However you cannot but say that you had a Kindness done you to have your lives put into it Thus did he frequently deal with his Children and even Travel in Birth again to see Christ formed in them and from this Topick he generally Argued and he would often say If Infant Baptism were more improved it would be less disputed He not only taught his Children betimes to pray which he did especially by his own Pattern his Method and Expressions in Prayer being very easie 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 none but they and such of their Age as might occasionally be with them in Reading good Books especially those for Children and in singing and praying and would sometimes tell them for their Encouragement that the God with whom we have to do understands broken Language And if we do as well as we can in the Sincerity of 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 considerable and write them down Though this Performance was very small yet the Endeavour was of good use He also directed them to insert in a Paper Book which each of them had for the purpose 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 remarkable 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 Exod. 12. 26 27. Your Children shall ask you in Time to come what mean you by this Service and you shall tell them so and so What his pious Care was concerning his Children and with what a godly Jealousie he was jealous over them take in one Instance when they had been for a week or Fortnight kindly entertained at B. as they were often 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 so he was very Sollicitous to teach his Children not to mind high Things not to desire them not to expect them in this World We shall conclude this Chapter with another Passage out of his Diary Apr. 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 whereof my heart melted this Evening I beg'd pardon for the Jonah that raised that Storm I blessed the Lord that hath spar'd the Rest I beg'd Mercy Mercy for every one of them and absolutely and unreservedly devoted and dedicated them my self my whole self Estate Interest Life to the will and Service of that God from whom I received all Father Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come c. CHAP. V. His Ejectment from Worthenbury His Non-conformity his Removes to Broad-Oak and the Providences that were concerning him to the Year 1672. HAving thus laid together the Instances of his Family Religion we must now return to the History of Events that were concerning him and are obliged to look back to the first Year after his Marriage which was the Year that King Charles the Second came in a Year of great Changes and struggles in the Land which Mr. Baxter in his Life gives a full and clear and Impartial Idea of by which it may easily be guess'd how it went with Mr. Henry in his low and narrow Sphere whose Sentiments in those things were very much the same with Mr. Baxter's Many of his best Friends in Worthenbury Parish were lately removed by Death Emeral Family contrary to what it had been and the same Spirit which that Year reviv'd all the Nation over was working violently in that Country viz. a Spirit of great Enmity to such Men as Mr. Henry was Worthenbury upon the Kings coming in returned into its former Relation to Bangor and was look'd upon as a Chappelry dependant upon that Mr. Robert Fogg had for many Years held the sequestred Rectory of Bangor to which now Dr. Henry Bridgman Son to Iohn Bishop of Chester and Brother to the Lord Keeper Bridgeman return'd to the Possession of By which Mr. Henry was soon Apprehensive that his Interest at Worthenbury was shaken but thus he writes The will of the Lord be done Lord If my Work be done here provide some other for this People that may be more Skilful and more Successful and cut out Work for me elsewhere However I will take nothing ill which God doth with me He laboured what he could to make Dr. Bridgman his Friend who gave him good words and was very civil to him and assured him that he would never remove him till the Law did But he must look upon himself as the Doctors Curate and depending upon his Will which kept him in continual expectation of a removal however he continued in his Liberty there above a Year though in very ticklish and precarious Circumstances The Grand Question now on foot was whether to conform or no. He us'd all means possible to Satisfy himself concerning it by reading and discourse particularly at Oxford with Dr. Fell afterwards Bishop of Oxford but in vain his dissatisfaction remain'd however saith he I dare not judge those that do conform for who am I that I shall judge my Brother He hath noted that being at Chester in discourse with the Dean and Chancellor and others about this time the great Argument they used with him to perswade him to conform was that else he would lose his Preferment and what said they you are a young Man and are you wiser then the King and Bishops But this is his reflection upon it afterwards God grant I may never be left to consult â—…ith Flesh and Blood in such matters In September 1660. Mr. Fogg and Mr. Steel and Mr. Henry were Presented at Flint-Assizes for not Reading the Common Prayer though as yet it was not enjoyn'd but there were some busie People that would out-run the Law They entred their Appearance and it fell for soon after the King's Declaration touching Ecclesiastical Affairs came out which promised Liberty and gave hopes of Settlement but the Spring-Assizes afterwards Mr. Steel and Mr. Henry were presented again On this he writes Be merciful to me O God for Man would swallow me up The Lord shew me what he would have me to do for I am afraid of nothing but Sin It appears by the Hints of his Diary that he had Melancholy Apprehensions at this Time about publick Affairs seeing and hearing of so many faithful Ministers distur'b silenced and ensnared the ways
World but saith he I have not yet subdued the little World my self At his Thirty third Year he hath this Humble Reflection A long time lived to small purpose What shall I do to redeem it And at another I may Mourn as Caesar did when he Reflected upon Alexander ' s early Atchievements that others younger than I am have done much more than I have done for God the God of my life And to mention no more when he had lived Forty two Years he thus writes I would be loth to live it over again least instead of making it better I should make it worse and besides every Year and Day spent on Earth is lost in Heaven This last Note minds me of a Passage I have heard him tell of a Friend of his who being grown into Years was asked how old he was and answer'd On the wrong side of Fifty Which said Mr. Henry he should not have said for if he was going to Heaven it was the right side of Fifty He always kept a Will by him ready made and it was his Custom yearly upon the return of his Birth-day to Review and if occasion were to Renew and Alter it For it is good to do that at a set time which it is very good to do at some time The Last Will he made bears Date This 24th day of August 1695. being as he said the day of the Year on which I was Born 1631. and also the day of the Year on which by Law I Died as did also near Two thousand Faithful Ministers of Iesus Christ 1662. alluding to that Clause in the Act of Uniformity which disposeth of the Places and Benefices of Ministers not Conforming as if they were naturally Dead His Father's Name was Iohn Henry the Son of Henry Williams of Brittons Ferry betwixt Neath and Swansey in Glamorganshire According to the old Welsh Custom some say conformable to that of the ancient Hebrews but now almost in all Places laid aside the Father's Christian Name was the Sons Sirname He had left his Native Country and his Father's House very Young unprovided for by his Relations but it pleased God to bless his Ingenuity and Industry with a considerable Income afterwards which enabled him to live Comfortably himself to bring up his Children well and to be kind to many of his Relations but Publick Events making against him at his latter End when he Dy'd he left little behind him for his Children but God graciously took care of them Providence brought this Mr. Iohn Henry when he was Young to be the Earl of Pembroke'â—… Gentleman whom he served many Years The Earl coming to be Lord Chamberlain preferred him to be the King's Servant He was first made Keeper of the Orchard at White-hall and afterwards Page of the Back Stairs to the King 's Second Son Iames Duke of York which place obliged him to a Personal Attendance upon the Duke in his Chamber He liv'd and dy'd a Courtier a hearty Mourner for his Royal Master King Charles the First whom he did not long survive He continued during all the War time in his House at White-Hall though the Profits of his Places ceased The King passing by his Door under a Guard to take Water when he was going to Westminster to that which they call'd his Tryal enquir'd for his old Servant Mr. Iohn Henry who was ready to pay his due respects to him and pray'd God to Bless his Majesty and to Deliver him out of the Hands of his Enemies for which the Guard had like to have been rough upon him His Mother was Mrs. Magdalen Rochdale of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields in Westminster She was a vertuous pious Gentlewoman and one that fear'd God above many She was altogether dead to the Vanities and Pleasures of the Court tho' she liv'd in the midst of them She look'd well to the ways of her Houshold Prayed with them daily Catechized her Children and taught them the good Knowledge of the Lord betimes I have heard him speak of his Learning Mr. Perkins his Six Principles when he was very Young and he often mentioned with Thankfulness to God his great Happiness in having such a Mother who was to him as Lois and Eunice were to Timothy acquainting him with the Scriptures from his Childhood And there appearing in him early inclinations both to Learning and Piety she devoted him in his tender Years to the Service of God in the work of the Ministry She Dyed of a Consumption March 6. 1645. leaving behind her only this Son and Five Daughters A little before she Dyed she had this saying My Head is in Heaven and my Heart is in Heaven it is but one step more and I shall be there too His Susceptors in Baptism were Philip Earl of Pembroke who gave him his Name and was kind to him as long as he lived as was also his Son Philip after him Iames Earl of Carlile and the Countess of Salsbury Prince Charles and the Duke of York being somewhat near of an 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 as soon as he was fit for it He kept a Book to his Dying Day which the Duke of York gave him and I have heard him bewail the loss of Two curious Pictures which he gave him likewise Arch-bishop Laud took a particular Kindness to him when he was a Child because he would be very officious to attend at the Water-Gate which was part of his Fathers Charge in White-hall to let the Arch-Bishop through when he came late from Council to cross the Water to Lambeth These Circumstances of his Childhood he would sometimes speak of among his Friends not as glorying in them but taking occasion from thence to bless God for his 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 though Blessed be God it is not a Rule without exception Exeat ex aulâ qui velit esse pius The breaking up and scattering of the Court by the Calamities of 1641. as it dashed the expectations of his Court Preferments so it prevented the danger of Court Entanglements And though it was not like Mofes's Choice of his own when come to Years to quit the Court yet when he was come to Years he always expressed a great Satisfaction in his Removal from it and blessed God who chose his Inheritance so much better for him Yet it may not be improper to observe here what was obvious as well as aimable to all who Convers'd with him viz. that he had the most sweet and obliging air of Courtesie and Civility that could be which some attributed in part to his early Education at Court His Meen and Carriage was always so very
much am I indebted and what shall I render Thus you see how the Dewes of Heaven sofâ—…ned his Heart by degrees From these early Experiences of his own 1. He would blame those who laid so much stress on Peoples knowing the exact time of their Conversion which he thought was with many not possible to do Who can so soon be aware of the Day-break or of the springing up of the Seed Sown The Work of Grace is better known in its Effects than in its Causes He would sometimes illustrate this by that saying of the blind Man to the Pharisees who were so Critical in Examining the Recovery of his Sight This and 'tother I know not concerning it but This one thing I know that whereas I was Blind now I see Ioh. 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 Iesus 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 observ'd it concerning Obadiah and he was a Courtier that he feared the Lord from his Youth 1 King 18. 12 and it is said of him v. 3. that he feared the Lord greatly Those that would come to fear God 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 sometimes apply to this that common saying He that would Thrive must rise at Five and in dealing with young People how earnestly would he press this upon them 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 He often inculcated Eccl. 12. 1. Remember thy Creator in the Days of thy Youth in the Original of thy choice I remember a passage of his in a Lecture Sermon in the Year 1674. which much affected many he was preaching on that Text Matt. 11. 30. My Yoke is easie and after many things insisted upon to prove the Yoke of Christ an easie Yoke he at last appealed to the Experiences of all that had drawn in that Yoke Call now if there be any that will answer you and to which of the Saints will you turn turn to which you will and they will all agree that they have found Wisdoms ways Pleasantness and Christ's Commandments not grievous and saith he I will here witness for one who through Grace have in some poor measure been drawing in this Yoke now above thirty Years and I have found it an easie Yoke and like my Choice too well to change 3. He would also recommend it to the care of Parents to bring their Children betimes to publick Ordinances He would say that they are capable sooner than we are aware of receiving good by them The Scripture takes Notice more than once of the little ones in the solemn Assemblies of the Faithful Deut. 29. 11. Ezra 10. 1. Acts 21. 5. If we lay our Children by the Pool-side who knows but the blessed Spirit may help them in and heal them He us'd to apply that Scripture to this Cant. 1. 8. Those that would have Communion with Christ must not only go forth by the Footsteps of the Flock themselves but feed their Kids too their Children or other young ones that are under their Charge beside the Shephards Tents 4. He would also recommend to young People the practise of Writing Sermons He himself did it not only when he was young but continued it constantly till within a few Years before he Dyed when the decay of his Sight obliging him to the use of Spectacles made Writing not so ready to him as it had been He never wrote Short-hand but had an excellent Art of taking the Substance of a Sermon in a very plain and legible hand and with a great deal of ease And the Sermons he wrote he kept by him in such Method and Order that by the help of Indexes which he made to them he could readily turn to almost any Sermon that ever he heard where he noted the Preacher Place and Time and this he call'd Hearing for the Time to come He recommended this Practise to others as a means to engage their Attention in Hearing and to prevent drowsiness and to help their Memories after Hearing when they come either to meditate upon what they have heard themselves or to Communicate it to others and many have had reason to bless God for his Advice and Instructions herein He would advise People sometimes to look over the Sermon-Notes that they had written as a ready way to revive the good Impressions of the Truths they had heard and would blame those who made waste Paper of them for saith he the day is coming when you will either thank God for them or heartily wish you had never written them 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 the Account of his Pregnancy and Diligence took a particular kindness to him call'd him his Child and would sometimes tell him he should be his Heir and there was no Love lost betwixt them Dr. Busby was noted for a very severe School master especially in the beginning of his time But Mr. Henry would say sometimes that as in so great a School there was need of a strict Discipline so for his own part of the Four Years he was in the School he never felt the weight of his Hand but once and then saith he in some of the Remarks of his Youth which he wrote long after I deserv'd it For being Monitor of the Chamber and according to the Duty of his Place being sent out to seek one that play'd Truant he found him out where he had hid himself and at his earnest Request promised to make an excuse for him and to say he could not find him which saith he in a Penitential Reflexion upon it afterwards I wickedly did Next Morning the Truant coming under Examination and being ask'd whether he saw the Monitor said yes he did at which Dr. Busby was much surprized and turned his Eye upon the Monitor with this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What thou my Son and gave him Correction and appointed him to make a penitential Copy of Latin Verses which when he brought he gave him Six Pence and receiv'd him into his Favour again Among the Mercies of God to him in his Youth and he would say t were well if Parents would keep an Account of those for their Children till they come to be capable of doing it for themselves and then to set them upon the doing of it he hath Recorded a remarkable Deliverance he had
hitherto find though there be that within me that would seek great things for my self if indeed they were to be found in this Calling yet with my Mind I seek them not But 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 be any thing else I own it not I allow it not while so many seek their own it is my desire and shall be my endeavour to seek the things of Jesus Christ. Qu. 2. What are your purposes as to Diligence and Industry in this Calling Answ. I do purpose and resolve by the help of God to give my self wholly to these things to Prayer Reading Meditation instant Preaching in Season and out of Season wherein I shall very gladly spend and be spent if by any means I may both save my self and them that hear me And when at any time I fail herein I desire God by his Spirit and my Christian Friends Neighbours and Brethren by seasonable Reproof and Admonition to put me in mind of this Engagement now made in the presence of this great Congregation Qu. 3. Do you mean to be Zealous and Faithful in the Defence of Truth and Unity against Error and Schism Answ. I believe what the Spirit hath foretold that in the last days perilous times shall come wherein Men will not endure sound Doctrin but after their own lusts shall heap unto themselves Teachers 'T is my resolution by the Grace of Christ to watch in all things to contend earnestly for the Faith to hold fast the Form of sound and wholsom 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 chuse to hazzard the loss of any thing that is most dear to me than be any way knowingly accessary to the disturbance of these in the Churches of Christ. Qu. 4. What is your Perswasion of the Truth of the Reformed Religion Answ. My perswasion 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 whom he will destroy by the Brightness of his coming And the Separation which our first Reformers made I do heartily rejoyce in and bless God for for had we still continued to partake with him in his Sins we should in the end have partaked with him also in his Plagues Qu. 5. What do you intend to do when the Lord shall alter your condition and bring a Family under your charge Answ. When the Lord shall please in 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 endeavour in the use of means that all that are mine may be the Lords Qu. 6. Will you in Humility and Meekness submit to Admonition and Discipline Answ. 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 set him in joynt again with the Spirit of Meekness It shall be my endeavour 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 account the smitings of my Brethren kindness and their wounds Faithful Qu. 7. What if Troubles Persecutions and Discouragements arise will you hold out to the end notwithstanding Answ. 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 God which I know is requir'd in a Minister of the Gospel nevertheless I perswade my self 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 I rest not at all in my promise to God 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 Pray'd and in Prayer he and the rest of the Presbyters Mr. Porter Mr. Houghton Mr. Malden and Mr. Steel laid their hands upon him with words to this purpose Whom we do thus in thy Name set apart to the Work and Office of the Ministry After him there were five more after the like previous Examinations and Trials Professions and Promises at the same time in like manner set apart to the Ministry Then Mr. Malden of Newport clos'd with an Exhortation directed to the newly Ordained Ministers in which saith Mr. Henry in his Dairy this word went near 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 before-hand to their own hearts it loses none of the vertue hereby but rather probably gains As that Milk nourisheth most which comes warm from the warm Brest so that Sermon which comes warm from a warm heart Lord quicken me to do thy will in this thing The Classes gave him and the rest Instruments in Parchment certifying this which it may satisfy the curiosity of some to read the Form of Whereas Mr. Philip Henry of Worthenbury in the County of Flint Master of Arts hath addressed himself unto us Authorised by an Ordinance of both Houses of Parliament of the 29th of August 1648 for the Ordination of Ministers desiring to be Ordain'd a Presbyter for that he is chosen and appointed for the Work of the Ministry at Worthenbury in the County of Flint as by a Certificate now remaining with us touching that his Election and Appointment appeareth And he having likewise exhibited a sufficient Testimonial of his deligence and proficiency in his Studies and unblameableness of his Life and Conversation he hath been examin'd according to the Rules for Examination in the said Ordinance expressed and thereupon approved there being no just exception made nor put in against his Ordination and Admission These may therefore testifie to all whom it may concern that upon the Sixteenth day of September 1657. We have proceeded solemnly to set him apart for the Office of a Presbyter and work of the Ministry of the Gospel by laying on of our hands with Fasting and Prayer By virtue whereof we do declare him to be a lawful and sufficiently authoriz'd Minister of Iesus Christ And having good Evidence of his lawful and fair Calling not only to the Work of the Ministry but to the Exercise thereof at the Chappel of
that then were â—…ppermost under Sir George Booth afterwards Lord Delamere and that of North-Wales under Sir Thomas Middleton could not but affect Worthenbury and the Country thereabouts Mr. Henry's Prayeâ—… for them in â—…his Diâ—…y the Day of their first appearing is Lord own them if they truly own thee He noteâ—… that Lambert's Forces which came down to Suppress them did in that Neighbourhood espouse the Quakers Cause and offer Injury to some Ministers and therefore saith he unless God intend the Ruin of the Nation by them they cannot prosper Nor did they long though in that Expedition they had Success In their Return some of Lambert's Soldiers were at Worthenbury Church hearing Mr. Henry upon a Lord's Day and one of them sat with his Hat on while they were Singing Psalms for which he Publickly admonish'd him And there being many Anabaptists among them he hath Recorded it as a good Providence that those Questions in the Cateâ—…hism which are concerning Baptism came in Course to be Expounded that Day The first Rising of the Cheshire Forces was Aug. 1. 1659. and the 19th following they were worsted and scattered by Lambert's Forces near Northwich a strange Spirit of fear being upon them which quite took off their Chariot Wheels The Country call'd it not the Cheshire Rising but the Cheshire Race Some blamed him that he did not give God thanks publickly for the defeat of Sir George Booth to whom he answer'd with his usual mildness that his Apprehensions concerning that Affair were not the same with theirs We are now saith he much in the dark never more He preach'd the Lecture at Chester soon after just at the time when Mr. Cook aâ—… eminent Minister in Chester and several others were carried Prisoners to London for their Agency in the late Attempt and the City was threatned to have their Charter taken away c. The Text in Course that day for they Preached over the latter part of that Epistle if not the whole at that Lecture happen'd to be Heb. 13 14. We have here no continuing City which he thought a word upon the Wheels at that time He Notes in his Diary that when after that the Army Rul'd disturb'd the Parliament and carry'd all before them with a high Hand there were great Grounds to fear sad times approaching and his Prayer is Lord fit thy People for the Fiery Trial. He was a hearty well-wisher to the return of the King the Spring following April 1660. and was much affected with the Mercy of it While others rejoyce carnally saith he Lord help thy People to rejoyce spiritually in our publick National Mercies 'T was upon that occasion that Mr. Baxter preached his Sermon of Right Rejoycing on Luke 10. 20. But he and others soon saw cause to Rejoyce with Trembling and to sing both of Mercy and Judgment for about that time he hath this Melancholy Remark Religion loses Ground exceedingly and Profanâ—…ss gets it Help Lord However he was very Industrious to quiet the minds of some who were uneasie at that great Revolution and that Scripture yielded him much Satisfaction Ioh. 3. 35. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his Hands If Christ be not only Head of the Church but Heir over all things to the Church we may be assured that all things shall be made to work together for good to it The Text also which the Lord put it into his Heart to preach upon on the day of Publick Thanksgiving for the King's Restoration was very comfortable to him Prov. 21. 1. The Kings Heart is in the hand of the Lord. His sence of that great Mercy of God to the Nation in the unbloody peaceable and legal Settlement of King Charles the 2d upon the Throne was the same with that of Multitudes besides both Ministers and others that were of the quiet in the Land who yet not long after suffered very hard things under him Soon after the Return of the King he notes how industrious some were to remove him from Worthenbury on which he writes this as the Breathing of his Soul towards God Lord if it please thee fasten me here as a Nail in a sure place if otherwise I will take nothing ill which thou dost with me and when press'd by his Friends more earnestly than before to accept of some other place Lord saith he Mine Eye is up unto thee I am wholly at thy disposal make my way plain before my Face because of mine Enemies my Resolution is to deny my self if thou callest me Here or any where 't is no great Matter where I am Many Years after the King's Return he Dated a Letter May 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are two things further which I think it may be of use to give some account of in the close of this Chapter 1. Of the Course of his Ministry at Worthenbury and 2. Of the State of his Soul and the Communion he had with God in those Years The former out of his Sermon-Notes the latter out of his Diary As to the Subjects he Preached upon he did not use to dwell long upon a Text. Better one Sermon upon many Texts viz. many Scriptures opened and applied than many Sermons upon one Text To that purpose he would sometimes speak He used to Preach in a fixed Method and linked his Subjects in a sort of a Chain not confining himself to the Method of the Assemblies Catechism which some commend but he adapted his Method and Style to the Capacity of his Hearers fetching his Similitudes for Illustration from those things which were familiar to them He did not shoot the Arrow of the Word over their Heads in high Notions or the Flourishes of affected Rhetorick nor under their Feet by blunt and homely Expressions as many do under pretence of plainness but to their Hearts in close and lively Applications His Delivery was very graceful and agreeable far from being either noisie and precipitate on the one Hand or dull and slow on the other His Doctrine did drop as the Dew and distil as the soaking Rain and came with a charming pleasing Power such as many will bear witness to that have wonder'd 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 he wrote most of them twice over But even when he had put his last Hand to them he commonly left many imperfect Hints which gave room for Enlargements in Preaching wherein he had a very great Felicity And he would often advise Ministers not to tye themselves 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 rais'd 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
Lord the God of the Spirits of all Flesh set a Man over the Congregation Thus he ceased to Preach to his People there but he ceased not to love them and pray for them and could not but think there remained some dormant Relation betwixt him and them As to the Arrears of his Annuity from Mr. P. when he was displaced after some time Mr. P. was willing to give him 100 l. which was a good deal less than what was due upon Condition that he would surrender his Deed of Annuity and his Lease of the House which he for Peace-sake was willing to do and so he lost all the Benefit of Judge Puleston's great Kindness to him This was not compleated till September 1662. until which time he continued in the House at Worthenbury but never Preached so much as once in the Church tho' there were vacancies several times Mr. Richard Hilton was immediately put into the Curacy of Worthenbury by Dr. Bridgman Mr. Henry went to hear him if he were at home as long as he continued at Worthenbury and join'd in all the parts of the publick Worship particularly attending upon the Sacrament of Baptism not daring saith he to turn my back upon God's Ordinance while the Essentials of it are retained tho' corrupted circumstantially in the Administration of it which God amend Once being allow'd the liberty of his Gesture he join'd in the Lord's Supper He kept up his Correspondence with Mr. Hilton and as he saith in his Diary endeavoured to possess him with right Thoughts of his Work and advis'd him the best he could in the Soul affairs of that People which saith he he seemed to take well I am sure I meant it so and the Lord make him Faithful Immediately after he was Removed and Silenced at Worthenbury he was sollicited to Preach at Bangor and Dr. Bridgman was willing to permit it occasionally and intimated to his Curate there that he should never hinder it but Mr. Henry declin'd it Tho' his Silence was his great Grief yet such was his Tenderness that he was not willing so far to discourage Mr. Hilton at Worthenbury nor to draw so many of the People from him as would certainly have followed him to Bangor But saith he I cannot get my Heart into such a Spiritual Frame on Sabbath-days now as formerly which is both my Sin and my Affliction Lord quicken me with quickning Grace When the King came in first and shew'd so good a Temper as many thought some of his Friends were very earnest with him to revive his Acquaintance and Interest at Court which it was thought he might easily do 'T was reported in the Country that the Duke of York had enquired after him but he heeded not the Report nor would he be perswaded to make any Addresses that way For saith he my Friends do not know so well as I the Strength of Temptation and my own inability to deal with it Qui benè latuit benè vixit Lord lead me not into Temptation He was greatly affected with the Temptations and Afflictions of many Faithful Ministers of Christ at this time by the pressing of Conformity and kept many private Days of Fasting and Prayer in his own House at Worthenbury seeking to turn away the Wrath of God from the Land He greatly pitied some who by the urgency of Friends and the fear of want were over perswaded to put a force upon themselves in their Conformity The Lord keep me saith he in the Critical time He Preached sometimes occasionally in divers neighbouring places till Bartholomew-day 1662. the day saith he which our sins have made one of the saddest days to England since the Death of Edward the 6th but even this for good though we know not how nor which way He was invited to preach at Bangor on the black Bartholomew-day and prepared a Sermon on Ioh. 7 37. in the last day that great day of the Feast c. but was prevented from Preaching it and was loth to strive against so strong a stream As to his Nonconformity which some of his worst Enemies have said was his only fault it may not be amisshere to give some Account of it 1. His Reasons for his Nonconformity were very considerable 'T was no rash act but deliberate and well weigh'd in the Balance of the Sanctuary He could by no means submit to be Re-ordain'd so well satisfied was he in his Call to the Ministry and his solemn Ordination to it by the laying on of the Hands of the Presbytery which God had graciously own'd him in that he durst not do that which looked like a Renunciation of it as null and sinful and would be at least a tacit invalidating and condemning of all his Administrations Nor could he truly say that he thought himself moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon him the Office of a Deacon He was the more confirm'd in this Objection because the then Bishop of Chester Dr. Hall in whose Diocess he was besides all that was requir'd by Law exacted from those that came to him to be Re-ordain'd a Subscription to this Form Ego A. B. praetensas meas Ordinationis literas à quibusdam Presbyteris olim obtentas jam penitus renuncio dimitto pro vanis humiliter supplicans quatenus Rev. in Christo Pater Dominus Dominus Georgius permissione divinâ Cestr. Episc. me ad sacrum Diaconatus ordinem juxta morem ritus Ecclesiae Anglicanae dignaretur admmittere This of Reordination was the first and great Bar to his Conformity and which he mostly insisted on He would sometimes say that for a Presbyter to be Ordained a Deacon is at the best suscipere gradum Simeonis Besides this he was not at all satisfied to give his unfeigned Assent and Consent to all and every thing contained in the Book of Common-Prayer c. for he thought that thereby he should receive the Book it self and every part thereof Rubricks and all both as true and good whereas there were several things which he could not think to be so The Exceptions which the Ministers made against the Liturgy at the Savoy Conference he thought very considerable and could by no means submit to much less approve of the Imposition of the Ceremonies He often said that when Christ came to free us from the Yoke of one Ceremonial Law he did not leave it in the Power of any Man or company of Men in the World to lay another upon our Necks Kneeling at the Lord's Supper he was much dissatisfied about and it was for many Years his great Grief and which in his Diary he doth often most pathetically lament that by it he was debared from partaking of that Ordinance in the solemn Assembly For to submit to that Imposition he thought whatever it was to others whom he was far from judging would be Sin to him He never took the Covenant nor ever-express'd any foundness for it and yet he could not think and therefore durst not declare
that however unlawfully impos'd it was in itself an unlawful Oath and that no Person that took it was under the Obligation of it For sometimes Quod fieri non debuit factum valet In short it cannot be wondred at that he was a Nonconformist when the Terms of Conformity were so industriously contrived to keep out of the Church such Men as He which is manifest by the full Account which Mr. Baxter hath left to Posterity of that affair and it is a passage worth noting here which Dr. Bates in his Funeral Sermon on Mr. Baxter relates that when the Lord Chamberlain Manchester told the King while the Act of Uniformity was under debate that he was afraid that the Terms were so hard that many of the Ministers would not comply with them Bishop Sheldon being present replied I am afraid they will And it is well known how many of the most sober pious and laborious Ministers in all parts of the Nation Conformists as well as Nonconformists did dislike those Impositions He thought it a Mercy since it must be so that the Case of Nonqonformity was made so clear as it was abundantly to satisfie him in his Silence and Sufferings I have heard that Mr. Anthony Burgoss who hesitated before when he read the Act blessed God that the Matter was put cut of doubt And yet to make sure Work the Printing and Publishing of the New Book of Common-Prayer was so deferr'd that few of the Ministers except those in London could possibly get a sight of it much less duly consider of it before the time prefix'd which Mr. Steel took Notice of in his Farewel-Sermon at Hanmer August 17. 1662. That he was silenced and turn'd out for not declaring his unfeigned Assent and Consent to a Book which he never saw nor could see One thing which he comforted himself with in his Nonconformity was that as to Matters of doubtful Disputation touching Church-Government Ceremoniâ—…s and the like he was unsworn either on one side or the other and so was free from those snares and bands in which so many find themselves both ty'd up from what they would do and entangled that they knew not what to do He was one of those that fear'd an Oath Eccl. 10. 2. and would often say Oaths are Edg-Tools and not to be played with One passage I find in his Papers which confirm'd him in this satisfaction 't is a Letter from no less a Clergy-man than Dr. F. of Whitchurch to one of his Parishioners who desired him to give way that his Child might be Baptized by another without the Cross and Godfathers if he would not do it so himself both which he refus'd 'T was in the Year 1672 3. For my part saith the Doctor I freely profess my Thoughts that the strict urging of indifferent Ceremonies hath done more harm than good and possibly had all Men been left to their liberty therein there might have been much more Unity and not much less Uniformity But what Power have I to dispense with my self being now under the Obligation of a Law and an Oath And he Concludes I am much grieved at the unhappy condition of my self and other Ministers who must either lose their Parishioners Love if they do not comply with them or else break their solemn Obligations to please them This he would say was the Mischief of Impositions which ever were and ever will be bones of Contention When he was at Worthenbury though in the Lord's Supper he used the Gesture of Sitting himself yet he Administred it without scruple to some who chose rather to Kneel and he thought that Ministers Hands should not in such things be tied up but that he ought in his place though he suffered for it to witness against the making of those things the indispensable Terms of Communion which Jesus Christ hath not made to be so Where the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of the Gospel is there is liberty Such as these were the Reasons of his Nonconformity which as long as he liv'd he was more and more coâ—…firm'd in 2. His Moderation in his Nonconformity 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 hiâ—… Testimony against and was very industrious to stem the Tide of In Church Government that which he desired and wished for was Usher's Reduction of Episcopacy He thought it lawful to join in the Common-Prayer in Publick Assemblies and practis'd accordingly and endeavoured to satisfie others concerning it The Spirit he was of was such as made him much afraid of extreams and solliciâ—…ous for nothing more than to maintain and keep Christian Love and Charity among Professors We shall meet with several Instances of this in the progress of his Story and therefore wave it here I have been told of an aged Minister of his acquaintance who being as'd upon his Death-bed What his thoughts were of his Nonconformity replied he was well satisfied in it and should not have Conformed so far as he did viz. to join in the Liturgy if it had not been for Mr. Henry Thus was his Moderation known unto all Men. But to proceed in his Story At Michaelmas 1662. he quite left Worthenbury and came with his Family to Broad-Oak just Nine Years from his first coming into the Country Being cast by Divine Providence into this new place and state of Life his Care and Prayer was that he might have Grace and Wisdom to manage it to the Glory of God which saith he is my chief End Within three Weeks after his coming hither his second Son was Born which we mention for the sake of the Remark he has upon it We have no Reason saith he to call him Benoni I wish we had not to call him Iâ—…habod And on the Day of his Family-Thanksgiving for that Mercy he writes We have reason to Rejoyce with Trembling for it goes ill with the Church and People of God and reason to fear worse because of our own Sins and our Enemies Wrath. At the latter end of this Year he hath in his Diary this Note It is observed of many who have Conformed of late and fallen from what they formerly Professed thaâ—… since their so doing from unblamable orderly pious Men they are become exceeding dissolute and profane and instanceth in some What need have we every day to Pray Lord lead us not into Temptation For several Years after he came to live at Broad-Oak he went constantly on Lords days to the publick Worship with his Family at Whitewell-Chapel which is hard by if there were any supply there as sometimes there was from Malpas and if none then to Tylstock where Mr. Zachary Thomas continued for about half a Year and the place was a little Sanctuary and when that string fail'd usually to Whitchurch and did not Preach for a great while unless occasionally when he visited his Friends or to
he constantly attended there with his Family was usually with the first and reverently joined in the Publick Service he diligently wrote the Sermons always staid if the Ordinance of Baptism was Administred but not if there were a Wedding for he thought that Solemnity not proper for the Lord's Day He often Din'd the Minister that Preach'd after Dinner he sung a Psalm repeated the Morning Sermon and Pray'd and then attended in like manner in the Afternoon In the Evening he Preach'd to his own Family and perhaps two or three of his Neighbours would drop in to him On those Lord's Days when there was no Preaching at the Chappel he spent the whole Day at home and many an excellent Sermon he Preach'd when there were present only four besides his own Family and perhaps not so many according to the limitation of the Conventicle Act. In these narrow private Circumstances he Preached over the former part of the Assemblies Catechism from divers Texts He also Preached over Psalm 116. besides many particular occasional Subjects What a grief of Heart it was to him to be thus put under a Bushel and consin'd to such a narrow Sphere of Usefulness read in his own words which I shall Transcribe out of an Elegy he made to give vent to his thoughts upon the Death of his worthy Friend Mr George Mainwaring sometime Minister of Malpas who was Silenced by the Act of Uniformity and Dy'd Mar. 14. 1669 70 wherein he thus bewails feelingly enough the like restraints and Confinements of his Friend His later Years he sadly spent Wrap't up in Silence and Restraint A Burthen such as none do know But they that do it undergo To have a Fire shut up and pent Within the Bowels and no vent To have gorg'd Breasts and by a Law Those that fain would forbidden to draw But his dumbSabbaths here did prove Loud crying Sabbaths in Heaven above His Tears when he might sow no more Wat'ring what he had Sown before Soon after his Settlement at Broad-Oak he took a young Scholar into the House with him partly to teach his Son and partly to be a Companion to himself to Converse with him and to receive help and instruction from him and for many Years he was seldom without one or other such who before their going to the University or in the intervals of their attendance there would be in his Family sitting under his Shadow One of the first he had with him in the Year 1668. and after was Mr. William Turner born in the Neighbourhood afterwards of Edmund Hall in Oxford now Vicar of Walberton in Sussex to whom the World is beholden for that Elaborate History of all Religions which he Published in the Year 1695. and from whom is earnestly expected the Performance of that Noble and useful Project for the Record of Providences Betwixt Mr. Henry and him there was a most intire and affectionate Friendship and notwithstanding that distance of place a constant and endearing Correspondence kept up as long as Mr. Henry liv'd It was observ'd that several young Men who had sojourn'd with him and were very hopeful and likely to be serviceable to their Generations dy'd soon after their Removal from him I could instance in Six or seven as if God had sent them to him to be prepared for another World before they were called for out of this yet never any dy'd while they were with him He had so great a kindness for the University and valued so much the mighty advantages of improvement there that he advis'd all his Friends who design'd their Children for Scholars to send them thither for many Years after the Change though he always counted upon their Conformity But long Experience altered his mind herein and he chose rather to keep his own Son at home with him and to give him what help he could there in his Education than venture him into the Snares and Temptations of the University It was also soon after this Settlement of his at Broad-Oak that he Contracted an intimate Friendship with that learned and pious and judicious Gentleman Mr. Hunt of Boreatton the Son of Colonel Hunt of Salop and with his excellent Lady Frances Daughter of the Right Honourable the Lord Paget The Acquaintance then begun betwixt Mr. Henry and that worthy Family continued to his dying day about Thirty Years One Lords day in a Quarter he commonly spent with them besides other interviews And it was a constant rejoycing to him to see Religion and the Power of Godliness uppermost in such a Family as that when not many Mighty not many Noble are called and the Branches of it Branches of Righteousness the planting of the Lord. Divers of the Honourable Relations of that Family contracted a very great respect for him particularly the present Lord Paget now his Majesty's Ambassador at the Ottoman Court and Sir Henry Ashurst whom we shall have occasion afterwards to make mention of In the time of Trouble and Distress by the Conventicle Act in 1670. he kept private and stirr'd little abroad as loth to offend those that were in Power and judging it Prudence to gather in his Sails when the Storm was violent He then observ'd as that which he was troubled at That there was a great deal of precious time lost among Professors when they came together in discoursing of their Adventures to meet and their escapes which he feared tended more to set up self than to give Glory to God Also in telling how they got together and such a one Preached but little enquiring what Spiritual Benefit and advantage was reaped by it and that we are apt to make the circumstances of our Religious Services more the matter of our Discourse than the Substance of them We shall close this Chapter with two Remarks out of his Diary in the Year 1671. which will shew what manner of Spirit he was of and what were his Sentiments of things at that time One is this All acknowledge that there is at this day a number of sober peaceable Men both Ministers and others among Dissenters but who either saith or doth any thing to oblige them who desireth or endeavoureth to open the Door to let in such nay do they not rather provoke them to run into the same Extravagancies with others by making no difference but laying load on them as if they were as bad as the worst 'T is true that about this time the Lord Keeper Bridgman and Bishop Wilkins and the Lord chief Justice Hale were making some Overtures towards an Accommodation with them but it is as true that those Overtures did but the more exasperate their Adversaries who were ready to account such moderate Men the worst Enemies the Church of England had and the event was greater Acts of Severity Another is this If all that hath been said and written to prove that Prelacy is Antichristian and that it is Unlawful to join in the Common Prayer had been effectually to perswade Bishops to Study
it as they stood affected for my own part saith he upon Reflection I find I have great reason to be ashamed of my manifold infirmities and imperfections and yet do bless God that seeing I could manage it no better to do the Truth more Service there was not more said and done to its disservice to God be Glory But there were others who said that Mr. Henry was an Instrument of glorifying God and serving the Church in that affair almost as much as in any thing that ever he did except the Preaching of the Gospel And some who were Adversaries to the Cause he pleaded thô they were not Convinced by his Arguments yet by his great Meekness and Humility and that truly Christian Spirit which appear'd so evidently in the whole Management were brought to have a better Opinion of him and the way in which he walked The Conference broke off a little abruptly the Bishop and Mr. Henry being somewhat close at an Argument in the Recapitulation of what had been Discoursed of Mr. Ionathan Roberts whisper'd to Mr. Henry Pray let my Lord have the last word which a Justice of Peace upon the Bench over-hearing presently replied You say my Lord shall have the last word but he shall not for I will we thank God we have the Sword of Power in our hands and by the Grace of God we will keep it and it shall not rust and I hope every lawful Magistrate will do as I do and look to your selves Gentlemen by the Grace of God I 'll root you out of the Country To which a forward Man in the Crowd said Amen throw them down Stairs This the Bishop heard with Silence but the Mayor of the Town took order for their safety Two Days after this Discourse the Bishop wrote a very obliging Letter to Mr. Henry to signify to him how very much he was pleased with the good Temper and Spirit that he found in him at Oswestry and that he looked upon him as one that intended well but laboured under Prejudices and to desire further Acquaintance and Conversation with him particularly that he would come to him straitway to Wrexham and about three Months after sent for him again to Chester in both which interviews a great deal of Discourse with much Freedom pass'd between them in private in which they seem'd to vye nothing more than Candor and Obligingness shewing to each other all Meekness I remember the Bishop was pleas'd to shew him his Plan for the Government of his Diocess and the Method he intended to take in Church-Censures which Mr. Henry very well approv'd of but pleasantly told his Lord-ship he hoped he would take care that Iuvenal's Verse should not be again verified Sat. 2. Dat veniam Corvis vexat Censura Columbas which the Bishop smil'd at and told him he would take care it should not His Lordship observing his true Catholick Charity and Moderation told him he did not look upon him as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but only as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that if he were in his Diocess he did not question but he should find out some way to make him useful But all his Reasonings could not satisfie Mr. Henry's Conscience of the Lawfulness of being Re-ordain'd and Conforming The Bishop for some Years after when he came that way towards London either call'd on Mr. Henry at his House or sent for him to him to Whitchurch and still with all outward expressions of Friendship The Trouble which Mr. Henry was in about the Meeting at Weston obliged him for a while to keep his Sabbaths at home somewhat private but in the Year 1682. he took a greater Liberty and many flocked to him on Lord's Dayes through the kind Connivance of the Neighbouring Magistrates but in the Year 1683. when the Meetings were generally suppress'd throughout the Kingdom he was again necessitated to contract his Sails and confine his Labours more to his own Family and his Friends that visited him He continued his Attendance at Whitewell Chappel as usual and when he was abridged of his Liberty he often blessed God for his Quietness Once when one of the Curates Preached a bitter Sermon against the Dissenters on a Lord's Day Morning some wonder'd that Mr. Henry would go again in the Afternoon for the second part But saith he if he do not know his Duty I know mine and I bless God I can find Honey in a Carcass In this time of treading down and of perplexity he stirred little abroad being forced as he us'd to express it to throw the Plough under the Hedge but he preached constantly at home without disturbance and often comforted himself with this When we cannot do what we would if we do what we can God will accept of us when we cannot keep open Shop we must drive a secret Trade And he would say There is a mean if we could hit it between Fool-hardiness and Faint-heartedness While he had some opportunity of being useful at home he was afraid lest he should prejudice that by venturing abroad One of his Friends in London earnestly solliciting him to make a visit thither in this time of restraint in the Country he thus wrote to him I should be glad once more to kiss my Native Soil though it were but with a kiss of Valediction but my indisposedness to Travel and the small prospect there is of doing good to countervail the Pains are my prevailing Arguments against it I am here 't is true buried alive but I am quiet in my Grave and have no mind to be a walking Ghost We rejoyce and desire to be thankful that God hath given us a Home and continued it to us when so many better then we have not where to lay their Head having no certain dwelling place 't was at the time of the dispersion of the French Protestants Why they Exiles and not we they strangers in a strange Land and not we We must not say we will dye in our Nests lest God say nay nor we will multiply our Days as that Bird the Phaenix referring to Iob 29. 18. lest God say this Night c. Our times and all our ways are at his dispose absolutely and universally and it is very well they are so At the time of the Duke of Monmouths Descent and the Insurrection in the West in the Year 1685. Mr. Henry as many others pursuant to a general Order of the Lord Lieutenant for securing all suspected Persons and particularly all Nonconformist Ministers was taken up by a Warrant from the Deputy Lieutenants and sent under a Guard to Chester Castle where he was about three Weeks a close Prisoner He was lodg'd with some Gentlemen and Ministers that were fetched thither out of Lancashire who were all Strangers to him but he had great comfort in the Acquaintance and Society of many of them He often spake of this Imprisonment not as matter of Complaint but of Thanksgiving and blessed God he was in nothing uneasie all
the plain and powerful Preaching of the Gospel and thus they who granted that liberty were out-shot in their own Bow which manifestly appear'd in the Event and Issue And as they did good Service to the Protestant Religion among Scholars who wrote so many Learned Books against Popery at that time for which we return them our best thanks so they did no less Service among the Common People who are the Strength and Body of the Nation that Preached so many good Sermons to arm their Hearts against that strong Delusion which Mr. Henry as the rest of the Nonconformists generally did took all occasions to do How often would he commend his Hearers as Dr. Holland Divinity Professor in Oxford was wont to do to the Love of God and the Hatred of Popery Besides his Preaching professedly to discover the Errours and Corruptions of the Church of Rome which he would have taken occasion to do more fully had he seen those he Preached to in any immediate danger of the Infection there could not be a more effectual Antidote against Popery than the instructing and confirming of People in the Truth as it is in Jesus and advancing the Knowledge of and a Value and Veneration for the Holy Scriptures to which how much Mr. Henry in his place did contribute all that knew him well bear Record He us'd to observe that the Fall of Babylon followed upon the free and open Preaching of the Everlasting Gospel Rev. 14. 6 7. He apprehended this Liberty likely to be of very short continuance and to end in trouble and because he could not see how his not using of it would help to prevent the Trouble but he did see that his vigorous improvement of it would help to prepare for the Trouble he set himself with all diligence to make the best use he could of this Gleam both at home and abroad on Sabbath-days and Week-days to his Power yea and beyond his Power The great Subject of Debate at this time in the Nation was concerning the Repeal of Penal Laws and Tests Mr. Henry's thoughts were as to the Penal Laws that if those against the Dissenters were all Repeal'd he would Rejoyce in it and be very thankful both to God and Man for he would sometimes say without Reflection upon any he could not but look upon them as a National Sin and as for those against the Papists if our Law-givers see cause to Repeal them in a regular way I will endeavour saith he to make the best of it and to say The Will of the Lord be done When King Iames came his Progress into that Country in September 1687. to court the Compliments of the People Mr. Henry joined with several others in and about Whitchurch Nantwich and Wem in an Address to him which was presented when he lay at Whitchurch the purport of which was not to Sacrifice their Lives and Fortunes to him and to his Interest but only to return him thanks for the Liberty they had with a promise to demean themselves quietly in the use of it Some time after Commissioners were sent abroad into the Country to enquire after the Trouble that Dissenters had sustain'd by the Penal Laws and how the Money that was Levy'd upon them was disposed of little of it being found paid in the Exchequer they sent to Mr. Henry to have an account from him of his Sufferings he returned Answer by Letter that he had indeed been Fined some Years before for a Conventicle and Distreyn'd upon and his Goods carried away which all the Country knew to which he referred himself But being requir'd particularly to give account of it upon Oath though he said he could be glad to see such Instruments of Trouble legally removed yet he declin'd giving any further Information concerning it having as he wrote to the Commissioners long since from his Heart forgiven all the Agents Instruments and Occasions of it and having purposed never to say any thing more of it It was on Tuesday Iune 14. 1681. that he was disturb'd at Weston in Shropshire when he was Preaching on Psal. 66. 18. and on Tuesday Iune 14. 1687. that day Six Years he Preached there again without disturbance finishing what he was then prevented from delivering concerning Prayer and going on to v. 19. 20. But verily God hath heard me Blessed be God Concerning the Duty of Thanksgiving This Seventh Year of their Silence and Restraint prov'd through God's wonderful good Providence the Year of Release In May 1688. a new Commission of the Peace came down for the County of Flint in which by whose Interest or procurement was not known Mr. Henry was nominated a Justice of Peace for that County It was no small surprize to him to receive a Letter from the Clerk of the Peace Directed to Philip Henry Esquire acquainting him with it and appointing him when and whither to come to be Sworn To which he return'd answer that he was very sensible of his Unworthiness of the Honour and his unfitness for the Office which he was nominated to and therefore desired to be excus'd and he was so and did what he could that it might not be spoken of in the Country There were some who upon this occasion unhappily remembred that a few Years before a Reverend Clergy-man in Shropshire told Mr. Henry to his Face that he had done more mischief in the Country than any man that ever came into it and that he himself hoped shortly to be in the Commission of Peace and then he would rid the Country of him But alas he â—…as quite disappointed Thus Honour is like the shadow which flies from those that pursue it and follows those that flee from it For two Years after this Liberty began Mr. Henry still continued his Attendance as usual at Whitewel-Chappel whenever there was Preaching there and he Preached at his own House only when there was no supply there and in the Evening of those days when there was For doing thus he was greatly clamour'd against by some of the rigid Separatists and call'd a Dissembler and one that halted between two and the like Thus as he Notes in his Diary one side told him he was the Author of all the mischief in the Country in drawing People from the Church and the other side told him he was the Author of all the mischief in drawing People to the Church And which of these saith he shall I seek to please Lord neither but thy self alone and my own Conscience and while I can do that I have enough In a Sermon at Whitewel-Chappel one Lord's-day in the Afternoon where he and his Family and many of his Congregation were attending much was said with some keen Reflections to prove the Dissenters Schismaticks and in a damnable State When he came immediately after to Preach at his own House before he begun his Sermon he expressed himself to this purpose Perhaps some of you may expect now that I should say something in answer to what we
have heard by which we have been so severely charged but truly I have something else to do and so without any further Notice taken of it went on to Preach Iesus Christ and him Crucified It was not without some fear and trembling that Mr. Henry received the Tidings of the Prince of Orange's Landing in November 1688. as being somewhat in the dark concerning the clearness of his Call and dreading what might be the consequence of it He us'd to say Give Peace in our time O Lord was a Prayer that he would heartily set his Amen to But when secret things were brought to light and a regular Course was taken to fill the vacant Throne with such a King and such a Queen none rejoyced in it more heartily than he did He Celebrated the National Thanksgiving for that great Deliverance with an excellent Sermon on that Text Rom. 8. 31. What shall we then say to these things If God be for us who can be against us Soon after that happy Settlement there were Overtures made towards a Comprehension of the Moderate Dissenters with the Church of England which Mr. Henry most earnestly desired and wished for if it could be had upon any Terms less than sinning against his Conscience for never was any more averse to that which looked like a Separation than he was if he could possibly have helped it salvâ Conscientiâ His Prayers were constant and his endeavours as he had opportunity that there might be some healing Methods found out and agreed upon But it is well known what was the Vox Cleri at that time viz. That forasmuch as the Oaths Subscriptions and Ceremonies were impos'd only to keep out such Men they would never consent to their Removal for the letting them in again Nolumus Leges Angliae mutari was a saying perverted to this purpose And the fixed Principle was Better a Schism without the Church than a Faction within it c. This was at that time Publish'd and Own'd as the Sense of the Clergy in Convocation Which Temper and Resolve so contrary to that which might have been expected upon that Happy and Glorious Revolution did a little alter his Sentiments in that matter and he saw himself perfectly driven from them Despairing therefore to see an Accommodation he set himself the more vigorously to improve the present Liberty In Iune 1689. the Act of Indulgence pass'd which not only Tolerated but allowed the Dissenters Meetings and took them under the Protection of the Government Soon after which though he never in the least changed his Judgment as to the lawfulness of joining in the Common-Prayer but was still ready to do it occasionally Yet the Ministers that Preached at Whitewel-Chappel being often uncertain in their coming which kept his Meeting at Broad-Oak at like uncertainties to the frequent disappointment of many of his Hearers that came from far he was at last prevailed with to Preach at Publick time every Lord's-day which he continued to do while he lived much to his own satisfaction and the satisfaction of his Friends An Eminent Minister in Lancashire who did in like manner alter his Practise about that time gave this for a reason That he had been for Twenty seven Years striving to please a Generation of Men who after all would not be pleased and therefore he would no longer endeavour it as he had done It may be of use to give some account how he managed his Ministerial Work in the latter part of his time wherein he had as signal Tokens of the Presence of God with him as ever enabling him still to bring forth Fruit in old Age and to renew his Youth like the Eagles Though what he did he still did gratis and would do so yet he was not willing to have any constant Assistant nor had he any so much was he in his Element when he was about his Master's Work 'T was his Meat and Drink to do it 1. As to his constant Sabbath Work he was Uniform â—…nd abundant in it He began his Morning Family-Worship on Lord's dayes at 8 a Clock when he Read and Expounded pretty largely Sung a Psalm and Prayed and many strove to come time enough to join with him in that Service He began in Publick just at Nine a Clock Winter and Summer His Meeting-place was an Out-building of his own near adjoining to his House fitted up very decently and conveniently for the purpose He began with Prayer then he sung Psal. 100. without reading the Line next he read and expounded a Chapter in the Old Testament in the Morning and in the New Testament in the Afternoon He looked upon the Publick reading of the Scriptures in Religious Assemblies to be an Ordinance of God and that 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 Expounding of it is like the spreading out of that Net which makes it the more likely to catch Fish especially as he managed it with Practical profitable Observations Some that have heard him read a Chapter with this thought how will he make such a Chapter as this useful to us have been surprized with such pertinent useful Instructions as they have owned to be as much for their Edification as any Sermon And commonly when he had Expounded a Chapter he would desire them when they came home to read it over and recollect some of those things that had been spoken to them out of it In his Expounding of the Old Testament he industriously sought for something in it concerning Christ who is the true Treasure hid in the Field the true Manna hid in the Dew of the Old Testament Take one Instance The last Sabbath that ever he spent with his Children at Chester in the publick Morning Worship he Read and Expounded the last Chapter of the Book of Iob After he had gone through the Chapter and observed what he thought fit out of it he expressed himself to this purpose When I have read a Chapter in the Old Testament I use to enquire what there is in it that points at Christ or is any way applicable to Christ Here is in this Chapter a great deal of Job But is there nothing of Christ here Yes you have heard of the Patience of Job and have in him seen the end of the Lord. This in Job is applicable to Christ that after he had patiently gone through his Sufferings he was appointed an Intercessor for his unkind Friends V. 8. Go to my Servant Iob and my Servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept If any one hath an Errand to God let him go to Iesus Christ and put it into his hand for there is no acceptance to be hoped for with God but by him who is his beloved Son not only with whom he is well pleased but in whom viz. with us in
in Israel And there were those who said He was a Man that no Body did or could speak evil of except for his Nonconformity He was us'd to say to his Relations when I am dead make little a do about me a few will serve to bring me to my Grave but his mind could not be observed in that 't was impossible such a burning and shining light could be extinguished but there must be a Universal Notice taken of it Multitudes came unsought unto not to fill their Eyes as Mr. Vines expresseth it 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 in Mr. Henry's Meeting place by his dear and worthy Friend Mr. Tallents of Shrewsbury who was eleven Years elder than he and through God's goodness still survives him He was willing to take that opportunity to testifie the great Love and Honour that he had for Mr. Henry whom he call'd a Friend that is nearer than a Brother His Text was Rom 8. 23. And not only they but our selves also which have the first Fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our Body In his Application he shew'd excellently and with much affection how the consideration of the Spirit and Life of this Eminent Servant of God would greatly lead us to believe 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 honourable Testimony born to him From a long acquaintance with him he witnessed concerning him to those who knew his Record to be true that he was humble and meek kind and peaceable wise and charitable and one in whom the Fruits of the Spirit were eminently That he was a Friend and a Counsellor and a Father to many that his Expounding and Preaching was plain and pleasant warm and savory full and such as few could reach and greatly blessed by God and that in it he labour'd more abundantly than any And after a great encomium of him it was excellently observed and must be mentioned here as that which was highly agreeable to Mr. Henry's Spirit and his Expressions upon all occasions That it was not his own Righteousness that saved him nor his own strength that quickned and upheld him but Christ's Righteousness and Christ's Strength for to him to live was Christ And in all his Discourses Sermons and Letters he was very careful to ascribe the Honour of all to Christ and to make Christ his All in-all He concluded with some words of seasonable Advice to those of that Society and Neighbourhood 1. Give 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 remembred 2. Rejoyce in the Glory that he now enjoys weep not for him but weep for your selves 'T was the Text on which he Preached not much above a Year ago at the Funeral of that intelligent holy useful Man Mr. William Lawrence of Wem The Primitive Christians buried their Saints with Hymns and Psalms of Joy Chrysostom on the Hebrews saith we are to glorifie God and give thanks to him that he hath Crown'd the Deceased and freed them from their Labours and chides those that Mourn'd and Howl'd And the Days of their Death were called Natalitia Martyrum Sanctorum the Birth-days of the Saints and Martyrs And Hierom in his Epitaph on Holy Paula and in the Lives of other Holy Persons writ by him saith that at her Funeral no Shreeks were heard but multitudes of Psalms and Hymns were sung in divers languages 3. Bewail the Loss the general Loss and yours in particular yet so as to have Hope in God I need not tell you how great your loss is you teel it more than I am able to express If any rejoyce that he is gone because he tormented them say as the Church Mic. 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 your selves that now the Shepherd is smitten the Sheep may not be scattered Pray to God to raise up others like him and graciously to give you one 5. Take heed of liking no Preacher now he is gone This a usual Fault among many that have had excellent Preachers no Body 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 committed 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 busie Hearts will be apt to betray you but go on humbly and honestly in the strength of Christ and fear not Be not like those Jews that turned aside when Iohn Baptist was dead Iohn 5. 35. The Lord keep you from being such and give you to go on so his Heavenly Kingdom It would have swelled this Book too much if we had inserted the Sermon at large and therefore we forbear it The next day being Lord's day Mr. Owen of Oswestry Preached a most excellent Sermon in the Morning agreeable to that sad occasion upon that pathetical Farewel which Elisha gave to Elijah 2 Kings 2. 12. My Father my Father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsemen thereof and he saw him no more and he took hold of his own Cloths and rent them He observed 1. That faithful Ministers are the Fathers of a People and their Chariots 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 Horsemen 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 finished they are removed 3. When God takes away our Fathers the Chariots of our Israel and the Horsemen thereof it is a proper Season for Mourning and Lamentation Under