The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

The third reason is because that sometime the graces of men do not burn out so clearly and purely as they do at other times, As in fire when you kindle a fire, first there is a great deal of smoke and we see little brightness in the fire, stay but a while, and the smoke will be consumed, and the fire burn bright: So in the graces of men and women, sometime there is a great deal of corruption when grace is kindled at first, a great deal of smother but grace continues and works out that corruption, and it burns more clearly: So in the sun when it riseth in the morning it may be a great mist, but when the sun is up a little while it consumes the mist, and shines clearly; So Children when they are young may be they have many il humours; afterwards their natural strength consumes their humours, and so they are more active and stirring; so though the Godly have not that disposition of heart to do that for God they should, yet when grace comes to burn more clearly they can do it.

The third reason is because that somtime the graces of men do not burne out so clearly and purely as they do at other times, As in fire when you kindle a fire, first there is a great deal of smoke and we see little brightness in the fire, stay but a while, and the smoak wil be consumed, and the fire burne bright: So in the graces of men and women, sometime there is a great deal of corruption when grace is kindled at first, a great deal of smother but grace continues and workes out that corruption, and it burns more clearly: So in the sun when it riseth in the morning it may be a great mist, but when the sun is up a little while it consumes the mist, and shines clearly; So Children when they are young may be they have many il humors; afterwards their natural strength consumes their humors, and so they are more active and stirring; so though the Godly have not that disposition of heart to do that for God they should, yet when grace comes to burne more clearly they can do it.