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…

He prayeth Not to be lead into temptation, ¹and leadeth himself into temptation. Surely he doth not fear sin, which doth not shun occasions, and he is worthy to be snared which maketh a trap for himself. When Solomon,² the mirror of wisdom, the wonder of the world, the figure of our Lord, by Idolatrous concubines is turned to an Idolater, let no man say, I shall not be seduced: but say, how shall I stand, where such a Cedar fell? The wife must be meet, as God said, Gen. 2. 18. But how is she meet, if thou be a christian & she a Papist? We must marry in the Lord as Paul saith,³ but how do we marry in the Lord, when we marry the Lords enemies? Our spouse must be like Christs spouse, but ⟨p. 33⟩Christs spouse is neither harlot, nor heretic, nor atheist. If she be poor, the Lord reproveth not for that; if she be weak, the Lord reproveth not for that; if she be hard favoured, the Lord reproveth not for that; all these wants may be dispensed with: but none giveth any dispensation for godliness but the devil. Therefore they which take that privilege, are like them which seek to witches, and are guilty of preferring evil before good. This unequal marriage,⁴ was the chief cause that brought the flood, and the first beginning of Giants, and monstrous births, showing by their monstrous children what a monstrous thing it is,⁵ for believers and unbelievers to match together.

He praieth Not to be lead into temptation, ¹and leadeth himselfe into temptation. Surely he doth not feare sinne, which doth not shun occasions, and hee is worthie to be snared which maketh a trap for himselfe. When Salomon,