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A57806 A sermon preached before the King at Belfast in Ireland, on the 14th day of June, 1690 by George Royse ... Royse, George, 1654 or 5-1708. 1691 (1691) Wing R2163; ESTC R11376 10,944 36

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Dr. ROYSE's SERMON Preached before the KING AT BELFAST in IRELAND A SERMON Preached before the KING AT Belfast in Ireland ON The 14th Day of June 1690. By GEORGE ROYSE D.D. Fellow of Oriel College in Oxon And Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties Printed by the King 's Special Command LONDON Printed for Samuel Crouch at the Corner of Popes-Head-Alley over-against the Royal Exchange 1691. A SERMON Preached before the KING HEB. XI And the former part of the 33d Verse Who thro' Faith subdued Kingdoms IN this Chapter you have the glorious Atchievements and memorable Actions of your Fore-fathers the Patriarchs and others set before your eyes And the main Engine by which they accomplish'd all their Victories was as the Author of this Epistle tells us Their Faith By Faith says he in the next Verse they escaped the edge of the sword waxed valiant in fight out of weakness were made strong turn'd to flight the armies of the aliens And if we look back upon the Sacred History of former Ages 't is observable that all the great Actions and Successes in the World were nothing else but the triumphs of a conquering and invincible Faith When Might and Power have been arm'd against it when Wit and Malice have combined to crush it when Tyrants and mighty Men rose up and threatned nothing less than Ruin and Destruction to the weaker Forces then did this Shield of Faith receive all their Batteries maintain'd its Post against all its Enemies threw down their Walls razed their Strong-holds and scatter'd those that delighted in Blood Thus the Chariot and the Horse fell and the Tyrant slept his last sleep when the Just Man lived and triumphed by his Faith They are brought down and fallen but we are risen and stand upright says the Prophet that is we who by a lively Faith reposed all our Trust and Confidence in the Name of the Lord. And no wonder that this Faith does subdue Kingdoms since as St. John tells us 1 John 5.4 it overcomes the World Who thro' Faith subdued Kingdoms In which words we have a plain Matter of Fact related to us viz. That the great Champions of the World did purchase all their Victories and Triumphs by their Faith And here not to run over the several Acceptations of the word by the Faith of these heroical Spirits seems more particularly intended that which Divines call fides Miraculorum that is a belief wrought in them by a Divine impulse of God's miraculous Assistance against their Enemies or a firm perswasion that he would work such Miracles by their hands and bring mighty Matters to pass which in the nature of things seem'd nowise probable And in this sense 't is used by the Apostle in those words Tho' I have all Faith 1 Cor. 13.2 so that I could remove Mountains c. But because we do'nt live in an Age of Miracles now much less can we pretend to such extraordinary Impulses or special Promises on which they built their Faith I shall therefore take the word in a larger sense so as it may be applicable to us namely as it implies our belief of God's Promises in general made over to his Church and our consequent Trust and Dependance on him for the fulfilling them And in this sense too I hope to make it appear that through Faith still we may subdue Kingdoms Inclearing of which I shall observe this following Method First I shall shew in general That our Belief and Confidence in God is the best Expedient in the World to secure the Success of our Arms or to Subdue Kingdoms Secondly I shall Enquire upon what Grounds and Motives we may expect the same Success as our Fore-fathers had Thirdly and Lastly What is required of us in order to this Success viz. That we follow their Examples in building a lively Faith and Confidence upon God As to the former That our Faith and Trust in him is an admirable Instrument for subduing Kingdoms will appear true beyond contraction whether we confider it in its own natural Tendency as 't is suited to such an end or in reference to God's Providence who does usually crown it with Victory and Triumph First if we look upon it barely in its own natural tendency the belief and perswasion of an invincible Arm to assist us seems admirably fitted for the advance of any undertaking whether of Peace or War The very opinion of such Succours and Assistance as it gives a man a fair prospect of success so it must be highly instrumental to it For in the usual course of things Believe and Conquer do generally go together and a firm perswasion that we shall succeed is a considerable step to promote it The true rational Ground of which is this That every Man's Belief is the great Spring of all his Endeavours and Undertakings and all the World do act either more faintly or vigorously according to the perswasion of their own strength agreeably to the prospect they form of and the event of things If a Soldier through the apprehensions of the weakness of his Party be distracted with Fears and Doubts about the Issue and Consequences of an Engagement this as it must naturally sink his Spirits so it will proportionably slacken his Endeavours too But he that is buoy'd up by the thoughts of Omnipotence as he must be flush'd with the sanguine hopes of a good Issue so he will be warm and active in pursuing it And therefore the Belief of a Divine irresistible Power as it must carry a great stroak in the vigorous advance and application of the Means so it must be allow'd to have a proportionable influence in determining the Issues of War And for this reason should we suppose with the Atheist that Providence did not interpose at all in our Battels and Engagements yet the bare belief and confidence of it is of admirable use in advancing the Sword abroad as well as preserving its Authority at home for be our perswasion either right or wrong yet since every man naturally does act agreeably to it and since such a Belief does as naturally tend to the exciting of our Industry and whetting our Endeavours consequently it must be of great use and advantage in the Day of Battel And therefore whether Religion be true or false yet 't is but common prudence in a General to preserve a due sense and esteem of it in his Soldiers because this Armor of God has a peculiar force as well as the Sword and the Spear or any other Instrument of War But not to talk only in general the Power and Influence of this will be sufficiently clear'd if we shew in particular that such a Belief of an Almighty Power is the only true Motive and Foundation of Mens Hope and Courage For 't is granted on all hands that Hope and Courage as they are the great Vertues of a Camp so in the natural course of things they bid fairest for Success and therefore if this Religious