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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A26833 A sermon preach'd before the Queen in Christ-Church, Canterbury, May iv. 1694 by John Battely ... Battely, John, 1647-1708. 1694 (1694) Wing B1151; ESTC R11113 9,154 27

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Faith or Religion teaches him to set the Battle regularly in array confronting every Vice which shall assault him with the exercise of some contrary Grace or Christian Virtue and then it fares with these Combatants as it does with the contrary qualities in natural Bodies as one grows intense the other becomes remiss what one loses the other gains and at length one of them will and must expel the other Nor is it wanting if I may without affectation pursue a Metaphor in which St. Paul seems to delight and use upon all occasions in all the other arts and advantages of War by which Worldly Victories are gain'd For fear of surprizes it sets a diligent watch upon all the ways by which temptations can have access to the Heart to avoid disorder confusion mutiny in its own Camp it wisely holds the reins of our tumultuous Passions checks the host and violence of their Motions guides their Strength and directs their Force and applies it aright and where it may be most effectual By fasting and mortification it starves our Lusts and reduces those stubborn Enemies by cutting off all Provision from them It encourages us by the noble Example of those that have been Conquerours in this War before us especially recounting to us the great Atchievements of Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation the Author and Finisher of our Faith It fixes our Eyes upon the inestimable rewards laid up for those who couragiously fight this fight an Eternal weight of Glory a thing which in this Life we can apprehend no more than Infant-Princes can the greatness of the Empires they are born to Thus it is that Faith overcomes and the Victory which it obtains consists in this that it at last sets us above the World above fearing its Frowns or courting its Favours fixing us upon the sure Foundation of a good Conscience and a resolution to keep it by doing our Duty so that temptations of what sort soever may press in upon us but never move us from our Station It inspires us with Heavenly Wisdom Gratitude and Courage to answer all the sollicitations to Sin as once the virtuous Joseph did Gen. xxxix 9 How can I do this great Wickedness and sin against God But by the way we must not flatter our selves that our Victory can in this Life be perfect so that no Sin shall be left undestroyed to make head against us No we must go down into our Graves fighting and conquer dying and at the Resurrection our Victory shall be compleat and our Eternal Triumphs begin when Death our last Enemy shall be destroyed Thus have I endeavour'd briefly and plainly to show you the true meaning of the Apostle in these words namely That the main work and business of Faith is to make us first good and holy and then happy Men that the only end Religion was intended for is the saving of our Souls by subduing our Spiritual Enemies They who contrary to this interpretation of the Text make Faith to be nothing else but the perswasion of their own Party and its Victory nothing else but the prevailing of that perswasion over all other Religions in the World introduce a new Faith quite different from that which is truly Christian A restless troublesome Faith which will neither suffer the subject to live an honest and peaceable nor the Prince under whom it is profest a quiet and an easy Life A Faith apter to destroy Mens lives than to mend them A Faith debased with an unnatural mixture of Passion Prejudice Interest and I know not what other designs and practices to which true Religion is utterly a Stranger and has nothing to do with them Whereas the Faith in my Text is quite another thing its Victories are gain'd without Noise or Tumult without giving any the least disturbance to the State where 't is profest It s aim is to make men kind and good-natur'd Just and Temperate Meek and Humble Religious and Devout Loyal and Obedient to such a Faith Princes are beholden for its good Effects as That is to Them for their kind and gracious Protection And if we practise according to this Holy Faith besides the spiritual advantages we gain by it we shall most effectually second the generous designs and endeavours of a Prince who would make us Happy in this World We shall engage God the Almighty giver of Success and Victory on his side to preserve his Person to prosper his Arms and to bless him in all his just and wise Undertakings As we thus Profess and Believe God grant we may Do accordingly that our Church may never want this Faith nor this Faith such a King and Queen as it now enjoys and may it long enjoy them to be the Defenders of it Now to the Blessed and only Potentate 1 Tim. VI. 15 16. the King of kings and Lord of lords who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no Man hath seen nor can see Be honour and power Everlasting Amen FINIS