The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

I appeal to you when did you lift up your souls, and look up to God as plenteous in mercy, you always looked downward in the bottom of the pit and see the blackness of Gods justice ready to seize upon you, but you should lift up your soul to God, and look to the sun, we should not always be poring, upon those things that are difficult, but see those things that are encouraging.

I appeale to you when did you lift up your soules, and look up to God as plenteous in mercy, you alwaies looked downward in the bottome of the pit and see the blackness of Gods justice ready to seize upon you, but you should lift up your soul to God, and look to the sun, we should not alwaies be poring, upon those things that are difficult, but see those things that are incouraging.

22. Do not make use of difficulties in your way to reason against your work, or to make you out of love with your work, but to reason against your hearts: indeed it is an hard work, but it is through my wretched sluggish heart, and because I do not make use of the means, and abilities that God affords me, many that have less means and helps then I, can go through harder works then I, and so labour to reason against your own hearts, and not the work, many when they feel the ⟨p. 182⟩work, hard reason against the work: the Lord knows I strive and do what I can, but I have so many lets and hinderances, God does not come in with his Grace, to help me, and I can do nothing without God, How comes it to pass nothing is done? because the work is hard, or because you do not use what power God gives to do it withal: now the safest way is rather to reason against your selves, that you have not done what you can, but you rather put off all the guilt from your selves and justify your selves, and that is all the reason why nothing is done, it is because the work is hard, and you have so many hinderances, and that God hath not given you his power: but if you look into your own hearts, you will find another reason, it is not so much the hardness of the work as the ill disposition of your hearts: and that should be your care not to reason against the work because it is difficult, but against your hearts.