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

4. He would also recommend to young People the practise of Writing Sermons. He himself did it not only when he was young, but continued it constantly till within a few Years before he Dyed, when the decay of his Sight obliging him to the use of Spectacles, made Writing not so ready to him as it had been. He never wrote Short-hand, but had an excellent Art of ⟨p. 12⟩taking the Substance of a Sermon in a very plain and legible hand, and with a great deal of ease. And the Sermons he wrote he kept by him, in such Method and Order, that by the help of Indexes, which he made to them, he could readily turn to almost any Sermon that ever he heard, where he noted the Preacher, Place, and Time; and this he called Hearing for the Time to come. He recommended this Practise to others, as a means to engage their Attention in Hearing, and to prevent drowsiness, and to help their Memories after Hearing, when they come either to meditate upon what they have heard themselves, or to Communicate it to others; and many have had reason to bless God for his Advice and Instructions herein: He would advise People sometimes to look over the Sermon-Notes that they had written, as a ready way to revive the good Impressions of the Truths they had heard, and would blame those who made waste Paper of them; for (saith he) the day is coming when you will either thank God for them, or heartily wish you had never written them.

4. He would also recommend to young People the practise of Writing Sermons. He himself did it not only when he was young, but continued it constantly till within a few Years before he Dyed, when the decay of his Sight obliging him to the use of Spectacles, made Writing not so ready to him as it had been. He never wrote Short-hand, but had an excellent Art of ⟨p. 12⟩taking the Substance of a Sermon in a very plain and legible hand, and with a great deal of ease. And the Sermons he wrote he kept by him, in such Method and Order, that by the help of Indexes, which he made to them, he could readily turn to almost any Sermon that ever he heard, where he noted the Preacher, Place, and Time; and this he call'd Hearing for the Time to come. He recommended this Practise to others, as a means to engage their Attention in Hearing, and to prevent drowsiness, and to help their Memories after Hearing, when they come either to meditate upon what they have heard themselves, or to Communicate it to others; and many have had reason to bless God for his Advice and Instructions herein: He would advise People sometimes to look over the Sermon-Notes that they had written, as a ready way to revive the good Impressions of the Truths they had heard, and would blame those who made waste Paper of them; for (saith he) the day is coming when you will either thank God for them, or heartily wish you had never written them.