and attributed vnto them as well as to him Yet he himselfe for the remouing of Gods Ordinary and Extraordinary wrath both from vs from them held it 40. daies and 40. nights together in the wildernesse and did oftentimes keepe it though not in sackcloth and ashes yet by lying whole nightes vpon the ground in the dust and sometimes by sweating and weeping droppes and teares of his heart blood It is not surely in the power and consultation of the Church either particular or vniuersall to omit or repeale this kind of Fast For example The primitiue Churches immediatly succeeding the Apostles made a Catholicke Canon that Festis diebus nemo ieinnet No man should fast vpon holy dayes vnlesse the holy day fell vpon Ashwednesday or vpon good Friday But for the Lordes day our Christian Sabboth which Ignatius in his Epistle ad Magnenses worthily termeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Empresse of all other dayes bee saith in another Epistle written ad Philippenses that Whosoeuer fasteth vpon it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is a Christ murderer what shall we thinke with S. Austin who in his Epistle to Casulan admitteth no excuse of the breach of this catholike Canon that he is a Murtherer of Christ who fasteth the extraordinary Poenitentiall Fast vpon the Lords day God forbid S. Cyrill hath better taught vs to restraine the fasting forbidden by the Canon vpon our Christian Sabboth vnto the Church-Fast or vnto the priuate ordinary Penitentiall Fast onely For as touching the Extraordinary Penitentiall Fast both solemne and priuate which whosoeuer omitteth he is certainely both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both a murderer of Christ a murderer of his owne soule S. Cyrils wordes are most orthodoxall and sound when he saith that Libertas est homini Christiano omni tempore ieiunandi A Christian hath libertie to Fast vpon any day If Dauid had not presently cried Peccaui when Nathan told him of his extraordinary sinne if hee had not presently cast himselfe out of his throne into dust and ashes and refrained his ordinary meales and all thinking of the ordinary obseruation of Church feasts If the King of Niniue his Nobles his people euen to the beast that perisheth had not also at Ionas first opening his mouth against their sinnes kept that their publicke Fast of extraordinary Repentance Alas alas where had Dauid where had the Niniuites beene at this day So necessary Necessitate praecepti though not Necessitate medii is this kind of extraordinary Repentance vnto the saluation of all them who haue either sinned extraordinarily or are extraordinarily afflicted But on the other side we must know also that a Fast of Consultatorie commaund whether it bee a Church fast or a Priuate Fast is not of the Essence but of the well being of Mortification and that it is both Variable and also Omissible vnlesse it bee Votiue And surely if it be solemnely or properly Votiue it must bee vowed both solemnely by the Church and properly by priuate men alwayes with this cautelous restraint that we doe not tie our selues by vow vnto it if God shall extraordinarily visite vs his people with such a mercie vpon out votive-fast-Votiue-Fast-day as that our Nehemiah and Ezra our Prince and Bishop haue iust cause to forbid vs to Fast and to say vnto vs Nehem. 8.9.10.12 This day is holy vnto the Lord your God Mourne not neither weepe but goe ye and eate the fat and drinke of the sweete and send part thererf vnto them for whom none is prepared The ioy of the Lord is this day your strength Such a Fast was this Variable and Omissible Fast commanded by Iohn and the Pharisees vnto their followers in this Text of Scripture For the same Iohn the same Pharisees who had commaunded such fasting might also vpon weightie causes haue changed intermitted or omitted them for a time as Christ himselfe by his example teacheth them and as the continuall practise of the Church of God both vniuersal and particular haue both before Christ and after Christ taught vs. Such a Fast is our ancient Catholick and most approueable and necessary Fast before the Communion of the Lords Supper Aquin in his dispute De ieinnio 147. Quaest calleth it Praeceptum Naturae that is as I here interpret it A Fast of absolute precept included in the affirmatiue part of the sixt and seuenth commandements of the morall Law S. Austin in his Epistle to Ianuarius saith that it is Ieiunium Moris Christi qui v 〈…〉 iari non debet that it is a Fast of Christs owne fashion and speciall appointment because S. Paul saith in the 1. Cor. 11.34 Tha◠if 〈◊〉 man be hungrie he should eate at home least the Church come together to their condemnation But this their reason is too weake to ground any thing demonstratiuely vpon it For the Apostle doth onely by euident demonstration of words forbid their vnreuerent eating in the publike assemblie Vers 22. And so all those Primitiue Apostolicke Churches did vnderstand him who as S. Chrysostome writing vpon the same words doth clearely witnesse had euen till S. Chrysostomes age which was the fourth from Christ alwaies receiued the Communion after their Charistia or common Christian Charityfeasts called by S. Iude ver 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To conclude therefore my answere to this first necessary demaund What Euangelical Fasts are directly commaunded by Christ in this Consultatorie Precept Then shall they Fast I answere briefely That such Publike Church-fasts are here authorised and commaunded as may be and ought to be changed and intermitted when they chance to hinder or to crosse any christian Duties commanded by the absolute precept of Christ either in his Law or in his Gospell Sect. 2. COncerning the Nature and Authoritie of this commaund Then shall they fast To the Second question Whom it doth authorise and command to commaund or inioyne these publik Ordinarie paenitential Church-fasts as also How straitly such authorised Commanders are bound in foro conscientiae to command and inioyne them I answere first that not onely the Church gouernors such as are here Iohn Baptist and the Pharisees such as is Ezra in the 8 Chapter of Ezra the 21. verse such as are the children of the Bride-chamber themselues in the 13. and 15. chap. of the Acts such as were the Fathers of the Church when the christian Emperours like Gallio Act. 18.17 cared not for Church-law matters But also the High magistrates and the whole Councell of the Church either Catholicke or Nationall consisting both of the Clergy and of the Laiety of Christ may and ought to commaund them The King of Nineuie and his Nobles in the third of Ionas Esther and Mordecay in the fourth of Esther the godly Wife and godly Husband counselled by S. Paul 1. Cor. 7. ◠to defraud themselues for a time that they may the better giue themselues employ their
is Continencie commaunded vnto them who haue the gift thereof in that consultatorie priuate precept Math. 19.12 He that can receiue it let him receiue it Of the same sort is the renouncing of all wordly busines to follow the studie of Christs heauenly Doctrine commaunded vnto them vnto whom it is expedient by that Consultatorie precept Math. 19.21 If thou wilt be perfect Goe sell thy goods and giue them to the poore and come follow mee But of the latter sort is Decencie of apparell and a discreete constitution of Church-orders commanded in generall by that Consultatorie precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all things be done comely and in order Of the same sort is this Ordinarie penitentiall fasting or this Fasting of ordinarie repentance wherof we now speake cōmanded here in speciall Then shall they fast Now as it is not in the free power of a priuate mans consultation who hath the gift of Continencie or to whom it is most expedient to leaue the world and to follow Christ altogether to disobey Christs priuate consultatorie commaunds as it is euident by Saint Paul who saith in the 15. ver of the 9. Chap. of his 1. Epi. to the Corinthians that it was better for him to die then that he should take a lawfull stipend of the Corinthians which was not then expedient so much lesse is it in the power of a publicke Officer or of the supreme Magistrate to suffer the Church of God to be ruled without all outward Decencie or to disobey Christ in not obseruing that which hee hath specially commanded by this speciall Consultatorie publicke commaunde Then shall they fast And thus haue I shewed also how things of indifferent nature left to mans free consultation not only by warrant of the word but also by Consultatorie priuate or by consultatorie publicke commandement are to be held or not to beheld to be vnder the Consultatorie power of the publicke gouernours of the Church For although those indifferent duties which are commaunded to priuate men onely by Consultatorie priuate commaund be to be performed by priuate men so onely as the spirit of God in them shall exact as it did of Saint Paul their Consultatorie obedience in the exact performance of them yet those indifferent duties which are commaunded also to publicke Officers by the speciall Consultatorie publicke commaunde of Christ the most louing Bridegroome of his Church these in different duties I say of this so speciall Consultatorie publicke commaunde cannot without neglect of dutie vnto Christ their Lord and maister the only lawgiuer able to saue and destroy be either intermitted vpon an humour or omitted and disannulled altogether by the publicke gouernours of Christs Church The neglect of these Church fasts then in any Church whatsoeuer is a token of some want of that feeling which the Church as a true louing wife should haue of the bodily absence of her louing husband according to the speach of our Sauiour in this my Text But the daies will come when the Bridegroome shall be taken from them and then shall they Fast Surely as Salomon saith Eccle. 7.6 The heart of Fooles who laugh in the face as the Apostle speaketh 2. Cor. 5.12 is in the house of mirth but the heart of wisemen who laugh in the heart are soberly and truely wise vnto saluation is alwaies in the house of mourning that is as our Sauiour heere in my Text doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth confound and turne the tearmes of Fasting and mourning making them all one in the house of fasting because it is better to goe to the house of mourning then to the house of feasting because by a sad looke the heart is made better And thus I haue assoiled the former doubt which might worthely arise touching the gouernours of the Church their absolute omission and repealing of all Church fasts To the other doubt thus much I speake briefely that though the Fast be Catholicke as is the Fast before the Communion and all our other Church-fasts except two onely that is to say though the Fast be Vniuersally constituted and decreed to be kept in all the particular Churches of the world by the Vniuersall decree and sentence of an Oecumenicall counsell yet the Oecumenicall counsell doth alwaies with this Prouiso decree it that no particular Church shall be further bound vnto it then as it is an helpe and no wayes an hindrance vnto true mortification If it be found either through the superstition of this doting old world or through any other enormitie wherewith Sathan and mans corruption doth often staine and defile the best exercises of godlines to be any whit preiudiciall to those holy duties of absolute necessitie which are commanded by absolute precept then the practise of the best particular Churches and euen of some Diocesan Bishops haue taught vs that our righter way to obey the Oecumenicall counsell is to obey rather the meaning then the bare and dead letter of their decree I confesse that Saint Austin saith wisely and well speaking of these Vniuersall customes of fasting decreed by the Plenary counsel of the whole church Si quid horū tota perorbem frequentat Ecclesia hoc quin ita faciendū sit desputare insolentissimae insaniae est If any of these things be vsed by the custome of the whole Church for a man to hold that such a thing ought not or may indifferently not be done it is a part and a tricke of most siely fondnesse and madnesse But he giueth this reason intimated both in his words following and in his words before going where he had set downe his formall difference betweene particular Church customes and betwixt Vniuersall Church customes to be the cause of this his speeach for that the Vniuersall Church neuer decreeth any thing that is Contra fidem bonos more 's against the Faith and good maners but the particular Churches may be supposed to decree some new customes both Contra fidem bonos more 's Out of which reason we may plainely see how Saint Austin did vnderstand the decrees of Vniuersall counsels and the minde of all Churches when they chanced to haue the same custome in the vse of an indifferent duty amongst them all Namely that the intention and minde and meaning of the Vniuersall Church is this to keepe or to decree no custome that is Contra fidem bonos more 's yet that his meaning is not neither was it the Catholicke meaning of the whole Church that the customarie vse of any indifferent thing not commaunded by absolute precept should therefore neuer be altered because it was once decreed by so Vniuersall a decree and consent of all Churches Though indeed whilest such indifferent matters are in vigour and force and are commanded by the Church he is worthily to be esteemed Schismaticus schismate charitatis in the highest degree who doth not obediently yeeld vnto them also Schismaticus schismate fidei if he dispute
against the authority of the Church in giuing out such constitutions yet no such indifferent matters of Catholick constitution and command are to be held to be perpetual constant invariable or vnalterable for euer For that Prerogatiue Saint Austin in the sixt chapter of the same Epistle to Ianuarius attributeth onely to those customes which either Christ himselfe by speciall commaund or his Apostles from Christ haue immediatly in some part of the new Testament ordained and constituted Quod nulla morâ—m diuersitate variari poterunt That they are not nor may not bee varied or altered by any diuersitie of times or maners Which Prerogatiue I say that the Church of God vniuersall hath not ascribed nor assumed vnto her selfe or to her vniuersall customes it is plaine by comparing that which Epiphanius writeth of the Catholicke customes of his time with the particular practise of the Church of Rome and of our VVesterne Churches in later times Hee testifieth constantly and plainely in the conclusion of the eighty heresie that Communiones siue synaxes fieri ordinatae sunt ab Apostolis Quarta feria Prosabbato Dominica Quarta vero Prosabbato ieiunium institutum est vsque ad horam nonam Et per totum annum quidem ieiunium hoc seruatur in eadem sancta Catholica Ecclesia Quarta inquam feria Prosabbato vsque ad horam nonam excepta sola Pentecoste per totos quinquaginta dies in quibus neque genua flectuntur neque ieiunium imperatum est exceptis diebus Epiphaniorum quando Christus natus est Communions were ordained by the Apostles to bee receiued vpon the Wednesday Friday and the Lords day And vpon the Wednesday and Friday no meate was ordained to be taken vntill three a clocke in the afternoone Which Fast vntill three a cloke in the afternoone vpon Wednesdayes and Fridayes is kept in the same holy Catholicke Vniuersall Church throughout the whole yeere excepting onely the Pentecost with her fiftie dayes after Easter in which dayes no knees are bowed in the Church neither is there any Fast commaunded and excepting the twelve dayes of Christmas In these words of Epiphanius we haue these Catholicke Customes set downe First Communions receiued throughout the yeere thrise euery weeke 2. Communions receiued fasting at three a clock in the afternoone 3. Fastings not obserued within the fiftie dayes after Easter nor within the twelue Christmas dayes 4. Knees not bowed publikely in any Church within fiftie dayes after Easter These customes were some of them saith he set downe by the Apostles themselues But for all this that the Church of God hath not accounted so of these customes as of Apostolicke customes ordained from Christ by absolute vnvariable commaund as S. Austin doth well admonish vs to distinguish it is plaine by the practise of these future Ages wherein wee neither first keepe our Communions thrice or only thrice in the weeke nor secondly obserue the determining and ending of our Fasts vpon Wednesdayes and Fridayes at three a clock in the afternoone nor thirdly abstaine froÌ„ al fasting and fourthly kneeling in the Church within the fiftie dayes after Easter Thus much to the two first and principall Questions and to the inferiour demaunds or doubts which doe necessarily arise from vnder them Sect. III. COncerning the Nature and Authoritie of this Commaund Then shall they Fast To the third Question Who are to be commaunded the keeping of these publicke Fasts of ordinary Repentance I answere easily and readily out of this next Parable that our Sauiour Christ would haue both the shred and the garment both the wine and the bottle that is both the Fast and the Fasters to be Adaequatae to be both measurably proportioned together to the end they may both be preserued together The Gouernors therefore of the Church as it is plaine out of Ierome and Austin their Epistles haue neuer imposed harder tasks of ordinary Fasting vpon the vessels of their inferiour brethen then they themselues were either able in their sickenesse or other impotencies or willing in their best health to vndergo Sint moderata â—eiunia ne debilitent stomachum saith Ierome to Rusticus Let thy ordinary Fasts bee with moderation and not to the weakening of thy stomacke And in his Epistle to Laeta hee setteth downe another cautionarie Rule Ante annos robustae aetatis periculosa est teneris grauis abstinentia Fasting is very dangerous and hurtfull to them that are not come to their full growth This growth Thomas of Aquin in the 4. Article De ieiunto according to the order of the Church in his time defineth to be Finis tertij septennij The full age of 21. yeeres The same Aquin putteth vs in minde of a third Rule of Exemption to be added according to the Analogie of the word to the two former Rules of Saint Ierom Non est intentio Ecclesiae statuentis ieiunia impedire alias pias magis necessarias causas It is not the mind or intention of the Church by appointing Fasts to disallow or hinder any other more godly and weightie matters or necessarie causes For the confirmation of which Rule wee may remember that which Saint Austin summarily setteth downe as the common sentence and resolution of Gods Spirit in the Church of God and euen in those most deuout and most seuere Fasters of his time Ita pietatem sedulo exercent Corporis vero exercitationem vt ait Apostolus ad exiguum tempus pertinere nouerunt The summe of their discreete managing of their Fasts is this saith Austin They doe exercise godlinesse which is of absolute Precept hauing the promise of this life and of that which is to come without which godlinesse also all Fasting is but irreligious as hereafter I shall fully declare when I come to speake of the right holy ends of true Fasting They doe exercise godlinesse attentiuely studiously carefully diligently But bodily exercise as the Apostle saith Saint Austin hath speciall reference to ordinary Fasting then practised they know how it of it selfe or in comparison of more worthy parts and exercises of the minde in godlinesse is profitable but for a small time These then are the termes of iust Exemption from Church fasts and these two kind of persons are to be exempted from them vpon the appearance and cleare manifestation of the iustnesse of their cause to the Gouernors of the Church 1. Laborers and men employed in high weightie and necessarie businesse 2. All impotent persons whether impotent in goods fasting ieiunium ieiunij as our Diuinitie schoole speaketh fasting for want of meat as common Beggars and they who are knowne to want foode wherewith to breake their fast when the Church-Fast is ended or Impotent in body as young folkes wanting growth olde folkes decaying in growth sicke folkes wanting health and hauing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often infirmities and many bad fits as Bishop Timothy himselfe had Sect. IIII. COncerning the Nature and
certaine time for the Fast of holy Orders when they either ordained or instituted Ministers Statiua Ieiunia are Fasts appointed at a certaine Such were those foure Fasts kept euery yeere all the time of the seuentie yeeres Captiuitie in Babylon mentioned Zachar. 7.5 8.19 Such are at this day all Church-fasts whether they be Catholicke and Vniuersall commanded and frequented by all Churches as is the Fast before the Communion This fortie dayes Fast of Lent howsoeuer in diuers circumstances very variable The Fasts of holy Orders termed also Ieiunia Quae â—or Temporum of the Spring Summer Autumne Winter quarters The Fasts in Vigilijs praecipuarum Festiuitaturo that is to say vpon the chiefe Saints dayes Euens and the weekely Fasts of Wednesdaies and Fridayes appointed first as Epiphanius and Austin tell vs to put vs in continuall remembrance of my Text and of the causes of our Bridegroomes first taking away from vs. Or whether they be Locall and particular Fasts Such as is the Fast of Saturday which in Saint Ambrose time was kept euery weeke at Rome and in all Africa beyond the Sea but was not kept at Millaine where Saint Ambrose himselfe was Bishop nor in any of the Easterne Churches Such as is also our new Ember-weeke Fast in Rogation weeke which is kept within the fiftie dayes after Easter within which dayes as Cyrill Austin Epiphanius doe all ioyntly witnesse no Church in their time did Fast at all Thus haue we the diuision of the frequent or often Fasting commanded and commended vnto vs by Christ himselfe in this Consultatorie Precept Then shall they Fast often and thus haue the Gouernours of the Church of Christ from age to age continued their obedience vnto the Commaund of their Bridegroome by commanding straightly and practising seuerely all these Legitima Ieiunia as Leo an ancient Father termeth them besides their Voluntaria Ieiunia as he also speaketh their Voluntarie priuate Fasts which after the example of Cornelius in the 10. of the Acts and of Saint Paul 1. Cor. 7.5 and 1. Cor. 9.27 they daylie imposed vpon themselues in their priuate houses Amongst these Church-law-Fasts as Leo calleth them the Catholicke Fasts not onely by reason of their Vniuersallitie and Antiquitie vltramemoriall for euen in regard of their antiquitie many of the Fathers haue dared to call them Apostolicall but also by reason of the weighty causes and speciall holy ends for the which they were first ordained haue beene held in highest account and kept with greatest Seueritie But amongst these Catholicke and Vniuersall Fasts the Fast before the Communion hath beene of greatest Religiousnesse next vnto it the Fasts of Holy Orders and of these the most religious hath been the Fast of the seuenth Moneth in which Moneth onely amongst all the Moneths of the yeere God commanded his people of Israel by speciall absolute Precept to keepe their feast of Reconciliation with Fasting from Euentide to Euentide because as Leo and some other Fathers not improbably haue imagined vpon that very same tenth day of September Adam and Eue did first transgresse in Paradise by eating the forbidden fruit Next vnto these in account haue beene the Fasts of Lent especially of Caput Quadragesima which wee call Ashwednesday and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we cal Good-friday Fast For vpon these dayes not onely the Competentes or Catechameni and the publicke or priuate extraordinary Penitents but euen euery deuout Christian in the time of the Fathers if not openly as the Extraordinary Penitents and Competentes had yet priuily as before I noted concerning Iehoram had sacke-cloth or haire cloth sewed about their loynes Lastly the next vnto these of principall account were the Fasts in Vigilijs praecipuarum festiuitatum the Fasts held vpon the chiefe Saints daies Eeuens as it is plaine out of Leo his Sermons De Ieiunio Decimi Mensis and out of the Homilies and Sermons of Ambrose Austin Bernard and others For to the end they might humbly and reuerently prepare themselues vnto the blessed and ioyfull keeping of Christmas and other high Festiuall Daies they did solemnely and publickely bestow the whole nights in Prayer and in singing of Psalmes and in hearing the word of God preached or read vnto them Surely to the iust condemnation of our fleshly and more dissolute times I speake it Those ancient Fathers and their people in whom there was that Primitiue vigour of the spiritous new wine of the Gospel did keepe these and other their Ordinary and Voluntary Fasts with farre greater humiliation of their soules and bodies before God then wee at this Day or rather dead night of all Christian godlinesse doe keepe our most piacular Extraordinary Fasts when the Sword Famine Pestilence or other more grieuous causes and curses haue smitten vs downe to the place of Dragons And yet they neuer fainted or were any thing at all wearie with the weekely if not daily obseruance of them neither did they intermit or loose any time but rather gayned time for the following of the necessary workes of their outward callings So truely so wisely so zealously obedient were they in the most seuere practise of this Commandement Then shall they mourne fast pray and make Supplications Often The hypocriticall foolish filthy wanton breach or ignorance of which Commaundement amongst vs Christians at this day in all the Churches of the world is as the Poet speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vnhappy mother of all disobedience Atheisme Barbarisme which now doe grow so fast vpon this delicious last Age of this second vngodly world the gluttonous and fleshly humorousnesse whereof must very shortly bee dried licked vp with the fire of Gods last vengeance Sect. V. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Math. 9.15 THere now remaineth but one thing more to be added for the full and faithfull Explanation of this Text and of this whole Doctrine concerning Euangelicall Fasts that is Their Holinesse intimated in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mourne defined in the next parable to bee farre aboue the Holinesse of Legall Propheticall or More then Propheticall Fasts For our Sauiour Christs Gospell Fasts commaunded heere and commended in the next parable must be as newe cloth fit to mend a decay in the best and strongest deuotioned mindes and as newe wine to bee contained onely in the best seasoned and holiest and purest Vessels or bottels of his Spirit In a word They must not therefore bee defined and esteemed to be truely Religious and holy because both fasting and abstinence are phisicionall and very wholsome for mans body for then Aurelian the heathen Emperour who hauing a strong body is chronicled to haue cured all the ordinarie diseases of his body by much Fasting might haue beene canonized for a Saint nor because they are very praiseable amongst men and very commodious to common-wealths For then the Philosophers and the niggards fastings might be accompted Religious nor because God hates