A Discovrse of Fire and Salt: Discovering Many Secret Mysteries as well Philosophicall, as Theologicall — John Shaqi
A Discovrse of Fire and Salt: Discovering Many Secret Mysteries as well Philosophicall, as TheologicallVigenère, Blaise de
Religion
A Discovrse of Fire and Salt: Discovering Many Secret Mysteries as well Philosophicall, as Theologicall
Vigenère, Blaise de
Alchemy -- Early works to 1800; Fire -- Early works to 1800; Salt -- Early works to 1800
_Genesis_ 21. _The thought and imagination of mans heart, were inclined
to evill from his youth._ And sith it is a question, about cleansing
the vestment which is of a fiery nature, it must likewise be, that it
be done by meanes of fire; for wee see by experience, that one fire
chaseth away another, as it hath been said heretofore, so that if a
man bee burnt, there is no readier remedy, then to burne it againe
in the same place; enduring the heat of the fire as much as you can:
which drawes the inflammation to its selfe, out of the party, or else
tempering it with _Aqua vitæ_ wherein _Vitriol_ hath beene calcined,
from whence Chirurgeons have not found a more soveraigne remedy to take
away the fire of a musket shot, to heale inflammations and gangrenes;
and yet there are two fires joined together. But that which during this
life must repurge our soules, is that whereof Saint _Augustine_ in the
29. Sermon speakes thus out of the Apostles words, for there is another
afterwards: Kindle in your selves a sparkle of good and charitable
dilection, blow it, and kindle it, for when it shall grow to a great
flame, that will consume the hay, wood, and chaffe of all your carnall
concupiscences, but the matter wherewith this fire must bee continued,
are prayers, and good workes, which must alwayes burne on your altar,
for it is it whereof our Saviour said, _I am come to put fire in the
earth, and what will I if it bee already kindled?_ _Luke_ 12. 49.
There are further two fires: one on the bad part, to wit, of carnall
concupisence; the other of the good, which is charity, which consumes
all the bad, leaving nothing but good, which exalts it selfe in a fume
of a sweet odour; for the heart of every one, is as an altar, either
of God or of the adversary: and therefore hee that is illuminated with
the torch of charity, which must more and more bee increased by good
works, that it may nourish in it selfe the ardour that our Saviour will
vouchsafe to kindle, whereby that is accomplished, which the Apostle
saith in the 5 to the _Ephes._ _That Jesus Christ hath appropriated
to himselfe a Church, not having spot or wrinckle, holy, and pure,
without blemish._ For that which the Church is in generall, and common
towards God, the conscience of every one of us, is in particular the
same, when it is sincerely prepared, as it is requisite; and that upon
the foundation thereof, men build Gold, Silver, pretious stones; that
is to say, a firme faith, and beleefe, accompanied with good works,
without which faith is dead and buried; all upon the model and pattern
of the heavenly _Jerusalem_ designed in the 21 of the _Apoc._ which is
the type of the Church; as is also the reasonable soule, where it must
burne alwaies with fire upon the Altar, and after the imitation of the
wise and prudent virgins, we may have our lamps ready, well lighted,
and garnished with what is needfull to maintaine light, attending the
Bridegrome: as our Saviour commanded it in Saint _Luke_ 12.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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