have a care of thy soul. And that thou mayst so do, take this counsel.
Mistrust thy own strength, and throw it away. Down on thy knees in
prayer to the Lord, for the Spirit of truth; search his word for
direction; flee seducers' company; keep company with the soundest
Christians, that have most experience of Christ; and be sure thou have
a care of Quakers, Ranters, Freewillers; also do not have too much
company with some Anabaptists, though I go under that name myself.

I tell thee this is such a serious matter, and I fear thou wilt so
little regard it, that the thoughts of the worth of the thing, and of
thy too light regarding it, doth even make my heart ache whilst I am
waiting to thee. The Lord teach thee the way by his Spirit, and then I
am sure thou wilt know it. _So run_.

Only, by the way, let me bid thee have a care of two things, and so I
shall pass to the next thing. 1. Have a care of relying on the outward
obedience to any of God's commands, or thinking thyself ever the
better in the sight of God for that. 2. Take heed of fetching peace
for thy soul from any inherent righteousness. But, if thou canst,
believe that as thou art a sinner, so thou art justified freely by the
love of God, through the redemption that is in Christ; and that God,
for Christ's sake, hath forgiven thee, not because he saw any thing
done, or to be done, in or by thee, to move him thereunto to do it.
Because this is the right way. The Lord put thee into it, and keep
thee in it!

THE SECOND DIRECTION.--As thou shouldst get into the way, so thou
shouldst also _be much in studying and musing on the way_. You know
men that would be expert in any thing, are usually much in studying of
that thing; and so likewise is it with those that quickly grow expert