TRUSTY MATTHEW HENRY

I recently read a short biography of dear Matthew Henry. A remarkable servant of God indeed. The little bio which I read is rare, so I won't tell you the name. I will say that you can read some bios of Brother Henry on the net that will be worth your time. I remember in my early days of ministry when I worked in a Christian bookstore, most everyone had Matthew Henry's Commentary, at least the abridged edition. Remarkably it has been around for 303 years, though not as many are sold in this day of spiritual decline. You can find online editions on the net free at a number of sites like crosswalk.com (You have to use the classic Bible commentary section). You can download it free, along with a number of other good Bible helps by going to esword.com (use the link on the left).

Here are some examples of why I love this brother so much:

CHURCH PEACE
“The way to preserve the peace of the church is to preserve its purity.”

GOD'S USE OF MORTAL MEN
"God makes what use He pleases of men, of mighty men, of those that act with the greatest freedom; and, when they think to do as they please, He can overrule them and make them do as He pleases. Nay, in those very things wherein they are serving themselves, and look no further than that, God is serving His own purposes by them and making them to perform all His pleasure. Rich princes shall do what poor prophets have foretold."

GOD'S VIEW OF MAN AND WIFE
“Eve was not taken out of Adam's head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him.”

CHRIST OR POSSESSIONS
“Whatever we have of this world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts, lest it come between us and Christ.”

PREACHING TO YOURSELF
(Matthew Henry must have meant this admonition as the following example shows).

Many years ago, Matthew Henry, a well-known Bible scholar, was once robbed of his wallet. Knowing that it was his duty to give thanks in everything, he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following:

"Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed".

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
English Non-conformist Bible commentator