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…

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,⁵ that too much learning had made Paul mad: but it is true, that too much learning hath made other mad, & would have made Paul mad too, if he had been as proud of his learning, as Festus was of his honour: & for all that he was an Apostle, yet it began to work upon him:⁶ As he saith, I was almost puffed up with the multitude of revelations, he was not wise above sobriety, but he was almost wise above sobriety. And therefore he ⟨p. 984⟩might well sound the retire of wisdom:

There is as much need to warne men with Paule, that they be not ouer wise, as to warne them with Salomon, to seeke wisedome, for there is an errour of the left hand,¹ and of the right hand. A man may bee as well too wise as too simple, too carefull as too carelesse, too hastie as too slacke, and therefore Salomon saith, Turne not to the left hand, nor to the right.