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

§ 13. But why, O my Soul, art thou so vainly solicitous, to have formal, clear, distinct, conceptions of the Celestial World, and the individuation, and operations of separated Souls, any more than of the Angels? While thou art the formal Principle of an animated Body▪ thy conceptions must be but suitable to their present state and use: When thou art possessed of a better state, thou shalt know it as a possessor ought to do: ⟨p. 217⟩For such a knowledge as thou lookest after, is part of the possession: And to long to Know and Love, in Clearness and Perfection, is to long to possess. It is thy Saviour and his glorified Ones, that are comprehensors and possessors! And it is his knowledge which must now be most of thy satisfaction. To seek his Prerogative to thy self is vain usurping arrogance? Wouldst thou be a God and Saviour to thy self? O consider how much of the fall is in this selfish care and desire to be as God, in knowing that of Good and Evil which belongeth not to thee but to God to know. Thou knowest past doubt that there is a God of Infinite Perfection, who is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him: Labour more to know thy duty to this God, and absolutely Trust him as to the particularities of thy felicity and reward. Thou didst trust thy Parents to provide thee food and raiment, when thou didst but dutifully obey them: Though they could have forsaken thee or killed thee every hour, thou didst never fear it. Thou hast trusted Physicians to give thee even ungrateful Medicines, without enquiring after every ingredient, or fearing lest they should wilfully give thee Poison! I trust a Barber with my Throat: I trust a Boatman or Shipmaster with my life: Yea, my Horse that might cast me; because I have no reason to distrust them, (saving their insufficiency and uncertainty as Creatures.) If a Pilot undertake to bring thee to the Indies, thou canst trust his conduct, though thou know thy self, neither the Ship, nor how to govern it, neither the way, nor the place to which thou art conveyed. And must not thy God and Saviour be trusted to bring thee safe to Heaven, unless he will satisfy all thy enquiries, of the individuation and operation of Spirits? Leave unsearchable and useless Questions to him that can easily ⟨p. 218⟩resolve them, and to those to whom the knowledge of them doth belong.