5.  Withal, there should be a waiting on him with patience, giving him liberty to take his own way and time, and a leaving of him thereunto.

6.  We should by all means guard against such things as are hinderances, and will prove obstacles to us in this matter; such as,

(1.) Prejudices against the truth; for then we will undervalue light, and reject all the directions and instructions of the Spirit, as not agreeing with our prejudicate opinion.

(2.) A wilful turning away from truth, as these, 2 Tim. iv. 4.  Titus i. 14.

(3.) Addictedness to our own judgments and opinions, which causeth pertinaciousness, pride, and conceit, as thinking ourselves so wise, as that we need no information; and this occasioneth a self-confidence.

(4.) Looking too much unto, and hanging too much upon men, who are but instruments, crying them up as infallible, and receiving, without further examination, all that they say, not like the Bereans, Acts xvii.  This is a great hinderance to the receiving of truth, and very prejudicial.

(5.) A neglecting of the use of the means which God hath appointed for this end.

(6.) Or an hanging too much on them, and so misplacing them, giving them his room.

(7.) Leaning too much to our own understanding, wit and knowledge, &c.

(8.) A resisting of the truth, 2 Tim. iii. 8.  These and the like hinderances should be guarded against, lest they mar our attaining to the knowledge of truth.

7.  There should be much of the exercise of prayer, for this is the main conduit and mean, through which light is conveyed into the soul.  There should also be a serious and Christian reading and hearing of the word, which is truth, and the word of truth, and the Scripture of truth; and those duties should be gone about with, (1.) much self-denial; (2.) with much singleness of heart; (3.) with much humility; (4.) with much willingness and readiness to be instructed; (5.) with much seriousness and earnestness; and, (6.) with faith and dependence on God for his blessing and breathing.

8.  We should beware of trusting to our own understandings, or to the judgments of other men; nor should we look to what suiteth most our own humours, nor to what appeareth most specious and plausible, for that may deceive us.

9.  We should lie open to the influences and rays of light, by exercising faith in earnest desires; as also patient waiting for and single looking to him, minding his name and his relations, promises, and engagements, and the strengthening of our faith and confidence.

10.  We should labour to keep fast whatever he teacheth us by his word and Spirit, and not prove leaking vessels.  This the apostle exhorteth to, Heb. ii. 1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip;” yea, and we should be established “in the truth,” 2 Pet. i. 12.