Jerusalem Fatal to her Assailants, Title page – Dedication
:חגיון סלה IERUSALEM Fatall to her Aſſailants. DISCOVERED In a Sermon before the Honorable Houſe of COMMONS Auguſt 29. 1649. At MARGARETS Weſtminſter, VponUpon their ſolemne day of thankſgiving for that ſignall Victory over the Lord ORMOND, In routing his whole Army, and raiſing the Siege of Dublin in Ireland, By the Garriſon thereof under the Command of Lieutenant Generall IONES. By WILLIAM COOPER M. A. Miniſter of the Goſpel at OLAVES Southwark.
PSAL. 9.16.
The Lord is known by the judgement that he executeth: The wicked is ſnared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion Selah.
Claud. lib. 1. in Eutrop.
Sic opifex tauri, tormentorum que repertor,
Primus inexpertum, Siculo cogente tyranno;
Senſit opus, docetque ſuum mugire juvencum.
London Printed by J. C. for the Author, and are to be ſold at the Crown in Popes-head Alley. 1649.
Die Iovis 30 Auguſti 1649.
ORDERED by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament; that the thanks of this Houſe be given to M. Cooper for his great pains taken in his Sermon preached before this Houſe yeſterday at Margarets Weſtminſter; being a day ſet a part for a publick Thanksgiving: And that he be deſired to print his Sermon; and have the like priviledge in printing as others uſually have had in the like caſe. And it is ordered that Sir Henry Mildmay doe give him the thanks of this Houſe accordingly.
Henry Scobel Cler. Parliamenti.
To the Honourable Houſe of Commons aſſembled in Parliament at Weſtminſter.
Honorable Worthies,
THE Romans, what out of policie, or ſuperſtition,Pluc. & Macrob. Vide Caſp. Bart. ad Rutil. l. 2. v. 42. made it heinous and capitall to make known the name of their Cities tutelar God, by whoſe favour Rome had attained to that height of grandor and glory; it was religion to them to be ſilent and ſecret in this: But our ſilence would be ſo far from being ſacred, that it were a ſin and high prophaning the name of our tutelar God, the great God and Lord of Hoſts, not to publiſh and blaze his Name unto the world, eſpecially when himſelfe declares, that he doth his wondrous works, that they may be had in everlaſting remembrance. But when I conſider the ſullen ſilence and ingratitude of many, notwithſtanding ſo vaſt a confluence of mercies upon us with meaſure preſſed down and running over, me thinkes it calls to mind what an Hebrew Writer complaines of in his time, that the Fathers had plowed,R. Hag. ſowen, reaped, fanned, and ſet bread upon the Table, but the children had not a mouth to eat it. Surely that's a fooliſh and a froward child, that ſees not how his heavenly Father hath provided for him, and yet wants a heart to value, and a mouth to proclaim his goodneſſe. The ſenſe of which alone prevailed upon my ſpirit, to attend the call of Divine Providence by you (Honourable Worthies) both firſt to ſpeake, and now to publiſh this enſuing homely diſcourſe. I believe, therefore have I ſpoken.
It was a noble acknowledgement in David when he ſaid, Thine, O Lord, is the greatneſſe, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the Majeſty: All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. How then can we grudge to give God his homage and tribute, who hold all at the will of the Lord? Our thankefulneſſe what is it but the reflection of his own beames, and the eccho of his ſtrokes? ſtrokes laid on ſo home and heavy upon your adverſaries, as makes ſome of them with the Magicians, to confeſſe the finger of God.
You (right honorable) have declared your high ſenſe of ſo tranſcendent a deliverance, and I hope it will not ſoon die with you, being ſo rich a preſent, and earneſt of future happineſſe. Yet know, this doth not pay all your debt, Creſcentibus donis, donorum creſcunt rationes, much is given you, and therefore much ſhall be required of you. So then, it is proper for your ſoules now to ask this queſtion, What ſhall I render, and how ſhall I ſtand under this weight of glory and mercy? A queſtion ſo much the more proper and ſeaſonable, as our frailties are apt to expoſe us in proſperous ſucceſſes, unto the power of temptations; inſomuch as a ſage Heathen tels us this obſervation of his,Cicero, lib. 4. Epiſt. 3. ad Lam. that although warre be full of calamities, yet nothing is more dangerous than victory, which albeit it happen to the beſt men, yet it commonly renders them fierce, and impotent in their exceſſes; yea, notwithſtanding they are otherwiſe by nature inclined, yet by a kind of fatality they are made ſuch. The conſideration of this, I hope, will over-aw your hearts by a holy feare and watchfulneſſe, not onelyonly to ſhun theſe rockes of extremity, to which you ſee men in ſuch a caſe obnoxious, but alſo to ſtudy an improvement of your mercies ſutable to the greatneſſe of them.
There is a memorable ſtory of that grave Emperour Charles the fifth, a man cut out for greatneſſe and happineſſe, had he not daſhed upon that rock which commonly ſplits Royal Families, an endevour to ſmother the Goſpel by force, and fraud; this man upon ſome ſucceſſes, was flattered by Antonius Leva, and ſome other of his officers, to make uſe of his victories for the advantage and intereſt of his Imperiall Majeſty, their meaning was, that he ſhould thereby make himſelf great, after the example of Caeſar & Alexander, not ſparing any that ſtood in his way. To whom he thus reply'd, The ſole mark of Alexander and J. Caeſars aim,Beſold. Diſſert. Philolog. &c. was worldly glory; but it becomes me, and other Chriſtian Princes, ſo to look at honour, as to take heed leſt while we hunt after that, we loſe our ſoules; and to uſe victory ſo, as we may be able to give God an account of our actions. This anſwer from ſuch a man at ſuch a time, I confeſſe made ſome impreſſion upon me, when I read it, my prayers are, it may doe more upon you, whom for your preſent capacity and tranſactions it more fitly ſuits.
Shew thou your ſelves to God, as he hath declared himſelfe to you: Wot you how? In righteouſnes and holines, by theſe two the Lord makes himſelf glorious, and theſe two will be as the two pillars Jachin and Boaz both to your own honour, and the happines of this people. For Religion,Bodin. val. in Reſ. Hac velnti thyrſo percutiuntur mentes humanae Lib. 2. cap. 18. de prin. I know a name only of it is ſufficient to ſome to maintain their own name, and to preſerve an intereſt. This hath been eſteemed by Princes ſufficient to charme and reſtrain the multitudes, foraſmuch as Religion hath the ſtrongeſt reaſon in it and for it, of all things. But if there be but a name, if there be but a ſhew, and ſingleneſſe in this, the Lord will not be mocked: Yet if any ſhould tell me, that England hath the ſame ground to complaine of what France did long agoe, That too many of their Chiefes had learned that Maxime of the Florentine Atheiſt, That as it was neceſſary for a Governour, ſo enough to ſeem religious outwardly, though inwardly hee were not ſo; I would not give credit to him upon this ground, becauſe it is impoſſible that thoſe viſible and ſignall diſcoveries of God to us in all the wayes of his diſpenſations, ſhould ſuffer us to impoſe upon his omniſcience. Beſides, me-thinks you often ſignifie, that religion is a tender Virgin, that muſt be as watchfully kept, as warily approached: The firſt of theſe, will mind you, that men be not ſuffered to run wild in the things of God: The other, that conſcience be not impoſed on by one or t'other hand The firſt is a Gallioniſme, the other is Antichriſtianiſme. I know none ſhall ever have juſt cauſe to faſten either of theſe upon your counſels or actions; for the one, who durſt preſume but that the name of God ſhall be as tender to you, as your own: for the other, that of Tertullian is obſervable, Hoc ad irreligioſitatis elogium concurrit adimere libertatem religionis, & interdicere opinionem divinitatis, ut non liceat mihi colere quem velim, ſed cogar colere quem nolim. In a word, therefore endevour by ſteering aright betwixt theſe two rocks, to preſerve our veſſell from ſhip-wrack; and let peace between brethren be ſo endevoured y you, which doth as it were pitch the ſhip within and without, that no leaks or chinks ſhal ſink it. Great Conſtantine did think it his duty and intereſt to perſwade and urge this by his perſonal preſence, & authority. O you Fathers of your Country, conſider your children, ſome are ſtronger, ſome younger, ſome more heavy and ſullen, others more ſprightly and wanton; there are not onelyonly diverſities, but diviſions among them. Put forth your authority with wiſdom and tenderneſſe effectually, that we may not alwayes bite and devoure one another. I ſhall adde this, Let intereſt of State ſway nothing to the calculation of religion to any point. Notable is that example of Scipio Ammiratus upon Tacitus, Sith there is no proportion between temporall things and ſpirituall, when thou ſeeſt Religion to oppoſe thy reaſon of State, preſently betake thy ſelfe to religion, and accommodate thy reaſon of State to that, and not the contrary: for if you think to lay a yoak upon the conſciences of men, and thereby as a ſtrong man endevour to keep the Houſe in peace, they will anſwer you with that ſtout Pretor, O ye Romans we reverence you; and if you will have more, we feare you too; yet know, we beare a greater reverence and feare to the immortall Gods. Look therefore to this.
The other Pillar of your name, and of your ſafety, is Righteouſneſſe: Read over thoſe innumerable Petitions written and unwritten of a long time, and yet daily preſented; lay your eares to the ſighes and teares of the oppreſſed that have no comforter, take heed that none juſtly appeale to the day of judgement from you, or againſt you; remember that your duty is by a Geometrical proportion to give to every one his right according to his capacity and merit, and to doe as you would be done by: ſometime to part with your plenty by contribution, and to abate of your height by condeſcention, according to exigence. Salvian perſwading to this very thing, brings in the Fabii, Fabricii, and Cincinnati, who refuſed the advantage of growing rich,Lib. 1. de Pro. that if it were poſſible by their impoveriſhment they might raiſe the ruines of a ſhattered Common-wealth. But that of Philo is notable, who ſaith, Jupiter had two Twins, to one of them he gave immortality, the other he made mortall: the brother that was immortall conſidering his own life to be endleſſe, and that his brother ſhould die, and ſo his griefe for his brothers death would conſequently be eternal, deviſed this marvellous exchange, he communicated immortality with his mortall brother, by which both had a mixture of both. This he calls the fountain and ground of all Juſtice. Some will be ready to apply this againſt the immortallity of your preſent Seſſion, me thinks it clearly tells all, whom God hath for a turn lifted up above their brethren, that they declare a communicableneſſe with their brethren. My aim (Worthies) was but this, that by the flouriſhing of Religion and Righteouſneſſe among you and us. I may congratulate my Countrey with this acclamation, The Lord bleſſe thee, O habitation of juſtice, and mountain of holineſſe, Jer. 31.23.
This mean Sermon here again preſented, together with the occaſion, ſerves for a comfortable encouragement in the premiſes, by ſhewing the ſelf-deſtroying enterprizes of your enemies, how fatall Jeruſalem is to her aſſailants, how faithfull the Lord is in his engagements for his people. That emergency which gave occaſion to our ſolemnity, and this diſcourſe, beares teſtimony to ſo weighty a truth. Now that our hearts may come up to it in our reſpective places and duties, is the prayer of
Your Honours daily Orator at the Throne of Grace, William Cooper