Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Thus lived and died Mr. Fleming after he had ferved his day and generation. His WORKS are, "Scripture, Truth cleared and confirmed, &c. The Confirming Work of Religion. His Epiftolary Difcourfe. His well known book, The fulfilling of the Scriptures. He left a writing behind him under this title, A Short Index of fome of the great Appearances of the Lord in the Difpenfations of his Providence to his poor Servants, &c." Reciting many particular providences which had attended his life.

TH

PHILIP HENRY.

HE account of the life and death of this very excellent man was drawn up by his no lefs celebrated and excellent fon, the rev. Matthew Henry, (author of the Annotations on the Bible) and was first published in the year 1698. The piece itfelf is written in fo true. a ftrain of evangelical piety, and fo just a temper of moderation, that, were it not for its great length, we should not deny our Readers the gratification of reprinting the whole; as by extracting from and abridging it, we muft neceffarily omit many circumstances highly ufeful and inftructive. We will, however, give our Readers as much. of it, as can poffibly confift with our plan.

Mr. PHILIP HENRY was born at Whitehall, in Weftminfier, on Wednesday, August 24, 1631. His father's name was John Henry, the fon of Henry Williams, of Briton's Ferry, near Swanzea, in Glamorganfhire; and the father's chriftian name became the fon's furname, according to the old Welch cuftom. In his youth he was brought to court by the earl of Pembroke, and, in courfe of time, was made page of the back-ftairs to the king's fecond fon, James duke of York. He lived and died a courtier, a hearty mourner for his royal mafter K, Charles I. whoi he did not long furvive.

Mr. Philip Henry's mother was a very pious woman, and took great pains with him and her other children to bring them up in the fear of the Lord. A little before

fhe

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][merged small]

From an original Picture in the possession of Nicholos Ashton Efq: Woolton near Liverpool.

[graphic][ocr errors][ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

fhe died, in 1645, fhe had this faying; My head is in heaven, and my heart is in heaven: It is but one step 'more, and I fhall be there too."

In 1643, about the twelfth year of his age, he was admitted into Westminfter fchool under the great Dr. Busby, of whom he became a great favorite, both for his proficiency in learning, and his amiable and decent deportment. He was employed by the doctor, with fome other ingenious youths, to collect, in their reading of the Greek authors, fome of the materials for that excellent Greek grammar, which the doctor afterwards publifhed.

On the 17th of May, 1647, he was chofen from Westminster school to Chrift's-Church College in Oxford, jure laci, being then in his fixteenth year, and entered there in the December following. He was admitted ftudent in March, 1648, under the famous Dr. Hammond, then fubdean, who called him his god-brother, the earl of Pembroke being god-father to both.

Here he duly performed the college exercifes, difputations, &c. every day, in term time; themes and verfes once a week, and declamations when it came to his turn; in which performances he frequently came off with great applaufe: And many of his manufcripts, which remain, thew how well he improved his time there.

And yet in fome reflections I find under his hand (continues his pious fon) written long after (wherein he looks back upon his early days) he chargeth it upon himself, that for a good while after he went to the university (though he was known not to be inferior to any of his ftanding in public exercifes yet) he was too much a stranger to that hard ftudy, which afterwards he became acquainted with, and that he loft a deal of time which might have been better improved. Thus he is pleafed to accufe himfelf of that, which (for aught I ever heard) no one else did, or could accufe him of. But the truth is, in all the fecret accounts he kept of himfelf, he appears to have had a very quick and deep fenfe of his own failings and infirmities in the most minute inftances, the lofs of time, weakness and diftractions in holy duties; not improving opportunities of doing good to others, and the like; lamentably bewailing thefe imperfections, and charg ing them upon himfelf, with as great expreffions of fhame and forrow, and felf-abhorrence; and crying out as earneftly for pardon and forgiveness in the blood of Jesus; as if he had been the greatest of finners: For though he was a man that walked very closely, yet he walked very

humbly

humbly with GOD, and lived a life of repentance and

felf-denial.

At the latter end of the year 1648, he had leave given him to make a vifit to his father at Whitehall, with whom he ftayed fome time; there he was January 30th, when K. Charles was beheaded, and, with a very fad heart, he faw that tragical blow given.

In the year 1651, he took his bachelor of art's degree; and he hath recorded the goodnefs of GOD, in raifing him up friends, who helped him out in the expences. Such kindneffes have a peculiar fweetness in them to a good man, who fees and receives them; as the kindness of GOD, and as tokens of his love.

In December 1652, he proceeded mafter of arts, and in January following preached his first fermon at South-Hinkfey, near Oxford, on John viii. 34. hofoever committeth fin, is the fervant of fin. On this occafion he writes in his Diary, what was the breathing of his heart towards GOD. "The Lord make ufe of me, as an inftrument of his glory, and his church's good, in this high and "holy calling!"

His great parts and improvements, notwithstanding his extraordinary modefty and humility, had made him fo well known in the univerfity, that, at the following act in July 1653, he was chofen, out of all the mafters of that year, to be junior of the Act, that is, to anfwer the philofophy-queftions in vefperiis, which he did with very great applaufe.

He noted of fome pious, young men, that, before they removed from the univerfity into the country, they kept a day of fafting and humiliation for the fins they had been guilty of in that place and ftate. And in the vifits he made afterwards to the univerfity, he inferts into his book, as no doubt GOD did into his.---"A tear dropt "over my univerfity fins."

To this teftimony of his fon, we may add that of another great divine. Mr. Henry (fays Dr. Bates) was dedicated to the fervice of GOD by his mother in his tender age. His first love and defires (when he was capable of making a judicious choice) were fet upon GOD.' In the year 1653, foon after he had taken his mafter's degree, he was called to affift in the cure of Worthenbury parish by the river Dee in Flintshire, under the patronage of Mr. Pulefton, a ferjeant at law. Mr. Henry gives a very amiable character of this gentleman and his lady, and mentions, with great gratitude, his particular obli

gations

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »