Words whereby we may be saved. By Thomas Vincent, sometime minister of Maudlins milk-street,…

4. This salvation is a possible salvation; though there were never so much worth and excellency in, never so much necessity of this salvation, yet if there ⟨p. 22⟩were an impossibility of obtaining it, all arguments would be used in vain to press any to endeavour after it; but this salvation is possible, it is possible that you should attain it, that the meanest of you, the vilest of you, yea that every one of you that hear these words may attain it.

1. The meanest of you may attain this salvation, and that 1. Such of you as are of the meanest parts, though you have neither humane learning, nor capacity or ability for it; though your judgement be shallow, your fancy and invention dull, your memory weak, and so could never understand and retain the many Arts and Sciences in Philosophy, and the divers kinds of Languages, which learned men have written their books in; yet you are capable of being made the Scholars and Disciples of Jesus Christ, and he can teach the dullest and shallowest of you all the deep mysteries of salvation by his Spirit; yea and he can give you a greater understanding in them, than the wisest and most learned men that are without the Spirit do attain unto; For he hideth those things from the wise and prudent which he revealeth unto babes, Matth. 11. 25. And the natural man, let him be never so learned a man, receiveth not the things of the Spirit, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. 2. 14. And therefore when not many wise men after the flesh are called, God chooseth the foolish things of the world to exalt the riches of his free grace in their salvation, 1 Cor. 1. 26, 27, 31. Surgunt indocti & rapiunt coelum, quum nos cum omni doctrina in Gehenna detrudimur, saith one. The unlearned arise, and take Heaven by violence, when we with all our learning are violently thrown down