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 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.

Table of contents

Title page

A Key to Open Heaven-Gate. Or, A ready way to lead men to Heaven. Here followeth good and ſound Directions to ſet Men in the ready way to Heaven; which way if they miſtake, they are never like to come there.

A PRAYER.

§

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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.

London, Printed for T. Vere at the ſign of the Angel without Newgate, 1666.

A Key to Open Heaven-Gate. Or, A ready way to lead men to Heaven.
Here followeth good and ſound Directions to ſet Men in the ready way to Heaven; which way if they miſtake, they are never like to come there.

[Page]

[Page]

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

[Page] Firſt, you muſt truly and unfeignedly labour to ſerve God, and obey his Commandements which is a duty that ought to be done without any grudgings, murmurings, 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 another, for they that do ſuch things are gone far out of the way to Heaven. Remember therefore what our Saviour Chriſt ſaith in the Goſpel. A new [Page]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, therefore 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 iniquities; you muſt be good to them yt 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 [Page] 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 underſtand that God the Father Created us, that God the Son redéemed us, and that [Page] God the holy Ghoſt ſanctified vs, & preſerveth 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 underſtanding 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 precious blood.

Some there are likewiſe; that bear a ſhew of Godlineſs, & yet they cannot or [Page] 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 workers of iniquity.

But now beloved Chriſtians I would have you to conſider and think on this that ye 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 received into everlaſting happineſs, & the reſt be caſt into utter darkneſs, where is nothing elſe to be heard or ſéen, but weeping, 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 [Page] rich and the poor, the King and the Beggar, 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 ye Lord our God, there is no delays to be made, there ſhall be no Lawyers 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 prevent 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, yt as the Saints of Heaven 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 entertained into Heaven among the glorious Saints and Angels of the Lord, and they themſelves to be caſt into utter darkneſs [Page] for ever, where they ſhall never behold 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 ſpoken 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 yt 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 [Page] 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, neither can the gates of Hell▪ nor the power of Divels prevail againſt them yt have found the right way to Heaven. And to conclude this point; let all yt 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 imbracements, 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 ye righteous behold the celeſtiall Saints of the Lord, & be partakers with them of the everlaſting felicity which is [Page] unſpeakable, then ſhall they that mourned here, be converted there. And they that ſuffered reproachfull words, abuſefull ſlanders, ſhamfull diſgraces, and preſecutions for Chriſt and the Goſpels ſake ſhall have a full reward, and ſwéet ſatiſfaction in the Sanctuary of the moſt high God, & al thoſe which have béen wronged 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, putting on the breſt-plate of righteouſneſs, and feet ſhod with the preparation of the Goſpel of peace, taking up the ſh [...]e [...]d[Page]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, & buffetings, 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 enemies, 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, Father 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, [Page] 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 forſake 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.

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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 Servants and Children, doe upon the bended knees of our hearts, proſtrate our ſelves before thee, with all humility both of ſouls & bodies; deſiring that of thy infinite goodneſſe 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 Father, and Holy Ghoſt, be all Honour and Glory, Power and Praiſe, both now, and for evermore, Amen.

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

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.

Price, Laurence.

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1666

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Text Creation Partnership,

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Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A70852

ID [STC]

Wing P3370

ID [STC]

ESTC R221535

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99832833

ID [PROQUEST]

99832833

ID [VID]

37308

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A70852)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 37308)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2151:3)

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— 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., Price, Laurence..

Extent

[2], 12, [2] p.

printed for T. Vere at the sign of the Angel without Newgate,. London :: 1666.. (The final leaf contains a prayer.) (Reproduction of the original in the Bodleian Library.)

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