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

§ 1. I am convinced that it is far better to depart and be with Christ, than to be here: But there is much more than such conviction necessary to bring up my Soul to such desires. Still there resisteth, 1. The natural averseness to Death which God hath put into every Animal, and which is become inordinate and too strong by sin. II. The remnants of Unbelief, taking advantage of our darkness here in the Flesh, and our too much familiarity with this visible World. III. The want of more lively foretastes in a heavenly mind and love, through weakness of Grace, and the fear of Guilt. These stand up against all that is said; and words will not overcome them: what then must be done? Is there no remedy?

§ 1. I am convinced that it is far better to depart and be with Christ, than to be here: But there is much more than such conviction necessary to bring up my Soul to such desires. Still there resisteth, 1. The natutural averseness to Death which God hath put into every Animal, and which is become inordinate and too strong by sin. II. The remnants of Unbelief, taking advantage of our darkness here in the Flesh, and our too much familiarity with this visible World. III. The want of more lively fortasts in a heavenly mind and love, through weakness of Grace, and the fear of Guilt. These stand up against all that is said; and words will not overcome them: what then must be done? Is there no remedy?

§ 2. There is a Special sort of the Teaching of God ⟨p. 203⟩by which we must learn so to number our Days as to apply our Hearts to Wisdom: Without which we shall never effectually, practically and savingly learn either this or any the most common and obvious easy Lesson. When we have read, and heard, and spoken, and written the soundest Truth, and certainest Arguments, we know yet as if we knew not and believe as if we believed not, with a slight and dreaming kind of apprehension, till God by a special Illumination bring the same things clearly to our Minds, and awaken the Soul by a special suscitation, to feel what we know, and suit the Soul to the Truth revealed, by an influx of his Love, which giveth us a pleasing sense of the Amiableness and Congruity of the things proposed. Since we separated our selves from God, there is a hedge of separation between our Senses and our Understandings, and between our Understandings and our Wills and Affections, so that the communion between them is violated, and we are divided in our selves, by this Schism in our Faculties. All men still see the demonstrations of Divine Perfections, in the World and every part thereof; and yet how little is God known. All men may easily know that there is a God, who is Almighty, Omniscient, Goodness itself, Eternal, Omnipresent, the Maker, Preserver, and Governor of all, who should have our whole Trust, and Love, and Obedience; and yet how little of this knowledge is to be perceived in mens Hearts to themselves, or in their Lives to others? All men know that the World is Vanity, that Man must die, that Riches then profit not, that time is precious, and that we have only this little time to prepare for that which we must receive hereafter: And yet how little do men seem to know indeed, of all such things as no Man doubts of? And when God doth