Richard Baxter's dying thoughts upon Phil. I, 23 written for his own life and…

Our Meat and Drink is pleasant to the healthful; but it costeth poor men so much toil, and labour, and care, & trouble to procure a poor Diet for themselves and their families, that I think, could they live without eating, and drinking, they would thankfully exchange the pleasure of it all, to be eased of their care and toil in getting it: And when sickness cometh, even the pleasantest Food is loathsome.

Our Meat and Drink is pleasant to the healthful; but it costeth poor men so much toil, and labour, and care, & trouble to procure a poor Diet for themselves and their families, that I think, could they live without eating, and drinking, they would thankfully exchange the pleasure of it all, to be eased of their care and toil in getting it: And when sickness cometh, even the pleasantest Food is loathsom.

4. And do we not willingly interrupt and lay by these Pleasures, every Night when we betake our selves to sleep? It's possible indeed a Man may then have pleasant Dreams: But I think few go to sleep for the pleasure of Dreaming: Either no Dreams, or vain, or troublesome Dreams are much more common. And to say that Rest and Ease is my pleasure, is but to say that my daily labour and cares are so much greater than my waking pleasure, that I am glad to lay by both together: For what is Ease but deliverance from weariness and pain? For in deep and dreamless sleep there is little positive sense of the Pleasure of Rest itself. But indeed it is more from Natures necessitated inclination to this self-easing and repairing means, than from the positive pleasure of it, that we desire sleep. And if we ⟨p. 86⟩can thus be contented every Night to die as it were to all our waking pleasures, why should we be unwilling to die to them at once.

4. And do we not willingly interrupt and lay by these Pleasures, every Night when we betake our selves to sleep? It's possible indeed a Man may then have pleasant Dreams: But I think few go to sleep for the pleasure of Dreaming: Either no Dreams, or vain, or troublesom Dreams are much more common. And to say that Rest and Ease is my pleasure, is but to say that my daily labour and cares are so much greater than my waking pleasure, that I am glad to lay by both together: For what is Ease but deliverance from weariness and pain? For in deep and dreamless sleep there is little positive sense of the Pleasure of Rest itself. But indeed it is more from Natures necessitated inclination to this self-easing and repairing means, than from the positive pleasure of it, that we desire sleep. And if we