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…

According to our love is Gods love, and according to our hatred is Gods hatred. Reuben should have had as good a blessing as Judah, but when Jacob blessed him, (Genesis the 35. chapter & 22. verse) he remembered his sin with Bilhah, and therefore curbed his blessing: for when he blessed him he said,¹ Thou shalt not be excellent: as if he should say, Reuben thou shalt have some thing, but thou shalt not have so much as thou shouldest have, because of thy uncleanness with Bilhah. So Moses should have gone to Canaan as well as Caleb: but GOD remembered his murmuring at the waters of bitterness. And when he desired to go unto it, God would not hear him, but let him see it from an hill, and so he dyed. So the third servant should have received as many Talents as his fellows: but the Lord remembered how he hid the Talent which he had, and therefore would give him no more, least he should hide them too: so we should have more understanding, more judgement and more knowledge, but God seeth what we ⟨p. 680⟩do with this, and therefore stayeth his hand, lest we should abuse any more. This is Saint Johns meaning when he saith, God Giveth grace for grace, ²That is, where he finds one grace, there he giveth another. This is Saint Pauls meaning Rom. 1. where he saith, The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: signifying that they which have faith shall have more faith. Therefore this is the fearfullest sign, that we have no faith nor grace, if God do not increase our faith and his graces in us: For to him which hath, shall be given: Therefore, if we had faith, we should have love: if we had love, we should have knowledge: if we had knowledge, we should have zeal: if we had zeal, we should have holiness. As he which hath broken one commandment, is made guilty of all: so he which hath one virtue, is made partaker of all. It is said: so long as Jehoiada lived,³ Joash prospered and did well; because Jehoiada instructed & guided him, but when Jehoiada dyed, Joash goodness died with him, and he was never like himself after, but turned like his fathers: So there is a seed in the heart, which while it liveth and is fostered, we sprout and prosper as Joash did; but when that seed dyeth for want of cherishing, then we begin to droop and