# Door of salvation open'd, or, A loud and shirl (sic) voice from heaven, to unregenerate sinners on earth

THE
Door of Salvation
OPEN'D
Or, A loud and ſhirl Voice from Heaven, to Unregenerate Sinners
on Earth:
Plainly ſhewing the Neceſſity of opening your Hearts, that the King of Glory may enter in, or elſe he will open Hell's Mouth to devour you.
Theſ. i. 8. For he is coming, (faith the Apoſtle in flaming Fire, to take Vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel off Jeſus Chriſt.
By Mr. SAMUEL RUTHERFORD.
Edinburgh, Printed and ſold in the Swan Cloſe, 1747.
The everlaſting Door of Mercy and Salvation opened, &c.
⟨Rev⟩. iii. 20. Behold, I ſtand at the Door and knock: If any Man bear my voice and open the Door, I will come into him, and ſup will him, and he with me.
IT hath pleaſed the moſt wiſe Diſpoſer of all Things, out of the Riches of his Grace, to render Jeſus Chriſt to poor and undone Sinners, and alſo it pleaſed Lord Jeſus, not only to die for Sinners, redeem them from Death, and the Curſe the Law, that be might open a Way for Sinners to return to God; but is pleaſed ſtand knocking at the Door of their Hearts entreat your Souls to be reconciled to God. And therefore, as you love your Souls, as you love your Bodies, as you would not bring damnation to your ſelves; hear and fear, and do no more wickedly, but open your hard and ſtony Hearts, that the King of glory may enter in. O Sinner! now Chriſt ​is landing and calling to thy Soul, if them wilt bear and open, I will come in unto them. Now Christ is ſaying, I know thy Works, I know well enough, that thou haſt been a Blaſphemer, or a Drunkard, or a Whoremonger, or a Thief, or a Sabbath-breaker, or a Scorner: Yet I ſtand at the Door this Day, and knock, I will receive thee unto Mercy, I will forgive all thy Sins, I will accept, I will heal, I will ſave thy Soul, if thou wilt open thy Heart this Day unto me, aod let me in. O Brethren for Chriſt his ſake, refuſe not Chriſt, do not refuſe Chriſt, do not reject nor neglect ſo great a Salvation, leſſ you periſh.
I. Conſider the neceſſity you have of him: give me Children, or elſe I die, faith Rachel; Or give me Chriſt, or elſe I periſh for ever Can you be ſaved without Chriſt? And if you may have Chriſt, but for the opening the Door: then while it is called to Day, then hear and open to him. If the Door of Grace ſhould be ſhut, thou would'ſt be ſhut up with Vengeance for ever.
2. Conſider, what Anſwer thou wilt be able to make at the great Day, if thou wilt harden thy Heart, and not open: Why, what wilt thou, What can'ſt chou plead for thy ſelf at the Day of Judgment? Wilt thou ſay, the Goſpel never offered thee Chriſt? Why, thou haſt heard this Day, If any Man will ​Seer and open, I will come in, and ſup with him. Will thoſe ſay, I would have opened my Heart, had it not been for the Love of Sin, or for Eaſe, or Liberty, or Honour, or Friends or Companions ? Oh, how will Men and Angels hiſs at thee! This is the Perſon, who for Luſt's fake forſook his Mercies,who, for a little vanity neglected his own Salvation: O! how wilt thou curſe thy ſelf, that for nothing, nay, for that which is worſe than nothing, thou haſt put off Chriſt and his Salvation? Therefore Men, Brethren and Fathers, hearken unto me, as Moſes ſaid to the Iſraelites; So this Day I propone unto you Bleſſing and Curſing Life and Death: Salvation, if you open to Chriſt; and Damnation, if you refuſe Chriſt.
For the Lord's ſake,chuſe not Curſing but Bleſſing : Chuſe not Death, but Life; chuſe not Hell, but Heaven; chuſe not Sin, bus Chriſt; tho' you have formerly ſlighted him; If you will now regard him, tho you have formerly contemned him, yet if you will praiſe him, tho you have formerly reſiſted, If yet you will yield, if yet you will conſent, if yet you will become willing to open unto Chriſt; Chriſt will be yours, Mercy will be yours, Salvation will be yours. And what would you have more? What will not all this do? Will not Mercy alure you? Will Dot Love conſtrain you? Then ​give me leave to reprove you and affright you, (if it be poſſible) our of thoſe Depths of Satan, into which you are fallen; However I am reſolved, whether you will or not, and the Lord faſten it upon your Souls.
1. In the Bowels of Love and Mercy, let me beg thee to ask thy Soul this Queſtion, How long will this Life, and the Comforts of it laſt? The Soul is immoral and muſt never die, but it muſt have a Being ſome where in all Eternity.
The Worlds happineſs, Is it everlaſting? No ſurely; thy Money and thy Corn, and thy Land, will do thee no Good in the great Day: Oh! What haſt thou laid up for the World to come? Is the Door of thy Heart open to Chriſt? Alas! Is thy poor Soul unarmed all this while?
Queſt. 2. What will become of thee, when this Life, and all the Comforts thereof are gone? Oh, hard hearted Sinner! This broad Way which thou walkeſt in, will never lead thee to the promis'd Land; thy Gold and Silver-Key will never open Heaven's Gate for thee; thy Care of this world's Good, will not plead for thee before the Judge, all thy careful Friends and Acquaintance, with whom thou haſt ſpent many joyful Hours, their good Words will ſtand thee in no ſtead. Then thou wilt be ready to cry; Where is the Chriſt, that I have diſpis'd! O, where ​is the Jeſus, which I have reſiſted? Will he plead for me? No ſurely: But go to the Gods whom thou haſt choſe; O, what will become of me! Muſt I not die? O, whither will Death carry me; into which of the Regions of the World will Death land me, either of Light or Darkneſs? To which of the two Regions am I now travelling? Certainly the Day of Pleaſure, or wordly Prophet, the Broad-way of the World is not the way to tranſport me to Heaven and everlaſting Happineſs: Say, O Sinner, to thy Soul, What, muſt I be taken from all my Glory and Greatneſs, from all my Delights and Dallianses, and be thrown, like Lucifer, Son of the Moroing, from all my Brighenſs, into Blackneſs and Darkneſs for ever? when Death hath cloſed up my Eyes, muſt I awake into everlaſting Flames? Ay Sinner thou, thou ſhalt Without Remedy, unleſs thou open to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
Quest. 3. Ask thy Soul, on which Hand thou are like to ſtand in the Day of Judgement, on the Right-Hand, or on the Left, among the Goats, if thou wilt not hear and open now, if thou wilt not open thy Heart now, be aſſured the Devil will open Hell's, Mouth for thee; what will be the end of thoſe joys, which now make ſo glad thy Heart? You are now in the Broad-way to Deſtruction, and utter Separation from God's Preſence ​for ever: Thy Pleaſures here we may judge of; But Oh! Who can tell the Thouſand part of theſe Fiery Torments, to which thou art liable in the other World? Whilſt thou dieſt, thou ſhalt be a damned Creature, while thou liveſt, thou art fed like a Beaſt by common Providence, and art a meer ſtranger to feeding Promiſes: If thou lookeſt upwards, God is frowning, and his Wrach is revealed from Heaven againſt thee.
Rom. I. 3.
The Heavens and their Hoſt are ready every Moment, to diſcharge God's Curſes like Thunder Bolts, against thee: If thou look'ſt downward, thou may'ſt ſee Hell gaping and opening its Mouth to fwallow thee up quick, many Dangers attend thee every Day, many Miſeries every Moment, Legions of Devils ſtand about thee, watching thee, and waiting only for the Leave of God to drag thy Soul into the Lake of Fire
Ah, when thou dieſt, Man, what muſt thou then do? When the Captain Death ſtricks, whoſe Armies of Wovles will fall upon thee ; Look to it, anbd remember, thou were once warned, leſt thou die eternally. St. Anſtian's Prayer was, O Lord rack me, beetme, burn me bere but Spare me bereafter. As long as thou refuſeſt to hear Chriſt's Voice, thou haſt a Hell upon Earth : It is not the multitude of thy Companions, that go thither ​ ſhall any Whit leſten thy Torments, but rather increaſe them; thy Life that hath been full of Wordly Joy, ſhall end in deadly Woe.
All you, into whoſe Hands this little Book ſhall come, O, let me beg you to conſider, in thoſe Bowels of Love you have to your own Souls, how your Hearts can endure to think, of being ſhut out of Heaven, out of Bleſſedneſs for ever: Ask your Heart theſe Queſtions, Can I burn? Can I endure the veangeance of eternal Fire? Will boiled Oyl, burning Brimſtone, ſcalding Lead, a glowing Oven, a ſcorching Furnace, be an ealy Lodging for me? O, Why my Soul, wilt thou not be perſuaded to repent? Is there too much Pain in that 1 Thou art ready to ſay, I can- not bear a Croſs nor any Afliction, a Scoff or a Reproach: Talk to thee, of cruifying the Fleſh, of parting with thy wordly Companions, of entring in at the ſtrait Gate: O theſe are hard Sayingr, who can bear them?
But how wilt thou do, to dwell with devouring Fire? How wilt thou dwell with everlaſting Burnings? Whatſoever thou think'ſt now, think what Hell will be when the Day comes, thou muſt deſcend into it; Thou may'll drink or laugh away thy Fear of it, but what will it be to thee, when thou feeleſt thy ſelf wrapped up in the Flames of it, and not a Drop of water to cool thy ​Tongue! Think on Hell, O Soul, and then think on Chriſt, and conſider, if a Redemer from ſuch Miſery, be not worth the accepting of! Think on Hell, and think on Sin, and carnal Pleaſures and Delights, conſider how they will reliſh with thee, when thus faited with everlaſting Fire: Are theſe the Price for which thou ſelleſt thy Soul to Hell? Oh I Bid theſe Luſts and Pleaſures be gone, bid your Companions, and Sins, be gone; and tho' you loved them well, and have ſpent your Time ſinfully with them, yet tell them, you muſt not burn for them, that you will not damn your Soul to pleaſe your Fleſh.
Having thus as briefly as may be laid down the Uſe of Terror, which, I hope will awaken ſome poor Souls, and of the Depth of carnal security: Now I ſhall proceed to the last Uſe of Ecouragement: to encourage poor ſecure Sinners to venture, to lay faſt Hold on him before that it be too late.
Oh, poor Soul! Haſt thou kept Chriſt out a long Time, and art thou not yet reſolv'd to open thy Heart to him? What ſhall I ſay to thee, Let me ſay this, Chriſt waits ſtill for thee, Chriſt is willing ſtill to receive thee, then why wilt thou undoe thy ſelf by neglecting ſo great a Salvation? Let the conſideration of the Meſſage Chriſt brings you, of the Errand he comes on, (it is no diſmal one he brings, it is no dreadful Errand.) If ​Thrift had come to deſtroy thy Soul, Could he have had leſs welcome than you gave him? Oh, for your Soul's ſake receive him! Oh ye Fools, when will ye be wiſe? Come unto Chriſt, and he will have Mercy on you, and heal all your Backſlidings and love you freely. But ſome poor Soul will be ready to ſay, I have a Deſire to come to Chriſt, but I am afraid, Chriſt will never receive ſuch a wretch'd Sinner as I, who have ſtood it out ſo long againſt him. For anſwer to this, give me Leave to give you ſome Directions.
Direct 1. Ah poor Soul, art thou willing to come to Chriſt? Then will Chriſt in so wiſe caſt thee out, if thou comeſt to him poor, miſerable, blind and naked; O Sinner, come not to him in thy Strength, but come thou and ſay, O Lord, here is a poor Soul not worth a Farthing, O Lord make me rich in Faith: O Lord, here is a miſerable Soul, Lord have Mercy on me; here is a poor blind Soul, Lord enlighten me from above; here is a poor naked wretch, O Lord ſave me, leſt I periſh; for I cannot help my ſelf.
Direct, 2. Come to Chriſt by believing in him; Ay, when thy poor Soul is ſinking headlong into Hell, and ſees no way to eſcape, the fearful Wrath of God, hanging over thy Head, catch thou then at ſuch a Time faſt Hold on Chriſt: Oh then apprehend, and apply all his Benefits to thy Soul: Come this ​way, and graſp him in the Arms of thyn Faith and ſay, I believe in thee, help thouſt my Unbelief. And the Anſwer, which thy Lord will give thee, will be thus; Be it according as thou wilt. Let Chriſt be in your Hand, and the Promiſe in your Eye ; and no Doubt, tho' thou haſt been a Rebel and a Traitor, yet Jeſus Chriſt having received the Gifts for the Rebellious, will ſhow Mercy to thee and receive thee.
Direct. 3. Come to Jeſus Chriſt, by repenting and forſaking all thy Sins; thou canſt never come to the Wedding Supper without the Wedding-Garment; the old Man muſt be taken away, before all things can be made new: jer. iii. 14. oh Jeruſalem swap thy Heart from Wickedneſs, that thou mayſt be ſaved, which, God, of his infinite Mercy, grant we may all do, and be bleſſed for ever, thro' Jeſus Chriſt our Lord and Saviour.
FINIS.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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