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…

for he saith not simply, A servant shall he be, but A servant of servants shall he be: as if he should say, a servant, and more than a servant, that is of a servile condition, and servile mind. As the Sabaoth of Sabbaths signifieth a high Sabaoth; and as the Song of Songs, signifieth an excellent Song; and as the Holy of holiest signifieth the holiest place, and as the Lord of Lords signifieth the chiefest Lord: so Vanity of Vanities signifieth the greatest Vanity, and servant of servants, signifieth the vilest servant. Seeing then that the Pope taketh this name unto him, and writeth himself The servant of servants, in all his Indulgences, as though he did ground upon this curse of Ham ⟨p. 615⟩it seemeth that the Lord would show thereby, who is like Ham, and who is cursed: therefore let not us deny him that which the holy Ghost doth give him, but as he taketh Chams name, so let him take his curse too, Cursed be Canaan, &c. It was not Canaan which tempted Shem and Japheth, to gaze upon their fathers nakedness, but it was Ham. How cometh it then that Noah doth curse Canaan, and not Ham? In the 22. verse Ham is called the father of Canaan, so that Canaan was Chams son, therefore God not content with the punishment of Ham alone, saith, Cursed be Canaan also; showing, that both Ham and Canaan, the father and the children, shall be cursed for this impiety: because Ham had showed himself a rebellious child to Noah, God showeth that his children shall do the like by him. Here is to be noted, that whereas Ham had elder sons then Canaan, and Canaan was his youngest, yet God for a purpose nameth the youngest in the curse, showing that his wrath should last, even to the youngest, and be a great while before it were forgotten. Here is to be noted again, that whereas the country of Canaan was so fruitful, & so blessed a country, that it was called the land that floweth with milk & honey, yet under the name of Canaan, Chams youngest ⟨p. 616⟩son (of whom the country of Canaan took the name) God showeth that the Canaanites shall be cursed in this blessed land, as Cain was a vagabond upon his own ground:¹ to show, that the joy of heart, and peace of conscience cometh from God, and nothing else. Now the issues which followed upon this curse, do show that Noah spake not from the spleen, but from the spirit of God: