my lord expeeteth his son should acquaint him with the present
emptiness of his purse and with the difficulty he hath now to
grapple with; so God our Father expects that we should plead by
Christ our need at the throne of grace, in order to a supply of
grace. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Then I saw in my dream that the Interpreter took Christian by the
hand, and led him into a place where was a fire burning against a
wall, and one standing by it always casting much water upon it to
quench it; yet did the fire burn higher and hotter.

Then said Christian, "What means this?"

The Interpreter answered, "This fire is the work of grace that is
wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it to extinguish and
put it out, is the devil; but in that thou seest the fire
notwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the
reason of that." So he had him about to the backside of the wall,
where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of which he did
also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire.

Then said Christian, "What means this?"

The Interpreter answered, "This is Christ, who continually with the
oil of his grace maintains the work already begun in the heart; by
the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls
of his people prove gracious still. 2 Cor. 12: 9. And in that thou
sawest that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire; this
is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempter to see how this