The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

2. When any difficult work is to be done, labour to make preparation for the work of Faith by humiliation, before you undertake the work and according to the nature of any difficult services there must be a proportionable measure of humiliation before you undertake that work: therefore when God hath called to extraordinary works, usually Gods people have made preparation for their faith by extraordinary humiliation, as Nehemiah, 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 especially humiliation is a preparation for the putting forth of a new act of Faith, after we have it.

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 nature of any difficult services there must be a proportionable measure of humiliation before you undertake that work: therefore when God hath called to extraordinary works, usually Gods people have made preparation for their faith by extraordinary humiliation, as Nehemiah, 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 especially 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 performed ⟨p. 168⟩let there be oft renewing of Faith in the great covenant of Grace: and do not only think to exercise faith in this particular work, but let your care be about renewing Faith in the great covenant, let the great Charter be renewed, and inferior grants will come in. Thus God dealt with Abraham, when any thing befell Abraham that he was in a great straight, then God renewed his Covenant with him, I am God All-sufficient; God thought this a special means to carry him through; If you have renewed the covenant (in which all the promises are included) this is a great help to Faith, Shall not God who hath given us his Son with him also give us all things else; the soul may reason strongly thus.