I tell thee it will cost thee an eternity
to bewail thy misery in! Francis Spira can tell thee what it is to
stay till the gates of mercy be quite shut; or to run so lazily, that
they be shut before thou get within them. What! to be shut out! What!
out of heaven! Sinner, rather than lose it, _run_ for it; yea, and "so
run that thou mayst obtain."

7. Lastly, Because _if thou lose, thou losest all_. Thou losest soul,
God, Christ heaven, ease, peace, &c. Besides, thou layest thyself open
to all the shame, contempt, and reproach, that either God, Christ,
saints, the world, sin, the devil, and all, can lay upon thee. As
Christ saith of the foolish builder, so will I say of thee, if thou be
such a one who runs and misseth; I say, even all that go by will begin
to mock at thee, saying, This man began to run well, but was not able
to finish. But more of this anon.

CHAPTER II.

DIRECTIONS FOR THIS HEAVENLY COURSE.

_Question_. "But how should a poor soul do, so to run?" For this very
thing is that which afflicteth me sore, (as you say,) to think that I
may run and yet fall short. Methinks to fall short at last, Oh! it
fears me greatly! Pray, tell me, therefore, how I should run.'

_Answer_. That thou mayst indeed be satisfied in this particular,
consider these following things.

THE FIRST DIRECTION.--If thou wouldst so run as to obtain the kingdom
of heaven, then _be sure that thou get into the way that leadeth
thither_. For it is a vain thing to think that ever thou shalt have
the prize, though thou runnest ever so fast, unless thou art in the
way that leads to it. Set the case that there should be a man in
London that was to run to York for a wager; now, though he run ever so
swiftly, yet if he run full south, he might run himself out of breath,
and be never the nearer the prize, but rather the farther off. Just so
is it here. It is not simply the runner, nor yet the hasty runner,
that winneth the crown, unless he be in the way that leadeth thereto.
I have observed, (that little time which I have been a professor,)
that there is a great running to and fro, some this way, and some that
way; yet it is to be feared most of them are out of the way; and then,
though they run as swift as the eagle can fly, they are benefited
nothing at all.

Here is one runs a Quaking, another a Ranting. One again runs after
the Baptism, and another after the Independency. Here is one for
Free-will, and another for Presbytery. An