and attributed vnto them as well as to him Yet he himselfe for the remouing of Gods Ordinary and Extraordinary wrath both from vs from them held it 40. daies and 40. nights together in the wildernesse and did oftentimes keepe it though not in sackcloth and ashes yet by lying whole nightes vpon the ground in the dust and sometimes by sweating and weeping droppes and teares of his heart blood It is not surely in the power and consultation of the Church either particular or vniuersall to omit or repeale this kind of Fast For example The primitiue Churches immediatly succeeding the Apostles made a Catholicke Canon that Festis diebus nemo ieinnet No man should fast vpon holy dayes vnlesse the holy day fell vpon Ashwednesday or vpon good Friday But for the Lordes day our Christian Sabboth which Ignatius in his Epistle ad Magnenses worthily termeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Empresse of all other dayes bee saith in another Epistle written ad Philippenses that Whosoeuer fasteth vpon it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is a Christ murderer what shall we thinke with S. Austin who in his Epistle to Casulan admitteth no excuse of the breach of this catholike Canon that he is a Murtherer of Christ who fasteth the extraordinary Poenitentiall Fast vpon the Lords day God forbid S. Cyrill hath better taught vs to restraine the fasting forbidden by the Canon vpon our Christian Sabboth vnto the Church-Fast or vnto the priuate ordinary Penitentiall Fast onely For as touching the Extraordinary Penitentiall Fast both solemne and priuate which whosoeuer omitteth he is certainely both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both a murderer of Christ a murderer of his owne soule S. Cyrils wordes are most orthodoxall and sound when he saith that Libertas est homini Christiano omni tempore ieiunandi A Christian hath libertie to Fast vpon any day If Dauid had not presently cried Peccaui when Nathan told him of his extraordinary sinne if hee had not presently cast himselfe out of his throne into dust and ashes and refrained his ordinary meales and all thinking of the ordinary obseruation of Church feasts If the King of Niniue his Nobles his people euen to the beast that perisheth had not also at Ionas first opening his mouth against their sinnes kept that their publicke Fast of extraordinary Repentance Alas alas where had Dauid where had the Niniuites beene at this day So necessary Necessitate praecepti though not Necessitate medii is this kind of extraordinary Repentance vnto the saluation of all them who haue either sinned extraordinarily or are extraordinarily afflicted But on the other side we must know also that a Fast of Consultatorie commaund whether it bee a Church fast or a Priuate Fast is not of the Essence but of the well being of Mortification and that it is both Variable and also Omissible vnlesse it bee Votiue And surely if it be solemnely or properly Votiue it must bee vowed both solemnely by the Church and properly by priuate men alwayes with this cautelous restraint that we doe not tie our selues by vow vnto it if God shall extraordinarily visite vs his people with such a mercie vpon out Votiue-Fast-day as that our Nehemiah and Ezra our Prince and Bishop haue iust cause to forbid vs to Fast and to say vnto vs Nehem. 8.9.10.12 This day is holy vnto the Lord your God Mourne not neither weepe but goe ye and eate the fat and drinke of the sweete and send part thererf vnto them for whom none is prepared The ioy of the Lord is this day your strength Such a Fast was this Variable and Omissible Fast commanded by Iohn and the Pharisees vnto their followers in this Text of Scripture For the same Iohn the same Pharisees who had commaunded such fasting might also vpon weightie causes haue changed intermitted or omitted them for a time as Christ himselfe by his example teacheth them and as the continuall practise of the Church of God both vniuersal and particular haue both before Christ and after Christ taught vs. Such a Fast is our ancient Catholick and most approueable and necessary Fast before the Communion of the Lords Supper Aquin in his dispute De ieinnio 147. Quaest calleth it Praeceptum Naturae that is as I here interpret it A Fast of absolute precept included in the affirmatiue part of the sixt and seuenth commandements of the morall Law S. Austin in his Epistle to Ianuarius saith that it is Ieiunium Moris Christi qui v 〈…〉 iari non debet that it is a Fast of Christs owne fashion and speciall appointment because S. Paul saith in the 1. Cor. 11.34 Tha◠if 〈◊〉 man be hungrie he should eate at home least the Church come together to their condemnation But this their reason is too weake to ground any thing demonstratiuely vpon it For the Apostle doth onely by euident demonstration of words forbid their vnreuerent eating in the publike assemblie Vers 22. And so all those Primitiue Apostolicke Churches did vnderstand him who as S. Chrysostome writing vpon the same words doth clearely witnesse had euen till S. Chrysostomes age which was the fourth from Christ alwaies receiued the Communion after their Charistia or common Christian Charityfeasts called by S. Iude ver 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To conclude therefore my answere to this first necessary demaund What Euangelical Fasts are directly commaunded by Christ in this Consultatorie Precept Then shall they Fast I answere briefely That such Publike Church-fasts are here authorised and commaunded as may be and ought to be changed and intermitted when they chance to hinder or to crosse any christian Duties commanded by the absolute precept of Christ either in his Law or in his Gospell Sect. 2. COncerning the Nature and Authoritie of this commaund Then shall they fast To the Second question Whom it doth authorise and command to commaund or inioyne these publik Ordinarie paenitential Church-fasts as also How straitly such authorised Commanders are bound in foro conscientiae to command and inioyne them I answere first that not onely the Church gouernors such as are here Iohn Baptist and the Pharisees such as is Ezra in the 8 Chapter of Ezra the 21. verse such as are the children of the Bride-chamber themselues in the 13. and 15. chap. of the Acts such as were the Fathers of the Church when the christian Emperours like Gallio Act. 18.17 cared not for Church-law matters But also the High magistrates and the whole Councell of the Church either Catholicke or Nationall consisting both of the Clergy and of the Laiety of Christ may and ought to commaund them The King of Nineuie and his Nobles in the third of Ionas Esther and Mordecay in the fourth of Esther the godly Wife and godly Husband counselled by S. Paul 1. Cor. 7. ◠to defraud themselues for a time that they may the better giue themselues employ their
houshold in fasting and pâ—â—iâ—r are Demostratiue precedents to the Supreme Magistrate the whole comminaltie of the 〈◊〉 Tribes of Israel together with their Elders and Phinees the High-Priest in the 20. chapter of the Iudges and the euiled Iewes ioyned in one as one man in the tenth of Ezra are authenticall proofes to authorise whole Councels and Synods But yet there is one kinde of Church-Fasts which now a dayes we call Iâ—â—â—nia quatuer temporum called in times past 〈◊〉 sacrorum Ordinum the Fasts of holy Orders the commaund whereof doth most properly and principally lie vpon the charge of our Bishops and Clergie whensoeuer they either ordaine or institute Ministers For it is plaine out of the storie of the Apostles Actes that these children of the Bride-chamber did neuer lay their hands vpon any Minister of the word and Sacraments either at his ordination or Institution afore they had first appointed solemne fasting an prayer And surely although such fasting bee not of the Esse yet it is of the Bene esse and melius fieri of holy Institutions and Orders It pertaineth also most principally to Saint Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abstemious temperate Bishop that hee call vpon the supreme Magistrate and vpon the whole people of Christ and bee a liuely precedent vnto them for the execution of this consultatorie commaund Then shall they Fast From whom did S. Austin and his mother Monica priuate persons take their right paterne of fasting when they liued in Millaine but from Saint Ambrose the Bishop of Millaine whom doth S Austin counsell his friend Casulan to follow in the order of Church fasts but chiefely his Prouinciall or Diocesan Bishop Episcopo tuo in hacre noli resistere Quod ipse facit sine vllo scrupulo aut disceptatione sectare Crosse not thy Bishop in this matter of a Saterday Fast but in this and the like what thou seest thy Bishop doe that do thou without any scruple or controuersie Secondly if it be demaunded whether as it is in the consultation of the Church to repeale intermit or change these publike Fasts of ordinarie Repentance so it is in their consultatorie power altogether to omit and disannull them and whether Catholicke Fasts may be intermitted or repealed by Particular gouernours of Particular Churches or by Nationall counsels I answere first to the former part of the demaunde that there are in the Scripture two kinds of indifferent things not commaunded by absolute precept left vnto Christian mens free consultation as the Spirit of God in his children shall iudge them to be expedient or vnexpedient to be done Of the first kind are such indifferent matters and duties as are made lawfull vnto vs only by Warrant and not also by any so much as consultatorie commaund or counsell And these againe are of two sorts For either they are both warranted and commended as are the Voluntarie vowes of perpetuall Virginity and widowhead of Pouertie of paying all or part of our goods to poore Christ whether they be proper voluntarie vowes or solemne publicke voluntary vowes or they are permitted onely and tolerated in the booke of God as lawfull but no where commended also as laudable as is that best kind of Vsurie where a man doth no otherwise deale with his brother theÌ„ he himself in the like case would be very willing to be dealt withal It is in the consultatorie power of the publicke gouernours of Christs Church either altogether to disannull and abrogate or at their discretion to restraine and correct the abuse of this latter either by ciuill punishment in their ciuill gouernement or by Excommunication or suspension in their Cleargie gouernement But as touching the former which are both warranted and commended in the Scripture it is not in the consultatorie power of Christs Church gouernours either publikely to commande them or publikely to disannull and altogether forbid them whether they be priuate and proper voluntarie vowes or solemne and publicke voluntarie vowes of perpetuall continencie pouertie or such like When thou absteinest from such proper or solemne vowes saith the only lawgiuer able to saue and destroy Deuter. 23.22 it shall be no sinne vnto thee who then can binde me in foro conscientiae either to vow single life though a thing warranted and commended or forbid me to vow it publickly I say either to commaunde these commended holy Voluntarie vowes or to disannull and altogether forbid them is not in the power of any publicke gouernours whatsoeuer Onely it is in their power to restraine and correct the abuses of them if either the Votarie doe vow that rashly which is not likely to be in his power and abilitie to performe or doe vowe that wickedly or to a wicked vngodly superstitious end which he ought not to performe Certaine young Widdowes made a solemne vow of perpetuall widow head in Saint Paules time But Saint Paule seeing by experience of them their great vnablenesse to performe such vowes discommends them greatly in the fift chapter of his former Epistle to Timothy and chargeth Bishop Timothy to restraine the solemne vowes of such Votaries vntill they came to the age of threescore yeares Certaine also of the lewd Hypocrits amongst the Israelites in the time of Moses law as it is plaine in the 18. ver of the 23. of Deuteronomie had wantonly brought the hire of their Whores and the prices of their Dogges for holy solemne Voluntarie vowes into the house of God as many superstitious wanton Votaries haue done and doe still vnder the reigne of Popish superstition and as idolatrous people doe and haue done who haue solemnely dedicated and bequeathed their money lands goods vnto Masse Priests to sing Dirdges for their soules or to say Prayers for the deliuerance of their soules out of Purgatorie or to the maintenance of the Supremacie and Hierarchie of the Iudaicall and Donatisticall Pseudocatholicke Church of Rome God would haue these solemne Voluntarie vowes both restrained and corrected For so saith the Law Deut. 23.18 Thou shall neither bring the hire of an whore nor the price of a Dogge into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow For euen both these are an abomination vnto the Lord thy God Thus haue I shewed how things of indifferent nature warranted onely but not at all commaunded in Gods word are to be held or not to be held to be vnder the consultatorie power of the publicke gouernours of Christs Church Another kind of duties and things indifferent not commaunded by absolute precept but left to Christian mens free consultation is of those which are not onely warranted in Gods word but are also commaunded by that kind of commande and precept which I haue tearmed Consultatorie These againe are of two sorts For either they are by such Consultatorie commaundement commaunded onely vnto priuate men or they are also commaunded both to priuate men and to publicke officers Of the former sort
is Continencie commaunded vnto them who haue the gift thereof in that consultatorie priuate precept Math. 19.12 He that can receiue it let him receiue it Of the same sort is the renouncing of all wordly busines to follow the studie of Christs heauenly Doctrine commaunded vnto them vnto whom it is expedient by that Consultatorie precept Math. 19.21 If thou wilt be perfect Goe sell thy goods and giue them to the poore and come follow mee But of the latter sort is Decencie of apparell and a discreete constitution of Church-orders commanded in generall by that Consultatorie precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all things be done comely and in order Of the same sort is this Ordinarie penitentiall fasting or this Fasting of ordinarie repentance wherof we now speake cōmanded here in speciall Then shall they fast Now as it is not in the free power of a priuate mans consultation who hath the gift of Continencie or to whom it is most expedient to leaue the world and to follow Christ altogether to disobey Christs priuate consultatorie commaunds as it is euident by Saint Paul who saith in the 15. ver of the 9. Chap. of his 1. Epi. to the Corinthians that it was better for him to die then that he should take a lawfull stipend of the Corinthians which was not then expedient so much lesse is it in the power of a publicke Officer or of the supreme Magistrate to suffer the Church of God to be ruled without all outward Decencie or to disobey Christ in not obseruing that which hee hath specially commanded by this speciall Consultatorie publicke commaunde Then shall they fast And thus haue I shewed also how things of indifferent nature left to mans free consultation not only by warrant of the word but also by Consultatorie priuate or by consultatorie publicke commandement are to be held or not to beheld to be vnder the Consultatorie power of the publicke gouernours of the Church For although those indifferent duties which are commaunded to priuate men onely by Consultatorie priuate commaund be to be performed by priuate men so onely as the spirit of God in them shall exact as it did of Saint Paul their Consultatorie obedience in the exact performance of them yet those indifferent duties which are commaunded also to publicke Officers by the speciall Consultatorie publicke commaunde of Christ the most louing Bridegroome of his Church these in different duties I say of this so speciall Consultatorie publicke commaunde cannot without neglect of dutie vnto Christ their Lord and maister the only lawgiuer able to saue and destroy be either intermitted vpon an humour or omitted and disannulled altogether by the publicke gouernours of Christs Church The neglect of these Church fasts then in any Church whatsoeuer is a token of some want of that feeling which the Church as a true louing wife should haue of the bodily absence of her louing husband according to the speach of our Sauiour in this my Text But the daies will come when the Bridegroome shall be taken from them and then shall they Fast Surely as Salomon saith Eccle. 7.6 The heart of Fooles who laugh in the face as the Apostle speaketh 2. Cor. 5.12 is in the house of mirth but the heart of wisemen who laugh in the heart are soberly and truely wise vnto saluation is alwaies in the house of mourning that is as our Sauiour heere in my Text doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth confound and turne the tearmes of Fasting and mourning making them all one in the house of fasting because it is better to goe to the house of mourning then to the house of feasting because by a sad looke the heart is made better And thus I haue assoiled the former doubt which might worthely arise touching the gouernours of the Church their absolute omission and repealing of all Church fasts To the other doubt thus much I speake briefely that though the Fast be Catholicke as is the Fast before the Communion and all our other Church-fasts except two onely that is to say though the Fast be Vniuersally constituted and decreed to be kept in all the particular Churches of the world by the Vniuersall decree and sentence of an Oecumenicall counsell yet the Oecumenicall counsell doth alwaies with this Prouiso decree it that no particular Church shall be further bound vnto it then as it is an helpe and no wayes an hindrance vnto true mortification If it be found either through the superstition of this doting old world or through any other enormitie wherewith Sathan and mans corruption doth often staine and defile the best exercises of godlines to be any whit preiudiciall to those holy duties of absolute necessitie which are commanded by absolute precept then the practise of the best particular Churches and euen of some Diocesan Bishops haue taught vs that our righter way to obey the Oecumenicall counsell is to obey rather the meaning then the bare and dead letter of their decree I confesse that Saint Austin saith wisely and well speaking of these Vniuersall customes of fasting decreed by the Plenary counsel of the whole church Si quid horū tota perorbem frequentat Ecclesia hoc quin ita faciendū sit desputare insolentissimae insaniae est If any of these things be vsed by the custome of the whole Church for a man to hold that such a thing ought not or may indifferently not be done it is a part and a tricke of most siely fondnesse and madnesse But he giueth this reason intimated both in his words following and in his words before going where he had set downe his formall difference betweene particular Church customes and betwixt Vniuersall Church customes to be the cause of this his speeach for that the Vniuersall Church neuer decreeth any thing that is Contra fidem bonos more 's against the Faith and good maners but the particular Churches may be supposed to decree some new customes both Contra fidem bonos more 's Out of which reason we may plainely see how Saint Austin did vnderstand the decrees of Vniuersall counsels and the minde of all Churches when they chanced to haue the same custome in the vse of an indifferent duty amongst them all Namely that the intention and minde and meaning of the Vniuersall Church is this to keepe or to decree no custome that is Contra fidem bonos more 's yet that his meaning is not neither was it the Catholicke meaning of the whole Church that the customarie vse of any indifferent thing not commaunded by absolute precept should therefore neuer be altered because it was once decreed by so Vniuersall a decree and consent of all Churches Though indeed whilest such indifferent matters are in vigour and force and are commanded by the Church he is worthily to be esteemed Schismaticus schismate charitatis in the highest degree who doth not obediently yeeld vnto them also Schismaticus schismate fidei if he dispute