prayers night and day In which sentence wee may consider two things for this purpose first that this holy woman made a dayly practice of fasting shee serued God in this manner night and day which sheweth that she fasted ordinarily and for an ordinary exercise of deuotion Secondly That by this kinde of fasting she serued God And if shee serued God by her fasting we need not feare lest wee dishonour him by the like practice Reason second from the vses Secondly That ordinary fasts are lawfull and vseful may be proued because ordinary fasts may and doe serue for those profitable vses for which religious fasts were ordayned For those vses are to testifie and helpe forward our humiliation and repentance to sharpen and whet on our attention in holy dueties and to subdue and tame the vnruly pride of the flesh and such like the respect whereof is the onely thing that maketh fasting so much commended to vs in the Scriptures But all these holy ends and vses may be attayned or furthered no lesse by ordinary than by extraordinary fasts For not onely our fastings when wee keepe them for some speciall and extraordinary occasion but euen those also which wee vse in an ordinary and vsuall course of Christianity may tame the flesh by subtracting its food may eleuate the minde towards God by estranging it from the sence of worldly things and may both shew and beget our humiliation and sorrow by chastening the body for the sinnes of our soules as is apparent in common reason nor is it needlesse in an ordinary course of life to vse such eyther helpes or signes of humiliation deuotion and mortification For our infirmities in all these kindes are many and great and had need of helpe euery day and our sinnes and transgressions happen dayly nay hourely and doe require euery day humiliation and sorrow and hence it followeth that this ordinary course of fasting vpon the common and vsuall occasions of our life are neither needlesse nor fruitlesse Thus in conclusion it appeareth that all religious Fasts be they priuate or publike and whether for ordinary or extraordinary occasions haue allowance from God and are of good vse in the life of a Christian CHAP. III. What holy vse there is of Fasting and how it may further vs for holy duties and workes of GODS seruice THese religious Fasts as they haue good proofe from Gods Word so they haue great vse in the life of a Christian More particularly and especially they may serue for these vses I. They may serue as outward acts to declare our reuerence toward God and his sacred ordinances For as at all times wee should vse reuerence toward God in our hearts which is nothing else but an acknowledging of his excellencie for which hee is to bee hououred so it is very requisite that when wee come into his presence or haue any more then ordinary entercourse with him wee should by some fitting behauiour declare it For which purpose (a) Exod. 3.5 God commanded Moses and the (b) Iosh 5.15 Angell commanded Ioshua Put off thy shooes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground The meaning of which ceremonie was for this end that thereby they might shewe reuerence in the place where God did manifest his presence And the like vse there may be of fasting also and that in two respects 1. Because we doe by such demeanour humble our selues before the Diuine Maiestie as vnworthy not only to enioy his presence but to make vse of any of his creatures Which is a testimony as of our owne basenesse so of Gods excellencie and greatnesse 2. We may by our abstinence shew reuerence to God because by forbearing our meate when wee are about his workes we declare that we preferre his seruice before the seruing of our owne turnes as deeming it most iust that his seruice should haue the first place in all our thoughts This vse of fasting (c) Hooker Eccles polit l. 5. nu 72. pa. 207. some thinke it is not vnlikely that the Iewes made in fasting on holy dayes till the publike Seruice was ended and that their complaint against Christs Disciples (d) Luke 6.1 2. for rubbing the eares of corne on the Sabbath day doth imply so much For their meaning was say they to finde fault with them meaning was say they to finde fault with them for breaking not the rest but the fast of the Sabbath e Hebraeorum illa fuit à maioribus tradita vsu recipta ac tanquam lege probata consuetudo vt von siceret diebus festis cuiquā ante sextā borā prandere Baron tō 1. ann 34. nu 243. pag. 250. which by their custome was to be obserued till dinner time or after the Diuine Seruice And for this interpretation there may bee giuen this reason that the rubbing of corne for staying of hunger was so small a worke that in reason it cannot be thought to offend any no not a Pharisee it beeing lesse labour then euery man doth vse at his ordinary meale on the Sabbath day For the furnishing of the Table the dishing out of the meate the drawing of drinke and caruing that which is necessary for euery mans vse which no Pharisee would reproue on the Sabbath day will require as much both time labour as that which the Disciples here did bestow But let this goe for a coniecture as I will not vrge it for any point of faith thus much is certaine that the Christian Church hath still bin accustomed to forbeare all foode when they were to receiue the holy Communion till the whole worke and seruice of God were ended whereof (f) Aug. Epist 118. c. 6. pag. 191. B. Saint Augustine and (g) Isidor de Offic. l. 1. ca 8. others after him doe giue vs this reason vt in honorem tanti Sacramenti in os Christiani priùs Dominicum corpus intraret quà m caeteri cibi that for the honour of that great Sacrament our Lords bodie should first be receiued before all other foode And so we may say that it is for reuerence to GOD and for the honour of his Ordinance if wee first performe those holy dueties before wee partake our necessary food And sure it was respect vnto his Master that made Abrahams seruant say (h) Genes 24.33 I will not eate till I haue told mine errand And respect it was to his heauenly Father that made our Sauiour to (i) Ioh. 4.34 refuse his owne meate till he had done his Fathers will and finished his Worke. And so it was respect vnto God that (k) 1 Sam. 16.11 Samuel would not sit downe till Dauid was sent for that hee might anoynt him as God had appoynted For otherwise the seruices which they did doe before meat might for any thing that doth appeare by the text haue bin as conueniently performed after it And so we shall declare our respect to God and reuerence to his holy
in these good workes the doing of which is a dutie toward man but that true and sound Religion is necessarily and by consequence ioyned with these workes And so when God saith that the Fast which he requireth is to loose bands of wickednes c. and to deale bread to the hungry c. Hee meaneth not that a true Fast doth essentially and formally consist in these workes but that it is euer ioyned with them And the good workes which God requireth to accompany a religious Fast are of two sorts some are workes of iustice which are to loose the bands of wickednesse to vndoe the heauie burdens c. that is to surcease and leaue off their oppressing and wronging of their brethren And some againe are workes of mercy which are to deale ones bread to the hungry to cloathe the naked c. By all which it doth appeare that God maketh no account of fasting if it be not ioyned with charity toward the poore and iust dealing towards all men The ancient Fathers agreeably to Scriptures are eloquent and plentifull in this argument Saint Ambrose a Illi qui ieiunant à cibo non se abstinent à malo similes sunt diabolo qui non manducat tamen à malo non cessat Ambros Serm. 43. p. 61. Hee that fasteth from meat and abstaineth not from sinne is like the Deuill who doth not eat and yet ceaseth not from sinne And againe the same Father b Qui abstinemus prandia nostra pauperibus praerogemus Sie tu pro delictia tuis ieiunus Dominum roges ille pro te satiatus exoret vtrumque tibi proficiens tua fames saturitas mendicorum Serm. 41. pag. 59. Wee that fast saith he let vs giue our dinners to the poore So thou fasting shalt aske God pardon for thy sinnes and hee beeing filled shall obtaine it for thee and both of them shall be for thy good both thy fasting and the poore mans eating To the same purpose speaketh Saint Augustin c Tum gratae sunt Deo nostrae ieiunia si illi qui necessitate ieiunant reficiantur à nobis August de Temp. Ser. 64. pag. 231. G. Then are our fasts accepted with God saith hee if they which fast because they want meat be relieued by vs. And againe the same Father and in the same Sermon d Dum à licitit abstinemus magis ac magis admonemur illicita vitare Qui enim abstinemus nos à carnibus quibus alijs diebus vti licet c. imprimis peccata fugiamas quae omninò nunquā licent Itaque si volumus bene ieiunare à cibis ante omnia ieiunemus à vitijs Augustin de Temp. Serm. 64. Dominic 1. Quadrages p. 231. E. While wee abstaine from lawfull things wee are admonished more and more to eschew vnlanifull things For wee that abstaine from flesh which at other times wee may vse ought especially to auoyd sinnes which may neuer be vsed And therefore if woe will fast rightly from meat wee must aboue all fast from sinne But Saint Basil most fully and fitly to this purpose e Caue ne ieinnij vtilitatem sola escarum abstinentia metiaris Verum enim ieiunium est ab omnibus vitijs esse alienum c. Bafil de Ieiunio Homil. 1. pag. 331. Doe not place saith he the good of fasting in the abstinence of meat for true fasting consisteth in abstayning from sinne For eatest thou not flesh but thou deuourest thy brother Forbearest thou to drinke wine but thou forbearest not to offer wrong to thy brother And thou stayest till night before thou breake thy fast but thou spendest all the day in Law-suites and quarrelling And doest thou think to please God with such a godlesse fast No no Woe to them that are drunke and not with wine And who be they They are all such saith he as are ouercome and haled away with vnruly lusts of sinne as of anger and enuy and reuenge and ambition and carnall pleasures For all such vnmortified lusts are as so many kindes of drunkennesse For hee that is led and possessed with these hee is not his owne man hee cannot see and discerne the way of reason much lesse of religion no more than a drunken man can find his way in the street And if a man doe abstaine from wine and yet be drunke with these vices or if a man forbeare the flesh of beasts and feed on the bloud of his brother this is no truer a fast in Gods sight than if he should abstaine from a weaker wine and ouerwhelme himselfe with a stronger or should fast from swines flesh and glut himselfe with Partridge and Pheasant The summe of all is A true Fast cannot be separated from an holy life IIII. Fourthly it is required that the soule doe consider of and put in practice such holy duties as a Fast doth by the outward behauiour make profession of Some doe require that euery Fasting-day bee kept as an Holy-day without doing of any worldly worke and with performing of such religious workes as belong to a Sabbath day And their reason for this is because God doth command the Iewes that on their day of expiation in which they were to afflict themselues with fasting they should doe no worke but that they should keepe it for a Sabbath of rest But this I take to be an errour at least I dare not charge it as a necessary duety in any mans conscience because I know no reason to enforce it For to mine vnderstanding the onely place of Scripture which seemeth to incline this way and vpon which they onely rest doth make nothing for it at all The place is in the sixteenth of Leuiticus but especially in the three and twentieth of the same Booke where the same words are repeated and the poynt more fully declared And therefore I will set downe the words there recorded that the Christian Reader may the better consider of the meaning and the more clearely see what to iudge of the reason The words then are these (a) Leuitic 23 27 28 29 30 31 32. On the tenth day of this moneth there shall be a day of Atonement it shall be an holy conuocation vnto you and yee shall afflict your soules and offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord. And yee shall doe no worke in that same day for it is a day of Atonement to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God c. For better conceiuing of this Text we must note first that the summe and intention of this Chapter is to set downe the Feasts and the Holy-dayes of the Iewes which are heere reckoned vp to be the weekely Sabbath the Passeouer the Offering of the first fruits Pentecost the Feast of the Trumpets the day of Expiation and the feast of Tabernacles And concerning these it is said by way of preface in the beginning (b) Vers 2. Say vnto the children of Israel Concerning the
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
till after Sun-setting and at night when Starres appeare then they eate And therefore if it were said saith he that Christ fasted fortie dayes it would be vnderstood that at nights he did eate as the Iewes were wont to doe And Maldonat a Autideo diebus Euangelista noctes adiecit vt indicaret eum non Iudcorum more ieiunasse qui per diem nihil cibi potusve sumentes noctu vescebātur Mal. in Matt. 4.2 The Euangelist saith he added the mention of nights that he might shew that Christ did not fast after the maner of the Iewes who taking no meate nor drinke all the day did eate at night And Lucas Brugensis b Noctium additur mentio ne putes Ieiunium fuisse quale Iudaeorum iuxta legem qui interdiu ieiunare iussi vesperi noctuque edere poterant Luc. Brugens in Mat. 4.2 There is mention added of nights lest a man should thinke that this Fast of our Sauiour was such as the Fast of the Iewes was according to the Law who being commanded to fast by day might eate in the euening And in like sort Iansenius c Noctium etiam fit mentio quemadmodum in Ieiunie Mosis ad distinctionem Ieiunij Christi à Ieiunijs Iudaeorū qui tota die ieiunantes in vespera nocte cibum sumpserunt Ians harm Cap. 15. pag. 124. col 2. There is mention also of nights saith he as there is likewise in the Fast of Moses to distinguish Christs fasting from the fasting of the Iewes who fasting all day at night did take meate And if this was the custome of fasting at those times and this the vse of speech among that people That if men were said to fast some dayes without expresse mention of nights it would be vnderstood that he did not eate nor drinke any thing all the day but did eate at night then in all reason of the world we must so vnderstand these words of the Prophet Daniel as learned Kemnitius d Harm Euangel ca. 51. Pericop 6. pag. 817. Exam. Concil Trident. part 4. de Ieiun nu 25 26. pag. 89. col 2. also doth Answ 2. Secondly I answere That a Fast is either properly so called or improperly and by an imperfect kinde of partaking with it a Perpetua S. Scripturae phrasis et sanctorum omnium in V. N. T. praxis aperiè docent eos demū verè ieiunare qui prersus ab omni cibo abstinēt siue per vnū siue per plures aliquot dies Impropriè tamen Ieiuniū dici potest cùm quis parcè vel tenuuer viuit veletiam à prandio aut coenae abstinet Idem iudicium esto de Ieiunio in quo adbibetur ciborum delectus Alsted Theol. Polem part 4. de Ieiun Contr. 1. pa. 506. Properly he is only said to fast that abstaineth from all foode whether meat or drinke And improperly or imperfectly a man may perhaps bee said to fast when hee forbeareth pleasant and nourishing meate contenteth himselfe with course feeding And in this sense if any man doe abstaine from Flesh and Wine and other such strong nourishment that hee may expresse a holy and religious sorrow I will not gain-say him if he call it a Fast but I must adde withall that it is an improper and imperfect kind of Fast and such as I no where finde so called in the Scriptures nor as I thinke is it to be found in the ancient Fathers and Writers of the Church Answ 3. Thirdly I answer That this partiall and imperfect abstinence may not go no not so much as for an improper or vnperfect Fast vnlesse the meate that is then vsed bee sparing and course and such as that it may in part afflict Nature while it doth in some sort refresh it Dan. 10 12. Sunt qui vinum nō bibunt vt aliorum expressione pomorū alios sibi liquores nō salutis causâ sed iucunditatis exquirant tanquam non sit Quadrage simae piae humilitatis obseruatio sed nouae voluptatis occasio August de diuers serm 74. ca. 9. pa. 499. H. such as Daniels was when he ate no pleasant bread nor dranke no Wine and by vsing of which in place of his ordinary food he is said to chasten himselfe For else if there bee a forbearing of one meate that we may glut or fill our selues with other or an abstinence from one kind of food that we may feede on another no lesse strengthening and such as doth content Nature as well this is no fasting at all but a changing of pasture rather nor is it an abstaining from meate but an vsing of variety of Cates. And out of this I deduce two conclusions 1. That they who thinke themselues warranted by Daniels example in this place tō eate their dinner when they keepe a Fast doe greatly deceiue themselues and much mistake the Prophets meaning 2. That they who thinke that Daniels practice doth iustifie their choice of meats in their time of fasting when they forbeare flesh onely and feed on all sorts of fish and eate cherishing rootes and drinke the strongest Wines are much mistaken and build vpon a sandie ground For Daniel did neither dine nor drinke Wine nor eate any pleasant meat CHAP. II. What sorts or kinds of fasting are commended to vs in Scriptures IN the Scriptures wee finde diuers kinds of fasting mentioned some whereof are commended for religious vses and others are passed ouer as no way concerning the spirituall state of our soules For differencing whereof we may note these distinctions following 1. Dist Some Fasts are necessary and by constraint when men are compelled to fast because they haue not either stomach or meate Such was the fast of the Aegyptian 1 Sam. 30.12 who was forsaken by his company being left sicke in the Fields was almost dead for want of victuals And some Fasts again are voluntary vndertakē of a mans own accord and by his owne free choyce of which kind there are many examples in the Scriptures The former of these is rather a hungring then a fasting for Ieiunium voluntatis est fames necessitatis Fasting is an act of the will but hunger is of necessity and whether a man will or no as Saint Austin (a) Aug. in Psalm 42. pag. 138. F. speaketh And therefore this can bee no act of vertue because it is not voluntary but necessarie And consequently it is not that Fast that is commended for Religion sake And therefore the voluntary Fast onely is it which belongeth to this place and is for our purpose 2. Dist Voluntary Fasts are of two sorts They are either worldly and prophane or religious and holy Worldly and prophane I call those whose end is for some worldly vse or for some respect belonging to this life And these are diuers For somtimes men may fast for effecting of some worldly businesse with better speede as Saul and his souldiers did when the people tasted no food because the King
beene vsed to gresse this duety with much earnestnesse in their Sermons to the people a Cui dabis quod tibi abstulisti Ita ieiuna vt alio manducante prandisse te gaudeas August in Psalm 42. in fine To whom wilt thou giue that which by fasting thou hast spaâ— d from thy selfe saith Saint Augustine So fast that by anothers eating thou mayest be glad that thou hast dyned And againe b Ieiunia nostra vt plena sint suffarta misericordiae pinguedine sageâ—â—ntur demus surientibus prandium nostrum De Temp. Serm. 65. pag. 232. C. That our Fasts may be full let them be fatted with Almes-deedes Let vs giue our dinner to them that be hungry And againe c Praecipuè sanè pauperum mementote vt quod vobis parcius viuendo suberahitis in coelosti Thesauro reponatis Accipiat esuriens Christus quod leiunans minùs accipit Christianus Castigatio volentis fiat sustentatio non habentis c. Augustin de diuers Serm. 74. cap. 10. Pag. 500. A. Especially saith he be mindfull of the poore that what you subtract from your selues yee may lay it vp in the Treasury of Heauen Let hungring Christ receiue that which the fasting Christian doth abate c. And so Leo d Jeiunijs nostris egentium refectio suffragetur Leo Serm. 10. de Quadrages Let the feeding of the poore giue testimony to our fasting And e Quod suis quisque delicijs subtrahit debilibus impendat egenis Leo de Quadrages Serm. 11. That which a man doth with-draw from his dainty fare let him bestow vpon the impotent and needy And to like purpose speake others also Dist 3. Religious fasts are of two sorts they are eyther publique or priuate fasts Publique I call those when a whole company as when a Citie Towne or Parish doe by publique order ioyne together in this seruice Such a fast was that of the Nineuites in the third Chapter of Ionas and that which was prescribed to the Iewes in the fourth of Ester Secondly the priuate fast is when men out of their owne deuotions and by their owne direction doe in their priuate houses vse abstinence in a religious manner Such a fast was that of Daniel mentioned in his tenth Chapter and that of Nehemiah in the first Chapter of his Booke And both these kindes both the priuat and publique fasts haue their approbation in Scriptures and are commendable if they be vsed aright as appeareth by the examples alledged already and will more fully appeare afterwards in the processe of this discourse Dist 4. Religious fasts whether priuate or publique may againe be diuided into two sorts For some are extraordinary and others are ordinary The extraordinary are such as are kept vpon some speciall and extraordinary occasion as eyther for remouing of some speciall iudgement then eyther felt or feared or for obtayning of some benefit or blessing whereof then there is especiall need and exigence Such was the fast of the Nineuites which they vndertooke vpon the feare of destruction threatned by the Prophet And such was the fast of Dauid which he vndertooke vpon occasion of his Childes sicknesse and danger of death in him The ordinary fasts are such as are kept for an vsuall exercise of the soule without any other cause than such as may befall euery one of vs at all times Now for the former of these kindes of fasting it is generally agreed that they are both lawfull and vsefull but concerning the later that is the ordinary there hath a question beene made by some later Diuines who dispute determine against the vse of them But as I take it the case is cleare enough to the contrary And my reasons are first because this kinde of fast hath approbation in the Scriptures and secondly because it hath the profitable vses for our soules for which religious fasts were ordayned First Reason first from Scriptures because it hath approbation from Scriptures For I reade that God himselfe commanded an ordinary fast to be obserued by the Iewes euery yeere Leuit. 16.29 This saith hee shall be a Statute for euer vnto you that in the seuenth moneth in the tenth day of the moneth yee shall afflict your soules c. Where that the afflicting spoken of was partly by inward sorrow for their sinnes and partly by outward abstinence from meat and other contentments of nature is agreed vpon by all sides And that this abstinence and humiliation was an ordinary exercise of pietie cannot bee doubted if we consider that it was appoynted euery yeere and in the same moneth and vpon the same day For it is not to bee imagined that extraordinary occasions of humiliation should happen euery yeere vnto the same people and at the same time and vpon the same day And if Almightie God himselfe saw it to be so vsefull for the Iewes to humble themselues by an ordinary fast for their ordinary sins and in the ordinary course of their liues why should it be thought sinfull in Christians to humble themselues in the same manner and vpon the same occasion Secondly we finde in Scriptures that the (a) Matt. 9.14 Pharises fasted often and for example sake that they (b) Luk. 18.12 fasted twice in the weeke and that concerning those fasts of theirs our Lord gaue his Disciples this warning (c) Matt. 6.16 When yee fast bee not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appeare vnto men to fast Verily I say vnto you they haue their reward Out of which passages wee may gather two things First that these fasts of the Pharises were ordinary fasts and obserued by them in their ordinary course of life and for an ordinary exercise of religion For that these men should so often haue extraordinary occasions especially that euery weeke twice is a thing that cannot be conceiued with any probability or reason Secondly that these fasts such as they were were not vnlawfull in themselues That I proue first because our Sauiour where hee purposely taxeth their vices reproueth them for their purpose not for their practice of fasting or not because they did fast but because they did fast to gaine prayse of men for it Now had they offended in both out of doubt our Lord would haue reproued them for both and haue fore-warned his Disciples to beware of both Secondly because in saying of the Pharises that they fasting for vaine glory had their reward hee meant that they might not expect any reward from God seeing they did it for the applause of men and hee implyeth by necessary consequence that if they had not marred this good worke with so ill an end they might haue had a reward from God for it And if God reward ordinary fasts what man will dare to condemne them Luke 2.37 Thirdly wee reade againe of Anna the Prophetesse that shee departed not from the Temple but serued God with fastings and
may fast with full stomachs Saint Basil met with some such in his dayes whom he warneth and threatneth for it Praua est cogitatio c. It is a gracelesse thought saith he to say with our selues (b) Hom. 2. de Ieiun pag. 336. A. Now the fasting dayes are bidden 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let vs therefore now drowne our selues in swilling excesse For will any man saith he when he is to marry a chaste Matrone make an introduction to such a marriage by bringing Strumpets into his house And in the places of Popish ignorance it is a most vsuall practice c Conamur per crapulam lasciuiam vlcisci dieâ—â—etunij quasique de ieiunioa enturo sumere poeâ—as â—â—lesa de Quaâ—â—â— cap. 12. 〈◊〉 70. to make way for Lent Fast by surfeting at Shrouetide But a religious Christian should consider that if he meane to fast rightly he must make his abstinence to be a chastening to nature which cannot be if his fasting be but a forbearing of meate till his former gluttonie be concocted II. Secondly there is required in a true Fast that our other carriage and behauiour be suteable to this of our fasting My meaning is that as wee chasten and afflict the body by abstinence from meate so we should doe by refraining from the other delights and comforts of nature For else the other pleasure would vndoe that which by fasting we seeke to effect because they will hinder our humiliation and repentance Nor is it seemely to ioyne gay clothes and sweet perfumes and pleasant musicke and frolike behauiour with this exercise of humiliation and sorrow no more then it is for him that weareth a mourning gowne for his friends death to flaunt it in a white hat and a gay feather and a coloured suite at the same time And for this cause it is that in Scriptures where fasting is spoken of there is mention also of sackcloth and ashes and hard lodging and forbearing of perfumes As for example (a) Dan. 10.3 Daniel forbore sweet oyntments And (b) 2. Sam. 12.16 Dauid lay all night vpon the earth And (c) Ester 4.1 Mordecai put on sackcloth and besprent himselfe with ashes And the (d) Ionas 3.6 King of Nineueh layed off his robe and couered himselfe with sack-cloth and sate in ashes And (e) Ioel 2.16 Ioel requireth Let the Bridegroome goe foorth of his Chamber and the Bride out of her Closet And our (f) Mar. 2.19 Luk. 5.34 Lord saith The children of the Bride-chamber cannot fast while the Bridegroome is with them The meaning is that Marriage-mirth is vnseasonable in a time of fasting And therefore if a Fast must be kept let the Bridegroome goe foorth of his wedding Chamber as Ioel speaketh or if Marriage-mirth bee necessary let the humiliation of fasting be deferred till an other time as our Sauiour implyeth And because of this disproportion between mirth and fasting God reiecteth the Fast of the Iewes for this cause among others because in the day of their Fast they found pleasure And from the consideration of these things it is that the Hebrewes were wont in their Fasts (a) Ainsw on Leu. 16.29 to abstaine from foure things that import mirth and reioycing from washing themselues from anoynting from fine apparell and from the vse of the marriage bed And so when wee fast all our behauiour must bee such as beseeme mourning the condition of a deiected suppliant b An putatis illuÌ„ ieiunare qui primo diluculo non ad Ecclesiam vigilat sed surgens congregat seruulos disponit retia cánes producit saltus syluasque per lustrat Ambros to 5. ser 4â— pag. 58. v. Aug. de Diuers Ser. 74. cap. 8. At least thus much is necessary that we abstaine from all delights of the world that be disproportionable to the state of a mournfull penitent III. Thirdly there is required in a true Fast that the inward affection of the heart be answerable to the outward behauiour of the body that is that as by abstaining from the comforts of this life we chasten the body so by a godly sorrow and vnfained repentance we humble our soules for our sinnes And because true repentance includeth or implyeth amendment of life and an heartie practice of all good duties therfore it is to be vnderstood that with a true Fast there is necessarily required an holy life And the reason hereof is plaine because God doth not care for the opus operatum the bare worke done nor doth fasting please him because it is an abstinence from meat but because it is a signe of repentance and an help to true deuotion and an holy life To this purpose we finde God speaking to the Iewes (a) Zach. 7.5 When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seuenth moneth did ye at all fast vnto mee euen to mee As if he should say Ye did it not for my sake and I owe you no thankes for it nor doe I take it as a part of my seruice But why was it not done for Gods sake and to his seruice The reason is intimated in the words following (b) vers 9 10.11 12. The Lord said Execute true iudgement and shew mercy and compassion euery man to his brother and oppresse not the widdow c. But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder c. And to like purpose but more plainely in another place (c) Isa 58.4 Yee fast saith God for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickednes Ye shall not fast as ye doe this day to make your voyce to be heard on high Is it such a Fast that I haue chosen Wilt thou call this a Fast and an acceptable day to the Lord Hee meaneth that they fasted as if they repented for their sinne and meant to serue God but they while they kept their Fast continued in their sinnes and that this was not a true Fast that God euer did require or would accept But if this bee not the true Fast what then is Why It followeth in the next words (d) vers 6 7. Is not this the Fast that I haue chosen to loose the hands of wickednes to vndoe the heauie burdens and to let the oppressed goe free that ye breake euery yoke Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poore that are cast out to thy house When thou seest the naked that thou couer him c The summe and intent of which words is that a true Fast such as God doth require and will requite is to be ioyned with the practice of good workes For the manner of speech is like to that of Saint Iames where he saith Iames 2.27 that pure religion and vndefiled is this to visit the fatherlesse and widdowes in their affliction and keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world Where hee meaneth not that religion which is a dutie toward GOD doth formally consist
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
said (a) Luk. 1.74 75. that being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies we might serue God without feare all the dayes of our life the name of dayes includeth the whole space till the end of the time mentioned because the seruice of God is such as may not be neglected either by night or day And so when it is said of Lazarus (b) Ioh. 11.39 that he had beene dead foure dayes the meaning is that he was dead all that while both by night and day because men that are dead by day doe not vse to liue by night and then dye the next day againe And so againe when it is said of Saul that hee was three dayes without sight the meaning is that hee was blinde for so many dayes and so many nights And the reason is the same because if a man be blind for so many dayes it cannot be conceiued that he had his sight in the night time In these such like cases the conditiō of the things is such that what is said of thē for the day must be taken for the night too And in such cases there is no neede to mention the nights But yet sometimes as when the speech is of such things which though they happen in the day yet are vsed to be intermitted in the night then the name of the dayes doth not include the night also As when it is said of Laban that he pursued after Iacob (c) Gen. 31.23 seuen dayes iourney the meaning is he followed so farre as a man may or doth vse to goe in the space of seuen dayes not counting the nights because men that trauell by day are supposed to take vp their lodging and rest in the night time And so if a man should hire an ordinary day-labourer to worke with him for two or three daies all men would vnderstand the bargaine to be made of working in the day and not in the night time but if a Mariner should bee hyred to labour in a ship by sea or a nurse to attend a sicke partie for the same number of dayes euery man would construe that both of day and night because such labours and paines as the mariner and nurse do take in such cases are to be continued aswell by night as by day Now when the speech is of such things as being done in the day may be intermitted or vse to be intermitted by night then the name of dayes doth not include or comprize the nights also And so it falleth out in this matter of fasting For when the Iewes were to fast for many dayes together their maner was to abstaine from meate all the day Chap. 1. p. 7 8. but at night to eate a sparing meale as I haue declared in another place already And hereupon the Learned doe obserue that the Iewes when they speake of many dayes Fast without mentioning the nights they vnderstand it commonly of fasting onely in the day time till euening and that when they meane that a Fast is continued for diuers dayes without eating any thing at night then for distinction sake and that their meaning may be plaine they adde the nights too as when Ester saith to the Iewes (a) Ester 4.16 Fast ye for me and neither eate nor drinke three dayes night or day And so in this place Saint Mathew saith that Christ fasted forty dayes and forty nights lest any man should conceiue that hee abstained all day for that space but did refresh himselfe in the euening II. The second question is Why our Lord made choyce of this number of fortie to determine his fasting by This question may admit two constructions and so receiue two answers accordingly For first it may be vnderstood of the precise number of fortie why iust so many dayes without missing either vnder or ouer Or secondly it may be meant of an extraordinary number of dayes and space of time that is why hee fasted so many dayes and nights as it exceedeth mans strength to endure without eating 1. If wee take it in the former sense then I thinke I may safely say as many of the Learned doe that our Lord did make choyce of this number of dayes that hee might therein conforme himselfe to the two great Prophets of the Old Testament Moses and Elias For Moses was the giuer of the Law and Elias was the restorer of the Law and both were in their kinde the most excellent Prophets that the old Church had and both of them for the confirmation of their calling and to gaine credit to their places did fast forty dayes and forty nights when they were to speake with God in the Mount as it is recorded of Moses Exod. 34.28 Deut. 9.9 and of Elias 1 King 19.8 a Quadragesima same ieiuniorum habet autoritatē in veteribus librie ex ieiunio Mosi Heliae et ex Euāgelio quia totidē diobus Dominus ieiunauit demonstrans Euangelium nō dissentire à Loge Prophetis In persona quippe Mosi Lex in persona Heliae Prophetae accipiuntur inter quos et in mōte gloriosus apparuit vt euidentius emineret quod de illo dicit Apostolus testimonium habens à Lege Prophetis August Epist 119. ad Ianuar. cap. 15. pag. 195. f. Now our Lord to shew that he was not inferior to either of these great Prophets and that they did consent and agree with him thought good to begin his Ministery as they did theirs with a miraculous Fast of forty dayes To which purpose wee likewise reade that when our Lord was transfigured in the Mount (a) Matt. 17.3 Luk. 9.30.31 Moses and Elias appeared vnto him and talked with him and spake of his death and passion And this did serue for a cleare confirmation of Christs calling and authority that these two speciall and principall Prophets did both concurre to beare witnesse of him and hereby it appeared that the Gospell had witnesse of the Law and the Prophets as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 3.21 But then the question may be further Why did Moses fast forty dayes and forty nights and that at two seuerall times when he was with God in the Mount And hereto I answere that many both ancient and moderne Writers especially those that be in the Church of Rome doe say that there was a mystery in this number and that that was the reason why both Moses and Elias and our Sauiour also did fast that space of time but eyther they say not what that mystery was or else they proue not what they say nay themselues cannot agree what to say For some interpret the mystery one way and some another as euery mans seuerall fancy doth leade him the relation of which sundry conceits would be more tedious than profitable But to the poynt it selfe for my part I haue onely two things to say 1. That though I will not peremptorily condemne their opinion who conceiue a mystery in the number b In
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
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
fasting when eyther sinnes doe abound or iudgements are to be feared or blessings are to be sought for and none of vs can thinke or will say but that in all these respects there hath beene of late yeeres and is at this day too great occasion offered for such humiliation And yet now that euery man is left to himselfe to fast when he will who almost is there euen among them that are counted religious who finde themselues willing to vse any fasting at all And hence I inferre that arbitrary times of fasting are as like to breed a neglect of this duetie as arbitrary times of praying to make that duetie forgotten Fourthly If Daniels set houres were free from superstition because hee vsed them absque vlla opinione sanctitatis without any opinion of holinesse in that time then the Church of England cannot bee charged with superstition for her set dayes of fasting because shee vseth these without placing sanctitie in those times And now out of all these considerations I may boldly conclude the poynt that set times of fasting are not onely lawfull but very expedient for the constant and religious practice of humiliation And indeed experience sheweth that exercises which stand in a continued practice and often reiterating of them are then performed with most diligence and greatest fruit when they haue their fixed and set times allotted vnto them My selfe when I liued in the Vniuersity among Scholers did obserue that it was held for a note of a good Student that allowing himself fit time for sleepe and recreation and such like necessary workes the rest of his houres remaining hee did destinate and assigne for seuerall exercises and studies us such houres for Logick or Philosophy and such for Oratory or Poetry and such for History or Geography c. By which fixed order and constant obseruing of their appoynted times such Students gayned great furtherance for their Studies which others wanted For first they tooke order that no seasonable time should be mis-spent without making profit but taking a view of their whole time they allotted euery houre to some vse Secondly when their houre was come for such or such a businesse the very striking of the Clock did admonish them to break off company and presently to betake themselues to their taske whereas others who had no such set houres would goe beyond the time and in chatting and idlenesse trifle away many a good houre without taking account of it Thirdly when they were come to their studies they knew what they had to doe and without further deliberation went on with their worke whereas some others when they came to their studies were scarce resolued what booke fitted their turne and so for want of orderly proceeding they lost the fruit of that little time and small paynes which they tooke And fourthly if at any time eyther occasion of friends or occurrence of some businesse did intercept their time and beguile them of their houres they were sensible of that losse and did watch all opportunities to re-gaine it And by this set course of study such Students in short time gayned much knowledge and farre exceeded their fellowes And as this hath been found in experience to be the readiest way for a Scholer to profit in his learning so for my part I know no better way of thriuing and profiting in Christs Schoole then if wee obserue the same rule and set our selues conuenient times for doing of religious dueties as such a time to pray with our houshold and such a time to reade Scriptures and other bookes of Religion and such a time to examine our consciences and see what we haue done and such a time to fast and vse humiliation for our sinnes For it may be feated if wee appoynt our selues no set times for good dueties wee will spend but a little time about them The consideration of all which maketh mee to thinke that the obseruation of set times for our Fasting-dayes is so farre from corrupting our Fasts with superstition as that it doth much further vs to a constant and religious practice of them CHAP. IX How long wee should continue our Fast OVr Lord continued his Fast for forty dayes and forty nights but that was miraculous and aboue the power of nature in him and therfore is not to be imitated by vs in the same manner Yet iust occasion is offered to enquire how long our Fasts ought to bee continued For distinct answere whereto wee must note a difference betweene Fasts of ordinary or vsuall continuance and of extraordinary and vnusuall And to begin first with the later vnusuall and extraordinary I call that which is for longer time and space than is commonly vsed or is ordinarily expedient In this kinde Paul (a) Act. 9.9 fasted three dayes in Damascus and Mordecai and the Iewes fasted for Ester (b) Ester 4.16 17. three daies and three nights And for the continuance of such Fasts I cannot precisely say for how many dayes and houres they are to be obserued onely these two things I can say in the generall 1. That they must bee no longer than the strength and power of mans nature may beare as I haue shewed already 2. That the space of their continuance is to bee measured by the occasion that requireth them and by the deuotion and discretion of them that keepe them 2. Secondly the vsuall continuance of a Fast I call it when the abstinence is obserued so long as is vsuall among Gods seruants in their ordinary course of life and is commonly practized by them in their religious Fasts And for determining the space of such a Fast some say that a religious Fast must bee continued for foure and twenty houres and the reason is because on the day of Expiation God doth enioyne abstinence from euening to euening But of this place I haue told my opinion before and now againe I say vnder correction first that this place requireth that space of time for the celebrating of a Sabbath or Festiuall day but saith not the like of a Fasting-day Secondly If the Fast there mentioned be meant to continue for foure and twentie houres as I will not deny but it may be so taken yet that is required in this Fast as it was a seruice belonging to an holy day not as it was an abstinence required on a Fasting-day And therefore it was enioyned in this Fast but is not so in all Fasts Hee speaketh more resonably as I take it that saith a Verum bonum ielunium est abstinentia spontaneâ— siue prandij vsque ad vesperam sine coenae vsque ad sequentis diei prandium siue vtriusque simul prandij et coenae c. Springl de Hodier Haereticis part 1. l. 3. cap. 2. pag. 842. A true Fast is an abstinence or forbearing eyther of dinner vntill euening or of supper vntill dinner time the next day or else of both of them together But yet for more distinct conceiuing of the poynt I
will set downe mine opinion with submission to better iudgements in three seuerall propositions 1. The precise time and distinct houres how long a Fast must be continued is not any where that I know of peremptorily defined or commanded eyther in the holy Scriptures or in any Writings of the Ancients For as for the Scriptures wee finde examples of some that haue fasted for three dayes and many that haue fasted till night but where eyther that space or any other is commanded for my part I confesse I know not And for the ancient Church it is a cleare case that they vsed to fast somtime till euening and many times but till three a clocke in the afternoone Which sheweth that they thought no set space of time absolutely necessary 2. In euery religious Fast the abstinence must be continued so long as that the body by wanting his ordinary food may bee in some sort chastened and afflicted For so the Scriptures set out a Fast vnto vs as accompanied with chastening and humiliation Thus Dauid speaketh (a) Psal 69.10 I wept and chastened my soule with fasting And the Angell speaking of Daniels Fast (b) Dan. 10.12 When thou didst set thine heart saith hee to vnderstand and to chasten thy selfe before thy God And Ezrah (c) Ezrah 8.21 I proclaymed a Fast that wee might afflict our selues before God By all which and other moe sayings to like purpose it is apparant that in euery true Fast there is an afflicting of the body Which how it is to be vnderstood I haue declared (d) Cap. 4. pa. 49 c. elsewhere 3. The longer our abstinence is so it bee with moderation and regard to a mans strength such as heretofore I described the more perfect the Fast is and the more auaileable for the good which we intend by it My reasons are First because fasting is ordained for humiliation and chastening of our selues before God which the more sensible it is the more effectuall it proueth but the longer the abstinence is the greater is the humiliation or chastening that is wrought by it And therefore the longer the abstinence the perfiter the Fast is Secondly Vpon extraordinary occasions and when greater need required then Gods seruants haue been accustomed to enlarge the time of their fasting as I haue shewed before in Ester and the men of labesh c. And this sheweth that the longer the abstinence is the more powerfull the Fast is Thirdly The ancient Church did vse longer abstinence in Lent time than on other Fasting-dayes intending therein as in all the other religious duties to shew more piety than at other times they vsed And this sheweth that the longer the abstinence is the more perfit they thought the Fast to be Fourthly this conclusion is acknowledged by our Aduersaries of the Romish Church For though they defend the loosenesse of their Church which permitteth them on Fasting-dayes to take their dinner at the vsuall time yet they confesse a Quò quis tardiùs distulerit cò meliùs ieiunare iudicandus est Valer. Reginald prax fori poenit l. 4. c. 13. num 158. Quanto plus tardâ horâ comeditur meliùs ieiunatur Caietan v. Ieiun pag. 120. Neque ignorant Catholici ieiunium tantò esse perfectius quantò diutius refectio siue Coena differtur Bellar. de bon oper in particl l. 2. cap. 2. pag. 1072. B. that by how much later the houre of our eating is by so much our Fast is the better and that they know well enough that the Fast is so much the more perfit by how much the refection after it is the longer protracted 4. The vsuall time of abstinence mentioned in Scriptures in an vsuall and ordinary Fast is the space of one day from morning till night Thus it is said of the children of Israel (b) Iudg. 20.26 that they wept and sate before the Lord and fasted that day vntill euen and of Dauid and his men (c) 2. Sam. 1.12 that they fasted vntill euen for Saul and for Ionathan c. and of Dauid when hee mourned for Abuer that hee would not be perswaded by the people to eate meat while it was yet day but sware saying (d) 2. Sam. 3.35 So doe God to mee and more also if I taste bread or ought else till the Sunne bee downe And so elsewhere And according to this custome it is obserued of the Iewes that euer since they haue kept their Fast (e) Buxdorf Synag Iudaic. cap. 25. pag. 458. Tostat in Matth. 4. q. 11. Azor. part 1. l. 7. cap. 11. q. 1. pag. 563. col 2. till the Starres appeare in the Firmament And lesse time of abstinence then this I no where finde vsed in Scriptures 5. In the Primitiue Church I finde that in the beginning they fasted till sixe of the clocke in the afternoone or till sun setting which in common estimation is about sixe of the clocke For that is the most indifferent time to measure the euening by the most proportionable to the whole yeer and most answerable to the custome of Gods people in the old Testament For there was not such difference betweene the day and the night among the Iewes as is among vs. For in Iurie the shortest day had tenne houres and the longest night but foureteene Whence it followeth that for the greatest part of the yeere the sun did set much what about sixe either not long after or not long before it And when the greatest inequality was as in the depth of winter it did set at fiue of the clocke and in the height of summer at seuen And therefore the most equall time to measure the end of the day or the sunne setting by for all the yeer is sixe of the clocke And that I take to haue bin the vsuall time when both the Iewes and the ancient Christians did breake off their Fasts But afterward Christians began to abridge the time of the abstinence and to cease their Fasts at least many of them about three of the clocke in the afternoone Which Azorius a Tepescente sensim vetere illo feruore coeptum est solui ieiunium primò quidem antequam sol occidcret deinde verò etiā paucis heris ante solis abscessum Azo par 1. l. 7. c. 11. q. 1. pag. 563 564. imputeth to decay of zeale euen in those better times and I wil not deny but it might be so in some part albeit perhaps another reason may be conceiued thereof besides namely the multitude of their Fasts which at that time were frequent especially among the religious sort who gaue themselues to deuotion For they sauing Sundayes and festiuall times were vsed to fast euery day and it might seeme perhaps too much strictnes in such continuall sort to endure so long abstinence and therefore though in Lent time and vpon other dayes of more straite discipline they vsed to fast till night yet ordinarily they broke off their Fasts three houres sooner
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.
past and fit them for all holy duties for the yeere to come And this practice might bee of great vse for all those that should vse it accordingly and that in diuers respects 1. Because there may be some publike offences committed by the body of the Church either in the omission of some common duty or in their neglect of gouernment and discipline or in the mis-ordering of the publike State And for such sinnes as these it is very reasonable that as the whole body hath sinned so the whole body should sorrow and repent by their ioynt humiliation submission seeke reconciliation and pardon For which purpose we may reade that God did not onely appoint the Priest and the Prince the people to bring sinne-offerings for their errours but enioyned also an Oblation for the Community or body of the Church Leu. 4.13 14. c. If saith he the whole Congregation of Israel sinne through ignorance and the thing be hid from the eyes of the Assembly c. When the sinne which they haue sinned is knowne then the Congregation shall offer a young bullocke for the sinne In which passage wee may note two things 1. That besides the sinnes of particular men there might be some sinnes of the whole Community sinnes which were properly neither the sins of the Priest nor of the Prince nor of the people alone for of all these hee had spoken before and had appointed them their seuerall sacrifices and oblations for their atonement but sinnes they were of the whole Congregation As for example saith Tostatus when some Ceremonie or dutie was neglected by all and not noted or questioned by any Or 2. when the body representatiue they in whō the chief gouernment rested did commit some errour against Gods Law either in making or in executing or in neglecting of publike Lawes or in any other miscarriage about the publike state And such slips as these may easily be committed by the Congregation or Community of the Church at this day Secondly note that when such offence was committed God appointed that as the whole Congregation was guilty so the whole should ioyne in the sinne-offering And so it is requisite that for the common sins which escape the body of the Church the whole body should ioyne together in one and haue some appointed time in which by their ioynt repentance they may obtaine common forgiuenesse For which purpose the time of Lent might serue most conueniently it being the time in which the whole Christian Church in all countryes did vse publike humiliation and in which Kings and Nobles and people did ioyne in exercises of fasting and sorrow Which course of humiliation if Christian States and people did vse accordingly then I doubt not but many Churches and Common-wealths might haue stood firme and in a flourishing estate which now are ruinated or possessed by the Enemy because they did not preuent Gods Iustice by their open and publike repentance Secondly there might be good vse of this institution of Lent for the former purpose because in the compasse of a yeere there may happen many faults and distempers in our soules which are not discernable in the space of a day or a weeke or a moneth Euery man findeth by experience in his houses and dwellings that if he view them at the daies or weekes end hee shall many times perceiue but small difference but after a yeere or more he will spy some defects which at the beginning of the yeere they had not And so in his clothes and the vessell of his house after so much space of time he may see decay in the one and rust in the other though he could not obserue any such change in the euening from that which they were in the morning or at the end of the weeke from that which they were at the beginning And so euen religious minds though they fall not into some notorious sinne which sheweth it selfe at the first view yet they may decay in the feruour of their zeale a Quia dum carnis fragilitate austerior obseruantia relaxatur dumque per varias actiones vitae huius sollicitudo distenditur necesse est de mundano puluere etiam religiosa corda sordescere magnâ Diuinae institutionis salubritate prouisum est vt ad reparandam mentium puritatem quadraginta nobis dierum exercitatio mederetur c. Leo Ser. 4. de Quadrag p. 87. or gather some soyle or filth of worldlines or fleshly delights or such like distemper which is not to bee discerned till after some space of time And for amending of such insensible decay of holines this time would bee fit if it were vsed with that obseruance of discipline which in ancient time was vsuall 3. There may be vse also because in a matter of so great importance as is saluation and eternall happines besides the ordinary care for which a Christian hath opportunity liberty euery day some more speciall time to bee employed with more exact diligence may be very conuenient at the least if not altogether necessary For thus we see in trading and house-keeping men thinke it not inough to booke vp their expences and receipts euery day nor to take account of their successe at the weekes end but besides that ordinary care they vse once in the yeere to cast vp their shops and compare their bookes and take a generall view of all that hath past before in the yeere that so they may correct their errors and supply their defects and better their whole course of liuing for the time to come And the like care schoolemasters take with their schollers for besides their daily and weekely exercises and examinations once in the yeere they do lightly exact of their schollers an entire repetition of all their Grammer rules that by disuse they doe not decay in the grounds of their learning And thus in matters of the soule Leu. 16.29 34. God appointed the Iewes one speciall day or as some thinke two dayes in the yeere wherein ouer and aboue their ordinary exercises of Religion vsed at other times they should wholly intend the sifting of their soules and should in a more exact manner exercise the workes of repentance and humiliation and chastisement for their sinnes And so the Christian Church beside all their other instructions exercises for that purpose which happen euery day in one kinde or other hath moreouer appointed a set and solemne time in the yeere to celebrate the memory of Christs birth and circumcision and of his death and resurrection and ascension into heauen and such like other mysteries of saluation And so in like manner it will be a very profitable course for Christians if they haue a set and solemne time of the yeere for the more exact and perfect examination of their consciences and afflicting of their soules for sinne and the quickening of their zeale for Gods seruice And for this purpose the institution of Lent as it was vsed by the
death passion should bee celebrated with all thankfulnes about the same season in which he endured them a Ieiunandum orandum est Et quando potiùs quando instantiùs quà m propinquante Dominicae passionis solennitate quae celebritate anniuersariâ quodāmodo nobis eiusdē noctis memoriâ resculpitur ne obliuione deleatur Aug. de Diuer Serm. 74. c. 5. pag. 499. B. And the maner in which such sufferings of his may be most liuely represented and remembred by vs is if we passe those dayes in humiliation and sorrow whereby we may bee made conformable to his passion and death and by which wee may in a good sence be said to fulfill that which Christ did foretell when he said (b) Luk. 5.35 The dayes will come when the Bridegroome shall be taken away from them then shall they fast in those dayes And sure God himselfe by so obscuring the sunne that contrary to the course of nature it was darkened all the time that Christ was on the Crosse doth teach vs with what behauiour we should passe the time of his Sonnes sufferings and death And from hence I may conclude in St. Augustines words c c In qua parte anni congruentiùs obseruatio Quadragesimae constitueretur nisi confini atque continuà Dominicae passloni Aug. epist 119. ad Ianuar. cap. 15. pa. 195. f. In what part of the yeere could Lent haue bin more fitly placed then in that which is ioyned to our Lords passion and death Secondly because the Feast of Easter was now at hand and that was the day in which our Lord rose againe from his graue in which new Conuerts were baptized in great number and in which all sorts of men did come in flockes to the receiuing of the Lords Supper And therefore as the Euangelist saith of the Iewes Easter (a) Ioh. 19.31 that that was an high day so it may much more be said of the Christians Easter that it is an high day and to bee kept with all celebrity and in the most deuoutest manner And in respect heereof the Ancients were wont to keepe this Feast not for one day onely or for three dayes space as wee now doe but for a whole weeke together Yea and some festiuity and remembrance of it they kept for sixe weekes more euen till Whitsontide or the day of Pentecost Now that the great celebrity of this high day might be performed with better deuotion and more religious reioycing the ancient Fathers thought it necessarie that men should bee prepared aforehand for the performance of so weighty a seruice And therefore as the Iews (b) 2 Chron. 35.6 Ioh. 11.55 had their dayes of preparation before the Passeouer and as Christians haue their fasting eues to goe before their festiuall dayes that by their former dayes repentance they may be prepared for an holy reioycing the next day after so the Christian Church did thinke it necessary before this great Feast of Christs Resurrection to appoint some large and solemne time for humiliation and conuersion that men being prepared by a serious practice of al good duties they might be the more fit to pray for the new Conuerts and to receiue the blessed Sacrament and to praise God for his Sons Resurrection and to passe this holy day with an holy and heauenly reioycing And these I take it were the true reasons V. The fift and last question concerning Lent is What relation this Fast of fortie dayes in the Church hath to that of our Sauiour when he fasted forty dayes in the Wildernesse Answ To this question there bee three answeres 1. That our Lord as himselfe fasted fortie dayes in the manner declared so he appointed and ordained that his Disciples the whole Church after him should follow his example and fast once in the yeere so many dayes as he had done before in the wildernesse This seemeth to bee the opinion of (a) Enchitid lo. de Ieiun pag. 563. in solutione sextae oblectionis Coster and (b) de Quadr. cap. 1. pag. 392. seqq Filesacus and the (c) To. 2. Sabbatho post Cineres pag. 117 118. Author of the Booke called Antiquitates Liturgicae Answ 2. The second answere is that though Christ did not in words giue any such Law or appoint any such order yet his bare example doth tye Christians to the like obseruation practice Of this opinion some later Diuines in the Roman Church may seeme to bee who as (d) Quidam iuniores consent esse iure Diuino sancitum id probant quia aliqui veteres Ecclesia Patres videntur decuisse illud esse iuris Diuini quoniā Christus quadraginla diebus quadra ginta noctibus iejunium seruauit Azor. Instit part 1. l. 7. cap. 12. q. 1. pa. 566. col t. Azorius saith of them did thinke that Dent-Fast was by Diuine Law because some of the Fathers seeme to say that it was of Gods appoynting for that Christ did fast forty dayes and forty nights But these two answeres haue small shew of probability and no ground of certainety at all For all the reason that they alledge is so farre as I know only the authorities of some Fathers which haue not that meaning as Doctors of their owne Chruch haue endeuoured to declare Answ 3. The third answere is that neither Christs precept nor practice doth force or require Christians to keepe a Fast of fortie dayes or this which we call our Lent-Fast but yet the Church did appoint and doth obserue this number of daies in their Lent-Fast with respect and reference to the like number of dayes that Christ fasted in the wildernesse To this purpose Tostatus seemeth to speake when he saith that a Dicendū quòd hoc non prouenit ex alique mandato Christi sed ex solo Ecclesiae statuto Habuit tamen illud causas pendentes ex hoc facto Tostat in Mat. 4. q. 18. our fortie dayes Fast doth not proceede from any precept of Christ but onely from the constitution of the Church yet it had saith he reasons drawne from this Fast of Christ And Stapleton b Ieiunat igitur Ecclesia 40. diebus ad exemplum Christi non quide simpliciter quia Christus sic fecit sed quia eius exemplo sic faciendum esse in hac parte eius vesligia sequenda esse Ecclesia ab Apostolorū tempore docuit Stap. Prompt Cathol Dominic 1. Quadr. text 1. pag. 78. The Church saith he doth fast fortie dayes after the example of Christ not simply because Christ did so but because the Church hath taught vs by his example to doe so Which words may againe seeme to carrie the like meaning But it mattereth not what they mean (c) D. Field of the Church l. 3. cap. 19. pag. 105 106. A reuerend and learned Writer in our own Church hath deliuered the poynt in much more distinct maner Hee saith three things 1. That it is very fit there
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