The Heavenly Footman | Page 6

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. And 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 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 in any thing. This therefore thou shouldst do.
Let thy study be much exercised about Christ, who 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, why he
was made in the likeness of men; why he cried; why he died; why he