5.  Not living in the sight of their wants, and of their daily necessity of Christ, nor acting faith upon him daily, for the supplying of their wants.  And when faith is not used, it may contract rust and be weakened, and come at length not to be discerned.

6.  Entertaining of jealous thoughts of God, and hearkening too readily to any thing that may foster and increase or confirm these.

7.  Not delighting themselves in, and with pleasure dwelling on, the thoughts of Christ, of his offices, of the gospel and promises; so that these come at length to lose their beauty and glory in the soul, and have not the lustre that once they had; and this doth open a door to much mischief.

8.  In a word, not walking with God according to the gospel, provoking the Lord to give them up to themselves for a time.

We come now to the third particular, which is, to shew how Christ is Life to the poor soul in this case.  And for the clearing of this, consider,

1.  That Christ is “the author and finisher of faith,” Heb. xii. 2; and so, as he did rebuke unbelief at the first, he can rebuke it again.

2.  That he is the great prophet clearing up the gospel, and every thing that is necessary for us to know, bringing life and immortality to light by the gospel, 2 Tim. i. 10, and so manifesting the lustre and beauty of the gospel.

3.  He bringeth the promises home to the soul, in their reality, excellency, and truth, being the faithful witness and the amen, Rev. iii. 14, and the confirmer of the promises, so that they are all yea and amen in him, 2 Cor. i. 20.  And this serveth to establish the soul in the faith, and to shoot out thoughts of unbelief.

4.  So doth he, by his Spirit, dispel the mists and clouds which Satan, through unbelief, had raised in the soul.

5.  And thereby also rebuketh those mistakes of God, and prejudices at him and his ways, which Satan hath wrought there, through corruption.

6.  He discovereth himself to be a ready help in time of trouble, and the hope and anchor of salvation, Heb. vi. 19; and a priest living for ever to make intercession for poor sinners, Heb. vii. 25.

7.  And hereby he cleareth up to the poor soul a possibility of help and relief; and thus rebuketh despair or preventeth it.

8.  He manifesteth himself to be the marrow and substance of the gospel:  and this maketh every line thereof pleasant and beautiful to the soul, and so freeth them from the prejudices that they had at it.

9.  So in manifesting himself in the gospel, he revealeth the Father, that the soul cometh to “the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ,” 2 Cor. iv. 6.  And this saveth the soul from atheism.

10.  When the soul cannot grip him, nor look to him, yet he can look to the soul, and by his love quicken and revive the soul, and warm the heart with love to him, and at length move and incline it sweetly to open to him; and thus grip and hold fast a lost sheep, yea, and bring it home again.