Compassionate counsel to all young men especially I. London apprentices, II. students of divinity,…

The end is the Life of all the means. If heavenly blessedness be not the chief end that you live, hope and labour for in the World, your whole lives will be but carnal, vain and the way to misery: for the means can be no better than the End. God that is the beginning is our End; We are made and governed by Him and for Him. Heavenly Glory is the sight of his Glory, and the Everlasting perfection and pleasure of joyful mutual Love.

But we are not the noblest Creatures next to God in excellency and desert, yea we are sinners who have deserved to be cast out from his Love. And therefore as in the way we must come to him by a Saviour, so at the blessed end we must enjoy him by a Mediator, and to see Gods Glory in Christ and the Heavenly Jerusalem, the blessed society of Saints and Angels, continually flaming in Love, Joy and Praises to the most holy God. This, this is the felicity for which we labour, suffer and hope.

But we are not the noblest Creatures next to God in excellency and desert, yea we are sinners who have deserved to be cast out from his Love. And therefore as in the way we must come to him by a Saviour, so at the blessed end we must enjoy him by a Mediator, and to see Gods Glory in Christ and the Heavenly Ierusalem, the blessed society of Saints and Angels, continually flaming in Love, Joy and Praises to the most holy God. This, this is the felicity for which we labour, suffer and hope.

2. And O! how great, and how needful a work it is, to search, study and pray for so firm a belief of this unseen Glory, as may so resolve, engage, and comfort us in some good measure, as if we had seen it with these eyes? O! what men would one hours being in heaven make us, or one clear sight of it? Faith hath a greater work to do than a dreaming or dead opinion can perform. If it be not well grounded first, and well exercised upon Gods Love, Promise and Glory from day to day, you will find cause (sadly) to lament the weakness of it. For this use you have great need of the help of such Books, as open clearly the evident proofs of the Christian verity, which I have briefly done in the beginning of the 2d. part of my Life of Faith, and more largely in 2 other Books, viz. The unreasonableness of Infidelity, and the reasons of the Christian Religion. A firm belief of the World to come, is it that must ake us serious Christians, and over come the snares of worldly vanity.