venth months, these two being probably obferved with greater folemnity than the other.

But for our clearer understanding of this, it will be requifite to confider the original and occafion of all their monthly fafts; which, as appears from other places of fcripture, in fhort, was this. When the Jews were carried away captive into Babylon, in a deep fenfe of this great judgment of God upon them for their fins, and of the heavy affliction which they lay under, they appointed four annual fafts, which they obferved during their feventy years captivity, viz. the faft of the fourth month, in remembrance of the enemies breaking through the wall of Jerufalem, which we find mentioned, Jer. lii. 6. 7.; the faft of the fifth month, in memory of the deftruction of the city and temple of Jerufalem, y 12. 13.; the faft of the feventh month, in remembrance of the flaying of Gedaliah, upon which followed the difperfion of the Jews, of which we have an account, Jer. xlii. 1. 2.; ́and the fast of the tenth month, in memory of the beginning of the ficge of Jerufalem, of which we find mention, 2 Kings

XXV. I.

In this order we find these four annual fasts mentioned, Zech. viii. 19.; not according to the order of the events, but of the months of the feveral years in which these events happened: and there likewise God gives a full anfwer to this inquiry concerning the continuance of thefe annual fafts, namely, that they fhould for the future be turned into folemn days of joy and gladnefs, Zech. viii. 18. 19. And the word of the Lord of hofts came unto me, faying, Thus faith the Lord of hofts, The faft of the fourth month, and the faft of the fifth, and the faft of the feventh, and the faft of the tenth, fhall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and chearful feafts.

I return now to the text, Did ye at all faft unto me, even to me? that is, Did these falts truly serve to any religious end and purpofe? did not the people co tent themselves with a mere external fhew and performance, without any inward affliction and humiliation of their fouls, in order to a real repentance? did they not still go on in their fins; nay, and add to them upon these occafions, fafting for ftrife, and debate, and oppres fion in a word, were they not worse rather than bet

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ter for them? And therefore God had no regard to them; as it follows in this chapter, v 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Thus fpeaketh the Lord of hofts, faying, Execute true judgment, and fhew mercy and compaffions every man to his brother and opprefs not the widow nor the fatherless, the Stranger nor the poor; and let none of you imagine mifchief against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the fhoulder, and flopped their ears, that they should not hear; yea, they made their heart as an adamant-ftone, left they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hofts hath fent in his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hofts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he eried, and they would not hear; fo they cried, and I would not hear, faith the Lord of hofts.

So that, notwithstanding these outward folemnities of fafting and prayer, here was nothing of a religious fast: Did ye at all faft unto me, even to me? They were fenfible of the judgments of God which were broken in upon them, but they did not turn from their fins, but perfifted still in their obftinacy and disobedience.

And what God here, by the Prophet Zachary, calls fafting unto him, even to him, the Prophet Ifaiah calls the fast which God hath chofen, and an acceptable day to the Lord. Wherefore have we fafted, fay they, and thou feeft not? wherefore have we afflicted our fouls, and thou takeft no knowledge? Behold, ye faft for ftrife and debate, and to fmite with the fift of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it fuch a fast as I have chofen? a day for a man to afflict his foul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrufh, and to Spread fackcloth and afhes under him? wilt thou call this a faft and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out, to thy houfe? when thou feeft the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own fiefh? Then fhall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy falvation fhall Spring forth speedily: then shalt thou sall, and the Lord fhall anfwer, &c.

From all which paffages we may eafily understand wherein thefe monthly fafts of the Jews were defective, and what was the fault that God finds with them, when

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he expoftulates fo feverely in the text: When ye fafted and mourned in the fifth and feventh month, even thofe feventy years, did ye at all faft unto me, even to me? In the general, the fault which God finds with them was this, that thefe folemnities did not ferve any real end and purpose of religion, but failed in their main defign; which was a fincere repentance, and reformation of their lives: for which reafon he tells them, that they were not at all acceptable to him, nor esteemed by him as performed unto him, because they did not answer the true intention and defign of them.

My work at this time fhall be, 1. to confider in general what it is to faft unto God; that is, to keep a truly religious faft. 2. To bring the matter nearer to ourselves, I fhall confider more particularly, what the duty of this day, appointed by their Majefties for a folemn humiliation and repentance throughout the nation, does require at our hands.

I. A

I. I fhall confider in general what it is to faft unto God; that is, to keep a truly religious faft. And of this I fhall give an account in the following particulars. truly religious faft confifts in the afflicting of our bodies by a strict abftinence, that fo they may be fit and proper inftruments to promote and help forward the grief and trouble of our minds. 2. In the humble confeffion of our fins to God, with fhame and confufion of face, and with a hearty contrition and forrow for them. 3. In an earnest deprecation of God's difpleafure, and humble fupplications to him, that he would avert his judgments, and turn away his anger from us. 4. In interceffion with God for fuch fpiritual and temporal bleffings upon ourselves, and others, as are needful and convenient. 5. In alms and charity to the poor, that our humiliation and prayers may find acceptance with God. I do but mention these particulars, that I may more largely infift upon that which I mainly intended, and proposed to confider in the next place, namely,

II. What the duty of this day, appointed by their Majefties for a folemn humiliation and repentance throughout the nation, doth require at our hands. And this I fhall endeavour to comprife in the following particulars. 1. That we fhould humble ourfelves before God every

one for his own perfonal fins, whereby he hath provoked God, and increased the publick guilt, and done his part to bring down the judgments and vengeance of God upon the nation. 2. That we should likewife heartily lament and bewail the fins of others; efpecially the great and crying fins of the nation, committed by all ranks and orders of men amongst us, and whereby the wrath and indignation of almighty God hath been so justly incenfed against us. 3. We fhould most importunately deprecate thofe terrible judgments of God to which thefe our great and crying fins have fo juftly expofed us. 4. We fhould pour out our earnest prayers and fupplications to almighty God for the prefervation of their Majesties facred perfons, and for the establishment and profperity of their government, and for the good fuccefs of their arms and forces by fea and land. 5. Our fafting and prayers fhould be accompanied with our charity and alms to the poor and needy. 6. Lastly, We fhould profccute our repentance and good refolutions to the actual reformation and amendment of our lives. Of thefe I fhall, by God's affiftance, speak as briefly and as plainly as I can, and fo as every one of us may understand what God requires of him upon fo folemn an occafion as this.

1. We fhould humble ourfelves before God, every one for his own perfonal fins and mifcarriages, whereby he hath provoked God, and increafed the publick guilt, and done his part to bring down the judgments and vengeance of God upon the nation. Our humiliation and repentance fhould begin with ourselves and our own fins; because repentance is always defigned to end in reformation : but there cannot be a general reformation without the reformation of particular perfons, which do conftitute and make up the generality.

And this Solomon prefcribes as the true method of a national reformation, and the proper effect of a publick humiliation and repentance, in that admirable prayer of his at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings viii. 37. 38. 39. 40. If there be (fays he) in the land famine: if there be peftilence, blasting, mildew, locuft, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy befiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever fickness there be

what

what prayer and fupplication foever be made by any man, or by all thy people Ifrael, WHO SHALL KNOW EVERY MAN THE PLAGUE OF HIS OWN HEART, and Spread forth his hands towards this houfe: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whofe heart thou knoweft; (for thou, even thou only knoweft the hearts of all the children of men); that they may fear thee all the days which they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

You fee here, that, in cafe of any publick judgment or calamity, the humiliation and repentance of a nation muft begin with particular perfons: What prayer or fupplication foever be made by any man, or by all thy people Ifrael, WHO SHALL KNOW EVERY MÀN THE PLAGUE OF HIS OWN HEART; then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive. Particular perfons must be convinced of their personal fins and tranfgreffions, before God will hear the prayers and forgive the fins of a nation.

And because we cannot perform this part of confeffing and bewailing our own perfonal fins, and of testifying our particular repentance for them, in the publick congregation, any otherwife than by joining with them in a general humiliation and repentance; therefore we fhould do well, on the day before the publick faft, or at leaft the morning before we go to the publick affembly, to humble ourselves before God in our families, and efpecially in our clofets; confeffing to him, with great fhame and forrow, all the particular fins and offences, together with the feveral aggravations of them, which we have been guilty of against the divine majesty, so far as we are able to call them particularly to our remembrance; and earneftly to beg of God the pardon and forgiveness of them, for his mercies fake in Jefus Christ.

And fo likewife, after we return from the church, we fhould retire again into our clofets, and there renew our repentance, with moft ferious and fincere refolutions of reforming in all those particulars which we have confeffed and repented of. And if we would have our refolutions to come to any good, we must make them as diftinct and particular as we can; and charge it upon ourfelves,