A12406:827
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.
If the Lord justify (saith Paul) who shall condemn? so if the Lord resist, who shall defend? If his law come with thunder and lightning and tempest, with what terror will he come himself? It was but a brag, when the king of Judah proclaimed war against the king of Aram & said,1 No man shall deliver them out of my hands; but it is true when God saith, no man shall deliver them out of my hands:2 therefore the author to the Hebrews saith, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God, for he ever overcometh. Therefore when the Egyptians perceived that God fought against them,3 they cried, We will flee, we will fly, for God sighteth against us, Exod. 14. 25. So the proud may cry, I will fly, I will fly, for God fighteth against us. When the king of Judah proclaimed war against the king of Israel; the king of Israel returned answer, that the thistle rebelled against the cedar, 2. King. 14. 9. & yet there was but king against king. a man against a man; how much rather may the king of heaven answer this proud earth, the thistle rebelleth against the Cedar?4 The ⟨p. 433⟩giant durst challenge but one of the host of Israel, but the Lord challengeth all the host of pride: even as he giveth grace to all that are humble, so he resisteth all that are proud. It had been too heavy for them, if he had said, the Lord doth not care for them, for Gods care preserveth us, and our own care doth but trouble us: but to say that the Lord doth resist them,5 is as if Michael should denounce war with the dragon, till he hath cast him into the pit. This is a marshal word, and comes with arms and weapons upon them: if a man should see a Lion come upon him, would he not start? if he should see a Giant come against him, would he not fear? But now the Lord of hosts, the Lion of Judah, which destroyed the Giants, is up in arms to resist the proud, and the proud fear not so much as the humble. God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble: but the world resisteth the humble, and giveth grace to the proud, as David notes.