her 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 you 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 saveth 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.

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, Free-willers: also do not have too much
company with some Anabaptists, tho I go under that name myself. I
will tell thee this is such a serious matter, and I fear thou wilt so
little regard it, that the thought of the worth of the thing, and of
thy too light regarding of it, doth even make my heart ache whilst I
am writing to thee. The Lord teach thee the way by His Spirit, and
then I am sure thou wilt know it. So run.

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 anything, they are usually much in studying of
that thing, and so likewise is it with those that quickly grow expert
in any way. This therefore thou shouldst do; let thy study be much
exercised about Christ, which is the way, what He is, what He hath
done, and why He is what He is, and why He hath done what is done; as
why "He took upon Him the form of a servant" (Phil, ii.); why He was
"made in the likeness of man"; why He cried; why He died; why He
"bare the sin of the world"; why He was made sin, and why He was made
righteousness; why He is in heaven in the nature of man, and what He
doth there. Be much in musing and considering of these things; be
thinking also enough of those places which thou must not come near,
but leave some on this hand, and some on that hand; as it is with
those that travel into other countries; they mus