The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

13. Another rule for the ordering of your Faith to ⟨p. 175⟩help you through difficult works, is to observe the dependences that one work hath upon another; many see a work God would have them to do, and they presently set upon that, and do not observe what dependence, this hath upon somewhat else and so miscarry. Suppose a Mariner or some other should have a work to go and pull such a cable, such a rope, he goes to the place that is in view to pull that rope, but may be there is some other line; that holds it in some other place, and they may pull their hearts out, and never pull the thing they would. So many are striving and labouring, and tugging in many duties, but there is some secret holdfast that they observe not that those duties have dependence upon, and they can never bring their work to pass. As one complains of the difficulty of getting a heart to go to God in prayer, God knows I have been in prayer & have striven with my soul with all my might, as in the presence of God for to get up my heart; you strive and tug at this and may be you think of some promise, and exercise faith too, but there is some corruption that seems to be a great way off from this, that this hath dependence upon, which makes this difficult, and you should set your faith on work to deliver your selves from that, and then it will come off better, as now (may be) you have been striving to get your hearts up to God in prayer, and if you look well to it, it may be the frowardness and pettishness, and passion of your hearts in your families, with servants, or wife, or husband is that which keeps down your heart, when you come into Gods presence, you should first have set your faith on work, to have cured that, and if you had cured that, you might have got up your hearts: many slip over many corruptions, and look at duties a great way off and they strive, and take pains, but if they had true Christian wisdom, they should look what difficulty and hinderance lay between them and that duty, and they should labour to take away that And so for faith, we cannot believe in God ⟨p. 176⟩and in the promises, may be there lay a sluggish heart in your particular calling, it may be so far off, though you think there be but little dependence of Faith in that And so in affliction you would fain have your hearts be patient, may be there lay a dead lumpishness of heart and drowsiness of spirit: