N00887:390
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.
Once indeed, Sitting by a Fire, where a Pot boiled over, I observed, That the Boiling over of the Pot put out the Fire, and left the Pot without likelihood of Boiling over any more: But therewithal I could not miss Reflecting, That there is a very wonderful Providence of God, often doing a thing of this Importance. God […] permits the Fiery Lusts of men (whether of Anger, or of Ambition, or of Unchastity) to Boil over, in some ⟨p. 192⟩Scandalous Excesses, and Actions. But God improves this Boiling over of their Lusts, to mortify the Lusts themselves, and put out the Fires of Sin and Hell in their Souls. Many a mans Boiling over and Breaking forth into Scandals, proves the occasion of his being a more mortified man, even in those very points all the rest of his Days. Austins Exemplary Chastity was the fruit of his having once Boiled over.
Once indeed, Sitting by a Fire, where a Pot boiled over, I observed, That the Boiling over of the Pot put out the Fire, and left the Pot without likelihood of Boiling over any more: But therewithal I could not miss Reflecting, That there is a very wonderful Providence of God, often doing a thing of this Importance. God 〈…〉 permits the Fiery Lusts of men (whether of Anger, or of Ambition, or of Unchastity) to Boil over, in some ⟨p. 192⟩Scandalous Excesses, and Actions. But God improves this Boiling over of their Lusts, to mortify the Lusts themselves, and put out the Fires of Sin and Hell in their Souls. Many a mans Boiling over and Breaking forth into Scandals, proves the occasion of his being a more mortified man, even in those very points all the rest of his Dayes. Austins Exemplary Chastity was the fruit of his having once Boiled over.
At last, While I was minding other matters, the Fire on my Hearth, was upon the point of Expiring, merely because the Fuel was all spent, that should have supported it. I have been told, that Vulcan was of old feigned Lame for this reason; The Wood on the Fire, is the Staff which he is always calling for. I now Thought of several Things, that Need Recruits, if we would keep them from Expiration; But I thought of one among the rest, which I wished might never be Recruited. Sinful Contention is a sort of a Fire; and it is said of a Contentious man, (which, Lord, Let me neither Be, or Bear!) He is an Ungodly man who diggeth up Evil and in his Lips there is, as a burning Fire And it is said, As Coals are to Burning Coals, so is a Contentious man to kindle Strife. Now 'tis among the Observations of Wisdom, in