The holy exercise of fasting Described largely and plainly out of the word of God: with all the parts and causes, and seuerall kinds of the same: together with the most fit times, and conuenient seasons, when and how long it should be held: with the manifold fruite and commoditie that redoundeth to vs thereby: and the whole nature and order thereof. In certaine homilies or sermons, for the benefit of all those, that with care and conscience intend at any time publikely or priuately to put in practise the same. By Nicolas Bownde Doctor of diuinitie. Perused and allowed by publike authoritie.

THE GENERAL Contents of the whole booke, which may serue for an alphabeticall ta∣ble, to finde out euery thing hand∣led in the same.

Page, 1.

The 1. Homilie Sheweth, that the exercise of fasting is not an humane constitution, but an ordinance of God, approoued in the old and new Te∣stament, and so how God requireth it of vs at this present, and for what causes.

Pag. 26.

The 2. Homilie Sheweth, what are the parts whereof this fasting consisteth, and first, which be out∣ward belonging to the bodie, and to what ende they serue, as to abstaine wholly for a time from all kinde of meate and drinke, and sleepe, and costly apparell, and such like comforts of the bodie: and yet what liber∣tie we haue then in all these in times of ne∣cessitie.

Page. 58.

The 3. Homilie Intreateth of the inward vertues of the minde to be attained vnto, & professed in fasting; without the which the outward abstinence is nothing worth: namely of true humili∣tie and casting downe of our selues before God, and wherein that consisteth, and how necessary it is, and by what meanes we may attaine vnto it.

Page. 94.

The 4. Homilie Continueth to intreat of the inward vertues of the minde; and namely of the hope that we s••oul•• haue of the pardon of our sinnes, vpon our true repentance: and that God will giue vs the things that we seeke to him for: which hope must stirre vs vp to feruent and long prayer, and how by importunitie we shall preuaile with God; & what things els may quicken vs vnto feruent pray∣er.

Page, 133.

The 5. Homilie Doth further intreat of feruency of praier re∣quisite in fasting: and to the end we may consider, what great things God hath pro∣mised to fasting and prayer; and how he hath performed the same, not only to the godly, but euen to the wicked, who haue therby obtained great deliuerances: yea how men by humble supplication haue pre∣uailed with men, euen with their enemies.

Page, 168.

The 6 Homilie Sheweth what is the proper time for fasting, namely, the time of affliction and sorow: & then how God requireth it, and his seruants haue practised it; and so how the Lord re∣quireth it of vs in this time of our sorrow, and how long the time of a fast should con∣tinue: and how the same time should be spent.

Page, 208.

The 7. Homilie Intreateth of the seuerall kindes or sorts of

Page, 253.

The 8. Homilie Intreateth of the second kind of fasts, which are publike: and why so called: and how all sorts ought to come to them: and what a great fault it is for any to be absent: And then of the cause of them, which is the wrath of God against his Church: ei∣ther present, as it is now vpon vs: or likely to come: which the godly haue considered in the course of Gods prouidence, and so haue sought by fasting and praier to preuent it, and not alwaies taried till it came vpon them.

Page. 200.

The 9. Homilie. Continueth to shew the causes of publike fastes, namely when the wrath of God to come hath beene iustly feared, in respect of the great sinnes, that haue abounded and of the iudgement of God, denounced against the same openly by the ministers of God. And when Gods wrath hath not only beene vpon themselues, but vpon others of their brethren, the children of God.

Pag. 353.

A direction for Prayer: Fit and conuenient for all those, that being ignorant or vnacquainted with pri∣uate prayer, are desirous to pray by themselues.