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until the evening, that foul, the Lord declareth fhould be cut off from the people.

We do not read in the law of Mofes, but of this one day in the year as pofitively appointed for this folemn purpose: but it is certain, the Jews had other feafons of public faftings, becaufe the prophet Zachariah, (vii. 5.) speaks of the faft of other months, although they are not specified in the law and we may conclude that all thofe above that of the 7th month, were the ordinances of their future pious governors and judges that fucceeded Mofes, and were appointed from a fenfe of duty to God more than any pofitive command from him. From the precedent then of this most folemn general faft, godly men occafionally appointed private fafts for the improvement of their own lives, by giving themselves up to forrow for their finful courfes, and applying themfelves to fervent prayer in order to fupplicate Almighty God to avert the wrath and judgment they had merited at his hands, when either by the admonition of their prophets, or their own fears, they forefaw and expected the threatened danger. This contrition of heart, they demonftrated various ways in their outward conduct, by clothing themfelves in fackcloth; fprinkling themfelves with duft and afhes; or fitting or lying on the ground. The consequence of a deep fenfe of the nature of fin in good, that is, penitent hearts, the profpect of the fure punifhment it deferves, and the terrible confideration of being for ever excluded from the presence of the God of love and all perfection, work powerfully in humbling the vain thoughts of man. When ferious reflexion once takes place upon thefe very affecting truths, the very best cannot avoid accufing themselves for their manifold offences: they are thereby led to deep forrow for their tranfgreffions, to confefs their wretchednefs before God, and to implore his mercy; and during fuch a ftate of mind, fometimes alarmed with the moft awful

fears,

fears, at others cheered with the encouragement of the brighteft hopes, they become naturally indifferent to any fenfual delights or worldly pleafures, and far more important objects occupy their thoughts. And when indeed trouble of any kind is found effentially to touch the heart, we find ourTelves averfe from what was ufed to give us great fatisfaction in our days of cafe, before the bitterness of affliction removed the relifh of thofe things. How much more then must godly forrow humble the foul, deaden the fenfe of merely earthly happiness, and incline the fufferer to mourn and punish itfelf in hopes of pardon and forgiveness. Frequent are the examples of fuch free penance in holy writ. David thus humbled himself before God by prayer and fafting, not knowing but peradventure God might vouchsafe to fpare the life of his ftricken infant. Thus did Ahab afflict himself in penance for his foul offences, in confenting to the death of Naboth: Such a fort of faft did the Ninevites proclaim when the preaching of Jonah forewarned them of their danger. And when forty thousand of the Ifraelites were flain in battle, fighting against the tribe of Benjamin, the fcripture tells us, all the people went to Bethel, and fat there weeping before the Lord, and fafting all day and night. The like pious practice is again held forth to us in the examples of Daniel, Hefter, Nehemiah, and many other holy characters among God's ancient people; from which conduct we conclude, that the fouls of fuch perfons must be impreffed with a ftrong and valuable sense of their unworthinefs, and dependance upon God for any favour; and that when this practice is obferved in purity, the love of God and defire of heaven have a confiderable place in their affections. But a doubt may poffibly arise with fome on this fubject, whether, as those persons were under the law, their customs are binding upon us, under the Gofpel? We must there

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fore

fore have recourse to scripture to fatisfy this ques tion; and there is one particular paffage in St. Luke which will completely do it. It is the anfwer which our Bleffed Lord gave to the Pharifees upon their enquiry concerning this very point, as relative to the conduct of his own difciples, which differed fo much from the general practice in this article at that particular time: but as the examination of the reply will lead naturally to fome further inquiries, and more extenfive information on the nature and virtue of Fafting in general, it may be advifeable to defer it for the fubject of the following difcourfe. May God bless what has now been offered to the glory of his name, and the edification of ourfelves, in all holiness of life, through the merits of Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

DISCOURSE XXI,

A fecond Difcourfe on the same subject.

EPHESIANS ii. 10.

For we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we fhould walk in them.

HE former part of this difcourfe upon the subject of fafting in general, concluded with the mention of that particular paffage of St. Luke's gofpel, which affords the plaineft authority for the practice of Chriftians in this refpect, and thereby completely refolves at the fame time a doubtful question; which fome might encourage: whether the fame occafional acts of felf-denial are expected from us, as from God's ancient people, who were under the law? In order, then, to fhew clearly, that the cuftom of this early and pious exercife is equally binding upon all Christians, we will proceed to the confideration of the purport of our Bleffed Lord's answer to the pharifees on this very article. In the vth of St. Luke, and 33d verfe, we find them interrogating the Holy Jefus in these words: Why do the difciples of John fast often, and likewife the difciples of the pharifees, but thine eat and drink? Jefus, aware of the malicious craftiness that induced the question, conde

fcends

fcends to give them a reafon for the different behavior of his difciples in this refpect. They flanderoufly hoped to have convicted them of wanting holiness; and fince to faft was confeffedly a godly habit, they had this conclufion ready to object, that he who fafted not, confequently could not be a true fervant of God. Our Lord, therefore, like a kind mafter, vouchfafes to defend the conduct of his difciples against this charge, and puts this question to them in reply: Can ye reasonably expect, fays he, that the children, or guests of the wedding, fball faft while the bridegroom is with them at the feaft? So neither is it by any means proper to expect my difciples to fast now, fo long as I, their Mafter, am with them, continually fupplying actual food to strengthen their faith; but the days will come, and that fhortly, when the bridegroom fall be taken from them, and then fhall they faft in those days; they will then have cause enough to mourn and faft. Nothing can be more exprefs than the fanction of our Savior here deliovered for the future neceffary humiliation in his difciples; and thus, at the fame time that he by no means condemned the conftancy of abftinence or fafting, in the difciples of John and the Pharifees, he fhews that every thing receives additional value by being done in its proper feafon. He convicts them --both of fuperftition, and ignorance. Of the firft, because they placed religion in thefe outward acstions, without confidering the true end of fafting: and of the other, because they could not diftinguifh between proper and improper times of fulfilling their reasonable fervice. They confounded the day of rejoicing and the day of woe; both which our Lord particularly expreffes in his reply, and which will -be further explained to you in its proper place.

We may also farther collect from our Savior's anfwer, and the express confeffion, that his difci -ples fafted not, what, is the proper fenfe we fhould afcribe to this particular duty. From the authority

of

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