Ancilla pietatis: or, The hand-maid to priuate deuotion presenting a manuell to furnish her with necessary principles of faith. Forcible motiues to a holy life. Vsefull formes of hymnes and prayers. ... By Daniel Featly, D. in Diuinity.

THE LENT'S DEVOTION beginning on Ashwednesday. (⁂)

The ground (or at least the oc∣casion, of this Fast.

• In the Old Testament; TYPES.
• In the New, an example in our LORD'S Fast.

The Type.

Moses was with the LORD fortie dayes, and fortie nights; he did nei∣ther eate bread, nor drinke water. Exod. 34. 28.

Hee went in the strength of that meate fortie dayes and fortie nights, till hee came to Horeb the Mount of God, 1. Kings 19. 8.

Example.

Then Iesus, &c. Mat. 4. 1.

And when he had fa∣sted fortie dayes and fortie nights, after∣ward he was an hun∣gry, ver. 2.

Being 40 daies temp∣ted of the diuell, and in those daies he did eat nothing, Luke 4. 2.

And the diuell tooke him vp into an high mountaine, ver. 5.

IVdicious Caluin,* 1.1 Videlius, & other excellent learned Do∣ctors of the reformed church teach, that this Fast of Christ was miraculous, & so no patterne for our imitation: and they put Saint Chrisostome vpon it also, whose words are:* 1.2 Christ said, Learne of mee, not that I fast, al∣though hee could haue sayd so, for he fasted forty dayes; yet he saith not that, but Learne of mee that I am meeke and lowly in heart.

The solution is not difficult,* 1.3 for Christ's Fast may be conside∣red two waies,

First,* 1.4 as a miraculous demon∣stration of his Diuinity, or an e∣uidence that hee was the true Messias, because hee accompli∣shed the Types foregoing in Moses and Eliah; and in this re∣gard it is to bee admired of vs, but no way to be imitated: And in this sence,* 1.5 Caluin & Videlius's words may••passe, and Saint Chri∣sostome

must bee taken, vnlesse thy will haue him contradict himselfe.

Secondly, as a morall remedy against tentation, or rather a spi∣rituall Armour which Christ tooke vpon him when he was to buckle with the Diuell: and thus wee may and ought to imi∣tate Christ's Fast in the kinde,* 1.6 though not in the degree. As we cannot fast as Christ fasted, so neither can we pray as Christ prayed, whole nights and with strong cries, and a bloody sweat: yet no Christians euer doubted but that we may and must follow Christ in all religious exercises, though not with euen paces, yet as wee are able. And because they appeale to S. Chrysostome, let him be the Vmpire.* 1.7 Our Lord Ie∣sus Christ whē he entred into the lists with Sathan, fasted forty days, giuing vs an example how wee ought to arme our selues against the Diuel. Certainely if the Lear∣ned

Bishops, (afterwards Mar∣tyrs) that penned our Booke of Common Prayers had thought Christ's Fast of forty dayes no way to belong to our Fast, they would neuer haue appointed the Story of Christ's Fast for the Gospell, the first Sunday in Lent, nor touched vpon it in the Collects.

For thine instruction meditate on Christ's Fast.

For thy comfort apply the bene∣fit of it to thy soule.

For thy correction condemne thy luxury, and consider what great cause thou hast to humble thy soule with fasting.

Quicken

• Thy repentance by the Psalme.
• Thy fasting by the ex∣hortation.
• Thy Deuotion by the prayer ensuing.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Obiect.
• * 1.2

  Hom. 49. in Mat.
• * 1.3

  Answ.
• * 1.4

  1
• * 1.5

  Videl exer∣citat, in Ig∣nat.
• * 1.6

  Pro modulo nostro.
• * 1.7

  Hom. 1. in gen. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.