N00887:283
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.
Sitting by the Fire, I call to mind frequent passages in the Divine Oracles about, Passing through the Fire: and I call to mind especially that prohibition, Lev. 18. 21. Thou shalt not let any of thy Seed pass through' the Fire, to Moloch. It would now by the Fire side, be Edifying and Entertaining, to Enquire after the meaning of this matter.
SItting by the Fire, I call to mind frequent passages in the Divine Oracles about, Passing through the Fire: and I call to mind especially that prohibition, Lev. 18. 21. Thou shalt not let any of thy Seed pass thro' the Fire, to Moloch. It would now by the Fire side, be Edifying and Entertaining, to Enquire after the meaning of this matter.
And in the first place, we may Enquire, Who was Moloch? Now, I will not with Selden, and Grotius, and others, urge, that Moloch was the same with Saturn, the Daemon whom the Phoenicians chiefly served with their horrible Technothysies. I will not with Kerchief say, that Moloch was the same with Mars, tho' he might have a Coptical Commentary, where the Names of all the Planets being recited in order, in the place of Mars there is ⟨p. 153⟩Moloch. I will not say with Arias Montanus, That Moloch was the same with Mercury; though Malach do signify, what they made Mercury, a Messenger. Nor will I say with Cyril, that Venus was by the Ancients worshipped under the Name of Moloch; nor with Sanctius, that Moloch was an Idol peculiar to the Ammonites; nor with some others, That some certain King, by way of Eminency called so, (which Moloch signifies) tho' the particular Name of the Gentleman be now forgotten, were intended. I will rather concur with the Learned Spencer (however in the main Design for which he has Employed his Learning, I differ from him;) That Moloch was a Name common to all the Gods, (especially, The Sun) worshipped in the Images of the ancient Pagans. And therefore Baal, which was also a Name common for all False Gods, is promiscuously used for Moloch. [Compare,