A26921:90
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.
§ 25. III. That man's Soul at death is not annihilated; even the Atomists and Epicurians will grant, who think that no Atom in the Universe is annihilated: And we that see not only the Sun and Heavens continued, but every grain of matter, and that compounds are changed by dissolution of parts, and rarefaction, or migration, &c. and not by Annihilation, have no reason to dream that God will annihilate one Soul (though he can do it if he please, yea and annihilate all the World:) It is a thing beyond a rational expectation.
§ 25. III. That man's Soul at death is not annibilated; even the Atomists and Epicurians will grant, who think that no Atom in the Universe is annihilated: And we that see not only the Sun and Heavens continued, but every grain of matter, and that compounds are changed by dissolution of parts, and rarefaction, or migration, &c. and not by Annihilation, have no reason to dream that God will annihilate one Soul (though he can do it if he please, yea and annihilate all the World:) It is a thing beyond a rational expectation.
§ 26. IV. And a destruction by the dissolution of the parts of the Soul, we need not fear. For, 1. Either an Intellectual Spirit is divisible and partible, or not; if not, we need not fear it; if it be, either it is a thing that Nature tendeth to, or not: But that Nature doth not tend to it, is evident. For, 1. There is naturally so strange and strong an inclination to unity, and averseness to separation in all things, that even Earth and Stones, that have no other (known) natural motion, have yet an aggregative motion in their gravitation: But if you will separate the parts from the rest, it must be by force. And Water is yet more averse from partition without force, and more inclined to union than Earth, and Air than Water, and Fire than Air; so that he that will cut a Sun-beam into pieces, and make many of one, must be an extraordinary Agent. And surely Spirits, even Intellectual Spirits, will be no less averse from partition, and inclined to keep their Unity, than Fire, or a Sun-beam is; so that naturally it is not a thing to be feared, that it should fall into pieces.