was a part of those sufferings which hee did vndergoe for our sakes Where by the way we may reflect vpon our selues and tell our owne soules that if our Lord did doe all these things for our sakes wee should not thinke much to doe a little for his sake but more especially seeing hee fasted so many dayes and nights for vs wee should not grudge to fast a little now and then for him But how for him For I suppose all men will be ready to say that if they knew they should fast for Christs sake as hee fasted for ours that then they would doe it with a good-will or else it were pitty of their liues To such men if any shall make such demand my answer is Wee may truly be said to fast for Christs sake many wayes As first if we fast that we may with more reuerence and better attention and greater feruour performe holy dueties vnto him In which kinde they fast for Christ who when they come to Church to heare and pray and prayse God and to partake of the blessed Sacrament of Christs body doe forbeare their meate that they may bee more fresh to attend to those holy dueties and because they doe preferre Gods seruice before their owne necessity and doe loue the Word and the Sacrament more than their necessary food Secondly wee may be said to fast for Christ if wee fast that wee may subdue those sinnes that nayled Christ to his Crosse and which if wee commit them doe (a) Heb. 6.6 crucifie againe the Sonne of God and make a mocke of him And in this kinde they fast for Christ who forbeare their meat that they may sorrow for their sinnes and may arme themselues against temptations and bring vnder their body that their flesh doe not wax wanton against Christ Thirdly wee may fast for Christs sake if wee forbeare to feed our selues that wee may haue wherewith to relieue others who beeing the poore members of Christ haue neede of our supply For what is done to any one of those little ones is esteemed as done to Christ himselfe And sure if Christ did fast so long that hee might supply vs it were both sinne and shame not to forbeare a meale if need require that wee may cherish Christ in his members In this manner and by these meanes wee may be said to fast for Christ Let vs make vse of them in our practice and wee shall hereby shew our loue to our Sauiour as hee by fasting forty dayes for vs shewed his great loue vnto vs. II. A second cause why our Lord fasted at this time may be that hee might by this meanes prouoke Sathan to begin his assault The declaration and proofe of this assertion dependeth vpon two things first that his fasting was a fit occasion that might prouoke the Deuill to the on-set secondly that Christ was willing to giue him such an occasion And first that this was a fit occasion appeareth by 2. things 1. Because when men are in distresse then is the Deuils opportunity to tempt them eyther to distrust God because hee leaueth them without reliefe or to vse vnlawfull meanes that they may relieue themselues 2. Because the euent sheweth that Christs hunger caused by his fasting was the occasion that Sathan tooke to assault him For when he saw him fainting for want of bread then hee thought it a fit time to say If thou be the Sonne of God command that this stone bee made bread And what the euent did make manifest afterward that our Lord knew very well before-hand Secondly That our Lord was willing to giue the Deuill such an occasion to prouoke him to the combat may appeare by two things also 1. Because it was Gods will to haue it so as is euident by this that the Spirit of God led him into the wildernesse to be tempted of the Deuill and Christs will was euer agreeable to the will of his Father 2. Because Christ did so thirst after our saluation that hee refused no paynes nor no danger to procure it Hee left heauen that he might become man for vs hee tooke our base nature that hee might beare our infirmities and he went vp to Ierusalem that hee might be crucified and hee came into the world that hee might saue the world by his sufferings And so seeing the temptations of Sathan by which hee assaulted our Sauiour might be profitable for vs and auaileable for our saluation for so Sathan might be ouercome at his owne weapon and wee armed against his assaults afterward wee neede not doubt but as the Spirit led Christ into the wildernesse to be tempted of the Deuill so our Lord himselfe would fast and hunger that the Deuill might assault him And heere againe by the way a Christian may haue a good meditatiō from his Masters practice that seeing Christ was ready to fight against the Deuill for our sakes wee should not feare to stand out against men for his sake But if Religion be a cause that wee are questioned by Enemies or disgraced by worldlings or kept from preferment by great Ones wee must beare oppositions of men for loue to Christ as hee bore these temptations of the Deuill for loue vnto vs. III. A third cause may be that by this exercise of fasting hee might prepare and fit himselfe for the great worke that hee was about For hee was now to enter vpon his Propheticall Office and to begin the publique function of his Ministery And in this and such like cases as this Gods seruants haue vsed to make preparation by fasting and prayers as may bee seene in the example of (a) Act. 13.3 Paul and Barnabas and (b) Act. 14.23 other Presbyters of diuers Churches And therefore seeing our Lord here fasted for a long space and that at such a time as he was to enter vpon the ministery of the Gospell we may well thinke that this is one reason of his fasting that hee might prepare himselfe for this great seruice Onely the doubt may be But what needed our Lord any such preparation For 1. hee was not defectiue in any grace For God (a) Ioh. 3.34 gaue not the spirit to him by measure but he was (b) Ioha 14. full of grace and truth 2. Our Lord was an innocent (c) 1 Pet. 1.19 Lambe without blemish and without spot And what needed hee such preparatiue helps that had all grace and no sinne I answere there be three reasons hereof First that he might stirre vp and inflame and as yee would say actuate the grace which he had already To this purpose it is that when hee was to pray he (d) Mat. 14.23 went into a mountaine or some other priuate place alone ardentioris orationis causâ that he might pray the more feruently say the Learned And so againe when he was to raise vp La Zarus (e) Ioh. 11.33 he groaned and was troubled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he troubled himselfe that is he stirred vp his
of God were wont to doe For vpon ordinary occasions they vsed to fast one day from morning till night but vpon extraordinary for a longer space Thus Ester when a weighty businesse was in hand that concerned her life and the liues of her people she appoynted a Fast for three dayes and three nights And the men of Iabesh Gilead when they had a great cause of heauinesse by the death of Saul and the ouerthrow of the Army they fasted for seuen dayes space And Daniel when the Church was distressed and in great calamity hee fasted for three weekes together And so wee should extend our fast and keepe it with more strict obseruation and set more time apart for holy exercises when either we are about some weighty businesse or be in some great danger or haue fallen into some hainous sinne or haue a speciall cause to remember celebrate the pangs and passion of our Sauiour or happen vpon some other occasion of more than ordinary sorrow Thus what-euer our occasions be fasting is still of vse in the life of a Christian if the occasion be ordinary ordinary fasting is a fitting exercise eyther to auert euill or procure good and if the occasion be extraordinary then as the other exercises of Religion so this among the rest is to be vsed in a more than ordinary measure CHAP. VIII When a Christian may or should fast COncerning the Fast of our Sauiour it is recorded that hee then fasted when hee was to encounter with Satan and goe about his publique Ministery and to begin the great worke of our Redemption and vpon such vrgent occasions and when there is such extraordinary cause offered all men grant that then wee also may and ought to fast for the speedier procuring of Gods fauour But this example of Christ ministreth iust occasion to enquire further whether beside times of such vnusuall accidents a Christian also may not lawfully and profitably obserue set times of fasting And this is a question doubted of by some in our Church and disputed with arguments and reasons on both sides For clearing which doubt wee are first of all to declare the meaning of the question and that may appeare by these two notes 1. That some there be which commend fasting for a religious exercise if it bee vsed onely then when men shall vpon seuerall occasions see it to be conuenient but any standing dayes whether appoynted by publique authoritie or vndertaken by a mans owne priuate deuotion these they vtterly condemne as superstitious and Monkish For example When Ionas prophecied of iudgement against Nineueh (a) Ion. 3.6 7. the King proclaymed a fast and the people obserued it And this they approue of and allow our Magistrates vpon such an occasion to doe the like Againe when (b) Nehem. 1.3 4. Nehemiah heard that the Iewes were in great affliction and reproch and that the wall of Ierusalem was broken downe and the gates thereof burnt with fire he sate downe and wept and mourned certaine daies and fasted And this they approue of and allow euery priuate Christian by his example vpon such occasions as these to fast out of his owne deuotion But now further the ancient Christian Church in remembrance of Christs death on that day did appoynt euery Fryday to bee kept fasting-day and for the same and some other reasons they appoynted the time of Lent as often as it should happen to be obserued with abstinence and fasting And these and such like standing and set-times they allow not Secondly Wee must note that the obseruing and appoynting of these dayes may be meant and vnderstood two wayes eyther with opinion of necessitie or sanctitie in those times more than in other And this is not here questioned nor doe wee doubt but the Church as it appoynted the Fryday so if it had pleased might haue appointed any other day for this exercise nor do we thinke that there is any peculiar sanctitie in that day more than in others Or else the question may bee vnderstood of the lawfulnesse and conueniency of appoynting such set dayes and times for order sake and for the more constant performance of this worke And this is it which we meane in this question The question then is Whether it be lawfull for Authority to prescribe or for priuate men to vndertake set and standing dayes for fasting that it may be obserued the more ordetly and the more constantly And mine answere is That it is both lawfull and expedient for Gouernours to enioyne their Inferiours and for priuate men to prescribe vnto themselues such standing times so often as they shall fall either weekely or monethly or yeerely as they see it expedient And my proofes are some from Scriptures some from examples and some from reason grounded on Scripture I. From Scriptures And thence I alledge two places for this purpose 1. The first is Leuit. 16. For there God appointeth the tenth day of the seuenth moneth to bee kept for a fasting day and saith moreouer (a) Leu. 16.29 34 This shall be a statute for euer vnto you and againe This shall be an euerlasting statute vnto you to make atonement once a yeere Heere we see that God appointed vnto the Iewes a set fasting day to bee kept euery yeere as oft as it should happen And hence I argue thus Almighty God himself did appoint and thought it a profitable course for his people of the Iewes to obserue a set and standing day for a Fast euery yeere And therefore a set time of fasting may bee obserued without superstition and sinne Some answere that this was a Legall precept of Moses which is now abolished by Christ And I reply It is true that this precept in respect of that particular time was Legall and had its end in Christs death but it is no lesse true also that God in making and appointing that Legall precept did not command them any thing which in it selfe is superstitious and sinfull And therefore because God prescribed them a set time for that Fast it followeth that the appointing of a set time of fasting is not in it selfe superstitious and sinfull 2. The second place that may serue for proofe of this point is out of the Prophesie of Zacharie (a) Zach. 8.19 where we finde mention of foure seuerall fasting dayes obserued euery yeere by the Iewes in their knowne and appointed moneths Concerning which Fast thus much is first of al to be noted that they were (b) Hieron in Zach. 8.18 19. pag. 486. Buxd. Synag Iudaic. c. 25. Genebrar Calend. Hebr. Sept. 3. Dec. 10. Iun. 17 Iulij 9. occasioned by the calamities that befel the Iewes about the time when they were carried captiues into Babylon or before that time and were appointed as some thinke by some Prophet from heauen or as others by the authority or consent of the present Church and as the Learned generally doe confesse were allowed of and approued by almighty God himselfe And hence
But if it were decay of zeale in those former Christians that they ceased their Fasts before night then it must needs be an extinction of zeale in the Romane Church who breaketh her Fast at the vsuall time of eating or rather doth not keepe any Fast so long And now out of all this we haue in the generall this cleare and manifest conclusion That though no precise time for continuance is prescribed in Gods Word yet the continuance of a Fast without eating or drinking till euening which by common estimation is held to be about sixe of the clocke is approued of in Scriptures and was practised by the ancient Christians and commended of all and that the shortening of this time was from decay of deuotion And therefore if wee would take a safe way and that which is best approued of all we must continue our abstinence on our fasting dayes till night without eating or drinking till about euening vnlesse infirmity or some other necessary cause doe require refreshing sooner But more particularly we may from the former discourse gather and obserue these things following 1. Wee may see that the Fast of Protestants which is continued in perfect abstinence from all meate and drinke till the euening is more agreeable to the custome of Gods people in former ages and is in it selfe a better and more perfect Fast then the Fast of Papists is euen our Enemies being Iudges For they praise it for a better Fast which hath the longer abstinence and we fast till night whereas they doe not so much as forbeare eating till mid-day 2. We may see with how little God is contented at our hands in respect of that which Christ performed for our sakes For abstinence for the space of one day is accepted of God for a good dutie of humiliation but Christ our Lord fasted forty dayes and forty nights for the furthering of our saluation And yet whereas Christ performed all this for our sakes we think it too much to doe this little for his sake Nay as the Iewes were wearie of the Sabbath day and times of Gods seruice and said (a) Amos 8.5 When will the new-moone be gone and the Sabbath that we may set foorth wheat And againe (b) Mal. 1.13 Behold what a wearinesse is it say they And ye haue snuffed at it saith the Lord of Hosts So we may finde men that when they come to heare a Sermon are weary of hearing and wish that the Sermon were ended before the time and when they come to Church-Seruice are weary of praying and wish that the Seruice were ended before the time but especially if they vndertake an holy Fast are sooner wearie of the Abstinence and wish that the fasting day were ended before the time But a good Christian for discouering of his owne corruption should take notice of this inequality between Christs sufferings for our sakes and our suffering for his sake And if the flesh grow weary of hearing or reading or praying or fasting for a conuenient requisite time he should check himselfe with the example of his Sauiour and say to himselfe But my Lord and Master preached all day and prayed all night and fasted many dayes and nights together for my sake and shall I grudge to spend one houre or one day in his seruice for his Names sake The religious soule that shall thus now and then checke his owne dulnesse will by the meditation heereof gaine more feruour in Gods seruice CHAP. X. What we are to thinke of the Fast of Lent THe Church from the beginning hath been accustomed to keepe an annuall Fast euery yeere commonly called Ieiunium Quadragesimale the fortie dayes Fast because it was continued about that number of dayes and was occasioned by this forty dayes Fast of our Sauiour Concerning which Quadragesimal or forty dayes Fast known among vs by the name of Lent or Lent Fast haue bin diuers opinions of late yeeres as there were diuers customes in keeping of it in former times For some haue magnified it too superstitiously placing Religion in outward things onely wherein the power of godlinesse could not consist and others haue scrupulously condemned all vse of it thinking that it could neuer be well vsed which they had seene so much abused In respect of which difference of opinions as also and especially because it is so proper to the argument in hand and hath such reference to the words of the Euangelist which I tooke for my ground I thought it not vnfit in the last place to enquire into the nature condiof this Lent Fast that amidst different opinions we might know what to thinke For which purpose I haue proposed to my selfe these 5 things to bee more particularly considered of 1. Who was the Author of it and from whence the institution of it came 2. How and in what sort it was kept in the ancient Church 3. What good vses it then had or now may haue among vs. 4. Why choyce was made of this season of the yeere for this Fast 5. What relation and what dependance this forty dayes Fast of Lent hath on Christs Fast of forty dayes in the Wildernesse I. The first thing is Who was the Author of it c. Answ I finde three speciall opinions concerning this point 1. The first opinion is that the Fast of Lent is of Diuine institution either appointed immediately by Christ himselfe or else ordained by the Apostles with authority and by the commandement of their Lord and Master a Dominus noster sanctis suis Apost olis per Spiritū S. id etiam inspirauit vt disertis verbis huius abstinentiae praeceptum populo Christiano proponerēt Pisan de Absti cap. 9. pa. 138. v. Filesa de Quadrag ca. 1. Ant. Liturg. tom 2. Sabb. post Cineres pag. 117. c. Azor. p. 1. lib. 7. cap. 12. q. 1. Of this opinion are many Popish Writers and to this purpose some of the Fathers speeches are alledged but their meaning is not that which at first sight it may seeme to bee 2. The second opinion is that it is of Apostolicall but not Diuine institution They meane that the Apostles did ordaine Lent-Fast as beeing in their iudgements a wholesome and most conuenient order but not as being any commandement receiued from God or from Iesus Christ And of b Non fuit datū subsequentibus tēporibus sed ab ipsis Apostolis initio nascentis Ecclesiae c. Val. Reginal Prax. fori poenit l. 4. ca. 12. nu 129. p. 148. v. et Vas to 3. in 3. Disp 213. nu 4. pag. 444.2 Ioh. Medina Cod. de Ieiun quaest 2. pa. 328. Less de Iustit Iure l. 4. c. 2. Dubitat 5. num 29. seqq pa. 722.2 Filliuc Tract 27. part 2. ca. 5. nu 77 78. nu 95. Bell. de bo oper in partle l. 2. cap. 14. Stapl. prompt Cathol Domin 1. Quadrag p. 84 85. Tost Mat. 4. q. 18. Barrad to a. l. 2. c.
matter of the Discourse following CHAP. I. What Fasting is THe most vsuall description of Fasting is that it is an Abstinence from meat and drinke And this description is very agreeable to the manner of speech vsed by the Scriptures which when they speak of fasting doe many times mention and alwayes intend an abstayning from food As Ester 4.16 Goe saith Ester gather together all the Iewes that are present in Shushan and fast yee for mee But how shall this be done It followes And neither eate nor drinke three dayes night or day I also and my Maides will fast likewise And so Ionas 3.7 Let neither Man nor Beast c. taste any thing Let them not feede nor drinke water And Luke 5.33 Why doe the Disciples of Iohn fast often c. but thine eate and drinke Which speech a Mar. 2.18 Mat. 9.14 other Euangelists doe expresse in these words Why doe the Disciples of Iohn and of the Pharises fast but thy Disciples fast not Where wee may note first that Saint Luke maketh an opposition between fasting and eating or drinking Secondly That that which Saint Luke calleth eating and drinking the other Euangelists call not fasting And by both these wee may gather that fasting includeth an abstinence from meat and drinke But thus farre the poynt is cleare Onely a further question may be asked what kinde of abstinence this is whether totall and entier from all meate and drinke and from tasting of any thing as the men of Nineueh and Ester seeme to speake or whether a partiall kinde of abstinence which is a forbearing of nourishing and pleasant meat onely may not sometimes suffice as that place of Daniel seemeth to import where the Prophet speaking of his fasting saith I a Dan. 10.3 ate no pleasant bread neyther came flesh nor wine in my mouth c. till three whole weekes were fulfilled For answer hereto it must first of all be noted that abstinence vsed in a fast may be considered two wayes First in respect of one onely act or time of abstinence continued without any interruption as when it is said that the Israelites b Iudg. 20.26 wept and fasted that day vntill euen and that the Iewes should c Ester 4.16 fast and not eate nor drinke three dayes day or night and that our Sauiour d Matth. 4.2 fasted forty dayes and forty nights there is meant one continued act or space of abstinence without any intermission or interruption of the abstinence then vsed Secondly It may bee considered in respect of many multiplyed acts or distinct times of abstinence one immediately following after another As for example when it is said of the men of Iabesh that they fasted e 1 Sam. 31. vla c. 1 Chronao 12 seaen dayes the meaning is not that they fasted so long by one continued and vninterrupted act of abstinence but that they fasted euery one of those 7. dayes eating nothing all the day long and at euening making a spare and course meale as was agreeable to a time of mourning Thus not onely a Osiand in 1. Chro. 10.12 Osiander among the Protestants but among the Papists b Erat iflud ieiunium secundü morem Hebraeorum scilicet quòd non comederent totâ die al quid vsque ad Solis occasum Tostat in 1. Regum cap. 31. ad finem quaest 18. pag. 327. A. Tostatus doth interpret that place and addeth withall that this fast of theirs was according to the custome of the Iewes which was that they did not eate any thing all the day long till the Sun-set but then did eate And in the like sence they of the Romane Church do say that themselues fast all Lent when notwithstanding they doe not without interruption obserue that kinde of abstinence which themselues require in a Fast for on Sundayes at least all Lent long they intermit their abstinence and fast not no not after their owne manner of fasting Sometimes then a man may be said to fast such a space of time because all that time he vseth such abstinence as is required in one vninterrupted act or time of fasting and sometimes againe hee may be said to fast so long or for such a time because hee vseth sundry such multiplyed acts or times of abstinence or because hee vseth many such Fasting-dayes together one after another This being first noted for a ground my answer to the doubt is Answ 1. If wee speake of a fast as it consisteth of one onely single act without interruption of the abstinence required then it is vnheard of in Scriptures that there is any vse of meate or drinke or tasting of food while that fast lasteth But if wee speake of a fast as consisting of many such acts multiplyed and added together then it is necessary that some refreshing be had between those seuerall acts or distinct times and vsuall it is that such refection then vsed should be sparing for the quantity of meat and homely for the quality of it And such a fast as this was that of Daniels when hee saith I was mourning three full weekes I ate no pleasant bread c. For the meaning is that hee fasted euery day for three weekes space without eating or drinking or tasting any food all the day long but when the day was ended he brake off his abstinence by a slender supper And so this place proueth not but that a Fast doth include a totall abstinence from all meat And this to be the meaning of the place I am induced to thinke because the words doe import so much the custome of the Iewes in their fasting doth require this construction For the learned doe agree that this was the custome of the Iewes that when they fasted they did eate nothing all day till the euening that by reason of this custome when men are said to fast many dayes it may reasonably be vnderstood that they fasted all the day and at night are something and that for this cause Saint Matthew did say that Christ did fast forty dayes and forty nights adding the mention of nights lest men should thinke that he fasted those forty dayes according to the custome of the Iewes eating at night after he had abstayned from food all the day To this purpose Tostatus a Tam diebus quà m noctibus ieiunabat Christus Hoc autem dicitur propter duo primò propter consuetudinem Ieiunij Judaeorū Nam Iudaei quando ieiunant per totam diem nihil comedunt nisi post occasum Solis cùm incipiunt apparere Astra per noctem comedunt c. Si ergo diceretur quòd Christus ieiunauit quadraginla diebus intelligeretur quòd per noctes comedebat sicut Indaeis solitum erat Tostat in 4. Matt. q. 11. pag. 372. B. saith that Christ is said to fast as well the nights as the dayes for two reasons first because of the custome of the Iewes For they when they fast doe eate nothing all the day
feasts of the Lord which yee shall proclaime to be holy Conuocations Euen these are my Feasts And after the enumeration of them it is said (a) Vers 37. These are the Feasts of the Lord which hee shall proclaime to be holy Conuocations to offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord c. And in the end of the Chapter after all it is added And Moses declared vnto the children of Israel the Feasts of the Lord. And from hence it may be gathered that this day of expiation which is placed among these holy-dayes is intended as a festiual day rather than as a fasting day And therfore the fast or humiliation heere commanded is an appurtenance of the feast and a seruice required on that holy day this day was appointed to be kept for an holy day not because it was a fasting day Secondly wee may note in the description of this day that the chiefe thing for which this day was intended was for expiation and atonement Thirdly that the meanes by which this might be wrought and the things which God requireth for the celebration of this day were an holy rest a publique meeting an affliction of the soule and an offering made by fire And hence we may gather that an holy day and a fasting day are here ioyned as two things both of which respect one end And therefore it followeth not The people are here commanded to keepe an holy rest vpon this fasting day and therefore it is necessary that euery fasting day should be kept holy no more than this argument would follow from the same place Here the people are commanded to keepe this holy day with fasting and humiliation and therfore euery holy day must be a fasting day Fourthly We may note that the reason why God appoynted this day to be kept holy is said in the Text to bee this because it is a day of atonement for them before the Lord but it is not said that it was to be kept holy because it was a fasting day And hence I may conclude that the Text doth giue no warrant that euery fasting day must bee kept holy day Now let the Reader lay these notes and collections from the Text together and compare them with the reason brought to proue the contrary and hee will easily see how weake the argument is For the onely reason that euer I read or heard of from this Text for proofe of this conclusion is this God heere commanded this fasting day to be kept holy and therefore euery fasting day must be so kept Which being nothing but an inference of an vniuersall from a singular doth hereby appeare to bee weake and friuolous besides the reasons now alledged from the Text to the contrary And now after all seeing that this is the onely place on which this former conclusion is grounded and it hath so little reason in it as hath beene shewed it remayneth that to say euery fasting day of necessitie must bee an holy day is an errour without all ground of probability The thing then that I meane when I say that it is required that on the day of our fast the soule should practise such duties as a Fasting-day by the outward behauiour doth include is that as by fasting wee professe our sorrow for sinne with a purpose to serue God better and doe abstaine from fleshly comforts that wee may more freely enioy the comforts of the Spirit so a Christian should vse serious meditation and consideration of things requisite for this purpose As for example hee should examine his conscience search out the state of his soule settle in himselfe a purpose of amendment confesse his sinnes that make him vnworthy to taste any of Gods creatures and pray for grace to liue better And that these and such like holy thoughts and desires are requisite vpon our fasting dayes I am induced to thinke partly because in publique Fasts (a) Iudg. 20.26 2 Chron. 20.3 4. Ezrah 8.23 Ier. 36.6 9 10. Dan. 9.3 Ioel 1.14 v. Kemnit Exam. part 4. de causa finali ieiun nu 47. pag. 94. Serar in Iudith 8. q. 7. pag. 320. the Church hath beene accustomed to spend part of the day in publique meetings and in religious exercises and partly because that outward abstinence cannot of it selfe worke those gracious effects whereof I haue spoke before vnlesse the soule by consideration holy thoughts doe apply make vse of his outward humiliation to this purpose For fasting is not like physicke which worketh while a man sleepeth but then only affecteth the soule and pleaseth God when the heart maketh vse of it A plaine proofe whereof may be this Fasting hath this speciall vse among others that as the chastisements which GOD doth inflict vpon vs doe serue to humble vs and bring vs home by repentance so these chastisements voluntarily imposed vpon our selues may serue for like purpose as hath beene fully declared already But no outward chastisement whether of Gods inflicting or our owne can worke this effect vnlesse the man doe lay them to his heart and apply them to himselfe Hence it is that the Prophet complayneth of the people of Israel in this manner (a) Hos 7.9 Strangers haue deuoured his strength and hee knoweth it not yea gray haires are here and there vpon him yet he knoweth not In which words we may note two things first the corrections that were layd vpon them and they were that the Enemies had wasted and consumed them and these and other miseries had brought gray haires vpon them and made them old before the time Secondly the want of feeling in the people They know it not and againe Yet they know not saith the Text. But what Consumed by the Enemy and not know that they were strucken pined and become old with sorrow and not feele their misery No that is not the meaning they felt their misery no doubt But the Prophet meaneth that they did not take notice nor thinke and consider that it was Gods hand that inflicted this iudgement and their own sinnes that deserued it and therefore they were neuer the better for all this chastisement And therefore another Prophet complayning to like purpose saith (b) Isal 42.25 God powred vpon Israel the fury of his anger and the strength of battell and it hath set him on fire round about yet hee knew not and it burned him yet hee laid it not to heart Which words imply that no plagues moue men to repentance if they doe not lay them to heart and consider of the causes and the conditions and euents of such things And as Gods chastisements for want of laying them to heart are without their fruit for which they are intended so wee may not expect that our owne chastisements should proue better No for we see that (a) Gen. 25. Esau fasted and his hunger made him sell away his birth-right and (b) Matt. 6. the Pharises fasted and their fasts made them swell with pride
and vaine-glory And so we may fast by outward abstinēce and receiue no good but hurt by it And therefore for preuenting of this euill we must doe in our humiliations as God requireth vs to doe when hee correcteth vs that is (c) 1 King 8.47 bethink our selues (d) Ezek. 18.28 Hagg. 1.5 7. consider our waies (e) Isa 42.25 57.1 lay them to heart And for this purpose that our fasting may profit vs in its season it will be requisite vpon our fasting-dayes to set apart some time for holy thoughts and good meditations and other exercises suteable to a time of humiliation and repentance And if more may not be spared by reason of other occasions yet so much time I presume euery man may allot to this worke as he spareth from his dinner and the refreshing of his body And the more any man is scanted of time to be wholly imployed on this worke the more he should striue to fasten his hart on these holy thoughts euen while he is about his worldly occasions And if men doe seriously and vnfeignedly bend their minds this way I nothing doubt but they will finde so much liberty for this worke as may make their fasting to bring good affections vnto their soules These be the conditions which as I conceiue are requisit in an holy East make vse of them and doubt not of the successe CHAP. V. In what cases and for what purposes Fasting serueth to obtaine helpe and fauour from God FAsting rightly vsed and with the conditions already mentioned is very auaileable and of great vse in the life of a Christian For beside the spirituall helps that wee may haue from it for furthering our deuotion whereof I spake before it is also a powerfull meanes to obtaine helpe and mercie from God in diuers necessary cases or rather vpon euery occasion wherein we doe stand in need of Gods speciall fauour and assistance For I. First and in generall it is auaileable to obtaine Gods fauour and goodwill toward vs and consequently to incline and moue him to helpe and protect vs and to prouide for vs all good things and to grant vs all our iust and lawfull desires And this it doth for diuers causes or in diuers respects 1. Because Fasting is an exercise of humiliation and subiection whereby we doe submit and cast our selues downe before Gods feete as vnworthy in respect of our many sinnes to vse any the least of his creatures And humiliation is a ready way to obtaine fauour By it (a) 1 King 20 31 c. Benhadad won the heart of the King of Israel not onely to spare his life but to intreate him with all kindnesse though he had found much hard measure from him immediately before And by it sinfull men who haue offended God by their sinnes may finde ready fauour at Gods hands For (a) Iam. 4.6 he resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble And if men (b) 1 Pet. 5.6 humble themselues vnder the mighty hand of God he will exalt them in due time And (c) Isa 66.2 All these things hath mine hand made saith the Lord but to this man will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words Which is as if he should say The heauens and the earth and the seas and all things within them all of them bee mine for I made them and I preserue them and I may command them and make vse of them at my pleasure but among them all my delight is and I make choyce to dwell and reside with him that humbleth himselfe before me It followeth And if humiliation be so welcome to God fasting must needs obtaine his fauour when it is rightly vsed 2. Because Fasting is an exercise of Repentance and a meanes to worke reformation and amendment of life And Repentance and amendment is the ready way to obtaine mercie and fauour For (d) Ioh. 9.31 We know saith the blinde man now restored to his sight that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth In which sentence there are two things considerable 1. The sentence it selfe God heareth not sinners that is God doth not respect the prayer of sinners which persist in any sinne without repenting and reforming themselues nor is it reason that he should care to fulfill their desires who haue no care to fulfill his Lawes But if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will c. That is if any man endeuour to serue God by forsaking sinne and performing good duties GOD heareth that mans prayer and will not deny him any request that may be for his good Secondly we may consider in this saying the certainty and vndoubted truth of it We know saith he he saith not we thinke or we hope or we are perswaded of it but we know it as a thing that is cleere and out of question Againe Wee know he doth not say I know or you know or the learned Doctors know but Wee I and you and all doe agree in this principle That God reiecteth the prayers of sinners but (a) Psal 34.13 his eares are open to the cry of the righteous and (b) Ps 145.19 he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will heare their cry and will saue them And if amendment of life and practice of righteousnes be so powerfull with God then fasting rightly vsed cannot want his effect 3. Because fasting rightly vsed is a meanes to eleuate the minde and to enflame a zeale and deuotion and to set an edge on our prayers as was formerly declared But (c) Iam. 5.10 the effectuall feruent prayer of a righteous man auaileth much saith the Apostle And consequently fasting is a good meanes to impetrate grace and fauour In these and such like respects fasting may steed vs with God to incline him to our prayers And therefore God himself reprouing the ill-gouern'd Fasts of the Iewes (a) Isa 58.4 Ye shall not saith he fast as yee doe this day to make your voyce to bee heard on high Where he signifieth that their ill handling of their Fasts was the cause that their prayers were not heard and implyeth withall that a right and well-ordered Fast would haue pierced the clouds and obtained audience in heauen II. Secondly and more particularly it may serue vs to obtaine fauour and mercy in these and such like speciall cases 1. If a man stand guiltie of sinne and lyable to Gods anger fasting may serue to appease Gods anger and to obtaine pardon of the sinne This end Ezrah had of his fasting For when the people had sinned in taking strange wiues first he confessed the sinne (b) Ezra 9.15 10.1 Behold O Lord God of Israel we are before thee in our trespasses for wee cannot stand before thee because of this And secondly hee betooke himselfe to abstinence and fasting
I reason thus The Iewes did lawfully obserue foure seuerall set daies euery yeere for daies of fasting And therefore it is not alwayes superstitious and sinfull to obserue set fasting dayes Some againe answere that these Fasts were appointed vpon occasion of their present calamities in Babylon and ceased at their deliuerance My reply is that I see no proofe that these Fasts did cease to be obserued after the Iewes were deliuered out of captiuity The contrary may seeme more probable because in the (a) Calendan Hebraeorum edito à Genebrardo praefixo CoÌ„ment in Psalmos Kalender of the Iewes wherein their Feasts and Fasts are noted these foure dayes remaine still as beeing in vse among the Iewes And b Haec sunt festa quatuor ista communissima quibus Iudaei tempore Prophetae Zachariae ieiunaruÌ„t adhuc annis singulis ordinariè summarieque ieiunant Buxd. Synagog Iudaic. cap. 25. Buxdorfius a man well acquainted with the manners and customes of the Iewes telleth vs that the Iewes to this day do keepe those fasting dayes which are there mentioned by the Prophet But say that they ceased vpon the peoples deliuerance yet it is not true that they were appointed vpon occasion of their present miseries in Babylon for other dayes might haue beene as fit for that purpose and perhaps more conuenient then these but as the learned obserue by occasion of some miserable accidents which befalling them but once did moue them to fast the same daies that those accidents happened for many yeeres after And if those Fasts did last no longer then the time of their captiuity because all that while they had iust cause to humble themselues in remembrance of these euils yet thus much will follow from thence that therefore vpon occasion of a sorrowfull accident which hath once befalne vs we may for euer after fast that set day so long as we haue cause to be humbled in remembrance of it And hence againe it will follow that therefore Good-Friday may euery yeere constantly be kept for a fasting day because it was occasioned by the death of Christ for our sinnes and we shall neuer want iust cause to bee humbled in remembrance hereof so long as the world lasteth because besides our old sinnes we doe euery yeere commit many moe new ones which helped to nayle our Sauiour to the Crosse The like might be said of some other the like dayes And therefore there is warrant in Scriptures for set and standing times of fasting II. My second proofe is from approued examples of Gods Church both in the time of the Law and in the time of the Gospell For in the time of the Law the Iewish Church kept their set dayes of abstinence as besides the Fasts now mentioned out of the Prophet may further appeare by the words of the Gospell For there it is said that the Disciples of Iohn and of the Pharises did fast often and more particularly of the Pharises that they fasted twise a weeke Now as (a) Caluin in Dan. 6.10 Caluin concludeth that Daniel had his set prefixed houres of praying because it is said that hee prayed three times a day So may I hence inferre that the Pharises kept set dayes of fasting because it is said of them that they fasted twise euery weeke And (b) ExaÌ„ part 4. de Tempore Ieiun nu 54. pa. 95.1 Kemnitius gathereth from the ninth of Saint Mathew that both the Pharises and the Disciples of Iohn had certa stata tempora ieiuniorum set and standing times for their Fasts Now that this practice of theirs is an approued example for vs appeareth first because our Lord when he reproueth their errours in their Fast yet findeth no fault with this And secondly because he excused his Disciples for not fasting as the Pharises and Iohns Disciples did from the vnseasonablenes of the time and promised that after-ward when the time was fitting they should then fast And this sheweth that our Lord was so farre from condemning the Pharises and Iohns Disciples that he excuseth his Disciples for not doing the like Againe in the time of the Gospell the Christian Church hath still had her standing and set dayes for fasting as the time of Lent euery yeere and the Friday euery weeke and some others as is so apparent that it cannot be denyed nor needs not to be proued And these set times haue beene commended by many holy and learned Fathers of the Church but were neuer disliked by any of them that euer I could finde And so in conclusion in the iudgement of Gods Church both before and since Christs appearing in the flesh which heerein was neuer blamed by Christ or his Apostles or the learned Fathers it is no sinne to keepe set dayes of fasting III. The third proofe is taken from reason grounded on the authority of Scriptures And my reasons in that kinde shall be these two 1. Nothing is sinfull but that which is forbidden by Gods Law for (a) 1 Ioh. 3.4 Sinne is the transgression of the Law as the Apostle defineth it But to keep set dayes of fasting is no where forbidden by any Lawe of God It followeth And therefore to keepe such dayes is no sinne Against this Argument nothing can be excepted vnlesse some Text of Gods Law can be shewed which condemneth or forbiddeth the obseruation of such standing times And for that purpose some obiect the place of Saint Paul (a) Gal. 4.10 Yee obserue dayes and moneths and times and yeeres I am afraid of you lest I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine But to this the reply is easie and may be borrowed out of Beza for he expounding a like place in Saint Paul One man esteemeth one day aboue another another esteemeth euery day alike the Apostle heere saith this learned man b Agit non do quouis dierum discrimine sed de eo demum quod in Lege Mosis pracipitur vt apparet ex eo quod scriptum eâ—â— Coloss 2.16 Beza in Rom. 14.6 doth not speake of euery difference of dayes but of that only which is prescribed in Moses his Law as is apparent by that which is written Coloss 2.16 Let no man iudge you in meate or in drinke or in respect of an holy day or of the new moone or of the Sabbath dayes which are a shaddow of things to come c. And so I say The Apostle in the place alledged doth not speake of euery obseruing of dayes and times but such onely as was prescribed by Moses and is abolished by Christ And this exposition of this place is as directly prooued by that other to the Colossians as that whereof Beza speaketh The place then alledged doth not proue that standing times of fasting are forbidden by Gods Law Arg. 2. The keeping of set times for the doing of holy duties is a thing found to be profitable and vsefull in the life of a Christian because it may serue for the more constant performance
2. pa 61. Beerlyn promp pare 3. in festo Cinerū Text. 3. Azor. part 1. l. 7 c. 12. this opinion are not a fewe of the latter Popish Doctors 3. The third opinion is that it is an ancient Ecclesiasticall Order begun in the Church after the Apostles time and consequently that it may not be called either Diuine or Apostolicall vnlesse we will call it Apostolicall because it is a very ancient Order whose beginning and institution is vnknowne as such like orders are many times called Apostolicall and referred to their institution Of this opinion is c Collat. 21. c. 30. Cassianus an ancient Writer and d Fest Hom. Disp 69. nu 4. p. 469. Kem. Exā par 4. de Ieiu tit quomodo vetus Eccl. Ieiun c. pag. 125. Nicol. Vedel Exer. 10. in Ignat. epist ad Phil. c. 3. nu 11. pag. 60. nu 19. pag. 67. diuers learned men in the reformed Churches That which I conceiue most probable I will set downe in three distinct and seuerall assertions but with submission to better indgement 1. Pro. It is certaine that the obseruation of Lent was very ancient and receiued throughout the whole Christian Church For whosoeuer shal peruse the writings of the Fathers shall finde mention of it in men of all countries and euen as neere to the Apostles times as any Monuments or Records of the Church doe reach 2. Propos It is not certaine that it was either appoynted or obserued by the Apostles of Christ as any Rule or Order agreed vpon by them for the vse of the Church My reasons are 1. Because no man who liued in their time or within that age doth say it nor can any other tell which of them or in what manner or with what instructions they either ordained or obserued it And to say that therefore it is of the Apostles institution because no other Author is knowne is a coniecture that may faile vs. 2. (a) V. Filesac de Quadrag c. 2. seqq v. etiā Vedel Exerc. 10. in Ignat. ep ad Philip. cap. 3. nu 11. seqq Because the Fast of Lent was anciently obserued in diuers Churches and Countries after a very diuerse and different maner For first there was a difference in the number of weekes appointed for this vse some obseruing eight weekes some seuen some sixe and some as we now doe sixe weekes and foure dayes Secondly there was difference in the fasting daies of Lent for in some places they fasted euery day saue Sunday in some other euery day except Saturday and Sunday in some other euery second day and in some but euery other weeke onely For on those other dayes in Lent though they abstained from some meats yet they did eate their dinner and then the Ancients thought it to be no fasting day Now if there had been any set order agreed vpon by the Apostles for the practice of the Church in all likely hood there could not haue beene such variety in so short a time It may be I deny not that the Apostles who were frequent in fastings as Saint Paul speaketh of himselfe 2 Cor. 11.27 did vse it at this time more frequently and for longer time then at other times of the yeere because they were now occasioned to remember the sufferings of their Master and anon after to celebrate his Resurection And this practice might perhaps giue occasion to the Churches abroad to take example by them and to celebrate a more solemne and longer Fast at that season but with such different obseruations and facions as vsually falleth out among sundry nations and companies when all agree in one end or maine worke but haue not the same Rules to proceed by prescribed vnto them But if this be supposed yet still I say that it is not certaine that the Apostles did eyther institute or obserue a Lent Fast of forty daies such as is now vsed in the Christiā Church 3. Propos There is no reason to imagine that the Fast of Lent was any precept of Christs either deliuered by his own mouth or giuen to the Apostles by inspiration or otherwise And for this my reasons are two 1. My first reason shall be the same with that which Saint Augustine vsed in the very like case Hee disputing of the Saturdayes Fast against one who vrged the necessitie of it concludeth or reasoneth in this manner a Ego in Euangelicis Apostolicis literis totóque inslrumento quod appellatur Testamentum nouum animo id reuoluens video praeceptum esse ieiunium Quibus autem diebus non operteat ieiunare quibus oporteat praecepto Domini vel Apostolorum non inuenio definitum As per hoc senlio c. Augustin Ep. 86. ad Casulan pag. 132. C. I saith hee hauing in my minde reuolued the New Testament doe finde that Fasting is commanded in the Writings of the Euangelists and Apostles but on what dayes men ought not to fast and on what they ought I no where finde it determined by any commandement of Christ or of his Apostles Atque per hoc sentio c. And for this cause I thinke that there is no such necessity in the Saturdaies fast otherwise than as the orders and custome of euery Church doe require In which dispute of that learned Father I consider two things for my purpose 1. I note his Assertion It is not found to bee appoynted or commanded in the Writings of the New Testament Secondly I note his conclusion which hee inferreth hereupon Atque per hoc sentio c. And therefore I thinke it no precept of Christ And so I may reason in this case Let a man reade all the Writings of the Apostles and Euangelists and he shall no where finde that the Fast of Lent was appoynted by the commandement eyther of GOD or of Christ or of his Apostles Atque per hoc sentio And therefore I am of opinion that it is no commandement of Christ 2. My second reason is because there is no proofe that may perswade vs that this institution was Christs precept For all the reason that is brought for this purpose so farre as I can learne or obserue is onely this because some of the Ancients say that it was appoynted by Christ or by Almighty God But they who speake thus doe not meane that which these men would haue who alledge them For a Quamuis Ambrosius Hieronymus Augustimus intelligant Quadragesunam à Domino indistā non verbo sed exemplo c. Bellarm. de bonis oper l. 2. c. 14. §. Adde quod non Bellarmine confesseth of three of the chiefe of them namely Saint Hierome Saint Ambrose and Saint Austin that they are to be vnderstood of Christs Fact and example because he fasted forty dayes and not of any precept of his as if hee had commanded it And other (b) Azor. Instit l. 7. cap. 12. q. 1. pa. 566 567. Less de Iustit Iure l. 4. c. 2.
be a solemne time at least once in the yeere wherein men may call themselues to an account for all their negligences repent them of all their euill doings and with Prayers fastings and mournings turne vnto the Lord. 2. That this time of the yeere was chosen as fittest both because that herein we remember the sufferings of Christ for our sinnes as also for that after this meditation of Christs sufferings his ioyfull Resurrection doth immediately present it selfe vnto vs in the dayes following c. 3. That for the limitation of the number of dayes men had an eye to Christs Fast of forty daies as to a conuenient direction His meaning is that the Church vpon the former grounds being to appoint a number of dayes for this solemne seruice and worke of humiliation did make choice of forty dayes the rather because Christ had fasted forty dayes for our sakes Neither is this without good ground and reason For first the very number of the same dayes might serue for a more liuely expression and remembrance of Christs Fast for oursakes To which purpose God himselfe saith in a like case vnto the rebellious Iewes (a) Num. 14.34 After the number of the dayes in which ye searched the Land euen forty dayes each day for a yeere shall ye beare your iniquities euen forty yeeres In which passage we may note three things 1. That GOD did proportion the punishment to the sinne that it might carry the more liuely representation of it This I gather hence because he saith After the number c. for that implyeth that God did regulate the punishment by the offence 2. That this proportion betweene the sinne and the punishment consisted in the paritie or equality of the same number obserued in them both 3. That though there was this proportion and likenes of the number yet there was a disproportion and vnlikenes in the matter of that number For their sinne was acted in fortie dayes but their punishment was to be suffered for fortie yeeres and yet notwithstanding this dissimilitude in the things numbred the likenes in the very number it selfe did serue to keepe a fresh remembrance of the fact And so in our Lent-Fast there is a great difference betweene the manner of Christs Fast and of ours because hee fasted altogether without tasting any thing which we can no way reach vnto but doe come as farre short of it as forty dayes are short of forty yeeres yet in as much as we keepe the same number of dayes in our Fast that he kept in his this very agreement in the number may serue to represent vnto vs and to keepe a remembrance of that Fast of our Sauiour And this may be one reason why the Church might well make choyce of the same number of dayes for their yeerely and solemne Fast which our Lord had vsed before in his Fast in the Wildernesse Secondly the Church might iustly make choice of the same number of dayes that Christ fasted because the vsing of the same number might serue as a meanes to expresse our affection and loue to our Sauiour For euen among men children that desire to honour the memory of their Fathers will sometimes say I will doe this thing or I will obserue that order because my Father or Grandfather was wont to doe so before me And a kinde man after the death of his friend or benefactor whom he doth reuerence and respect will keepe some customes and vse some courses the rather because it was the manner of that man whom he doth honour to doth so And finally all of vs vse to say of them that be in loue or doe tenderly affect one another that they loue the very ground on which each of them doth tread And all this sheweth that where there is loue and respect there men doe desire to conforme themselues in euery manner they may to the actions and behauiour of those whom they doe affect and loue And so in this case the Church might shew loue and respect to her Redeemer by making choice of that number of dayes for her Fast which hee had vsed in his I may then I hope not without ground say that the Church did appoint fortie dayes for Lent-Fast with an eye to the forty dayes Fast of our Sauiour as willing and that for good reason to keepe the same number of dayes that he had done Now out of all this we haue three Corollaries which I will add for the conclusion of this whole point 1. Coroll That our Church hath great reason to wish as she doth that the old Discipline of Lent might be restored againe For the thing in it selfe is very effectuall to purge sinne and worke amendment of life and the time is very fitly chosen to conforme vs to the sufferings of Christ and to fit vs for the celebrity of his Resurrection because hauing purged out the old leuen of sin we may then keepe the feast with the vnleauened bread of syncerity and truth yea and the very number of dayes allotted for this seruice is not without some good vse to keepe the fresher remembrance of our Lords tentations and fastings 2. Coroll That they ouershoote themselues in a mis-gouerned zeale who to crosse the superstitions of Rome do make these ancient fasting daies the vsual times of their feasting For in so doing they doe not onely shew themselues vnlike to the ancient Christians whose example it is our glory to follow in their lawfull courses but they doe also without cause obliterate a good memoriall of their Sauiours mercies I like their zeale in purging out of Popish superstition but I should like it better if it were ioyned with moderation and wisedome such for example sake as Ezekiah and the Priests did vse in purging of the Temple And that was this (a) 2 Chro. 29.16 They brought out all the vncleannes that they found in the Temple of the Lord into the Court of the House of the Lord and the Leuites tooke it to carry it out abroad into the brooke Kidron And when they had thus cleansed all the House of the Lord then (b) Vers 21. c. they brought bullocks and rammes and Lambes and hee goates and offered sacrifices and performed the wonted seruice to the Lord in his Temple Where we see they did not pull downe the Temple because of the superstitions or abominations rather with which Ahaz and the Idolaters of that time had defiled it but they purged out the superstition and kept the Temple still for its wonted holy vses And so it were a commendable zeale if men would purge the ancient fasting dayes of the Church and carrie out the superstitions with which Popery hath defiled them and cast them into some riuer or rather into some sea that they may neuer apeare any more in the Chrian world But as it had beene too much violence then to pull downe the Temple for the vncleannes sake that was in it so it is too much violence now