others as wiues children and seruants may not take vpon them to obserue a fast on a working day without the leaue and liking of their gouernours 49. The publicke fast is that which being vpon publicke cause by publicke authoritie proclaimed before the Lord is both publickly and priuatly to be sanctified of all as a Sabbath of humiliation vnto the Lord. In which definition there are foure things to bee obserued first who are to appoint the publicke fast secondly vpon what cause thirdly who are to obserue it fourthly how As touching the first The appointment of publicke fasts appertaineth to those who haue publicke authoritie to call the people together to the publicke worship of God and to cause them to cease from their bodily labors and worldly affairs as appeareth in the examples of publicke fasts recorded in the word of God as 2. Chron. 20.3 Ion. 3.7 1. Sam. 7.5 Ezr. 8.21 Ioel 1.14 And this they are to doe by proclaiming of the fast that is both by giuing publicke notice of it and also by charging all men to assemble themselues at the time appointed to obserue it according to the direction of the holy ghost by the Prophet Ioel Blow the trumpet in Sion sanctifie a fast that is by your proclamation which is meant by sounding the trumpet appoint a fast to be sanctified proclaime a day of rest or Sabbath of humiliation assemble the people c. And here we are to obserue that which is further added out of Ierem. 36. that this fast is to be proclaimed before the Lord that both they which haue authoritie doe proclaime it not in any wicked or worldly respect but in vprightnesse of heart as before the Lord and also that those who are to obserue it assemble themselues as before the Lord to sanctifie a fast vnto him 50. The next thing to be considered is the cause whereupon the fast is to be proclaimed that when there is just cause those which are in authority may take knowledge of their dutie in this behalfe And that is as I haue generally noted before when we haue some important and vrgent occasion to become humble and earnest suters vnto the Lord either for the obtaining of some speciall and publicke blessing or for the remoouing of some publicke euill and this either for our selues or for other churches of Christ. As for example when some publike matter of great importance is to be attempted then as we haue extraordinarie occasion to craue the blessing of God vpon vs so also we haue just cause to fast Consider to this purpose the examples of Ezra chap. 8. and of the faithfull in the primitiue Church Act. 13. and 14. both which being to craue the blessing of God the former vpon their voyage towards Ierusalem after their captiuitie the latter vpon the ministerie of his seruants whom they either ordained or sent forth to the worke of their ministerie commended their sute vnto the Lord by publicke fasting and prayer Which examples may be a sufficient direction for appointing publicke fasts vpon occasions of no lesse importance In the hystorie of the Kings it appeareth to haue beene the custome of the Israelits though that practise was monstrously abused by Iezabell that publicke matters of importance should bee enterprised with a fast 91. As touching publicke euils they be either publicke sinnes or publicke judgements of God for sinne For if the people of God haue committed some common or publicke sinne and thereby haue prouoked the Lord to wrath and indignation as indeed when we sinne he is angry then it behoueth them to judge themselues if they would not bee judged of the Lord and by humbling themselues before the Lord in fasting and prayer to appease his anger and to preuent his judgements The people of Israel when many of them had sinned by idolatrie and by reason of their sinne stood in feare of the Philistims the Prophet Samuell assembleth them together to Mizpeh where they solemnized a fast and pouring forth water before the Lord acknowledged and bewayled their sinne Likewise when many of the Iewes who were returned from captiuitie had mingled themselues in mariage with the heathen people of the land contrary to the commaundement of God they humbled themselues before the Lord in a publicke and solemne fast If wee therefore would auoid the judgements of God as they did wee must follow the example of their repentance when we haue not beene behind them in sinne But if it please the Lord to manifest his wrath either by threatening his judgements or by inflicting them then doth the Lord as it were call vs to this exercise Now the Lord threateneth his judgements first by his Prophets and ministers as by Ionas against the Niniuits whereupon they fasted secondly by some manifest tokens of his wrath as by earthquakes and other prodigious signes whereby the auncient Romans being also Gentiles haue beene mooued to proclaime publicke fasts thirdly by giuing vs notice of some imminent danger as when we heare of an open inuasion intended by forraine enemies which consideration mooued Iosaphat to proclaime a fast or vnderstand of some more secret plot or conspiracie against the Church the prince or state such as was the conspiracie of Haman against the people of the Iewes for the disappointing whereof the Iewes did fast If therfore the Lord do in like sort threaten vs as it were shake his rod ouer vs we must prepare our selues to meet our God and to turne vnto him by repentance with fasting and prayer 52. And if judgements threatened should mooue vs to fast how much more are wee bound to humble our selues vnder the mightie hand of God when it is vpon vs scourging and afflicting vs for our sinnes As for example when the Lord sendeth any of the publicke messengers of his wrath as the sword famine pestilence captiuitie The ten tribes after two discomfitures receiued at the hands of the Benjamits wherein fortie thousand of them were slaine humbled themselues before the Lord by fasting and prayer The Prophet Ioel when the Lord sent a grieuous famine vpon the land earnestly exhorted the Iewes in the name of the Lord to turne vnto him with all their heart with fasting with weeping and mourning c. Likewise for the time of pestilence as well as of famine Salomon giueth direction that men should humble themselues before the Lord. Which course his father Dauid had taken when the Lord sent the pestilence amōg the people of Israel which judgement was occasioned by his numbering of them but caused by their owne sins Moses also when the plague was begun among the people of Israel for their murmuring he commaundeth Aaron to take his Censer and putting therein incense to go among the people and to make an attonement for them which Aaron hauing done and standing betwixt the dead and them that were aliue the
plague ceased Which doth teach vs that the meanes to pacifie the wrath of God and to remooue the plague is to offer vp our heartie prayers vnto the Lord signified by incense in the name and mediation of Christ our high priest who standing before the altar with his golden Censer perfumeth the prayers of the faithfull with the odours of his owne sacrifice and maketh them acceptable vnto God And for the better humbling of our selues in prayer and testifying of our repentance it is very needfull that as in all other publick calamities so in this of the pestilence we vndertake this exercise of fasting Onely this we are to be admonished of That in places of infection the vtter abstinence from food is not so precisely to be vrged but that the people may yea ought to take something before they come abroad as a preseruatiue against infection 53. Lastly for the time of captiuitie we haue the example of the Iewes who during their captiuitie in Babylon obserued foure fasts in the yeare the first in the tenth moneth because on the tenth day of that moneth Nabuchadnezar with his armies began to besiege Ierusalem the second in the fourth moneth because on the ninth day of that moneth king Zedekiah and the men of warre flying out of the citie of Ierusalem were taken by the Chaldeans the third in the fift moneth because on the tenth day of that moneth the temple was ouerthrown and the citie sacked the fourth in the seuenth moneth because therein Gedaliah together with the Iewes and Chaldeans who were at Mispeh were slaine whereupon the rest of the Iewes who were left flying into Aegypt for feare of the Chaldees there was an vtter desolation in the land These fasts they took vpon them to obserue during their captiuitie that therein they calling to mind the former judgements of God as it were in foure degrees for their sinnes they might the better be humbled to implore the mercie of God for the time to come But when as these fasts by long custome grew ordinarie and many of the Iewes obserued them for custome rather than conscience insomuch that they thought this custome was to be obserued after their deliuerance frō captiuitie the cause of their mourning and consequently of their fasting being taken away and accordingly mooued that question Zach. 7 the Lord as he reprooueth their former hypocrisie in resting in the outward fast without repentance so he promiseth them for the time to come that if they would truly repent and walke in the obedience of his wayes their daies of fasting and mourning should be turned into daies of feasting and joy 54. From whence we are to obserue that if we according to the examples of the faithfull in the scriptures shall in the time of our distresse turne vnto the Lord with all our hearts and with fasting and prayer humble our selues before him the Lord will take away the cause of our mourning and turne our fasts into feasts The which I speake not as though this exercise had been altogether neglected among vs For to Gods glorie and to the stopping of our aduersaries mouths the Papists who know not what the true exercise of fasting meaneth it is to be acknowledged that howsoeuer we haue not beene so frequent in this exercise as were to be wished yet notwithstanding vpon diuerse publick occasions there haue beene publick fasts obserued and solemnized among vs with good and happie successe As for example in the time of the great plague Anno 1563 after the great earthquake Anno 1579 after intelligence had of the Spanish inuasion Anno 1588 in the time of the famine Anno 1596 and 1597 and now of late in this time of the pestilence Anno 1603. Besides the priuat and secret fasting of the faithfull as it hath pleased God to mooue them either by priuat or publicke occasions 55. The third thing to be obserued are the persons who when a publicke fast is proclaimed are to obserue it The Prophet Ioel besides those of yeares appointeth that the children euen those that sucke the breasts should be assembled to the fast And the Niniuits proclamation for obseruing the fast was extended not onely to all men women and children but also to their cattell The reason whereof was twofold first that the pitifull sight and lamentable crie of the children and cattell might encrease their sorrow and secondly that they might be brought to a deeper sight and more serious acknowledgement of the heinousnesse of their sinne which had pulled vpon them such an vniuersall judgement of God as should not onely afflict themselues but also extend to the very infants yea and to the bruit beasts But this practise is to bee reckoned among the ceremonies which in those times were vsed to augment their sorrow and increase the sence of their sinne and is no more to be imitated of vs than their sitting in the ashes the renting of their cloths their girding of themselues with sackcloth their putting of earth vpon their heads and such like among vs the Lord requireth no more to obserue the outward fast than such as by reason of their vnderstanding and discretion may the better be fitted thereby to humble themselues before him in this solemne exercise of prayer and repentance For the outward fast obserued as it is ordinarily among the Papists without any exercise of religion concurring therewith is nothing worth But to all those that are come to yeares of discretion and are exempted by some present necessitie is the equitie of that law to be extended Leui. 23. Euerie person that humbleth not himselfe on the Sabbath of humiliation shall euen be cut off from his people 56. There remaineth the fourth and last thing viz. how the publicke fast is to be obserued And this also I signified in the definition when I sayd it is to be sanctified both publickly and priuatly as a Sabbath of humiliation Where three things are to bee noted for first when as I say it is to be obserued as a Sabbath which before hath bene proued we are to vnderstand that therein a double rest is required the one outward from bodily labours and worldly businesse the other inward from sinne And contrariwise that the profanation of this Sabbath is condemned whether it be by neglecting the outward rest and imploying the time in bodily labours and worldly affaires or else by abusing our rest either to idlenesse or to vanitie or to sinne To idlenesse when men resting in the outward rest imagining that nothing else is required at their hands do nothing and by doing nothing they do euill as appeareth by the disjunction included in that question of our Sauiour Christ Luke 6 Is it lawfull on the Sabbath dayes to do good or to do euill Whereby our Sauiour plainly signifieth that if we do not good on the Sabbath day we do euill To vanitie when as men giue themselues to sports and
seeke me diligently saying Come let vs returne to the Lord for he hath spoyled and he will heale vs c. And the same may bee confirmed by the examples of men in all ages who in their trouble doe call vpon the Lord. The Israelits though a rebellious people yet when the Lord slew them they sought him and they returned and sought God early Manasses though the most wicked of all the kings of Iudah yet when he was in tribulation being taken captiue and bound in chaines and carried to Babylon he prayed to the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed vnto him c. The prodigall sonne though he had runne a leaud course yet when he was pinched with penurie then hee did bethinke himselfe of returning home to his father and falling downe before him said Father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee c. And this is that which some doe well gather out of this text that God doth therefore afflict vs that we may call vpon him that calling vpon him we may be deliuered that being deliuered we may glorifie him Fourthly because the Lord many times doth therefore delay his helpe and deferre our deliuerance that our desire may be inflamed and our faith exercised as appeareth by the parables of the two friends Luke 11.5.8 and of the widdow and the judge and the scope thereof Luke 18. by the practise of the Lord with the Israelits Iudg. 10. to whose request hee would not at the first condiscend but when they persisted in prayer confessing and forsaking their sinne it is said that his soule was grieued for the affliction of Israel by the behauiour of our Sauiour Christ towards the woman which was a Canaanit for when she had cried after him to haue mercie on her because her daughter was miserably vexed with a diuell and our Sauiour aunswered not a word she notwithstanding persisted in calling vpon him insomuch that his disciples came vnto him and besought him saying Send her away for she crieth after vs And although he answered that he was not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel notwithstanding shee importuneth him againe and comming vnto him worshipped him saying Lord helpe me And hauing receiued another repulse our Sauiour answering that it was not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to whelpes she acknowledged her selfe to be such a one but yet expected such crums as it were from his table Whereupon our Sauiour Christ hauing tried her sufficiently commendeth her faith and graunteth her request And lastly because the Lord in this place hath not onely commaunded vs to call vpon him in the time of affliction but also hath promised to deliuer vs. And therefore in obedience to this commandement and in faith in this promise wee are to poure foorth our soules before the Lord in the day of affliction But some man will aske When is this day of affliction wherein we are to call vpon God Affliction is euery thing that crosseth our lawfull desires and that is either priuat or publicke priuat either belonging to our selues or to others to our selues either in our soules as the anguish of the soule for sinne which is the greatest affliction or other heauinesse and passions melancholike or in our bodies as sicknesse infirmitie hurts or wounds or in our goods as pouertie want losses debts or in our good name as infamie by euill reports or slaunders or in those that belong vnto vs as wife children and seruants To others as to our kinred friends acquaintance neighbours countreymen brethren in Christ as all Christians are to be esteemed of vs though forrainers in respect of place and in respect of affection not well minded to vs for such a sympathie there ought to bee betwixt those that are members of the same bodie politick but much more of the same mysticall bodie of Christ especially when other respects also concurre of kinred amitie acquaintance neighbourhood c. that in a fellow feeling and Christian compassion we should mourn when other members of the same bodie are afflicted When the affliction therefore belongeth to our selues we are in our owne behalfes to call vpon God when to others we are in tender compassion of their griefe to commend their cause to God in our prayers Dauid when those who indeed were his enemies were afflicted he humbled himselfe in fasting and prayer for them Psal. 35.13 In like sort he mourned and fasted for the death of Saule and Ionathan 1. Chron. 10. and also of Abner 2. Sam. 3. Publicke affliction is when the countrey the Church or Commonwealth is afflicted with any common calamitie as famine sword pestilence desolation captiuitie and such like Let vs therefore consider whether this present time be a time of affliction or not and if it be let vs know that this commaundement belongeth vnto vs and that the Lord calleth vs to fasting and prayer Be it that in respect of thy selfe and those that belong to thee thou hast no cause of mourning as who almost is free yet thy brethren thy sisters thy friends thy countreymen thy fellow members in the bodie of Christ are visited by the hand of God or the places of their dwelling at least infected with this contagious sickenesse Did Dauid fast and mourne and pray for his enemies when they were in affliction and doest not thou mourne for thy deare brethren and friends But though we had no priuat cause of griefe yet the common calamitie should most of all affect vs seeing the chiefe cities and many other places of the land the Lord shooting his arrowes on euery side are visited with the fearefull plague of pestilence What shall we thinke because we as yet through the goodnesse of God haue escaped this plague that therefore it is not a time of affliction wherein wee are to humble our selues before God by fasting and prayer Farre be it from vs that we should be so hard-hearted as that we should not take to heart the affliction of Ioseph or such vnnaturall members of the bodie politicke or vnsound and rotten members of the mysticall bodie of Christ as that when the chiefe citie and as it were the head of our countrey besides many other places and persons is so grieuously afflicted that we should not condole and mourne together with them and pray to God for them Or may we think that because our selues and perhaps also the places where we dwell are free that therefore this affliction and judgement doth not concerne vs yes beloued it doth neerely concerne vs. For that this affliction is laid vpon the land for sinne we need not doubt seeing the Scripture so oft doth teach that truth Behold sayth the Prophet Esay thou art angrie when we offend Dauid testifieth that the Lord with rebukes doth chastise men for sinne and Ieremie That men are punished for their sinnes insomuch that afflictions
of his life Manasses though the most wicked of all the kings of Iudah yet being in trouble he prayed vnto the Lord and humbled himselfe greatly before God and was receiued to mercie and restored to his kingdome And to omit other particular examples Dauid testifieth of diuerse sorts of men being in diuerse kinds of troubles that when they cry vnto the Lord in their trouble he deliuereth them out of their distresse But for as much as some man may object out of his owne experience That hee being in trouble hath called vpon God and yet hath not bene deliuered and that this is not his case alone but is and hath beene in all ages the case of many thousands It behoueth vs therefore diligently to consider how this promise is to be vnderstood for that is the matter of greatest importance which offereth it selfe to bee considered of in the vnfolding of this text For that the promise is not to be vnderstood absolutly generally of euery prayer of euerie man in euery affliction the experiēnce of all times doth sufficiently declare But by conference of this promise which other places of Scripture it may appeare that it doth admit a threefold limitation or restraint The first in respect of the partie that prayeth the second in regard of the prayer it selfe the third concerning the thing which is prayed for For as touching the first If any wicked man or impenitent sinner shall object against the truth of this promise that hee hauing called vpon God in the time of trouble hath notwithstanding not beene deliuered let him heare what immediatly followeth this promise in the next words of the Psalme verse 16 But vnto the wicked saith God what hast thou to do to declare mine ordinances or to take my couenant into thy mouth as though my promises belong vnto thee For indeed not onely in this place but in many other places of the Scripture the promise concerning the hearing of our prayers is restrained to the faithfull and denied to the wicked Prou. 15 The sacrifice of the wicked is abhomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable vnto him And againe The Lord is farre off from the wicked but he heareth the prayer of the righteous Likewise Psal. 34 The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open to their cry But the face of the Lord is against them that do euill to cut off their remembrance from the earth The man which had bene blind Iohn 9 deliuereth this sentence as the receiued opinion of the faithfull in those times We know saith he that God heareth not sinners meaning impenitent sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him heareth he It is therfore the faithfull man whose prayer is accepted of God the just man who is just before God by faith and before men by repentance Iames 5 The prayer of the righteous man auaileth much Psalme 34 When the righteous cry the Lord heareth them and deliuereth them out of their troubles The man that feareth God Psal. 145 The Lord will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will beare their cry and will saue them That loueth God Psal. 91 Because he hath loued me therefore will I deliuer him I will exalt him because he hath knowne my name He shall call vpon me and I will heare him I will be with him in trouble I will deliuer him and glorifie him That walketh vprightly Psal. 84 For the Lord God is a sunne that is the author of light and all comfortable blessings and a shield that is a protector from all euill the Lord will giue grace and glorie grace in this life and glorie in the life to come and no good thing will be withhold from them that walke vprightly That perseuereth Iohn 15 If you abide in me and my words abide in you aske what you will and it shall be done to you That hath an humble and contrit heart Psal. 34.18 The Lord is neare vnto them that are of a contrit heart and will saue such as be afflicted in spirit Esay 66. To him will I looke saith the Lord euen to him that is poore and of a contrit spirit and trembleth at my words Psal. 51 The sacrifices of God that is that which God esteemeth in steed of all sacrifices is a contrit spirit a contrit and a broken heart ô God thou wilt not despise But as for the wicked the Lord plainely professeth that he will not heare them Mich. 3. Though they make many prayers Esay 1. though they cry loud in his eares Ezech. 8. Wherefore beloued in the Lord if we continue in our sinnes whereby we haue prouoked the Lord to execute his judgements vpon vs and if the Lord seeme not to heare vs neither doth deliuer vs according to our desire we may not object against God either that he is vntrue in his promises or vnable to helpe vs but let vs heare what the Prophet Esay saith in this case Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot saue neither is his eare heauie that it cannot heare but your iniquities haue separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes haue hid his face from you that he will not heare Therefore iudgement being farre from vs and iustice not comming neere vnto vs we wait for light but lo it is darknesse for brightnesse but we walke in darknesse for health but it is farre from vs for our trespasses are many before the Lord c. And that we may descend to some particulers If we be guiltie of crueltie and oppression the Lord will not heare vs. Esay 1 When you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many prayers I will not heare for your hands are full of bloud or if we bee vnmercifull to the poore for he that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore he shall also cry and not be heard Prou. 21 or if we refuse to heare and obey the word of God for as Salomon saith He that turneth away his eare from hearing the law euen his prayers shall be abhominable for as in prayer we speake to the Lord so in the preaching of the word the Lord speaketh vnto vs. And good reason it is that the Lord should not heare vs if we will not heare him Therefore it is come to passe saith the Prophet Zacharie That as he cried and they would not heare so they cried and I would not heare saith the Lord of hosts Or if we be close sinners and hypocrits making faire shewes openly and yet be addicted to secret sinnes for as Dauid saith Psal. 66. If I regard wickednesse in mine heart the Lord will not heare me Wherefore beloued as it is certaine that our sinnes are the cause of our affliction so we must be