A26921:248
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.
2. And is not that the Case of every Brute, that hath no comfort from the prospect of another Life, to repair his loss: And yet as our dominion diminisheth their pleasure while they live, by our keeping them under fear and labour, so at our will their lives must end: To please a Gentleman's Appetite for half an hour or less, Birds, Beasts, and Fishes must lose life itself, and all the pleasure which life might have afforded them for many Years; yea perhaps many of these (Birds and Fishes at least) must die to become but one Feast to a rich Man, if not one ordinary Meal. And is not their sensual pleasure of the same Nature as ours? Meat is as sweet to them, and ease as welcome, and lust as strong (in season;) And the pleasure that Death depriveth our Flesh of, is such as is common to Man with Brutes: ⟨p. 84⟩Why then should it seem hard to us to lose that in the Course of Nature, which our Wills deprive them of at our Pleasure? When if we are Believers we can say that we do but exchange these delights of Life, for the greater delights of a Life with Christ, which is a comfort which our fellow Creatures (the Brutes) have not!
2. And is not that the Case of every Bruit, that hath no comfort from the prospect of another Life, to repair his loss: And yet as our dominion diminisheth their pleasure while they live, by our keeping them under fear and labour, so at our will their lives must end: To please a Gentleman's Appetite for half an hour or less, Birds, Beasts, and Fishes must lose life itself, and all the pleasure which life might have afforded them for many Years; yea perhaps many of these (Birds and Fishes at least) must die to become but one Feast to a rich Man, if not one ordinary Meal. And is not their sensual pleasure of the same Nature as ours? Meat is as sweet to them, and ease as welcome, and lust as strong (in season;) And the pleasure that Death depriveth our Flesh of, is such as is common to Man with Bruits: ⟨p. 84⟩Why then should it seem hard to us to lose that in the Course of Nature, which our Wills deprive them of at our Pleasure? When if we are Believers we can say that we do but exchange these delights of Life, for the greater delights of a Life with Christ, which is a comfort which our fellow Creatures (the Bruits) have not!