Pray therefore that God would enlighten thy understanding.  That will be a very great help unto thee.  It will make thee endure many a hard brunt for Christ; as Paul saith, “After you were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.”  You “took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”  If there be ever such a rare jewel lying just in a man’s way, yet if he see it not he will rather trample upon it than stoop for it, and it is because he sees it not.  Why, so it is here; though heaven be worth ever so much, and thou hast ever so much need of it, yet if thou see it not, that is, have not thy understanding opened or enlightened to see, thou wilt not regard at all.  Therefore cry to the Lord for enlightening grace, and say, ’Lord, open my blind eyes; Lord, take the veil off my dark heart; show me the things of the other world, and let me see the sweetness, glory, and excellency of them, for Christ’s sake.’  This is the first thing.  The second is,

THE TENTH DIRECTION.—­Cry to God that he would inflame thy will also with the things of the other world.  For when a man’s will is fully set to do such or such a thing, then it must be a very hard matter that shall hinder that man from bringing about his end.  When Paul’s will was set resolvedly to go up to Jerusalem, (though it was signified to him before, what he should there suffer,) he was not daunted at all.  Nay, saith he, “I am ready (or willing) not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”  His will was inflamed by love to Christ; and therefore, all the persuasions, that could be used wrought nothing at all.

Your self-willed people, nobody knows what to do with them.  We use to say of such, ‘He will have his own will do all that you can.’  Indeed to have such a will for heaven, is an admirable advantage to a man that undertaketh a race hither.  A man that is resolved, and hath his will fixed, saith, ’I will do my best to advantage myself; I will do my worst to hinder my enemies; I will not give out as long as I can stand; I will have it, or I will lose my life.’  So Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”  So Jacob, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”  ‘I will, I will, I will!’ O this blessed inflamed will for heaven!  What is like it?  If a man be willing, then any argument shall be matter of encouragement; but if unwilling, then any argument shall give discouragement.  This is seen both in saints and sinners; in them that are the children of God, and also those that are the children of the devil.  As,

1.  The saints of old, being willing and resolved for heaven, what could stop them?  Could fire and faggot, sword or halter, stinking dungeons, whips, bears, bulls, lions, cruel rackings, stoning, starving, nakedness?  In all these things they were more than conquerors, through him that loved them; who had also made them willing in the day of his power.