Matthew Henry

The commentaries of Matthew Henry have had a great influence on the reformed church throughout its history. One nineteenth century minister in Scotland tells of the influence of the Puritan writer upon his own flock. He tells of a farmer in his congregation who was a humble peasant, had low wages, and many mouths to feed. But his knowledge of the Scriptures was wonderful and deep; the minister commented that the farmer got this by reading the Bible and the commentary of Matthew Henry. The farmer had inherited the commentaries from his grandfather and they were his prized possession and "the feeder of his soul". The farmer once remarked, "I would not give one chapter of comment of Matthew Henry for all the new books put together." He read his Bible thoroughly and he had, up to that point, read Matthew Henry's commentaries ten times!

No matter how much preparation I put into a sermon, I always consult Matthew Henry. He may not have all the deep exegetical insights that we want to put in our sermons, but he, better than most, gets at the heart of the meaning of the text. I encourage you, my congregation, to pick up these commentaries and feed your soul.