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

In this time of treading down, and of perplexity, he stirred little abroad, being forced (as he used to express it) to throw the Plough under the Hedge; but he preached constantly at home, without disturbance; and often comforted himself with this, When we cannot do what we would, if we do what we can, God will accept of us; when we cannot keep open Shop, we must drive a secret Trade. And he would say, There is a mean, if we could hit it, between Fool-hardiness, and Faintheartedness. While he had some opportunity of being ⟨p. 161⟩useful at home; he was afraid lest he should prejudice that by venturing abroad. One of his Friends in London, earnestly soliciting him to make a visit thither in this time of restraint in the Country; he thus wrote to him; I should be glad once more to kiss my Native Soil, though it were but with a kiss of Valediction; but my indisposedness to Travel, and the small prospect there is of doing good to countervail the Pains, are my prevailing Arguments against it. I am here ('tis true) buried alive, but I am quiet in my Grave, and have no mind to be a walking Ghost. We rejoice, and desire to be thankful, that God hath given us a Home, and continued it to us, when so many better then we, have not where to lay their Head, having no certain dwelling place; ('twas at the time of the dispersion of the French Protestants) Why, they Exiles, and not we? they strangers in a strange Land, and not we? We must not say we will dye in our Nests, lest God say nay; nor we will multiply our Days as that Bird, the Phoenix, (referring to Job 29. 18.) lest God say, this Night, &c. Our times and all our ways are at his dispose, absolutely and universally, and it is very well they are so.

In this time of treading down, and of perplexity, he stirred little abroad, being forced (as he us'd to express it) to throw the Plough under the Hedge; but he preached constantly at home, without disturbance; and often comforted himself with this, When we cannot do what we would, if we do what we can, God will accept of us; when we cannot keep open Shop, we must drive a secret Trade. And he would say, There is a mean, if we could hit it, between Fool-hardiness, and Faintheartedness. While he had some opportunity of being ⟨p. 161⟩useful at home; he was afraid lest he should prejudice that by venturing abroad. One of his Friends in London, earnestly solliciting him to make a visit thither in this time of restraint in the Country; he thus wrote to him; I should be glad once more to kiss my Native Soil, though it were but with a kiss of Valediction; but my indisposedness to Travel, and the small prospect there is of doing good to countervail the Pains, are my prevailing Arguments against it. I am here ('tis true) buried alive, but I am quiet in my Grave, and have no mind to be a walking Ghost. We rejoyce, and desire to be thankful, that God hath given us a Home, and continued it to us, when so many better then we, have not where to lay their Head, having no certain dwelling place; ('twas at the time of the dispersion of the French Protestants) Why, they Exiles, and not we? they strangers in a strange Land, and not we? We must not say we will dye in our Nests, lest God say nay; nor we will multiply our Days as that Bird, the Phaenix, (referring to