The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…The workes of the reuerend and faithfull seruant af Iesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…

wherewith we have bin entangled, keepeth us from carnal liberty which otherwise we might take, confuteth the erroneous, and dangerous opinions of the Papists about fasting, and stoppeth their slanderous mouths, who of long time have accused us that we fast not at all.

wherewith we haue bin intangled, keepeth vs from carnal liberty which otherwise we might take, confuteth the erronious, and dangerous opinions of the Papasts about fasting, and stoppeth their slaunderous mouthes, who of long time haue accused vs that we fast not at all.

The necessity of fasting in our Church may easily be seen, for that we abound with so many sins: fasting is necessarily to be used with prayer, for the preservation of Religion, & of the Estate, & that the word of God may be divided aright, that the consciences of men being terrified with their sin, they may see how they have deserved the change of Religion, and alteration of this prosperous government, though God in his mercy hath hitherto continued both, & will do still, if we still bewailing our sins, & amending our lives believe both his threatenings and his promises to be true. But above all, Fasting in these days is necessary, because our sins do more abound than before, greater tokens of Gods wrath do appear than before, more fear of danger both in the Church and Common-wealth than ⟨p. 212⟩before, which being manifest, it is requisite not only that there should be ordinary preaching¹ and praying for his Majesty, his Council, the Church & Common-wealth, which w• always used: but also extraordinary use of those means with fasting, to prevent the wrath of God that may ensue. And concerning the ordinary defence against evils to come, it must be confessed, that as they are subordinated and joined with spiritual means, they may be good; & without them they will not prevail, because they want the help of prayer and fasting. It were too great security to rest in the ordinary means of defence, as of wisdom, policy, multitude of arms, furniture of weapons, &c. and to boast in these, because God resisteth the proud, & giveth grace to the humble. So then the neglect of this exercise of humbling our selves will declare our security, & security showeth our pride, & doth bewray our infidelity. Neither is the end of prayer or fasting, the neglect of the ordinary means, but the pulling away of our confidence in them; that we might rest in the only power and goodness of God. Which how necessary a thing it is, plainly appeareth in the two great overthrows which the Israelites had of the Beniamites, whereas they being more in number, better appointed in the defence of a good cause, were notwithstanding constrained twice to retire with great slaughter, until at the last by casting off all confidence in themselves, by prayer and fasting acknowledging themselves to be nothing, they obtained victory.