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…

First with a reverent title, O King Agrippa, Secondly with a profitable question.¹ Doest thou believe the Prophets? Thirdly, with a favourable prevention, I know that thou believest. With these three congees he closeth so with King Agrippa, that he could not start out of his circle, the holy spirit so placed every word when he meant to do good, that it was not possible to correct them, so they hit in their speeches which have that prompter and seek not themselves, but would fain speak that which might touch the hart & win the hearer to God. O King Agrippa I note here a question, & an objection, as though ⟨p. 921⟩he were opponent & correspondent too, for he asks the question, & answers himself: O King doest thou believe? Now Agrippa should say I or no, & Paul takes the word out of his mouth, lest he should say no, he answers for him, I know thou believest. This is his preparative to Agrippa, before he come with that hard lesson to be a Christian altogether. Before Paul had to deal with Festus the President of Caesarea, which came now from the Idolatrous Gentiles, an obstinate brutish and barbarous man, which because he savoured not the things of God, but flesh & blood, thought that Paul was beside himself when he spake of Christ, and said that too much learning had made him mad as some giddy spirits think now, that they which are zelouser than them selves know not what they say nor do, and impute all the troubles of the Realm, & the invasion of the Spaniards unto the preaching of the word, & the fasts & prayers that were exercised about that time, like Ahab which said that the Prophet troubled Israel, when he himself was the cause of all their plagues. What will not dogs spue out, when they are set to vomit? When Paul saw such a brutish President, he turned his speech from him to Agrippa, in whom he did see better tokens of faith, thinking to kindle the sparks which he saw in him, thus boldly he sets upon him.

First with a reuerent title, O King Agrippa, Secondly with a profitable question.¹ Doest thou beleeue the Prophets? Thirdly, with a fauorable preuention, I knowe that thou beleeuest. With these three congies he closeth so with King Agrippa, that he could not start out of his circle, the holie spirit so placed euery word when he ment to doe good, that it was not possible to correct them, so they hit in their speeches which haue that prōpter and seeke not themselues, but woulde faine speak that which might touch the hart & win the hearer to God. O King Agrippa I note here a questiō, & an obiectiō, as though