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…

Therefore, first that they may love, and keep love one with another, it is necessary that they both love God, and as their love increaseth toward him, so it shall increase each to other. But the man must take heed that his love toward his wife be not greater than his love toward God,¹ as Adam & Samsons were,² for all unlawful love will turn to hatred, as the love of Amon did toward Tamar,³ and because Christ hath forbidden it, therefore he will cross it. This made Uriah so fearful,⁴ least the pleasure of his wife should withdraw his heart from God, that he would not go to his own house, so long as he had ⟨p. 37⟩cause to mourn and pray, although he had a wife which feared God like himself: & that you may see it is no cheap dalliance for the husband to make the wife, or the wife to make the husband less zealous then they were. In Deut. 13. the wife which did draw her husband from God is condemned to die: therefore good wives, when their husbands purpose any good, should encourage them like Jacobs wife,⁵ which bade him do according to the word of God, and if they see them minded to do any evil, they should stay them,⁶ like the wife of Pilate, which counselled her husband not to condemn Christ. For seeing holiness is called the Wedding garment,⁷ who shall wear this wedding garment, if they wear it not which are wedded? When one holy hath found another, then the holiest seemeth to make the Marriage, and his angels come to the feast.

Therefore, first that they may loue, and keepe loue one with another, it is necessarie that they both loue God, and as their loue increaseth toward him, so it shall increase each to other. But the man must take heede that his loue toward his wife be not greater than his loue toward God,