Philip Henry’s Romance
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells the story of Philip Henry, the father of Matthew Henry the commentator. He and a young lady had fallen in love with each other. She belonged to a “higher” level of society than he did, and although she had become a Christian and therefore regarded such things differently, her parents saw the disparity in social status as an obstacle to the marriage. “This man Philip Henry,” they said, “where has he come from?”
To this question the future Mrs. Henry gave the immortal reply, “I do not know where he has come from, but I know where he is going.” (D. M. Lloyd-Jones, God’s Ultimate Purpose: An Exposition of Ephesians 1:1 to 23 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 324.)
The worth of a person is determined not by his or her background (we are all only sinners saved by grace) but by where we are going. That is the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
From a sermon by Matthew Kratz, God’s Plan for Growth, 5/15/2010