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obferved a faft, by Samuel's direction, after their fin and defeat by the Philiftines (77) King David, on all occafions, as in his child's fickness (78). In his penance he says, "I humbled my foul with fafting (79)," and again, under perfecution, "I covered my foul in fafting, and I made hair cloth my garment (80)." And in another place: "My knees are weakened through fasting (81)." The pious King Jofaphat had recourfe to fafting and prayer in time of danger (82). Efdras in penance (83). The wicked Achab by fafting and penitence averted the divine indignation (84). Nehemias by fafting and prayer obtained of God the more speedy re-establishment of the Jews after their captivity (85). Judith and the Jews of Bethulia (86), by fafting and prayer were protected by heaven against the army of Holofernes. By fafting on all days, except the Sabbath and feftivals, and by affiduous prayer and retirement, the holy heroine confecrated her widowhood to God (87). Efther, in her penance and affliction for the people of God, "humbled her body with fafts (88) ;" and to move God to bless her endeavours for their deliverance, fhe fafted with her maids and Mardecai (89). Tobie joined fafting and alms with prayer, by which he deferved a miraculous relief and comfort. Whence the Angel Raphael faid to him, "Prayer is good with fafting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of gold (90)." Almighty God, by his Prophets in the old law, and by his Apoftles in the new, and by the mouth of his divine Son, ftrongly recommends fafting to us as a great means of virtue, and itfelf an excellent virtue, and he prefcribes the conditions by which it is to be fan&tified, and made the faft which he requires (91). The lives of the Apostles, and many among their difciples, and the primitive Chriftians, were in fome measure a perpetual faft (92). Nay, fo fevere was the difcipline, temperance, and fobriety, which all Chriftians obferved, that it might almost deserve that name (93). Moreover, the Apoftles kept

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(77) 1 Kings, vii. 5. (78) 2 Kings, xii. 16. (79) Pf. xxxiv. 13. (80) Pf. lxvii. 11, 19. (81) Pf. cviii. 24. (82) 2 Par. or Chron. xx. 3. 6. (83) 1 Efdr. viii. 21. 23. (84) 3 Kings, xxi. 27, 29. (85) 2 Efdr. i. 4. (86) Judith, iv. 8, 12. (87) Judith, viii. 6. xiv. 2. (89) Efth. iv. 16. (90) Tob. xii. 8.

(88) Efther, (91) Ifa. Iviii.

3, 6, 9. Joel. i. 14. ii. 12. 15. Zach, vii. 5. Matt. vi. 16. xii, 20. (92) See the Lives of S. Peter, S. Paul, S. James the Lefs, S. Mark, &c. (93) See Clemens Alex. 1. 2. Pædag, c. 1. Fleury, Moeurs des Chret. §. 8 & 9.

kept particular fafts of devotion on extraordinary occafions, and inftituted certain regular fasts in the year, as Lent, and Wednesdays and Fridays every week. S. Paul fafted much, and exhorted Chriftians to imitate him in his labours, in his watchings, and in his fastings (94).

CHA P. III.

The particular Motives for the Inflitution of the FAST of

PRI

LENT.

RIVATE fafting has peculiar advantages (1), if without danger of fuperftition, affectation, fingularity, or pride; and if accompanied with prudence, and all other conditions neceffary to make it agreeable to God. But general fafts usually are ftill of far greater efficacy, and more prevailing power, in the fame manner as has been faid of publick prayer. Such was that of the Ninivites, in which all the people joined as one man: it was even extended to the brute beafts, that the fight of their affliction might in a more striking manner excite men to mourn for their fins, by which they had provoked the anger of God against the whole country (2).

Among the Jews, in the ancient law, the fynagogue or Sanhedrim frequently commanded extraordinary days of faft in times of publick calamities, or of fome urgent neceffity. In the fifth year of King Joakim, in the ninth month, such a faft was proclaimed before the Lord to all the people in Jerufalem (3). And Jeremiah ordered Baruch to read the threats and the words of the Lord to the people, on the fasting day (4). The Jews, not content to obferve annual fasts, to avert public calamities, on the 3d of September, the 10th of December, the 17th of June, the 9th of July, and the 13th of February, kept an extraordinary faft and in times of great drought, two or three days a week, when proclaimed by the Sanhedrim (5).

In the Christian church it has been always the custom for the Bishops to command extraordinary fafts on particular occafions. Tertullian, when a Montanift, early in the third century

(94) Acts, xiii. 2. xiv. 22. 2 Cor. vi. 9. & xi. 27. (1) Mat. vi. 16, 18, &c. (2) Jon. iii. 7.. (3) Jer. xxxvi. 9. (4) Ib. 6. (5) See Sigonius de Republica Hebræorum, l. iv. c. 18. & Nicolai's Annotations, ib. p. 410, &c. Dom Jof. de l'Ifle Hift. du Jeune, 1. iii. ch. 1. p. 206. Fleury, Moeurs des Ifraelites, ch. xvi. p. 128, and the Council of Selingeftad, in 1022. T. ix, p. 847.

century pretended to justify the fuperftitious fafts of his fect, because amongst the Catholics, "The Bishops are accustom"cd to command general fafts, on account of circumstances

of difficulty or danger in which the church might be (6)." The third council of Tours in 813 (7), the Emperor Charlemagne (S), and Lewis the Debonnaire (9), command all perfons to obferve whatever fafting days are ordained by the Bishops: the latter of these two princes, by the couniel of the Bishops, published himself an order for keeping a folemn faft, to deprecate the indignation of heaven, manifefted by a peftilence and famine (10). Pope Nicholas I. in his Anfwer to the Confultation of the Bulga rians, fays, the prince and his council might command a fatting day in times of great droughts, but that it was better to leave that to the Bishops (11).

The ancient Jews alfo oblerved yearly general fafting days. Such was the folemn faft of expiation for their fins, on the 10th day of the feventh month, commanded by God himfelf (12), the only day in the year on which the high priest entered the tabernacle, (and when the temple was built, the Holy of Holies, or innermoft fan&uary, in which the ark was placed) to fprinkle it with the blood of victims. The Prophet Zacharie mentions three other annual fafts of the fourth, fifth, and tenth months (13). The later fynagogue added two other general fafts every week, on Mondays and Thursdays, in remembrance of the profanation and deftruction of Jerufalem by the Babylonians. On this account we find in the Apoftolic conftitutions, that it was a law among the primitive Chriftians for all to faft every Wednesday and Friday, in memory of the fufferings and death of Christ. It is there added, that all who had the devotion might fast five days every week; but were forbid to keep fet fafts on Mondays or Thursdays, left they should feem to do it in conformity with the Jews (14). If the Jewish fynagogue had authority to command both regular and extraordinary fasts, for

(6) Tert. de Jejun. c. xiii. p. 551. (7) Conc. Turon. iii. can. 47. T. vii. Conc. 25. (8) Capitul. 1. i. Capit. 47. T. i. p. 719. (9) Ib. 1. ii. c. 7, 11, 738. (10) Baron. ad an. 828. n. 29. & 30. (11) Nicol. I. ad Confulta Bulgar. cap. 56. T. viii. Conc. P. 536. (12) Levit. xvi. 29, 30. (13) Zachar. viii. 19. (14) Conftit. Apost. 1. vii. c. 24. See Sir George Wharton on the Feafs and Fafs of the Jews, p. 12. Calmet. Dict. Bib. T. i. p. 552. who gives an account of twenty-four yearly fasting days, regularly obferved by the ancient Jews. See on the fame, Leo of Modena, on the Rites and Cuffoms of the modern Jews, chap. 8. and Mr. Lewis on the Hebrew Antiquities, 1. iv. c. 14. on the fafts of the Jews.

for weighty and fpiritual reafons, who will deny this to the church of Chrift? In all things which regard the focial or civil life, he fubjected it to the government of the civil ftate : obedience to which, and to all lawful fuperiors, is an effential duty of the law of nature, which he confirms in the strongest manner in his gofpel. But as he has established his church a perfect fociety of men, united in all the external duties of divine worship, and in the participation of the fame holy myfteries, he fettled in it a facred hierarchy, or fpiritual government. And he certainly gave a fpiritual authority to its chief paftors to maintain union and good order, to regulate what belongs to difcipline, with regard to the Divine fervice, the adminiftration of the facraments, and the like (15); an authority which the Apostles and their fucceffors have always claimed and exercifed. To this belongs the inftitution of certain feftivals and fafting days on great and juft occafions. Certainly in this point, the church of Chrift has not lefs authority than the Jewish fynagogue formerly had. As the Jews had their weekly, monthly, and yearly fafts, fo was it fitting that the church of Chrift should have regular appointed fafts. Proteftants allow particular fafting days may be commanded on extraordinary occafions: why not yearly fafts, which has been the conftant rule and practice of the church from the beginning? Has not the church, has not every particular Chriftian powerful reasons, and often an urgent neceffity for fafting; whether we confider it as a remedy against fin, or as a means of difpofing our fouls for heavenly contemplation; or as a virtue which gives the most prevailing efficacy to our prayers; or as a means very powerful, and often neceffary, for curbing and reftraining our fenfual appetites and paffions, and making the flesh readily obedient to the law of reafon and the gospel. On this laft account particularly, Dr. Stephen Wefton, late Bishop of Exeter, fhews the obligation of practising frequently fome degree of fafting or abftinence, by denying our body its ordinary food, or by fome abatement in the quantity or choice (16). General regular fafts call upon all to comply with this duty, render it of much greater efficacy N

by

(15) Mat. xvi. 19. Mat. xviii. 17. Acts, xv. 20. 1 Cor. xi. 16 & 34. 1 Cor. iv. 1. 4. vii. 17.

(16) See Dr. Stephen Wefton, late Bishop of Exeter, T. i. Sermon 19. On Mortification. Alfo Dr. Taylor, the whole Duty of Man, Lucas's Practical Chriftianity, part. i. ch. 7. part. iv. ch. 4. P. 399, and many other Proteftant Authors.

by the combination of the whole church, and by the example of others, animate every one to embrace this means of fanctification with fervour and compunction. When this precaution is neglected, as amongst Proteftants, the practice of fafting is fcarce fo much as known (a). Duties of this kind are seldom complied with as they ought, unless regular times are allotted for that purpose.

Christ himself prescribed to his church the regular observance of fafts, after he should be taken from it by his death and afcenfion. The Jews objected to him, that his difciples, though devoted to a religious courfe of life, practifed no regular extraordinary fastings, as the difciples of the Baptift did, in imitation of their mafter, and as all others did who made profeffion of ftrict virtue, though doubtless both he and his difciples kept the fafts then obferved by the Jews in general. Our Divine Redeemer anfwered, that the time he remained with them was very fhort, and as it were the time of his efpoufal; and the joy and comfort he afforded them by his presence was represented by his not commanding them extraordinary fafts, which their weakness, in the beginning of their conversion from the world, rendered them not yet difpofed or very fit for. "But," fays he," the "days will come when the bridegroom fhall be taken from "them, and then fhall they faft in those days (17)." In these words he commanded, or at least foretold and pointed out what they were to do after his departure from them. And here he speaks of regular fet fasts, and these frequent, fuch as those were of the religious perfons whofe example was alledged to him. The Apoftles could not fail to comply with his injunction, to conform to his fpirit, and follow his direction. The primitive Chriftians, probably from the Apostles themselves, understood his words to imply a clear and exprefs command of fafting yearly on the days of his fufferings and death, on which he was taken from the church.

(17) Luke v. 35.

(a) The Heathens, in most parts of the World, afcribed a virtue to fafting, and placed it, on many occafions, among the works of religion; which notion they must have derived, with many others, from the Patriarchal religion. S. Jerom confounds the Heretic Jovinian, who denied the virtue of fasting, by the example of the ancient Egyptian priefts, who abftained from flesh, eggs, milk, and wine, in order to reftrain the lufts of fenfual pleasures, and to preferve their mind free from the fumes of intemperance. They feldomer eat bread, as more apt in their country to load the ftomach, and create an heavinefs, than rice or pulse seasoned with oil; and when they took any, they eat with

it