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…

Let us not walk in gluttony and drunkenness, neither in chambering and wantonnesses, nor in strife and envying. It is hard to say which of these sins is most in the world; happily some will say, I have been no glutton, no drunkard, no whoremonger, no murderer, no false image worshipper, &c. but who can come forth and say, he is free from strife, for strife hath compassed the whole world, strife in Country, strife in City, strife in the Court, strife in the Common-weal, strife in the Church, who can say that he is free from strife, or that he hath not injured his brother? surely that man shall stand alone, for it will light upon none but Christ.

Let vs not walke in gluttonie and drunkennesse, neither in chambering and wantonnesses, nor in strife and enuying. It is hard to say which of these sins is most in the world; happily some will say, I haue bene no glutton, no drunkard, no whoremonger, no murtherer, no false image worshipper, &c. but who can come forth and saie, hee is free from strife, for strife hath compassed the whole worlde, strife in Countrey, strife in Citie, strife in the Court, strife in the Common-weale, strife in the Church, who can say that he is free frō strife, or that he hath not iniured his brother? surely that man shall stand alone, for it wil light vpon none but Christ.

I can but exhort you with the Apostle, that you would not walk in strife and envying, therefore put away these among the rest, for he that hath not put off these hath not put on Christ, and if he hath not put on Christ, he is then no Christian. Envy is a sin, and it punisheth it self like gluttony, for it fretteth the heart, shorteneth the life, and eateth the flesh, as a fire consumeth the wood, it is the mother of strife, and a great worker in the Court, this is it which brought labour and sickness, and death into the world, even the envy of the serpent, and the devil, and it will condemn thee in thy conscience if thou be an envious ⟨p. 353⟩man. Nothing resembleth God more than love; for GOD is love: so if thou hast love, thou resemblest God. But if thou hast envy, and art an adversary, thou resemblest the devil: for thou canst not come nearer the devil any way, than to be envious. As the dust cometh with the wind, so the devil cometh with envy; and he that is possessed with envy; is possessed with the devil. Why doth the Apostle say in the third chapter of his Epistle to the Colossians, Above all things put on love? Because love is best of all. Why doth he call love the band of perfection? Because it bindeth all virtues together. If love be the band of perfection, to bind all virtues together: then envy is the band of impiety, to bind all sins together: therefore if we must cast off all but love, we must cast off envy. Thou canst not come to the kingdom of peace, without love. The kingdom of Satan is at peace, and shall not Gods kingdom be at peace? Shall we be at peace with the flesh, the world, and the devil, and be at variance with God, and at strife one with another? Fire is cruel, wrath is raging: but who can stand before envy?