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Matthew
Henry
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QUOTE: Wilful murderers must be put
to death. This is the sin which is here designed to be restrained by the terror
of punishment (1.) God will punish murderers: At the hand of every man's
brother will I require the life of man, that is, "I will avenge the
blood of the murdered upon the murderer." 2 Chronicles 24:22. When God requires the
life of a man at the hand of him that took it away unjustly, the murderer
cannot render that, and therefore must render his own in lieu of it, which is
the only way left of making restitution. Note, The righteous God will certainly
make inquisition for blood, though men cannot or do not. One time or other, in
this world or in the next, he will both discover concealed murders, which are
hidden from man's eye, and punish avowed and justified murders, which are too
great for man's hand. (2.) The magistrate must punish murderers (Genesis 9:6): Whoso sheddeth man's blood,
whether upon a sudden provocation or having premeditated it (for rash anger is
heart-murder as well as malice prepense, Matthew 5:21,22), by man shall his blood be
shed, that is, by the magistrate, or whoever is appointed or allowed to be
the avenger of blood. There are those who are ministers of God for this
purpose, to be a protection to the innocent, by being a terror to the malicious
and evildoers, and they must not bear the sword in vain, Romans 13:4. Before the flood, as it should seem
by the story of Cain, God took the punishment of murder into his own hands; but
now he committed this judgment to men, to masters of families at first, and
afterwards to the heads of countries, who ought to be faithful to the trust
reposed in them. Note, Wilful murder ought always to be punished with death. It
is a sin which the Lord would not pardon in a prince (2 Kings 24:3,4), and which therefore a prince
should not pardon in a subject. To this law there is a reason annexed: For
in the image of God made he man at first. Man is a creature dear to his
Creator, and therefore ought to be so to us. God put honour upon him, let not
us then put contempt upon him. Such remains of God's image are still even upon
fallen man as that he who unjustly kills a man defaces the image of God and
does dishonour to him. When God allowed men to kill their beasts, yet he
forbade them to kill their slaves; for these are of a much more noble and
excellent nature, not only God's creatures, but his image, James 3:9. All men have something of the image of
God upon them; but magistrates have, besides, the image of his power, and the
saints the image of his holiness, and therefore those who shed the blood of
princes or saints incur a double guilt. [Matthew
Henry’s commentary on Genesis 9 verse 6]
AUTHOR: Matthew Henry (18 October 1662 – 22 June 1714) was an English
commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian minister. He was born at Broad Oak,a
farmhouse on the borders of Flintshire and Shropshire. His father, Philip
Henry, had just been ejected under the Act of Uniformity 1662. Unlike most of
his fellow-sufferers, Philip possessed some private means, and was thus able to
give his son a good education. Matthew went first to a school at Islington, and
then to Gray's Inn. He soon gave up his legal studies for theology, and in 1687
became minister of a Presbyterian congregation at Chester. He moved again in
1712 to Mare Street, Hackney. Two years later (22 June 1714), he died suddenly
of apoplexy at the Queen's Aid House (41 High Street) in Nantwich while on a
journey from Chester to London.
Matthew Henry's
well-known six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708–1710)
or Complete Commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of
the Bible. covering the whole of the Old Testament, and the Gospels and Acts in
the New Testament. After the author's death, the work was finished (Romans
through Revelation) by thirteen other nonconformist ministers, partly based
upon notes taken by Henry's hearers, and edited by George Burder and John
Hughes in 1811.
Henry's commentaries
are primarily exegetical, dealing with the scripture text as presented, with
his prime intention being explanation, for practical and devotional purposes.
While not being a work of textual research, for which Henry recommended Matthew
Poole's Synopsis Criticorum, Henry's Exposition gives the result
of a critical account of the original as of his time, with practical
application. It was considered sensible and stylish, a commentary for
devotional purposes.
Famous
evangelical Protestant preachers such as George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon
used and heartily commended the work, with Whitefield reading it through four
times - the last time on his knees. Spurgeon stated, "Every minister ought
to read it entirely and carefully through once at least."
Henry's Miscellaneous
Writings, including a Life of Mr. Philip Henry, The Communicant's Companion,
Directions for Daily Communion with God, A Method for Prayer, A Scriptural
Catechism, and numerous sermons, the life of his father, tracts, and biography
of eminent Christians, together with the sermon on the author's death by
William Tong were edited in 1809; and in 1830 a new edition included sermons
not previously included and Philip Henry's "What Christ is made to
believers". The collection was issued several times by different
publishers.
Several abbreviated
editions of the Commentary were published in the twentieth century; more
recently the Christian linguist and author of reference books, Martin H.
Manser, edited a version in modern English: The New Matthew Henry Commentary:
The Classic Work with Updated Language (Zondervan 2010).
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