living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.

For your greater and more thorough humbling of yourself, and farther exercise of your faith in God, and love to your brethren and church of God, something yet is to be added.

You must represent to your thoughts also the sins and evils that are already upon, or hanging over the head of your family and nearest friends, and of the town, country, or kingdom where you live, together with their several aggravations; lay them to heart; considering that they by sinning do dishonour God your Father, and do bring evil upon the souls and bodies of those whom you should love as well as yourself: and it is a thousand to one but that you are involved in their sins, and become accessary, if not by example, counsel, permission, or concealment, yet in not grieving for them, in not hating them, and in not confessing and disclaiming them sufficiently before God. These also bring common judgments upon church and state, which you should prefer before your own particular interest, and wherein you may expect to share a part.

You must therefore affect your heart with these thoughts, and mourn for your own first, and then for the abominations of your family, town, country, and kingdom. For the sins of princes and nobles, for the sins of ministers and people. And not only for present sins of the land, but for the sins long since committed, whereof it hath not yet repented. Rivers of waters should run down from your eyes, at least sighs and groans should rise from your heart, because others as well as yourself have forgotten

God's law, and have exposed themselves to his destroying judgments. Do all this so, that you may pour out your heart like water to the Lord in their behalf.

This is to stand in the breach; the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, if it be fervent, though he have infirmities. If it should not take good effect for others, yet your tears and sighs shall do good to yourself: it causeth you to have God's seal in your forehead; you are marked for mercy. God will take you from the evil to come, or will make a way for you to escape, or will turn the hearts of your enemies to you; or, if you smart under the common judgment, it shall be sanctified to you: and if you perish bodily, yet, when others that cannot live, and are afraid to die, are at their wits' end, you shall be able, in the consciousness of your godly sorrow for your own and others' sins, to welcome death as a messenger of good tidings, and as a gate to everlasting happiness.

If it be a public fast, all these things before-mentioned are to be done alone, both before and after the public exercises: at which time you must join in public hearing the word read and preached, and in prayer with more than ordinary attention and fer

vency.

If you fast with your family, or with some few, let convenient times be spent in reading the word of God, or some good book, or sermons, which may be fit to direct and quicken you for the present work; also in fervent prayer: the other time alone, let it be spent as I have shown before.

If some public or necessary occasion, such as you

could not well foresee or prevent, when you made choice of your day of private fast, happen to interrupt you, I judge that you may attend those occasions, notwithstanding your fast. But do it thus: if they may be despatched with little ado, then despatch them, and after continue your fast; but if you cannot, I think that you had better be humbled that you were hindered, break off your fast, and set some other day apart instead thereof; even as when a man is necessarily hindered in his vow.

The benefits of religious fasting.

The benefit that will accrue to you by religious fasting, will be motive enough to a frequent use of it, as there shall be cause.

1. It was never read or heard of, that a fast was kept in truth, according to the former directions from the word, but it either obtained the particular blessing for which it was kept, or at least a better, to him that fasted. Judges xx. 26-35. 1 Sam. vii. 6— 10. Ezra viii. 23. 2 Chron. xx. 3-22. Jonah iii. 7-10.

2. And besides those advantages, thus fasting will put the soul into such good frame, into such a habit of spiritual-mindedness, that (as when against some special entertainment, a day hath been spent in searching every corner in a house, to wash and cleanse it) it will be kept clean with common sweeping a long time after.

I do acknowledge that some have fasted, and God hath not regarded it; yea, he telleth some beforehand, that "if they fast, he will not hear their cry." But these were such who "fasted not to God," y only sought themselves; they would "not

hearken to his word;" there was no putting away of sin, or loosing the bands of wickedness, &c. no mortification of sin, no renewing their covenant with God. Now, unless we do join the inward with the outward, "we may fast, but the Lord seeth it not, we may afflict ourselves, but he taketh no notice; we may cry and howl, but cannot make our voice to be heard on high." But when God seeth the works of them that fast, that turn from their evil way; yea, that they strive to turn and seek him with all their heart, then he will turn to them; his bowels of compassion doth yearn towards them; and "I will have mercy on them, saith the Lord."

After the time of the fast is ended, eat and drink but moderately. For, if you then over-indulge yourself, it will put your body and soul both out of order.

It is

Secondly, Your fast being ended, hold the strength which you got that day as much as you can; keep your interest and holy acquaintance which you have obtained with God, and the holy exercises of religion. Though you have given over the exercises of the day, yet unloose not the bent of your care and affections against sin, and for God. a corruption of our nature, and it is a policy of Satan to help it forward, that, like some unwise warriors, when they have gotten victory over their enemies, we grow full of presumption and security, by which the enemy taketh advantage to recollect his forces, and coming upon us unlooked for giveth us the foil, if not the overthrow. We are too apt, after a day of humiliation, to fall into a kind of remissness, as if then we had gotten the mastery; whereas, if Satan

fly from us, if sin be weakened in us, it is but for a season, and but in part; and, especially if we stand not upon our watch, Satan will take occasion to return, and sin will revive in us.

I will add a few cautions touching this excellent but neglected duty of fasting.

1. The body, although it must be kept under, yet it must not be destroyed with fasting. It must not be so weakened as to be disabled to perform the works of your ordinary calling.

2. In private fasts, you must not be open, but as private as conveniently you may.

3. Separate not the inward from the outward work in fasting.

4. Think not to merit by your fasting, as papists do. 5. Presume not that presently upon the work done, God must grant every petition, as hypocrites do, that say to him, "We have fasted, and thou dost not regard it.” You may and must expect a gracious hearing upon your unfeigned humiliation; but as for when and how, you must wait patiently: faith secureth you of good success, but neither prescribeth unto God how, nor yet doth it make haste; but waiteth his time, when in his wisdom he shall judge it most seasonable.

CHAPTER V.

Of the Lord's Day, or Christian Sabbath.

ON the Sabbath, or Lord's day, you must remember to keep it holy, according to the command