Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A66099
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The fiery tryal 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.
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Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing W2276; ESTC R33663
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14,868
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26
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The Fiery Tryal no strange thing DELIVERED IN A SERMON Preached at CHARLSTOWN FEBRUARY 15. 1681. Being a Day of Humiliation By SAMVEL WILLARD Teacher of a Church in BOSTON in NEW ENGLAND Matth. 10. 24 Think not that I am come to send peace on Earth I came not to send peace but a sword Vel resignemus Christianam militiam vel parati simus ad quasvis pro Christo tribulationes ferendas Musculus BOSTON In NEW-ENGLAND Printed for Samuel Sewall 1682. TO THE READER Christian Reader THere is nothing more perplexeth a Believer in his race of Godliness than to meet with be engaged in such difficultyes as he allotted not upon Those that promised themselves a fair easy way in the service of Christ when persecutions arise anon they are offended in Him Our Saviour therefore adviseth every man that will undertake to be a Christian first to sit down count the Câ—st The ensuing Discourse will acquaint you with one of the hard Lessons of Religion and tell you what you may rationally propound to your selves as likely to meet withall between this glory Nor is this to discourage and make you to repent as of an hard bargain for an Eternal weight of glory will more than compensate all the tribulations you can go through in the way to it but to call you to preparation that the newness of it may not amuse you nor the greatness of it affright you How seasonable such a word is let the Times speake If what is here spoken may in any wise help your Faith it shall not be labour lost which that it may I commend it you to the Grace of God who am your servant for Christ SAMUEL WILLARD 1 Pet. IV. XII Beloved think it not strange concerning the Fiery Tryal which is to try you as though some strange thing hapned to you THis Epistle as is to be seen by the Title or Inscription of it was directed to Christians dispersed and scattered up and down the World Whether they were the remainder of the Babylonish Captivity who returned not with their Brethren into Indea or the dispersion occasioned by the cruelty of Antiochus in the dayes of the Machabees of which the Apostle Paul Heb. 11. 11. 35 c. or those that fled in the Persecution raised soon after the death of Stephen recorded Act. 8. beginning to each of which Interpreters do differently incline I determine not But they were such as laboured under the exercise of manifold afflictions as appears from Chap. 1. v. 6. now c. you are in heaviness through many Temptations For their relieâ— and encouragement our Apostle doth in every Chapter commix some consolatory and wholsome advise to strengthen and animate them to patience and help their perfeiting and in the latter part of this Chapter beginning at this 12th verse he more particularly counsels and quickens them about this matter These words are introductory to the discourse and taken by themselves and we need not at present look further do contain an Exhortation or Direction how to entertain the great Tryals that were like to come upon them or rather a caution and negative injunction or a prohibition respecting the observation they should make of and inference they might draw from those troubles In the words observe 1. The Compellation Beloved The afflictions of the Saints should not alienate our affections from them or render them any whit less amiable in our eyes there is no reason why our love should abate or hearts grow strange to the people of God because they are persecuted and hated by the World Jesus Christ loves them and declares them blessed Mat. 5. 10. and if they are beloved by Christ they deserve it of us if we would be like him nay their sufferings are for Christ and on that score ought they to be dear to us as they stand up for his honour nay and they are for the Church of Christ too Col. 1. 24. we have our share in the benefit which challengeth for them a share in our love 2. The subject matter about which the Exhortation is given viz. the Fiery Tryal the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies burning and so it is Translated Rev. 18. 9. Thus also some render it here It designs the more sharp and severe exercises of affliction such as are occasioned by the violent oppression and persecution of Enemies which are frequently in Scripture Phrase expressed by the Metaphor of Fire from the manifold resemblance which is between them it is here translated Fiery Tryal respecting the end which God looks at in ordering it to befal his people and that is further expressed and amplified in the description which is to try you the Greek is which befals you for a temptation or tryal intimating to us the great design of God in all even the severest Afflictions which his Children suffer nor is it a vain Tautologie but a needful amplification flesh and blood being very ready to count of it as rather to destroy then to prove their Faith 3. The Exhortation it self Think it not strange the word is be ye not like to Ghests or Strangers and it is used for those which are troubled with admiration at some new and strange thing The Apostle therefore expounds himself at the latter end of the verse As if some strange thing had hapned unto you 2. Or as if a stranger came to you so some read it and his meaning is that they should not entertain it as a thing which they had no expectation of and were thereupon moved with wonder and surprize at the coming of it I shall not here endeavour to express all that might usefully be observed from the words but among many Truths that might hence be treated of make choice of that comprehensive one for our present meditation viz. Doct. It becomes not the people of God to look upon the fiery tryal which befals the Church of Christ in the world as a strange thing We may take up the Explication in three things 1. What is meant by fiery tryals 2. What it is to count them strange 3. The ground of the Doctrine 1. What is meant by fiery Tryals 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 or 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
it hath been a truth from the beginning that the World ever hated the Church they hated Christ first and thence it is no wonder if they hate his people too our Saviour Christ to shew what entertainment his Disciples are to expect in the World compares his people to Sheep among Wolves Mat. 10. 16 Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of Wolves And the Wolf seeks no other quarrel against the sheep but that he is a sheep and if he can will devour him right or wrong to be a servant of Jesus Christ a sincere Professor of the Gospel is enough to stir up the hate and malice of the World Caius Sejus bonus homo sed â—hristianus if they can in no other point charge them yet this very name renders them odious its charge enough if they can charge them in the matters of their God and we may as well wonder why Serpents hate men as why the old Serpents seed hate the seed of the Woman nor 2. That God useth them as instruments neither is this any wonder since they are the fittest materials to make his rods of these are rods which will smart most their hatred makes them most ready to afflict and chastise the Church withal it is true if they were principal agents and left to act their own pleasure they were very unfit for they think only of the ruine and desolation but not of the tryal and reformation of the People of God but as instruments in the hand of God they will make it smart but cannot do any hurt agen they are therein the fittest to make rods of that when God hath done with them and chastened his People by them they may be thrown into the fire yea in this respect God makes eminent discovery of his infinite wisdome in the choice of Instruments because in this way he takes an advantage to prove the reality of his love to his people then when he is most angry with them It is therefore worthy our diligent observation that though God be never so angry with his people and cause his wrath to burn never so high against them yet then he so loves them that he will be avenged on the very Instruments of his displeasure upon them and therefore makes choice of his and his Churches Enemies to punish them withal why doth God call Babylon to come down and sit in the dust Isai 57. 1. we have the reason rendred in ver 6. I was wrath with my people and gave them into thy hand and thou hast shewn them no mercy Though Babylon did no more then what God both intended and threatned there cannot be a more manifest token of men hated by God and appointed to destruction then to be raised up to be persecutors and oppressors of the Church and People of God whatever their iniquities and provocations may have been 4. If we consider the end of these fiery tryals and that ariseth from the improvement which God who is the prime agent in them makes thereof and it is to be discovered and observed by us in the operation the substance of it is it is to make his people more humble more holy more serviceable to the glory of his own great Name more profitable in their generation and better fitted and prepared for the Kingdome of glory Moses summs up all briefly Deut. 8. 16. Where having given an account of the difficulties and fiery tryals which Israel met with in the Wilderness he certifies them that the design of all these was only this that he might humble thee and that he might prove thee to do thee good in thy latter end 2. It is prejudicial to the People of God for them to place such an account upon the fiery tryal is much to their disadvantage for that 1. It tempts us to rob God of that glory which is his due and we ought to give him in the fires God expects to be glorified by his people but whiles we look with amazement and these things astonish us we are more ready to dishonour him by calling his wisdome love goodness truth c. into question if we count the fiery tryal strange we shall answerably have strange thoughts of God and hard thoughts of Religion so he Psal 73. 13. 77. 8 9. 2. It will wonderfully weaken our Faith in God our trust and reliance on his promises it confounds faith when a soul knows not what to make of things while Jonah is amazed he begins to draw up a conclusion of desperation then I said I am cast out of thy sight Jon. 2. 4. Faith must have its evidence Heb. 11. 1. which is lost in these transports 3. It will fill the soul full of jealousies and strange suspitions ready to say of every cross and trouble this is certainly against me he will take all for Enemies and think God so too and say as he thou settest me for thine enemie 4. It will make the tryal by these means far more grievous and hard to bear it will fret and vex the Soul raise disquietments and discontents we shall behave our selves like Ephraim as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Jer. 31. 28. here is the very reason of all the unruly carriages of the people of God at any time under their afflictions because they have not a right apprehension and opinion of them 5. And from all these we render our selves exceeding uncapable of receiving Counsel or Comfort if God send us advise we cannot hear it if consolation we cannot receive it thus we read Exod. 6. 9. Moses spake unto the Children of Israel but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage Now all these things damnifie us so prevent that good which otherwise we might derive to our selves from these exercises how sharp soever Use To wave other things let me apply this truth for the helping of our faith unto a suitable improvement of the fiery tryal which any of the people of God are at this day labouring under and which we our selves also have weighty reasons to live in the continual expectation of that so we may not so think of it or entertain it as a strange thing and to that end that we may have a right judgement and soul satisfying apprehension of it let us diligently and prudently compare the works of Gods providence with those intimations which are given us in his word and it will afford us a true and a full discovery of the true meaning of these things and that in both respects 1. It may satisfie us in regard of that sore persecution which is at this day upon divers of the Protestant Churches abroad we hear of many sad and sorrowful calamities which by the malice of Satan and rage of men are brought upon that cause and are ready to sit down as men amused wondering why this is and wherefore God suffers it how Jesus Christ can bear it let me assure you it is not because God doth