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but from all that was moft delightful, and in a sparing Use even of coarfer Diet, and likewise that this was done when the Fast was fo long, that Nature could not be fupported without fome Nourishment. And thus Daniel fays of himself: In those Days I Daniel was mourning Three full Weeks, I eat no pleafant Bread, neither came Flesh nor Wine in my Mouth, neither did I anoint my felf at all, Dan. 10. 2, 3. that is, he lived upon hard and coarse Fare all the Time. And probably fuch a Kind of Faft was Efther's, which fhe kept with her Women Three Days: Go, faith fhe, gather together all the Jews that are prefent in Shufan, and faft ye for me, and neither eat nor drink Three Days, Night or Day; I also and my Maidens will fast likewife, Efth. 4. 16. For it is not likely or credible that any of them fhould fast so long in the ftrict Sense without taking any Food at all; and therefore the Meaning muft be, that they were to forbear and omit their usual Meals, and none of them to eat or drink, but what was abfolutely neceffary to fupport their Spirits, and preferve their Health. Now if Partial Abftinence is fufficient to make a Faft for fo long a Time, as no Man can bear a Total Abftinence, I think it is very plain that a Partial Abftinence is fufficient for any one's fasting a shorter Time, fuppofe for a Day, whofe Infirmities require the eating

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and drinking fomething before Night, for the reason is the fame in both Cafes. Nor is any one that must eat tied to that Kind of Food which agrees not with his Health, any more than to a Total Abftinence, which he cannot bear; it is fufficient if the Quantity and Quality be confidered, fo as not to indulge to Pleasure, and the gratifying of the Palate; it is no Offence if this be confidered with refpect to what we can bear, and what Health requires, for it is no Part of Religion to be fick; every honeft and fincere Perfon is the best Judge for himself in these Cases, and to avoid the Hypocrify of pretending to faft with delicious Fare, because it is not Flesh, he needs not run himself into vexatious Scruples, to the difquieting of his Confcience, or injuring his Health.

2. I fhall take notice of the Abuses of Religious Fasting.

And first of all, One Abuse of it is, when Men fast for wrong corrupt Ends, as for Strife and Debate, and to fmite with the Fift of Wickedness, Ifai. 58. 4. and when Men faft only that they may appear to Men to faft, to gain the Reputation of Piety amongst Men, that is, not because they do in good earnest aim at any Religious End in fo doing, but because they would be thought to do fo; for this Hypocrify our Saviour reproved the Pharifees: In Oppofition to T 2 which

which we are to look to it that our Intentions be pure and fincere, and that by the Appearance of fafting we do not aim at any vain-glorious End, or any other wrong End, but only at the Glory of God, and the doing Good to our felves and others by it.

2. Religious Fafting is liable to the Abufe of trufting in it, as if it were a Satisfaction to the Juftice of God for the Guilt of Sin, and made him fome Amends for the Dishonour we have done him by breaking his Laws. It is an infolent thing for us to pretend to make Compenfations to God for the Sins that we are guilty of before him, who when we have done all we can to humble our felves before him, must acknowledge that our Forgiveness depends upon his free Grace and Goodnefs. It is a great Derogation from the Dignity of that Sacrifice which our Lord offered for our Sins, to pretend that we can make Satisfaction to God for them our felves. I acknowledge that the outward Signs of godly Sorrow and Repentance, fuch as Mourning, and Fasting,and Abftaining from all Recreations and Mirth, were in the ancient Church called Satisfactions, but to whom? To God? No, but rather to the Church, which had been fcandalized by the ill Behaviour of any of its Members, and therefore would have vifible Teftimonies of a deep Repentance before he would admit of thofe that had

dishonoured the Chriftian Profeffion by any notorious Sins. Such Bodily Aufterities likewife are well pleafing to God, when they are undergone with a fincere Intention, and when they exprefs a true Repentance. But tho' God is pleafed to accept them, yet it is of his Goodnefs that he does fo, for they are no fuch Confiderations upon which we can challenge to be juftified by him. But it is ftill a greater Abuse to pretend that by Fafting, or indeed by the best Works we can perform, we merit for our felves or others. God indeed hath promised to reward us for thefe Things, but it is his gracious Condefcenfion to call that a Reward, which if the Inconfiderableness of our Performance be regarded, is merely his Gift. But to oblige us to our Duty, he is willing that his Gift fhould go for a Reward. But then it is one thing to qualify our felves for his Favour, and another to pretend that by qualifying our felves for it we deferve it. The former is done by the most humble Repentance; but if by any Humiliation we pretend to the latter, we make our very Humiliation an Inftance of Pride, and fo lose the best Quality by which it can entitle us to God's Pardon and Grace.

3. Another great Abufe of Religious Fafting is, to Reft in the Work done, as if our Abstinence were of it felf well-pleafing to God, and a mere Faft, as a Faft, were holy

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and acceptable, without regard to those Ends which ought to be aim'd at thereby. And this Abuse appears two Ways.

1. When a Man conceives he has done Religiously, by obferving a mere Abstinence from a Meal, without joining those other Duties to it, with which it ought to be accompanied, as Prayer, and giving of Alms, if we are enabled to do fo. That Fafting was always look'd upon by the worst Men as a fubfervient Means to help our Fervency in Prayer, feems to be plain from the forementioned Question, fay the Scribes and Pharifees, Why do the Difciples of John faft often, and make Prayers, and likewife the Difciples of the Pharifees, but thine eat and drink? By which Question we cannot imagine their Meaning to be, that the Difciples of Christ never prayed, but that Fafting is an Opportunity for making more than ordinary Prayers, and was always fo ufed; fo that the Queftion was, Why the Difciples of Christ did not faft? fince Fafting was generally looked upon as a Means of raifing up our Minds to a more excellent Pitch of Devotion; and accordingly the Dif ciples of John and of the Pharifees fafted that they might pray the better. For Faft ing is but Religion the Means, in particular, as it tends to prepare and dispose us for Prayer and Meditation; physically it is not for our Benefit, or betters us otherways,

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