Christianus per ignem. Or, A disciple warming of himself and owning of his Lord:…

And first, I remember, the famous Quercetanus, together with other Labourers in the Fire, have told us, That they can take a plant in its more vigorous consistence, and after a due Maceration, Fermentation, and Separation, Extract the Salt of that plant, which, as it were, in a Chaos, invisibly reserves the Form of the whole, with its vital principle; and that keeping the Salt in a glass Hermetically Sealed, they can, by applying a Soft Fire to the glass, make the Vegetable rise by little and little out of its Ashes, to surprise the Spectators. I am not sure, That this Report is to be Relied upon, and much less am I sure, of what they further tell us, That the Essential Salt of Animals being thus prepared and preserved, an ingenious […] might raise the shape of them, at his pleasure. What I would Remark, is This. If Plants could be Revived out of their Ashes, or if the Oak, and Ash, and Walnut, would grow, from the Scattered Ashes, which I have now before me, it would unavoidably Le•d our Meditations to the Resurrection of the Dead. Yea, Whatever may be done by Nature, on and from the Ashes of my Wood, I am very ⟨p. 184⟩sure, That I shall one day Rise out of my own Ashes. Resurrectio mortuorum Fiducia Ch•• stiaro•um. He that is, The Life, and, The Resurrection to Life, has assured me, That after I am Dead, He will give my Incinerated Body a Resurrection to Life. We see a parcel of Quick silver may put off its Form, and put on that of a Vapour; and from a Vapour be transformed into an insipid Water; and from a Water be transmuted into a White, or a Red, or a Yellow Powder; and from this Powder be made a Salt; and from that Salt a malleable Metal; and yet a skilful Chemist, will reduce it, out of all those various Contextures, into its old Natural Form, of plain, shining, running Mercury. How much more, can an Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient God, bring back the Ashes of my Dead Body, into the Figure that it shall receive at the Resurrection of the Dead?

And first, I remember, the famous Quercetanus, together with other Labourers in the Fire, have told us, That they can take a plant in its more vigorous consistence, and after a due Maceration, Fermentation, and Separation, Extract the Salt of that plant, which, as it were, in a Chaos, invisibly reserves the Form of the whole, with its vital principle; and that keeping the Salt in a glass Hermetically Sealed, they can, by applying a Soft Fire to the glass, make the Vegetable rise by little and little out of its Ashes, to surprize the Spectators. I am not sure, That this Report is to be Relied upon, and much less am I sure, of what they further tell us, That the Essential Salt of Animals being thus prepared and preserved, an ingenious might raise the shape of them, at his pleasure. What I would Remark, is This. If Plants could be Revived out of their Ashes, or if the Oak, and Ash, and Walnut, would grow, from the Scattered Ashes, which I have now before me, it would unavoidably Led our Meditations to the Resurrection of the Dead. Yea, Whatever may be done by Nature, on and from the Ashes of my Wood, I am very