fafting, to repair this lofs by other means in the manner following (82): "Let every one of us lay afide all this Lent, all fine "cloaths, and our ufual attire; for that is ftill the custom of "mourners in all places. And let us retire ourselves, as "much as is poffible (for fo mourners alfo do), making no "vifits, nor willingly receiving any, if nothing but civility "oblige us to it. "Let the time be spent in this retirement, in reading and "prayer; in examining our confciences, and bewailing our "offences; in taking a view of our own miferies, and those of all mankind, and imploring the divine mercy; in lay"ing to heart the wants and sufferings of our Chriftian bre"thren; in meditating on Christ's fufferings, and fuch like "fpiritual exercises; which we are too apt to neglect in a "croud of business and company. "Let the confideration of these miseries move us to af"flict ourselves with fafting; or, if that cannot be, with a fpare diet. "Let the rich especially, and those who live deliciously, "deny their appetites, keep a flender table, and punish their "exceffes with harder fare. "Drink no wine, nor ftrong liquors without neceffity; "make no feafts, nor accept of invitations to any. "Give alms liberally; frequent public prayers; and there let us humble ourselves before God, and blush to lift up ❝our eyes unto Heaven. "Yea, let us pray with all prayer and fupplication in the "Spirit (83) i. e. addrefs ourselves to God in all forts of "holy thoughts and devout affections; and that with great "fervour, and ardent defires; with tears and knocking our "breafts, and bended knees (as Theophylact expounds the "words of the Apoftle), befeeching him by his cross and "paffion to deliver us. "Tremble to think that you have often prayed that God "would pitifully behold the forrows of your heart, when per"haps you felt no forrow there; and now, let it be teftified "by all the forrowful actions here mentioned. "Forbear mufic, dancing, and all fuch like pleasures "Let thofe that have been flothful content themselves with "less fleep, that they may have more time for prayer and "heavenly thoughts. "They (82) Dr. Simon Patrick, Bishop of Ely," Tr. of Repentance and "Fafting; efpecially of the Lent Fast," Part iii. ch. 20. in the Con*clufion, p. 206. (83) Ephef. vi. 8, "They who have been too voluptuous, will do well to "lie hard. 66 Finally, let there be a general abstinence from all man"ner of recreations, unless the prefervation of health make "them neceffary, and then use them privately. "Leave the play-houfes quite empty, and make the "churches full. Go to no public fhews, nor meetings; but fpend the time when you come from church, in fetting all *things right at home. S. Chryfoftom frequently befeeches "his hearers, that when they come home, they would fpend "their time in ruminating upon what they had been taught, "and conferring one with another about it; and fo free "themselves from all bad defires, and flee the fnares of the "devil. For when the devil, faith he, fees our minds fol"licitous about fpiritual matters, and perpetually converfant "in them, he dares not approach us; but flees away before "the face of a more powerful fpirit working in us. "Now all this doth not come up to the primitive ftri&"nefs, but it is a mortification of fenfual nature, which de"lights in company, merry-meetings, feafts, jollity, fport "and plays, laughter and all manner of pleasure, which we "ought to lay afide at this feason, that we may fulfil the "apoftolical precept (84). Be afflicted, and mourn and "weep: Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to heavinefs. Humble yourselves in the fight of "the Lord, and he fhall lift you up." CHA P. V. On the CONDITIONS which must accompany our FASTS. F ASTING ought never to go alone: It must always be joined, as much as poffible, with alms-deeds and prayer, and all other good works. Nothing more powerfully moves God to bestow the treasures of his grace abundantly on us, than if, for his fake, and to imitate his goodness and beneficence, we liberally open our hands, and give genereusly a share of the temporal goods we have received from his bounty, to those who stand in need of them. Especially when we fue to him for mercy, we muft fhew mercy ourfelves to our fellow creatures, and compaffionately relieve their corporal wants. This even is the law which Almighty God lays down for his own conduct, and the condition up (84) James iv. 9, 10. on on which he offers us his mercy and graces. Nay, it is unbecoming to addrefs ourselves to God for mercy, without fulfilling it on our fide. The angel, who appeared to Cornelius on a fafting day, teftified how acceptable his prayers and alms were to God, by which he deferved, by a miracle, to be brought to the knowledge of Chrift and his holy faith, and to be the first fruits of the Gentiles in his church, to open the door to all foreign nations, who were not of the race of the ancient chofen people of God (85). Tobie, in the inftructions which he gave his fon, enlarges most of all upon alms-deeds (86). And the angel who conducted young Tobie into Media, after his return, teaches them that alms ought to go together with fafting and prayer." Prayer is good "with fafting and alms, for alms delivereth from death, "and fhall purge away all fin (87)." The prophet Isaiah (88) gives his approbation only to fuch a faft; and the church recommends the conftant practice in Lent, by repeating his words in her daily office at that holy time. "Break thy "bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and strangers in"to thy house: When thou shalt fee one naked cover him, "and despise not thy own flesh." Hermas, who wrote foon after the Apostles time (89), fays, that whatever is fpared on fafting days is to be given to the poor; adding, "If thou fulfilleft thy faft in the manner " which I command thee, thy victim shall be acceptable to "the Lord, and thy faft fhall be entered in the book of "life." This maxim of giving to the poor the meat that is retrenched, or money that is faved by the faft, is repeated by all the ancient fathers and councils down to the 12th century and lower, till delicacies and luxury tainted the tables, and encreased their expence on fasting days. The fathers even declare 5. (85) A&ts x. 30, 31. (86) Tob. iv. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. (87) Tob. xii. 7, 8. (88) Ifa. lviii. 7. (89) Hermas Paftor. l. iii, Similit ed. Cotel. T. i. p. 105. Origen, hom. 4. in div. in cap. 6. Matt. T. ii. p. 283. S. Ambrof. Serm. 25. (de Quadrag. 9.) n. 6. T. ii. p. 426. in App. idem Serm. 29. (in Quadrag. 13.) p. 431. S. Aug. in Pf. xlii. n. 8. T. iv. p. 370. & Serm. 151. n. 7. T. v. p. 715. Serm. 210. n. 12. ib. p. 932. Conftit. Apoft. 1. 5. c. 20. T. 1. ed. Cotel. p. 323. (where it is made a precept of ftanding law.) S. Chryf. hom. 8. in Gen. n. 6. T. 4. p. 63. S. Leo Serm. 12. de Jejunio decimi Menfis T. 1. p. 126. Serm. 14. de Jejun. c. 2. p. 128, &c. S. Cæfar. Arelat. hom. 2. Bibl. Parr. T. viii. p. 820. S. Greg. M. I. i. in Evang. hom. 16. n. 6. T. i. p. 1495. Theodulphus Epifc. Aurelian. Capitul. 38. T. vii. Conc. p. 1146. Ratherius epifc. Veron. 10. Sæculo. Serm. I de Quadrag. n. 7. T. ii. Spicil. p. 283. S. Carolus Borrom. Conc, 1. Mediol, Part. ii. cap. 7. T. xv. Conc. &c. declare, that fafting avails little without alms, where perfons have abilities. "If you faft without giving alms, it is not to be reputed a fast," fays S. Chryfoftom, (90). S. Cæfarius of Arles fays: "Fafting without alms is not avail 66 able, unless a perfon be fo poor as to have nothing to "give, in whom the good will is fufficient (91)." And the learned and pious Theodulphus, bishop of Orleans, writes, "Fafting is of little advantage, if it is not commended "and fupported by prayer, watching, and alms- deeds (92)." A little before, in his 36th Capitular, he defcribes the manner of fasting in Lent. After faying, that they who eat at none, or take any thing before evening, are by no means to be thought to faft, he adds, "Let all hear mafs, and affift at velpers (at fun-fet), after which hour let them give their "alms and then eat. If any one cannot go to velpers, let "him make his prayer at the evening hour, and then take "his refection." Those who are able to do lefs in fafting are bound to make up this deficiency by doubling their alms, according to S. Leo (93), and other fathers; which rule all Chriftians are bound more particularly to obferve, fince the great relaxation of difcipline in this duty. A fecond, and of all others the most effential concomitant virtue of fafting, is devcut and humble prayer, the principal and most powerful arms of holy penance: In the first place, a conftant attendance, if poffible, upon the public office of the church, which is much longer than usual at this holy season, and pathetically adapted to the most perfect difpofitions of the heart, neceffary for the fanctification of the faft. Compunction and penance ought to have the principal fhare in our devotions at this feafon. More time than ufual ought also to be referved for pious reading, felf-examination, confideration on the duties of our ftate, and holy meditation, of which the fufferings of Chrift ought to be a main object, with a particular attention to our own most preffing fpiritual neceffities, our ruling and most dangerous paffions, and the virtues we chiefly ftand in need of. It is an excellent practice to propose to ourselves every Lent the attainment of fome particular virtue, in the most perfect degree, and the complete victory over fome vice. Fafting and prayer are mutually fupports to each other. Prayer entertains the spirit of compunction, and animates and enables the foul to bear chear (90) S. Chryf. hom. 77. in Matt. n. 6. p. 749. T. vii. ed. Ben. (91) S. Cæfar. Arelat. hom. 2. Bibl. Patr. T. viii. p. 820. (92) Theodulph. Aurel. Capitul. 43. T. vii. Conc. Labb. (93) S. Leo, Serm. 85. de Jejun. Septimi Menfis c. 3. p. 349. 223 chearfully the feverities of the faft; it is a fpiritual nourishment, which gives vigour and ftrength to fafting. On the other fide, fafting fits the foul for the exercifes of prayer, by difengaging her attention from earthly things, and the gratification of fenfe, and flavery of the body; by giving her wings to foar up to Heaven; by rendering the mind free and active, and its fight clear and lively; and by fubduing the body: For the lighter this is made, the more is the vigour of the foul encreased. Moreover, the foul, when afflicted by the chastisement of the flesh, pours forth herself more earnestly in humble compunction and prayer, and more ardently entreats God to look on her miferies, with a sense of which she is moft feelingly penetrated by the voluntary affliction of the flesh. It is easy to infer from this condition, that a close recollection and retirement, as far as every one's circumstances will allow, ought to be the care of every good Chriftian during the Lent faft. And this the example of Chrift, our divine model, during his forty days faft in the wilderness, alfo the example of all the faints, and the fpirit of the church ftrongly inculcate. Chrift hid himself in the defert, to fhew what ought to be, in fome degree, the life of every one who calls himself his difciple and imitator, by fequeftering himfelf in fome meafure from the world, as far as his obligations and circumstances will permit, at certain feasons of penance and prayer. Every one may contrive to find fome little more leifure than ufual, to apply his whole attention to prayer and fpiritual things, efpecially on Sundays, and for fome little times of filence, during fome part of his work, at least, to turn his heart to God by devout afpirations, &c. Solitude is the afylum of innocence, where virtue feeks to shelter itself from the contagion of the world, and where grace is most eafily recovered and ftrengthened: It is the terrestrial paradife, where fouls freely converfe with God, and breathe the pure air of Heaven: It is the region which all ought to covet in times of penance and prayer, as much as is compatible with their obligations in the world. Those holy monks and hermits, who lived always fequeftered from commerce with the world, rather like angels than men, in Lent chose some more remote wilderness or cave, which was still more inacceffible to the distraction of vifitants; witness S. Simeon Stylites, S. Euthymius, S. Cuthbert, and others, mentioned by Bede; and innumerable others, both in the Eaft and the Weft, down to our times: Witness alfo the rules |