Many Christians have read, used, or heard of Matthew Henry’s New and Old Testament Biblical Commentary. Many have seen his Commentary online and without much careful consideration never thought much of the man. 

Matthew Henry was born in a farmhouse in a border town between Wales and England. It was around the time of his birth that his father, Philip Henry, was ejected from the pastorate for not complying with the Act of Uniformity. During his childhood, his father, Philip, helped with his education, and at the age of 18, Henry’s father took him to study under the Presbyterian minister, Thomas Doolittle, who was taught by the Puritan minister Richard Baxter. Unfortunately, the place of his study was a nonconforming school and as a result, students were barred from entering Oxford and Cambridge. However, that did not dissuade him from studying, and he pursued further education in law and was admitted to the renowned Gray’s Inn in 1685, where Richard Sibbes once ministered. 

Henry returned to London in 1686 and began preaching in his father’s neighborhood and a year later Henry became the minister of the town of Chester (where he ministered for 25 years) and was privately ordained as a minister in London due to the Act of Uniformity. While in Chester, his preaching style gained the attention of many nonconformists and this resulted in his congregation growing to approximately 350 people. In 1687 he married Katherine Hardware, but in 1689 she died during childbirth. The following year he married Mary Warburton and they had nine children with three dying during childbirth. While Henry was living in Chester, his fame was growing and he was also busy holding monthly services in surrounding villages and preaching to prisoners in the castles.

In 1710, a church in Hackney, London, requested Henry to be their minister, and in the summer of 1711, Henry wrote down eleven reasons why it would be beneficial for him to go. A few of those reasons were he would have better access to printers and libraries. This made sense since he was working on his magnum opus, commentary on the entire Bible. The congregation was much smaller in Hackney with fewer than 100 people when Henry arrived. With such a small congregation he preached every day of the week, sometimes two or three times the same day. The spiritual state in London was in major decline which is what drove him to zealously preach the Gospel. 

During his time in Hackney, Henry became increasingly ill. He developed diabetes and repeated attacks of kidney stones. However, he still managed to find time to work on and developed his commentary which was published in the hands of many readers. While on a preaching tour, his horse threw him but denying injury he preached at Nantwich on Proverbs 31:18. The congregants noticed that he was not well and were concerned. After the sermon, it was noted that his demeanor was weak and lethargic, and soon he became unconscious and died due to a brain hemorrhage. Despite Matthew Henry’s many battles with health, governmental pressures, long hours of ministering, and working on his commentary, he was committed to the cause of Christ. One reading his biography on his life would notice his tenacity and demeanor, as he was not shy from any conflict, in fact, he was born into it. Henry was a man who constantly rose to the challenge, and sought ways to overcome it for the sake of Christ. 

The work of the commentary on the Bible that Henry began in 1704 to the time of his death in 1714, he only got as far as the Book of Acts. Thankfully, it was finished by several faithful ministers after his death. They used many of his sermons and notes to complete the work. 

Many historians note that the commentary is Puritan with a heavy emphasis on glorifying God in one’s whole life. Henry’s Biblical commentary has been widely used by many throughout the centuries, some of the more recognized names of preachers and hymn writers are George Whitefield, Charles Wesley, and John Ryland Sr.

It is unfortunate in today’s context many academics skip over Matthew Henry’s commentary. It is often considered “outdated” or not “technical” as more recent commentaries, but that Christians must not ignore the labors of this man. Henry’s work is extremely beneficial especially when it comes to practical applications and understanding of the Scriptures. Many scholars encourage Christians to not discredit Matthew Henry’s commentary, but to hold it in high regard and that his work should be counted among the ranks of Calvin for a commentary set. So, next time you see the option of a Matthew Henry Commentary option when reading your Bible online, consider inquiring what this famous, preacher, teacher, and expositor had to say about the text. 

John Bunyan is well recognized for his famous book Pilgrim’s Progress, but most do not know his life’s story was filled with many trials, he approached each challenge with courage grounded in his Savior, Jesus Christ. 

John Bunyan was born in Elstow, near Bedford, in 1628 and died in 1688 in London. During his childhood and youth, he rebelled against God by living for himself. In his biography Bunyan said, “that from a child I had but few equals, both for cursing, swearing, lying, and blaspheming the holy name of God.” As a teenager, he joined Oliver Cromwell’s army which further aided in his rebellion. While in the army, during a siege at Leicester, a fellow soldier relieved Bunyan of his post, and “as he stood sentinel he was shot in the head with a musket bullet and died.” This greatly shook Bunyan as he was faced with his own mortality. 

After being discharged from the army, Bunyan married a God-fearing woman, historians are unsure of her name. Through books and discussions with her, he became convicted of sin and started to reform his life through his own efforts. He started to go to church, stopped swearing (after being called out by a local woman), and honored the Sabbath. It was all surface level until he was impacted by John Gifford, his pastor in Bedford. Bunyan was baptized by immersion at the age of twenty-five and soon was appointed a deacon of Gifford’s church. In 1655, three years after being introduced to Gifford, Bunyan’s beloved pastor died, and as a result, Bunyan was preaching to various congregations in Bedford, and hundreds came to hear him. The church in Bedford was unique for its time because it practiced adult baptism by immersion and was an open-communion church, admitting those who were professing believers in Christ were able to participate in communion. Around 1656 Bunyan published his first book (Some Gospel Truths Opened), which established him as a Puritan, to protect people from being misled by the Quakers. It was around this time that his first wife died, and he remarried in 1659 to another godly woman, Elizabeth. 

Bunyan was a nonconformist, and in 1660 Bunyan was arrested for preaching without a license. Officials told Bunyan he would be freed if he no longer preached, to which he replied, “If I am freed today, I will preach tomorrow.” As a result, he spent the next twelve years in prison. His wife Elizabeth, was an advocate for her husband during his imprisonment (1660-1672). She pleaded for his release, but the judges rejected her request. Essentially, Bunyan remained in prison with no formal charge and no legal sentence for refusing to give up preaching the Gospel and denouncing the Church of England as false.

While in prison, Bunyan’s only literary resources were his Bible and Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. With those resources, he wrote around eleven books over the course of his twelve years of imprisonment. In 1672, when the law against nonconformist preaching was starting to relax, the church in Bedford appointed Bunyan as their pastor in January, while he was still in prison, though he was not released until May. Bunyan had a few years of reprieve before going back to prison for preaching. It was during his second imprisonment (1675-1677) that he wrote four books, one of which was his famous Pilgrim’s Progress. 

John Owen, another Puritan, who was close with the political elites, and thought very highly of Bunyan appealed for his release and was successful. Bunyan went back to preaching to his congregation and ministering to people through his writings and in the last three years of his life he wrote more than ten books. 

Even though he was a prolific writer, Bunyan was noted for having a pastor’s heart and regularly tended to his flock. His last act as a minister was successfully mediating a disagreement between a father and son. Unfortunately, he caught a cold while traveling in the cold weather from this meeting and soon died of a fever. At his deathbed, it is recorded that he said, “Weep not for me, but for yourselves. I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will, no doubt, through the mediation of his blessed Son, receive me, though a sinner; where I hope we ere long shall meet, to sing the new song, and remain everlastingly happy, world without end.” 

As we glean from the life and times of John Bunyan, we can see that he was a man who counted the cost and understood what it meant to follow his Savior. If it meant going to prison for the sake of the Gospel or caring for his congregants he would do so as Christ’s representative, making the most of the opportunity given to him. He did not count his trials as an opportunity to share the Gospel with others. If he could not preach to his congregation, he would write to them and others. It is said that John Owen would gladly exchange all his learning for Bunyan’s power of touching men’s hearts. To this day, Bunyan is still impacting people for the sake of the Gospel through his writings and exemplary life.

William Gurnall (1617-1679), was born at King’s Lynn, Norfolk about 100 miles from London. As a conformist, Gurnall is a controversial figure in Puritan history, he is well-known to readers of Puritan theology, but his personal details and history are scarce. There are three key overarching themes about Gurnall’s life, he was a Puritan of the seventeenth century, he was an Anglican Minister of Lavenham, and he wrote a well-known book of practical divinity “The Christian in Complete Armour.”

Gurnall’s place of birth, the town of Lynn, had deep roots in the doctrines of the Reformation. He excelled in school as he was educated at the free grammar school of his native town which resulted in him gaining a scholarship to study at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1635 and MA in 1639. However, these were not easy times his father died, who was at one time the mayor of Lynn, when Gurnall was only fifteen, around the same time he pursued formal education in 1631. Not much is known of his mother other than she probably remarried and he had respect for her and his step-father. 

At twenty-eight, Gurnall was appointed as curator and then rector of the Anglican Church at Lavenham, Suffolk, a town of about 1,800 inhabitants, and it was estimated that half of whom were his parishioners. At twenty-nine, he married a minister’s daughter, Sarah Mott, whom history says bore him at least fourteen children, eight survived him. Gurnall’s life was not easy as he spent it with poor health, political challenges, and the everyday challenges of being in the pastorate.

Gurnall lived through some unique times in England’s history: a civil war, the death of King Charles I, England under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, the death of Cromwell, and the restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II. One of the most controversial acts in Gurnall’s life was being in agreement with the Act of Uniformity and signing the declaration in 1662. When the likes of Baxter, Owen, Goodwin, Manton, Jenkins, and many other Puritans left the Church of England, Gurnall still stood his ground and was left behind creating a rift between the nonconformists and Gurnall. A book was even written against his decision to agree with the Act of Uniformity, published in 1665, entitled Covenant-Renouncers Desperate Apostates. 

His decision still did not endear him to the Church of England as he was fully Puritan in his doctrine, preaching, and practice which was seen in The Christian in Complete Armour. Unfortunately, for Gurnall this meant neither side of the Act of Uniformity liked him. Demonstrating that a “neutral position” is not a wise decision in seasons of division and controversy. His reputation amongst the Puritans consequently suffered and is probably the reason so little has been written about William Gurnall in the annals of church history.

William Gurnall died on October 12, 1679, at the age of sixty-three. The Christian in Complete Armour, his most famous work, consists of sermons or lectures delivered in a consecutive course on Ephesians 6:10-20. The fact that a sixth edition was published in the year the author died highlights its merits were recognized early. It is described as a “magazine whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with his armor, and taught the use of his weapon; together with the happy issue of the whole war. It is thus considered a classic on spiritual warfare.” Scholars have said, “the work is more practical than theological; and its quaint fancy, graphic and pointed style, and its fervent religious tone render it still popular with some readers.” 

Despite Gurnall’s decision to conform, he should not be despised but learned from. In times of trial it is important to never be neutral, but through times of contemplation and prayer come to a decision and walk confidently in that choice, and if one was wrong seek repentance from the Lord and others. Gurnall’s work should also not be discredited as he received praise for The Christian in Complete Armour from the likes of Richard Baxter, John Flavel, John Newton, and C.H. Spurgeon. Newton said that if he was confined to one book besides the Bible, he said Gurnall’s Christian Armour would be his choice. Spurgeon commented that Gurnall’s work is “peerless and priceless; every line full of wisdom. The book has been preached over scores of times and is, in our judgment, the best thought-breeder in all our library.”

“A pilot without his chart, a scholar without his book, and a soldier without his sword, are alike ridiculous. But, above all these, it is absurd for one to think of being a Christian, without knowledge of the word of God and some skill to use this weapon.“ – William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

Thomas Goodwin was born on October 5, 1600, in Rollesby, Norfolk, England, and died on February 23, 1680, in London. Goodwin was a powerful Puritan who was a chaplain to Oliver Cromwell and friends with John Owen. With Owen and with other like-minded separatists, he helped draft the Savoy Declaration, a confession of faith for the Congregationalists, a group of independent Presbyterians.

Goodwin was an intellectual, he earned his B.A. from Christ’s College, Cambridge at the age of 16 and earned his M.A. at the age of 20. Even though he was a gifted young man, he had much to learn. During his time in school, he wanted to become a “celebrity preacher.” Goodwin loved the applause and it was one of his “master lusts” that he was always mindful of and constantly had to mortify. During the time of his studies, he listened to the teachings of Richard Sibbes, John Preston, and other Puritan lecturers. At the age of 32, he became the vicar of Trinity Church. During this time, Sibbes instructed Thomas Goodwin to “preach the gospel and the free grace of God in Christ Jesus.” Which is what he did and he grew a newfound zeal for proclaiming the Gospel.

Due to the pressure of Archbishop Laud imposing high church traditions upon all churches,  after about two years of being the vicar at Trinity Church, Goodwin became dissatisfied with the terms of conformity and resigned from his position in favor of Richard Sibbes. Goodwin left England and went to Holland. While he was there, he learned more and embraced the congregational form of church governance establishing himself as a Separatist preacher. Due to the tension between those who embraced the Anglicanism forced on the church and those who disagreed, historians note that while it would be easy for Goodwin to be bitter and quarrelsome with conformists, he managed much respect across all spectrums of the theological debate of the state-run church or separatists. “Almost uniquely, in an age of constant and often bitter debate, nobody seems to have spoken ill of Goodwin.”

In the 1650s Thomas Goodwin became the President of Magdalen College, and it was noted that he held weekly meetings at his house independent of the school and would engage with students. The common question that would be asked of his students was their conversion story or how they stood with the Lord. Goodwin had some funny quirks, he was a man who loved his velvet cassock and nightcaps and wore them frequently (see picture), so when students saw a man wearing a nightcap around campus, they knew it was Goodwin coming and to be prepared for one of his two questions. 

In the 1660s, with Charles II’s government clamping down on ministers again, Goodwin left Magdalen College and took several ministers with him to develop an independent congregation in London. The last twenty years of his life were spent in the pastorate, writing treaties, and studying. In 1680, at the age of 80, he succumbed to a fatal fever.

There are many powerful quotes one could pull from Thomas Goodwin, but one that would summarize his ministerial style would be, “Glory in nothing, but only in this, that you are in Christ. For God chose you in him; the being you had was in him before the world was.” 

Bonus quote:
“God works with power, and can make the unwilling willing; if He undertakes the conversion of a soul, it will be converted. All the pious workings of our heart towards God are the fruit and consequence of the powerful working of His grace in us.” – Thomas Goodwin

To learn more about Thomas Goodwin, read The Heart of Christ in Heaven towards Sinners on Earth.

The preacher whom Cotton Mather called “the Light of the Western Churches” was far from being a man of one subject. Nonetheless, Thomas Hooker’s overriding interest was evangelistic or with what was then called ‘the application of redemption’. 

Thomas Hooker was born at Markfield, Leicestershire, on July 7, 1586. When he was nineteen, he went to Queen’s College, where he was older than most new students. That same year, he started going to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, which was known as a ‘Nursery of Puritans’ in an increasingly hostile country. King James I declared that the Puritans were a ‘sect insufferable in any well-governed commonwealth.’ Amidst the pressure, men were being raised up for the truth, which the Lord multiplied into a chain of faithful men such as Paul Baynes who was used in the conversion of Richard Sibbes, who in turn influenced John Cotton. Hooker himself tutored Jeremiah Burroughs while at Emmanuel. There are sparse details on his conversion, but it is known that his anguish under the ‘spirit of bondage’ was great and could not be diminished by his own knowledge or skill. Therefore, he clung to the Word of God in this time which would later be used to help others in distress which also had him have a great interest in human psychology and anatomy. 

In 1618 he became the rector of St. George’s in Esher, Surrey. In 1625 he married Susannah, sadly they would lose two daughters in infancy in the next couple of years. Also, in 1625 he held the position of a lecturer at Chelmsford in Essex and also worked closely with a grammar school. Hooker was a strong orator making him quite popular in the town of Essex. While preaching at Chelsmford, he was noted for his vigor and particular boldness and flattered no one in his address. Notably plainly praying that the Lord would convict King Charles I of the ‘abomination’ of marrying a Catholic woman. Many men were not comfortable with the unflinching Hooker and sought to silence him by reporting and betraying him to Archbishop Laud, known as the arch-opponent of the Puritans. One informer said that merely removing Thomas Hooker from his post would be insufficient to silence him. Hooker was removed from his position and as predicted this did not quell him, he soon moved and started a school for young ministers. But by 1632, he was convinced to flee England for the Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, he was not able to take up any permanent position within Anglicanism due to separatist leanings. The only value in his trip to Amsterdam was being connected with William Ames. The next year he decided to emigrate to New England with his wife, children, John Cotton, Samuel Stone, and 200 others, they landed in Boston. In 1636, his family moved to what would become the new Connecticut colony, partly due to theological differences, though the Christian union was preserved. He became known as the Father of Connecticut.

Thomas Hooker died in 1647, and his life is notable for founding Connecticut, but we would be doing a disservice to all the valuable Puritan connections that he made along the way.  The majority of Puritans were a “band of brothers” who had the desire to “purify” the church either by reforming the Church of England or by branching off to form other denominations. Even though these men had their differences, they were committed to the Gospel and seeking to make Christ’s Kingdom known on earth. Thomas Hooker was known as New England’s “Luther” for his courage and commitment to the word of God, but this “Luther” wouldn’t be without many others working alongside him for the sake of Christ. 

Robert Traill (1642–1716) was a minister who experienced persecution from a young age and approached each of his trials with grace. Traill was born in Scotland into the family of a Presbyterian minister. Due to his upbringing and convictions, he stood with the Presbyterian cause pushing back against the Church of England. Traill promoted and advanced true Christianity through the regions of Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Due to not aligning with Anglicanism, he and many other Scottish ministers suffered greatly during the later 1600s. 

Traill was educated by his father and went to the university of Edinburgh where he excelled in literacy and theology. During his study, he befriended other Puritans such as William Guthrie (1620–1665), the author of The Christian’s Great Interest. In the 1660s, Traill served briefly as a chaplain in Scotland, but that was not to last as Traill had to flee Edinburgh when a banned book was discovered in his home, the book was An Apologetical Relation of the Particular Sufferings of the Faithful Ministers and Professors of the Church of Scotland Since August 1660 by John Brown. In 1666, Traill was accused of being involved in the Pentland Rising, which was seen as Presbyterian ministers who rejected the restoration settlement with Charles II’s additions. Consequently, the Privy Council condemned Traill as a traitor and rebel. Anticipating arrest, he and other British and Scottish Puritans fled to the Low Countries to take refuge. With ongoing pressure from the Scottish monarchy and England Traill settled in the Netherlands and in 1667 he became an assistant to a professor at Utrecht in the Netherlands where he helped prepare Samuel Rutherford’s Examination of Arminianism for publication.

In 1669, Traill settled in London and was installed as a Presbyterian minister in Cranbrook, Kent. In 1677, he visited Edinburgh, preached in a private home, and was arrested for preaching, hosting a gathering, and collaborating with John Welsh. His arrest resulted in many months in prison, and upon his release, his conditions were to “live orderly in obedience to the law” which meant not participating in or hosting religious meetings which went against the state religion. As a result, he returned to Cranbrook. 

After the Glorious Revolution (The overthrowing of the Catholic King James II, who was replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange), Traill served as co-pastor with Nathaniel Mather (Great Grandfather of Cotton Mather). After Mather’s death, he pastored a separate congregation, which he gathered. In 1692, he took to writing and wrote A Vindication of the Protestant Doctrine of Justification which was to defend the Reformed view of justification, articulate the benefits, and challenge antinomianism (the belief that because of grace Christians are released from any moral obligation of the law). Through the writing process, he was connected with Isaac Chauncy (John Owen’s successor) and the younger Thomas Goodwin, who defended a biblical understanding of justification.

Robert Traill died in 1716, at age seventy-four. He was never married. What historians note about Traill’s life was that he was a Christian pastor with a powerful theological mind, displayed courage under persecution, had a pastoral heart with words that touched the soul, and never shied away from being evangelical. Joel Beeke describes Traill’s exposition of John 17:24 as a “masterpiece of Puritan experiential doctrine.” Even J.C. Ryle benefitted from Traill’s writings as he defended the church against the Holiness Movement by making clear distinctions between justification and sanctification. Recognizing that the doctrine of justification can be attacked from any age, Robert Traill’s book is a helpful resource even today. 

Edward Dering (1540-1576) was a preacher without compromise, and in 1570 he was invited to speak before Queen Elizabeth I and her royal subjects. Dering did not hold back any punches. Here is part of his message:

“Look upon your ministry (clergy), and there are some of one occupation, some of another: some shake bucklers, some ruffians, some hawkers and hunters, some dicers and carders, some blind guides and can not see, some dumb dogs and will not bark. And yet a thousand more inequities have not covered the priesthood. And yet you in the meanwhile that all these whoredoms are committed, you at whose hands God will require it, you sit still and are careless, let men do as they list. It touches not your commonwealth, and therefore you are so well contented to let all alone … The Lord increase the gifts of his Holy Spirit to you, that from faith to faith, you may grow continually, till that you be zealous as good King David, to work his will.”

Whatever Queen Elizabeth I might have expected by inviting Dering to preach a sermon in her presence, it was certainly not one of direct rebuke. Dering’s primary intent was to remind the Queen of her duty (which she was not doing) to continue to promote the preaching of the Gospel since she was the head of the church. He used many biblical examples of monarchs who used their influence to uphold the Gospel and that God would judge her for her actions or idleness. Dering wanted to focus on Scripture and have a clear conscience by not capitulating, even to the most powerful person in the land, and challenging her to remove corrupt ministers. 

Typically, when someone had the opportunity to preach in front of royalty, this would be seen as a high point in one’s career. However, Dering was not interested in fame or a career in the Church of England if it meant compromising. He had seen enough corruption in a clergy solely interested in money and fame. He wrote a letter to a chancellor, “while they [bishops and clergy] are clothed in scarlet, their flocks perish for cold, and while they fare deliciously, their people are faint with a most miserable hunger. This fault is intolerable, and such as God abhorreth.” He wanted reform in the church and the nation of England because people were “starving sheep” who were “without a shepherd.” 

To help understand the setting Elizabeth I was both the head of state and church, and after taking the throne from her sister Mary, she tried to find more of a middle ground between Protestantism and Catholicism. While there was a separation from Rome, the Church of England did not look much different. Elizabeth kept the same hierarchical structure, traditional liturgical forms of worship, religious garb, choral music, the use of church bells, making church mandatory (those who did not attend faced fines or jail time), and the use of the Book of Common Prayer.

Dering’s style, influence, and courage were early models that set the patterns for future Puritan ministers. He received his education at Christ’s College, Cambridge (known as the “seed-bed of Puritan religion”), received his B.A. in 1560, and commenced his M.A. in 1563. While studying, he was recognized as “the greatest learned man in England.” In 1566 he was a university proctor and professor at Cambridge, he was a chaplain to the Duke of Norfolk, and he held a chaplaincy in the Tower of London.

Dering was a controversial figure in his day (and would be today) because he wrote on the importance of preaching the Gospel as an essential mark of the church and neglecting this would be a disgrace to the preacher. Much of his letters to clergy and bishops addressed this issue. Dering called out many preachers for their worldly philosophy and used smooth talk to win people for personal gain. His emphasis on biblical preaching (influencing later Puritans) was the central task of the minister, and he described the worst thing to happen to England would be the presence of weak, ignorant, non-preaching clergy. 

In 1573, the consequences of his sermons and writings resulted in his suspension as a lecturer and preacher. He was summoned before the Star chamber and charged with having “utterance to unwarrantable and unorthodox sentiments.” Dering was forbidden to preach again in Queen Elizabeth’s kingdom, and she never retracted her orders. He accepted the consequences and did not preach. However, his sermons were printed and shared among the people. In fact, “his sermon before the queen became the most reprinted Elizabethan sermon ever, with sixteen editions published just within the queen’s life.” 

In 1572, Dering married Anne Locke (1533-1590). She was a widow and a few years his senior. Locke was friends with John Knox (1513-1572), and the similarities between Dering and Knox were present in their fiery preaching and heart for the lost. In 1575 Dering could sympathize with those who were ill and faced physical afflictions as he suffered from tuberculosis. 1576, at the age of 36, he succumbed to his illness and died surrounded by loved ones and friends. 

What we learn from Edward Dering is that he was a man who was willing to preach the Gospel and call out sin, even to the most influential people in England. He counted the cost and was not going to compromise as many preachers did in his day. Edward Dering paved the way for future uncompromising Puritans such as William Perkins and William Ames, who also came out of Cambridge. These men and many others were influenced by his courage and his stand for the Gospel

Donald Cargill (1619-1681), a Scottish Puritan died in 1681, and his last words were recorded saying, “The Lord knows I go on this ladder with less fear and perturbation of mind than ever I entered the pulpit to preach.”

Cargill grew up in a Christian home, but during a trying season in his adolescence, he struggled with depression and doubt. One day, his mental struggle became so strong that he contemplated taking his own life by hurling himself into a coal pit, but when he stood over the coal pit, the voice of the Lord came to his mind. He recounts the voice as saying, “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven.” Cargill left the coal pit with peace and was never tempted to harm himself again. This experience resulted in a longing to help others which gave him the desire to study philosophy at the University of St. Andrews, graduating in divinity in 1652. Cargill’s father encouraged him to be a minister, but Cargill refused as he told his father, “The work of the ministry is too great a burden for my weak shoulders.” After more dialog with his father and praying, fasting, and reading of Scripture he finally accepted the call to the ministry. Cargill was only an ordained minister of the Barony Church in Glasgow for seven years.

Cargill was only a minister at the church for seven years because he refused to align himself with the Restoration of King Charles II. Two years after the Restoration of Charles II, Cargill lost his license as a preacher for preaching against the king and rules. As a result, Cargill had to go into hiding but kept preaching in the fields. He was involved in many battles in Scotland which opposed the king. These battles were costly, and some left him seriously wounded. However, he survived, went to Holland for a short while, and then came back to join Richard Cameron (1648-1680) in preaching in the fields throughout Scotland. 

Cargill was a wanted man. He could not stay in one place for too long, so as a sojourner, he preached where he could. He had no family, and historians say that his family was the people who came to hear him preach. Many people traveled great distances as he proclaimed the Word of God. 

Cargill said, “Those who know themselves best will fear themselves the most.” His preaching always emphasized the depravity of the human heart, but he always brought in the Gospel. So, after exposing the sin, he would point people to Jesus as the only one who could forgive, even the vilest of sinners. Cargill was unique in his preaching, he did not preach as long as other Puritan preachers, and some were disappointed. Cargill knew his limits and found if his heart was not sturred by the Scripture it would leave little impact on others as he would be relying on his strength. 

In 1680, Cargill preached for his friend Richard Cameron’s funeral service. Afterward, he held a massive meeting at Torwood where in the name of Jesus Christ he “excommunicated King Charles II” and declared Christ was the only supreme head of the church. When the king got word of Cargill’s message, there was an even greater incentive to capture him. The government offered a large amount of money to anyone who would catch him, dead or alive.

While on the run, Cargill connected with a man named Henry Hall (unknown-1680). One day, Cargill and Hall sat in a quiet inn in Scotland in 1680. A spy was sent to capture the two men, but the ministers drew their swords and refused arrest, but the man who was seeking their arrest attacked first, seriously injuring Cargill. Hall wrestled with the spy, trying to seize his sword, and Cargill escaped. Hall attempted to escape himself, but a waiter struck him on the back of the head with the knob on the grip of his sword. Hall died shortly afterward. Cargill, bleeding badly, crawled into a dark alley and passed out. A Christian woman found him and brought him to a doctor to fix his wounds. After resting that night in a barn, he got up in the morning (still bleeding) to preach in the open air on a hillside. 

The Bishop of Edinburgh said that Cargill was a man who was “demented and mad,” and his actions were “treasonable and sacrilegious.” Not wavering on his convictions, Cargill was committed to proclaiming Christ against the false teachings of the monarchs. 

After twenty years on the run, Cargill was captured and arrested on July 27, 1681. He was brought to Edinburgh and sentenced to be hung. Awaiting his sentencing, Cargill had a visit from a Christian woman concerned about his wellbeing. With no fear in his voice, he responded, “Do not be troubled, for all they can do to me will be to hang me up, cut me down, chop off my old head, and [so] farewell to them. They will be done with me and I with them. Forever.” On the day of his hanging, he was led to the scaffold with a Bible in hand and began to preach boldly despite the king’s drummers trying to drown out his speech. He approached his death with joy bidding farewell to all earthly pleasures and knowing that he would be united with his Heavenly Father for eternity. 

Christians today may not face the same persecution that Donald Cargill experienced, but his life is one where he had eternity with Christ always at the forefront of his mind. While history may show that he had a temper, we need to remember that he was a sinner saved by grace who had problems like the rest of us humans. What can be noted of his life is that he was a confident man. His confidence was built upon knowing his Savior and seeing his Savior as precious. Cargill knew that Christ was with him through good times and bad and that meant he could boldly be a man of the gospel who was unashamed of his convictions.

“Oh be of good comfort, we hold Christ by faith and not by feeling.” – Richard Greenham

Richard Greenham’s (1540—1594) life emphasized the ‘Puritan Work Ethic’ of diligence and hard labor. The details of his birth and upbringing are scarce, but sources say he studied at Pembroke hall, Cambridge as a mature student in 1559. He earned his M.A. degree and spent about twelve years studying and teaching. When he left his comfortable position at university around 1570, he moved to Dry Drayton to be a pastor. Dry Drayton was a poor farming community with less than 200 hundred people, and many were not receptive to the Gospel.

Greenham’s call to the community of Dry Drayton was difficult. Greenham was an educated man in the Scripture, but most of the congregants and people in the town were illiterate (women nearly 100% and men around 70%), and owning a Bible was scarce in Dry Drayton. The challenge for Greenham was steep, and people were not interested in the Bible but were more interested in folk tales and their everyday lives. When people attended Greenham’s church, they were not interested in being there, part of the reason was due to the orders of Elizabeth I. The Act of Uniformity required church attendance on Sundays and “holy days” and imposed fines for absence. Congregants would be fidgeting, coming in late, falling asleep, and leaving early during the service. In his letters, he wrote, “preaching Christ crucified unto myself and country people,” and about his pastoral ministry as “none other thing, but to preach the word of God sincerely, and purely with a care of the glory of God and a desire of the salvation of our brethren.”

Greenham was a disciplined man, he woke up at 4 am every morning for prayer, study, and sermon preparation. During the week, he preached a sermon on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at dawn so the farmers and laborers might attend church before they went to work. After preaching, he had further study. On weekday afternoons, he visited the sick or was out in the fields to speak with his working parishioners. He also preached twice on Sundays, and on Thursday mornings, he catechized the children, which he also did each Sunday evening. Greenham’s goal was to visit all the members of his congregation at least twice a year with an intentional visit. His heart for the people set the pace for future Puritan ministers. 

One unique trait of Greenham was his zeal for the Lord. Which came out in his passionate preaching, and at the end of the service, he sweated so profusely that his shirt was so wet it would have appeared to have been soaked in water. Greenham’s messages were counter to the Church of England, he preached about Christ, salvation, and the Christian life. He also wanted people to live holy lives based upon the principles in the Law of God. He described the Lord’s Day as a “feeding day of the soul” and that it was not only a day of knowledge but also for the love of neighbor. 

Greenham was a nonconformist pastor, as he stood up to Queen Elizabeth I’s rules of mandatory garb and use of the Book of Common Prayer. He was suspended for some time from his ministry for refusing to adhere to the wearing of habits. Greenham believed that the church’s rites and ceremonies needed to be instructed by Christ, and without the guidance of Scripture, there was no real advantage. He went so bold as to claim Church of England’s force of conformity was superstitious. 

Greenham was charitable to the people in Dry Drayton, he gave generously to those in need, and if he heard about someone cheating people in the marketplace, he would expose it. The church had an area that grew grains, which supplemented his income. With that fertile land, he spoke with some of the wealthier people in the area to develop a community granary to sell bread at a fraction of the cost during seasons of need. Greenham wanted to prepare men for the ministry, so he would welcome one man into his home from Cambridge at a time to gain ministry experience in Dry Drayton with his oversight. Some young preachers wanted to take a firm stance against the Church of England as he did, but he challenged the young ministers to preach faith and repentance from sin first. He encouraged other pastors to do the same with mentoring and preaching. Despite all of his giftings and hard work, Greenham’s ministry appeared to be void of any fruit from an earthly perspective. Outside his church, people were blessed through it, but not, it seems, his people.

In 1591 Richard Greenham left his flock, for reasons unknown, for London. Before he left Dry Drayton, he told Richard Warfield, who succeeded him as the minister, “I perceive no good wrought by my ministry on any but one family.” Unfortunately, Greenham was not a good judge of the real impact of his ministry. He had to do much groundbreaking and dig up the fallow ground to prepare for the next generation. His was a season of toiling and breaking fallow ground so that the next would be sowing. As one reads Greenham’s life it would parallel that of A.W. Pink (1886 – 1952), these men labored for the Gospel but did not see the fruit, but were used to bless future generations, Greenham was influential for many faithful Puritans who came after him in theology and practice. Richard Greenham showed people then and today what it means to be a faithful minister. 

“Christ is a sea of sweetness, without one drop of bitterness.” – John Flavel

Flavel was born at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, about 1630 and died June 26, 1691, he was 64, in the city of Exeter. In 1656, Flavel became the minister at the seaport town of Dartmouth and spent most of his life ministering in the area. His constant prayer and hope were that Dartmouth would be a town of people who loved to pray and commune with God. 

In 1662, Flavel along with 1,800 other ministers, refused to comply with the Act of Uniformity, and were forced out of their churches. However, that did not stop him from preaching every week at a church outside of town and bi-weekly at another location. It was a difficult time due to persecution from authorities. John Flavel was a man on a mission to preach the Gospel. When it was illegal to preach without a license, he preached in the woods, in private halls, barns, and on an island that would be submerged at high tide. The various locations kept the authorities guessing where he was going to preach next. He managed to keep his identity a secret and would disguise himself to reach the secret meeting place to preach. 

Each Sunday, crowds flocked to see and hear him preach. As the word spread about his ministry, an angry mob burned an effigy outside of his home, but through all of these trials, he never gave up praying for the town of Dartmouth that he loved. Through these trials, he was a humble and godly man.

Unfortunately, the authorities eventually found out who he was. Flavel lost his home and most of his possessions. Flavel was not discouraged because he saw persecution and removal of his earthly items as something that made ministers more faithful to the Gospel. One specific difficult moment in his life happened (which put his thoughts and actions about persecution to the test) when he was holding a prayer meeting in a home, the authorities broke in and captured his parents. They were thrown into jail and died there after catching the plague. Despite this hardship, Flavel would not be swayed. 

Flavel had many close encounters with the authorities, two of which could be seen in a modern-day movie. First, he was chased by the king’s men and escaped by plunging his horse into the sea and then swam to shore. Second, while preaching in the woods, the authorities rushed in and dispersed the congregation. Several people were apprehended and fined, but those who escaped went with Flavel to another wooded area where he continued and finished his sermon.

Flavel’s heart for the Gospel and people is inspiring. He was gifted by God with the ability to be compassionate and bold getting to the heart of matters. Historians often share about Flavel’s interactions with a young seafarer who was depressed and tried to take his own life. After the doctors had performed the necessary surgery to prevent his sure death, Flavel ministered to him. Flavel asked about the seafarer’s state before God. The seafarer replied, “I hope that God will grant me eternal life.” Flavel responded with, “I fear your hopes are not well grounded.” Afterward, Flavel explained how God justly punishes sin and that everyone is a sinner before God. The young man started to understand his rebellious nature and recognized his status before God, but he was fearful and wondered if there was any hope. Flavel said, “There might be …” then proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus Christ and how Christ took the punishment of sin that all people rightfully deserve. After sharing the Gospel, he challenged the young man to put his hope in Christ. Upon hearing the challenge, the man asked Flavel to pray for him, and as Flavel prayed, the Holy Spirit moved in the man and gave him a living faith in Christ. “Cling to Christ and pray,” Flavel said to the young man who made a miraculous recovery and returned home. Sometime later, Flavel received a letter from the pastor who was ministering to the young man, thanking Flavel for being God’s servant and noticing the change in the seafarer’s life. 

Eventually, Flavel left his hometown of Dartmouth for London, where he was not well known. Flavel’s reasons were that he could blend into the crowd, continue preaching, and write books. Many people loved his writings, especially with his emphasis on the joy found in Christ. Even the wealthy purchased his books and gave them to the poor to help them understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It was not until 1687 that King James II granted the Nonconformists the liberty to preach publicly again. As a result, Flavel preached twice on Sunday and lectured on Wednesday and Thursday. Four years after the act was presented, John Flavel died on his way to preach at an event for unity between Presbyterians and Independents, and he was excited to promote their unity under the banner of Christ. 

Throughout his life, John Flavel was a person of great humility who graciously shared his knowledge with all he came into contact with, even if it were risky. He demonstrated an unwearied application to study and was always eager to learn. He was an encourager of young men for the ministry, some of whom he educated himself and even funded at his own expense. Flavel was bold in his prayers, ready to share a kind word, and warm and affectionate to those he interacted with. He was very influential to other Puritans and the theological giant Jonathan Edwards, whom God used in the Great Awakening.