_The vengeance of the ungodly is fire, and wormes_, which toucheth upon that in the 9. of St. _Mark._ 44. alledged out of the 66. of _Esaiah_ 24. _Whose worm shall not dye, nor their fire bee quenched_: for the one and the other are endlesse, namely the fire that burns them, and the worm that gnawes their consciences in this world, and in the other, torments them for ever. There where on the contrary, if God set it on fire, wee may say with one of our ancient fathers, O happy flame, but not burning, illuminating, but not consuming: Thou dost transform whom thou dost touch, so that they, even merit to bee called Gods. Thou hast warmed thy Apostles, who forsaking all things but thee, have been made Gods children: Thou hast warmed the Martyrs, who have spilt their bloud: Thou hast warmed the Virgins, who by the fire of Divine Love, have quenched the heat of concupiscence. The Confessors likewise, that have separated themselves from the world, to join and to unite unto thee. So that every creature, by the beneficence of this fire, repurgeth it self, from its coinquinations, and ordures, and there is nothing exempted from its heat, if it would come to injoy the fellowship of God; for it is this fire, that kindleth in us by the illuminations of the holy Spirit, by means of our corporall tribulations, which brings us sooner to God, then any other thing, of which Lead is one of their symboles, working the same operations in metals, as afflictions do in us. There is so gallant a passage in the 6. of _Jer._ under the figure of a Coupelle, which I think, that there is not a Goldsmith, Refiner, or a Mettleman, which hath spoken more properly: _They are all corrupters_, speaking of the _Jewish_ people, then _iron or copper_. _The bellows are burnt, the Lead is consumed in the fire, the Founder melteth in vain, for their wickednesses are not plucked away, Reprobate silver shall men cal them, for the Lord hath rejected them._ Whereupon _Rab. Sol._ is a little interveared for that hee doth not well understand the _Coupelles_, being willing to adjoin one of his own. The prophet speaketh here (saith hee) of God as of a Goldsmith, who desirous to purge gold puts thereunto lead or tin, that the fire should not consume the gold: for after the lead is consumed, the fire hurts the gold by consuming it. Mark what it is to speak unadvisedly of things wee doe not understand, for so doing we suffer our selves to fall easily into grosse absurdities: There are here two faults so apparent, that even apprentices would mock at them: the one to mixe Tin at the _Coupelle_ or ashes in stead of lead: for it would not bee fit: also the Prophet takes heed therein. See what _Geber_ sets down, in the Chap. of _Ashes_, Metalls that participate least of the substance of quick-silver, and more of Sulphur, separate themselves sooner and more easily from their mixtions. So that lead, because it hath more of the Sulphureall terrestreity, and lesse quick-silver, it