themselves of, as thofe that humbled themfelves in Sackcloth, declared their Unworthinefs to wear Cloaths any more, and how they deferved God's heavy Indignation, by inflicting this fmall Punishment upon themfelves; and this may be done without fuppofing that we are making Satisfaction to God for our Sins. For alas, what is all this to the Demerit of Sin? And yet it is very fit that a Sinner, who needs much God's Grace and Mercy, fhould lay himself very low when he endeavours to obtain it.

2. We should use Fafting, as a Means to Prevent Sin for the Time to come; for to this Purpose it is very ferviceable several Ways. As,

1. As it is a Revenge we take upon our felves for having done what difpleafes God; and when to the Trouble of Mind that Sin causes, we add alfo the Trouble of the Body, a Voluntary Punishment of our felves to that Grief and Remorfe which can hardly be avoided, we lay a new Obligation upOn our felves not to offend in the like Kind again; and the more grievous it is to a Man to tie up himself from the lawful Pleafures of Life, the more effectual Remedy against Sin it is to punith himself this way for unlawful Liberties; and perhaps it is one of the wifeft Ways a Man can take to break an evil Habit, which he finds hard to be conquered, fo hard, that he hath bro,

ken

ken many Refolutions in trying to mafter it. Art thou addicted to Luft, or Intemperance, or Deceit, or Lying, or Swearing, or any other Work of the Flefh or the Devil? Confider what Self-denial of lawful Things is moft grievous to thee, I mean of thofe Things which thou art at full Liberty to difpofe of, and determine to punish thy self with fome notable Act of this Self-denial, whenever thou falleft into that Sin which doth fo easily befet thee. Doft thou love Money? Give away fo much more upor every Tranfgreffion: If thy Eafe and Sleep, punish thy felf with Watching and breaking thy Reft. If thou loveft delicate Fare, refolve to undergo hard and coarse Feeding for thy Punishment, and to faft for a Revenge upon thy felf. By impofing and inflicting fuch Penalties upon thy felf, not with an Opinion that hereby thou mayft gain Leave to fin again, but with a Defign to make thy felf weary of it, it will be plain that thou doft in good earnest set thy felf to grow better, and to recover out of the Snare of the Devil, and he that useth fuch likely Means as these with a fincere and honeft Defire of true Reformation, will not want the Concurrence of God's Grace in Proportion to his own Sincerity.

2, Fafting or Abftinence, if duly obferved, is a Means to prevent Sin, as it gives us fome Experience of the Power we have

to

to restrain the Satisfyings of our own Appetites and Paffions. When we do a wicked thing we are too apt to excufe our felves by the Weakness of our Nature, and the Violence of our Inclinations to what is forbidden; and so it is neceffary in order to true Repentance and Amendment, that Men be fatisfied thoroughly that it is in their Power to be, and to do, better. Now it is no inconfiderable Proof that we make of our felves, and of fome Ability in us to this Purpose, which by the Grace of God will be sufficient, that we can determine our felves to Abftinence for fome Time from lawful Gratifications of our Appetites, that we can bear with the Importunity of our Defires of our appointed Food, and appointed Reft, and accuftomed Eafe. And if, as we ought to do, we join to Corporal Aufterities the Religious Exercife of Prayer and Meditation, and make Fafting an Help to Devotion and Meditation, we shall come to understand that Religion is a practicable Thing. And if we find that we can bear thefe Extraordinaries, it is a mighty Argument to us to believe that the ordinary and conftant Duties of a good Chriftian are not fo formidable as they are wont to represent them to themselves, who have no Experience of them.

3. This is alfo a Means of preventing Sin for the Time to come, in as much as it dotb

fomething

Something towards the mortifying of our Lufts, and the fubduing of our Paffions, and the raifing up our Affections from Earthly Things to heavenly, and the accuftoming our felves to converfe with God and our own Consciences, more than otherwife we should do. For as every Gratification of our Appetites to unlawful Things ftrengthens the Habit of Sin, fo every Reftraint upon our Defires of Things lawful weakens it, and operates just like bending a Stick the other way to bring it right; and this, tho' it be more effectually proper against the Sins of Luft and Intemperance, yet in fome degree holds good against all evil Habits whatfoever, fince they have all of them fome Tincture of the Flesh, as well as of the World and the Devil.

Fourthly, and Laftly, Fafting, take it with its Companions of Prayer, and fuch like Religious Exercifes, is upon this Account a good Remedy against Sin for the Time to come, an excellent Means of escaping the Snares of the World, the Flesh and the Devil, for the future, and of growing better, and more careful of our felves than we have been, and that because it is an Opportunity of Retirement and Confideration, the want or the Neglect of which is the grand Cause of the Wickedness of the World, why there are fo many bad Men, and why fo many good Men are no better. It is no imagining

that

that the Reasons of Religion, the Motives to a Religious and Godly Life, fhould work upon us, if not seriously weighed and confidered by us, but truly as the common Way of the World is, and has been, a little Portion of Time is it, in comparison, that we can find for effectual Confideration of the Arguments and Motives of Religion, and of our own State towards God, and this amidst the continued Bufineffes, Studies, Conversation, Pleasures and Diverfions, and Entertainments of this World; thus it is, I doubt, for the moft part, and therefore requifite it is that we should refolvedly fet apart fome Time for Retirement from Worldly Bufinefs and Com pany, and fuch like common Hindrances of ferious Confideration of the State of our Souls. But perhaps thy Bufineffes are many, and thy Employments fo great, and thy Life is fo much in the way of Company, and Vifits, and Engagements, that no Time can be fpared for confidering with Leifure thy Cafe, as it ftands towards God; nay, but That is the Cleareft and Strongest Reason and Arguinent, that thou fhouldft fpare Time from thefe Things of lefs Concern for other Things of infinitely greater. That is that I have been faying, that according to the ufual Courfe of this World (fome few excepted that do break away for Prayer and Confideration) the Entertainments of this Life, and

the