The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

5. In difficulties labour to exercise faith to get you off from all shifting ways, and creature dependences: It is observable of those that have to deal with metals, when they are working of Gold, that they might have it work the easier, they will mix other metals with it, ⟨p. 169⟩and upon the mixing of Lead and tin with Gold, it works the easier, but it is a great deal worse, it were better they would take more pains in the working of it, it would be purer. Just so do many Christians, that are ill workmen in the ways of God, when they are working of good actions and they find them difficult, and go somewhat hard off, they will be mixing their own carnal policy, and shifting courses, and to that end the work may go off easier, but though it be easier to be done yet it is a worse piece of work after it be done, then it would have been if it had been done with more pains. Labour to exercise Faith to get you off from all creature dependences, if the heart by Faith be given up to God alone, it will do mighty things: but if so be we would have two strings to our bow, that if such a means do fail we may have some other to rest upon, we shall never do any great thing: And therefore when God would use any of his people to do great things, he first took them off from all creature helps they had before, as I have met with an observation that one hath from Moses about this. In Acts, 17, 22. It is said Moses was an Eloquent man, a man of mighty words. Yet if you read the Story in Exod. 4.10. you shall hear Moses complain that he was slow of speech, and not eloquent. This is answered, Moses was a man of mighty words, but when God was about this work, and a little before God took away his excellency in words, that he might have further dependence upon God, then before he had: whether there be any reality in this or no I know not, yet certainly it is the way of God, when men have any creature helps, God doth take them off from them that they might have a sheer work of Faith, for when the creature is used, it doth usually rob God of a great part of his honour: Therefore when Gideon had so many thousand, God said it was too great a multitude for him to deliver his people by.

5. In difficulties labor to exercise faith to get you off from all shifting waies, and creature dependances: It is observable of those that have to deal with mettals, when they are working of Gold, that they might have it work the easier, they will mixe other mettals with it,