Twelve Sermons, Sermon 3
THE TRVMPET OF THE SOVLE SOVNDING TO IVDGEMENT.
By Henry Smith.
Ecclesiastes. 11. Chap. 9. verse. The text.
Reioyce O young man in thy youth: and let thy hart be mery in thy young dayes: follow the wayes of thine owne hart, and the lustes of thine eyes: But remember for all these thinges thou must come to iudgement.
WHen I should hauehave preached vnderunder the crosse, I mused what text to take in hand to please all, and to keepe my selfe out of daunger: and musing, I could not finde anie text in the scripture that did not reprooue sinne, vnlesse it were in the Apocrypha, which is not of the scripture: this text bids them that be voluptuous, be voluptuous still: let them that be vaine glorious, be vaine glorious still: let them that be couetous, be couetous still: let them that be drunkards, be drunkards still: let them that be swearers, be swearers still: let them that be wantons, be wantons still: let them that be careles prelates, be careles stil: let them that be vsurers, be vsurers stil: but saith Salomō, Remember thy end, that thou shalt be called to iudgemētat at the last for all together. This is the counsel of Salomō the wisest then liuing: what a counsell is this for a wise man, such a one as was Salomon?
In the beginning of his booke he saith, All is vanitie, and in the end he saith, Feare God and keepe his commaundements, in the 12. Chapter he saith, Remember thy maker in the dayes of thy youth: But heere hee saith, Reioyce O young man in thy youth Here hee speaketh like an epicure, which saith, Eate, drinke, and be merry: here he counsels, and here hee mockes: yet not after the manner of scorners, although they deserued it in shewing their foolishnes, as it is in the first of the Prouerbes, He laughed at the wicked in derision: As in the 2. Psalme, God seeing vsus follow our owne wayes. For when he bids vsus pray, we play: and when hee bids vsus runne, we stand still: and when he bids vsus fast, we feast: and send for vanities to make vsus sport: then he laughes at our destruction. Therefore when Salomon giueth a sharpe reproofe, and maketh you ashamed in a word, he scoffingly bids you doe it againe, like a Schoolemaster which beateth his Scholler for playing the truant, hee biddeth him play the truant againe. O this is the bitterest reproofe of all. But least any Libertine should misconster Salomon, and say that he bids vsus be merry and make much of our selues, therefore he shutteth it vp with a warchword, and setteth a bridle before his lips, and reproueth it as hee speaketh it before hee goeth any further, and saith, But remember that for all these thinges, thou must come to iudgement. But if wee will vnderstand his meaning, hee meaneth when hee saith, Reioyce, O young man, Repent O young man in thy youth, and when he saith, Let thy hart cheere thee, let thy sinnes greeue thee: for he meaneth other-wise then he speaketh: he speaketh like Michai in the booke of Kings 2. chap. Go vp and prosper, or like as Ezechiel, Go vp and serue other gods, or as Saint Iohn speaketh in the Reuelation, Let them that bee wicked, be wicked still. But if there were no iudgement day, that were a merrye world: therefore saith Salomon, When thou art in thy pleasures flaunting in the fieldes, and in thy braue ruffes and amongst thy louers, with thy smiling lookes, thy wanton talke and merry iestes, with thy pleasant games and loftie lookes; Remember for all these thinges thou shalt come to iudgement.
Whilest the theefe stealeth, the hempe groweth, and the hooke is couered within the baite: we sit downe to eate, and rise vp to play, and from playe to sleepe, and a hundreth yeeres is counted little enough to sin in: but how many sinnes thou hast set on the score, so many kindes of punishments shall be prouided for thee: How many yeeres of pleasure thou hast taken, so many yeeres of paine: how many drams of delight, so many poundes of dolor: when iniquitie hath plaid her parte, vengeance leapes vponupon the stage: the comedie is short but the tragedie is longer: the blacke guarde shall attend vponupon you, you shall eate at the table of sorrowe, and the crowne of death shall be vponupon your heads, manie glistering faces looking on you, and this is the feare of sinners: when the deuill hath entised them to sinne, hee presumeth like the olde Prophet in the booke of Kings, who when he had entised the yong Prophet contrary to the commaundement of God, to turne home with him and to eate and drinke, he cursed him for his labour, because hee disobeyed the commaundement of the Lord, and so a Lyon deuoured him by the way. The foolish virgins thinke that their oyle wil neuer be spent: so Dina stragled abroad, whilest she was defloured: what a thing is this to say reioyce, and then repent? what a blanke to say, take thy pleasure, and then thou shalt come to iudgement? It is as if he should say, steale & be hanged, steale & thou darest, strangle sin in thy cradle, for all the wisedome in the world will not help thee else: but thou shalt bee in admiration like dreamers which dreame strange things, and knowe not how they come. He saith, Remember iudgement: if thou remember alwayes, then thou shalt hauehave little list to sinne: if thou remember this, then thou shalt hauehave little list to fall downe to the diuell, though hee would giuegive thee all the world, and the glory thereof. Salomon saith, duplicate page duplicate page the weede groweth from a weede to a cockle, from a cockle to a bramble, from a bramble to a brier, from a brier to a thorne: Lying breedes periurie, periury breedes hautines of hart: haughtines of hart breeds contempt: contempt breedes obstinacie and brings forth much euill. And this is the whole progresse of sinne, he groweth from a lyar to a theefe, from a theefe to a murtherer, and neuer leaueth vntill hee hauehave searched all the roomes in hell, and yet he is neuer satisfied, the more he sinneth, the more he searcheth to sinne: when he hath deceiued, nay he hath not deceiued thee: assoone as he hath that he desireth, he hath not that he desireth: whē he hath left fighting, hee goeth to fighting againe: yet a little and a little more, and so wee flit from one sinne to another. While I preach, you heare iniquitie in gender within you, and will breake forth as soone as you are gone. So Christ wept, Ierusalem laughed: Adam brake one, and we brake ten, like children which laugh and crye, so as if wee kept a shop of vices, now this sinne, and then that, from one sinne to another. O remember thy end saith Salomon, and that thou must come to iudgement. What shall become of them that hauehave tried them most? be condemned most: Reioyce O young man in thy youth. But if thou marke Salomon, he harpes vponupon one string, he doubles it againe and againe, to shewe vsus thinges of his owne experience, because we are so forgetfull thereof in our selues, like the dreamer that forgetteth his dreame, and the swearer his swearing. So wee beg of eueryevery vncleane spirit, vntill wee hauehave bumbasted our selues vp to the throat, filling eueryevery corner of ourhartes with all vncleannes, and then we are like the dogge that commeth out of the sinck, and maketh eueryevery one as foule as himselfe: therefore saith Salomon, If any one wil learne the way to hell, let him take his pleasure. Me thinks I see the dialogue betweene the flesh and the spirit, the worst speaketh first, and the flesh saith, Soule, take thine ease, eate, drinke, and goe braue, lye soft, what else should you doe but take your pleasure, thou knowest what a pleasant fellow I hauehave bene vntounto thee, thou knowest what dilight thou hast had by my meanes: but the Soule commeth in, burdened with that which hath bene spoken before, and saith, I pray thee remember iudgement, thou must giuegive account for all these thinges, for vnlesse you repent, you shall surely perish: no saith the flesh, Talke not of such graue matters, but tell me of fine matters, of soft beds and pleasant things, and talke me of braue pastimes, Apes, Beares, and Puppits, for I tell thee the forbidden fruite is sweetest of all fruites, for I doe not like of your telling mee of iudgement: but take thou thy iewels, thy instrument, and all the stringes of vanitie will strike at once, for the flesh loues to be braue, and tread vponupon corkes, it cannot tell of what fashion to be of, and yet to be of the new fashion.
Reioyce O young man in thy youth.
O this goes braue, for while wickednes hath cast his rubs, and vengeance castes his spurres and his foote, and thus she reeles and now shee tumbles, and then she falles, therefore this progresse is ended.
Pleasure is but a spurre, riches but a thorne, glory but a blast, beautie but a flowre, sinne is but an hypocrite, honiein thy mouth, and poyson in thy stomacke: therefore let vsus come againe and aske of Salomon in good sooth, whether he meaneth in good earnest, when he spake these wordes, O (saith Salomon) it is the best life in the world to goe braue, lie soft, and liue merilie, if there were no iudgement. But this iudgement mars all, it is like a dampe that puts out all the light, and like a boxe that marreth all the ointment: for if this be true, we hauehave spunne a faire threed, that wee must answere for all, that are not able to answere for one: why Salomon maketh vsus fooles, and giueth vsus gawdes to play withall: what then, shall we not reioyce at all? yes, there is a godly mirth and if we could hit on it, which is called, Bee merrie and wise: Sara laughed, and was reprooued: Abraham laughed, and was not reprooued. And thus much for the first part.
But remember that for all these thinges thou shalt come to iudgement.
This verse is as it were a dialogue betwixt the flesh and the spirite, as the two counsellers: the worst is first, and the flesh speaketh proudlie, but the spirit comes in burdened with that which hath bene spoken. The flesh goeth laughing & singing to hell, but the spirit casteth rubs in his way, & puts him in minde of iudgement, that for all these thinges now ends reioyce, and heere comes in but: if this but were not, wee might reioyce still, if young men must for all the sportes of youth what then shall old men doe, being as they are now? surely if Salomon liued to see our olde men liue now, as heere he saith of young men, so high as sinne rageth, yet vengeance sits aboue it, as high as high Babel. Mee thinkes I see a sword hang in the aire by a twine threed, and all the sonnes of men labour to burst it in sunder. There is a place in hell where the couetous Iudge sitteth, the greedie Lawier, the griping Landlord, the careles Bishops, the lustie youth, the wanton dames, the theefe, the robbers of the common-wealth, they are punished in this life because they euer sin as long as they could, while merciemercy was offered vntounto them, therefore because they would not bee washed; they shall be drowned. Now put together reioyce and remember: thou hast learned to be mery, now learne to bee wise: now therefore turne ouer a new leafe, and take a new lesson: for now Salomon mocketh not as he did before, therefore a checke to thy ruffes, a checke to thy cuffes, a checke to thy robes, a checke to thy golde, a checke to your riches, a checke to your beautie, a checke to your mucke, a checke to your graues: wo from aboue, wo from below, wo to all the stringes of vanitie: doest thou not now maruell that thou hadst not a feeling of sinne? for now thou seest Salomon saith true, thine owne hart can tell that it is wicked, but it cannot amend: therefore it is high time to amend: as Nathan commeth to Dauid after Belzebub, so commeth accusing conscience after sinne. Me thinkes that eueryevery one should hauehave a feeling of sinne, 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 darkenes: and though God came not to Adam vntill the euening, yet hee came: although the fire came not vponupon Sodom vntill the euening, yet it came and so comes the Iudge although he be not yet come, though he hauehave leaden feete, hee hath iron handes: the arrow staieth and is not yet fallen, so is his wrath: the pit is digged, the fire kindled, and all thinges are made readie and prepared against that day, onelyonly the small sentence is to come, which will not long tarrie. You may not thinke to be like to the theefe that stealeth and is not seene: nothing can be hid from him, and the Iudge followeth thee at the heeles: and therefore whatsoeuer thou art looke about thee, and doe nothing but that thou wouldest doe openly, for all thinges are opened vntounto him: Sara may not thinke to laugh and not be seene: Geheza may not thinke to lie and not bee knowne: they that will not come to the banquet, must stand at the doore. What, doe you thinke that God dooth not remember our sinnes which we doe not regarde? for while wee sinne, the score runs on, and the Iudge setteth downe all in the table of remembrance, and his scrole reacheth vp to heauen.
Item for lending to Vsury. Item, for racking of rents Item, for deceiuing thy brethren. Item, for falshood in wares. Item, for starching thy ruffes. Item, for curling thy haire. Item, for painting thy face. Item, for selling of benefices. Item, for staruing of soules Item, for playing at cardes. Item, for sleeping in the Church. Item, for prophaning the Sabboth day. With a number more hath God to call to account, for eueryevery one must answere for himselfe. The fornicator for taking of filthie pleasure, O sonne, remember thou hast taken thy pleasure, take thy punishment. The careles Prelate, for murthering so many thousand Soules. The Landlord for getting money from his poore Tenants by racking of his rentes: see the rest, all they shall come like a very sheepe, when the Trumpe shall sound, and the heauen and earth shal come to iudgement against them: when the heauens shall vanish like a scrole, and the earth shall consume like fire, and all the creatures standing against them: The rockes shall cleaue a sunder, and the mountaines shake, and the foundation of the earth shall tremble, and they shall say to the mountaines, couer vsus, fall vponupon vsus and hide vsus from the presence of his anger and wrath, whome wee hauehave not cared for to offend: but they shal not be couered & hid: but then they shall goe the blacke way, to the snakes and serpents, to bee tormented of deuils for euer: O paine vnspeakeable! and yet the more I expresse it, the more horrible it is, when you thinke of a torment passing all torments, and yet a torment passing all that: yet this torment is greater then them, and passing them all.
Imagine you see a sinner going to hell, and his somner gape at him, his acquaintance looke at him, the Angels shoute at him, and the Saintes laugh at him, and the deuils raile at him, and many looke him in the face: and they that said they would liue and dye with him, forsake him, & leaue him to pay all the scores. Then Iudas would restore his bribes. Esau woulde cast vp his pottage. Achan would cast downe his golde, and Gehezi would refuse his giftes. Nabuchadnezzar would be humbler. Balam would bee faithfull, and the Prodigall sonne would be tame.
Me thinkes I see Achan running about, where shall I hide my golde that I hauehave stolne, that it might not bee seene nor stand to appeare for a witnes against me?
And Iudas running to the high Priestes, saying: hold, take againe your money, I will none of it, I hauehave betrayed the innocent bloud.
And Esau crying for the blessing when it is too late, hauing sold his birth-right for a messe of pottage.
Woe, woe, woe, that euer we were borne. O where is that Diues that would beleeue this, before he felt the fire in hell, or that would beleeue the poorest Lazarus in the worlde, to bee better then himselfe, before that dreadfull day come when they cannot helpe it, if they would neuer so faine, when repentance is too late? Herod shall then wish that he were Iohn Baptist. Pharaoh would wishe that hee were Moses, and Saul would wish that hee had bene Dauid. Nabuchadnezzar, that he had bene Daniel. Hammon to hauehave bene Mardocheus. Esau would wish to be Iacob, and Balam would wish he might dye the death of the righteous: then he will say, I will giuegive more then Ezekias: crye more then Esau: fast more then Moses: pray more then Daniel: weepe more then Mary Magdalen: suffer more stripes then Paul: abide more imprisonment then Michai: abide more crueltie then any mortall man would doe, that it might bee, Ite, goe ye curssed, might become yee blessed. Yea, I would giuegive all the goods in the worlde, that I might escape this dreadfull day of wrath and iudgement, and that I might not stand amongst the goe. O that I might liue a begger all my life, and a leaper. O that I might indure all plagues and sores from the top of the head, to the sole of the foote, susteine all sicknes and griefes, that I might escape this iudgement.
The guiltie conscience cannot abide this day. The sillie sheepe when shee is taken will not bleate, but you may carrie her and doe what you will with her, and shee will be subiect: but the swine, if shee be once taken, shee will roare and crye, and thinkes shee is neuer taken but to bee slaine. So of all thinges, the guiltie conscience cannot abide to heare of this day, for they knowe that when they heare of it, they heare of their owne condemnation. I thinke if there were a generall collection made through the whole worlde, that there might bee no iudgement day, then God would bee so rich, that all the world would goe a begging, and bee as a waste wildernes. Then the couetous Iudge would bring forth his bribes, then the craftie Lawier woulde fetch out his bagges: the Vsurer would giuegive his gaine, and the idle seruant would dig vp his talent againe, & make a double thereof. But all the money in the world wil not serue for one sin, but the Iudge must answere for his bribes, hee that hath money, must answere how he came by it, & iust condemnatiō m…ds come vponupon eueryevery soule of them, then shall the sinner be euer dying and neuer dead, like the Salamander that is euer in the fire and neuer consumed.
But if you come there, you may say as the Queene of Saba said of king Salomon, I beleeued the reporte that I he ard of thee in mine owne countrie, but the one halfe of thy wisedome was not tolde me. If you came there to see what is done, you may say, Now I beleeue the reporte that was told me in mine owne countrie concerning this place, but the one halfe as now I feele, I hauehave not heard of: now chuse you whether you will reioyce, or remember whether you will stand amongst you blessed, or amongst you curssed: whether you will enter while the gate is open, or knocke in vaine when the gate is shut: whether you wil seeke the Lord whilest he may be found, or be found of him when you would not be sought, being run into the bushes with Adam to hide your selues: whether you will take your heauen now here, or your hell then there: or through tribulation to enter into the kingdome of God, and thus to take your hell now heere, or your heauen then there in the life to come with the blessed Saints & Angels so that heereafter you may leade a new life, putting on Iesus Christ and his righteousnesse.
FINIS.