"Matthew Henry was born at Broad Oaks, Shropshire, England, on October 18, 1662....[he] was physically weak, but it was not long before his strength of intellect and character made themselves known. At the age of three, he was reading the Bible; by the time he was nine, he was competent in Latin and Greek. He spent his first eighteen years being tutored at home, in an atmosphere that was joyfully and lovingly Christian.
"He loved to hear his father preach. A sermon on Psalm 51:17 first awakened in young Matthew a desire to know the Lord personally. He was only ten years old at the time, but the impression was lasting. When he was thirteen, Matthew wrote an amazingly mature analysis of his own spiritual condition, a document that reads like an ordinary paper. Often, after hearing his father preach, Matthew would hurry to his room and pray that God would seal the Word and the spiritual impressions made to his heart so that he might not lose them. God answered those youthful prayers."
(From 10 People Every Christian should Know by Warren W. Wiersbe)
How precious it is to take a quick glimpse into the young life of this man who few Christians don't at least know by name. How many of us have his great Commentary on our shelves and many of us actually use it. There is little of the usual controversy about denomination and difficult passages that are often argued over. This is a commentary we can all benefit from, it is so devotional and practical. And written by a man who came to know the Savior young, and never went astray from that faith. This, dear ones, is a Christian hero. This friends, is the kind of story we would want our children to have, though it is far more difficult now than it was in Matthew Henry's day. But we can do our best.
Lovingly,
Nanna Maxine
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