The divine life in three treatises

2. He that walketh with God, hath fixed upon a right end, and is renewing his estimation and intention of it, and daily prosecuting it: And this is the first and greatest part of Practical Wisdom. When a man once knoweth his End aright, he may the better judge of the aptitude and seasonableness of all the means. When we know once that Heaven containeth the only felicity of man, it will direct us to Heavenly cogitations, and to such spiritual means as are fitted to that End: If we have the right mark in our eye, we are liker to level at it than if we mistake our mark. He is the wise man, and only he, that hath steadily fixed his eye upon that blessedness which he was created and redeemed for, and maketh strait towards it, and bends the powers of soul and body, by faithful constant diligence to obtain it. He that hath rightly and resolvedly determined of his end, hath virtually resolved a thousand controversies that others are unsatisfied and erroneous in: He that is resolved, that his End is to Please and Glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever, is easily resolved whether a holy life, or a sensual and worldly, be the way: whether the way be to be Godly, or to make a mock at Godliness: whether Covetousness and Riches, Ambition and Preferment, Voluptuousness and Fleshly pleasures, be the means to attain his End: whether it ⟨p. 257⟩will be attained rather by the studying of the Word of God, and meditating on it day and night, and by holy conference, and fervent prayer, and an obedient life; or by negligence, or worldliness, or drunkenness, or gluttony, or cards and dice, or beastly filthiness, or injustice and deceit. Know once but whither it is that we are going, and its easy to know whether the Saint, or the Swine, or the Swaggerer be in the way. But a man that doth mistake his End, is out of his way at the first step; and the further he goes, the further he is from true felicity; and the more he erreth, and the further he hath to go back again, if ever he return. Every thing that a man doth in the world, which is not for the right end (the Heavenly felicity) is an act of foolishness and error, how splendid soever the Matter or the Name, may make it appear to ignorant men. Every word that an ungodly person speaketh being not for a right End, is in him but sin and folly, however materially it may be an excellent and useful Truth.

2. He that walketh with God, hath fixed upon a right end, and is renewing his estimation and intention of it, and daily prosecuting it: And this is the first and greatest part of Practical Wisdome. When a man once knoweth his End aright, he may the better judge of the aptitude and seasonableness of all the means. When we know once that Heaven containeth the only felicity of man, it will direct us to Heavenly cogitations, and to such spiritual means as are fitted to that End: If we have the right mark in our eye, we are liker to level at it than if we mistake our mark. He is the wise man, and only he, that hath steadily fixed his eye upon that blessedness which he was created and redeemed for, and maketh strait towards it, and bends the powers of soul and body, by faithful constant diligence to obtain it. He that hath rightly and resolvedly determined of his end, hath virtually resolved a thousand controversies that others are unsatisfied and erroneous in: He that is resolved, that his End is to Please and Glorifie God, and to enjoy him for ever, is easily resolved whether a holy life, or a sensual and worldly, be the way: whether the way be to be Godly, or to make a mock at Godliness: whether Covetousness and Riches, Ambition and Preferment, Voluptuousness and Fleshly pleasures, be the means to attain his End: whether it