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…

Thirdly, touching the kind of hearers: If all which come to hear, did hear as they should, Christ need not warn us, Take heed how ye hear. But as we pray, so we hear, the one is a lip-labour, and the other is an ear-labour. As children play the truants in the school, so men play the truants in the Church: how many come to hear me, and yet (peradventure) some do not hear, while I speak of hearing? One hath no pitcher, another hath left his pitcher behind him, another hath brought a broken pitcher which will hold no water, therefore Christ calleth us Fishers: for as a Fisher taketh but a few in respect of those which go by, so we reform but a few in respect of them which go as the came. First of Pauls hearers, and then of Christs hearers, and after our hearers. ¹When the Athenians heard ⟨p. 640⟩Paul preach of the resurrection, it is said, that some mocked; there is one sort, the chair of scorners: ²some said, we will hear thee of this again; there is another sort, which are not yet resolved, but desire to be better instructed: some did assent unto him and received his doctrine, as Dionysius Areopagita, and Damaris a woman; there is the best sort: we never preach but we have all these hearers, some mock, some waver, and some believe. Now of Christs hearers: We find in the Gospel that Christ had four sorts of hearers: while I count them to you, think of what sort you are, for I doubt not but that there be here of all sorts. Some heard him to wonder at him, like Herod, which was moved with the fame that went of him: some came to hear, because they would know all things, that they might be able to talk of them. It seems that Judas was such a scholar, for he had learned to preach but not to follow: some came to cavil and to trip him in his speeches, of these hearers were the Scribes and Pharisees which would make him an enemy to Caesar: some were like to the good ground, which came to know what they might do, and how they should believe, like the humble Scribe which inquired the way to heaven. Now to our hearers. As there were wise Virgins and ⟨p. 641⟩foolish Virgins: so there are wise hearers, and foolish hearers. Some are so nice that they had rather pine then take their food of any which is licensed by a Bishop, as if Elijah should refuse his food because a raven brought it to him and not an Angel: