N00887:196
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.
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.
Our Moses was now on a Mountain, which had Bushes naturally growing on it; and one of those Bushes Exhibited unto him, in those amazing circumstances, did represent the State of the Church, which was then a Bush in the Fire of sore Distresses, but was to out live all the Flames of this Distressing Fire.
Indeed the Ancients considered an Higher Mystery in this Burning Bush; They considered it, as a Figure of the Messiah, wherein the Bush of His Humanity, is possessed, and yet not consumed, by His Divinity, which is, A Consuming Fire. Thus 'tis Gregory's gloss upon it, Per Succensum Rubum ostensum est, quod ex illo populo exiret, qui Igne Deitatis carnis nostroe Naturam, quasi Rubi Spinam, acciperet; et inconsumptam Humanitatis substantiam, in ip•• Divinitatis Flamma servaret.
Indeed the Ancients considered an Higher Mystery in this Burning Bush; They considered it, as a Figure of the Messiah, wherein the Bush of His Humanity, is possessed, and yet not consumed, by His Divinity, which is, A Consuming Fire. Thus 'tis Gregories gloss upon it, Per Succensum Rubum ostensum est, quod ex illo populo exiret, qui Igne Deitatis carnis nostroe Naturam, quasi Rubi Spinam, acciperet; et inconsumptam Humanitatis substantiam, in ip•• Divinitatis Flamma servaret.
But we will at present, rather take this Burning Bush, to be the Church of the Messiah; and we will now say with Moses, I will now turn aside, and see this Great Sight. The Thing which is to be seen, is This; That although the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, be like a Bush all on Fire, yet this Glorious Bush will never be consumed, but be gloriously Preserved, Rescued, and Enlarged.