fire of Examination and of probation; for, as saith St. _Chrysostome_, that which fire is towards gold and silver, the same is tribulation in our soules from which fire cleanseth the impurities and uncleannesse, and makes them neat shining: following that which is said in the 17. of _Prov._ _As silver is tried by fire, in the furnace, so God proveth the hearts of his Creatures_, and in the 27. of _Eccles._ _ver._ 5. _The furnace tryeth the Potters vessell, and tentation of tribulation, trieth good men._ There are many, saith one of the Fathers, who whilest they are red in the fire of adversity, make themselves flexible, and malleable, but departing therefrom, they harden themselves again as before, making themselves unfit for conversion or amendment; _Origen_ in his 5. _Homilie_ upon the 3. Chap. of _Jesiu Nave_, they that draw near unto me, draw near unto fire: If you bee (saith hee there) Gold or silver, the nearer you come to the fire, the more you will become resplendant: but if you build with wood, straw, or chaffe, upon the foundation of Faith, and come near the fire, you shall be consumed: very happy then are those that drawing near the fire, are therewith lightned and not burnt. According as it is written in the 3. of _Mal._ _The Lord will sanctifie thee in burning fire._ St. _Augustine_, upon a verse of the 45. _Psalm_. _Wee have passed through water, and fire_: Fire burneth (saith hee) and water corrupteth: When adversity comes upon us, it is as it were fire unto us: and worldly prosperities on the contrary are as water. The earthen vessell that is well hardened in the fire, fears neither water nor fire. Let us then study to amend our selves by the fire of tribulation, by bearing it patiently; for if the pottery be not firmly strengthened by fire, the water of temporall vanity will soften it and mingle it as durt. And therefore wee must passe through the fire, to come to the water of Mercy, and Grace, whereof St. _John_ speaketh in the 3. of S. _Mat._ _I Baptize you with water unto repentance, but hee that comes after mee is stronger then I, and he will Baptize you with the holy Spirit, and with fire._ Of which fire we may see in the 16. of _Wisdome_, 17. for it is wonderfull, that in the water that quencheth all things, fire should be most powerfull. That which made St. _Augustine_ himself say, that in the Sacrament of Baptism, which they exercise and Catechise, they first came to fire, and after to the Baptism of water: where the same comes to the temptations of this age, where in the anguish which oppresseth us, the fire first presents it self, but when the fear therein is out, it is to bee feared that a wind of vain glory proceeding from temporall felicity, dissolve it not into rain, which will come to quench the fire of heat and Charity, which affliction hath taken within our Souls. To this purpose, from fire to baptismall water, designed by the aforesaid passage, wee have passed through water and fire, this beats upon the 31.