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

On the Lord's Day, June 21. 1696. he went through the work of the Day with his usual vigour and liveliness. He was then Preaching over the first Chapter of St. Peter's second Epistle, and was that day on those words, add to your Faith Virtue, v. 5. he took Virtue for Christian Courage and Resolution in the Exercise of Faith; and the last thing he mentioned, in which Christians have need of Courage, is in Dying; for (as he was often used to say) It is a serious thing to dye, and to dye is a work by itself. That day he gave Notice, both Morning and Afternoon, with much Affection and Enlargement, of the Public Fast, which was appointed by Authority the Friday following, June 26. pressing his Hearers as he used to do upon such occasions, to come ⟨p. 200⟩in a prepared Frame, to the solemn Services of that day.

On the Lord's Day, Iune 21. 1696. he went through the work of the Day with his usual vigor and liveliness. He was then Preaching over the first Chapter of St. Peter's second Epistle, and was that day on those words, add to your Faith Virtue, v. 5. he took Virtue for Christian Courage and Resolution in the Exercise of Faith; and the last thing he mentioned, in which Christians have need of Courage, is in Dying; for (as he was often us'd to say) It is a serious thing to dye, and to dye is a work by itself. That day he gave Notice, both Morning and Afternoon, with much Affection and Enlargement, of the Publick Fast, which was appointed by Authority the Friday following, Iune 26. pressing his Hearers as he us'd to do upon such occasions, to come ⟨p. 200⟩in a prepared Frame, to the solemn Services of that day.

The Tuesday following, June 23. he rose at Six a Clock, according to his Custom, after a better Nights Sleep than ordinary, and in wonted Health. Between seven and eight a Clock he performed Family Worship, according to the usual manner; he Expounded very largely, the former half of the 104th Psalm, and sung it; but he was somewhat shorter in Prayer than he used to be, being then (as it was thought) taken ill. Blessed is that Servant, whom his Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing. Immediately after Prayer he retired to his Chamber, not saying any thing of his illness, but was soon after found upon his Bed in great Extremity of pain, in his Back, Breast and Bowels; it seemed to be a complicated Fit of the Stone and Colic together, with very great Extremity. The means that had been. used to give him Relief in his illness were altogether ineffectual; He had not the least intermission or remission of Pain, neither up nor in Bed, but in a continual toss. He had said sometimes, that God's Israel may find Jordan rough; but there's no Remedy, they must through it to Canaan; and would tell of a good Man who used to say, He was not so much afraid of Death as of Dying. We know they are not the Godly People, part of the Description of whose Condition it is, that there are no Bands in their Death, and yet their End is Peace, and their Death Gain, and they have Hope in it.