The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

The last step of all is this, When the soul is thus resolved not to dodge with God, but to part with any thing for him: then in the last place there followeth a readiness of heart to address a mans self to the performance of whatsoever duty God requireth at his hands; I say, this is the last step, when without consulting with flesh and blood, without hammering upon it, as it were, without awkwardness of heart, there followeth a prestness to obey God, the soul is at hand. When Abraham was called, Behold, saith he, here I am, Gen. 22.1. And so Samuel, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth, 1 Sam. 3.9. and so Ananias, Behold, I am here Lord, Acts 9.10. The faithful soul is not to seek, as an evil servant that is gone a roving after his companions, that is out of the way when his master should use him, but is like a trusty servant that waiteth upon his master, and is ever at hand to do his ⟨p. 175⟩pleasure. So you shall see it was with Abraham, Heb. 11. 8. When the Lord commanded him to go out of his country, He obeyed, and went out, not knowing whither he went; he went cheerfully and readily, though he knew not whither; as who should say, if the Lord call, I will not question; if he command, I will perform what ever it be. So it must be with every faithful soul: we must blind the eye of carnal reason, resolve to obey, though heaven and earth seem to meet together in a contradiction, care not what man, or what devil saith in this case, but what God will have done, do it: This is the courage and obedience of faith. See how Saint Paul, in the place before named, Acts 21.12, 13. flung his ancient friends from him, when they came to cross him in the work of his ministry: They all came about him, and because they thought they should see his face no more, they besought him not to go up to Jerusalem; Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep, and to break my heart? as who should say, it is a grief and vexation to my soul, that ye would hinder me, that I cannot go with readiness to perform the service that God requireth at my hands. The like Christian courage was in Luther, when his friends dissuaded him to go to Worms; If all the Tiles in Worms were so many Devils, said he, yet would I go thither in the name of my Lord Jesus. This is the last step.