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…

Yet a third question riseth out of these words, and that is this; Whether a Christian may wish for death? As Paul desired, so may we desire,¹ if we have Pauls spirit. As Christ told his Disciples when they asked him, whether they should pray for fire from heaven, as Elijah did? Christ answered, that they knew not of what spirit they were: as if he should say, If you were of Elijah spirit, and did pray with the same mind, and to the same end that he did, then you might pray as he prayed. The wicked wish to die, because they would be rid of the cross, and suffer no more for God: as Cain,² so soon as he was cursed, and knew that his life should be a torment, he sought to dye, to prevent the just judgement of God▪ & spite him (as it were) which should punish ⟨p. 538⟩sins. So do the people oftentimes, which have not to satisfy hunger, & the sick which saint of an incurable disease, and the weary captives in prison, galleys, and bonds. As for the faithful, if they at any time wish to die, they pray for death, as the last remedy against sin and Satan: even as they pray in the Revelation, for the hastening of Christs coming to judgement,³ Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, for the shortening of the days of sin, least all flesh should perish. But they which wish for death in this sort, would dye as the will of God hath ordained, and mortify their flesh to abide these troubles, and still by faith suppress the dolorous grief of sin, by frequent meditation of inward joy, received by grace in Christ, and therein revive themselves, as with the earnest penny of their inheritance, which they shall receive at the fit time, when it shall comfort them much to have suffered so long. Much therefore have they to answer, which are not contented to die in peace, and stay till they be dissolved, but as though themselves were the authors of life & death, from cruel heart give wrongful commission to the bloody hand, to cut asunder that which God hath joined, the loving soul and their body; as Judas, Ahithophel,⁴ Saul, and Pilate did: not one of these was good in life or death. Yet the Author of