The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…

There is a hearing,¹ and a preparative before hearing, there is a praying, and a preparative before praying,² there is a receiving, and a preparative before receiving.³ As I called examination the forerunner, which prepareth the way to the receiver: so I may call attention the forerunner, which prepareth the way to the Preacher, like the plough which cutteth up the ground, that it may receive the ⟨p. 630⟩seed. As there is a foundation upon which the stones, and lime, and timber are laid, which holdeth the buildings together▪ so where this foundation of hearing is laid, there the instructions and lessons, and comforts do stay and are remembered, but he which leaneth his ears in his pillow, goeth home again like the child which he leadeth in his hand, and scarce remembereth the preachers text. A divine tongue and a holy ear make sweet music, but a deaf ear makes a dumb tongue. There is nothing so easy as to hear, and yet there is nothing so hard as to hear well. You come not hitherto learn how to hear, but you come hitherto hear as you were wont: for there is none but thinks before he come to hear, that he knows how to hear already. But when I have showed you Christ meaning in this caveat, you shall judge whether you have heard or not heard, before you learned how to hear.

There is a hearing,¹ and a preparatiue before hearing, there is a praying, and a preparatiue before praying,² there is a receiuing, and a preparatiue before receiuing.³ As I called examination the forerunner, which prepareth the way to the receluer: so I may call attention the forerunner, which prepareth the way to the Preacher, like the plough which cutteth vp the ground, that it may receiue the ⟨p. 630⟩