is both discouraging to
the soul, and a tempting provocation of God.

(3.) That they should be exercising the grace of patient waiting.

(4.) That they should be waiting in the use of the appointed means, and
thereby, as it were, rubbing the dead and cold member before the fire,
till it gather warmth.

(5.) That they should be keeping all their sails up, waiting for the
gale of the Spirit, that should make their ship sail.

(6.) That they should be looking to him alone, who hath promised that
quickening Spirit; and patiently waiting his leisure, not limiting him
to any definite time.

(7.) That they should be cherishing and stirring up any small beginnings
that are.

(8.) That they should be welcoming most cheerfully every motion of the
Spirit, and improving every advantage of that kind, and striking the
iron when it is hot, and hold the wheels of the soul a-going, when they
are once put in motion, and so be loath to grieve the good and holy
Spirit of God, Eph. iv. 30, or to quench his motions, 1 Thess. v. 19.

If these duties were honestly minded and gone about, in him, and in his
strength, none can tell how soon there may be a change wrought in the
soul.

But if it be asked, what such can do, to whom the very thoughts of the
duty, and aiming at it, is matter of terror;

_Ans._ It may be, something, if not much, of that may flow from a bodily
distemper, as occasioneth the alteration of the body, upon the thorough
apprehension of any thing that is weighty and of moment, so as they
cannot endure to be much affected with any thing. But leaving this to
others, I would advise such a soul to those duties:

1. To be frequently setting to the duty, as, for example, of prayer,
though that should raise the distemper of their body, for through time
that may wear away, or at least grow less; whileas, their giving way
thereto, will still make the duty the more and more terrible, and so
render themselves the more unfit for it, and thus they shall gratify
Satan, who, it may be, may have a hand in that bodily distemper too.
When the poor soul is thus accustomed or habituated to the attempting of
the duty, it will at length appear not so terrible as it did; and so the
body may become not so soon altered thereby as it was.

2. When such an one can do no more, he should keep his love to the duty,
and his desires after it, fresh, and lively, and should not suffer these
quite to die out.

3. He should be much in the use of