1. It may be the difficulty thou speakest of, it is but in opinion rather than reality, it is but an imaginary difficulty, when thou lookest upon a Duty a great way off: Oh! thou thinkest it is very hard, but when thou comest to it thou dost not find it so hard: I appeal to those that are acquainted with the ways of God, Hath it not been so with you, that things have seemed to be hard and difficult a great way off, but when you have come unto them, & ventured upon them, you have not found them so? It is just in this case for all the world, like as it was with the women that we read of in Mark 16. that went to the Sepulchre of Christ, as they were going at verse 3. O! they were very solicitous about the Stone that was rolled upon the Sepulchre, Who shall ro•l away the Stone, but now when they came to the Sepulchre the Stone was rolled away. So it is here when there are many Duties to be done, it may be you cry out; Oh, it is very hard, and how shall we be able to do such a thing? such a poor weak body as I am, how shall I be able to do it? but when you come to the Duty you do not find it so, I suppose there are many, that at first thought it a very difficult Duty to keep a watch over their heart, and to pray in their Families and Closets, and to keep close to God, but when they have come to the thing, sometimes when you have had no heart to pray, when you have thoughts to go to prayer▪ and you have thought it impossible for you to make any work of it, but when you have come to it, you ⟨p. 676⟩have found it before you have done to be a very sweet and comfortable Duty; you have found a stone hardness of heart, and indisposition to the Duty before you have come to the Duty, but when you have come to the work, you have found the stone rolled away, and the work not so hard. As we read of Peter in Acts 12. 10. When he was coming out of the City and those with him, When they came to the Iron Gate in was open, It may be if they had known there had been such an Iron Gate to pass through, they might have been troubled, Oh, how shall we get through, but when they came there, the Iron Gate was open, so that the difficulty is before we come to make trial, rather than when we make trial.
1. It may be the difficulty thou speakest of, it is but in opinion rather than reality, it is but an imaginary difficulty, when thou lookest upon a Duty a great way off: Oh! thou thinkest it is very hard, but when thou comest to it thou dost not find it so hard: I appeal to those that are ac•uainted with the waies of God, Hath it not been so with you, that things have seemed to be hard and difficult a great way off, but when you have come unto them, & ventured upon them, you have not found them so? It is just in this case for all the world, like as it was with the women that we read of in Mark 16. that went to the Sepulchre of Christ, as they were going at verse 3. O! they were very solicitous about the Stone that was rouled upon the Sepulchre, Who shall ro•l away the Stone, but now when they came to the Sepulchre the Stone was rouled away. So it is here when there are many Duties to be done, it may be you cry out; Oh, it is very hard, and how shall we be able to do such a thing? such a poor weak body as I am, how shall I be able to do it? but when you come to the Duty you do not find it so, I suppose there are many, that at first thought it a very difficult Duty to keep a watch over their heart, and to pray in their Families and Closets, and to keep close to God, but when they have come to the thing, somtimes when you have had no heart to pray, when you have thoughts to go to prayer▪ and you have thought it impossible for you to make any work of it, but when you have come to it, you ⟨p. 676⟩have found it before you have done to be a very sweet and comfortable Duty; you have found a stone hardness of heart, and indisposition to the Duty before you have come to the Duty, but when you have come to the work, you have found the stone rouled away, and the work not so hard. As we read of Peter in Acts 12. 10. When he was coming out of the City and those with him, When they came to the Iron Gate in was open, It may be if they had known there had been such an Iron Gate to pass through, they might have been troubled, Oh, how shal we get through, but when they came there, the Iron Gate was open, so that the difficulty is before we come to make tryall, rather than when we make tryal.
