THE TRUMPET OF the Soul, sounding to judgement. By Henry Smith.  Eccle. 12.1. Remember thy maker in the days of thy youth. 
AT LONDON Printed for john Perrin, and are to be sold at his Shop in Paul's Church yard, at the sign of the Angel. 1591.   

Ecclesiastes 11. Chap. 9 Verse.  
The Text.  Rejoice O young man in thy youth: and let thy heart be merry in thy young days: follow the ways of thine own heart, and the lusts of thine eyes: But remember for all these things thou must come to judgement. 
WHen I should have preached under the Cross, I mused what text to take in hand to please all, and to keep myself out of danger: and musing, I could not find any text in the Scripture that did not reprove sin, unless it were in the Apocrapha, which is not of the Scripture: this text bids them that be voluptuous, be voluptuous still: let them that be vain glorious, be vain glorious still: let them that be covetous, be covetous still: let them that be drunkards, be drunkards still: let them that be swearers be swearers still: let them that be wantoness, be wantoness still: let them that be careless prelate's, be careless still: let them that be Usurers, be Usurers still: but saith Solomon, Remember thy end, that thou shalt be called to Judgement at the last for all together.  
This is the counsel of Solomon the wisest then living, what a counsel is this for a wise man, such a one as was Solomon?  
In the beginning of his book he saith, All is vanity, and in the end he saith, Fear God and keep his Commandments, in the 12. Chapter he saith, Remember thy maker in the days of thy youth, but here he saith, Rejoice O young man in thy youth: Here he speaketh like an Epicure, which saith, eat, drink, and be merry: here he counsels, and here he mocks: yet not after the manner of scorners, although they deserved it in showing their foolishness, as it is in the first of the Proverbs. He laughed at the wicked in derision. As in the second Psalm, God seeing us follow our own waves: For when he bids us pray, we play: and when he bids us run, we stand still: and when he bids us fast, we feast, & send for vanities to make us sport: then he laughs at our destruction. Therefore whë Solomon giveth a sharp repose, and maketh you ashamed in a word, he scoffingly bids you do it again, like a Schoolmaster which beateth his Scholar for playing the truant, he biddeth him play the truant again: O this is the bitterest reproof of all, but least any Libertine should misconstrue Solomon, and say that he bids us be merry and make much of ourselves, therefore he shutteth it up with a watchwoord, and setteth a bridle before his lips, and reproveth it as he speaketh it before he goeth any further, and saith: But remember that for all these things thou must come to judgement. But if we will understand his meaning, he meaneth when he saith, rejoice O young man, repent O young man in thy youth: and when he saith let thy heart cheer thee, let thy sins grieve thee: for he meaneth otherwise then he speaketh, he speaketh like Michai in the Book of Kings. 2. chap. Go up and prosper: or like as Ezechiel, Go up and serve other Gods, or as S. john speaketh in the Revelation. Let the that be wicked, be wicked still: But if there were no judgement day, that were a merry world: Therefore saith Solomon when thou art in thy pleasures slaunting in the fields, and in thy brave rusts & amongst thy lovers, with thy smiling looks, thy wanton talk and merry jests, with thy pleasant games and losty looks: Remember for all these things thou shalt come to judgement.  
Whilst the thief stealeth, the hemp groweth, and the hook is covered within the bait, we sit down to eat and rise up to play, and from play to sleep: and a hundredth years is counted little enough to sin in, but how many sins thou hast set on the score, so many kinds of punishments shall be provided for thee: how many years of pleasure thou hast taken, so many years of pain: how many drams of delight, so many pounds of dolor: when iniquity hath played her part, vengeance leaps upon the stage: the Comedy is short, but the Tragedy is longer: the black guard shall attend upon you, you shall eat at the table of sorrow, and the crown of death shallbe upon your heads, many glistering faces looking on you, and this is the fear of sinners: when the devil hath enticed them to sin, he presumeth like the old Prophet in the book of Kings, who when he had enticed the young prophet contrary to the commandment of God, to turn home with him and to eat and drink, he cursed him for his labour, because he disobeyed the commandment of the Lord, and so a Lion devoured him by the way. The foolish Virgins think that their oil will never be spent: so Dina straggled abroad whilst she was deflowered: what a thing is this to say rejoice, and then repent: what a blank to say take thy pleasure, and then thou shalt come to judgement: it is as if he should say, steal and be hanged: steal and thou darest, strangle sin in thy cradle, for all the wisdom in the world will not help thee else: but thou shalt be in admiration like dreamers which dream strange things and know not how they come: he saith Remember judgement, if thou remember this always, than thou shalt have little list to sin: if thou remember this, than thou shalt have little list to fall down to the devil, though he would give thee all the world, and the glory thereof: Solomon saith, the weed groweth from a weed to a cockle, from a cockle, to a bramble, from a bramble to a brier, from a brier to a thorn: Lying breeds perjury, perjury breeds haughtiness of heart, haughtiness of heart breeds contempt, contempt breeds obstinacy, and brings forth much evil. And this is the whole progress of sin: he groweth from a liar to a thief, from a thief to a murderer, and never leaveth until he hath searched all the roome● in hell, and yet he is never satisfied: the more he sinneth, the more he searcheth to sin: when he hath deceived, nay he hath not deceived thee: assoon as he hath that he desireth, he hath not that he desireth: when he hath lest fight, he goeth to fight again: yet a little and a little more, and so we slit from one sin to another. While I preach, you hear iniquity in gender within you, and will break forth assoon as you are gone: So Christ wept & jerusalem laughed: Adam broke one, and we break ten, like Children which laugh and cry, so as if we kept a shop of vices, now this sin and then that, from one sin to another. O remember thy end saith Solomon, and that thou must come to judgement. What shall become of them that hath tried them most, be condemned most? Rejoice O young man in thy youth. But if thou mark Solomon he haps upon one string, he doubles it again and again, to show us things of his own experience, because we are so forgetful thereof in ourselves, like the dreamer that forgetteth his dream, and the swearer his swearing. So we beg of every unclean spirit, until we have bombasted ourselves up to the throat, filling every corner of our hearts withal uncleanness, and then we are like the Dog that cometh out of the sink, and maketh every one as soul as himself: therefore saith Solomon, if any one will learn the way to hell, let him take his pleasure: me thinks I see the dialogue between the flesh and the Spirit: the worst speaketh first, and the flesh saith: soul take thine ease, eat, drink, and go brave, lie soft, what else should you do but take your pleasure, thou knowest what a pleasant fellow I have been unto thee, thou knowest what delight thou hast had by my means: but the Soul cometh in, burdened with that which hath been spoken before, and saith, I pray thee remember judgement, thou must give account for all these things, for unless you repent, you shall surely perish: no saith the flesh, talk not of such grave matters, but tell me of fine matters, of soft beds and pleasant things, and talk me of brave pastimes, Apes, Bears, and Puppets: for I tell thee the forbidden fruit is the sweetest of all fruits, for I do not like of your telling me of judgement: but take thou thy jewels, thy Instrument, and all the strings of vanity will strike at once, for the flesh loves to be brave, and tread upon corks, it cannot tell of what fashion to be of, and yet to be of the new fashion.  
Rejoice O young man in thy youth.  
O this goes brave, for while wickedness hath cast his rubs, and vengeance casts his spurs and his foot, and thus she reels and now she tumbles, and then she falls, therefore this progress is ended.  
Pleasure is but a spur, riches but a thorn, glory but a blast, beauty but a flower, sin is but an Hypocrite, honey in thy mouth and poison in thy stomach: therefore let us come again and ask of Solomon in good sooth whether he meaneth in good earnest, when he spoke these words: O (saith Solomon) it is the best life in the world to go brave, lie soft, and live merrily, if there were no judgement But this judgement mares all, it is like a damp that puts out all the light, and like a box that mareth all the ointment: for if this be true, we have spun a fair third, that we must answer for all, that are not able to answer for one: why Solomon maketh us fools, and giveth us gauds to play withal: what then shall we not rejoice at all? yes, there is a godly mirth and if we could hit on it, which is called be merry and wise: Sara laughed, and was reproved: Abraham laughed and was not reproved. And thus much for the first part.  
But remember that for all these things thou shalt come to judgement.  
This verse is as it were a dialogue betwixt the flesh and the spirit, as the two counsellors, the worst is first, and the flesh speaketh proudly, but the spirit comes in burdened with that which hath been spoken. The flesh goeth laughing and singing to hell, but the spirit casteth rubs in his way, and puts him in mind of judgement, that for all these things now ends rejoice, and hear comes in but, if this but were not, we might rejoice still, if young men must for all the sports of youth: what then shall old men do, being as they are now? surely if Solomon lived to see our old men live now, as here he saith of young men, so high as sin rageth, yet vengeance sits above it as high as high Babel. Me thinks I see a Sword hang in the air by a twine third, and all the Sons of men labour to burst it in sunder: there is a place in hell where the covetous judge sitteth, the greedy Lawyer, the griping Landlord, the careless Bishop, the lusty youth, the wanton dames, the thief, the robbers of the commonwealth, they are punished in this life because they never left sin as long as they could, while mercy was offered unto them: therefore because they would not be washed, they shall be drowned, now put together rejoice and remember, thou hast learned to be merry, now learn to be wise: now therefore turn over a new lease and take a new lesson, for now Solomon mocketh not as he did before, therefore a check to thy russes, a check to thy cusses, a check to thy robes, a check to thy gold, a check to your riches, a check to your beauty, a check to your muck a check to your graves: woe from above, woe from below, woe to all the strings of vanity: dost thou not now marvel that thou hadst not a feeling of sin? for now thou seest Solomon saith true, thine own heart can tell that it is wicked, but it cannot amend: therefore it is high time to amend: as Nathan cometh to David after Belsebub, so cometh accusing conscience after sin: me thinks that every one should have a feeling of sin: though this day be like yesterday, and to morrow like to day, yet one day will come for all, and then woe, woe, woe, and nothing but darkness: and though God came not to Adam until the evening, yet he came: although the fire came not upon Sodom until the evening, yet he came, and so comes the judge although he be not yet come, though he have leaden feet, he hath iron hands, the arrow flieth and is not yet fallen, so is his wrath: the pit is digged, the fire kindled, and all things are made ready, and prepared against that day, only the small sentence is to come, which will not long tarry: you may not think to be like to the thief that stealeth and is not seen: nothing can be hid from him, and the judge followeth thee at the heels, and therefore, whatsoever thou art look about thee, and do nothing but that thou wouldst do openly, for all things are opened unto him: Sara may not think to laugh, and not be seen: Gehezi may not think to lie, and not be known: they that will not come to the banquet, must stand at the door. What, do ye not think that God doth not remember our sins which we do not regard? for while we sin, the score runs on, and the judge setteth down all in the Table of remembrance, & his scroll reacheth up to heaven  
Item, for lending to Usury. Item, for racking of rents. Item, for deceiving thy brethren. Item, for falsehood in wares. Iten for starching thy ruffs. Item for curling thy hair. Item for painting thy face. Item for selling of Benefices. Item, for starving of Souls. Item, for playing at Cards. Item, for sleeping in the Church. Item for profaning the Saboth day, with a number more hath God to call to account, for every one must answer for himself: The fornicator for taking his filthy pleasure, O Son, remember thou hast taken thy pleasure, take thy punishment. The careless Prelate, for murdering so many thousand Souls. The Landlord for getting money from his poor Tenants by racking of his rents: See the rest, all they shall come like very sheep, when the Tromp shall sound and the Heaven and earth shall come to judgement against them: when the heavens shall vanish like a scroll, & the earth shall consume like fire, and all the Creatures standing against them: The rocks shall cleave asunder, and the mountains shake, & the foundation of the earth shall tremble, and they shall say to the mountains, cover us, fall upon us and hide us from the presence of his anger and wrath, whom we have not eared for to offend: but they shall not be covered & hid: but then they shall go the black way, to the snakes and serpents, to be tormented of devils for ever: O pain unspeakable, and yet the more I express it, the more horrible it is, when you think of a torment passing all torments, and yet a torment passing all that: yet this torment is greater than them and passing them all.  
Imagine you see a sinner going to hell, and his sumner gape at him, his acquaintance look at him, the Angels shout at him, and the Saints laugh at him, & the devils rail at him, and many look him in the face: and they that said they would live and die with him, forsake him, and leave him to pay all the scores. Then judas would restore his bribes. Esaw would cast up his pottage. Achan would cast down his gold, and Gehezi would refuse his gifts. Nabucadnezzar would be humbler. Balam would be faithful, and the Prodigal son would be tame.  
Me thinks I see Achan running about where shall I hide my gold that I have stolen, that it might not be seen nor stand to appear for a witness against me?  
And judas running to the high Priests saying: hold, take again your money, I will none of it, I have betrayed the innocent blood.  
And Esaw crying for the blessing when it is too late, having sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.  
Woe, woe, woe, that ever we were borne. O where is that Dives that would believe this, before he felt the fire in hell, or that would believe the poorest Lazarus in the world, to be better than himself, before that dreadful day come, when they cannot help it if they would never so sane, when repentance is too late. Herod shall then with that he were john Baptist. Pharaoh would wish that he were Moses, and Saul would wish that he had been David. Nabuchadnezzar, that he he had been Daniel Hammon, to have been Mardocheus Esaw would wish to be jacob, & Balam would with he might die the death of the righteous: Then he will say, I will give more than Ezekias: cry more than Esaw: Fast more than Moses: pray more than Daniel: weep more than Mary Magdilen: suffer more stripes than Paul: abide more imprisonment than Michai: abide more cruelty than any mortal man would do, that it might be, Item, go ye cursed: might become ye blessed. Yea, I would give all the goods in the world, that I might escape this dread full day of wrath and judgement, & that I might not stand amongst the go: O that I might live a beggar all my life, and a leper. O that I might endure all plagues and sores from the top of the head to the sole of my foot: sustain all sickness and griefs, that I might escape this judgement.  
The guilty conscience cannot abide of this day: the silly sheep when she is taken will not bleat, but you may carry her and do what you will with her, and she will be subject: but the swine, if she be once taken, she will roar and cry, and thinks she is never taken but to be slain. So of all things the guilty conscience can not abide to hear of this day: for they know, that when they hear of it, they hear of their own condemnation. I think if there were a general collection made through the whole World, that there might be no judgement day: then God would be so rich that all the world would go a begging and be as a waste wilderness: Then the covetous judge would bring forth his bribes: then the crafty lawyer would fetch out his bags: the Usurer would give his gain, and the idle servant would dig up his talon again, and make a bubble thereof: But all the money in the world will not serve for one sin: but the judge must answer for his bribes: he that hath money, must answer how he came by it, and just condemnation must come upon every soul of them: then shall the sinner be ever dying and never dead, like the Salamander that is ever in the fire and never consumed.  
But if you come there, you may say as the Queen of Saba said of King Solomon, I believed the report that I heard of thee in my own Country, but the one half of thy wisdom was not told me: if you came there to see what is done, you may say, now I believe the report that was told me in my own Country concerning this place, but the one half as now I feel I have not heard of: Now choose you whether you will rejoice, or remember whether you will stand amongst you blessed or amongst you cursed: whether you will enter while the gate is open, or knock in vain when the gate is shut: whether you will seek the Lord whilst he may be found, or be found of him when you would not be sought, being run into the bushes with Adam to hide yourselves: whether you will take your heaven now hear, or your hell then there: or through tribulation to enter into the kingdom of God: and thus to take your hell now hear, or your heaven then there in the life to come with the blessed Saints and Angels so that hereafter you may lead a new life, putting on jesus Christ and his righteousness.  
FINIS.