In Case You Didn't know My Man Matt (Part 1)

             Had I the ability to see the future, I might've considered making a Biographies Abounding label instead of Bible Reading and Reasoning, since biographies are a special kind of history. Instead, I find myself posting my first biography and ashamedly sticking it under the label of History For the Wondering Wordsmith. For size reasons, I'll have to break this biography up into parts. To avoid copyright infringement, I will include a bibliography at the end.


             Some of my readers who enjoyed the Bible Reading and Reasoning might've noticed that under Reasoning I've always included the comments of someone named Matthew Henry. Naturally, those not so savvy with church history might be wondering who Matthew Henry is.

            I'm glad you asked.

Matthew Henry (1662 - 1714)

              Matthew Henry was born on October 18, 1662, in a little farmhouse named Broad Oak in-between Flintshire and Shropshire to the happy Reverend Philip Henry and his wife Katherine. At a young age, Henry showed signs of developing intelligence as he is reported to have been able to read sections of the Bible at age three. Henry's desire to learn and his passion for books grew so much that his parents, concerned for his health, often had to drag him outside to get his necessary exercise. (As a side note, can you imagine that happening 348 years later, where a little boy would rather read and study indoors rather than play freeze tag with his brother?)

             Anyway, Matthew Henry's father Philip taught his son at their home in Broad oak (yes, Matthew Henry was home schooled), but had to hire a private tutor for his later home education. Because of the Reverend's influence--noted theologians Francis Tallonts and William Cook were said to have dined at Broad Oak--he was able to employ a man named Turner who would later write "Remarkable Providences." To this day we are not sure how much of an influence Turner had on his student's developing mind.

             What we do know about Henry's early Christian walk is that he was influenced greatly by his father, who would go off in secret to pray, hold daily family worship services, and showed his children that a godly walk was enviable. Several times, Henry was so moved by his father's preaching and examples that he would sit in his room, crying and praying, even to the point of skipping meals. Matthew Henry is reported to have become a Christian on a walk with his father, right after hearing a sermon by Philip Henry about the kingdom of Heaven and the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-2). Though no one knows what his father said to him that day, Henry later told his older sister that he " had received a 'grain of grace,' and that in time it might come to something."

             Upon receiving his gift of salvation, Henry grew to enjoy sitting in on the conversations his father had with the various scholars and Christian thinkers who came to their house. Eventually, driven by these conversations and his love for the Bible, he began writing his own sermons based on his favorite passages. Having transcribed his father's sermons for some time, Henry already knew the form; so adding his own content wasn't hard. Again, can you imagine someone under 18 writing his own sermons?


              Part two of this biography (along with cited sources) will be coming soon. Stay tuned.