The Soldiers Commission Charge and Reward, Part
The Teſtimony given to Sr CHARLES COOTE, who died Honourably in the Churches & his Countries ſervice, and with exceeding great Lamentation was Interred in Chriſt-Church Dublin, the 14th day of May, 1642.
Worthy and Chriſtian Auditors,
THe time being far ſpent, I ſhall utter but little of that which might be ſpoken of this renowned and bleſſed inſtrument of Gods Glory, and his Nations good, who was well known to us all to be faithful till death in the Lords work, and in his life a true mirrour of Piety, Proweſſe, and Prudence, and infatigable Induſtry both in times of peace and of war.
Before theſe commotions in Ireland began, it pleaſed the Lord to viſit him with ſickneſſe, and to convince him of his ſins: after his recovery he ſent for ſome ſpiritual Phyſitians to whom ingenuouſly he opened the eſtate of his ſoul, and took their counſel what he might do to procure pardon and reconciliation with God, heedfully obſerving what was ſayd, and carefully making uſe of it afterwards (I doubt not) to his everlaſting good. For ever ſince he hath been obſerved to be a very due reſorter to publick ordinances, and a large contributer towards their maintenance, having in high eſteem the faithful meſſengers of Jeſus Chriſt, and expreſſing ſingular affection to the generation of Gods people. He was like Cornelius the Centurion frequent in prayer, abundant in alms-deeds. His proweſſe rendred him terrible to our enemies round about, and the Lord of Hoſts made him ſucceſſefull; for as David ſaid of Jonathan, 2 Sam. 1.22.From the blood of the ſlain, and from the fat of the mighty his ſword returned not empty. His rare dexterity in animating the Souldier, his winning demeanour, affable and ſeaſonable ſpeeches, and his prudent ordering of his affairs, made him great among his people, Eſt. 10.3.and accepted (with Mordecai) of the multitude of his brethren, for they all ſaw he ſought the welfare of his Nation, and put his life in his hand to procure their ſafety.
Fines MoriſonHe was a man of war from his youth. The Iriſh Chronicle relateth he came hither a Captain in Q. Elizabeths wars, Anno 1601. Sept. 4. And did memorable exploits againſt Tirone and his complices. As the Lord made him inſtrumental to introduce peace, ſo he was vigilant to preſerve it afterwards. Many combinations of theeviſh Crews, and trayterous conſpiracies in the Province of Connaght and Confines of Ulſter hath he diſſipated, making ſome moſt notorious offenders exemplary to the terror of the reſt.Job 29, 12.13, 14. On the other ſide, delivering the poor innocent from ſuch as were too ſtrong for them. He brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the ſpoil out of their teeth. The bleſſing of them that were ready to periſh came upon him: and he cauſed the ſtrangers heart to ſing for joy. He put on righteouſneſſe and it clothed him, and his judgment was as a robe and diadem. Many years together did he ſhine as an eminent Star in our Horizon: nothing danted with falſe aſperſions of ſome,Maximus Serm. 54. In ſole ambulantes neceſſariò umbra ſequitur, in honore & dignitate viventes invidia comitatur. or fooliſh credulity of others; for he knew that as the ſhadow follows the body walking in the Sun, ſo doth envy attend worth and vertue.
Since this new eruption of war, he only was left of all the ancient worthies in the former wars of Ireland whom time either hath worn out, or diſabled for this work, but the Lord renewed his ſtrength as the Eagles; when hearing the rufull out-cries, and beholding the prodigious miſeries of our ſtript Engliſh, which ſurpaſſe all expreſſion, he was exceedingly moved in his ſpirit, and prayed the Lord to endue him with ſtrength from above, that he might be able before he died to give three or four defeats to the authours of the great indignities and numberleſſe ſufferings of an helpleſſe people. This prayer the Lord condeſcended to; for inſtantly, of weak he became ſtrong, and to all mens admiration went forth in confidence of aſſiſtance of the moſt high, and by Faith put to flight thoſe that roſe up againſt him; and who ſaw not, that God was with him? Firſt he diſcomfited the Rebels in Wicklow: he burned Clantarf, a place neer this City filled with rapine and blood: he took in the Garriſons of the Naaz, and Trim: he expeld the enemies out of the Navan, and then he encountred with the whole body of the enemy at Kilruſh in a pitcht battel, and routed their vaſt multitudes, and would have purſued them, if he might have had his will, with ſuch heat and vigor, that they ſhould have had little leaſure or opportunity to rally any more: but he was called back, and the number of his deſired victories being made up with ſome overplus, in his laſt battel near Trim he was ſlain, being ſhot (as it is verily conjectured) by one of our ſide, into the body; having a little before with three or four Troops, chaſed three or four thouſand almoſt two miles, and left about four hundred dead on the place; Thus died this honorable Patriot and Champion in the Lords work, and victorious, in the ſixty fifth year of his age,Cic. de Senect. wherein (as Cato Major ſaith of Q. Maximus, Hic bella gerebat, ut adoleſcens, cum plane grandis eſſet.) he was like Caleb for ſtrength,Joſ. 14.11. as able for the war both to go out and to come in as he was the day when he was firſt ſent over, having about a quarter of an hour before his fall, ſlain with his ſword a Rebel of great ſtature hand to hand. But now as David ſaid of Abner, may I ſay of him, A great man is fallen in our Iſrael; in whom the Lord hath bereaved us at once of the mighty man, and the man of war, the prudent and valiant Captain, the honorable man, and the Counſellour;c. 3.2. as the Prophet Iſaiah ſpeaks.
The greatneſſe of our adverſaries rejoycings at his fall, proclaimeth aloud the greatneſſe of our loſſe: but nothing hath befallen him or us, but what hath befallen the deareſt of Gods Servants. Sampſon is reckoned in the Catalogue of Believers,Heb. 11. who ſlew more ar his death than in all his life; yet he periſhed among the Philiſtines: by the Philiſtines ſword gracious Jonathan afterwards fell upon Mount Gilboa, 2 Sam. 1.20.which occaſioned much triumph to the daughters of the uncircumciſed. Faithfull Uriah was alſo betrayed by Joab at the Kings Command, and cut off by the ſword of the duplicate page children of Ammon; Adde to theſe, godly Joſiah, to whom there was none like before or after among all the Kings of Judah; yet was he ſlain by the ſword of Pharaoh Necho. The ſword devoureth one as well as another: and all things befall all alike, him that feareth God, and him that feareth him not. Yea Ariſtotle calleth this kind of death the moſt beautifull of all other. Ethic. l. 3.Offic. l. 1. & de ſomnio Scipionis. c. 6. The Orator affirmeth, that no good man will doubt to die for the profit of his Country: This our deceaſed Champion accounted to be moſt eligible; for ſuch as lay down their lives for the brethren eminently ſhew forth their love to God and his Church,1 Joh. 3.16. as Gods love is apparently ſeen in his ſons laying down his life for us. And wiſe men in all ages agree upon this maxime, Decet Imperatorem ſtantem mori: And God gave him his option, he was taken from us by this eligible, beautifull, honourable death; for he deceaſed on Horſ-back, being upheld by his Son riding behind him, till he had brought him to his quarters. The Lord convince and humble us all for all our ſins, which have brought this judgment upon us. Not one but many Achans have thus troubled our Iſrael; for I know no kind of ſins which are not predominant among us. It is the Lords mercy we are not all conſumed.
The Lord help us to look up to Jeſus Chriſt, whom our ſins have alſo pierced,Iſa. 55.4. for him hath God given to be a leader and commander to his people; who once died, that by his death we may have life, and by his life ſalvation temporal and eternal; for now, though other Commanders die, he liveth for ever, and when other helpers may be far off, he is ever preſent with all his people who alone can help, when as without him all help of men is in vain; as when the Spirit departed ttom valiant Sampſon, he became weak like other men. This hath he commanded us to do, and promiſed ſalvation to all them that ſo do, Iſa. 45.22. And then ſhall our ſorrows be all turned into joy, and our enemies rejoycing ſhall vaniſh: then ſhall the Lord who hath the reſidue of the ſpirit in the room of this one Heroick Patriot now gone to his reſt, raiſe up many deliverers endued with wiſdome, counſell, and might, and the fear of the Lord, who may fight our Battels, tread down our enemies as mire in the Streets, reſtore poor outcaſts to their rightfull poſſeſſions again, and ſettle peace and truth in all the borders of this ſinfull and bloody Land, to the comfort of all true Iſraelites, and his own everlaſting glory. Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Faithful Teate, The Soldiers Commission Charge and Reward (1658)