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…

Five things in my judgment, are to be noted in these words. The first is, that wisdom is a thing to be desired, for when he saith, not above sobriety, he would have us wise within sobriety. The second is, that every man affecteth a kind of wisdom, either according to sobriety, as Paul counselled the Romans, or above sobriety, as the Romans did before. The third is, few are wise, as God counteth wisdom, & therefore Paul speaketh to all, as though all were to learn this lesson. The fourth is, that sobriety doth show like a glass who are wise, and who are not The last is, that the wisdom which goeth. beyond sobriety, doth hurt him which hath it, and other. For when Paul saith be wise to sobriety, he implieth that who is not so, is in a kind of distemperature, like one scarce sober. ⟨p. 985⟩As the meat which is not digested with exercise, doth rumble in the stomach: So the knowledge which is not digested with sobriety, troubleth the brain.

Fiue things in my iudgmēt, are to be noted in these wordes. The first is, that wisedome is a thing to be desired, for when hee saith, not aboue sobrietie, hee woulde haue vs wise within sobrietie. The second is, that euerie man affecteth a kinde of wisedom, either according to sobrietie, as Paule counselled the Romans, or aboue sobrietie, as the Romanes did before. The third is, few are wise, as God counteth wisedome, & therefore Paul speaketh to all, as though all were to learne this lesson. The fourth is, that sobrietie doth shew like a glasse who are wise, and who are not The last is, that the wisedome which goeth. beyond sobrietie, doth hurt him which hath it, and other. For when Paul saith be wise to sobrietie, he implieth that who is not so, is in a kind of distemperature, like one scarse sober. ⟨p. 985⟩As the meate which is not digested with exercise, doth rumble in the stomacke: So the knowledge which is not digested with sobrietie, troubleth the braine.

Touching the first point, the forbidden tree seemed to Eve a tree to be desired, because it would teach them knowledge. Nature taught her that knowledge was a thing to be desired: Though the Serpent pointed her to a wrong tree. For in deed the tree of life was the tree of knowledge. and when they went to the other tree, they changed their knowledge for ignorance,