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…

The Prophet doth teach us to power out our sins like water which leaveth no taste or colour or sent behind. There is a whole old man, and there must be a whole new man. The old man must change with the new man wisdom for wisdom, love for love, fear for fear, his worldly wisdom for heavenly, wisdom, his carnal love for spiritual love, his servile fear for Christian fear, his idle thoughts for holy thoughts, his vain words for wholesome words, his fleshly works for righteous works. This is a Christian altogether, as if he were cast in a new mould. As a Painter would draw a beautiful picture which should be fairer than all women in the world, he would mark the ⟨p. 946⟩special grace of every one, and make one beauty of all: so we must make up a Christian, and take modesty from him, faith from him, love from him, patience from him, zeal from him, and humility from him, until it be like the Image of Christ. This is the building of a Christian. First his foundation is laid, and then his walls, and then his roof, and then a Christian like Adam in Paradise. ¹God made all things good: ²therefore if we be but almost good, all things are better than we. The wicked man speaketh out of the corruption of his fleshly heart, and shall not the righteous speak of the abundance of his spiritual heart? He which is merry would be merrier if he knew how. He which is envious would look sterner if he could. He which is proud, would go braver if he had it: and all if we could be worse, we would, but let them amend which look to die. For what kind of man should he be which must bear the Image of God, be the Temple of the holy Ghost, and inherit the kingdom of heaven? Who is fit for these things (saith Paul?) Nay, who is fit for these things? Do ye know no enough in riches, nor pleasure, nor sin, and think that you have enough of religion, before ye have any? The good are known because none but they which are good strive to be better. We are ⟨p. 947⟩invited to a banquet, & shall we go but half the way unto it? Were it not better that the fig-tree had borne fruits than leaves? that the Virgins had carried oil than lamps? So is it not better for us to be vessels of gold that come to the Lords table, than like the image in Daniel, part of gold, part of silver, part of brass, part of iron, & part of clay, which was after broken?