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than as the Fumes of a full Meal do cloud our Minds, and are an Hindrance to Thought; and it is more diftant from Religion the End, than Prayer is, because Fasting is a Help to Prayer. And then as for Alms, it seems to be a natural Companion of Fafting in all thofe that have Ability, fince the thing it felf inftructs us, that the faving of a Meal looks like a Matter of Sparing and Covetousness, if we do not beftow the Price of it upon the Poor, befides our other ordinary Alms, or else like Matter of Luxury, if we are revenged of the Abftinence of the Day, by being at the Charge of a full Table at Night, as the general Practice is. Befides, when we feel the Importunity of our own Appetites, how can we chufe but be fenfible of their Condition, who want Bread for themselves and their Families? And therefore it hath been always the Custom of Religious People to join Prayers and Alms with their Fafting; and we have one remarkable Example of it, to wit, in Cornelius, who when he was fafting towards the Evening an Angel of God appeared to him, and faid, Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a Memorial before God, Acts 10. 4. 30, 31. plainly intimating, that it was not his bare Fafting, fo much as his Prayers, which he was by his Fafting enabled to offer the more fervently, and his Alms, which he was there

by enabled to give more plentifully, that God accepted; and I would fain know wherein that Fafting, which is not accompanied with Prayers and Alms, differs from a Man's fafting, becaufe either he has no Meat, or no Stomach, or for his Health; for if it were of it felf a Religious Action, then every Man that fafted might pretend to be Religious in fo doing. One great Miftake therefore about Fafting is, when we conceive we have done Religiously, tho? in other Refpects we take our ufual Liberties, inftead of making it an Help to Prayer and Charity.

2. It is alfo a notorious Abuse of this Kind, viz. the refting in the Work done, if we look not at a farther End, than even that of Prayers and Alms, but please our selves with thefe outward Performances, without aiming at the bettering of our Minds, and the mending of our Lives, efpecially if we think that after we have ferved God in thefe Outward Exercises of Religion, we have purchafed a Liberty to behave our felves as we pleafe afterwards, that having bridled our Appetites for fome Time, we need not be afraid of letting them loose to all Pleasures that we can defire, till the next Time of Humiliation returns. The Fafting and Praying of those Men, that will afterwards allow themselves in Drunkenness, Whoredom, Injustice, or any other Sin, is not on

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ly unprofitable, but, as they order the Matter, mischievous, fince under the Protection of these Exercises at certain Seasons, it seems they fin with more Security and Boldness afterwards, and fo they turn that which is good, only as it is a Means of Virtue and Goodness, into an Inftrument of Impiety and Loofenefs of Life. And how God hates this Hypocrify, we may find in the Prophet Ifaiah, Chap. 58. Verfes 3 4. and fo on, where to the People asking why God took no Knowledge of their afflicting their Souls by fafting, it is anfwered, Behold ye faft for Strife and Debate, and to fmite with the Fift of Wickedness. Is it fuch a Faft that I have chofen, à Day for a Man to afflict his Soul? Is not this the Faft that I have choJen, to loofe the Bands of Wickedness, to undo the heavy Burdens, and to let the Oppreffed go free, and that ye break every Yoke? By which it is plain that the Conftant Righteousness of Conversation is incomparably in the Account of God to be valued above Bodily Aufterities; and he that lives a good Life without fafting, is infinitely a better Man than he that fafts from Meat, but afterwards abftains not from his Lufts and Vices.

I might add in the fourth place, that grofs Abuse of Fafting which confifts in Preferring the Obfervance of Ecclefiaftical Rules concerning it, above keeping the plain Command

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mandments of God, and making it a greater Sin to tranfgrefs the Rules of the Church in thefe Things, as for Inftance, to eat Flesh upon a Fasting-day, than to commit Whoredom. Do not mistake me, our Church hath given no manner of Occasion for such Abufes, the Business of the Church being to fee that the Commandments of God be kept, and not to fet any of her own either above them, or in any fort of Competition with them; where the Fault is, there let it rest: it is fo fhameful a one, that Nobody is willing his Church fhould be known by it. And therefore of fuch fcandalous Abuses as thefe I fhall fay no more.

Thus I have reckon'd to you what I take to be the most Confiderable Abuses of Religious Fafting; and tho' there may be more, yet I thought it fufficient to infift only upon thefe, because they are most common, and the World hath given but too many Instances of them. And upon thefe Accounts I fuppofe it is that thofe of our Communion (a few excepted) do lay no great Stress upon this Part of Religion, it being a Fault which Men otherwife good are very apt to fall into, to be prejudic'd against the Ufes of many good Things, becaufe ill Men have grofly abused them. I proceed,

3. To fhew that Thefe Abufes are by no Means a Difcharge from all Obligation to Religious Fafting, but that we ought to ap

ply it to the true Ufes and Ends thereof, inftead of laying aside the Practice it felf, because it may be, and has been, abused. It is to be confidered what Place Fafting has in Religion, and we must give it that, and no more, and confider of what Ufe it is in Religion, and apply it to that Ufe, without abufing it. I fhall therefore now try to lay before you the Principal Advantages of it, and which we ought to have an especial Eye to, in this Kind of Performances. And,

1. Let us confider it as a very Fitting Act of Humiliation before God for our paft Sins. And tho' this Use of Fafting is to be regarded by all Perfons, fince the Beft are not fo good but they had need to use the Prayer of the Publican, Lord, be merciful to me a Sinner, yet this is especially to be observed by the Worft fort of Men and Women, that have lived in any Course of Sin, or have been guilty of any one grofs Offence, that lies heavy upon their Minds. How can they do lefs in order to the obtaining of God's Pardon, than to acknowledge their own Vileness in the moft fubmiffive Way they can? Of which Acknowledgment Fafting at convenient Times is a most natural and ready way of Expreffion, for hereby they declare how unworthy they are of the leaft of God's Bleffings, even of their daily Food, which at that time they abridge

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