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

§ 9. II. And as to the Objects of this Intuition, their excellency will be the excellency of our Knowledge. I. I shall know God better. II. I shall know the Universe better. III. I shall know Christ better. IV. I shall know the Church his Body better, with the holy Angels. V. I shall better know the Methods and Perfection of the Scripture and all God's Dirigent Word, and Will. VI. I shall know the Methods and Sense of Disposing Providence better. VII. I shall know the Divine Benefits which are the Fruits of Love better. VIII. I shall know my Self better. IX. I shall better know every fellow Creature which I am concerned to know. X. And I shall better know all that ⟨p. 149⟩Evil, Sin, Satan, and Misery, from which I am delivered.

§ 10. I. Aquinas, and many others took it for the chief Natural proof of the Souls Immortality, that Man by Nature desireth not only to know Effects, and second Causes, but to rise up to the Knowledge of the first Cause; and therefore was made for such Knowledge in the state of his Perfection: But Grace hath much more of this desire than Nature: Not that we must not be content to be without a great deal of Knowledge, which would be unmeet for us, useless, troublesome or dangerous to us; nor must we aspire to that which is above our capacity; and to know the unsearchable things of God: But not to know God is to know nothing; and to have an understanding worse than none. I presume not to pry into the secrets of the Almighty, nor to pretend to know more of God than indeed I know; but O that I might know more of his glorious Perfections, of his Will, and Love, and Ways, with that knowledge which is Eternal Life! Blessed be that Love that sent the Son of God from Heaven to reveal him to us in the Gospel as he hath done: But all that hear the same Words and Believe them, have not the same degree of Light or Faith? If an Angel from Heaven came down on Earth to tell us all of God that we would know, and might lawfully desire and ask him, who would not turn his Back on Libraries and Universities, and the Learned men, to go and discourse with such a Messenger? What travel should I think too far? What cost too great for one Hours talk with such a Messenger? But we must have here but such intimations as will exercise Faith and excite desire, and try us under the Temptations of the World and Flesh: The glorious Light is the reward of the Victory obtained by the conduct of the Light of Grace. God in