A26921:395
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.
Richard Baxter's Dying Thoughts. › Part 4: IV. The Constitutive Reasons from the state of my will.
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.
§ 6. IV. And it will be much of my felicity that my Will shall be confirmed and fixed in this conformity to the will of God, and holy LOVE will be its Nature. Now both understanding and will are so lamentably mutable, that further than God promiseth to uphold us, we know not one day, what we shall think, judge or Will the next. But when Love is as a fixed Nature in us, we shall be still the same, adhering to amiable goodness, without intermission or Cessation: It will be as easy to us (and more) to love God and Holiness, as it is to the Hungry and Thirsty to love meat and drink, or to the proud to love praise or domination; yea or to any Man to love his life. And we shall be no more weary of Loving, than the Sun is of shining, or than the Hungry is of Feasting, or a Friend of friendly love and converse: Nay the Comparison is quite too low; for all Creatures here have a fading vanity which wearieth the satiated or failing Appetite; but there is no such thing in Heaven.
§ 7. II. And as from the nature of that act, so much more from the nature of the Object, my love will appear to be my happiness: The Objects (which are as the Matter of the act) will be these.
1. GOD himself will be the full and everlasting Object of my Love. And he that could but understand as well as those in Heaven do, what this word signifieth ⟨p. 169⟩[to LOVE GOD and be BELOVED of him] would say that there needs no other description of perfect happiness! Perfect joyful Complacency in God is the Heaven which I desire and hope for. This is my Felicity, and much more. As I am the Agent of Love to God, and the Object of God's Love to me, it is my Felicity: As God is the ultimate Object of my Love, and the Agent of his Love to me (that is, of the effects of it,) so it is unspeakably more high and excellent than to be my felicity: Love is the closure of the Wills of God and Man: And as it is God's part or interest (efficiently or objectively) it is infinitely more excellent, than as it is my part and interest.