APPENDIX, No. II. The Will of the Rev. Philip Henry, transcribed from an original, (supposed to be a counterpart,) among his Title Deeds, and in his own hand-writing. IN the name of God; Amen! I, Philip Henry, of Broad Oak, in the County of Flint, an unworthy minister of Jesus Christ, having attained, this day, to the sixty-fourth year of my age, in bodily health; God, be praised!-but, sensible of the decays of nature, and desirous to be found ready, when death comes, that I may have nothing else to do but to die, do, with my own hand, make this my last will and testament, in the usual manner and form following. First, I recommend my soul into the hands of God, my heavenly Father, trusting only to the merit and mediation of Jesus Christ my Lord, whose I am, and whom I serve, for acceptation and salvation; my body to the earth, whence it was taken, to be laid up there, as in a bed of rest, to sleep in Jesus, till the last trump shall sound; my wife and children to the divine blessing and providence, together with all my children's children, to be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and, out of the worldly estate, which God hath given me, I give and bequeath to each of my four daughters, Mr. Poole's English Annotations upon the Bible, in two volumes, of the last and best edition that shall be to be had at the time of my decease, together with Mr. Barton's last and best Translation of the Singing Psalms, one to each of them, requiring and requesting them to make daily use of the same for the instruction, edification, and comfort of themselves, and of their families; and, to each of all their children, that shall be alive when I die, I bequeath a well-bound English Bible, together with an English Practical Divinity Book, in quarto, out of my books, such as their fathers shall please to choose for them, praying that the word of Christ may dwell richly in them, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. To my son Matthew I give and bequeath all my books and papers, except what is otherwise by this my will given, and except what my dear wife will please to have for her own use, and except the four following, of which I give one to each of my four daughters, according as in seniority they shall choose; viz. the Sermons upon the Parable of the Prodigal; The Baptismal Covenant Explained; The Four-and-Twenty Good and the Fourand-Twenty Naughty Spirits; and, What Christ is made of God to True Believers, in Forty Particulars; each to be transcribed by them, in their own hand, if they have leisure, and see cause; however, to be transcribed into their hearts and lives. To my dear daughter-in-law, and to each of my dear sons-in-law, I give twenty shillings to buy each of them a ring, or what else they please, as a small remaining token of my great love to them, beseeching the Lord, as he hath begun, so to go on to build them up into families, but especially to build them up in holiness and comfort, and to continue them still in brotherly love, as a bundle of arrows which cannot be broken. To each of my servants living with me at the time of my death, that can read, I give a good book, or to each of them five shillings to buy one, at my dear wife's discretion. To each of my three dear sisters, I give and bequeath as followeth ;-To my dear sister, Ann Henry, I give a gold ring, with this posy, Thy brother shall rise again, John, xi. 23. And, to my other two sisters, Mary Dyer, widow, and Sarah Wade, I give and bequeath the profits of my small tenement in Iscoyd, called Kaywilkin, which I purchased lately of John Probart, to be divided equally between them, when taxes and repairs are first discharged and allowed for, so long as they both shall live; and, when either of them dies, then the whole to the survivor, during her natural life, to be paid quarterly; the first payment to commence from the quarter's end from the time of my death. And, from and after their decease, and the decease of the longest liver of them, I give and bequeath the inheritance of the said tenement, with its appurtenances, and all my estate and interest therein, and all my right and title thereunto to my dear wife, to be disposed of by her to such of my dear children, or to such of their children, as she shall think, in her discretion, to have most need of the same, whether by will, deed, or otherwise, as soon as she shall please, after my decease, and not deferring the making of the said settlement till my said sister's decease. And, lastly, my will is, that all my just debts, and funeral expences, being first discharged, the remainder of all my goods, cattle, and chattels, whatsoever, shall be to my dear wife, to whom, accordingly, I do give and bequeath them, acknowledging her past, and relying upon her future faithfulness to me in all things; and I do nominate and appoint her, my said dear wife, Katharine Henry, to be the sole executrix. Witness my hand and seal, this twenty-fourth day of August, 1695, being the day of the year in which I was born, 1631, and also the day of the year in which, by law, I died, as did also near two thousand other faithful ministers of Jesus Christ, 1662. Declared and published, &c. PHILIP HENRY, L. S. APPENDIX, No. III. THE title of the volume referred to is thus expressed :--- Musarum Oxoniensium 'Exatopopía, sive, ob foedera auspiciis Serenissimi Oliveri Reipub. Ang. Scot. 'et Hiber. Domini Protectoris inter Rempub. Britannicam et Ordines Foederatos Belgii feliciter stabilita, Gentis togatæ ad vada Isidis Celeusma Metricum. Oxoniæ excudebat Leonardus Lichfield, Academiæ, Typographus: 1654. Mr. Henry's Latin verses, transcribed from the volume abovementioned, are as follows: Noli timere Musa! Quid trepido pede Scazontis instar claudicas? I, pende ventis carbasa et totos sinus; Nulli tumultus, nullus hostium furor, Se somniare putat, et haud credit sibi, Ne forte fallax error aut evanidæ Felicitatis umbra sit; Gemmas, Smaragdos, orbis alterius opes, Nunc ultro securus petit, Et post tot annorum otia, laboris sui Majora sperat præmia, Sperat, coloni more Messem duplicem Post sic peractas ferias. Toto Britannos orbe divisos adhuc Tandem coire vidimus, Terrasque pelago separatas arctior Compensat animorum unis; Et quam negant Terra, juncturam facit Melior Amoris Copula, Bellique lites nuperi (bono omine) Pacis redintegratio est. Philip Henry, A. M. ex Æde Christi. p. 22. APPENDIX, No. IV. THE following more minute account of the solemn service will not be uninteresting, especially as it is transcribed from Mr. Henry's own hand-writing; and contains, no doubt, an accurate statement of all that took place : 1657, July 6. I made addresses to the presbytery in Shropshire for ordination. They met at Prees. There were present Mr. Porter, President; Mr. Houghton, Mr. Parsons, Mr. Binney, Mr. Steel. Inquiry was made:-1. Concerning the work of grace upon my heart. Whereunto I replied, the Spirit had been dealing with me while I was very young, not only in the publick ministry, but by the private instructions of a godly mother also; and, I hoped, had convinced me of my sin, and discovered to me my need of Christ; and bowed my will, in some measure, to close with him, upon his own terms, in sincerity, unfeignedly; and, that, having taken him to be mine, I had also resigned myself up to him to be his, to be guided and governed by him; and resolved, by his grace, to continue in his ways unto the death. 2. Concerning my skill in the original languages of the scripture; -for the Hebrew, I read and construed Psalm, ii. 1, 2; for the Greek, I read and construed Luke, xvi. 1, 2. 3. For logick, I was asked,-Quotuplex est syllogismus? I answered,- Vel categoricus vel hypotheticus. Item, probabilis vel demonstrativus. Quae sunt leges legitimi syllogismi? Resp. Nihil concluditur nisi altero propositio sit universalis, &c. 4. For philosophy;-Quid est elementum? Resp. Est substantia pura (potius est corpus simplex) ex quâ omnia, fiunt. (I should have added, et in quam ultimo resolvuntur.) An sit eadem materia cæli et terra? Resp. Non materia, cœli est incorruptib. Err. An detur elementum ignis? Imo. Ubi? Sub concavo lunæ, ut probas quid e elem. levissem, &c. &c. &c. 5. What authors in divinity I had read. Answer. Something in Wollebius, Amesius, Calvin. Question. What are the parts of Christ's Mediatorship? Answer. Teaches his church. Question. Immediately? Answer. No. By his Špirit, in his word. Question. What are the parts of his priestly office? Answer. Two; his death, and his intercession. 6. What was my judgment in reference to infant baptism?— Question. Ought any children to be baptized? Answer. I believe they ought; and I am clear in it. 7. What, in reference to the controversy between presbyterian and independent? Answer was made for me;-If I had not approved of the presbyterian way, I would not have come thither. I replied,-In most things, according to my present light, I did, but I had not had opportunity to search to the bottom of the controversy. 8. The place of scripture proposed was, 1 Corinthians, x. 26, 28. Question. How came the same words of the psalmist to be a reason why they should eat, and why they should not? Answer. In a different sense:-1. You may eat; for, the earth is the Lord's. q. d. Every creature of God is good, if received with thanksgiving by them that know the truth. 2. If your brother be offended, you may forbear; for the earth, &c. q. d. there are other things enough which you may eat freely of without offence. 9. This case of conscience was propounded ; Suppose one should come to you, and make complaint of his condition," Oh, Sir, I am undone; it is to no purpose for me to wait upon the means of grace; I am a reprobate; and, if a reprobate, there is no salvation!" Answer. I would deny his minor, and endeavour to show him, that, though a man may know his own election, yet he cannot his reprobation. Objection. Suppose he should reply, "I have the mark of a reprobate, much guilt, a hard heart, a seared conscience.' Answer. I would endeavour to convince him, there is nothing that befalls a reprobate but may befall one that is elect, before conversion, except the guilt of the sin against the Holy Ghost. 10. Concerning church-history, I was only asked, whether I had read Eusebius, &c. I answered, I had read some of him, but not all over. These were the occurrences of that day's meeting. They gave me a query to provide a thesis upon against the next meeting. Query. An providentia divina extendat se ad omnia? Aff. There were examined, the same day, Mr. Hall, of Newcastle, in Staffordshire, and Mr. Jones, of Llanarmon, in Denbighshire. The Lord prosper all my undertakings that are according to his will! |