A12406:1131
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…
The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his corrected copies in his life time.The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his corrected copies in his life time.
London: printed by Richard Field for Thomas Man, 1593
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now, Solomon full of wisdom, and schooled with experience, is licensed to give his sentence of the whole world.1 For the spiritual man judgeth all things, his judgement is so certain, that it runs before the Evidence, and condemns all for Vanity, before he convince them to be vain, whereas we prove first and condemn after, because our words are no authorities: he concludes first and proves after: never any judge did condemn so many together. Solomon resolved all the questions of the Queen Sheba, 2yet Solomon never answered so many questions at once as now: for what can you enquire, but here you have an answer? Ask him as the Soldiers, and harlots, and Publicans asked John, What is sin? Vanity saith Solomon. What is Pleasure? 3Vanity too. What is Beauty? Vanity too. What is Riches? Vanity too. What is Honour? Vanity too. What is Long life? Vanity too. This is the state of all things after the fall, all turn to Vanity. This is no reproach to the things, but shame to him which so abused them, that all things should be called Vanity for him. What a testimony is this of him which should be the only servant of God on earth, whom he ⟨p. 827⟩created in holiness and righteousness whom he framed to his own Image, whom he placed in Paradise, and would have raised to heaven to hear that he hath so polluted his life with every sin, that now there is nothing but Vanity? That is a lamentable song which will make him weep that tunes it, if he think what he saith, how his state is changed since Adam his father died. Once God saith,4 that all was good, and now he saith that all is nought and vain, as though he forbade man, that which he created for man. That is not Solomons meaning to debar men from the use of creatures:5 although all things changed with man, & became worse than they were: yet he doth here rather show, that man reaps nothing but Vanity out of these things, by reason of his corruption, than that the things themselves are vain, if they were well used. For even since the creation, Paul saith