The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs ; published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]

CHAP. 24. (Book 24)

Helps to put on Faith in any undertaking. 1. Set before you the example of your great Captain Je∣sus Christ. 2. Make preparation for the work of Faith by Humiliation. 3. Renew your Faith in the Covenant of Grace. 4. In difficult times, set Faith on work to purifie the heart. 5. Take heed of shifting waies and dependances. 6. Set loose from your own ends. 7. Cast your selves upon the word of God. 8. Plead the word with God in prayer. 9. Refuse no meanes that God puts into your hands. 10. Do nothing with a slavish spirit 11. Be not discouraged by miscarriages that are past 12. Take heed of the disturbance of passion in your work. 13. Observe the dependances one work hath upon another. 14. Lisson not to Temptations. 15. Take heed of perverse reasonings. 16. Take heed of disorderly working, in four cases. 17. Ʋse resolution and Courage. 18. Look on your selves as Gods Instruments. 19. Be constant though you find nothing come of it. 20. Encrease not the difficulty by your Carriage. 21. Look most at your Encouragements. 22. Ʋse not the dif∣ficulty in the way to reason against the work. 23. Labor to harden your selves by faith against all difficulties

NOw doth God call you to any service or work that hath any difficulty in it? you see what it is that will help. David by Faith in Psal. 18.29. Says, he could break through a troop and leap over a wall, and break a bow of Steel, and Paul could do all things through Christ that strengthened him; As Christ said

of Miraculous faith, so it may be said of Justifying Faith. If you had faith but as a graine of mustard seed, you should say unto this mountaine be removed hence to yonder place, and unto this Sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the roots, and be thou planted in the Sea and they shall obey you, in Math. 17.20. And in Luke, 17.6. And so Faith if it come to a sin that is rooted, it will be able to pluck it up by the roots, and to remove mountains. There is nothing more weake, and unuseful then on ordinary conceited faith, that is but a bare opinion, and groundless hope, but nothing more strong and usefull then true Faith, it hath the quinte∣ssence of all graces, as the root of the herb hath the ver∣tue, and quintessence of all the fruite, and branches in it, so faith hath the quintessence of all grace, and ther∣fore it will do great things. As it was said of Luther that had much faith, he could do whatsoever he would: So it may be said of Faith and the Scripture saith so of it; Faith can do what it will, it was the speech of Christ to the woman: O Woman great is thy Faith be it unto thee as thou wilt: In Math. 15.28. Those whose faith is great it shall be to them as they will, but know it must be exercised, it is not enough to have it in the habit, but the activity, and exercise of it: wherefore for the put∣ting on of your Faith.

1. Let us set before us the example of our great Captaine the Lord Jesus Christ you know what diffi∣cult works Christ undertooke for the salvation of man, such difficult works as all the Angells in heaven and crea∣tures in the world would have sunke under: But Christ went through them; and there was a work of Faith in Christ that carried him through, though it was not such a work of faith as ours, Justifying Faith, yet he had a Faith, his trust in his father that did help to carry him through great and difficult works. In 2 Heb. 12.13. Christ is propounded as an example unto us, Saying I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst

of the Church will I sing praise unto thee: Christ in his own person did praise God, and he sung praises in the hearts of his people, so that by the way, take this as a comfortable note, to encourage us to publique duties, while we are praysing of God, Christ is praysing of God while we are singing of psalms to God in a gracious man∣ner, Christ is praysing of God the father. And again I will put my trust in him, it is a speech of Christ unto the Father, Christ put his trust in the Father, and the example of the work of Faith in Christ to carry him through all the works he had to do, is brought as an in∣couragement unto Christians, to cast their relyance on God the Father, to carry them through all the hard works they have to do. And as Christ did not only praise God in his own person, but in the Church, so Christ did not only in his own person trust in the Father and so was carried through the difficult works he had to do, but he trusted in his Father, in the hearts of his people, that they might be carried through the difficult works they have to do.

2. When any difficult work is to be done, labor to make preparation for the work of Faith by humiliation, before you undertake the work and according to the na∣ture of any difficult services there must be a proportion∣able measure of humiliation before you undertake that work: therefore when God hath called to extraordina∣ry works, usually Gods people have made preparation for their faith by extraordinary humiliation, as Nehe∣miah, Ezra and Esther, that were to undertake great works, which they were to be carried through by faith, they made preparation by extraordinary humiliation before hand. It is in the putting forth of a new act of faith, as it was in the first act of Faith, as especially humiliation was a preparation for faith at first, so es∣pecially humiliation is a preparation for the putting forth of a new act of Faith, after we have it.

3. When any difficult service comes to be per∣formed

let there be oft renewing of Faith in the great co∣venant of Grace: and do not only think to exercise faith in this particular work, but let your care be about re∣newing Faith in the great covenant, let the great Char∣ter be renewed, and inferiour grants wil come in. Thus God dealt with Abraham, when any thing befell Abra∣ham that he was in a great straight, then God renewed his Covenant with him, I am God Alsufficient; God thought this a special meanes to carry him through; If you have renewed the covenant (in which all the promi∣ses are included) this is a great help to Faith, Shall not God who hath given us his Son with him also give us al things else; the soul may reason strongly thus.

4. Faith must be set on work when any difficult ser∣vice is to be done, for the purifying of the heart, though you beleeve God will be with you, and strengthen you in the work, yet unless you make use of Faith to puri∣fie the heart, as well as beleeve, you may miscarry in the work, if there be any lust that lies next the heart, you wil never be able for to do great things; for sin as it is of a defiling nature, so it is of a weakning nature. If you would have a spirit of power, you must have a sound mind. In Nehemiah, 13.3. When they were about a great work they separated the mixt company, & when you are about any great work, Exercise Faith to purge your hearts from corruption, Saies David, Psal. 18.32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and makes my way perfect. The girding of him with strength and making his way perfect went together: therefore: labor that the way with God in your own hearts may be perfect, and clean, and then God will gird you with strength.

5. In difficulties labor to exercise faith to get you off from all shifting waies, and creature dependances: It is observable of those that have to deal with mettals, when they are working of Gold, that they might have it work the easier, they will mixe other mettals with it,

and upon the mixing of Lead and tinne with Gold, it works the easier, but it is a great deal worse, it were better they would take more pains in the working of it, it would be purer. Just so do many Christians, that are ill workemen in the waies of God, when they are wor∣king of good actions and they find them difficult, and go somwhat hard off, they will be mixing their own car∣nall pollicy, and shifting courses, and to that end the work may go off easier, but though it be easier to be done yet it is a worse peece of work after it be done, then it would have been if it had been done with more paines. Labor to exercise Faith to get you off from al creature dependances, if the heart by Faith be given up to God alone, it will do mighty things: but if so be we would have two strings to our bow, that if such a means do faile we may have some other to rest upon, we shall ne∣ver do any great thing: And therefore when God would use any of his people to do great things, he first took them off from al creature helps they had before, as I have met with an observation that one hath from Moses about this. In Acts, 17, 22. It is said Moses was an Eloquent man, a man of mighty words. Yet if you read the Sto∣ry in Exod. 4.10. you shall hear Moses complaine that he was slow of speech, and not eloquent. This is answered, Moses was a man of mighty words, but when God was about this work, and a little before God took away his excellency in words, that he might have further dependance upon God, then before he had: whether there be any reality in this or no I know not, yet certainly it is the way of God, when men have any creature helps, God doth take them off from them that they might have a sheere work of Faith, for when the creature is used, it doth usually rob God of a great part of his honor: Ther∣fore when Gideon had so many thousand, God said it was too great a multitude for him to deliver his people by.

6. Faith must take us off from our own ends too, and

ingage God in the business as much as we can, let God be seen in the work though we be not seen, let God have the glory, though it be not known who did that diffi∣cult work, great things will be done when God is inga∣ged in the business. And it is a special work of Faith to take us off our own ends; when you come to a great work, you think to exercise faith and not being taken off from your own ends; Faith looseth its vertue and power.

7. When we come to any work that is difficult, let us labor to exercise Faith, to cast our selves upon the word, to find out some promise, and to roule upon it to venture our selves and the might of our work upon that word, as namely thus: Suppose it be a work for the subduing of any sin; that word in Rom. 6.14. Sin shal not have dominion over you, look at the word, and make more account of it, then of all your endeavors a∣gainst sin whatsoever, if it be laboring to get from un∣der that difficulty, the guilt of Conscience, and deliver∣ing your selves from the terror of it. That word in Rom. 8.1. There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. If it be for the doing of any work that we are called to, that word that hath vertually a promise in it: he worketh all our works in us, and for us; Isa. 26.12. If it be to stand against any oppositi∣on, that word which God gave to Joshua, Joshua. 1.5. I will be with thee and will not leave thee: Exercise Faith to get a word and to rest your souls upon it.

8. Take this word and plead it with God in prayer when you enter on any difficulty, do as it were shew unto God his bond: though God binds him self; yet he wil not come in and help till the creature come and shew his bond: and upon the sight and pleading of the bond with God, God is pleased to come in with help, God is much taken, and delighted with this, when a∣ny of his servants in difficulty shall come, and plead his promises. The turning of promises into praier, and

as it were the distilling of faith into prayer is a thing mighty prevailing with God: As there are some Physicall things that have great operations, but unless they be distilled, or taken in such and such things they will not work; but then they will work: So Faith when it is distilled and turned in praier, and mingled with praier, and taken down in that, then it works: If a Physitian should come and say, how did you take such a thing? and you say I swallowed it down, he wil say you should have taken it in such and such a thing, and then it would have wrought; so you beleeve God will help you, but have you distilled your Faith into praier? and taken it therein pleading with God to ful∣fill his word: that is a great means to do great things.

9. Faith must refuse no means, if there be any means that God doth lay in your way, take them thankefully, use them faithfully, diligently, carefully as if there were nothing but means: and when you have used them depend upon God above means, as if there were no o∣ther means: Idleness and presumption are quite con∣trary to faith: and therefore be faithful in the use of means. As it is observed, God saies he brought the people into Canaan, by his mighty power and outstretch∣ed Arme: yet there was a great many valiant Souldiers and a mighty power of the people; so that notwithstand∣ing all means, Faith knows how to give God the glory of his outstretched arme, knowing that all second causes work by the power of the First.

10. Let us take heed that what we undertake to do, we do it not with a slavish spirit, meerly haled unto it but look upon every duty as a work of the Gospel; that that people do meerly in a compulsive way, out of a sla∣vish spirit, they will never go through it, but by Faith we are to look upon all duties as works of the Gospel, not as works of the Covenant of works, but as works of the Covenant of grace, therefore that is observable con∣cerning Zerubbabel In Zach, 4. Where God saies moun∣tains

shall be made plaine before Zerubbabel, difficul∣ties shall be taken away, how? at vers. 7. At the lay∣ing of the corner stones they shall crie Grace, Grace, magnifying the Grace of God, looking higher at the Garace of God, then at all the strength that Zerubba∣bel had, and so being carried on in a spiritual way, cry∣ing Grace, Grace, that was a means to carry them through difficulties, and to make them as plains, for when you go about any great work, when you lay the first stone in that work crie Grace, Grace, this is a work that I must expect the free Grace of God in for as∣sistance, for acceptance, and for blessing and for the car∣rying me through all: the more you magnify the grace of God in any work, the more you will be enabled to go through that work.

Eleventhly, You must not be discouraged by mis∣carriages that have been before. You have set upon a work, and you have carried your selfe so in it as you have miscarried, and you think I have so miscarried, and sinned against God, as I must never expect Gods help, If I had never miscarried in that work, I might have had hope, but now having so miscarried in that work, there is little hope: do not reason by former miscarriages: If we now set our hearts right to the work, and come and ask wisdom to be carried through it, though we have miscarried twenty times before, God will not upbraid us; nor say, what doe you come to ask wisdom to do that work, when as you have set upon that work before, and have spoiled it, through the pride and sluggishness of your hearts? therefore now away; be humbled for miscarriages before, but be not discouraged by any miscarriages in that work or in any other; yea though we have begun the work and miscarried at first, yet be not discouraged, many works have miscarried at first, and yet have come to a glorious issue at last, especially if miscarriages be through weakness: as Jacob though he was strook lame,

and the sinew of his thigh shrunk in wrastling with the Angel, yet he prevailed; so though there may be fail∣ings, that our sinews may be shrunk up, and we be lame in our work, yet there may be a prevailing at last, and therefore do not hinder your Faith by being dis∣couraged with former miscarriages.

12. Againe take heed of the disturbance of passion in the performance of your work, that which is done in a way of passion, and frowardness and anger is seldom well done, if you have a servant, that will allwaies be busie, and doing of somewhat, but do it in an anger, you had better he should do nothing, they are the quiet and meek spirits that can carry a work sweetly and pro∣sperously on: So in any work that God sets us about, let us go about it with quiet spirits, your strength shall be to sit stil, Isa. 50.7. Saies the Lord; so the great strength of our hearts in the performance of any work, is to stand still, and be quiet. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Exod. 14.13. Not the stillness that is op∣posed to endeavor, but that stilness that is opposed to disquietness, and tumultuousness of our unruly af∣fections: you would faine have the salvation of the Lord, and help in such and such a work, why did you not stand stil, you are not in case to have the salvation of the Lord, so long as you are in such a disturbance: ma∣ny miscarry in a work this way, as many foolishly igno∣rant people that are in a boat, when the boat tosses they run up and down in the boat and will not be quiet, and so are drowned; whereas if there be any skilful in the boat, they say, do but sit still and you are safe enough, but they think they cannot be too hasty to help them∣selves, and so run up and down and turne the boat over them; so are unruly passions of men in their hearts, when they are in any work and apprehend any danger, their passions are up, and they think there is a necessity for them to be stirring, and it is in an unruly way, and so they overturne themselves, I beseech you observe it

in Moses. Moses he was to do the great work in car∣rying the people from Egypt, and he was of a very qui∣et spirit a great way; but he was to go on in the work, and though he was the weakest man upon the earth, yet the very thing that did over throw Moses in the work at last, that made him to miscarry for his own part, was the disturbance of his passion, when he came to strike the rock, to get water for the people, for not sanctifying the name of God, but did it in a passion, that was the thing that made him miscarry, as in Psalm. 106.32.33. They angred him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes. So you (may be) have done some works, so as you have found God strengthning of you, at length you come to a work where (may be) there is more difficulty then before, and there being more difficulty your hearts are disquie∣ted; take heed you miscarry not now, it is a special thing to carry on a hard work well; to go on with quietness: disquiet and passion do much hinder; as it was the case of the people of Israel in the beginning of Exodus; When Moses came they could not harken to him, because of the anguish of heart; and the greatness of their bon∣dage: So to apply it spiritually, you are sensible of some gri••vous bondage under some corruptions, and you have much anguish of spirit that you cannot overcome such and such corruptions, but take heed you be not so disturbed in your hearts, as your being in anguish under that bondage hinder you from hearkning to the Lord in his word, and conceiving the mind and will of God a right and knowing how to order your selves in a right way: it was so with them, and truly this is just the case of many people, because they are sensible of the bondage they are in under their corruptions, they are so troub∣led, and their hearts are in such a toile, and tumult, that they cannot hearken to any thing that should guide themselves in this work.

13. Another rule for the ordering of your Faith to

help you through difficult works, is to observe the de∣pendances that one work hath upon another; many see a work God would have them to do, and they presently set upon that, and do not observe what dependance, this hath upon somwhat else and so miscarry. Suppose a Mariner or some other should have a work to go and pull such a cable, such a rope, he goes to the place that is in view to pull that rope, but may be there is some o∣ther line; that holdes it in some other place, and they may pull their hearts out, and never pull the thing they would. So many are striving and laboring, and tugging in many duties, but there is some secret holdfast that they observe not that those duties have dependance upon, and they can never bring their work to pass. As one com∣plaines of the difficulty of getting a heart to go to God in prayer, God knows I have been in prayer & have striven with my soul with al my might, as in the presence of God for to get up my heart; you strive and tug at this and may be you think of some promise, and exercise faith too, but there is some corruption that seems to be a great way off from this, that this hath dependance upon, which makes this difficult, and you should set your faith on work to deliver your selves from that, and then it will come off better, as now (may be) you have been striving to get your hearts up to God in prayer, and if you look well to it, it may be the frowardness and petrishness, and passion of your hearts in your families, with ser∣vants, or wife, or husband is that which keeps down your heart, when you come into Gods presence, you should first have set your faith on work, to have cured that, and if you had cured that, you might have got up your hearts: many slip over many corruptions, and look at duties a great way off and they strive, and take pains, but if they had true Christian wisdome, they should look what difficulty and hinderance lay between them and that dutie, and they should labor to take a∣way that And so for faith, we cannot beleeve in God

and in the promises, may be there lay a sluggish heart in your particular calling, it may be so far off, though you think there be but little dependance of Faith in that And so in affliction you would faine have your hearts be patient, may be there laie a dead lumpishness of heart and drowsiness of spirit: and therefore look narrowly to corruption though never so far off, and set thy heart in general against all, one as well as another.

14 Againe take need of listening to temptation: when as you are about any hard work there will come a∣bundance of temptation, what you go through this work? those that have been stronger then you have miscarried, it is a mighty hard work, and you are a poor creature: If it be the work of the Lord, go to it with a naked up∣right heart, If I miscarry so it is and do not mind temp∣tations: A very observable place it is of Nehemiah, in Nehemi. 6.3. When he was about the great work of God, the adversaries sent as if they would parly with them, and it was for nothing but to hinder his work, but mark what he saies. I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come, why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you? so do you say to temp∣tation, temptation would faine have you come, reason the case, but say I am about the worke of the Lord, why should the work cease, and I spend my time and strength about reasoning with you?

15. Another rule for the putting on of your faith may be this: when you are doing any great work God calls you to do. Take heed of perverse reasonings, as thus. When God calls me to do any service, I should reason; if I were able to do thus and thus I could beleeve but who can beleeve when they have such a heart, so unable to do any thing, and so unable to overcome any corruption? What a perverse reasoning is this? If I could do this I could beleeve, you should reason I must beleeve, that I may do this: as If one should say, if I could do any work I hope I should have strength, you

must have strength to do your work; or if I were at my journies end I could go; you must go to be at your journies end, If I were over Sea I could venture into a Ship, you must venture into a Ship that you may come over Sea: And so if I could do such a thing I could beleeve how should strength come in but by beleeving? Wilt stay beleeving till thou canst get strength? it is as much as if one should say I wil stay going into a Ship til I get over Sea, his going into the Ship is a means to get over Sea, and so beleeving is the way to get strength: and therefore do not reason from thy want of strength to hinder faith but rather reason from thy want of strength to further faith.

16. Again when you go about any work that is diffi∣cult, take heed of any disorderly working of your heart about that work. The disorderly work of the heart may be discovered in two or three part••culars.

First, To look at the success, it looks at the duty principally, for one to look at the success more then at duty, this is a miscarriage and a hinderance to the work of faith.

Secondly, If you do look at the success, yet do not look at the particular success, though Faith do assure of the general success, it doth not alwaies assure of the particular success.

Thirdly, take heed you do not judg of the final suc∣cess, by some hinderances in the work at first, as many because they have not success at the beginning, they judg of the final issue by that.

Fourthly, Above all take heed of determining before hand that you shall have no success, I may go about the work but it will never go on, it will never thrive: As a servant that is froward will say, well I may go about the work, but there will never come no good of it, so many will go about the work God sets them to do, but they determine before hand nothing will come of it This is a sinful boldness, who art thou man or woman,

shal you be so bold with God, may you determine, what Gods way shall be? you may say, I deserve that no∣thing should come of that I do, but when it comes to de∣termination, it is boldness and sinfulness against God what should not I determine I that am thus and thus vild, will God succeed any work in my hand? you may say I that am thus and thus vild deserve that God should blast all that I do, but do not determine that I shall ne∣ver overcome this hard heart of mine, and I shal never get a patient spirit. This is that which the prophet speaks against. Hosea, 7.13. Though I have redeemed them yet they speak lies against me, So though God have re∣deemed men, and hath given them mercy, yet they speak lies against God, that they shall never have such and such a mercy, that they labor for, or when God is in a way of redeeming of you, and stirring your hearts for you to say there shal never be no success, nor help, this is to speak lies against God; be humbled for that you have been guilty of before, and take heed of determin∣ing of the success for time to come: for assuredly, whatsoever unworthinss you see in your selves, yet know it is a temptation of the Devil and a provoking sin.

17. Againe it must be our care, together with our faith to put on that we do with resolution and courage; As the Psalmist saith in Psal. 310.24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart. So when you go to any difficult work, put on your faith with all the resolution you can, natural resolution helps much against difficulty: It is a notable speech of Sen∣eca, the mind of man, gets whatsoever it commands it self, if it will lay a command and charge upon it self it may obtaine it. That he saies concerning naural resolution, natural resolution is a migh∣ty help to overcome difficulty, a man shall be able to do more then he thought he could have done, but if this be added with faith, that we can make use of our Faith

and then lay a necessity on the work; it must be done whatsoever I hear, it is the command of God, this is a mighty thing to help forward the work.

18. Another rule is in all services that God calls you to, look upon your selves as Gods instruments in Gods hand, and look upon the work as Gods work enjoined by him and done for him, and not your own. I am nothing what is an instrument, an axe to the building of an house? the work is hard and difficult, it is not mine, but Gods, I am not the principal efficient, but the in∣strument and not in mine own hand, but in Gods and such a weak instrument in the hand of a skillful work∣man, in his own work may do great things.

19. Again whatsoever work God calls you to do go a••out i••, continuing in it, though you find nothing come of it, expect God to come in while you are working, and do not say, if God did come in I could have incourag∣ment to work, work, expecting God to come in while you are working: and though you have been working these many years and found nothing, yet if God do come in it will be while you are working. As David said to Solomon his Son, up and be doing and the Lord be with you. 1. Chron. 22.16. So say I to you do not say what shall I be doing without the Lord, be doing and the Lord wil come in: But I have been do∣ing and the Lord hath not come in. Yet whensoever the time comes that God wil come in comfortably, it wil be while you are working, therefore be doing and the Lord will be with you.

20. Again let us take heed we do not increase the difficulty by our disorderly carriage, this we are many times guilty of, that when God sets us about any work and there be some hardness in it, we make it abundant∣ly more hard by our untoward carriages: As a man that is fettered, by pulling and haling he pulls the skin off his legs, and by that means makes it harder to beare his fetters then before, the people of Israel that went out

of Egypt, and went to Canaan through the wilder∣ness, it was a hard iourney, but they made it abundant∣ly harder, by their carriage. From Egypt unto the bor∣ders of Palestine was but seventy miles, and to Jerusa∣lem but a hundred miles, and yet by their ill carriage they made it a businese of fourty yeares: so though in∣deed we are to go through a wilderness, & a difficult work, yet through our ill carriage we make it more difficult. Let us take heed we do not make it more difficult really, by our complaints of it; we complaine things are diffi∣cult when indeed they are not so in themselves, but be∣cause of the sluggishness of mens spirits in making com∣plaints of the difficulty of the work.

21. Againe be not all poring upon the difficulty, and looking at those things that are hard and may dis∣courage you in the work that God set you about, but look at those things that may encourage you also, if there be any hardness in a work, men are alwaies look∣ing upon that and they never look upon any sweet that may incourage them, it is never like that they shall goe on; Children if they have a sore upon the body the finger usually will be touching of that though it makes the sore to be worse, and causeth it to be more and more angry, and keeps it from healing: So many if they have any thing that is hard in their work, their thoughts will be upon that. Difficulties in any work are like to bitter pills, that God gives us to take down: But what a childish thing were it for any that have pills to take down that are bitter, for them to chew them; no marvel then though they spit them out and do not swallow them, they should swallow them down and not chew them: And so when God gives us any bitter pills, we must not alwaies be chewing of them in our thoughts but free the command of God, and so go on in our work. and labor to swallow difficulties as much as we can, we have a notable place for this pur∣pose in Psal 86.4, 5. Rejoyce the soul of thy ser∣vant,

for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul, for thou Lord art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto al them that cal upon thee. Thus we apply it; the cause why many go so drooping in their way, and have no joy and comfort in any of their waies, is because they look downward in the dark, if a man were in the bottom of a deep pit, and alwaies looks down∣ward he could never see light; if he would see light, he must look upward to the Sun: so mark the way of David. Rejoyce the soul of thy servant, for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. If David had let his heart alwaies fall downward he would never had joy in his way, but when he would have joy he lift up his heart, so if there be any work that is difficult and your hearts are troubled, would you have that which should re∣joyce you? lift up your soules to God in those in∣couraging waies that he presents to you. For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy. Here is a way to get mercy, he lifts up his soul and looked upon God as good and ready to for∣give, and plenteous in mercy. I appeale to you when did you lift up your soules, and look up to God as plenteous in mercy, you alwaies looked downward in the bottome of the pit and see the blackness of Gods justice ready to seize upon you, but you should lift up your soul to God, and look to the sun, we should not alwaies be poring, upon those things that are diffi∣cult, but see those things that are incouraging.

22. Do not make use of difficulties in your way to reason against your work, or to make you out of love with your work, but to reason against your hearts: in∣deed it is an hard work, but it is through my wretched sluggish heart, and because I do not make use of the means, and abilities that God affords me, many that have less means and helps then I, can go through harder works then I, and so labor to reason against your own hearts, and not the work, many when they feel the

work, hard reason against the work: the Lord knows I strive and do what I can, but I have so many letts and hinderances, God does not come in with his Grace, to help me, and I can do nothing without God, How comes it to pass nothing is done? because the work is hard, or because you do not use what power God gives to do it withall: now the safest way is rather to reason against your selves, that you have not done what you can, but you rather put off al the guilt from your selves and justify your selves, and that is all the reason why nothing is done, it is because the work is hard, and you have so many hinderances, and that God hath not given you his power: but if you look into your own hearts, you will find another reason, it is not so much the hard∣ness of the work as the ill disposition of your hearts: and that should be your care not to reason a∣gainst the work because it is difficult, but against your hearts.

And to conclude all, this is all I say: we should la∣bor to harden our selves by our Faith against all diffi∣culties: As unbeleefe is a hardning sin one way, So faith is a hardning grace another way, unbelief hardens in that which is evil, and faith hardens in that which is good: Acts, 19.9. But when divers were hardned and beleeved not. They were hardned because they did not beleeve, and faith hath the contrary effect, and wil do as much in that which is good, as unbelief can do in that which is evil: As unbelief wil make a man or wo∣man so hard, as to be as Iron to that which is good, so Faith wil make a man as Iron to that which is evil, and therefore the Prophet Jeremiah is compared to Iron and Steel, Jer. 15.12. Shall Iron break the northern Iron and the Steel? God hath revealed himself to him grati∣ously, and he was hardned by it, now of all graces es∣pecially Faith doth make the heart as Iron, for God, as unbelief doth make the heart as Iron to stand out a∣gainst God: And therefore is the exhortation of the

Apostle, 2 Peter. 1.5. Ad to your Faith vertue: the word (Virtus) comes from strength because every vertue puts forth strength, so it is as much as if he should say, ad to your faith strength, put it forth strongly, that it may help you against strong difficulties, with a war-like power, vertue hath a power to oppose enemies: and so ad to your faith vertue. And if we do so, know it will be a very honorable thing, it is an honor to God, & honor to us, for us to go through difficult things, it is honor to God: as Davids men that endured so much that broke through an host for to get him water, it was an honor to him, and so for us to do difficult things for God, it is an honor to God, and it is honorable to us, non so honorable as those that have gone through difficult works, it will make them honorable to others, as some observe from that place, in 8. Cant. 3. If shee be a wal we will build upon her, a palace of Silver. If shee be a wal to stand out against opposition, and temptation, we wil build upon her a palace of Silver, she shal be made honorable and glorious: and so every Christian if your heart be as a wall, to stand out against opposition and difficulty, and hinderances in the way of God, you shall have a pallace of Silver built upon you, you shal be honorable in the eyes of God, and all his Saints. And going through difficulty is a mighty strengthening to grace, and the more difficulty any go through, the more Grace is strengthened. As it is a rule of any thing that opposeth another, if it do not overcome it, it streng∣thens it, as fire and water, if you cast so much water into fire as the fire can overcome it the fire gathernig strength to overcome the water that opposes it, burns the better: So in all oppositions: So in sin: If that a man comes to be opposed in his sinful way by the word, if the word do not overcome his lust, his lust grows stron∣ger: And so in grace, if any lust or sin, or temptation, or any thing do come and oppose grace or any gracious act, and if they do not overcome grace, but grace overcome

them, it is the stronger, and therefore let us go on in the way of God whatsoever difficulties come of it.