Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

Now the necessity, for which we keep this fasting, is of two sorts, ¹public and private. We fast for the public or common necessity, when some calamity doeth either oppress or else hang over the head of the Church. Of such a manner of fasting we see examples in the 2. Cap. of Joel, and in the 3. of Jonah his prophecy: which very same order in fasting was used in the time of our Lords Apostles: as it is evidently extant in the Acts of the Apostles. And this kind of fasting doth seem to have differed very little among them of old, from a general mourning: yea it seemeth altogether to have been nothing else but a kind of lamenting. In the scriptures every book is full of examples which teach and instruct us how the holy saints did humble themselves in the sight of God with true repentance for their sins and offences. Private necessity is that for which every particular man doth fast when he feeleth himself to be vexed with bodily concupiscence, that thereby he may take from the flesh the flame and fuel, least the body at last be fired and burned. For the Lord in the Gospel said, that the children of the bridechamber do fast when the bridegroom is taken ⟨p. 243⟩from them, that is, in a hard and daū gerous time. The marriage doth signify the bond whereby we are knit to Christ in faith, and the holy ghost. This yet notwithstanding, the godly man doth still rejoice. He doth with giving of thanks and temperance both eat and drink so much as is sufficient, and is delighted also in these external gifts of God: but when he feeleth that the bridegroom is ready for to depart, or that he is now already almost departed out of his heart, that is, when he feeleth that the spirit is extinguished by the flesh's wantonness, and that faith doth once begin to be cold, then doth he settle himself to prayer and doth appoint a solemn fasting, thereby either to keep the bridegroom still, or else to pull him back being ready to depart.

Now the necessitie, for which wée keepe this fastinge, is of two sortes, ¹publique and priuate. Wée faste for the publique or common necessitie, when some calamitie doeth either oppresse or else hange ouer the head of the Church. Of such a manner of fasting wée sée examples in the 2. Cap. of Ioel, and in the 3. of Ionas his prophecie: which very same order in fasting was vsed in the time of our Lords Apostles: as it is euidently extant in the Actes of the Apostles. And this kinde of fastinge doth séeme to haue differed verie little amonge them of old, from a generall mourninge: yea it séemeth altogether to haue béene nothinge else but a kind of lamenting. In the scriptures euery booke is full of examples which teach and instructe vs how the holy saincts did humble themselues in the sight of God with true repentaūce for their sinnes and offences. Priuate necessitie is that for which euery particular man doth fast when hée féeleth himselfe to be vexed with bodily concupiscence, that thereby hee may take from the flesh the flame and fewell, least the body at last be fired and burned. For the Lord in the Gospel saide, that the children of the bridechamber do fast whē the bridegrome is taken