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…

so many pray and never mark what they say until they come to this, Give us this day our daily bread: Dost thou think that God doth mark that prayer which thou dost not mark thy self? Some come to God as if they did fetch fire, a spurt and away like a messenger which is gone before he have his answer. If God will take a Pater noster of them and hear them for that, so it is, for they never made any other prayer in their lives, but even as a child saith Grace so they say Our Father: put them out of that and they cannot pray a word, no more than the child can make a grace if he be put out of his own. Some are like Nadah and Abihu, which never look with what fire their sacrifice is is kindled,¹ so they never respect with ⟨image 403⟩[…] sometime they pray or ma••ce for revenge: sometime of greediness for riches: sometime of lust for pleasure. Now as no sacrifice was accepted with God but that which was kindled with the fire which came down from Heaven:² so no prayer is accepted with God, but that which is kindled with some motion from Heaven. Their prayer never ascendeth to Heaven:³ for Abel's heart made Abel's offering accepted.⁴ Some are like the builders of Babel, which call for one thing when they should call for another, so they pray for one thing when they should pray for another: when they called for stones, they brought them timber: when they called for timber, they brought them stones: so when they call for health, God sends them sickness: when they call for rest, God sends them trouble: when they call for riches, God sends them wants: when they call for honour God sends them shame: when they call for ease, God sends them a yoke: For it is a just thing with GOD, that they which do one thing for another, should receive one thing for another.⁵ Some are like the prodigal son which prayed but until he had gotten his patrimony, and then he forsook his father which gave it him: so they pray no longer