N00887:135
Christianus per ignem. Or, A disciple warming of himself and owning of his Lord:…
Christianus per ignem. Or, A disciple warming of himself and owning of his Lord: with devout and useful meditations, fetched out of the fire, by a Christian in a cold season, sitting before it. A work though never out of season, yet more particularly, designed for the seasonable and profitable entertainment, of them that would well employ their leisure [sic] by the fire-side. : [Three lines in Latin from Alsted]Christianus per ignem. Or, A disciple warming of himself and owning of his Lord: with devout and useful meditations, fetch'd out of the fire, by a Christian in a cold season, sitting before it. A work though never out of season, yet more particularly, designed for the seasonable and profitable entertainment, of them that would well employ their liesure [sic] by the fire-side. : [Three lines in Latin from Alsted]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Benjamin Eliot, 1702
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Christianus per Ignem. Or, A Disciple WARMING himself And OWNING hi… › Meditation 6: Meditation VI.
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.
It followeth then, that in another World, there must be Miseries intended for these Humane Devils, at least, as Exquisite, as being Roasted •o Death in the Fire. This must follow, if you confess a God, and confess the Justice of God. But which yet more evidently proclaims the punishment of the Damned in the Fire of Hell to be intolerable, is, the Nature, and Author, of the punishment. Now the principal punishment in the Fire of Hell, is the Wrath of the Infinite GOD, immediately smiting of the Soul. The Conscience of a Sinner, which is a Faculty by his Creator put into him, to be a special Instrument of Him that Created it, This being set on Fire, by immediate Impressions, from the Wrath of God upon it, will fill the Sinner with terrible Dolour, and Horror, and Anguish throughout Eternal Ages. We read, That a Fire of Indignation shall devour the Adversaries; but we also read, That our God Himself is a consuming Fire. For, as a Sinner does Deserve more, so he can suffer more than any Creature can inflict; and therefore, ⟨p. 74⟩the Omnipotent God Himself, will with inconceivable Expressions, and Impressions of His Wrath, like Flashes of hot Lightning, smite the Souls of the Criminals, that are to be a Sacrifice of Infinite Vengeance; & God shall make them as a fiery Oven in the Time of His Anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in His Wrath, and the Fire shall devour them Now that the Wrath of the Lord God Almighty immediately striking and scalding and vexing a Rational Soul, by Sin rendered the Fuel for an Everlasting Sacrifice, will be as intolerable as any Fire, certainly no man can question O Lord, who knows the power of thine Anger! Even according to thy Fear, so is thy Wrath. But that there is no Fire so intolerable, as this Wrath, is more particularly evident, from the sad case of some who have in this Life had a Wounded Spirit, and felt only a few sparkles of Hell fire, shot into their Conscience. These Wretches have upon a doleful experience proved it, That a wounded Spirit none can bear; but they have, as with Cains ghastly mark upon them cried out, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
It followeth then, that in another World, there must be Miseries intended for these Humane Devils, at least, as Exquisite, as being Rosted •o Death in the Fire. This must follow, if you confess a God, and confess the Justice of God. But which yet more evidently proclaims the punishment of the Damned in the Fire of Hell to be intolerable, is, the Nature, and Author, of the punishment. Now the principal punishment in the Fire of Hell, is the Wrath of the Infinite GOD, immediately smiting of the Soul. The Conscience of a Sinner, which is a Faculty by his Creator put into him, to be a special Instrument of Him that Created it, This being set on Fire, by immediate Impressions, from the Wrath of God upon it, will fill the Sinner with terrible Dolour, and Horror, and Anguish throughout Eternal Ages. We read, That a Fire of Indignation shall devour the Adversaries; but we also read, That our God Himself is a consuming Fire. For, as a Sinner does Deserve more, so he can suffer more than any Creature can inflict; and therefore,