N00264:40
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…
The fiery trial no strange thing; delivered in a sermon preached at Charlestown, February 15. 1681. Being a day of humiliation: / by Samuel Willard teacher of a church in Boston in New England. ; [Four lines of quotations]The fiery tryal no strange thing; delivered in a sermon preached at Charlstown, February 15. 1681. Being a day of humiliation: / by Samuel Willard teacher of a church in Boston in New England. ; [Four lines of quotations]
printed for Samuel Sewall, 1682
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. Yea, and by this too, he melts down the good metal: the fire prepares and fits the metal by melting to take any form, to be cast into any mould which the Founder designs: by sore afflictions the people of God are made more humble, and made pliable to any Command of God: they are sometimes stiff and inflexible in days of prosperity, but now they subject themselves to the framing hand of God, and are ready to receive his stamp and impression, Zech.13.9. I will refine them as silver, &c. and what then? why now they shall call on my name, and shall say the Lord is my God.
3. Yea, and by this too, he melts down the good mettal: the fire prepares and fits the mettal by melting to take any form, to be cast into any mold which the Founder designs: by sore afflictions the people of God are made more humble, and made pliable to any Command of God: they are sometimes stiffe and inflexible in dayes of prosperity, but now they subject themselves to the framing hand of God, and are ready to receive his stamp and impression, Zech.13.9. I will refine them as silver, &c. and what then? why now they shall call on my name, and shall say the Lord is my God.
2. If we consider the procuring cause of it, and that is the sin and provocation of his people. Sometimes indeed God sends it merely as probationary, so he did to Job, but usually there is something on our part, putting some sort of necessity upon God to proceed in this way with us: the Church of God here hath its converse in an evil World, where, by reason of the remainders of indwelling corruption, apt to take the infection of many temptations, they are contracting a great deal of filth and pollution, so that their necessity ⟨p. 10⟩seemeth to call for a fiery trial, to burn off their cords of vanity, to purge and purify them from these corruptions. They that are acquainted with their own hearts, and know how much they have dishonoured God in days of peace, quiet, and liberty, will easily judge and acknowledge that it is not without very just ground, and good reason that he often brings trouble and persecution upon them. The Prophet therefore pleads it with the people of God,