consortes quasi non multo excellentiores habeamus in eâ duces immò consecratores Moysen Eliam Iesum Dominum adducit jam verò si commendant jejunium praesens Moyses Elias quamvis magni tamen conservi nostri quantum commendat illud Iesus Dominus noster qui ipse diebus totidem jejunavit Qualis ille est non dicam Monachus sed Christianus qui minùs devotè jijunium suscipit QUOD EI TRADIT IPSE CHRISTUS Denique tanto devotiùs imtandum nobis est Dilectissimi Christi jejunantis exemplum quanâ—…o certius est propter nos eum jejunasse non propter seipsum Is it not a very unworthy thing that that should seem burthensome unto us which the universal Church bears together with us Hitherto we have fasted alone unto the ninth hour now together with us even unto the evening there will be found to fast all Kings and Princes viz. that are of the Church Clergy and people noble and common people the rich and the poor all together But what speak I of those which we have companions in this observance of the Fast as if we had not much more excellent Captains or leaders therein and consecrators of this Fast And after his instance in Moses Elias and our Lord Jesus he adds Now if Moses and Elias who although great yet are our fellow-servantâ—… commemd this Fast how much more doth our Lord Jesus who himself also fasted so many daies Of what sort I say not Monk but Christian is he who less devoutly performs this Fast WHICH CHRIST HIMSELF DELIVERS TO HIM So much more devoutly ought the example of Christ's fasting to be imitated by us my Beloved by how much it is more certain that Christ fasted not for himself but for us Arnoldus Carnotensâ—…s l. de jejunio tentationibus inter opera S. Cypriani n. 4. Iejuniis vitiorum semina siecatur petulantia marcet concupiscentiae languent fugitivae abeunt voluptates Iejunium si discretione regatur omnem carnis rebellionem â—…domat â—…yrannidem gulae speliat exarmat Iejunium extraordinarios motus in cippo claudit arctat appetitus vagos distringit ligat n. 7. Formâ igitur jejuntorum propositâ fixoque exemplo postquam 40. dierum abstinentiam Dominus consummavit c n. 9. SICUT IN IPSIUS CHRISTI VOLUNTATE FUIT CONSECRARE IEIUNIA ita in potestate suit tempore opportuno sumere cibum Et abstinentiae refectionis penes ipsum erat arbitrium saculias Within the foresaid primitive Ages I am not ignorant of what I have omitted and is wont to be alledg'd by others as the supposed constitutions Apostolical by Clement in the 5 th Book in chap. 13 th 20 th and the supposed Epistle of Ignatius to the Philippians the dubious Sermons of S. Augustine de Tempore and many of those which are doubtful among S. Ambrose's Sermons and other Authors For that I have produced none but such as of whose genuine title authority and antiquity I was my self satisfi'd The testimonies which I have alledg'd are such as are direct and simple others there are of great force complicated of several truths asserted in the primitive times from whence would follow our conclusion Those truths are three First that Easter or the night beginning Easter was ever to the Church a more solemn time of baptizing then others The second that generally the Church taught and directed the Catechumeni to prepare themselves by premitted solemn fastings for the reception of holy Baptism Thirdly that the Catholick Church or company of Christian Believers did joyn themselves in the daies of fastings and prayers as with the Penitents that sought Absolution so also with the Catechumeni Competentes which sought Baptism From which Assertions if proved it follows that a Paschal Fast before Easter was ever observed in the Church as of duty of Repentance for our selves so of duty of Charity towards others In all which duty without all doubt the Apostles had not failed to instruct them As to the first of those Propositions That Easter was ever to the Church a more solemn time of Baptizing Tertullian saith lib. de Baptismo â—… 19. Diem Baptismo solenniorem Pascha praestat Cum Passio Domini in quam tingimur adimpleta est nec incongruenter quis adsiguram interpretabitur quod cum ultimum Pascha Dominus esset acturus missis discipulis ad praeparandum Invenietis inquit hominem aquam bajulantem Paschae celebrandae locum de signo aquae ostendit Easter brings a more solemn time for Baptism when also the Passion of the Lord into which we are Baptized is remembred as then fulfilled Nor incongruously shall any one interpret that to have been done significantly which our Lord did when he sent forth his Disciples to prepare for his celebrating the last Passeover Ye shall find saith he a man bearing a pitcher of water Follow him Designing to them the place of celebrating the Passeover from the token of Water That reason above of Tertullian Because we are Baptized into the Death and Passion of our Lord he seems to have learnt from Ignatius in his undoubted Epistle to the Ephesians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For our God Jesus Christ was conceived born and baptized that afterwards he might through his Passion purifie or sanctifie water viz. for the use of holy Baptism So in the Church the solemnity of Christs Passion which ye have heard from Constantine's Epistle to the Churches from the Instructions of the Bishops of the Christian world met at Nicaea was ever celebrated in the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the very day on which Christ suffer'd and that Christ himself delivering it and teaching it to his Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did accordingly precede the solemn time of Baptizing which that early Age of the Church may be thought probably to have learnt from grounds laid by S. Paul Rom. 6. 3 4. Know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Iesus Christ were baptized into his Death therefore we were buried with him by Baptism into Death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father so we also should walk in newness of life And Coloss. 2. v. 12. having been buried with him in Baptism wherein also ye were rais'd with him through the faith of the operation of God who rais'd him from the Dead a This custome of the first Ages of the Church was also followed in the succeeding Ages as appears by S. Ambrose Tractatu de Hortat ad Virgin Venit Pascha dies in toto orbe Baptismi Sacramenta celebrantur c. Uno die sine aliquo dolore multos filios filias solet Ecclesia parturire The day of Easter is come the Sacrament or mysteries of Baptism are celebrated in all the world c. In one day without any pangs the Church Virgin and Mother is wont to bring forth multitudes
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that prays with fasting hath two wings and those lighter then the winds themselves for such a one doth not stretch himself or yawn or is drowsie in his prayer He that fasteth is light and winged and prayes with vigilancy and extinguishes his own evil lusts and renders God propitious to himself and humbles his own soul that was lift up For this cause also the Apostles were almost alwaies in fasting Fasting with faith brings into the soul a great force and much Philosophy and makes of a man an Angel and helps him to fight with incorporeal powers Howbeit Fasting by it self alone doth not thus avail but it hath need of prayer also and first of prayer As in nature the soul is before the body and in the Gospel our Saviour said By Prayer and Fasting where he placeth prayer first but shewes them their prayers then prov'd ineffectual because they had not annexed joyntly Fasting For as the same Father S. Chrysostom elsewhere sayes viz 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex M. S. R 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fasting is the source of Sobriety the guardian of piety or Devotion nurs'd up with Sâ—…ts and having its habitation among Angels By reason of it both pleasures and Devils fly from us concupiscence is mortified and passions are quieted The force of prayer and fasting together we read experienced against one of the first enemies of God's Church and people In Exodo adversùs Amelech oratione Moysis totius populi usque ad vesperam jejunio depugnatum est In Exodus the fight was manag'd against Amelech by the prayer of Moses and the Fast of all the people unto the evening These three holy sisters Prayer Alms and Fasting are happiest when all three meet together as Mat. 6. Act. 10. But of these three the 1. Prayer the eldest daughter of Faith Rom. 10. must alwaies be present And therefore never is out of our power oral or virtual or mental Prayer at least They which cannot give alms may fast the more they which cannot fast should give the more alms and if any can neither fast nor give alms yet all can pray Fasting disarms the flesh Alms win friends and auxiliaries Prayer fights as Moses's hands lift up against Amalek through the might of the Spirit Alms lades the ship with precious substance sent before into another countrey Fasting in any swelling of the seas or storm lightens the vessel and casts out the unprofitable burden of the ship Faithful Prayer tugs hard in rowing to bring to the shore Fasting takes from ones own flesh that he may in alms give to the poor to supply his wants and prayer from the riches of God derives grace and strength upon our selves to supply our own wants Fasting treads under foot and leaves the earth Charity and Alms take our Brother by the hand and raises him up Prayer pierces the clouds and enters into heaven S. Ambrose Serm. 23. de Quadragesimâ Ego testificor vobis hoc esse tempus coelestis quodammodo medicinae nunc languidus aegritudinis suae invenit medicinam si cum solicitudine medici mandata servaverit Istud autem praeceptum ejus est primum ut his 40 diebus jejuniis orationibus vigiliis operam commodemus Iejuniis enim lascivia corporis castigatur orationibus devota saginatur anima Vigiliis diaboli insidiae depelluntur I testifie unto you that this is the time as it were of the heavenly course of Physick when the sick person findeth medicine for his malady if he with all carefulness shall observe the prescriptions of his Physician Now this is a chief prescription of his that in these 40 daies we give diligence to fastings prayers and watchings For by fastings the lasciviousness of the flesh is chastis'd by prayers the devout soul is replenish'd by watchings the ambushes of Satan are discovered and beaten off In Lent with the Devotion of prayers and fastings the Church hath ever annexed other works of Devotion also as more frequent hearing and preaching Gods word attending on Sermons repairing to Church and the like S. Chrysostom Hom. 11. in Gen. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 't is not this only that is required of us that we be present here every day of the Lent and continually hear concerning the same things of ghostly concernment and be in fastings all the Lent For except we shall gain something by our continual coming hither and by the daily exhortation here except we bring home something profitable to our own soul from this season of this Fast these things shall not only profit us nothing but shall be an occasion of our greater condemnation when so great care having been taken of us we continue still the same Thus S. Chrysostom who in his 1. Serm. also of Anna mentioning how the fast of Lent had then abidden 40 daies among them mentions as argument of great pleasure to himself and his Auditors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the daies of the fast and their assemblies and common meetings and their good things which they had enjoyed by the fast Now although saith he we have passed over its labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us not lay aside the pleasant memory and desire of it And indeed very many of his golden Homilies as likewise of others of the Fathers were Sermons preached day by day in Lent to the people Of Philip the Roman Emperour about 136 years after S. Iohn's death Georgius Syncellus Contemporary to the 2 d Councel of Nice thus writeth ad An. 237. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philip so far was joyned to the Faith of Christ that he gladly consessed his sins and joyned with the people in the Churches prayers in the night or vigil of the feast of Easter when and where the word of God was with greater and opener freedome preached forth 7thly And yet more particularly this Fast of Lent was in the Institution purposely designed as a preparation to partaking either of holy Baptism by the Catechumens on the Vigil of Easter-day or of Absolution by the penitents on Maundy-Thursday or of the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ by the Believers on Easter-day or lastly of two of these by the same persons as of Baptism and the Eucharist with the intervention of Confirmation on the night and morning of Easter-day or of Absolution and the Holy Eucharist on the Thursday before and on Easter-day No fitter season to be baptiz'd into the death of Christ and buried with him in Baptism and therein also quicken'd together with him and raised up no fitter season to be absolved and quitted from our sins by his Death and Resurrection no meeter time to be made partakers of his Holy Body which was broken and Blood which was shed for us for the Remission of our sins then at this holy time of sacred memory of Christs
subsume that if any conceiv'd observance of holy fasting was amongst the Institutions Apostolical none is by any pretended to be before the Paschal Fast. Therefore himself speaks to this same sense in his fifth Sermon of Lent Quando opportuniùs dilectissimi ad remedia Divina recurrimus quà m cum ipsa nobis sacramenta redemptionis nostrae temporum lege referantur quae ut digniùs celebremus saluâ—…errimè nos quadraginta dierum jejunio praeparemus When more opportunely my beloved have we recourse to divine remedies then when the Sacraments themselves of our redemption are by the revolution of times brought about again to us that we for the health of our souls may prepare our selves with the fast of forty days for the more worthy celebration of them And in his twelfth Sermon Appropinquante dilectissimi solennitate Paschali sic est praecurrenda consuetudo jejunii ut nos quadras ginta dierum numerus ad sanctisicationem corporis mentis exerceat unde in Coelestibus Ecclesiae disciplinis multum utilitatis asferunt Divinitùs instituta jejunia The solemnity of Easter now approaching my beloved the custom of the Fast is so to be praemitted that the number of forty days may exercise us for the sanctification of our body mind so as that in the heavenly disciplines of the Church the Fasts instituted by God bring to us much advantage The sixth witness of this age is CHRYSOLOGUS in his eleventh and twelfth Sermons Ecce tempus quo miles procedit ad campum recurrit ad Dei jejunia Christianus Quòd quadragesimam jejunamus Non est humana Inventio Autoritas est Divina Et est mysticum non praesumptum Behold the time in which the souldier goes forth into the field and the Christiam hath recourse unto the fasts of God That we fast a Lent Is not of humane Invention but of Authority Divine and it is mystical not presumptive And in his 166 th Sermon of the Fast of Lent he lets us know why he calls it mystical Ecce Quadragesimae jejunium quod devotione solenni die crastino suscipit Universalis Ecclesia Quadragenarius iste numerus sacratus à seculis Quadraginta diebus ac noctibus expiaturus terram coelestis imber effunditur Attendite fratres quantus sit quadragenarius numerus iste qui tunc coelum terris aperuit abluendis nunc fontem baptismatis orbi toti pandit gentibus innovandis Qui nos quadragenariis jejuniorum cursibus evocat perducit ad coelum Behold the fast of Lent which with solemn devotion to morrow the Universal Church begins That number of forty days consecrated of ancient ages In forty days and nights rain was poured forth from heaven to expiate the earth Consider brethren what is that number which both then opened heaven for ablution of the earth And now to all the world opens the Fountain of Baptism a Now in the solemn lastings before admisâ—…ion of the Catechumeni competentes unto Baptism S. Iustin Martyâ—… even in his tlme about fifty years after S. Iohn's death witnesseth that the Church was wâ—…nt to joyn with the persons to be baptized in the lasting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are instructed to pray and ask of God with fasting the pardon of their former sins we the company of believers and before-baptized Christians PRAYING AND FASTING WITH THEM and after that they are brought by us where the water is and are regenerated after the same manneâ—… we our selves were before regenerated Iustin Martyr Apolog. 2. pro Christianis wont to be solemnly celebrated in the night before Easter-day for the renewing of the Nations which by the course of forty days fasts calls us forth and brings us onward to Heaven In the Fifth Century after the death of S. Iohn the Apostle we produce first CAESARIUS Bishop of Aâ—…les in his first and second Homilies of Lent where he thus speaks Hom. 2 d Rogo vos fratres charissimi in isto legitimo ac sacratissimo Quadragesimae tempore exceptis Dominicis diebus nullus prandere praesumat Nisi soâ—…è ille quem jejunare infirmitas non permittit quia aliis diebus jejunare aut Remedium aut praemium est In Quadragesimâ non jejunare peccatum est Alio tempore qui jejunat accipiet Iâ—…dulgentiam In his diebus qui potest non jejunat sentiâ—…t poenum Bonum est jejunare â—…atres sed meâ—…s est eleemosynam dare Si aliquis utrunque potest duo sunt â—…ona Ut per totam Quadragesimam usque ad siâ—…em Paschae Casâ—…itatem Deo auxâ—…liante 〈◊〉 in illâ sacrosancâ—… soleâ—…itate Paschae â—…titatis luce vâ—…stiti eleâ—…mosynis dealbati orationibus vigiliâ—…s jejuniis vâ—…lut quiâ—…usdam coelestibus spiritualibus Mâ—…rgaritis orâ—…ati non soâ—…ùm cum amicis sed etiam cum â—…imicis pacâ—…ici liberâ—… securâ conscientiâ ad Altaâ—…ta Domini accedentes corpus sanguinem ejus non ad judicium sed ad Remedium possitis accipere I intreat you most dear brethren that in this commanded and most sacred time of Lent none presume to dine or break the fast except on the Lords days therein Except if there be any whose infirmity permits him not to fast Viz. not to fast at all or not so many days because at other times to fast it is either a remedy when undertaken as a holy revenge on our selves for sin or else hath its reward when on other pious or charitable occasions But in Lent not to fast is a sin In other time he which fasts viz. as he ought shall receive indulgence In these days of Lent he which can and doth not fast will bear his punishment It is good my brethren to fast but it is yet better to give alms if any can do both they are a double good I admonish you that you keep your selves in chaste purity throughout the whole Lent and unto the end of the Feast of Easter through the help of God that so in that most holy solemnity of Easter you being arrayed with the light of purity and with the white garments of Alms-deeds and adorn'd as it were with certain heavenly and spiritual pearls of prayers watchings and fastings and being at peace not only with your friends but also your enemies with a free and quiet conscience ye may approach to the Altars of the Lord and partake of his Body and Blood not to condemnation but to your souls health Which same he declares in his first Homily of this Fast of Lent Mortificatione praesenti futura mortis senâ—…entia praevenitur dum culpae autor humiliatur culpa consumitur dumque exterior afflictio voluntariae districtionis infertur tremendi judicii offensa sedatur ingentia debita labor solvit exiguus quae vix consumpturus erat ardor aeâ—…ernus By this present Mortification if rightly performed the future sentence of death is prevented and while the sinner is humbled the sin is consum'd while he inflicts on