Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

Quest. 6. Whether it might not be an acceptable service to have anannuall fast for the crimes lately acted in England.

This Question took its rise, from the Authors occasionall reading of a motion made to the late long Parliament,* 1.1 by one preaching before them, for the keeping of a Fast in regard of that blood that was shed in the dayes of Queen Ma∣ry, during her five years raign. If that was supposed ne∣cessary, sure this supposition is not to be thought vain. It is not to be reflected on particulars, either touching crimes or persons, that being forgiven by an act of Oblivion here on Earth: but since it is not for ought we know ratified in heaven it may not be in vain to sound a trumpet in this our Sion and proclaim a day of humiliation: for,

• 1 Flagitious and unheard of crimes have been acted and that that not in a corner, but before the Sun: such as were it possible should not be told in Gath.
• 2 God, for a time may only keep away wrath: some acts were of that nature that the world never knew that sin to com∣pare with them, and therefore there may be expected strange judgements, God hath them written down, and will without question without much entreaty visit for them, therefore prayers and tears are to be offered to expiate the guilt.
• 3 The Actors for a great measure seem not yet penitent, we might charge many but it were to be desired that such as blew up division for their own ends, (whom God hath al∣wayes crossed) would not keep up division to the Churches disturbance and their own ruin.
• 4 To remove the scandall that may be in all ages, and is in those times cast upon our profession, King killing was once a doctrin charged upon the Jesuits who ever denyed it, but now, our religion bleeds, by Turkes, Jewes and Papists, to

• let the world see that we are better catechised, it is expedient that the Ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the altar, that it may be known those practises are both detested and abhorred by true Christians.
• 5 That future ages might beware of the like crimes to o∣pen a story in the eares of the young might have the some influ∣ence upon tender yeares, as the beholding of old D••unkards had upon the children of the Lacedemonians, which was to make them shun the like actions.
• * 1.2 6 The hypocriticall fasts that have been so many, deserve to have one week in the yeare; that God may not remember them: never greater sinners then those that presumed most to performe this duty of fasting, and usually before they under∣took notorious actions like Machiavil, who sometimes, ap∣peares like a Devill, and another time like a Saint, God hath not forgotten these things, and therefore they are to be regarded. They were in their own nature sufficient, to have made even God himselfe loath the very place they were made in, and he often bringing the sins of the Father upon the Children, if not upon themselves, calls upon this generation to cry aloud.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Trap in Mat. c, 22, v. 6.
• * 1.2

  A fast in Walingford Chapple by the army officers at the turning out of D.C. there was such spee∣ches & such faces as would have made a tender Christian to have fa∣sted a whole week through sicknesse