Part 15

But strong waters, which dissipate and ruine all, are this strange fire, and so Alchymists call them, and fire against nature externall fire, and other the like exterminatives. Certes if the effects of Cannon Powder be so admirable, consisting of so few species, and ingredients, which may be well called the true infernall fire, the devourer of mankind. The action of strong waters is no lesse which burne all, being compounded onely of two or three substances, that which wee commonly call the _Separator_, _Salt-peter_, _Vitriol_, or Allum Ice, and this dissolves Silver, Copper, Quicksilver, and Iron in part. _La Regalle_ which is no other thing then the preceding rectified upon _Salarmoniac_, or common Salt, dissolved partly with Iron, Lead, Tinne, and intameable Gold, with all sorts of fire. It is true, that strong waters doe not destroy metals, that they returne not to their first forme and nature, but drawes them to water, and a melting liquor. This was certainly a good Artificiall industry in mans spirit, to excogitate so short a way to separate Gold and Silver melted together, and so uniformedly mixed, that an ounce of Gold melted with an hundred markes of Silver, each part thereof will equally attract his portion, as wee may see by the refiners practise, which to prove that which it holds of Gold & of Silver, a confused masse of divers metals will take but 30. grains to make their essay in the Coupelle, and from thence will judge that the same proportion that you shall finde in this small volume, shall bee also in the whole masse; all that which may bee therein of impure imperfect metall goes away partly in smoake, and is partly consumed by fire, and partly sticks like Birdlime within the Coupelle, nothing remaining above it but what is fine, namely Silver and Gold, which is there inclosed, with which they separate strong waters called on the occasion the _divider_, which dissolves Silver into water, and Gold falls to the bottome as sand; the water afterwards evaporated, the Silver retires it selfe. But here it would be too much to speake of the effects of strong waters, one of the principall and short instruments of Alchymie, and the Art of fire and Salt, with infinite fine allegories, which thereby may be appropriated upon Holy Writ.

Yet these two fires may be compared, namely the strange fire to Leaven, to the Sea water which is salt, and to Vinegar, a corrupted Wine, and other sorts of Leavens Fires against nature. And the Celestiall to the Altar to pure and unleavened Past, to sweet water fit to drinke, to _Aqua vitæ_, without Vinegar, representing the state of innocence in our first fathers, before their transgression, and the simplicitie of their knowledge, infused into them by the Creator. But when they were once tempted afterwards with ambition, to know more then they should, they would by humane discourse become more subtill and sage, in tasting the fruit of knowledge of good and evill; their Past without Leaven began to swell, to bee proud with the Leaven themselves introduced, which perverted and spoyled it, appropriating it to corporall and sensible things, for the bread which wee eate is leavened, but that which wee use in the Church must not be so, and not without cause, for unleavened bread will bee kept six moneths without molding or corrupting; that leavened bread will not keep so many weekes. It is therefore that the Apostle said, a little Leaven corrupts the whole Masse: Because that one propriety of the Leaven is to convert into their corruption all that is adjoyning of their nature, as Vinegar doth Wine, and Leaven pure Past, also Rennet which is in the number of Leavens. And when they have no Leaven, they make some, corrupting the Past with Vinegar, Lees of Beere, Egges, and like substances, who by their corruption acquire to themselves the propertie of strange fire which is able to convert into its nature, that where it can bite, as wee may see in a Feaver against naturall heate, so that hee turnes it selfe into all things, and all into it selfe, according to _Heraclitus_, who set it downe for the Principall, yet after _Zoroastres_, who thought all things were begotten of Fire after it was extinguished, for being living it begets nothing, no more doth Salt, nor the Sea which _Homer_ calls ἀτρὺγετος unfruitfull, which doth nothing but consume and destroy: An immense and wicked portion of things (saith _Pliny_) and wherein it is doubtfull whether it consume or bring forth more things. Leaven then is a strange fire, and is indeed caustique or burning, for applyed to naked flesh, it engenders therein little _cloches_, which shewes its fierynesse, (also it doth not so without Salt) called for this reason in Latine _fermentum_, Leaven which increaseth by bring warme: and in Greek ζύμη Leaven from ζέω to boile. The Chymicks call it the interior fire, fire within the vessell, for wee see by experience, that bread, if the Past be not leavened, what boyling soever you give it, shall never be but of a hard and uneasy digestion, greatly oppressing the stomach, if the Leaven which they joyne thereunto make it boyle within; whence then it comes that _Moses_ so knowing a man, and so illustrated with the Divine Spirit, so rejecteth a thing so profitable and necessary, and banisheth so expresly the Leaven of the Sacrifices, which is so great an aide and succor in our principall aliment, Bread. _You shall burne no Leaven nor Honey in the Lords Sacrifice_, _Levit._ 2.11. And _Exod._ 12.15, hee condemneth to death those who in the dayes of unleavened bread should eate leavened bread, or should have ever so little in his house. Is it not because Idolaters use Leaven? but hee doth not forbid it in all and throughout all; for in the 23 of _Levit._ 17. he commands them to offer two leaven loaves. Moreover Idolaters imploy also in their Sacrifices Salt and Incense, and many other things that are not forbidden. It must then bee that some mystery lies hidden hereunder. _Origen_ in his 5. _Homil._ upon _Levit._ interpreteth Leaven for arrogance, that wee conceive of a vaine worldly doctrine, which blowes us up as leaven doth Past, and makes us proud, thinking that wee know more then wee doe. So that wee quit the expresse and direct Word of God, to retaine our selves within our phantastique traditions, as our Saviour reproacheth it to the Pharisees, _Mark._ 7. Truely _Esay_ prophecied very well of you Hypocrites, when hee saith, _This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is farre from me, howbeit in vaine doe they worship me, teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men_, _Mark._ 7.6,7. And therefore admonisheth us to beware of this Leaven. And upon _Numbers_, it is not to beleeve said the said _Origen_, that God would punish with death those who during the solennitie of unleavened bread had eaten leavened bread, or that had leaven found in their houses, but by leaven is understood malignitie, envie, rancor, concupiscence, and the like vices that inflame our soules, and make them boile with wicked and pernicious desires, corrupting, altering, and perverting all that which might bee good, following what the Apostle said, _a little Leaven corrupts the whole masse_. Therefore wee may not undervalue any little sinne, for after the manner of Leaven it will very soone produce others; undervalue not, saith St. _Augustine_, the machinations and ambushes of a few men; for as a sparkle of fire is a small thing, and which can hardly bee discerned if it meet with food and nourishment, it will in a short time set on fire great Townes and Cities, Forrests, and whole Countries. Leaven is the same, for how little soever you put in your Past or Dough, it will alter it in short space and convert it to its owne nature. Perverse Doctrine is of the very same, which gaineth Countries by little and little, as a Canker doth in the whole body.

And in his third Book against _Parmenian_ to glorifie himselfe, not in his sinnes, but in those of others, as the _Pharisee_ said, _Luk._ 18. 11. _I give thee thanks O Lord God, that I am not as other men are, Extortioners, Unjust, Adulterers, &c. I fast twice in the weeke &c._ comparing his owne innocence to the defaults of others, this is but a little leaven, but to boast himself in iniquities, and trespasses, is a great one; Furthermore, Leaven is taken in good part, as well as in bad part, in holy Writ; which relates to the two fires. The first hath been touched heretofore for pride, and naughtinesse, that corrupts the soule. Touching the good, in the 7. of _Levit._ 12, 13. there are loaves of leavened bread, which they offer for peace offerings, with oblation of thanksgiving, and in the 23. 17. of every family two loaves of the first eares of wheat at Pentecost; and in St. _Matthew_, and the 23 of St. _Luke_ Jesus Christ compared the Kingdome of God to leaven that a woman had put into three measures of dough, till it was all leavened; for there it is taken for the fervent zeale of ardent faith; and it is the fire wherewith we must be salted: for as the fire boyles our meats, and the salt seasons them, also leaven is the cause that the past bakes the better, and prepares thereby to make more wholesome, and of lighter digestion, more savoury, and of better tast: In which case leaven relates to the Evangelicall Law, as Saint _Augustine_ saith, and old leaven to the Mosaicall, which the Jewes tooke by the barke, and by the hairs. By reason whereof the Apostle admonisheth us, to cast it farre from us: that is to say, all superstition, and malice; _Cast off the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened, for even Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for you_. Therefore let us keep the Feast not with old leaven, neither with the _leaven of malice and wickednesse_, but with the _unleavened bread of sincerity and truth_, which leaven is without doubt this strange fire, that devoures and consumes us within; that is to say, our soul, to swallow us up, and make us goe downe living into Hell. And the Fire of the Altar, the celestiall fire of charity, faith, hope, it is that which we must desire of God to kindle in our hearts, and to season our thoughts and our desires, that no corruption be begotten there; as it doth here below in things corruptible and corporall; the prompt Minister, and executor of that, which the divine goodnesse will please to give of comforts and commodities in this temporall life. What obligations then do wee owe thee, thou excellent portion of Nature, without which we should live in so great misery? thou doest lighten in darknesse, thou dost make us rejoyce in obscurity, bringing us another day. Thou doest chase away from about us, hurtfull powers, feares, and nocturnall illusions; thou doest warm us being cold, thou doest redry us being wet; thou bakest our viands; thou art the soveraigne Artizan of all arts and manufactures which have been revealed unto us, to serve as a rampard against our naturall Imbecillities, that make us in regard of our bodies the feeble and infirm animall of all others. All this by reason of thy Divine beneficence, thou doest communicate to all mortals. And thou, O cleare luminous Sunne, the visible image of the invisible God, the light whereof, doth rebate it selfe in thee, as within a fair manifold multiplying glasse, rendring thy selfe overflowing with all sorts of happinesses, which afterwards thou communicatest to all thy sensible Creatures, being so fair and so desireable a liberall benefactor, thou arisest most resplendent, with luminous beams, which thou doest spread abroad into all parts of the world, and by the vertue of thy spirit, and breath, by thy vivifying vigour, thou governest and maintainest this little All. Thou the illustrious Torch of Heaven, thou the light of all things; cause and secondary Author of all that groweth here below, which by the faculty and power, which the Soveraigne dispensator of all goodnesse hath given thee, obligeth all nature to thy selfe; which with an unwearied course, doest dayly run through the foure corners of the Universe. Thy beauty, thy light, thou doest lend unto our senses by thy unknowne and imperceptible Divinity, and impartest it with a liberall largess; without any vaile or covverture that come to enterpose betwixt them to the Church, thy deare spouse, to break open to us here below, the effects illightning by the same meane of thy inextinguible and inexhaustible Torch, all the celestiall fires. Looke upon us then with a benigne and favourable eye, and by the excellent beauty which shewes it selfe in thee, elevate our understanding to the contemplation of this other more great, that no mortall eie can behold, nor spirit apprehend, but by a profound and pious thought, for as much as it will please him to gratifie it.

But thou Soveraigne Father of this intellectual fire and light, what can wee bring thee here, but devout supplications and prayers? that it will please thee to burne with the fire of thy Holy Spirit, the wills and courages of us thy most humble Creatures, that wee may serve thee with a chast body, and to agree with thee by a pure and neat conscience: to the honour and glory of thy holy name, and salvation of our soules: through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy deare Sonne, who liveth and raigneth with thee, God coeternall, forever and ever, AMEN.

_The second Part of the Lord_ BLAISE _his Treatise touching_ FIRE _and_ SALT.

_Every man shall be salted with Fire and every Sacrifice shall be salted with Salt_, _Mark._ 9. 49. Wee have already spoken of Fire, Salt remaineth, of which there is no lesse to say. But it is strange that the Ceremonies of _Paganisme_, should be found in this respect, and many other in Mosaicall Traditions; Fire shall alwayes burne on the Altar; _Lev._ 6. 12, 13, _The Priest shall burne wood thereon every morning, &c._ And in the 2. 13. _Thou shalt season with salt all the Oblations of thy Sacrifices; and thou shalt not forget to put the salt of Gods Covenant under them; with all thy Offerings thou shalt offer Salt_, which Salt _Numb._ 18 19. called the everlasting Covenant before God to _Aaron_ and his sonnes. And _Pythagoras_ in his Symboles, ordaines not to speak of God without light, and to apply Salt in all Sacrifices and Oblations. And not onely _Pythagoras_, but also _Numa_, which most part of men, hold to have been 100 years before _Pythagoras_, instituted the same according to the Doctrine of the Hetrurians. It is not beleeveable that _Moses_ so deare and welbeloved of God, and so illustrated with his inspirations, whence proceeded all the documents that he left, and so hot a persecutor of Idolatries and Ethnique superstitions, that hee would borrow any thing from them. But more likely that the Devils instigations who makes himselfe alwayes as his Creators ape, to make himselfe to idolize, was willing to divert those sacred mysteries to their abusive impieties, according to which _Josephus_ against _Appion_, and Saint _Jerome_ against _Vigilantius_, doe very well sute: so that as in the Judaicall Law they used no Sacrifices and oblations in Paganisme, but they used Salt as _Pliny_ witnesseth in 31. Book 7. Chap. Especially in holy things the authoritie of Salt is understood, when none were made without a Salt Mill. _Plato_ to _Timæus_, when in the medly and commixtion of the elements, the composed is destitute of much water, and of the more subtill parts of the earth, water resting therein comes to bee halfe congealed, saltnesse is there brought in which hardens it the more, and so there is procreated a body of Salt, communicated to the use of our life, for as much toucheth the body and senses, accommodated by the same meanes according to the tenor of the Law; on that which depends the service of God, as being sacred and agreeable to God, wherefrom hee called it a body beloved of God, for which _Homer_ called it Divine, whereof _Plutarque_ in his 5. Booke of his _Symposiaques_ 10. question renders many reasons, and among others, for that it symbolizeth with the soule that is of Divine nature, and as long as it resides in the body, keepes it from putrefaction, as Salt doth dead flesh, where it is brought in in stead of a soule that keepeth it from corruption, whence some of the Stoicks would say, that Hogs flesh of it selfe was dead, and that a soule which was sowed therein in a manner of salt to conserve it longer exempt from putrefaction, to which a soule was given for Salt. Our _Theologians_ say that the ceremony of putting Salt into water when they hallow it, came from that which _Elisha_ did, 2 _Kings_ 2. 22, 23. to sweeten the waters of _Jericho_, by casting Salt upon the Spring. And that notes the people which is designed by water (many waters are many Nations) were sanctified, must teach us by the Word of God, what Salt signifies, with the bitternesse and repentance that men should have for offending God, as water also doth the confession as well of faith as of sinnes. Of the commixtion of these two, salt and water, proceeds a double fruit to separate from ill doing, and convert to good workes. And for that repentance for sinne ought to precede auricular confession, which repentance is denoted by the bitternesse of salt, they blesse it also before water: It is also taken for wisedome, _You are the salt of the earth, and have salt in your selves_. And because that in all their ancient Sacrifices they used salt, from thence it came that in Baptisme they put salt in the mouth of the Creature before it is baptized with water, for that it cannot yet actually have the mystery of salt applyed for the present.