I’ve been reading this book titled “Tyrannicide Brief” by Geoffrey Robertson. It is a fascinating story about this guy called John Cooke, a lawyer in the 17^th century tasked with the taking poisoned chalice of prosecuting King Charles I. There was a part early in the book where Mr Robertson tried to explain what drove Cooke, a relatively poor commoner of Puritan roots in England, to devote his life to public service, ultimately to the point of death. He thought a lot of it had to do with the dominance of religion at that time, as there was little else going for people of his stock at that time in history. It may have been a serendipitous outcome in Mr Robertson’s mind but it anchored him so well that he was willing to prosecute his King. To me however, it was the other way around. I think his faith in God, while it may have given him inner conviction, stood alone in its truth. He may have been an insignificant public servant who stayed on in Ireland (where he first gained recognition as a lawyer) and made his money. He may have sailed to the New World (USA) with many of his kind and gained prominence there as a republican of a new order. He may have simply remained a farmer of sorts in 17^th century England, never to have attracted the attention of anyone including Mr Robertson. His faith in God was and still is an independent and all-relevant truth. I’m teetering on the edge of “huh?” but I guess what I’m saying is that by ascribing his religious propensity as a reason for his courageous act, Mr Robertson has relegated Mr Cooke’s faith to a secondary importance and sub-planted it with some other piece of history, important and illuminating the a prosecution of the sovereign may have been. One’s faith in God, one’s allegiance and obedience to Him, should be the be-all and end-all issue. Ecclesiastes says the whole purpose of man is to be happy in his work and fear God. Notice how Mr Cooke’s vocation is secondary to his religious duty, in terms of Ecclesiastes. That should be true for everyone. I have not finished reading this absorbing account and will certainly cherish every morsel left in the remaining few pages. I will however be reminded that whatever one’s achievement in history, if one fears God, it doesn’t matter what one does as long as he enjoys it.