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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47333	Of fasting a sermon preached before the Queen at White-hall, on May 23, MDCXCIV, being a day of publick humiliation / by Richard, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells ; published by Her Majesties special command.	Kidder, Richard, 1633-1703.	1694 (1694)	Wing K408; Wing K416A; ESTC R16672	12,903	30

THE Bishop of BATH and WELLS's FAST-SERMON Before the QUEEN At WHITE-HALL On the 23d of May 1694. Zechariah VII 5. Speak unto all the people of the land and to the priests saying When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years did ye at all fast unto me even unto me THese Words are an answer to the question in the 3d. Verse Should I weep in the fifth month separating my self as I have done these so many years To this the Prophet is commanded to reply in the Words of my Text When ye fasted c. I shall premise something concerning the Fasts which obtained among the Jews for the better understanding the Words of my Text. Among the Jews there was but one Fast in a year Commanded in the Law of Moses And that was the Day of Expiation Levit. 16.29 ch 23.29 30. Numb 29.7 on the tenth Day of the seventh Month Then they were obliged to afflict their Souls and to do no work under the severest penalty So that it was at once to be observed as a Sabbath and a Fast a day of Abstinence and of Rest And hence 't is called not onely a Fast Levit. 16.31 ch 23.32 v. Thorndike of Religious Assembl p. 10. but a Sabbath of Rest A very solemn time and which the Jews observed as such But what-ever their outward Expressions of Devotion were they were Hypocrites in the mean time And their Hypocrisie is laid open by Isaiah chap. 58. That Chapter I understand of this Fast even those words v. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my Holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the Holy of the Lord c. By Sabbath here we have no cause to understand the Jews weekly Sabbath Selden de jure Naturali l. III. c. 15. for the Prophet in the foregoing Words speaks of their Fasting and the Day of Expiation was then the onely stated Fast and is called from its first Institution a Sabbath as hath been observed before Kimchi Abravenel in Isa 58.13 Kimchi confesseth also that the Rabbins understood this place of the Day of Expiation and Abravenel cites the Vajikra Rabbah expressly interpreting the Holy of the Lord of the same day St. Luke is observed to call this Day of Expiation the Fast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 27.9 When sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already past That is it was after the tenth of the seventh Month a time of year when there was more danger of Sailing than in the earlier time of the year Besides this great Fast there were others in use among the Jews in After-times There were who fasted two days in a Week Luk. 18. There were private and voluntary Fasts which pious Persons took upon themselves Occasional ones appointed upon particular Emergencies Besides these they had their four times a year of which there is mention in this Prophet The Fast of the fourth Zech. 8.19 fifth seventh and tenth Month. That of the fourth Month was upon occasion that in that Month Jerusalem was broken up by the Chaldees Jer. 39.2 Jer. 52.6 7. This Kimchi calls the beginning of the Destruction of the Holy City Kimchi in Ezek c. 1. v. 1. This was the true ground of this Fast Abravenel in 2 Reg. c. 25. what-ever the Jews add concerning the breaking of the Tables of Stone ceasing of the daily Sacrifice and burning the Law setting up an Idol in the Temple c. That of the fifth Month was in memory of the burning of the Temple by the Men of Babylon Jer. 52.12 13. which happened in that Month. Maimon H. Taan c. 5. The Jews do indeed mention some other sad things which happened to them in this Month That then it was decreed that their Fore-fathers in the Wilderness should not enter into Canaan That the Temple was destroyed the second time that the City of Bitter was taken c. That of the seventh Month was in memory of the Slaughter of Gedaliah Jer. 41.1 2. which happened in this Month. That of the tenth Month was in memory of that Siege that was so fatal to them whereof we have mention 2 King 25.1 Jer. 52.4 chap. 39.1 In this Month also came the sad news to Ezekiel that the City was smitten Ezek. 33.21 By all this it appears if we follow the Scripture-grounds of these Fasts That they were kept in memory of the Jews Sufferings from the Babylonians and upon occasion of the Evils which happened to them about the time of that Captivity They who were Captives in Babylon are now returned to their City and Building of their Temple Their Captivity is expired and now the question is Whether or not they shall need to Fast any longer Should I weep in the fifth month separating my self as I have done so many years The question will admit of some dispute On the one side it might be said Why should we Fast when the reason of our Fasting is ceased We Fasted for the Burning of our City and Temple we are now returned to that desolate place and 't is in great measure raised from its Ruins 'T is now a time to rejoice and not to mourn 'T was fit by the Rivers of Babylon to sit down and weep when we remembred Zion Well did it become us there to hang our Harps upon the Willows That strange Land was no place to sing the Lord's Song He that then called for Mourning now calls for Joy He hath turned back the Captivity of Zion and now our Mouth is filled with laughter and our Tongue with singing The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad On the other hand they might plead for their Fasting thus We ought not so soon to forget the Evils we have suffered much less the Sins which brought them upon us We are returned but we are but newly returned Our Temple is not finished or were it finished it holds no proportion to that which was destroyed We are amidst our Enemies and not purged from our Sins This Temple is like to want many things which the former had and we come short of what we should be We have still much to do Fasting is a great instrument of Piety and the House of Mourning will be more instructive and more safe than that of Feasting The question is Whether or not they shall need Fast any longer They consult the Priests and the Prophets who might be presumed most likely to inform them The Prophet is instructed to give them an answer and such an one it is as is very instructive to us and he begins to do it in the Words of my Text saying When ye fasted c. q. d. When ye Fasted and Mourned was it to my advantage or for my sake that ye did it Ye Fasted indeed for Seventy years together but as you took it upon your selves at first so it was

folly he struck upon his Breast Hieron in vie Hilarion and cried That he would take care that the Ass should kick no longer and to that purpose betook himself to frequent Fastings and hard Labours I keep under my body 1 Cor. 9.27 and bring it unto subjection says St. Paul We are in great danger from Fulness a spare and thin Diet is generally the safer side and Fasting is sometimes needfull Fulness is the Parent of our Vices Exod. 32.6 The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play Our first Parents rendred themselves and us miserable by eating Tertull. de jejun Salutem gula vendidit Sin and Death came this way into the World St. Basil observes that whereas Moses Fasted at the giving of the Law and so Fasting usher'd it in yet the Tables that were written by the Finger of God and received by Fasting were broken by Drunkenness They sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play I shall not need to tell you the mischiefs of feasting and pampering our Bodies It greatly endangers our Souls When the Children of Job feasted from house to house the good Man knowing how prone Men were in that case to exceed sent and sanctified them Job 1.5 and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all For Job said It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts 'T is often so that great Feasting is attended with follies and mischiefs nor were it hard to produce many Examples to this purpose Solomon preferrs the House of Mourning before that of Feasting Eccl. 7.2 3 4. 3. Fasting is a good help to Prayer Prayer and Fasting have a mighty force The most obstinate Evil Spirit that gives way to no other methods is yet cast out by Prayer and Fasting The one of these takes us off from the Creature the other brings us nearer unto God We pray but faintly when we are fed to the full We seldom serve God well upon plentifull Entertainments Our Minds are most at liberty when our Bodies are empty No wonder they are joined together in Holy Scripture Fasting helps to wing our Devotions We are then fittest to worship God with Devotion when we are Fasting Aaron and his Sons were forbidden Wine and strong drink when they went into the Tabernacle Levit. 10.9 The publick Service of the Morning under the Temple was wont to be performed Fasting They were not wont to drink till that was over That did not begin till the third hour of the day St. Peter argued strongly enough to those who knew this practice Act. 11.15 These are not drunken as ye suppose seeing it is but the third hour of the day Thus have I given a short but a true account of the usefulness of Fasting These are the true Uses of Fasting both publick and private If it minister to none of these Ends 't will be to no purpose and we might as well have eaten and drank If it advance us not in Piety and real Goodness if it serve not to chastise a Sin committed nor to prevent one for the future if it do not help us in our Prayers and bring us nearer to God and wean us from the Creature it can serve no wise purpose We have need enough to Fast if we duly consider what we are and what we have been God hath called us to Mourning very often and very loudly He hath visited us with the Sword and Fire and Pestilence Amos 4.10 I have over-thrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning I wish I could not with the Prophet go farther and add what follows Yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord. 'T is true we have kept some Fasting-days and we now begin to be weary of that too but what else have we done Are we any better than we were before Do we love God more fervently and more heartily love one another Our City hath been burnt indeed but not our Vices They are intire and not consumed We have fasted but have we amended also Are our Sins weakened and our Devotions enflamed Is God better served among us Is there more Humility Charity and Brotherly-kindness to be found amongst us Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former Prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity c. says this Prophet v. 7. What that was which the former Prophets required you may learn from v. 9. Execute true judgment and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother And oppress not the widow and the fatherless the stranger nor the poor and let none of you imagin evil against his brother in your heart We have Fasted often but where is our Repentance Maimon H. Taan We have often confessed our Sins but who hath forsaken them It was the Custom among the Jews upon the day of their publick Fasting to procure an ancient and wise Man to recite the words of Humiliation Among other things he was wont to depreciate mere Abstinence or the outward shew of Humiliation He told them that it was said of the Ninevites not that God saw their Sackcloth and Fasting but that He saw their Work So it is God is pleased with our Repentance not our bare Abstinence Fasting is Adjumentum non perfectio pietatis 'T is a good help to Godliness not Godliness it self III. I shall proceed to give some Rules for the better discharge of this Duty 1. Let us take care that we do it with great humility of mind and that we do by no means give way to a proud thought Do not vaunt thy self Luk. 17. or contemn and despise thy Brother as the Proud Pharisee did Thou hast need of Fasting or no need If no need why doest thou boast of doing that which God requires not and which serves no wise purpose If thou needest it that Consideration ought to humble thee No Man is proud of taking Physick and Fasting amounts to no more 'T is Medicinal and design'd to cure us of some Disease We are commonly troubled that we need a Medicine no Man is proud that he makes use of one Sanctifie a Fast Joel 11.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXXII call a solemn Assembly Such an Assembly is designed for a publick Cure and speaks an Epidemical disease Here 's no colour for Pride and Ostentation We may as well be proud of Plaisters upon our Sores as of Fasting And yet this Vanity we are liable to Our Lord gives us Caution Matt. 6.17 18. When thou fastest anoint thy head and wash thy face that thou appear not unto men to fast Bare Abstinence commends us not to God and therefore we have no cause on that account to boast 'T will be no comfort to us to undergo the labour and lose the reward of Fasting Let us not