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 as Abraham rose early to sacrifice his son in the morning,¹ so in the morning of thy life sacrifice thy self to God, and let him which is Alpha in every thing, be Alpha in thy conversion, that is, the beginning as well as the end. Because we are given to set the best last, that we may have a longer time for our sins and pleasures, like the Jews in the 1. of Ag & 2. which said alway, the time was not yet come when they should build the temple. Therefore the holy Ghost crieth so often:² This is the acceptable time, this is the day of salvation, to day hear his voice, like Rebekah which taught her son the nearest way to get the blessing.³ When Christ went about to cast out devils, they said,⁴ that he tormented them before the time: so whensoever thou goest about to dismiss thy sins and pleasures, though thou stay till thou be an old man, yet they will say still that thou dismissest them before the time. But then is the time, when the devil ⟨p. 458⟩saith, the time is not yet, for the devil is a liar, & knoweth that with what liquor our vessels be seasoned at first, they will taste of the same ever after, whether it be good or bad. Therefore as God sueth to have us begin at goodness, so the devil woos us to begin at wickedness: alleging either that we are not resolved yet to leave our pleasures, or else that God is exceeding merciful to sinners, or else that we shall have space enough to serve him hereafter. So he stands as it were at the ladder foot, and keeps us off with these weapons, that we cannot get upon the first staff, but one thought or other pulleth us back, when the foot is in the stirrup, ready to ride away from all our sins at once. Thus we have long purposed to serve God, and every man thinketh that he should be served, but we cannot accord of the time when to begin: One saith when I am rich, an other saith when I am free, another saith, when I am settled, an other saith when I am old, then my pleasure will leave me, and I shall be fitter to fast and pray, and sequester my self, but now I shall be mocked if I be not like others. Thus like bad borrowers, when our day is past already, we crave a longer and a longer, and yet a longer, till we be arrested with death: