MHCC 1: First Day

Having undertaken, with the encouragement, support and fellow-participation of many saints, to read through Matthew Henry's Commentary in a year or more, by the grace of God, I can report on my observations after day one.

To begin with, I read the prefaces of each of the original volumes, written by Matthew Henry and his continuators. They are very much worth reading as they shed light on Henry's aims for himself and the reader, as well as his method, sources and inspiration; provide an overview of the Bible and it's importance in the life of a Christian;

We ought to know them [the Scriptures] as the physician does his dispensatory, the lawyer his books of reports, and the sailor his chart and compass; that is, to know how to make use of them in that to which we apply ourselves as our business in this world, which is to serve God here and enjoy him hereafter, and both in Christ the Mediator.

and discuss interesting points such as the nature of prophecy and the authenticity of the Sibylline Oracles and Clementine Constitutions.

Then I read Genesis 1 and 2, mindful that the Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge is not designed to supplant, but supplement, the Scriptures. The whole point of spending time in this magnum opus of Henry is to enrich our understanding of God's own Word. One can see in Henry's masterpiece that his own thought is permeated with the whole breadth of Scripture, as he brings other passages to bear in the illumination the text at hand, all of them pointing us to the Triune God in all his offices and relations to mankind and the church.

The rich descriptions of Paradise; the universal obligations and rich blessings pertaining to the ordinances instituted there, such as marriage and the Sabbath; the beauty and perfection of God's creation, as well as the Creator himself; -- all of these are told with Henry's customary elegance, and spiritual insight.

Henry is known for his memorable description of the poetic significance of Eve's creation from Adam's rib (Gen. 2.21-25):

4. That the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.

which he borrowed from Henry Smith, A Preparative to Marriage, p. 8:

To honour marriage more yet, or rather to teach the married how to honour one another, it is said that the wife was made of the husband's rib, Gen. ii.22; not of his head, for Paul calleth the husband the wife's head, Ephes. v. 23; not of the foot, for he must not set her at his foot. The servant is appointed to serve, and the wife to help. If she must not match with the head, nor stoop at the foot, where shall he set her then? He must set her at his heart, therefore she which should lie in his bosom was made in his bosom, and should be as close to him as his rib, of which she was fashioned.

I am a little surprised at the number of typos that I find in Henry's Commentary. I am using the complete and unabridged one-volume Hendrickson edition, which corresponds to the online edition at Christian Classics Ethereal Library. I suppose that such typos have been reproduced over time, and it is not difficult to ascertain their correct meaning; I note them, but they ought not to distract from the flow of rich spiritual counsel.

For those who may be discouraged by the length of his discourse on each chapter, not to fear, take your time. It is better to have read Henry slowly, then never to have read him at all. For those who have not taken up the Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge, consider whether it might be to your profit, and if so inclined, Tolle lege! Take up and read!