The fiery trial no strange thing delivered in a sermon preached at Charlestown February…The fiery tryal no strange thing delivered in a sermon preached at Charlestown February…

1. By it he burns off the dirt that clave to them: Metal when it is first taken out in▪ Ore from the Mineral, hath much of heterogeneous matter (dirt and filth) cleaving to it, and that the fire burns off: so do these fiery trials that come upon the Church, they make it too hot for nominal professors to abide by it; as close as they seemed to cleave to the people of God in a seeming Profession before, now they must fall off; the stony ground is offended when tribulation and persecution ariseth, Mat. 13. 21. Hypocrites cannot long abide the fiery trial, ⟨p. 9⟩but when it grows hot upon them, they relinquish their Religion, and comply with the World, to avoid trouble.

1. By it he burns off the dirt that clave to them: Mettal when it is first taken out in▪ Ore from the Mineral, hath much of heterogeneous matter (dirt and filth) cleaving to it, and that the fire burns off: so do these fiery tryals that come upon the Church, they make it too hot for nominal professors to abide by it; as close as they seemed to cleave to the people of God in a seeming Profession before, now they must fall off; the stony ground is offended when tribulation and persecution ariseth, Mat. 13. 21. Hypocrites cannot long abide the fiery trial, ⟨p. 9⟩but when it grows hot upon them, they relinquish their Religion, and comply with the World, to avoid trouble.

2. By this also he separates the dross from the good metal: when the dirt is removed away the metal indeed looks brighter, and makes a fairer show, but yet there is a great deal of dross and dregs in it, which render it less precious, and more unserviceable, but the fire melts that out, separates it, and leaves the rest by far more pure: there may possibly be abundantly less of it, but that which is, is of a great deal more value; the people of God themselves have much of dross and corruption cleaving to them; and that especially in times of outward peace and prosperity, but when God brings a fiery trial upon them, it refines and purgeth them: this is the very design of God in these dispensations,