 
 evening, after they were catechized, he putting his 
 Amen to it, and sometimes adding, '' So say, and so 
 do, and you are made for ever." He also took pains 
 with them to lead them into the understanding of it, 
 and to persuade them to a free and cheerful consent 
 to it. And when they grew up, he made them all 
 write it over severally with their own hands, and very 
 solemnly set their names to it ; which he told them 
 he would keep by him, and it should be produced 
 as a testimony against them, in case they should 
 afterwards depart from Grod and turn from following 
 after him. 
 
 He not only taught his children betimes to pray, 
 especially by his own pattern, his method and expres- 
 sions in prayer being very easy and plain, but when 
 they were young he put them upon it to pray together, 
 and appointed them on Saturdays in the afternoon to 
 spend some time together, with any others of their 
 age as might occasionally be with them, in read- 
 ing good books, especially those for children, and in 
 singing and praying ; and he would sometimes tell 
 them for their encouragement, that the G-od with 
 whom we have to do understands broken language. 
 And if we do as well as we can in the sincerity of 
 
DOMESTIC RELIGION. ]11 
 
 our hearts, we shall not only be accepted, but taught 
 to do better. " To him that hath shall be given." 
 
 He sometimes set his children, in their own reading 
 of the Scriptures, to gather out such passages as they 
 took most notice of and thought most important, and 
 writ J them down. He also directed them to insert in 
 a blank-book which each of them had for the purposa, 
 remarkable sayings and stories which they met with 
 in reading such other good books as he put into their 
 hands. 
 
 He took a pleasure in relating to them the remark- 
 able providences of God, both in his own time and 
 in the days of old, which, he said, parents were 
 taught to do by that appointment in Exod. 12 : 26, 27, 
 "Your children shall ask you in time to come, 
 * What mean ye by this service V " and ye shall tell 
 them so and so. 
 
 We conclude this interesting account of his pious 
 care concerning his children, and the godly jealousy 
 with which he was jealous over them, with the fol- 
 lowing instance. They had often been for a week 
 or a fortnight kindly entertained at the house of a 
 friend at Boreatton ; and on one occasion he thus 
 writes in his diary upon their return home : " My 
 care and fear is, lest converse with such so far above 
 them, though of the best, should have influence upon 
 them to lift them up, when I had rather they should 
 be kept low. " For as he did not himself mind high 
 things, so he was very solicitous to teach his children 
 not to desire them, not to expect them in this world. 
 
112 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HIS REMOVAL FROM WORTHENBURY TO BROAD OAK, 
 AND HIS EFFORTS TO DO GOOD THERE. 
 
 Mr. Henry lived in troublous times for the church. 
 While at Worthenbury, although he conscientiously 
 differed in many of his views from leading men in 
 the established church, he pursued his ministry in 
 connection with it, without fear or molestation. But 
 when the time arrived for a separation between con- 
 formists and non-conformists, he cheerfully cast in his 
 lot with the dissenters. This decision subjected him, 
 with multitudes of others, to many inconveniences 
 and losses for a series of years. But he, like others, 
 took joyfully the spoiling of his goods, and even the 
 imprisonment of his person for a time, knowing that 
 in heaven he had a better and an enduring substance. 
 With his fellow-non-conformists and his fellow-suffer- 
 ers he waited patiently for better times, which he 
 lived to see and enjoy and improve. His modera- 
 tion in his non-conformity was very exemplary and 
 eminent, and had a great influence upon many to 
 keep them from running into an uncharitable and 
 schismatical separation ; which, upon all occasions, 
 he bore his testimony against, and was very indus- 
 trious to stem the tide of. 
 
 He regarded it as a special providence towards 
 himself and his family, that while so many godly 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 113 
 
 ministers were deprived of their livings, and them- 
 selves and their families were reduced to great straits 
 and hardships, he had been mercifully provided for 
 by means of the ample estate at Broad Oak, which 
 Mrs. Henry, as the only child of her father, inherited. 
 From May, 1668, this became his settled home, till 
 he was removed to his long home about twenty-eight 
 years after. Here he preached, as he had opportunity, 
 somewhat privately for a time ; until Providence gave 
 more enlargement, when he gathered an attached 
 congregation, over which he presided till the day of 
 his death. When he entered upon his new home, 
 having set apart a day of secret prayer and humilia- 
 tion, to beg of Grod a wise and an understanding 
 heart, and to drop a tear over the sins of his prede- 
 cessors formerly in that estate, he laid himself out 
 very much in doing good. 
 
 He was very serviceable upon all accounts in the 
 neighborhood, and though it took up a great deal of 
 his time and hindered him from his beloved studies, 
 yet it might be said of him as was said of Archbishop 
 Tillotson, that he chose rather to live to the good of 
 others than to himself ; and thought, that to do an act 
 of charity, or even of tenderness and kindness, wks 
 of more value, both in itself and in the sight of Grod, 
 than to pursue the pomp of learning, how much so- 
 ever his own genius might lead him to it. 
 
 He was very useful in the common concerns of the 
 township and county, in which he was a very pru- 
 dent counsellor. To him, as to Job, "men gave ear 
 and waited, and kept silence at" his "counsel;" 
 
114 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 "after" his "words, they spoke not again;" and 
 many of the neighbors who had too little respect for 
 him as a minister, yet loved and honored him as a 
 knowing, prudent, and wise man. In the concerns 
 of private families, he was very far from busying him- 
 self, and further, from seeking himself; but he was 
 very much busied advising many about their affairs, 
 and the disposal of themselves and their children, 
 arbitrating and settling differences among relatives 
 and neighbors, in which he had an excellent faculty 
 and often good success, inheriting the blessing entailed 
 upon the peacemakers. Eeferences have sometimes 
 been made to him by rule of court, at the assizes, 
 with consent of parties. 
 
 He was very affable and easy of access, and ad- 
 mirably patient in hearing every one's complaint, 
 which he would answer with so much prudence and 
 mildness, and give such apt advice, that many a 
 time to consult with him was to "ask counsel at 
 Abel," and so to end the matter. See 2 Sam. 20 : 18. 
 He observed in almost all quarrels that happened, that 
 there was a fault on both sides, and that generally they 
 were most in the fault that were most forward and 
 clamorous in their complaints. On occasion of a fe- 
 male making her moan to him of a bad husband she 
 had, that in this and the other instance was unkind ; 
 " and, sir," said she, after a long complaint which he 
 patiently heard, "what would you have me to do 
 now?" "Why, truly," said he, "I would have you 
 to go home and be a better wife to him, and then you 
 will find that he will be a better husband to you." 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 115 
 
 At another time, when laboring to persuade one tc 
 forgive an injury that was done him, he urged this, 
 "Are you not a Christian?" and followed that argu- 
 ment so closely that at last he prevailed. 
 
 He was very industrious, and often successful, in 
 persuading people to recsde from their right for the sake 
 of peace ; and he would for that purpose tell them Lu- 
 ther's story of the two goats that met upon a narrow 
 bridge over a deep water : they could not go back, 
 they durst not fight, but after a parley one of them 
 lay down and let the other go over him, and no harm 
 was done. And he would add, " The moral is easy. 
 Be content thy person be trod upon, for peace' sake — 
 thy person^ I say, not thy conscience^ He would 
 likewise relate sometimes a remarkable story, worthy 
 to be here inserted, concerning a good friend of his, 
 Mr. T. Yates of Whitchurch, who in his youth was 
 greatly wronged by an unjust uncle. Being an or- 
 phan, his portion, which was £200, was put into the 
 hands of that uncle, who when he grew up shuffled 
 with him, and would give him but £40 instead of 
 his £200, and he had no way of recovering his right 
 but by law ; but before he would engage in that he 
 was willing to advise with his minister, who was the 
 famous Dr. Twiss of Newbury, the Prolocutor of the 
 Assembly of Divines. The counsel which the doctor 
 gave him, all things considered, was, for peace' sake 
 and for the preventing of sin and snares and trouble, 
 to take the £40 rather than contend ; " and, Thomas," 
 said the doctor, " if thou doest so, assure thyself tha-^ 
 God will make it up to thee and thine some other 
 
116 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 way, and they that defraud thee will be the losers 
 by it at last." This advice he followed, and it pleased 
 G-od so to bless that little with which he began the 
 world, that when he died in a good old age, he left 
 his son possessed of some hundreds a year, and he 
 that wronged him fell into decay. 
 
 Many very pious, worthy families in the country 
 would say of Mr. Henry, that they had no friend like- 
 minded who naturally cared for their state and affec- 
 tionately sympathized with them, and in whom their 
 hearts could safely trust. 
 
 The interests of families generally lay near his 
 heart. Sometimes he would ask the affectionate 
 question, "Are there no families to be wept over?" 
 and answering his own question, would say, " Yes, 
 when there are none in a family, as far as we can 
 judge, spiritually alive. As in Egypt, there was 
 not a house in which there was not one dead, so 
 there are many families in which not one is alive. 
 We weep over the body from which the soul is de- 
 parted, and why not over the soul from which God 
 is departed? There are families too in which God 
 is not worshipped ; and are not those to be wept 
 over ? There are families where world liness pre- 
 vails, where all are for the wealth of the world, and 
 where there is no care for the soul. There are fam- 
 ilies where divisions reign, two against three, and 
 three against two ; and there the house is on fire — 
 the house is falling. There are families where God's 
 hand hath been by correction, and they have been 
 sensible of it ; but the correction being removed, they 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 117 
 
 are as bad as ever, or worse. These are to be wept 
 over." 
 
 He was very charitable to the poor, and was full 
 of almsdeeds which he did, as was said of Tabitha, 
 Acts 9 : 36 ; not which he said he would do, or which 
 he put others on to do, but which he did himself^ 
 dispersing abroad and giving to the poor, seeking and 
 rejoicing in opportunities of that kind. And when- 
 ever he gave alms for the body, he usually gave with 
 it spiritual alms, some good word of counsel, reproof, 
 instruction, or comfort, as there was occasion; and 
 in accommodating these to the persons to whom he 
 spoke, he had a very great dexterity. 
 
 He was very ready to lend money freely to any 
 of his poor neighbors that had occasion to borrow; 
 and would sometimes say, that in many cases there 
 was more charity in lending than in giving, because 
 it obliged the borrower both to honesty and industry. 
 When one of his neighbors to whom he had lent 
 money failed, so that he was never likely to re- 
 ceive any of it back again, he writes thus upon it : 
 *' Notwithstanding this, yet still I judge it my duty 
 to lend, nothing despairing, as Dr. Lightfoot reads 
 that passage, Luke 6 : 35. Though what is lent in 
 charity be not repaid, yet it is not lost." When 
 those who had borrowed money of him • paid him 
 again, he usually gave them back some part to en- 
 courage honesty. He judged the taking of moderate 
 interest for money lawful, where the borrower was 
 in a way of gaining by it ; but he would advise his 
 friends rather to dispose of it otherwise if they could. 
 
118 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 It must not be forgotten how punctual and exact 
 he was in all his accounts with tenants, workmen, 
 etc., being always careful to keep such things in 
 black and white, which he used to say is the surest 
 way to prevent mistakes, and a man's wronging 
 either himself or his neighbor. Such was his pru- 
 dence, and such his patience and peaceableness, that 
 all the time he was at Broad Oak, a period of nearly 
 thirty years, he never sued any, nor ever was sued, 
 but was instrumental to prevent many a vexatious 
 lawsuit among his neighbors. He used to say, " There 
 are four rules to be duly observed in going to law : 
 
 1. "We must not go to law for trifles, as he did who 
 said he would rather spend a hundred pounds in law, 
 than lose a pennyworth of his right. Matt. 5 : 39-41. 
 
 2. We must not be rash and hasty in it, but try all 
 other means possible to compose differences, wherein 
 he that yields most, as Abraham did to Lot, is the 
 better man, and there is nothing lost by it in the end. 
 1 Cor. 6:1, 2. 3. We must see that it be with- 
 out malice, or desire of revenge. If the undoing of 
 our brother be the end of our going to law, as it is 
 with many, it is certainly evil, and it results accord- 
 ingly. 4. It must be with a disposition to peace 
 whenever it may be had, and an ear open to all over- 
 tures of that kind." 
 
 He was an enemy to austerity of deportment, and 
 much enjoyed the pleasures of social intercourse. 
 "Pest-houses," he would say, "always stand alons, 
 and yet are full of infectious diseases. Solitariness 
 is no infallible argument of sanctity." It was against 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 119 
 
 the evils of society his watchfulness was directed, 
 and these he uniformly endeavored to counteract. 
 Hence, four rules he sometimes gave to be observed 
 in our converse with men, as follows : 
 
 " Have communion with few. 
 Be familiar with one. 
 Deal justly with all. 
 Speak evil of none." 
 
 He was noted for extraordinary neatness about 
 his house and grounds, which he would often say ho 
 could not endure to see like the " field of the slothful, 
 and the vineyard of the man void of understanding." 
 And it was strange how easily one that had been 
 bred up utterly a stranger to such things acquainted 
 himself with, and accommodated himself to the 
 affairs of the country, making it the diversion of his 
 vacant hours to oversee his gardens and fields, when 
 he better understood that well-known epode of Hor- 
 ace, ^^Beahis ille qui procul neg-ot 118,^^"^ than he did 
 when in his .youth he made an ingenious translation 
 of it. His care of this kind was an act of charity to 
 poor laborers whom he employed, and it was a good 
 example to his neighbors, as well as for the comfort 
 of his family. His converse likewise with these 
 things was excellently improved for spiritual pur- 
 poses by occasional meditations, hints of which there 
 are often in his diary, as those who conversed with him 
 had many in discourse. Instances of this in abun- 
 dance it would be easy to give, like the following; 
 
 ''March 20, 1661. The garden finished in time 
 
 * Happy he who, far from business, etc. 
 
120 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 of an eclipse. Lord, lift up upon me the light of thy 
 countenance, and let nothing cloud it toward my 
 soul." 
 
 '' Hawthorn sets planted, to hedge in the orchard. 
 Lord, be thou a wall of fire round about thy church, 
 and let not the wild boar out of the forest devour thy 
 tender plants." 
 
 " A tree cut up by the roots may have the leaves 
 green upon it a great while. So a people, or person, 
 devoted by Grod to ruin, may yet retain many of their 
 outward comforts for a time, but they are withering. 
 Saul, though rejected, obtained many victories." 
 
 *'As far as the boughs of a tree spread, so far 
 spread the roots. As much corruption in our actions, 
 so much in our hearts." 
 
 He used to say that many of the scripture para- 
 bles and similitudes are taken from the common 
 actions of this life, in order that when our hands are 
 employed about them our hearts may the more easily 
 pass through them to divine and heavenly things. 
 He would often blame those whose irregular zeal in 
 the profession of religion makes them neglect their 
 worldly business, and let the house drop through — 
 the affairs of which the good man will order with dis- 
 cretion. And he would tell sometimes of a religious 
 woman whose fault it was to neglect the necessary 
 affairs of her household, how she was convinced of 
 her error by means of an intelligent godly neighbor, 
 who came into the house far in the day, and found 
 the good woman in her closet and the house sadly 
 neglected, the children not tended, and the servants 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 121 
 
 not minded: ^'What," said he, ''is there no fear of 
 God in this house ?" which much startled and affected 
 the good woman, who overheard him. 
 
 Mr. Henry would often say, '' Every thing is beau- 
 tiful in its season, and it is the wisdom of the pru- 
 dent so to order the duties of their general callings as 
 Christians, and those of their particular calling in 
 the world, as that these may not clash or interfere 
 with each other." This he would illustrate by a 
 quotation from one of the fathers, who, speaking of 
 the practice of the Christians in primitive times, says, 
 "At supper, we eat and drink as those that must 
 pray before they go to bed. So should we follow 
 our callings all day as those who must pray before 
 they go to bed." And upon this he would advise, 
 "Lay not out the strength of your spirits upon 
 earthly things, but keep it for fellowship with God." 
 He maintained that a Christian ought not to engage 
 himself further in worldly business than so as still to 
 keep himself fit for prayer. And sometimes would 
 exclaim, "After the heart hath been let loose a little 
 in the world, what a hard matter is it to find itself 
 again." 
 
 One little passage from his diary in reference to 
 worldly matters should not be omitted here, because 
 it may be instructive. When he was once desired to 
 be bound for one that had upon a particular occasion 
 been bound for him, he writes, " Solomon saith, 'Ho 
 that hateth suretyship, is sure ;'- but he also saith, ' He 
 that hath friends, must show himself friendly.' " But 
 he always cautioned those who became sureties, not 
 
 Henry. 6 
 
122 REV. PHILIP HENRF. 
 
 to be bound for any more than they knew themselves 
 able to pay, nor for more than they would be willing 
 to pay if the principal fail. 
 
 His house at Broad Oak was situated by the road- 
 side, which, though it had its inconveniences, yet 
 pleased him well, because it gave his friends an 
 opportunity of calling on him the oftener. 
 
 He was a lover of good men, and such always 
 met a cordial welcome under his roof ; so that he 
 would pleasantly say sometimes, when he had his 
 Christian friends about him, that he had room for 
 twelve of them in his beds, a hundred of them in his 
 barn, and a thousand of them in his heart. 
 
 Nor was he unmindful of others ; for he spoke of 
 it with pleasure that the situation of his house also 
 gave him an opportunity of being kind to strangers, 
 and such as were any way distressed on the road, to 
 whom he was upon all occasions cheerfully ready to 
 afford relief, fully answering the apostle's character of 
 a bishop, that he must be "of good behavior," and 
 ''^ given to hospitality^^'' 1 Tim. 3;2; like Abraham, 
 sitting at his tent door in quest of opportunities to 
 do good. If he met with any poor near his house 
 and gave them alms in money, yet he would bid them 
 go to his door besides, for relief there. Being of an 
 unsuspicious disposition, his compassion and charity 
 were not unfrequently imposed upon ; but in such 
 cases he would say in the most favorable sense, 
 " Thou knowest not the heart of a stranger." If any 
 asked his charity, whose representation of their case 
 he did not like, or who he thought did amiss to take 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 123 
 
 that course, he would first give them alms and then 
 mildly reprove them, and labor to convince them that 
 they were out of the way of duty, and that they could 
 not expect that Grod should bless them in it ; and 
 would not chide them, but reason with them. And 
 as a reason for pursuing this course he would say, 
 that if he should tell them of their faults and not 
 give them alms, the reproof would look only like an 
 excuse to deny his charity, and would be rejected 
 accordingly. 
 
 In a word, his greatest care about the things of 
 this world was, how to do good with what he had, 
 and to "devise liberal things;" desiring to make no 
 other accession to his estate, but only that blessing 
 that attends beneficence. He firmly believed that 
 what is given to the poor is lent to the Lord, who 
 will pay it again in kind or kindness ; and that relig- 
 ion and piety are undoubtedly the best friends to out- 
 ward prosperity. And he found it so ; for it pleased 
 God abundantly to bless his habitation, and to "make 
 a hedge about him," and about his house, and about 
 all that he had round about. And though he did not 
 delight himself in the abundance of wealth, yet, 
 which is far better, he delighted himself in the 
 abundance of peace. Psalm 37 : 11. All that he had 
 and did observably prospered, so that the country 
 oftentimes took notice of it, and called his family one 
 which the Lord had blessed. 
 
 His comforts of this kind were, as he used to pray 
 they might be, oil to the wheels of his obedience, 
 and in the use of these things he served the Lord his 
 
124 REY. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, yet still 
 mindful of and grieved for the "affliction of Joseph." 
 He would say sometimes, when he was in the midst 
 of the comforts of this life, "All this, and heaven too! 
 Surely, then, we serve a good Master." Thus did 
 the Lord bless him and make him a blessing ; and 
 this "abundant grace, through the thanksgiving of 
 many, redounded to the glory of Grod." 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1667, Mr. Henry 
 removed to Whitchurch, and dwelt there about a 
 year, partly for the benefit of the school there for his 
 children. "While there, he buried his eldest son John, 
 when not quite six years old ; he was a child of extra- 
 ordinary promise and forwardness in learning, and of 
 a very amiable disposition. " He was remarkable," 
 his father writes, "for four things : 
 
 "Forwardness in learning; having all the three 
 requisites, apprehension, judgment, memory, even 
 beyond his age ; and also a great love to it, never 
 seeking, at any time, to stay from school. 
 
 " Tenderness of disposition. He was apt to melt 
 into tears at the least shadow of displeasure, though 
 but in a frown. 
 
 "Patience under correction; which he had not 
 often, because he did not deserve it ; and when he 
 did, his penitence prevented it, if not altogether, yet 
 in the severity of it. 
 
 "Love to his brother and sisters. When Mat- 
 thew sickened first with the measles, of which John 
 died, he went to bed with him of his own accord, 
 sooner than ordinary, and wept over him." 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 125 
 
 This child, before he was seized with the sickness 
 of which he died, was much affected with some verses 
 which he met with in Mr. White's "Power of God- 
 Hness," said to have been found in the pocket of a 
 hopeful young man who died before he was twenty- 
 four years old. Of his own accord, John committed 
 them to memory and would be often repeating them. 
 They were as follows : 
 
 ''Not twice twelve years full told, a wearied breath, 
 I have exchanged for a happy death. 
 Short was my life — the longer is my rest; 
 God takes them soonest whom he loveth best. 
 
 He that is born to-day and dies to-morrow, 
 
 Loses some hours of joy, but months of sorrow: 
 
 Other diseases often come to grieve us; 
 
 Death strikes but once, and that stroke doth relieve us."' 
 
 Many years after this great bereavement, Mr. 
 Henry said he thought he did apply to himself at 
 that time, but too sensibly, that scripture. Lam. 3 : 1, 
 *'I am the man that hath seen affliction." And he 
 would say to his friends upon such occasions, "Losers 
 think they may have leave to speak ; but they must 
 have a care what they say, lest speaking amiss, to 
 God's dishonor, they make work for repentance, and 
 shed tears that must be wept over again." He 
 observed concerning this child, that he had always 
 been very patient under rebukes, "the remembrance 
 of which," he said, "teacheth me now how to bear 
 the rebukes of my heavenly Father." His prayer 
 under this providence was, "Show me. Lord, show 
 me wherefore thou contendest with me ; have I over- 
 
126 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 boasted, overloved, overprized?" A Lord's day in- 
 tervening between the death and burial of the child, 
 he says, " I attended on public ordinances, though 
 sad in spirit ; like Job, who, after all the evil tidings 
 that were brought him, whereof death of children 
 was the last and heaviest, yet fell down and wor- 
 shipped." And he would often say upon such 
 occasions, that weeping must not hinder sowing. 
 
 Upon the interment of the child, he writes, "My 
 dear child, now mine no longer, was laid in the cold 
 earth, not lost, but soon to be raised again a glorious 
 body ; I shall go to him, but he shall not return to 
 me." A few days after, his dear friend Mr. Law- 
 rence, then living in Whitchurch parish, buried a 
 daughter, that was grown up and very hopeful, and 
 gave good evidence of a work of grace wrought upon 
 her soul. ''How willing," said he, "may parents be 
 to part with such when the Lord calls ; they are not 
 sent away from us, but sent before us." And he has 
 this further remark : " The Lord hath made his poor 
 servants, that have been often companions in his 
 work, now companions in tribulation, the very same 
 tribulation — me for my sin, him for his trial." 
 
 In reference to this affliction, the following pas- 
 sage occurs in his diary, a long time afterwards : 
 "April 12, 1681. This day fourteen years the Lord 
 took my first-born son from me, the beginning of my 
 strength, with a stroke. In the remembrance where- 
 of my heart melted this evening. I begged pardon 
 for the Jonah that raised the storm. I blessed the 
 Lord that hath spared the rest. I begged mercy, 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 127 
 
 mercy for every one of them ; and absolutely and 
 unreservedly devoted and dedicated them, myself, 
 my whole self, estate, interest, life, to the will and 
 service of that Grod from whom I received all. Father, 
 hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 
 will be done." 
 
 Soon after Mr. Henry's settlement at Broad Oak 
 he took a young scholar into his house, partly to teach 
 his son, and partly to be a companion to himself, to 
 converse with him, and to receive help and instruc- 
 tion from him ; and for many years he was seldom 
 without one or another such, who, before their going 
 to the university, or in the intervals of their attend- 
 ance there, would be in his family, sitting under his 
 shadow. And it was observed, that several young 
 men who had sojourned with him, and were very 
 hopeful and likely to be serviceable to their generation, 
 died soon after their removal from him ; as if Grod 
 had sent them to him to be prepared for another 
 world, before they were called out of this ; but none 
 of them died while they were with him. 
 
 It was also about the same time that he con- 
 tracted an intimate friendship with that learned, pious, 
 and judicious gentleman, Mr. Hunt of Boreatton, 
 and with his excellent lady, Frances, daughter of Lord 
 Paget. The acquaintance then begun between IVIr. 
 Henry and that worthy family continued to his dying 
 day, about thirty years. One Lord's day in a quarter 
 of a year he commonly spent with them, besides other 
 interviews. And it was a constant source of rejoicing 
 to him to see religion and the power of godliness 
 
128 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 uppermost, in such a family as that, when not many 
 mighty, not many nohle, are called, and the branches 
 of it ^'branches of righteousness, the planting of the 
 Lord." Several of the honorable relations of that 
 family contracted a very great respect for him, par- 
 ticularly the next Lord Paget, who was for some time 
 ambassador at the Ottoman court, and Sir Henry 
 Ashurst, who will be frequently mentioned in the 
 subsequent pages. 
 
 In the year 1671, Mr. Henry took a journey 
 to London, the object of which does not appear ; 
 but it does appear that he was busy about his 
 divine Master's business, preaching the word of life 
 frequently, as he had opportunity. While absent 
 he was overtaken with sickness, and wrote in his 
 diary, 
 
 " Sept. 1. This evening I was ill." 
 
 " Sept. 2. Attempted to keep the annual fast this 
 day, in remembrance of the dreadful fire of London, 
 A. D. 1666 ; but strength failed : to will was present, 
 but to do was not. Thanks is also to be given for 
 the strange and wonderful rebuilding of it in so short 
 a time ; which, but that my eyes saw, I could hardly 
 have believed. I had the sentence of death within 
 myself, and was in some measure willing to die at 
 that time, and in that place, though a stranger, had 
 God seen good ; but a reprieve came." 
 
 On the 18th of the same month he reached home, 
 and shortly after maintained a day of family thanks- 
 giving, for mercies vouchsafed to himself and his 
 loved ones during Irs absence. 
 
\^^ OK THE ^ 
 
 RESIDENCE AT BROAD (|Vi'k>^ * ^ "^itS 
 
 0.i-< ^ K^ . 
 
 This visit to London, and partioul^t^^j^^afEQffii^ i-^^ 
 position which has heen mentioned, gave rise to a 
 letter, which, viewed as an illustration of character, 
 is too interesting to be omitted. 
 
 "September 6, 1671. 
 
 "My dear Husband — I received your last yester- 
 day, and am grieved to hear of your being ill. The 
 children and family are well, blessed be Grod, and 
 myself as well as I can be while in fear that you are 
 ill. I have given up all my interest in you to my 
 heavenly Father, and am laboring to be ready for evil 
 tidings, which, if it be, God knows how I shall bear 
 it. I shall expect, between hope and fear, till to- 
 morrow night ; and whatever the issue may be, labor 
 to justify God. Yet I hope to hear of your coming, 
 and when it will be, in your next. My dear heart, 
 the Lord be with you and send us a happy meeting ; 
 so prayeth your 
 
 "Faithful and loving wife, 
 
 *' CATHARINE HENRY." 
 
 "Whenever a course of religious lectures was deliv- 
 ered in the country round, Mr. Henry was generally 
 requested to begin them, which was thought no small 
 encouragement to those who were to carry them on ; 
 and he was very happy both in the choice and in the 
 management of his subjects at such opportunities, 
 seeking to find out acceptable words. 
 
 He once began such a course with a sermon on 
 Heb. 12:15. "I assure you," he said, "and God is 
 my witness, I am not come to preach either sedition 
 
 6* 
 
130 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 against the peace of the state, or schism against the 
 peace of the church, by persuading you to this or that 
 opinion or party; hut as a minister of Christ, that 
 hath received mercy from the Lord to desire to he 
 faithful, my errand is to exhort you to all possible 
 seriousness in the great business of your eternal sal- 
 vation, according to my text — ^which if the Lord will 
 make as profitable to you as it is material and of 
 weight in itself, neither you nor I shall have cause to 
 repent our coming hither and our being here to-day, 
 looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of 
 G-od. If it were the last sermon I were to preach, I 
 did not know how to take my aim better to do you 
 good." 
 
 Another lecture, which was delivered not long 
 after, shall be added more at length. The text was 
 Jeremiah 6 : 16 : '' Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in 
 the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where 
 is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find 
 rest for your souls." 
 
 " The first words, ' Thus saith the Lord,'' should 
 be sufficient to engage attention ; for wherever Grod 
 has a mouth to speak, we should have an ear to hear. 
 Here he looks upon the children of men as a company 
 of travellers out of the way ; he calls after them, 
 Come to me ; I will put you in a better way. The 
 way is Christ. John 14 : 4, 5, 6. 
 
 "The ways of religion, like others, have an en- 
 trance — the strait gate. They are hedged in with 
 the commandments of G-od. They are tracked by 
 others who have gone before, and they have an end — 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 131 
 
 life and salvation. The way of godliness is the old 
 way, and it is the will of God that we should walk 
 in it. It is also a ^ood way, and those who walk in 
 it shall find rest, 
 
 *'Many look upon these ways to be upstart, and 
 the way of sin to be old. It is true, the way of sin 
 has been of long standing, and in it we all set out ; 
 but the way of godliness is older. The devil was 
 not up so soon but Grod was up before him. Eccles. 
 7 : 29. 
 
 '' There are four remarkable periods of time — two 
 concerning the old world, and two concerning the 
 new ; but in both godliness had the start. 
 
 " The first period of the old world was when Adam 
 was created. He was made upright, and walked in 
 uprightness. The way of religion was the first way. 
 The second period was in Noah's time, sixteen hundred 
 years after. The old world was filthy and vile, and 
 it was drowned ; eight persons were saved to be the 
 seed of the new. Then godliness got the ascendency ; 
 Noah walked with God^ so did Abraham, and Isaac, 
 and Jacob. 
 
 " The first period of the new world was in the 
 days of the incarnation. Jesus was the great exem- 
 plar. There were also his apostles, divers holy men 
 and holy women. Inquire how they walked. The 
 second period may be dated at the Reformation. Be- 
 tween the apostles' time and Luther's there was a 
 great apostasy ; but Grod raised him up, and the Spirit 
 was then working. Many were eminent for piety 
 and strict and holy walking. This was the way of 
 
132 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the blessed martyrs in the days of Queen Mary, and 
 of the good old Puritans in the days of Queen Eliza- 
 beth and King James, some of whom some of us have 
 known. Oh, walk in their way. Nay, it may bo 
 you may be referred to your own old ways — ^not your 
 first, they were wicked ; but ask. What were my 
 ways when first converted? Most Christians have 
 their ^r5^ love, and too many leave it. 
 
 " The way of doctrinal faith is a good old way. 
 The Papists ask us in scorn, where our religion was 
 before Luther. We answer, It was where theirs 
 was not, before or since, namely, in the word of G-od. 
 We must try all doctrines by the Scripture. Those 
 doctrines are likely to be according to truth and not 
 error, which abase man and lift up God. 
 
 " The way of divine worship, in all the ordinances, 
 is a good old way. The way of f^abbath religion is 
 as old as paradise. Gen. 2:1, 2. Adam kept the 
 Sabbath. The disciples kept the Sabbath, and Christ 
 appeared to them again and again. John 20 : 19, 26. 
 They remained till midnight praying and preaching. 
 John was ' in the Spirit on the Lord's day.' This 
 was the way of the old Puritans ; they were up early 
 on the Sabbath morning, diligent in the ways of God, 
 and went far in denying lawful liberties. Many suf- 
 fered much against the proclamation for sports on 
 that day. But now there is a new way. Many look 
 upon family worship as an upstart ; but it was in 
 Adam's family, in Noah's, in Abraham's, Isaac's, and 
 Jacob's. Abraham catechized his family. Gen. 
 18 : 18. In the New Testament we read of the 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 133 
 
 church in the house, of famihes walking together 
 hand in hand in heaven's way. As for pubUc wor- 
 ship, ' Then began men to call upon the name of the 
 Lord,' G-en. 4 : 26," that is, publicly ; or, then men 
 began to be called by it, to make profession. In 
 the New Testament we read, that they continued 
 steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, 
 and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2 : 42. 
 The old Puritans saw many corruptions in worship, 
 yet they waited upon God in it. 
 
 " The way of holiness and close-walking is a good 
 old way ; as old as Adam before he fell, as Enoch, as 
 Noah. The primitive Christians so walked, not only 
 in ways of worship, but in all manner of obedience. 
 Heb. 11 : 5. The way to please G-od is to walk with 
 him. 
 
 *' The way of heavenly-mindedness and contempt 
 of the world is a good way. The patriarchs lived like 
 pilgrims — here to-day, and gone to-morrow. So the 
 primitive Christians. Acts 4 : 37. How many pro- 
 fessors now live otherwise, as if they had a mind to 
 have the world for their portion. 
 
 " The way of plainness and simplicity is a good 
 old way. In it Jacob walked, and Nathaniel, and 
 the old Protestants and Puritans. 
 
 " The way of peaceableness and patience under 
 the cross, is a good old way. The martyrs prayed 
 for the queen. The old Christians ^took joyfully 
 the spoiling of their goods.' This is according to rule : 
 ' Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.' 
 
 " The way of brokenness and tenderness of heart 
 
134 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 is a good way, the way of godly sorrow for sin. I 
 have heard an old Christian say, ' I think Christians 
 do not come in at the same door that we did, for we 
 were long under terrors of conscience, sound humili- 
 ation, before we tasted joy ; but now it is otherwise. 
 I fear, lightly come, lightly go.' This made them 
 more watchful. 
 
 " The way of brotherly kindness, and love one to 
 another, is a good old way, the way of unity and 
 unanimity. See how they love one another, was the 
 old remark ; but now. See how they hate one another, 
 what strangeness and distance. There is no telling 
 one another's experience, but jealousies and heart- 
 burnings. Acts 2 : 46, 47. The way of love is called 
 the old commandment and the new, 1 John, 2 : 7 — 
 old, because from the beginning ; new, because a 
 new edition of it, a new example in Christ and the 
 apostles, and a new argument to enforce it. 
 
 '^ Oh, love this old religion ; strive to excel one 
 another in good ways. You have a cloud of wit- 
 nesses. You have Jesus Christ, who was a traveller 
 in this way. Endeavor to make this new bad world 
 like the old good one. There is a promise of a new 
 heaven and a new earth. Be earnest with Grod to 
 hasten it, and endeavor in your own practice to hasten 
 his coming." 
 
 Of a lecture delivered on a special occasion in 
 the neighborhood of Broad Oak, we have the follow- 
 ing outline. His text was Job 13 : 26 : " For thou 
 writest bitter things against me, and makest me to 
 possess the iniquities of my youth." 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 135 
 
 '' Considering Job as a good man, it may be noted, 
 that even against such Grod sometimes writes bitter 
 things. Regarding him as an old man, it is observ- 
 able that youthful sins are sometimes the smart of 
 old age ; they are so when G-od is pleased to makt 
 us ' possess' them. Viewing him as an afflicted man, 
 we are taught that times of affliction are times of 
 smart often for forgotten sins. Job was a remarkable 
 instance. He was perfect and upright, one that 
 feared God and eschewed evil ; and yet, against him 
 bitter things were written, or as the word is, bitter- 
 nesses. Many others of God's dear saints and ser- 
 vants have drank, in their several ages and genera- 
 tions, of the same cup, though some deeper than 
 others ; and Job as deep as any. God had one Son, 
 and but one, without sin, but none without sufferings. 
 He * who knew no sin,' was ' a man of sorrows, and 
 acquainted with grief.' 
 
 "Against Job, as against others, were written 
 bitter things of affliction. He was afflicted in his 
 estate, in all his family relations, in his servants, in 
 his children, in his wife, and in his body. He en- 
 dured the bitter things of persecution. His friends 
 sharply and severely censured him ; they charged 
 him with the blackest crimes and enormities — called 
 him wicked, a hypocrite, an oppressor. Job 19 : 13. 
 This was the more grievous because they were good 
 men ; as for the jeers and scoffs of the multitude, he 
 made nothing of them. To be 'the song of the drunk- 
 ard' was nothing, but that grave, wise, knowing, 
 religious persons should combine to vilify him was 
 
136 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Litter indeed ; especially considering that they were 
 his friends, from whom he expected different treat- 
 ment. Psalm 55 : 12. When G-od lets loose our 
 "brethren to persecute us, either with hands, or tongues, 
 or both, in our names, liberties, livelihoods, and that 
 without cause, only that we will not say as they say, 
 where our conscience tells us they say amiss, these 
 are bitter things. 
 
 ' ' He suffered also the bitterness of desertion. This, 
 by what goes before in the twenty-fourth verse, should 
 seem especially to be meant. Whatever his professed 
 enemies had done against him, or his professed friends 
 had said against him — whatever losses, crosses, calam- 
 ities, or distempers, had befallen him, if God had 
 appeared as his friend all had been well, the burden 
 would have been light. But for God at the same 
 time to appear as an enemy — to take him by the 
 collar and shake him — ^to withdraw the light of his 
 countenance, and to leave him in darkness and horror, 
 must have been grievous indeed. This made him 
 cry out, ' Thou writest bitter things against me.' 
 This put a sting into all the rest ; the fire was the 
 fire of God. Job 1 : 16. 
 
 '' The phrase, ' writest bitter things,' intimates 
 deliberation, duration, and determination. The allu- 
 sion, some think, is to a judge or magistrate, to the 
 king or his secretary, signing an order for the appre- 
 hending, arraigning, executing a malefactor. * Lord, 
 there could nothing have been done against me but by 
 thy warrant, and that thou hast granted ; not a verbal 
 order only, but a written warrant under hand and seal 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 137 
 
 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks.' Thus G-od 
 deals with others also of his dearest children. 
 
 " And it is not because he hates them, but be- 
 cause he loves them. It is hard to reconcile bitter 
 things with the love of G-od, but they are reconcil- 
 able. Job was greatly beloved, even when he was 
 sitting upon a dunghill ; and so it appeared after- 
 wards. The sun broke out from behind a cloud. 
 See chapter 42 : 7, 8, etc. He is called again and 
 again, ' My servant Job.' See Rev. 3 : 19. 
 
 " Nor is it to hurt them, but to do them good. 
 This also is hard to be believed, but it is so. Heb. 
 12 : 10. It is like a bitter recipe under the hand of 
 a skilful physician. 
 
 "It is done to purge out their corruptions. That 
 which doeth this is certainly for good. Is it not ? 
 Doth not thy soul really think so? Is it not the 
 thing thou art praying for and longing for every day ? 
 as Paul, Rom. 7 : 24. Now, afflictions, persecutions, 
 desertions, are marvellously useful this way. As 
 aloes and such like purgatives, though bitter, are 
 beneficial to the body, so are these things to the soul. 
 Isa. 27 : 9 ; 48 : 10. 'I have refined thee ; I have 
 chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.' The refer- 
 ence is especially to captivity in Babylon, when very 
 bitter things were written against them; but they 
 were thus cured of their idolatries. See Psa. 119 : 67. 
 
 "It is done to purify and brighten their graces. 
 We had never heard of the famous patience of Job, 
 but for the bitter things which were written against 
 him. His tribulations worked patience. The remark 
 
138 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 applies to the courage and fortitude of holy Jacoh — 
 to the meekness and humility, the constancy and 
 perseverance of David, when Saul persecuted him. 
 These bitter things are like frosts in winter, which, 
 when clothes are laid out all night, whiten them. 
 Dan. 12 : 10. 
 
 "It is done by G-od to imbitter sin, and to make 
 himself sweet to them. Afflictions put us in mind of 
 the past, of the sins of youth. And is not the remem- 
 brance bitter ? Zech. 12 : 10. They render the present 
 pleasures of sin distasteful ; whatever they have been 
 formerly, they are now insipid ; and we never know 
 what a friend God is, till we have tried him in adver- 
 sity. He is a friend to whom we may safely and 
 freely unbosom ourselves in hearty prayer. He is a 
 friend at hand to support us when we cast our bur- 
 den upon him. Psalm 55 : 22. Then he affords his 
 choicest visits. He is a friend to save and deliver us 
 out of our trials ; that he can do, and he doth and 
 will do it. Now this we know, at other times, doc- 
 trinally ; but in affliction, we know its use and appli- 
 cation. 
 
 "It is done to imbitter earth, and make heaven 
 sweet. Though the world be that to us which Sod- 
 om was to Lot, a place of trouble and temptation 
 and vexation, yet, like him, we are loath to go out of 
 it till it be fired about our ears ; then we can say, 
 farewell. Bitter things are to us what wormwood is 
 to the breast, for the weaning of little children. 
 Heaven to an afflicted saint is heaven indeed ; it is 
 as the sunshine after a storm. How pleasant is rest 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 139 
 
 after labor. The blessed angels find not that sweet- 
 ness which the samts do, because no bitter things 
 were ever written against them. 
 
 "We must not therefore think, concerning the 
 * fiery trial,' personal or public, that may at any time 
 try us, * as though some strange thing happened.' It 
 is the common road, the highway. We must not 
 thence infer that we are not Grod's children, or are 
 not beloved of him. Such thoughts are apt to arise. 
 Isa. 49 : 14. 
 
 '^ ' But,' say you, ' my afflictions are extraordinary 
 for kind and for continuance.' And were not Jonah's ? 
 Was ever any one so afflicted before, to be coffined 
 alive in the belly of a fish in the depths of the sea ? 
 And yet he was beloved of God. And were not the 
 Jews' afflictions extraordinary for continuance, when 
 they were seventy years captives in Babylon ? Yet 
 they were the Lord's dear people, nay, his only 
 people. 
 
 " Sometimes the love of Grod is questioned because 
 persons are without affliction, and a conclusion is 
 drawn that they are ' bastards, and not sons.' Alas, 
 what would we have the great Grod to do ? But as 
 we must not make wrong inferences concerning our- 
 selves, so neither must we concerning others ; as if, 
 because G-od is pleased in his providence to write bit- 
 ter things against them, therefore they are none of 
 his. G-od hath been a great while writing bitter 
 things against the Protestant churches. How long 
 have they been afflicted, ' tossed with tempests, and 
 not comforted I' Yet certainly he hath mercy in 
 
140 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 store. So also against his ministers and people . in 
 these three nations, bitter things have been written ; 
 though, blessed be his name, not without some 
 mixture. The same is true as to particular persons. 
 Now, when the arrow is fixed in the deer's side, the 
 rest of the herd thrust him from them. But we must 
 not do so. Take heed how ye act at such a time. 
 Times of affliction are critical times. They are called 
 trials, because they find what metal we are of. 
 
 " Do not you write bitter things against God, 
 while he is writing them against you. Be sure you 
 entertain no hard thoughts of him, of his love, wis- 
 dom, faithfulness, or providence. Say, 'AH is well 
 that God doeth.' Neither write nor speak bitter 
 things against instruments. Remarkable is that of 
 David concerning Shimei, 2 Sam. 16. Look to the 
 bitter root that is in you, the corrupt nature, that it 
 bring forth no gall, nor wormwood, as at such a time 
 it is apt to do. There should be no murmuring, no 
 repining, no complaining. There is great danger in 
 this respect. When the water is over the fire, it is 
 very apt to send forth its filthy scum. 
 
 *' Labor to answer the ends before-mentioned. Is 
 love at the bottom, notwithstanding? Then let us 
 love him. Doth he design to do us good ? Does he 
 aim, by weaning us from the world and its enjoy- 
 ments, to win us to himself, and to make us long to 
 be with him ? Then let it have that effect. Sancti- 
 fied afflictions are good promotions, that is, when 
 they further us in sanctification. Believe and pray 
 and wait, and erelong God will arise for deliverance 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 141 
 
 and salvation. There is no such remedy against in- 
 ordinate dejections and despondencies, in an afliicted 
 condition, as a lively faith and a lively prayer. Psalm 
 27 : 13 ; 42 ; 43 : 5 ; James 5 : 13. To bring us on our 
 knees is one end, sometimes, wherefore God afflicts. 
 See 2 Sam. 14:29, 30. 
 
 " Those of you against whom God writes, at pres- 
 ent, sweet things, and not hitter, should be very 
 thankful. His ways towards you in this respect are 
 distinguishing ; with some he deals otherwise. Be 
 very faithful ; summer-time is fruit-bearing time. 
 While he is doing for you, you should be doing for 
 him, improving opportunities. Be very merciful and 
 pitiful ; * remembering those who are in bonds, as 
 bound with them.' Be very watchful. Expect and 
 prepare for changes. 
 
 "Let the whole be applied in the words of the 
 apostle, ' For the time is come, that judgment must 
 begin at the house of God : and if it first begin at us, 
 what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel 
 of God V If God write such bitter things against his 
 Jobs, what will he write against the Cains, Pharaohs, 
 Ahabs, Judases, of the world ? Take heed that none 
 of you be such. 2 Cor. 5 : 11." 
 
 His heart was wonderfully enlarged in his work 
 at this period ; and God remarkably owned him, by 
 giving him many seals to his ministry. In the spring 
 and summer of 1673, he preached at Broad Oak upon 
 the parable of the prodigal son, about forty sermons, 
 in which it pleased the Lord wonderfully to assist and 
 succeed him. Many who got good to their souls by 
 
142 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 those sermons, earnestly desired they should be pub- 
 lished, and he was almost persuaded ; but his modesty 
 proved invincible, and it was never done. In the fol- 
 lowing year he preached on the several articles of the 
 new covenant, from Heb. 8 : 10, etc. 
 
 On the 3d of March, 1677, being Saturday night, 
 the town of Wem, in Shropshire, about six miles from 
 him, was burnt down. The church, the market-house, 
 and about one hundred and twenty-six dwelling- 
 houses, together with one man, were destroyed by the 
 conflagration in little more than an hour's time, the 
 wind being exceedingly violent. On the occurrence 
 of this calamity, Mr. Henry was very helpful to his 
 friends there, both for their support under, and their 
 improvement of this sad providence. 
 
 It was but about half a year before, that a threat- 
 ening fire had broken out in that town, but did little 
 hurt. Some serious people there presently after cel- 
 ebrated a thanksgiving for their deliverance, in which 
 Mr. Henry imparted to them a spiritual gift, from 
 Zech. 3:2: "Is not this a brand plucked out of the 
 fire ?" In the close of that sermon, pressing them, 
 from the consideration of that remarkable deliverance, 
 to personal reformation and amendment of life ; that 
 those who had been proud, covetous, passionate, liars, 
 swearers, drunkards, sabbath-breakers, would be so 
 no more ; and urging upon them the admonition in 
 Ezra 9 : 13, 14, he added, " If this providence have 
 not this effect upon you, you may in reason expect 
 another fire ; for when Grod judge th, he will over- 
 come." And he reminded them of the twenty-sixth 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 143 
 
 chapter of the book of Leviticus, where it is so often 
 threatened against those who walk contrary to God, 
 that he would " punish them yet seven times more." 
 The remembrance of this could not but be affecting, 
 when, in so short a time after, the whole town was laid 
 in ruins. To improve this catastrophe, he preached to 
 the inhabitants from Hos. 6:1: " Come, let us return 
 unto the Lord, for he hath torn — ." And at the return 
 of the year, when the town was in rebuilding, he 
 gave them another very suitable sermon, from Prov. 
 3 : 33 : '' The curse of the Lord is in the house of the 
 wicked ; but he blesseth the habitation of the just." 
 "Though it be rising again," says he in his diary, 
 *'out of its ashes, yet the burning of it should not be 
 forgotten, especially not the sin that kindled it." He 
 often prayed for them, that the fire might be a refin- 
 ing fire. 
 
 In the course of his ministry at Broad Oak, dur- 
 ing the years 1677-79, he preached on the ten com- 
 mandments, and largely opened, from other texts of 
 Scripture, the duties required, and the sins forbidden, 
 in each commandment. For though none delighted 
 more than he in preaching Christ and gospel-grace, 
 yet he knew that Christ came not to destroy the law 
 and the prophets, but to fulfil; and that though, 
 through grace, we are not under the law as a covenant, 
 yet we are under it as a rule — " under the law to 
 Christ." He was very large and particular in press- 
 ing second-table duties, as essential to Christianity. 
 ''We have known those," said he, ''that have called 
 preaching on such subjects, 'good moral preaching;' 
 
144 EEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 but let them call it what they will, I am sure it is 
 necessary, and as much so now as ever." How earnest- 
 ly would he press upon the people the necessity of 
 righteousness and honesty in their whole conversation. 
 "A good Christian," he used to say, "will be a good 
 husband, and a good father, and a good master, and 
 a good subject, and a good neighbor, and so in other 
 relations." How often would he urge to this purpose, 
 that "it is the will and command of the great Grod, 
 the character of all the citizens of Zion, the beauty 
 and ornament of our Christian profession, and the 
 surest way to thrive and prosper in the world. Hones- 
 ty is the best policy. These are things in which the 
 children of this world are competent judges. They 
 that know not what belongs to faith and repentance 
 and prayer, yet know what belongs to the making of 
 an honest bargain ; they are also parties concerned, 
 and oftentimes are themselves careful in these things ; 
 and therefore those who profess religion should walk 
 very circumspectly, that the name of God and his 
 doctrine be not blasphemed, nor religion wounded 
 through their sides." 
 
 How sensible he was of the dislike frequently felt 
 to practical preaching, as well as of the importance 
 of such preaching, appears in the following extract. 
 Having explained, in a course of sermons, the Re- 
 deemer's sayings, as recorded in the fifth, sixth, and 
 seventh chapters of Matthew, he pressed, in his last 
 discourse, the importance and the necessity of doings 
 as well as hearing, from the divine assurance that a 
 stormy day is coming shortly, when hearers only will 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 145 
 
 be found fools, and suffer loss ; whereas hearers and 
 doers will be owned for wise people, and will have 
 the comfort of it. '' ' What an ado,' some one will 
 object, ' is here about doing, doing !' If I had preach- 
 ed these sermons, I know where, I had certainly been 
 called a legal preacher, if not a Papist, a Jesuit, a 
 preacher of works ; and some would have said, ' We 
 will never hear him again.' If to preach on these 
 things be legal preaching, then our Lord himself was 
 a legal preacher ; for you see they were his sayings 
 all along that I took for my text to each sermon. Such 
 a preacher as he was may I be, in my poor measure. 
 I cannot write after a better copy. I cannot tread 
 in better steps. His sayings must be done, as well as 
 heard, that we may answer his end in saying them, 
 which was to promote holiness — ^that we may approve 
 ourselves his true kindred, that Grod may be glorified — 
 that our profession may be beautified, and that our 
 building may stand. But they must be done aright > 
 The tree must be good. All must be done by faith, 
 and in the name of the Lord Jesus, Heb. 11 : 6 ; 
 Col. 3 : 17 ; with evenness and constancy ; with hu- 
 mility and self-denial; in charity, and with perse- 
 verance and continuance. 
 
 " Do all you do as those who are under a covenant 
 of grace ; which, though it requires perfect, yet ac- 
 cepts of sincere obedience. While the hand is doing, 
 let the eye be looking at Jesus Christ, both for assis- 
 tance and acceptance. This is the life of faith. Be 
 resolved in duty. Look often at the recompense of 
 reward." 
 
116 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Thus he preached, and his constant practice was 
 a comment upon it. "When he was discoursing on the 
 ninth commandment, he was more than ordinarily 
 enlarged in the pressing of one thing, namely, "to 
 speak evil of no man," from Titus 3 : 2. He gave it 
 as a rule, " If we can say no good of persons, we must 
 say nothing of them. We must never speak of any 
 one's faults to others, till we have first spoken of them 
 to the offender himself" And he was himself an 
 eminent example in this matter. Some that conversed 
 much with him, said that they never heard him 
 speak evil of any body ; nor could he bear to hear any 
 evil spoken of, but often drove away a backbiting 
 tongue with an angry countenance. He used to say, 
 "He that backbites with his tongue wounds four at 
 once : he wounds the good name of his neighbor, 
 which is dearer to him than the apple of his eye ; 
 he wounds the name of God, for religion suffers when 
 those who profess it thus backbite each other ; he 
 wounds his own soul, brings the guilt of a great sin 
 upon his own soul, which he must certainly answer 
 for ; he wounds love in him that hears it, so that the 
 esteem of his brother is lessened." Mr. Henry was 
 known to be as faithful a patron of offenders before 
 others, as he was a faithful reprover of them to them- 
 selves. 
 
 Whenever he preached of moral duties, he would 
 always have something of Christ in his sermon: 
 either his life, as the great pattern of the duty ; or 
 his love, as the great motive of it ; or his merit, as 
 making atonement for the neglect of it. Thus, in 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 147 
 
 pressing moral duties, he observed, "To an accept- 
 able act of obedience, it is necessary that the prin- 
 ciple be right, which is a habit of true grace in the 
 heart. There must also be a knowledge of, and re- 
 spect to the will of Grod, as well as freedom, cheer- 
 fulness, and delight in doing it, in opposition to forced 
 obedience. We are not to be dragged to duty as a 
 bear to the stake, but we are to do it voluntarily and 
 pleasantly. There must also be faith in Jesus Christ, 
 both for strength to do, and for acceptance when we 
 have done. And withal, a single eye to God's glory." 
 
 In the year 1680, he preached upon the doctrines 
 of faith and repentance from several texts of Scripture. 
 He used to say, that he had been told concerning the 
 famous Mr. Dod, a godly and devoted minister who 
 died in 1645, at the age of 96, that some called 
 him in scorn, "Faith and Repentance," because he 
 insisted so much upon those two themes in all his 
 preaching. "But," said he, "if this is to be vile, I 
 will be yet more vile ; for faith and repentance are 
 all in all in Christianity." 
 
 That year also, and the year 1681, he preached 
 on the duties of hearing the word, and prayer : of 
 the former, from the parable of the four sorts of 
 ground ; of the latter, from the Lord's prayer, in above 
 thirty excellent and elaborate discourses. He looked 
 upon the Lord's prayer as not only a directory or 
 pattern for prayer, but as proper to be used as a form ; 
 and accordingly he often used it both in public and 
 in his family. He also subsequently preached on the 
 Old Testament types of Christ, real and personal ; 
 
148 REV. PHILIP HENRY, 
 
 twelve of each ; and the principal passages in the 
 history of Christ's last sufferings. He concluded the 
 repetition sermon on the real types, in which he 
 briefly recapitulated the twelve topics, as follows : 
 
 " Thus I have endeavored to break these shells, 
 that you may come at the kernel. "What have we 
 need of, that is not to be had in Christ, the marrow 
 of all these bones ? In him we have an ark against 
 a deluge, a ram to be slain for us, a ladder to get to 
 heaven by, a lamb to take away our sins, manna to 
 feed us, water out of the rock to refresh us, a brazen 
 serpent to heal us, purification blood to cleanse us, a 
 scape-goat to carry our sins into a land of forgetful- 
 ness, a city of refuge to fly to, a temple to pray in, 
 an altar to sanctify all our gifts. Lo, Christ is all 
 this, and infinitely more, therefore we need to look 
 for no other." 
 
 In conducting public worship, he usually read and 
 expounded a chapter in the Old Testament in the 
 morning service, and in the New Testament in the 
 afternoon. He looked upon the public reading of the 
 Scriptures as an ordinance of Grod, and thought it 
 tended very much to the edification of people by that 
 ordinance, to have what is read expounded to them. 
 The bare reading of the word he used to compare to 
 the throwing of a net into the water ; but the expound- 
 ing of it is like the spreading out of that net, w^hich 
 makes it the more likely to catch fish ; especially as 
 he managed it with practical, profitable observations. 
 Some that heard him read a chapter with this thought 
 in their minds when he began, "How will he make 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 149 
 
 such a chapter as this useful to us ?" were surprised 
 with such pertinent, useful instructions, as they were 
 constrained to own were as much for their edification 
 as any sermon. And commonly, when he had ex- 
 pounded a chapter, he would desire them, when they 
 went home, to read it over, and recollect some of 
 those things that had been spoken to them out of it. 
 
 The variety and vivacity of his public services 
 made them exceedingly pleasant to all that joined 
 with him, who never had cause to complain of his 
 being tedious. He used to say, " Every minute of 
 Sabbath time is precious, and none of it to be lost ; 
 and that ho scarcely thought the Lord's day well 
 spent, if he were not weary in body at night — wearied 
 ivith his work, but not weary of it, as he used to 
 distinguish. He would say sometimes to those about 
 him, when he had gone through the duties of a Sab- 
 bath, '^ Well, if this be not the way to heaven, I do 
 not know what is." In pressing people to number 
 their days, he would especially exhort them to num- 
 ber their Sabbath-days, how many they have been, 
 and how ill they have been spent; how few it is 
 likely they may be, that they may be spent better ; 
 and to help in the account, he would say, that for 
 every twenty years of our lives, we enjoy above a 
 thousand Sabbaths, which must all be accounted for 
 in the day of reckoning. 
 
 As to his constant preaching, it was very sub- 
 stantial and thorough. He used to say he could not 
 starch his preaching, that is, he would not ; as know- 
 ing, that where the language and expression is stiff 
 
150 E.EV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 and forced and fine, as they call it, it doth not reach 
 the greatest part of the hearers. When he grew old, 
 Jie would say, surely he might now take a greater 
 liherty to talk in the pulpit, that is, to speak familiarly 
 to the people ; yet to the last he abated not in his 
 preparations, nor ever delivered any thing crude and 
 undigested ; much less anything unbecoming the grav- 
 ity and seriousness of the work. If his preaching 
 was talking, it was talking to the purpose. His ser- 
 mons were not commonplace, but even when his sub- 
 jects were the most plain and trite, yet his manage- 
 ment of them was usually peculiar and surprising. 
 He usually kept a method for subjects, and was very 
 seldom above one Sabbath upon a text. And his 
 constant practice was, when he concluded a subject 
 that he had been a good while upon, to spend one 
 Sabbath in a brief rehearsal of the marrow and sub- 
 stance of the previous sermons; which he called 
 clenching the nail, that it might be "as a nail in a 
 sure place." In the latter times of his ministry, he 
 would often contrive the heads of his sermons to begin 
 with the same letter, but he did not at all seem to 
 affect or force it; only if it fell in naturally and 
 easily, he thought it a good help to memory, and of 
 use, especially to the young. And he would say the 
 chief reason why he did it was, because it is fre- 
 quently observed in the Scripture, particularly in the 
 book of Psalms. And though it be not a fashionable 
 ornament of discourse, if it be a scriptural ornament 
 that is sufficient to recommend it, or at least to 
 justify it against the imputation of childishness. 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 151 
 
 But the excellency of his sermons lay chiefly in the 
 enlargements, which were always very solid, grave, 
 and judicious ; and in expressing and marshalling his 
 heads, he often condescended below his own judg- 
 ment, to help his hearers' memories. Of some of his 
 subjects, when he had finished them, he made a short 
 summary in rhyme, a verse or two for each Sabbath's 
 work, and gave them out in writing among the young 
 people of his congregation, many of whom wrote 
 them, and learned them, and profited by them. A 
 little before he died, he said he scarcely knew what 
 subject to choose that he had not preached upon 
 already. 
 
 He constantly celebrated the solemn ordinance of 
 the Lord's supper in his congregation once a month, 
 and always to a very considerable number of com- 
 municants. And his administration of this ordinance 
 was very solemn and affecting. 
 
 He was very strict and serious in observing the 
 public fasts appointed by authority, and called them 
 a delight. On such occasions he began at nine 
 o'clock, or shortly after, and never stirred out of the 
 pulpit till about four in the afternoon ; spending all 
 that time in praying and expounding, singing and 
 preaching, to the admiration of all that heard him, 
 who were generally more on such days than usual. 
 And he was sometimes observed to be more warm 
 and lively towards the end of the duties of a fast day 
 than at the beginning ; as if the spirit were most 
 willing and enlarged, when the flesh was most weak. 
 In all his performances on public fast days he attended 
 
152 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 particularly to that which was the proper work of the 
 day, knowing that "every thing is beautiful in its 
 season." His prayers and pleadings with God on 
 those days were especially for national mercies, and 
 the pardon of national sins. How excellently did he 
 order the cause before Grod, and fill his mouth with 
 arguments, in his full and particular intercessions for 
 the land, for the king, the government, the army, the 
 navy, the church, the French Protestants, etc. He 
 was another Jacob, a wrestler; an Israel, a prince 
 with God. 
 
 Before a fast day he would be more than ordina- 
 rily inquisitive concerning the state of public affairs, 
 as Nehemiah was, Neh. 1:2; that he might know 
 the better how to order his prayers and preaching; 
 for on such a day he sometimes said, "As good say 
 nothing, as nothing to the purpose." He made it 
 his business on fast days, to show the people their 
 transgressions, and especially "the house of Jacob 
 their sins." " It is most proper," said he, "to preach 
 of Christ on Lord's days, to preach of sin on fast 
 days, and to preach duty on both." He went over 
 the third chapter of the book of the Revelation, in 
 the fast sermons of two years. And another year he 
 preached over the particulars of that charge which is 
 contained in Zeph. 3:2: " She obeyed not the voice ; 
 she received not correction; she trusted not in the 
 Lord ; she drew not near to her God." "Hypocrisy 
 in hearers, and flattery in preachers," he would some- 
 times say, "are bad at any time, but they are espec- 
 ially abominable upon a day of humiliation." 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 153 
 
 He preached a great many lectures in the country 
 around, some stated, and some occasional ; in which 
 labors he was very indefatigable. He has sometimes 
 preached a lecture, rode the same day eight or nine 
 miles and preached another, and the next day two 
 more. To quicken himself to diligence, he would 
 often say, "Our opportunities are passing away, and 
 we must work while it is day, for the night cometh." 
 Once, having very wet and foul weather in which to 
 go to preach a lecture, he said he comforted himself 
 with two scriptures: one was, "Endure hardness as 
 a good soldier of Jesus Christ ;" the other, because he 
 exposed and hazarded his health, was, "It was before 
 the Lord." 2 Sam. 6 : 21. He took all occasions in 
 his lectures abroad, to possess the minds of people 
 with sober and moderate principles, and to stir them 
 up to the serious regard of those things in which they 
 were agreed. 
 
 At the monthly lectures which he delivered at 
 home, he preached upon the four last things, death, 
 judgment, heaven, and hell, in many particulars, but 
 commonly selected a new text for every sermon. 
 When he had, in many sermons, finished the first of 
 the four, a person that used to hear him sometimes, 
 inquiring concerning his progress in his subjects, 
 asked him if he had done with death ; to which he 
 pleasantly replied, "No, I have not done with him 
 yet. I must have another turn with him, and he 
 will give me a fall; but I hope to have the victory 
 at last." 
 
 He would sometimes remove the lectures in the 
 7# 
 
154 HEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 country from one place to another, for the benefit of 
 those who could not travel. Once, having adjourned 
 a lecture to a new place, he began it with a sermon 
 on Acts 17:6, "Those that have turned the world 
 upside down, are come hither also;" in which he 
 showed how false the charge is as they meant it ; for 
 religion does not disturb the peace of families or 
 societies, does not cause any disorder or unquietness. 
 Yet he further showed that in another sense there is 
 a great truth in it, inasmuch as when the gospel 
 comes in power to any soul, it turns the world upside 
 down in that soul, so great is the change it makes 
 there. 
 
 All this he did gratis^ ani without being burden- 
 some to any. But few ministers are of ability to 
 do this, and when the power is enjoyed, it is question- 
 able how far, on the whole, it is best to relieve the 
 congregation from the privilege, to say nothing of the 
 duty of affording a due maintenance. Should a 
 minister, by the kindness of Providence, be raised 
 above the need of supply, still the use of it would 
 enlarge his capacity for usefulness, and his successor 
 would be neither prejudiced by a feeling of inferiority 
 nor incumbrance. It should be remembered, that in 
 Mr. Henry's time reasons existed for the course which 
 he and others pursued, which have long since ceased ; 
 and before a conclusion is drawn from their example, 
 those reasons are entitled to consideration. 
 
 And as Mr. Henry was an excellent preacher him- 
 self, so he was an exemplary hearer of the word 
 when others preached, though every way his inferiors ; 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 155 
 
 SO reverent, serious, and attentive was he in hearing, 
 and so observant of what was spoken. I have heard 
 him say that he knew one, and I suppose it was as 
 Paul "knew a man in Christ," who could truly say, 
 to the glory of Grod, that for forty years he had never 
 slept at a sermon. He was diligent also to improve 
 what he heard by meditation, repetition, prayer, and 
 discourse ; and he was a very great encourager of 
 young ministers that were humble and serious, though 
 their abilities and performances were but mean. He 
 has noted in his diary, as that which affected him, 
 this saying of a godly man, who was one of his 
 hearers : "I find it easier to go six miles to hear a 
 sermon, than to spend one quarter of an hour in 
 meditating and praying over it in secret, as I should, 
 when I come home." 
 
 As to the circumstances of Mr. Henry's family 
 during the last few years of his life, they were some- 
 what different from what they had been ; but the 
 candle of G-od which had shined upon his tabernacle, 
 continued still to do so. In the years 1687 and 1688, 
 he married all his five children ; the three eldest in 
 four months time, in the year 1687, and the other 
 two in a year and a half after. So many swarms, as 
 he used to call them, out of his hive ; and all, not 
 only with his full consent, but to his abundant com- 
 fort and satisfaction. He would say he thought it 
 the duty of parents to study to oblige their children 
 in that affair. And though never could children be 
 more easy and at rest in a father's house than his 
 were, yet he would sometimes say concerning them. 
 
156 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 as Naomi to Ruth, "Shall I not seek rest for thee ?'' 
 Ruth 3:1. Two counsels he used to give, both to 
 his children and others, in their choice of that rela- 
 tion. One was, "Keep within the bounds of pro- 
 fession, such as one may charitably hope is from a 
 good principle." The other was, "Look at suitable- 
 ness in age, quality, education, temper, etc." He 
 used to observe, from Gen. 2 : 18, " I will make him 
 a help meet for him," that where there is not meet- 
 ness, there will not be much help. And he would 
 commonly say to his children, with reference to that 
 choice, "Please G-od, and please yourselves, and you 
 shall never displease me ;" and greatly blamed those 
 parents who conclude matches for their children 
 without consulting with them. 
 
 When the proposal made to his youngest daughter 
 was communicated to him, his sentiments were ex- 
 pressed in the following letter : 
 
 "February 17, 1677-78. 
 
 "My dear Daughter — Your present affair we 
 can truly say was no less a surprise to us, than it was 
 to you ; but we have learned, both from our fixed be- 
 lief of Grod's universal providence in every thing, and 
 his particular special providence towards those that 
 fear him, and also from our last year's experience, 
 once and again, of his doing that for us which we 
 looked not for, to cease our wonder, and to apply our- 
 selves as we ought to our duty. "We would have you 
 do so likewise ; saying, as did Paul the first word that^ 
 grace spoke in him, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me 
 to do?' 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 157 
 
 '' Your way is, in the first place to * acknowledge' 
 Grod, not only in the thing itself, but in all the motions 
 and events of it; and if you do so, he 'will direct' 
 you, that is, guide and bless, and succeed your steps. 
 You are next to admit the person into your converse, 
 as in another case, 1 Tim. 5:2,* with all purity ;' 
 that is, at no unfitting time, in no unfitting place, 
 manner, or other circumstance — ^which will not be de- 
 sired, neither ought it to be granted. Your end herein 
 is to be the same with his ; your next end, that you 
 may be acquainted with each other's temper and dis- 
 position ; especially that you may feel the pulse of 
 each other's soul, how it beats towards God, and his 
 works and ways. As the agreement is in that^ ac- 
 cordingly will be much of the sweetness and comfort 
 of the condition. 
 
 " As to the calling, estate, and other things of that 
 kind, I am glad you know, and am more glad you 
 have espoused, Mr. AUeyn's six principles, which are 
 the same in practice^ and are of as great use and in- 
 fluence, as Mr. Perkins' six principles in doctrine^ and 
 therefore hold to them. If height and fulness in the 
 world were the things that would make us happy, 
 those who have them would be the happy people ; but 
 it is not so. It shall be my endeavor, as far as I 
 can, to inform myself how things are in those matters, 
 that there may be no mistake on either side, and then 
 to do as there shall be cause. You will remember one 
 thing, which you have often heard from me in others' 
 cases, though never in your own, and that is, to 
 keep yourself free from all engagements by promise, 
 
158 REV. PHILIP HENEY. 
 
 till the time come when it shall be thought proper, by 
 mutual consent, that I contract you ; which will be 
 time enough for you to do that. To how many hath 
 the not observing of this rule been a snare ! 
 
 " "We are truly thoughtful for you, you may well 
 believe, but must not be too thoughtful. Unto G-od 
 we must, and do, commit our way in it, and so must 
 you yours — casting all our care upon him, for he car- 
 eth for us. We have hitherto found his contrivances 
 best, not ours. I am glad you have so worthy a friend 
 
 as Mrs. M. K to unbosom yourself to, and to help 
 
 to advise you and pray for you. I told your brother 
 when I thought it would be convenient you should 
 come home. If he has not opportunity of sending you 
 then, we shall soon after, G-od willing, send for you. 
 Our love and blessing is to him, and our daughter, 
 and to your dear self, having ' confidence in you in 
 all things ' — but it is ' through the Lord,' as it is limit- 
 ed in Gal. 5 : 10 — that you will act as I have coun- 
 selled you. 
 
 " Committing you to his protection and guidance, 
 I rest, 
 
 " Your loving father, 
 
 "PHILIP HENEY." 
 
 He never aimed at great things in the world for 
 his children, but sought for them, in the first place, 
 the kingdom of G-od, and the righteousness thereof. 
 He used to mention sometimes the saying of a pious 
 gentlewoman that had many daughters : " The care 
 of most people is how to get good husbands for their 
 daughters ; but my care is to fit my daughters to be 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 159 
 
 good wives, and then let God provide for them." In 
 this, as in other things, Mr. Henry steered by the 
 principle that " a man's life consisteth not in the 
 abundance of the things which he possesseth." And 
 it pleased Grod so to order it, that all his children 
 were settled in circumstances very agreeable and 
 comfortable both for life and godliness. He was great- 
 ly affected with the goodness of Grod to him herein, 
 without any forecast or contrivance of his own. " The 
 country," he says in his diary, ''takes notice of it; 
 and what then shall I render ? Surely this is a token 
 for good." 
 
 Speaking of the arrangements for outward com- 
 forts, and the eagerness of the affections towards them, 
 he would remark, " Grod has three hands wherewith 
 he distributes earthly things : A hand of common 
 providence ; with this he feeds the ravens, when they 
 cry. A hand of special love ; with this he feeds his 
 children who commit their way to him, and put their 
 trust in him. A hand of anger and wrath ; with this 
 he gives to those who are impatient : they must and 
 will be rich ; they must and will have this, or that. 
 In gifts from men, we look more at the mind of the 
 giver than the value of the gift ; so should we in gifts 
 from Grod. Have I his love with what I have ? then 
 I am well enough. If otherwise, it is but a sad por- 
 tion ; as a golden suit with the plague in it." 
 
 He would often tell his friends, that those who 
 desire, in the married condition, to live in the favor 
 of Grod, must enter upon that condition in the fear of 
 G-od. For it is an ill omen to stumble at the thresh- 
 
160 E.EV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 old ; and an error in the beginning is seldom amend- 
 ed afterwards. 
 
 "While he lived, he had much comfort in all his 
 children and their yoke-fellows ; and somewhat the 
 more, inasmuch as that, by the divine providence, 
 four of the five families which branched out of his 
 were settled in Chester, which was not far from his 
 own residence at Broad Oak. 
 
 His youngest daughter was married April 26, 
 1688, the same day of the year, the same day of the 
 week, and in the same place, that he was married to 
 his dear wife twenty-eight years before ; upon which 
 this is his remark : ''I cannot desire for them that 
 they should receive more from Grod than we have 
 received, in that relation and condition ; but I would 
 desire, and do desire that they may do more for God 
 in it than we have done." 
 
 His usual compliment to his newly married 
 friends was, " Others wish you all happiness ; I 
 wish you all holiness, and then there is no doubt 
 but you will have all happiness." 
 
 When the marriage of the last of his daughters 
 was about to be concluded on, he thus writes : '' But 
 is Joseph gone, and Simeon gone, and must Benjamin 
 go also? We will not say that all these things are 
 against us, but for us. If we must be in this merci- 
 ful way bereaved of our children, let us be bereaved ; 
 and God turn it for good to them ; as we know he 
 will, if they love and fear his name." And when, 
 sometime after she was married, he parted with her, 
 that she might go to the house of her husband, he 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 161 
 
 thus writes : " We have sent her away, not as Laban 
 said he would have sent his daughters away, with 
 mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp, 
 but with prayers and tears and hearty good wishes. 
 And now we are alone again, as we were in our be- 
 ginning. Grod be better to us than twenty children." 
 Upon the same occasion he also wrote to a dear rela- 
 tion, "We are now left as we were, one and one, 
 and yet but one one : the Lord, I trust, that has 
 brought us thus far, will enable us to finish well ; and 
 then all will be well, and not till then." 
 
 On the marriage of his son the Rev. Matthew 
 Henry, he presented to the newly married couple the 
 following paternal counsels : 
 
 " Dear pair, whom God hath now of two made one, 
 Suffer a father's exhortation. 
 Above all else, see that with joint endeavor, 
 You set yourselves to serve the Lord together. 
 You are yoked to work ; but for work, wages write ; 
 His yoke is easy, and his burden light. 
 Love much, and oft together pray ; but see 
 You never both together angry be. 
 If he speak fire, do you with water come ; 
 Is she provoked, be thou in kindness dumb. 
 Walk low, aim high ; all spotless be your life ; 
 You are a minister, and a minister's wife, 
 And thus, like beacons set upon a hill, 
 To angels and to men a spectacle. 
 Your slips will /aZ/5 be called; your falls, each one, 
 "Will be a blemish to religion. 
 Do good to all, be affable and meek; 
 Your converse must be preaching all the week. 
 Your garb and dress must not be vain and gay; 
 Reckon good works your richest, best array. 
 Your house must be a Bethel, and your door 
 Always stand open to relieve the poor. 
 
162 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Call your estate God's, not your own; engrave 
 Holiness to the Lord on all you have. 
 Count upon suffering, or you count amiss, 
 Sufficient to each day its evil is; 
 All are born once to trouble, but saints twice, 
 And, as experience shows, good pastors thrice. 
 But if you suffer with and for your Lord, 
 You '11 reign with him according to his word." 
 
 He often mentioned, as the matter of his great 
 comfort that it was so, and his desire that it might 
 continue so, the love and unity that existed among 
 his children ; and that transplanting them into new 
 relations had not lessened that love, hut rather in- 
 creased it ; for which he often gave thanks to the God 
 of love. In his last will and testament, he expressed 
 this prayer for his children : " That the Lord would 
 huild them up in holiness, and continue them still in 
 hrotherly love, as a hundle of arrows which cannot he 
 hroken." 
 
 When his children were removed from him, he 
 was a daily intercessor at the throne of grace for them, 
 and their families. The hurnt-offerings were still 
 offered " according to the number of them all." He 
 used to say, " Surely the children of so many prayers 
 will not come to harm." Their particular circum- 
 stances of affliction and danger were sure to he men- 
 tioned by him with suitable petitions. The greatest 
 affliction he saw in his family, was the death of his 
 dear daughter-in-law Catharine, the only daughter 
 of Samuel Hardware, Esq. ; who, about a year and 
 a half after she was transplanted into his family, to 
 which she was the greatest comfort and ornament 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 163 
 
 imaginable, died of the small-pox in childbed. This 
 was but a few weeks after Mr. Henry had married 
 the last of his daughters ; upon which marriage she 
 had said, " Now we have a full lease ; God only 
 knows which life will drop first." In the extremity 
 of her sickness, she comforted herself with this 
 thought : " "Well, when I come to heaven, I shall see 
 that I could not have been without this affliction." 
 She had been, for some time before, under some fears 
 as to her spiritual state ; but the clouds were through 
 grace dispelled, and she finished her course with joy 
 and a cheerful expectation of the glory to be revealed. 
 When she lay sick, Mr. Henry being in fear not only 
 for her, but also for the rest of his children in Ches- 
 ter, who had none of them passed through that peril- 
 ous disease, wrote thus to his son on the evening of 
 the Lord's day: "I have just done the public work 
 of this day, wherein, before many scores of witnesses, 
 many of whom, I dare say, are no little concerned 
 for you, I have absolutely, freely, and unreservedly 
 given you all up to the good-will and pleasure of our 
 heavenly Father, waiting what he will do with us ; 
 for good I am sure we have received, and shall we 
 not receive evil also ?" He preached at Chester, upon 
 occasion of that breach in his family, from Job 10:2, 
 " Show me wherefore thou contendest with me." 
 
 When two of his children lay sick, and in perilous 
 circumstances, after he had been wrestling with God 
 in prayer for them, he wrote thus in his diary : "If 
 the Lord will be pleased to grant me my request this 
 time concerning my children, I will not say as the 
 
164. REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 beggars at our door used to say, ' I 'U never ask any 
 thing of him again ;' but on the contrary, he shall 
 hear oftener from me than ever ; and I will love Grod 
 the better, and love prayer the better, as long as I 
 live." He used to say, " Tradesmen take it ill if 
 those that are in their books go to another shop. "While 
 we are so much indebted to Grod for past mercies, we 
 are bound to attend him for further mercies." 
 
 As he was an intercessor for his children at the 
 throne of grace, so he was upon all occasions a re- 
 membrancer to them, both by word and letter, to 
 quicken them to that which is good. How often did 
 he inculcate this upon them : " Love one another, and 
 the God of love and peace will be with you. Do all 
 you can, while you are together, to help one another 
 to heaven, that you may be together there for ever 
 with the Lord." When the families of his children 
 were in health and peace, the candle of Grod shining 
 upon their tabernacles, he wrote thus to them: ^' It 
 was one of Job's comforts in his prosperity, that his 
 children loved one another and feasted together. The 
 same is ours in you, which Grod continue. But you 
 will not be offended if we pray that you may none 
 of you curse G-od in your hearts. Remember, the 
 wheel is always in motion, and the spoke that is up- 
 permost will be under ; and therefore mix tremblings 
 always with your joy." 
 
 He much rejoiced in the visits of his children, and 
 made that, as other things which were the matter of 
 his rejoicing, the matter of his thanksgiving. His 
 usual saying at parting was, " This is not the world 
 
RESIDENCE AT BROAD OAK. 1G5 
 
 we are to be together in, and it is well it is not ; but 
 there is such a world before us." And his usual 
 prayer was, that our next meeting might be either in 
 heaven, or further on in our way towards it. 
 
 It was not long after his children were married 
 from him, that his house was filled again with the 
 children of several of his friends, whom he was by 
 much importunity persuaded to take to board with 
 him. All who knew him thought it a thousand pities 
 that such a master of a family should have but a 
 small family, and should not have many to sit down 
 under his shadow. He was at first almost compelled 
 to it by the death of his dear friend and kinsman, Mr. 
 Benyon of Ash, who left his children to his care. Some 
 he took gratis, or for a small consideration ; and when 
 by reason of the advances of age, he could not go about 
 so much as he had done doing good, he laid out him- 
 self to do the more at home. He kept a teacher to 
 attend their studies, and they had the benefit not only 
 of his inspection in these, but wliich was much more, 
 his family worship, sabbath instructions, catechizing, 
 and daily converse, in which his tongue was as choice 
 silver, and his lips fed many. Nothing but the hope 
 of doing some good to the rising generation, could have 
 prevailed with him to take this trouble upon him. 
 He would often say, "We have a busy house, but 
 there is a rest remaining. "We must be doing some- 
 thing in the world while we are in it : but this fashion 
 will not last long ; methinks I see it passing away." 
 
 Sometimes he had young gentlemen with him who 
 had gone through their course at the university, and 
 
166 REV. PHILIP HENRY, 
 
 who desired to spend some time in his family before 
 their entrance upon the ministry, that they might 
 have the benefit not only of his public and family in- 
 structions, but also of his learned and pious converse, 
 in which he was very free and communicative, as one 
 that was thoroughly furnished unto every good work. 
 The great thing which he used to press upon those 
 who intended to enter the ministry was, to study the 
 Scriptures and make them familiar. Bonus textuarius 
 est bonus theologus* was a maxim of which he fre- 
 quently reminded them. For this purpose he recom- 
 mended to them the study of the Hebrew, that they 
 might be able to search the Scriptures in the original. 
 He also advised them to the use of an interleaved 
 Bible, in which to insert such expositions and obser- 
 vations as occur occasionally in sermons or other books, 
 which he would say are more happy and valuable 
 sometimes, than those that are found in the professed 
 commentaries. When some young men desired the 
 happiness of coming into his family, he said, "You 
 come to me as Naaman did to Elisha, expecting that 
 I should do this and the other for you ; and alas, I can 
 but say as he did, ' Gro, wash in Jordan.' G-o, study 
 the Scriptures. I profess to teach no other learning 
 but scripture learning." 
 
 *One familiar with the Scriptures is a good theologian. 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 167 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 SPECIMENS OF HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 Mr. Henry was very free in writing to his friends. 
 "A good letter," he would say, " may perhaps do more 
 good than a good sermon, because the address is more 
 particular, and that which is written remains." His 
 language and expressions in his letters were always 
 pious and heavenly, and seasoned with the salt of 
 grace ; and when there was occasion, he would excel- 
 lently administer counsels, reproofs, or comforts by 
 letter. But he kept no copies of his letters, and there- 
 fore only specimens of his correspondence can be pre- 
 sented to the reader, inasmuch as to retrieve his 
 communications from the hands into which they were 
 scattered was impracticable. In penning these epis- 
 tles, he usually wrote with the warmth of holy affec- 
 tion and zeal ; occasionally indulging in a playfulness 
 of expression which served to show how far he was 
 from being gloomy or morose. 
 
 The following letter was addressed to two poor 
 persons living in domestic service, and who probably 
 had lived in that capacity in Mr. Henry's family. 
 
 To John Beard and Jane Comberbach. 
 
 "Broad Oak, March 24, 1674-75. 
 
 " Loving Friends — Though the direction on this 
 be only to one of you, yet the letter is intended to you 
 
168 . REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Ibotli. God having in his providence cast your lot to 
 be fellow-servants in the same family, I hope you are, 
 according to your opportunities, mutually helpful to 
 each other in your way to heaven ; it is a narrow way, 
 and an up-hill way, but it is the way to life, and few 
 find it, and fewer walk in it. If God hath given you 
 to be of those few, he hath done that for you which 
 should for ever engage your hearts to him, and for 
 which you have great cause to be thankful, and to 
 say with Judas, not Iscariot, ' Lord, how is it V John 
 14 : 22. 
 
 " I doubt not but your hands are full of the employ- 
 ments of your particular calling ; and it ought to be 
 so, in obedience to the will of God appointing you to 
 it, and that the tempter may find you busy ; but it is 
 a good question you should be often putting to your- 
 selves, Where is the mind now ? They only are too 
 busy that lose God in their business. If you abide 
 with him, and walli with him, and live to him, doing 
 what you do in his name and fear, and as in his sight, 
 not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness 
 of heart as to the Lord, you may be assured you are 
 in Jesus Christ accepted of him, and shall as certainly 
 receive the reward of the inheritance as any other in 
 the world; wherefore encourage yourselves and one 
 another with these words. Let the things of the other 
 world be real things, in your account and esteem ; see 
 heaven and hell before you, and believe every thought, 
 word, and work now, is so much seed sown, that ac- 
 cording as it is will be sure to come up again, either 
 in corruption or in life eternal. 
 
> OJ THE '-^ ^ 
 
 HIS OORRESPONDEN' 
 
 " I know not how it is with you 
 your liherties for worship, but you had a" 
 and were you diligent ? Have you provided meat in 
 summer ? Did you gather food in harvest ? If aye, 
 bless G-od ? If no, reflect with grief and shame, and 
 make peace, and up yet, and be doing. It is no small 
 measure of guilt that rises from our neglect of oppor- 
 tunities when Grod puts them as a price into our hand. 
 I am glad to hear that you, Jane, have been in fel- 
 lowship at the table of the Lord : remember the vows 
 of Grod that are upon you, and also the covenant of 
 Grod there sealed with you ; the former for your estab- 
 lishment, the latter for your comfort. And I hope that 
 you, John, either have already or will speedily apply 
 yourself to it, considering it is not privilege only — if 
 so, it were another matter — ^but duty; and while you 
 live without it, having opportunity for it, let the pre- 
 tence be what it wiU, awe and reverence towards it, 
 sense of your own unworthiness, or whatever else, you 
 live in a sin of omission, and that of a known duty, a 
 great duty, a sweet duty, made so by the command of 
 a dear and dying Redeemer, saying, ' Do this, and do 
 it in remembrance of me.' We commend our love to 
 you both. Grod everlasting be your sun and shield, 
 father and friend, part and portion. Amen. 
 " So prays, 
 
 " Yours in true affection, 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 The next letter was also written to a domestic, a 
 young woman who had recently left her parents, prob- 
 ably at Broad Oak, to go to Chester. 
 
170 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 To Mary Wehb. 
 ^ "August 1, 1693. 
 
 "I send you these few lines to be your remem- 
 brancer when you do not see me. You are now come 
 out of the age of childhood ; and though when you 
 were a child you thought and spake as a child, and 
 understood as a child, it will be time for you now to 
 ' put away childish things.' You must begin to be- 
 think yourself for what you are come into this world ; 
 not to eat and drink and play, but to glorify Grod, 
 and save your soul. You are by nature a child of 
 wrath, even as others ; your understanding dark, your 
 mind carnal, and that carnal mind no better than 
 downright ' enmity against Grod,' prone to all manner 
 of evil, and backward to all manner of good. Do not 
 you find it so every day, in every thing ? Must there 
 not then be a change ? Must you not be renewed in 
 the spirit of your mind, born again, passed from death 
 to life ? You must, if you will be saved, for none but 
 new creatures are fit for the new Jerusalem. 
 
 " And is the good work wrought in you ? When? 
 Where ? How was it ? How long is it since you 
 closed with Christ upon gospel terms, taking him to 
 be yours, giving yourself to him to be his ? I do net 
 mean in word and tongue only — I have often heard 
 you so do it — but in deed and truth ; in secret, 
 between God and your own soul, where no eye hath 
 seen, nor no ear hath heard ; from a due sight and 
 sense of your lost condition without him ; as one truly 
 weary of the heavy yoke of sin and Satan, and resolved 
 no longer to draw in it, laying your neck under Christ's 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 171 
 
 sweet and easy yoke. If you have not done this, 
 do it hefore you sleep ; do it before you proeeed any 
 further. Once well done, and it is done for ever. 
 Can you' give any good reason why you should not, 
 either as to the thing itself, or as to the speedy doing 
 of it ? Can you begin too soon to be Christ's ? Is any 
 time yours but the present time ? Until this be done, 
 you are a child of the devil, and heir of the curse 
 and condemnation. The guilt of all your past sins 
 is upon your score. G-od is your enemy. But assure 
 yourself, as soon as it is done aright and as it ought 
 to be done, in the very moment in which you repent 
 and beheve the gospel, and receive Christ Jesus the 
 Lord to be your Prince and Saviour, you are immedi- 
 ately made a child of Grod and an heir of heaven ; all 
 your past sins are forgiven ; your peace is made ; all 
 the promises in the Bible are yours, both concernmg 
 this life and the other. No evil thing shall befall you ; 
 no good thing shall be wanting to you. Is not that a 
 blessed condition ? "Will it not then grate for ever, that 
 you might so easily have been saved, and would not ? 
 And why would you not, but because you would not ? 
 * They that hate me, love death,' says "Wisdom. Do 
 you love death, eternal death ? I hope you do not. 
 
 " Your namesake Mary made a wise choice, and 
 pray let it be yours. When she had an opportunity, 
 she laid all other matters aside and sat down at 
 Christ's feet, and heard his word. So do you love 
 your Bible, take your meals out of it every day, 
 besides what you have in common with the family. 
 Be sure you read and hear with application. ' Let 
 
172 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the word of Christ dwell in you richly.' Make a 
 business of praying : though you cannot do it as you 
 would, do it as you can ; ' to him that hath shall be 
 given.' Remember it is to a Father, and let it be 
 in the name of Christ, and it shall not be in vain. 
 
 " In your place and calling be diligent, humble, 
 and trusty. Take heed of vain companions, either men 
 or women, lest you be ensnared by them. Let your 
 dress be modest, and according to your place, not 
 coveting every fine thing that you see others have, nor 
 desiring to be like them. Learn Peter's good lesson, 
 to be 'clothed with humility;' and to put on 'the 
 ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is, in the 
 sight of G-od, of great price.' 
 
 " I have not room to enlarge : if you receive it, and 
 heed it, it is enough ; if not, it is too much. 
 
 "'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with 
 you. Amen.' "P, H." 
 
 To one -who desired his directions how to attain the gift of 
 prayer. 
 
 " If you would be able in words and expressions 
 of your own, without the help of a form, to offer up 
 prayers to G-od, observe these following rules of direc- 
 tion, in the use whereof, by God's blessing, you may 
 in time attain thereunto : 
 
 " 1. You must be thoroughly convinced that 
 where such a gift is, it is of great use to a Christian ; 
 both very comfortable and very profitable, and there- 
 fore very desirable, and worth your serious endeavors. 
 This must first be, or else all that follows will signify 
 nothing. For it is as the wise man saith, ' Through 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 173 
 
 desire, a man having separated himself, seeketh and 
 intermeddleth with all wisdom.' Prov. 18 : 1. That 
 is, till we are brought, in some good measure, to desire 
 the end, we shall never in good earnest apply our- 
 selves to the use of means for the obtaining of it. It 
 is a gift that fits a person to be of use to others in the 
 duty of prayer, according as there is occasion, either 
 in a family, or in christian communion. It is also of 
 great advantage to ourselves. For how can any form, 
 though never so exact, be possibly contrived so as to 
 reach all the circumstances of my particular case. 
 And yet it is my duty * in every thing ' to make my 
 * requests known to Grod.' 
 
 *' 2. As you should be persuaded of the excellent 
 use of it where it is attained, so also you should believe 
 that where it is not, it may be attained^ and that 
 without any great difficulty. No doubt but many 
 are discouraged from striving after it, by an opinion 
 they have that it is to no purpose. They think it a 
 thing so far above their abilities, that they may as well 
 sit still and never attempt it. This is of very bad 
 influence, as in other matters of religion, so particu- 
 larly in this ; watch therefore against this suggestion, 
 and conclude that though it may be harder to some 
 than to others, yet it is impossible to none. Nay, this 
 ' wisdom is easy to him that understandeth,' where 
 means are used in the fear of Grod. 
 
 "3. You must rightly understand and consider 
 who it is with whom you have to do in prayer, for 
 your encouragement to come to him, though in the 
 midst of many infirmities and imperfections. He is 
 
174 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 your Father, your loving, tender-hearted Father, who 
 knoweth your frame, and remembereth you are but 
 dust ; who is not extreme to mark what we do amiss 
 in manner and expression, where the heart is upright 
 with him. You may judge a httle concerning his 
 love by the disposition that is in you towards your 
 children when they come to ask things needful of you. 
 Believe him to be infinitely more merciful and com- 
 passionate than the most merciful and compassionate 
 of fathers and mothers are or can be ; especially re- 
 membering, that ' we have ■ an advocate with the 
 Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,' who is the great 
 ' high-priest of our profession,' and whom he 'heareth 
 always.' 
 
 *' 4. You must pray that you may pray. Beg of 
 Grod, the ' father of lights,' from whom every good 
 and perfect gift comes, to bestow this gift upon you. 
 "We read that one of the disciples came to Jesus Christ 
 upon this errand : ' Lord, teach us to pray ;' and he 
 had his request granted at once. G-o you to him on 
 the same errand. You may plead the privilege of a 
 child from Grab 4:6:' And because ye are sons, Grod 
 hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, 
 crying, Abba, Father.' And the promise also from 
 Zech. 12 : 10 : 'I will pour upon the house of David, 
 and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of 
 grace and of supplication.' If these two, relationship 
 and a promise, be not sufficient to encourage your 
 faith and hope in addressing G-od, what is or can be ? 
 
 "5. It is good, before you address yourself to the 
 duty, to read a portion of holy Scripture^ which 
 
HIS CORRESrONDENCE. 175 
 
 will be of great use to furnish you both with matter 
 and words for prayer, especially David's psalms and 
 Paul's epistles. The Holy Spirit hath provided for 
 us a treasury, or storehouse, of what is suitable for 
 all occasions ; and where both the word and the matter 
 are his own, and of his own framing and inditing, 
 if affections be stirring in us accordingly, we have 
 great reason to believe he will accept of us. In divers 
 places he hath himself put words into our mouths 
 for the purpose : as in Hosea 14 : 2, ' Take with you 
 words;' Matt. 6 : 9, * After this manner, therefore, pray 
 ye ;' and often elsewhere. 
 
 ^' 6. There must be some acquaintance with our 
 own hearts, with our spiritual state .and condition, 
 our wants and ways, or else no good will be done in 
 this matter. It is a sense of need, hunger, thirst, 
 cold, nakedness, that supplies the poor beggar at your 
 door with pertinent expressions and arguments. So 
 if we know ourselves and feel our condition, and set 
 God before us as our G-od, able and ready to help us, 
 words will easily follow, wherewith to offer up our 
 desires to Him who understands the language even 
 of sighs and tears and 'groanings which cannot bo 
 uttered.' Rom. 8 : 26. 
 
 "7. It is of use in stated prayer ordinarily to 
 observe a 7}iethod, according to the several parts of 
 prayer, which are these four : 
 
 " Invocation, or adoration, which is the giving of 
 due titles to God in our addresses to him, and therein 
 ascribing to him 'the glory due unto his name.' "With 
 this we are to begin our prayers, both for awakening 
 
17G REV. PHlLir HENRY. 
 
 a holy awe and dread in our hearts towards him on 
 account of his greatness and majesty, as also to 
 strengthen our faith and hope in him on account of 
 his goodness and mercy. 
 
 " Confession. Sin is to be confessed in every 
 prayer : original sin as the root, spring-head, and foun- 
 tain ; and actual sin as the fruit and stream proceed- 
 ing from it. Herein you must not rest in generals, 
 as the most do ; but especially when you are in se- 
 cret before the Lord, you must descend to particu- 
 lars, opening the whole wound, hiding nothing from 
 him, also aggravating the fault from the circumstan- 
 ces of it, judging and condemning yourself for it in 
 the sight of Grod. And for your help herein, you must 
 acquaint yourself with the divine law, its precepts 
 and prohibitions, especially their extent and spiritual 
 nature, as the rule, and then bring your own thoughts, 
 words, and actions to it daily, to be tried by it. 
 
 " Petition for such good things as G-od hath prom- 
 ised and you have need of, both concerning this life 
 and that which is to come. As to the latter, you are 
 to pray for * mercy to pardon,' and ' grace to help in 
 time of need.' As to the former, for ' bread to eat,' 
 and ' raiment to put on,' and a heart to be therewith 
 contented. You are to pray for others also, the church 
 of God, the land of your nativity, magistrates, min- 
 isters, relations, and friends, not forgetting the afflic- 
 tions of the afflicted. 
 
 " Thanksgivings which should have a consider- 
 able share in every prayer ; for our duty is, ' in every 
 thing to give thanks ' for mercies received, public and 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 177 
 
 personal, which is ' the will of Grod in Chi'ist Jesus ' 
 concerning us. 
 
 " This rule of method is not so necessary to be ob- 
 served in prayer, as in no case to be varied from ; but 
 it is certainly very useful and expedient, and a great 
 help to young beginners in that duty. 
 
 " 8. My advice is, that you would delay no longer, 
 but forthwith apply yourself, in the strength of Jesus 
 Christ, to this sweet and excellent way of praying ; 
 and I dare say, in a short time you will find, through 
 the aids and supplies of divine grace, what is at first 
 hard and difficult, will by degrees be easy and delight- 
 ful. The promise is, ' to him that hath,' that is, that 
 hath and useth what he hath, more ' shall be given.' 
 Though you cannot do what you would, yet fail nut 
 to do what you can, wherein the Lord will accept of 
 you, according to his everlasting covenant in Christ 
 Jesus; for *we are not under the law, but under 
 grace.' " 
 
 To a couple related to him, who had recently lost all their 
 children by the small-pox. 
 
 " Dear Cousins — This is to you both, whom God 
 hath made one in the conjugal relation, and who are 
 also one in the present affliction, only to signify to 
 you that we do heartily sympathize with you in it. 
 The trial is indeed sharp, and there will be need of 
 all the wisdom and grace you have, and of all the 
 help of friends you can get, both to bear and to im- 
 prove it aright. You must bear it with silence and 
 submission. ^ Surely it is meet to be said unto God, 
 I have borne chastisement.' He is sovereign Lord of 
 
 8* 
 
178 HEY. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 all, and may do with us and ours as pleaseth liim. 
 It is not for the cLay to quarrel with the potter. It 
 was a mercy you had children, and comfort with them 
 so long ; it is a mercy that you have one another ; and 
 your children are not lost, but gone before, a little 
 before, whither you yourselves are hastening after. 
 And if a storm be coming, as G-od grant it be not, it 
 is best with them that first put into the harbor. Your 
 children are taken away from the evil to come, and 
 you must not mourn as they that have no hope. Sen- 
 sible you cannot but be, but dejected and sullen you 
 must not be ; that will but put more bitterness into 
 the cup, and make way for another, perhaps a sharper 
 stroke. You must not think, and I hope you do not, 
 that there cannot be a sharper stroke ; for Grod hath 
 many arrows in his quiver ; he can heat the furnace 
 seven times hotter, and again and again seven times 
 hotter, till he hath consumed us ; and if he should do 
 so, yet still we must say he hath ' punished us less 
 than our iniquities have deserved.' 
 
 " For examples of patience in the like trials, we 
 have two eminent ones in the book of Grod ; those are 
 Job and Aaron. Of the latter it is said, ' He held 
 his peace,' Lev. 10 : 3 ; and that which quieted him, 
 was what his brother Moses said to him, ' This is that 
 which the Lord hath said, I will be sanctified ;' and 
 if G-od be sanctified, Aaron is satisfied ; if G-od hath 
 glory from it, Aaron hath nothing to say against it. 
 Of the former it is said that he ' fell down,' but it was 
 to worship ; and we are told how he expressed him- 
 self : ' Th3 Lord gave,' etc. Job 1 : 21. He acknow- 
 
HIS CORRESrONDENCE. 179 
 
 ledgeth Grod in all ; and indeed, after all, this is it, my 
 dear cousins, that you must satisfy yourselves with 
 under the sad providence — that the Lord hath done 
 it, and the same will that ordered the thing itself, 
 ordered all the circumstances of it ; and who are we 
 that we should dispute with our Maker ? ^ Let the 
 potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth, hut let 
 not the thing formed say to him that formed it. Why 
 hast thou made me thus ?' 
 
 " And as for the improvement of this affliction — 
 which I hope hoth of you earnestly desire, for it is a 
 great loss to lose such a providence, and not to he 
 made better by it — I conceive there are four lessons 
 which it should teach you ; and they are good lessons 
 and should be well learned, for the advantage of them 
 is unspeakable. 
 
 " It should for ever inibUter sin to you. You know 
 what was said to the prophet in 1 Kings, 17 : 18, ' Art 
 thou come to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay 
 my son V It is sin, sin that is the old kill-friend, the 
 Jonah that hath raised this storm, the Achan that hath 
 troubled your house ; then how should you grow in 
 your hatred of it, and endeavors against it, that you 
 may be the death of that which hath been the death 
 of your dear children. I say the death of it, for noth- 
 ing less will satisfy the true penitent than the death 
 of such a malefactor. 
 
 " It should be a spur to you, to put you on in 
 heaven's way. It may be, you were growing remiss 
 in duty, beginning to slack your proper pace in relig- 
 ion, and your heavenly Father saw it, and was grieved 
 
180 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 at it, and sent tliis sad providence to be your monitor, 
 to tell you you should rememLer whence you are 
 fallen, and do your first works, and be more humble 
 and holy and heavenly, self-denying and watchful, 
 abounding always in the work of the Lord. Oh, 
 blessed are they that come out of such a furnace thus 
 refined ; they will say hereafter, it was a happy day 
 for them that ever they were put in. 
 
 *' You must learn by it, as long as you live to keep 
 your affections in due bounds towards creature com- 
 forts. How hard is it to love and not to overlove ; to 
 delight in children or yoke-fellows, and not overde- 
 light. Now, Grod is a jealous Grod, and will not give 
 his glory to any other ; and our excess this way doth 
 often provoke him to remove that mercy from us, of 
 which we thus make an idol ; and our duty is to labor, 
 when he doth so, to get that matter amended, and to 
 rejoice in all our enjoyments with trembhng, and as 
 if we rejoiced not. 
 
 " It should be a means of drawing your hearts 
 and thoughts more upwards and homewards. I mean, 
 your everlasting home. You should be looking oftener 
 now than before into the other world. * I shall go to 
 him,' saith David, when his little son was gone before. 
 It is yet but a little while ere all the things of tiiiio 
 shall be swallowed up in eternity. And the matter 
 is not great whether we or ours die first, while we are 
 all dying : in the midst of life we are in death ; '• What 
 manner of persons then ought we to be V Now our 
 Lord Jesus Christ himself, and G-od, even our Father, 
 be your support under, and do you good by this dis- 
 
HIS CORE-ESrONDENCE. 181 
 
 pensation ; and givo you a name better than that of 
 sons and daughters. We are daily mindful of you at 
 the throne of grace, in our poor measure, and dearly 
 recommended to you,' etc. 
 
 To Mr. Robert Bosier, a relation and fellow-student with Mr. 
 Matthew Henry. 
 
 "August 2S, 1680. 
 
 " Dear Cousin — I received yours of August 24 ; 
 the former part whereof, which was concerning your- 
 self, gave cause for a great deal of joy and thankful- 
 ness to our good Grod, that you are so well pleased in 
 your present circumstances of improvement ; and I 
 hope, will be so more and more. I like it well, that 
 you are put upon the exercise of your gifts, which is 
 the ready way to increase and to add to them ; for, 
 * to him that hath, shall be given,' and he shall have 
 more abundantly ; and I doubt not, but if you set 
 about it in the strength of divine grace, and not in 
 your own strength, you will find that grace both ready 
 to you and sufficient for you. 
 
 " Your Concordance I forbear to send till I hear 
 from you again. Notes upon the Galatians, etc., I 
 have none yet, else you should have them. Strive 
 not to be large, but concise and close and substan- 
 tial ; wherein, while here, you wanted an example. I 
 pray, be careful in a special manner about secret com- 
 munion ; for you know, as that is kept up or falls, 
 accordingly the soul prospers. Do not overtire your- 
 seff with study, especially by candle ; fair and softly 
 goes far. Though you do well to bewail your loss of 
 precious time, yet, blessed be Grod for what you have 
 
182 REV. r-HiLir henry. 
 
 redeemed ; and though it is true, as things are with 
 you, noiv is your time, if ever, to be busy ; yet health 
 and strength must be considered, and nothing done to 
 overdrive. 
 
 " The latter part of your letter, which was con- 
 cerning Matthew, gave us some trouble ; yet I thank 
 you that you were so full and particular in it. We 
 have freely yielded him up and our interest in him, 
 as well as we can, to our heavenly Father ; and His 
 will be done. I have written to him, as you will see : 
 if he be willing and able, and there be cause, with 
 advice of friends to hasten home ; and if he must so 
 leave you, it will be an instance that man purposes, 
 but G-od disposes. 
 
 '' Present my dear love and respects to Mr. Doo- 
 little, and to his wife, to whom I am much obliged 
 for their kindness, which I shall ever acknowledge, 
 whatever the event be. Fail not to write as there 
 may be occasion. Here is room only to tell you that 
 we are all remembered to you ; and particularly, that 
 I am, 
 
 " Your true Mend, 
 
 " PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 ^' P. S. Concerning Matthew I know not what to 
 say more than I have said. The Lord prepare and 
 fit us for evil tidings. I will not say, our life is bound 
 up in the life of the lad, but much of the comfort of 
 our life is ; and yet, Father, thy will be done. Our 
 cisterns may, and will dry up, first or last ; but our 
 fountain remains for ever." 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 183 
 
 To the Rev. Francis Tallents. 
 
 "January 12, 1692-93. 
 
 " Dear Sir, Cousin, and Brother — You have au- 
 thorized me more than ever to call you so, since you 
 have superscribed your letter to Mr. Philip Tallents, 
 at Broad Oak. It was no mistake ; for my name is 
 Philip, and I am Tallent's ; obliged his, adopted his. 
 As to Mr. Hall, I have not yet a conveniency for him, 
 there having been no vacancy made as yet, as I ex- 
 pected. If he will please to come guestwise, for a 
 night or two, he shall be welcome. It may be, the 
 sight of our mean circumstances, when he sees them, 
 will give him enough to prevent inquiring further ; 
 for they are really poor and mean. 
 
 " We do both of us most affectionately salute you 
 both in our dear Lord. He that told us you talked 
 of letting us see you here together, when the days and 
 ways would permit, did make us really glad. Many 
 thanks to you for your kind entertainment of my last 
 Mercury. The Lord Almighty be your sun and shield. 
 Amen. This from, 
 
 " Dear cousin and brother, 
 
 ''Yours to serve you, 
 
 '■ PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To the Rev. Francis Tallents. 
 
 "BoREATTON, May 14, 264th day,* 1694. 
 
 " Dear and honored Brother — I should have 
 
 * When Mr. Henry was in the sixty-third year of his age, 
 which is commonly called the grand climacteric, and has been 
 to many the dying year, as it was to his father, he numbered 
 the days of it — as in the date of the above letter, and else- 
 where — from birthday to birthday, that is, from Aiigust.24, 1 693, 
 
181 REV. rillLIP HENRY. 
 
 answered your last soonsr, but wanted opportunity 
 of sending it. I rejoice in the continuance of your 
 mercies, that your bow doth yet abide in strength, 
 and that my dear sister also is spared to you in her 
 usefulness. The Lord's most holy name be blessed 
 and praised for it. I know not when I shall be so 
 happy as to see you at Salop, though I much desire 
 it. I am like a traveller's horse that knows its stages, 
 which if he exceed, he tires, and is the worse for it. 
 Hither, once a quarter, is my utmost limit. I have 
 not been at Chester, though I have many loadstones 
 there, above these thirteen months. 
 
 '' Once a week, and sometimes twice, I keep my 
 circuit of two miles, or four miles, each Wednesday, 
 by which time I am recovered from my sabbath weari- 
 ness ; and by the time I am recovered from that, the 
 sabbath work returns again, so that I am never not 
 weary. But why do I tell you this? That I may 
 boast what a laborer I am ? I am a loiterer, a trifler, 
 a slug. By all my efforts I accomplish i^othing. It 
 is that you may know wherein to help me with your 
 prayers. Beg for me, that I may be found faithful ; 
 and that, while I preach to others, I myself may not 
 be a castaway. I have some hope, through grace, 
 that I shall not ; but the heart is deceitful, the devil 
 is busy, and Grod is just and holy. Only this I trust 
 to, Christ hath died, yea, rather, is risen again. 
 
 to August 24, 1694. And when he concluded it, he thus wrote 
 in ids diary : " This day finisheth my commonly dying year, 
 which I have numbered the days of; and should noAV apply 
 my heart, more than ever, to heavenly wisdom." 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 185 
 
 *' Dear love and service to you both. The Lord 
 himself be your everlasting portion. Amen. 
 
 " This from your affectionate obliged brother, 
 
 friend, servant in our dear Lord, 
 
 " PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To the Rev Fran cis Tallents . 
 
 ''August 13, 355th day, 1694. 
 
 " Dear Cousin and Brother — I came from hom3 
 on Saturday, not without some hopeful thoughts of 
 seeing you two, and dear Mr. Bryan in his present 
 ilhiess, this day ; but the weather and ways are grown 
 suddenly such, that really I dare not venture, for my 
 strength will not bear it ; and I dare not tempt God. 
 I am therefore hastening back to my nest ; where the 
 young ones are at present such, and so many, that the 
 poor hen, though she can do as much as another, yet 
 cannot manage them without me. If we do any good, 
 it is well ; the Lord accept of it in Christ ; but, I am 
 sure, it is not without a great deal of care and cumber 
 to ourselves in our declining age. It was a special 
 providence, to gratify dear cousin Benyon, that at first 
 brought us into it ; and I wait upon the same provi- 
 dence, in what way the Lord pleases, for there are 
 many ways, to let us fairly out again, that we may 
 not break prison. I pray once more, accept of this 
 true excuse ; and give my dear love and respects to 
 good Mr. Bryan, and tell him my heart is with him, 
 and my daily prayers are to Grod for him. If there be 
 more work to be done, well ; Jie shall recover to do it : 
 if not, better — for him better, whatever it be for others — 
 there is a rest remaining. We serve a good master. 
 
186 EEY. rillLIP HENRY. 
 
 " Dearest love to you botli. The eternal God be 
 your refuge ; and underneath you he his everlasting 
 arms, living and dying. Amen. 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY/' 
 
 To Thomas Hunt, Esq., ofBoreatton, but then in London. 
 
 "July 5, 1G92. 
 
 " Dear Sir — The change of your hand for so 
 much the better, made me altogether uncertain to 
 whom I owed the kindness of the printed paper till 
 your father informed my ignorance, which is now 
 quite removed by your second letter; the tidings 
 wherein, though it be not like the former as to the 
 account it gives of public affairs, yet as to this were 
 very acceptable — that it assures me of the continu- 
 ance of your personal respect to, and remembrance 
 of unworthy me ; and also gives me good ground of 
 hope that you are confirmed more and more in your 
 choice of the good ways of the Lord, the good old 
 ways of religion and godliness, as the ways you 
 resolve to walk in, though but few of your rank and 
 circumstances, yea, very few, do so. And what 
 then ? Is it not better to go to heaven with a rem- 
 nant, than to hell with a multitude ? Are diamonds 
 and rubies ever the less precious because they are 
 short in number of the pebble-stones ? I am glad to 
 think there is one the more for you, and I hope He 
 that hath begun the good work, the same will per- 
 form it unto the day of Jesus Christ. 
 
 ''What you write of the paralyzing atheism of 
 the town, I am afraid is too true ; but what do you 
 think of such a thing as achristisni ? I am sure 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 187 
 
 Ephesians 2 : 12 mentions both. How many are there 
 that own a God, and worship him, that have no 
 regard to Jesus Christ in doing so ; as if we could 
 come to him, and have to do with him, and receive 
 from him, without a mediator ! How is he then 
 'the way?' Hath he not said, 'No man cometh 
 unto the Father but by me V Is he the way to those 
 that do not walk in him, or an advocate to those 
 that do not employ him? The blessed Paul could 
 say, ' To me to live is Christ,' and if we cannot in 
 some measure say so too, to us to die will not be 
 gain. Dear sir, give me leave, with all the affec- 
 tionate earnestness I can use, to recommend him to 
 your study and acquaintance, and to entreat you to 
 abound therein more and more ; learn him and love 
 him and live him, and, my soul for yours, all will 
 be well. Learn him, for he is a good lesson ; love 
 liim, for he is a good friend ; and live him, for he is 
 a good pattern. Count upon it, you can have no sin 
 pardoned without him ; no strength to do your duty 
 without him ; no acceptation, when it is done, without 
 him ; no communion with Gro J here without him, 
 and no heaven hereafter without him. Is there not 
 good reason, then, why you should make him your 
 all in all, and use him accordingly ? 
 
 "I have been for some weeks of late a poor pris- 
 oner, under pain in an ill-affected limb ; which still 
 continues, but, I thank God, with less violence. I 
 am in hopes of creeping to the pulpit again, from 
 which, for three Sabbaths, I have been excluded ; if 
 so, it shall be to preach Christ Jesus the Lord, the 
 
188 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 ■ Prince of our peace, and the Captain of our salvation, 
 to vv^hose acquaintance I again recommend you, and 
 rest, - " Dear sir, 
 
 "Your truly loving friend to serve you, 
 
 " PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To Henry Ashurst, Esq., of Lancashire. 
 
 "Nov. 3, 1686. 
 
 " Honored Sir — Hoping you are by this time, as 
 you intended, returned to London, to your home and. 
 habitation there, I make bold, according to my prom- 
 ise, to salute you in a few lines. In the first place, 
 to be your remembrancer of the vows of G-od which 
 are upon you, on account of the many mercies of 
 your journey, both in your going out and in your 
 coming in. Was not every step you took hedged 
 about with special providence ? Had not the angels 
 charge over you? Did they not pitch their tents 
 where you pitched yours ? Did not goodness and 
 mercy follow you, and should it not then be had in 
 thankful remembrance ? Where mercy goes before, 
 should not duty follow after ? 
 
 " Next, sir, I am to acquaint you that I have 
 faithfully disposed of the money you left with me at 
 parting to eight poor praying widows in this neigh- 
 borhood, as you appointed ; and this, among all the 
 rest of your almsdeeds, is had in memorial before 
 G-od ; it is fruit that will abound to your account — 
 bread sent a voyage upon the waters which you and 
 yours will find again after many days, for ' He is faith- 
 ful that hath promised.' The apostle's prayer shall 
 be mine : ' Now he that ministercth seed to the sower, 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. ISO 
 
 both minister bread for your food, and multiply your 
 seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteous- 
 ness.' 2 Cor. 9 : 10. Amen. 
 
 "Who shoots an arrow, and looks not after it; or 
 knocks at a door, and stays not for an answer ? ' I 
 will direct my prayer to thee,' says holy David, 
 Psalm 5 : 3, as an archer his arrow to the mark, and 
 will look up, to see what becomes of it. And again, 
 ' I will hear what Grod the Lord will speak.' Psalm 
 85 : 8. And so another prophet, having been at prayer, 
 says, ' I will stand upon my watch-tower.' Hab. 2:1. 
 Sometimes our heavenly Father withholds mercies to 
 quicken prayer ; grants them to awaken our thank- 
 ful acknowledgments, or, if denied, to excite penitent 
 reflections, searching and trying, why, and where- 
 fore ; for it is never so but there is some cause. 
 Thus the soul and G-od converse and correspond. 
 We send to him for some mercy wanted. He replies 
 in his providence, either giving, delaying, or denying. 
 We make suitable returns, as there is occasion ; and 
 if so, he is never wanting to rejoin, either in kind or 
 kindness, as he sees best. 
 
 "With my due and true respects, I take leave, 
 and rest, 
 
 " Sir, yours ever obliged, 
 " To honor and serve you, in our dear Lord, 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To the same, ^ 
 
 "December 15, 1686. 
 
 " Sir — I received yours soon after the date of it; 
 and according to your order therein, I have distrib- 
 
190 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 uted other twenty shillings to the same eight poor 
 praying widows in this neighborhood, to whom I gave 
 the former. I did also request them to continue their 
 supplications at the throne of grace on the same par- 
 ticular account which you at first desired, and I 
 believe they have done and do it accordingly ; and 
 you may be sure it shall not be in vain, because 
 truth itself hath said it shall not. Isaiah 45 : 19. 
 
 " That is true of prayer which is said of winter, 
 that it rots not in the skies. Though the answer be 
 not always in the thing asked, yet it is in something 
 else as good, or better. Abraham's prayer for Ishmael 
 was heard in Isaac. Sometimes Grod answers us by 
 strengthening us with strength in our souls. Psalm 
 138 : 3. He answered his Son so. Luke 22 : 42, 43. 
 If the prayer be for the removal of a present burden, 
 and it be not removed, yet if we are enabled with 
 faith and patience to undergo it, the prayer is an- 
 swered. If for the bestowing of a desired mercy, as 
 that of Moses that he might go over into the promised 
 land, if God say, as he did to him, 'Let it suffice 
 thee,' that is, if he give a contented frame of heart 
 in the want of it, the prayer is answered ; as was 
 also that of Paul when he prayed that the thorn in 
 the flesh might pass from him ; ' My grace,' said Grod, 
 ' is sufficient for thee.' 
 
 "We have great need of heavenly wisdom — the 
 Lord give it — ^both to discern and to improve answers 
 to prayer ; if we have them not in kind, yet if we 
 have them in kindness, we should be no less thank- 
 ful. I shall be glad to hear, if God see good, that 
 
HIS OORRESPONLKNCE. 191 
 
 your child recovers; but if not, if he sanctify tha 
 affliction to him and you, that is, further you in 
 sanctification, do your souls good by it, bear you up 
 under it in a quiet, patient, submissive frame, you 
 will say at last, it was well. So also as to the fitting 
 you with a convenient seat for your family : it were 
 very desirable, if he please, that you should be pros- 
 pered in it ; but if his pleasure be rather to keep you 
 longer in your present circumstances, and withal to 
 give you a heart to improve the same, and to take 
 occasion from the uncertainties and unsettlements of 
 this world, to be so much the more diligent in mak- 
 ing sure what may be made sure, a building in 
 heaven not made with hands, you will be no loser 
 thereby, but a gainer. 
 
 ''Please to give my most humble service to your 
 good lady and to your virtuous daughter. The Lord 
 fill you with comfort in each other and in all your 
 children; but especially and above all in himself, 
 who is the spring-head and fountain. 
 
 "With due respects to your good self, sir, I rest, 
 "Yours, much obliged, 
 
 "To honor and serve you 
 
 " PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To the same. 
 
 "January 14, 1686-87. 
 
 "Sir — Our last to each other, as it seems, were 
 of the same date, and met upon the road. You begin 
 with a good subject : to have my thoughts of faith 
 and repentance. They are the two hinges upon 
 
192 REV. PHILIP HENPti'. 
 
 which the door of our salvation turns ; except we 
 repent and believe the gospel, we cannot possibly be 
 accepted and saved. Paul tells the elders of Ephe- 
 sus that he had ' kept back nothing that was profit- 
 able ' unto them, Acts 20 : 20 ; and then adds, * tes- 
 tifying repentance toward G-od, and faith toward our 
 Lord Jesus Christ;' as if those included all that is 
 profitable. 
 
 "But why 'repentance towards God?' Because 
 he is the party wronged and injured by sin, and 
 therefore to him it is fit the penitent acknowledgment 
 should be made. And also because if it be not towards 
 God, it is worth nothing ; if we sorrow not with an 
 eye to him, our sorrow is nothing worth. Ezek. 6 : 9. 
 ' They shall remember me, and loathe themselves.' 
 If our confessions be not before him as the prodigal's, 
 ' Father, I have sinned,' etc. — ^not as Judas, who told 
 the chief priests what he had done, but did not tell 
 G-od — and if our forsaking of sin, which is a neces- 
 sary ingredient of saving repentance, be not for God's 
 sake, and from a true respect to his will and glory, it 
 is not the sorrow, the confession, the forsaking, that 
 accompanies salvation. "We are, notwithstanding it, 
 but as ' sounding brass and tinkling cymbals.' 
 
 "And therefore this is the main matter in repent- 
 ing : Is what I do in it done as 'toward God?' Is 
 he in the beginning, in the middle, at the end of it ? 
 'When ye fasted and mourned,' saith he, 'those 
 seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to 
 me V Zech. 7 : 5. That there should be fasting and 
 mourning for seventy years together, and not a jot of 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 193 
 
 it to Grod, how sad was this ! There is repentance in 
 hell, but it is not repentance towards Grod, and there- 
 fore it avails nothing. If the sight and sense we have 
 of sin drive us from God, and we pine away in our 
 iniquities, how should we then live ? But if it bring 
 us to Grod, lay us low, even at his feet, with shame 
 and blushing, then it is right. I say, with shame 
 and blushing, as Ezra : '0 my God, I am ashamed, 
 and bkish to lift up my face to thee, my God.' Ezra 
 9:6. It is that inward blushing of soul that is the 
 color of repentance. *I abhor myself,' saith Job, 
 ' and repent.' 
 
 "Self-abhorrence is always the companion of true 
 repentance, and it flows from a sight of God in his 
 purity and glory. * Mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I 
 abhor myself.' There is the shame of a thief, when 
 he is taken, Jer. 2 : 26, the ground whereof is the 
 shameful punishment he is to undergo ; and there is 
 the ingenuous shame of a child towards a father, 
 when he hath offended him, and cannot Uft up his 
 face with that boldness as before, which is quite 
 another thing. Such was David's repentance, when 
 he cries for washing, purging, cleansing, like one 
 fallen into the dirt ; and when he prays, ' Open thou 
 my lips,' like one tongue-tied through guilt. I believe 
 there is no true penitent but what can bear witness 
 to this, where no eye hath seen, but His that sees 
 everywhere, and that daily, more or less, as there is 
 occasion. 
 
 "And that is another evidence of true repent- 
 ance, that it is constant and continual: not like a 
 
194 EEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 land- flood, but like the flo wings of a spring; not a 
 single act, but an abiding habit. 
 
 " With most affectionate respects, and humble 
 service to your whole good self, beseeching the Lord 
 to remember both you and yours with the favor which 
 he bears unto his people, that you may see the good 
 of his chosen, and rejoice in the gladness of his nation, 
 I rest, 
 
 " Sir, yours obliged, to honor and serve you, 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 To the same. 
 
 "March 26, 1687. 
 
 '• Sir — I had yours from Hampton this week, and 
 rejoice to hear of your good health, which Grod con- 
 tinue. I shall do as you direct in the distribution of 
 twenty shillings at present to the eight widows, and 
 shall acquaint them with your concern in the young 
 man you mention. God, if it be his will, prevent 
 your fears about it. Uncertainty is written upon all 
 things here below, but there is an unchangeable 
 happiness laid up for us in the other world, and that 
 may be made sure. Your acknowledging Ood. in it, 
 as in all your affairs, I cannot but rejoice in, as an 
 evidence of the uprightness of your heart towards 
 him. It is the life and soul of all religion. It is, 
 indeed, to walk with God, and includes as much as 
 any scripture command in so few words, * In all thy 
 ways acknowledge him.' In every thing thou doest 
 have an eye to him, make his word and will thy rule, 
 his glory thy end ; fetch strength from him, expect 
 success from him, and in all events that happen, 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 195 
 
 which are our ' ways ' too, whether they be for us or 
 against us, he is to be acknowledged, that is, adored : 
 if prosperous, with thankfulness ; if otherwise, with 
 submission, as did Job : * The Lord gave, and the 
 Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the 
 Lord.' This is to set the Lord always before us, to 
 have our 'eyes ever towards' him. Where this is 
 not, we are so far ' without G-od in the world.' 
 
 "As to what you desire concerning your son, I 
 am heartily willing, to my poor power, to serve you 
 in his education here for a while ; but I am afraid, 
 by reason of your undeserved overvaluing thoughts 
 of me — wherein you would abate, if you knew me 
 better — lest you promise yourself that from it which 
 will not be. * * * * I have refused several of late, 
 and at present do not know of any undisposed of, that 
 will be meet for him. It were desirable it should be 
 one who is rather a step before than behind him. 
 These are the things at present that offer themselves 
 to my thoughts concerning it, and from mine they 
 come to you, if my son have not already hinted them 
 to you. I suppose it will not be long ere he will be 
 looking homewards, and if so, with his help it will be 
 the better done. Please to weigh it yet further with 
 yourself, and the Lord direct and determine your will 
 by his will, and that shall be my will in the matter. 
 
 " Sir, I most heartily thank both you and your 
 good lady, to whom I give my humble service, for 
 your very great kindness and respect to my son ; he 
 intimates the deep sense he has of it, and I join with 
 him in the thankful acknowledgment. 
 
19G EEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 " I shall be glad to hear in your next how it is 
 with your younger son, and also the young man you 
 mention. The Lord, I trust, will be gracious. To 
 his mercy, grace, and peace, I recommend you and 
 yours, and beg again that I and mine may be remem- 
 bered of you, who am, 
 
 " Sir, yours, much obliged, 
 
 " To honor, love, and serve you, 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 Tothesame. 
 
 "September 2, 1687. 
 
 '' Sir — My Sabbath subject was, Acts 11 : 21, 
 * The hand of the Lord was with them ; and a great 
 number believed and turned unto the Lord.' In this 
 I shall acquaint you, the subject being the same, 
 with the heads of what was then spoken after my 
 plain, country manner. The preachers here were 
 such as had been scattered by persecution after the 
 death of Stephen ; which scattering was intended by 
 the devil and wicked men for hurt to the church, 
 but God turned it for good, as he often does, and we 
 ourselves have had experience of it. It was like the 
 scattering of seed, or salt, whereby more were sea- 
 soned. It seems, then, that the hand of the Lord 
 may be with us, when the hand of man is against 
 us. Preachers disowned and persecuted by worldly 
 powers, may be owned and blessed in their labors by 
 the G-od of heaven. The place was Antioch, where 
 these converts were the first that took the honorable 
 and sweet name of Christians. At Antioch, not at 
 E-ome. If Christians should own one place more 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 197 
 
 than another as the mother church of all churches, 
 methinks it should he that rather where they first 
 had their name. 
 
 " The preaching was Jesus. They preached the 
 Lord Jesus, and then ' the hand of the Lord was with 
 them.' We are then most likely to have the hand 
 of the Lord with us in our preaching when we preach 
 Jesus : not when we preach ourselves, hut when we 
 preach Jesus, and 'ourselves your servants for Jesus' 
 sake.' By the 'hand of the Lord with them,' is 
 meant, the Lord himself, according to his promise. 
 Matt. 28 : 20, ' Lo, I am with you.' He assisted 
 them in their preaching, made way for the word into 
 the hearts of those that heard it, gave it an impres- 
 sion there, and this is always all in all. If the hand 
 of the Lord he not with the preachers there will he 
 no helieving, no turning, among the people, for faith 
 is ' the gift of G-od.' ' Unto you it is given to believe.' 
 ' Turn thou me, and I shall he turned.' A ' great 
 number believed.' Sometimes God is pleased to en- 
 large his hand in the conversion of many by the min- 
 istry of the word — not a fish or two, but whole shoals 
 caught in the net of the gospel. Oh, that it might 
 be so at this day. Your love to souls I know will 
 say. Amen. 
 
 " To believe has three things in it: 1. Assent to 
 what is spoken as true, either from the evidence of 
 the thing itself, or on account of the veracity of him 
 that speaketh it. 2. Application of it to myself; I 
 must look upon myself as concerned in it, and say. 
 This belongs to me. 3. Answerable affections and 
 
198 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 actions according as the thing is that is spoken. 
 Without this, my beheving is nothing. Noah believed 
 and feared. Heb. 11 : 7. The ' devils believe and 
 tremble.' James 2 : 19. If one tell me the house is 
 falling, and I believe it, I shall fear and run out of 
 it ; or that there is a pot of gold hid in such a place, 
 and I may have it for digging for it, if I believe, I 
 shall dig. Now there are, among many others, four 
 great truths revealed in the word of God, the belief 
 whereof, such a belief as hath in it the three things 
 before mentioned, doth always accompany conversion 
 and salvation. 
 
 "1. That a sinful condition is a miserable con- 
 dition. That it is so is certainly true : thou art 
 wretched and miserable under the curse of God, 
 liable to all miseries. But do we believe it, that is, 
 assent to it, and that with application ? * I am the 
 man; sinful, and therefore miserable.' And are we 
 thereupon afraid, brought under a spirit of bond- 
 age ? And doth that fear set upon serious inquiries, 
 What shall we do to get out of it V If so, so far is 
 well. 
 
 " 2. That Jesus Christ is ordained of God to be a 
 ' Prince and Saviour ;' that he is able and willins: to 
 save, * to save unto the uttermost.' Do we assent to 
 this, this 'faithful saying,' and do we apply it? 'He 
 is able and willing to save me.' And are we suitably 
 aifected therewith ? And do we act accordingly ? Do 
 we come to him, close with him, accept of him, as he 
 is offered to us in the gospel ? If so, we are believ- 
 ers ; and if believers, then ' the sons of God,' justified 
 
UNIVBRS 
 
 HIS CORRESPONDENCE^. -, 199 
 
 ^~ '■"•''•"- 
 
 by that faith, at peace with Grod, and heirs^ heaven. 
 And to that also we must assent, with application, 
 and he affected, and act accordingly ; rejoicing always 
 with joy unspeakable, and abounding always in the 
 work of the Lord. 
 
 " 3. The absolute necessity of a holy heart, and a 
 holy life. That we must be new creatures, or we 
 cannot enter the new Jerusalem — ' born again,' or we 
 ' cannot see the kingdom of G-od ;' that we must deny 
 * all ungodliness and worldly lusts,' and ' live soberly, 
 righteously, and godly,' in this world, if ever we mean 
 to be happy in another world. Do we believe this ; 
 that is, assent to it ? Is it not plain in the word of 
 God, written there as with a sunbeam, so that he 
 who runs may read ? But do we apply it ? ^ I must 
 be regenerated ; if I be not, I shall not be saved. My 
 civility and moral honesty, my profession and out- 
 ward form of godliness, will not serve my turn ; I 
 must put off the old man and put on the new.' And 
 do there follow suitable affections and actions ? Do 
 I love the word as a regenerating word ? Do I pray 
 for and receive the Spirit as a regenerating Spirit? 
 Do I set myself in the use of all G-od's appointed 
 means, to the great work of crucifying the flesh, 
 with all the affections and lusts, walking in all the 
 commandments of the Lord blameless? This is be- 
 lieving. 
 
 *' 4. The certainty and reality of future rewards 
 and punishments. That there is another life after 
 this, and that it is to be a life of retribution ; that as 
 sure as there is an earth which we tread upon, so sure 
 
200 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 there is a hell under it, a place of eternal torment ; so 
 sure as there is an outward heaven which our eyes 
 see, so sure there is another heaven heyond it, a fixed 
 state of everlasting blessedness. Are these things so ? 
 Certainly they are, for ' the mouth of the Lord hath 
 spoken it.' No room is left for doubting. But will 
 one of these be our place shortly ? Certainly it will. 
 I must, I, even I, be ere long either in hell misera- 
 ble, or in heaven happy. Oh, then, how should I be 
 affected ? How should I act ? Should I not fear that 
 place of torment, and fly from it ; make sure that 
 place of happiness, and rejoice always in the hope of 
 it ; having my conversation there, laying up treasure 
 there ? This is believing. The same may be said in 
 reference to every other truth of G-od — precept, prom- 
 ise, tlnreatenings. There are quarter believers and half 
 believers, but the ivhole believer is he that assents, 
 applies, is affected, and acts according to what he 
 says he believes. 
 
 " Now the good Lord work this belief in all our 
 hearts, fulfilling in us all *the good pleasure of his 
 goodness,' and this 'work of faith with power.' 
 Amen." 
 
 To the same. 
 
 "September 8, 1687. 
 
 " Sir — ^Your continued kind acceptance is still my 
 encouragement to perform this monthly service to you, 
 wishing I could do it better to your soul's advantage 
 and edification. The grace of faith is indeed the 
 grace of all graces: 1. The grace that God hath 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 201 
 
 most honored in making it, whether as the condition 
 or the instrument, I am sure, the means of our justi- 
 fication, reconciUation, acceptation, salvation. Of all 
 graces, faith doth most ahase the creature and lift up 
 G-od : it is a self-emptying and a God-advancing grace, 
 and therefore of all graces God doth most advance 
 and lift up faith; for so is the word that he hath 
 spoken : ' Them that honor me, I will honor.' 2. The 
 grace that of all graces we do live hy, for * the just 
 shall live hy faith,' Hah. 2:4; than which, I. think 
 there is scarce any one passage in the old Testament 
 more often quoted in the New ; and good reason, for 
 it is the marrow of the gospel. We live by faith, 
 
 * 1. Spiritually .f as to justification, sanctification, 
 consolation ; in which three stands our spiritual life. 
 We are justified by faith, Rom. 5:1; Acts 13 : 39 ; 
 justified from the guilt of sin, the curse of the law, 
 and the damnation of hell. In the want of which 
 justification, we are but dead men, that is, under a 
 sentence of death ; so that, in that sense, by faith we 
 live — we live by it as we are made just by it ; the just 
 by faith shall live. We are sanctified by faith, Acts, 
 26 : 18 ; as by it we receive the Spirit of sanctifica- 
 tion, who finds us dead in trespasses and sins as to 
 our spiritual state, and then breathes into us the breath 
 of spiritual life, whereby we become living souls, alive 
 to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are com- 
 forted by faith, Rom. 15 : 13 ; and that comfort is our 
 life, 1 Thess. 3:8. ' Now we live,' that is, now we 
 are comforted, ' if ye stand fast in the Lord.' Faith 
 comforts as it applies the promises, which promises are 
 
 9* 
 
202 REV. PHILIP IIEXRY. 
 
 our breasts of consolation, at which the believing soul 
 sucks and is satisfied. And there are two of them, 
 one concerning the things of the life that now is, the 
 other concerning the things of that which is to come ; 
 for godliness hath both, and hath need of both, in 
 order to comfort, upon one occasion or other, every 
 day. They are also called well-springs of salvation, 
 and, as such, faith is the bucket by which we draw 
 water from those wells. If the well be deep, as 
 good no well as no bucket ; so as good no promise as 
 no faith. 
 
 " 2. As we live spiritually by faith in all these 
 three great concernments of our spiritual life, so we 
 live our life in the flesh by the faith of the Son of 
 Grod, as saith the apostle, G-al. 2 : 20. He means his 
 life of conversation in the world, for that is the life 
 that he lived then in the flesh. ' We walk by faith, 
 not by sight;' not as glorified saints do in heaven 
 by immediate vision, nor by carnal sight as the men 
 of the world, who look only at the ' things that are 
 seen ' with the bodily eyes, but by faith. So that faith 
 is a principle of living quite different from the one 
 and from the other. It is far short of living by heav- 
 enly vision, but it is infinitely above and beyond the 
 life of carnal reason which men as men live. In the 
 ordinary actions and affairs of life, 1. It is by faith, 
 and no otherwise, that we set the Lord always before 
 us, and see Him that is invisible. And what influ- 
 ence that hath upon the conversation, to make it what 
 it should be, they can best tell that have tried. 2. 
 It is by faith and no otherwise that we close with the 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 203 
 
 word of Grod as our rule and square, by which, we 
 regulate and order our conversation. The command- 
 ments are to be believed, Psa. 119:66, as well as the 
 promises. 3. It is by faith that we fetch strength 
 from the Lord Jesus for the doing of what we have 
 to do every day in every thing, for without him we 
 can do nothing. 4. It is by faith that we look at the 
 ' recompense of reward,' which makes us lively and 
 cheerful in our obedience, both active and passive ; 
 forasmuch as we know our labor shall not be in vain 
 in the Lord. And then for life eternal, as we look at 
 it by faith, so by faith it is that we have title to it : 
 he that believes shall be saved. Whosoever believes 
 ' shall not perish, but have everlasting life.' We * are 
 all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.' And 
 ' if children, then heirs, heirs of Gtod, and joint heirs 
 with Christ, of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, 
 and that fadeth not away.' 
 
 " If all this be true of faith, and not the one half 
 hath been told you, then there is good reason why it 
 should be called precious faith. It closes with a 
 precious Christ, and to them only that believe he is 
 precious. It embraces precious promises, and it saves 
 precious souls. Is Christ our all iu all? So, in a 
 sense, is faith our all in all. 
 
 "Your son shall be truly welcome here at the 
 time you mention, and I shall think it long till it 
 come. As to the late accession made to your estate, 
 much good may it do you, that is, much good may 
 you do with it, which is the true good of an estate. 
 Lady Warwick would not thank him that would give 
 
204 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 her £1,000 a year, and tie her up from doing good 
 with it. I rejoice in the large heart which G-od hath 
 given you with your large estate, without which heart 
 the estate would be your snare. As to your purposed 
 kindness to me, you will call me unkind if I refusa 
 it ; hut as to the quantity, let it he as little as you 
 please, for it cannot he too little where so little is 
 deserved, as is by 
 
 *' Your servant, 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To the same 
 
 " October 28, 1687. 
 
 *' Sir — Yet further concerning the grace of faith. 
 Besides that it is that by which we live, as of Christ 
 it is said, loho is our life, so we may say of faith, in 
 a different sense, it is our life. As Paul says, ' To me 
 to live is Christ ;' so we may say, to us to live is to 
 believe. I say, besides this, there are four great 
 things said- in Scripture concerning faith, which de- 
 serve a particular consideration. 
 
 "1. It purifies the heart : ' Purifying their hearts 
 by faith.' Acts 15 : 9. Faith is a heart-purifying grace, 
 elsewhere called, ' purging the conscience from dead 
 works.' Heb. 9 : 14. It is done by the blood of Christ, 
 who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself with- 
 out spot to Grod, meritoriously, and by faith instru- 
 mentally. Christ's blood is the water of purification, 
 the true and only water, and faith is as the bunch of 
 hyssop dipped in it, and so purging the conscience ; 
 that is, pacifying it in reference to the guilt contract- 
 ed, quieting the mind as to the pardon and forgiveness 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 205 
 
 01 it before Grod, which nothing else can do. All the 
 legal purifyings prescribed by the law of Moses avail- 
 ci nothing as to this ; it is done by faith only ; and 
 therefore the gentiles ought not to be obliged by 
 circumcision to those ceremonial observances, seeing 
 there was another nearer and better way to that bless- 
 ed end, and that was by believing. We may also, by 
 ' purifying the heart,' understand the work of sanctifi- 
 cation, wherein faith is greatly instrumental ; but I 
 conceive the other the design of the place. 
 
 '' 2. It ' works by love.' Gral. 5:6. It is a work- 
 ing grace ; if it be idle, and work not, it is not genuine 
 faith. And how works it ? * By love.' Love in the 
 full extent and latitude of it ; the love of G-od, and 
 the love of ovir neighbor, which two are ' the fulfil- 
 ling of the law ;' so that to work by love, is to work 
 by universal obedience, which obedience is worth 
 nothing further than love hath a hand in it, and love 
 stirs not further than faith acts it. He that believes 
 the love of Christ for poor sinners, in dying for them, 
 with particular application to himself, cannot but find 
 his heart constrained thereby, more or less, according 
 as the belief is, to love him again, and out of love to 
 him to keep his commandments. Do we find love 
 cold ? It is because faith is weak. Do we love little ? 
 Our belief is little. Therefore when a hard duty 
 was enjoined, that of loving and forgiving enemies, 
 *Lord,' say the disciples, 'increase our faith;' intimat- 
 ing that without more faith it would not be possible. 
 The more strongly and steadfastly we believe that 
 Christ loved us when we were enemies to him, the 
 
20G REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 more frequently and freely, readily and cheerfully, we 
 sliall forgive our brother, who is become an enemy 
 unto us. 
 
 ''3. It overcomes the world. * This is the victory 
 that overcome th the world, even our faith,' 1 John, 
 5:4; where by world, is meant especially, its smiles 
 and frowns : they are both as nothing to us, have no 
 power or prevalency with us, so as to draw or drive 
 us from our Christian course, as long as we keep faith 
 alive and active, either upon the past great things 
 that our great Redeemer hath done and suffered for 
 us, or upon the future invisible realities of the other 
 world, that crown and kingdom which he hath set 
 before us and made over to us. 
 
 ^'4. It quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked, 
 Eph. 6:16; that is, the devil, and all his instruments ; 
 all the temptations of what kind soever, wherewith at 
 any time they may assault us, are quenched by faith, 
 lose their hurtful keenness, and wound us not. But 
 then that faith must be not in habit only, but in act 
 and exercise ; as a shield not hanging up, but in the 
 hand. 0, that to us, then, it might be given always 
 to believe ! How much better would it be with us, 
 on this fourfold account, had we more faith. 
 
 * * * * a Sir J I received your extraordinary kind 
 token, and return you my most humble, hearty thanks 
 for it. It hath no fault but that it is too good. Last 
 week, another of your praying widows went to rest, a 
 very choice flower in our small garden. 
 
 "Most humble service to your whole self, etc., 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY." 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 207 
 
 To the same. 
 
 "NOVKMBER 25, 1687. 
 
 " Sir — The nature, excellency, and usefulness of 
 the grace of faith, is the subject concerning which I 
 owe you a further account of my poor thoughts. And 
 that I, while I am writing, and you also, while 
 you are reading, might each of us find, through the 
 powerful working of the Spirit in us, an increase of 
 that grace, that precious grace : that we may be strong 
 in believing, giving glory to God, and that our con- 
 solations may be strong also ; for as the faith is weak 
 or strong, so the comfort is. 
 
 " Faith is the eye of the soul, by which we look 
 unto Christ, as the poor stung Israelites did to the 
 brazen serpent lifted up upon the pole, and thereby 
 receive a cure from him. But, as Paul saith in another 
 case, the body is not one member, but many ; so faith 
 is not one rnember, but many. ' If the whole body were 
 an eye, where were the hearing?' 1 Cor. 12 : 14, 17. 
 So, if faith were our eye only, and nothing else, what 
 should we do for other instruments of spiritual life 
 and motion? Biehold, therefore, how faith, besides 
 being our eye, is our foot, by which we come to 
 Christ ; an expression often used in Scripture, as in 
 Matt. 11 : 28, ' Come unto me,' that is, believe in 
 me. ' Him that cometh unto me,' that is, that believ- 
 eth in me, * I will in no wise cast out.' John 6 : 37. 
 By unbelief we depart from the living God. Heb. 3 : 12. 
 By faith we come to Christ. Heb. 7 : 25. And with- 
 out him there is no coming, for he is the way, the 
 
208 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 true and living and only way ; all that are out of 
 him, are out of the way. 
 
 <• Faith is our hand also, hy which we receive him. 
 * As many as received Him, to them gave he power 
 to become the sons of Grod, even to them that be- 
 lieve on his name,' John 1 : 12 ; where believing is 
 the same with receiving. In the gospel, G-od offers 
 Him to us freely and graciously, to be our Prince 
 and Saviour, to be 'the Lord our righteousness,' to 
 redeem us from iniquity, and to purify us to himself. 
 When we do heartily, by faith, close with that offer, 
 and accept of him to be ours, he becomes ours : we 
 have union with him^ relation to him, and benefit by 
 him. But then there is another act of faith put forth 
 at the same time by another hand, which is the giv- 
 ing act, whereby we give ourselves to him to be his, 
 to love him, and serve him, and live to him. ' 
 Lord,' saith David, ' I am thy servant ; truly I am tliy 
 servant.' Psalm 116 : 16. ' They gave their own 
 selves to the Lord.' 2 Cor. 8 : 5. Without this our 
 receiving is not right. There is a faith that is one- 
 handed — receives, but gives not ; this will not save. 
 They that come to Christ for rest, and receive Christ, 
 must take his yoke upon them, and learn of him. 
 
 "It is also the mouth of the soul, by which wo 
 feed upon him, and are nourished by him. John 6. 
 Except ye eat his flesh, and drink his blood, that is, 
 believe in him, as it is there explained, ye cannot bo 
 saved. This above all the rest doth in the most lively 
 manner represent to us what it is to believe. To be- 
 lieve is, when a poor soul, being made sensible of its 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 209 
 
 lost and undone condition by sin, doth earnestly de- 
 sire, as they do that are hungry and thirsty, after a 
 Saviour. * Oh for a righteousness wherein to appear 
 "before G-od. Oh for a pardon for what is past. Oh 
 for grace and strength to do so no more.' And hear- 
 ing by the report of the gospel, and believing that 
 report, that all this and a great deal more is to be 
 had in Christ, the next request is, 'Oh for that 
 Christ ; that Christ might be mine.' Why, he is 
 thine, man, if thou wilt accept of him. 'Accept 
 of him ! Lord, I accept of him.' Then feed upon 
 him ; ' his flesh is meat indeed, his blood is drink 
 indeed.' Oh, taste and see that he is gracious. How 
 sweet are his promises. "What inward refreshment 
 doth the soul find, by his suffering and dying to re- 
 deem and save. How is it thereby strengthened as 
 by bread, and made glad as by wine. 
 
 '' But we must each of us eat for ourselves, and 
 drink for ourselves. My eating will not refresh an- 
 other, nor strengthen another ; neither will my believ- 
 ing. The just shall live by his faith, his own faith. 
 Other creatures die to make food for our bodies, and 
 to maintain natural life ; but then we must take them, 
 and eat them, and digest them ; and having done so, 
 they turn into nourishment to us, and so become ours 
 that they and we cannot be parted again. It is so in 
 believing. Christ died to make food for our souls ; 
 and not thereby to maintain only, but to give spiritual 
 life, which other food doth not to the body. But then 
 we must take him, and eat him, and digest him — 
 that is, make a particular application of him to our- 
 
210 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 selves ; and having done so, nothing shall, nothing 
 can separate us from hira. Oh that unto us it might 
 be more and more given thus to believe. 
 
 *' Sir, I thank you most heartily, as for your last 
 great kindness, so for your affectionate inquiry after 
 my poor children. I bless Grod, they are all yet, both 
 married and unmarried, our comfort and joy. Bless 
 Grod with me that it is so, and pray that it may be 
 more and more so, especially that my son may be 
 still owned and blessed in his great work. My most 
 humble service to your good lady and dear children, 
 with you. The Mediator's blessing be upon them. 
 Upon the eighth instant, there was a public ordination 
 in the meeting-house at Warrington in your Lan- 
 cashire ; the ordainers six, the ordained six, with 
 solemn fasting and prayer, where much of Grod was 
 
 seen. 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY." 
 
 To the same. 
 
 "December 20, 1G87. 
 
 " Sir — This once more concerning the grace of 
 faith. As it is that by which we live, so it is that 
 by which also we must die^ if we will die well. There 
 is no dying well without it. Heb. 11 : 13. ^ These 
 all died in faith ;' meaning Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, spoken of before, who all 
 died well, who all died believing. To die well, is to 
 die sifely, comfortably, profitably. 
 
 "1. Safely, He dies safely, whose spiritual state 
 and condition is good ; ^who is a ' new creature,' 
 *born again,' reconciled to God; whose sins are .for- 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 211 
 
 given, whose person is justified. Death hath no 
 hurt in it to such an one ; it shall be well with him 
 for ever. Now, without believing, there is none of all 
 this. It is faith that justifies ; it is faith that sanctifies. 
 There is no adoption, no reconciliation, no accepta- 
 tion, and consequently no salvation, without it. ^ He 
 that belie veth not is condemned already;' the law. 
 condemns him, though the sentence be not yet actu- 
 ally passed upon him. 
 
 " 2. Comfortably. These two may be, and often 
 are parted. How many die safely who do not die 
 comfortably, whose sun sets under a cloud. And 
 whence is it ? They are 'of little faith,' and therefore 
 they doubt, and therefore they are not comforted ; 
 they are not filled with joy and peace, for want of 
 believing. Such dying brings an evil report, like that 
 of the evil spies, upon the good ways of the Lord; 
 causes them to be ill thought of, and ill spoken of. 
 If religion will not bear us out, and bear us up at 
 the last cast, in a dying hour, what is it good for ? 
 There are degrees of this comfort in dying. All that 
 have it, have it not alike ; some have more, some less. 
 There is such a thing as dying triumphantly, which 
 is putting into harbor with full-spread sails ; when ' an 
 abundant entrance ' is administered unto us into * the 
 everlastino^ kinordom.' And it is accordins: as the 
 faith is. 
 
 " There are six things, the firm belief whereof 
 will exceedingly promote our comfort in dying : 
 
 " That at what time soever, and in what way 
 soever, death comes, it comes by the will and appoint- 
 
212 HEY. PHILIP HEXRY. 
 
 ment of our heavenly Father. He outs no corn of 
 his down till it is fully ripe. Job 5 : 26 ; Rev. 11 : 7. 
 
 " That death hath no sting in it to them that are 
 * in Christ Jesus ;' and therefore, though it may hiss 
 at us, we need not fear it. The brazen serpent had 
 the form of a serpent, which is affrighting, but it hurt 
 .none ; it healed the believing looker on it. How 
 doth Paul exult over death and the grave. 1 Cor. 
 15 : 55, 56. 
 
 " That to them that fear the Lord, immediately 
 beyond death is heaven, Luke 16:25', now, now he 
 is comforted. Phil. 1 : 23. No sooner dissolved, but 
 at once with Christ. Where this is believed, with ap- 
 plication, there cannot but be comfort. Were the soul 
 to be no more, or to sleep till the last day, or to go, 
 for nobody knows how long, to a popish purgatory, 
 what comfort could we have in dying ? But if the 
 last moment on earth be the first moment in heaven, 
 how sweet is that. 
 
 " That the body will certainly rise again a ' glori- 
 ous body :' it is sown in weakness and dishonor, and 
 corruption ; it shall be raised in power and glory, in- 
 corruptible, even this body. Yours, and mine, now 
 crazed and sickly, hereafter shall be like the glorified 
 body of Jesus Christ, or like the sun shining in its 
 brightness. 
 
 '' That G-od will certainly take care of poor dis- 
 consolate relations left behind. Psalm 27 : 10 ; Jer. 
 49:11. ^He that feeds the young ravens will not 
 suffer the young Herons to starve,' as godly Mr. Her- 
 on said to his wife on his death-bed. This helped to 
 
 i 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 213 
 
 make Jacob's death comfortable to him, Gen. 48:21 ; 
 Joseph's, Gren. 50 : 24. 
 
 " That God will certainly accomplish and fulfil, 
 in due time, all the great things that he hath pur- 
 posed and promised concerning his church and people 
 in the latter days : as, that Babylon shall fall ; the 
 Jews and Gentiles shall be brought in ; the gospel king- 
 dom more and more advanced ; divisions healed. Oh, 
 how have some rejoiced, and even triumphed, in a 
 dying hour, in the firm belief of these things. As 
 Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day, now past, and 
 died in the faith of it, so may we as to another day 
 of his, which is yet to come, before and besides the 
 last day. 
 
 " To die profitably is a step beyond dying com- 
 fortably ; I mean, to die so as to do good to those 
 that are about us in dying — to die so as to convince 
 them of sin and convert them from it: which is to 
 die like Samson, when he slew more Philistines at 
 his death than in all his life before. "We die profit- 
 ably when our natural death is a means of spiritual 
 life to any. Now this will not, cannot be, but in the 
 way of believing. He that doubts, droops, desponds, 
 calls all in question, and dies so as rather to frighten 
 from, than allure to the love of religion and godliness. 
 What need then have we to pray, and pray again, 
 ' Lord, increase our faith,' that we may not only 
 have wherewithal to live while we live, but where- 
 withal to die also w^hen we die. 
 
 '' Thus I have written you, sir, a funeral letter ; 
 God knows whose, perhaps my own. It is certainly 
 
214 R'RY. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 good to be always ready, seeing we know neither day 
 nor hour. 
 
 " Sir, I sent on Friday for your worthy, hopeful 
 son, who came hither safe and well on Saturday. I 
 see him very intent upon improvement in learning, 
 and rejoice that G-od hath guided you, both now and 
 formerly, to put him into circumstances conducive 
 thereunto. His profiting is much beyond his equals 
 in age, and I hope he doth also, which is the main 
 matter, seriously set his face heavenwards, and means 
 to make religion his business. Grod keep it always 
 in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, and 
 establish his way before him. 
 
 " My most affectionate respects and service are 
 to your good lady, son, and daughter. G-od Almighty 
 spare you to them, and them to you, to your mutual 
 comfort and joy. Amen. 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 To his son, -while a student for the ministry. 
 • "August 16, 1680. 
 
 " My dear Child — Your letter to me I received, 
 and your mother also hers. In the former, an account 
 of your being busy, at which we were glad ; in the 
 latter, of your being not well, and that troubles us ; 
 but we are in hope that this night's post will bring 
 us better tidings. However, we desire to acquiesce 
 in the will of G-od, in whose hand our times are, and 
 at whose disposal are all our ways ; who doeth always 
 that which is just and righteous, always that which 
 is best to those who love him. 
 
 " I am at Boreatton, where I expected your mother 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 215 
 
 this morning, as wo appointed ; but instead of coming 
 herself, she sends Roger with your two letters, and 
 her desire to me to answer them from hence by way 
 of Shrewsbury. They are all well, blessed be God, 
 both there and here. My Lord Paget intended to 
 have gone from hence to-morrow, which hastened 
 me hither a week sooner than I expected, and caused 
 a failure at home yesterday, no chapel-day ; but his 
 stay now is till next week. 
 
 " I am comforted that you acknowledge God in 
 your illness, and are prepared to receive with patience 
 what he appoints. The two last subjects we were 
 upon when you left Broad Oak — faith and repent- 
 ance — I hope were made profitable to you. He that 
 truly repents of sin, and truly believes in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, nothing can come amiss to him : pres- 
 ent things are his, things to come are his ; life, death ; 
 this world and the other world. Though you are at 
 a distance from us you are near to him, who accord- 
 ing to his promise is a present help to those that fear 
 him in every time of need. Our poor prayers for you, 
 you may be sure, are not, shall not be wanting, that 
 if the Lord please you may have health to ply the 
 work you came about, that you may serve the will 
 of God in your generation; if otherwise, that you 
 may be satisfied in what he doeth, and so we, by his 
 grace, shall endeavor to be also. 
 
 " Commend us to Mr. Doolittle and his wife, 
 whose tender love to you, and care concerning you, 
 we shall always acknowledge with all thankfulness ; 
 also to cousin Robert, who I know will help to beai 
 
216 ■ REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 your burden. The Lord Almighty bless you, my 
 dear child, and cause his face to shine upon you, and 
 send us good news in your next concerning you. 
 Amen. This from 
 
 " Your loving father, 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 To the same. 
 
 "May 10, 16S5. 
 
 " My dear Child — We are all well here, thanks 
 be to Grod ; the divine providence watching about 
 our tabernacle, and compassing us about ' with favor 
 as with a shield.' Our great inquiry is, "What shall 
 we render ? Alas, our renderings are nothing to our 
 receivings ; we are like the barren field, on which 
 much cost is bestowed, but the crop is not accord- 
 ingly. Our heavenly Father is loading us with his 
 benefits, and we are loading him with our sins, griev- 
 ing him that comforts us. And how long, how long 
 shall it be so ? that it might be otherwise ; that 
 our mercies might be as oil to the wheels, to make 
 us so much the more active and lively in our Master's 
 work, especially considering how it is with our fellow- 
 servants, they empty and we full, they Marah and 
 we Naomi. There may a day come when it may 
 cost dear to be honest, but after all, ' To fear God 
 and keep his commandments, this is the whole duty 
 of man.' I therefore commend it to you, and you to 
 G-od, who is a shield and buckler to them that fear 
 him. 
 
 "We are well, indeed, but in daily expectation 
 of that which we are born and born again to, and 
 
HIS CORRESrONDENCE. 217 
 
 that is trouble in this world ; yet rejoicing in hope of 
 the glory of God, which we are reaching after and 
 pressing towards, as we trust you are also. Where 
 you are you see more of the glittering vanities of this 
 world in a day, than we here do in an age ; and are you 
 more and more in love with them, or dead and dying 
 to them ? I hope, dead and dying to them, for they 
 are poor things, and perish in the using ; make many 
 worse that enjoy them, but none better. What is trans- 
 lated ' vexation of spirit,' Eccles. 1 : 14, may be read, 
 feeding upon wind ; compare Hosea 12 : 1. And can 
 wind satisfy ? The Lord preserve and keep you from 
 all evil ; the Lord preserve and keep your soul. We 
 both send you our love, and bless you together and 
 apart every day, in the name of the Lord. Amen and 
 Amen. 
 
 " I rest, your affectionate father, "P. H." 
 
 To the same . 
 
 "ApRir. 1, 168G. 
 
 " My dear Son — It is some short refreshment to 
 friends and relations to see and hear from one an- 
 other, but it passeth away, and we have here no con- 
 tinuing city, no abiding delights in this world ; our 
 rest remains elsewhere. Those we have lose much 
 of their sweetness from the thought of parting with 
 them while we enjoy them, but the happiness to come 
 is eternal — after millions of millions of ages, if we 
 may so speak of eternity, as far from an end as the 
 first moment ; and the last of glory will be glory, so 
 some read Prov. 25 : 27. Keep that in your eye, my 
 dear child, and it will, as much as any thing, dazzle 
 
 Henry. lO 
 
218 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 your eyes to all the fading, deceiving vanities of this 
 lower world, and will be a quickening motive to you 
 to abound always in the work of the Lord, foras- 
 much as you know your labor shall not be in vain 
 in the Lord. The Lord bless you, who blesseth 
 indeed. 
 
 •' See that you walk circumspectly, not as the 
 fools, but as the wise ; many eyes are upon you, His 
 especially who is all eye. ' Beware, G-od sees I' Our 
 blessing, with 1 Chron. 28 : 9. 
 
 " Be sincere and humble and choice in your com- 
 pany, always either getting good or doing good, gath- 
 ering in or laying out. Remember to 'keep thy heart 
 with all diligence,' and above all keepings ; for there 
 the fountain is, and if that be well kept and clean 
 the streams will be accordingly. 
 
 " The same which is yet the prologue of your 
 letter is of ours also. *A11 is well, praise to Grod.' 
 But he that ' girdeth on the harness,' must not boast 
 as he that 'puts it off.' While the world we live 
 in is under the moon, constant in nothing but incon- 
 stancy, and such changes are made in other families, 
 why should we alone promise ourselves immunity 
 from the common lot ? There would be no need of 
 faith and patience, which are winter graces, if it 
 should be always summer-time with us. "We have 
 three unchangeables to oppose to all other muta- 
 bilities, an unchangeable covenant, an unchangeable 
 Grod, and an unchangeable heaven. And while these 
 three remain the same, yesterday, to day, and for 
 ever, welcome the will of our heavenly Father in all 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 219 
 
 events that may happen to us ; come what will, 
 nothing can come amiss to us. 
 
 " Keep the invisible things of the other world 
 always in your eye. He that ventures the loss of an 
 eternal crown and kingdom for a cup or two of pud- 
 dle-water, such as all earthly pleasures in comparison 
 are, makes a bargain which no less a space than that 
 which is everlasting will be sufficient to bewail and 
 repent of. How much better it is to lay up in store 
 now ' a good foundation for time to come,' and to 
 * lay hold on eternal life ;' doing those works which 
 we would be willing should hereafter follow us, yet 
 still making the blessed Jesus our all in all. 
 
 " The further progress you make in your studies, 
 the easier you will find them. It is so with religion, 
 the worst is at first It is like the picture that 
 frowned at first entrance, but afterwards smiles and 
 looks pleasant. They that walk in sinful ways meet 
 with some difficulties at first, which custom conquers, 
 and they become as nothing. It is good accustoming 
 ourselves to that which is good. The more v/e do, 
 the more we may do in religion. Your acquaintance, 
 I doubt not, increaseth abroad, and your watch must 
 be accordingly; for by that oftentimes, ere we are 
 aware, we are ensnared. ' He that walketh with 
 wise men, shall be wise.' 
 
 " The return of spring invites our thanksgiving 
 for the mercy of it. The birds are singing early and 
 late, according to their capacity, the praises of their 
 Creator; but man only, that hath most cause, finds 
 something else to do. It is redeeming love that is 
 
220 HEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the most admirable love ; less than an eternity will 
 not suffice to adore it in. ' Lord, how is it?' ' Lord, 
 what is man V As the streams lead to the fountain, 
 so should all our mercies lead us to that. Let us 
 still hear to our comfort that you ' walk in the truth,' 
 living above the things of the world as dead to them. 
 The Lord in mercy fit us for his will in the next 
 providence, public and personal, for time is always 
 coming. 
 
 ^' Your improvement is our joy. Be sincere and 
 serious, clothed with humility, abounding always in 
 the work of the Lord, and when you have done all, 
 saying, ' I am an unprofitable servant.' It was the 
 good advice of the moral philosopher, ' In your con- 
 verse with men, distrust ;' but I must add, ' In every 
 thing towards G-od, believe.' Expect temptation and 
 a snare at every turn, and walk accordingly. We 
 have a good cause, a vanquished enemy, a good ally, 
 an extraordinary pay, for he that overcomes needs 
 not desire to be more happy than the second and third 
 of Revelation speaks him to be. The G-od of all 
 mercy and grace compass you about always with his 
 * favor as with a shield.' 
 
 '' Be careful of your health. Remember the rule, 
 ' Take time by the forelock ;' but especially neglect 
 not the main matter. The soul is the man ; if that 
 do well, all is well. ' Worship God in the spirit ; 
 rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the 
 flesh.' G-od be gracious unto thee, my son. Redeem 
 time, especially for your soul. Expect trouble in 
 this world, and prepare for it. Expect happiness in 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 221 
 
 the other world, and walk worthy of it unto all 
 pleasing. 
 
 "A good book is a good companion at any time; 
 but especially a good Grod, who is always ready to 
 hold communion with those that djesire and seek 
 communion with him. Keep low and humble in your 
 thoughts and opinion of yourself, but aim high in 
 your desires and expectations, even as high as the 
 kingdom of heaven itself, and resolve to take up with 
 nothing short of it. The Lord guide you in all your 
 ways, and go in and out before you, and preserve you 
 blameless to his heavenly kingdom. 
 
 " So prays your loving father, 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 To tlie same. 
 
 "May 20, 1686. 
 
 " My dear Child — I would have you redeem time 
 for hearing the word in season and out of season; 
 your other studies will prosper never the worse, espe- 
 cially if you could return immediately from it to the 
 closet again, without cooling distractions by the way. 
 
 '^ See your need of Christ more and more, and 
 live upon him ; no life like it, so sweet, so safe. 
 * Christ is my all in all' "We cannot be discharged 
 from the guilt of any evil we do, without his merit to 
 satisfy ; we cannot move in the performance of any 
 good required, without his Spirit and grace to assist 
 and enable us for it ; and when we have done all, 
 that all is nothing without his mediation and inter- 
 cession to make it acceptable ; so that every day, in 
 every thing, he is all in all. 
 
222 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 " Though you are at a distance from us now, we 
 rejoice in the good hope we have, through grace, of 
 meeting again in the land of the living, that is, on 
 earth, if G-od see good ; hut if not here, yet certainly 
 in heaven, which is the true land of the truly living, 
 and is best of all. The Lord God everlasting he 
 your * sun and shield ' in all your ways. See time 
 hasting away apace towards eternity, and the Judge 
 even at the door, and work accordingly. Wherever 
 you are, alone or in company, he always either doing 
 or getting good, sowing or reaping. As for me, I 
 make no other reckoning, hut that the * time of my 
 departure is at hand,' and what trouble I may meet 
 with before I know not; the will of the Lord be 
 done. One of my chief cares is, that no iniquity 
 of mine may be laid up for you ; which God grant, 
 for his mercy's sake, in Christ Jesus. Amen. This 
 from 
 
 " Your ever affectionate father, 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 To his Son, -when just ordained to the Christian ministry. 
 
 "May 14, 1687. 
 
 *' Son Matthew — I rejoice in what you heard and 
 saw and felt of God on Monday last, and hope it 
 hath left upon you such impressions as no time, nor 
 any thing else, shall be able to wear out. Remem- 
 ber, ' Assisted by thy strength, God, I will.' 
 
 ^'As to the manner and circumstances of your 
 return, we cannot order them here, but must leave 
 it to yourself to do as you shall see cause, beseeching 
 the Lord in every thing to make your way plain 
 

 V 
 
 HIS CORRESrONDENCff/TT^ J Y^^^SIT 
 
 before you ; but as to the thing itsel^^^^joioe m -^^V^' 
 hopes it will not be long now ere we snSlE^g^ yoiT 
 here, and, I must not say, be filled with your com- 
 pany, for this is not the world that we must bo 
 together in. Your dear mother hath no great joy in 
 the thoughts of your closing with them at Chester 
 upon the terms proposed ; her reasons are weighty, 
 and in other things have many times swayed with 
 me against my own, and it hath done well. What 
 they are in this matter, you shall hear immediately 
 from herself. As to your Northampton affair, we 
 are no little concerned about it, making mention of it 
 in every prayer to our heavenly Father, who, we have 
 learned, besides a common providence, hath a special 
 hand in such proposals. Prov. 19 : 14. And we say 
 that if you, of all our children, should miss, it would 
 be a grief of mind. Gen. 26 : 35. 
 
 " Our love and blessing is all here is room for. 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 To the same. 
 
 " Son Matthew — Are you now a minister of 
 Jesus Christ? Hath he counted you faithful, put- 
 tmg you into the ministry ? Then be faithful. Out 
 of love to him, feed his lambs. Make it your busi- 
 ness, as a workman that needs not to be ashamed, 
 * rightly dividing the word of truth.' 
 
 "It is, in the eye of sense, a bad time to set out 
 in ; but in sowing and reaping, clouds and wind must 
 not be heeded. The work is both comfortable and 
 lionorable, and the reward rich and sure ; and if God 
 be pleased to give opportunity and a heart, though 
 
224 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 there may be trouble attending it, it will be easily 
 
 borne. 'If we sufier with him, we shall also reign 
 
 with him.' I am, and shall be, according to my duty 
 
 and promise, earnest at the throne of grace on your 
 
 behalf, that the Lord will pour out upon you of his 
 
 Holy Spirit ; that what he calls you to, he will fit you 
 
 for ; especially that he would take you off your own 
 
 foundation, and lay you low in the sense of your 
 
 own unworthiness, inability, and insufficiency, that 
 
 you may say with the evangelical prophet, 'Woe is 
 
 me, I am undone I' and with Jeremiah, 'I am a 
 
 child ;' and with Paul, ' I am nothing.' Where this 
 
 is not, the main thing is wanting ; for Grod ' resisteth 
 
 the proud, but givcth grace to the humble.' Now 
 
 the Lord give you that grace to be humble ; and 
 
 then, according to his promise, he will make you rich 
 
 in everv other grace. 
 
 *-P. 11." 
 
 To his Son. when a settled Pastor at Chester. 
 
 "July, 16S7. 
 
 "Son Matthew — I was very much concerned 
 that two such great affairs are at this time met 
 together upon your hand, that of the next Sabbath, 
 and that of the week after. You know which of the 
 two should fill you most, and I hope it will accord- 
 ingly ; and if it do, you may the more comfortably 
 expect a blessing upon the other ; for ever since I 
 knew any thing in those matters, I have found it true, 
 that when I have been most careful in doins: G-od's 
 work, G-od hath been most faithful in doing mine. 
 
 " I have not sealed but subscribed a draft of 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 225 
 
 articles with Mr. Hardware.* "We were together 
 yesterday at each place, and upon view found every 
 thing not worse, but rather better than represented. 
 As to a time and place of sealing, I would meet half 
 way on Monday ; but "Wednesday being the first day 
 appointed at Hanmer, I must needs attend that. If 
 you would not think it too long to defer till the week 
 after, that is, to the 19th instant, I should hope by 
 that time — your next Sabbath work and your War- 
 rington journey, and our engagements here, being all 
 over — there would be much more of clearness and 
 freeness without hurry as to each circumstance ; but 
 I must not propose this, or at least not insist upon it, 
 lest the heart be made sick ; therefore do as you see 
 cause, only in every thing take God along with you, 
 and do all ' in the name of the Lord Jesus.' 
 
 "Grive my respects to , your good friend, 
 
 whom I hope to call by another name shortly. The 
 Lord bless you both, and first fit you for, and then 
 give you to each other, in much mercy. Amen. 
 
 "P. H." 
 
 These specimens of Mr. Henry's correspondence 
 shall be closed by grouping together some passages 
 out of his letters to his children, after they were 
 married and had left the parental roof. 
 
 To one of his daughters, a little before the birth 
 of her first child, he thus writes, ^'You have now 
 one kind of burden more than ever you had before, to 
 cast upon Grod ; and if you do so, he will sustain you 
 
 * The father of the young lady who was about to he 
 married to the Rev. Matthew Henry. 
 
 10* 
 
226 REV. THILIP HENRY. 
 
 according to his promise." And again, ''You know 
 whom you have trusted, even Him who is true and 
 faithful, and never yet did, nor ever will forsake the 
 soul that seeks him. Though he be almighty and 
 can do everything, yet this he cannot do, 'he cannot 
 deny himself,' nor he worse than his word. But 
 what is his word? Hath he promised that there 
 shall be always a safe and speedy delivery — ^that 
 there shall be no Jabez, no Benoni? No; but if 
 there be, he hath promised it shall 'work together 
 for good ' — hath promised, if he doth not save from, 
 he will save through. If he call to you, even through 
 the valley of the shadow of death — and what less is 
 childbearing ? — ^he will be with you ; his rod and 
 his staff shall comfort you, and that is well. There- 
 fore your faith must be in those things as the prom- 
 ise is, either so, or so ; and which way soever it be, 
 ' Grod is good, and dosth good.' Therefore, my dear 
 daughter, 'lift up the hands that hang down;' cast 
 your burden upon him, trust also in him, and let 
 your thoughts 'be established. "We are mindful of 
 you in our daily prayers; but you have a better 
 Intercessor than we, who is heard always." 
 
 To another daughter in the same circumstances, 
 he thus writes, "Your last letter speaks you in a 
 good frame, which rejoiced my heart that you were 
 fixed, fixed, waiting upon God ; that your faith was 
 uppermost, above your fears ; that you could say, 
 ' Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; let him do with 
 me as seemeth good in his eyes.' "We are never 
 fitter for a mercy, nor is it more likely to be a mercy 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 227 
 
 indeed, than when it is thus with us. Now the Lord 
 keep it always in the imagination of the thoughts of 
 your heart. Forget not 1 Tim. 2 : 15." 
 
 On occasion of affliction in their families by the 
 sickness or death of children or otherwise, he always 
 wrote some word in season. On one such occasion 
 he wrote, ''In the furnace again, but a good Friend 
 sits by ; and it is only to take away more of the 
 dross. If less fire would do, we should not have it 
 so much, and so often. 0, for faith to trust the 
 Refiner, and to refer all to his will and wisdom, and 
 to wait the issue : I have been young, and now am 
 old, but I never yet saw it in vain to seek G-od, and 
 to hope in him." 
 
 At another time he thus writes, "Tough and 
 knotty blocks must have more and more wedges ; our 
 heavenly Father, when he judgeth, will overcome. 
 "VVe hear of the death of dear S. T., and chide our- 
 selves for being so often pleased with his little pretty 
 fashions, lest we offended therein by being too much 
 so. No rival must sit with him in. His throne who 
 deserves all our love and joy, and hath too little of it." 
 
 At another time, upon the death of another little 
 one, " The dear little one made but a short passage 
 through this to another world, where it is to be for 
 ever a living member of the great body whereof 
 Jesus Christ is the ever-living head ; but for which 
 hope, there were cause for sorrow indeed. If He that 
 gives takes, and it is but his own, why should we 
 say, 'What doest thou?'" 
 
 At another time, upon a similar occasion, " Our 
 
228 E.EV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 quiver of children's children is not so full hut that 
 God can soon empty it. for grace at such a time, 
 which will do that which nature cannot I ^ The Grod 
 of all grace supply your need,' and ours, * according 
 to his riches in glory.' The Lord is still training 
 you up in his good school ; and though no affliction 
 for the present he joyous, hut grievous, nevertheless 
 afterwards it yields well. Your work is, in every 
 thing to hring your will to the will of God." 
 
 To one of his daughters, concerning her little ones, 
 he thus writes: "They are hut huhhles. "We have 
 many warnings to sit loose. The less we rely upon 
 them in our joys and hopes, the more likely to have 
 them continued to us. Our God is a jealous God, 
 nor will he suffer the creature to usurp his throne in 
 our affections." 
 
 Upon the death of a little child hut a few days 
 old, he thus writes: "The tidings of the death of 
 your little one were afflicting to us; hut the clay 
 must not say to the potter, * What doest thou ?' If 
 He that took he the same that gave, and what he gave 
 and took was his own hy our own consent, it hecomes 
 us to say, 'Blessed he the name of the Lord.' I 
 hope you have heen learning to acknowledge God in 
 all events, and to take all as from his hand, who hath 
 given us to know — I say to know^ for Paul saith 
 so — that all things do work together — not only shall, 
 hut do — for our good, that we may he more and 
 more 'partakers of his holiness.' " 
 
 Upon the sickness of a dear child, he thus writes 
 to the parents : " You and we are taught to say, ' It is 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 229 
 
 th6 Lord.' Upon his will must wa wait, and to it 
 must we submit in every thing — not upon constramt, 
 hut of choice ; not only hecause he is the potter and 
 we the cla7/j and therefore, in a way of sovereignty, 
 he may do what he pleaseth with us and ours, hut 
 hecause he is our Father, and will do nothing hut what 
 shall he for good to us. The more you can he satisfied 
 of this, and the more willing to resign, the more likely 
 to have. ' Be strong therefore in the grace which is in 
 Christ Jesus ;' it is given for such a time of need as this. 
 I hope your fears and ours will he prevented, and pray 
 they may ; hut thanks he to Grod, we know the worst of 
 it, and that worst hath no harm in it, while the ' het- 
 ter part ' is ours and cannot he taken away from us." 
 To one of his children in affliction he writes, " It 
 is a time of trial with you, according to the will of 
 your and our heavenly Father. Though you see not 
 what he means hy it, you shall see. He means you 
 good , and not hurt ; he is showing you the vanity of 
 all things under the sun ; that your happiness lies not 
 in them, hut in himself only ; that they and we are 
 passing away, withering flowers ; that therefore we 
 may learn to die to them and live ahove them, placing 
 our hope and happiness in hetter things, trusting in 
 Him alone who is the Rock of ages, who fails not, nei- 
 ther can fail nor will fail those that fly to him. I 
 pray you, think not a hard thought of him, no, not 
 one hard thought, for he is good and doeth good in all 
 he doeth, and therefore all shall work for good. But 
 then as you ' are called according to his purpose ' — 
 hlesscd he his name for it — so you must love him ; 
 
230 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 and love, you know, thinketh no evil, but puts the 
 best construction upon all that the person loved saith 
 or doeth ; and so must you, ' though now for a season, 
 if need be, you are in heaviness.' " 
 
 And in another season of affliction, " Your times 
 and the times of yours are in the Lord's good hand, 
 whose will is his wisdom. It is one thing, as we read 
 and observed this morning, out of Ezekiel 22, to be 
 put into a furnace and left there as dross to be con- 
 sumed, and another thing to be put in as gold or sil- 
 ver, to be melted for use, and to have the refiner sit 
 by. You know whom you have believed ; keep your 
 hold of the everlasting covenant. He is faithful that 
 hath promised. We pray for you, and we give thanks 
 for you daily, for the ' cup is mixed;' therefore, 'trust 
 in the Lord for ever,' and * rejoice in the Lord always; 
 again I say, rejoice.' " 
 
 To one of his sons-in-law who vv-as a little en- 
 gaged in building, he thus writes : " Be sure to take 
 Grod along with you in this as in all other your affairs ; 
 for except he * build the house, they labor in vain that 
 build it.' Count upon troublesome occurrences in it, 
 and keep the spirit quiet within. And let not God's 
 time nor duos be intrenched upon, and then all will 
 be well." 
 
 It was a little before he died that he wrote thus to 
 one of his children : " We rejoice in Grod's goodness to 
 you, that your illness hath been a rod shaken only, 
 and not laid on. He is good, and doeth good. And 
 should not we love him, and rest in our love to him ? 
 He doth in his to us, and ' rejoiceth over us with sing- 
 
HIS CORRESrONDENCE. 231 
 
 ing.' Zeph. 3 : 17. And have not we much more 
 cause ? What loveliness in us ? What not in him ? 
 I pray let me recommend him to your love. Love him, 
 love him with all the powers of your soul, and out 
 of love, to please him. He is pleased with honest 
 endeavors to please him, though after all in many 
 things we come short; for we are *not under the 
 law, hut under grace.' " 
 
 To one of his children recovered from sickness he 
 gives this hint : " Rememher, that a new life must be 
 a new life indeed. Reprieves extraordinary call for 
 returns extraordinary." 
 
 The last journey that he made to London was in 
 August, 1690. Before he went, he sent this farewell 
 letter to his son at Chester : 
 
 "I am going forth this morning towards the great 
 city, not knowing hut it may he mount Neho to me. 
 Therefore I send you this as full of blessings as it can 
 hold, to yourself, my daughter your wife, all the rest 
 of my daughters, their husbands, and all the little 
 ones, together and severally. If I could command the 
 blessings, I would ; but I pray to Him that hath blessed 
 you, and doth, and I trust will. The Lord bless you 
 and keep you, and lift up the light of his countenance 
 upon you. As you have ' received,' and you, for your 
 part, preached ' Christ Jesus the Lord,' so ' walk in 
 him,' keeping a conscience always void of offence, 
 both towards G-od and towards all men. Love your 
 mother, and he dutiful to her ; and live in love and 
 peace among yourselves ; and the God of love and 
 peace, that hath been, will be with you. Amen." 
 
232 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 HIS SICKNESS, DEATH, AND BURIAL. 
 
 In the time of his health, Mr. Henry made death 
 very familiar to himself, hy frequent and pleasing 
 thoughts and meditations of it ; and endeavored to 
 make it so to his friends, by speaking often of it. His 
 letters and discourses had still something or other 
 which spoke his constant expectation of death. Thus 
 did he learn to *' die daily." And it is hard to say 
 whether it was more easy to him to speak, or uneasy 
 to his friends to hear him speak of leaving the world. 
 Sometime hefore his last illness he had a severe at- 
 tack of disease, which greatly excited the fears of his 
 friends. His excellent wife was then on a visit to 
 Mrs. Savage at Wrenhury Wood. How his own mind 
 was affected by the apparent approach of the last 
 enemy will be seen by the following letter : 
 
 " Dear Daughter — This is to you because of yours 
 to me. I am glad to see you so well so quickly, as to 
 be able to write that your right hand hath not forgot 
 its cunning ; neither hath mine yet. I had an ill day 
 yesterday, and an ill night after, but ease came in the 
 morning. I have been preaching Christ, the door to 
 G-od, * * * * and hope for strength for the afternoon 
 work, though in some pain, yet less than deserved. 
 Your mother hath sometimes told me she could not 
 endure to see me die, and for that reason I was glad 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 233 
 
 she was away, for I thought all night there was ' but 
 a step.' Here are many people, and they are come 
 to hear of Christ, and willing I am they should, and 
 that they should learn what I have learned of him. 
 I can cheerfully say, ' Lord, now lettest thou thy ser- 
 vant depart in peace.' Grod increase your strength, 
 and especially your thankfulness, and write the name 
 of the child in the book of the living. 
 
 *' My dear love to my wife, and to yourself and 
 husband, and all the rest. I am glad that she is ac- 
 ceptable to you, and willing she should be so, while 
 she and you please. 
 
 '' The Lord everlasting be your portion." 
 
 Mr. Henry's constitution was but tender, and yet, 
 by the blessing of God upon his great temperance 
 and care of his diet, and moderate exercise by walk- 
 ing in the air, he did for many years enjoy a good 
 measure of health, which he used to call the sugar 
 that sweetens all temporal mercies ; for which there- 
 fore wo ought to be very thankful, and of which we 
 ought to be very careful. 
 
 He had sometimes violent fits of the colic, which 
 were very afflictive during the time of their continu- 
 ance. Towards the latter end of his life he was dis- 
 tressed sometimes with a pain, which his physician 
 thought might arise from a stone in the kidneys. Once 
 upon the recovery from an ill fit of that pain, he said 
 to one of his friends who asked him how he did, that 
 he hoped, by the grace of G-od, he should now be able 
 to give one blow more to the devil's kingdom ; and 
 often professed he did not desire to live a day longer 
 
234 REY. PHILIP HENE.Y. 
 
 than lie might do G-od some service. To another, 
 when he perceived himself recovering, he said, "Well, 
 I thought I had been putting into the harbor ; but I 
 find I must to sea again." 
 
 He was sometimes suddenly taken with fainting 
 fits, when recovering from which he would say, " Dy- 
 ing is but little more." The expression found in the 
 English Liturgy in the office of the burial of the 
 dead, '' In the midst of life we are in death," much 
 pleased him, and he frequently used it. 
 
 When the infirmities of age grew upon him, they 
 very little abated his vigor and liveliness in preach- 
 ing, but he seemed even to renew his youth as the 
 eagles — as those that are planted in the house of the 
 Lord, who still " bring forth fruit in old age ;" not so 
 much to show that they are upright, as to show that 
 the Lord is upright. Psalm 92 : 14, 15. But in his 
 latter years, travelling was very troublesome to him , 
 and he would say as Mr. Dod used to do, that when 
 he thought to "shake himself as at other times," he 
 found his "hair was cut." Judges 16 : 19, 20. His 
 sense of this led him to preach an occasional sermon 
 not long before he died, on John 21 : 18, "When thou 
 wast young, thou girdedst thyself," etc. Another oc- 
 casional sermon he preached when he was old, for his 
 own comfort and the comfort of his aged friends, on 
 Psalm 71 : 17, 18, " G-od, thou hast taught me 
 from my youth," etc. He observed there, " It is a 
 blessed thing to be taught of G-od from our youth; 
 and those that have been taught of God from their 
 youth, ought to ' declare his wondrous works ' all their 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 235 
 
 days after. And those that have been taught of Grod 
 from their youth, and have all their days declared his 
 wondrous works, may comfortably expect that when 
 they are old he will not forsake them. Christ is a 
 Master that doth not use to cast off his old servants." 
 
 On another occasion he writes, "It was David's 
 prayer, ' Grod, thou hast taught me from my youth, 
 and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 
 Now also, when I am old and grey-headed, God, 
 forsake me not.' And we should thus pray. For when 
 G-od forsakes, it is like as when the soul forsakes 
 the bodv. There is nothino^ left but a carcass. It is 
 as when the sun forsakes the earth, which causes 
 night and winter. It is as when the fountain forsakes 
 the cistern, for God alone is the fountain. It is as 
 when the father forsakes the children. It is as when 
 the pilot forsakes the ship ; then she is in great dan- 
 ger of rocks and quicksands. It is as when the phy- 
 sician forsakes the patient, which is not till the case is 
 desperate. It is as when the guide forsakes the trav- 
 eller, and then he is exposed to many dangers." 
 
 The following remarks respecting the duties of the 
 aged, drawn up by Mr. Heiu*y in his latter days, will 
 serve still further to illustrate his views in the near 
 prospect of eternity : 
 
 " God expects old persons to be very penitent for 
 past sins. Repentance is unravelling our ill-spun 
 thread, going back our missed way, and this, when 
 old, should be our special work ; our repentance work 
 is almost done. Some are never merrier than whsn 
 telling stories of their youthful extravagances. But 
 
236 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 this must not be ; it is to act them over again. Never 
 think or speak of them without a tear or a sigh, and 
 that towards God. Psa. 25 : 7. As you should never 
 think of a friend without a praying thought, so you 
 should never think of sin without repenting. And 
 this should extend to present sins also. The pump 
 of repentance must be kept going continually. It is 
 a rare sight to see old people melt in tears for sin. 
 
 " The aged should be strong in faith, giving glory 
 to G-od. Abraham was so when he w^as one hundred 
 years old. Rom. 4. Zechariah believed not the angel's 
 message, and he was struck dumb. Luke 1. The 
 whole word of God, particularly concerning Christ 
 the Saviour, is to be believed, and by old people 
 especially. Though others have as many promises, 
 yet they have had more experiences. It aggravated 
 Zechariah's unbelief, to have had before him the in- 
 stance of Abraham, who had a son w^hen old. Be 
 exhorted then, by faith, to close with the Lord Jesus 
 as yours, though with a trembling hand. Close with 
 him for pardon, peace, acceptation. Live by faith in 
 all things, setting the word before you, eyeing unseen 
 things. Be filled with joy in believing, and be not 
 doubting and disquieted. 
 
 *' They should also be dead to the w^orld. All its 
 riches, honors, and pleasures, are the vainest vanity. 
 Now, to be dead to them is to be weaned from them, 
 to see in them no such beauty, excellency, or desira- 
 bleness as most persons think there is, and to live 
 accordingly. See 2 Sam. 13 : 19—35. It is commonly 
 said that covetousness is one of the reigning sins cf 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 237 
 
 old age. How strange that it should be so ; espe- 
 cially considering what they have seen and known, 
 and it may be, fdt^ of the emptiness and uncertainty 
 of riches. They have witnessed how often they make 
 themselves wings. "What, and not yet convinced ? 
 What, almost at the end of thy journey, and yet load- 
 ing thyself with thick clay ? Hab. 2 : 6. Think of 
 the time of day. It is almost night, even sunset. 
 And art thou unmindful of the grave ? Thy body is 
 bending downwards, let the heart be upwards. Ee- 
 member, ' covetousness is idolatry.' * Set your affec- 
 tions on things above.' 
 
 *' Grod expects them to be very meek and gentle 
 and patient. Old people are apt to be hasty and 
 angry. But they should put on meekness. Some- 
 times diseases and infirmities are a cause of froward- 
 ness. Old age is often attended with deafness, blind- 
 ness, lameness ; but to quari'el with these is to quar- 
 rel with G-od. They are the fruits of sin. Sometimes 
 the disappointments and disasters which happen in the 
 estate, the family, the relations, children, or perhaps 
 children's children, occasion fretfulness. Remember 
 in all these things to acknowledge G-od. Psa. 89 : 9 ; 
 Lam. 3 : 29. Only by pride comes frowardness. Old 
 people are apt to think themselves wise, whether they 
 are so or not, and to despise the young. The cure for 
 this is humility. 1 Peter, 5 : 5. Consider how sinful 
 it is in the sight of G-od, how much uneasiness it 
 causes relations, and how much hurt it does to your- 
 selves. Moses' meekness prolonged his days, and 
 made him young when he was old. 
 
238 REV. PHILIP HENTiy. 
 
 " The aged should he knowing in the things of 
 God, and communicate what they know. Many old 
 people are shamefully ignorant in the Scriptures — 
 blind spiritually. See Heb. 5 : 12. Think how often 
 you have read and heard the Scriptures read over; 
 think how many sermons you have heard. What, and 
 all gone ? Has nothing remained ? How will you an- 
 swer it ? What a shame it was to old Nicodemus not 
 to know what regeneration meant. Bestir yourself to 
 grow in knowledge. Be often speaking to the young. 
 Tell them what you have, learned concerning G-od and 
 Christ, and holiness and sin ; what you have seen of 
 the wisdom and righteousness of Grod in past events. 
 See Psalm 78 : 1, 2, etc. You should be teachers of 
 good things. Titus 2:2,3. I have known several who 
 are dead, and do know some in this neighborhood jot 
 alive, aged men, of such competent knowledge, and so 
 well experienced in the things of Grod, that I could wish 
 they were made ministers, as being more likely to con- 
 vert and save souls than many youths who can talk 
 Greek and Latin, but have little savor of God upon 
 their hearts. And a reverend prelate in the Church of 
 England has also declared himself of the same mind. 
 
 •' The aged should redeem as much time as may 
 be, for their souls and the duties of God's worship. 
 All time is our soul's time, principally and ultimately ; 
 and it concerns us all to use and improve and redeem 
 it accordingly. But it especially concerns the aged, 
 for they have lost much, and they have little remain- 
 ing : they know not how little ; perhaps less than 
 thv'^y are aware of. How busy then should we be in 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND Dl^ATH. 239 
 
 praying, reading, hearing, meditating, sanctifying 
 Sabbaths, communicating in the Lord's supper. See 
 Luke 2 : 25, 36, 37. This would be work for your 
 souls — work in which you would have comfort to 
 eternity. Many aged persons have, in a great meas- 
 ure, put off their worldly business to children and 
 grandchildren ; they can do little in the fields or in 
 the barn. The more then should be done in the closet, 
 and in the assembly. And let me warn yt)u of one 
 fault, and that is, drowsiness in the duties of G-od's 
 worship. I know what may be said from bodily in- 
 firmities, the spirit willing and the flesh weak ; but 
 yet we should strive all we can against it, and grieve 
 that it should be so. 
 
 *' Old people should be mindful of death and judg- 
 ment, and careful always to prepare and make ready 
 for it. Two things are to be set in order, the house 
 and the heart! The house, by settling our worldly 
 estate. We shall die none the sooner, but we shall 
 certainly be readier for death.* Isaiah 38 : 1. The 
 heart, by settling our spiritual estate, that is, mak- 
 ing our calling and election sure, repenting of sin, 
 receiving Christ Jesus the Lord, walking in all his 
 commandments blameless. He who has done this, is 
 ready for death. Rom. 8:1. It is delay in doing it 
 that spoils all. Nobody says they will never do so ; 
 nobody says they will never make their will ; but they 
 say, ' Not yet ; not till such an affair be settled.' 
 
 * One of the three things of which Aristotle repented was, 
 that he had lived one day not having his will made. Stanley's 
 History of Philosophy. 
 
240 PcEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 And alas, death comes, and prevents Loth the one 
 and the other. 
 
 " Now, consider what a mercy it is that wc have 
 hved to be so old, when so many have been cut off. 
 How many have died, who never saw the sun ; and 
 how many thousand suns hast thou seen. How have 
 thy days been multiplied. As many three years as 
 thou hast lived, so many thousand days and upwards 
 have been given to thee. As many twenty years as 
 thou hast lived, so many thousand sabbath-days hast 
 thou enjoyed. And should not this engage us? Lord, 
 thou hast been good to me, in reprieving and sparing 
 and prolonging ; and shall I forget thee ? 
 
 " Consider what an honor he hath put upon us. 
 Old age is a ray or beam of the divine image. Grod 
 is called the Ancient of days. Dan. 7 : 9, 13, 22. As 
 magistrates bear the image of his authority and sover- 
 eignty, he says ' they are gods.' So, in a sense, old 
 men are gods. Yea, they are all children of the 
 Eternal. then make sure of his other image, 
 which is called the image of his Son, and consists in 
 knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. 
 
 " Consider what an encouraging example it will 
 be to others. Our neighbors and relations will take 
 occasion from thence, both to glorify Grod, and to 
 reverence us. ' The hoary head is a crown of glory, 
 if it be found in the way of righteousness ;' otherwise 
 it is a crown of shame. Noah was drunken but once, 
 and then he was mocked. The apostle, exhorting 
 Timothy, says, ' Let no man despise thy youth.' So 
 I would say to you, let no man despise thy age. Do 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 241 
 
 nothing to be despised. "Watch against sins that you 
 think you are in no danger of. Be an example of the 
 believers. The young will dress themselves by you, 
 as by their glass. 
 
 *' Consider how comfortable it will be to your- 
 selves, living and dying. Old age is attended with 
 many evils ; but much of their effect is taken off by 
 religion and godliness. ' He that is of a merry heart, 
 hath a continual feast.' A merry heart, that is, a 
 good conscience, bearing testimony to our integrity. 
 2 Cor. 1 : 12. This will lighten all our burdens. We 
 shall have the smiles of Grod's face and favor, and we 
 may boldly entreat for them. Psalm 71 : 17, 18 ; 
 Isaiah 46 : 3, 4 ; Psalm 23 : 4. 
 
 " Consider what a foundation it lays for a happy 
 eternity. All the good fruit we bring forth now, will 
 be fruit abounding to our account for ever. I say, 
 for ever. Thou thinkest seventy, eighty, ninety years 
 a long time ; and so it is. But what then is etei'nity ? 
 An ocean without bound or bottom ; a circle with- 
 out beginning or end. Oh, eternity, eternity ! How 
 should the thought thereof fill us I To be miserable 
 to eternity ! How miserable ! To be happy to eterni- 
 ty ! What happiness ! 
 
 '' Shall I prevail with you to bring forth fruit in 
 old age ? You will not repent of it. ' Your labor ' 
 shall not be ' in vain in the Lord.' Not a prayer, a 
 tear, an alms, a good thought, a good word, a good 
 work, shall be in vain. 
 
 " In all your fruit-bearing, see your need of Christ. 
 See your need of his grace and strength to enable you. 
 
 Henry. 1 ] 
 
242 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 John 15 : 5. And come to him for it daily. See your 
 need of his merit and righteousness, to make you and 
 your fruit accepted. Eph. 1 : 6. And let his love to 
 you, in suffering and dying, he the prevailing motive 
 in every thing. Phil. 1 : 21 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 14, 15." 
 
 For some years hefore he died, he used to com- 
 plain of an hahitual weariness, contracted, he thought, 
 by his standing to preach, sometimes very uneasily, 
 and in inconvenient places, immediately after riding. 
 He would say, every minister was not cut out for an 
 itinerant ; and sometimes the manifest attention and 
 affection of people in hearing, enlarged him both in 
 length and fervency somewhat more than his strength 
 could well hear. It was not many months before he 
 died, that he wrote thus to a dear relation, who inquir- 
 ed solicitously concerning his health, " I am always 
 habitually weary, and expect no other till I lie down 
 in the bed of spices. And blessed be G-od, so the 
 grave is to all the saints, since He lay in it, who is 
 the ' Rose of Sharon,' and the ' Lily of the valleys.' " 
 When some of his friends persuaded him to spare him- 
 self, he would say, ''It is time enough to rest when 
 I am in the grave. "What were candles made for, but 
 to burn ?" 
 
 The following is one of the last letters which he 
 wrote to Mrs. Savage. It manifests the enlightened 
 and calm anticipation which he indulged concerning 
 his final change. 
 
 "May 28, 1695. 
 
 " Dear Daughter — You are loath to part with 
 your sister, but you know this is not the world we 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 243 
 
 are to be together in ; and besides, it is to a father 
 and mother, that are to be but a while, either for her 
 or you to come to. These short partings should mind 
 us of the long one, which will be shortly ; but then 
 the meeting again, to be together /or ever, and with 
 the Lord, is very comfortable in the hope, and much 
 more will it be so in the fruition. Two that a while 
 ago were of us, Ann D and Susan, are gone be- 
 fore ; and as sure as they are gone, we are also going, 
 in the time and order appointed. 
 
 "Our dear love and blessing are to all and each. 
 Farewell. 
 
 " Your loving father, 
 
 "PHILIP HENRY." 
 It does not appear that he had any particular pre- 
 sages of his death ; but there were many instances of 
 his actual gracious expectation of it somewhat more 
 than ordinary, for some time previously. The last 
 visit which he made to his children in Chester was in 
 July, 1695, almost a year before he died, when he 
 spent a Lord's day there, and preached on the last 
 verse of the epistle to Philemon, "The grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." By grace 
 he understood not so much the good will of Grod 
 towards us, as the good work of G-od in us ; called 
 the " grace of Christ," both because he is the Author 
 and Finisher of it, and because he is the Pattern and 
 Exemplar of it. Now the choicest gift we can ask 
 of Grod for our friends is, that this "grace of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ" may be with their spirit. This is the 
 "one thing needful," the ''^better part^'' "the root of 
 
246 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 as to be willing to die when he calls, especially when 
 life is 'labor and sorrow.' But when it is labor and 
 joy, service to his name, and some measure of success 
 and comfort in serving him — ^when it is to stop a gap, 
 and stem a tide, it is to be rejoiced in ; it is heaven 
 upon earth; nay, one would think, by the psalmist's 
 oft-repeated plea. Psalms 6, 30, 88, 115, 118, that it 
 were better than to be in heaven itself. And can 
 that be ?" 
 
 In a manuscript, showing wherein the happiness 
 of heaven consists, he thus expressed his views : ""We 
 shall see G-od. Matt. 5 : 8 ; Job 19 : 26. This will be a 
 clear sight, 1 Cor. 13 : 12 ; 1 John, 3:2; transform- 
 ing, Psalm 17 : 15; and satisfying, John 14 : 8. We 
 shall enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ, John 17 : 24 ; 
 Phil. 1 : 23 ; and have society with glorified saints. 
 Matt. 8:11. There will be freedom from sin and 
 sorrow. Rev. 7 : 17. It will be a heavenly Sabbath, 
 Heb. 4 : 9, which will differ from Sabbaths now : 
 in the exercises to be performed, there will be all 
 praise, no mourning for sin; in the frame of our 
 hearts for the performance, our affections will be 
 raised ; in the place, it will be our Father's house ; 
 in the continuance, there will be no intermissions, 
 no parting, no night. Nou\ while we are sanctifying 
 the Sabbath, others are profaning it ; but then, all 
 shall join." 
 
 A little before his sickness and death, being sum- 
 mer-time, he had several of his children and his 
 children's children about him at Broad Oak, with 
 whom he was much refreshed and very cheerful; 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 247 
 
 but ever and anon spoke of the fashion he was in as 
 passing away ; and often told them he should be 
 there but a little while to bid them welcome. And 
 he was observed frequently, in prayer, to beg of G-od 
 that he would make us ready for that which would 
 come certainly, and might come suddenly. On one 
 occasion, when a friend asked him how he did, he 
 answered, " I find the chips fly off apace ; the tree will 
 be down shortly." 
 
 The last time that he administered the Lord's 
 supper, which was a fortnight before he died, he 
 closed the administration with an allusion to that 
 scripture contained in 1 John, 3 :2, saying, *-It doth 
 not yet appear what we shall be ; not yet, but it will 
 shortly." 
 
 The Sabbath but one before his death, being, in 
 the course of his exposition, come to that difficult 
 part of Scripture, the 40th of Ezekiel and the follow- 
 ing chapters, he said he would endeavor to explain 
 those prophecies to them, and added, "If I do not do 
 it now, I never shall." And he observed that the 
 only prophetical sermon which our Lord Jesus 
 preached, was but a few days before he died. This 
 many of his hearers not only reflected upon after- 
 wards, but took particular notice of it at the time, as 
 having something in it more than ordinary. 
 
 On the Lord's day, June 21, 1696, he went through 
 the work of the day with his usual vigor and liveli- 
 ness. He was then preaching on the first chapter of 
 St. Peter's second epistle, and was that day on those 
 words, "Add to your faith virtue," verse 5. He took 
 
246 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 as to be willing to die when he calls, especially when 
 life is ^ labor and sorrow.' But when it is labor and 
 joy, service to his name, and some measure of success 
 and comfort in serving him — ^when it is to stop a gap, 
 and stem a tide, it is to be rejoiced in ; it is heaven 
 upon earth; nay, one would think, by the psalmist's 
 oft-repeated plea, Psalms 6, 30, 88, 115, 118, that it 
 were better than to be in heaven itself. And can 
 that be ?" 
 
 In a manuscript, showing wherein the happiness 
 of heaven consists, he thus expressed his views : ''We 
 shall see (rod. Matt. 5 : 8 ; Job 19 : 26. This will be a 
 clear sight, 1 Cor. 13 : 12 ; 1 John, 3:2; transform- 
 ing. Psalm 17 : 15 ; and satisfying, John 14 ; 8. We 
 shall enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ, John 17 : 24 ; 
 Phil. 1 : 23 ; and have society with glorified saints. 
 Matt. 8 : 1 1. There will be freedom from sin and 
 sorrow. Rev. 7 : 17. It will be a heavenly Sabbath, 
 Heb. 4 : 9, which will differ from Sabbaths now : 
 in the exercises to be performed, there will be all 
 praise, no mourning for sin ; in the frame of our 
 hearts for the performance, our affections will be 
 raised ; in the place, it will be our Father's house ; 
 in the continuance, there will be no intermissions, 
 no parting, no night. Now^ while we are sanctifying 
 the Sabbath, others are profaning it ; but then^ all 
 shall join." 
 
 A little before his sickness and death, being sum- 
 mer-time, he had several of his children and his 
 children's children about him at Broad Oak, with 
 whom he was much refreshed and very cheerful; 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 247 
 
 but ever and anon spoke of the fashion he was in as 
 passing away ; and often told them he should bo 
 there but a little while to bid them welcome. And 
 he was observed frequently, in prayer, to beg of G-od 
 that he would make us ready for that which would 
 come certainly, and might come suddenly. On one 
 occasion, when a friend asked him how he did, he 
 answered, " I find the chips fly off apace ; the tree will 
 be down shortly." 
 
 The last time that he administered the Lord's 
 supper, which was a fortnight before he died, he 
 closed the administration with an allusion to that 
 scripture contained in 1 John, 3 : 2, saying, *-It doth 
 not yet appear what we shall be ; not yet, but it will 
 shortly." 
 
 The Sabbath but one before his death, being, in 
 the course of his exposition, come to that difficult 
 part of Scripture, the 40th of Ezekiel and the follow- 
 ing chapters, he said he would endeavor to explain 
 those prophecies to them, and added, "If I do not do 
 it now, I never shall." And he observed that the 
 only prophetical sermon which our Lord Jesus 
 preached, was but a few days before he died. This 
 many of his hearers not only reflected upon after- 
 wards, but took particular notice of it at the time, as 
 having something in it more than ordinary. 
 
 On the Lord's day, June 21, 1696, he went through 
 the work of the day with his usual vigor and liveli- 
 ness. He was then preaching on the first chapter of 
 St. Peter's second epistle, and was that day on those 
 words, '^Add to your faith virtue," verse 5. He took 
 
248 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 virtue for Ckristian courage and resolution in the 
 exercise of faith ; and the last thing he mentioned, in 
 which Christians have need of courage, is in dying ; 
 "for," said he, "it is a serious thing to die; and to 
 die is a work by itself." This was his last subject in 
 the pulpit. 
 
 On the same day he gave notice, both morning 
 and afternoon, with much affection and enlargement, 
 of the public fast which was appointed by authority 
 to be observed on the Friday following, June 26, 
 pressing his hearers, as he used to do upon such 
 occasions, to come in a prepared frame of mind to the 
 solemn services of that day. 
 
 The Tuesday following, June 23, he rose at six 
 o'clock, according to his custom, after a better night's 
 sleep than ordinary and in wonted health. Between 
 seven and eight o'clock he performed family worship, 
 according to the usual manner ; he expounded very 
 largely the former half of the 104th Psalm, and sung 
 it; but he was somewhat shorter in prayer than he 
 used to be, being then, as it was thought, taken ill. 
 "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he 
 Cometh, shall find so doing." Immediately after prayer 
 he retired to his chamber, not saying any thing of his 
 illness, but was soon found upon his bed in great 
 extremity of pain in his back, breast, and bowels ; it 
 seemed to be a complicated fit of the stone and oolic 
 together, in very great severity. The means that had 
 been heretofore used to give him relief in his illness, 
 were now altogether ineffectual. He had not the least 
 intermission or remission of pain, neither up nor in 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND T)^^}^ lY ^VH^ 
 
 V- 
 
 bed ; but in this extremity he was s^ looking up txD 
 Grod, and calling upon him who is a pfeisent help in 
 the hour of need. 
 
 When in his usual health, he had been accustomed 
 to remark, "Prayer is never out of season, but it is 
 in a special manner seasonable when we are sick and 
 come to die. Christ's last breath was praying breath. 
 Then we take our leave of prayer for ever. Those 
 that do not pray while they live, cannot expect to be 
 heard and accepted when they come to die." 
 
 When the exquisiteness of his pain forced groans 
 and complaints from him, he would presently correct 
 himself with a patient and quiet submission to the 
 hand of his heavenly Father and a cheerful acquies- 
 cence in his heavenly will. " I am ashamed," said 
 he, "of these groans; I want virtue; for virtue 
 now when I have need of it ;" referring to his sub- 
 ject the Lord's day previously. "Forgive me that I 
 groan thus, and I will endeavor to silence them. 
 But indeed my stroke is heavier than my groaning. 
 It is true what Mr. Baxter said in his pain, there is 
 no disputing against sense." It was Mr. Henry's 
 trouble, as it was Mr. Baxter's, that by reason of his 
 bodily pain he could not express his inward comfort ; 
 however, Grod graciously strengthened him in his 
 soul. He said to those about him, they must remem- 
 ber what instructions and counsels he had given them 
 when he was in health, for now he could say but 
 little to them ; he could only refer them to what he 
 had said, as that which he would live and die by. 
 
 It was two or three hours after ho was taken ill, 
 11* 
 
250 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 before he would suffer a messenger to be sent to 
 Chester for his son and for the doctor, saying he 
 "should either be better or dead before they could 
 come ;" but at last he said as the prophet did to his 
 importunate friends, "Send." About eight o'clock 
 that evening they came, and found him in the same 
 extremity of pain which he had been in all day. 
 And nature being before spent with his constant and 
 indefatigable labors in the work of the Lord, now 
 sunk and was quite disabled to grapple with so many 
 hours' incessant pain. What further means were 
 then used proved fruitless. He apprehended himself 
 going apace, and said to his son when he came in, 
 "0 son, you are welcome to a dying father. 'I am 
 now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure 
 is at hand.' " His pain continued very acute, but he 
 had peace within. "'/ am tormented^'' ^'' said he 
 once, "but, blessed be Grod, not 'in tJiis flame ;'' ''"' 
 and soon after he said, "I am all on fire," but he 
 presently added, "Blessed be Grod, it is not the fire 
 of hell." To some of his next neighbors who came in 
 to see him, he said, "0, make sure work for your 
 souls, by getting an interest in Christ while you are 
 in health ; for if I had that work to do now, what 
 would become of me ? But I bless G-od, I am satis- 
 fied." It was a caution he was often wont to give, 
 "See to it that your work be not undone when your 
 time is done, lest you be undone for ever." 
 
 Towards ten or eleven o'clock that night his pulse 
 and sight began to fail ; of the latter he himself took 
 notice, and inferred from it the near approach of his 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 251 
 
 dissolution. He took an affectionate farewell of his 
 dear yoke-fellow, with a thousand thanks for all her 
 love, and care, and tenderness ; left a blessing for all 
 his dear children, and their dear yoke-fellows and 
 little ones, that were absent. He said to his son who 
 sat under his head, *'Son, the Lord bless you and 
 grant that you may do worthily in your generation ; 
 and be more serviceable to the church of Grod than I 
 have been ;" such was his great humility to the last. 
 And when his son replied, "Oh, sir, pray for me 
 that I may but tread in your steps ;" he answered, 
 "Yea, follow peace and holiness, and let them say 
 what they will." More he would have said to bear 
 his dying testimony to the way in which he had 
 walked, but nature was spent, and he had not strength 
 to express it. 
 
 His understanding and speech continued almost 
 to the last breath, and he was still in his dying ago- 
 nies calling upon God and committing himself to him. 
 One of the last words he said, when he found himself 
 just ready to depart, was, *' death, where is thy — ?" 
 with that his speech faltered, and within a few 
 minutes, after about sixteen hours' illness, he quietly 
 breathed out his precious soul into the embraces of 
 his dear Redeemer, whom he had trusted, and faith- 
 fully served in the work of the ministry about forty- 
 three years. He departed between twelve and one 
 o'clock in the morning of June 24, midsummer-day, 
 in the sixty-fifth year of his age. Happy, thrice happy 
 he to whom such a sudden change was no surprise, 
 and who could triumph over death as a stingless, 
 
252 EEV. PHILIP HENUY. 
 
 disarmed enemy, even when he made so fierce an 
 onset. He had often spoken of it as his desire, that 
 if it were the will of G-od, he might not outlive his 
 usefulness; and it pleased God to grant liim his 
 desire and give him a short passage from the pulpit 
 to the kingdom, from the height of his usefulness to 
 receive the recompense of reward. So it was ordered 
 by Him in whose hands our times are. 
 
 The news of the afflicting dispensation was com- 
 municated to Mr. Tallents in the following letter. 
 
 "Broad Oak, June 24, 169C. 
 
 "Honored Sir — Here is an opportunity that offers 
 itself soon enough to bring you the evil tidings of this 
 place and day. My dear and honored father was 
 this time yesterday, as usual, worshipping Grod with 
 his family, and in wonted health ; but presently after 
 was seized with violent pain and sickness. It was in 
 great extremity and without any intermission ; means 
 used gave him no relief. Doctor Tylston and I had 
 speedy notice of his illness sent us to Chester, and 
 came hither last night and found him very ill. 
 Nature, being decayed with his great labors in the 
 work of the Lord, was not able to bear up under it, 
 but sunk away apace under the heavy load of pain ; 
 and a little after midnight he quietly breathed out 
 his dear soul into the hands of the Lord Jesus, in 
 whom he now sleeps. Oh, sir, this is a sad provi- 
 dence, and so sudden that I am as one stunned. I 
 cannot express my loss. I have many things to write 
 to you concerning it, but I am in haste and much 
 confused. We intend, if the Lord will, to lay up the 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 253 
 
 mantle of this translated prophet in the wardrobe of 
 the grave upon Saturday next ; not doubting but our 
 friends that hear will, as far as they can, let us have 
 their company. My poor mother's and my respects 
 to yourself, and Mrs. Tallents, and Mr. Bryan, and 
 Mr. Jones. 
 
 "I rest yours, all in tears, 
 
 " M. HENRY." 
 '' I know you will pray for us, and mourn with us." 
 
 In reply to a letter written by Mr. Tallents, 
 expressive of the greatness of his sorrow on this mel- 
 ancholy occasion, the bereaved widow writes thus : 
 
 "July 24, 1696. 
 
 " Dear Sir — It is my comfort and joy that the 
 people of God do sympathize with me in this my 
 great loss ; and truly I have reason to acknowledge 
 the goodness of G-od that did spare him so long, and 
 does support and send reviving in the midst of trouble. 
 Pray for me that I may be a widow indeed, trusting 
 in Gf od ; that my children may in all things carry 
 themselves like the children of such a father, and 
 that we may get the good and learn what our heav- 
 enly Father is teaching us by this sad stroke. Grood 
 sir, give my love and service to my old good friend 
 and sister, for so I will make bold to call her, your 
 dear yoke-fellow, and accept of the same, with many 
 thanks to you both for past and present favors. 
 " From, sir, yours much obliged, 
 
 .'•KAT. HENUY." 
 
 After the account which has been given in these 
 pages of Mr. Henry's 'great usefulness, it is easy to 
 
254 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 imagine what sorrow and mourning there was among 
 his friends, when they heard that the Lord had taken 
 away their master from their head. One that lived 
 so much desired, could not hut die as much lament- 
 ed. The surprise of the stroke put people into a 
 perfect astonishment, and many said the Lord re- 
 moved him so suddenly hecause he would not deny 
 the many prayers that would have heen put up for 
 his recovery, had it heen known that he was in peril. 
 One thing that aggravated this severe dispensation, 
 and made it in the apprehension of many look the 
 more dismal, was, that this powerful intercessor was 
 taken away just hefore a fast-day, when he would 
 have heen wrestling mightily with God for mercy for 
 the land. However, it proved a fast-day indeed, and 
 a day of humiliation to that congregation, to whom 
 an empty pulpit was an awakening sermon. The 
 Broad Oak was then like that under which Rehekah's 
 nurse was huried, Gren. 35 : 8, Allon-hachuth, the 
 oak of weeping. They who had many a time sat 
 with dry eyes under melting ordinances, could not 
 sit so under such a melting providence, hy which the 
 Lord God called so loudly to ''weeping and to mourn- 
 ing and to girding with sackcloth." But hecause Mr. 
 Henry had been wont to give it for a rule, that weep- 
 ing must not hinder sowing, a mite was cast into the 
 treasury of the nation's prayers, and a word spoken 
 hy the bereaved son, to bring the work of the day 
 and the event of the day together, from 2 Kings, 
 13 : 20. 
 
 The day following being Saturday, June 27, the 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 255 
 
 earthen vessel, in which so much heavenly treasure 
 had been lodged, was laid up in the grave in Whit- 
 church church, attended thither by a very gr<mt 
 company of true mourners from all the country 
 round. Many from Chester and Shrewsbury and the 
 towns about came to do him honor at his death ; and 
 besides the floods of tears that were shed, there were 
 abundance of testimonies given to him by persons of 
 all sorts, like that to Jehoiada, 2 Chron. 24 : 16, 
 that he was one that had " done good in Israel." 
 He was used to say to his relations, " When I am 
 dead make little ado about me ; a few will serve to 
 bring me to my grave;" but his wish could not be 
 observed in that ; it was impossible such a burning 
 and shining light could be extinguished without a 
 universal notice taken of it. Multitudes came un- 
 sought, not to fill their eyes, but to empty them ; nor 
 was there any other noise there but that of general 
 lamentation. 
 
 That morning, before the removal of the corpse, 
 a most affectionate sermon was preached at Mr. Hen- 
 ry's meeting-house, by his dear and worthy friend 
 Mr. Tallent^ of Shrewsbury, who was eleven years 
 older than himself He was willing to take that 
 opportunity to testify the great love and honor that 
 he had for Mr. Henry, whom he called a friend that 
 is "nearer than a brother." His text was Rom. 
 S : 23 : " And not only they, but ourselves also, who 
 have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves 
 groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to 
 wit, the redemption of our body." In the application 
 
256 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 of his discourse he showed excellently, and with 
 much affection, how '' the consideration of the spirit 
 and life of this eminent servant of God would greatly 
 lead us to helieve on Christ, and to have the Spirit of 
 Christ, and live after it," and to suffer with Christ, 
 and to groan for our adoption. Several things were 
 hinted concerning him which have been mentioned 
 already in this narrative, and a very honorahle testi- 
 mony borne to him. From a long acquaintance with 
 him, the preacher witnessed concerning him to those 
 who knew his record to be true, that " he was hum- 
 ble and meek, kind and peaceable, wise and charit- 
 able, and one in whom the fruits of the Spirit were 
 eminently exhibited ; that he was a friend, a coun- 
 sellor, and a father to many ; that his expounding 
 and preaching was plain and pleasant, warm and 
 savory, full, and such as few could attain to, and 
 greatly blessed by God ; and that in it he labored more 
 abundantly than any." And after a great encomium 
 of him it was excellently observed, and must be men- 
 tioned here as that which was highly agreeable to 
 Mr. Henry's spirit and his expressions upon all occa- 
 sions, that "it was not his righteousness that saved 
 him, nor his own strength that quickened and upheld 
 him, but Christ's righteousness and Christ's strength ; 
 for to him to live was Christ ; and in all his dis- 
 courses, sermons, and letters,* he was very careful to 
 
 * Thus, not long before his death, he wrote to Mr. Tal- 
 
 lents : 
 
 " November 1, 1695. 
 " My dear Brother Tallexts — You do in all your letters 
 breathe Christ, which, I thank God. besides your love to me, 
 
HIS SICKNESS AKD DEATH. 257 
 
 ascribe the honor of all to Christ, and to make Christ 
 his all in all." He concluded with some seasonable 
 advice to that society and neighborhood. 
 
 "1. Grive thanks to God that ever you had him or 
 saw him, and that you had him so long, above thirty 
 years in this place. Do not many of you owe even 
 your very souls to him under God ? While you mourn, 
 give thanks to God that you ever knew him. Old 
 and great mercies must be thankfully remembered. 
 
 "2. Rejoice in the glory that he now enjoys. 
 "Weep not for him, hut weep for yourselves. The 
 primitive Christians buried their saints with hymns 
 and psalms of joy. Chrysostom, on the Hebrews, 
 saith we are to glorify God, and give thanks to him, 
 that he hath crowned the deceased and freed them 
 from their labors, and chides those that mourned and 
 howled ; and the days of their death were called 
 natalitia martyrum et sanctorum, the birthdays of 
 the saints and martyrs. And Hierom, in his epitaph 
 on holy Paula, saith, that at her funeral no shrieks 
 were heard, but multitudes of psalms and hymns 
 were sung in divers languages. 
 
 " 3. Bewail the loss, the general loss, and yours 
 
 unworthy me, declared in them, is the thing that I can truly 
 say makes them ^weet to me ; to see that when I myself am so 
 poor and low in my know^ledge of him, desires after him, delight 
 in him, there are you and others that do so abound therein. 
 He is truly worthy, altogether worthy, that it should be so. 
 To learn him, and love him, and to live him, is all in all. He 
 is foundation, food, root, raiment, refuge, righteousness, head, 
 hope, liglit, life, peace, propitiation — what not, that we have 
 need of to make us holy and happy?" 
 
258 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 in particular, yet so as to have hope in God. I need 
 not tell you how great your loss is, you feel it more 
 than I am able to express. If any rejoice that he 
 is gone, because he tormented them, say like the 
 church of old, ' Rejoice not against me, mine ene- 
 my ; when I fall, I shall rise,' etc. Micah 7:8, 9. 
 
 '' 4 Seek out for a supply ; do not mourn and sit 
 still, but up and be doing in your places. You have 
 had a cheap gospel hitherto. God sent you one that 
 could preach freely, and which is more, that would 
 do so too — one that sought not yours, but you ; and 
 now God will see what you will do for yourselves, 
 that now the shepherd is smitten the sheep may not 
 be scattered. Pray to God to raise up others like 
 him, and graciously give you one. 
 
 ^' 5. Take heed of liking no preacher now he is 
 gone. This is a usual fault among many that have 
 had excellent preachers; nobody can please them. 
 But God may bless weaker means, and make your 
 souls live and thrive under them. 
 
 " 6. Hold fast that which you have ; it is the 
 advice given to Philadelphia, the best of the churches. 
 Rev. 3 : 11. Keep that good thing which is com- 
 mitted to you, that savoriness of heart, that love to 
 Christ and to saints, to all saints, that knowledge of 
 the truth. Keep to his sober principles. Remember 
 his dying counsel. Follow peace and holiness. Have 
 these things always in remembrance. Take heed of 
 falling off; take heed of falling away. The world 
 will draw you, and Satan will tempt you, and your 
 own busy hearts will bo apt to betray you ; but go 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 259 
 
 on humbly and honestly in the strength of Christ and 
 fear not. Be not like those Jews that turned aside 
 whan John the Baptist was dead. John 5 : 35. The 
 Lord keep you from being such, and give you to go 
 on to his heavenly kingdom." "With such kindly 
 admonitions did Mr. Tallents pour wine and oil into 
 wounded hearts that day. 
 
 The next day, being Lord's day, Mr. Owen of 
 Oswestry preached a most excellent sermon in the 
 morning, appropriate to that sad occasion, upon that 
 pathetic farewell which Elisha gave to Elijah, 2 Kings, 
 2 : 12 : " My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, 
 and the horsemen thereof ! And he saw him no more : 
 and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them." 
 He observed, 1. That faithful ministers are the fathers 
 of a people, and their chariot and horsemen ; the 
 former a metaphor taken from a family, a peaceable 
 society ; the latter from an army, a warlike body : — 
 fathers, to provide good things ; chariots and horse- 
 men, to protect from evil things. 2. There is a time 
 when we shall see these fathers, these chariots and 
 horsemen of Israel, no more. Their time is appointed, 
 their work cut out for them, and when those are fin- 
 ished they are removed. 8. When G-od takes away 
 our fathers, the chariots of our Israel, and the horse- 
 men thereof, it is a proper season for mourning and 
 lamentation." Under this head of discourse he did 
 most affectionately excite us, ''1. To be sensible of 
 our loss, which is better felt than expressed. It is 
 the loss of one that was a father — a father to his fam- 
 ily, to whom he was constant in unfolding the holy 
 
260 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 oracles — a father to the prophets for counsel and con- 
 duct and example ; the sons of the prophets never con- 
 versed with him but they were, or might have been, 
 the better for him — a father to his congregation, now 
 left orphans. It is the loss of one of the chariots and 
 horsemen of our Israel ; so eminent was he for prev- 
 alency in prayer, courage in duty, wisdom in affairs, 
 constancy in religion, and a firm adherence to his 
 ministerial vows, and lastly, a contempt of the world, 
 in which, as he that warreth, he did not entangle 
 himself. 2. To be sensible of those sins which have 
 provoked Grod to deprive us of hun, barrenness and 
 unfruitfulness under his ministry ; it is for this that 
 God hath a controversy with us. 3. To bless God that 
 we enjoyed him so long ; eaten bread must not bo 
 forgotten. 4. To be followers of him, as he was of 
 Christ. He was a pattern for ministers, excelling in 
 the knowledge of the Scriptures, which made this man 
 of God perfect and industrious to advance the honor 
 of Jesus Christ, whom he made the alpha and omega 
 of his religion; not addicted to controversies, but 
 walking in the good old way ; unwearied in the work 
 of God, it was the delight of his heart to be laying out 
 himself for the good of souls. Exemplary for humil- 
 ity and low thoughts of himself and his own perform- 
 ances ; for meekness and readiness to forgive injuries ; 
 for candor in speaking of others, and their words and 
 actions, on which he ever put the best construction, 
 and was never apt to speak evil of any man. Emi- 
 nent for family religion, and in that an excellent copy 
 to all masters of families. Those things, therefore. 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 2GI 
 
 which you have heard and seen in him do, and the 
 G-od of peace shall be with yon." These were the 
 heads which were copiously and excellently enlarged 
 upon in that sermon. 
 
 In the afternoon of that Sabbath another sermon 
 was preached by Mr. Henry's son, from Heb. 11 : 4: 
 "And by it he being dead yet speaketh," hi laluraL^ 
 is yet spoken of by us, and yet speaketh to us. 
 
 The Wednesday following, July 1, being the time 
 of the lecture in course at Danford, in Whitchurch 
 parish, Mr. Samuel Lawrence of Nantwich, whoso 
 turn it was to preach that lecture, brought up the 
 long train of mourners, as he expressed it, in a most 
 savory and pertinent discourse on Heb. 13 : 7 : " Re- 
 member them which have the rule over you, who have 
 spoken unto you the word of Grod ; whose faith follow, 
 considering the end of their conversation." " Such a 
 one Mr. Henry was, that great man who is fallen this 
 day in Israel — removed from us, but hath left behind 
 him a good name to be remembered, a good exam- 
 ple to be imitated, many a good word spoken to us, 
 and many a good prayer put up for us. Remember 
 him with thankfulness, that Grod has given such 
 power, such gifts and graces unto men. I never knew 
 a man in all my acquaintance, in whom I have seen 
 so much of G-od as in good Mr. Henry, whose holy, 
 humble, heavenly, gracious conversation hath been 
 to me so great a confirmation of the truth of the 
 Christian religion. Remember him with thankful- 
 ness also, that G-od gave him to you, and continued 
 him so long to see the church in a better state than 
 
262 REV. PHILIP HENRiT. 
 
 he had sometimes seen it, and that God had crowned 
 his labors with such great success. Many souls there 
 are in heaven, and some on earth, blessing Grod that 
 ever they saw his face, and that G-od continued him 
 in his usefulness to the last. Remember him with a 
 quiet submission to the hand of G-od in his removal 
 from us. Sensible we must be of the stroke ; it is a 
 public loss, a loss to the ministry, our hands are this 
 day weak ; a loss to the nation, for which he was a 
 powerful intercessor ; a loss to the country, in which 
 he was a burning and shining light : but yet we must 
 acquiesce in the divine will. The treasure was in an 
 earthen vessel, and G-od will bring us to depend more 
 upon himself ; and he is teaching us to live, and live 
 to Christ, without good Mr. Henry, though we have 
 sometimes said we did not know how we could live 
 without him. Remember him, to pay all honor and 
 respect to his memory ; rise up, and call him blessed. 
 That is a foul tongue, as well as a lying one, that can 
 say any thing of him unbecoming a disciple, servant, 
 and minister of Jesus Christ. Remember him, to 
 imitate his good example. Many of you like to be 
 called Mr. Henry's followers. Be so indeed. He 
 was a pattern to ministers of diligence, zeal, humility, 
 and great meekness in dealing with all people, which 
 contributed abundantly to his success ; his preaching 
 was affectionate without affectation. To all people 
 he was a pattern of faith and charity and contempt 
 of the world, of zeal and moderation, patience in suf- 
 fering, and of constancy and perseverance to the end. 
 Remember him, and remember your sins which have 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 263 
 
 provoked God to take him away. Have we not 
 grieved this good man's spirit ? Remember him, and 
 remember Christ's fuhiess, who is ever the same, and 
 hath the residue of the Spirit. Instruments must be 
 shifted, cisterns emptied, but there is the same in the 
 fountain. Remember him and remember your own 
 death, and heaven, where he is. "We may think the 
 worse of this world, which is much impoverished, and 
 the better of heaven, which is somewhat enriched by 
 the removal of this good man." 
 
 Thus we have gleaned out of the sermons that 
 were preached on the occasion of his death, some of 
 the testimonies that were borne to him by such as 
 had enjoyed long and intimate acquaintance with 
 him, that knew well his excellences, and knew as 
 little to give flattering titles. It was no invidious 
 piece of service in them, to speak thus honorably of 
 one who, like Demetrius, had a good report of all men, 
 and of the truth itself. 
 
 Nor was it there only among his contemporaries, 
 but also from abroad, that very honorable testimonies 
 were given of him. Sir Henry Ashurst, who had kept 
 up a constant correspondence with him for many years, 
 when he heard the tidings of his death, wrote thus to 
 a near relation of the deceased : " I need not tell you 
 how sadly I received the doleful news of Mr. Henry's 
 translation, who, I do think, lived the greatest exam- 
 ple of sincere godliness, with prudence and sweetness 
 of temper, of any I ever knew." And in another let- 
 ter, not only proposing, but pressing the publication 
 of an account of his life, he affirmed that he thought 
 
264 ILEV. THILIP HENRY. 
 
 there was " none like him in his clay," at least of his 
 acquaintance, which is known to have heen both of 
 the largest and of the best kind. *' And," saith he, 
 ^'if Lord Brooke would have it inscribed upon his 
 tombstone, that he was a friend to Sir Philip Sidney, 
 I may be well pleased to have it told to the world, 
 that I loved and honored, blessed Mr. Henry ; a man 
 of so much prudence, and withal so much sincerity, 
 of so good a temper, so much a gentleman, and yet of 
 such strict piety and devotedness to Grod, that I scarce 
 ever knew his fellow." 
 
 Soon after Mr. Henry's death, the Rev. "William 
 Turner, Yicar of Walburton, in Sussex, spontaneously 
 sent a letter to his son, from which the following ex- 
 tract is taken : 
 
 ^' Worthy Sir — I am glad to hear that you have 
 been prevailed with to set upon so good a work as 
 recording the most remarkable passages of Mr. Henry's 
 life. I doubt not but you will meet with some that 
 will give such a history but a cold reception. All that 
 part of the world that lies in darkness will be offended 
 when beams of clear light and sunshine first dart into 
 their faces. 
 
 "A little before I went to the university I was, 
 upon the commendation of my worthy schoolmaster, 
 
 Mr. E , and with my father's consent, half a year 
 
 domesticated with him, partly as a tutor to his chil- 
 dren, and partly as a pupil to himself; and in some 
 little degree as a companion ; where I had the oppor- 
 tunity of informing myself more fully concerning the 
 humor and principles and conversation of a sort of 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 2G5 
 
 people, and especially of him and his family, whom I 
 had heard aspersed very freely in former companies, 
 and represented to the world as very hypocritical and 
 disloyal people. At my first going, I resolved to stand 
 upon my guard and pry into the cause which was 
 then the great subject of difference and dispute ; and 
 upon the whole, do say that Mr. Henry was a man 
 of so clear a brain, so gentle a behavior, so steady a 
 conversation, so regular a devotion ; was so courteous 
 and condescending to inferiors, so respectful and du- 
 tiful to superiors, so sweet and obliging to all ; was so 
 careful to improve his time well, to do as much good 
 as possible to every body, so constantly affectionate in 
 his prayers for the king and government, so desirous 
 to keep up a fair correspondence and communion with 
 his conforming brethren, so very indifferent in mak- 
 ing proselytes to his particular opinions ; and withal, 
 so zealous to promote substantial goodness and true 
 Christianity, so inoffensive and peaceable in all his 
 expressions and actions, so prudent, pure, pious, just, 
 sober, charitable, cheerful, and pleasant, that I profess 
 I am almost afraid to give him his due character 
 without some limitations, lest they that knew him 
 not should suspect my veracity, and imagine my pen 
 to be managed by some mercenary hand. I remem- 
 ber the excellent Rowland Hunt, speaking of Mr. 
 Henry, thus expressed himself to me, and if I mistake 
 not, the Lord Ambassador Paget was present : ' I 
 was,' said he, ' near seven years resident in the uni- 
 versities, and seven more at the Inns of court in Lon- 
 don, and had opportunity of acquainting myself with 
 
 Il.nry. 1 2 
 
266 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the most eminent divines and preachers in hoth those 
 places, yet I never found any every way so accom- 
 pHshed for clearness and quickness of apprehension, 
 solidity of judgment, and roundness of style, as Mr. 
 Henry is. Grod rewarded him with a good and vir- 
 tuous consort, who brought him a good estate, gave 
 him a due reverence, loved him with an entire affec- 
 tion ; an ingenious and hopeful offspring, well affect- 
 ed, well educated, and well disposed in the world; 
 the favor of men, and a quiet undisturbed habitation 
 
 upon earth, in great measure.' 
 
 '•W. TURNER." 
 
 Another very worthy conformist, formerly of his 
 acquaintance, but afterwards living at a considerable 
 distance, having occasion to mention him in a letter 
 to a friend, calls him, " The great, good, and now 
 glorious Mr. Henry, whose memory shall ever be 
 precious, and even sacred to me." 
 
 Such as these were the honorable testimonies 
 which all that knew him, and knew how to value true 
 excellence, rendered to him. It is part of the recom- 
 pense of charity and moderation in this world, that it 
 obtains a ^'good report of all men." " The kingdom 
 of God," saith the blessed apostle, "is not meat and 
 drink," which were then the matters of doubtful dis- 
 putation, "but righteousness and peace and joy in 
 the Holy Grhost," Rom. 14 : 17, 18 ; and he that in 
 these things serveth Christ, is not only acceptable to 
 God, but approved of men : as, on the contrary, they 
 that judge will be judged ; and with what measure 
 we mete, it will be measured to us ag^ain. And this 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 267 
 
 is the excellency of a good name, that it is out of the 
 reach of death, and is not buried in the grave, hut 
 rather grows up from it. It is not for nothing that 
 Solomon has joined this good name, which is "bet- 
 ter than precious ointment," with the " day of one's 
 death," which is " better than the day of one's birth," 
 for the reason that it completes the character of those 
 that finish their course well, and are faithful unto 
 death ; whereas, " a great name," like the names of 
 the great ones of the earth, is often withered and blem- 
 ished by death. "We read of those that " bear their 
 shame" when they "go down to the pit," though 
 "they were the terror of the mighty in the land of 
 the living." Ezek. 32 : 25. 
 
 At a meeting of the dissenting ministers of Chesh- 
 ire at Knutsford, in May, 1696, a few weeks before 
 Mr. Henry died, it was agreed that their next meet- 
 ing should be at Chester, though inconvenient to many 
 of them, upon condition that he would meet them 
 there, and give them a sermon. It was with much 
 difficulty that he was prevailed upon to promise it, 
 but his Master called for him before the time appointed 
 came. Mr. Flavel of Devonshire died when he was 
 under a similar appointment. But happy they that 
 are come to the "general assembly and church of 
 the first-born, and to the spirits of just men made 
 perfect." 
 
 With regard to Mr. Henry's bodily presence, he 
 was of a middle stature, his complexion not approach- 
 ing to any extreme, of a very pleasant aspect, and an 
 unusual mixture of gravity and sweetness in the air 
 
268 HEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 of his countenance, which was the true index of the 
 mind. In the latter part of his life he had but very 
 little hair, and had, like Elisha, a bald head; not- 
 withstanding he could not be persuaded to wear a 
 wig, against which he had an insuperable objection. 
 This lack was however supplied by his usually wear- 
 ing a neat close cap or turban on the upper part of his 
 head, made of black silk. When some of his friends 
 solicited him to have his picture drawn, he put them 
 off with this remark, that the best picture of a min- 
 ister is in the hearts of his people. 
 
 Over Mr. Henry's grave in Whitchurch church, a 
 marble monument was erected containing a suitable 
 epitaph to his memory in the Latin tongue. The fol- 
 lowing translation is from a copy preserved in the 
 family, and was most likely written by the author of 
 the epitaph, namely. Dr. Tylston, one of Mr. Henry's 
 sons-in-law : 
 
HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 269 
 
 TO 
 
 OF 
 
 PHILIP HENRY, 
 
 OF BROAD OAK, 
 IN THE COUNTY OF FLINT ; 
 
 MASTER OF ARTS, AND MINISTER OF THE HOLY GOSPEL ; 
 
 SOME-TIME PASTOR OF WORTHENBURY : 
 
 BORN IN THE ROYAL PALACE, OF GOOD AND HONEST PARENTS; 
 
 OF WESTMINSTER SCHOOL, AND CHOSEN THENCE A KINg's SCHOLAR 
 
 OF Christ's college, oxford: 
 
 A MAN EARLY REMARKABLE, 
 
 AND BORN TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF TRULY APOSTOLIC AND PRIMITIVE PIETY, 
 
 A SOLID AND WELL-POLISHED JUDGMENT, 
 
 EXCELLENT MEMORY AND FRUITFUL INVENTION, 
 
 MOST FINE LEARNING, CANDID TEMPER, AND GRACEFUL BEHAVIOR, 
 
 WHO ALWAYS KEPT HIS OWN, AND THE REPUTATION OF OTHERS 
 INVIOLABLE J 
 
 A DILIGENT WORSHIPPER OF THE DIVINE MAJESTY ; 
 
 AN EXQUISITE INTERPRETER OF THE WORD OF GOD, 
 
 AND NO LESS HAPPY IN MOVING THE AFFECTIONS OF OTHERS, THAN IN 
 ^TEMPERING HIS OWN; 
 
 WHO BOTH IN PREACHING AND LIVING, OPENLY SET FORTH JESUS 
 
 CHRIST AND HIS LAW AS A PATTERN ; 
 
 A PRUDENT MANAGER OF HIS AFFAIRS, MILD, PEACEABLE, AND HOSPITABLE J 
 
 TO OFFICES OF PIETY AND CHARITY EVER READY ; 
 
 "WAS PLEASANT TO HIS FRIENDS, AND COURTEOUS TO ALL : 
 
 HIS BODY, WORN OUT WITH MINISTERIAL LABORS AND NO LONGER A MATCH 
 FOR SO GREAT A SOUL, 
 
 HE DISMISSED TO THE ADJACENT REPOSITORY, 
 
 JUNE 24, 1696, 
 
 AGED 65. 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF THIS BEST OF MEN HIS SORROWFUL SON-IN-LAW 
 ERECTED THIS MONUMENT, 
 
 JOHN TYLSTON, M. D. 
 
270 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII 
 
 A MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION OF SOME OF HIS 
 SAYINGS, OBSERVATIONS, COUNSELS, AND COM- 
 FORTS, OUT OF HIS SERMONS, LETTERS, AND DIS- 
 COURSES. 
 
 Mr. Henry, through the excess of his modesty 
 and self-diffidence, never published any of his labors 
 to the world, nor ever fitted or prepared any of them 
 for the press ; and yet none more valued the labors of 
 others, or rejoiced more in them. He was very forward 
 to persuade others to publish, and always expressed 
 a particular pleasure in reading the lives, actions, 
 and sayings of eminent men, ancient and modern, 
 which he thought the most useful and instructive 
 kind of writings. He was also a very candid reader 
 of books, not apt to quarrel with what he read, espe- 
 cially when the design appeared to be honest ; and 
 when others would find fault, and say this was want- 
 ing, and the other amiss, his usual excuse was, '' There 
 is nothing perfect under the sun." 
 
 It will be but a meagre repair of this want of the 
 publishing of some of his works, to glean up some 
 few of many of his sayings, observations, and good 
 instructions; but this is now the best that can be 
 done. These gleanings will not be arranged in any 
 logical order, but simply given as they occur. 
 
 It was a saying he frequently used, '' Every crea- 
 ture is that to us, and only that, which G-od makes 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 271 
 
 it to be ;" and another was, ^' Duty is ours, events 
 are Grod's ;" and another was, " The soul is the man, 
 and therefore that is always best for us which is best 
 for our souls ;" and another was, '' The devil cheats 
 us out of all our time, by cheating us out of the 
 present time." 
 
 Referring to the death of a friend who had often 
 expressed his intention of leaving the substance of his 
 estate to pious uses, but had not done so, he remarked, 
 " Many good purposes lie in the churchyard." 
 
 In his thanksgivings for temporal mercies he often 
 said, " If the end of one mercy were not the begin- 
 ning of another, we were undone ;" and to encourage 
 to the work of thanksgiving he would say, ''New 
 mercies call for new returns of praise, and then those 
 new returns will fetch in new mercies." 
 
 Sometimes he would say, " Former mercies are a 
 support to faith in expectation of future mercies ;" 
 at other times he would remark, " Praise is our rent- 
 penny, which we pay to our great Landlord. We are 
 Grod's tenants, and we are tenants at will. Three 
 pence of rent he looks for ; a penny of thankfulness, 
 of obedience, of charity. We must relieve' according 
 to our power, proportionable to what we hold." 
 
 He said, " Of all the blessings we enjoy, saving 
 and spiritual blessings cry loudest on us for returns of 
 praise. They are the best blessings, the most excel- 
 lent in themselves, the most costly to the Father, the 
 most advantageous to us." 
 
 From Psalm 50 : 23, "Whoso ojffereth praise glori- 
 fieth me ; and to him that ordereth his conversation 
 
272 HEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 aright will I show the salvation of Grod," he observed, 
 " Thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is Letter." 
 
 " what a mercy," he would say, "is health. If 
 the least wheel in our watch, the most menial ser- 
 vant, be out of order, what trouble is it to all the 
 family." 
 
 When he spoke of a good name, he usually de- 
 scribed it to be a name for good things with good 
 people. 
 
 In answer to the inquiry, How are we to glorify 
 Grod in our afflictions? he replied, " Own and acknow- 
 ledge sin to be the cause, and give glory to God. 
 Own him as the author of your sufferings ; acknow- 
 ledge the mercies left with all thankfulness. See 
 what has been amiss, and when you have found it 
 turn again unto the Lord. Grlorify him by patience 
 and quietness, and cheerful submission to his will. 
 Ply the throne of grace. Believe, and wait for a good 
 issue. Hold fast your integrity." 
 
 On another occasion it being asked. When are 
 we inordinately dejected and disquieted under afflict- 
 ing providences ? he answered, " When we grieve 
 beyond the nature of the thing for which we grieve. 
 When we are wearied and faint in our minds. When 
 we grieve as those that have no hope. When we are 
 unfitted for the duties of our calling. When we are 
 hindered from worshipping and rejoicing in G-od. 
 When our grief exceeds bounds in continuing too 
 long. 1 Sam. 16 : 1." 
 
 Illustrating the nature of faith, he would observe, 
 "We must take hold of Christ, as a man that is 
 
HIS SAYINaS AND COUNSELS. 273 
 
 sinking in deep waters takes hold of a bough, or cord, 
 or plank. We must see him to be the only way, and 
 rest on him accordingly. We must see ourselves 
 pursued by the justice of Grod, and see him to be the 
 only altar. As the guilty malefactor took hold of the 
 city of refuge ; as a besieged garrison takes hold of 
 terms when offered ; as a man takes hold of an arm 
 that is going to strike him, so must we resort to and 
 accept of Christ. Plainly thus there are three things 
 in believing : the sight and sense of our sin and mis- 
 ery ; assent to the testimony given in the word con- 
 cerning Christ, believing that though I am a great 
 sinner, yet he is a greater Saviour ; application of 
 him to ourselves, consenting to take him to be ours, 
 and we to be his, to be ruled by him, and saved by 
 him." 
 
 Concerning repentance he said, " Even reckon- 
 ings make long friends. If I were to die in the pul- 
 pit, I would desire to die preaching repentance ; as, 
 if I die out of the pulpit, I would desire to die prac- 
 tising repentance. He that repents every day for 
 the sins of every day, when he comes to die will have 
 the sins of but one day to repent of. Repentance is 
 not required to make us precious to Christ, but to 
 make Christ precious to us ; and when it does that, 
 then we are humbled to divine acceptation, though 
 not to divine satisfaction. Sorrow is sin's echo ; but 
 as the echo answers the voice best where there are 
 broken walls and ruined buildings to return it, so does 
 sorrow when reverberated by a broken, ruined heart. 
 That eye weeps most which looks oftenest on the Sun 
 
 12 "^ 
 
274 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 of righteousness. Though we cannot wash in inno- 
 cency, yet we must wash in penitency. The ingre- 
 dients of true repentance are, hearty sorrow, particular 
 confession, faith in Christ, and general amendment. 
 "When we set our sins before our faces in repentance 
 and confession, God casts them behind his back in 
 pardon and remission ; but if we carelessly cast them 
 behind our back, God justly sets them before his 
 face." 
 
 Speaking of Luke 22 : 62, concerning Peter, he 
 would say, <' Peter's sin is recorded for our admo-- 
 nition, his repentance for our imitation." 
 
 Referring in his diary to the death of a gentleman 
 in Shropshire, he notes that he was one who had been 
 his professed enemy ; but, saith he, " God knows I 
 have often prayed for him." On a similar topic he 
 remarks, " When any have provoked you, you say 
 you will be even with them ; there is a way not only 
 to be even with them, but above them, and that is, to 
 forgive them." 
 
 Being asked. What are the common vices of the 
 tongue of which Christians ought more especially to 
 beware ? he replied, " Yain, flattering, and proud 
 speeches ; also much speaking : an open mouth is a 
 sign of an empty heart, as a chest open is a sign 
 nothing is in it ; when money or jewels are within it, 
 it is kept locked. Filthy speaking ; we ought to 
 sprinkle gracious discourses among our other dis- 
 courses about worldly things, else it is not whole- 
 some food. False and profane speaking; beware of 
 making use of scripture expressions without due rev- 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 275 
 
 erenoe. Make not sport of the sins of others. Abu- 
 sive speeches ; our tongues must not be scourges, nor 
 razors, nor swords." 
 
 In advising to the government of the tongue, he 
 pressed commencement with the heart. '' The heart," 
 he said, ^' is the scribe that indites matter ; the tongue 
 is the pen that writes it down. Psalm 45 : 1_ The 
 heart is as he that rides upon a horse ; the tongue is 
 as the horse that is ridden. James 3 : 8. The heart 
 is the pilot in the ship ; the tongue is the ship. 
 James 3 : 4. The heart is the fountain ; words are 
 as the streams. Matt. 12 : 34. The heart is the 
 treasury ; words are the stuff brought out of it. Matt. 
 12 : 35. The heart is the root ; words are the fruit. 
 Prov. 15 : 4. Resolve to take heed, but resolve in 
 the strength of Christ. Be not hasty in speech. Com- 
 mit the guidance of your tongue to Grod in prayer. 
 He is the maker of the tongue." 
 
 " Truth," he would remark, *' is a jewel of ines- 
 timable value, and we should prize it accordingly. 
 We must buy it, and not sell it. Prov. 23 : 23. Hold 
 it fast, and not let it go. 2 Tim. 1 : 13. Abide in it, 
 and not fall from it. 2 John, 9 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 17. And 
 as a means of all the rest, we must love it. Zech. 8:9; 
 2 Thess. 2 : 10. We must love it * more than thou- 
 sands of gold and silver.' Psalm 119 : 72, 127. Er- 
 rors, on the other hand, are sins — sins because trans- 
 gressions of the divine law. * Do not err,' because 
 errors are works of the flesh, Gral. 5 : 20 ; and because 
 they are invasions upon Grod's rule and government. 
 He has authority over our understanding; we owe 
 
276 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the same subjection to his truths as to his commands. 
 Errors in judgment are the causes of sins in practice. 
 Matt. 6 : 23 ; epistle of Jude. It is said that fishes 
 first putrefy in the head — so do many. Error is very 
 bewitching. Gral. 3:1. It works like poison, silently 
 and insensibly ; it drinks up the good spirits, the sap 
 and savor of a man. It is infecting, like the leprosy. 
 A leper in the head was utterly unclean. Lev. 13 : 44. 
 It is destroying; a shot or cut in the head will as 
 surely kill as in the heart. See Psalm 95 : 10, 11. As 
 an antidote to error, lay a good foundation in being 
 well acquainted with the principles of the doctrine of 
 Christ. Take heed of pride and conceitedness. The 
 low shrubs in the valley escape the storm, when the 
 tall cedars on the hill-tops are uprooted ; weather- 
 cocks set high, turn. Seek grace, and special growth 
 in it. Heb. 13 : 9 ; 2 Peter, 3 : 17, 18. Take heed of 
 living in any known sin, or indulging any secret lust 
 against light. Avoid needless familiarity with false 
 prophets. 2 John, 10 : 11 ; Rom. 16 : 17, 18 ; 1 Tim. 
 6 : 5. G-ive yourselves to the word and prayer. Acts 
 6 ; 4." 
 
 In reply to the inquiry. What means are we to 
 use that we may remember spiritual things better, to 
 carry away with us more of what we hear, and to 
 keep it more faithfully ? he said, " Gret the heart 
 filled with love to the things of Grod. I never yet 
 saw a covetous old man forget where his money lay. 
 The reason is, his heart is upon it. See Psa. 119 : 16. 
 Labor to see the worth and excellency of heavenly 
 truths ; so many truths, so many jewels. Jewels we 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 277 
 
 lay up. See your own concern in them, Deut. 32 : 46, 
 47 ; get a clear and distinct apprehension, Psa. 106 : 7 ; 
 and the more distinct the better. A man may carry 
 a great deal more upon his back, if the things be 
 well ordered and packed up, than if they lie loose 
 and confused. So it is with the memory. Hence 
 catechisms are exceedingly useful. Submit to the 
 power of the word ; the sermon that does us good we 
 shall best remember. Psalm 119 : 93. Attention is 
 a special help. Heb. 2:1. It is said the people hanged 
 on Christ while he was preaching to them. See 
 Luke 8 : 18 ; 19 : 48. The memory is a lazy faculty 
 unless rubbed up. 2 Peter, 1 : 12, 13. Exercise 
 your memories. The way to have limbs is to use 
 them." 
 
 On the subject of devout meditation he remarked, 
 "A garment that is double-dyed, dipped again and 
 again, will retain the color a great while ; so a truth 
 which is the subject of meditation. "What harrowing 
 is after sowing, the same is meditation after hearing ; 
 it hides the word. Meditation keeps out Satan. It 
 increases knowledge. Psalm 119 : 99 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 15. 
 It inflames love. Psalm 39 : 3. It works patience. 
 Psalm 119 : 23 ; 77 : 6. It promotes prayer. Psalm 
 63 : 5, 6. It evidences sincerity. See Prov. 23 : 7." 
 
 Speaking of death, he said, " He that would not 
 die when he must, and he that would die when ho 
 roust not, are both alike cowards.*' 
 
 On prayer he said, '' Be much in secret fellow- 
 ship with Grod in duty. It is secret trading that 
 enriches a Christian." 
 
278 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 On spiritual life he said, "It is an inward prin- 
 ciple in the soul of the believer, arising from his union 
 with Jesus Christ. The following are signs of such 
 a life : The knowledge of Grod and Christ. John 17 : 3. 
 Growth in grace and knowledge. John 15 : 2. Faith 
 in Jesus Christ. John 6 : 47. Heavenly-mindedness. 
 Col. 3:1, 2; Rom. 6:11. Spiritual sense of sin: 
 the first risings of it, Rom. 7 : 24 ; the sins of others, 
 2 Pet. 2 : 7, 8 ; of the withdra wings of G-od's presence, 
 Psa. 22 : 1 ; of the afflictions of Grod's people, Jer. 9:1; 
 Neh. 1 : 4, etc. ; 1 John, 3 : 14. Speech : to Grod in 
 prayer, Gal. 4:6; Acts 9 : 11 ; Zech. 12 : 10 ; for Grod. 
 Appetite. 1 Pet. 2 : 2. Care for self-preservation. 
 Job 2 : 4, compared with 1 Pet. 2 : 7. Desires to com- 
 municate. 1 John, 1 : 1-3. Art thou alive ? live at a 
 higher rate than others. 1 Cor. 3 : 3. Art thou dead ? 
 make haste to Christ. Eph. 5 : 14. He complains, 
 *Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.' 
 John 5 : 40. For encouragement to come to Christ, 
 he raised three to life in the gospel : one in the cham- 
 ber, secret sinners ; another in the street, open sin- 
 ners ; a third buried, dead four days, aged sinners." 
 
 Speaking of faith, he said, " There are evidences 
 of saving faith. Faith, however, is the best evidence 
 of itself, 1 John, 5 : 10 ; as we know that the sun 
 shines by its own light. The following are evidences : 
 A new nature. Acts 26 : 18. Heart purity. Acts 
 15 : 9 ; at least begun and labored after. A low 
 esteem of earthly things. Phil. 3:8. A high esteem 
 of Christ. 1 Peter, 2 : 7. Joy in tribulation. Acts 
 26 : 25, etc. ; Rom. 5:1-3; 1 Pet. 1:7; Hab. 3 : 17, 
 
HIS SAYINOS AND COUNSELS. 279 
 
 18. Reliance upon Grod for things of this life, as well 
 as of heaven. How came we by our faith ? Did it 
 come by hearing ? Rom. 10 : 17. Did it begin in 
 doubting ? What fruit does it bear ? James 2 : 14, 
 etc. ; Gal. 5 : 6. Self-denial. Luke 7 : 6, 7, 9. Fear 
 of offending. A true believer reckons it the hardest 
 thing in the world to believe." 
 
 On the fear of death he said, "Let him be afraid 
 to die that is afraid of going to heaven. Would you 
 be above the fear of death? Qet an interest in 
 Christ, and labor to know thy interest in Christ. 2 
 Cor. 0:1, 2, etc. Live in the fear of God. Luke 
 12 :4, 5. Learn to die daily, 1 Cor. 15 : 31, in med- 
 itation ; in expectation. Job 14 : 14 ; Psa. 44 : 22. Sit 
 loose from the world. Keep a good conscience. Live 
 by faith. 2 Cor. 4 : 18 ; 5 : 1, etc. 
 
 Speaking of meekness, he observed, ''It is a grace 
 of the Spirit, Gal. 5 : 22, 23, and is of general use to 
 us in every thing we do, both towards God and man. 
 James 3 : 13. Meekness in the understanding is seen 
 in receiving the truths of God. James 1:21. Meek- 
 ness in the will is seen in yielding to his commands. 
 Matt. 11 : 29. The proper work of meekness is to com- 
 pose and cool and quiet the spirit. It regulates anger 
 in its cause, measure, and continuance. Eph. 4 : 26. 
 We must answer with meekness. 1 Pet. 3:16. We 
 must instruct with meekness. 2 Tim. 2 : 25. We must 
 restore with meekness. Gal. 6:1. We must bear 
 reproaches with meekness. Num. 12 : 2, 3 ; 2 Sam. 
 16 : 7, 8. We must bear reproofs with meekness. 
 Meekness towards God stands opposed to murmuring 
 
280 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 and repining at his dealings with us. The language 
 will be, ' It is the Lord ; let him do what seemeth him 
 good.' " 
 
 As a preservative against error, he recommended, 
 " G-et truth of grace, and grow in it. 2 Pet. 3 : 17, 18 ; 
 Heb. 13 : 9 ; Matt. 24 : 24. Be filled with knowledge, 
 especially in fundamentals. Matt. 22 : 29 ; Psalm 
 119: 104, etc. Get an humble heart. Psa. 131 : 1, 2 ; 
 25 : 9. Receive the truth in the love of it. 2 Thes. 
 2 : 10, 11 ; John 7 : 17. Be much in secret prayer ; pray 
 for the Spirit, who is given to lead into truth. John 
 16 : 13. Maintain communion with saints ; come not 
 near seducers. 2 Cor. 6 : 17 ; Prov. 4: 14, 15; 2 John, 
 10 ; Jer. 23 : 16. Keep up due esteem of ministers 
 whom Grod hath set over you. Heb. 13 : 7, 17 ; 1 Thes. 
 5 : 12, 13 ; Jer. 6 : 16, 17 ; Eph. 4:11, etc. ; Mai. 2 : 2, 7." 
 
 On the worth of the soul he said, " Consider its 
 value. Matt. 16 : 26 ; its original, Gren. 2 : 7 ; its oper- 
 ations ; its duration, immortal ; its nature, spiritual. 
 Consider how God the Father hath loved it, in giving 
 Christ for it ; how Jesus Christ loved it, in coming 
 to die ! how Satan knows the worth of it, else he would 
 never seek, as he does, to destroy it. Consider the 
 wants of the soul, blind, naked ; its dangers, likely 
 to be lost ; its capacity, capable of heaven. Beware 
 then of those things that hurt and wound the soul. 
 Prov. 8 : 36. Ply those things that will make for its 
 good, Prov. 11 : 27 ; means of grace, opportunities. 
 Be acquainted with it ; discourse much with thy soul : 
 ' Soul, whither art thou going V Seek to advance it ; 
 put it to a good service. Seek to adorn it ; get on the 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 281 
 
 best robe, righteousness, grace. Prov. 19 : 8. Seek to 
 enrich it ; other riches are not soul-riches. Luke 12. 
 Seek to save it. Phil. 2 : 12, 13. Provide for it ; wife, 
 children, the body, can say, ' Here is for me,' but the 
 poor soul has nothing. It is the first thing thought 
 of in conversion. Acts 16 : 30." 
 
 Urging to the cultivation of sincerity, he observed, 
 "We must not be hypocrites, nor do any thing we do 
 in hypocrisy. Even disciples must beware of this. 
 It is the cry of the world against us, that we are such ; 
 but let us approve ourselves to G-od, and then no mat- 
 ter. We must not have a form of godliness, without 
 the power ; nor a name to live, without being alive 
 indeed. We must not do what we do to be seen of 
 men. We must not draw near to God with our mouths, 
 when our hearts are far from him. We must not 
 make clean the outside, and be careless what is with- 
 in. We must not look one way and row another, as 
 Jehu did. Suspect this evil ; search for it ; watch and 
 pray against it. Contrary to all this is sincerity and 
 truth. They differ like shadow and substance ; like 
 the picture of a man and a manP 
 
 When he spoke of contentment he used to say, 
 " When the mind and condition meet, there is con- 
 tentment. Now, in order to that, either the condition 
 must be brought up to the mind, and that is not only 
 unreasonable, but impossible, for as the condition 
 rises, the mind rises with it ; or else the mind must 
 be brought down to the condition, and that is both 
 possible and reasonable. No condition of life will of 
 itself make a man content, without the grace of Grod ; 
 
282 - REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 for we find Haman discontented in the court, Ahah 
 discontented on the throne, Adam discontented in par- 
 adise ; nay, and higher we cannot go, the angels that 
 fell discontented in heaven itself." And as an in- 
 ducement to contentment, he further observed, *'It 
 pleases Grod to divide and dispense his gifts severally 
 to the children of men : not all to one ; but some to 
 one, and some to another. There is no man so happy 
 but he has something that is an alloy to his happi- 
 ness, some trouble or cross, which should make us 
 humble. And no man is so miserable but he has 
 something that is an alloy to his misery ; if he be poor, 
 yet he has health. This, if well considered, might 
 help to quiet our hearts, and teach us,' in whatsoever 
 state we are, therewith to be content." 
 
 He advised, '' You that have estates, be sober in 
 the use of them. You that have none, be sober ia 
 your desires." 
 
 With a view to check inordinate desires, he would 
 sometimes say, *' Consider what are those things tow- 
 ards which thy desires are : they are earthly, vanity. 
 This I can assure thee, thou wilt not find that in 
 them which thou lookest for. The Holy Grhost hath 
 caused a whole book of Scripture to be written about 
 this argument ; it is the book of Ecclesiastes. * De- 
 light thyself in the Lord.' Creature-comforts ebb and 
 flow, but G-od is always the same. Mortify inordi- 
 nate affections. Let that of Jacob be our rule, G-en. 
 28 : 20-22 ; or that of Agur, Prov. 30 : 7, etc. ; or that 
 of Christ, 'daily bread.' Nature is contented with 
 little, grace with less, lust with nothing at all." 
 
HIS SAYINaS AND COUNSELS. . 283 
 
 <' Earthly-minded men," he remarked, '' are like 
 moles : they live in the earth ; they see no beauty in 
 holiness, no comeliness in Jesus Christ." 
 
 The three questions which he advised people to 
 put to themselves, in self-examination before the sac- 
 rament, were, " What am I ? What have I done ? 
 and. What do I want ?" 
 
 Noticing hypocrisy, he has remarked, " Though 
 to live in the least sin cannot consist with the power 
 of godliness, yet to live in the greatest, may with the 
 fornix. Moses took a veil when he spoke to Israel ; 
 put it off, when to God. Hypocrites do quite contra- 
 ry ; they show their best face to men, their worst to 
 God. But he sees through the veil. Yipers speckled 
 without, are poisonous within." 
 
 He used to recommend to his friends these four 
 scripture arguments against sin, expressed, for mem- 
 ory's sake, in verse form, to be ready in an hour of 
 temptation : 
 
 " Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?* 
 It will be bitter in the end.t 
 The vows of God upon me lie ; t 
 Should such a man as I am fly 1 §" 
 
 Showing professors of religion the wrong done by 
 their sin to others, he would say, " Yj3Ur sin brings an 
 evil report upon the ways of God, and grieves the 
 hearts of your brethren ; while it is the enemy's joy 
 and triumph. Your example does mischief; others 
 will think they may safely venture to do as they see 
 you do. There is not the least sin allowed of and 
 
 * 2 Sam. 16: 17. t2Sam. 2:26. tPsa. 56:12. §Neh. 6:11. 
 
284 . REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 beloved, but will end in the eternal separation of the 
 soul from Grod. Gruilty of one, guilty of all. James 
 2 : 10." 
 
 " When G-od pardons sin," he would remark, *' he 
 takes it off as a burden, removes it away as filthi- 
 ness, and blots it out as a debt." 
 
 "Saving grace takes off the affections from sin; 
 but most of all, from that which was formerly best 
 beloved." 
 
 " Sanctification is the resurrection of the soul from 
 the death of sin to the life of grace ; the first resuT' 
 rection. Eev. 20 : 6." 
 
 He said there were four things which he would 
 not for all the world have against him, namely, " The 
 word of Grod, his own conscience, the prayers of the 
 poor, and the account of godly ministers." 
 
 " There are four things," he would say, " we must 
 not make a mock of : sin, Prov. 14 : 9, people's natu- 
 ral infirmities, the word of Grod, and good people." 
 
 " There are three difficult things : to believe things 
 impossible to reason, to hope against hope when the 
 thing hoped for is deferred, and to cleave to God as a 
 friend when he appears against us as an enemy." 
 
 " There are two things we should greatly beware 
 of : that we may never be ashamed of the gospel, and 
 that we may never be a shame to it. Prov. 30 : 9." 
 
 '' He that hath a blind conscience which sees noth- 
 ing, a dead conscience which feels nothing, and a 
 dumb conscience which saith nothing, is in as miser- 
 able a condition as a man can be in on this side hell." 
 
 He remarked, " There are three things, which if 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNS] 
 
 Christians do, they will prove mistakeir\^^^]ipdET5 ^^ »^ 
 for that in themselves which is to he had nr^Sfeoflier, 
 namely, righteousness; if they look for that in the 
 law which is to he had only in the gospel^ namely, 
 mercy ; if they look for that on earth which is to be 
 had only in heaven, namely, perfection.'''' 
 
 " Seriousness in trifles, and trifling in the most 
 serious things, undo thousands." 
 
 Preaching on 1 Peter, 1:6, "If need he, ye are in 
 heaviness," he showed what need the people of G-od 
 have of afflictions. "The same that our bodies have 
 of physic, that our trees have of pruning, that gold 
 and silver have of the furnace, that liquors have of 
 being emptied from vessel to vessel, that the iron has 
 of a file, that fields have of a hedge, that the child 
 has of the rod." 
 
 " The evil of an affliction is the wrath of God 
 in it." 
 
 " The pilot is wise, though the sea is rough." 
 
 " Afflictions are enlightening ; they open the eyes. 
 ^ The school of the cross is the school of light ;' hum- 
 bling, they help to lay us low ; softening, as the rain 
 to the parched earth, as fire that helps to melt the 
 metals ; composing, they help to make people sober 
 and serious, opening the ear to discipline." 
 
 ""When outward afflictions are upon the Lord's 
 people, their chief endeavors should be after spiritual, 
 inward mercies ; to get sin pardoned, peace estab- 
 lished. Psa. 25 : 18. It is usual with Satan at such 
 times, to disquiet Grod's people with the remembrance 
 of old miscarriages. He is a great enemy to our 
 
286 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 peace. When he does so, our best course is to sue 
 out a fresh pardon." 
 
 " "We are born to trouble as men, Job 14 : 1 ; and 
 born again to it as Christians. 2 Tim. 3 : 12." 
 
 "• The graces of God's children are like fire in a 
 flint, the flint must be struck before the fire will 
 appear." 
 
 " The way to make a burden light is to poise it 
 equally, that it may not hang all on one side. So 
 afflictions are made easy by parting our care, so as to 
 take upon us only the care of duty, and leave events 
 to God." 
 
 He said, '' G-reat affections prove great afflictions." 
 
 And thus he would sometimes pray : " When the 
 flail of affliction, Lord, is upon me, let me not be 
 as the chaff that flies in thy face, but as the grain that 
 lies at thy feet." 
 
 Preaching on that prayer of Christ for his disci- 
 ples, John 17 : 21, " That they all may be one," he 
 showed that " notwithstanding the many sad divisions 
 that are in the church, yet all the saints, as far as 
 they are sanctified, are one — one in relation, one flock, 
 one family, one building, one body, one bread, one by 
 representation, one in image and likeness, of one 
 inclination and disposition, one in their aims, one in 
 their askings, one in amity and friendship, one in 
 interest, and one in their inheritance ; nay, they are 
 one in judgment and opinion — ^though in some things 
 they differ, yet those things in which they are agreed 
 are many more and much more considerable than 
 those things wherein they differ. They are all of a 
 
HIS SAYINGS AKD COUNSELS. 287 
 
 mind concerning sin, that it is the worst thing in the 
 world ; concerning Christ, that he is all in all ; con- 
 cerning the favor of G-od, that it is hetter than life ; 
 concerning the world, that it is vanity ; concerning 
 the word of God, that it is very precious." 
 
 Preaching on G-al. 1 : 16, concerning the conver- 
 sion of Paul, he began his. sermon with this remark, 
 to raise attention: "Much is said in history concern- 
 ing the seven wonders of the world, the temple of 
 Ephesus, the pyramids of Egypt, the tomb of Manso- 
 lus, etc., all of which are now no more; but I have 
 been thinking whether I could not name seven things 
 which I would call the seven wonders of the church. 
 And what do you think of these seven ? Are they not 
 wonderful ? 1. Our redemption by Jesus Christ, who 
 is called Wonderful. 2. The salvation of Noah in the 
 ark. 3. The faith of Abraham in offering up Isaac. 
 4. The patience of Job. 5. The providences of Grod 
 towards the nation and people of the Jews. 6. The 
 pouring out of the Spirit upon the apostles. 7. The 
 conversion of Paul. 
 
 Preaching on Rom. 5:12, "And death by sin, 
 and so death passed upon all men," he observed, 
 "Eternal death is meant, or the death of both body 
 and soul in hell. This is part of the * wages of sin,' 
 in Rom. 6 : 23, opposed to ^ eternal life.' It is a 
 living death, or a dying life. It is death, because 
 it is separation from Grod. 'Depart from me, ye 
 cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil 
 and his angels.' ' Depart I' Now, the Spirit saith, 
 * Come ;' and the bride saith, ' Come :' but then, 
 
288 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 'Depart from me,' the Fountain of life; from my 
 presence, in which is 'fulnes^ of joy.' This is the 
 punishment of loss, the very hell of hell. Lord, if 
 we must go from thee, let us part friends. No ; 
 'Depart, ye cursed;' and those whom he curses are 
 cursed indeed. Then let it he to some other place, 
 where we may he quiet. No ; ' into fire ' such 
 fire as ours is hut a poor shadow of. Let us stay 
 there hut a while. No ; ' into everlasting fire.' Let 
 us have good company. No ; the ' devil and his 
 angels.' The same hy whom thou didst choose to he 
 ruled, shall now torment thee." 
 
 Preaching on Heh. 6:9, "But, heloved, we are 
 persuaded hetter things of you, and things that 
 accompany salvation, though we thus speak," he 
 said in the close, "Do these things. See sin to he 
 the worst of evils, and depart from it. See Christ to 
 he the hest of goods, and choose him, and cleave to 
 him. See the world passing away, and set not thy 
 heart upon it. See the ways of God to he the hest 
 ways, and his people the hest people ; and walk in 
 those ways, and with those people. See heaven and 
 hell hefore you, and conduct accordingly. Love the 
 word of Grod ; make it your guide, your food." 
 
 In an exposition of the third chapter of the hook of 
 G-enesis, after analyzing the awful sentence upon our 
 first parents, he thus heautifully remarked : "In the 
 midst of all the wrath denounced and executed in 
 this chapter, what a sweet mixture there was of 
 mercy. There is a promise of Christ, verse 15, 'In 
 sorrow shalt thou hring forth ;' there is wrath : hut 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 269 
 
 Uieii it shall be 'children;' there is mercy. 'Thy 
 desire shall be ' subject, but it shall be ' to thy hus- 
 band.' Thy face shall sweat ; but ' in the sweat of 
 thy face shalt thou eat bread.' Mercy is seen in 
 making garments for them." 
 
 Preaching on Matt. 7:24, "Therefore, whoso- 
 ever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, 
 
 1 will liken him," etc., he observed, "He who hears 
 sermons and does not do them is a monster in relig- 
 ion. He is all head and ears, having neither hands 
 to work with, nor feet to walk with. There is a 
 disease which children have, called the rickets, where- 
 in their heads swell as large as two heads, and their 
 legs are crooked, which hinders their going. We 
 have many rickety Christians ; they hear much," 
 and their heads swell with empty notions and indi- 
 gested opinions, but their legs are crooked, their 
 \yalking is perverse. Every such person is a mocker 
 of G-od, a deceiver of himself, a discourager of minis- 
 ters, barren soil, a bad servant, a beholder of his 
 natural face in a glass, a builder of his house upon 
 the sand." 
 
 Preaching on Christ as the redemption of his 
 people, from 1 Cor. 1:30, "But of him are ye in 
 Christ Jesus, who of G-od is made unto us re- 
 demption," he thus concluded : " Live as the redeem- 
 ed of the Lord ; live with your eye upon the redemp- 
 tion ; viewing it often ; aiming at it as your scope. 
 
 2 Cor. 4 : 18. Live with your hand upon the plough, 
 ' abounding always in the work of the Lord.' Live 
 with your feet upon the world, despising its glories, 
 
 Henry. 1 3 
 
290 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 bearing patiently its frowns. Live with your heart 
 upon the Redeemer in love and thankfulness." 
 
 Preaching on Eph. 2 : 12, "At that time ye were 
 vvithout Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth 
 of Israel," he thus described the miserable condition 
 of those who are without Christ : " They are children 
 without a father, orphans ; sheep without a shepherd, 
 none to lead them, to feed them, to guard them ; 
 they are in the dark, and no sun to enlighten them ; 
 they are in a friendless condition, Christ is their 
 enemy ; they are under a debt, and have no surety ; 
 they are in the midst of enemies, and have no Saviour ; 
 they have a cause to plead, but have no advocate ; 
 they are sinners, but have no prophet, priest, or king 
 to appear for them ; they are out of the way, for 
 Christ is the only way ; they are mortally diseased, 
 but have no physician ; they are naked, and have no 
 clothing, for Christ's righteousness is the only clothing; 
 they are foodless, breadless, for he only is bread to the 
 soul ; they are without wisdom, and therefore fools. 
 A Christless condition is a miserable condition." 
 
 But it would be endless to gather up such pas- 
 sages as these out of his sermons, which were full of 
 them, and these are given only because they occur 
 first. 
 
 He used to observe concerning the nation of the 
 Jews, that before the captivity in Babylon no people 
 could be more strongly addicted to idols and idolatry 
 than they were ; a matter of wonder, considering 
 what clear warnings they had against it. But after 
 that captivity, never was any people more averse to 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 291 
 
 idols and idolatry than they, that the promise might 
 he fulfilled, 'Ephraim shall say. What have I to do 
 any more with idols V And he looked upon it, that 
 the idolatry of the papists was one of the greatest 
 obstructions to the Jews' conversion, which he did 
 expect and look for, as not apprehending how the 
 promises, Rom. 9, have yet had their full accomplish- 
 ment ; not that they shall again be incorporated into 
 a people, hut shall join themselves to the churches 
 of Christ, in the several nations whither they he 
 scattered." 
 
 The great thing that he condemned and witnessed 
 against in the church of Rome, was their monopoliz- 
 ing the church and condemning all that are not 
 linked in with their interests, which is so directly 
 contrary to the spirit of the gospel, that nothing can 
 he more so. He sometimes said, "I am too much a 
 catholic, to he a Roman-cathohc." 
 
 He often expressed himself well pleased with 
 that healing rule of St. Augustine, which, if duly 
 observed, would put an end to all our divisions : *' Sit 
 in necessariis unitas, in non necessariis libertas, in 
 omnibus charitasP " 'Let there be oneness in neces- 
 sary things,' or, among associates, liberty in others, 
 and charity in all,' and then there need not be uni- 
 formity in every punctilio." 
 
 " By the institutions of the gospel," he said, " I 
 know of no holy place, one holy day, two holy sacra- 
 ments, and four holy canons, or universal rules, 
 namely, " Let all things be done in charity ; let all 
 things be done to edifying ; let all things be done 
 
292 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 decently, and in order; and let all things be done 
 to the glory of God." 
 
 "When his opinion was asked about any doubtful 
 matter, as certain games, the marriage of cousin-ger- 
 mans, or the like, he was very cautious in determin- 
 ing such things to be sinful; but he would say, ''It 
 is good keeping on the safer side ; and a man would 
 not choose to go upon a precipice, when he might go 
 upon even ground. Prov. 10 : 9. ' He that walketh 
 uprightly, walketh surely,' in opposition to walking at 
 random. There are three excellent rules to guide us 
 in doubtful cases. What would Peter, or Paul, or 
 Christ himself do in this case, if they w^ere here ? 
 AVhat would I do myself, if I were dying now, and 
 going to judgment? What is the first dictate of 
 my own conscience? I say the first, before interest, 
 profit, hath bribed it. Usually that is right." 
 
 In reference to the sacred injunction, "Commune 
 vvith thine own heart, and be still," he said, ''When 
 the question hath been put to conscience. Do I do 
 well to live in the practice of such and such a thing ? 
 stay, and hearken to the answer." 
 
 Noticing the common objections urged against 
 the strictness of a holy life, as. It is more than is 
 necessary ; I have a good heart towards Grod ; I go to 
 church and give to every man his own ; and what do 
 the best more ? " I will teU thee," saith he. " They 
 do more : they watch against the occasions of sin, 
 and pray and endeavor that the wicked one may 
 not touch them. When he hath touched them, and 
 they have sinned, it is the great grief of their souls, 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 293 
 
 and causes them to mourn bitterly. They take hold, 
 hj faith, on the blood of Christ, and receive remission 
 through him. This they improve as the greatest and 
 most prevailing argument to all manner of gospel 
 obedience afterwards. This they do, and these are 
 ' the things that accompany salvation.' " 
 
 On Christian joyfulness he remarked as follows : 
 * ' Whosoever takes his full of even lawful pleasure in 
 the things of the world, to such Grod commonly denies 
 the extraordinary delights of his Spirit. Men may be 
 in a state of joy, and yet not apprehend it ; like Hagar, 
 who had a well by her, and yet complained for thirst. 
 G-en. 21 : 17. Joy must not always be judged of by 
 the outward expressions, for a man will laugh more 
 at a jest than he will at news of a pardon. If we 1st 
 the reins loose to sin and folly, if we suffer the world 
 and the vanities of it to encroach upon us and to 
 steal away our thoughts and affections, that will 
 quickly spoil Christ's being our song. Hos. 9:1. Joy 
 is forbidden fruit to a backslider. Such have other 
 work to do. It is they only who keep a 'conscience 
 void of offence,' that 'walk circumspectly, not as fools, 
 but as wise,' that keep close to G-od and duty ; I say, 
 it is they only that can 'rejoice in Christ Jesus.' And 
 therefore see to it, all ye that desire to make Christ 
 your song, and to rejoice always in him. Mind your 
 way ; mend your pace ; ply your work." 
 
 "Rest not in having life, but press after liveli- 
 ness. Rev. 3 : 1, 2. A lively frame in our walking is 
 an excellent frame ; it expedites work, brings some- 
 thing to pass in religion." 
 
294 EEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 *' Usually, after continued deadness rested in, 
 comes some notable affliction, or other cross. ' Is it so, 
 indeed V saitli Christ. ' Can you afford me no better 
 duties ? Withdraw, Comforter ; smite, sickness ; vex 
 him, Satan ; persecute him, enemies.' " Hos, 5:15; 
 6:1. 
 
 "Writing upon worldliness, he observed, " Although 
 the affections may not be o?il'f/ upon earthly things, 
 they may be so principally : as when we affect 
 earthly things in the first place ; when we affect them 
 for their own sakes, and not in subordination to a 
 higher end ; when heavenly things must give way to 
 them ; and when we can be content to forfeit a good 
 conscience, that we may gratify our regard to them." 
 
 " The root of a tree lies out of sight ; so the affec- 
 tions. When they are set upon the world, what they 
 do, they do slily. The soul is lost without noise." 
 
 ^' One of the most dreadful expressions of wrath 
 in all the Scripture is denounced against a 'root of 
 bitterness.' Deut. 29 : 18, 20, 21. Such a root is 
 earthly-mindedness ; and the fruit it brings forth is 
 bitter fruit." 
 
 "A child of G-od may be master of the world, but 
 he cannot be a slave to it." 
 
 " If the affections of a Christian be towards earthly 
 things, the soul will be wronged. It will engage him 
 in a multitude of temptations and snares. 1 Tim. 6 : 9. 
 It will exceedingly hinder communion with God. 
 Earthly things are as birdlime to the soul. AYhen 
 the heart is mounting up towards heaven, then will 
 come in a wandering thought as a bullet, or as an 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 295 
 
 arrow out of a bow, and on the sudden fetch it down 
 again. It is the very root of apostasy ; and it unfits 
 us for death. None are so unwilling to die as those 
 whose ajfTections are towards earthly things." 
 
 "Eartlily riches are * uncertain riches,' 1 Tim. 
 6:17; but spiritual mercies are *sure mercies.' 
 Isaiah 55 : 3." 
 
 In the notice which he took of Grod's providences, 
 he frequently spoke, in discourse with his friends, of 
 the fulfdling of the Scripture in them; "for," saith 
 he, "the Scripture hath many accomplishments, and 
 is in the fulfilling every day." Speaking of a wicked 
 youth in the neighborhood, w^ho was very undutiful 
 to his mother, he charged some of his children to 
 observe the providence of God concerning him : " Per- 
 haps," said he, "I may not live to see it, but do you 
 take notice whether Grod do not come upon him with 
 some remarkable judgment in this life, according to 
 the threatening implied in the reason annexed to the 
 fifth commandment." But he himself lived to see 
 it fulfilled not long after, in a very signal providence. 
 
 On the subject of declensions in religion he 
 remarked, "It was never said of any one that fell 
 away, that he was either 'justified,' or 'begotten 
 again;' whereas, many other glorious things are 
 spoken of them." 
 
 "Many begin well in the profession of religion, 
 and hold on a while, and yet break off* at last and come 
 to nothing. What is the matter ? Want of a ' single 
 eye.' They do not choose religion for religion's sake, 
 nor the ways of Grod for God's sake, but for some 
 
206 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 secular advantage or by-respect ; and when the weight 
 is off, the clock stands." 
 
 He observed from scripture instances, as well as 
 from some providences which he had taken notice of 
 in his own day, that if any began well in the ways 
 of religion and godliness, and afterwards cast off their 
 profession and returned to profaneness again, usually 
 Grod set a mark of his displeasure upon them by some 
 visible judgment in this world, their estates ruined, 
 their reputation blasted, their families sunk, or them- 
 selves brought to misery, so that all who passed by 
 might say, ' This w^as an apostate.' ' If any man draw 
 back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.' " 
 
 He observed, from Num. 10:12, ''All our re- 
 moves in this world are but from one wilderness to 
 another. Upon any change that is before us, we are 
 apt to promise ourselves a Canaan ; but we shall be 
 deceived, it will prove a wilderness." 
 
 Once, pressing the study of the Scriptures, he 
 advised to take a verse of the 119th Psalm every 
 morning to meditate upon, and so go over the psalm 
 twice in the year; "and that," said he, "will bring 
 you to be in love with all the rest of the Scripture." 
 And he often said, "All grace grows as love to the 
 word of Grod grows." 
 
 Mentioning that passage, ''And turned my feet 
 unto thy testimonies," he observed, " The great turn 
 to be made in heart and life is from all other things 
 to the word of Grod. Conversion turns us to the word 
 of Grod as our touchstone, to examine ourselves, our 
 state, our ways, spirits, doctrines, worship, customs ; 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 297 
 
 as our glass, to dress by, Jas. 1 :23; as our rule, to 
 walk and work by, G-al. 6:16; as our water, to wash 
 us. Psalm 119 : 9 ; as our fire, to warm us, Luke 
 24 : 25-32 ; as our food, to nourish us, Job 23 : 12 ; 
 as our sword to fight with, Eph. 6 : 17 ; as our coun- 
 sellor in all our doubts. Psalm 119 : 24 ; as our cor- 
 dial, to comfort us ; as our heritage, to enrich us." 
 
 Noticing the "exceeding great and precious prom- 
 ises" of the divine word, he would say, '' Those good 
 things which are only convenient for us are not abso- 
 lutely promised, such as degrees of grace, comforts, 
 and external favors." 
 
 " To every command there is a promise. Dcut. 
 10 : 16 ; compare 30 : 6 ; Ezek. 18 : 31 ; compare 36 : 26. 
 The command finds us work ; the promise finds us 
 strength. The purposes of G-od are his concealed 
 promises ; the promises, his revealed purposes. A 
 believer, though he may have little in possession, has 
 treasures in reversion. The promises of Grod to us 
 are greater helps for mortifying sin, than our promises 
 to God." 
 
 A person asking his advice what to do when we 
 may be in the sight and hearing of the wickedness of 
 the wicked, and whether we are always to reprove 
 them, "Why," saith he, "you know what an angry 
 countenance does ; and we may sometimes give a 
 reproof by our looks, when we have not opportunity 
 of giving it otherwise." 
 
 He would remark that it is strange to see what 
 an awe sometimes arises upon the spirits of wicked 
 men from the very company and presence of one who 
 13-* 
 
298 REV. PHILIP HENEY. 
 
 is eminent in holiness ; they dare not do then as they 
 dare and do at other times. A profane man having 
 dined once with Mr. John Dod, said afterwards that 
 he did not think it could have been possible to have 
 forborne swearing so long. 
 
 On the work of grace in the heart, he said, "A 
 man cannot continue long at a stand in godliness. If 
 we do not find an increase of grace, we may justly 
 suspect a decay in grace. 2 Pet. 3 : 17, 18. The 
 regenerate part in a believer is styled in Scripture, 
 ' the new man ;' or, as it may be rendered, ' the young 
 man.' Col. 3 : 10. Youth is on the growing hand, 
 so is grace in the heart." 
 
 On the duty of Christian reproof, he observed, 
 " "When we reprove our brother, we must be careful 
 we violate not his credit. So Christ only ' looked ' 
 upon Peter, lest if he had spoken to him the Jews 
 overhearing might have reviled and upbraided him 
 with his treachery to his Master. So also at supper, 
 when he reproved Judas, he speaks in general terms, 
 ^ One of you.'" 
 
 Again, '' To reprove a brother, is like as when he 
 is fallen, to help him up again ; when he is wounded, 
 to help to cure him; when he hath a broken bone, to 
 help to set it ; when he is out of his way, to put him 
 in it ; when he is fallen into the fire, to pluck him 
 out ; when he hath contracted defilement, to help to 
 cleanse him." 
 
 " In reproving, temper zeal with charity. In the 
 ark there was Aaron's rod, so there was also the pot 
 of manna ; virga severitatis^ manna dulcedinis — 
 
HIS SAYINaS AND COUNSELS. 299 
 
 the sweet manna, with the chastising rod. Bitter 
 pills must be gilded over with love and meekness." 
 
 He would not bear that any should be evil spoken 
 of in his hearing ; it was to him as vinegar to the 
 teeth. He would remind those who reflected upon 
 people behind their backs, of that law, Lev. 19 : 14, 
 *' Thou shalt not curse the deaf." '^ Those that are 
 absent are deaf, they cannot right themselves; and 
 therefore say no ill of them." A friend of his inquir- 
 ing of him concerning a matter which tended to reflect 
 upon some people, he began to give him an account 
 of the story, but immediately broke off* and checked 
 himself with these words, " But our rule is to speak 
 evil of no man," and would proceed no further in the 
 story. It was but the week before he died, that a 
 person desired him to lend him a particular book. 
 '' Truly," said he, '^ I would lend it you, but that it 
 rakes open the faults of some which should rather be 
 covered with a mantle of love." 
 
 Speaking of anger, he would say, "Wise anger is 
 like fire in a flint ; there is much ado to get it out, 
 and when it is out it is gone again presently." 
 
 To quicken people to diligence and liveliness in 
 the worship of God, he would sometimes observe that 
 the temple was built upon a threshing-floor, a place 
 of labor. He would also urge the same in answer to 
 those who turned it to his reproach that his meeting- 
 house had once been a barn : '' No new thing," would 
 he say, " to turn a threshing-floor into a temple." 
 
 Connected with the same subject he gave the fol- 
 lowing counsels : " Beware of such things as deaden 
 
300 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the heart. Avoid guilt, for it mars all our boldness 
 of access. Guard against the cares of the w^orld, for 
 they are clogs and fetters. They are to the soul as 
 birdlime. A bird so caught cannot fly as before." 
 
 " Study things above, that ye may be wise about 
 them. Mind them. Rom. 8 : 5 ; Phil. 3 : 19. Savor 
 them ; the word is so translated Matt. 16 : 23. Keep 
 up your reli!<h of them. The whole man is to be 
 exercised and set at work in heavenly things, but 
 chiefly the affections. Affect things above." 
 
 " Spiritual things, graces and duties, are termed 
 things above, because they are so to the natural man, 
 above his reach to understand, above his power to 
 perform, 1 Cor. 2 : 14 ; because they elevate and ad- 
 vance the soul that hath them and is exercised about 
 them — there is not a duty in religion but an angel 
 might be seen performing it without disparagement ; 
 because they are so in regard to their origin — 
 duties were enjoined from above, we are enabled 
 to perform them from above; and because they are 
 so in regard to their tendency — ^upwards, towards 
 heaven." 
 
 " Which do we usually reckon the happier man ? 
 Is it he who is poor in the world, and hath true 
 grace ; or he who is rich in this world, and hath 
 none ? In which of these two men's conditions would 
 we choose to be ? What is it we are most solicitous 
 to make sure to ourselves — ^things on earth, or things 
 above ? What is it you desire most to leave your 
 children ? Have you spent as many thoughts, and 
 sought as many ways how you might bring them to 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 301 
 
 Christ, as how you might raise them and provide for 
 them in the world ? These queries impartially an- 
 swered will evidence what esteem we have of things 
 above, and our esteem will evidence what affection 
 we have towards them." 
 
 When some zealous people in the country would 
 have him preach against top-knots, and other vanities 
 in apparel, he would say that was none of his busi- 
 ness ; if he could but persuade people to Christ, the 
 pride and vanity and excess of those things would 
 fall of course ; and yet he had a dislike to vanity and 
 gayety of dress, and allowed it not in those over whom 
 he had influence. His rule was, that in such things 
 we must neither be owls nor apes ; not affect singu- 
 larity, nor affect modishness; nor, as he used to ob- 
 serve from 1 Peter, 3 : 3, make the putting on of ap- 
 parel our adorning, because Christians have better 
 things with which to adorn themselves. When some 
 complained to him of a relation of theirs that would 
 not let them dress his children with ribbons and other 
 fine things, ''Why, truly," said he, '' those things are 
 fit for children;" thereby reproving both him that 
 would not allow them to his children, and those that 
 perhaps minded them too much themselves. 
 
 On first wearing a new suit of clothes he wrote, 
 " Lord, clothe me with thy righteousness, which is a 
 comely, costly, lasting, everlasting garment." 
 
 " Four sorts of zeal," he would remark, '' are to 
 be condemned : blind zeal, Rom. 10 : 2 ; bitter zeal, 
 James 3 : 14 ; proud zeal, 2 Kings, 10 ; partial zeal, 
 Matt. 23 : 23. 
 
302 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 On one occasion he writes, '' None should despair, 
 because Grod can help them ; none should presume, 
 because Grod can cross them." 
 
 Referring to the fundamentals of the Christian 
 religion, '' They consist," he observed, "in matters of 
 faith, John 17 : 3 ; 8 : 24 ; Acts 4:11; 1 Cor.' 1 : 23 ; 
 2:2; 3:11; oi practice, Matt. 4:17; Luke 11:23; 
 John 13 : 34 ; 15 : 14 ; and of worship, John 4 : 24 ; 
 16:23; Phil. 3:3; Col. 3:17; 2:18, 19." 
 
 " True godliness is scripture godliness, godliness 
 according to what is written. Psalm 119 : 133 ; Grab 
 6 : 16." 
 
 Speaking of pride, he would say, " The worst sin, 
 pride, comes out of our graces ; and the best grace, 
 which is humility, comes out of our sins." And on 
 the same topic he remarked, " We should be troubled 
 as much at unjust praises as at unjust slanders." 
 
 '^ What the soul is to the body," he would remark, 
 " that the saints are to the world, the balsam and life 
 of it ; yet, as the body abuses the soul, so doth this 
 world the saints." 
 
 "The study of history," he notes, "is pleasant. 
 I find afflictions and persecutions have been always 
 the lot of the people of G-od ; but G-od hath still up- 
 held his church, and will do it to the end." 
 
 To one complaining of weakness in duty, he said, 
 " Remember two things : that you ' are not under the 
 law, but under grace ;' that you are on earth, and not 
 in heaven." 
 
 On prayer he said, " If you would pray fervently, 
 walk watchfully. Rest not in forms. Artificial breath, 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 303 
 
 such as that which comes from a pah of hellows, is 
 cold ; but natural breath, which comes from the mouth 
 of a living man, is warm. Stir thyself up with quick- 
 ening meditations. Psalm 39 : 3. Beg assistance 
 from the Spirit." 
 
 Ho remarked, " "We must not go a step out of our 
 way, neither to meet the cross nor to miss it." 
 
 He often expressed the assurance which he felt, 
 that whatever damage any one might sustain in the 
 cause of religion, God is able to make it up again. 
 And he used to say, " Though we may be losers for 
 Christ, yet we shall not be losers by him in the end." 
 
 Frequently, both in sermons and discourses, he 
 would press people to fix to themselves some good 
 principles, and to come off from the corrupt and car- 
 nal principles by which worldly people are governed. 
 And he took all occasions to recommend such principles 
 as these : that God, who is the first and best, should 
 have the first and best ; that a part in Christ is a 
 good part ; that soul prosperity is the best prosperity ; 
 and that it is well or ill with us, according as it is well 
 or ill with our souls ; that honesty is the best policy. 
 That those who would have the comfort of relations, 
 must be careful to do the duty of them. That all is 
 well that ends everlastingly well ; that time and the 
 things of time, are nothing compared with eternity 
 and the things of eternity ; that it is better to sutler 
 the greatest affliction, than to commit the least sin ; 
 that it highly concerns us to do that now, which we 
 shall most wish we had done when we come to die ; 
 that work for God is its own wages ; that it is folly 
 
304 REV. PHILIP HENEY. 
 
 for a man to do that which he must certainly undo 
 again by repentance, or be undone to all eternity. 
 
 Contrasting the superior principles under which 
 Christians act with those which influence others, he 
 wrote, " A man may be strong to do much and suffer 
 much from external weights, pulling and drawing, 
 that is, from motives from without, to please men or 
 to gain applause ; but that is another thing from what 
 is done by an inward principle — grace in the heart, 
 the love of Grod shed abroad there, the love of Christ 
 constraining, as the bias in the bowl, or the spring in 
 a watch." 
 
 Illustrating the future blessedness of Christians by 
 comparison, he remarked, " Eternal life is the life of 
 heaven : this and spiritual life are for substance the 
 same, they differ in degree only. Life spiritual, the 
 life of grace, is life eternal, the life of glory begun ; 
 and life eternal, the life of glory, is life spiritual, the 
 life of grace perfected. They differ as the child's life 
 and the man's life, 1 Cor. 13 : 11, 12 ; as the morn- 
 ing sun from the noon sun, Prov. 4 : 18 ; as the spring 
 from the summer, the budding rose from the blown 
 rose." 
 
 Speaking of the causes of atheism, he had this 
 observation: ''A head full of vain and unprofitable 
 notions, meeting with a heart full of pride and self- 
 conceitedness, dispose a man directly to be an atheist." 
 
 A gentlewoman that upon some unkindness be- 
 tween her and her husband was parted from him, 
 and lived separately for nearly a year, grew melan- 
 choly, and complained of sin and the withdrawment 
 
HIS SAYINGS AND COUNSELS. 305 
 
 of the light of God's countenance, and the want of as- 
 surance ; he told her that she must rectify what was 
 amiss between her and her husband, and return into 
 the way of duty, else it was in vain to expect peace. 
 Her friends were against it, but he was confident it 
 would prove so. 
 
 Noticing the causes of God's hiding his face from 
 his people, he remarks, " Most commonly, sin in us 
 is the cause. Sin is a separating, darkening thing, 
 Isaiah 59 : 2 ; Eph. 5:11; particularly security — car- 
 nal confidence, Psalm 30 : 6, 7, neglect of opportu- 
 nities. Cant. 5:2, 3, etc., worldly-mindedness, Isa, 
 57 : 17, 1 Tim. 6 : 10, cowardice in God's cause and 
 service, Jonah 2 : 4. Yet sometimes pure love in 
 him is the reason. Isaiah 50 : 10. He has hereby 
 several holy ends in view: to convince us of our 
 dependence upon him for all the comfort we have ; to 
 quicken our desires after him — see Matt. 15 : 22, etc. ; 
 to discover to us the light of his countenance ; to pre- 
 vent our being puffed up, 2 Cor. 12 ; to stir up our 
 longings after heaven." 
 
 With reference to the divine Being, he sometimes 
 observed, '' God reserves three things to himself: the 
 revenge of injuries, Hom. 12 : 19 ; the glory of deeds, 
 Isaiah 43 : 8 ; and the knowledge of secrets, Deut. 
 29 : 29." 
 
 " The will of God's purpose is the rule of all his 
 actions ; the, will of his precept is the rule of all our 
 actions." 
 
 "God can provide for us without us; so cannot 
 we without God." 
 
306 KEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 He said he had observed concerning himself, that 
 he was sometimes the worse for eating, but never for 
 abstinence ; sometimes the worse for wearing too few 
 clothes, but never for wearing too many; sometimes 
 the worse for speaking, but never for keeping silence. 
 
 On the Scriptures he would sometimes say, " Pre- 
 fer having eyes to read the Scriptures, and be blind to 
 every thing else, rather than to read every thing else 
 and neglect the Bible. Christ is the lesson there 
 taught, and it is a lesson which it will do us abundant 
 good to learn. It is unspeakably satisfying to the 
 understanding. It is both sweet and comfortable, 
 refreshing and joyous. It is strangely renewing and 
 changing within, as to the inner man, by making the 
 tree good, bowing the will, and raising the affections ; 
 and as strangely reforming and mending without, in 
 the life and conversation." 
 
 It was but a little before he died, that in reading 
 the fiftieth chapter of the prophesy of Isaiah, he ob- 
 served, from the fourth verse, " The Lord hath given 
 me the tongue of the learned," that the true learning 
 of a gospel minister consists, not in being able to talk 
 Latin fluently, and to dispute in philosophy, but in 
 being able to "speak a word in season" to weary 
 souls. He that knows how to do that well, is a learned 
 minister. 
 
 May the " Lord of the harvest" send forth a host 
 of such "laborers into his harvest." Amen. 
 
A SERMON. 307 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A SERMON 
 
 TREACHED AT BROAD OAK, JUNE 28, 1696, ON OCCA- 
 SIGN OF THE DEATH OF THE REV. PHILIP HEN- 
 RY, A. M., WHO FELL ASLEEP IN THE LORD, 
 JUNE 24, 1696, IN THE SIXTY-FIFTH YEAR OF HIS 
 AGE. BY HIS SON, THE REV. MATTHEW HENRY. 
 
 "AND BY IT HE BEING DEAD YET STE AKE Til."— He b. II :4. 
 
 Dead and yet speaketh, speaketh and yet dead I 
 Is not this a paradox ? We always took the grave 
 for a land of silence ; and they that are gone down 
 to the congregations of the dead, are said to dwell 
 in silence : " The dead praise not the Lord, nei- 
 ther any that go down into silence." Psa. 115 : 17. 
 And if praising G-od be silenced in the grave, every 
 thing else should be. It is fit there should be silence, 
 for there is no knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave 
 where we are going. Eccles. 9 : 10. And yet my 
 text tells you of one being dead, and yet he speak- 
 eth. If you ask how this can be, the answer is 
 ready in the text : Faith, which makes other para- 
 doxes plain and easy, makes this so ; for by it, by 
 faith, he being dead yet speaketh. Faith is a quick- 
 ening grace, a speaking grace. Faith calls things 
 that are not as though they were, by fastening upon 
 the word of the eternal G-od, which does so. Rom. 
 4 : 17. The person spoken of is he wiio stands here 
 first of the Old Testament worthies that did and got 
 such great things by faith — the first of God's wit- 
 
308 REV. PHILIP HE Nil Y. 
 
 nesses called to appear to testify the excellency of 
 the grace of faith. He was, for aught we know, the 
 first man that died, the first that trod that darksome 
 valley, the first begotten to the dead, as Christ was 
 the first begotten from the dead. He died a martyr : 
 so early did martyrdom come into the world. The 
 first man that died, died for his religion — the man of 
 whom it is here said, that by faith he being dead yet 
 speaketh. 
 
 That we may give the text its full extent of use- 
 fulness, let us apply it to Abel himself, to all the 
 saints, to the martyrs, and especially to faithful min- 
 isters, and particularly to him whom the Lord hath 
 taken from our head this day. 
 
 1. Let us apply it to Abel himself: "he being dead 
 yet speaketh." The margin reads it, ''he being dead, 
 is yet spoken of;" and then it is but a particular 
 application of that to him which is said in general 
 of all the Old Testament saints, that by faith they 
 "obtained a good report." Dead men are usually 
 forgotten, being out of sight they are out of mind, 
 Psalm 31 : 12 ; but faith reasons from this in death. 
 Abel, though long since dead, yet is spoken of. Our 
 Lord Jesus spoke of him when he dated the great era 
 of martyrdom from the blood of righteous Abel. Matt. 
 23 : 35. And it was no small honor to be spoken 
 of by Him who was the fountain of honor, to whom 
 all judgment is committed, and from whom the de- 
 cisive sentence will be received. He is yet spoken of 
 by the universal church, for wherever this scripture 
 is read, there shall tliis be told for a memorial of Abel, 
 
A SERMON. 309 
 
 that by faith he offered unto God a more excellent 
 sacrifice than Cain, and for it indeed lost his life, hut 
 by it obtained witness that he was righteous, Grod 
 testifying of his gifts. Thus is the name of Abel 
 made known and perpetuated as the days of heaven. 
 " Being dead he yet speaketh." So we read, and sc 
 the generality of interpreters take it ; he speaketh 
 against his brother Cain — so some would make it 
 parallel with Gen. 4 : 10, " The voice of thy brother's 
 blood crieth." The cry of blood, innocent and right- 
 eous blood, is very loud ; it reaches the ears of that 
 God to whom vengeance belongeth, to whom the life 
 and death of his saints is precious, and who will not 
 suffer a drop of their blood to be spilt but upon a val- 
 uable consideration. " Being dead he yet speaketh." 
 The dying words of Zechariah were, " The Lord look 
 down upon it and require it," 2 Chron. 24 : 22 ; and 
 the cry of the souls under the altar was, " How long, 
 Lord, holy and true ?" Rev. 6 : 10. Thus he yet 
 speaketh. The cry of blood is a continual cry, and 
 will not cease till the Lord cometh to make inquisi- 
 tion for it at the great day, and to complete the rec- 
 ompense for the controversy of Zion. Abel's blood 
 yet crieth against all that have gone in the way of 
 Cain as persecutors. Abel as the foreman of that 
 great inquest of suffering saints speaks to you all, to 
 convict the bloody generation that have eaten God's 
 people as they eat bread. Or he speaketh to us. 
 There are many excellent lessons that are taught us 
 by the life and death of Abel. He speaketh for our 
 instruction and consolation. Scripture stories speak 
 
310 REV. PHILIP HEI^RY. 
 
 a great deal, and particularly this concerning Abel, 
 who being dead in the beginning of the world yet 
 speaketh for our learning, "upon whom the ends oi 
 the world are come," 1 Cor. 10 : 11, "that we, through 
 patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have 
 hope." Rom. 15 : 4. 
 
 2. Apply it to other martyrs^ who being dead for 
 the testimony of Jesus Christ, and for their constant 
 adherence to the word of his patience, do yet speak for 
 the comfort and encouragement of those that follow 
 after them in that narrow, afflictive way which tends 
 to life. What is here said of Abel, who led the van, 
 may be said of all the rest, even of those that bring 
 up the rear in that noble army of martyrs, who being 
 dead yet speak — speak to us, who are exhorted to 
 follow them and take them for our example. The 
 martyrs of Jesus speak to us, that the truths of Grod 
 are precious and valuable, and worth suffering for; 
 and that there is a reality in future unseen things, 
 for the prospect of them hath administered solid com- 
 fort to them when they have been "pressed above 
 measure." They tell us that Christ is a good Master, 
 and his cause a good cause ; and that as affliction for 
 Christ hath abounded^ consolation from him hath 
 much more abounded. The gospel of Christ being 
 thus handed down to us, sealed ivith the blood of the 
 martyrs^ hath been upon that account so much the 
 more cheerfully embraced. How many were "bap- 
 tized for the dead," 1 Cor. 15 : 29 ; that is, took upon 
 them the profession of the Christian faith for the sake 
 of the dead martyrs, and upon the inducement of 
 
A SERMON. 311 
 
 their patience and constancy in suffering for the truth. 
 If there be no resurrection from the dead, nor a futuro 
 state, that argument which hath been cogent with so 
 many falls to the ground and deceives them. This 
 is the sense that a late learned interpreter gives of 
 that difficult scripture. It were easy to give instances 
 from church history of those that were converted to 
 the faith of Christ by the death of the martyrs ; and 
 the things which happened to them, though hard 
 things, fell out to the furtherance of the gospel. Hence 
 the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the 
 church, and they overcame the old serpent by not 
 ^' loving their lives unto the death," in defence of the 
 word of their testimony. Being dead they speak to 
 others, to expect sufferings, and yet not to fear them ; 
 to count upon them — to count them but " light," and 
 " for a moment." For our own part, we " have not 
 yet resisted unto blood ;" but if we should live to see 
 such a day, when we could not buy the truth at any 
 cheaper rate than the laying down of our lives — if it 
 ever should come to this dilemma, that we must either 
 die for Christ or deny him, as who knows what event 
 may be in the womb of time ? "let not him that girdeth 
 on his harness boast as he that putteth it off" — ^then 
 let us hear what the martyrs being dead yet speak, 
 and take encouragement from them to choose affliction 
 rather than iniquity, the greatest sufferings rather than 
 the least sin; for this yet speaks, and it is a "faith- 
 ful saying, If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." 
 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12. And though we be losers /or Christ, 
 we shall not, we cannot be losers by him in the 
 
312 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 end. Cruel persecutors sometimes, for politic ends, 
 even when they thirst after the blood of the saints, 
 think it enough to silence them and not kill them. 
 It v/as the course Julian the apostate took for the 
 extirpating of Christianity ; and the martyrs that 
 were put to death in Queen Mary's days in England 
 were forbid to speak to the people when they died. 
 Nothing tormented the world more than their witness- 
 speaking. But let them do their worst : they may 
 kill, but they cannot silence them; they may stop 
 their breath, but they cannot stop their mouths ; for 
 being dead, they yet speak to the confusion of their 
 adversaries. 
 
 3. Apply it to all saints : being dead, they yet 
 speak. The death of the saints is a very usual and 
 common dispensation of Providence. The " godly 
 man ceaseth," the " faithful fail," and the " merciful 
 are taken away." Such providences as these have a 
 loud voice, which crieth in the city to the survivors. 
 The death of the saints speaketh the evil of sin, the 
 remainder of which is in the best. It is owing to 
 that they die ; for " the body is dead because of sin." 
 It speaks the vanity of life, and of all its delights and 
 enjoyments ; for if the favorites of heaven are dying 
 daily, and going out of the world, it is a sign that 
 the things of the world are not the best things, else 
 those whom Grod loves best would not be taken 
 soonest from them. It speaks that all things come 
 alike to all, and that "one event happeneth to the 
 righteous and the wicked ;" so that none knows love 
 or hatred by all that is before him in this world. 
 
A SERMON. 313 
 
 But he that would know it, must look before him into 
 the other world. It speaks to us, that whatsoever 
 our " hand findeth to do," we should be doing it with 
 all our might, and to work the work of Him that sent 
 us while it is day, because " the night cometh, wherein 
 no man can work." Being dead, they speak to us 
 what a cordial an interest in Christ is in a dying 
 hour ; and therefore, death being found by them to 
 be not the king of terrors, but one of the best friends 
 they had next to Jesus Christ, the period of all their 
 misery, and their passage to eternal glory, we cannot 
 but wish to " die the death of the righteous," and to 
 have our " last end," or as some read it, our future 
 state, *'like his." And what greatei; inducement can 
 there be than this, to live the life of the righteous, and 
 to have our present state and way like his ? If the 
 saints die, then there is no discharge in that war ; 
 and it is not the stroke, but the sting of death, from 
 which righteousness delivers. And if sometimes they 
 have ''bands in their death," they speak to us to 
 prepare for the like, for if this be done to the '' green 
 tree," what may the " dry" expect ? Lay your ears 
 this day to the coffins and graves of departed saints, 
 who though they do not pray for us, yet preach to us 
 in the words of Christ, "Be ye therefore also ready." 
 Matt. 24 : 44. They are gone, and we are going ; 
 their glass is run out, and ours is running; and 
 therefore it concerns us to be always on our watch, 
 with our "loins girt," and our "lamps burning," 
 that if at midnight the cry should be made, "Be- 
 hold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet 
 
 Hpiirjr. 14 
 
314 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 him," ^Y0 may not have to buy oil when we should 
 burn it ; nor, with Saul, be hid among the stuff of 
 this world when we are sent for to enter upon the 
 kingdom. 
 
 4. Let me apply it to the faithful ministers that 
 have spoken unto us the word of G-od. Xhey are 
 God's spokesmen in the world, the watchmen set 
 upon your walls which are not to keep silence. But 
 " we have this treasure in earthen vessels," which 
 are soon broken. What becomes of the treasure then? 
 Why the treasure is G-od's, and shall not be lost ; the 
 word shall be spoken though the minister be silent in 
 the dust, for it endures for ever. Nay, " out of the 
 eater" comes forth " meat ;" for ministers being dead 
 yet speak. Particularly, let me apply it to your min- 
 ister, or rather Christ's for you, whom God hath now 
 by a sad and sudden stroke removed from you, after 
 he hath been long speaking to you the word of God. 
 
 You see I hasten to what I principally intended, 
 and you will not wonder why my thoughts at this 
 time could not fasten upon any other subject, for I 
 am sure yours cannot, and to have spoken of any 
 thing else to-day would be a jar in the harmony of 
 sorrow wherein you and I are concerned. I confess 
 it may seem incongruous that I, who stood in so near 
 a relationship to him, should stand here to speak of 
 him ; and truly, if his worth and honor were a matter 
 of doubtful disputation, and were only to be found by 
 secret search, it would seem so to me too. Were I 
 •to speak for his glory, it would look too much like 
 seeking my own. But the matter is not so, we need 
 
A SERMON. 315 
 
 not dig for it. He was one that had a "good report 
 of all men," yea, and of the truth itself; and there- 
 fore none can blame me if I also bear record, since 
 all of you in this assembly can bear witness that my 
 record is true. Why should not I cast my mite into 
 a common treasury ? Nay, the general duty required 
 in the fifth commandment, I think obligeth me to 
 take this opportunity of doing him honor at his death. 
 I am sure I have as much reason for it, if I might 
 speak the deep impressions of my own soul, as ever 
 any son had. Those that have any sense of justice 
 and gratitudfe, cannot but honor and respect ^father 
 that has been the instrument of their being, espe- 
 cially if a kind and loving one ; cannot but respect a 
 tutor that has been the instrument of their learning, 
 especially if a skilful and faithful one ; cannot but 
 respect a minister that hath been a spiritual father, 
 that hath been the instrument of their regeneration, 
 especially if continuing a tender and faithful overseer. 
 Now, if any one of these three relations challenge 
 such a profound regard, what may justly be expected 
 when these meet in one and the same person ? Surely 
 I ought to reckon such a one worthy of double, nay, 
 treble honor. The French have a proverb to this 
 purpose, which I have many a time thought of with 
 application to him : "To father, teacher, and G-od 
 all-sufficient, none can render equivalent." But I 
 must remember I am preaching not before you, but 
 to you, and must therefore speak that which may be 
 profitable to you, rather than that which may give 
 vent to my own passions. 
 
316 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 Many a time hath he spoken to you in this place 
 the things pertaining to the kingdom of Grod, and 
 now he is gone. The doleful accent of your sorrow 
 is, " Alas, we shall never hear good Mr. Henry more." 
 Yea, I am here to tell you — is it not good news 
 to you? — ^that you may hear him again. He is 
 dead, hut not speechless ; " being dead he yet speak- 
 eth." "What would you give to hear him preaching 
 in this pulpit this Lord's day whom you had here 
 hut the last, teaching you to " add to your faith vir- 
 tue," which was his last subject, and to hear again 
 those gracious words which proceedetf out of his 
 mouth ? Why, my brethren, by faith you may yet 
 hear him — faith acting upon what you have heard 
 from him, and upon the word of Grod compared with 
 the providence of the day ; for by it he being dead, 
 that is, notwithstanding his death — nay, he '' being 
 dead," that is, by his death, " yet speaketh." Now, 
 to set in order what I design, the products of a few 
 broken thoughts, I shall observe both the readings of 
 the text, which were hinted at before with applica- 
 tion to him: He, "being dead," is yet spoken of. 
 He, "being dead," yet speaketh. You see, the 
 preacher of so many sermons among you must be 
 the subject of this, so that it is to him that your 
 serious attention is required. 
 
 I. He, " being dead," is yet spoken of. 
 
 1. I shall hint at this as his honor; that as many 
 eyes were fastened upon him while he lived — " a oity 
 set upon a hill cannot be hid" — so many tongues do 
 and will speak of him in this country and neighbor- 
 
A SERMON. 317 
 
 hood, now he is gone and shall be seen no more. All 
 that knew him knew very well that he was as far 
 from seeking or affecting honor among men as any 
 could be. Humility was his master-grace, and that 
 which he was most eminent for. Honor is like the 
 shadow, that as it flies from those that follow it, fol- 
 lows those that fly from it. And in the honor which 
 his friends and neighbors have done him at his death, 
 and the honorable testimonies which are given to him 
 by all sorts of persons, I cannot but read the fulfil- 
 ling of this scripture, "Before honor is humility." A 
 great name, like the names of the great ones of the 
 earth, is usually very much withered by death. We 
 read of those that bear their shame when they go 
 down into the pit, though they were the terror of 
 the mighty in the land of the living. Ezek. 32 : 25. 
 But a good name is out of the reach of death ; is not 
 buried in the grave, but rather grows up from it. It 
 is not for nothing that Solomon hath joined this say- 
 ing, "A good name is better than precious ointment," 
 with that which follows, " The day of one's death is 
 better than the day of one's birth;" it oompleteth 
 the character of those that finish well. The sun may 
 be a great part of the day under a cloud, and yet it 
 is the sun still ; and perhaps his reflected rays in the 
 evening, after he is set, may be more illustrious than 
 any of all the day before. It is so with humble souls 
 whom honor shall uphold. Grod hath said it, and no 
 word of his shall fall to the ground, " Them that 
 honor me I will honor." And who can conceive what 
 *' shall be done to the man" whom the King of kings 
 
318 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 *' delighteth to honor ?" Commonly, that man is a 
 Mordecai who least expects it ; not a Haman, who 
 thinks, Who should it he but myself? Those that 
 honor G-od by self-denial and self-abasement, G-od 
 will honor with that good report which the elders 
 obtained, though the other promises they received 
 not. Heb. 11 : 39. 
 
 2. I shall speak more largely of it as pour duty. 
 If Grod will honor those that honor him, it becomes 
 us to be ^' workers together with him," and to concur 
 with his design herein. It is made one part of the 
 character of the citizen of Zion, that he honoreth 
 them that fear the Lord, not only while they live, 
 but when they die. Why did the king of Babylon 
 pay the respect of an embassy to Hezekiah upon the 
 occasion of his recovery, and the wonder done in the 
 land thereupon, but perhaps because the sun, which 
 was the god the Babylonians worshipped, did him 
 the honor to go back so many degrees for a sign to 
 him ? And shall not we then honor those whom our 
 Grod honors, and confess them before men whom 
 Christ will confess before angels? That promise to 
 the righteous, that they '' shall be had in everlasting 
 remembrance," doubtless speaks duty to those that 
 survive. Take it as speaking your duty to the mem- 
 ory of your translated minister ; and not to him only, 
 though to him especially I shall take leave at this 
 time to apply it, but to all other faithful ministers 
 and Christians whom we have known, that are 
 gone before to glory — though not all of one mind, or 
 all of your mind, in little matters. Let the mem- 
 
A SERMON. 319 
 
 ories of all those be precious, whether conformists or 
 non-conformists, in whom you have seen any thing of 
 Christ ; for in every nation, " he that feareth Grod, 
 and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him," and 
 should be so of us. While your faithful minister was 
 with you, you know what a monitor he was to you, 
 and a remembrancer at the throne of grace for you. 
 I refer to that expression, Isaiah 62 : 6, 7. He did 
 not, he could not forget you, any more than a woman 
 can forget her sucking child. It will therefore be un- 
 grateful if you forget him now he is gone. There are 
 four things which I would particularly recommend to 
 you as profitable to be often spoken of concerning him : 
 (1.) Speak of his preaching. What that was is 
 manifest before God and your own consciences. 
 Though he was often driven into corners, he never 
 sought them nor needed them. Now he is gone, you 
 should "give the more earnest heed to the things 
 you have heard" from him, and not "let them^lip." 
 Speak often of the excellent subjects he preached 
 upon; the choice and method of which he had a 
 peculiar facility in, above any minister I ever knew. 
 Very successful he was in seeking to find out " accfept- 
 able words," which I hope have been as goads to 
 quicken you, and are and will be as "nails fastened" 
 in a sure place — not to be dropped or drawn out — by 
 the hand of Him who is the great Master of assem- 
 blies. Of all the subjects he has preached on in these 
 last days of liberty, there was none that affected and 
 filled him more than that concerning Christ — what 
 he is made of Grod to true believers — in fourteen 
 
320 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 " personal relations " and forty '^ real benefits." 
 His heart was upon these things, and in them he 
 .was in his element ; and those that heard him could 
 not but take knowledge of him that he had " been 
 with Jesus." I know many of you wish that they 
 were printed. Do you then print them upon the 
 tables of your hearts, and that will do you more good 
 than if they were " graven with an iron pen and lead 
 in the rock for evei*." Many other profitable subjects 
 he handled, and you cannot forget how he endeavored, 
 in the order of them, as well as in the manner of 
 his treating them, and his repetition-sermons at the 
 close of them, that after his decease you *' might 
 have these things always in remembrance." 2 Peter, 
 1 : 15. Let us not therefore receive the grace of God 
 therein in vain. Now, one good way to preserve in 
 your memory what you have heard, is to be frequently 
 speaking of it. Let it be known by your pious and 
 good discourse that you were the hearers of such a 
 minister, whose sayings you have treasured up, and 
 bring out of that treasury "things new and old." 
 My advice therefore to you is, that you make much 
 of what you have heard, because you are never likely 
 to have more. Speak of his expositions of the Scrip- 
 ture, which were so very pleasant and edifying, and 
 were easily remembered because they attended the 
 text so closely. Speak of what you have heard from 
 him in the catechizing of children. The strongest of 
 you may have occasion for the "milk" provided for 
 "babes." Many of you have a good deal of his 
 preaching in writing, that may be of great use to you 
 
A SERMON. 321 
 
 in remembering what you have heard and received 
 and learned, and if it be preserved and used as it 
 might be, it may be written " for the generations to 
 come, that the people that may be created may," for 
 it, " praise the Lord." 
 
 (2.) Speak of his pattern. It has been said by 
 many that his life was a continued sermon ; and surely 
 it was both the explication, confirmation, and appli- 
 cation of his doctrine. Christianity, in the power 
 and reality of it, was exemplified in his whole con- 
 versation. Those that conversed with him — and it 
 was no hard matter to do that, so easy was he of 
 access — could not but see the Spirit and grace of Grod 
 in him, which wherever it is, " like the ointment of 
 the right hand, betray eth itself." It may not be so 
 proper in me to instance in every particular what 
 you have both heard and seen from him, and those 
 did not contradict each other. How exemplary was 
 he in his family — an instance, I think, scarcely to 
 be paralleled for constancy in all the parts of fam- 
 ily worship. He was one who made that, as all other 
 branches of religion, his business; and he was "not 
 slothful" in it. How exemplary in his carriage to all 
 men ; and how much under the influence of that 
 meek and quiet spirit which is, in the sight of God, 
 of great price. Many of you have had occasion, one 
 time or other, for personal converse with him, and 
 cannot but have observed many things well worth 
 your imitation. He being dead, let these things be 
 spoken of. Let him be mentioned among the cloud 
 
 of witnesses with which you are encompassed about» 
 14* 
 
322 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 that you may be quickened, and directed to run with 
 patience the race which is set before you. This 
 is the best way to remember our guides ; to follow 
 their faith, "considering the end of their conversa- 
 tion," that is, how well they finished. Heb. 13 : 7. 
 When he hath sometimes been solicited to have his 
 picture drawn, he would say, "No; a minister's best 
 picture is drawn in the hearts of his people." So a 
 minister's best monument is in the hearts of his peo- 
 ple. There let each of us erect a monument of love 
 for him, and it will furnish us, as the historian Jose- 
 phus saith the monument of David did those who 
 opened it long after, with a rich and valuable treas- 
 ure, if we follow him as he followed Christ. 
 
 (3.) Speak of his profitableness, through grace, to 
 you. In other things, he used to say, "Let every 
 man speak as he finds." When your deceased minister 
 is to be spoken of, speak as you have found him ; that 
 is, as Grod hath made him to you ; for that saying 
 he so often used is applicable to himself, " Every 
 creature is that to us, and no more, that God makes 
 it to be." So he was but the " earthen vessel," the 
 " excellency of the power" was G-od's. By the grace 
 of Grod he was to you what he was, and as such we 
 should speak of him. To speak feelingly and experi- 
 mentally is the surest way to preserve and promote 
 the advantage we have had by him. There are some, 
 nay, many of you, to whom he was a spiritual father. 
 Though you have many instructors in Christ, yet 
 have you not had many fathers, for he hath " begotten 
 you again through the gospel." 1 Cor. 4 : 15. And it 
 
A SERMON. 323 
 
 follows, verse 16, "Wherefore, be ye followers of 
 me." Not that he was the author and giver of your 
 grace. No; it is the Spirit's prerogative to be so. 
 What are Paul and Apollos, "but ministers by whom 
 ye believed ?" 1 Cor. 3 : 5. But though he was 
 only the instrument of your grace, the shaft in the 
 hand of the Lord, the minister by whom ye believed, 
 yet Qod having honored him in making him so, you 
 ought to honor him by a grateful remembrance as 
 your spiritual father. And if he could witness the 
 tenderness of a father, surely you ought to witness the 
 respect of children towards him and his memory. 
 Remember how your hearts were opened by the key of 
 David in his hand ; how the strong-holds were brought 
 down by the spiritual weapons of his warfare, and 
 the powers of darkness vanquished and subdued "by 
 the sword of the Lord and of Gideon." Speak of the 
 way he took in dealing with souls, not to terrify with 
 thunderclaps from mount Sinai, but to allure and 
 invite in a "still" and "small voice" from mount 
 Zion ; reckoning that the most kindly work upon the 
 soul, which is the product of gospel grace and redeem- 
 ing love revealed there. Others of you have found him 
 a spiritual nurse, and a very skilful, careful, tender 
 one, who had learned of the great Shepherd of the 
 sheep to "gather the lambs in his arms, and carry 
 them in his bosom." He hath fed you with "milk" 
 and with "strong meat" too, as you were able to bear 
 it. Others of you have found him a faithful reprover, 
 when at any time you had done amiss. Though it 
 was much his temper not to make himself uncomfort^ 
 
324 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 able to any body, yet that did not hinder him from the 
 discharge of his duty in the rebukes of love, when there 
 was occasion. You know how well he had learned 
 to restore with the spirit of meekness, G-al. 6:1; to 
 set in joint again — so he used to observe the import 
 of the word to be, alluding to surgeons setting 
 broken bones, in which you have heard him say, 
 " There is need of the eagle's eye, the lion's heart, 
 and the lady's hand," that is, prudence, courage, 
 and tenderness; and his practice was according to 
 this spiritual operation. Others of you have found 
 him a comforter in your sorrows, and a helper of your 
 joys. Perhaps you have come to him laboring under 
 doubts and fears, cast down and disquieted, walking 
 in darkness and having no light, and have found his 
 tongue so much the *' tongue of the learned," speak- 
 ing a word in season to weary souls, that you have 
 gone from him comforted and refreshed, and your 
 *' countenance hath been no more sad." Well, he 
 being dead, let him for this be spoken of, and your 
 former comforts, thus brought to remembrance, may 
 be present cordials and supports to you. 
 
 (4.) Speak of the providences of God that were 
 concerning him. If it be our duty to look not at our 
 o\Vn things only, but at the things of others also, then 
 of theirs especially who are set over us in the Lord. 
 He often spoke of the comfortable events of providence 
 concerning him, with a thankful sense of the good- 
 ness of G-od to him in them, that others might join 
 with him in his thanksgiving. You would do well to 
 remember them now he is gone, that your praises 
 
A SERMON. 325 
 
 may be continued, and even pass unmixed with your 
 sorrows. Let it be still spoken of, for it hath been 
 many a time, that his habitation was blessed. The 
 adversary might suggest, with the same envious 
 grudging as he did of holy Job, "Hast thou not made 
 a hedge about him, and about his house, and about 
 all that he hath on every side ? Thou hast blessed 
 the work of his hands, and his substance is increased 
 in the land." It was often observed, that all that he 
 had and all that he put his hand to remarkably pros- 
 pered, and that "the dew lay all night upon his 
 branch." Let this, now he is dead, be spoken of as 
 the fulfilling of the scripture, " Seek ye first the king- 
 dom of Grod," and the "righteousness" thereof, and 
 then " all these things shall be added unto you," Matt. 
 6 : 33, as far as is for Grod's glory and your own real 
 good. Grodliness hath " the promise of the life that 
 now is," and many times the performance of it, if not 
 in kind, yet in kindness. It was a maxim which, 
 among many that I remember, was the result of his 
 comparing his own experience with the word of Grod, 
 that "when we are doing G-od's work, we may let 
 him alone to do ours ; and while we mind our duty, 
 we may comfortably trust G-od with our safety and 
 success." I confess, as to this, God dealt better with 
 him than with many others of his faithful ministers. 
 By this consideration alone no certain rules can be 
 taken by which to judge of the divine favors, but 
 when at any time Grod is pleased to crown remark- 
 able piety with remarkable prosperity in the world, 
 we are not to pass by such a dispensation of provi- 
 
326 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 dence unregarded. " Whoso is wise," and oLserveth 
 these things, may from thence " understand the lov- 
 ing kindness of the Lord," and infer, " Behold, thus 
 shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord." 
 Surely in him this scripture was remarkably fulfilled, 
 '^ The meek shall inherit the earth." Psalm 37 : 11. 
 His prosperity was likewise an instance of the truth, 
 that doing good with an estate is the only way to 
 have the comfort of it ; and there is that " scattereth" 
 in bounty and usefulness, and yet '' increaseth." 
 That good bond which we have under the hand and 
 seal of the Grod of truth, still remains in full force, 
 power, and virtue, and is not subject to any defea- 
 sance, that " he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth 
 unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will he 
 pay him again" with interest and rich advantage.* 
 This scripture you have seen fulfilled in him, as in 
 many others, who have dispersed and given to the poor. 
 "What good he did with that which the Lord had 
 given him, notwithstanding his great humility in it, 
 and care that his " left hand" should not know what 
 his "right hand" did, you all know something of. 
 I appeal to the poor concerning it, whose loins have 
 blessed him, and whose hearts have blessed Grod for 
 him. In this, according to the rule he was wont to 
 give to others, he made his own hands his executors. 
 
 * On this subject Mrs. Savage in her diary makes the fol- 
 lowing note : " I verily believe we all fare the better, even in 
 this world, for my dear father's charity to the poor. It appears 
 by some of his papers of accounts, that out of his small income 
 he gave in money fifteen pounds in one year, besides all that 
 were relieved at his door. He devised liberal things." 
 
A SERMON. 327 
 
 And when you speak of the providence of God con- 
 cerning him, do not forget that measure of health and 
 strength that Grod graciously gave him to go through 
 such a great deal of work, at home and ahroad, on 
 sabbath-days and week-days, with so much vigor and 
 constancy to the sixty-fifth year of his age ; and even 
 then his bow abiding in strength and renewed in his 
 hands. This was " the Lord's doing," and much 
 beyond what all expected who knew the weakness of 
 his body and the liveliness of his spirit at his first 
 setting out. 
 
 Nor will you forget the last scene of providence 
 concerning him — you all think now you will never 
 forget it — ^his removal from you. Among other things, 
 let him be spoken of as one whom his Lord, when 
 he came, found so doing ; who took a very short step 
 from the pulpit to vthe throne, and was ravished 
 out of your embraces or ever you were aware. 
 Speak of this to one another, not merely as a matter 
 of talk, but as the Lord's controversy with you, which 
 you are concerned to hear and lay to heart. I doubt 
 not but you are all sensible now of the loss you sus- 
 tain, as Israel was when Aaron was dead. Let not 
 the sense wear off but continue ; that the remaining 
 impressions of this providence, and your frequent 
 tender expressions, may appear to be deep and sin- 
 cere, and that it may be said of you, as the Jews said 
 of Christ, " Behold how he loved him." You know 
 how free he was of his pains among you, and his 
 ministry was not chargeable to any, but all the pay 
 he desired for his labors was your spiritual profit by 
 
328 ' REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 them. In gratitude for which, you are the more 
 obliged to remember and continue the payment now 
 he is gone, keeping in remembrance the truths he 
 taught you and the copies he set you, that, as was 
 said in the morning,* " while religion lives among 
 you, the name of that blessed man who is now in 
 glory may flourish with you." And when I say you 
 must speak of your minister who is dead, your doing 
 it to his honor is the least that I intended. No ; let 
 him be spoken of, 
 
 3. To the glory of God, whose instrument he 
 was. I bespeak not a grain of that incense to be 
 burned to his honor which ought to be offered at 
 G-od's altar. Grod forbid I should ; for what is Paul, 
 and what is Apollos — earthen vessels while they live, 
 and broken pitchers when they are dead — ^but what 
 God is pleased to make them unto us ? Do as Paul 
 did, 1 Thess. 1:2, 3, that thanked his Grod upon 
 every remembrance of his friends. Let not your 
 praise terminate in your minister, but pass through 
 him to the Lord Christ, in whose right hand he was 
 so long a bright and shining star. 
 
 4. With application to yourselves, and for your 
 own spiritual benefit and edification. For in all our 
 discourse we must study that by which we may edify 
 one another. So speak of your minister as to increase 
 one another's good affections and confirm each other's 
 resolutions for Christ and holiness, and thus you may 
 
 * The Rev. James Owen had preached to the bereaved 
 congregation in the morning of that mournful Sabbath at Broad 
 Oak. 
 
A SERMON. 329 
 
 find meat in the eater and sweetness in the strong, 
 the life of gospel grace by the death of gospel 
 ministers. 
 
 I have but one hint more under this head, and it 
 is this particular remark. Since he came into the 
 country, now almost forty -three years ago, you know 
 that two places have had the benefit of his labors. 
 The former enjoyed it about eight or nine years ; and 
 what a burning and shining light he was in that 
 parish, we that are young have heard with our ears, 
 and those of you that are older do know and remem- 
 ber. And yet, though he was so eminent an instru- 
 ment of good there, within a few years after his 
 removal from thence he was in a manner forgotten. 
 Those few that were his "joy and crown" were 
 removed by death, and as he himself observed, a new 
 generation soon sprung up which " knew not Joseph." 
 You have had the happiness of his ministry above 
 three times as long, but if it, be so soon forgotten 
 here, and the fruits so soon withered, I doubt not you 
 will have a sad account to give another day. But I 
 have a great deal of reason to hope better things of 
 you, my brethren, and you will never forget what 
 you went into the "wilderness to see." 
 
 II. He being dead yet speaketh ; that is, as 
 some understand it, he yet liveth ; and they think 
 there is no more than that in it — that Abel not only 
 by faith obtained witness that he was righteous, but 
 by it also being dead obtained eternal life. Cain 
 killed his body, but he yet speaketh the praise of the 
 Lord in heaven with the blessed angels, those glorious 
 
330 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 morning stars which sang together. We are told, 
 Rev. 6:9, what was not only said but cried with a 
 loud voice by the saints under the altar, the souls 
 which are slain, by which it is witnessed that they 
 live. Your deceased minister being dead yet liveth. 
 If it be asked of your fathers, Where are they? 
 blessed be Grod, we know where they are ; not lost, 
 but gone before to glory. They are where the great 
 Shepherd of the sheep is. They are no longer in our 
 assemblies ; they are where they longed to be, and 
 where we, through grace, hope to be with them 
 shortly. For he that was our fathers' Grod, ''is not 
 the Grod of the dead, but of the living," and they 
 live to him and with him. But I shall take it more 
 particularly. There are some that he being dead 
 speaketh against. There are others, nay, all, that 
 he being dead speaketh to. Surely you will hearken, 
 if not to " Moses and the prophets," yet when one 
 speaketh to you '•''from the dead." 
 
 1. Is it not a surprise to you to hear that there 
 are some that he being dead yet speaketh against? 
 I will tell you, in short, whom : all those which sat 
 under his ministry in impenitency and unbelief; all 
 who attended on his plain and powerful preaching 
 from time to time with unconverted, unsanctified 
 hearts ; all the hypocrites of this congregation, who 
 keep up secret haunts of sin under the cloak of a vis- 
 ible profession, and deny the power of godliness while 
 they pride themselves in the form of it — that have a 
 name to live while they are dead in trespasses and 
 sins — and we have reason to fear there are such with 
 
A SERMON. 331 
 
 you, even with you ; it would be the happiest society 
 on this side heaven, if there were not — these are they 
 whom he being dead yet speaketh against. Fair 
 warning he gave from the word of Grod to every care- 
 less soul, and followed it with '^ precept upon precept, 
 line upon line." How often hath he called upon you 
 to leave your sins and turn to Grod, and close with 
 Christ ; and how did he order his cause before you, 
 and choose out words to reason with you. He hath 
 set before you "life and death," "good and evil," 
 "the blessing and the curse." And many a time 
 hath he told you, if you did not return and repent 
 after such warning, he had delivered his soul, and 
 your blood would be upon your own head. And per- 
 haps your hearts have, with Felix, trembled under 
 such reasonings as these. Whether you think it or 
 not, your minister is gone to give up his account, not 
 only of himself — that no doubt he hath done with joy. — 
 but of you too. It is said, in Luke 14 : 21, that the 
 servant who had been sent to invite to the marriage 
 came and showed his Lord how he had sped in his 
 invitation. Your minister was wont to ask you some- 
 times, when he was sincerely putting to you the 
 grand case of your eternal salvation, and earnestly 
 pressing you to consent to the gospel offer, what an- 
 swer he should return to Him that sent him. What 
 answer you gave him you best know ; but he is now 
 gone to give up his accounts and to make his present- 
 ments at the great tribunal before which we must all 
 appear shortly. Nay, let me tell you further, he will 
 not only be a witness against you, but he will be an 
 
332 REV. PHILIP HENRY. • 
 
 assistant with Christ in the judgment, to absent and 
 subscribe to the sentence which at that day will be 
 passed upon you, for thus the saints will judge the 
 world, 1 Cor. 6 : 2, especially ministers, Luke 22 : 30. 
 Though while he was with you he loved you well, 
 and earnestly desired your welfare, yet, if you perish 
 in impenitency, the day is coming when he will be 
 content to see you perish, and will join with glorified 
 saints in applauding the sentence. " Hallelujah ; 
 just and righteous are thy judgments." Rev. 19 : 1, 2. 
 The dresser of the vineyard, that prayed so hard for 
 another year's reprieve, and promised to take so much 
 pains with the barren fig-tree, resolves, if he succeeds 
 not, to say not another word in its favor. "If it 
 bear fruit, well ; but if not, then after that thou 
 shalt cut it down," Luke 13 : 9 ; so shall be its doom, 
 the dresser himself hath decided it. When the day 
 of patience is over, the " wrath of the Lamb" will 
 break forth without remedy against his enemies, who 
 would not have him to reign over them. I speak 
 this, if it may be at last, to alarm and awaken some 
 sleeping souls, and to revive what you have heard 
 from him, that it may not be brought in evidence 
 against you at the great day ; and if the death of 
 your minister may but awaken some impressions 
 upon you, so as to prevail with you to leave your 
 sins, it will be, to such, a happy providence ; and may 
 Samson's story be again verified, that he slew more 
 of the enemies of the Lord at his death than in 
 his life. 
 
 2. There are those, and indeed all of us, that 
 
A SERMON. 333 
 
 being dead he yet speaketh to. Your minister is 
 indeed fallen, but the '• word of the Lord endureth 
 for ever," even that word " v^^hich by the gospel is 
 preached unto you." 1 Peter, 1 : 25. Nay, not only 
 notwithstanding his death, but by his death he speak- 
 eth. He hath but exchanged this pulpit for another. 
 The grave is now his pulpit. And methinks I still 
 hear him speak, to us that are of his family and rela- 
 tions, to you that are of his congregation. ''• Being 
 dead he yet speaketh." These are words of truth. 
 Let us " rightly divide " them among ourselves, and 
 each of us take a portion. 
 
 (1.) He being dead yet speaks to us that are his 
 relations, and are above all others most nearly con- 
 cerned in the stroke. Something he saith to us to com- 
 fort us under our present sorrow : "Weep not for me." 
 Our loss is his great and everlasting gain. I shall 
 especially observe what he saith to us by way of direc- 
 tion and exhortation. We are all here, by the provi- 
 dence of God, before the Lord this day — all his chil- 
 dren and their yoke-fellows — ten of us. We have 
 observed, that since we have been severally disposed 
 of in the world into families of our own, we were 
 never all together here till yesterday, and a sad meet- 
 ing it was ; but by this sadness the heart will be 
 made better, if we can but hear what our dear father 
 being dead yet speaketh to us. And therefore be- 
 cause the word of the day sounds best in its day, and 
 perhaps we may never be all together again, give me 
 leave to preach a little to myself and my dear rela- 
 tions in your hearing, that if at any time we, or any 
 
334 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 of US, walk unworthy of the relation W3 stand in to 
 such a father, this place may be a witness against us, 
 that it was not for w^ant of knowing our duty. While 
 he was yet with us he was often speaking for us at 
 the throne of grace, ''making mention" of us and 
 others always in his prayers. And this is now not 
 the least part of our grief, that we shall have such an 
 intercessor to pray for us no more. Yea, Lord, help 
 us to pray so much the more, and so much the better 
 for ourselves. But in reference to this part of our 
 loss, I am comforted not only with this thought, that 
 our Lord Jesus Christ " ever liveth to make interces- 
 sion for us," and he is " the same yesterday, to-day, 
 and for ever," but with this thought also, that the 
 prayers of our dear father, who is gone, are upon the 
 file in heaven, and through the mediation of the great 
 Redeemer will receive an answer of peace. When 
 the " prayers of David the son of Jesse" were " end- 
 ed," yet he and his vows were remembered, and his 
 seed had the benefit of them. Psalm 132 : 1, 2. '' The 
 vision," in answer to prayer, " is for an appointed 
 time," and at " the end it shall speak, and not lie." 
 Though we' cannot say, now he is gone to heaven, 
 he there prays for us, yet we have reason to think 
 the many prayers of faith he put up for us while 
 he was in the world of prayer, may be heard for us 
 now he is gone, and we and ours may fare the better 
 for them long after, and shall do so, if we do not by 
 our unworthy walking forfeit our interest in them. 
 And shall the children of so many prayers miscarry ? 
 AVhile he was yet with us he did also speak to us, both 
 
A SERMON. 335 
 
 by word and writing, as a faithful monitor, comforter, 
 and instructor, but we shall in that way hear from 
 him no more. However, there are three things which 
 he being dead yet speaketh to us : 
 
 He speaks to us to be followers of him in the way 
 of holiness^ because we must follow him to the grave, 
 and that we may follow him to heaven. It is of great 
 use to us, both for our direction and encouragement 
 in our Christian course, to set before us the good 
 example of the saints ; for, blessed be Grod, as there 
 is an old way which wicked men have trodden, Job 
 22 : 15, so there is an old way which godly men have 
 trodden. Jer. 6 : 16. But the nearer these examples 
 •are to us the greater influence they should have upon 
 us. If a " vain conversation" can by this recommend 
 itself to some, as being "received by tradition," 1 
 Peter, 1 : 18, compared with Jer. 44 : 17, should not 
 a holy and heavenly conversation, transmitted to us, 
 be with resolution held fast by us ? Let the life of such 
 a father, especially seeing the " end of his conversa- 
 tion," recommend religion in the power of it to us, and 
 engage us in the steady practice of it. We who had 
 the happiness of free and frequent converse with him 
 could not but see a great deal that was excellent and 
 exemplary, and which our own consciences subscribed 
 to the goodness of. Let us then set ourselves, in the 
 strength of divine grace, to transcribe it in our hearts 
 and lives. Sure never any one that professed religion 
 did more recommend it to others as lovely and ami- 
 able than he did. "We saw in him not only the power 
 of holiness, but the beauty of it. I have thought it 
 
336 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 the unhappiness of some that otherwise I had reason 
 to think were good in the main, that by the morose- 
 ness or melancholy of their temper and converse they 
 have greatly hindered the success of the good instruc- 
 tion they have given to their children, and have there- 
 by rendered religion a dull, melancholy thing, and 
 thus has religion been wounded in the house of her 
 friends. But it was the felicity of our education that 
 we had a father whose spirit and converse recom- 
 mended a life of serious godliness to us as the most 
 sweet and easy, the most cheerful and charming life 
 that could be, which demonstrated to us that wis- 
 dom's ways " are ways of pleasantness, and all her 
 paths peace." Let us not then be slothful, but 
 the willing, constant followers of him who is now, 
 through faith and patience, inheriting the promises. 
 Let us tread in the steps of his humility and meek- 
 ness, his love and charity, his zeal and fervency in 
 the best things, his self-denial and contempt of the 
 world, his usefulness and beneficence to all, that those 
 who see us may say, Surely these are the children of 
 such a father. Let us be mild and gentle in all our 
 carriage, moderate in the use of all our enjoyments 
 Let us love the Scripture, " continue instant in 
 prayer," and maintain an even, quiet composedness 
 of spirit under the varieties of providence ; for in all 
 these things we know very well he set us an excel- 
 lent copy. Let us then be followers of him so far as 
 he was of Christ. It was the matter both of his 
 rejoicing and thanksgiving, that he saw his children 
 walking in the truth ; and it was his prayer that they 
 
I 
 
 A SERMON. 337 
 
 might continue so to do, and that none of his might 
 be found at the left hand of Christ at the great day. 
 Let us then, as ever we hope to meet him with joy in 
 the other world, follow him with diligence now. Hav- 
 ing begun ^' in the spirit," let us not " end in the 
 flesh" — ^having laid our hand to '' the plough," let us 
 not '' look back," lest our latter end be worse than 
 our beginning. 
 
 Being dead he speaks to us to be loving' and 
 helpful one to another. His common and undistin- 
 guished love to us all was such that it could never 
 be said which of us he loved best, and it speaks to 
 us, now he is gone, to "love one another with a pure 
 heart fervently." We know very well that our unity 
 was the joy of his heart while living, and many a 
 time he hath with us blessed God for it. Let it 
 therefore be the credit and honor of his family now 
 he is gone. I find it is, I may call it, his dying 
 prayer for us his children, not only that we may be 
 built up in holiness and comfort, but that we may be 
 continued in brotherly love, and be a bundle of 
 arrows, which cannot be broken. Now that we have 
 lost him who was wont to pray for us and be a com- 
 mon helper to us, let us pray so much the more one 
 for another, and be so much the more helpful one to 
 another, especially in the things that pertain to the 
 kingdom of heaven ; and let all our bands of unity be 
 strengthened and confirmed, and let it be our constant 
 endeavor, each of us in our place, to be mutually ser- 
 viceable to each other's comfort and welfare, and 
 jointly serviceable to the glory of Grod and to the 
 
 Henrjr. 15 
 
338 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 comfort of our dear surviving parent, that the Lord 
 of peace himself may command his blessing upon us 
 and our families, "even life for evermore." 
 
 Being dead he speaks to us to make death and 
 the grave, heaven and glory, familiar to us, and in 
 other things to converse much with them. This 
 place used to be our father's house, but now the place 
 that knew him knows him no more. The grave, the 
 place appointed for all the living, is our father's house. 
 Let us therefore visit that house often in our medita- 
 tions — ^take a walk now and then into the "valley of 
 the shadow of death." "We could never say of this 
 house, when at any time we left it, we were sure of 
 coming to it again ; but we may be certain that, sooner 
 or later, we must go to the grave. Let us therefore 
 be always ready. The nearer death approaches us 
 the louder are its calls to us to prepare for our change. 
 It would help to "apply our hearts unto wisdom," 
 thus to " number our days ;" for if there were 
 more of death in our thoughts, there would be more 
 of life and liveliness in all our actions. He who is 
 removed from us, was one that was very industrious 
 to familiarize death to himself ; he frequently thought, 
 spoke, and wrote of it, not like many who are thus 
 all their lives subject to bondage with a certain fear- 
 ful, but with a certain cheerful looking for that change. 
 Let us in like manner converse with it ; it will come 
 never the sooner, but it will be much the more easy 
 and welcome, and less formidable to us when it doth 
 come : every one "in his own order," that is, in the 
 order appointed by Him in whose hand our souls are. 
 
A SERMON. 3^ 
 
 We must shortly be gathered to our fathers, and have 
 no reason to count upon an exemption from it, since,, 
 as Elijah pleaded when he so passionately desired to 
 die, we are no better than our fathers. 1 Kings, 19 : 4. 
 We see a generation rising up to stand in our room, 
 as we do in the room of those that are gone before us. 
 But it is only the body, that poor, despised, broken 
 vessel, that is laid in the grave ; the immortal soul is 
 translated to the heavenly regions. With heaven, 
 therefore, we should converse familiarly, and dwell 
 more in our thoughts among those mansions of light, 
 where not only our heavenly Father is, but, which 
 should be some inducement to us, he also that was 
 the father of our flesh. Many a time we have, with 
 much delight and satisfaction, visited here at this 
 house, and now we can visit him here no more. If 
 we have but boldness to enter into the holiest by the 
 blood of Jesus, we may visit him there, converse with 
 that glory which he is in possession of Let our 
 conversation therefore be in heaven, not only where 
 Christ is, but where so many of our dear relations 
 are, with whom we have taken sweet counsel. Now 
 there is one loadstone more in heaven to draw our 
 hearts thitherwards. Methinks he being dead yet 
 speaks to us in those words that came from heaven 
 to John, " Come up hither," Rev. 4 : 1 — up hither in 
 your thoughts and meditations — ^up with your hearts, 
 and live by faith in those serene quiet regions above. 
 And, blessed, blessed be God, in our Father's house 
 " are many mansions ;" the place is not too strait for 
 as ; we need not scatter there as we do on earth ; 
 
340 ilEV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 there is room enough for him who is gone and all his 
 family — ^him and his seed, and his seed's seed. God 
 grant, that a promise being left us of our entering into 
 his rest, none of us may seem to come short. 
 
 To conclude this head, being dead methinks he 
 yet speaks to us in the language of Solomon, " Thine 
 own friend, and thy father* $ friend^ forsake notP 
 Prov. 27 : 10. The Grod with whom we have to do 
 is our friend, and was our father's friend, Psa. 22 : 4, 
 the Grod in whom pur father trusted. He found Him 
 faithful, and from his own experience recommended 
 him to us as a good master, the Grod that fed him 
 all his life long. Let us therefore "avouch the Lord 
 this day to be our Grod, and to walk in his laws, and 
 to keep his statutes," and never be prevailed with to 
 leave him or to turn from following him. If Grod loves 
 the children for the father's sake, as he is said to do, 
 Rom. 11 : 28, surely the children should love Grod 
 and serve him for the father's sake. Our father's 
 relation to Grod we may plead with him in prayer, 
 as in 2 Chron. 30 : 6, and therefore plead it with our- 
 selves as a strong inducement to duty and obedience. 
 If we are born in G-od's house, and are the seed of 
 his servants, truly we should be his servants ; if he 
 be our father's God, we must exalt him. He being 
 dead thus speaketh to his children : Thine own God 
 and thy father's God forsake not and forget not. 
 
 2. He being dead yet speaks to you of this con- 
 gregation. Long and often he hath been speaking to 
 you in the name of the Lord, and an account must 
 be shortly given for all that he hath spoken to you. 
 
A SERMON. 341 
 
 or ratlier, God by him. Above thirty years he hath 
 been among you, part of which time was indeed a 
 *' cloudy and dark day," when such a man as he was 
 " hid ;" and yet some of you know that even then 
 his labors were little th« less. When he durst not 
 do what he would, he did w^hat he could. But, 
 blessed be Grod, the evening of his day was more 
 clear and bright. His having been thirty years with 
 you brings to my mind a few lines which he penned 
 on the death of a worthy minister, Mr. Nevet of Os- 
 westry, who had been the same number of years 
 with his people : 
 
 " The owner thought it much three years to come 
 To a barren tree, which hastened its sad doom; 
 What then may they expect who ten times three 
 Had such a dresser, if th^y barren be ? 
 A faithful, self-denying shepherd, who 
 Sought not the fleece, but flock — not yours, but you." 
 
 Thus, while he lived he spoke to you, but being 
 dead he yet speaketh ; for though he hath finished 
 his testimony on earth, yet his testimony is not fin- 
 ished, but remains speaking still. When Elijah was 
 translated, it should seem he left a writing behind 
 him for a remaining testimony ; so some understand 
 it. 2 Chron. 21 : 12. Five things there be which, 
 being dead, he yet speaks to you. I shall mention 
 them briefly, and so conclude. 
 
 He being dead yet speaks to you to repent of your 
 
 sins, especially the sin of your unfruitfulness under 
 
 the means of grace. It was sin that was the procuring 
 
 cause of this calamity ; it is that which now corrects 
 
 you and reproves you ; that is it which hath quenoh- 
 15* 
 
342 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 ed your coal and put out your light. If conscience 
 be any wise awakened under this sad providence, 
 you cannot but say, " We are verily guilty." Your 
 unprofitableness and unfruitfulness, your barrenness, 
 your leanness, though you have been fed in the fat 
 pastures of the ordinances, was the sin that provoked 
 G-od to remove your minister from you. Turn your 
 tears therefore into the right channel, and weep not 
 for him, but for yourselves and for your sins. Now 
 is a time to reflect on your management and improve- 
 ment of the means of grace you have had, and to be 
 by that humbled before the Lord for your careless- 
 ness and neglect. Now you ought to remember 
 against yourselves your vanity and hypocrisy, and 
 how often you have come before the Lord as his peo- 
 ple came, and sat before him as his people, and heard 
 his words, but your hearts in the meantime have 
 *'gone after" your *' oovetousness." He hath been 
 to you as a ^' lovely song of one that hath a pleasant 
 voice, and can play well on an instrument," and there- 
 fore you have heard his words ; but have you done 
 them ? See Ezek. 33 : 31, 32, and compare the next 
 words, ver. 33. When this cometh to pass, such 
 a providence as you are now under, then shall you 
 *'know that a prophet hath been among" you; so 
 easy is it to us to see the worth of mercies when we 
 feel the want of them. Let this conviction take hold 
 on your consciences now, and endeavor henceforth, 
 by the grace of G-od, to be more fruitful. 
 
 Being dead he yet speaks to you to adorn your 
 holy profession by a suitable conversation. I have 
 
A SERMON. 343 
 
 be on told he preached his farewell-sermon at Wor- 
 thenbury upon this text, " Only let your conversation 
 be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." Phil. 1 : 27, 
 Will you take that scripture as his farewell to you, 
 which being dead he yet speaketh ? I doubt not but 
 you all have a respect for his name and memory, and 
 could not contentedly hear him reproached and evil 
 spoken of. Then do not you reproach him by doing any 
 thing that may give occasion to the enemies of the 
 Lord to blaspheme the name of Christ and his doc- 
 trine. If any of you leave your first love and return 
 with the dog to his vomit, if you do any ill thing at 
 any time against the sacred laws of justice and sobri- 
 ety, will it not be said, " This is one of Mr. Henry's 
 disciples ;" and thus the just reproaches you bring 
 upon yourselves will unjustly fall upon him. Let the 
 regard you have for his name be a bridle of restraint 
 upon you. Many eyes are upon you that watch for 
 your halting, therefore "see that ye walk circum- 
 spectly." 
 
 Being dead he yet speaks to you to hold fast the 
 profession of your faith without wavering. Remem- 
 ber what you have received and heard, and hold fast. 
 Let it never be said concerning you of this congrega- 
 tion, that your faith and religion were pinned upon 
 your minister's sleeve, and that when he died, that 
 died with him. G-od forbid, for we are built upon 
 Christ "the chief corner-stone." Ministers are the 
 builders of the church, but not the foundation of it. 
 Let me therefore exhort you all in the words of Bar- 
 nabas, that "with purpose of heart" you would 
 
344 REV. PHILIP IIEJTRY. 
 
 <' cleave to the Lord." Acts 11 : 23. The shepherd 
 is smitten, but it is only the under-sheipherd of the 
 sheep ; the great Shepherd is still the same, and will 
 be with you while you are with him ; to him there- 
 fore you must resolutely adhere with a firm and un- 
 shaken constancy. I believe that God, who hath the 
 residue of the Spirit, hath also such mercy in store 
 for the congregation that he will not leave it alto- 
 gether destitute. When G-od hath work to do, he will 
 never want instruments to accomplish his designs. 
 Be not you wanting to yourselves^ and the power and 
 grace of Grod will not be wanting to you. Nor will 
 the promise of the faithful Witness fail, " Lo, I am 
 with you always, even unto the end of the world." 
 
 Being dead he yet speaks to you to prepare for 
 death, for sudden death. This is spoken plain enough, 
 if we do but consider the circumstances of his re- 
 moval. For a man to be well, and dead in fifteen or 
 sixteen hours, may we not easily infer from hence 
 how much we are concerned to be always ready, that 
 when our Master comes we may cheerfully, upon the 
 first intimation, " go forth to meet him." We may 
 any of us die as suddenly as he did, but are we pre- 
 pared as he was ? To him who was dying daily, it 
 was but a short cut over a stormy sea ; but if we con- 
 tinue unready, such a sudden death will to us have 
 another aspect. It will be like the arrest of a traitor ; 
 a hurry out of the world like the surprise of that 
 wretched worldling, '' Thou fool, this night shall thy 
 soul be required of thee." Let it therefore be our 
 daily care, as we observed it was his frequent prayer, 
 
A SEliMON. 346 
 
 to be ready for that which will come certainly, and 
 may come suddenly. 
 
 Lastly, he being dead yet speaks comfort and 
 encouragement to those of you who belong to Christ 
 and are faithful to him. Is there any honey in the 
 carcass of a lion — any sweetness to be extracted out 
 of so sad a providence ? Yes, there is. If Christ's 
 leaving his disciples was, though then sorrow filled 
 their hearts, matter of rejoicing to them, John 14 : 28, 
 why may not the removal of a faithful minister fur-, 
 nish us with some comfortable thoughts ? He is gone 
 before, as it were to show you the way. His inher- 
 iting the promises is an engagement to those who 
 have made those promises their "heritage for ever." 
 You that were his joy in this world shall be his crown 
 in the other. You know, in his monthly lecture in 
 this place, he was preaching over the four last things, 
 namely, death, judgment, hell, and heaven ; the first 
 three of which he had spoken very largely and excel- 
 lently of, and in the course of his ministry he was 
 next to have preached concerning heaven ; and it is 
 likely, if Grod had continued him a while longer among 
 you, you might have heard many good and comfort- 
 able words from him on that subject. But as if the 
 great G-od should say, " Come, my dear servant, you 
 are not enough acquainted with that glory — you know 
 but intpart, and prophesy but in part ; come up and 
 see what it is, and leave your congregation to con- 
 clude what it is by the removal of one thither that 
 was such a jewel in this lower world." "We may 
 make some faint guesses at heaven's glory when we 
 
346 REV. PHILIP HENRY. 
 
 consider that it is both the perfection and recompense 
 of the holiness of the saints. That is certainly a 
 blessed and glorious place that is the receptacle of all 
 those who were the blessings and glories of this earth. 
 Being dead he yet speaketh to you, that he is gone 
 before, and is arrived at last into a safe and quiet 
 harbor, and you shall not be long at sea. Though 
 now we have parted with him in a melancholy shower 
 of tears, yet, blessed be G-od, we " sorrow not as those 
 who have no hope ;" for we have " good hope through 
 grace " of meeting him again, and being for ever with 
 him and with all the saints, and, which is best of all, 
 " with the Lord." Those who live up to these hopes 
 in close walking, may live upon these hopes in com- 
 fortable walking. They who now "sow in tears" 
 shall shortly " reap in joy," and those who by " patient 
 continuance in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and 
 immortality," shall shortly return, as all the redeemed 
 of the Lord shall, to the heavenly Zion, with songs of 
 praise and triumph, and everlasting joy shall fill their 
 hearts and crown their heads ; they shall " obtain joy 
 and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 
 "With which words let all who mourn in Zion comfort 
 themselves and one another. 
 

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