The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

Secondly, Learn to check your Unbelief; when your hearts were down, you were ready to say, it would never ⟨p. 121⟩be otherwise: now check your hearts, and bring your hearts to this conclusion; I will never think it in vain to seek God, though I do not find him come in presently; and I will learn, though I may judg my self worthy that God should leave me, yet I will never determine that God will not come in, because I see Gods ways are not as my ways, and Gods thoughts are not as my thoughts. Oh take heed of judging the ways and thoughts of God, according to your ways and thoughts.

Secondly, Learn to check your Unbelief; when your hearts were down, you were ready to say, it would never ⟨p. 121⟩be otherwise: now check your hearts, and bring your hearts to this conclusion; I will never think it in vain to seek God, though I do not find him come in presently; and I will learn, though I may judg my self worthy that God should leave me, yet I will never determine that God will not come in, because I see Gods waies are not as my waies, and Gods thoughts are not as my thoughts. Oh take heed of judging the waies and thoughts of God, according to your waies and thoughts.

Thirdly, Is God come in? and do you find that you have a spirit of courage and boldness more than before, now you find God sweetly breathing upon you to put life into that dead, and to raise that heavy heart of yours? do you find God sweetly and comfortably enlivening your souls, and putting the spirit of confidence in that unbelieving heart of yours? Labour to keep your hearts thus. There is a great deal of difficulty when a thing is fallen down to get it up; but when a thing is up, if one be careful, it is not difficult to keep it up. It is a notable expression that David had, when he found the hearts of the people got up in their willing Offering, 1 Chron. 29.18. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our Fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the hearts of thy people, and prepare their hearts unto thee. So let it be thy prayer, and it is my prayer for thee: Is thy heart up more than before? Pray, O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this in the thoughts of the heart of this man or woman for ever: be careful now to keep your hearts up: so when you are well, or otherwise if you should lose this through this negligence.