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…

This book begins with All is vanity, ¹and ends with Fear God and keep his commandments. If that sentence were knit to this which Solomon keepeth to the end, as the haven of rest, after the turmoils of vanity: it is like that which Christ said to Martha: ²Thou art troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. That which troubleth us, Solomon calls Vanity: That which is necessary he calls the Fear of GOD: from that, to this, should be every mans pilgrimage in this world: we begin at Vanity, and never know perfectly that we are vain, until we repent with Solomon. Therefore this is his first greeting and lesson to all after his conversion, to warn them that All is vanity, ⟨p. 820⟩as if God had said to him as he said to Ezekiel, ³Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, ⁴as though men did not know their sins how vain they are, as Eliphaz sayeth, He believeth not that he is vain, which makes every man defer his repentance, until the very hour come that sin maketh preparation to leave him, and then fainting he is unwilling to depart, because he is not ready. Therefore I have chosen this sentence; which speaks of nothing but vanity, to show how we take the way to misery for the way to happiness, and turn the day of salvation to the day of vanity. Let every man think as I go in this matter, why he should love that which Solomon repented, if he think Solomon happier after he repented, than he was before. This verse is the sum or contents of all this book, and therefore Solomon begins with it, and ends with it, as if he should say, First this is the matter which I will prove, and after, this is the matter which I have proved, now you see whether I told you true, that All is vanity. I may call it Solomons Theme, or the fa•dle of vanities, which when he hath bound in a bundle, he bids us caste it into the fire: for after he hath done with them in his last chapter and thirteenth verse as though he would have no more thought of them, he turns away from them, as if he ⟨p. 821⟩