The Soldiers Commission Charge and Reward, Title page – Dedication
THE Souldiers Commiſſion, CHARGE, & REVVARD, Both of the DECEITFULL and NEGLIGENT, And the FAITHFULL & DILIGENT in the LORDS Work. Opened in A SERMON Preached in Chriſt-Church Dublin, May 14. 1642. Before the State and Chief of the ARMY, upon occaſion of the Interring of Sir CHARLES COOTE Knight, and one of the Honourable Privy Council in IRELAND.
By Faithfull Teate D. D. then Lecturer there, now Preacher of the Goſpel in Eaſt-Greenwich in KENT.
Cyprian. Epiſt. 2. l. 2.
Homicidium cum admittunt ſinguli crimen eſt, virtus vocatur cum publicè geritur.
1 Pet. 4.17.
The time is come, that judgement muſt begin at the houſe of God: and if it firſt begin at us, what ſhall the end be of them that obey not the Goſpel of God?
2 Tim. 2.5.
If a man ſtrive for maſteries, yet is he not crowned, except he ſtrive lawfully.
London, Printed by J. H. for T. Underhill, at the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Church-yard. 1658.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Sir CHARLES COOTE Lord Preſident of the Province of Connaght in IRELAND.
SIR,
THis ſmall Treatiſe properly belongeth to Your Honour, who are Son and Heir (tam corporis, quam heroicae virtutis) to this eminent and Honourable Perſon, whoſe deceaſe gave occaſion to the preaching of this Sermon at as great and ſolemn a Meeting, as I have ſeen in Ireland. It was at the firſt intended for the Preſſe, as well as the Pulpit, but till this day hath lain dormant, not in obſervance of the learned*Hor. Arte Poeticâ. Nonum prematur in annum, ſiquid olim ſcripſeris. Poets advice, who counſelleth that a Poem ſhould be kept in under nine years private correction, before it be admitted to publick view; but here was ſomething ſpoken againſt the ceſſation, which was then ſo vigorouſly proſecuted, that it might not be further contradicted, whereof I have written more in another†In the Epiſtle Dedicatory of my True Iſraelite. Treatiſe formerly publiſhed.
And indeed had not Your Honour revived it, by giving an invitation to the publication of it now at laſt, it had never appeared in this dreſſe; but being called, it readily obeyed, upon theſe following accounts.
Firſt, That the righteouſneſſe and truth of the Lord might be manifeſted to the world, in accompliſhing the predictions here enſuing, both againſt our open enemies, as alſo againſt ſuch as ſecretly oppoſed, and ſubtilly retarded this work of God, which they then pretended to mannage and maintain; who, of all others, have been reputed among wiſe men in all ages, the worſt enemies: For 1. Their ſin is double, hypocriſie being joined unto their hatred, and herein they are egregious fools, as Solomon termeth them, Prov. 10.18. He that hideth hatred with lying lips, is a fool. 2. Of all others they do the moſt miſchief, having more opportunities then enemies without, and being for a time leaſt ſuſpected, as*Boet. l. 3. de conſol. Nulla peſtis eſt efficacior ad nocendum, quàm familiar…s inimicus. Boetius rightly obſerveth. 3. But in the end, God hath threatned to diſcover them, Prov. 26.26. Whoſe hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedneſſe ſhall be ſhewed before the whole Congregation; and then ſhall they be puniſhed anſwerably to their demerits, as Judas was, who perfidiouſly betraied his Maſter with a kiſſe. This have many in our daies experimented, and we have ſeen the iſſue: as wave followeth wave, ſo one curſe hath purſued them after another.
Secondly, That the tender mercies and great kindneſſe of our God towards us may be magnified, in fulfilling the deſires of his ſervants, when we called upon him in our diſtreſſe. For though he deprived us of this great, magnanimous and ſucceſsfull Commander, and divers others, upon whom, our eyes (it may be) were too much fixed; to teach us, not to truſt in the arm of fleſh, but in him, who alone doth all: yet hath he anſwered our prayers, in raiſing up continually in times of need, other valiant, vigilant, and victorious Leaders to carry on his own work to a bleſſed period, which ſeemed ſometimes to ceaſe, like the building of the Temple in Ezra's daies.Ezra 4.13. Time was when theſe Moabites inſultingly cried out unto us, Where is your Engliſh God? But now may we triumphantly anſwer, You may ſee, if you ſhut not your eyes wilfully againſt the light, that our God is in the heavens, and hath done whatſoever he pleaſed in the earth. Now may we truly ſay, by our own experience, Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whoſe hope is in the Lord his God, which made heaven and earth, and keepeth truth for ever, which executeth judgement for the oppreſſed; but the way of the wicked he turneth upſide down. And now may we demand of you, Shall not the righteous God avenge his elect, which cry unto him night and day? Surely he will avenge them ſpeedily, though he ſeem to forbear long. What ſay you? we have found it ſo, Can you deny it?
Thirdly, That the outgoings of our God in the dawning of our deiverances may not be forgotten in the midſt of our daily Trophies for victories ſince acquired; but the whole ſeries of his wonderfull preſervations of a ſmall remnant of us, may be thankefully recorded by us, and our children after us; for this doth the Lord expect from us, as may appear by his ſtrait charge given to the children of Iſrael, when he had brought them into the land of Canaan, not to forget, how he had wrought for them in the land of Egypt, Deut. 6.10, 11.
Laſtly, That hereby (as much as lieth in a paper Monument) the bleſſed memory of this renowned Patriot, after his death, may be preſerved, who, under God, was inſtrumental to preſerve many lives, by the hazard and loſſe of his own.Prov. 22.1. Ovid. l. 2. Fastorum. Memorem famam qui bene geſſit, habet. A good Name (ſaith Solomon) is rather to be choſen then great riches; for this followeth a worthy perſon, when riches forſake him. And this is one of the rewards which God hath promiſed to conferre upon his faithfull ſervants, Pſal. 112.6. The righteous ſhall be had in everlaſting remembrance. Beſides this, it affordeth laſting comfort to ſurviving friends, and is profitable to others, who thereby are taught to imitate their good examples, whoſe Praiſes are celebrated long after their Funerals are finiſhed; whereupon holy*De bono viduitatis. Nobis neceſſaria eſt vita noſtra, aliis fama noſtra. Auguſtin ſaid, As a good life is neceſſary for our ſelves, ſo our good name is neceſſary for others.
Theſe (Right Honourable) be the reaſons of this late publication of theſe enſuing lines; Now humbly deſiring Your favourable acceptance of my endeavours therein, I commit Your Honour to the protection and direction of him who is ſtiled a Man of War, and the God of Peace, in whom, I remain▪
Your Honours humble ſervant at command, FAITHFULL TEATE. From my Study in Eaſt-Greenwich. 1657.