A26921:347
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.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, 1 Cor. 13. 12. We shall see Face to Face, 1 Joh. 3. 2. We shall see him as he is, Joh. 17. 24. Father, I will that those which thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me, &c. An Intuitive knowledge of all things as in themselves immediately is a more excellent sort of knowledge than this by similitudes, Names and Notions, which our Learning now consisteth in, and is but an Art acquired by many acts and use.
§ 3. If the Sun were, as the Heathens thought it, an Intellective Animal, and its emitted rays were vitally visive, and when one of those rays were received by prepared seminal matter (as in Insects) it became the Soul of an inferior Animal, in this case the said ray would operate in that Insect or Animal but according to the Capacity of the recipient matter; whereas the Sun itself by all its emitted rays would see all things Intellectually and with delight, and when that Insect were dead, that Ray would be what it was, an Intellective Intuitive emanation: And though the Soul in Flesh do not know itself, how it shall be united to Christ and to all other holy Souls and to God himself, nor how near, or just of what sort that union will be, yet united it will ⟨p. 143⟩be; and therefore will participate accordingly of the the universal Light or understanding to which it is united. The Soul now as it is or operateth in the Foot or Hand doth not understand, but only as it is and operateth in the Head: And yet the same Soul which is in the Hand understandeth in the Head; and the Soul operateth not so selfishly or dividedly in the Hand, as to repine there because it understandeth not there; but it is quiet in that it understandeth in the Head, and performeth its due Operation in the Hand. But this diversity of Operations seemeth to be from the Organs and the Bodies use or need: But Souls dismissed from the Body seem to be as all Eye, or Intuitive Light. Therefore though it might content us to say that our Head seeth all things, and we are united to him, yet we may say further that we our selves shall see God, and all things that are meet for us to see.