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 we bend the Tree while it is a twig, and break the Horse while he ⟨p. 465⟩is a Colt, and teach the Dog while he is a whelp: and tame the Eagle while he is young.

Therefore wee bende the Tree while it is a twigge, and breake the Horse while hee ⟨p. 465⟩is a Colte, and teach the Dogge while hee is a whelpe: and tame the Eagle while hee is young.

Youth is like the day, to do all our works in. For when the night of age cometh, then every man sayeth, I might have been learned, I might have been a teacher, I might have been like him or him, but the harvest was past, before I began to sow; And Winter is come, now my fruit should ripe. Thus every man that is old saith, he cannot do that which he thought to do, and crieth with Solomon: Catechise the Child in his youth, and he will remember it when he is old: so corrupt him in his youth, and he will remember that too.¹ This Nebuchadnezzar perceived, and therefore he chose the towardliest children of the Israelites to train them up in idolatry, like the popish Seminaries, that they might be his instruments another day: If he had let them alone till they had learned the truth first, he thought that they would not take his way: therefore he took them before they had any religion, to frame them to his religion. If idolaters and Papists be so cunning in their generation, to poison their Children betime, least they should prove Christians after, what care appertaineth to Christians to season their children in ⟨p. 466⟩the spring, like the virtuous Lady which John commendeth, least they prove papists and traitors, and reprobates, when they look for comfort of them. There was nothing which made Rehoboam to choose such young counsellors, when he began to reign, but because they were his companions before: therefore they became his counsellors after. This is the preferment of our sins, if they have been our companions in youth, in age they will look to be our counsellors and masters too. Therefore the best season to seek GOD, is to seek him early before the floods of wrath arise, and the heap of sins stand up like a rampired wall between GOD and us. They which seek me early, shall find me, saith Wisdom, in the 8. of Proverbs: but to them which defer (she saith) they shall seek me, but they shall not find me; 1. Proverbs: because they did not choose the fear of the Lord: that is, when good and evil were set before them, they did prefer evil before good, as a man chooseth that which he liketh. Therefore when they seek me (saith GOD) they shall not find me. How do ye say then that ye will seek GOD, when God himself sayeth that ye shall not find him? Therefore in the 4. of Proverbs and the 7.