The excellency of holy courage in evil times by Jeremiah Burroughs

2. If it be a work of Faith, it is a work of much Humiliation, and Prayer; was there a time you were under the power and bondage of Antichrist? how came you from under it? did God show you the evil of it? and you sought God in much Humiliation and prayer, for the taking off your hearts from it, and showing you his good way and did you find your hearts coming off, was by that means, that is a good argument it was of Faith; but many their Consciences tell them, it was not a work of Humiliation and Prayer that brought off their hearts, they are to be feared.

2. If it be a work of Faith, it is a work of much Humiliation, and Prayer; was there a time you were under the power and bondage of Antichrist? how came you from under it? did God shew you the evil of it? and you sought God in much Humiliation and prayer, for the taking off your hearts from it, and shewing you his good way and did you find your hearts comming off, was by that meanes, that is a good argument it was of Faith; but many their Consciences tell them, it was not a work of Humiliation and Prayer that brought off their hearts, they are to be feared.

3. If it be a work of Faith it always lets in light: as in the point of the government of Christ; many cry out against Antichristian government: and come and examine them about it, and they have no more light, no other arguments, nor further understanding then before but only a bitterness of spirit against it: If a man grow bitter against those things which before he yielded too, ⟨p. 212⟩he had need have more light, but if they grow exceeding bitter against them and have no further light and understanding then before, it is an argument it is a distemper of heart, rather then any thing else. And therefore casting off all at once is very suspicious; where it is of Faith God lets in light by degrees. Its said of Luther in his reformation, First he saw the evil of one thing, and then the evil of another, and so by degrees saw the evil of all: And so those that forsake the bondage of Antichrist. By Faith, first God makes them suspect their way, surely this is not the right way, there is some better way, and then they fall a praying and humbling of themselves, and they fall examining, and so they come to see the evil of one thing, and then they examine another, and so light comes in by degrees, and then their hearts rise against them, and if according to the measure of Light that you have, your hearts do come off, that is a good sign.