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 Moses's, a 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 amiable, to all who conversed with him; viz. that he had the most sweet and obliging air of courtesy and civility that could be; which some attributed in part to his early education at court. His mien and carriage were always so very decent and respectful, that it could not but win the hearts of all he had to do with. Never was any man further from that rudeness and moroseness which some scholars, and too many that profess religion, either wilfully affect, or carelessly allow themselves in, 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 honour all men. Sanctified civility is a great ornament to Christianity. It was a saying he often used,-Religion doth not destroy good manners; [it destroys not civility but sanctifies it; ] and yet he was very far from any thing of vanity in apparcel, or formality of compliment in address; but his conversation was all natural and easy to himself and others, and nothing appeared in him, which even a severe critic could justly call affected. This temper of his tended very much to the adorning of the doctrine of God our Saviour; and the general transcript of such an excellent copy, would do much towards the healing of those wounds which religion hath received, in the house of her friends, by the contrary. But to return to his story.

The first Latin school he went to was at St. Martin's church, under the teaching of one Mr. Bonner. Afterwards he was removed to Battersey, where one Mr. Wells was his schoolmaster. The grateful mention which in some of his papers he makes of these that were the guides and instructors of his childhood and youth, brings to mind that French proverb to this purpose," To father, teacher, and God all-sufficient, none can render equivalent."

x Lucretius.

y P. Henry. Orig. MS.

z Who was very loving to me, and took pains with me. P. Henry. Orig. MS.

a Where I tabled at one Mr. Heyborn's by the water-side, and went to school to one Mr. Wells. P. Henry. Orig. MS.

b Died April 6, 1695, æt. 89. See Chalmers's Biog. Dict. v. 7. p. 436, &c. And Mattaire's Ep. at the end of the Preface in Vit. Joh. Barwick, S. S. P. ed. 1721. In the same volume is preserved an

But in the year 1643, when he was about twelve years old, he was admitted into Westminster School, in the fourth forın, under Mr. Thomas Vincent, then usher, whom he would often speak of as a most able, diligent schoolmaster; and one who grieved so much at the dulness and non-proficiency of any of his scholars, that falling into a consumption, I have heard Mr. Henry say of him,-That he even killed himself with false Latin.

A while after he was taken into the upper school, under Mr. Richard Busby, afterwards Dr. Busby;' b and in October, 1645, 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 admiration. [Nor was there any part of his life which he did more frequently speak of with pleasure than the years he spent at Westminster School. ] When he was in years, he would readily in discourse quote passages out of the classic authors that were not common, and had them ad unguem, and yet 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 Greek 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 universitylearning, not to forget their school-authors.

Here, and before, his usual recreation at vacant times was, either reading the printed accounts of public occurrences, or attending the courts at Westminster Hall, to hear the trials and arguments there, which I have heard him say, he hath often done to the loss of his dinner, and oftener of his play.

But paulo majora canamus.-Soon after those unhappy wars begun, there was a daily morning lecture set up at the abbey-church, between six and eight of the clock, and preached by seven worthy members of the assembly of divines in course, viz. Mr. Marshal, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Herl, Dr. Staunton, Mr. Nye, Mr. Whitaker, and Mr. Hill. 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, not abating any thing of his school-exercise, in which he kept pace with the rest; but only dispensing with his absence for that hour. 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 a

d

anecdote at once descriptive of the Doctor's exemplary temperance and the sad effeets of prejudice. p. 233. c Life. Orig. MS. ut supra.

d Thomas Case. P. Henry. Orig. MS. Thomas Case, M. A. died May 30, 1682, æt 84. See the Noncon. Mem. v. 1. p. 153. ed. 1802.

He preached a lecture at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields every Thursday, which he kept up above twenty years. Fun. Serm. by Thomas Jacomb. D. D. p. 41. 4to. 1682.

lecture at St. Martin's. On the Lord's day he sat under the powerful ministry of Mr. Stephen Marshal; in the morning at New-chapel, in the afternoon at St. Margaret's Westminster, which was their parish church. In the former place Mr. Marshal preached long from Phil. ii. 5, 6, &c.; in the latter from John viii. 36. of our freedom by Christ. This minister, and this ministry, he would, to his last, 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. I have heard him speak of it, as the saying of some wise men at that time,―That if all the Presbyterians had been like Mr. Stephen Marshal, and all the Independents like Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs, and all the Episcopal men like Archbishop Usher, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed. He also attended constantly upon the monthly fasts at St. Margaret's, where the best and ablest ministers of England preached before the then 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 evening. [He likewise frequented extraordinary fasts and thanksgivings. Here he used to sit always upon the pulpit stairs, and] it was his constant practice, from eleven or twelve years old, to write, as he could, all the sermons he heard, which he kept very carefully, transcribed many of them fair over after, and, notwithstanding his many removes, they are yet forthcoming.

h

k

At these monthly fasts, he himself hath recorded it, he had often sweet meltings of soul in prayer, and confession of sin, (particularly once with special | remark, when Mr. William Bridge, of Yarmouth, prayed,) and many warm and lively truths came home to his heart, and he daily increased in that wisdom and knowledge which is to salvation. Read his reflections upon this, which he wrote many years after. "If ever any child," saith he, " 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 as the dew, and dropt as the rain. I loved it, and loved the messengers of it; their very feet were beautiful to me. And, Lord, what a mercy was it, that, at a time when the poor countries were laid waste; when the noise of drums and trumpets, and the clattering of arms, was heard there, and the ways to Sion mourned, that then my lot should be where there was peace

e Mr. Baxter used to say so. Neal's History of the Puritans, v. 3. p. 349. ed. 1795.

f Nat. A. D. 1559. ob. Nov. 14, 1646. Lives of the Puritans, v. 3. p. 18.

and quietness, where the voice of the turtle was heard, and there was great plenty of gospel opportunities! Bless the Lord, O my soul! As long as I live I will bless the Lord. I will praise my God while I have my being. Had it been only the restraint 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 prevailed, through grace, effectually to bring me to God, how much am I indebted! And what shall I render ?” Thus you see how the dews of heaven softened his heart by degrees.—From these early experiences of his own,

1. He would blame those who laid so much stress on people 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 the other, I know not concerning it, but,―This one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see, John ix. 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 xviii. 12. and it is said of him, verse 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. ii. 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, Eccles. xii. 1. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth; or, as in the original, “ the days of thy choice,"-thy choice days, and thy choosing days.

i Life. Orig. MS. ut supra.

k See the Noncon. Meni. v. 3. p. 19. He died Mar. 12, 1670. æt. 70.

1 Remember the olde proverbe, young saints, old devils; which

h P. Henry. Orig. MS.

may say thus,-Young devill, old devill; Young saints, old saints. Sermons by Bishop Latimer, p. 171. 4to. 1607.

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. xi. 30. My yoke is easy; and, after many things insisted upon, to prove the yoke of Christ an easy yoke, he at last appealed to the experience 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 wisdom's ways pleasantness; and Christ's commandments not grievous ;—and, saith he, I will here witness for one, who, through grace, has, in some poor measure, been drawing in this yoke, now above thirty years, and I have found it an easy 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 public 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. xxix. 11. Ezra x. 1. Acts xxi. 5. If we lay our children by the pool-side, who knows but the Blessed Spirit may help them in, and heal them." He used to apply that scripture to this, Cant. i. 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 Shepherd's tents.

4. He would also recommend to young people the practice of writing sermons. He himself did it, not only when he was young, but continued it constantly till within a few years before he died, 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 case. And the sermons he wrote, he kept by him, in such method and order, that, by the help of indexes,

to any sermon that ever he heard, where he noted the preacher, place, and time; and this he called,Hearing for the time to come. He recommended this practice 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 instruction 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, called him his child, and would sometimes tell him he should be his heir; and there was no love lost betwixt them. P Dr. Busby was noted for 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 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 deserved it. For, being monitor of the chamber, and, according to the duty of his place, being sent out to seek one that played 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 reflection upon it afterwards, I wickedly did. Next morning, the truant coming under examination, and being asked whether he saw the monitor, said, Yes, he did; at which Dr. Busby was much surprised, and turned his eye upon the monitor, with this word, Kai ov réxvov; What thou, my son! and gave him correction, and appointed him

m P. Henry. Orig. MS. D See John v. 2-8.

o It hath been observed of many eminent men, that they have written but bad hands, and some think that is the meaning of Paul's Kos papμaon, Gal. vi. 11. "Ye see with what sort of letters (how ill made) I have written to you with my own hand." But if that be a rule, Mr. Henry was an exception from it. Life. Orig. MS. at supra. The same could not be said of the excellent commentator. Aware of it, in a letter to his friend, the Rev. S. Clark, he thus writes;-" I oft blame myself for writing carelessly, especially when my mind is intent." Chester, Dec. 4, 1700. Orig. MS

p Mr. John Ireland, the editor of Hogarth's works, numbered Mr. Henry among his ancestors. His mother, the daughter of the

Rev. Thomas Holland, of Wem, in Shropshire, was Mr. Henry's great-grand-daughter.

The first time Mr. Ireland was introduced to Dr. Johnson, he was stated to be a descendant of Mr. Philip Henry, on which that great man remarked, in his emphatic manner,-" Sir, you are descended from a man, whose genuine simplicity, and unaffected piety, would have done honour to any sect of Christians; and, as a scholar, he must have had uncommon acquirements, when Busby boasted of having been his tutor." Public Characters of 1800-1801. p. 339.

q One Nath. Bull, afterwards a Master of Paul's School. Life. Orig. MS. ut supra.

r The historian, narrating the murder of Julius Cæsar, records, that,-" with 3 and 20 wounds he was stabbed: dur