The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan…

Bless not then thy self, O Young Man, in thine harmless condition, thinking thou art as good a Christian as ⟨p. 118⟩the best, because thou art not as bad as the worst, but canst thank God with the Pharisee, thou art neither Adulterer, nor Drunkard, nor Extortioner: (it were to be wished that some could say so much) but know, that this is not sufficient. A man may truly say this, I am not as bad as others, and yet suffer with them in the same Lake of fire. Thy Omissions may be thy undoing: Yea, not only a total omission of all that's good, but an ordinary, and wilful, and allowed omission of any one thing thou knowest to be thy Duty. This cannot stand with sincerity, which (however it may be at some time) will in ordinary, certainly have respect to all the Commandments of God, Psal. 116. 9.

O how sadly doth this speak to thee, thou halting and trifling Soul! Many things thou dost, and therein thou comfortest thy self; but are there not many things also which thou knowest thou shouldst do, but wilt not? Thou knowest it is thy duty to pray, to pray in thy Family, in secret in thy Closet, to be constant, to be instant in prayer, Dost thou so? Thou knowest it to be thy duty to examine thy self, to search thy heart, and try thy ways, that thou mayst know the estate of thy Soul, Dost thou this? How seldom dost thou spend any pains this way? It may be thou hast never done it, nor so much as seriously put the question to thy self, Whose Child am I? or, How may I know whether I be the Child of God, or the Child of the Devil? Thou knowest it is thy duty to watch, to watch thine heart, and watch thy tongue, and watch against corruption, and temptation; Dost thou do it? Thou knowest it is thy duty to sanctify the Sabbath, by forbearing thy Calling, thy Recreations, and Carnal Pleasures; by spending the whole day in the public, and private exercises of Religion, not allowing thy self in vain and impertinent talk, or idle, or worldly thoughts; Dost thou so? Thou knowest it is thy duty to do good to others, to their Souls, by exhorting, or reproving them; to their bodies, by feeding, or clothing, or otherwise relieving them; Dost thou so? Is there none of all this, nor nothing else which thou allowest thy self in the neglect of? If it be so, how canst thou think thy self sincere?