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 Charlstown, February…

A. Trials in propriety of speech, are such experiments as are made, for the finding out of the nature, qualities, and operation of things, when they are applied, in our speech, to rational agents, they then intend, either an Essay of Endeavour to draw, and by Arguments to persuade men to any thing which we have a design to make use of them in, and so they are called temptations, and in which sense mainly, the Devil is called the Tempter, because he useth all endeavours to insinuate into, and gain men to follow his suggestions: or else a proof which we are minded to make of the fidelity, sincerity, and constancy which is in a person, that we may know him the better, and so they are more peculiarly called Trials: in this sense it is said, A wise man will try before he will trust; thus God put Abraham's faith and obedience to the trial, Gen.22.beginning. ⟨p. 4⟩Afflictions in Scripture language often bear the name of trials, because by them proof is made of Professors, and men are tried so as to be discovered, oftentimes, whither they be indeed sincere or hypocritical; and indeed it is one of the best evidences we can have of mens integrity, when these drive them not from, but establish them in their profession.

A. Tryals in propriety of speech, are such experiments as are made, for the finding out of the nature, qualities, and operation of things, when they are applied, in our speech, to rational agents, they then intend, either an Essay of Endeavour to draw, and by Arguments to perswade men to any thing which we have a design to make use of them in, and so they are called temptations, and in which sence mainly, the Devil is called the Tempter, because he useth all endeavours to insinuate into, and gain men to follow his suggestions: or else a proof which we are minded to make of the fidelity, sincerity, and constancy which is in a person, that we may know him the better, and so they are more peculiarly called Tryals: in this sence it is said, A wise man will try before he will trust; thus God put Abrahams faith and obedience to the tryal, Gen.22.beginning. ⟨p. 4⟩Afflictions in Scripture language often bear the name of tryals, because by them proof is made of Professors, and men are tried so as to be discovered, oftentimes, whither they be indeed sincere or hypocritical; and indeed it is one of the best evidences we can have of mens integrity, when these drive them not from, but establish them in their profession.