The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

Answ. First, Faith goes upon spiritual grounds, motives and ends, Faith is a spiritual grace and it works exceeding spiritually, and the reasonings of Faith are above the reasonings of Flesh and Blood, what were your motives and grounds and ends by that you might know whether out of faith you forsook your country, it may be it was from vexation or discontent that you left your country; or from the example of others, or from engagement unto others, or out of novelty or out of carnal fears or out of vain hopes, or for further providing for your selves, a great many things there may be that may put people on such a way, especially those three, novelty, example, and ⟨p. 158⟩discontent: but if it be by faith the ground and the end will be spiritual, for God and out of obedience unto God. It is observable of Moses (for I will go no further for notes of trial then from the work of Moses) Moses when he pleads with Pharaoh to go out of his country, he did not plead the peoples bondage, you do so abuse the people here, and we are in such grievous bondage, that we cannot bear it, but says he In Exod. 4.23. The Lord hath commanded, we must go into the wilderness to worship him, that was his plea and ground and end rather then the bondage that the people did suffer: so when men forsake their country, outward things may come in, in subordination to higher things: and there may be faith in ordering the heart about them, but faith must go above them: now can your consciences witness, as in the presence of God, it was your longing desire, for to enjoy God in his ordinances and to keep your souls from defilement, this was the argument of Moses, they could not set up the worship of God there, but they must go where God called them.

Answ. First, Faith goes upon spiritual grounds, motives and ends, Faith is a spiritual grace and it works exceeding spiritually, and the reasonings of Faith are above the reasonings of Flesh and Blood, what were your motives and grounds and ends by that you might know whether out of faith you forsook your country, it may be it was from vexation or discontent that you left your country; or from the example of others, or from engagement unto others, or out of novelty or out of carnal fears or out of vaine hopes, or for further providing for your selves, a great many things there may be that may put people on such a way, especially those three, novelty, example, and ⟨p. 158⟩