“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). [1]
In Henry’s preface to volume one, he articulated six “great and sacred principles” that governed his commentary on Holy Scripture.[2] Becoming familiar with Henry’s guiding assumptions is helpful for at least two reasons: (1) - They instruct us concerning the heart and mind of the commentator. These principles highlight what Henry believed to be true about God, man, and a theology of revelation. Thus, they aid in reading Henry’s commentary in its appropriate theological context. (2) - Henry’s six principles summarize a consistent, biblical approach to reading, teaching, and understanding God’s Word. Therefore, they assist in helping readers to develop and mature proper biblical assumptions about reading Scripture.
Henry’s first great and sacred principle:
"That religion is the one thing useful; and to know, and love, and fear God our Maker, and in all the instances both of devout affection, and of good conversation, to keep his commandments, (Eccles. 12:13) is, without doubt, the whole of man; it is all in all to him. This the wisest of men, after a close and copious argument in his Ecclesiastes, lays down as the conclusion of his whole matter (the Quod erat demonstrandum of his whole discourse); and therefore I may be allowed to lay it down as a postulatum, and the foundation of this whole matter. It is necessary to mankind in general, that there should be religion in the world, absolutely necessary for the preservation of the honour of the human nature, and no less so for the preservation of the order of human societies. It is necessary to each of us in particular, that we be religious; we cannot otherwise answer the end of our creation, obtain the favour of our Creator, make ourselves easy now, or happy for ever. A man that is endued with the powers of reason, by which he is capable of knowing, serving, glorifying, and enjoying his Maker, and yet lives without God in the world, is certainly the most despicable and the most miserable animal under the sun." [3]
Beautifully, Henry connected the importance of religion with man’s ultimate purpose. Although he spent no time defending his claim, it was nevertheless an assumption that drove his motivation to comment on the whole of Scripture. Thus, Henry’s concluding statement is one deserving of meditation. If this first principle is true, there exists a certain gravity that only revelation can alleviate. The purpose of Henry’s commentary was to expound the written revelation of God that speaks to how the “most despicable and miserable animal under the sun” may be redeemed.
I'll conclude by quoting the Westminster Confession of Faith (1.1) in order to put what Henry was saying in an appropriate confessional context:
"Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing: which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased."[4]
Stay tuned for the remaining five “great and sacred principles” to come soon!
Footnotes:
[1] - All Scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB95) unless otherwise noted.
[2] - Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged. Peabody, Mass., Hendrickson Publishers, 1991. Ix.
[3] - Ibid.
[4] - You can read chapter one of the Westminster Confession of Faith in its entirety here: https://opc.org/wcf.html#Chapter_01
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