A26921:110
Richard Baxter's dying thoughts upon Phil. I, 23 written for his own life and…
Richard Baxter's dying thoughts upon Phil. I, 23 written for his own life and the latter times of his corporal pains and weakness.
London: printed by Tho. Snowden for B. Simmons, 1683
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§ 36. 3. And I find that the inordinate Contraction of Man to himself, and to the interest of this Individual-Person, with the defect of Love to all about us, according to every creatures goodness, and specially to God the Infinite good, whom we should love above our selves, is the very sum of all the pravity of man. And all the injustice and injury to others, and all the neglect of good works in the world, and all our daily terrors, and self-distracting self-tormenting cares, and griefs, and fears, proceed from this inordinate Love and Adhesion to our selves: Therefore I have reason to think ⟨p. 25⟩that in our better state, we shall perfectly Love others as our selves, and the selfish Love will turn into a common and a Divine Love, which must be by our preferring the common and the Divine Good, and Interest.
§ 36. 3. And I find that the inordinate Contraction of Man to himself, and to the interest of this Individual-Person, with the defect of Love to all about us, according to every creatures goodness, and specially to God the Infinite good, whom we should love above our selves, is the very sum of all the pravity of man. And all the injustice and injury to others, and all the neglect of good works in the world, and all our daily terrours, and self-distracting self-tormenting cares, and griefs, and fears, proceed from this inordinate Love and Adhesion to our selves: Therefore I have reason to think ⟨p. 25⟩that in our better state, we shall perfectly Love others as our selves, and the selfish Love will turn into a common and a Divine Love, which must be by our preferring the common and the Divine Good, and Interest.
§ 37. And I am so sensible of the power and Plague of selfishness, and how it now corrupteth, tempteth and disquieteth me, that when I feel any fears lest individuation cease, and my Soul fall into one common Soul (as the Stoics thought all Souls did at death) I find great cause to suspect that this ariseth from the power of this corrupting selfishness: For Reason seeth no cause at all to fear it were it so.