Words Whereby We May Be Saved, Title page – Dedication
WORDS WHEREBY We may be Saved.
By THOMAS VINCENT, ſometime Miniſter of Maudlins Milk-ſtreet, LONDON.
Act. 11. 14.
Who ſhall tell thee Words whereby thou and all thy Houſe ſhall be ſaved.
Heb. 2. 3.
How ſhall we eſcape, if we neglect ſo great ſalvation, which began to be ſpoken of by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?
LONDON, Printed for the uſe of the Poor, and freely given to them by ſome worthy Benefactors, who deſire their Salvation. 1668.
To the POOR.
THeſe few ſheets were chiefly intended for you; and therefore I thought fit in a few lines to dedicate them unto you. Some Benefactors give you Food, others give you Raiment, others give you Money; all which gifts are for the relief of your temporal neceſſities, and of concernment only to your bodies. Here you have a gift in order to the relief of your Spiritual neceſſities, a Soul-gift, which doth concern your ſalvation. And as the Soul is more excellent than the Body, and the Salvation here treated of, is of ten thouſand times more value than all earthly Riches: So in ſome meaſure of proportion you ſhould prize ſuch gifts chiefly as are for the good of your Souls, and may be (through Gods bleſſing) a help to you in the attaining of Salvation. Your ſouls are as precious as the ſouls of the moſt honourable; and your ſouls whileſt in a ſtate of nature, are in as great danger of ruine, as the ſouls of the moſt ſinfull; and though you ſhould be as yet out of a ſtate of Salvation, you are as capable of obtaining ſalvation as the moſt holy before Converſion. And for your further encouragement I may tell you, that you may get to Heaven without ſo great difficulties as the Rich: See Matth. 19. 24. and Jam. 2. 5. you have not thoſe ſnares and temptations in your way as the Rich have; which as it ſhould quicken your endeavours after, ſo it will aggravate your ſin if you ſhould neglect your ſalvation.
Wicked rich men have their good things here, ſome kinde of Portion in this life, and their evil things are chiefly reſerved untill hereafter; But you which are Poor have little portion of good things in this life, and if you do not obtain ſalvation, you will have no good things reſerved for you in the other World, nothing but treaſures of wrath according to your treaſures of ſin; and ſo beſides the miſeries you undergo here, you will be miſerable hereafter, and miſerable for ever. My hearts deſire and prayer for you is, That you may be ſaved; therefore have I written theſe things. You have this little Book freely given unto you by ſome Worthy Perſons, who hope for a fuller reward than the price of any Books can amount unto; eſpecially if this Book be made uſe of by the Lord as a means for the converſion and ſalvation of any of your ſouls, their reward will be the greater that have been inſtrumental herein; therefore accept of this Gift, read it in your Families, or get it read to you where you cannot read your ſelves. But chiefly accept of the Salvation this Book ſpeaketh of, which, however dearly purchaſed by the blood of Chriſt, is freely tendered unto you. Salvation is a Gift, and the greateſt, moſt excellent, and moſt neceſsary Gift; to move and guide you in the obtaining of which, is the deſign of theſe ſheets; which that they may be ſucceſsfull, is the Prayer of a dear Lover of, and Well-wiſher to the Poor.
Thomas Vincent.