desert of your sinnes so much as you should doe and no more 1. Cor. 11.31 Math. 11.28 Luk. 15.59 To this end desire God to giue you a broken and a contrite spirite that your hart being soft and tender his word both the Law and the curses thereof and the Gospell with the promises of the same together with all his workes of iustice and mercy vpon your selfe and vpon others might worke on your conscience as they ought to do Luk. 18.13 Psa 51.17 Esa 66.2 Thus groaning vnder the heauie burden of them desire God earnestly for Christs sake to ease you of them and to bestow vpon you the free pardon and forgiuenesse of them receiuing the sacrifice of Christs death as your full ransome and intreat him most earnestly for those sinnes that most trouble you Psal 25.7.18 51.1.2.7 c. Dan. 9.17 c. Beseech him to release you of all those fearefull iudgements of his which you haue most righteouslie deserued both in this world and in the world to come and especially those which you most feare that he wold ease you of al those publike priuate calamities that any wais for your sinnes you are presently in Psal 79.8.9 Iona. 3.8 1. King 8.33.36 c. Pray for the increase of your faith that you may more and more beleeue the forgiuenesse of your sins by the ministerie of the Gospell the vse of his Sacraments and that you may haue speciall faith both in those promises and for the forgiuenesse of those sinnes that you desire most of all to be confirmed in Psal 51.1.7.11.15 25.7 Mar. 9.24 And then pray for these fruites of faith namely that you may haue peace of conscience and quietnesse of minde knowing that you are discharged before gods iudgement seat and that you may in the feeling of his loue reioice with an vnspeakable ioy both aboue all worldlie ioies and in the midst of all worldly sorrowes and thirdly that you may haue good hope for the time to come euen in this world most of all of your saluation and that that may suffice you Rom. 5.1 Psa 51.8.12 Rom. 15.13 Heb. 6.9 Aske the daily increase of vnfained repentance for al your sins past and present corruptions generally and more specially for all those whereof there is most cause and not onely that you may be heartily sorie for thē but that you may also hate and loath them striue most earnestly against them Rom. 7.24 Psal 51.10 2. Cor. 12.8 That you might heereafter preuaile against sin and walke in the commandements of God aske the increase of the graces of his holie spirit and these not only generally but some more specially by name whereof you stand in most neede Psal 119.33.34 c. Psal 51.12 And that you might obtaine these pray that you may make conscience to vse daily all the meanes of your saluation publikely and priuately as all the exercises of the worde and prayer together with the keeping of a good conscience and that God would daily blesse them to you for these endes 1. Thes 5.19.20 1. Tim. 1.19 Obtaining these graces pray God to blesse you in your particular calling and namely that therein you may be painefull and also profitable and for all things that might further you this way Psal 127.1 Prouer. 31.13 c. 2. Tbes 3.10 c. Gen. 24.12 Aske life and health and all outward things as they may most further you in the aboue-named namely as they may make you more fit to serue God and to doe good vnto others name some things as not onely health wealth friends c. but others that you at that time stande in most neede of Pro. 30.8.9 Gen. 28.20.21 Iam. 5.17.18 Therefore pray God to giue you them with his fauour and with his blessing and with the right vse of them and with a contented mind with faith in Gods prouidence that you may depend vpon him Gen. 28 20. Deut. 28.2.3 c. Phil. 4.11.12 Math. 6.25 c. Pray God that you may alwaies be prepared for the crosse whatsoeuer it shall please him to laie vpon you namely that you may haue strength to beare it patience and cōfort in the midst of it grace to profit by it especially that you may bee readie euerie houre for death Math. 16.24 Rom. 8.26.28 Phil. 1. 23. 2. Cor 5.9 c. Then pray for the whole Church of God and therein for some parts especially as those which are vnder the crosse and wherein you doe liue and herein for some by name as the time will permit and as you haue cause as for your Gouernors high and low ecclesiasticall and ciuill for your parents children friends and such as haue desired your praiers Psa 122.6.7 Ier. 29 7. Eph. 6.18.19 1. Sam. 1.17 Last of all giue thankes vnto God in this maner first for all his benefits vpon soule and body for this life and the life to come Psal 103.2 145.1.2 Secondly for all sins which are forgiuen you which you haue beene kept from and which you haue beene recouered out of Psalm 103.3 51.15 16.7 Thirdly for al euill punishments which you haue escaped aboue others or which you haue beene deliuered out of or which haue come vpon you as fatherly chastisemēts and in them you haue beene comforted Exod. 15.1.2 Psal 107.8.15.25 119.67.71 And in all these giue thanks for your selfe and for all yours and for the whole Church of God 1. Timoth 2.1 The continuall vse of prayer is all in all for custome as in all other things so in praier maketh perfect therefore the more you vse prayer the more will God giue you the spirit of prayer Pray alwaies with all maner prayer and supplication in the spirit and watch thereunto with all perseuerance and supplication for all Saints and for me Eph. 6.18 An order priuatelie to reade ouer with great facilitie the olde Testament once euery yere and the new twise CHAPTERS of the Old Testam 777  CHAPTERS of the New Test 260. Morning Dayes of the weeke Euening 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 4 2 2 5 1 2 6 1 3 7 0 The Olde Testament thus read ouer once in a yeere and there will be two dayes to spare  The New Testament thus is read ouer twise in a yeere and there will be one day to spare The PSALMES 150. These may be read ouer by themselues either once in a moneth or once in a quarter at the least which is foure times in the yeere 1. TIM 4.13 Giue attendance vnto reading Hee that is desirous to learne and remember the Word of God that he might liue according to it let him consider of that which is written Psalme 119. Part 2. THE TEXT  THE PARAPHRASIS Wherewith shall a yoong man clense his waies in taking heed thereto according to thy Word 1 FIrst of all be perswaded that the Word of God is onely that rule whereby the whole life of euery man that in euery thing must be ordered euen the the life of a yong man who thinketh that he hath most reason for himselfe why he should be exused as commonly he is most disordered With my whole heart I sought thee let mee not wander from thy commandement 2 Then vpon this perswasion giue your selfe vnfainedly to the reading hearing of Gods Word as to the meanes whereby he hath appointed to teach you and pray to God in the diligent vse of those meanes for his holie spirit that thereby you might come to the true vnderstanding of his Word I haue hid thy promise in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee 3 That which you haue thus learned let it not swimme aloft in your braine but be deepelie setled and hid in your heart as a treasure framing all your affections vnto it that so you may haue it in a readinesse whensoeuer you should vse it otherwise though you know neuer so much it will not keepe you from sinning against God Blessed art thou O Lord teach me thy statutes 4 You thus profiting giue thankes to God for that which you learne because be it neuer so little it is more than many in the world doe know yet content not your selfe with it as though you had sufficient but pray vnto him to be further inlightened because it is lesse   than many others doe and you your selfe should know With my lippes haue I declared all the iudgements of thy mouth 5 But aboue all be carefull to talke of that vnto others which you do dayly learne your selfe and out of the abundance of your heart let your mouth speake For by teaching others you shall learne your selfe I haue had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all riches 6 That you might do all these things labour to haue ioy in the Word and in all the exercises of it more than in any worldly thing and be occupied about those things with greatest delight for in whatsoeuer we take greatest delight that will sticke fastest by vs. I will meditate in thy precepts and consider thy wayes 7 Last of all meditate consider of that with your selfe which you haue learned and muse vpon it alone not contenting your selfe with the generall rules but labouring in your conscience to make the vse of them profitable to your selfe in the particular practise thereof I will delight in thy statutes and I will not forget thy Word 8 Thus doing all these things carefully you shall be sure neuer to forget that which you learne for though you doe not always remember euery thing yet God by his spirit will call so much into your remembrance as is needfull for you to know and then especially when you haue most need of it as in the houre of death and in the day of temptation but as you faile in all or in iny one of these so may you feare to faile in the trueth of this promise A good helpe for an ill memorie
obtained great deliuerances yea how men by humble supplication haue preuailed with men euen with their enemies I Am at this present to proceede in that argument To quickeâ— vs vp further vnto feruent praâ—er we musâ— consider that I entred into the last day and could not then well finish for want of time namely to continue further to declare how wee may attaine vnto that feruencie of praier that hath beene spoken of which is so necessary in the fasting we haue in hand Therefore besides all that hath beene said to this end we are lastly to consider that we might be mooued to praie so earnestly as we should to consider I say the gratious promises that God hath made to all those that haue or shall heereafter at any time hold this exercise of fasting vnto him in any measure of trueth and how the same from time to time haue beene performed vnto them insomuch that though the beginning of their fast hath beene full of heauinesse and with much sorrow for their sinnes and for the wrath of God against them appearing in some grieuous punishment yet the end thereof hath beene with much reioicing and comfort in assured hope both of the free pardon and forgiuenesse of them with perfect reconciliation vnto God and also with good hope of obtaining of all such things as they haue sued for by earnest and feruent praier First what prâ—mises God hath â—ade to those that seeke vnto him in fasting and praier And first of all concerning the promise that the Lord of his great mercy hath made to all those that seeke vnto him in all humilitie by fasting and praier we may see what the prophet Ioel Ioel 1.4 saith Who exhorting the people to fasting and praier because of that great calamitie that was vpon them by reason that the fruites of the earth were so wholly destroied for that which was left of the Palmer-worme the Grashopper had eaten and the residue of the Grashopper had the Canker-worme eaten and the residue of the Canker-worme had the Caterpiller eaten cap. 2.1 exhorting them I saie to turne vnto the Lord with all their hart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and to rent their hearts and not their clothes and to turne vnto the Lord their God that is not their clothes onely according to the maner of that time in great sorrow but their hearts especiallie that so their sorrow might bee in truth not in appearance onelie setteth before them the great mercy of god to al those that so come vnto him saying For the Lord is gracious and mercifull slowe to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the euill who knoweth if he will returne namely to his accustomed mercifull dealing and repent that is of that euill that he might further bring vpon them and leaue a blessing behinde him euen a meat offering and a drinke offering vnto the Lorde their God that is some thing to be serued with for the glorie of his name least his seruice should faile as hee had complained before that the meat offring and drinke offring was cut off from the house of the Lorde â—oel 1.7 for which the Priestes the Lordes ministers did mourne Then we see how the Prophet in the name of the Lord doth promise vnto them that if they would thorowly humble themselues for their sinnes the cause of this great affliction noted by the rending of their hearts though the Lord had begunne to punish them already and that most grieuously yet he would stay his heauy hand and bestow some blessing vpon them where in saying Who knoweth or who can tell his meaning is nothing lesse than to call it into question or any wayes to make them doubt of it but rather to consider the hardnesse of the thing and so to seeke for it the more earnestly that they might haue some hope of it as if he had sayd Seeing God is so mercifull as he had spoken of him before calling him Gratious slow to anger and of great kindnes and one that repenteth him of the euill there is no doubt of the thing but that if they could humble themselues as he required and pray earnestly though he had begun to punish them already yet hee would repent and spare them As also it is sayd in the Prophet Jona Iona 3.9 by the King of Nineue who proclaimed a fast and willed all men to put on sackecloth and to crie mightily vnto the Lord and euery man to turne from his euill way and from the wickednesse of his hands Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce wrath that wee perish not which he vttereth after this maner saying Who can tell to shew the hardnesse and difficultie of it that they might crie vnto God the more earnestly or mightily as hee also willeth them there So that as from the forenamed place of Ioel wee haue a commandement to fast publikely when Gods hand is heauie vpon vs as it is now and hath been a long time when as hee thus speaketh Thus sayth the Lord Ioel 2.12 turne you vnto me with all your hearts and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning so forth so from thence also we haue a promise as we haue heard that if we can humble our selues thorowly iudging and condemning our selues as we ought which is meant by renting of our hearts as was sayd before and turne with all our hearts from our sinnes euen with sorrow and griefe for them vnto the Lord that he himselfe will in this punishment of ours also repent and leaue a blessing behinde as is sayd there that is some cause to praise and magnifie his holy Name and the reason why we haue it no sooner is that men haue not all this while cast down themselues before the high throne of Gods iudgement as they should and vnfainedly leaue all their sins which if men could come vnto in that maner measure that they ought then heere is a most gratious sure promise made vnto vs from the Lord by the mouth of his holy Prophet that hee will be mercifull vnto vs and spare vs which he will also vndoubtedly performe for he is Trueth it selfe Therefore that we might doe this that we doe in faith Which promises wee must at this present set before our eyes I meane continue still to fast and pray and not giue it ouer or wax wearie of it as of our selues wee are too prone vnto it yea that in thus abstaining wee might pray earnestly vnto God to stay his heauie hand and to put an happie end at the last vnto this long and great mortality Let vs consider that euen this promise is made to vs and written for this very time and for this purpose that if in this fasting euery man will turne from all his sinnes with his whole heart and be sorie for them euen from the very bottome of his heart that
see whereunto this fast of ours must be referred I meane the outward abstinence and what we must specially labour after in it namely that wee may be humbled before God for all our sinnes which haue so greatly prouoked the wrath of God that it may easily be seene of all and that we seeke to him by feruent praier for the turning away of his heauie hand that hath a long time beene most greeuously vpon many parts of this lande if we seeke not after these and by this abstinence finde our selues furthered in them our fasting is nothing woorth because wee come not vnto the chiefe part of it nor vnto the marrow and substance of it but content our selues with the shell and as it were the bare shadow fo it For as it is said in the common prouerbe and as it is true in all other things as good neuer a whit as neuer the better so in this in like maner The first vertue is true humility and what that is To speake therefore in order first of the humbling and casting downe of our selues this humilitie of minde is a vile esteeming and base iudgeing or thinking of our selues before God and men in respect of our innumerable great sinnes wherewith we haue defiled our selues and offended God and prouoked his heauy wrath and displeasure against vs whereby it commeth to passe that wee are displeased with our selues and offended and grieued at our selues yea are as it were at vtter defiance with our selues because of our sinnes and the curse of God and all miserie due to vs for the same And this humilitie is contrarie to that pride and hautinesse of minde Contrary to pride which is in many whereby they thinke too highly of themselues and are puft vp and full of selfe loue iudgeing better of themselues then there is cause being also thereby ready to iustify themselues before God and men like vnto that proud Pharisie that Christ speaketh of in the Gospell who thus vaunteth of himselfe before God through hypocrisie and want of due examination of himselfe and also despised the Publicane who praied by him saying I thanke thee O God Luk. 18.11 that I am not as other men extortioner vniust adulterer or euen as this Publicane whereas the other standing a farre of giueth many tokens of their humility for he would not lift vp so much as his eies to heauen but smot his breast and saide O God be mercifull to me a sinner This humbling of our soules is and must be answerable to the afflicting of our bodies And this casting downe of our selues in our owne iudgement as it is required so it is very fit and answerable to the outward exercise of fasting for therefore doe we absteine from the outward comfort and maintenance of this life for a time that wee might haue a quicker feeling of our vnwoorthinesse namely that for our sinnes we are vnworthy of all of them and of any comfort by them yea of life it selfe and thus we bring downe the bodie that the minde might bee brought downe and we afflict the bodie that the deserued death of soule and body might be the better knowen and felt of vs. We therefore abstaine from all pleasures and delights thereof lawful in themselues that thorough conscience of our sinnes and the deserued wrath of God for them not onely present but that that may come heereafter we might be drawen to a greater sorrow which inward affliction and griefe of the soule if it be seuered from the other it is as a dead carkasse without a soule yea a shadow without a bodie that is it is nothing woorth For this sorowing and mourning is so vnseparablie proper vnto the time of fasting and so fitly answereth to the outward ceremonie of it that the thing it selfe is thus noted out by Christ himselfe Math. 9 1â— Can the children of the mariage chamber mourne as long as the Bridegroome is with them Therefore vnto fastinâ— is alwaies ioined mourning but the daies will come when the Bridegroome shall be taken from them and then shall they fast Where Christ defending his disciples that they did not then fast speakes of fasting as of a time of mourning for in the one place hee saith Fast and in the other Mourne Luk. 5.34.35 to shew what we must come vnto in the day of fast euen to mourne And this hath also beene the practise of the seruants of God that in the daies of fasting they haue thus cast downe themselues and haue not onely inwardly sorowed but haue outwardly testified the same by weeping as indeed great sorow many times causeth teares For so is it said of Dauid when tidings was brought him of the death of Saul that he sorowed and wept and fasted both himselfe and his company 1. Sam. 1.12 Then Dauid tooke holde on his clothes and rent them and likewise al the men that were with him and they mourned and wept and fasted vntill euen for Saule and for Ionathan his sonne and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel because they were slaine with the sword Heere there fasting was ioined with mourning and weeping So likewise did all the people of Israel when they were twise ouerthrowne by the Beniamites they sorowed and wept and fasted vnto the euening as it is said in â—â—e book of the Iudges Then all the children of Israell went vp Iudg. 20. â— and all the people also came vp vnto the house of God and wept and sate there before the Lord and fasted that day vnto the euening offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And againe in the daies of Samuel when they were oppressed by the Philistims he exhorteth them to confesse their sinnes to God and leaue them and seeke vnto God that they might find mercy with him and they then fasted and praied and wept so aboundantly that it is saide they drew out whole buckets of water out of their eies For Samuel 1. Sam. 7 said Gather all Israel together to Mizpah and I will pray for you vnto the Lord and they gathered together to Mizpah and drew water and poâ—red it out before the Lord and fasted the same day said there We haue sinned against the Lord. Thus in this fast of theirs also they confessed their sinnes and sorowed woonderfully as appeared by the plenty of teares And to bee short this is that which the Prophet Ioel speaketh of and exhorteth them vnto â—â—el 2.17 as a thing necessarie Let the Priests the Ministers of the Lorde weepe betweene the porch and the altar and let them say Spare thy people O Lord wheÌ„ as he had said in the verses vers 13. going before Thus saith the Lord Turne you vnto me with all your hart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rent your hearts and not your clothes So that he not only speaketh of fasting as that wherunto the Lord did then cal
the Lord himselfe will repent of all that euill that he hath begun to do vnto vs and though hee hath taken away many thousands alreadie yet he will spare the rest and leaue some euery where to praise his Name So many therefore among vs as doe thus with true repentance turne from their sinnes to serue the Lord in holinesse and newnesse of life may praie with great hope and comfort for mercie from the Lord for the promise is made vnto them whosoeuer they be but all they that yeeld to this outward bodily exercise of fasting but are not thus broken in their harts nor affected in their soules neither haue any care so to be as they cannot call vpon the name of the Lord with anie earnestnesse of praier but all is done formally and ceremonially of them so they cannot haue anie great hope of being heard but shall speede thereafter And especially we may see plainely from the eighteenth verse of that chapter vnto the end of the same Which promises are most certaine and belonging to vs as well as to the Iewes how plainely and largely he doth promise not onely a remoouing of that great punishment which was verie much and for the certaintie of it and to assure her faith of it speaketh of it as though it were alreadie come saying then will the Lord be iealous ouer his lande and spare his people Ioel 2.18 and againe ver 22. be not afraid yee beastes of the field for the pastures of the wildernesse are greene for the tree beareth her fruite the figge tree and the vine doe giue their force be glad then yee children of Sion and reioice in the Lord your God for he hath giuen you the raine of righteousnesse that is as much as is meet for you in this great drought In al which words he speaking of this benefite to come as though it were already giuen them according to the maner of the prophets doth shew that he had alreadie receaued this promise from the Lorde that if they did thus throughly cast downe themselues in the guiltinesse of their sinnes and conscience of their deserts he would spare them and blesse them and besides hee would poure out his holy spirit most plentifully vpon them And this vndoubtedly is set downe for our consolation and instruction to shew vs what in the like case we may looke for And truely it must needes be so for there is no respect of persons with God and the promises of his worde though spoken vnto some particular people vpon some occasion yet are for all ages and times and doe generally belong to all alike vpon the same condition Therefore when as it saide to them Turne vnto the Lorde with all your heart and rent your hearts and when you are thus humbled the Lord will returne for your good and so foorth as it followeth in that place it is spoken not to them onely but to all such as in the like case shall thus do and so vnto vs now that we may be assured that if we thus do in that measure that we doe it in truth we shall finde mercie with the Lorde and so may praie for it most earnestlie in faith as they were willed to doe And the rather that we might thus doe Secondly consider the fulfilling of these promises to al those that haue vsed fasting and praier and be confirmed in the truth of this hope let vs vnto this gracious promise that we haue heard of ioine the consideration of all the fastes of the faithfull seruants of God set downe in the old and new Testament and see what hath beene the issue of them and whether they haue not obtained the things that they haue thus sued for and if the Lord hath not turned their sorrow into ioy Isa 61.3 their fasting into feasting and so hath giuen as the prophet speaketh to them that haue mourned beatitie for ashes the oile of ioy for mourning and the gâ—rment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse And heere wee may first of all consider what was the fruite of that fast which the Israelites helde in the time of the Iudges when for the wickednesse done to the Leuites concubine they fought against the Beniamites and were ouerthrowne in the first battle Iudg. 20. so that there was slaine that daie two and twentie thousand they fasted and praied set vpon them the second time yet were ouerthrowne in that battle also for the men of Beniamin slew downe to the ground of the children of Israel againe eighteene thousand all which could handle the sword then they fasted and praied the second time and got the victory when they were throughly humbled So that by fasting praier they preuailed against them at the last though not at the first and might haue done sooner if they had beene sufficiently humbled before As the Israelites thereby at the last preuailed against the Beniamites Wee haue hitherto with the rest of our brethren fasted and praied often that this grieuous plague raging in manie places might haue an ende and yet haue not thus farre preuailed with the Lord but the people stil die euerie where in great number yea it hath increased greatly since wee began so that ours and their estate is woorse then it was before we began euen as the Israelites did fall by thousands before their enimies after that they had by fasting and praier asked counsell of the Lord but if wee can hold out in this exercise vnto the end and not be discouraged though wee see little successe at the first and the more that wee see the hand of God increased against vs in iustice the more wee labour to grow in humilitie and feruency of praier then we doubt not but at the last by the euent as the Israelites did we shall see that we haue not all this while lost our labour and called vpon the name of God in vaine Therefore that we might with assured confidence and good hope perseuer in this holy exercise of fasting and praier besides the promise of God made vnto it which we haue heard let vs set this worthy example before our eies to comfort vs that though the beginning hath beene full of soâ—â—owe as it was with them yet the end will be full of ioy and consolation to our selues and others and to the praise and glorie of almightie God To this we may adioine that notable and famous example that we haue in the booke of Hester Hest 3.6 where it is said that Haman for the malice that hee bare against Mordecay sought the vtter destruction of all the Iewes for he thought it too little to laie handes on Mordecay himselfe alone and because they had shewed him the people of Mordecay he sought to destroy all the Iewes that were through out the whole kingdome of Ahashuerosh and to this end he had obtained a Decree from the king Hest 3.13 to roote out and to destroie and to
kill them all both yoong and old children and women in one daie Then all the Iewes at the aduise and commandement of Queene Hester Hest 4.16.17 did fast and praie vnto God three daies and three nights to intreat the Lord that she might find fauour with the King that this wicked deuise might bee frustrate and disanulled whereby it came to passe that the Lord in whose hands are the hearts of all men to turne euen as the riuers of waters and who hath saide that when a mans waies doe please the Lord Pro. 16.7 hee will make his enimies his friends did so change the Kings heart I say that they had thereby not onely to defend themselues and to gather themselues togither and to stand for their liues but also to roote out and to destroy all the power of the people Hest 8.11 and of the prouince that vexed them both children and women and to spoile their goods And by this meaâ—es the Iewes â—â—d ouerthrow the diuelish praâ—tise of proud Haman and so also they did and God blessed them therein yea and Haman the Iewes great aduersarie was hanged vpon the high gibbet which hee had prepared for Mordecay and after that tenne of his sonnes also were hanged and Mordecay and all the Iewes were greatly aduanced and honored Hest 9.28 and the daies of weeping and fasting were turned into great reioicing and feasting yeerely Thus we see how wonderfully God did blesse them being so humbled in fasting and praier before and what great things they obtained thereby as not onelie the sauing of their liues goods thereby but the vtter ruine and ouerthrow of their most deadly and professed enimies and therefore no doubt if wee could humble our selues this way and praie earnestly as they did if we were as neere deathes doore as they were and had receaued euen the sentence of death in our selues as they had 2. Cor. 1.9 it were possible for vs to escape it and to finde mercie with the Lord as they haue done before vs and that not onely for our selues but for our brethren as they did For as hee hath promised that if we turne vnto him vnfainedly in the middest of destruction he will leaue a blessing behinde him for vs as was said before out of Ioel Ioel. 2.14 so heere in this people wee see the truth and accomplishment of it Besides wee may consider of that woorthy example of Gods mercy this way shewed vpon those that humbled themselues by fasting and praier in the daies of Iehoshaphat that good King of Iudah as it is set downe in the second booke of the Chronicles 2. Chr. 20.2 where it is saide that the Ammonites the Moabites and the people of mount Seir came foorth to battle against him and hee fearing the danger that might befall him and his people proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah and praied earnestly to God for himselfe and for them which praier of his is there set downe And before they had ended their praier the spirit of the Lord came vpon Iahaziel a Leuite in the middest of the congregation who by the spirit of prophesie did foretell the victorie saying 2. Chro. 20.17 Yee shall not need to fight in this battle stand mooue not and behold the saluation of the Lorde towards you And king Iehoshaphat thereby obtained victorie against their enimies O Iudah and Ierusalem feare yee not neither be afraid to morrow goe out against them and the Lord will be with you And so it came to passe for their enimies slew one another euen the children of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of mount Seir to slay and destroie them and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir euerie one helped to destroy an other and so the Iewes entred vpon the spoile of them found among them aboundance both of substance and of bodies laden with pretious iewels which they tooke for themselues till they could carie no more and were three daies in gathering of the spoile for it was much and in the fourth day they praised God in the valley of Berachah which from that day had the name of that action for there they blessed and praised God for the victorie which he had giuen them and so called it the valley of blessing or praise and so they returned home to Ierusalem with great ioy Here we may consider the fruit of their fasting to be this that when by earnest praier they sought vnto God being in great feare as it is saide of the King that he feared and set himselfe to seeke the Lord 2. Chr. 10.3 then he made them to reioice So if we could thus rightly consider of this hand of God stretched out against vs that seeing our sinnes to be the cause of it wee would feare God and his wrath and suffer it to work vpon our consciences and seeke vnto God in feare earnestly to turne it awaie it might please him so to blesse vs at the last that we should haue great cause to reioice But verie few doe so laie it to heart that they haue all this while any thing profited by it in the true feare of God to repent them of any thing that is past to determine a better course heereafter and therefore cannot so earnestly seeke vnto God as they should for the remoouing of it and so it may iustly still be continued till it worke in vs this true feare which God grant that it may speedilie doe But let so manie as by the due consideration of this visitation haue set themselues to feare the Lord and to seeke vnto him in truth consider how God was found of this people and so will be of vs in his good time and as hee caused them after their great feare to returne home with as much ioy so he may bring those that for feare haue with griefe forsaken their townes and houses sal 126.5 bring them home againe with as much reioicing and whereas they haue sowen with teares they may reap with ioy and going out weeping and carying precious seede might returne with ioy and bring their sheaues as the prophet speaketh Lastly concerning this mattter we may see how the prophet Iona Ion. 3.4 comming to Nineue according to the coÌ„mandement of the Lord to denounce Gods heauie iudgement against them for their sinnes euen that within forty daies the whole citie should be ouerthrowne the King beleeuing this fearfull curse threatned to bee iust and deserued By this mâ—anes the Nineuites escaped thaâ— destruction that was threatned against them proclaimed a fast to this ende that euerie one turning from his euill waies and from the wickednesse of his hands that they might crie mightilie vnto the Lord as they did Wherupon it came to passe that God seeing their works to be good and that they turned from their euill waies indeed heard their praiers granted their requests and did repent him of the euill that
malice he bare against Mordecay sought the desolation of all them and had diuelishly plotted for it that he obtained the kings Decree in writing against them for it which for the more speedie executing of the same was sent by postes into all prouinces of his kingdome where the Iewes were to roote out and to destroie them all in one daie both yoong and old children and women Hest 4.1 heereupon it came to passe that not onely Mordecay himselfe when he perceaued all that was done he rent his clothes And all the Iâ—wes when they mourned for the deuise of Haman and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the middes of the citie and cried with a great crie and bitter but also in euerie prouince and place whether the kingâ— charge and his commission came there was great sorrow among the Iewes and weeping mourning and many laie in sackecloth and ashes vers 16. Now in this time of so great heauines sorrow as was not heard of before by the aduise of Hâ—ster al the Iewes that were found in the chiefe citie Sushan were commanded to assemble themselues together and to fast and praie vnto God by the space of three daies and three nights and she promised that herselfe and her maides woulde doe the like and Mordecay the Iewes did according to this commandement So all of them at this time seeing what cause they had of mourning more then before knew that nowe fasting and praier was most requisite for them for though Haman and the king sat drinking and making merie as fearing nothing yet the citie of Shushan was in perplexitie and so had cause to doe as they did So did the Iewes also in Ierusalem and all Iudah in the like case in the raigne of Iehosâ—aphat when a great armie of the Ammonites 2. Chro. 20.3 Moabites came vp against him they feared greatly some ouerthrow euen the losse of their liues And when they were in feare of forraine enimies and goods and all that they had if the Lotde were not mercifull to them to defend them and this feare of danger so neere at hande and so likely to come vpon them caused great sorrow for they confesse and saie there is no strength in vs to stand before this great multitude ver 12. that cometh against vs neither doe we knowe what to doe Then the king proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah and they gathered themselues together to aske counsell of Lord they came out of all the cities of Judah to inquire of the Lord. When they were in this distresse for feare of their enimies that they knew not themselues what to doe they humbled themselues before the Lord in fasting and praier that he would shew theÌ„ what they should do And to be short in so large an argumeÌ„t this is that which the prophet Ioel sheweth the people that the Lord required of them in that time of their miserie that they were fallen into that the verie present sorrow that they were iustly fallen into by reason of the hand of God lying so heauily vpon them did require and call vpon them for at that time for when he had spoken of the great scarcitie that was among them by reason of catterpillers and other vermine which had eaten vp and destroied the fruites of the earth and so for this present affliction they had all cause to mourne euen as he calleth all sortes vnto it euen them that were most senselesse saying awake yee drunkards and weepe â—el 1.5 and houle all yee drinkers of wine and againe Mourne like a virgine girded â—ith sackcloth for the husband of her youth and againe Girde your selues and lament yee priestes houle yee ministers of the altar 〈◊〉 1 â— Thereupon he giueth them this charge to sanctifie a fast and to call a solemne assemblie to gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the lande into the house of the Lordâ— â—ourning 〈…〉 â—gâ—ther and crie vnto him So he sheweth them that in this time of common sorrow they had all cause to seeke vnto the Lord in fasting and praier and afterâ—ards he sheweth more plainely that at â—his time by reason of the common calamitie and griefe for it the Lord did commaund them so to doe in these words 〈◊〉 1 â— Therefore nowe the Lord saith Turne vnto me with all your hearts and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning where he ioineth these two together fasting weeping and mourning and saith that the Lord doth require both of them and the one should not bee seuered from the other but seeing the Lord had giuen them so great cause of weeping and mourning hee would haue them seeke vnto him for mercie by praier and fasting Seeing then the Lord hath with his owne voice appointed out the time namely that the time of mourning should be a time of fasting and also holy men and women in the wisedome of Gods spirite haue so obserued the difference of times that as there hath fallen out any great cause of sorrow in their time so they haue put this in practise as wee haue seene by manie examples wee must thinke that the same commandement bindeth vs to the like practise when any such occasâ—on of time shall befall vs and that their practise must be our imitation This is and hath beene a long time of great sorrow vnto vs â—hat cause 〈◊〉 common â—â—rrow we â—iue in our â—â—â—ne if we did rightly consider of things as we should for if there had beene nothing else but the losse of so gratious vertuous peaceable a Queene of whose religious wise peaceable gouernmeÌ„t we haue had experience these 45. yeeres that one thing might haue put sufficient sorrow into vs to cause vs to haue humbled our selues before God in fasting and praier for our great vnthankfulnesse and other sinnes which were the cause of it But when vnto that losse which yet it hath pleased the Lord most mercifully to supplie by causing our soueraigne Lorde King Iames so quietly to possesse his heritance of this crowne whose royall person and noble progenie the Lord preserue and blesse for euer when vnto this losse I say there hath beene added presently vpon the necke of it so great a plague and pestilence as wee haue not knowen nor hath beene heard of in the daies of our forefathers that it should continue so long and in that extremity that it hath done as to die weekely so many thousandes in this lande and thus from weeke to weeke and the same not onely to be in one chiefe and mother citie of this realme but also in al other almost of account and in townes corporate yea in the sea-coast townes also exceeding much so that many houses in them are left empty and desolate without inhabitant Especially 〈◊〉 respect of this great and long coâ—tinued pestâ—lence and it is also in many villages and small townes so that it is dispersed
God towards his Church to which specially he hath giuen his worde and the Ministers thereof to warne them of his deserued punishments beforehand as it is saide of the Prophet Ezekiel Ezek. 3.17 Sonne of man I haue made thee a watchman to the house of Israel therefore heare the worde at my mouth and giue them warning from me so we have not wanted this great mercie of God For by the Ministers of our time from the trueth of Gods worde wee haue beene warned of his iudgements to come from time to time Who though by the spirit of prophecie they could not foretel wheÌ„ in what daie or moneth or yeere or after what maner either with the sworde famine or pestilence as the prophets did in their time to whom it was speciallie reuealed yet out of the most certaine trueth of Gods worde and the constant course of his dealing in former times they haue constantlie auouched and saide that God must needes before it bee long some waies punish vs for our sinnes as it is nowe come to passe and as it hath beene preached vnto the people before And hath not this bene seuerelie denounced against vs often Math. 3.10 which Iohn Baptist did against the Iewes Now is the axe put to the roote of the tree therefore euerie tree which bringeth not foorth good fruite shal be hewen downe and cast into the fire hath it not beene preached that God would vtterly destroy all those that liue vnprofitable vnder his Gospell destroie them I say euen by the rootes yet vndoubtedly this hath beene often sounded in the eares of all hearers chap. 21.19 and that the figge-tree that hath nothing on it but leaues shall be accursed and wither that is all hypocrites that content themselues with a bare outwarde profession of the Gospell and labour not for the inward vertue and power of it in their life to the glory of God and the benefite of others shall be discouered in time and come to nought according to the praier of the prophet Doe well O Lord vnto those Psal 125.4 that be good true in their hearts but these that turne aside by the crooked waies them shal the Lord lead with the workers of iniquitie but peace shall bee vpon Israel Luk. 13.6 And though he be a most patient God towards al euen towards the wicked yet he wil seuerely punish those at the last that abuse his great patience as appeareth in the parable of a certaine housbandman who had a figge-tree planted in his vineyard he came and sought fruit therein and found none then said he to the dresser of his vinyard Behold this three yeres haue I come and sought fruite of this figge-tree and find none cut it down why keepeth it also the ground barren And he answered and saide vnto him Lord let it alone this yeere also till I digge round about it and dunge it and if it beare fruit well if not then after thou shalt cut it downe Rom. 2.4 So the God of patience who thereby leadeth all men to repentance or leaueth them without excuse hath waited for our repentance and amendment of life as the fruit of all the paines that he hath taken with vs in his Gospell but vndoubtedly if after this preaching from yeere to yeere we remaine vnfruitfull at the last he will root them vp which make the Church barren which is in it owne nature the most fruitfull place in the world And therefore wee ought long agoe to haue sought vnto God in fasting and â—raier to escape this wrath These such like things haue not onely beene preached euerie where but with greate earnestnesse and zeale so vttered that we might easilie discerne that they spake not of themselues but were thereunto stirred vp by the spirit of God so that God warned vs of his iudgements by them and therefore wee should haue beleeued them and so haue sought heeretofore by fasting and praier to haue these â—â—ings turned away For as Dauid wheÌ„â—he prophet Nathan terrified his conâ—ience with the fearefull denuntiation Gods iudgement for his sinne sayâ—g 2. Sam. 12.9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lorde to doe euill in his sight therefore the sword shall neuer depart from thine house then he besought the Lord fasted and lay all night vpon the earth before all came vpon him And as Ahab King of Israel when Eliah the prophet reproouing him sharpely for his sinne saide vnto him in the name of God behold I will bring euill vpon thee and take awaie thy posteritie 1. King 21.21 c. when hee heard these words hee rent his clothes and put sackecloth vpon him and fasted and so both these when they did heare from messenger of God what was due to them for their sinnes they sought by priuate fasting to haue it turned away So when the Lord euerie where stirred vp his seruants with all zeale and feruencie of spirit more then ordinarily thus to speake vnto vs and did sing vnto vs the dolefull song of his heauie iudgements and so with Iohn Baptist did mourne vnto vs Luk. 7.32 that we might haue wept we should haue done as the Niniuites did Iona 3.5 that is wee should haue beleeued God and his seruants and haue put on sackecloth from the greatest to the least and so by fasting and praier haue sought vnto the Lord to turne it away not carelesly to haue taried till the hand of God was vpon vs as now we haue done Wee should haue beene wise as others haue beene before vs to haue taken knowledge of Gods wrath to come by the threatnings of his word preached vnto vs by his seruants and so sought to preuent them as they did Thus we see A conclusioâ— shewing what cause there is of publike fasting in respect of Gods wrath appearing against our selues that whether we looke to the time present or to come and therein to the course of Gods prouidence whereby if wee consider all things well wee haue more cause to feare our selues then to be secure or wee looke to sinne that aboundeth euerie where which being vnrepented of calleth for vengeance at Gods hand against vs or wee consider this that our sinnes haue beene sharpely reprooued and Gods curse for them threatned against vs by those that haue spoken vnto vs in his name we haue great cause to doe as we doe I meane to resort thus to the Church to seeke vnto God by fasting and praier yea wee should haue done it long before and seeing that there are so manie causes of publike fasting among vs wee must therefore thinke that the Lorde requireth the thing it selfe at our hands Which we shall the rather also be perswaded of if besides all this that hath beene spoken to that end we further consider that the people of God alwaies making this a sufficient cause of their fastings eueÌ„ the wrath of God appearing against his Church as we