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…

3. It is certain that the Protestant Churches abroad in the World have given God a great deal of provocation, by manifold enormities and scandals that have discovered themselves shamefully amongst them. If the judgement of those be right, who conjecture the seven Churches in Asia, to whom John wrote, Rev.2,& 3. do stand for an emblem of the various estate of the Church to the Worlds end, they seem now in these days to be fallen under the last and worst pattern, lukewarm Laodicea: it is too true and manifest, that there is but a little true zeal stirring for the glory of God; though there be abundance of formality: there is but a very little of the power of godliness to be seen, but a great many wickednesses growing and abounding: such profanation of Gods holy Sabbaths, that in many places they are disowned, and the morality of the fourth Commandment not only called into dispute, but wholly renounced; abundance of covetousness, uncleanness, profaneness, and many other provoking sins, such as an holy God, will not, cannot bear in a people that are called by his name: they therefore stood in need of a fiery trial to purge and refine them: they have gathered abundance of dirt and dross, and it is not a small fire that will burn it off, and melt it out: and therefore at such times God is wont to set up his furnace, and provide hot coals for it, cruel and bloody instruments, to execute his just displeasure upon his own people by: thus he threatens Israel in case of Apostasy, Deut.28.49,50. The Lord shall bring upon thee a nation, &c. a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, or show favour to the young.

3. It is certain that the Protestant Churches abroad in the World have given God a great deal of provocation, by manifold enormities and scandals that have discovered themselves shamefully amongst them. If the judgement of those be right, who conjecture the seven Churches in Asia, to whom John wrote, Rev.2,& 3. do stand for an emblem of the various estate of the Church to the Worlds end, they seem now in these dayes to be fallen under the last and worst pattern, lukewarm Laodicea: it is too true and manifest, that there is but a little true zeal stirring for the glory of God; though there be abundance of formality: there is but a very little of the power of godliness to be seen, but a great many wickednesses growing and abounding: such prophanation of Gods holy Sabbaths, that in many places they are disowned, and the morality of the fourth Commandment not only called into dispute, but wholly renounced; abundance of covetousness, uncleanness, prophaness, and many other provoking sins, such as an holy God, will not, cannot bear in a people that are called by his name: they therefore stood in need of a fiery tryal to purge and refine them: they have gathered abundance of dirt and dross, and it is not a small fire that will burn it off, and melt it out: and therefore at such times God is wont to set up his furnace, and provide hot coals for it, cruel and bloody instruments, to execute his just displeasure upon his own people by: thus he threatens Israel in case of Apostasie,