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

IN the time of his Health, he made Death very familiar to himself, by frequent and pleasing Thoughts and Meditations of it; and endeavoured to make it so to his Friends, by speaking often of it. His Letters and Discourses had still something or other which spoke his constant expectations of Death; thus did he learn to dye daily: And it is hard to say, whether it was more easy to him to speak, or uneasy to his Friends, to hear him speak of leaving the World. This minds me of a passage I was told by a worthy Scotch Minister, Mr. Patrick Adair, that Visiting the famous Mr. Durham of Glasgow. in his last Sickness, which was long and lingering; he said to him, Sir, I hope you have so set all in order, that you have nothing else to do but to dye: I bless God (said Mr. Durham) I have not had that to do neither these many Years. Such is the comfort of dying daily, when we come to dye indeed.

IN the time of his Health, he made Death very familiar to himself, by frequent and pleasing Thoughts and Meditations of it; and endeavoured to make it so to his Friends, by speaking often of it. His Letters and Discourses had still something or other which spoke his constant expectations of Death; thus did he learn to dye daily: And it is hard to say, whether it was more easie to him to speak, or uneasie to his Friends, to hear him speak of leaving the World. This minds me of a passage I was told by a worthy Scotch Minister, Mr. Patrick Adair, that Visiting the famous Mr. Durham of Glasgow. in his last Sickness, which was long and lingring; he said to him, Sir, I hope you have so set all in order, that you have nothing else to do but to dye: I bless God (said Mr. Durham) I have not had that to do neither these many Years. Such is the comfort of dying daily, when we come to dye indeed.

Mr. Henry's Constitution was but tender, and yet by the Blessing of God upon his great Temperance, and care of his Diet, and moderate Exercise by walking in the Air, he did for many Years enjoy a good measure of Health, which he used to call The Sugar that sweetens all Temporal Mercies, for which therefore we ought to be very thankful, and of which we ought to be very careful. He had sometimes violent Fits of the Colic, which would be very afflictive for the time. Towards his latter end he was distressed sometimes with a pain, which his Doctor thought might arise from a Stone in his Kidneys. Being once upon the Recovery from an ill Fit of that Pain, he said to one of his Friends, that asked him how he did, he hoped by the Grace of God, he should now be able to give one blow more to the Devil's Kingdom; and often professed, he did not desire to live a day longer than he might do God some Service. He said to another, when he perceived himself Recovering; Well I thought I had been putting into the Harbour, but find I must to Sea again.