they that wil not afflict themselues with sorrow for their sinnes in fasting and mourning at times conuenient he will destroy and roote them out from among his people saying This is a day of reconciliation Leu. 23 2â— to make an attonement for you before the Lorde your God and euery person that humbleth not himselfe that same daie shall euen be cut off from his people HOMIL VI. The sixt Homilie sheweth what is the proper time for fasting namely the time of affliction sorow and then how God requireth it and his seruants haue practised it and so how the Lord requireth it of vs in this time of our sorow and how long the time of a fast should continue and how the same time should be spent HAuing shewed in the former Treatises as you haue seene that this holy ordinance of fasting is grouÌ„ded vpon the commandement of God and that he straitly vpon our allegeance that wee owe vnto him requireth it of vs and so it can not be left vndone of vs without a manifest disobedience and contempt of his Word and moreouer that the whole action consisteth both in that outward bodily exercise of abstinence and forbearing of those things for a time which we haue heard of and also and especially in those inward vertues of the minde and graces of the spirit to be then attained vnto vsed and professed which haue lastly beene intreated of and therefore is to be obserued of vs after that maner that hath beene declared if we will haue our seruice therein acceptable vnto God and profitable to our selues it remaineth to shew what is the time proper and peculiar vnto this exercise and when the Lord especially requireth it of vs. For it is not an ordinarie and common seruice of God Fasting is not an ordinary seruice of God fit for all times that which shuld be practised euery day as some others are and so it is not fit for euery time but an extraordinarie part of his worship and of our dutie vnto him and so more meet for some times than for other Solomon by the wisdome of Gods spirit sayth in the booke of the Preacher as we haue heard before that there is to all things an appointed time Eccle. 3.1 a time to euerie purpose vnder the heauen and so a time to weepe and a time to laugh vers 4. a time to mourne and a time to dance and therefore a time to fast and a time to feast So then as it were a verie preposterous thing for any to make great feasts when they should fast and in the times when the Lord by his word and works of iustice calleth to fasting that then they should giue themselues to all kinde of cheering vp of themselues which kinde of prophanesse the Prophet greatly complaineth of in his time Esa 22.12 saying And in that day did the Lord God of hostes call vnto weeping and mourning and to baldnesse and girding with sackcloth and beholde ioy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating and drinking and mocking the doctrine of the Prophet with these words For to morow we shall die so on the other side it were a thing of very great disorder We must be able to discerne betweene the time of fasting and of feasting for any to afflict themselues to fast when God would haue them to reioice and feast as we see some of those that returned from the captiuity of Babylon of a good deuotion but of great ignorance and so were rebuked for it For when in the feast of Tabernacles they did heare the Law of God read whereof they had beene ignorant a great while and thereby perceiued how they had offended God they wept for their sinnes and began also to abstaine from their meat as appeareth by the answere of Esra and the rest of the Leuites who sayd vnto them Neh. 8.9 This day is holy vnto the Lord your God mourne not neither weepe but goe and eat of the fat and drinke the sweet and send part vnto them for whom none is prepared for this day is holy vnto our Lord be ye not sorie therefore for the ioy of the Lord is your strength So that it is as if they had sayd This is a time of great ioy for our deliuerance and other great benefits of God bestowed vpon vs and therefore not of fasting But this is the great blindnes and ignorance of many that this way they know no difference of times but all are alike to them if they may haue meat Heerein the Lord hath beene mercifull vnto vs and hath directed vs aright by his worde which as it is a light vnto our pathes Psal 119.105 and a lanterne to our feete in all other things so also in this when he hath shewed vs both by expresse commandement and also by the common practise of al the godlie in all ages The time of affliâ—â—ion sâ—rrow is the mâ—st â—râ—per time of fasting that the time of affliction is the most fit and conuenient time for fasting and as it were most proper vnâ—o it when as we haue cause of sorrow either for some great benefit that we want or others whom we loue in the Lord or some iudgement of God present as most like shortly to come vpon our selues or vpon them and as any of these be greater so haue we more cause alwaies to fast and God doth then require it of vs especially at that time And this is that which our Sauiour Christ sheweth in the Gospel where to this captious question of the Scribes and Pharesies saying Why doe the Disciples of Iohn fast often and praie Luk. 5.33 and the Disciples of the Pharesies also but thine eate and drinke he made this answer Can yee make the children of the wedding chamber to fast as long as the bridegroome is with them but the daies will come euen when the Bridegroome shall be taken away froÌ„ them and then shall they fast in those daies Where he excuseth his Disciples for not fasting at that time because the Bridegroome was with them as yet and so by Christs presence it was a time of ioy vnto them but ere it were long he should be taken from them and they should want him and there should come some great trouble vpon them which should cause them to phet euen that their deserued destruction was so neere at hande vnlesse they did speâ—dily repent and so put on sackecloth fâ—om the greatest of them euen to the least of them Thus in this time of great heauinesse they tooke vpon them this exercise of fasting which in the prosperitie and wealth and flourishing estate of the citie they knew not of neither were acquainted with it before but nowe they saw that the time it selfe did call them to another kinde of behauiour and so they did practise it willingly The like may be saide of the people of the Iewes in the daies of Queene Hester when Haman for the
labours and therefore they can not make choise of a day of priuate fasting for of that we speake and not of publike wherein both master and seruant must be at the appointment of their gouernour but so farre onely as their superiours shall giue them leaue So that if they can not or wil not spare their labours for a time they are of necessitie to keepe all their priuate fasts vpon the Sabbath dayes wherein they are bound to rest from their labours and to serue God as well as any other and so their masters and gouernours should not onely giue them leaue to doe but also are charged by God so to doe and haue authoritie giuen ouer them to that end according to the expresse words of the commandement Sixe dayes shalt thou labour Exod. 20.9 and doe all thy worke but the seuenth day it is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not doe any worke thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter thy man seruant nor thy maide where they are willed not only not to hinder them from sanctifying of the day but to looke diligentlie vnto them that they doe religiously obserue and keepe it and so vpon that day they may at any time the times of necessitie being alwaies excepted without any offence to their gouernors by defrauding theÌ„ of their seruices keepe their fasts And so may they doe any day of the weeke els if they haue their leaue otherwise not For though this be a speciall part of Gods seruice and that which he requireth of all at one time or other yet because it is not ordinarie and the sixe dayes are appointed for all the works of our seuerall callings ordinarilie and they are not their owne men as we say but at the disposition of others euen of their gouernours therefore he hath giuen theÌ„ leaue to breake all such purposes of theirs as shall vpon any of these dayes hinder them from any of those workes or seruices If they doe their gouernours haue power to breake them wherein they are to imploy them and vse them And so as they may not vpon these dayes leaue their worke and go to a Sermon heere there which some not ill minded might be willing to doe and so leaue their masters businesse vndone and thus vnder the colour of deuotion and well meaning not only idlenesse might be nourished in them but many disorders brought into a familie so much lesse are they at their own pleasure to take vp whole dayes to themselues for fasting without the priuitie and good liking of those vnder whom they are and if they should enterprise any such thing they are by them to be reprooued and amended according to the power that God hath giuen them And heerein as in some other things doth the law of God take place that is set downe by Moses Num. 30.4 If a woman vow a vow vnto the Lord binde herselfe by a bond being in her fathers house in the time of her youth and her father heare her vow and bond wherewith she hath bound her selfe and her father holde his peace concerning her then all her vowes shall stand euery bond wherewith shee hath bound her selfe shall stand but if her father disallow her the same day that he hereth al her vowes and bonds wherewith she hath bound her self they shal not be of value the Lord will forgiue her because her father disalowed her Where first he saith That if any make a vow or binde themselues with any bond to God or man they must keepe it but if a maid in her youth Because this kinde of serâ—ice is but voluntary and in her fathers house that is whiles shee is vnder his gouernment make a vowe and when hee heareth it by his silence or otherwise approoueth it then it is in force and must be performed but if he disallow of it then it shall be of no value and God will pardon her because her father hath broken it So that they haue not power while they be vnder gouernment to vowe what they will no not to God as to fast which is a voluntary seruice and may be vowed but if they haue done the father may breake it The equitie of this law giueth the same authoritie to the father ouer his sonnes and to the master and mistresse ouer their maid seruants and men seruants bindeth all them to be obedient vnto theÌ„ in such cases especially wheÌ„ as the Lord himselfe setteth downe the same law for the wife making a vowe without the knowledge and approbation of her husband vers 7 saying If she haue an husband when she voweth or pronounceth ought with her lippes wherewith she bindeth herselfe if her husband heareth and holdeth his peace concerning her the same day he heareth it then the vowe shall stand and her bonds wherewith she bindeth herselfe shall stande in effect but if her husband disalow her the same day that he heareth it then shall hee make her vowe which she hath made and that she hath pronounced with her lippes wherewith she bound herselfe of none effect and the Lord will forgiue her where wee see that the spirit of God vseth manie wordes to giue vs to vnderstand that though they haue determined neuer so certainly to do it yet they by their absolute authoritie may hinder them And truely if it were not thus manie might and would vnder this colour pretence somtimes of fained holinesse defraud their parents and masters of their seruice when they should most need them but God is the God of order and therefore hauing subiected children vnto their parents and seruants vnto their masters their persons and their willes and hauing commanded them to be obedient vnto them in the Lord in all things woulde haue them in all such matters Col. 3.20.22 as are but voluntarie to depend vpon their willes I confesse that it is to be granted In duties absolutely commanded the gouernours cannot restraine their inferiors that in things absolutely necessarie either for the glorie of God a mans saluation the preseruation of life the good of others and such like as to worship God purely and to be of a sound religion and to bee no heretike papist sectarie or atheist and to be of an holie life and conuersation and not to be prophane like Esau or like the silthie sowe 2. Pet. 2.22 that wallowerh in the mire generally to keepe all Gods commandements and to beleeue all the articles of our faith these things I saie they are to do yea although they cannot haue their consent For heere the wordes of the Apostles are in force who when they were brought before the counsell of the high Priests and Elders and there by them straightlie charged that in no wise they should speake or teach in the name of Iesus Act. 4.18 answered them and saide whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then God iudge yee So that
THE HOLY EXERCISE OF FASTING Described largely and plainly out of the word of God with all the parts and causes and seuerall kinds of the same together with the most fit times and conuenient seasons when and how long it should be held with the manifold fruite and commoditie that redoundeth to vs thereby and the whole nature and order thereof In Certaine Homilies or Sermons for the benefit of all those that with care and conscience intend at any time publikely or priuately to put in practise the same By Nicolas Bownde Doctor of diuinitie Perused and allowed by publike authoritie Occupie till I come Luk. 16.13 Math. 25.11 It is well done good seruant and faithfull thou hast beene faithfull in little I will make thee ruler ouer much enter into thy masters ioy Printed by IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1604. And are to be sold at the signe of the Crowne in Pauls Churchyard by Simon Waterson To the right Reuerend father in God and right honourable Lord Doctor Iohn Iegon Lord Bishop of Norwich the continuance and daily increase of all those heauenly vertues and graces which the Apostle S. Paul requireth in a Bishop 1. Tim. 3.2 RIght reuerend father and very honourable Lord besides many other weightie reasons whereby I haue beene mooued to commend this simple present vnto your Lordships fauour which it is not necessarie nor conuenient to make all the world acquainted with it is enough that your Lordship priuately doth take knowledge of them it may be sufficient openly to professe thus much That whereas my selfe with all the rest of my brethren fellow ministers were in our countrie and in all the rest of your L. Dioces of Norfolke and Suffolke the last sommer inioyned by your letters sent to your officers to that ende according to the order set downe before in print by the authoritie of the Kings most excellent maiestie to come to the Church euery weâ—ke vpon the wednesdaies and fridaies with the rest of our people flocke committed vnto vs there and then to be occupied in praier and fasting to intreat the Lord for our sinnes and for the sinnes of the rest in this land that so his heauie hand which by the pestilence was then very sharpely and that a long time stretched out in many cheife cities and towns of this realme and namely of this your L. Dioces as Norwich and Yarmouth and some other might be called in at his appointed time Sam. 24.16 as it was in the daies of king Dauid Whereby it came to passe that both here and in many places els there was much more preaching hearing of the word of God and praying vnto him then was before and otherwise would haue beene So that by meanes of the straite charge laid vpon all by your L. letter there was much good done in this countrie at that time the fruite whereof I hope remaineth vnto this day For though the booke containing the cause and order of those fasts which was made by some of the cheife gouernours in the Church of England and was authorized by the Kings Highnesse did as I take it not onely giue leaue vnto all places publikely to meete vpon these aboue named daies to these ends but did inioyne them to it and so all men might haue taken knowledge of it and of their dutie therein from thence especially when the cause of it namely so grieuous and so vniuersall a plague was so notorious that it could not be hid from any yet it was found too true by experience in many places that vntill such time as men were further called vpon by your Lordships letter full of great and weightie reasons to perswade thereunto that neither many ministers had any care to call vpon their people to so holy and necessarie a seruice nor the people any great deuotion to come So slowe are men vnto any part of Gods seruice yea though it doth so greatly coÌ„cerne them especially to this principall part of it in fasting and praier which hath beene very long out of vse that they had neede not onely lightly to be called vpon but with many strong coards violently hailed vnto it though vnto all matters of the world they are so forward and hastie that they runne of their own accord and none can stay them Hereupon it hath come to passe that a great part of the good that this way hath beene done vnto the people of God and seruice to his maiestie is to be imputed vnto your lordships diligent care who did so timely and effectually stirre vp men vnto it especially in respect of those cheife places others vnder your Lordships iurisdiction which then were greatly subiect vnto this visitation as well as other parts of this land neither are they all of them yet free from it Therefore these beeing part of my labours at that time they are in some sort due vnto your Lordship by whose means I receiued incouragement thereunto as others did to the like And I haue presumed to present them vnto your Lordship that by them you may see and by one may iudge of the rest how readie we are and shall be to yeild obedience to all your L. godly proceedings promising for my selfe and presuming of the rest that when we shall be likewise commanded which we expect and hope for in time to keepe solemne dayes of thanksgiuing for the mitigating of this plague in so great measure in the most places and for the cleane taking of it away in many we will be by the grace of God as ready to performe that part of seruice as we haue beene forward vnto this And in the meane season according to our bounden duty we will indeauour not only priuatly to be thankfull vnto God but vpon all such daies as we haue our publike assemblies to doe it in some part and to call vpon our people to be thankfull to God with vs both in hart words and life least the Lord for our vnthankfulnes doe returne vpon vs with the same or some other great punishment of his Which we haue so much the more cause to feare vnles we thus seeke to preuent it because the late memory of so great a worke both of iustice in sending the plague and of mercy in taking it away is not so fresh effectuall with all men nay with very few as it should but they like to vngratious children so soone forget the rodd as it is off their back And seeing by these your Lordship may take knowledge that by your godly incitation many were made more painfull in their callings at the least for that time then otherwise they would have beene whereby also God was more honoured and the people more instructed your Lordship will according to that high place wherein God hath placed you especially to that end take all opportunities by word and writing still to incite all men to be zealous and feruent in the worke of the ministery by giuing all good
incouragement vnto the painfull labourers in Gods haruest and by quickning vp them that are any way slothfull and negligent and by discountenancing them that are altogether careles and idle and by stopping vp the passage vnto al idol sheapherds hirelings who seeke the fleece and not the flock whose right arme as it is cleane withred vp and their right eye vtterly darkned so as the Prophet saith they haue neither will Zach. 11.17 nor abilitie to doe any good in the Church of God That so not only the gospell may still more and more be purely preached in this your Lordships Dioces as now by the grace of God it is and hath beene a long time by many learned great men but that the people in all places may be compelled diligently to frequent it not only themselues to yeeld obedience vnto it but to haue their children seruants Act. 10.2 euen their whole families willingly catechised that they may feare God with all their househoulds That so we may blesse god not only for your comming among vs but much more for your continuance with vs and ouer vs and pray to him for you as we doe and mind to doe that the Lord will long preserue you zealous of his glory and carefull of the good of that part of his church ouer which the holy ghost hath made you ouerseer ap 20.28 which also Iesus Christ hath purchased not with gold or siluer but with his owne most pretious blood That so among the rest of his good and faithfull seruants who haue vsed their talents well ib. 25 2â— he may giue you a full reward in the kingdome of heauen who hath said if thou loue me feed my sheepe if thou loue me feed my lambes â— 21 1â— For though the daily exercises of the word of God should be sufficient of themselues to purchase credit and reuerence to theÌ„selues with all sorts of people as to the most holy ordinances of the eternall God and the great wantes that are in all men should driue them to seeke to them continually as to the meanes of their saluation whereby all their wantes might be supplied yet such is the irreligion in many and the want of feeling in others that they are no more forward vnto any part of Gods seruice or of the meanes of their owne saluation then authority doth compell them Thus assuring my selfe that your later deedes will be answerable to these good beginnings or rather happy proceedings yea that they will goe farre beyond them in all godly zeale I comfort my selfe with the rest of my brethren in the daily expectation and hope of it praying to god Psal 69.9 that the zeale of his house may euen consume you that so you waxing old in all well doing Prou. 16.31 your age may be so much the more honorable beeing found in the way of righteousnes And so not doutibng of your Lordships fauourable acceptatioÌ„ of these my poore endeauours I leaue them to your fatherly and honorable protection and my selfe my seruice to your continuall commandement very humbly taking my leaue Norton in Suffolke 30. Aprill 1604. Your Lordships euer humbly at commandment Nicolas Bownd To the godly and Christian Reader the daily increase of that true godlinesse which hath the promise of the life present and of that that is to come 1. Tim. 4.8 WHen as of late this holy exercise of fasting was by publike authoritie not without iust cause imposed vpoÌ„ vs welbeloued fathers and brethren I thought it conuenient or rather necessarie for that people which then I had to deale with and haue still first of all to make them acquainted with the nature of it not so much by preaching of fasting out of some one text which could not very fitly haue beene done as by deliuering vnto them in sundrie sermons the whole doctrine of it orderly out of many places of holy Scâ—â—pture or rather out of the whole word of God indifferently That so they might be the more willing to submit themselues vnto it when they did see cleerely what they should doe and â—lso that they doe it in some good measure â—cceptable to God and comfortably to theÌ„selues when they perceaued after what manner they should doe it And thus in making of these short treatises and Homilies at the first I had respect only vnto them Since I coÌ„sidering on the one side the great ignorance that is in most places as of all other partes of gods seruice which are ordinary so most of all this which is extraordinary especially because it is and hath beene so much out of vse and then waying on the other side that there may be hereafter great cause offered vnto vs againe of vsing this holy excellent ordinance of god either publikely in many places or priuately in more seeing that this visitatioÌ„ of the plague doth so linger like vnto the leaprosy which sometime did hang long in the howses of the Iewes and soe doth very shortly or not at all wholy depart from some places besides those new chastisements which we know not how many or how soone they may come vpon vs I thought since that both for these and for other causes these my labours might be not wholly vnprofitable to all those that are well minded And thought I cannot be ignorant that there are many and godly and learned sermons and treatises both in english and latine already extant of this argument and so my indeauour after them may seeme superfluous yet all things considered I doubt not but that some may stand in neede of these also For as I must needes confesse that I haue read the former indeauoured to follow some of theÌ„ so I leaue the learneder sort to such of them as themselues shall best like only this for the more ignorant sort I haue aymed at to make the whole doctrine of fasting easy and plaine that they might with facility vnderstand what god requireth of them in the day of fast and how they ought to behaue them selues therein And to that end I haue set downe euery thing orderly at large therefore the more clearly and not scholastically and shortly as some haue done and by that meanes the more obscurely especially vnto the vulgar sort and I haue shewed the practise of euery particular out of the Scripture setting downe at large the wordes of euery text for the capacity of the simplest and oftentimes for the more easines and plainnes hauing recourse of purpose to the selfe same texts rather then making choise of new which vainly might happily haue bread some obscuritie Which kind of writing if it may seeme to bring tediousnes vnto the learned eares they must consider that first I preached these sermons to the meaner sort men not brought vp in learning and so did apply my selfe in handling of this doctrine vnto their capacity leading them on in it according to their owne pace which is rightly to diuide the
word of God and in his howse as a wise steward to giue vnto euery one of them their owne food in due season and since euen as they were then preached I haue published them for their sakes especially and so haue deliuered them as milke for all those that are but babes and children in Christ. And therefore if any of these shall receiue any benefit by them I haue attained vnto the end of my labours though the other sort be not holpen by them one whit For which I will pray vnto God euen as I desire all you to whome these presents shall come to pray for me and the Lord heare vs all for our selues and one of vs for an other and his well beloued sonne Iesuâ— Christ our only mediatour for vs all that we may liue and dye in his faith and in his feare that so the same Christ may be vnto vs life and in death aduantage Norton in Suffolke Your louing brother in the Lord Nicolas Bownd THE GENERAL Contents of the whole booke which may serue for an alphabeticall table to finde out euery thing handled in the same Page 1. The 1. Homilie Sheweth that the exercise of fasting is not an humane constitution but an ordinance of God approoued in the old and new Testament and so how God requireth it of vs at this present and for what causes Pag. 26. The 2. Homilie Sheweth what are the parts whereof this fasting consisteth and first which be outward belonging to the bodie and to what ende they serue as to abstaine wholly for a time from all kinde of meate and drinke and sleepe and costly apparell and such like comforts of the bodie and yet what libertie we haue then in all these in times of necessitie Page 58. The 3. Homilie Intreateth of the inward vertues of the minde to be attained vnto professed in fasting without the which the outward abstinence is nothing worth namely of true humilitie and casting downe of our selues before God and wherein that consisteth and how necessary it is and by what meanes we may attaine vnto it Page 94. The 4. Homilie Continueth to intreat of the inward vertues of the minde and namely of the hope that we sâ—oulâ— haue of the pardon of our sinnes vpon our true repentance and that God will giue vs the things that we seeke to him for which hope must stirre vs vp to feruent and long prayer and how by importunitie we shall preuaile with God what things els may quicken vs vnto feruent prayer Page 133. The 5. Homilie Doth further intreat of feruency of praier requisite in fasting and to the end we may consider what great things God hath promised to fasting and prayer and how he hath performed the same not only to the godly but euen to the wicked who haue therby obtained great deliuerances yea how men by humble supplication haue preuailed with men euen with their enemies Page 168. The 6 Homilie Sheweth what is the proper time for fasting namely the time of affliction and sorow then how God requireth it and his seruants haue practised it and so how the Lord requireth it of vs in this time of our sorrow and how long the time of a fast should continue and how the same time should be spent Page 208. The 7. Homilie Intreateth of the seuerall kindes or sorts of fasts whereof the one is priuate and the other publike and first of priuate fastings and how to behaue our selues in them and how they ought to be intertained into mens houses and for what causes and what great good may come thereby and what liberty the Gouernors haue in appointing of them aboue all the rest of the familie Page 253. The 8. Homilie Intreateth of the second kind of fasts which are publike and why so called and how all sorts ought to come to them and what a great fault it is for any to be absent And then of the cause of them which is the wrath of God against his Church either present as it is now vpon vs or likely to come which the godly haue considered in the course of Gods prouidence and so haue sought by fasting and praier to preuent it and not alwaies taried till it came vpon them Page 200. The 9. Homilie Continueth to shew the causes of publike fastes namely when the wrath of God to come hath beene iustly feared in respect of the great sinnes that haue abounded and of the iudgement of God denounced against the same openly by the ministers of God And when Gods wrath hath not only beene vpon themselues but vpon others of their brethren the children of God Pag. 353. A direction for Prayer Fit and conuenient for all those that being ignorant or vnacquainted with priuate prayer are desirous to pray by themselues The holie exercise of Fasting described out of the word of God HOMIL I. The first Homilie sheweth that the exercise of fasting is not an humane constitution but an ordinance of God approoued in the old and newe Testament and so how God requireth it of vs at this present and for what causes RIght wel-beloued in the Lord whereas we haue beene of late commanded by the Kings most excellent Maiesty and that not without iust cause to meete once a weeke vpon the Wednesday The occasioâ— of this Treatise to be occupied in fasting and praier because that the thing it selfe hath beene so long out of vse that a great number haue little or not at all practised it yea they haue not so much as beene acquainted with the doctrine of it and so do almost not know what it meaneth I thought it my bound dutie first of all to God and then to you committed to my charge in one part of the day at the least during this time of fasting to intreat of the thing it selfe that so you might know how to behaue your selues in it and the longer that we shall continew it as hauing more knowledge of it to be the better prepared for it Heere then first of all that we might doe this that we doe not onely in obedience to our Lord and King but especially most of all in faith vnto God without which nothing yea though it be good can please him as the apostle saith â—eb 11 6. â—sting is â—t deuised 〈◊〉 man but mmanded 〈◊〉 God we must be perswaded that this order of fasting is not a thing deuised by man but appointed of God and commanded in his holy word and therefore that which he doth necessarily require at the hands not onely of others but euen of our selues And this we had need to be perswaded of the rather because that some neuer thinke themselues bounde vnto it and so make no difference of times either for fasting or for feasting but if they haue wherewithall all times are alike vnto them for eating or not eating But Solomon the wise sheweth Eccl. 3.1 that to all things there is an appointed time and a time to euerie purpose
them but of sorrowing mourning which in it he required of them â—hese fastâ—s â—urs wee st lab â—r this true â—ilitie 〈◊〉 contritâ—â—â—f minde And by all these we may easily vnderstand how greatly in these fastings of ours we also should deiect our selues in our own eies what sorow and griefe of mind should be in vs because of our sinnes and of the wrath of God so manifestly appearing against them And truely if euery man and woman would enter into a serious consideration of their liues past and examine themselues their deeds words and thoughts in al the commandements of God wee might be more humbled then we are especially if we did wisely consider also the punishments due to vs for them and those not onely threatned but alreadie in great measure vpon vs by this great mortalitie in manie places which still increaseth Therefore let euerie one pray to God that he would worke this in him that hee may haue a soft and tender heart a broken and contrite spirit which is an acceptable sacrifice vnto him and which he will not despise as the Prophet saith that is will most fauourablie accept Psal 51.17 that I saie hee may be wounded and prickt at his heart for his sinne and let vs all pray that this abstinence and fasting might be blessed to euerie one of vs to these endes so shall it be acceptable vnto God and profitable to our selues And this must be professed by our deeds and confessed in our words Furthermore as this abstinence is vsed to this ende euen to bring vs to this sorow for our sinnes which wee haue spoken of so also that we might professe to the glorie of God that we doe thus iudge of our selues indeed 1. Cor. 11.24 For as the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper is appointed not onely that we might remember the death of Christ by it vers 26. according as it is written This doe yee in remembrance of me but that we might shew it foorth vntill his comming againe as it is saide in the same place As often as yee shall eate this bread and drinke this cuppe yee shew the Lords death till he come euen that wee looke to be saued by it onely to the condemning of all those that put their trust in any thing else So this abstinence is vsed not onely to bring vs to this vile esteeming of our selues for our sinnes but that in the feeling of it we might by our practise and in our praiers make open profession of the same euen as Benhadad king of Aram sent his seruants girded with sackcloth about their loines 1 King 20.32 and with ropes about their heads to Ahab king of Israell to intreat for his life saying Thy seruant Benhadad saith I praie thee let me liue that he might see that he iudged himselfe woorthie of death So the children of God in times past by abstaining from meate and drinke did confesse with their mouthes and by this practise did openly shew it that they thus iudged of themselues euen that they were vnwoorthy of a crumme of bread or of a droppe of water or of any sustenance whatsoeuer and by putting on sackecloth they professed that they were vnwoorthie of any raiment euen of the least ragge and therefore also but for shame they would haue gone naked and by watching that they were vnwoorthy of sleepe or any rest and so of other things as that they were vnwoorthy of the benefite of mariage and of any comfort in it and of any pleasure or delight in any creature or ordinance of God but that it should be iust with God if hee did cause them to spend awaie their daies in heauinesse And when they put dust and ashes vpon their heads that they were vnwoorthie to breath vpon the face of the earth or to tread vpon the ground yea so vnwoorthy of life that if they had their deserts they should be as deepe vnder the ground as they were aboue it And if there had beene any thing else in the world that would haue represented and set foorth the euerlasting paines of hell eternall condemnation that would they haue borne the image of in their bodies to testify openly against themselues that they iudged themselues woorthy of that also â—hat we â—ay iustifie â—â—d and â—â—ndemne â—â—rselues And so they haue in thus doing iustified the Lord in that vengeance of his that hath beene either threatned or alreadie vpon them so farre haue they bene from murmuring or charging the Lord with anie hard dealing against them As the prophet Daniell Dan. 9.3 in the time of the captiuitie when in the end of the 70. yeeres foretold by Ieremy hee praied for deliuerance and as it is saide in the text turned his face vnto the Lord and sought by praier and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes and made confession of his sinnes and of the sinnes of all the people in his praier hee breaketh out into these words vers 7.8 O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee vnto vs open shame as appeareth this day vnto euerie man of Iudah and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem yea vnto all Israel both neere and farre off through al the countries whether thou hast driuen them because of their offences that they haue committed against thee O Lord vnto vs appertaineth open shame to our Kinges to our Princes and to our fathers because we haue sinned against thee Thus by his fasting from meate and putting ashes vpon his head hee professed that himselfe and al the people were not onely vnwoorthy of any deliuerance which he sued for but euen of life yea that they were altogether most worthy both of this captiuitie and of the shame and reproch of it and also of vtter destruction and death it selfe because of their sinnes which they had committed against the maiestie of God Ezra also in the like practise maketh the same confession Ezra 9.6 O my God I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eies vnto thee my God for our iniquities are increased ouer our head and our trespasses are growen vp vnto the heauen If we will â—eape any fruite by our â—asting we â—rust labour â—o be humâ—led thereby We see then that if we will keepe a fast acceptable vnto the Lord we must be humbled in our selues euery one before him for our sins and this outward profession that we make in abstaining from all things it must be in truth and our mindes must be answerable to our deeds for if we abstaine from the creatures of God and do not iudge our selues vnwoorthie of them if we forbeare the comfort of this life and doe not iudge our selues vnwoorthie of them also and of life it selfe all is but hypocrisie and God careth not for this outward shew Luk. 18.13 Therefore let euery man labour to come to this that he may be humbled in himselfe as the poore Publicane was when he stoode aloofe off and durst
they praied thus importunately it appeareth that in this great humilitie of theirs And by importunitie of praier the Lord will be ouercome declared by their fasting and maner of it they had great hope of obtaining their requests of God vnto whom they did sue And thus must we doe in the day of our fasting I saie we must labour for that measure of faith in gods goodnesse through the blessed merits of Christ our Sauiour that might mooue vs to pray earnestly and as it were to crie mightily vnto God for the remouing nowe at the last of this grieuous plague that though wee haue iustlie deserued it and a great deale more yet for the Lords sake it would please him vpon our true repentance and earnest seeking vnto him for mercie to turne it away Which if wee doe then he vndoubtedly will heare vs in his good time as hee hath witnessed vnto vs in the Gospell by the Parables both of the wicked Iudge Luk. 18.2 who by the importunity of the widow was ouercome at the last to doe her right and this was propounded as Christ himselfe faith to this end to teach men to pray often and not to waxe faint whereupon he inferreth this generall doctrine vers 6.7 Heare what the vnrighteous Iudge saith and shall not God auenge his elect which crie daie and night vnto him though hee suffered long for them So God will heare those that crie daie and night that is that praie earnestly and continuallie And againe in the other parable of the man that came to his friend at midnight to borrow three loues Luk. 11.5 who though he was vnwilling at the first yet because of his importunitie did arise gaue him as many as he would whereupon hee maketh this generall promise to al those that shal thus seeke vnto God that is earnestly and without ceasing that he will heare them saying Aske and it shal be giuen you seeke and yee shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you for euerie one that asketh receaueth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened that is if yee seeke and aske after this maner So by these examples wee may be assured that God will heare vs for this thing if we pray vnto him eatnestly without ceasing though we haue hitherto seene little successe of our praiers for the plague is not only not taken away but is greatly increased euery where He often deferreth to giue that we might bee quickened vp to feruencie of prayer And truely the Lord doeth manie times deferre of purpose to grant that which we aske and which also he hath promised and is purposed to giue that we might be mooued in the feeling of our want to pray earnestly for it and that the want of it for a time might quicken vp our dead hearts and dull spirits vnto greater feruencie of prayer that also when we shall see that we haue such things giuen vnto vs and that wee haue obtained them by our prayer yea by long and earnest prayer wee might make the more account of them and esteeme them as we ought and also be so much the more thankefull vnto God for the same For the Lord indeed hath of his great mercie promised that if we call vpon him he will heare vs as we haue learned euen now out of the Gospell of S. Luke and may further learne out of many other places of Scripture besides as Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the time of thy trouble and I will heare thee and deliuer thee and many other but he hath set downe no time when we shall see and perceiue that hee hath heard vs sauing that it is sayd I will heare thee in due time Psal 10.1 euen in affliction Nowe which is the most conuenient time for God to help vs in Act. 1.7 that we must not prescribe vnto him neither is it alwayes meet for vs to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power therefore as they be best knowen to his heauenly Maiestie so wee must leaue the declaration of them to him alone not doubting but that he will heare vs in due time euen in affliction Hee doth deferre many times of purpose for good causes both that wee might be stirred vp thereby to pray to him earnestly and continually not doubting one whit of the trueth of his promises and that when we haue our requests granted we might esteeme of so great a benefit and be thankefull to him for the same For assuredly if wee did alwayes finde that the Lord did giue vs euery thing at the first asking though wee graunt that hee giueth vs continually more than we aske such is our vnthankefulnesse that both wee would come vnto him very coldly and pray drowsilie for wee would make it but an ordinarie matter Therefore if we continue in feruent prayer the Lord will heare vs at the last Aske haue and also wee would not so highlie esteeme of the things giuen vnto vs nor labor to be so thankfull to him for the same as our bounde duty did require Therfore concerning all other things and namely this present visitation of the Plague the more that the Lord deferreth to take it away the more earnest let vs be in prayer and let not the delay of it quench the heat of our desire one whit but kindle it more and more and I do assure you in the word of the Lord that if we faint not in praier but lift vp our hearts and hands still vnto the Throne of his Mercy that he will in time heare vs and shew mercie vnto vs and that he will not onely do so but he will make it manifest and apparant vnto the very soules and consciences of vs all This therefore is another most excellent vse and end of fasting The outward abstinence must quicken vs vp vnto feruencie of praâ— euen to quicken vs vp vnto greater feruency in prayer for as we finde by experience when our bellies are full and we are in the abundance of all pleasures and outward blessings wee are not so fit for prayer and therefore a sober diet and a moderate vse of all other of Gods creatures and benefits will alwayes make vs the more fit for prayer but when the bodie is pinched with hunger and the want of other necessarie helpes meet for it the feeling of our want shall be a meanes to set a sharper edge vpon our prayers to make them more piercing and as it were to giue a wing vnto them to flie aloft aboue the clouds euen to make them enter into heauen and to come before the throne of God We ought then in these daies of abstinence thus to profit by the feeling of the want of our bodies so to iudge our selues vnwoorthy not onely of all that which wee abstaine from but of all other things besides yea of life it selfe that we thereby be mooued
beyond the bounds of modestie and good maners so if we could aswell see and feele this great miserie that we and our brethren are in it would make vs to be so importunate with the Lord in our prayers that we would haue no nay at his handes but still stand knocking at the gate of his mercie vntill hee hath opened and sent vs away with a gratious answer as Dauid in the one fifty Psalme pressed downe with the heauie burden of his sinnes did crie vnto God againe and againe for mercie and would not haue his mouth stopped vntill the Lord had mercie vpon him saying Haue mercie upon me O God Psa 51.1.2 according to thy louing kindnesse according to the multitude of thy coÌ„passions put away mine iniquitiâ—â— wash me throughly from mine iniquitie and clense me from my sin purge me with Hysope washe me make mee to heare ioy and gladnesse and so foorth as followeth where euerie verse almost containeth a seueral petition earnestly crauing mercie of God for his sinnes yea as blinde Bartimaeus cried after Christ in the waie Mar. 10.46 Iesus the sonne of Dauid haue mercie on me and manie rebuked him because he should hold his peace but he cried much more O sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me and would neuer leaue calling and crying vntill Christ stoode still and commanded him to be called so we in this case should neuer leaue calling vpon God vntill by diminishing of the plague we might see some token of his mercie Nay we should be like to the woman of Syrophenisse who came suing to Christ for her daughter Math. 15.21 and saide Haue mercie on me O Lord the soone of Dauid and he by his silence seemed not to regard her and when his Disciples did speake to him for her he answered them as though she were not to be regarded saying I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel when shee came neerer her-selfe and saide Lord helpe me then he seemed cleane to cast her off and to leaue her without all hope â—4 01 〈◊〉 in saying It is not good to take the childrens bread and to cast it to whelpes yet for al this she would not giue ouer her need was so great but desired as a whelpe to eate of the crummes And by earnest suite we shall finde â— supplie in time that fell from her masters table and so Christ heard her at the last and said vnto her O woman great is thy faith be it to thee as thou desirest and her daughter was made whole at that houre Euen so our selues though we may seeme all this while to haue praied in vaine and to haue lost our labour and the Lorde God not to regard vs because the plague is not one whit lessened but rather increased yet because our need is so great let vs not giue ouer but in all feruencie of praier hold out and waite vpon God and how Psal 123. â— Euen as the eies of seruants looke vnto the hand of their maisters and as the eies of a maiden vnto the hand of her mistresse so let our eies waite vpon the Lord our God vntill he haue mercie vpon vs. And let euerie one saie Psal 130.5 I haue waited on the Lorde my soule hath waited and I haue trusted in his worde my soule waiteth on the Lord more then the morning watch watcheth for the morning and so let vs incourage all Israel euen the people of God to waite vpon him for with him is mercy with him is great redemption and he wil redeeme them from al their iniquities that is as he hath manie waies and meanes to deliuer those that be his so he will vpon their repentance forgiue them all their sinnes and much more deliuer from the deserued punishment of the same â—he consciâ—ce of our â—woorthiâ—sse must â—t hinder â— but raâ—er make 〈◊〉 more ferâ—ut in praiâ— Moreouer that wee might praie so earnestly as we should let vs further consider our great vnwoorthinesse by reason of our innumerable sinnes that when wee shall see that whether wee looke to our selues or to other there is no cause that the Lord should heare and helpe vs for wee haue not done our dutie as we ought wee haue not profited by his worde and great patience nay wee haue by the abuse of them and by other of our sinnes prouoked his wrath against vs and haue deserued that this deadly plague shuld continew and make an end of vs all we may be importunate with him to spare vs that so though not for anie thing that is in vs of his great mercie for Christes sake by opportunitie hee may be ouercome as wee haue seene by the parable of the wicked Iudge how he will be and as we haue seene how Iacob would not giue ouer wrestling vntill he had blessed him at the last obtained the blessing So the Lord seeing that we are not wearie of calling vpon him though he finde vs vnwoorthie might heare and helpe vs. And so let not the conscience of our vnwoorthinesse stoppe our mouthes hinder our praiers but rather mooue vs to be the more earnest confessing the same as Ezra Ezra 9.6 doth I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eies vnto thee my God for our iniquities are increased ouer our head and our trespasse is growen vp vnto the heauen and as Daniel Dan. 9.8 doth O Lord vnto vs appertaineth open shame to our kings to our princes and to our fathers because we haue sinned against thee yet compassion and forgiuenesse is in the Lord our God albeit we haue rebelled against him and so may we truely say of our selues and of our land and countrey wherein we liue And lastly for this present let vs consider that as in no other thing so in this most of all none can helpe vs but the Lord â—nd the conâ—eration of â—is that â—e can â—lpe vs but 〈◊〉 Lord. there are meanes appointed for euery thing but vnlesse hee giue them we can not haue them and then also the right vse and successe of them is of the Lord so that he can not onely denie them vnto vs but curse them when we haue them that they shall do vs no good so that we may truly saie My helpe commeth from the Lorde 〈◊〉 121.2 who hath made both heauen earth therefore we had need to praie to him so much the more earnestly for the trusting to this and that hindereth our praier But the time cutteth mee off from this and so I leaue it to be supplied by the spirit of God which is able to giue you vnderstanding in all things HOMIL V. The fifth Homilie doth further intreat of feruencie of praier requisite in fasting and to the end we may consider what great things God hath promised to fasting and praier and how he hath performed the same not onely to the godly but euen to the wicked who haue thereby
the Lord himselfe will repent of all that euill that he hath begun to do vnto vs and though hee hath taken away many thousands alreadie yet he will spare the rest and leaue some euery where to praise his Name So many therefore among vs as doe thus with true repentance turne from their sinnes to serue the Lord in holinesse and newnesse of life may praie with great hope and comfort for mercie from the Lord for the promise is made vnto them whosoeuer they be but all they that yeeld to this outward bodily exercise of fasting but are not thus broken in their harts nor affected in their soules neither haue any care so to be as they cannot call vpon the name of the Lord with anie earnestnesse of praier but all is done formally and ceremonially of them so they cannot haue anie great hope of being heard but shall speede thereafter And especially we may see plainely from the eighteenth verse of that chapter vnto the end of the same Which promises are most certaine and belonging to vs as well as to the Iewes how plainely and largely he doth promise not onely a remoouing of that great punishment which was verie much and for the certaintie of it and to assure her faith of it speaketh of it as though it were alreadie come saying then will the Lord be iealous ouer his lande and spare his people Ioel 2.18 and againe ver 22. be not afraid yee beastes of the field for the pastures of the wildernesse are greene for the tree beareth her fruite the figge tree and the vine doe giue their force be glad then yee children of Sion and reioice in the Lord your God for he hath giuen you the raine of righteousnesse that is as much as is meet for you in this great drought In al which words he speaking of this benefite to come as though it were already giuen them according to the maner of the prophets doth shew that he had alreadie receaued this promise from the Lorde that if they did thus throughly cast downe themselues in the guiltinesse of their sinnes and conscience of their deserts he would spare them and blesse them and besides hee would poure out his holy spirit most plentifully vpon them And this vndoubtedly is set downe for our consolation and instruction to shew vs what in the like case we may looke for And truely it must needes be so for there is no respect of persons with God and the promises of his worde though spoken vnto some particular people vpon some occasion yet are for all ages and times and doe generally belong to all alike vpon the same condition Therefore when as it saide to them Turne vnto the Lorde with all your heart and rent your hearts and when you are thus humbled the Lord will returne for your good and so foorth as it followeth in that place it is spoken not to them onely but to all such as in the like case shall thus do and so vnto vs now that we may be assured that if we thus do in that measure that we doe it in truth we shall finde mercie with the Lorde and so may praie for it most earnestlie in faith as they were willed to doe And the rather that we might thus doe Secondly consider the fulfilling of these promises to al those that haue vsed fasting and praier and be confirmed in the truth of this hope let vs vnto this gracious promise that we haue heard of ioine the consideration of all the fastes of the faithfull seruants of God set downe in the old and new Testament and see what hath beene the issue of them and whether they haue not obtained the things that they haue thus sued for and if the Lord hath not turned their sorrow into ioy Isa 61.3 their fasting into feasting and so hath giuen as the prophet speaketh to them that haue mourned beatitie for ashes the oile of ioy for mourning and the gâ—rment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse And heere wee may first of all consider what was the fruite of that fast which the Israelites helde in the time of the Iudges when for the wickednesse done to the Leuites concubine they fought against the Beniamites and were ouerthrowne in the first battle Iudg. 20. so that there was slaine that daie two and twentie thousand they fasted and praied set vpon them the second time yet were ouerthrowne in that battle also for the men of Beniamin slew downe to the ground of the children of Israel againe eighteene thousand all which could handle the sword then they fasted and praied the second time and got the victory when they were throughly humbled So that by fasting praier they preuailed against them at the last though not at the first and might haue done sooner if they had beene sufficiently humbled before As the Israelites thereby at the last preuailed against the Beniamites Wee haue hitherto with the rest of our brethren fasted and praied often that this grieuous plague raging in manie places might haue an ende and yet haue not thus farre preuailed with the Lord but the people stil die euerie where in great number yea it hath increased greatly since wee began so that ours and their estate is woorse then it was before we began euen as the Israelites did fall by thousands before their enimies after that they had by fasting and praier asked counsell of the Lord but if wee can hold out in this exercise vnto the end and not be discouraged though wee see little successe at the first and the more that wee see the hand of God increased against vs in iustice the more wee labour to grow in humilitie and feruency of praier then we doubt not but at the last by the euent as the Israelites did we shall see that we haue not all this while lost our labour and called vpon the name of God in vaine Therefore that we might with assured confidence and good hope perseuer in this holy exercise of fasting and praier besides the promise of God made vnto it which we haue heard let vs set this worthy example before our eies to comfort vs that though the beginning hath beene full of soâ—â—owe as it was with them yet the end will be full of ioy and consolation to our selues and others and to the praise and glorie of almightie God To this we may adioine that notable and famous example that we haue in the booke of Hester Hest 3.6 where it is said that Haman for the malice that hee bare against Mordecay sought the vtter destruction of all the Iewes for he thought it too little to laie handes on Mordecay himselfe alone and because they had shewed him the people of Mordecay he sought to destroy all the Iewes that were through out the whole kingdome of Ahashuerosh and to this end he had obtained a Decree from the king Hest 3.13 to roote out and to destroie and to
he had said hee would doe vnto them and did it not Thus we see againe what was the effect of this fast which they held in great ignorance no doubt and much weakenesse yet in truth namely that the Lord seeing them sufficiently humbled by the ministerie of his Prophets in the guiltinesse of their sinne and the deserued destruction threatned against them euerie one to forsake their euill waies for which he was iustly offended with them he staied that plague which he had threatned and had otherwise most certainly brought vpon them And this also may greatly confirme our hope in this seruice of ours that thogh for our sinnes we must needs confesse that wee haue deserued not onely this beginning and continuance of the pestilence but vtter destruction yet if euerie man would so wholly leaue his euill waies that the Lord who is the searcher of the heart and reines might see it and take knowledge of it and of that repentance and amendement of life that should be in all and so then they would crie mightily vnto God as these did he would yet repent him of the euill which he hath otherwise further determined to bring vpon vs and not do it but might stay this grieuous plague from spreading like a canker and from further comming into those places where yet it is not and in those places that are infected with it he might so diminish it from day to daie that it cause not a finall destruction as was threatned to the Niniuites and we haue iustly deserued Therefore to conclude this one point By this expâ—riâ—nce in othâ—rs wee must be confirmed in hope of God goodnesse to ouâ— selues aâ— this time that we might haue courage and comfort in this that wee doe by a sure and certaine expectation of some blessed fruit of it in time we haue hitherto seene how the Lord of his great mercy and trueth hath neuer failed them that in fasting and prayer according to his owne ordinance haue sought vnto him in trueth Heb. 12.1 that we hauing so great a cloud of witnesses as the Apostle speaketh to subscribe vnto this doctrine by their owne experience might not doubt but that the Lord in due time wil hear vs as he hath done them Yea if we can remember but our owne experience and that that our selues haue made triall of through the goodnesse of God how in former times he hath heard vs Much more your owne â—â—perience 〈◊〉 times â—â—st when we haue by fasting and prayer thus publikelie sought vnto him as when the Inuincible falsely so called Spanish Nauie was vpon our coasts how wonderfully vpon our earnest sute and supplications euery where made to that end not onely wee were preserued from that horrible destruction which they most wickedly intended against vs but that themselues were drowned in the sea euen the horse and him that rode vpon him â—od 15.1 as the Aegyptians were when they came against the Israelites And truly we may remember what a sudden and great feare all men for the most part were then stricken with and not without cause and so how earnestly they did seeke vnto God when as there was in all places much fasting and prayer and the people came willingly to it if we could do so now when the Lord threatneth destruction to vs and to all places as he did then though after another maner wee might by our owne experience comfortablie lift vp our heads and looke with good assurance for the like mercy that we found for God is the same if we be not changed when as by former experience like as Dauid said when he went against Goliath to fight with him whose great stature and complet armour of brasse and weapons might iustly haue terrified him The Lord that deliuered me out of the paw of the Lion 1. Sam. 17.37 and out of the paw of the Beare he will deliuer mee out of the hand of this Philistim so we might all say The same God of mercy that hath heeretofore heard vs when we haue in true humilitie sought vnto him wee doubt not when wee haue sufficiently profited by this affliction will now heare vs also and deliuer vs. For indeed if we finde both in the Scripture and by dayly experience in our selues and in other The ordinaâ—y prayâ—rs â—f the faithâ—ull haue obâ—ained great â—hings much more their â—astings and â—rayer that the ordinarie prayers of Gods seruants and namely of our selues are not sent away emptie but that the Lord doth dayly according to the same blesse vs and them then these prayers which wee now make with fasting which are more than ordinary we may be assured shall bring great blessings vpon vs. When at the commandement of Herod â—ct 12.5 Peter was kept in prison earnest prayer was made of the Church vnto God for him and when Herod would haue brought him out vnto the people the same night slept Peter betweene two souldiers bound with two chains and the keeper before the doore kept the prison and beholde the Angell of the Lord came vpon them and a light shined in the house and he smote Peter on the side and raised him vp saying Arise quickly and his chaines fell from his hands and so he was deliuered If then the ordinarie prayer of the Church be of so great force and doe so greatly preuaile with the Lord as to frustrate the counsels of great Tyrants to procure the helpe presence of Angels from heauen to open the prison doores and to vnloosen fetters and chaines of iron then what shâ—ll the extraordinarie prayers of the Church euen their fastings and prayers do Therefore we need not doubt but if we coÌ„tinue to profit in humility by this fatherly visitation of the Lord and in repentance for all our sinnes and in continuance and feruencie of praier but we shall see some great fruit of them at the last euen in that verie thing that we most of all desire And that wee might yet be further comforted in this great heauinesse of ours with hope of some mercie from God euen that he would spare vs at the last according to our earnest desire let vs remember how when King Ahab a wicked and verie vngodlie man fasted for that destruction which the prophet Elijah had by the worde of the Lord threatned against him 1. King 21.21 euen that the Lord would bring euill vpon him and take away al his posteritie make his house desolate like the house of Ieroboam what great mercie he obtained of the Lord Which fast of his The Lord hath rewarded the wicked that haue vsed this ordinance but in â—utward ceremonies though it was not ioined with true repentance or any true knowledge how to serue the Lord aright neither could be for he was an idolatour yet being performed in some sort onely in keeping the outward ceremonie as putting on sackecloth and abstaining from meat and drinke and giuing some other outward token
of sorrow and griefe that that fast of his was not vnrewarded of the Lord. For by that meanes he obtained that the execution of that iudgement against himselfe and all his posteritie which we haue heard of concerning the rasing of him and them from the kingdome and throne of Israel was put off and differred vntill his sonnes daies as it is saide in the wordes of that text that when he had heard what the prophet had prophesied against him 1. King 21.27 hee rent his clothes and put sackecloth vpon himselfe and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly in token of mourning and the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Theshbite saying Seest thou how Ahab is humbled because hee submitteth himselfe before me I will not bring this euill in his daies but in his sonnes daies I will bring euill vpon his house If the Lord then did so iustify this ordinance of his in the person of this wicked man when he did stoope but vnto the outward ceremonie and bodily exercise of it and was altogither voide of true humilitie and sound repentance resting onely in the bare outward tokens of them and had not his heart throughly broken by faith that hee differred this deserued and denounced iudgement so long that it came not in his daies which was a great outward blessing and honour vpon him how then much more if we so vse this outward abstinence as we doe Much mâ—re will he doe it to his seruants that vse it in trueth that especially we ioine to it the inward vertues of humilitie and repentance and contrition of hart and feruencie of praier will the Lord be appeased towards vs and at the least bee so farre foorth intreated that hee differre that great wrath of his that otherwise might breake out to our vtter destruction For if the Lorde hath shewed such mercie to the wicked as to spare them in this world for a time wheÌ„ they haue submitted themselues to the outward obedience of this commandement of humbling theÌ„selues in fasting though in great hypocrisie then howe much more will he spare his owne children that vse it in sincerity and trueth Therfore let this example also somewhat incourage vs with hope of good successe that wee shall finde the Lorde mercifull vnto vs in thus seeking vnto him in this time of great need And wee haue great reason so to doe if we doe but well weigh the dealing of one man towards another that when in affliction they haue submitted themselues vnto them they haue founde fauour with them By humble subâ—ission and pâ—aâ—er men haue found sâ—uouâ— with their enimiâ—s though they had greatly offended them before the onelie hope of this hath mooued them to seeke after this maner euen to those which were their professed enimies before and they haue done it not in vaine For thus it is written of Benadad king of Aram that when he was ouercome in two battels of Ahab king of Israel 1. King 20.29 and receaued so great an ouerthrow in the latter that in it were slaine of the Aramites an hundred thousand footemen in one daie and so was out of hope of anie safetie for himselfe at the length by the aduise of his seruants he put his companie into sackcloth with roapes about their heads and so came to the kind of Israel and intreated for their liues hoping by submitting theÌ„selues vnto him after this maner to obtaine pardon as indeed they did For the messengers when in this araie they came vnto him 1. King 2â— 33 said Thy seruant Benhadad saith I praie thee let me liue vsing all words and behauiour of great submission and Ahab answered he is my brother is he yet aliue goe bring him to me and when hee came hee made a couenant with him and let him goe See what is the fruite of true humiliation and humble supplication and if men will humble themselues and sue earnestly vnto men in hope of pardon 〈…〉 Gâ—d howe much more should they doe it vnto the Lorde whom they haue more offended and who hath greater power to punish them and if vnto those of whom they had no promise before of obtaining any thing but come to them altogither as it were at aduenture then much more to him of whom we haue so manie gratious promises in the Gospell to allure and encourage vs and if vnto those which were their open and professed aduersaries then most of al vnto him that is reconciled vnto vs by the blood of his sonne and is become our father in him and if vnto them where we haue none to speake and intreat for vs but our selues then especially to him where we haue an aduocate and mediatour 1. Ioh. 2.2 euen Iesus Christ the righteous who is also the propitiation for our sinnes and if vnto them of whose loue we neuer made triall before then vnto him much more who as he hath first shewed it aboue all measure in giuing his sonne to die for vs and that when we were his enimies hath since confirmed it vnto vs many waies that we need not doubt of it And on the other side if so great mercy hath beene thus found of men who haue scarce one drop of that compassion in them which is like a great deepe sea in the Lord then may we be assured that we shall not misse of it at his hands if we continue seeking and waite vpon him for it as we should and if a man hath found it of his enimy then much more of his God to whom he is reconciled and if where none speake for him but mortall men like themselues then much more where Iesus Christ the sonne of God maketh continual intercession for vs. So that euery waie we see we haue cause to doe as we do hoping assuredlie that we shall not doe it in vaine 〈…〉 praier Therefore if the commandement of God did not compell vs to the obedience of this humble submission as it doth yet the liberall and most certain promises which are made to them that shall vse it and especially the experience that we and other haue found of the vndoubted trueth of them should prouoke vs to this holy exercise of fasting and praier which if men will not come vnto so farre as they be able what remaineth for them and what other thing can they looke for but that if they will not humble themselues with the people of God to finde mercie they shall taste of his wrath with the wicked and if they wil not weepe now for their sinnes with the one they should houle in the punishment of them when it shall be too late with the other and if they wil haue no part nor portion in the obedience of Gods commandement giuen to his people both vnder the Law and the Gospell that they should haue part with them in the promises of reward made to them in them both Euen as the Lord himselfe in plaine words hath threatned that
malice he bare against Mordecay sought the desolation of all them and had diuelishly plotted for it that he obtained the kings Decree in writing against them for it which for the more speedie executing of the same was sent by postes into all prouinces of his kingdome where the Iewes were to roote out and to destroie them all in one daie both yoong and old children and women Hest 4.1 heereupon it came to passe that not onely Mordecay himselfe when he perceaued all that was done he rent his clothes And all the Iâ—wes when they mourned for the deuise of Haman and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the middes of the citie and cried with a great crie and bitter but also in euerie prouince and place whether the kingâ— charge and his commission came there was great sorrow among the Iewes and weeping mourning and many laie in sackecloth and ashes vers 16. Now in this time of so great heauines sorrow as was not heard of before by the aduise of Hâ—ster al the Iewes that were found in the chiefe citie Sushan were commanded to assemble themselues together and to fast and praie vnto God by the space of three daies and three nights and she promised that herselfe and her maides woulde doe the like and Mordecay the Iewes did according to this commandement So all of them at this time seeing what cause they had of mourning more then before knew that nowe fasting and praier was most requisite for them for though Haman and the king sat drinking and making merie as fearing nothing yet the citie of Shushan was in perplexitie and so had cause to doe as they did So did the Iewes also in Ierusalem and all Iudah in the like case in the raigne of Iehosâ—aphat when a great armie of the Ammonites 2. Chro. 20.3 Moabites came vp against him they feared greatly some ouerthrow euen the losse of their liues And when they were in feare of forraine enimies and goods and all that they had if the Lotde were not mercifull to them to defend them and this feare of danger so neere at hande and so likely to come vpon them caused great sorrow for they confesse and saie there is no strength in vs to stand before this great multitude ver 12. that cometh against vs neither doe we knowe what to doe Then the king proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah and they gathered themselues together to aske counsell of Lord they came out of all the cities of Judah to inquire of the Lord. When they were in this distresse for feare of their enimies that they knew not themselues what to doe they humbled themselues before the Lord in fasting and praier that he would shew theÌ„ what they should do And to be short in so large an argumeÌ„t this is that which the prophet Ioel sheweth the people that the Lord required of them in that time of their miserie that they were fallen into that the verie present sorrow that they were iustly fallen into by reason of the hand of God lying so heauily vpon them did require and call vpon them for at that time for when he had spoken of the great scarcitie that was among them by reason of catterpillers and other vermine which had eaten vp and destroied the fruites of the earth and so for this present affliction they had all cause to mourne euen as he calleth all sortes vnto it euen them that were most senselesse saying awake yee drunkards and weepe â—el 1.5 and houle all yee drinkers of wine and againe Mourne like a virgine girded â—ith sackcloth for the husband of her youth and againe Girde your selues and lament yee priestes houle yee ministers of the altar 〈◊〉 1 â— Thereupon he giueth them this charge to sanctifie a fast and to call a solemne assemblie to gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the lande into the house of the Lordâ— â—ourning 〈…〉 â—gâ—ther and crie vnto him So he sheweth them that in this time of common sorrow they had all cause to seeke vnto the Lord in fasting and praier and afterâ—ards he sheweth more plainely that at â—his time by reason of the common calamitie and griefe for it the Lord did commaund them so to doe in these words 〈◊〉 1 â— Therefore nowe the Lord saith Turne vnto me with all your hearts and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning where he ioineth these two together fasting weeping and mourning and saith that the Lord doth require both of them and the one should not bee seuered from the other but seeing the Lord had giuen them so great cause of weeping and mourning hee would haue them seeke vnto him for mercie by praier and fasting Seeing then the Lord hath with his owne voice appointed out the time namely that the time of mourning should be a time of fasting and also holy men and women in the wisedome of Gods spirite haue so obserued the difference of times that as there hath fallen out any great cause of sorrow in their time so they haue put this in practise as wee haue seene by manie examples wee must thinke that the same commandement bindeth vs to the like practise when any such occasâ—on of time shall befall vs and that their practise must be our imitation This is and hath beene a long time of great sorrow vnto vs â—hat cause 〈◊〉 common â—â—rrow we â—iue in our â—â—â—ne if we did rightly consider of things as we should for if there had beene nothing else but the losse of so gratious vertuous peaceable a Queene of whose religious wise peaceable gouernmeÌ„t we haue had experience these 45. yeeres that one thing might haue put sufficient sorrow into vs to cause vs to haue humbled our selues before God in fasting and praier for our great vnthankfulnesse and other sinnes which were the cause of it But when vnto that losse which yet it hath pleased the Lord most mercifully to supplie by causing our soueraigne Lorde King Iames so quietly to possesse his heritance of this crowne whose royall person and noble progenie the Lord preserue and blesse for euer when vnto this losse I say there hath beene added presently vpon the necke of it so great a plague and pestilence as wee haue not knowen nor hath beene heard of in the daies of our forefathers that it should continue so long and in that extremity that it hath done as to die weekely so many thousandes in this lande and thus from weeke to weeke and the same not onely to be in one chiefe and mother citie of this realme but also in al other almost of account and in townes corporate yea in the sea-coast townes also exceeding much so that many houses in them are left empty and desolate without inhabitant Especially 〈◊〉 respect of this great and long coâ—tinued pestâ—lence and it is also in many villages and small townes so that it is dispersed
sometimes two daies or three daies at the discretion of those that haue such cause to vse it And this appeareth by the fast of the Iewes which they kept in the time of their captiuitie of whom it is saide in the booke of Hester that when Mordecay sent vnto her the copie of the Kings commission sealed with his own signet for the rooting out of all the Iewes in one daie so that it was decreed that the whole Church of God should bee rased wit from the face of the earth at once Hâ—st 4 1â— then she promised that she would aduenture her life for them and goe into the King to make suite for them and that she and they might finde fauour with the Lord and with the King she willed them all to fast and praie three daies and three nights and neither eate nor drinke and she promised that her selfe and her maides woulde doe the like and it is said moreouer in the text that Mordecay went his way and hee and the Iewes did as they were commanded So that in this great extremitie of theirs they continued their fast for the space of manie daies together and so ought we to doe if the like affliction were vpon vs. But for this present though by the grace mercy â—f God it be otherwise with vs yet vndoubtedly in respect of this visitatoÌ„ which is verie grieuous wee ought to continue our fast one daie weekely so long as it shall be continued vpon vs and so though wee doe not keepe it maâ—â—e daies together yet we may and ought to doe it manie daies one after an other For seeing that it is appointed for the time of affliction and then one whole daie at the least is alotted for it so long as this time of affliction shall continue we should not be vnwilling weekely to bestow one day this waie that so the Lord may bee intreated with vs at the last And thus much for the time how long any fast should be held Now further we are to consider how we should bestow this time of fasting and wherein we are to be occupied in the daie of fast The time of fasting is 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 of thâ— Sabbath And for the better vnderstanding of that wee must knowe thus much that the time of fasting how long soeuer whether it bee but one daie or more is alwaies of the nature of the Sabbath therfore looke how we ought to bestow the Sabbath in resting from the ordinarie labors and workes of our callings and from all kinde of recreations and pastimes much more and come to the Church and be occupied in Gods seruice publikely and priuately so ought we to do vpon the day of fasting And that we might be assured heereof first we doe read that this day as it is of that nature so it hath that name giuen vnto it for it is called a Sabbath Leu. 23.23 This shal be vnto you a Sabbath of rest yee shal humble your soules in the ninth daie of the month at eeuen from eeuen to eeuen yee shall celebrate your Sabbath where twise in one verse Moses calleth it a Sabbath Secondlie it is called a Sabbath of rest and they are willed to rest their Sabbath to shewe that vpon that daie as vpon the ordinarie Sabbath day they should rest from the labours of their calling and more particularly they are forbidden to doe anie kinde of worke vpon that daie Leu. 23.28 as it is saide Yee shall doe no worke that same daie for it is a day of reconciliation to make attonement for you before the Lorde your God And this euerie person is forbidden And therefore then we ought to râ—st from the ordinary worke â—f our â—aking that vnder the punishment of Gods high displeasure to bee poured vpon them to their vtter destruction as it is set downe in the next verse following and euerie person that shall doe anie worke that same day the same person wil I destroy from among his people Therefore vpon this day all men should carefully giue ouer all ordinary workes of their calling and haue nothing to doe with them and not onely from their hands but their mindes from them according to the same strictnesse that they are bounde vnto vpon the Sabbath daie Insomuch that if there bee occasion to keepe a fast in the time of haruest or seed-time or any other time of businesse so manie as doe professe to keepe it must altogither abstaine from all such workes as were otherwise not onely lawfull but necessarie Which that we might the rather most yeeld vnto Workes of necessitie arâ— then permitted wee acknowledge and teach that in this daie of rest there is that liberty granted vnto vs both for the preparing of meat and drinke at the euening yea and at other times also of the daie if it be necessarie as for those that bee weake and sickely and for all other works of necessitie as anie occasion shall be offred that we haue vpon the Sabbath daies As for example if any be sicke it is lawfull to take paines about them yea to ride go for them if any sudden casualtie fall out by fire or water or theeues or such like it is lawfull to take all paines to represse the rage and furie of them But setting all such cases of necessitie aside all men ought wholy vpon these daies to rest from their labours which the Lorde hath straightly forbidden with the denunciation of a fearefull curse that he will assuredly bring vpon al those that breake it euen that he will cut them off from his people And besides this resting from worke which is necessarily required wee ought to bestow the whole day in the publicke and priuate exercises of the worship and seruice of God We must beâ—tow that lay wholly on the seruice of God as in hearing the Word of God read and preached confessing our sinnes and praying vnto the Lord and in all other meanes that might further vs thereunto and most of all which may quicken vs vp vnto true humilitie and feruency in prayer And therefore the Prophet Ioel Ioel 1.15 thus speaketh of it exhorting them to keepe a solemne day of fast sayeth Sanctifie a fast call a solemne assembly he doth not will them to appoint a day of fasting but to sanctifie it and keepe it holy to shew that it ought to be kept euen as an holy Sabbath So that as the seuenth day was sayd to be sanctified from the beginning because it was not appointed for the works of our calling but for the worship of God Exod. 20. and we are willed to remember it to keepe it holy so we should thinke of this day of fast as of an holy day and so remâ—mber it and thinke of it before hand that we take order for and so dispose of all our worldly businesse and affaires that that day we haue nothing to hinder vs from bestowing it wholly vpon the worship and seruice
would not hearken vnto our voice that is he would not giue ouer fasting though they earnestly intreated him So that whiles the childe laye sicke hee continued his fasting and prayer vnto the Lorde for the life of it for the space of diuers daies for it died not vntill the seuenth day after that it fell sicke Which godly fast of his doth shew that if any shal haue any afâ—liction vpon them and so the Lord giue them cause of sorrow and of humiliation more than others or which others haue not at all no not they which are of the same familie then they are for a time to put themselues apart as it were from the rest and in priuate fasting and prayer to seeke vnto the Lord for mercie more than others So did Ahab when Gods iudgement was denouÌ„ced against him as Dauid did heere So is it sayd also of Ahab King of Israel that when the Prophet Elijah had sharplie rebuked him for his sinnes denounced the curse of God against him and his whole familie for it 1. King 21.20 saying Thou hast solde thy selfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord therefore Beholde sayeth the Lord I will bring euill vpon thee and will take away thy posterity and wil cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall as well him that is shut vp as him that is left in Israel and so foorth as it followeth in that place vers 27. When Ahab heard those wordes hee rent his clothes and put on sackecloth vpon him and fasted and lay in sackecloth and went softly Thus because the wrath of the Lord appeared speciallie against him for his sinne though he proclamed no publike fast thorow his kingdome yet he saw that it was high time for himselfe at the least to practise it So ought all other men and women doe in the like case Therefore if any shall haue fallen into any grieuous sinne as these two Kings had whereby the Lord by the ministerie of his Word threateneth against them some notable punishment and their owne consciences tell them that they haue iustlie deserued it or some grieuous thing is alreadie befallen them then they must know it to be their bounden dutie to seeke to turne away the wrath of the Lord from theÌ„selues and from their houses by priuate fasting and prayer and they must not onely acknowledge that the Lord requireth that they should humble themselues before him in fasting and so could be contented that there were some publicke fasts then whereunto they might resort and thinke themselues discharged because there bee none and so tarie vntill some by publike authoritie vpon some occasion be coÌ„manded but because it is their own case onely and none others they must see what God requireth of them alone Reasons to persuade men to priuate fasting And truly if all men would thus do they might preuent manie of Gods heauie iudgements which otherwise befall themselues and theirs but often times many sinnes are most grieuously committed and Gods holy law broken not onely by some one in a familie but by diuers both gouernours children and seruants as adulterie fornication and other vncleannesse drunkennesse and gluttonie swearing and blaspheming the most holy name of God contempt of Gods word and sacraments besides all ruffianlinesse and prophannesse pride oppression and such like and they doe not seeke priuately to humble themselues before God for them when they breake out and are iustly by Gods Ministers reproued for them but rather they go on obstinately and stand in the defence of the same they do not I say after some extraordinarie maner of fasting and prayer seeke feruently vnto the Lord and so his iudgements breake out against them and some plague or other entreth into their houses which with their sinnes they haue defiled that as the Cananites were spued out of that fruitfull land for their wickednesse Leu. 18.28 so are they by sicknesse and death cast out of their goodly houses Which kinde of wickednes coÌ„mitted closely in houses as it was the principall cause that this late plague first entred into them so in that respect some had iust cause to begin sooner and to continue longer their priuate fast then by publike authority all were inioyned vnto it For if Ahab who was an idolater a wicked man did then see that now he had cause to fast though other did not then we that are taught by the Word of God should much more discerne of the times and know when in respect of our priuate sinnes and calamities present The good that might redound to priuate families thereby or iustly to be feared we haue cause to fast and pray though other do not And if Ahab in thus doing did obtaine a release from this particular iudgement so farre foorth that it was put off and came not vpon his house in his dayes according to that that is said of him by the Lord himselfe vnto Eliiah Seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me because he submitteth himselfe before me I will not bring that euill in his dayes but in his sonnes daies will I bring euill vpon his house Then wee much more vsing this holy ordinance in sinceritie and trueth might put far from vs and from all ours manie grieuous plagues which our sinnes haue deserued Therefore let vs bee perswaded that it is our bounden dutie sometimes not onely to giue our selues vnto priuate praier which shuld be ordinarie and continuall but euen to fasting and prayer And this is that which we reade of Dauid againe 2. Sam. 3.30 â—hen Abner was traiterously slaine by â—oab and Abishai his brother because not only for the losse of so woorthie a captaine but especially for that great sinne in murthering him Dauid fastâ—d priuatly for the death of Abner which might procure Gods wrath against himselfe and his whole Realme and that it might appeare that hee was free from his blood he not onely sorrowed greatly for his death and prouoked the rest of the people thereunto as it is sayd of him Rent your clothes and put on sackecloth and mourne before Abner and King Dauid himselfe followed the beere and when they had buried Abner in Hebron the King lift vp his voice and wept besides the sepulchre of Abner and all the people wept but also Dauâ—d the King did further humble himselfe by fasting that day because he saw more into the hand of God and was more touched with it for it is written of him That all the people came to cause Dauid to eat meat vers 35. while it was yet day but Dauid sware saying So God do to me and more also if I taste bread or ought else till the Sunne be downe so that it is written of him and of him alone that in this common cause of heauinesse hee not onely mourned with the rest but fasted also and praied vnto God which is to be vnderstood as a thing necessarily ioined vnto fasting though
but many other great punishments wherewith for want of it they haue beene iustly afflicted Yea we ought thus to haue done when wee haue wanted some great blessing of God or sought for some speciall thing at the hand of the Lord for our soules or bodies for our selues or for our children as in the matter of mariage or some other weighty thing that we haue had in hand which hath greatly concerned vs or them that we might be directed and blessed in the same as the children of the captiuitie did when they returned home towards Ierusalem Ezr. 8.21 for they proclaimed a fast and humbled themselues before God sught of him a right way for themselues and for their children and for all their substance and the Lord was intreated of them for he gaue theÌ„ good successe in their iourney and deliuered them from their enimies So we might doe it priuately that the Lord might blesse vs in the waightie affaires of ours keepe vs from all dangers that might otherwise befall vs. For though we obtaine many things daily at the mercifull hands of our heauenly father by our ordinarie prayers publike and priuate yet he hath made the largest promises of blessing vnto fasting and prayer and greatest things haue been obtained that way of all the seruaunts of God Math. 17.14 For as Christ sayd vnto his Disciples to whom a certaine man brought his sonne possessed with a deuill but they could not cast him out and they demanded of their Master why they could not doe it Many thing are not obtained without those prayers whereunto fasting is adioyned This kinde is not cast out but by prayer and fasting that is a most feruent kinde of prayer whereunto fasting is to be adioyned to quicken vs vp thereunto that it might be as it were a whetstone to sharpen our dull spirits and to set an edge upon our blunt hearts So that wee may easily perceiue that some things yea many things that we stand in need of are not obtained or euils remooued without this kinde of prayer whereunto fasting is adioyned For as some things are not to be had without a great price nor many sutes obtained of great men without long and earnest supplication so some things are not to bee receiued from God without those feruent prayers and supplications which can not be without fasting nor without that huÌ„ble prostrating of our selues which is wrought in vs by that meanes And thus we are taught that wee ought to haue vsed priuatelie this part of Gods seruice a great deale more than wee haue done whereby we might haue brought into our houses more blessings and have kept out more afflictions than now wee haue But indeed the ignorance of the most part is so lamentable By reason of their great ignorance many are vnfit for priuate fasts that if they shuld not onely haue thus done before but should now vpon the hearing of this doctrine heerafter determine for some good cause best knowen unto themselues to take this exercise vpon them they know not how to behaue themselues in it or to performe it in anie measure so as it might be acceptable vnto God and comfortable to themselues So that it would fall out with them as with those of whom our Sauiour Christ speaketh in the Gospell Luk. 5.36 that they should not only not be bettered thereby but made worse euen as if a piece of a new garment were put into an olde vesture then the new renteth it and the piece taken out of the new agreeth not with the olde or as if new wine were put into olde vessels the new wine would breake the vessels and it would run out and the vessels would perish By which parables he teacheth vs that fasting unfitly vsed of them that are not meet for it nor onely maketh them worse but vtterlie destroyeth them Therefore better were it for such not to vse it at all than by abusing it for want of skill further to prouoke Gods wrath against themselues in which respect hee excuseth his Disciples for not vsing this priuate fasting as yet â—ut in this â—ng and â—leere light â—f the Gâ—spel â—gnorance â—xcuseth â—one though the Disciples of Iohn Baptist did But surely for vs this long time and plentifull preaching of the Gospel so many yeres might haue made all of vs fit enough for this holie excrcise so many as are of yeres of discretion and so this grosse ignorance and thereby wonderful vnfitnesse that is in men doth not excuse them as it did the Disciples who were but Nouices in his schoole for hee had beene then but a little with them Therefore wee see what God requireth of vs priuately as any occasion shall fall out namely that wee should serue him not onely in other holy dueties but in fasting and prayer and therfore that we ought all of vs so to profit by the publike ministerie of the Word while it is among vs that we may be fit for it when the Lord by his word or by his worke shall call vs vnto it But to draw towards an end it is further to bee obserued concerning these priuate fasts that we now intreat of that all sorts of men and women haue not power to appoint vnto themselues what time they wil for this purpose no though they euidently see that they haue iust cause to vse it For besides that the man and woman are so neerely vnited by the bond of mariage as by the couenant of God Prou. 2.17 Math. 19.5 1. Cor. 7.5 whereby it commeth to passe that they are no more two but one flesh as Christ sayth in the Gospell so that they can not separate themselues one from another no not for a time and to this end without continuall consent as wee haue seene a little before all they that are vnder the priuate gouernment of others None vnder gouernment can make choise of daies for priuate fasts without consent of their gouernors are at the disposition of their gouernours by the law and commaundement of God as sonnes and daughters men seruants and maid seruants scholars all labourers and hired men for the time and such like so that none of these can without the knowledge and free consent of those vnder whom they are make choise of what day in the weeke they wil to obserue their priuate fasts in For seeing the day of fast is to be kept holie and being of the nature of the Sabbath as hath beene prooued before in it they must wholly rest from all the works of their ordinarie calling from euening to euening and must spend that time in the worship of God they can not at their owne will and pleasure giue ouer these workes and so consequently not appoint vnto themselues a day of resting but must be contented heerein to be ordered by the discretion of those to whom they haue either by the bond of nature or by some couenant wholly addicted themselues and all their
against them and he deliuered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them and hee solde them into the hands of their enemies round about them so that they could no longer stand before their enemies And in the time of the Kings for the same cause they were caried away captiues into Babylon 2. Chro. 36.15 because the Lord sending his messengers to reclaime them from their sinne rising earelie because hee had compassion on them they mocked the messengers of God and misused his prophets vntill the wrath of the Lord arose against them and till there was no remedie for he brought vpon them the Kings of the Chaldeans who slew their yong men with the sword in the house of their Sanctuarie and spared neither yoong man nor virgine ancient nor aged God gaue all into his hand And at the last for refusing Christ and his holie Gospell they were vtterly destroied by the Romanes so that alwaies when sinne hath abounded the wrath of God hath beene neere Rom. 1.18 and readie to be reuealed from heauen against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse of men and they that haue beene wise-hearted haue obserued it and so this hath beene sufficient cause to mooue them by fasting and praier to seeke betimes to haue it turned awaie And this they haue done euen then Euen then when outwardly there hath beene no shew of danger when there was no likelihood of anie euill to come vpon them in respect of any outward meanes that did portend it but onely their sinnes the cause of it in respect of Gods iustice did giue them cause to feare it Thus did Ezra Ezr. 9.1 the priest and the rest of the Iewes that feared God euen a verie great congregation when he vnderstoode that the Priests Leuites and the rest of the people had married strange wiues contrarie to the law of God euen of the Canaanites Hittites Iebusites Egyptians and such like he feared some plague to come vpon them for it and so confessed their sinne vnto God and craued pardon with all humilitie and earnestnesse in fasting and praier for he rent his clothes and his garments and pluckt off the haire off his head and of his beard and sate downe astonied and there assembled vnto him all that feared the wordes of the God of Israel because of the transgression of them of the captiuitie and so he sate downe astonied with them vntill the euening sacrifice and then he tell vpon his knees and spread out his hands vnto the Lord God made that humble supplication for them that followeth there Ezr. 9.6 And after that he arose vp from before the house of God and went into a chamber but he did neither eate bread nor drinke water for he mourned because of the transgressions of them of the captiuitie Ezr. 10.6 Thus though in respect of all outward things they had great cause of reioicing for he and many of the people were but newly returned out of their long captiuitie and were come vp to Ierusalem from Babel Artahshaste the King of Persia had theÌ„ giuen him all his request Ezr. 7.6 according to the hand of the Lord his God which was vpon him yet in respect of the common sinnes of their time they sound Gods wrath and mourned for it and by fasting and prayer sought to preuent it If we then had but eyes to see and hearts to consider of the innumerable great sinnes of our time which as a great floud haue ouerflowen the whole land so that there is no place nor calling free from the same but as it is sayd of the Israelites The Priests and the people trespassed woonderfully so it may be said of our time 2. Chro. 36.14 The commoâ— sinnes of ouâ— time might more vs to publike fasting if there were nothing els High and low haue woonderfully offended God we might easily perceiue that though there were no plague at all among vs or punishment vpon vs nor any by all likelihood to be feared yet for our sinnes the crie wheâ—â—of is exceeding grieuous in the cares of the Lord of hosts and is ascended vp into the heauens long agoe and calleth for vengeance against vs as theirs of Sodom and Gomorrah did Gen. 18 2â— wee had iust cause to feare his wrath and so by fasting and prayer to seeke speedilie to preuent it For to let passe the strange mariages between the Protestants and Papists which without any scruple of conscience are too frequently vsed which seemed to be the onely sinne of that time in the daies of Ezra â—zr 9.2 that the people of God were so vnequallie yoked and as it is said there they had mixed the holy seed with the people of the landes To let this passe wee may with the Prophet beholde a thousand abominations more â—zek 8.9 â—8 15 for what periâ—rie blasphemie is there besides common swearing what intolerable pride in all sorts euen like vnto Lucifer himselfe what swelling one against another what enuie heart-burning hatred malice crueltie oppression what drunkennesse and gluttonie and surfetting what abominable adulterie fornications and all kinde of vncleannesse with chambering and wantonnesse as though men had cleane forgotten the Lord 1. King 21.20 and solde themselues to doe euill But to passe by all these things with silence though they bee verie great let vs looke but to this one thing the generall contempt of Gods holie Word that inestimable treasure of his Gospell which he hath bestowed vpon vs euen that precious pâ—â—rle Math. 12.43 which when a man hath sound hee should sell all that he hath and buy it Especially the generall contempt of the Gospell in all placeâ— whether wee consider of those places where it is not how it is neglected not sought for of them or where it is how it is not there regarded how many haue no care to preach it sincerelie and more haue no care to follow it in their liues so that the profession that is made of it is more for estimation and credit than of conscience and loue that then beare to it and it is more in the head than in the heart more in the tongue than in deed more in shewe than in trueth And a great number though they haue had it thus long yet are not only not bettered thereby but are a great deale worse than they were many yeeres ago This open and manifest contempt of the Gospell I say which is a greater sinne than all the sinnes of Sodom â—ath 10. â— For it shall be easier for them of the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of iudgement then for them we must needs confesse that for it we had cause long agoe to feare the death of our most gracious soueraigne Queene and now since it hath happened we may well say with Job The thing that we feared â—â—b 3.25 is come vpon vs and though the Lord hath maruellously and beyond all our hope
recompensed that great losse by sending so worthy a King into her roome yet we might then haue feared some other great punishment as we see how this plague hath followed and there was cause to feare it before though few did thinke of it and what may be next vnto this we know not wee are sure that much hath beene deserued and so by fasting and prayer in respect of these great sinnes wee had need to seeke to the Lord to turne it away And thus much for the second cause which might mooue vs to feare some great wrath and displeasure of God to bee shewed in some kinde of correction and rodde of his whereby wee might willingly humble our selues before him in publike fasting euen the great sinnes that in all sorts euery where abound and most shamefully lift vp their heads vncontroled Thirdly and last of all Gods nor â—â— to come apearing iâ— his iudgement denounced haue been causes of publike sâ— sâ—ing concerning this matter the seruants of God in former times haue wisely discerned beforehand of the stormie tempest of Gods wrath to come by the fearefull threatnings of Gods iudgement denounced against them by his faithfull seruaunts that haue spoken to them in his Name whom as they haue beene perswaded that they haue beene stirred vp by his holy spirit to speake vnto them from his mouth and to warne them thereby out of his word as from himselfe so they haue feared the things that haue beene spoken against them and as though they did see them comming haue sought vnto him by fasting and prayer to escape them And this is the thing that mooued the King of Niniue to doe as he did namelie that when hee heard the preaching of the Prophet Iona how hee did crie out against their sinne and threatned Gods vengeance to light speedily vpon the whole citie vnlesse they did speedilie repent â—ona 3.4 euen that within fortie dayes Niniue should be ouerthrowen when this word came vnto him hee arose from his throne laied his robe from him and couered himselfe with sackecloth and sate in ashes and proclaimed a fast thorow the whole citie by the counsell of the King his nobles saying Let neither man nor beast feed nor drinke water that so in all humilitie they seeking to God for mercy and turning euery man froÌ„ his euill waâ—es they might bee spared in this which they saw they had so great cause to feare for it is sayd The people of Niniue beleeued God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackecloth from the greatest of them euen to the least of them they beleeued in God and that moued them to do so that is they beleeued that Iona Iona. 3.5 who thus preached was a true Prophet and that God had sent him to doe this message vnto them and that their sinnes had deserued this vtter destruction threatned and that of his iustice God might bring it vpon them and therefore though they yet sawe not howe and which way it should come to passe yet beleeuing these things they fell to fasting and prayer to pacifie Gods wrath and to escapâ— it So that as the sound of the trumpet doth warne men to prepare themselues to battell and to go meet with their enemies so this preaching of Gods seruant who lifted vp his voice against them as a trumpet did awaken them out of the sleepe of security and to meet the Lord who was become their enemie by reason of their sinnes and in fasting and praier humblie submitting themselues vnto him to intreat at his hands conditions of peace And truelie in this respect if we should not in like maner seeke to the Lord with fasting praier that his wrath might be appeased towards vs we could not plead ignorance as not knowing anie cause why we should doe so â—Ve haue not wanted this â—ause of publike fasting â—mong vs. for we must needes confesse that the faithfull Ministers of Christ haue often and long ago in the pulpits proclaimed open warre against vs for our sinnes that is they haue threatned Gods heauie iudgements against vs out of his Word to rowse vs from the drowsie securitie of sinne Haue we not heard it preached vnto vs as it was to the Iewes that the kingdome of God should bee taken from vs for our great barrennesse Mat. 21.43 and green to a nation that should bring forth the fruits thereof And haue we not heard the words of the Prophet â—sa 5.1 that whereas the Lord had planted among vs a vineyard in a very fruitefull hill and had hedged it and gathered out the stones of it and had planted it with the best plants and had built a tower in the middes thereof and made a wine-presse therein and then looked that it should bring foorth grapes but it brought foorth wilde grapes that therefore hee would take awaie the hedge thereof that it might be eaten vp and would breake downe the wall thereof that it might be troden down and that he would lay it waste that it should not be digged but briers and thornes should growe vp in it and woulde commaund the cloudes that they should not raine vpon it And as this hath beene threatned so the Lord might according to our deserts after the death of our late Queene Elizabeth haue giuen vs vp either into the hands of some forraine enemies abroad or rebellious persons at home who might haue broken downe all and laid vs the Church of God waste Now though he hath spared vs this waie yet according to former iudgement denounced hee hath not let vs alone in our sinnes but hath taken vs into his owne hande by sending this pestilence among vs which Dauid accounted a great fauour when it was offered vnto him by the prophet Gad 2. Sam. 24.13 after that hee had offended the Lord in numbring of the people whether of these three punishments he would choose either seuen yeeres famine to come vpon the land or to flie three monthes before his enemies or that there should be three daies pestilence in the land saying I am in a woonderfull great strait let vs now fal into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of men and so hee chose the pestilence as a mercifull visitation of the Lord and so must we thinke that though the Lorde hath brought this upon vs for our sinnes according to that that hath beene threatned by his seruants yet heerein he hath delt verie mercifully with vs in that he hath deliuered vs from the cruel oppression of bloody men For Gods iudgements to come for our sinnes haue beene constantly threatned We must needs then acknowledge that the seruants of God haue not kept silence against our sins but haue out of his worde shewed that of his iustice and trueth hee must needes punish vs some waie for our sinnes vnlesse we speedily repent And this as it hath beene alwaies the vsuall dealing of
God towards his Church to which specially he hath giuen his worde and the Ministers thereof to warne them of his deserued punishments beforehand as it is saide of the Prophet Ezekiel Ezek. 3.17 Sonne of man I haue made thee a watchman to the house of Israel therefore heare the worde at my mouth and giue them warning from me so we have not wanted this great mercie of God For by the Ministers of our time from the trueth of Gods worde wee haue beene warned of his iudgements to come from time to time Who though by the spirit of prophecie they could not foretel wheÌ„ in what daie or moneth or yeere or after what maner either with the sworde famine or pestilence as the prophets did in their time to whom it was speciallie reuealed yet out of the most certaine trueth of Gods worde and the constant course of his dealing in former times they haue constantlie auouched and saide that God must needes before it bee long some waies punish vs for our sinnes as it is nowe come to passe and as it hath beene preached vnto the people before And hath not this bene seuerelie denounced against vs often Math. 3.10 which Iohn Baptist did against the Iewes Now is the axe put to the roote of the tree therefore euerie tree which bringeth not foorth good fruite shal be hewen downe and cast into the fire hath it not beene preached that God would vtterly destroy all those that liue vnprofitable vnder his Gospell destroie them I say euen by the rootes yet vndoubtedly this hath beene often sounded in the eares of all hearers chap. 21.19 and that the figge-tree that hath nothing on it but leaues shall be accursed and wither that is all hypocrites that content themselues with a bare outwarde profession of the Gospell and labour not for the inward vertue and power of it in their life to the glory of God and the benefite of others shall be discouered in time and come to nought according to the praier of the prophet Doe well O Lord vnto those Psal 125.4 that be good true in their hearts but these that turne aside by the crooked waies them shal the Lord lead with the workers of iniquitie but peace shall bee vpon Israel Luk. 13.6 And though he be a most patient God towards al euen towards the wicked yet he wil seuerely punish those at the last that abuse his great patience as appeareth in the parable of a certaine housbandman who had a figge-tree planted in his vineyard he came and sought fruit therein and found none then said he to the dresser of his vinyard Behold this three yeres haue I come and sought fruite of this figge-tree and find none cut it down why keepeth it also the ground barren And he answered and saide vnto him Lord let it alone this yeere also till I digge round about it and dunge it and if it beare fruit well if not then after thou shalt cut it downe Rom. 2.4 So the God of patience who thereby leadeth all men to repentance or leaueth them without excuse hath waited for our repentance and amendment of life as the fruit of all the paines that he hath taken with vs in his Gospell but vndoubtedly if after this preaching from yeere to yeere we remaine vnfruitfull at the last he will root them vp which make the Church barren which is in it owne nature the most fruitfull place in the world And therefore wee ought long agoe to haue sought vnto God in fasting and â—raier to escape this wrath These such like things haue not onely beene preached euerie where but with greate earnestnesse and zeale so vttered that we might easilie discerne that they spake not of themselues but were thereunto stirred vp by the spirit of God so that God warned vs of his iudgements by them and therefore wee should haue beleeued them and so haue sought heeretofore by fasting and praier to haue these â—â—ings turned away For as Dauid wheÌ„â—he prophet Nathan terrified his conâ—ience with the fearefull denuntiation Gods iudgement for his sinne sayâ—g 2. Sam. 12.9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lorde to doe euill in his sight therefore the sword shall neuer depart from thine house then he besought the Lord fasted and lay all night vpon the earth before all came vpon him And as Ahab King of Israel when Eliah the prophet reproouing him sharpely for his sinne saide vnto him in the name of God behold I will bring euill vpon thee and take awaie thy posteritie 1. King 21.21 c. when hee heard these words hee rent his clothes and put sackecloth vpon him and fasted and so both these when they did heare from messenger of God what was due to them for their sinnes they sought by priuate fasting to haue it turned away So when the Lord euerie where stirred vp his seruants with all zeale and feruencie of spirit more then ordinarily thus to speake vnto vs and did sing vnto vs the dolefull song of his heauie iudgements and so with Iohn Baptist did mourne vnto vs Luk. 7.32 that we might haue wept we should haue done as the Niniuites did Iona 3.5 that is wee should haue beleeued God and his seruants and haue put on sackecloth from the greatest to the least and so by fasting and praier haue sought vnto the Lord to turne it away not carelesly to haue taried till the hand of God was vpon vs as now we haue done Wee should haue beene wise as others haue beene before vs to haue taken knowledge of Gods wrath to come by the threatnings of his word preached vnto vs by his seruants and so sought to preuent them as they did Thus we see A conclusioâ— shewing what cause there is of publike fasting in respect of Gods wrath appearing against our selues that whether we looke to the time present or to come and therein to the course of Gods prouidence whereby if wee consider all things well wee haue more cause to feare our selues then to be secure or wee looke to sinne that aboundeth euerie where which being vnrepented of calleth for vengeance at Gods hand against vs or wee consider this that our sinnes haue beene sharpely reprooued and Gods curse for them threatned against vs by those that haue spoken vnto vs in his name we haue great cause to doe as we doe I meane to resort thus to the Church to seeke vnto God by fasting and praier yea wee should haue done it long before and seeing that there are so manie causes of publike fasting among vs wee must therefore thinke that the Lorde requireth the thing it selfe at our hands Which we shall the rather also be perswaded of if besides all this that hath beene spoken to that end we further consider that the people of God alwaies making this a sufficient cause of their fastings eueÌ„ the wrath of God appearing against his Church as we