Him; and the devil, he doth what he can to possess the will and affection of those that are his with love to sin; and therefore when Christ comes closer to the matter, indeed, saith He, “You will not come to me.  How often would I have gathered you as a hen doth her chickens, but you would not.”  The devil had possest their wills, and so long he was sure enough of them.  Oh, therefore cry hard to God to inflame thy will for heaven and Christ:  thy will, I say, if that be rightly set for heaven, thou wilt not be beat off with discouragements; and this was the reason that when Jacob wrestled with the angel, tho he lost a limb, as it were, and the hollow of his thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him, yet saith he, “I will not,” mark, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.”  Get thy will tipped with the heavenly grace, and resolution against all discouragements, and then thou goest full speed for heaven; but if thou falter in thy will, and be not found there, thou wilt run hobbling and halting all the way thou runnest, and also to be sure thou wilt fall short at last.  The Lord give thee a will and courage.

Thus I have done with directing thee how to run to the kingdom; be sure thou keep in memory what I have said unto thee, lest thou lose thy way.  But because I would have thee think of them, take all in short in this little bit of paper.

1.  Get into the way. 2.  Then study on it. 3.  Then, strip, and lay aside everything that would hinder. 4..  Beware of by-paths. 5.  Do not gaze and stare too much about thee, but be sure to ponder the path of thy feet. 6.  Do not stop for any that call after thee, whether it be the world, the flesh, or the devil:  for all these will hinder thy journey, if possible. 7.  Be not daunted with any discouragements thou meetest with as thou goest. 8.  Take heed of stumbling at the cross. 9.  Cry hard to God for an enlightened heart, and a willing mind, and God give thee a prosperous journey.

Provocation:  Now that you may be provoked to run with the foremost, take notice of this.  When Lot and his wife were running from curst Sodom to the mountains, to save their lives, it is said, that his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt; and yet you see that neither her example, nor the judgment of God that fell upon her for the same, would cause Lot to look behind him.  I have sometimes wondered at Lot in this particular; his wife looked behind her, and died immediately, but let what would become of her, Lot would not so much as once look behind him to see her.  We do not read that he did so much as once look where she was, or what was become of her; his heart was indeed upon his journey, and well it might:  there was the mountain before him, and the fire and brimstone behind him; his life lay at stake, and he had lost it if he had looked behind.  Do thou so run and in thy race remember Lot’s wife, and remember her doom; and remember for what that doom did overtake her; and remember that God made her an example for all lazy runners, to the end of the world; and take heed thou fall not after the same example.  But,