terrible pains and cruel torments the Apostles and Martyrs have voluntarily suffered for the Defence of Christ's Faith when they might have lived by dissembling or denying him how much more wilâ—ing should'st thou be to depart in the â—aith of Christ having 〈◊〉 pains to torment thee and â—ere 〈◊〉 to comfort thee The spiritual sigh upon the seventh Thought O Lord my sins have deserved the pains of Hell and eternal death much more these fatherly corrections wherewith thou dost afflict me But O blessed Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world have mercy upon me and wash away all my filthy sins with thy most precious blood and receive my soul into thy heavenly Kingdom for into thy hands O Father I commend my spirit and thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth The sick Person ought now to send for some godly and religious Pastor IN any wise remember if conveniently it may be to send for some godly and religious Pastor not only to pray for thee at thy death for God in such a caâ—e hath promised to hear the prayers of the righteous Prophets and Elders of the Church but also upon thy confession and unfeigned Repentance to absolve thee of thy sins For as Christ hath given him a calling to baptize thee unto repentance for the remission of thy sins so hath he likewise given him a calling and power and authority upon repentance to absolve thee from the sins I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And again Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye lâ—ose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And again Receive ye the holy Ghost whose soevever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained This Doctrine was as ancient in the Church of God as Job for Elihu tells him That when God strikes a man with malâ—dy on his bed so that his soul draweth near the grace and his life to the burieâ—â— if there be any messenger with him or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare unto man his righteousness then will â—e have mercy upon him c. and answerable hereunto saith St. James if the sick have committed sins upon his repentance and the Prayers of the Elders they shall be forgiven him These have power to shut Heaven and to deliver the scandalous impenitent sinner to Satan For the weapons of their warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to cast down c. and to have vengeance in readiness against all disobedience They have the key of loosing therefore the power of absolving The Bishops and Pastors of the Church do not forgive sin by any absolute power of their own for so only Christ theâ—r Master forgive 〈◊〉 but ministerially as the seâ—vants of Christ and Stâ—wards to whose fidelity their Lord and Master â—ath committed his Keys and that is when they do declare and pronounce either publickly or privately by the Word of God what bindeth what looseth and the meâ—cieâ—â— of God to penitent sinners or his Judgments to impenitent and obstinate persons and so do apply the general promises or threatnings to the penitent or impenitent For Christ from Heaven doth by them as by his Ministers on Earth declare whom he remitteth and bindeth and to whom he will open the gates of heaven and against whom he will shut them And therefore it is not said Whose sins ye signifie to be remitted but whose sins ye remit They then do remit sins because Christ by their Ministry remitteth sins as Christ by his Disciples loosed Lazarâ—s Joh. 11. 44. And as no water could wash away Naaman's Leprosie but the waters of Jordan tho' other Rivers were as clear because the promise was annexed unto the water of Jordan and not of other Rivers so tho' another Man may pronounce the same words yet have they not the like efficacy and power to work on the conscience as when they are pronounced from the Mouth of Christ's Ministers because the promise is annexed to the Word of God in their mouths for them hath he chosen separated and sâ—t apart for this work and to them he hath committed the ministry and word of reconciliation by their holy calling and ordination they have received the holy Ghost and the ministerial power of binding and loosing They are sent forth of the holy Ghost for this work whereunto he hath called them And Christ gives his Ministers power to forgive sins to the penitent in the same words that he teacheth us in the Lord's Prayer to desire God to forgive us our sins to assure all penitent sinners that God by his Minister's absolution doth fully through the merits of Christ's Blood forgive them all their sins So that what Christ decreeth in heaven in â—oro ju â—icii the same he declareth on earth by his reconciling Ministers in foro poenitentie so â—hat as God hath reconciled the world to himself by Jesus Christ so hath he saith the Apostle given unto us the ministry of this reconciliation He that sent them to baptize saying Go and teach all nations baptizing them c. sent them also to remit sins saying As my Father sent me so send I you whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them c. As therefore none can baptize tho' he use the same water and words but only the lawful Minister which Christ hath called and authorized to this Divine and Ministerial Function so tho' others may comfort with good words yet none can absolve from sin but only those to whom Christ â—ath committed the holy Ministry and Word of reconciliation and of their absolution Christ speaketh He that heareth you heareth me In a doubtful Title thou wilt ask the Counsel of a skilful Lawyer In peril of sickness thou wilt know the Advice of the learned Physician and is there no danger in dread of damnation for a sinner to be his own Judge Judicious Calvin teacheth this point of Doctrine most plainly Etsi omnes mutuo â—â—s debeamus consolari c. Altho saith he â—e ought to comfort and confirm one another â—n the confidence of God's Mercy yet we see that the Ministers are appointed as witnesses and sureties to ascertain our Consciences of the â—emission of sins insomuch as they are said tyremit sins and to loose souls Let every faithful man therefore remember that it is his duty if inwardly he be vexed and afflicted with the sense of his sins not to neglect that remedy which is offered unto him by the Lord to wit that for the easing of his conscience he make private confession of
all talking about worldly things which hindereth the sanctifying of the Sabbath more than working seeing one may work alone but cannot talk but with others He that keeps the Sabbath only by resting from his ordinary work keeps it but as a Beast But rest on this day is so far commanded to Christians as it is an help to sanctification and labour so far forbidden as it is an impediment to the outward and inward worship of God If then those recreation's which are lawful at other times are on the Sabbath not allowed much more those that are altogether at all times unlawful Who without mourning can endure to see Christians keep the Lord's day as if they celebrated â— feast rather to Bacchus than to the honour of the Lord Jesus the Saviour and Redeemer of the world for having served God but an hour in outward shew they spend the rest of the Lord's day in sitting down to eat and drink and rising up to play First balasting their bellies with eaâ—ing and drinking and then feeding their lusts with playing and dancing Against which prophanations all holy Divines both old and new have in their times most bitterly inveighed Insomuch that Augustine affirmeth that it was better to plough than to dance on the Sabbath day Now in the Name of Almighty God who rested having created Heaven and Earth and of his eternal Son Jesus the Redeemer of his Church who shall shortly come on the dreadful day of Dâ—om to judge all men according to the obedience which they have shewed to his commandments I require thee who readest these words as thou wilt answer before the face of Christ and all his holy Angels at that day that thou better weigh and consider whether Dancing Stage-playing Masking Carding Diceing Tabling Chess-playing Bowling Shooting Bear-baiting Carousing Tipling and such other fooleries of Robbin Hood Morice-dances Wakes and Maâ—-games be Exercises that God will bless and allow on the Sabbath day And seeing that no action ought to be done that day but such as whereby we either bless God or look to receive a blessing from God how darest thou do those things on that blessed day on which thou darest not to pray to God to bestow a blessing on it to thy use Hear this and tremble at this O prophane youth of a prophane age O heart all frozen and void of the feeling of the grace of God! that having every day in six every hour in every day every minute in every hour so tasted the sweet mercy of thy God in Christ without which thou hadst perished every moment Yet canst not find in thy corrupt and irreligious heart to spend in thy Masters service that one day of the week which he hath reserved for his own praise and worship Let men in defence of their prophaneness object what they will and answer what the Devil puts in their mouths yet I would wish them to remember that seeing it is an ancient Tradition in the Church that the Lord's second coming shall be upon the Lord's day how little joy they should have to be overtaken in those carnal sports to please themselves when their Masters should find them in spiritual Exercises serving him The prophane Wretch would then wish rather to be taken kneeling at prayers in the Church than skipping like a Goat in a dance If this cannot move yet I would wish our impare gallants to remember that whilst they thus dance on the Lord's day contrary to the Lord's Commandment they do but dance about the pits brink and they know not which of them shall first fall therein Where to being once fallen without repentance no greatness can exempt them from the vengeance of that great God whose Commandment contrary to their knowledge and conscience they do thus presumptuously transgress If then God's Commandment cannot deterr thee nor God's Word advise thee I say no more but what St. John said before me He which is filthy let him be filthy still For the second 2. The consecration of the Sabbath's rest consists in performing three sorts of duties First before Secondly at Thirdly after the publick exercises of the Church The Duties to be performed before the publick exercises are 1. To give over working betimes on the Eve that thy body may be the more refreshed and thy mind the better â—itted to sanctifie the Sabbath on the next day For want of this preparation thy self and thy servants being tyred with labour and watching the night before are so heavy that when you should be serving God and hearing what his Spirit saith unto the Church for your Soul's instruction you cannot hold up your heads for sleeping to the dishonour of God the offence of the Church and the shame of your selves Therefore the Lord commands us not only to keep holy but also to remember afore-hand the Sabbath day to keep it holy by preparing our hearts and removing all business that might hinder us to consecrate it as a glorious day unto the Lord. Therefore whereas the Lord in the other Commandments doth but either bid or forbid he doth both in this Commandment and that with a special memorandum As if a Master should charge his servant to look well unto ten things of great trust but to have a more special care to remember one of those Ten for divers weighty reasons should not a faithful Servanâ— that loves his Master shew a more special care unto that thing above all other businesses Thus Moses taught the People o'er night to remember the Sabbath and it was a Holy custom among our forefathers when at the ringing to Prayer on the Eve before the Husbandman would give over his labour in the field and the Tâ—adesman his work in the Shop and go to Evening Prayer in the Church to prepare their souls that their minds might more chearfully attend God's worship on the Sabbath day 2. To possess that night thy vessel in holiness and honour that thou maist present thy soul more purely in the sight of God the next morning 3. To rise up early in the morning on the Sabbath day Be careful therefore to rise sooner on this day than on other days by how much the service of God is to be preferred before all earthly businesses For there is no Master to serve so good as God and in the end no work shall be better rewarded than his service 4. When thou art up consider with thy self what an impure sinner thou art and into what an holy place thou goest to appear before the most holy God who seeth thy heart and hateth all impurity and hypocrisie Examine thy self therefore before thou goest to church what grievous sins thou hast committed the week past confess them unto God and earnestly pray for the pardon and forgiveness of them and so reconcile thy self with God in Christ. Renew thy vows to walk more conscionably and pray for an increase of those graces which
and receiving of the Sacrament to the knowledge of thy saving grace and obedience of thy blessed will for that thou hast bought and redeemed me with the blood of thine only begotten Son from the torments of Hell amd thrall of Satan for that thou hast by faith in Christ freely justified me who am by nature the Child of wrath for that thou hast in good measure sanctified me by thy holy Spirit and given me so large a time to repent together with the means of repentance I thank thee likewise good Lord for my life health wealth food raiment peace prosperity and plenty and for that thou hast preserved me this night from all perils and dangers of body and soul and hast brought me lafe to the beginning of this day And as thou hast now wakned my body from sleep so I beseech thee waken my soul from sin and carnal security and as thou hast caused the light of the day to shine in my bodily eyes so good Lord cause the light of thy Word and holy Spirit to illuminate my heart and give me grace as one of thy children of light to walk in all holy obedience before thy face this day and that I may endeavour to keep faith and a clear conscience towards thee and towards all men in all my thoughts words and dealings And so good Lord bless all my studies and actions which I shall take in hand this day as that they may tend to thy glory the good of others and the comfort of mine own Soul and Conscience in that day when I shall make my final accounts unto thee for them Oh my God keep thy servant that I do no evil unto any man this day and let it be thy blessed will not to suffer the Devil nor his wicked Angels nor any of his evil Members or any malicious enemies to have any power to do me any hurt or violence But let the eye of thy holy providence watch over me for good and not for evil and command thy holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about me for my defence and safety in me going out and coming in as thou hast promised they should do about them that fear thy Name For into thy hands O Father I do here commend my soul and body my actions and all that ever I have to be guided defended and protected by thee being assured that whatsoever thou takest into thy custody cannot perish nor suffer any hurt or harm And if I at any time this day shall through frailty forget thee yet Lord I beseech thee do thou in mercy remember me And I pray not unto thee O Father for my self alone but I beseech thee also be merciful unto thy whole Church and chosen people wheresoever they live upon the face of the earth Defend them from the Rage and Tyranny of the Devil the World and Antichrist Give thy Gospel a free and a joyful passage through the world for the conversion of those who belong to thine Election and Kingdom Bless the Churches and Kingdoms wherein we live with the continuance of Peace Justice and true Religion Defend the King's Majesty from all his Enemies and grant him a long life in health and all happiness to reign over us Bless our gracious Queen Mary Prince Charles the Lady Mary the Lady Elizabeth and her Princely Issue Increase in them all heroical gifts and spiritual graces which may make them fit for those places for which thou hast ordained them Direct all the Nobility Bishops Ministers and Magistrates of this Church and Common-wealth to govern the Commons in true religion justice obedience and tranquility Be merciful unto all the Brethren which fear thee and call upon thy name and comfort as many among them as are sick and comfortless in body or mind especially be favourable to all such as suffer any trouble or persecution for the testimony of thy truth and holy Gospel And give them a gracious deliverance out of all their troubles which way it shall seem best to thy Wisdom for the glory of thy Name the further enlarging of the truth and the more ample increase of their own Comfort and Consolation Hasten thy coming O blessed Saviour and end these sinful days And give me grace that like a wife Virgin I may be prepared with oil in my Lamp to meet thee the sweet Bridegroom of my Soul at thy coming whether it be by the day of Death or of Judgment and then Lord Jesus come when thou wilt even Lord Jesus come quickly These and all other graces which thou knowest needful and necessary for me this day and evermore I humbly beg and crave at thy hands O Father giving thee thy glory in that form of Prayer which Christ himself hath taught me to say unto thee Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name c. Meditations to stir us up to Morning Prayer IF when thou art about to pray Satan shall suggest that thy Prayers are too long and that therefore it were better either to omit Prayers or else to cut them shorter meditate that Prayer is thy spiritual sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased and therefore it is so displeasing to the Devil and so irksome to thy Flesh. Bend therefore thy Affections will they nill thy to so holy an exercise assuring thy self that it doth by so much the more please God by how much the more it is unpleasing to thy flesh 2. Forget not how the Holy Ghost puts at down as a special note of reprobates they call not upon the Lord they call not upon God And when Eliphaz supposed that Job had cast off the fear of God and tha◠God had cast Job out of his favour he chargeth him that he restrained prayer 〈◊〉 God making that a sure none of the 〈◊〉 and a sufficient cause of the other On the other side that God hath promised that whosoever shall call on his name shall be saved It is certain that he who maketh no conscience of the duty of Prayer hath no grace of the holy Spirit in him For the spirit of grace and of prayer are one And therefore Grace and Prayer go together But he that can from a penitent heart morning and evening pray unto God it is sure that he hath his measure of grace in this world and he shall have his portion of glory in the life which is to come 3. Remember that as loathing of meat and painfulness of speaking are two symptoms of a sick body So irkesomness of praying when thou talkest with God and carelesness in hearing when God by his Word speaks unto thee are two sure signs of a sick Soul 4. Call to mind the zealous devotions of the Christians in the Primitive Church who spent many whole nights and vigils in watching and praying for the forgiveness of
state of the New Testament Neither can I here pass over without Admiration how the Sacrament of Circumcision continued in the Church 39 Jubilees from Abraham to whom it was first given unto the Baptism of Christ in Jordan which was just so many Jubilees after Bucholcer's account as the world had continued before from Adam to the birth of Abraham Moses began his Ministry in the 80 year of his age Christ enters upon his Office in the 80 Jubilee of the World's Age Joseph was thirty years old when he began to rule over Egypt Gen. 41. 46. and the Levites began to serve in the Tabernacle at thirty Years old so Christ likewise to answer these figures began his ministry in the Thirtieth Jubilee of Moses and when he began to be thirty years of age Luke 3. 23. in the midst of Daniel's last week and so continuing his ministry on Earth Three years and a half finished our Redemption and Daniel's Period by his innocent death upon the Cross. The most of all the great alterations and strange accidents which fell out in the Church came to pass either in a Sabbatical year or in a year of Jubilee For example The seventy weeks of Daniel beginning the first year of Cyrus and the 3439. year of the world contain so many years as the world did weeks of years unto that time and so many weeks of years as the world had lasted Jubilees Daniel's seventy weeks of years contain four hundred and ninety single years the world before that time 490 weeks or sabbaths of years Daniel's Period 70 weeks the world's 70 Jubilees so that to comfort the Church for their 70 years captivity which they had now according to Jeremy's prophecy endured in Babylon Gabriel tells Daniel That at the end of 70 weeks or Sabbaths of years that is 70 times seven years or 490 years their eternal Redemption from Hell should be effected by the death of Christ as sure as they were now redeemed from the captivity of Babylon This period of Daniel containing 70 Sabbaths or 10 Jubilees of years began at the first liberty granted the Jews by Cyrus in the first year of his Reign over the Babylonians mentioned Ezra 1. 1. and ends justly at the time that Christ died upon the Cross. From the death of Christ or the last end of Daniel's weeks to the seventy and one year of Christ the world is measured by seven Seals or seven Sabbaths of years making one compleat Jubilee From the end of those seven Seals the World is measured to her end by seven Trumpets each containing 245 years as some conjecture about 440 years hence the truth will appear Enoch the seventh from Alam having lived so many years as there are days in the year 365 was translated of God in a Sabbatical year Moses the seventh from Abraham as another Enoch is buried of God but born in a Sabbatical year of the World 2373 and in the 777 year since the Flood after Broughton's Computation is saved as a new Noah in a reed Ark and lived a builder of the Church so long as Noah was building the Ark â—â—0 years The promise was made to Abraham in a Sabbatical year being the 2223 year of the World The sixth year of Joshua being 2500 years from the Creation of the World wherein the land was possessed and divided among the children of Israel was a Sabbatical year and the 50 Jubilee from the Creation of the World At this year Moses begins his Jubilee by which as with a chain of thirty links he tieth the pâ—rting of Canaan's possession to the Israelites by Joshua to the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers by Jesus And so carrieth the Church of the Jews by a joyful stream of Jubilees from the Type to the substance from Canaan to Heaven from Jeshua to Jesus for Christ at the end of Mâ—ses's thirty Jubilees and the beginning of the thirtieth year of his age at his Baptism openeth Heaven and gives the clearest Vision of the blessed Trinity that was seen since the world began And by the silver Trumpet of his Gospel proclaims according to the Prophecy of Esay eternal redâ—mption to all that repent and believe in him And the year of our Saviour Christ's birth being the 3948 of the World was at the end of a Sabbatical year and the 564 Septenary of the World Moses maketh the common age of all men to be ten times seven Psal. 90. and every seventh year commonly produceth some notable change or accident in Man's life And no wonder for as Hippocrates affirmeth a Child in his Mother's womb on the seventh day of his conception hath all his members finished and from that day groweth to the perfection of birth which is always either the ninth or seventh month At seven years old the Child casts his teeth and receives new And every seventh year after there is some alteration or change in man's life especially at nine times seven the Clymacterick year which by experience is found to have been fatal to many of those learned men who have been the chiefest Lights of the World And if they escaped that year yet most of them have departed this Life in a septenary year Lamech died in the year of his life 777. Methusalem the longest liver of the Sons of Men died when he began to enter his 900 and 70 year Abraham died when he had lived 25 times seven years Jacob when he had lived 21 times seven years David after he had lived ten times seven years So did Galen so did Petrarch who as Bodin noteth died on the same day of the year that he was born so did the Maiden Queen ELIZABETH of blessed and never-dying Memory who came into this world on the Eve of the Nativity of the blessed Virgin Mary and went out of this world on the Eve of the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary Hippocrates died in the 15th septenary Hierom and Isocrates in their 13. Pliny Bartolus and Casar in their 8 septenary And Johannes de temporibus who lived 361 years died in the 53d septenary of his life The like might be observed of innumerable others And indeed the whole life of a man is measured by the Sabbath for how many years soever man liveth here yet his life is but a life of seven days multiplied so that in the number of 7 there is a mystical perfection which our understanding cannot attain unto All which Divine Disposition of admirable things so oft by sevens calls upon us to a continual Meditation of the blessed seventh-day Sabbath in knowing and worshipping God in this life that so from Sabbath to Sabbath we may be translated to the eternal glorious Sabbath of rest and bliss in the life to come By the consideration whereof any man that looketh into the holy History may easily perceive that the whole course of the World is drawn and guided
from * meat and to do mischief is the Devil 's fast who doth evil and is ever hungry 2. Of doing good works The good works which as a Christian thou must do every day but especially on thy Fasting-day are either the works of Piety to God or the works of Charity towards thy brethren 1. The works of Piety to God are the practice of all the former duties in the sincerity of a good Conscience and in the sight of God 2. The works of Charity towards our Brethren are forgiving wrongs remitting debts to the poor that are not well able to pay but especially in giving alms to the poor that want relief and sustenance Else we shall under pretence of godliness practice miserableness like those who will pinch their own bellies to defraud their labouring servants of their due allowance As therefore Christ joyned Fasting Prayer and Alms together in Precept â—o must thou joyn them together like Cornelius in practice And therefore be sure to give at the least so much to the poor on thy Fasting-day as thou wouldest have spent in thine own dyet if thou hadst not fasted that day And remember that he that soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously and that this is a special sowing day Let thy Fasting so afflict thee that it may refresh a poor Christian and rejoyce that thou hast dined and supped in another or rather that thou hast feasted hungry Christ in his poor Members In giving Alms observe Two things First the Rules Secondly the Rewards 1. Rules in giving of Alms and doing good works 1. They must be done in obedience to God's Commandments not because we think it to be good but because God requireth us to do such and such a good deed for such obedience of the worker God preferreth before all sacrifices and the greatest works 2. They must proceed from faith else they cannot please God nay without faith the most specious works are but shining sins and Phâ—rifees Alms. 3. Thou must not think by thy good Works and Alms to merit heaven for in vain had the Son of God shed his Blood if Heaven could have been purchased either for Money or Meat Thou must therefore seek Heaven's Possession by the purchase of Christ's Blood not by the merits of thine own works For eternal Life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ. Yet every true Christian that believes to be saved and hopes to come to Heaven must do good works as the Apostle saith for necessary uses which are four First That God may be glorified Secondly That thou mayest shew thy self thankful for thy Redemption Thirdly That thou maist make sure thine Election unto thy self Fourthly That thou mayest win others by thy holy devotion to think the better of thy Christian profession And for these uses we are said to be God's Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works and that God hath ordained us to walk in them 4. Thou must not give thine Alms to impudent Vagabonds who live in wilful idleness and filthiness but to the religious and honest Poor who are either sick or so old that they cannot work or such who work but their work cannot competently maintain them Seek out those in the back Lâ—nes and relieve them But if thou mâ—etest one that asketh an Alms for Jesus sake and knowest him not to be unworthy deny him not for it is better to give unto ten Counterfeits than to suffer Christ to go in one poor Saint unrelieved Look not on the Person but give thy Alms as unto Christ in the Party 2. Of the Rewards of Alms-deeds and Good works 1. Alms are a special means to move God in mercy to turn away his temporal judgments from us when we by a true Faith that sheweth it self by such fruits do return unto him 2. Merciful Alms givers shall be the Children of the Highest and be like God their Father who is the Father of mercies They shall be his Stewards to dispose his Goods his Hands to distribute his Alms and if it be so great an honour to be the King's Almoner how much greater is it to be the God of Heavens Alms-giver 3. When all this World shall forsake us then only good Works and good Angels shall accompany us the one to receive their reward the other to deliver their charge 4. Liberty in Alms-deeds is our surest foundation that we shall obtain in eternal life a liberal reward through the Mercy and Merits of Christ. Lastly By Alms-deeds we feed and relieve Christ in his Members and Christ at the last day will acknowledge our love and reward us in his mercy and then it shall appear that what we gave to the poor was not lost but lent unto the Lord What greater motives can a Christian wish to excite him to be a liberal Alms-giver Thus far of the Manner of Fasting Now follow the Ends. 3. Of the Ends of Fasting The true Ends of Fasting are not to merit God's favour or eternal life for that we have only of the gift of God through Christ nor to place Religion in bodily abstinence for Fasting in it self is not the worship of God but an help to further us the better to worship God But the true Ends of Fasting are Three First To subdue our Flesh to the Spirit but not so to weaken our Bodies as that we are made unfit to do the necessary Duties of our Calling A good man saith Solomon is merciful to his beast Prov. 12. verse 10. much more to his own body Secondly That we may more devoutly contemplate God's holy Will and fervently pour forth our Souls unto him by prayer for as there are some kind of Devils so there are also some kind of Sins which cannot be subdued but by Fasting joyned unto Prayer Matth. 17. 22. Thirdly That by our serious humiliation and judging of our selves we may escape the judgment of the Lord not for the merit of our Fasting which is none but for the mercy of God who hath promised to remove his judgments from us when we by Fasting do unseignedly humble our selves before him And indeed no Child of God ever conscionably used this holy exercise but in the end he obtained his request at the hand of God both in receiving graces which he wanted as appears in the examples of Hannah Jehosaphat Nehemiah Daniel Esdras Esther as also in turning away judgments threatned or faln upon him as may be seen in the examples of the Israelites the Ninevites Rehoboam Ahab Hezekiah Manasses He who gave his dear Son from Heaven to the Death to ransom us when we were his enemies thinks nothing too dear on Earth to bestow upon us when we humble our selves being made his reconciled Friends and Children Thus far of the private Fast. 2. Of the publick Fast.
A Publick Fast is when by the Authority of the Magistrate either the whole Church within his Dominion or some special Congregation whom it concerneth do assemble themselves together to perform the forementioned duties of Humiliation either for the removing of some publick calamity threatned or already inflicted upon them as the sword invasion famine pestilence or other fearful sickness or else for the obtaining of some publick blessing for the good of the Church as to crave the assistance of his holy Spirit in the election and ordination of fit and able Pastors c. or for the tryal of Truth and execution of Justice in matters of difficulty and great importance c. When any evil is to be removed the Pastors are to lay open unto the People by the evidence of God's Word the sins which were the special causes of that Calamity call upon them to repent and publish unto them the mercies of God in Christ upon their Repentance The People must hear the Voice of God's Messengers with hearty sorrow for their sins earnestly beg pardon in Christ and promise unfeigned amendment of their life When any blessing is to be obtained the Pastors must lay open to the People the necessity of that blessing and the goodness of God who giveth such graces for the good of Men. The people must devoutly pray unto God for bestowing of that grace and that he would bless his own means to his own glory and the good of his Church And when the holy Exercise is done let every Christian have a special care according to his ability to remember the poor And whosoever when just occasion is offered useth not this holy Exercise of Fasting he may justly suspect that his heart never yet felt the power of true Christianity So much of Fasting Now followeth the exercise of holy Feasting Of the Practice of Piety in Holy Feasting HOLY Feasting is a solemn Thanksgiving appointed by Authority to be rendred unto God on some special day for some extraordinary blessings or deliverances received Such among the Jews was the Feast of the Passover to remember to praise God for their deliverance out of Egypt's bondage or the Feast of Purim to give thanks for their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy Such amongst us are the fifth of August to praise God for delivering our Gracious King from the bloody conspiracy of the traiterous Gowries And the fifth of November to praise God for the deliverance of the King and the whole State from the Popish Gun-powder Treason Such Feasts are to be celebrated by a publick rehearsal of those special benefits by spiritual Psalms and Dances by mutual feasting and sending presents every man to his Neighbour and by giving gifts to the poor But forasmuch as the benefit of our Redemption was the greatest that Man needed from God or that God ever bestowed upon Man and that the Lord's-Supper is left by our Redeemer as the chiefest memorial of our Redemption every Christian should account this holy Supper his chiefest and joyfullest Feast in this World And seeing that as it ministreth to worthy partakers the greatest assurance which they have of their salvation so it pulleth temporal judgments on the Bodies and without repentance eternal damnation on the Souls of them who receive it unworthily Let us see how a Christian may best sit himself to be a due partaker of so holy a feast and to be a worthy Guest at so sacred a Supper Meditations concerning the due manner of practising Piety in receiving the Holy Supper of the Lord. THough no man living is of himself worthy to be a Guest at so holy a Banquet yet it pleaseth God of his grace to accept him for a worthy receiver who endeavoureth to receive that holy mystery with that competent measure of reverence that he hath prescribed in his Word He that would receive this holy Sacrament with due reverence must conscionably perform three sorts of duties First those which are to be done before he receiveth Secondly those that are to be done in the receiving Thirdly those that are to be done after that he hath received the Sacrament The first is called Preparation the second Meditation the third Action or Practice Of Preparation That a Christian ought necessarily to prepare himself before he presume to be a partaker of the holy Communion may evidently appear by five Reasons First Because it is God's Commandment For if he commanded under the pain of death that none uncircumcised should eat the Paschal Lamb nor any circumcised under four days preparation how much greater preparation doth he require of him that comes to receive the Sacrament of his Body and Blood which as it succeedeth so doth it exceed by many degrees the Sacrament of the Passover Secondly Because the Examples of Christ teacheth us so much for he washed his Disciples Fâ—et before he admitted them to eat of this Supper signifying how thou shouldest lay aside all unpureness of heart and uncleanness of life and be furnished with humility and charity before thou presumest to taste of this holy Supper Thirdly because it is the counsel of the Holy Ghost Let every man examine himself and so let him eat c. And if a man when he is to eat with an earthly Prince must consider diligently what is before him and put a Knife to his Throat rather than commit any Rudeness how much more oughtest thou to prepare thy soul that thou mayest behave thy self with all fear and reverence when thou art to feast at the holy Table of the Prince of Princes Fourthly Because it hath been ever the practice of all GOD's Saints to use holy preparation before they would meddle with divine Mysteries David would not go near to God's Altar till he had first washed his hands in innocency much less shouldest thou without due preparation approach to the Lord's Table Abimelech would not give nor David and his Men would not eat the Shew-bread but on condition that their Vessels were holy How much less should'st thou presume to eat the Lord's Bread or rather the Bread which is the Lord unless the Vessel of thy heart be first cleansed by repentance And if the Lord required Joshua as he had done Moses before to put off his shooes in reverence of his Holiness who was present in that place where he appeared with his sword in his hand for the destruction of his Enemies how much rather should'st thou put off all the affections of thine earthly conversation when thou comest near that place where CHRIST appeareth to the Eye of thy Faith with Wounds in his hands and side for the Redemption of his Friends And for this cause it is said That the Lamb's Wife hath made her self ready for the marriage Prepare therefore thy self if thou wilt in this life be betrothed unto Christ by Sacramental Grace or in Heaven married unto him by Eternal Glory Fifthly