An account of the life and death of Mr. Philip Henry, minister of the…

He wrote the Notes of his Sermons pretty large for the most part, and always very legible; he wrote most of them twice over. But even when he had put his last Hand to them, he commonly left many imperfect Hints, which gave room for Enlargements in Preaching, wherein he had a very great Felicity. And he would often advise Ministers not to tie themselves too strictly to their Notes, but having well digested the Matter before, to allow themselves a liberty of Expression, such as a Man's Affections, if they be well raised, will be apt to furnish him with. But for this, no certain Rule can be given, there are diversities of Gifts, and each to profit withal.

He wrote the Notes of his Sermons pretty large for the most part, and always very legible; he wrote most of them twice over. But even when he had put his last Hand to them, he commonly left many imperfect Hints, which gave room for Enlargements in Preaching, wherein he had a very great Felicity. And he would often advise Ministers not to tye themselves too strictly to their Notes, but having well digested the Matter before, to allow themselves a liberty of Expression, such as a Man's Affections, if they be well rais'd, will be apt to furnish him with. But for this, no certain Rule can be given, there are diversities of Gifts, and each to profit withal.

He kept his Sermon-Notes in very neat and exact Order; Sermons in Course, according to the Order of the Subject▪ and occasional Sermons according to the Scripture-order of the Texts; so that he could readily turn to any of them. And yet, tho' afterwards he was removed to a place far enough distant from any of that Auditory, yet (though some have desired it) he seldom preached any of those hundreds of Sermons which he had preached at Worthenbury, no not when he preached never so privately, but to the last he studied new Sermons, and wrote them as elaborately as ever; for he thought a Sermon best preached, when it ⟨p. 69⟩was newly meditated: Nay, if sometimes he had occasion to preach upon the same Text, yet he would make and write the Sermons over; and he never offered that to God which cost him nothing.