A Golden Trumpet Sounding an Alarm to Judgment
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A25382.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
A Golden Trumpet, Sounding an Alarum to Judgment: the sound whereof was never more needful, though evermore profitable.
Dedicated and directed unto all the Elect Children of God, which truly repent.
Newly published by John Andrew's, Minister and Preacher of God's Word.
The nine and twentieth Impression.
LONDON, Printed for Edward Wright, and are to be sold at his shop in gilt-spur-street without Newgate, at the sign of the Bible, 1648.
The Author to the Reader.
A Golden Trumpet.
CHAP. I. The first Chapter treateth of the sound of the Trumpet.
AS Adam sleeping securely in his transgression, had great need of that Trumpet from GOD, to rouse him from the sleep of sin, Adam ubi es? Adam where art thou? So necessary for every sinful Adamite, (to raise him up from the sleep of sin) is this notable memento, this worthy sound of the Golden Trumpet.
Wherefore if ever there were a time for God's Ministers to have their hearts like the Lions, their face of brass, and their voice of steel, to sound this Golden Trumpet, that they might boldly in the face of the Congregation cry, and lift up their voice like a Trumpet with the Prophet Isaiah, to show the people their transgressions: If ever there were a time for Jeremiah to cry in the ears of Hierusalm, to declare amongst the Nations, and to set up a standard to proclaim the fall of Babylon : If ever there were time for Lot To reprove the Sodomites, for Elias to reprove Ahab, Nathan to reprove David, Jonah to cry to the Ninevites, or Jeremiah to wish his head to be full of water, and his eyes to be a fountain of tears : Yea David, Isaiah, Jeremiah & Paul, to weep for the sins of the people; then sure the time is now. Yet, nothwithstanding the Gospel hath been long taught amongst us, the sound thereof hath filled our ears, but whose heart hath it pierced? Whose life hath it bettered? Sin is sharply reproved, but iniquity still aboundeth. To the brief, I need not complain with the Prophet of those greedy dumb Curres, which feacute;ed themselves, and starve the souls of their flock, but only recite God's threatenings against them in a few proofs of Scripture and so I leave them, for the Lord to require their blood at their hands. For I may boldly say (the Lord be praised for it) that we had never more preaching, though never less following than we have now: There were never more crafty worldlings, and greedy Nabal's, that love an ounce of Give me, more than a pound of Hear me, than be now. O I fear, that there were never more that have sold themselves, and their very Souls for lucre sake, than be now. Wherefore I doubt not but the very iniquity of the whole world is come to maturity.
Therefore it is now high time to sound the Golden Trumpet, and ring it with alarm, that if ever they will be roused from the deadly sleep of sin to awake and repent, now: for, Qui non est hodie, cras minus aptus erit. He that is not ready to repent today will be less ready tomorrow.
Oh now therefore, while the Gospel soundeth, now while Christ calleth, now while he knocketh; let us now repent, let us take this present time while we have it? time and tide stayeth for no man; the time past is irrevocable, which cannot be recalled: the time to come is full of uncertainty for it may be it never shall come: Only the present time is, ours, but it is momentary: O therefore let us take and make good use of it.
Wherefore, holy men of God urge still the time present? Seek ye the Lord while he may be found: Turn ye now from your evil ways: Do good while ye have time: To day if ye will hear his voice, hearden not your hearts.
Thus the converted heart seeketh the present time, because it is a bleeding and a tender heart; It trembleth at the word, it is pricked when it is rebuked, and inflamed with burning zeal when it is instructed. O then take hold of this present opportunity so friendly smiling on thee, and repent presently: Let the sound of this Golden Trumpet be ever in thy ears: For as our Savior Christ said of John the Baptist, This is Elijah, if ye will receive him ; So say I, this instant, this moment is the time of repentance; this is the day of salvation this is the time of grace; this is the acceptable hour; O therefore embrace it. We read that the Ninevites were coverted at these words of Jonah's preaching, Yet forty days and Niniveth shall be destroyed.
The sound thereof caused not only the Subjects, but the very King of that City to come from his Throne of Monarchy, to cast off his Robes, to put on sackcloth, and sit in ashes, with fasting, weeping, and great mourning.
S. Peter at one Sermon converted three thousand souls unto Christ; insomuch as they were so pricked in their hearts at his Doctrine, that they came crying, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? In another Sermon he converted Cornelius the Captain, with a great multitude.
S. John the Baptist at one Sermon converted both Scribes, Pharisees, Publicans, Soldiers and Sinners, insomuch as all that heard him preach, Mused in their hearts whether he were not very Christ.
Paul converted many in Asia, and also in Europe, yea in all parts and quarters of the world: Christ himself converted so many, that it caused the Jews to cry out, Behold the whole world goeth after him. O where is any such Conversion in these our days? What drowsiness is in us? What carelessness? Nay, what madness is in us, that we cannot be converted with all the preaching that is so often and continually preached amongst us? Can we not remember? Is our memory so short? or have we drunk so much of the River of forgetfulness? That we remember not what our Savior saith plainly, Except ye repent, ye shall all be damned.
Let us consider with ourselves, and descend into our own Conscience and see whether there be any Reason▪ why God should spare us, and deal so severely with others: Saba the Queen of the South came from the furthermost parts of the world, to hear the wisdom of Solomon : But many of us which live in this evil declining age, are so over busied with worldly affairs, that they have little or no time to come out of our doors, to bestow one hour in the Church to hear the Wisdom of Christ.
The want whereof maketh many which neglect their coming to Bethel, the house of God, to starve their Souls in Bethaven, the den of iniquity. Yea, too too many to become so godless, so graceless, so roo • ed in all sin, and so fully resolved to live therein, that if John the Baptist were to preach; Isaiah to cry, King David, Jeremiah, and Paul to weep for the sins of the people, Yet they are so frozen in their sin, and so wedded in their wickedness that a Leopard may sooner change his spots, and a black Moore become white: nay (as our Savior saith (It is easier or a Camel to go through the eye of a needle, than many to forsake their beloved sins to gain the Kingdom of Heaven.
What shall I more say? If Christ himself came from Heaven, to cry unto the people, for to repent in these our days, it may be they would let him say what he would, but I fear that too too many would do what they list: All his preaching, and all his wonders would no more prevail with the wicked in these our times, than it did in his time with the Jews,
To conclude then this point, if any seem to storm at my harsh writing, let them amend their lives, and not dislike these my lines: For I openly protest, I fear none but God whose truth I teach, and hate nothing but sin, which is the ruin and destruction of the soul. I care not for my life, so it were lost in the defense of the truth: I look not for preferment, the world is so corrupted: I desire not the praise of men, it is but vanity: I aim not at my own good, but to set forth God's glory, the discharge of my own conscience, and the benefit of Christ his Church and children.
CHAP. II Of the shortness and uncertainty of man's life.
MAns life is but a pilgrimage, a travel, and a way: and he is scarce entered into the world, but he is admonished to remember to depart out of the same, for all the world is mutable, and of all the things in the world man is most mutable. And as our days here are short and evil, we ought always to be prepared for the Lord: For Nihil certius morte, hora mortis nihil incertius, as there is nothing more certain than death, so there is nothing more uncertain then the hour of death. We are all tenants at will, and know not how long we shall remain it this earthly Tabernacle.
All creatures wax old with this aged world; this is even the last hour, the world cannot continue long, Methusela lived 969 years. If in our age we reach to 80. it is with sorrow and labor. Thou hast made my days as it were a span long, saith David, All flesh is grass (saith the Prophet) and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field. The old world had 120. years given them to repent, Nineveh 40. days, and Israel 4 • . years, but thou O man knowest not how long thou hast to live.
Some are wasted away by wantonness as Commodus, Claudius Nero, Alexander the Great and such like, Some are shortened by ambition, many will never leave climbing till they catch a fall. This climbing by ambition cut off the days of Absalom, and brought Haman to the tree.
Some God taketh away; because the world was not worthy of them; and some because they are not worthy of it. He cut off Josiah, for his soul pleased God : therefore he made haste to take him away from the iniquity of the world.
He cut off Ahab, Agag and Herod, because they were vile and ungodly men, therefore they did not live out half their days.
Some God cutteth off suddenly, in so much as they have not time to think on God, or once to cry, Lord help me. The old world not thinking on death, was suddenly drowned. The Sodomites suddenly consumed by fire. Pharaoh with all his Host swallowed up in the sea: the Israelites gnawne of dedly serpents. Corah, Dathan and Abiram eaten up of the earth. Herod suddenly devoured with lice. The rich man suddenly smitten with death. Lying Ananias and his wife suddenly fell down dead. Eglon the Moabite, and Abner the Captain were suddenly murdered with the sword. To conclude, all Histories in all ages are full of the like examples▪
CHAP. III. Of the straight accompt we m • st give unto God at the day of Judgment.
TO draw every man to a better consideration of his time, and of his accounting day, our Savior addeth a reason why we should be ready, and always prepared to render our accompt; for (saith he) The Kingdom of God is at hand.
What will move a man to consider of himself, and of his accounting day, if this will not? when he heareth that the same is at hand.
Mortall men in their accounts they make to their Lord's and Masters, will gather their Scrowles, Bills, Papers, and other writings, from hundreds to farthings, lest they be found unworthy men to be put in trust with such worldly commodities.
If mortal men have such a care how to make their accounts to mortal Auditors, what care, nay, what fear ought to be in all men and women, when they are summoned by the eternal God to appear before him and his Angels, to give accompt how they have spent their time from their birth until their dying day?
Here we are summoded to the high Imperial Court of eternal doom. The time is come ; and the Kingdom of God is at hand. O Lord who shall escape amercing here? Nay, who shall escape damnation here? Seek up your Scrowles, search the Books of your consciences: we are called to the Court, where every man's conscience shall be laid open. Wherefore unless we repent; that our sins may be blotted out with the blood of Christ Jesus, the Lord will call us to accompt, the Books of our Consciences shall be laid open, and every sin both secret and known shall be brought to light: and not one sin shall pass, but all our sins, both past, present, and to come, as well our rebellious thoughts, as sinful Acts committed. Whereupon S Bernard saith, Omne tempus tibi impensum requiretur a te qualiter fuerit expensum: All the time that God hath given thee (except thou repent) shall be required at thy hands, how thou hast spent it. There shall inquisition be made for the thoughts of the ungodly: There shall not a wicked thought pass in Judgment.
CHAP IV. Now followeth the manner of this accompt.
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I. Who must give accompt
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II. Of what things they must give accompt.
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III. To whom this accompt must be made.
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IV. When it must be made.
FIrst, the persons that must give accompt, our Savior Christ expressly showeth us to be men. But I say unto you (saith our Savior) that of every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give accompt at the day of Judgment.
And S. Paul saith, We must all appear before the Tribunal Seat of Christ, that every man may receive according to his works. For as Lingua est mentis interpres, The tongue is the interpreter of the mind, so saith our Savior, By thy words (if thou do well) thou shalt be justified, and by thy words (if thou do evil) thou shalt be condemned. Thus we may see Christ's true & just judgment, how that first by the evidence of their deeds they shall be accused: Secondly, by the witness of their words convicted: and thirdly, by the testimony of their own conscience condemned, Thus all men, none excepted, of all ages, and of all nations, Kings and Princes, rich and poor, yea all that have been from the beginning of the world, and shall be to the end of the same, shall appear before the Tribunal seat of Christ, and give an account everyone for himself.
II Of what things they must give accompt.
THey shall give accompt not only of every idle word, work, & deed, but also of every idle thought: yea, every man, and every member of man shall answer to his default.
The King must give an accompt for himself, and how he hath governed his Kingdom.
The Ministers that have taken upon them curam animarum, the charge of Souls, must give an accompt how they have fed their Flock, and how they have lived in their calling: The Magistrate for his Justice: The Master for his servants: The Parents for the children, and every Artificer for his trade, every man in his own proper person, must render an accompt of his Talent, be it ten, four, or one that he hath received. And so strait shall this accompt be, that every member of everybody shall answer to his default: the Eyes shall give an accompt what they have seen: the Ears what they have heard: the Tongue what it hath spoken: the Hands what they have felt: the Feet where they have been: and the Heart of man what it hath thought. To conclude, both Heart and Body, with all the parts and powers thereof shall be indicted and arraigned before the Tribunal Seat of Christ to render a straight accompt, Tam de dictis quam de factis suis, both of their words and their deeds.
III. To whom this accompt must be given.
THe Judge to whom we must give our accompt is Christ. The Lord commandeth (saith David) to judge the World. S. John saith, • he Father, judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son. And Abraham gave God the style of the Judge of the world. There it is evident that our Savior Jesus Christ is Judge of the world. He is verus Iudex & Iustus, he is a true and upright Judge? yea, he is a Judge that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell fire forever.
But let us note, he cometh▪ not alone, but bringeth ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgment upon all; yea, he said to his Disciples, Ye which have followed me shall sit upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Israel.
Unto the godly he shall say, Come ye blessed &c. They shall both with body and soul receive a glorious kingdom and a beautiful Crown from the Lord's hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm he shall protect them, Because it shall be a day of refreshing, when all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes, and all sorrow shall cease, and they shall live and reign with the Lamb forever.
To the wicked (Christ saith) Go ye cursed.
BVt first let us note, that he doth not judge them after the manner of worldly Judges, whose knowledge may be deceived with false and Sophisticall pleas; whose justice may be corrupted with fear, hatred, love and rewards; whose anger may be pacified with pitiful words. Oh fearefall and terrible will the sight of this Judge be to the wicked: for his power shall be invincible, his anger implacable, his knowledge infallible and his Justice inflexible. First, tyranny and cruelty shall not countervail his power: Secondly, benignity of pitiful words shall not appease his anger: Thirdly, liberality, nor rewards shall not bow his Justice: Fourthly, subtlety of advocates shall not blind his knowledge.
Whereupon saith S. Augustine Judex ill nec gratia praevenitur, nec misericordia flectitur, nec pecunia corrumpitur, nec penitentia mitigatur. Neither is this Judge prevented with favor, nor bowed with mercy, nor bribed with money, neither mitigated by Repentance: Therefore when Christ saith to the wicked, Go ye cursed, he doth not only curse them, but he biddeth them go, he sendeth them to Gehenna, that dreadful dungeon of utter darkness, that burning Lake and most fearful Tophet, yea, to that hollow cave and Chaos of all confusion, to that bottomless pit of eternal perdition: whose burning furnace is made by God's Justice, his power upholds it, and it is blown with the bellows of his wrath ever prepared for the Devil and his Angels. And as Christ saith, Go ye cursed, his curse is paenarum inflictio, infliction of punishment, which is twofold, Paena Damni and Paena Sensus, the punishment of loss, and the punishment of sense. The loss of God, of his glorious and most blessed presence, his mercy, his favor, his bounty, his beauty, his grace, and all his eternal goodness, the loss of heaven, the habitation of God, and of all his holy and blessed Angels and Saints, the house and heaven of happiness, with all the unspeakable joys, pleasures glory, riches, and treasures thereof for evermore.
The punishment of sense which is hell and all the intolerable, everlasting, and woeful torments thereof. As the blessing of God comprehends all blessings, so this curse, Anathema and Maranatha, includes all crosses, Go ye cursed, &c. They shall be cursed of Christ himself, cursed shall they be of the Angels, whose curse is conscientiae cruciamen vexation of conscience. Cursed shall they be of the Devils, whose curse is paenarum executio, the execution of their punishment, according to that of the Poet:
One Devil rippeth up the examination, another Devil tormenteth, the third addeth one torment upon another, For their desire is revenge, their devotion cursing, and their blessing blasphemy. They be in a Sea of miseries, and in an Ocean of calamities; Fire flameth about them; the worm of conscience gnaweth within them; rage, madness, and ireful indignation among them, ugly visages of black and fearful Devils affrighting them; Sulphur and hot burning coals under them: the revenging hand of God over them, and pouring forth the vials of his wrath full of variety of plagues without ceasing upon them.
They have penury, for gluttony: extreme thirsting, for excessive drinking: burning, for lecherous lusting: want for ill gotten wealth: outrageous madness, for blaspheming: for oppression, utter desolation; and a fearful agony for bloody cruelty.
And S. Augustine speaking of Dives, saith, Desideravit guttam, qui non dedit micam, he would not give a erum, he shall not have a drop: a just recompense: as he denied the least comfort to Lazarus living, so Lazarus shall not bring him the least comfort dead.
And Seneca saith, Nemini bonus, sibi possimus, as he was good to none, so (let it be his plague) he is worst to himself; thus the pain for sin answers the pleasure of sin. Their torments shall be both comfortless & endless. They shall be dying always, yet never dead. They shall seek death, but never find it. They shall be burning always, yet never burnt to death. Their meat shall be griping hunger, and famine intolerable. Their drink shall be lakes of fire and brimston. Their music shall be howling and roaring of foul and ugly Devils, with savage furies accompanied, and with barbarous torments cruelly handled.
Thus Heaven they shall have lost, which cannot be purchased. Hell they have received, & the place must needs be endured. And look how many sins they have set on the score, so many kinds of punishments are provided for them in Hell. O how many causes of weeping and doleful crying shall those miserable wretches then have? They shall weep because they cannot appeal from God's dreadful judgment. They shall weep, because their pleasures have brought them to all these sorrows. They shall weep, because they shall see their miseries are past all remedy, and their repentance too late. To conclude this point, they will then curse the parents which begat them, and the wombs which bare them, the day wherein they were borne, & the Air that gave them breath: and will cry, woe, woe, that ever we were borne, O where is that Dives that would not believe this before he felt the fire of Hell.
IV. The time when we must give this accompt.
WE must give an accompt at the day of Judgment, when Christ cometh to judge the world. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in Heaven ; neither the Son according to his human nature; but the Father. But according to his Divine nature, he knoweth as well as the Father. Therefore saith Christ. It is not for you to know the times and seasons; which the Father hath put in his own power. But as Paul saith to the Corinthians, Seeing we are they upon whom the ends of the world are come, we ought to learn of our Savior, to watch, for we know not at what time the Lord will come. And our Savior seeing the iniquity of the world growing so fast to maturity, saith; Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved. Therefore saith S. John, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. And S. James crieth out, Behold the Judge standeth before the door, If they looked for it to be so nigh in those days, now sure it cannot be far off.
Augustine in his book upon Genesis, against the Manichees said, that the world should last six ages. And (according to his prophecy) we live in the last age. Elijah also prophesied that the World should last six thousand years, two thousand before the Law, two thousand under the Law. & two thousand from Christ's his birth until his coming to Judgment. If his prophecy be true, the World cannot last four hundred years. To conclude, let us be ready always howsoever, although this day be like yesterday, and too morrow like today, yet let us not defer our repentance. For God came not unto Adam before the evening, yet he came. Although the Angels came not upon Sodom until the evening, yet they came. And so comes Christ to Judgment, although he be not yet come, let us not think he hath leaden feet, and cannot come, lest we find he hath iron hands when he doth come. To conclude, if there be any one thing in the Book of God, from the Alpha of Genesis, unto the Omega of the Revelation, that is able to turn a sinner from his sins to come unto God by repentance, it is the remembrance of this general judgment. This is that kept David in so much awe, I have feared thy Judgments. I have been mindful of thy Judgments, thy Judgments were always in my sight.
O therefore let us speedily repent that we may be unblameable before the Judge at that great general day of Judgment; and be clothed with the white Robes of righteousness, & stand in the number of those, unto whom Christ shall say, Come ye blessed children of my Father ; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. This God grant (without whose help, all the labor of man is vain) even for his dear Son Christ Jesus his sake, our Redeemer and only Savior, to whom with the Father, and the holy Gost, be all honor glory, praise, power and dominion both now and for evermore. Amen.