Jonah iii.

befides that punishment which fhould have happened
unto him in the world to come. When Abab heard
this, be rent bis clothes, and put jackcloth upon him, and
fafted, and lay in fackcloth, and went barefooted. Then
the word of the Lord came to Elijah, faying, Seeft thou
how Abab is humbled before me? Because be submit-
teth bimfelf before me, I will not bring that evil in bis
days; but in bis fon's days will I bring it upon his boufe.
Although Ahab, through the wicked counfel of Ježa-
bel his wife, had committed fhameful murder, and
against all right difinherited and difpoffeffed for ever
Naboth's frock of that vineyard; yet upon his hum-
ble fubmiffion in heart unto God, which he declared
outwardly by putting on fackcloth and fafting, God
changed his fentence, fo that the punishment which
he had determined fell not upon Ahab's houfe in his
time, but was deferred unto the days of Joram his
fon. Here we may fee of what force our outward
faft is, when it is accompanied with the inward faft
of the mind, which is (as is faid) a forrowfulness of
heart, detefting and bewailing our finful doings. The
like is to be feen in the Ninevites: for when God
had determined to deftroy the whole city of Nineveh,
and the time which he had appointed was even now
at hand, he fent the Prophet Jonah to fay unto them,
Yet forty days, and Nineveh fhall be overthrown.
people by and by believed God, and gave themselves to fast-
ing; yea, the king, by the advice of bis counfel, caufed
to be proclaimed, Jaying, Let neither man nor beaft, bul-
lock nor sheep tafle any thing, neither feed nor drink water:
but let man and beast put on fackcloth, and cry mightily
unto God; yea, let every man turn from his evil way,
and from the wickedness that is in their bands.
W/bo
can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away
from bis fierce wrath, that we perifh not? And upon
this their hearty repentance, thus declared outwardly
with fafting, renting of their clothes, putting on fackcloth,
and fprinkling themfelves with duft and afhes, the Scrip-
ture faith, God faw their works, that they turned from
their evil ways; and God repented of the evil that be
bad faid he would do unto them, and he did it not. Now,
beloved, ye have heard first what fafting is, as well
that which is outward in the body, as that which is in-
ward in the heart. Ye have heard alfo that there are
three ends or purposes, whereunto if our outward fast be
directed, it is a good work that God is pleafed with.

The

Thirdly,

Thirdly, hath been declared, what time is most meet for to faft, either privately or publicly. Laft of all, what things fafting hath obtained of God, by the examples of Ahab and the Ninevites. Let us therefore, dearly beloved, feeing there are many more caufes of fafting and mourning in thefe our days, than have been of many years heretofore in any one age, endeavour ourselves both inwardly in our hearts, and alfo outwardly with our bodies, diligently to exercise this godly exercise of fasting, in fuch fort and manner, as the holy Prophets, the Apofiles, and divers other devout perfons for their time used the fame. God is now the fame God that he was then; God that loveth righteousness, and that hateth iniquity; God which willeth not the death of a finner, but rather that he turn from his wickednefs and live; God that hath promised to turn to us, if we refuse not to turn to him: yea, if we turn our evil works from before his eyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well, feek to do right, relieve the oppreffed, be a right judge to the fatherlefs, defend the widow, break our bread to the hungry, bring the poor that wander into our houfe, clothe the naked, and depife not our brother which is our own flesh; Then fbalt thou call, faith the Prophet, and the Lord fball_anfwer; thou fbalt cry, and be fhall fay, Here am I: yea, God, which heard Ahab and the Ninevites, and fpared them, will alfo hear our prayers, and spare us fo, that we, after their example, will unfeignedly turn unto him: yea, he will blefs us with his heavenly benedictions, the time that we have to tarry in this world, and, after the race of this mortal life, he will bring us to his heavenly kingdom, where we fhall reign in everlasting bleffednefs with our Saviour Chrift, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

AN

HOMILY

Titus ii.

1 Pet. v.

AGAINST

Gluttony and Drunkenness.

E have heard in the former Sermon, well-beloved, the defcription and the virtue of fafting, with the true ufe of the fame. Now ye fhall hear how foul a thing gluttony and drunkennefs is before God, the rather to move you to use fafting the more diligently. Understand ye therefore, that Almighty God (to, the end that we might keep ourselves undefiled, and ferve him in holiness and righteoufnefs, according to his word) hath charged in his Scriptures fo many as look for the glorious appearing of our Saviour Chrift, to lead their lives in all sobriety, modefty, and temperance. Whereby we may learn how neceffary it is for every Chriftian, that will not be found unready at the coming of our Saviour Chrift, to live fober-minded in this prefent world, forafmuch as otherwife being unready, he cannot enter with Chrift into glory and being unarmed in this behalf, he must needs be in continual danger of that cruel adversary, the roaring Lion, against whom the Apoftle Peter warneth us to prepare ourfelves in continual fobriety, that we may refift, being fteadfast in faith. To the intent therefore that this fobernefs may be used in all our behaviour, it fhall be expedient for us to declare unto you how much all kind of excefs offendeth the Majefty of Almighty God, and how grievously he punifheth the immoderate abufe of those his creatures, which he ordaineth to the maintenance of this our needy life, as meats, drinks, and apparel; and again, to fhew the noifome difeafes and great mifchiefs, that commonly do follow them that inordinately give up themselves to be carried headlong with fuch pleatures as are joined either with dainty and over-large fare, or else with coftly and fumptuous apparel.

And

And firft, that ye may perceive how deteftable and hateful all excefs in eating and drinking is before the face of Almighty God, ye fhall call to mind what is written by St. Paul to the Galatians, where he nuniber- Galat. v. eth gluttony and drunkennefs among thofe horrible crimes, with the which (as he faith) no man fhould inherit the kingdom of heaven. He reckoneth them among the deeds of the flesh, and coupleth them with idolatry, whoredom, and murder, which are the greatest offences that can be named among men. For the first fpoileth God of his honour; the fecond defileth his holy. temple, that is to wit, our own bodies; the third maketh us companions of Cain in the flaughter of our brethren; and whofo committeth them, as St. Paul faith, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Certainly, that fin is very odious and loathfome before the face of God, which caufeth him to turn his favourable countenance fo far from us, that he should clean bar us out of the doors, and difinherit us of his heavenly kingdom. But he so much abhorreth all beaftly banquetting, that, by his Son our Saviour Chrift in the Gofpel, he declareth his terrible indignation against all belly-gods, in that he pronounceth them accurfed, faying, Woe be to you that are full, for ye Luke vi. fball bunger. And by the Prophet Ifaiah he crieth out, Woe be to you that rife up early, to give yourselves to drunken- Ifa. v. nefs, and fet all your mind jo on drinking, that you fit fwilling thereat until it be night. The harp, the lute, the balm, and plenty of wine are at your feafts: but the works of the Lord ye do not bebold, neither confider the works of bis bands. Woe be unto you that are ftrong to drink wine, and are mighty to advance drunkenness. Here the Prophet plainly teacheth, that feasting and banquetting make men forgetful of their duty towards God, when they give themselves to all kinds of pleafures, not confidering nor regarding the works of the Lord, who hath created meats and drinks, as St. Paul faith, to be received thankfully of them that 1 Tim. iv. believe and know the truth. So that the very beholding of these creatures (being the handy-work of Almighty God) might teach us to ufe them thankfully, as God hath ordained. Therefore they are without excufe before God, which either filthily feed themselves, not respecting the fanctification which is by the word of God and prayer, or elfe unthankfully abufe the good creatures of God by furfeiting and drunkennefs, forafmuch as God's ordinances in his creatures plainly forbid it. They that give themselves therefore to bibbing and banquetting,

Luke xii.

Joel i.

being without all confideration of God's judgments, are fuddenly oppreffed in the day of vengeance. Therefore Luke xxi. Chrift faith to his difciples, Take beed to yourselves, left at any time your hearts be overcome with furfeiting and drunkennefs, and cares of this world, and fo that day come on you unawares. Whofoever then will take warning at Christ, let him take heed to himfelf, left his heart being overwhelmed by furfeiting, and drowned in drunkenness, he be taken unawares with that unthrifty fervant, which, thinking not on his mafler's coming, began to fmite his fellowfervants, and to eat, and to drink, and to be drunken, and being fuddenly taken, hath his juft reward with unbelieving hypocrites; they that ufe to drink deeply, and to feed at full, (wallowing themselves in all kind of wickednefs) are brought asleep in that flumbering forgetfulness of God's holy will and commandments. Therefore Almighty God crieth by the Prophet Joel, Awake ye drunkards, weep and borul all ye drinkers of wine, because the new wine fhall be pulled from your mouth. Here the Lord terribly threateneth to withdraw his benefits from fuch as abuse them, and to pull the cup from the mouth of drunkards. Here we may learn, not to fleep in drunkenness and furfeiting, left God deprive us of the ufe of his creatures, when we unkindly abuse them. For certainly the Lord our God will not only take away his benefits when they are unthankfully abused, but also, in his wrath and heavy difpleasure, take vengeance on fuch as immoderately abufe them. If our firft parents, Adam and Eve, had not obeyed their greedy appetite in eating the forbidden fruit, neither had they loft the fruition of God's benefits which they then enjoyed in Paradife, neither had they brought fo many mifchiefs both to themfelves, and to all their pofterity. But when they paffed the bounds that God appointed them, as unworthy of God's benefits, they are expelled and driven out of Paradife; they may no longer eat the fruits of that garden, which by excefs they had fo much abufed. As tranfgreffors of God's commandment, they and their posterity are brought to a perpetual fhame and confufion; and as accurfed of God, they muft now fweat for their living, which before had abundance at their pleafure: even fo, if we in eating and drinking exceed, when God of his large liberality fendeth plenty, he will foon change plenty into fcarcenefs. And whereas we gloried in fulnefs, he will make us empty, and confound us with penury; yea, we fhall be compelled to labour and travel with pains, in

Gen. iii.

feeking