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

§ 27. 3. But if it were to be feared, that Souls were partible, and would be broken into parts, this would be no destruction of them, either as to their substance, powers, form or action, but only a breaking of one Soul into many: For being not compounded of Heterogeneal parts, but as simple Elements of Homogeneal only, as every Atom of Earth is Earth, and every drop of Water in the Sea is Water, and every particle of Air and Fire, is Air and Fire, and have all the properties of Earth, Water, Air and Fire; so would it be with every particle of an Intellectual Spirit. But who can see cause to dream of such a partition, never threatened by God?

§ 28. V. And that Souls lose not their formal Powers or Virtues, we have great reason to conceive; because they are their Natural Essence, not as mixed, but simple substances: And though some imagine that the Passive Elements may be attenuation, or incrassation, be transmuted one into another, yet we see that Earth is still Earth, and Water is Water, and Air is Air; and their conceit hath no proof: And, were it proved, it would but prove that none of these are a first or proper Element: But what should an Intellectual Spirit be changed into? How should it lose its formal Power? not by Nature; for its Nature hath nothing that tendeth to deterioration, or decay, or self-destruction? The Sun doth not decay by its wonderful Motion, Light and Heat: And why should Spirits? Not by God's destroying them, or changing their Nature: For, though all things are in constant motion or revolution, he continueth the Natures of the simple Beings, and ⟨p. 17⟩showeth us, that he delighteth in a constancy of operations, insomuch that hence Aristotle thought the world Eternal. And God hath made no Law that threateneth to do it as a penalty. Therefore to dream that Intellectual Spirits shall be turned into other things and lose their Essential formal Powers, which specify them, is without and against all sober reason. Let them first but prove that the Sun loseth Motion, Light and Heat, and is turned into Air, or Water or Earth. Such changes are beyond a rational fear.

§ 28. V. And that Souls lose not their formal Powers or Virtues, we have great reason to conceive; because they are their Natural Essence, not as mixt, but simple substances: And though some imagine that the Passive Elements may be attenuation, or incrassation, be transmuted one into another, yet we see that Earth is still Earth, and Water is Water, and Air is Air; and their conceit hath no proof: And, were it proved, it would but prove that none of these are a first or proper Element: But what should an Intellectual Spirit be changed into? How should it lose its formal Power? not by Nature; for its Nature hath nothing that tendeth to deterioration, or decay, or self-destruction? The Sun doth not decay by its wonderful Motion, Light and Heat: And why should Spirits? Not by God's destroying them, or changing their Nature: For, though all things are in constant motion or revolution, he continueth the Natures of the simple Beings, and