The right method for a settled peace of conscience, and spiritual comfort in 32…

3. If you would have these fears and troubles removed, apply your self to the proper Cure of Melancholy. 1. Avoid all passions of sorrow, fear and anger as much as you can; and all occasions of discontent and grief. 2. Avoid much solitariness, and be most commonly in some cheerful company: Not that I would have you do as the foolish sinners of the world do, to drink away Melancholy, and keep company with sensual, vain and unprofitable persons that will draw you deeper into sin, and so make your wound greater instead of healing it, and multiply your Troubles when you are forced to look back on your sinful loss of time: But keep company with the more cheerful sort of the Godly: There's no mirth like the mirth of Believers, which faith doth fetch from the blood of Christ, and from the Promises of the Word, and from experiences of Mercy, and from the serious fore-apprehensions of our everlasting Blessedness. Converse with men of strongest faith that have this heavenly mirth, and can speak experimentally of the Joy of the holy Ghost; and these will be a great help to the reviving of your spirit, and changing your Melancholy habit, so far as without ⟨p. 10⟩[…] ⟨p. 11⟩[…] ⟨p. 12⟩out a Physician it may be expected. Yet sometimes it may not be amiss to confer with some that are in your own Case, that you may see that your Condition is not singular: For Melancholy people in such distresses are ready to think, that never any was in the Case as they are in, or at least, never any that were truly godly: when you hear people of the most upright lives and that truly fear God, to have the very same complaints as you have your self, it may give you some hopes that it is not so bad as you before did imagine. However be sure that you avoid solitariness as much as you well can. 3. Also take heed of too deep, fixed, musing thoughts: studying and serious meditating be not duties for the deeply-Melancholy (as I shall show more in the following Directions:) You must let those alone till you are better able to perform them; lest by attempting those duties which you cannot perform, you shall utterly disable your self from all: Therefore I would advise you, by all means to shake and rouse your self out of such musings, and suddenly to turn your thoughts away to something else. 4. To this end, be sure that you avoid Idleness and want of employment: