A key to open heaven-gate. Or, a ready path to lead to heaven Written and printed for the benefit of all true Christians, to read hear and make good use of, before it be too late. And therefore I advise every man, and every woman to observe and give good heed to what is spoken in this little book, and they shall be sure to finde sweetnesse, and happinesse in this world, and eternall joys in the world to come, through the might, merits, and mercies of Jesus Christ; who saith, Aske and you shall have, seeke, and yee shall finde, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Written by Laurence Price.

A Key to Open Heaven-Gate. Or, A ready way to lead men to Heaven.

Here followeth good and sound Di∣rections to set Men in the ready way to Heaven; which way if they mistake, they are never like to come there.

DEar and beloved Christi∣ans, I would have you thus much to understand, that all those that have a desire to goe to Heaven, must well and wisely en∣deavour themselves to follow this Path-way.

First, you must truly and unfeignedly labour to serve God, and obey his Com∣mandements which is a duty that ought to be done without any grudgings, mur∣murings, or delays; for he that is alive to day, may be dead before to morrow: and then it will be too late to look after a way that they never sought for in their life time: and therefore I davise you all (good Christans) to séek the Lord while he may be found, for he his a God of truth of Iustice, of Peace, of Mercy, of Love and such a one as would have all Men and woman to be saved.

Secondly, here is another duty to be preformed by all Men that will find the ready way to Heaven: as your brother is your ueighbor, even so is your neighbour is your brother, & therefore ought every man and woman to love, cherish, and comfort each other, and to live in peace and unity one with another, and not to wrangle, brabble, fight, scold, and go to Law, until they have undone one ano∣ther, for they that do such things are gone far out of the way to Heaven. Re∣member therefore what our Saviour Christ saith in the Gospel. A new

Commandment give I unto you, see that you love one another, for if you love not your neighbour whom you see every day how can you love God whom you never saw, there∣fore consider and take heed in time what you do: he that hateth his neighbour, hateth his brother, and he that hateth his brother hateth God, and he that hateth God, will never find the way to Heaven and therefore I desire all them that are called by the name of Christians to shew themselves like Christians, laying aside all hatred, spight, envy, malice, lying, slandring, backbiting, hypocrisie, and dissimulation, and withall to break such bread as you w••uld have broken; and likewise to do unto all men as you would they should do unto you. This be sure is the readiest way for to please God, and the nearest way to Heaven: Yet more then this is to be done before, you come to your journeys end: You must repent you of all your former ini∣quities; you must be good to them y^t have done evil to you: and must forgive them their trespasses, as you look to be forgiven at the hands of God. And so farre must your mindes and your hearts

be given to quietness, that you must not so much as to let the sun go down while you are in wrath, For vengeance is mine saith the Lord, and I will repay it.

In the next place, every christian ought at all times very early and late, to pray unto the Lord, that he will add a blessing to their endeavours, and the better to be imployed, let them follow after Gods Preachers, and heare them Preach and Teach, that are both able and willing to declare the word of God unto them, and so by degrées they shall find the mercies of the Lord redoubled unto them, and thereby they shall be brought to ripeness of understanding, whereby to know and distinguish betwéen good and bad, which may be great furtherance to them in the way to Heaven.

True knowledge is of such an excellent vertue that it is sufficient to bring us acquainted with the principall things that are to be had in this life, and after this life ended, it shall bring our Soules into everlasting happiness.

True knowledge wil make you under∣stand that God the Father Created us, that God the Son redéemed us, and that

God the holy Ghost sanctified vs, & pre∣serveth all those that faithfully believe that our Lord & Saviour Iesus Christ suffered death upon the Crosse, to save our souls from the tyranny of the divel, and from the torments of Hell; as you may read in the 13 Chap. of the Gospel written by St▪ Matthew, where it is said, Blessed be your eys for they see, and your ears for they hear, and your hearts for they understand.

And to be brief, true knowledge and un∣derstanding may very well be termed a Key to open the gates of Heaven, Then what man or woman will be so wilfully blind as to neglect the séeking for such an excellen•• vertue; yet there are some, and too many in these sinful & wicked times, that are so carelesse and regardless, that they had rather choose to follow the vain delights and pleasures of this wicked world, than to séek for the Redemption of their souls, and the joyes of Heaven hereafter, whom our Saviour Christ bought and paid for with his most pre∣cious blood.

Some there are likewise; that bear a shew of Godliness, & yet they cannot or

will not spaire an hour in a day to hear a good Sermon, or to serve God in▪ Others their are, that do utterly deny, and as it were to make a scoff of the Scriptures, and the word of God; but I wish that all such persons may spéedily amend their lives, lest at the last day the righteous Iudge of all the world, Iesus Christ shal say unto them, Depart from me ye work∣ers of iniquity.

But now beloved Christians I would have you to consider and think on this that y^e day of vengeance is near at hand, and every soul shall stand at the Barr of Araignment before the righteous Iudge to tender up an account of al their déeds and actions good and evil: and then shall the good be severed from the bad, and the one sort with joy and triumph be recei∣ved into everlasting happiness, & the rest be cast into utter darkness, where is no∣thing else to be heard or séen, but weep∣ing, howling, and gnashing of teeth.

Moreover I would have you to consider that at the generall judgement there are none to be excused from comming to their answers, and every one shall be forced to appear in their persons; the

rich and the poor, the King and the Beg∣gar, the strong and the weak, the bound and the frée; all must come whether they will or no: for God hath no respect of pe••sons: and at that great and notable day of y^e Lord our God, there is no de∣lays to be made, there shall be no Law∣yers to plead a cause for another man or woman: for he shall be sure to have work enough to do of his own, neither shall there be any bribes accepted of, therefore look wel about you, and pre∣vent the wrath of the Iudge while you may; and provoke not God to Anger, lest your soules perish in displeasure.

Yet furthermore I would have you remember this, y^t as the Saints of Hea∣ven are crowned with glory, and the wicked sent unto the gulph of misery, there is no returning from neither of the places, but where soever they are sent by the Iudge, there they are to continue world without END. Oh! what a heavy sight will it be to the Wicked? when they shall sée the godly entertain∣ed into Heaven among the glorious Saints and Angels of the Lord, and they themselves to be cast into utter dark∣ness

for ever, where they shall never be∣hold the brightness of the Sun, nor the glory of Christ again: alas dear friends what a sad thing it is to think upon? but ten thousand times worse to them that shall suffer themselves to be banished from the presence of Christ for ever.

Such cursed wretches as are here spo∣ken of, are them who have lost their way to heaven, and can never find the Key to open Heaven Gate withall.

The last thing that I have to put you in mind of is y^t every one should remember his End, and think upon the day of his death while he is alive on the Earth. To this purpose the wise man Solomon hath taught us our Lesson, and to the Life; when he sayes, Remember thy end, and thy Creator in the days of thy youth, as much as if he said, Remember thy end to day, to morrow, and the next day, & all the days of our lives. And also that every night before we sléepe, we make our peace with God, by way of humble Petition and prayers unto his heavenly Majesty, that he will be pleased that if wée never live to sée the morrow morning, to forgive

all our sins & receive our soules into his heavenly Kingdom: if every one will make use of what is here set down, and constantly practice it in their lives and conversations, they néed not fear death let him come early or late, sléeping or waking, or what time soever it be, nei∣ther can the gates of Hell▪ nor the power of Divels prevail against them y^t have found the right way to Heaven. And to conclude this point; let all y^t ever mean wel to their own souls, take good notice of what is said, it may be a means through Gods great mercy to bring them that are gon astray, in the right and perfect way to Heaven, where at the first entrance, our Saviour Iesus Christ will be ready to welcome us in with these swéet and comfortable gréetings and imbrace∣ments, with words as followeth: Come ye blessed Children of my Father, receive a Crown and Kingdom of Glory, which was prepared for you at the beginning. To which kingdome, The Lord in his good time bring us all. There shall the blessed souls of y^e righteous behold the celestiall Saints of the Lord, & be partakers with them of the everlasting felicity which is

unspeakable, then shall they that mourned here, be converted there. And they that suffered reproachfull words, abusefull slanders, shamfull disgraces, and prese∣cutions for Christ and the Gospels sake shall have a full reward, and swéet satis∣faction in the Sanctuary of the most high God, & al those which have béen wrong∣ed on Earth, shall be righted in Heaven, which consideration may very wel serve to comfort all such as have béen or are any ways afflicted, derided, or oppressed, and falsly accused in this present life; since there is a Crown of glory laid up for them in the life to come, then let all true and faithfull Believers be valiant-hearted, and never be dismaid for all that can be done against them by the world the flesh, and the Devill.

And for your further instruction, I would wish you all to be well advised, and to follow the Doctrine and Counsell of the Apostle St. Paul, who biddeth, you to put on the whole armour of God, Having your loynes girt about with the truth, putt∣ing on the brest-plate of righteousness, and feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, taking up the sh••e••d

of faith, and helmet of salvation, And being thus armed you need not fear all the Enemies that ever can assault or come against you; as you may read in the 6 Chapt. of Ephes. 14, 15, 16, 17, verses, how to come by this Armour, and how to use it, you must learn that of our Captain and Leader Iesus Christ, who suffered many persecutions when he was upon earth, as hunger, cold, banishment, scorns and taunts, whippings, & buffet∣ings, spitting on the face, and at last nailed on the Cross, and pierced to the heart with a bloody spear; in all which afflictions he was never seen to look upon Enemies with a frowning Eye, nor to give them so much as an angry word, but at the very point of death he took all things patiently, and prayed for his ene∣mies, saying, Father forgive them, they know not what they do. And when he fetcht his last gasp at the yielding up of the ghost, he cryed with a loud voice, Fa∣ther into thy hands I commit my Spirit.

Thus was our Saviour Iesus Christ made a sufferer for our sakes, & all those torments did he undergo while he was on earth, to teach us the way tr Heaven,

and this hath he purchased with his most dear and precious blood, to save us from the torments of Hell; and after that Christ had suffered the sharpness of death he ascended into heaven, where he hath made already intercession for all them that are his followers. And séeing that our Saviour hath led the way, why should not we be as willing to come to him? he hath promised he will never leave us nor forsake us, if wée do not leave nor for∣sake him: Therefore let us looke to our selves, if wée will not find the way to Heaven, the fault is our own.

Therefore to finish up all, I once more desire you all, that you wil never leave Practising to find the way to Heaven. For blessed are they that continue to the END.

A PRAYER.

O Most mighty Lord God full of mercy and compassion to all that call upon thy holy Name, and seek after thy Heavenly Kingdome: Wee thy poor distressed Ser∣vants and Children, doe upon the bended knees of our hearts, prostrate our selves be∣fore thee, with all humility both of souls & bodies; desiring that of thy infinite good∣nesse thou wilt be pleased to teach us the way to come unto thee, for we are not able to do any good thing of our selves, without thy powerfull help; we are weak, but thou art strong; and therefore draw us, and wee will follow thee; direct our wayes to come unto thee, so that when the time comes that our souls shall be separated from our bodies, we may be received into the Joyes of Heaven, and that for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour, to whom with the Fa∣ther, and Holy Ghost, be all Honour and Glory, Power and Praise, both now, and for evermore, Amen.

FINIS.