But what should a soul do in such a case?  To this, (which is the fourth particular to be spoken to), I answer,

1.  That they should strive against those evils formerly mentioned, which procured or occasioned this distemper.  A stop should be put to those malignant humours.

2.  They should be careful to lay again the foundation of solid knowledge of God, and of his glorious truths revealed in the gospel, and labour for the faith of God’s truth and veracity; for till this be, nothing can be right in the soul.

3.  They should be thoroughly convinced of the treachery, deceitfulness, and wickedness of their hearts, that they may see it is not worthy to be trusted, and that they may be jealous of it, and not hearken so readily to it as they have done, especially seeing Satan can prompt it to speak for his advantage.

4.  They should remember also, that it is divine help that can recover them, and cause them grip to the promises, and lay hold on them of new again, as well as at first, and that of themselves they can do nothing.

5.  In using of the means for the recovery of life, they should eye Christ, and because this eyeing of Christ is faith, and their disease lieth most there, they should do as the Israelites did who were stung in the eye with the serpents,—­they looked to the brazen serpent with the wounded and stung eye:  so should they do with a sickly and almost dead faith, grip him, and with an eye almost put out and made blind, look to him, knowing how ready he is to help, and what a tender heart he hath.

6.  And to confirm them in this resolution, they should take a new view of all the notable encouragements to believe, wherewith the whole gospel aboundeth.

7.  And withal fix on him, as the only “author and finisher of faith.”

8.  And, in a word, they should cast a wonderfully unbelieving and atheistical soul on him, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working, and is wonderful in mercy and grace, and in all his ways.  And thus may he at length, in his own time, and in the way that will most glorify himself, raise up that poor soul out of the grave of infidelity wherein it was stinking; and so prove himself to be indeed “the resurrection and the life, to the praise of the glory of his grace.”

We come now to speak to another case, which is,

CHAPTER XXV.

HOW CHRIST IS MADE USE OF AS THE LIFE, BY ONE THAT IS SO DEAD AND SENSELESS, AS HE CANNOT KNOW WHAT TO JUDGE OF HIMSELF, OR HIS OWN CASE, EXCEPT WHAT IS NAUGHT.

We spake something to this very case upon the matter, when we spoke of Christ as the Truth.  Yet we shall speak a little to it here, but shall not enlarge particulars formerly mentioned.  And therefore we shall speak a little to those five particulars; and so,

1.  Shew what this distemper is. 2.  Shew whence it proceedeth, and how the soul cometh to fall into it. 3.  Shew how Christ, as the Life, bringeth about a recovery of it 4.  Shew how the soul is to be exercised, that it may obtain a recovery; and, 5.  Answer some questions or objections.