d yet possibly most, of all
these sects, run quite the wrong way; and yet every one is for his
life, his soul, either for heaven or hell!

If thou now say, Which is the way? I tell thee it is CHRIST, the Son
of Mary, the Son of God. Jesus saith, "I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh to the Father but by me." So then thy business
is, (if thou wouldst have salvation,) to see if Christ be thine, with
all his benefits; whether he hath covered thee with his righteousness;
whether he hath showed thee that thy sins are washed away with his
heart-blood; whether thou art planted into him, and whether thou have
faith in him, so as to make a life out of him, and to conform thee to
him; that is, such faith as to conclude that thou art righteous,
because Christ is thy righteousness; and so constrained to walk with
him as the joy of thy heart, because he saved thy soul. And for the
Lord's sake, take heed, and do not deceive thyself, and think thou
art in the way upon too slight grounds; for if thou miss of the way,
thou wilt miss of the prize; and if thou miss of that, I am sure thou
wilt lose thy soul, even that soul which is worth more than the whole
world.

But I have treated more largely on this in my book of the Two
Covenants, and therefore shall pass it now. Only I beseech thee to
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 th