Governance and assistance of fire

Meaning

Governance of fire in Part IV: the spiritual comparison · unit 44 means diligent, continuing attendance, but the governing human does not become the principal agent. The philosophical fire hidden in the compound is assisted by material fire; the passage compares this with inward divine light being stirred through outward exercise of godliness and continued attention to God's Word. Its repeated verbs of assisting, awakening and blowing upon express maintenance rather than manufacture of grace. The English preserves 'principally' for the inner fire's work and 'assisted' for the external relation. This order prevents the analogy from making repeated religious activity an independently sufficient cause of salvation.