Awaken and kindle

Meaning

Awakening and kindling describe a power being brought into activity, not created by the human worker from nothing. In Part III: benefits and their rank · unit 6 God awakens hearts through recognition of his works, turning delight away from display and towards knowledge and charitable help. The flint comparison in Part IV: the spiritual comparison · unit 12 makes hidden fire intelligible through steel and receptive tinder: spiritually, God first bestows the light through true faith; the Word read, heard and preached then provides means and assistance, and the Holy Spirit subsequently kindles it in the dark yet believing heart. The heart receives this work as tinder; it is not the first giver of the light. Part IV: the spiritual comparison · unit 44 returns to this vocabulary as continuing exercise. The inward fire must be assisted rather than allowed to go out. English “stimulated, awakened and blown upon” preserves several related actions instead of reducing them all to spontaneous illumination.