And to conclude all, this is all I say: we should labour to harden our selves by our Faith against all difficulties: As unbelief is a hardening sin one way, So faith is a hardening grace another way, unbelief hardens in that which is evil, and faith hardens in that which is good: Acts, 19.9. But when divers were hardened and believed not. They were hardened because they did not believe, and faith hath the contrary effect, and will do as much in that which is good, as unbelief can do in that which is evil: As unbelief will make a man or woman so hard, as to be as Iron to that which is good, so Faith will make a man as Iron to that which is evil, and therefore the Prophet Jeremiah is compared to Iron and Steel, Jer. 15.12. Shall Iron break the northern Iron and the Steel? God hath revealed himself to him graciously, and he was hardened by it, now of all graces especially Faith doth make the heart as Iron, for God, as unbelief doth make the heart as Iron to stand out against God: And therefore is the exhortation of the ⟨p. 183⟩Apostle, 2 Peter. 1.5. Ad to your Faith virtue: the word (Virtus) comes from strength because every virtue puts forth strength, so it is as much as if he should say, ad to your faith strength, put it forth strongly, that it may help you against strong difficulties, with a war-like power, virtue hath a power to oppose enemies: and so ad to your faith virtue. And if we do so, know it will be a very honourable thing, it is an honour to God, & honour to us, for us to go through difficult things, it is honour to God: as Davids men that endured so much that broke through an host for to get him water, it was an honour to him, and so for us to do difficult things for God, it is an honour to God, and it is honourable to us, non so honourable as those that have gone through difficult works, it will make them honourable to others, as some observe from that place, in 8. Cant. 3. If she be a wall we will build upon her, a palace of Silver. If she be a wall to stand out against opposition, and temptation, we will build upon her a palace of Silver, she shall be made honourable and glorious: and so every Christian if your heart be as a wall, to stand out against opposition and difficulty, and hinderances in the way of God, you shall have a palace of Silver built upon you, you shall be honourable in the eyes of God, and all his Saints.
And to conclude all, this is all I say: we should labor to harden our selves by our Faith against all difficulties: As unbeleefe is a hardning sin one way, So faith is a hardning grace another way, unbelief hardens in that which is evil, and faith hardens in that which is good: Acts, 19.9. But when divers were hardned and beleeved not. They were hardned because they did not beleeve, and faith hath the contrary effect, and wil do as much in that which is good, as unbelief can do in that which is evil: As unbelief wil make a man or woman so hard, as to be as Iron to that which is good, so Faith wil make a man as Iron to that which is evil, and therefore the Prophet Jeremiah is compared to Iron and Steel, Jer. 15.12. Shall Iron break the northern Iron and the Steel? God hath revealed himself to him gratiously, and he was hardned by it, now of all graces especially Faith doth make the heart as Iron, for God, as unbelief doth make the heart as Iron to stand out against God: And therefore is the exhortation of the ⟨p. 183⟩Apostle, 2 Peter. 1.5. Ad to your Faith vertue: the word (Virtus) comes from strength because every vertue puts forth strength, so it is as much as if he should say, ad to your faith strength, put it forth strongly, that it may help you against strong difficulties, with a war-like power, vertue hath a power to oppose enemies: and so ad to your faith vertue. And if we do so, know it will be a very honorable thing, it is an honor to God, & honor to us, for us to go through difficult things, it is honor to God: as Davids men that endured so much that broke through an host for to get him water, it was an honor to him, and so for us to do difficult things for God, it is an honor to God, and it is honorable to us, non so honorable as those that have gone through difficult works, it will make them honorable to others, as some observe from that place, in 8. Cant. 3. If shee be a wal we will build upon her, a palace of Silver. If shee be a wal to stand out against opposition, and temptation, we wil build upon her a palace of Silver, she shal be made honorable and glorious: and so every Christian if your heart be as a wall, to stand out against opposition and difficulty, and hinderances in the way of God, you shall have a pallace of Silver built upon you, you shal be honorable in the eyes of God, and all his Saints.
