The rule and exercises of holy living. In which are described the means and instruments of obtaining every vertue, and the remedies against every vice, and considerations serving to the resisting all temptations. Together with prayers containing the whole duty of a Christian, and the parts of devotion fitted to all occasions, and furnish'd for all necessities.

SECT. V. Of Fasting.

FAsting, if it be considered in it self without relation to Spiritual ends, is a duty no where enjoyned, or counselled. But Christianity hath to do with it, as it may be made an instru∣ment of the Spirit by subduing the lusts of the flesh, or removing any hindrances of religion; And it hath been practised by all ages of the Church, and advised in order to three mini∣steries. 1. To Prayer. 2. To Mortification of bodily lusts. 3. To Repentance: and is to be practised according to the following measures.

Rules for Christian Fasting.

1. Fasting in order to prayer is to be mea∣sured by the proportions of the times of prayer: that is, it ought to be a total faft from all things during the solemnity (unlesse a probable ne∣cessity intervene.) Thus the Jews eate nothing upon the Sabbath-dayes till their great offices were performed, that is, about the sixth hour: and S. Peter used it as an argument, that the Apostles in Pente••ost were not drunk, because it was but the third hour of the day, of such a day, in which it was not lawful to eat or drink til the sixth hour: and the Jews were offended at the Disciples for plucking the ears of corn upon the

Sabbath early in the morning, because it was before the time in which by their customs they esteemed it lawful to break their fast. In imi∣tation of this custom, and in prosecution of the reason of it, the Christian Church hath religi∣ously observed fasting before the Holy Com∣munion: and the more devout persons (though without any obligation at all) refused to eat or drink till they had finished their morning devo∣tions: and further yet upon dayes of publick humiliation, which are designed to be spent wholly in Devotion, and for the averting Gods judgements (if they were imminent) fasting is commanded together with prayer, commanded (I say) by the Church to this end, that the Spirit might be clearer and more Angelical when it is quitted in some proportions from the loads of flesh.

2. Fasting, when it is in order to Prayer, must be a total abstinence from all meat, or else an abatement of the quantity: for the help which fasting does to prayer cannot be served by changing flesh into fish, or milk-meats into dry diet, but by turning much into little, or little into none at all during the time of solemn and extraordinary prayer.

3. Fasting as it is instrumental to Prayer, must be attended with other aids of the like vertue and efficacy, such as are, removing for the time all worldly cares and secular businesses; and therefore our blessed Saviour enfolds these parts within the same caution. [Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this world,* 1.1 and that day overtake you unawares.] To which adde alms; for upon the wings of fasting and alms, holy prayer infallibly mounts up to Heaven.

4. When Fasting is intended to serve the duty of Repentance, it is then best chosen when it is short, sharp and afflictive; that is, either a total abstinence from all nourishment (according as we shall appoint, or be appointed) during such a time as is separate for the solemnity and attendance upon the imployment: or if we shall extend our severity beyond the solemn dayes, and keep our anger against our sin, as we are to keep our sorrow, that is, al∣wayes in a readinesse, and often to be called upon; then, to refuse a pleasant morsel, to ab∣staine from the bread of our desires, and onely to take wholsome and lesse pleasing nourishment, vexing our appetite by the refusing a lawful satisfaction, since in its pe∣tulancie and luxurie it preyed upon an un∣lawfull.

5. Fasting designed for repentance must be ever joyned with an extream care that we fast from sin: for there is no greater folly or undecency in the world, then to commit that for which I am now judging and condemning my self. This is the best fast: and the other may serve to promote the interest of this, by increasing the disaffection to it, and multiplying argu∣ments against it.

6. He that fasts for repentance, must, during that solemnity, abstain from all bodily delights, and the sensuality of all his senses, and his appetites; for a man must not when he mourns in his fast be merry in his sport; weep at din∣ner, and laugh all day after; have a silence in his kitchen, and musick in his chamber; judge the stomack, and feast the other se••ses. I deny not but a man may in a single instance punish a particular sin with a proper instru∣ment:

If a man have offended in his palate, he may choose to fast onely; if he have sinned in softnesse and in his touch, he may choose to lye hard, or work hard, and use sharp inflicti∣ons: but although this Discipline be proper and particular, yet because the sorrow is of the whole man, no sense must rejoyce, or be with any study or purpose feasted and entertained softly. This rule is intended to relate to the solemn dayes appointed for repentance pub∣lickly or privately: besides which in the whole course of our life, even in the midst of our most festival and freer joyes we may sprinkle some single instances, and acts of self condemning, or punishing: as to refuse a pleasant morsel, or a delicious draught with a t••cit remembrance of the sin that now returns to displease my spi∣rit: and though these actions be single, there is no undecency in them, because a man may a∣bate of his ordinary liberty & bold freedom w^th great prudence, so he does ••t without singularity in himself, or trouble to others: but he may not abate of his solemn sorrow: that may be cau∣tion; but this would be softnesse effoeminacy and undecency.

7· When fasting is an act of mortification, that is, is intended to subdue a bodily lust; as the spi∣rit of fornication, or the fondness of strong and impatient appetties, it must not be a sudden, sharp, and violent fast, but a state of fasting, a dyet of fasting, a daily lessening our portion of meat and drink, and a choosing such a course dyet which may make the least preparation for the lusts of the body.* 1.2 He that fasts 3 dayes without ••ood, will weaken other parts more then the mi∣nisters of fornication: and when the meals re∣turn as usually, they also will be serv'd assoon as

any. In the mean time they will be supplyed and made active by the accidental heat that comes with such violent fastings: for this is a kinde of aerial Devil; the Prince that rules in the air is the Devil of fornication; and he will be as tempting with the windinesse of a violent fast, as with the flesh of an ordinary meal. But a daily substraction of the nourishment will in∣troduce a lesse busy habit of body, and that will prove the more effectual remedy.

8. Fasting alone will not cure this Devil, though it helps much towards it;* 1.3 but it must not therefore be neglected, but assisted by all the proper instruments of remedy against this unclean spirit; and what it is unable to do alone, in company with other instruments, and Gods blessing upon them it may effect.

9. All fasting for whatsoever end it be un∣dertaken, must de done without any opinion of the necessity of the thing it self, without censuring others, with all humility, in order to the proper end; and just as a man takes phy∣sick of which no man hath reason to be proud, and no man thinks it necessary, but because he is in sicknesse, or in danger and disposition to it.

10. All fasts ordained by lawful authority are to be observed in order to the same pur∣poses to which they are enjoyned; and to be accompanied with actions of the same nature, just as it is in private fasts; for there is no other difference, but that in publick our Superiours choose for us, what in private we do for our selves.

11. Fasts ordained by lawful authority are not to be neglected because alone they cannot do the thing in order to which they were en∣joyn'd.

It may be one day of Humiliation will not obtain the blessing, or alone kill the lust, yet it must not be despis'd, if it can do any thing towards it. An act of Fasting is an act of self-denial, and though it do not produce the habit, yet it is a good act.

12. When the principal end why a Fast is publickly prescribed, is obtained by some other instrument in a particular person; as if the spirit of Fornication be cur'd by the rite of Marriage, or by a gift of chastity, yet that person so eased, is not freed from the Fasts of the Church by that alone, if those fasts can prudently serve any other end of Religion, as that of prayer, or repentance, or mortificati∣on of some other appetite: for when it is in∣strumental to any end of the Spirit, it is freed from superstition, and then we must have some other reason to quit us from the Obliga∣tion, or that alone will not do it.

13. When the Fast publickly command∣ed by reason of some indisposition in the par∣ticular person cannot operate to the end of the Commandment, yet the avoiding offence, and the complying with publick order is reason e∣nough to make the obedience to be necessary. For he that is otherwise disoblig'd (as when the reason of the Law ceases, as to his parti∣cular, yet) remains still oblig'd is he cannot do otherwise without scandal: but this is an ob∣ligation of charity, not of justice.

14. All fasting is to be used with prudence and charity: for there is no end to which fast∣ing serves, but may be obtain'd by other in∣struments, and therefore it must at no hand be made an instrument of scruple, or become an enemy to our health, or be impos'd upon per∣sons

that are sick or aged, or to whom it is in any sense uncharitable; such as are wearied Travellers; or to whom in the whole kinde of it, it is uselesse, such as are Women with childe, poor people, and little children. But in these cases the Church hath made provision, and inserted caution into her Laws, and they are to be r••duced to practise according to cu∣stome, and the sentence of prudent persons, with great latitude, and without ni••enesse and curiosity: having this in our first care, that we secure our vertue, and next that we secure our health, that we may the better exercise the la∣bours of vertue, lest out of too much austerity we bring our selves to that condition, that it be necessary to be indulgent to softnesse, ease and extream tendernesse.* 1.4

15. Let not intemperance be the Prologue or the Epilogue to your fast, lest the fast be so far from taking off any thing of the sin, that it bee an occasion to increase it; and therefore when the fast is done,* 1.5 be care∣ful that no supervening act of gluttony, or excessive drinking unhallow the religion of the passed day; but eat temperately ac∣cording to the proportion of other meals, lest gluttony keep either of the gates to ab∣stinence.

The benefits of Fasting.

He that undertakes to enumerate the be∣nefits of fasting, may in the next page also reckon all the benefits of physick: for fast∣ing is not to be commended as a duty, but

as an instrument; and in that sense, no Man can reprove it, or undervalue it; but he that knows neither spiritual arts, nor spiritual ne∣cessities: but by the Doctors of the Church it is called, the nourishment of prayer, the restraint of lust, the wings of the soul, the diet of Angels, the instrument of humili∣ty, and self-denial, the purification of the Spirit: and that palenesse and maigrenesse of visage which is consequent to the daily fast of great mortifiers, is by Saint Basil said to be the mark in the Forehead which the Angel observed, when he signed the Saints in the forehead to escape the wrath of God. [The soul that is greatly vexed, which goeth stooping and feeble, and the eyes that fail, and the hungry soul shall give thee praise and righteousnesse, O Lord.* 1.6

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••••••unium 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••••••∣mosyna 〈…〉〈…〉 Augus••.
• * 1.2

  Digi••na 〈…〉〈…〉 man∣••i••.
• * 1.3

  ••hi digiu∣na et altro ••••en no•• ••a sparag•••• il Pane, etal inferno va. See Chap. 2. Sect. 2. & 3.
• * 1.4

  S. ••asil•• ••onast. Constit. cap. 5. C••ss•••••• co••t. 21. c. 2••. ne per causam necess••••atis 〈…〉〈…〉, u•• voluptatibus servie••••••▪
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Naz.
• * 1.6

  B••ruch •• 18.