The poor mans tears opened in a sermon / preached by Henry SmithThe poore mans teares opened in a sermon / preached by Henrie Smith

The text. All Nations.

The Apostle Paul writing to Timotheus telleth him,¹ that GOD would have all men come to the knowledge of the truth, & be saved: in which words the Apostle giveth him to understand, that there is none other way, either for Priest or people to come unto God, but by that ordinary means, which is the hearing of his word the which the Apostle calleth his truth: because it is not only true of it self, but also doth witness of his truth, who is truth ⟨p. 40⟩it self: by the very same name doth our Saviour Christ call gods word, when making his prayer to his heavenly father (for the elect) he saith:² father, sanctify them in thy truth; and immediately addeth, thy word is the truth. The next thing that the apostle advertiseth Timothy of, that this truth being rightly known, bringeth salvation to them that so know it, & this the Apostle confirmeth by an argument taken from his own faith,³ when he saith; I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God, able to save every believer. And last of all, the Apostle hath set down the generality of this trueth, both in saying to Timothy, that god would have all men to be acquainted with it, & to the saints at Rome, that it is able to save every believer. Hereof it cometh, that he writing to the Colossians, exhorteth them not so much to the hearing of this trueth taught them; as to an inward entertainment of the ⟨p. 41⟩same, when he saith: let the word of Christ dwell in you plentifully in all wisdom,⁴ teaching and admonishing your own selves, teaching themselves, because many of the Colossians seemed to be ignorant of that which they should know, and admonishing themselves, because a number of them did know much, but practised little. So that, such is the entertainment that gods word ought to find amongst us, as David promised thereunto, when he said: O Lord, teach me the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it even unto the end. And we are taught to entertain gods word, by the example of John, who receiving the little book at the hand of the Angel, was commanded to eat that book, partly to teach us,