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

§ 16. 2. Think also, O my Soul, how delectable it will be to Love, (as well as to know) those Angels that most fervently love the Lord! They will be lovely to thee as they have loved thee, and more as they have been Lovers and Benefactors to the Church and to Mankind; but far more as they are so many refulgent Stars which continually move, and shine, and burn in purest love to their Creator. O blessed difference between that amiable Society of holy Spirits, and this dark, mad, distracted, wicked World! Here Devils tempt me within, and Devils incarnate persecute me without: Blaspheming of God, reviling godliness, deriding the Sacred Scriptures, and Sacred exercises, malignant slandering of the Servants of God, hating, persecuting, silencing and saying all manner of evil falsely of them, for their Righteousness sake, while such Crimes are pretended as they once falsely charged on Christ himself; this is the Conversation of those that I have long dwelt with in this World: Atheism, Infidelity, Papal Church tyranny, bloody Wars, destroying the Righteous, oppressing the Poor, Adultery and Fornication, Stigmatizing-Perjury, Ambition, Violence, Covetousness, deceit, sottish Ignorance, wilfulness in Sin, hatred of Reproof, revengeful ⟨p. 174⟩Malice; these and such like are the fruits of the Soil where I have long sojourned (Though through the Grace of Christ among the faithful there have been better fruits:) And is not the Company of Holy Angels better than this? With whom God is all; who are even made up of shining Wisdom, and holy Lov•, and beneficent activity: who are the blessed Cho•e that melodiously sing forth the high Praises of their Maker: Among whom God dwelleth as in his presence Chamber or his Temple, and in whom he taketh his great delight: With these I shall see or hear no evil: No mixture of fools or wicked Ones do pollute or trouble their Society: There will be no false Doctrine, no evil Example, no favouring Wickedness, no accusing Goodness, no hurtful Violence, but holy, powerful, operative Love, will be all and do all, as their very Nature, Life, and Work. And is it not better be a Door-keeper there than to dwell in the Palaces of Wickedness! And is not a Day with them better than a Thousand here?

§ 16. 2. Think also, O my Soul, how delectable it will be to Love, (as well as to know) those Angels that most servently love the Lord! They will be lovely to thee as they have loved thee, and more as they have been Lovers and Benefactors to the Church and to Mankind; but far more as they are so many refulgent Stars which continually move, and shine, and burn in purest love to their Creator. O blessed difference between that amiable Society of holy Spirits, and this dark, mad, distracted, wicked World! Here Devils tempt me within, and Devils incarnate persecute me without: Blaspheming of God, reviling godliness, deriding the Sacred Scriptures, and Sacred exercises, malignant slandering of the Servants of God, hating, persecuting, silencing and saying all manner of evil falsly of them, for their Righteousness sake, while such Crimes are pretended as they once falsly charged on Christ himself; this is the Conversation of those that I have long dwelt with in this World: Atheism, Infidelity, Papal Church tyranny, bloody Wars, destroying the Righteous, oppressing the Poor, Adultery and Fornication, Stigmatizing-Perjury, Ambition, Violence, Covetousness, deceit, sottish Ignorance, wilfulness in Sin, hatred of Reproof, revengeful