A SHORT AND PLAIN Discourse. Fully containing the whole doctrine of evangelical FASTS.  
By GEORGE BUDDLE, Bachelor of Divinity, and Parson of Whikkenby in Lincolne-shire.  Orae, ieinua— 
LONDON Printed for MATHEW LAW, and are to be sold at his Shop in Paul's Churchyard, near unto Saint Austin's Gate, at the Sign of the Fox. 1609.   

TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER in God, WILLIAM BARLOW Lord Bishop of Lincoln, strength of faith in this last sinful age.  
RIGHT Reverend Father, in the common congratulation and great rejoicing of the Clergy of this Diocese, at our very first most joyful hearing of your Lordship's designation unto this Episcopal Sea of Lincoln: The merciful Providence of God hath assigned me this as my Peculiar, that my Univerity-father is become unto me my Diocesan-father. My earnest desire is, that in the common judgement of the best of our Clergy, my commending of this present Discourse, concerning evangelical Fasts, unto so fit a Patron, may be accepted, as a Peculiar of duty, fitly answerable unto so fortunate a Peculiar of the Providence.  
It is indeed a Part of an annual Rent, which for some years yet to come. I have heretofore promised in private to our Second Jewel of Salisbury, 
The Earl of Salisbury  out of my Divinity-studie. But that which once in our Cambridge Philosophy Schools, I sung out of Pindarus, with a younger voice, as a Ditty possibly prophetical, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same I may now in riper years, more truly sing out an higher chair: Howsoever my qiver full of sharp-headed arrows may sound well in the hearing and understanding of them, 
Not to judge Virtue according to the skill of common people.  who have learned with Socrates of Aesop, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Yet surely I shall please the multitude neither in the manner nor in the matter thereof. For my experience of the Country is even the same that good Hooker, a faithful minister of God in the parts of Kent, and of worthy memory, sometimes complaineth of. 
Neither do they please the many, neither do the many please them.  It hath unto me, as it did unto him, verified Trismegistus and found him a true man of his word. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  
Howbeit, with the same worthy Hooker, after the example of the Apostle, I labour in all things, and have laboured specially, what I could in this, to please also and satisfy even our common multitude of my brethren in Christ, to their best understanding and profit, so far forth as I might, without hurt or prejudice unto the matter of my Discourse, which hath been too unfaithfully dealt withal by many before me, who, by serving humorous people too much, have been too undutiful unto their Text.  
The Lord jesus, who hath doubled outward honour in his Church, unto you his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, his wel-ruling Elder, double, treble, multiply his Elizaeus like spirit upon you, that by your profitable labours night and day, in the Word and Doctrine, you may, as a second john Baptist, joining with the rest of our zealous Bishops, in your united force of zeal, against the Schisms and shameless sinning of this last ungodly world, prepare the way of the Lord unto his second coming. Amen.  
Whikkenby, 1608. Junii. 6. Your Lordship's right humbly devoted. GEORGE BUDDLE.   

❧ To the Christian Reader, The death of Sin, and the life of Christ's righteousness.  
THey that are Christ's (saith the Apostle) have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof. 
Galat. 5.  The right Christian moderation of Fasting, used in the Primitive Churches, is Christ's Decumanus Claws, that is to say, is Christ's great Nail, wherewith (Christian Reader) thou having the good example of the Orthodoxal Fathers, and of their most orthodoxal Children, the learned Protestants of this Age, as an Hammer in thy hand, dost crucify and nail these affections and lusts of thy flesh, to the Cross of Christ. The Forge of this Nail, and the Head of this Hammer, is the Word of God. Take only this Manual for thy Manubrium, or Handle of the Hammer it is so sinned for thy hand, if thou have any sensible understanding of Christ, or strength of Grace in thee, as as that thou mayest soon drive the Nail to the head, and strike the dead stroke of true Mortification into thy fleshly heart. The Lord jesus direct thy stroke, that no fond prejudice cause thee to miscensure or handle it amiss.  
Farewell.   

A SHORT AND Plain Discourse, concerning evangelical Fasts.  
Upon these words, But the days will come, 

The Harmony Mat. 9, 14.15.16.17.  
Mar. 2.18.19.20.21.22.  
Luk. 5.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.   when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast  Mat. 9.15. 

CHAP. I. Containing the Coherence and the Analysis.  
THe seed of the woman, 
The Coherence, in which is showed very briefly how hitherto the Serpent & the seed of the Serpent, had showed his Antipathy against the seed of the woman and how the seed of the woman dealeth with him in this Text.  the true Messias Christ jesus had hitherto, till towards the end of this his first years public preaching of the gospel, sought only the destruction of the works of the Serpent, & of the devils mischievous power. No otherwise than accidentally, had our blessed glorious Saviour destroyed the person either of wicked Angel or wicked man: But the Devil the Serpent by himself, and his seed had hitherto first wrought against our saviours person to destroy it, by Violence and Infamy; Violence, against his soul by suggestions in the forty days temptation in the wilderness; against his body by Herod in his infancy, by the Pharisees (job. 4 1.) when he first baptised: by the barbarous Clowns of Nazaret (Luke. 4.29.) when he first preached publicly. Infamy, by having objected the baseness of his trade. Is not this the Carpenter Maries son? of his kindred and parentage, Are not james and joses, juda and Simon his kinsmen? Mar. 6.3) Is not this goodman Joseph's son? (Luke 4.22.) And when nothing would fadge either by Violence or Infamy to the destroying of Christ's person, then, even before the end of this his first years public preaching, against his public and private work to destroy it. It is two fold, Saving doctrine; Good life. Against Christ's doctrine, That it is blasphemous. Luk. 5. and this Cha. 3. ver. This man speaketh blasphemies, who can forgive sins, but God? Against Christ's life, That Moses never broke the two material tables more plainly with his two hands, than Christ hath broken the two moral tables of the law both by his sins of Commission against the Negative prohibitions thereof, and by sins of Omission against the Affirmative commands. By sins of Commission against the first table: For (john the 5.) by uttering blasphemy at the feast of Tabernacles, and by making himself the son of God, he breaks the three first commandments; by breaking the Sabboath at the same feast, and by healing a bedrid man upon the Sabboath day he breaks the fourth commandment, By sins of Commission and Omission against the second table: For (this Cha. 11. v.) in that he companieth with gluttons and drunkards, in Levi a common tol-gatherer a bad fellows house, he breaks the negative part of the sixth and seventh commandments to the manifest murdering, and effeminating, or corrupting the pure souls of men, destroying that opinion of necessary austereness which john the Baptist, and the pharisees had by their austere lives enured the people unto; and in that he omitteth all kinds of Disciplinary Fasts, very necessary for the mortification of the sinful flesh of his Disciples, he breaks the affirmative part of the same commandments.  
This last objection is of my text. And (that which heretofore I have showed at large, to be the very depth of satanism, and of all devilish policy) it is uttered against Christ not by the pharisees Disciples, who might be suspected to object of malice, and whom in Levi his house, Christ had already answered; but it is uttered in the open hearing of thousands, by the devoutest Disciples of his undoubted and best friend that most famous living sanctimony john Baptist. The Disciples of john say unto him, not, 
Verse. 14.  The Disciples of the pharisees say unto him: Why do we and the pharisees Fast much (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) or most severely, nay not only fast, but pray; 
Luke 5.33.  not only fast and pray much (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉); but (as Saint Luke hath it more fully 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that is to say, very thickly and often: but thy Disciples Fast no disciplinary Fasts at all, but eat and drink and take their ordinary meals every day.  

The Analysis.  Unto this so subtle, so weighty, so grave & true accusation in regard of the Antecedent (though most false and frivolous, in regard of the Consequent) our glorious Saviour in these two parables giveth two Apologies worthy of himself; the former in this former Parable, taken from his own person, 
The former Apology taken from Christ's person.  the other in the other Parable, taken from the Quality and person of his Disciples and followers. He himself, was now not only the husband, but even the Bridegroom of his Church in the honiemoone, and sweetest fervency of her first love. As for the children of his Bride-chamber, his Disciples and near attendants, he was able to keep them in his Father's name, without any paedagogical or disciplinary exercise, of sorrow and humiliation for sin, john 17.12. To fast, to mourn, to eat the bread and water of affliction, was now the portion of his festival bride Cup. To be wed to all kinds of sorrows and penance, was his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, his own proper work alone, as he now came to be man's whole and alone Redeemer, a work not (without manifest derogation thereof, nor without a necessary enfeebling and weakening of the Christian faith) any ways communicable to the shoulders of his followers. They should indeed hereafter (when that which he counted his Bridal feast of afflictions was once ended, and fully solemnized by him) all of them, above all other men, with the two sons of Zebedee, be baptised with his bloody baptism, 
Math. 20. 2●.  wherewith he was now to be bathed and baptized; They should indeed hereafter all drink heartily and sound of his Bride Cup of penance and of death, whereof he was now to drink first himself. But afore, his Bride or they could taste any whit deeply or kindly of this his Bride Cup, it was first his honest and necessary duty, to be himself, in himself, as Moses was to Zipporah, a bloody husband unto her, and as her true loving Bridegroom and Redeemer, to begin therein unto her himself, drinking the heartiest draft, even to the bottom of the dregs, of all the just punishments of sin. If they or his Bride herself did now, whilst the Bridal lasted, bride it (as it were) and sip a little thereof; that surely might be all, that could yet upon so high a feast day, well become her. In a word, he was now to tread and to be trodden in the wine press of his Father's wrath alone; He alone, 

Isa. 63.3. and 53.10. john. 11.  
Solomon was a type of Christ in this. For judah and Israel were many in his days, even as the ●and of the sea in number, eating, drinking, and making merry. 1. king. 4.20.   and no other with him was now to give his soul an offering for our sins, as the Prophet, Isay, had fore-prophesied. He now was that one man, of whom Caiaphas so extraordinarily prophesied, that it was expedient, that one man should die for the people, that the whole nation perish not. Seeing then, that all cause of mourning or humbling of the soul, which is the first and chief end of Fasting, is by his bodily presence with them, so necessarily absent from them; Can any reasonable man make the children of the Bride-chamber fast, while the Bridegroom is with them? Thus standeth Christ's former Apology, taken from the majesty and greatness of his own person.  
On the other side, in regard of the weakness and unfitness of his Disciples, 
The other Apology taken from the person of Christ's Disciples.  & even of the Disciples of john, and of the pharisees themselves, to fast evangelical Fasts, his other Apology is this. His evangelical or Gospel-fasts are as shreds of new cloth, strong, durable, able and fit to mend a rent or a decay in the strongest and most holy souls. But they, who had fasted none but legal or prophetical Fasts, were yet as old, worn, threadbare cloth, worn out with the observation of the old customs of the ragged, beggarly, undurable rudiments of the ceremonial law, which law was not now to endure, or to be mended & stitched up any longer. His Gospel-fasts again are as new, vigorous, spiritous, virtuous strong wine, full of Spirit and truth. But they yet were not Sanctified with his truth; They knew not yet, whether there were any holy Ghost, and new renewing spirit or no; They were yet, as old leaking, unstancht bottles, not able so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, so to contain and abstain, as (after his Ascension and bodily departure from them) The promise of his Father, and the Grace and truth of his Gospel should instruct and enable them. The rent in the fasters through this unsuteablenes would now be made worse, if such fasting should be applied▪ The Fast itself, being too strong would take vent, and run out into manifest loss. What reason then, that such fasters should be set in the pedagogy, or disciplinary exercise of such a Fast?  
This double Apology I take to be thus rightly meant in these two parables, and thereby the devilish and slanderous consequent, of the diffamation of our saviours offensive, or dissolute breach of the affirmative part of the sixth and seventh commandments, to be most notably and clearly overthrown. He did not with his disciples, omit the keeping of the general or essential duties of mortification, absolutely commanded in the affirmative part of those two commandments: Only in regard of his own quality and person, and in regard of the quality and person of his Disciples, he did together with them intermit, rather than omit some duties, tending to the Bene esse of mortification, which were not universally and absolutely commanded.  
My text therefore thus: But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shallbe taken from them, or The days will come, when new shreds shallbe applied to new cloth, new wine shall be put into new bottles, that both may be preserved; & then shall they Fast: is to be annexed in common too, & with both the parts of this double Apology, as a necessary anticipation and prevertion of that objection, which might yet further worthily have proved our glorious Saviour to be an obstinate patron of fleshly liberty. For though in regard of the present state of his person, and of the persons of his Disciples, their 〈◊〉 fasting could not prove him a resolute or absolute adversary 〈◊〉 mortification: yet seeing that fasting hath such power in it to mortify the flesh, found out by the continual practice of Moses and the Prophets, and of him, that was greater than any Prophet, john the Baptist; if he should have took no order, nor given any command at all of religious fasting unto his followers, his temporary intermission of so necessary and expedient an exercise, would have been soon defined by Satan his accuser, and the accuser of the brethren, to have been an absolute omission of mortification. That therefore at the length the bawling mouth of Cerberus, might be sound musseld and stopped for ever, As john (saith Christ) by authority more than prophetical, which he received in the wilderness by Oracle: as the pharisees & Doctors of the law, by authority of the law of Moses, and by the authority of the examples of so many Prophets, do gravely, and soberly, truss up the loins and guts of their followers, and do set unto their Disciples a diet and order of religious, much, and often fasting: so I will & command these my children of the Bride-chamber My disciples and followers by my Legal, Prophetical, more than prophetical, evangelical authority (For it pleaseth the Father, that in me all fullness of authority should dwell, 
Colosse. 4.12. jam. 4.12  and that I should be the only lawgiver able to save & destroy) that presently after my bodily departure, they also Fast and Pray: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (for those two words, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be repeated) Much and often. I dare boldly say, that they who have made, do make, or shall make any other meaning either of these words, or of this whole answer of Christ: they have, do and shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, they have do & shall therein show the infirmity Alienae mentis, at least, they have abalienated, do abalienate, and they shall abalienate Christ's right meaning from Christ's sure words. Thus much touching the most necessary Analysis.  
Out of the first view of this Legal, Prophetical, 
The Thesis or general Doctrine, necessarily gathered out of this right meaning of the Text.  more than Prophetical, evangelical authority of Christ: commanding Disciplinary Fasts, to be observed in his Church after his departure, who doth not presently gather the great necessity of our obeying the Church constitutions, concerning Church Fasts, Cross, Surplice, night watchings, or concerning any expedient matter else, of the like indifferent nature making to piety, mortification or Christian honesty? who doth not presently gather also a plain distinction betwixt matters commanded absolutely, as essential duties of the affirmative parts of the moral law, & betwixt matters commanded conditionally, when, where, & as they shallbe judged by god's spirit in his children to be expedient & necessary? Who doth not presently gather, how gross headed & slowharted humorous Schismatics are, who either with T. of Aquin & his Scholars the Papists, have counted some Church fasts, Praecepta naturae, as absolute & unvariable commands: or with Aerius & jovinian those fleshly Libertine damned Heretics, have esteemed Church fasts so indifferently indifferent, as though it were lawful, though neither sickness, nor business, neither impotency, nor importance urge us, to omit them notwithstanding and break them, whensoever it may please our wanton humorous flesh.  
For the full therefore and more particular declaration of this Text: 
The two parts of the more particular declaration of the text.  First, Concerning the nature and authority of Christ's Command: [Then shall they Fast] What Fasts it doth command. Whom it doth authorize and command to command them: Who are to be commanded the keeping of them: With what rigour the party delinquent are to be punished. Secondly, Concerning the obeying of this Command, as it is further determined, [Than shall they Fast much and ●ften their religious Fasts,] with what Severity, in regard of the word [〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉] Much, and in regard of the word [〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉] Often: with what Holiness, in regard of the Six holy ends of religious Fasting, intimated in this Scripture, by the words, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Mourn, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Pray, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Both are preserved, it ought to be obeyed: by God's special assistance, and by the entreaty of the Christian patience of the understanding ear, I will briefly deliver, that sound and necessary doctrine, which no one Writer, either new or old, hath so sufficiently and plainly taught us, as was requisite.   

CHAP. II. The first general Part. Concerning the Nature and Authority of Christ's Command.  
TO the first Question (What evangelical Fasts are directly commanded by it: 
The Nature and Authority of the Command. [Then shall they Fast.] ) I answer, as partly I have answered already, that this Command is not Absolute, but Con●ultatorie: neither are these Fasts here commanded unvariable and unomissible; but they are such as may be changed, and omitted also for a time. In a word, the evangelical Fasts here directly commanded by Christ's authentical command, 
The first Question: what Fasts are commanded here. Not Fasts of Absolute command.  are our solemn or public disciplinary Fasts, which we call our Church-fasts, being in nature and essence altogether correspondent and answerable to these approvable Fasts, wherein john the Baptist, and the worthiest Pharisees had publicly trained and exercised their disciples. To make this Part of the distinction of Fasts and of their command more sensibly plain: we must know, that a Fast of absolute command, whether private or public, is of the essence of mortification, and is altogether unvariable and unomissible. Such a Fast, till Christ was ascended, was the Fast of Reconciliation, upon the 
a Upon this day Eve and Adam f●ll by inordinate desire of the forbidden fruit, as many Divines do very probably conjecture. And no doubt even in king Salomon's time, judah & Israel fasted upon this day.  tenth of the seventh month, Leuit. 23, 29. Whosoever humbleth not himself, (that is, as S. Cyrill doth truly interpret it) Whosoever doth not fast from Eventide to eventide, upon the feast of Reconciliation, that person shall be cut off from his people. Our Saviour Christ with his Disciples, kept this Fast every year duly and truly; neither could these Disciples of john and of the Pharisees, have taxed them justly, for any remissness in the breach of the same. Nay, no doubt, if Pilate the chief Deputy, Governor of jury, should, as sometimes wicked Ahaz did, have shut up the doors of the Temple, that they could not have kept it before the Lord in the Temple: yet Christ would certainly have caused them (as he did afterwards cause them, contrary to the will and guise of the jewish Elders, to keep his last Passeover) to have kept it with him upon that very day, which his Father had absolutely commanded, and that even in their private houses or in the open fields. Such a Fast of Absolute precept, is still our evangelical Fast of extraordinary Repentance, appointed by God absolutely, for the necessary removing of his extraordinary judgements and wrath, from our extraordinary sins. The Apostles indeed and near attendants of Christ (as I have declared already) had no cause to keep this Fast, so long as Christ was with them, and kept them continually in his Father's name, lest any part of the merit of his passive obedience for our Redemption, should have been imparted and attributed unto them, as well as to him. Yet he himself, for the removing of God's Ordinary and Extraordinary wrath, both from us & from them, held it 40. days and 40. nights together in the wilderness, and did oftentimes keep it, though not in sackcloth and ashes, yet by lying whole nights upon the ground in the dust, and sometimes by sweeting and weeping drops and tears of his heart blood. It is not surely in the power and consultation of the Church, either particular or universal, to omit or repeal this kind of Fast. For example, The primitive Churches, immediately succeeding the Apostles, made a Catholic Canon, that Festis diebus nemo ieinnet: No man should fast upon holy days, unless the holy day fell upon Ash-wednesday or upon good Friday. 
Jgnat. ad Ph 〈…〉 lip. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Ad ●agnenses in eandem senten●am seribit.  But for the lords day, our Christian Sabbath, which Ignatius in his Epistle ad Magnenses, worthily termeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The Empress of all other days; Bee saith in another Epistle written ad Philippenses, that Whosoever fasteth upon it, is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, he is a Christ murderer. what? shall we think with S. Austin, who in his Epistle to Casulan, admitteth no excuse of the breach of this catholic Canon, that he is a Murderer of Christ, who fasteth the extraordinary Penitential Fast upon the Lord's day? God forbid. S. Cyrill hath better taught us to restrain the fasting forbidden by the Canon, upon our Christian Sabbath, unto the Church-Fast, or unto the private ordinary Penitential Fast only. For as touching the Extraordinary Penitential Fast, both solemn and private, which, whosoever omitteth, he is certainly, both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, both a murderer of Christ, & a murderer of his own soul: S. Cyrils words are most orthodoxal and sound, 
Extraordinary penitential Fasts whether private or public, are of absolute command. 2. Sam. 12.  when he saith; that Libertas est homini Christiano, omni tempore ieiunandi: A Christian hath liberty to Fast upon any day. If David had not presently cried Peccavi, when Nathan told him of his extraordinary sin, if he had not presently cast himself out of his throne into dust and ashes, and refrained his ordinary meals, and all thinking of the ordinary observation of Church feasts. If the King of Ninive, his Nobles, his people, even to the beast that perisheth, had not also at jonas first opening his mouth, against their sins, 
For the Thief upon the Cross had not time to exercise this kind of humiliation.  kept that their public Fast of extraordinary Repentance; Alas, alas, where had David, where had the Ninivites been at this day? So necessary (Necessitate praecepti, though not Necessitate medii,) is this kind of extraordinary Repentance, unto the salvation of all them, who have either sinned extraordinarily, or are extraordinarily afflicted.  

But Fasts of conditional or consultatory command, not of the Being, but only of the well being of Mortification.  But on the other side we must know also, that a Fast of consultatory command, whether it be a Church fast or a Private Fast, is not of the Essence, but of the well being of Mortification, and that it is both Variable and also Omissible, unless it be Votive. And surely, if it be solemnly or properly Votive, it must be vowed both solemnly by the Church, and properly by private men; always with this cautelous restraint, that we do not tie our selves by vow unto it, if God shall extraordinarily visit us his people, with such a mercy, upon out Votive-fast-day, as that our Nehemiah and Ezra, our Prince and Bishop, have just cause to forbid us to Fast, and to say unto us, Nehem. 8.9.10.12. This day is holy unto the Lord your God: Mourn not, neither weep; but go ye and eat the fat, and drink of the sweet, and send part thererf unto them, for whom none is prepared. The joy of the Lord is this day your strength. Such a Fast was this Variable and Omissible Fast, commanded by john and the Pharisees unto their followers, in this Text of Scripture. For the same john, the same Pharisees, who had commanded such fasting, might also, upon weighty causes, have changed, intermitted or omitted them for a time, as Christ himself by his example teacheth them, and as the continual practice of the Church of God, both universal and particular, have both before Christ and after Christ taught us. Such a Fast is our ancient Catholic and most approvable and necessary Fast before the Communion of the Lords Supper. Aquin in his dispute De ieinnio, 147. Quaest. calleth it Praeceptum Naturae, that is, as I here interpret it, A Fast of absolute precept, included in the affirmative part of the sixth and seventh commandments of the moral Law. S. Austin in his Epistle to januarius saith, 
Epist. 11 ●.  that it is jeiunium Moris Christi, qui v 〈…〉 iari non debet; that it is a Fast of Christ's own fashion and special appointment, because S. Paul saith in the 1. Cor. 11.34 Tha●, if 〈◊〉 man be hungry, he should eat at home, lest the Church come together to their condemnation. But this their reason is too weak, to ground any thing demonstratively upon it. For the Apostle doth only by evident demonstration of words, forbid their unreverent eating in the public assembly. Vers. 22. And so all those Primitive Apostolic Churches did understand him, 
Hom. in 1. Cor. cap. 11.  who (as S. chrysostom writing upon the same words, doth clearly witness) had even till S. Chrysostom's age, which was the fourth from Christ, always received the Communion after their Charistia, or common Christian Charity feasts, called by S. Jude ver. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. To conclude therefore my answer, to this first necessary demand, What evangelical Fasts are directly commanded by Christ, in this consultatory Precept, [Than shall they Fast:] I answer briefly, That such Public Church-fasts are here authorized and commanded, as may be, and aught to be changed and intermitted, when they chance to hinder or to cross any christian Duties, commanded by the absolute precept of Christ, either in his Law or in his Gospel.  

Sect. 2.  

The second Question, Who, and how straightly they are commanded to command them.  COncerning the Nature and Authority of this command [Then shall they fast,] To the Second question, Whom it doth authorize and command to command or enjoin these public Ordinary paenitential Church-fasts, as also How straightly such authorized Commanders are bound (in foro conscientiae) to command and enjoin them: I answer, first, that not only the Church governors, (such as are here john Baptist, 
1. Church-governors.  and the Pharisees; such as is Ezra in the 8 Chapter of Ezra, the 21. verse: 
At the River by Ahana, ● Ezra proclaimed a Fast.  such as are the children of the Bride-chamber themselves, in the 13. and 15. chap. of the Acts: such as were the Fathers of the Church, when the christian Emperors, like Gallio, Act. 18.17 cared not for Church-law matters. 

2. High Magistrates.  
3. Whole Counsels.  ) But also the High magistrates, and the whole Council of the Church, either Catholic or national, consisting both of the Clergy and of the laity of Christ may and aught to command them. The King of Nineuie and his Nobles in the third of jonas, Esther and Mordecay in the fourth of Esther, the godly Wife and godly Husband counseled by S. Paul, 1. Cor. 7. ●. to defraud themselves for a time, that they may the better give themselves & employ their household in fasting and p●●i●r, are Demostrative precedents to the Supreme Magistrate; the whole commonalty of the 〈◊〉 Tribes of Israel, together with their Elders, and Phinees the Highpriest in the 20. chapter of the judges, 
Ver. 23. & 2●:  and the eviled jews, joined in one as one man, in the tenth of Ezra, are authentical proofs, 
Vers. 7.8.  to authorize whole Counsels and Synods. But yet there is one kind of Church-Fasts, which now a days we call I●●●nia quatuer temporum, called in times past, 
The Quart 〈…〉 Fa 〈…〉.  〈◊〉 sacrorum Ordinum, the Fasts of holy Orders; the command whereof, doth most properly and principally lie upon the charge of our Bishops and Clergy, whensoever they either ordain or institute Ministers. For it is plain out of the story of the Apostles Acts, 
Act. 13. & 14.  that these children of the Bride-chamber, did never lay their hands upon any Minister of the word and Sacraments, either at his ordination or Institution, afore they had first appointed solemn fasting an prayer, And surely, although such fasting be not of the Esse; yet it is of the Bene esse and melius fieri of holy Institutions and Orders. 
1. Tim. 3.  It pertaineth also most principally to Saint Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, abstemious temperate Bishop, that he call upon the supreme Magistrate, and upon the whole people of Christ, and be a lively precedent unto them, for the execution of this consultatory command, [Than shall they Fast.] From whom did S. Austin and his mother Monica, private persons, take their right pattern of fasting, when they lived in Milan, but from Saint Ambrose the Bishop of Milan? 
Church governors must play the most careful part in seeing to the execution obedience of this command.  whom doth S Austin counsel his friend Casulan to follow in the order of Church fasts, but chiefly his Provincial or Diocesan Bishop? Episcopo tuo in hacre, noli resistere: Quod ipse facit, sine ullo scrupulo aut disceptatione sectare. Cross not thy Bishop in this matter of a Saturday Fast, but in this and the like, what thou seest thy Bishop do, that do thou without any scruple or controversy.  
Secondly, if it be demanded, whether as it is in the consultation of the Church to repeal, intermit, or change these public Fasts of ordinary Repentance; so it is in their consultatory power altogether to omit and disannul them: 
The second Article of this second Question, whether Omissible fasts may be altogether omitted.  and whether Catholic Fasts may be intermitted or repealed by Particular governors, of Particular Churches or by national counsels, I answer first to the former part of the demand; that there are in the Scripture, two kinds of indifferent things not commanded by absolute precept, left unto Christian men's free consultation, as the Spirit of God in his children, shall judge them to be expedient or unexpedient to be done. 
Indifferent actions warranted only, and not commanded.  Of the first kind are such indifferent matters and duties, as are made lawful unto us only by Warrant, and not also by any so much as consultatory command or counsel. And these again are of two sorts: For either they are both warranted and commended, as are the Voluntary vows of perpetual Virginity and widowhood, of Poverty, of paying all, or part of our goods to poor Christ, whether they be proper voluntary vows, or solemn & public voluntary vows; or they are permitted only, 
Indifferent actions warranted and commended, but not commanded.  and tolerated in the book of God, as lawful, but no where commended also as laudable, as is that best kind of Usury, where a man doth no otherwise deal with his brother, than he himself in the like case, 
Things warranted, and only permitted, or tolerated, are in the Church governors power  would be very willing to be dealt withal. It is in the consultatory power of the public governors of Christ's Church, either altogether to disannul and abrogate, or at their discretion to restrain and correct the abuse of this latter, either by civil punishment in their civil government, or by Excommunication or suspension in their Clergy government. But as touching the former, which are both warranted and commended in the Scripture, it is not in the consultatory power of Christ's Church governors, either publicly to command them, or publicly to disannul and altogether forbid them, whether they be private and proper voluntary vows or solemn and public voluntary vows of perpetual continency, poverty, or such like. When thou absteinest from such proper or solemn vows (saith the only lawgiver, able to save and destroy Deuter. 23.22.) it shall be no sin unto thee: who then can bind me (in foro conscientiae) either to vow single life, though a thing warranted and commended, or forbid me to vow it publicly, I say, either to command these commended holy Voluntary vows, or to disannul, and altogether forbid them, is not in the power of any public governors whatsoever. Only it is in their power to restrain and correct the abuses of them, if either the Votary do vow that rashly, which is not likely to be in his power and ability to perform, or do vow that wickedly, or to a wicked, ungodly, superstitious end, which he ought not to perform. Certain young Widows, made a solemn vow of perpetual widow head in Saint Paul's time. But Saint Paul seeing, by experience of them, their great unableness to perform such vows: discommends them greatly in the fifth chapter of his former Epistle to Timothy, 
To restrain the abuse of indifferent actions, warranted and commanded is in the power of the Church governors. To command them, is not at all in the Church governors power.  and chargeth Bishop Timothy to restrain the solemn vows of such Votaries, until they came to the age of threescore years. Certain also of the lewd Hypocrites, amongst the Israelites in the time of Moses law, as it is plain in the 18. ver of the 23. of Deuteronomie, had wanton brought the hire of their Whores, and the prices of their Dogs, for holy solemn Voluntary vows into the house of God, as many superstitious, wanton Votaries have done, and do still under the reign of Popish superstition, and as idolatrous people, do and have done, who have solemnly dedicated, and bequeathed their money, lands, goods, unto Mass Priests, to sing Dirdges for their souls, or to say Prayers, for the deliverance of their souls out of Purgatory, or to the maintenance of the Supremacy, and Hierarchy of the judaical and donatistical, Pseudocatholicke Church of Rome. God would have these solemn Voluntary vows both restrained and corrected. For so saith the Law: Deut. 23.18. Thou shall neither bring the hire of an whore; nor the price of a Dog into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow. For even both these are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.  
Thus have I showed how things of indifferent nature warranted only, but not at all commanded in God's word are to be held, or not to be held to be under the consultatory power of the public governors of Christ's Church. Another kind of duties, 
Indifferent things warranted commended, and also by cousultatorie precept commanded, if they be publicly commanded, are wholly in the Church governors power: and if the Church governors do altogether omit them, they disobey God and his Christ, because they are never altogether unexpedient.  and things indifferent, not commanded by absolute precept, but left to Christian men's free consultation, is of those which are not only warranted in God's word, but are also commanded by that kind of command and precept, which I have termed consultatory. These again are of two sorts. For either they are by such consultatory commandment, commanded only unto private men; or they are also commanded both to private men and to public officers. Of the former sort is Continency, commanded unto them who have the gift thereof, in that consultatory private precept Math. 19.12. He that can receive it, let him receive it. Of the same sort is the renouncing of all worldly business to follow the study of Christ's heavenly Doctrine, commanded unto them, unto whom it is expedient, by that consultatory precept, Math. 19.21. If thou wilt be perfect, Go sell thy goods, and give them to the poor, and come follow me. But of the latter sort is Decency of apparel, and a discreet constitution of Church-orders, commanded in general by that consultatory precept, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: Let all things be done comely and in order. Of the same sort is this Ordinary penitential fasting, or this Fasting of ordinary repentance, whereof we now speak, commanded here in special, Then shall they fast. Now, as it is not in the free power of a private man's consultation, who hath the gift of Continency, or to whom it is most expedient to leave the world and to follow Christ, altogether to disobey Christ's private consultatory commands; as it is evident by Saint Paul, who saith in the 15. ver. of the 9 Chap. of his 1. Epi. to the Corinthians, that it was better for him to die, then that he should take a lawful stipend of the Corinthians, which was not then expedient: so much less is it in the power of a public Officer, or of the supreme Magistrate, to suffer the Church of God to be ruled without all outward Decency, or to disobey Christ in not observing that, which he hath specially commanded by this special consultatory public command: Then shall they fast. And thus have I showed also, how things of indifferent nature, left to man's free consultation, not only by warrant of the word, but also by consultatory private, or by consultatory public commandment, are to be held or not to beheld, to be under the consultatory power of the public governors of the Church. For although those indifferent duties, which are commanded to private men, only by consultatory private command, be to be performed by private men, so only as the spirit of God in them shall exact, (as it did of Saint Paul,) their consultatory obedience in the exact performance of them: yet those indifferent duties, which are commanded also to public Officers, by the special consultatory public command of Christ, the most loving Bridegroom of his Church: these in different duties, I say, of this so special consultatory public command, cannot without neglect of duty unto Christ their Lord and master, the only lawgiver, able to save and destroy, be either intermitted upon an humour, or omitted and disannulled altogether by the public governors of Christ's Church. The neglect of these Church fasts then, in any Church whatsoever is a token of some want of that feeling, which the Church as a true loving wife should have of the bodily absence of her loving husband: according to the speech of our Saviour in this my Text: But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they Fast. Surely as Solomon saith, Eccle. 7.6. The heart of Fools, (who laugh in the face as the Apostle speaketh, 2. Cor. 5.12.) is in the house of mirth, but the heart of wisemen, who laugh in the heart, & are soberly and truly wise unto salvation, is always in the house of mourning, that is (as our Saviour here in my Text doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, doth confound and turn the terms of Fasting, 
15. Ver. Then shall they fast, or, Then shall they mourn.  and mourning making them all one) in the house of fasting, because it is better to go to the house of mourning, then to the house of feasting, & because by a sad look the heart is made better. And thus I have assoiled the former doubt, which might worthily arise, touching the governors of the Church, their absolute omission and repealing of all Church fasts▪ To the other doubt thus much I speak briefly, that though the Fast be Catholic, 
No fasting, no mourning.  as is the Fast before the Communion, and all our other Church-fasts except two only, that is to say, though the Fast be universally constituted, 
3. Articles whether Catholic Fasts, may be repealed or changed by particular Churches.  and decreed to be kept in all the particular Churches of the world, by the Universal decree and sentence of an Ecumenical counsel; yet the Ecumenical counsel doth always with this Proviso decree it, that no particular Church shall be further bound unto it, then as it is an help and no ways an hindrance unto true mortification. If it be found either through the superstition of this doting old world, or through any other enormity, wherewith Satan and man's corruption doth often stain and defile the best exercises of godliness, to be any whit prejudicial to those holy duties of absolute necessity, which are commanded by absolute precept; then the practice of the best particular Churches, and even of some Diocesan Bishops, have taught us, that our righter way to obey the Ecumenical counsel is to obey rather the meaning then the bare and dead letter of their decree. I confess that Saint Austin saith wisely and well, speaking of these Universal customs of fasting, decreed by the Plenary counsel of the whole church; Si quid horum tota perorbem frequentat Ecclesia, hoc quin ita faciendum sit desputare, insolentissimae insaniae est. If any of these things be used by the custom of the whole Church, for a man to hold that such a thing ought not, or may indifferently not be done, it is a part and a trick of most seely fondness and madness. But he giveth this reason intimated both in his words following, and in his words before going, where he had set down his formal difference between particular Church customs, and betwixt Universal Church customs to be the cause of this his speeach, for that the Universal Church never decreeth any thing, that is Contra fidem & bonos mores, against the Faith and good manners, but the particular Churches may be supposed to decree some new customs both Contra fidem & bonos mores. Out of which reason we may plainly see, how Saint Austin did understand the decrees of Universal counsels, and the mind of all Churches, when they chanced to have the same custom in the use of an indifferent duty amongst them all, Namely, that the intention, and mind, and meaning of the Universal Church is this to keep or to decree no custom, that is, Contra fidem & bonos mores: yet that his meaning is not; neither was it the Catholic meaning of the whole Church, that the customary use of any indifferent thing, not commanded by absolute precept, should therefore never be altered, because it was once decreed by so Universal a decree and consent of all Churches. 
The Catholic Constitutions are to be obeyed, so long as they are commanded. But none of them were even commanded as perpetual and altogether unvariable.   
Though indeed, whilst such indifferent matters are in vigour and force, and are commanded by the Church, he is worthily to be esteemed Schismaticus schismate charitatis in the highest degree, who doth not obediently yield unto them; & also Schismaticus schismate fidei, if he dispute against the authority of the Church, in giving out such constitutions: yet no such indifferent matters of Catholic constitution and command, are to be held to be perpetual, constant, & invariable or unalterable for ever. For that Prerogative Saint Austin in the sixth chapter of the same Epistle to januarius, attributeth only to those customs, which either Christ himself by special command, or his Apostles from Christ, have immediately in some part of the new Testament ordained and constituted: Quod nulla mor●m diversitate variari poterunt: That they are not, nor may not be varied or altered by any diversity of times or manners. Which Prerogative, I say, that the Church of God universal hath not ascribed nor assumed unto herself or to her universal customs, it is plain, by comparing that which Epiphanius writeth of the Catholic customs of his time, with the particular practice of the Church of Rome, and of our Western Churches in later times. He testifieth constantly and plainly in the conclusion of the eighty heresy, that Communiones' siue synaxes fieri ordinatae sunt ab Apostolis, Quarta feria & Prosabbato & Dominica. Quarta vero & Prosabbato jeiunium institutum est usque ad horam nonam. Et per totum annum quidem jeiunium hoc servatur in eadem sancta Catholica Ecclesia, Quarta inquam feria & Prosabbato usque ad horam nonam, excepta sola Pentecoste per totos quinquaginta dies, in quibus neque genua flectuntur, (neque jeiunium imperatum est, & exceptis diebus Epiphaniorum, quando Christus natus est. Communions were ordained by the Apostles to be received upon the Wednesday, Friday, and the Lords day. And upon the Wednesday and Friday, no meat was ordained to be taken, until three a clock in the afternoon. Which Fast until three a cloak in the afternoon, upon Wednesdays and Fridays, is kept in the same holy Catholic Universal Church, throughout the whole year, excepting 
g Also the council of Elibert in Spain Can, 23. (which Council was more ancient than Epiphanius) forbiddeth and restraineth all Church-fasts in the Months of July and August.  only the Pentecost with her fifty days after Easter, (in which days, no knees are bowed in the Church, neither is there any Fast commanded,) and excepting the twelve days of Christmas. In these words of Epiphanius, we have these Catholic Customs set down: First, Communions received throughout the year, thrice every week. 2. Communions received fasting at three a clock in the afternoon. 3. Fast not observed within the fifty days after Easter, nor within the twelve Christmas days. 4. Knees not bowed publicly in any Church, within fifty days after Easter. These customs were some of them (saith he) set down by the Apostles themselves. 
k Apostolic customs specially commanded from Christ, are unvariable. Apostolic customs not specially but only generally commanded from Christ are variable.  But for all this, that the Church of God hath not accounted so of these customs as of Apostolic customs ordained from Christ, by absolute unvariable command; as S. Austin doth well admonish us to distinguish, it is plain, by the practice of these future Ages, wherein we neither 
o ●oure Catholic customs altered and omitted in particular Churches▪ ●ro morum & ●emporum diversitate.  first keep our Communions thrice, or only thrice in the week, nor secondly observe the determining and ending of our Fasts upon Wednesdays and Fridays, at three a clock in the afternoon, nor thirdly abstain from all fasting, and fourthly kneeling in the Church within the fifty days after Easter.  
Thus much to the two first and principal Questions, and to the inferior demands or doubts, which do necessarily arise from under them.   

Sect. III.  
COncerning the Nature, and Authority of this Command, [Than shall they Fast] To the third Question, 
The third Question, Who are to be commanded these Fast out of this next parable.  Who are to be commanded the keeping of these public Fasts of ordinary Repentance, I answer easily and readily out of this next Parable, that our Saviour Christ would have both the shred and the garment both the wine and the bottle, that is, both the Fast and the Fasters to be [Adaequatae] to be both measurably proportioned together, to the end, they may both be preserved together. The Governors therefore of the Church, as it is plain out of Jerome and Austin their Epistles, have never imposed harder tasks of ordinary Fasting, upon the vessels of their inferior brethrens than they themselves were either able in their sickness or other impotencies, 
C 〈…〉 l El●bertinum Can. 23. setunta per singulos m●ns●s plaru●t celebrari, exceptis diebus ●uorum mensium Iul●i & Augusta ob eorundem ●xfirmitatem ab aest● orituram.  or willing in their best health to undergo. Sint moderata ●eiunia, ne debilitent stomachum, saith Jerome to Rusticus: Let thy ordinary Fasts be with moderation, and not to the weakening of thy stomach. And in his Epistle to Laeta, he setteth down another cautionary Rule: Ante annos robustae aetatis, periculosa est teneris, & gravis abstinentia: Fasting is very dangerous and hurtful to them, that are not come to their full growth. (This growth, Thomas of Aquin in the 4. Article De ieiunto, according to the order of the Church in his time, defineth to be Finis tertij septennij: The full age of 21. years.) The same Aquin putteth us in mind of a third Rule, of Exemption, to be added according to the Analogy of the word, to the two former Rules of Saint jerom: Non est intentio Ecclesiae statuentis jejunia, impedire alias pias & magis necessarias causas: It is not the mind or intention of the Church, by appointing Fasts, to disallow or hinder any other more godly and weighty matters, or necessary causes. For the confirmation of which Rule, we may remember that which Saint Austin summarily setteth down, as the common sentence and resolution of God's Spirit in the Church of God, and even in those most devout and most severe Fasters of his time. Ita pietatem sedulo exercent, Corporis vero exercitationem, ut ait Apostolus, 
De morib. Ecclesiae Catholicae cap. 33. 1. Tim. 4.8.  ad exiguum tempus pertinere noverunt: The sum of their discreet managing of their Fasts, is this, saith Austin; They do exercise godliness, [which is of absolute Precept, having the promise of this life and of that which is to come, without which godliness also, all Fasting is but irreligious, as hereafter I shall fully declare, when I come to speak of the right holy ends of true Fasting,] They do exercise godliness attentively, studiously, carefully, diligently. But bodily exercise, as the Apostle saith, (Saint Austin hath special reference to ordinary Fasting then practised) they know, how it of itself, or in comparison of more worthy parts and exercises of the mind in godliness, is profitable but for a small time. These than are the terms of just Exemption from Church fasts, and these two kind of persons are to be exempted from them, upon the appearance and clear manifestation of the justness of their cause to the Governors of the Church. 1. labourers, and men employed in high, weighty and necessary business, 2. All impotent persons, whether impotent in goods, fasting jeiunium ieiunij, as our Divinity school speaketh, fasting for want of meat, as common Beggars, and they, who are known to want food, wherewith to break their fast, when the Church-Fast is ended; or Impotent in body, as young folks wanting growth, old folks decaying in growth, sick folks wanting health, and having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
1. Tim. 5.23.  often infirmities, and many bad fits, as Bishop Timothy himself had.   

Sect. FOUR  
COncerning the Nature and Authority of this Command: 
The fourth Question, with what rigour these Fasts are to be exacted upon them, who are liable unto them, either in regard of their observance, or of their penalties.  [Then shall they Fast] To the fourth and last necessary Question, With what rigour it is to be exacted of them, who are liable unto it, and With what rigour the parties delinquent are to be punished: I answer, that as the Fast of Extraordinary Repentance hath been taught, to be oppositely distinguished from this kind of Fast of Ordinary Repentance, whereof this Command is directly given, in all those determinations already mentioned and specified in the three former Questions: so in this answer, an opposite distinction is to be made betwixt the same two kinds of Fast. Extraordinary sins, whether private or public, cannot easily be forgiven unto men, unless they do Repent extraordinarily, and Fast extraordinarily, either in private, for their private extraordinary sins, or in public, and in private also, for their public extraordinary sins. Therefore, I have either expressly, or by implication, of necessary consequence determined Extraordinary public Fasts thus. First that they are of A solute command for the mortification of Extraordinary public sins, and are absolutely commanded in the affirmative part of the sixth and seventh commandments. Secondly, that the public governors of the Church, 
The differences of Extraordinary Fasts from these in all the answers to these four questions.  are public murderers of themselves and their brethren, and common bawds of open sin, and fleshly filthiness, if they themselves both by their own example, and also by severe injunction of extrarodinarie Fasts, do not presently take order, that the guilt of extraordinary sins be mortified and taken away from themselves and their people, but most principally from Achan, that is from the notorious sinner or sinners themselves, who with Achan, Zimti, Cosbi, and such like, do provoke and incense the jealousy of Christ's wrath against the whole commonwealth, where they sin notoriously. Nay farther, that if Satan hath shut the eyes or enclosed up the hearts of fleshly Magistrates, so in their own fat, and in the well liking of sin, as that they either see not, or dare not, or will not solemnly sound Ioels Trumpet to call the assemblies to a public Fast: such is the necessity of this humiliation by extraordinary fasting for public sins, and for the removing of all public calamities, and extraordinary judgements whatsoever, as that all private Christians that know the way of Righteousness, 
1. 〈◊〉. 12.23. jere. 13.17.  are with jeremy the Prophet bound [in foro conscienciae] by absolute command to weep, Fast, pray, and drop down tears extraordinarily even in secret, and not only in secret, but with those godly Israelites in the five and twenty of Numbers, when they see God's vengeance begun, and yet Moses and Phinees, that is, the high Magistrate, and high Priest remaining still acedious or slothful, and not begun to do their duty in proclaiming a public Fast: Then also in more open view, as in their tent doors, and at the door of the Tabernacle, as it were, to show and signify unto the high Priest, or high Magistrate, their earnest desire of a lawful Fast in public. And although, it be a furious, Corah like, and an anabaptistical attempt, odious both to God and goodmen, if any private persons, or people being under the government of others, do proclaim or set up a public Fast: yet it is the necessary duty of all God's people in this case, which now I have propounded, to stir up & say in the public audience of many unto God's Magistrate or God's bishops, as those zealous jews did to Ezra, the high priest in the 10. ch. of Ezra the 4. ver. Arise Ezra. For the matter, belongeth unto thee. We will also be with thee: Be thou of comfort & do it. Thirdly I have determined, by implying a Contra divisive opposition, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  in the assoiling of the third question, betwixt Extraordinary Fasts, and Ordinary Fasts in public, that no importance of business, no impotency of person, but only Impotentia facti (as the Canon law speaketh) that is to say, the Impotency of fact, when there chanceth to want seasonable weather, or a convenient place for a public assembly to meet in, (as it chanced Ezr. 10.12.13.) can exempt, or excuse the child, that sucketh on the breast, 
joel. 1 and 2. jonas 3.  or the old man, that leaneth on his staff, or the Pilgrim, that is travailing on the way, or the Beggar, that liveth upon the daily alms of good people, from bearing some part of extraordinary humiliation and fasting, for the removing of the guilt of extraordinary sin, or for the removing of God's public extraordinary vengeance. As these determinations therefore have been either expressed, or necessarily implied already in the resolution of the three former questions, and by these determinations, much sound knowledge gained of the true and right distinction of public ordinary, from public extraordinary Fasts: so in the resolving and assoiling of both the Articles or doubts arising, as it were, under the knees of this fourth and last question, touching the Nature and authority of this command [Then shall they Fast] we are lastly to know, that neither the observation of these Church Fasts, or public Ordinary Fasts is with like rigour to be exacted, nor the breach of these Church Fasts or public Ordinary Fasts (unless contumacious and obstinate contempt be adjoined unto it) is with the like rigour to be punished by the Church governors, the right Heirs, & worthy successors of these children of the Bride-chamber, as the observation and breach, or neglect of Extraordinary public Fasts are.  
The Extraordinary Public Fast, 
Zach. 7.3.5 6. This was called in ancient times, Inclusio. a shutting up▪ as appeareth by many Canons of the ancient Counsels.  must be a separation of all persons whatsoever, from all worldly business; which Separation, is to be employed as it were in sackcloth, & ashes, and dust cast upon their heads, necks, loins, in the lowest both inward and outward humiliation, by lying upon the ground, before the Lord, in some public place of the assembly, without all meat and sustenance, for the space of 24. hours at the least, after the example and demeanour of those true Penitents, joshua and his people, Josh. 7.6. Of Phinees and his people, judges 20. 23.26. Of Samuel and his people, 1. Sam. 7.6. Of David and his people, 2. Sam. 3.31.35. 2. Sam. 12.16.17.20. 22.23. 2. Sam. 15.30.32. & 19 2. 2 Chr. 21.16. Of Hezekiah & his people, 2 King. 19 1 2.3. Of jehosaphat and his people, 2 Chron. 20. 3.4.5.1●.14.18.20. Of Mannasses and his people, 2. Chro. 33.12.13.19. Of josias and his people, 2. Chron. 34.19.29.30 Of Ezra and his 17. hundred exiles, 
Surely, had not the Superstitious Church of Rome abused sackcloth, ashes, dust, etc., all these circumstances had still been fittest humiliations, even at this day.  Ezra 9 & 10. Of the Church at jerusalem, praying solemnly for Peter, in the 12. Chap. of the Acts; lastly of Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, Austin, chrysostom, Leo, Gregory, Bernard and their Christian people, whose humbliest Penitential fasting, together with all the circumstances and whole order thereof, is faithfully and fully testified unto us in Tertullia's discourse de Paenitentia, in S. Cyprians godly Epistles, in Ambrose's 2. books de Pententia, in the Homilies and popular Sermons of Chrys. Austin, Leo etc. and in the Epistles of Austin, Leo, jerom, Bernard. The breach of the Extraordinary public Fast, may also be punished with some grievous or capital punishment, as with Confiscation of all the goods a man hath, and with Excommunication, Ezr. 10. cha. 8. ver etc. For as the transgression of one ignorant or mutinous Soldier, is the destruction of the whole Army, so one impenitent Achan, 
All must fast the extraordinary public Fast.  one sinning David; as a little leaven soureth the whole lump of dough, if his sin or impenitency be notorious and public. David's Hath not one man sinned? Is it not I that commanded to number the people? but these sheep, what have they done? would not prevail with God to the removing of the destroyer. 1. Chron 21 15.16. No, no: The Text saith, that the Elders of Israel were also clothed in sackcloth, & fell upon their faces before the Lord, as well as David. Ahabsrenting his clothes, putting on sackcloth, going barefoot, extraordinary fasting, 1 King 21.27. being but a private extraordinary Fast, prevailed with God, but for a private, and a partial, not a plenary removal of those fearful destructions which God had threatened against him by Elias. 
Private extraordinary Penance doth little good, when the calamity and sin is public.  It did jesabel his wife, and his idolatrous filthy Issue, little or no good at all, because jesabel & they did not humble themselves and Fast with him. The people of Samaria, their seeing of jehoram their King his renting his clothes, and his privy wearing of his privy coat of sackcloth, when that cruel Famine was public, condemned them and him of deep hypocrisy, in the sight of Elizeus, accidentally extolled Gods mercy, towards an ill deserving people, magnified the office of his Prophet, but did them no more good, towards the obtaining of the forgiveness of their sins, than the sight of that miraculous plenty of victuals did Iehorams unbelieving Courtier good, 
2. King 6.7.  who was suddenly priest and crowded to death in the Gate, and saw only the abundance of victuals, which Elizeus had promised, but eat not thereof at all. In a word, all the godly kings of juda and Israel, knew and practised this absolute necessity of Extraordinary Fasting, except Solomon, who was a fore type of our Bridegroom: but the ungodly Hypocrites, who fasting either partially with Ahab, or privily with jehoram, 
1. King● 4.20.  did all show themselves cold and untoward in the practice and appointing of it, are together with their wanton and ungodly subjects, left unto us in the Scriptures as examples of Gods dreadful vengeance upon our Christian commonwealths, if in the time of any extraordinary notorious sins, or in the time of any extraordinary judgement upon us, as of the Sword, Famine, Pestilence, our public governors, either Fast not with that rigorous humiliation, in regard of all those circumstances, which I have named, or after their proclamation of such a Fast, do not sometimes [ad terrorem] capitally and most severely punish all those enemies of the cross of Christ, who will not subject themselves to the precise observance thereof. My brief answer therefore unto this fourth and last question, touching the rigorousness, to be used by Church governors in the observation, and in the punishing of the contempt and neglect of the observation of our Ordinary penitential Fast, which we make, Membrum contradivisum & an opposite part in the division of Fasts unto an Extraordinary Fast; is this, that neither a whole days separation from all worldly business, 
The ancient law of the counsels, censuring by Deposition, & Excommunication, is to be understood, to have proceeded against contumacy.  and the consuming of an whole day in public prayer, before the Lord, and as it were in Sackcloth, dust, ashes, in lying upon the ground, or in hearing the word preached, is to be exacted in the observation thereof, nor any capital punishment is to be enjoined upon them, that being liable unto it, do through infirmity, and not maliciously, nor schismatically break it. As Epiphanius telleth us, some godly ones in his time did indeed in their private houses upon their Church fasting days lie upon the ground, 
In the conclusion, of his last book Dehaeresibus.  and bestow the whole night in prayer, other (as I spoke of jehoram) did sew Sackcloth to their loins, next to their skin, as a private coat known only unto God, & not unto man, other did separate themselves for the space of 24. hours from all worldly business: but none of them did any of these things in the public congregation, nay (he saith) that the public governors of his time, would not suffer Sackcloth to be worn openly and outwardly upon the, Ordinary Fast days. And touching the too severe punishing of the delinquents, either by Confiscation of all the goods a man hath, or by death, or by that which is more grievous than death, by Excommunication as jonathan said of his Father King Saul, his rash and tyrannical folly, 
1. Sam. 14.  both in tying the people by an oath to his Ordinary Fast in the pursuit of the Philistines, and especially in threatening death unto jonathan, for reaching a little honey in his faintness with the end of his spear, My Father hath troubled Israel this day: 
Soter, Austin, Aquin, and only, either private men, or particular Churches have been the authors of this absolute necessity of Fasting before the Communion.  so surely the superstitious fathers and governors of the Romish Church, have troubled gods Israel, and rather weakened their faith, than any whit strengthened them by Ordinary Fasting, in their Christian pursuit of their spiritual Philistines, the sins of their flesh, who for their people's tasting so much as a little water before the Communion, do for that day excommunicate them, as it were, and deny the Communion unto them, saying that they are damned, if they Receive it not Fasting, or do so persecute them by censures, and other punishments for eating an egg, milk, cheese, butter, or any Lactici●ia, that is, any kind of white meats, coming of the Cow in their Lent-fasts, or in any other ordinary Church-fast whatsoever, as that they make poor people through trouble of conscience, and distress of mind to be weary of their lives, and to serve God with an uncheerefull heart. And thus you have the Nature, and authority of this command [Then shall they Fast] together with the differences of the kind of Fast thereby commanded from all other kinds of Fast clearly and fully determined.  
Now followeth the second necessary part of my declaration of this Text, Namely, as this command, [Than shall they Fast,] is further determined by Christ, both in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which do further command the Severity of these Disciplinary public Fasts, 
It is synonymal, with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; to Fast.  or Church-fasts, and also in the synonymal word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Then shall they mourn, which doth further command the evangelical holiness of Gospel Church-Fasts, or of Church-fasts under the Gospel, which ought now to be far more holy, as it is plain by that which Christ immediately addeth in the next parable, than the paedagogical, disciplinary, Ordinary penitential Church fasts, either of the Prophets, or of john's Disciples, or of the Pharisees under the Law had ever been.    


〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  Chap. III. Of the other General Part. Touching Obedience unto this Command, [Than shall they Fast] as the Quality thereof is further determined, in the words [〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.]  

Touching the Severity commanded in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, much.  FIrst, The Severity of Church-Fasts, or of Ordinary Penitential Fasts, under the Gospel, commanded here by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, [Than shall they fast much] doth require my orthodoxal and sound answer unto these three necessary Questions: How long the shortest Fast is to be continued; How the hours of such Fasts are to be bestowed; with what moderation, and with what kind of meats they are to be broken, when they are ended.  
To the first Question I answer, that the Shortest and weakest Church-Fast, is to continue 24 hours. 

1. How long the shortest and weakest Fast of Ordinary Repentance is to be continued.  
See our Church Homily, touching the time how long to fast.   Look over all the examples of Religious Fasting, either in the book of God, or in the stories of the Church, and you shall find this plain, that if any man, from Supper time to Supper time, or from Dinner time to Dinner time, took any thing Ad Nutritionem, For the nourishment of his body, unless it were a little Aniseed, or a moderate draft of ordinary drink, Ad Digestionem & depellendam Vertiginem. only for the removing of raw humours, from his cold, weak and queasy stomcke, or for the expelling of wind, causing giddiness in the head, 
The Papists Fish-feast, with wine and the finest manchet, is neither Christian Fast nor Christian Abstinence, as our Church Homily worthily censureth them and all other hypocrites like unto them in fraudulent Fasts.  he was censured to lose the Religion of his Fast for that day. Our mourning for sin, which always accompanies religious Fasting, is very weak, if it break us not both of our meals and also of our sleep for one day. The godly Monasteries in Saint Augustine's time, when the Church of God was indeed the right House of mourning, and kept as it were, her continual funerals of sin, sowing in tears, that they might reap with joy, had in each of them severally, three thousand godly persons at the least, and those even Lay men also, who after the example of Saint Austin himself, and of all the devout Clergy men of those times, kept this shortest Fast of twenty four hours, and eat but one Meal a day throughout the whole year, keeping beside (if occasion were given) their Extraordinary Fasts after the example of Esther and Saint Paul, Esther 4.16. Act. 9.9. three days and three nights together, that is, seventy two hours, without either meat or drink, or any kind of bodily sustenance.  

Sect. II.  

2. How the hours of Ordinary penitential Fasts are to be bestowed.  TO the second Question I answer, that first Prayers, and especially those mournful Prayers, which we call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Supplications, are always to be joined solemnly with Church-Fasts of Ordinary Repentance, and privately with our private Fasts of Ordinary Repentance; otherwise it is no Religious Fast, but only a profane Fast. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: saith Christ in this Anticipation [Then shall they Fast and make Supplications, Luk. 5.33.35.] Secondly, unto our Prayers & Supplications, we are always to join Alms; Beatus est, qui ieiunat, ut alat pauperem. Blessed is he from Christ, who fasteth not, nor putteth less into his own belly, that he may put less also into the pot, and more into his chest, but doth Fast, with a mind to ●east the poor, and to be able to put more into the poor man's belly and purse: Is the speech of one of the Apostles, delivered by Tradition, 
●ib. ●0. in Louiti●um.  and reported unto us by Saint Cyrill. Thirdly, upon that day, whereon we Fast, we ought, after the example of the jews, in those their four Church-Fasts, held all the time of their seventy years captivity in Babylon, 
Zach. 7, 3.  to separate ourselves precisely from all bodily pleasures, and fleshly delights of Gaming, Dicing, Carding, Horse-racing; from all light exercises of Bowling, Hawking, Hunting, 
A Separation from worldly and fleshly pleasures.  Foot. ball-play and such like, and (as Saint Paul 1. Cor. 7.5. hath counseled us) from our wives, and (as the better Churches of Christ did, for the space of the first thousand years, in their chiefest solemn Fasts) even from our natural sleep. For they watched often in Prayer, either at the beginning or ending of their Fasts; or at the crowing of the second Cock, which they usually called S. Peter's Cock; 
Ambros. ●exam. Lib. 1, Cap. 24.25.  did rise out of their Beds, to weep with Saint Peter, for their sins, always keeping their souls waken out of the dead deep of sinning to death, through fleshly presumption, always listening to hear the soft stealing and coming of the feet of the Thief of the night, the Day of judgement upon them,; always hathening, 
1. Thes. 4.16.  and zealously desiring to hear the first sound of the last Trumpet of God; the first descending of our Lord from heaven with a shout; the first word of the voice of the Archangel, crying, Surgite Mortui, & venite ad judicium: Arise ye Dead, and come unto judgement. As for our worldly business and ordinary labours in our Christian callings, we are not, when we fast these ordinary Fasts, 
No intermission of worldly business (which is necessary) in thee ordinary Fasts.  so absolutely and totally to abstain and separate ourselves from them, as we are from all worldly pleasures and fleshly delights. Those religious Monasteries, consisting of three thousand Lay-men in S. Augustine's time, have taught us by their example, how far to relinquish our worldly business in these Fasts. For they fasting and eating but one Meal a day through the year, rather Gained then lost time from their necessary labours. They had indeed every day throughout the year, a learned and godly Sermon, made unto them about three a clock in the afternoon, before they broke their Fast (which was their Supper) by the learned and godly Father of their Monastery. But all the other hours from sunrise, they had first bestowed in those their several labours, which their Decani, 
Epiph. in haer. 80.  their Deans appointed as Taskmasters over every ten of them, had enjoined them, and whereof the Deans gave up their just account every night after Breakfast unto the Father of the Monastery. 
August de morib. Ecclesia Cathol. cap. 33.  And surely, it is reported by Saint Austin, that God so blessed their industriousness in their daily labours, that they did not only not live upon the sweat of other men's brows, as our Popish secular Monks, and irregular Regulars, have done these many ages; but they also yearly maintained the poor Saints of Christ in other places, and (as he saith) sent over whole ships every year, laden and fraught with linen, money, cloth and other commodities, which they freely gave away to the relief of those, whom they heard of to be impoverished, banished or imprisoned for the Gospel.   

Sect. III.  
TO the third question I answer, according to old Saint Martin, that godly famous Bishop, 
3. Of the quantity and quality of meat, to be used at the end of our Fasts, when we break and end them.  who lived in godly justinian that famous Emperor's time, his disciplinary rule of Devotion; That as our ordinary religious fasts, so also their Break fasts ought indeed to be [Seuera, but yet not Saua]: They ought to be Severe, but they may not be Savage, neither Savage by too hasty and gluttonous ravening upon the crea●ures of God, which are first offered to the pray of our hungry appetites, as the greedy people did at the end of Sau●s Fasts, who being sharp seat at the flesh with the blood contrary to Moses law, and and fasting two meals made their third meal a glutton; nor yet Savage by Aquins' superstitious abstinence [ab onis & lactio●●ijs] from eggs, and all white meats, which abstinency was but a temporary constitution of one particular Church, the Church of Rome, and ought not therefore by a gross kind of judaism, and Donatisine to hold all other particular Churches obnoxious unto it. The strongest bodies and devoutest minds, have broke their Fasts, always with the two Austere dishes of Continence, and Abstinence, & have contented themselves (as those forenamed Monasteries did) with [Parca, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Contine & Abstine.  and Vilissima] with a very spare diet, which was their Continence, and with a very homely and coarse diet, which was their Abstinence. Saint Austen hath this Apostrophe to Christ in his tenth Book of Confessions, the 31. Chapter. Hoc me docuisti, Domine jesu, ut quemadmodum medicamenta; sic alimenta sumpturus accedam, O Lord jesus, thou hast taught me far otherwise from that which I had learned in the school of Manichaus, namely, that I should come to the taking of my meat, as to the taking rather of a necessary medicine to keep me from sickness and from death, then as to the taking either of cates to feed me, or of delicates to delight me. And out of this 13. Chapter De Morib. Manichaeorum, it is evident, that this ordinary fare was one meal a day throughout the year, consisting of Lardum & olusculae cum duabus veltribus meracissimi vini potionibus: A little brewis of fat bacon, and a few roots drunken down with two or three moderate draughts of the thinnest & smallest Wine, which in those South-countries (as Plutarch informeth us in Catone Maiore) was the common labourer's Wine. Saint Hierom saith in his Epistle to Nepotian, that Fortissimum jeiunium est Panis & aquae; The strongest and devoutest Fast is that, which is broken with bread and water only. daniel's, Ananiahs, Misaels, Azariah's ordinary in Babylon was bean bread and water. If any man say, that this their ordinary was miraculous and Extraordinary: let us hear what Daniel saith of his usual fasting, when now he was a great Prince, and had changed his bean bread, and water, into wheat bread and wine, Dan. 10.2.3. I Daniel was in heaviness three weeks of days, I eat no pleasant bread, 
Dan. 1.12.  neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth. Lastly, our Saviour Christ the Bridegroom, in the time of this first day of the marriage of the Lamb, 
Apoc. 19  howsoever at other men's marriage or feasting days, he turned their water into wine, and (as it is likely) being bidden to their feasts, did partake sometimes with them in eating of the fat (as Nehemiah speaketh 8.10.) & in drinking of the sweet, yet had he for his common ordinary fare (as it is probable out of the fourth and sixth of john) nothing else but water for his drink, and a little barley bread and with it sometimes a few fishes for his meat: Yet notwithstanding, this severity by continent & abstinent breakfast used by Christ, and his holy ones these children of his bride-chamber and their successors; they kept themselves I say, from all savageness: for they first had always Dîligentiam salutis to use Saint Augustine's terms: they had always a special care of their bodily health; 
This I speak, as a probable conjecture.  and their greatest fasters, (as Anna the Prophetess, who lived 112. years at the least, S. Hierom, who lived 92. years, Saint chrysostom, and S. Ambrose, who lived above fourscore years, Saint Austin who lived threescore and sixteen years &c.) were their longest livers.  
Secondly, they break their Fasts always with the unleavened bread of Sincerity and Truth: The old Pharisaiecal and Herodian leaven either of malice and wickedness▪ or of covetousness and niggardliness, or of hypocrisy and fraudulency, or of Superstition and fond devotion, was not to be seen in any of their dwellings, where they kept their religious Fasts. 
1. Charity.  Of their Charity, when they Fasted, Saint Austin giveth this worthy testimony, Charitatem violare, tanquam Deum, nefas au●itur: To break the rule of Charity, is accounted with them, as if one should offer violence to God himself. And therefore the devoutest Fasters, such as were their Clergy men, who neither 
p De morib. Ecclesiae Cath.] cap. 33. & contra Faustum Manichaeum, lib. 30.  eat flesh, nor q drank wine, when they fasted, miscensured not, nor thought any whit worse of them, who were not either able or willing to hold out in the severity of Fasting with them: Nemo urgebatur in aspera, quae ferre non potuit; nulli, quod recusavit, imponebatur; nec ideo condemnabatur acaeteris, quod in iis se imitandis fateretur invalidum: No man amongst them, was urged to endure more, than he was well able to endure; nay, no man had any hardness imposed upon him, which he refused or was any thing unwilling unto: neither was he any whit worse thought on by the rest, because he plainly bewrayed and confessed, that he was not able to go with them or follow them, in the severity of their disciplinary exercise of true Mortification, their godly and severe Fasting, He addeth yet further a memorable note, of the kindelinesse of their Christian Charity, where he saith; that Quibusdam languidioribus humanissime ac modestissimé praeberi vinum faciunt, & stulté nonnullos recusantes fraterné admonent, ne vana superstatione debiliores citius quam sanctiores fiant: They did cause wine to be given most kindly and courteously unto some of the weaker minded and feebler bodied brethren: and when some weak ones nicely and foolishly refused it, they did brotherly warn them to take heed, lest through fond and deceitful superstition, they made themselves by their religious and nice abstinence, sooner to become weaker in their bodies, than any whit holier in their minds. Of their avoiding of the very suspicion of Covetousness and Niggardliness, 
2. Liberality.  when they Fasted, Leo his godly Sermons made concerning [Legitima jejunia] these Law-fasts or Church-fasts as he termeth them▪ are an immortal and everlasting witness. In distributione Eleemosynarum & pauperum curâ nostra pinguescunt jejunia. Deliciae nostrae sunt opera pietatis. Our Fasts are fatted with bestowing of alms and providing for the poor. Our delicates are the works of pity and mercifulness. Of their common detestation of hypocrisy and fraudulency, used in Fasting, 
3. Infraudulenci●.  Saint Jerome in his Epistle to Nepotian, where he saith, that Melius est haec ommia in mente portare quam in corpore, ut ostentui habeantur: A man doth much better, to Fast inwardly in his mind only, then to Fast out wardly in body, to the end, he may get glory by it. Quid prodest oleo non vesci & molestias quasdam difficultatesque ciborum qu●rere, caricas, piper, nuces, palmarum fructus, similam, mel, pistacia? Tota hortorum cultura vexatur, ut cibario non vescamur pane. What doth it better a man to make a false show of Fasting, by abstaining from a grosser and feebler kind of mea●, and at the same time notwithstanding to eat fine and lustier meats? what doth it better a man not to eat oil, and yet to search out the most curious dainties, which are both troublesome to the Cook to dress, because he hath not been acquainted with so strange eats, and also very hard to come by in the whole side of a Country, as the Caricke Figs, so much commonded by julian the Apostata, 
Epist ad Serapionem.  the costliest Pepper, Almonds, Dates, the finest Flower, bread called Simnels, Honey, and the most dainty Bladder nuts, used by wantoness to provoke lust? what a Madness is this? we do not only trouble and vex ourselves, our Caterers, Cooks and other servants, but we do trouble and vex Nature, by forcing her in our Orchards and Gardens, to bring forth some kind of feed or fruit, which we may eat in stead of our ordinary bread, from the which, in our fasts, we are commanded by the Church to abstain: and from which, 
4. Faith.  Daniel and the holy ones of God have abstained in their ordinary Fasts. 
De mori●. Manichaearum & contra Fatustum Manichaeum.  Lastly, of their hating superstitious and foolish abstinence, with a perfect hatred, Saint Augustine's learned and large discourses against the Manichaeans, [Delicata Abstinentia, as Erasmus doth fitly term it] are a plentiful witness. For the mad, Mannichaeans did, as our fond superstitious Papists do at this day, abstain altogether from flesh (yea and from wine too, which the Papists do not:) but yet even in their devoutest Fasts, they glutted themselves with the costliest banqueting dishes, and with other the strongest drinks, that their Parasitical Caterers, Apothecaries, Brewers could possibly devise to provide for them in the whole Country, where they lived. So that, as Cato in Plutarch complaineth of the Bellie-gods of Rome in his time; the same might truly have been spoken of the Epicurism of the Mannichaeans, and may be truly verified at this day of the Romish Clergy, making their belly their god, and their glory their shame; More is given for some dainty strange Fish, then for a sed Ox.  
To shut up therefore my answer to this third question, Touching the severity of Church-fasts, namely with what moderation they are to be broken and what abstinence is fittest to be used, when we break them: the practice of the Saints of God, wherewith I have now confirmed my Answer, that the breaking of them ought to be Severe but not Savage, is sufficient to resolve and settle him, who hath any wit in his head, and is not fond contentious. And surely herein I cannot but by the way greatly commend the good wisdom, and happiness of the Governors of our English Church, ever since the purity of God's truth, and the ancient manners of the best ancient Churches, and Counsels have been restored and reform in it. For who seeth not, 
De morib. Ecclesia Cath. cap. 34.  how wisely and happily they have with those ancient Fathers seen and showed unto the world: Quid intersit (to use still Saint Austin● words) inter portum religionis & sirenas superstitionis: What necessary difference there is betwixt the haven of true religion, and betwixt the Sirens or the Syrenian Rocks of Popish superstition. The Papists had so nuzzled us up in the admiration of their church authority, as that the people of this land, thought their decrees to be the very unvariable Oracles, decrees and customs of the Son of God, and that to disobey them was as mortal a sin, as to break the absolute commandments of the moral law. Whereas therefore at this day we are commanded to fast upon the Wednesdays, and Fridays, &c: our Church governors do teach us, that this command is to be obeyed as an exercise of Religion, commanded conditionally by Christ, 
Look the Church homilies of Fasting.  as pertaining to the well being of that Mortification, which is absolutely commanded by him. But in that we are commanded, when we break our Fasts at night (for our governors would have us to follow the example of better times and not to eat any thing [adnutritionem] for the space of twenty four hours,) in that I say, we are commanded when we break our fasts at night to abstain from flesh, and to eat fish; our Church governors do set down this distinct kind of abstinence, and this positive command, what in special we shall eat, not as an exercise of Religion, but as an exercise of our Civil obebience to the Civil Magistrate, whom for conscience sake also, & that even to the shedding of our dearest heart blood, much more in the restraint of shedding the blood of Sheep, Calves, Bullocks, and in the kill seething and broiling of a few seely fishes, we are to obey as the undoubted Deputy of Christ. So that Turbae imperitorum, 
Proletaria plebe A. Gelli●.  quae vel in ipsa vera religione superstiosae sunt (as Saint Austin saith of them) The unlearned Fry of multitudes, who are still prone to superstition (especially in this old doting age of the decrepit dim-sighted world) even in those Churches of Christ, where the truth of Religion is taught most reformedly and sincerely, cannot now in England Fast superstitiously, though they would, nor any longer in a stubborn mind, to show their good will towards the Church of Rome▪ and their traitorous hearts against the Church of England, upon out Fasting days abstain from Eggs, & white meats, as it is an abstinence enjoined superstitiously in the Church of Rome, a particular Church and not the Catholic Church of our Creed, no ways at all binding their consciences, who are not visible members of the same particular Church.   

Sect. FOUR  

Touching the Severity commanded in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often.  TO the fourth Question, Touching the severe obeying of this command of disciplinary Ordinary Fasts, as it is further determined by Saint Luke's, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 [Then shall they mourn, pray, Fast often:] I answer, that although many religious men even to the number of three thousand together in each Monastery, 
Revenge. 2. Cor. 7.11.  have fasted all the year through, and although in regard of the great necessity of our common and ordinary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be taken by us of our inordinate appetite, whereby Adam and Eve did first transgress, & brought this miserable estate of sin & the wrath of God upon us, their posterity, it were to be wished, as not only Diogenes an heathen man, but also Saint Hierom one of Christ's Saints sometimes wished, that we could always Fast and live without meat: yet the Church of God considering the frailty and weakness of man, have thought their obedience to be acceptable unto Christ, and answerable enough unto this his consultatory command, if they appointed Fasts at some times only, and not at all times of the year. These Fasts (briefly) are either Conceptiva jejunia (to borrow terms [Docendi causa] from Macrobius) or they are Stativa & Stata jejunia. Conceptiva jejunia are Fasts appointed at an uncertain. Such were those Primitive Fasts, 
1. Conceptive Fasts.  Sacrorum ordinum, appointed and kept first at an uncertain, by these children of the Bride-chamber, these near Attendants of Christ, these blessed Apostles. For it is plain, out of the 13. and 14. of the Acts that because the Church of God was then as Noah's Ark, floating upon the waters of affliction, and was as the Dove of Noah's Ark, carrying the Olive branch of spiritual Peace and rest in her mouth, 
Pacalis Oliua.  but finding no bodily peace or rest, for the rest and abode of the sole of her foot; therefore they could set no certain time for the Fast of holy Orders, when they either ordained or instituted Ministers. 
2. Set Fasts.  Stativa jejunia are Fasts appointed at a certain: Such were those four Fasts kept every year, all the time of the seventy years Captivity in Babylon, mentioned Zachar. 7.5. & 8.19. Such are at this day all Church-fasts, whether they be Catholic and Universal, 
Either Catholic and Universal.  commanded and frequented by all Churches, (as is the Fast before the Communion: This forty days Fast of Lent, howsoever in divers circumstances very variable: 

Euseb. 5.23. Epiph. haer. 8 3. Socr. Sch. 5.21. Apud Leo●em serm. 8. de je. iunio. Dec●uni mensis.  
Epiph. ●0. haer. August. ad Caesul.   The Fasts of holy Orders, termed also jejunia Quae ●or Temporum, of the Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter quarters: The Fasts in Vigilijs praecipuarum Festivitaturo, that is to say, upon the chief Saints days evens, and the weekly Fasts of Wednesdays and Fridays, appointed first, as Epiphanius and Austin tell us, to put us in continual remembrance of my Text, and of the causes of our bridegrooms first taking away from us.) Or whether they be Local and particular Fasts; 
Or Local and particular Fasts.  Such as is the Fast of Saturday, which in Saint Ambrose time was kept every week, at Rome, and in all Africa beyond the Sea, but was not kept at Milan, where Saint Ambrose himself was Bishop, nor in any of the Eastern Churches. Such as is also our new Ember-weeke Fast in Rogation week, which is kept within the fifty days after Easter; within which days, as Cyrill, Austin, 
August. ad Casul. & ad januar.  Epiphanius, do all jointly witness, no Church in their time did Fast at all. Thus have we the division of the frequent or often Fasting, commanded and commended unto us by Christ himself, in this consultatory Precept, [Than shall they Fast often] and thus have the Governors of the Church of Christ, from age to age, continued their obedience unto the Command of their Bridegroom, by commanding straightly, and practising severely, all these Legitima jejunia, as Leo an ancient Father termeth them, besides their Voluntaria jejunia, (as he also speaketh) their Voluntary private Fasts, which after the example of Cornelius in the 10. of the Acts, and of Saint Paul, 1. Cor. 7.5. and 1. Cor. 9.27. they daily imposed upon themselves in their private houses. Amongst these Church-law-Fasts, (as Leo calleth them) the Catholic Fasts, not only by reason of their universality and Antiquity ultramemoriall; (for even in regard of their antiquity, many of the Fathers have dared to call them Apostolical) but also by reason of the weighty causes and special holy ends, for the which they were first ordained, have been held in highest account, and kept with greatest Severity, But amongst these Catholic and Universal Fasts, the Fast before the Communion hath been of greatest religiousness; next unto it, the Fasts of Holy Orders, and of these, the most religious hath been, the Fast of the seventh month, in which month only, amongst all the Months of the year, God commanded his people of Israel, by special absolute Precept, to keep their feast of Reconciliation with Fasting, from Eventide to eventide, because (as Leo and some other Fathers not improbably have imagined) upon that very same tenth day of September, 
The Fast of the seventh month, a Fast of high account with all the people of God in all Ages.  Adam and Eve did first transgress in Paradise, by eating the forbidden fruit. Next unto these in account, have been the Fasts of Lent, especially of Caput Quadragesima, which we call Ash-wednesday, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which we call Good-friday Fast. For upon these days, not only the Competentes or Catechameni, and the public or private extraordinary Penitents, but even every devout Christian in the time of the Fathers, if not openly, as the Extraordinary Penitents and Competentes had, yet privily (as before I noted concerning jehoram) had sackcloth or hair cloth sewed about their loins: Lastly, the next unto these, of principal account, were the Fasts [in Vigilijs praecipuarum festivitatum] the Fasts held upon the chief Saints days Eevens, as it is plain out of Leo his Sermons, De jeiunio Decimi Mensis, and out of the Homilies and Sermons of Ambrose, Austin, Bernard and others. For to the end they might humbly and reverently prepare themselves unto the blessed and joyful keeping of Christmas, and other high Festival Days, they did solemnly and publicly bestow the whole nights in Prayer, 
Thereupon it came, that the Saturday Fasts and Vigils were so thickly and often frequented by the Church of Rome, when she was in a good name, and by the Churches of Africa in Saint Austin and Leo his time, that people might be the more holily prepared unto the observation of the Christian Sabbath.  and in singing of Psalms, and in hearing the word of God preached or read unto them. Surely, (to the just condemnation of our fleshly and more dissolute times I speak it) Those ancient Fathers and their people, in whom there was that Primitive vigour of the spiritous new wine of the Gospel, did keep these and other their Ordinary and Voluntary Fasts, with far greater humiliation of their souls and bodies before God, than we at this Day, or rather dead night of all Christian godliness, do keep our most piacular Extraordinary Fasts, when the Sword, Famine, Pestilence, or other more grievous causes and curses have smitten us down to the place of Dragons. And yet they never fainted, or were any thing at all weary, with the weekly (if not daily) observance of them, neither did they intermit or lose any time, but rather gained time for the following of the necessary works of their outward callings. So truly, so wisely, so zealously obedient were they, in the most severe practice of this Commandment [Then shall they mourn, fast, pray and make Supplications Often.] The hypocritical, foolish, filthy & wanton breach or ignorance of which Commandment amongst us Christians at this day, in all the Churches of the world, is, as the Poet speaketh, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the unhappy mother of all disobedience, Atheism, Barbarism, which now do grow so fast upon this delicious last Age of this second ungodly world, the gluttonous and fleshly humorousnesse whereof, must very shortly be dried & licked up with the fire of God's last vengeance.   

Sect. V.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  Math. 9.15. 
THere now remaineth but one thing more to be added, for the full and faithful Explanation of this Text, and of this whole Doctrine, 
The formal holiness of these evangelical Fasts.  concerning evangelical Fasts; that is, Their Holiness intimated in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mourn, & defined in the next parable to be far above the Holiness of Legal, Prophetical, or More than Prophetical Fasts. For our Saviour Christ's Gospel Fasts commanded here, 
Seven Profane ends.  and commended in the next parable must be, as new cloth fit to mend a decay in the best and strongest devotioned minds, and as new wine to be contained only in the best seasoned and holiest, and purest Vessels, or bottles of his Spirit. In a word, They must not therefore be defined and esteemed to be truly Religious and holy, because both fasting and abstinence, are phisicionall, and very wholesome for man's body, (for than Aurelian the heathen Emperor, who having a strong body is chronicled to have cured all the ordinary diseases of his body by much Fasting, might have been canonised for a Saint;) nor because they are very praisable amongst men, and very commodious to commonwealths. (For then the Philosophers, and the niggards fastings might be accounted Religious;) nor because God hates the flesh or fat of our bodies (for then Baal's fanatical Priests, and the mad Mannichaeans might have been in the number of holy Fasters;) nor yet, ex opere operato, because they are Fasts, or because they are Severe Fasts (for then Catiline that famous traitor, as Sallust witnesseth of him, and Asses, and Mules, as Saint Austin showeth, might carry away the prize, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  and praise of holy Fasting from us;) nor because they are commanded by God without all specifying of their holy end, without the which they being things indifferent, and not simply or actually good of themselves, cannot be said to have any constitutive form of holiness (for then the abstinence from swine's flesh, etc. and the old unprofitable shreds, or the old fugient low running sour wine of Phansaicall Fasting might now have been worth the applying to new garments, and the putting into new bottles, and might still have been in good request with Christ for the children of his Bride-chamber;) nor because we abstain from eggs, and all white meats, & therein Canonically obey the false Catholic Church of Rome, (for that were with the Donatists to bring in judaism again, and to make the Church of Rome, which is but one particular Church, and at the best but one part only, of the whole body of the Catholic Church in our Creed, 
Surely this were to re-edify the partition wall, which Christ broke down, and to set up a new jerusalem at Rome.  to be the only Catholic Church:) nor because our gospel Fasts are perfect virtues, or bona opera primi meriti, properly meritorious either Ex congruo or ex condigno, as the blind Owls of the unclean age of Popery have not been ashamed to teach in their supererogatory School Divinity (for then these very children of the Bride-chamber might worthily have fasted, whilst the Bridegroom stayed in person with them;) For none of these seven profane ends (I say) must or ought the Gospel Fasts of Christ to be esteemed Religious. But then, then and only than they become indeed the Fasts, which Christ hath chosen as his new shreds, and new wine fit for the new vessels of his spirit, when they have all these six holy ends, or some of the chiefest of them propounded unto them.  
The First formal end sanctifying our Gospel Fast, is hearty mourning, 
Six holy ends.  and humbling of the soul before God, both in the Sensitive soul, and also more especially in the two parts of the will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The desire and Motion, which are the proper seats of Concupiscence, the Foster mother of all sin. In this regard, Fasting hath been counted by the Father's one of our christian nails of mortification, whereby our flesh is nailed to Christ's cross, and Saint Ambrose calls Fasting, Venenum vitiorum, 
In Hexane●.  the poison of vices. For as he saith, that the natural Serpent is found by experience, to be killed oftentimes by licking up the spittle of one, that is Fasting: so we that are of years, do find by experience, that the spiritual Serpent, the devils suggestions, and these common vices of Drunkenness, Gluttony, Baseness, Timorousness, Venereousnesse, Wantonness against Christ, Lightness, Inconstancy, Pride, Talkativenesse, Blasphemies, Forgetfulness of God & his wrath against sin, Ignorance of ourselves and our betters (For as it is Pro. 30.21. A servant, when he reigneth: and a fool, when his belly is full, who is able to bear?) we, I say, that are of years, do find by Experience, that all these vices are soon overcomed, and killed in us by the through decoction of the superfluous abounding humours of Melancholy, Choler, Rheum, Sanguineousnes, in our discreet and Religious Fast.  
The Second end, is the fatting of the soul with the chiefest Christian virtues. Etsi ieiumium perfecta Virtus non sit: est tamen fundamentum Virtutum omnium: Although Fasting be no perfect Virtue, saith Saint Hierom, yet it is a foundation unto all Virtues. Semper Virtuti cibus est, 
Ad Rusticum.  saith Leo in his second Sermon, De jeiunio decimi mensis: It is always as foison and nourishment to Virtue. And in his first Sermon De Quadragesima: Parum est si carnis substantia tenuatur & animae fortitudo non alitur: It is to small purpose, if the flesh be abated by Fasting, and yet the Virtue and constancy of the mind be nothing better fed. Temperance, Patience, Humility, Tolerance, Hardiness to endure Famine in time of persesecution, when with Master Bradford, we shall be brought to an Egg a day, and to eat Mice, as our banished Saints did at Strasborough, in the days of Queen Marie, especially our right Christian fellow-feeling both what Christ himself suffered for our sins, when he hungered in the wilderness, and dieted himself with barley bread and water, in Villages and Towns with his Disciples, and also what our poor brethren, our fellow-members in Christ do endure, when in a most uncharitable Age, they are driven to run to the water kit for their drink, and to the beane-stacke for their bread. These and many other virtues and graces of God's Spirit, are bred and fed in us by Fasting. For this outward Fasting in the body, is the cause of that, which our Church-Homily calleth the Inward or Spiritual Fasting, and the Saints of God in those ancient Prime-dayes of godliness, 
Master Calvin doth in this regard call Fasting (Adminiculum precum) the under prop of our heavy hearts to make them more fit for prayer, which being vnhumbled, and fed with sensuality, do seldom pray devoutly or zealously.  did more especially use Fasting, as an help of their devotions these three ways. First, (as Saint Cyrill testifieth) they used it to make them the better able to keep their vows of Chastity. Secondly (which was their most common use of Fasting) they used it, as Saint chrysostom did, to the Elevation of their understanstandings, and to raise up their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. their earthly drooping thoughts unto the meditation of the highest heavenly mysteries and happiness. Thirdly they used it commonly for the more holy and happy preparing of their souls and bodies, not only, to the worthy receiving of the holy Communion, but also unto all other great and weighty employments, wherein God's glory, and the good of many, 
Ezra. 8.  was principally procured. Ezra, when he led seventeen hundred of the jews his brethren, out of Babylon to jerusalem, he first proclaimed a Fast, & caused them all to Fast with him, to the end, that God might defend and prosper them in their journey towards jerusalem. 
Nehem. 1.4.  Nehemias', when he attempted that great hazard, in desiring Arlaxerxes favour, to repair the walls and the houses of jerusalem, he first Fasted and Prayed. Saint john the Evangelist, when he began to write his Gospel, he first Fasted and Prayed, and caused (as some report) the whole Church of Ephesus to Fast and pray with him. Saint Paul, that chosen vessel, when he was now to preach that Gospel, which afore he had persecuted to the death, first Fasted and Prayed three days and three nights together. The Apostles, these children of the Bride-chamber, when they first ordained or instituted Ministers, they first Fasted and Prayed. Lastly, our glorious Saviour, the holy one of God, when he first began his public ministery and Work of our Redemption, Fasted his forty days and forty nights Fast in the wilderness, and as it is probable (out of the sixth of Luke 12. verse) afore he called his twelve Apostles, and sent them forth to the public Function of their Apostleship, he first had spent a whole day and a whole night in Fasting and Prayer upon that Mountain, where he gave that long charge, and made that long Sermon, recorded in so many places, by the three Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, unto them  
The third end of Religious Fasting, is the more commodious maintenance of the state of Christendom, especially of our poor hunger starved neighbours, who bring up themselves and their children most barbarously, basely and unchristianly in these last days of sin, by reason that their gluttonous Landlords, without fear feeding themselves, do so in their gurmaundizing live to eat, and not eat to live, as that they eat and spend more at one meal, then would find their poor Tenant, 
Among these, we may number Tobacco, which is more savadgely abused, than any other creature.  his wife, children, servants, their common finding, an whole twelve month together. Nature, and the God of Nature, The Father of our Lord jesus Christ, who giveth us all things abundantly to possess, hath not given us (as Master Calvin saith) his green herb, his bladder-nut; his fish, soul, pullen; his oil, corn, wine; his calves, beeves, sheep, swine, and other more noble Creatures than these: as those Quails and that Manna to the Israelites, in this wilderness of sin, to raven wildly and unsatiably like merciless Vermin, Vultures, Wolves, Kites, upon them, or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, contumeliously and riotously to abuse them at our pleasure: but (as Nemesius an ancient Greek Father telleth us) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. cap. 1.  for the filling of the Gomer and reasonable measure of our necessary and temperate appetite. We cannot then have abundance, no, nor sufficiency of maintenance, in this swilling-tankerd-tinkerly drunken time, where all goes up for the filling of the bladder and the guts [not in Requisita naturae, 
These are the honest Semnologies, of these two honest Authors, commonly known to the learned.  as Tacitus speaketh; but according to Seneca's terms, in Effusa & reliquias ventris] we cannot possibly, I say, have any mean sufficiency of common maintenance, for ourselves and Christ's poor, unless some men and women in the world have very frugal bellies, and do Fast every other day. For nature being measured and proportioned by God's number, line and measure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only, only for the honest relief and sustenance of the moderate appetite of his reasonable creatures, and yet not one man being found amongst a thousand, who contenteth himself with this his Gomer or Dimensum, that is, with this his necessary allowance and stint allotted him by God, 
Luc. 16.19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  but every man seeking with Dives in the Gospel, to far deliciously and courtly every day, without intermission, giving (as Prudentius our Christian famous Lyric speaketh) no rest at all to his jaws, 

Venture Saturionis nullas residet esuriales ferias.  
Such a glutton, his beli●e hath no Holy-dates nor Sabbaths of rest. Plaut.   stomach, belly, which are tired with their continual gorges: it cometh to pass, that Nature becomes often defective unto us, and Diogenes is proved too true a man of his word, that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man's belly is the notable privy thief and devouring guife of all man's necessary provision, so that many unnecessary dearths are still brought upon us Christians ourselves, who are Christ's inheritance, and Christ's household, and who should otherwise (no doubt) have meat enough in due season given unto us. Therefore Beatus est, qui ieiunat, ut alat pauperem, the state of things being thus, Blessed is that man, who thinketh to sanctify his Fast, with this holy end, and considereth the poor and needy, when he fasteth to feast them. Is not this the Fast, that I have chosen (saith God Isa. 58.6.7.) to loose the bands of wickedness, to take of the heavy burdens of rent raising, and rend racking, to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is not this my Fast to deal thy bread to the hungry, to bring the poor, that wander, unto thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and bide not thyself from thine own flesh? God would have his Fast to be a jubilee Fast.  
The fourth worthy end of our ordinary Fasting, 
4. 2. Cor. 7.11.  is by it and in it to show our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our ordinary & hearty indignation, & revenge against that our first parents Adam and Eve, their sinning by their inordinate and immoderate appetite of that forbidden taste, 
The Fast of the seventh month.  of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge, of good and evil. As I have already declared, God himself seemeth to have propounded this end to that his special anniversary Fast, which he so straightly charged the Israelites to keep upon the tenth day of September. Hoc tempu● habemus aptissimum sanationi illius vulneris quod nobi● inflictum est in prima vetiti degustatione, quod tempus ieiunandi & Apostolicis & legalibus institutis videmus electum. This time of Fasting in the seventh month (saith Leo Serm. 8. De jeiunio septimi mensis) we have as the fittest time wherein to cure that wound, which was given us all in that first taste of the forbidden fruit; which time also we see, was chosen both by the constitutions of the Apostles, and by the institution of the law of Moses. Cum enim per illecebram cibi irrepserit prima causa peccati, Quo salubriore dei munere utatur redempta libertas, quam ut noverit abstinere a concessis, quae fraenare se nescivit a vetitis? And seeing (as the same Leo excellently reasoneth in his Sermon de jeiunio Pentecostes) that the first cause of sin crept in through the alluring bait of necessary food, what more wholesome gift of God's gracious spirit can our Redeemed liberty, of eating all the herbs in our gardens, use in remedy of the abuse of that partial and half demili-bertie of eating but some things in that garden of Eden, then that it know and remember always to be able, and willing to abstain from things lawful and granted, which remembered not to refrain itself at the first from things unlawful and forbidden? 
Calu. inst. lib. 3 cap. 3 sect. 15.  Quo enim Severiores in nos sunius & aeriore censura quaestionem habemus de peccatis nostris, eo debemus sperare magis propitium ac misericordem Deum. For it is Master Calvin's good and sound Divinity, discoursing in general of the necessity of the seventh part of Contrition, which the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
2. Cor. 7.  Revenge; That the more severe we are against ourselves, and the more hardly and sharply we correct, examine, and torture our sinful flesh and our sins, we ought to hope certainly to have God the more propitious and merciful towards us. But especially this revenge by Fasting, is most necessary of all other, 
For he that washeth himself, because of a dead body and toucheth it again, what availeth his washing 〈◊〉 So is it with a man, that fasteth for his sins and committeth them again, who will hear his prayer: or what doth his fasting help him: Eccl 34.  because man being corrupted, especially with the distemperature of this inordinate appetite, whereby Adam and Eve did sin, hath now a greater proneness to sin by the same, both in eating and in drinking, then by any other fleshly appetite, or desire whatsoever. And for the same cause Fasting aught to be continual, severe, rigorous against all fleshly appetites, as Ben Syrach warneth us. Ec. 34.27.  
The fifth worthy end of our Fasting is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the adorning of the Doctrine of the Gospel by it, when we remember, what the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 10.31. Whether ye eat or drink or Whatsoever ye do else, 
Tit. 2.10.  do all to the glory of God, and what Zacharie complaineth against the hypocrisy of the jews in Babylon for omitting this end of Fasting in their Fasts: These 70. years in your four devout Fasts, ye have not Fasted unto me, saith the Lord Zachar. 7.5.  
We bring honour to the truth of the Gospel, which we profess either privatively by stopping the slanderous mouths of the adversaries thereof, as Christ doth here in my Text, by adding this Anticipation [Then shall they Fast,] or Positively by confirming to the consciences of all men, 
Sancta hypocrisis, in the Fathers of the Church dialect is, when a man doth practise more than he teacheth.  that our Hypocrisy in words, is that which the Father's term, Sanctam Hypocrisin, the odd kind of holy Hypocrisy, when we speak indeed much of mortification of the flesh by Fasting, but practise more in Fasting then we speak. First we stop the blasphemous mouths of Gentle Philosophers, who brag so much of their Pythagoras his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: his eating but about a pint of meal in a day, and of julian that famous Apostata, who in one of his extant Greek Epistles saith, that the Christian life in his days was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was but a swinish life, in comparison of his own austere life, and of the austere lives of jamblichus, Plotine, Maximus and other his fellow Sophisters. These Cerberean mouths of hell are presently stopped, when they hear us tell them of Moses, Elias, Christ, their forty days, and forty nights Fasting: or of the abstinence and austereness of David, jonadab, Daniel, john Baptist, Anna the Prophetess, Saint Paul: or but of the Ordinary and Extraordinary Fasting of common Christians: S. Chrysostom, Ambrose, Hierom, Austin; or but even of their followers, either in monasteries or in secular states, who besides their contenting themselves with the stint of their one Gomera day, that is, with one spare homely meal a day throughout the year, did oftentimes Fast extraordinarily for the removing of God's judgements from themselves and their neighbours three days, and three nights together. Saint Ambrose witnesseth of his people Lib. 1. De penitent. Chap. 16. That they did Sulcare continuis fletibus genas, ieiuno ore semper & pallido mortis speciem spiranti in corpore praeferentes; That they did make deep furrows in their Lenten-cheekes through the continual dropping and falling of tears from their eyes, and hearts for their sins, and the miseries of this life, carrying always about with them a very ghastly picture of death in their weak breathing bodies, and in their pale Lenton faces. The remembrance and true evidence of these Fasters, putteth to silence the outward Adversary, the Gentile, the Apostata, the Atheist. The like remembrance and true evidence of Christian Fasting in the Orthodoxal Protestant at this day, charmeth the lawless tongue of the Inward Adversary, the schismatical Brownist, or heretical Papist. Calvin, Latimer, Bradford, jewel, Whitgift, Whitakers, Fox, who have in their Extraordinary and Ordinary Fasts, and in the perpetual moderation of a temperate appetite, far excelled the superstitious, fraudulent, hypocritical Mannichaean Fast of the Church of Rome, are worthy and true Evidences hereof. What should I speak of these principal worthies of our David, Christ jesus, or of any of their Compieres, the kindliest children of the ancient Fathers, and the rightest successors of these children of the Bride-chamber. Surely, I am persuaded, that even we, who keep but our Ordinary Church-fasts throughout the year, and do especially, all these forty days of Lent, (I mean the week days) take unto us only a morsel of brown bread, and a draft of ordinary drink after our daily Morning prayer, and at night again take our meals meat (as we call it) moderately and sparingly, making it to consist of the homeliest dishes and smallest drink, are able to beat the devoutest Papist at this his best spiritual weapon, religious Fasting. For mine own part, give me leave to speak somewhat fond of that, which myself have often experienced truly. I could never yet, for the space of these ten years, meet with any Popish favourite, or proselyte, 
1608. Annus est hic aetatir nostrae 38. Ordinibus sacris initiatus eram. Anno aetatis 28. Dem. 1598.  since I first began to know, what Fasting meant, either in the University or in the Country, who hath been either willing or able to hold out with me in this, which I take to be our right Canonical English Church-Fast. Namely in this unfraudulent eating but one course meal a day, whilst Lent lasteth. How much more then, will stricter Abstinence and Fasting, of stronger devotioned Protestants amongst us, confound them, and all their great Brags, of I know not what, their Great Fasting.  
But not only Privatively do we honour Christ's Truth, by keeping that calumnious Retortion of jobs speech, 
job, 40.11.  spoken of Behemoth, understood of the Devil and of all fleshly Epicures, Vires eorum in Lumbis eorum, & virtus eorum in umbilico ventris sui; Their strength is in their lascivious, venereous Loins, and their virtue consists [in a bene curata cute] in their belly timber and in their soft pubble skins: Not only (I say) when we fast Christ's Fasts, do we keep this devilish calumny and reproach, from being retorted upon Christ's Church and Christ's Truth amongst us: but Positively also we confirm unto God's Saints and unto ourselves, all these principal Conclusions of our Christian Religion; namely, That we are here, as in the house of mourning, absented from the bodily presence of our soul's Bridegroom: That we here, as Pilgrims, truss up our loins, and spend no more upon our bellies and backs, than strangers do, who are far from their native home, making only a hard shift for a time, until we come into our heavenly I●ha●a, the Paradise of Christ: That we live not by bread only, but by every word of power and promise, that proceedeth out of the mouth of God: That Christ is our Manna and heavenly Bread: That (for the demonstration whereof, Moses, Elias, Christ did principally Fast) the Law, the Prophecies, the Gospel, are altogether spiritual and not carnal: And lastly, That (as Saint Ieromes speech is in an Epistle to Rusticus) by living [in carne sine carne] in the flesh (as it were) without the flesh, we may begin already to have our conversation in heaven, being already translated from death unto life, conforming our vile bodies (what we can) to Christ's glorified body, making our earthly fleshly bodies, a certain type in themselves unto themselves, of their undoubted and certain future being hereafter heavenly spiritual bodies, according to God's promise, in which dwelleth righteousness.  
The sixth and last safe intention and lawful end, of our Religious Fasting, in the time of the Gospel, is the assured Purchase of that great undefiled Reward, which by a kind of Metalepsis, is out of God's promises, Imputatively due unto our Fasting, but properly is due only unto the only true and proper Merit and Condignity of Christ's Fasting. One part of this Reward, is intimated in this next Parable. The new shred suitably and rightly applied in the mending of Christ's new cloth; the new wine being put orderly into Christ's new bottles shall both be preserved together, that is to say, Both Gospel Fast and Gospel Faster shall be jointly preserved from loss and hellish destruction An other part is set down by Moses unto God's Israel, in the 8. Deuter. 16. God fed thee in the Wilderness, with that dry Manna, which thy fathers knew not, to humble thee and to prove thee to the end, that he might do thee good at thy latter end. A third part is prophesied by Isay 58.8. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall grow speedily; thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall embrace thee; Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shalt say, Here I am. A fourth Promise is made again by Christ, in the sixth of Matthew 17.18. vers. and that even to private and domestical Fasters. When thou dost Fast (saith Christ) thy secret private Fast truly and unfraudulently, as unto God, and not unto men, Thy Father, and the Father of thy Fast, who seeth thee and it in secret, will reward thee openly, as he did Cornelius in the tenth of the Acts.  
Fiftly and lastly, not only are excellent Promises made unto our Public and Private Fasting, in regard of the Blessings, which shall thence redound unto our own souls and bodies, or unto our wives, children, servants, neighbours, kindred, friends, but also in regard of a plentiful Harvest of spiritual & temporal blessings, which shall thence redound to the whole Diocese, Province, Country, Nation, Church, where we Fast. Eccles. 10.16.17. Woe, we to thee (O Land) when thy King is a child, and thy Princes (like unto those worse kind of Persian kings) eat in the morning (as though they were borne of Sardanapalus, that is, for nothing but bed and board:) But Blessed, blessed art thou. (O Land) when thy King is the son of Nobles, and thy Princes eat in time (like chaste Hippolyti, with Hunter's stomachs in the afternoon) Ad Robur, non ad compotationem; for the necessary strengthening of their exercised and toiled bodies. If the Magistrates, their temperate eating, which oftentimes is even natural unto many men, bring such a blessing with it, to the Land and Country where they rule in what Vintages of all kinds of Blessings, will not their right Religious evangelical Fasting commanded and commended here by the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the Son of God, procure and purchase to God's Church, at Gods most merciful and boundtifull hand?    

CHAP. FOUR The Peroration or hortatory conclusion of this Discourse.  
ANd thus at length have I hasted, what I could, to finish my Lenten penance, this lean and tedious discourse of Fasting, which is (to use Quintilian's term) exossata oratio, nothing but hard and harsh skin and bone: thus at length have I hasted to pay my long vows to this short Text, which few do understand, many have misunderstood, none of us with that Severity and Holiness, do Christianly practise, wherewith Christ himself, the only Law giver able to save and destroy, in these two parables would have it to be practised, and wherewith not only these children of the Bride-chamber, but also the Bride herself in the first thousand years after her bridegrooms departure did most devoutly, & discreetly and obediently practise it.  
Christ the Bridegroom, hath seen and known, how I have behaved myself in the handling of this Text. Before him I do in all humility of spirit protest, that I have not prophesied anything out of mine own brain, nor usurped violently upon the Text, as if it were Nasus cereus, a nose of wax to wrest or descant upon at my pleasure; neither have I uttered any thing unnecessary or impertinent; nor could I more briefly handle it, unless I should have played the part of a deceitful workman and been unfaithful unto it.  
What now remaineth, but that as our understandings have suffered their Lent-penance, in taking the tedious information of so unpleasant a discourse: so now our wills and affections, do take their Lenten penance, also by suffering the words of exhortation, That, if the Devil, the world, or the flesh have catched any hold, and made any dangerous rent in them, as in Christ's new garments; we would be wise & careful presently to make it up again with the shred of this new piece, out of Christ's wardrobe, this evangelical Fasting: If the Devil, the world or the flesh, have vented, abated or any whit diminished the vigour, strength, quantity or substance of Christ's new wine, the graces of his spirit of Regeneration in them, being as Christ's new bottles▪ we would presently restore, and repair the loss again by the ready supply of this new wine, this evangelical Fasting, which the Church of God publicly, we ourselves privately are to draw out of this Cellar, so called in the second of the Canticles, this Gospel command and word of Christ [Then shall they Fast.] If we be not able to follow or imitate the miraculous, and extraordinary Fasts of Christ himself, of Moses, of Elias: yet strive we to keep those Fasts, which the children of the Bride-chamber, kept and appointed to be kept, when the Bridegroom was taken away from them. If their new piece also be unsuitable; if their now wine be of too strong a grape, because they were men of an extraordinary spirit: yet let us not shrink or refuse to hold out our Fasts with Tertullian, Cyprian, Austin, Leo, Gregory, Bernard; or but with their people & lay men, men altogether of our own size, strength, metal and fashion. These are but one meal a day throughout the year. If we be not able to humble ourselves so low, & to mourn with them so long as the whole year through; yet let it not grieve us in this former spring of the year, to consecrate with them this tenth part of the year I mean, This forty days Fast of Lent, as an holy tenth unto Christ the ancient of days, 
The great necessity of fasting all the weekdays of Lent.  that the first fruits of our blood being purged, and holy in the first beginning of the year, the whole year following may be sanctified and blessed unto us. We are every year very careful in the latter spring of the year, to sweat and toil to the great hazard of our healths forty days together at the least, that we may inn a plentiful harvest, for the sustenance of our bodies the whole year following. Surely we have far greater reason to ply this Lent time (which the Fathers usually call the Christian harvest of our souls) and even to hazard our healths by swearing drops of our heartblood, at the sight of God's wrath against our ordinary, and extraordinary sins, by weeping, Fasting, and praying, and by continual hearing, and reading the word of God, to the end, we may inn a rich and plenteous crop for the whole years sustenance of our souls. The heathen people (as Athen●ns one of their Greek writers telleth us) had every year a Spring-song, which they did use to sing in their streets at the first sight of the swallow; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The swallow, the swallow is come bringing the good hours and the good year with her. The like Spring-song doth Christ himself sing unto his spouse the Church, in the second of the Canticles the tenth verse: Arise my Love, my fair one, and come thy way. For behold (saith he) the Winter is past. The rain is changed, and is gone away, The flowers appear in the earth, The time of singing of birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land. What is this Window song, this May-song, this Spring-song [Arise my Love, my fair one, and come away etc.:] but our Saviour Christ his rousing of us out of our dead Winter sleep of sin, by the preaching of the Gospel of Repentance at the windows of our ears, which he openeth with his own hands, and the power of his spirit? what is this first appearing, and opening of the Spring-floures out of the winter prison of the earth, which was fast-bard, and lock with cold frosts, afore the sun returning began to resolve the frozen cold, and with his heat to make a g●ole-deliuerie of the fruit of the vegetative life of earth: but the first appearing and opening of the flowers of Faith and Repentance, by the comfortable and lively heat of the Sun of righteousness Christ jesus, who with the heat of his zealous Spirit, resolveth the frozen unfallowed ground of men's sinful hearts dead in sins and trespasses, and with the cold blasts of God's desertions, mollifieth & quickeneth them, through their Lent-fast, delivereth them out of the winter-prison of ignorance, infidelity, presumption, security, forgetfulness of God, acediousnesse, unzealousnesse, into which, natural concupiscence, Satan's suggestions, the evil examples and continual custom of sin in the world, had either subtly or by strong hand cast them? What's lastly this, which Christ calls Our Land, but the Place of his feet, his Vineyard, his Native Soil, his Church, whereof he himself is the chief Member, the chief Vine, the best Plant, and of whose Zion it is said, that He was borne there? What's this voice of the Turtle, 
Catechumeni, are they, who being baptised amongst us, when they were children, do now in Lent first prepare themselves to the receiving of the Communion at Easter. Competentes▪ I call those who in former time have desired baptism at Easter.  heard in this his and our Land, but the mournful voice of the Catechumeni, Competentes; Ordinary and Extraordinary Penitents, mourning (all the time of this forty days Fast of Lent) as a Turtle, or chattering all together, as Swallows, in the dust of Ordinary and Extraordinary Repentance? Like a Crane or a Swallow, so did I chatter; said Penitent Hezekias, Isa. 38.14.) I did mourn, as a Dove.  
But besides this great Conveniency of having this forty days Harvest for our soul's Humiliation and Sanctification at this time of the year; we are further for this cause to be very desirous to follow the Saints of God in the severe keeping thereof, because (as Saint Austin saith) it may be, and aught to be kept, as a Resculptive and Memorative Fast. The four Fasts in Zacharie, 
Zach. 7. & 8.  kept by the jews in Babylon, were all Memorative. For the Fast of the tenth month, was kept in remembrance of Nabuchodonosor his first laying of siege against jerusalem: The Fast of the fourth month, in remembrance of the grievous famine and taking of their City, and killing of their Nobles: The Fast of the fifth month, in remembrance of Nabuzaradan the King of Babylon's Steward, his burning of the Temple and the City: The Fast of the seventh month, in remembrance of the cutting off of the last hope of their comfort, namely, of good Gedaliah his treacherous slaying, by that ambitious and cursed Ishmael, jeremy 40. 14.16. & 41. 1 2.3. After the same manner, this our forty days Fast of Lent, is Memorative, and is kept by the Churches of God, to put us into a lively and sensible remembrance of the forty days Fast of Moses, Elias, Christ; of the forty days and forty night's Rain, which brought in Noah's Flood, upon that former ungodly world; and of that Extraordinary and most humble Fortie-dayes Fast of the Penitent Ninivites, whereby they did prevent the Universal Deluge of destruction threatened by jonas, at the forty days end.  
To use no more reasons, to set out unto our consciences, The great necessity of this our Lent-fast in all Churches: Let not this still, still be the Egyptian shame of our Church of England, that, when Moses is forty days and forty nights twice told, Fasting in Mount Horeb, 
Deut. 9 9 & 18, 25.  the Mount of God, partly at the sight of the glorious pattern of God's true Worship, partly at the sight of the Israelites idolatrous and false worship: we, with those beastly, profane, idolatrous, wild headed, irreligious, fleshly, wanton, calvish minded. Israelites, worship Our golden Calves, and the vanities and lusts of our fleshly appetites, Eating and drinking, and rising up to play; That, when Elias is in his grievous Fast of forty days and forty nights, walking to the same Mount of God Horeb, we, with Ahab and jesabel run a whoring from God, to the mountain of Samaria, the haughtiness and stubborness of our irreligious and impenitent hearts: That, whilst Christ himself, is for our sakes in the wilderness, fight upon all disadvantages, with the greatest punishment of our sins Famine, and with the greatest enemy of our Salvation, the Devil; we, after the example of the devils instruments, the fleshly jews, altogether mindless of our Salvation, fight for the Devil and the flesh, against Christ, by our impenitency, in practising our customary manner of sinning all manner of sins, of drunkenness, gluttony, licentiousness, wantonness, strife, envy, oppression of our poor people and tenants, following the world and our suits in Law, more fiercely and griedily at this time of the year, then at any other time beside. That lastly, whilst godly Noah, Shem and japhet are lamenting and exercising Continency and Fasting, at the fearful fight of the destruction of an ungodly world, whose dead carcases were continually beaten by the waters & knocked against the side of the Ark▪ to put them in mind of God's just wrath against sin; whilst the King of Ninive, descending from his Chair of State, into the dust and ashes of Extraordinary Repentance, Fasteth in Sackcloth with his Nobles and penitent People, even to the beast that perisheth, because it is the instrument of man's sin: whilst Tertullian, Cyprian, Austin, Leo, Gregory, Bernard, and all the godly Fathers, for the space of a thousand years and more after Christ, are every year marshalling themselves, their Extraordinary Penitents, 
All these things are truly gathered out of the Father's writings.  their Catechumeni, their Competentes after the example of so worthy Precedents in dust, sack cloth and ashes, for their Ordinary and Extraordinary sins, preaching once at the least every day, so long as Lent lasteth; frequenting public Prayer thrice every day, laying aside a great part of their worldly necessary business, watching some nights, and lying upon the ground, to listen if they might chance to hear the soft and sudden coming of the feet of the thief of the night, the stealing of the day of judgement upon them, or to hear the first blast and sound of the last Trumpet of God, or the first shout of our Lord, at his last descending in the Clouds, or the first word of the voice of the Archangel, or at least the crowing of S. Peter's Cock, to call them out of their dead sleeps or light slumbers of fleshly security, that they might go out & weep bitterly for their sins; taking but one spare homely meal on the week day all this time of Lent, reconciling themselves to their adversaries, in any suit of law, or in any offensivenesse whatsoever, and giving largely to the poor, especially abating their poor debtors their debts, & tenants their rents, as an Easter jubilee, and as a true fruit of that Christian fast which God hath chosen: Let not this, this, I say, be still, still the burning Egyptian shame of our Church of England, that so many make no difference at all betwixt Lent, & Christmas, hawking, hunting, carding, dicing, Horsracing, playing at Football, letting loose the reins of our flesh to all things lawful or unlawful, casting nets over our simple brethren, following and hoately pursuing all vantages, quarrels, demands, actions about worldly matters, never thinking of the nearest dearness of the great day of the great judgement, continually forgetting the continually gasping mouth of hell, which every other year by Popish treacheries, either at home, or abroad is gasping, and opening upon us, never thanking the Lord, for so miraculous, and often shutting it, accounting ourselves to be with john the Apostle, whom Christ loved, impaled within the arms, and breast of Christ, the Bridegroom; shut in there (as it were) out of the peril of all gun-shot, and out of all danger of Plagues, inundations, unseasonable weather, terrible Tuesdays (terrible by the Gouraean conspiracy, terrible by that Gun powder treason, terrible by our late strange winds, winds of that breath of God's wrath, wherewith the fire of hell is kindled.)  
If we cannot Fast with one spare and homely meal a day all the week days of Lent, 
The great necessity of Fasting the last week of Lent, which is Christ and his members, their Passion week, called by the Fathers, Hebdomada pa●osa.  so long as Lent lasteth (as our Church would have us) yet at the least let us hear the word of God read or preached unto us, & let us in truth, and no longer in profane & childish Hypocrisy (according to the words of our common Liturgy) Turn unto the Lord by weeping, fasting, and praying, This whole last week of Lent, which we call Hebilomadam paenosam, the Passion week, in which we ought (if ever) to redeem our ill-kept Lent, and to prepare ourselves by nailing our sinful flesh unto Christ's cross of mortification, to the end, we may rise again with him at Easter unto justification, with whom we have died by mortification, that also after our suffering with him, we may one day ascend and enter into glory with him. As Leo saith truly of the whole Lent fast: Quanto sanctius quisque hos dies invenietur egisse, tanto probabitur pascha Domini honorasse religiosius: The more holily a man shall be found to have kept all the Fasting days of Lent, the more devoutly will he be found, and find himself by Experience to have honoured the feast of Easter, or of the resurrection, which followeth and endeth Lent: so the same also may be said, even of the holy and devout keeping of this last week of Lent. For surely now the Devil is most busy to draw us from our worthy celebration of this week unto all profaneness, worldliness, 
The devils passion-weeke.  security and wantonness, and at no time of the year, doth he so earnestly seek our destruction by forgetfulness of God, and of our duties of love one toward another, as he doth this week of Christ's passion, to the end that he may still in the same week crucify Christ in his members, and make us altogether unworthy, through our profanations, and fleshly contentions, both of the merits of Christ's death, & of the virtue of Christ's resurrection: as the same Leo therefore saith of the whole time of Lent, That Parum religiosus alio tempore demonstratur, qui in his diebus religiosior non invenitur: He hath little or no religion in him at other times, who is not more religious on the Lent days, than he was other common days: so I may truly say, that he hath little or rather no religion at all, who is not now contented with those Capernaits in the sixth of john, in so short a time before the Feast of the Passeover, to Fast three days and three nights, together, or at least to Fast every 20. four hours for the space of six days in hearing Christ preach unto him, 
That is, every day in passion-weeke, taking but one spare and homely meal within 24. hours.  that after such humiliation Christ, may by his spirit testify, and comfortably say unto him, as he testified and said unto them: Cause this man to sit down, who is faint with hunger after righteousness, and hath followed me Fasting now six days together, that I may refresh him with food at my table because I have compassion on him. To conclude; a chief cause (I say it again) of pride in Magistrates, of wantonness in rich folk, of self wilfulness, and worse than heathenish disobedience and stubborness in rude people amongst us at this day, is this our common, unregarded, undisciplined, wanton, humorous, irreligious, rude disobeying of Christ and his Church their consultatory commands of this Fast of Lent, and other Fasts whatsoever. The Lord jesus, who hath the keys of David upon his shoulders, open our eyes and hearts to the seeing and embracing of the truth of the great necessity of our obedience to this Command [Then shall they Fall.] Amen. Amen.  Ignatius. 
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FINIS.