THE READY WAY to Everlasting Life: OR, A perfect Remedy against the Poison of SIN.  
In this little Book is contained many several and excellent virtues, which being well read, heard, understood, and made use of, it will both direct and instruct all sorts of people old and young, rich and poor, men and women, and children, how to order their lives in this world, so that they may enjoy the blessings which Christ hath prepared for them in the world to come, which is life Everlasting.  
Here is Consolation for the Soul.  
Here is comfort for the Body.  
Here is ease for a troubled Conscience.  
And here is content for the mind.  O hear ye this all ye people, ponder it with your Ears, all ye that dwell in the world, high and low, rich and poor, one with another. Psal. 29.1, 2. 
By, L. P.  
Printed for R. Gilbertson. 1665.   

The ready way to Everlasting Life: OR, A perfect Remedy against the Poison of Sin.  
IN the first place, my invitations I prefer to all people, but especially to them that are stricken in age, and are ready to go to to their Grave. I invite you therefore to observe those directions which are necessary for Salvation; and withal to consider what a small quantity of time you have to live in the world: we read in the Scriptures that Adam lived nine hundred and 30 years, and he died, Seth lived nine hundred and 12 years, and he died, and also the days of Canaan was nine hundred and ten years, and he died, and all the days of Methasala was 9 hundred sixty and nine years, and he died, as you may read it large in the 5. Chap. of Genesis. We also read and know that David was a valiant man, Solomon a wise man, Sampson a strong man, Absalon a beautiful man, and Adam a rich man, for the Lord God made him Lord and Master of all other creatures, Gen. 1, 28. yet all those died, & as they came from the Earth, even so they returned to the dust. What reason hath any man therefore in our times to flatter themselves & to forget that they must all go to the earth from whence they came, seeing by daily experience that no man can add one Cubite to his own stature, nor no man can prolong his own life one hour, nor can all the men of the world resist the will of God, for Gods will must be done both in earth and in heaven, as you may read in Matthew the 5.  
Is the case so plain then, that all men must in a short space forsake the world for ever? why than I would entreat all men to follow these directions, and to forsake sin before sin forsake them.  
Moreover I would desire every man and woman that as they would prepare and make themselves ready to go to a rich and glorious wedding on the very next morrow where is all kinds of varieties of what your hearts can crave, or your tongue ask for, so would I have you every day to make ready & prepare yourselves to go to God, as one that have a long journey to go, or to ride, will be up early in the morning to set forward on the way lest by his negligence he should come too late to his journey's end, and so be kept out of his appointed lodging: in the like manner I would entreat all those that are willing to be the Servants and Disciples of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, to prepare themselves with all speed that possible they may, or can, to come to the place where their Lord and Master is, which is indeed a place of happiness: there is mirth without mourning, joy without sorrowing, there is light without darkness, and life without death, where they that are once brought in, shall never be turned out, to which happy and Heavenly place the Lord in his good time bring us all, Amen.  
The ready way to the Everlasting place which is before spoken of, I shall by God's assistance direct you unto.  
Your way must be, First to ask God forgiveness for all the time you have misspent, and every day, and every hour to repent you of your wicked living in this sinful world: you must henceforth whilst you do live in this world, Pray unto God to give you grace and the assistance of his Holy Spirit, so that you may ever hereafter serve God & obey his holy word and will in a better manner than you have done heretofore; you must also deal your bread to the hungry cloth the naked, suffer the harbourless comfort the fatherless, be good to the poor distressed widows, visit the sick, and according to your ability do good to all men that are in want; for he that stopeth his ears at the cries of the poor, shall cry himself and not be heard. Proverhs the 10.  
Moreover, you must not think that when you have done those good things which are ere spoken of, that you have done enough to bring your soul to heaven without any more to do, but you must believe in God the Father, Son and Holy-Ghost, and how that Christ came that was the only Son of God the father into this world, on purpose to save the souls of all true repenting sinners, and to be Tormented for us here in this world, because we should not be Tormented in the world to come: as it may appear in all parts of the Scriptures, which were written from the time of the world's creation to the latter end of the holy Bible Book, but most chief the 4 Evangelists have every one described the manner of his coming into the world, the time of his life, the day of his death, and in what manner, and for what cause he died: whilst he lived on the earth he shown wonders & did miracles, he made the blind to see, the lame to go, and raised the dead to life; all which was done to make it known to all the world that he was the wonderful and powerful son of God, and able to do whatsoever it pleased his Father to have done, & to put us in remembrance and believe that he is the Saviour and redeemer of all that trust in him; further more, for our sake he suffered hunger, thirst, cold, imprisonment, reproachful words, spiteful deeds, bitter stripes, false accusations, taunts and scorns, Buffeting, Whip, and Spitting on the face; And at the last, he was Crucified upon a bloody piece of Timber, between 2 notorious malefactors, being nailed fast on the Cross through hands and feet: and now let all Christians not only look upon, but also remember to think upon, what Christ our Lord hath undergone to redeem our souls from the slavery of the devil, to bring us into the sounder belief; consider what was brought to pass through the power of the Almighty after that the Villains had so cruelly murdered Christ, which was, and is a King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Revelations: 19, 10. They took him down from the Cross, they laid him in a grave where never none was laid before; they roul'd a mighty great stone against the Sepulchre door, they hired watchmen to keep all fast, and to be brief, they thought they had made all things so sure, that Christ his body should never be removed therehence in haste, but by the great power of the Lord there came a Heavenly Angel to the door of the Sepulchre and rolled away the stone which was laid to keep Christ in the Grave; mean while the watchmen being sorely amazed at the sight of the Angel, they ran away trembling with fear, so Christ arose from the dead, and the grav have no more power over him after that he appeared to his Disciple, and to others several times to show that he was recovered, and that he had overcome death, but Thomas one of his disciples would not believe that the Lord was risen from death, till such time that he put his finger into the wound which the spear had pierced, & seen his hand which had been nailed to the Cross: wherefore our Saviour Christ came into the place bodily where Thomas was, and shown him the side which the Spear had pierced, and the hands and feet of his which had been nailed to the bloody tree; which when Thomas had seen and felt, (he confessed and said unto Christ, thou art my Lord my God) but Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed me, Blessed are they that have not seen and have believed. John's Gospel, 20, 28. All this done to strengthen our belief, and to show us that as he himself is risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, so can he also raise & quicken us if we lay hold on him, trust in him, & faithfully believe that he came into the world & suffered all those things to be done for his love that he bore unto mankind, & to save out souls from perpetual damnation. God in his mercy give us grace to make good use of our times, and so behave ourselves, whilst we remain in this world, that after this life is ended we may enjoy everlasting happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven with God the Father, through the mighty merits of Jesus Christ his only Son, to whom with the Holy Ghost be ascribed all honour, glory, power, praise, might Majesty & thanksgiving, both in this world and in the world to come, Amen.  
The next matter is here to be expressed is instructions for youth, which if youth will observe and follow they shall find it to be sweeter than the honey, and the honey comb. Psalms, 19  
Solomon the wise bids his Son delay no time, but saith thus to all; Remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth, as you may read, Eccles. 12, 1. which sentence of his may very well agree with the proverb, How that, that which is bred in the bone will never out of the flesh, so I say, that he or she that will not serve God when they are young, will hardly be brought to do God any good service when they are old: wherefore I desire all sorts of youthful people to have a special regard to what shall be spoken, and withal to do their best endeavour to follow these instructions, Ephesians 6 Children obey your Parents in the Lord, & Honour your Fathers and Mothers, so shall your days be long. and your lives happy.  
The cause why so many youthful people now a days run headlong into desperate dangers and sudden mischiefs, is this, because they will not hearken unto the words of wise Solomon, who saith thus: My Son attend unto wisdom, and how down thine ears to understanding, Proverbs 5. Beloved these are precious words, and worth the harkening unto, for He or She that hath understanding can never do amiss let the world run which way soever it will, a wise man will be content with what Estate or condition soever he be in, whether it be riches or poverty, sickness or health, oppression or liberty, right or wrong, all's one to a wise man, for he putteth his trust in God, who will surely deliver him out of all his troubles in due time, according as David the Prophet saith, in his Psallms, Many and numberless are the Troubles of the Righteous: but the Lord delivers them out of all again: A wise man is able to undergo and endure reproachful words, evil Actions, Abusive Deeds; Spiteful Neighbours, Unkind Kindred's: Ye and although it were so that the whole World should set themselves against him, yet he is sure that they can do no more to him then God will give them leave to do for he hath learned such a faithful lesson of his Master Christ Jesus, that he can say with a safe conscience: Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, as you may read, Mat ●●, 10.  
Besides a●● this, wisdom hath a great many Virtues belonging unto her which have not yet been spoken of, as it shall presently be made known to all that will give ear to what shall be expressed in this profitable discourse.  
If any one desires to be rich, let them repair unto Wisdom, for without Wisdom there is no good to be done: a wise wan is able to discern the good from the bad, the just from the unjust, the right from the wrong, and he that findeth wisdom, findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord, and how can a man be poor, that hath those blessings bestowed upon him? Proverbs 8, 35.  
Furthermore, a wise man will take heed of what company he comes into; for a man cannot touch pitch but he must be defiled! Good wine is chosen by the smell, by the colour, and by the taste, so must you choose your Companions by their Religions by Wisdom and by virtue, doth not very days experience tell us, How that they which goes & commonly hannteth evil company, are counted to be as bad as themselves; And have we not heard nor known, that at sometimes there have true men been taken in thiefs companies and all sent to Prison together Yea, and some have lost their lives only by keeping of evil company.  
It is an old saying, that company is good whether it be to Heaven, or to Hell; but I say thus, that one were better go to Heaven alone, then to Hell with a multitude of Wicked People: And better it is to be alone by one's self then to be in company with Ungodly people; a man cannot lie amongst dogs but he must be bitten with fleas, nor can any one haunt and be in evil company, but he must be evil thought on and spoken of, therefore I desire all people, whether they be old or young, to be wise and to fly from sin, as they would fly from a biting Viper; and also to fly from evil company, as you would fly from the Devil.  
And now to conclude, I desire you all to observe and make good use of these instructions, and to lead your lives in such a godly manner whilst you remain in this world, so that after this life ended, Christ may receive your souls into his heavenly Kingdom, Where is Joy world without end.  
FINIS.