Sermon Preached Several Times, Dedication 3 – Poem
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND Religious his very kinde Cozen, Sr. ROBERT COOKE Knight, eldeſt Sonne and Heire to that worthy Knight Sr. WILLIAM COOKE late deceaſed: Long life and good dayes, with increaſe of Grace here, and eternall Glory hereafter.
HOPEFVLL SIR,
THis weake Worke was intended your worthy Father now deceaſed, unto whom ſo many bonds of alliance, of dependance, of ancient acquaintance, and of continued beneficence ſo ſtraitly tied, ſo deeply engaged mee; and whom therefore next after mine Honourable Patron, and that Worſhipfull Societie, wherein I ſpent ſo much time, and whereof I remaine yet an unworthy and unprofitable member, I could not in this kinde over-ſlip without ſome juſt note of ingratitude. But ſince it hath pleaſed God unexpectedly (to our great loſſe and griefe, though, no doubt, hisaforeign. Philip. 1.23. farre greater gaine) to remove him hence, and to receive him thither where he now reſteth, as without need, ſo beyond reach of theſe Offices, I know none that may better lay claime to it than your ſelfe, who are to riſe up in his roome, and to ſtand in his ſtead, as Firstborne in that Familie, whereof hee lately was Head. I ſhall not need to adde, what inducements and encouragements I might further receive to addreſſe theſe my poore endevours that way, from thoſe pregnant prints as well of pietie as other good parts evidently diſcovering themſelves in your owne perſon, obſerved by others as well as my ſelfe, and the rather obſerved, becauſe ſo rare ordinarily in others of your yeares, and of your ranke. The conſideration whereof, as*foreign, Menand. it miniſtred much comfort to your worthy Father before his deceaſe, eſteeming it no ſmall Honour unto him that God had graced him with a Sonne of ſuch parts and hopes in the judgement and by the teſtimonie of ſo many as well judicious obſervers as unpartiall reporters: ſo it helpeth not a little to mitigate the great griefe of all his and your friends not without great cauſe conceived for the loſſe (if they may be termed loſt, that God findeth to their eternall weale and welfare) of one whom they ſo highly ever prized, and now ſo deſervedly deſire; and miniſtreth good ground of hope, that you will further in due time, (as he ſaid ſometime of Conſtantines Sonnes)bforeign. Euſeb. in vita Constant. wholly put on your worthy Parents, ſocforeign. Ibid. exactly reſembling them in their vertuous parts, and treading ſo preciſely in their religious ſteps, that both they may ſeeme to ſurvive in you, and you be knowne thereby to have come of them. And this the rather it ſtandeth you upon to contend and ſtrive unto, conſidering (as I doubt not but you doe) that as it is a doubledforeign. Eurip. Herad Et idem Helen. foreign. Dos eſt magna parentum virtus. Hor carm. lib. 3. ode 24. foreign. Eurip. Hipp. grace for a good man to be well deſcended, while both his parentage is a grace to him, and hee likewiſe a grace to it: So it iseforeign; &c. Plut. de aud. poet. Itane tandem majores famam tradiderunt tibi tui, ut virtute eorum anteparta per flagitium perderes? Plant. trinum. Teterrimis ignaviae aut nequitiae ſordibus imbuta, portenta nobilia. Val. Max. lib. 3. c. 5. Qui acceptam à majoribus lucem in tenebras convertant. Ibid. c 4. a foule diſgrace and a double ſtaine for one ſo deſcended to degenerate from the good courſes, or come ſhort of the good parts of thoſe he came of, and ſo to prove either a blot or a blemiſh to them that might otherwiſe have beene a grace and an honour to him, but ſhall now helpe rather to condemne him than to acquite or excuſe him. It was the ſpeech of one for a naturall man notably qualified, though but meanly bred, to a diſſolute perſon well borne, upbraiding him with his birth,fEgo primus illuſtravi domum meam; tu dedecoraſti tuam. Cicero poſt Iphicratem. I am a grace to my ſtock, thou a blot to thy linage: as another not unlike him in the like caſe,*foreign. Socrates. My ſtock is ſome ſtaine to mee, but thou art a ſtaine to thy ſtock. And indeed as it weregMalo pater tibi ſit Therſites, dummodo tu ſis Aeacidae ſimilis;— Quam te Therſitae fimilem producat Achilles. Iuvenal. ſatyr. 8. better for a man to come of a Therſites ſo he prove like Achilles, than to come of an Achilles if he prove like Therſites: So it had beene leſſe evill for Manaſſes to have deſcended immediatly from an Achaz or an Achab, than deſcending (as he did) immediatly from an Ezechias to prove in conditions and courſe of life a ſecond Achaz or an other Achab. This conſideration may well be a ſtrong engagement to godlineſſe, where but either parent onelyonly hath beene religious. For ifh1 Cor. 7.14. either partie beleeving, though the other be an infidell, be of force ſufficient to bring the Children bred betweene them within compaſſe of Gods Covenant: ſurely the godlineſſe of either, though the other were prophane, must needs be no ſmall tiall to oblige their iſſue the more ſtraitly to that courſe, which they ſtood bound to have taken, though their parents had beene both of them utterly irreligious. But in this kinde hath God to you beene more abundantly gratious, in bleſſing and honouring you on both ſides with two ſuch worthie Parents, whoſe memorie as it is and will ever be deſervedly honoured with all thoſe that here knew them; ſo it is juſtly expected that it be revived in you eſpecially, and the reſidue of their iſſue, asiforeign. Euripid. Meleagr. foreign; Sophocl. Antigon. in a lively monument, and one better than of marble or braſſe, not of their earthly and worldly, but of their ſpirituall and worthieſt parts. Yea, ask1 King. 1.37. Davids Courtiers ſometime wiſhed, that his ſonne Salomon might in ſtate and honour not ſucceed onelyonly, but exceed David his father: ſo the like may well in ſome regards be expected at your hands, in well-doing and piety not to parallel onelyonly, but to ſurpaſſe him you ſprang from. For, to omit that God hath furniſhed you with ſome abilities of learning that hee had not, that he hath called you ſooner and entred you earlier, you have the more day before you: Your worthy Father hath broken the ice to you, he hath laid you to your hand a good foundation of religious courſes in that Familie that you are to be Head unto hereafter; hee hath ſetled neere you and obliged unto you*Mr. T. Baily ſometime Fellow of Maudlins in Oxford. a man of ſingular parts, who as he was ſometime your Tutor and Governour, ſo will not ceaſe now to be a Counſellor and Coadjutor unto you, by whoſe advice and aſsistance you may have plentifull meanes of furtherance in that godly courſe that by Gods gratious goodneſſe you have already made entrance into. Sir, you ſee what a taske is exacted of you, what a neceſsitie of well-doing and of proceeding in good courſes is every way impoſed upon you. Let all laid together prevaile with you to make you as the more carefull to affect and embrace all good meanes of helpe and furtherance therein; ſo the more forward and diligent from time to time inſtantly and inceſſantly to crave further grace at his hands, by whoſe ſtrength wee all ſtand; who as hee hath begun this his gratious worke in you, ſo is alone able to finiſh it (and I doubt not but hee will ſo doe) to his owne glory in you, and your eternall glory with him. And to this purpoſe may this looſe diſcourſe afford you any the leaſt helpe, I ſhall eſteeme it a ſufficient recompence of my labour in the publiſhing of it, what ever the iſſue be otherwiſe: If any other beſide ſhall reape benefit thereby, I deſire but that God may have the praiſe of it, and my ſelfe onelyonly their prayers. Howſoever it prove, it ſhall remaine a teſtimonie of the ſincere love and reſpect that hee beareth and oweth to you and the houſe you come of, who both is and ſhall by Gods grace alwayes continue,
Your Worſhips hearty well-wiſher and affectionate Kinſman, THOMAS GATAKER.
Euripides Helena.
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Imple tuorum vota, dum refers pii
Mores parentis: nam que honoris culmen hoc
Summum, parente ſiquis editus pio
Pietate patrem & ipſe proſequitur pium.