A26921:864
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.
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.
And to be impatient with Death is to repine that we are born Mortal men; and to fly from Heaven and all true Hopes, and all the Felicity purchased by Christ? And is this renouncing the World, and trusting Christ for Life everlasting? And why fear we that which endeth all our pains and fears? A true Believer never suffereth so much, but his Mercies are far more and greater than his sufferings. His Soul is united to Christ: His hopes of Heaven have a sure Foundation: He is sealed up to ⟨p. 322⟩Glory: Rest and Joy are near at hand. And former Mercies should not be forgotten: And should not such men patiently endure? O what a shameful contradiction is it, to choose Heaven as our only Portion, to believe in Christ for it, and to seek it as the business of all our lives, and yet to be loth to die, that we may obtain it, and to fly with fear from that which we so seek and hope for? What a contradiction is it to call God our God and Father, the God of Love, and to call Christ our Gracious glorified Redeemer, and yet to Fly from his presence with distrustful fear? Almighty love may correct us, may kill us, but it cannot finally hurt true Believers.
So much of Moses and Elijah discourse of the Sufferings and Death of Christ.
So much of Moses and Elias discourse of the Sufferings and Death of Christ.
§ 13. Sure it is not true that the Souls of the Fathers before Christ's coming did not enter into Heaven, but lay in some inferior Limbus? For Moses and Elijah came from Heaven; their shining glory showed that, and their discourse with Christ, and the Voice and glory that went with them. And it is not to be thought that they were separated from the rest of the Souls of the Faithful, and with Enoch were in Heaven by themselves alone, and the rest elsewhere. Though it's said that God's House hath many Mansions, and there are various degrees of Glory, yet the blessed are all Fellow-Citizens, of one Society, and Children in one Family of God. And they that came from East and West, shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of God; and Lazarus is in Abraham's bosom, and the believing Thief with Christ in Paradise.