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…

So first that which he should have contemned, as Christ did the beauty of the Temple;¹ he admired it, & nothing seemed so glorious to him, as that which made him shameful to God. Secondly, that city which was built by Semiramis, he arrogateth to himself, and never joined the chief workmaster with him, but saith, which I have built by the might of my power, when he should have said, by the might of Gods power: for unless God build the house, the builder (saith David) buildeth but in vain.² Lastly, that which he should have built for the honour of GOD,³ as the man built a chamber for the Prophet, he builded for his honour, as our Nebuchadnezzars do. Therefore when all his pleasures were prepared like a feast, and he came to sit down at the b•ket, it happened to him as to the churl in the Gospel, after he had filled his barns, when ⟨p. 388⟩he came to sing in his heart, Be merry my soul; that night his soul was taken from him, and the devils made merry with it in hell: so he had feathered his nest, and began to crow upon his roost, Is not this great Babel, &c. As if he should say, Now Nebuchadnezzar make thee merry; that hour his honour was taken from him, for a voice came down from heaven, like the terrible hand which wrote upon the wall when Belshazzar sate at his banquet, & dashed his pride upon such a rock, that within an hour all his pomp, and pleasures, and treasures, suffered such a shipwreck, that his fall was more admired of all, than his glory and buildings were admired of himself. Thus all the joy, and pleasures, and glory of pride are spoken with a breath, and stopped with another.

So first that which he should haue contemned, as Christ did the beautie of the Temple;¹ he admired it, & nothing seemed so glorious to him, as that which made him shamefull to God. Secondly, that citie which was built by Semiramis, he arrogateth to himselfe, and neuer ioyned the chiefe workmaster with him, but saith, which I haue built by the might of my power, when he should haue said, by the might of Gods power: for vnles God build the house, the builder (saith Dauid) buildeth but in vaine.