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

§ 18. I. The Soul which is an Immortal Spirit, must be immortally in a Good or Bad condition: But Man's Soul is an Immortal Spirit, and the good are not in a bad condition: Its Immortality is proved thus: A spiritual, or most pure invisible substance naturally endowed with the Power, Virtue, or Faculty of Vital-Action, Intellection and Volition, which is not annihilated, nor destroyed by separation of Parts, nor ceaseth or loseth either its Power, Species, Individuation or Action, is an Immortal Spirit. But such is the Soul of Man, as shall be manifest by parts.

§ 19. I. The Soul is a substance: For that which is Nothing, can do Nothing; but it doth move, understand and will. No man will deny that this is done by something in us, and by some substance; and that substance is it which we call the Soul: It is not Nothing, and it is within us.

§ 20. As to them that say, It is the Temperament of several parts conjunct, I have elsewhere fully confuted them, and proved, 1. That it is some one part that is the Agent on the rest, which all they confess that think it to be the material spirits, or fiery part: It is not bones and flesh that understand, but a purer substance, as all acknowledge. 2. What part soever it be, it can do no more than it is Able to do: And a conjunction of many parts, of which no one hath the power of Vitality, Intellection, or Volition, formally or eminently (somewhat as excellent) can never by contemperation do those acts: For there can be no more in the effect than is in the cause; otherwise it were no effect.