Dave,

I’m not sure that I can possibly know what this great saint actually meant but it seems to me that he is telling us that we need to remind ourselves and focus our gaze on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps he means it to stir up our minds and hearts to the knowledge that often lies dormant within us, the saving knowledge of the Son of God. It seems to me that if we keep this reality in front of us, we will never fall into despair. We will remind ourselves that He is the one who conquered sin and death.