A26921:519
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. › The Concluding Application.
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.
As many Coals make one Fire, and many Candles conjoined make one Light, so will many living Spirits make one Life, and many illuminated Glorious Spirits, one Light and Glory, and many Spirits innaturalized into LOVE, will make one Perfect LOVE of GOD, and be LOVED as One by God for ever: For all the Body of Christ is One; even here it is One in initial Union of the Spirit, and Relation to One God, and Head, and Life, 1 Cor. 12. throughout. Eph. 4. 1. to 17. and shall be presented as beloved and spotless to God, when the great Marriage Day of the Lamb shall come, Eph. 5. 24, 25, &c. Rev. 21. & 22.
Had thou not given me, O Lord the LIFE of Nature, I should have had no conceptions of a Glorious everlasting Life: But if thou give me not the Life of Grace, I shall have no sufficient delightful inclination and desire after it. Hadst thou not given me Sight and Reason, the Light of Nature, I should not have thought how desirable it is to live in the Glorious Light and Vision; but if thou give me not the Spiritual Illumination of a seeing Faith, I shall not yet long for the Glorious Light, and beatifical Vision. Hadst thou not given me a Will and Love which is part of my very ⟨p. 249⟩Nature itself, I could not have tasted how desirable it is, to live in a World of Universal, perfect, endless LOVE: But unless thou also shed abroad thy LOVE upon my Heart, by the Spirit of Jesus the Great Medium of LOVE, and turn my very Nature or Inclination into Divine and Holy LOVE, I shall not long for the World of LOVE. Appetite followeth Nature: O give me not only the Image and the Art of Godliness; the approaches towards it, nor only some forced or unconstant acts; but give me the Divine Nature, which is Holy Love, and then my Soul will hasten towards thee, and cry, How long, O Lord, How long! O come, come quickly, make no delay. Surely the fear of dying intimateth some contrary Love that inclineth the Soul another way; and some shameful unbelief and great unapprehensiveness of the Attractive Glory of the World of LOVE: Otherwise no frozen Person so longeth for the Fire, none in a Dungeon so desireth Light, as we should long for the heavenly Light and Love.