A12406:952
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.
The Raven and the Phoenix, and the Elephant, and the Lyon, and the Hart fulfil their hundreds, but man dieth when he thinks yet his sun riseth, before his eye be satisfied ⟨p. 557⟩with seeing, or his ear with hearing or his heart with lusting, death knocks at his door, and will not give him leave to meditate an excuse before he come to judgement. To show the shortness of mans life, Moses used the shortest division in nature to express it by, he might have said, Teach me, O Lord, to number my months, or my years, but he speaks of days: so the Scripture is wont to number our life by days, and hours, and minutes, to show us that we shall give account for hours, as well as for days, for days as well as for weeks, for weeks as well as for months, for months as well as for years, which warneth us to make use of all our time, and every day to think upon the last.
The Rauen and the Phoenix, and the Elephant, and the Lyon, and the Hart fulfill their hundreds, but man dieth when he thinks yet his sunne riseth, before his eye bee satisfied ⟨p. 557⟩with seeing, or his eare with hearing or his heart with lusting, death knockes at his doore, and will not giue him leaue to meditate an excuse before hee come to iudgement. To shew the shortnesse of mans life, Moses vsed the shortest diuision in nature to expresse it by, he might haue said, Teach me, O Lord, to number my moneths, or my yeares, but he speakes of dayes: so the Scripture is woont to number our life by dayes, and houres, and minutes, to shewe vs that wee shall giue account for houres, as well as for daies, for daies as well as for weekes, for weekes as well as for moneths, for moneths as well as for yeares, which warneth vs to make vse of all our time, and euerie daie to thinke vpon the last.
This was the Arithmetic of holy men in former times to reckon their days, so that their time might seem short, to make them apply their hearts to wisdom: The Hebrews did number their days thus: first they did deduct the time of sleep, so that if our years be threescore and ten,