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they are. These things avail nothing with God; by whom prayers are not measured, but weighed. And what makes the weight in them, is the faith, fervency, and humility, therein; fo that one of thofe groanings mentioned, Rom. viii. 26. will down weigh a whole day's prayers, in which these things are wanting. Do you labour to get near God in prayer, and prefs forward to obtain that.

DIRECT. X.

As you have ability and opportunity, let works of charity and mercy be joined with your faft; doing them, whether in time of it, or before it, or after it: Ifa. lviii. 6. Is not this the faft that I have chofen? -verse 7.-to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out, to thy house? when thou feeft the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Let the poor be gainers by your faft; for it is the promife of God, that he that watereth, fhall be watered alfo himself, Prov. xi. 25. and one's finding mercy with God, natively iffues in a merciful difpofition to wards one's fellow-creatures, Matth. xviii. 33. Eph. iv. 32.

DIRECT. XI..

Before you give over your work, you will do well to confider seriously, that you are now the Lord's and no more your own: and forafmuch as your covenanting with God, fuppofeth that you are refolved to reform, and to walk more closely with God; lay down refolutions, in the ftrength of your covenanted God, to watch. And by all means forget not to confider, what are thofe things whereby, in a fpecial manner, your fpiritual condition hath formerly been worfted; and by what means it may be kept right and fincerely refolve to efchew the one, and purfue the other; that fo what gaps have been

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in your converfation, may be filled up, whereby it will appear, that by your fast you have been set for ward in your Chriftian courfe. And withal review your failures in all the parts of the exercise you have now been employed in.

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You may conclude the work with prayer, wherein you may humbly confefs your failures in the management of this duty, and apply anew to the blood of fprinkling for purging them away; avouch your covenant-intereft in God and his in you; and lay the causes of your fast again before him, and folemnly leave them on him. The laying over a matter on the Lord believingly, in prayer, gives great eafe to a burdened heart: it turns a faft fometimes into a fpiritual feaft. When Hannah had done fo with her cafe, fhe went away and did eat, and her countenance was no more fad, 1 Sam. i. 18. And lay over yourself upon him, for the grace of the covenant, to fubdue your corruptions, bear you up against temptations, and carry on your refolutions; that you may go out into the world again, in the faith of his grace fufficient for you in all exigencies.

DIRECT. XIII.

When the work is over, take heed to your spirit. And,

Beware of fpiritual pride. Do not value your felf upon the account of the work done, as they did who faid, Wherefore have we fafted, and thou feeft not? Ifa. lviii. 3. The opinion of the merit of good works, is what the heart of man easily goes off into, by its natural bias: and there is fo much of the old man in the best, that they are apt to think highly of their religious performances and fervices. Wherefore be on your guard, particularly on that fide; and confider the perfection required by the

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holy law, and keep in view your own mifmanagements, fo as when you shall have done all those things, you may be obliged to fay, We are unprofitable fervants, Luke xvii, 10.

2. Beware of carnal fecurity. Saints fometimes fall asleep, quickly after a full meal of fpiritual enjoyment; as it fared with the spouse, Cant. v. 1. 2. And Satan watching the advantage, rallies his scattered forces, and with his wounded men burns the = city. So it comes to pafs, that, according to Solomon's obferver Prov. xii. 27. The flothful refteth not that which he took in hunting: what was gathered with much pains, is loft thro' unwatchfulness, ere he gets the use of it.

3. Laftly, Beware of forgetting the caufes of your faft; but in your ordinary addreffes to God, remember them; and wait on for an answer: Pfal. v. 3. I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Prayers may be accepted, and yet not presently anfwered. In which cafe, it is neceffary that with patience we wait for a return from heaven, mean while ufing the appointed means for obtaining the end. The neglecting hereof may provoke the Lord to continue the fymptoms of his anger, or ftroke of his hand, which otherwife might fooner be remov. ed: and to leave one perplexed and imbarrassed, in matters wherein light is needed.

But in your waiting for light, whatever the Sovereign Lord may do, do not you look for impreffions, far lefs for voices, nor extraordinary revelations any manner of way, to difcover your duty in particular cafes, 2 Pet. i. 18, 19. But, having laid yourself fairly open to the divine determination, and made humble and earnest fupplication unto God for light in your particular cafe, believe that you shall be guided, taught, and directed by him, according to his promife, Pfal. xxv. 9. Prov. iii. 6. And then, in dependance on the Lord, weigh the matter and cire

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cumftantiate cafe in the balance of fanctified reafon, according to the general directions of the word, fuch as Philip. iv. 8. Whatfoever things are true, whatfoever things are honeft, whatsoever things are juft, whatfoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatfoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if their be any praise, think on these things, And carefully obferve the conduct and motions of providence, with reference to it, ftill comparing them with the word. And you will find that he will guide you with his eye, ac cording to the promife, Pfal. xxxii. 8. And with refpect thereto, you may put up that petition unto him, in faith, Pfal. lxxxvi. 17. Shew me a token for good.

Thus far of perfonal fasting and humiliation.

CHAP. III.

Of FAMILY Fafting and Humiliation in

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particular.

Herein the fubftance of this duty, which is the fame in all religious fafts whatsoever, doth confift, is already declared. And there being many things common to family fasts, with perfonal ones, of which we have treated at large; it remains only to add here fome few things peculiar to family-fafting. And,

First, As to the divine warrant for it, one may be fatisfied upon these grounds.

1. Forafmuch as every Chriftian family ought to be a church Rom. xvi. 5. to receive all ordinances appointed of God, and competent to them in their family capacity; and that religious fafting is an or dinance of divine appointment, in the nature whereof there is nothing to hinder its being performed by a family in their family capacity: it is evident, that

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family fafting and humiliation is a part of family worship; namely, an extraordinary part thereof, to be occafionally performed. Accordingly, it is promised, as an effect of the pouring out of the Spirit, Zech. xii. 12. The land fhall mourn, every family apart. We have alfo a plain inftance of it, in Efther's family, on the occafion of the mifchievous decree against the Jews, procured by Haman, Esth. iv. 16. I also and my maidens will faft likewife. And the fafting of the Jews, on the fame occafion, in every province whitherfoever that decree came, mentioned ver. 3. feems to have been moftly, if not altogether, of the fame kind, to wit, family-fafting; not only, in respect of their circumftances in thofe provinces where they were dispersed, Chap. iii. 8. but also, that the thanksgiving for their deliverance was appointed to be kept throughout every family, Chap. ix. 28.

2. The ground upon which the duty of fafting and humiliation is bound upon public worshipping focieties, and upon particular perfons, takes place alfo in the cafe of families. If national, congregational, and perfonal fins to be mourned over, judgments to be deprecated, and mercies to be fought, do found a call to a nation, congregation, or perfon, respectively, to humble themfelves with fafting; can there be any reafon affigned, why the fame should not hold in like manner, in the cafe of families? Surely, as there are times wherein it goes ill with a land, or with a particular congregation or perfon: fo there are times wherein it goes evil with one's houfe, I Chron. vii. 23. in refpect of special family fins or ftrokes; and in which there are fpecial family-mercies needed. And families are obliged to the ufing of the fame appointed means for getting rid of the one, and obtaining the other; as other worshipping focieties, and particular perfons, are, in their respective cafes. And where the concern of members of a family is common, although it be

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