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

§ 2. But I deny not but even the Scripture itself, doth tell us but little of the Manner of our Intellection when we are out of the Body; and it is not improbable that there is more Imperfection in this Mode of Notional, Organical, Abstractive knowledge which the Soul exerciseth in the Body, than most consider of: And that as the Eye hath the visive Faculty in sleep, and when we wink, and an internal action of the visive Spirits (no doubt,) and yet seeth not any thing without, till the Eyelids are opened, (and was not made to see its own sight;) so the Soul in the Body is as a winking Eye, to all things that are not by the Sense and Imagination intromitted or brought within its reach: And whether (sicut non video visum, neque facultatem, neque substantiam videntem, videndo tamen certo percipio me videre, so it may be said, Non intelligo immediatè ipsam intellectionem, neque facultatem, aut substantiam intelligentem; Intelligendo tamen certo percipio me intelligere, quia actus Intellectûs in Spiritus sensitivos operans sentitur; or whether we must further say with Ockam, that Intellectus tum intuitivè tum abstractivè se intelligit; I leave to wiser men to judge: But I am very suspicious that the Body is more a Lantern to the Soul, than some will admit; and that this Lusus notionum secundarum, or abstractive knowledge of Things by Organical Images, Names, and Notions, is occasioned by the Union of the Soul with the Body ut formae; and is that Childish knowledge which the Apostle saith shall be done away: And how much of Mans fall might consist in such a knowing of good and evil I cannot tell (or in the overvaluing such a knowledge:) And I I think that when vain Philosophy at Athens had called the thoughts and desires of Mankind from great Realities to the Logical and Philological game at Words and ⟨p. 142⟩Notions, it was Socrates his wisdom to call them to more concerning Studies, and Pauls greater Wisdom to warn men to take heed of such vain Philosophy, and to labour to know God and Jesus Christ, and the things of the Spirit, and not to overvalue this ludicrous dreaming worldly Wisdom. And if I have none of this kind of Notional childish knowledge when I am absent from the Body, the Glass and Spectacles may then be spared, when I come to see with open Face, (or as face to Face.) Our future knowledge is usually in Scripture called SEEING, Mat. 5. 8.

§ 2. But I deny not but even the Scripture itself, doth tell us but little of the Manner of our Intellection when we are out of the Body; and it is not improbable that there is more Imperfection in this Mode of Notional, Organical, Abstractive knowledge which the Soul exerciseth in the Body, than most consider of: And that as the Eye hath the visive Faculty in sleep, and when we wink, and an internal action of the visive Spirits (no doubt,) and yet seeth not any thing without, till the Eyelids are opened, (and was not made to see its own sight;) so the Soul in the Body is as a winking Eye, to all things that are not by the Sense and Imagination intromitted or brought within its reach: And whether (sicut non video visum, neque facultatem, neque substantiam videntem, videndo tamen certo percipio me videre, so it may be said, Non intelligo immediatè ipsam intellectionem, neque facultatem, aut substantiam intelligentem; Intelligendo tamen certo percipio me intelligere, quia actus Intellectûs in Spiritus sensitivos operans sentitur; or whether we must further say with Ockam, that Intellectus tum intuitivè tum abstractivè se intelligit; I leave to wiser men to judge: But I am very suspicious that the Body is more a Lanthorn to the Soul, than some will admit; and that this Lusus notionum secundarum, or abstractive knowledge of Things by Organical Images, Names, and Notions, is occasioned by the Union of the Soul with the Body ut formae; and is that Childish knowledge which the Apostle saith shall be done away: And how much of Mans fall might consist in such a knowing of good and evil I cannot tell (or in the overvaluing such a knowledge:) And I I think that when vain Philosophy at Athens had called the thoughts and desires of Mankind from great Realities to the Logical and Philological game at Words and