chfulness over a deceitful heart, and an evil heart of
unbelief, that is still departing from the living God, Heb. iii. 12. It
is good to be jealous here.

4. Giving way to doubtings and questionings too readily at first. It is
not good to tempt the Lord by parlying too much and too readily with
Satan. Eve's practice might be a warning sufficient to us.

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