The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

The special reason of the courage and boldness of the wicked in a way of evil, is the fullness of wickedness that is in their souls; And therefore in that fact of Ananias and Sapphira Acts. 5.3. saith the Apostle; Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the holy Ghost: If Satan had not filled your hearts, you could not have been thus bold to have lied to the holy Ghost. And so it is a notable passage we have in Esther. 7.5. speaking concerning Haman, saith the King, Who is he? and where is he that durst presume in his heart to do so? In the Hebrew it is who hath filled his heart to do this? who hath a heart so full as to venture upon such an evil as this;

The speciall reason of the courage and boldness of the wicked in a way of evill, is the fullness of wickedness that is in their souls; And therefore in that fact of Ananias and Saphira Acts. 5.3. saith the Apostle; Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the holy Ghost: If Satan had not filled your hearts, you could not have been thus bold to have lied to the holy Ghost. And so it is a notable passage we have in Esther. 7.5. speaking concerning Haman, saith the King, Who is he? and where is he that durst presume in his heart to do so? In the Hebrew it is who hath filled his heart to do this? who hath a heart so ful as to venture upon such an evill as this;

As the filling of the heart with evil makes it bold and courageous in that which is evil, so the filling of the heart with spiritual good makes it forward in that which is good. As it is observed concerning Steven; after Steven was filled with the Holy Ghost how bold was he? he could look upon the face of his persecutors with boldness: in Acts 6.15. and the Council looked upon him, and saw his face, as it had been the face of an Angel, because his heart was filled with the Holy Ghost. And so the Apostles were very fearful before the Holy Ghost came down upon them, but when they were filled with the Holy Ghost they had no more fear.