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…

Likewise the woman may learn her duty of her names.¹ They are called goodwives, ⟨p. 48⟩as good wife A. and goodwife B. Every wife is called a good wife, therefore if they be not good wives, their names do belie them, and they are not worth their titles, but answer to a wrong name, as players do upon a stage. This name pleaseth them well:² but beside this, a wife is called a Yoke-fellow, to show that she should help her husband to bear his yoke, that is, his grief must be her grief; and whether it be the yoke of poverty, or the yoke of envy, or the yoke of sickness, or the yoke of imprisonment, she must submit her neck to bear it patiently with him, or else she is not his yoke-fellow, but his yoke, as though she were inflicted upon him for a penalty,³ like to Jobs wife, whom the devil left to torment him, when he took away all he had beside.⁴ The Apostle biddeth to Rejoice with them that rejoice, and mourn with them that mourn. With whom should the wife rejoice, rather then with her husband? or with whom should she mourn, rather then with her own flesh?⁵ I will not leave thee, saith Elisha to Elijah: so she should never leave him till death.⁶ Bear one another's burden, saith Paul, who shall bear one another's burden, if the wife do not bear the husbands burden?⁷ Wicked Jezebel comforted her husband in his sickness,⁸ and Jeroboam's wife sought for ⟨p. 49⟩his health, though she was as bad as he. God did not bid Sarah leave her father, and her country, as he bad her husband; yet because he bad Abraham leave his,