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…

For this cause Christ pronounced his woes to the Pharisees, and his doctrines to the people: Because the whole (saith Christ) have no need of a Physician, that is, they that think themselves wise like the Pharisees, think they have no need of a teacher, and therefore Christ did not teach them, but rate them, and teach them which did not think themselves wise. Therefore if we will be Christs scholars, we must be Pauls scholars, that is, Presume to know no more than is meet to know, and then he will teach us as much as is meet to know.

For this cause Christ pronounced his woes to the Pharisies, and his doctrines to the people: Because the whole (saith Christ) haue no neede of a Phisitian, that is, they that thinke themselues wise like the Pharisies, thinke they haue no need of a teacher, and therefore Christ did not teach them, but rate them, and teach them which did not thinke themselues wise. Therfore if we will be Christs schollers, we must be Paules schollers, that is, Presume to know no more than is meet to know, and then he will teach vs as much as is meet to knowe.

There is as much need to warn men with Paul, that they be not over wise, as to warn them with Solomon, to seek wisdom, for there is an error of the left hand,¹ and of the right hand. A man may be as well too wise as too simple, too careful as too careless, too hasty as too slack, and therefore Solomon saith, Turn not to the left hand, nor to the right. ²And again, Be not too just, neither make thy self too wise, ³And again, If thou have found honey, eat not too much. All which places do show,⁴ that men are given to over reach, like Moses, which when he had heard God, would needs see him too, which was not possible for man to behold. This is the last sleight of Satan when he cannot keep men from knowledge, then he casteth how to puff them up with their knowledge, which makes them as vain, as ignorance made them before. Festus did not apply truly, when he said,