of mind, loss of friends, loss of goods, long and dangerous sicknesses, &c. Then is it a fit time for that man to humble himself to Almighty God by fasting, and to mourn and bewail his sins with a sorrowful heart, and to pray unfeignedly, saying with the Prophet David, Turn away thy face, O Lord, from my sins, and blot Psal. li. out of thy remembrance all mine offences. Again, when God shall afflict a whole region or country with wars, with famine, with pestilence, with strange diseases and unknown sicknesses, and other such like calamities; then it is time for all states and sorts of people, high and low, men, women, and children, to humble themselves by fasting, and bewail their sinful living before God, and pray with one common voice, saying thus, or some other such like prayer: Be favourable, O Lord, be favourable unto thy people, which turn unto thee, in weeping, fasting, and praying: spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood, and suffer not thine inheritance to be destroyed, and brought to confusion. Fasting thus used with prayer is of great efficacy, and weigheth much with God. So the angel Raphael told Tobias. It also appeareth by that which our Saviour Christ answered to his disciples, demanding of him why they could not cast forth the evil spirit out of him that was brought unto them. This kind, saith he, is not cast out but by fasting and prayer. How available fasting is, how much it weigheth with God, and what it is able to obtain at his hand, cannot better be set forth, than by opening unto you, and laying before you some of those notable things, that have been brought to pass by it. Fasting was one of the means, whereby Almighty God was occasioned to alter the thing which he had purposed concerning Ahab, for murdering the innocent man Naboth, to possess his vineyard. God spake unto Elijah, saying, Go thy way, and 1 Kings xxi. say unto Ahab, Hast thou killed, and also gotten possession? Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs even lick thy blood also, Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity: yea, the dogs shall eat him of Ahab's stock that dieth in the city, and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. This punishment hath Almighty God determined for Ahab in this world, and to destroy, all the male-kind that was begotten of Ahab's body, besides that punishment which should have happened unto him in the world to come. When Ahab heard this, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon him, and

fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went barefooted. Then
the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, Seest thou
how Ahab is humbled before me? Because he submit-
teth himself before me, I will not bring that evil in his
days; but in his son's days will I bring it upon his house.
Although Ahab, through the wicked council of Jeza-
bel his wife, had committed shameful murder, and
against all right disinherited and dispossessed for ever
Naboth's stock of that vineyard; yet upon his hum-
ble submission in heart unto God, which he declared
outwardly by putting on sackcloth and fasting, God
changed his sentence, so that the punishment which
he had determined fell not upon Ahab's house in his
time, but was deferred unto the days of Joram his
son. Here we may see of what force our outward
fast is, when it is accompanied with the inward fast
of the mind, which is (as is said) a sorrowfulness of
heart, detesting and bewailing our sinful doings. The
like is to be seen in the Ninevites: for when God
had determined to destroy the whole city of Nineveh,
and the time which he had appointed was even now
at hand, he sent the Prophet Jonah to say unto them,
Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. The
people by and by believed God, and gave themselves to fast-
ing; yea, the king, by the advice of his council, caused
to be proclaimed, saying, Let neither man nor beast, bul-
lock nor sheep taste any thing, neither feed nor drink water:
but let man and beast put on sackcloth, and cry mightily
unto God; yea, let every man turn from his evil way,
and from the wickedness that is in their hands.
can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away
from his fierce wrath, that we perish not? And upon
this their hearty repentance, thus declared outwardly
with fasting, renting of their clothes, putting on sackcloth,
and sprinkling themselves with dust and ashes, the Scrip-
ture saith, God saw their works, that they turned from
their evil ways: and God repented of the evil that he
had said he would do unto them, and he did it not. Now,
beloved, ye have heard first what fasting is, as well
that which is outward in the body, as that which is in-
ward in the heart. Ye have heard also that there are
three ends or purposes, whereunto if our outward fast be
directed, it is a good work that God is pleased with.
Thirdly, hath been declared, what time is most meet for
to fast, either privately or publicly. Last of all, what
things fasting hath obtained of God, by the examples of

Who

Ahab and the Ninevites. Let us therefore, dearly be loved, seeing there are many more causes of fasting and mourning in these our days, than have been of many years heretofore in any one age, endeavour ourselves both inwardly in our hearts, and also outwardly with our bodies, diligently to exercise this godly exercise of fasting, in such sort and manner, as the holy Prophets, the Apostles, and divers other devout persons for their time used the same. God is now the same God that he was then; God that loveth righteousness, and that hateth iniquity; God which willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his wickedness 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, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek to do right, relieve the oppressed, be a right judge to the fatherless, defend the widow, break our bread to the hungry, bring the poor that wander into our house, clothe the naked, and despise not our brother which is our own flesh: Then shalt thou call, saith the Prophet, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here am 1: yea, God, which heard Ahab and the Ninevites, and spared them, will also hear our prayers, and spare us so, that we, after their example, will unfeigned¡y turn unto him: yea, he will bless 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 shall reign in everlasting blessedness. with our Saviour Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

AN

HOMILY

AGAINST

Titus n.

1 Pet. v.

Glullony and Drunkenness.

E have heard in the former Sermon, well-beloved, the description and the virtue of fasting, with the true use of the same. Now ye shall hear how foul a thing gluttony and drunkenness is before God, the rather to move you to use fasting the more diligently. Understand ye therefore, that Almighty God (to the end that we might keep ourselves undefiled, and serve him in holiness and righteousness, according to his word) hath charged in his Scriptures so many as look for the glorious appearing of our Saviour Christ, to lead their lives in all sobriety, modesty, and temperance. Whereby we may learn how necessary it is for every Christian, that will not be found unready at the coming of our Saviour Christ, to live sober-minded in this present world, forasmuch as otherwise being unready, he cannot enter with Christ 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 Apostle Peter warneth us to prepare ourselves in continual sobriety, that we may resist, being steadfast in faith. To the intent therefore that this soberness may be used in all our behaviour, it shall be expedient for us to declare unto you how much all kind of excess offendeth the Majesty of Almighty God, and how grievously he punisheth the immederate abuse of those his creatures, which he ordaineth to the maintenance of this our needy life, as meats, drinks, and apparel; and again, to show the noisome deseases and great mischiefs, that commonly do follow them that inordinately give up themselves to be carried headlong with such pleasures as are joined either with dainty and over-large fare, or else with costly and sumptuous apparel.

And first, that ye may perceive how detestable and hateful all excess in eating and drinking is before the face of Almighty God, ye shall call to mind what is written by St. Paul to the Galatians, where he number- Galat. v eth gluttony and drunkenness among those horrible crimes, with the which (as he saith) no man should 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 spoileth God of his honour; the second defileth his holy temple, that is to wit, our own bodies; the third maketh us companions of Cain in the slaughter of our brethren; and whoso committeth them, as St. Paul saith, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Certainly, that sin is very odious and loathsome before the face of God, which causeth him to turn his favourable countenance so far from us, that be should clean bar us out of the doors, and disinherit us of his heavenly kingdom. But he so much abhorreth all beastly banquetting, that, by his Son our Saviour Christ in the Gospel, he declareth his terrible indignation against all belly-gods, in that he pronounceth them accursed, saying, Woe be to you that are full, for ye Luke vi. shall hunger. And by the Prophet Isaiah he crieth out, Woe be to you that rise up early, to give yourselves to drun- Isa. v. kenness, and set all your mind so on drinking, that you sit swilling thereat until it be night. The harp, the lule, the shalm, and plenty of wine are at your feasts: but the works of the Lord ye do not behold, neither consider the works of his hands. Woe be unto you that are strong 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 pleasures, not considering nor regarding the works of the Lord, who hath created meats and drinks, as St. Paul saith, to be received thankfully of 1 Tim. iv. them that believe and know the truth. So that the very beholding of these creatures (being the handy-work of Almighty God) might teach us to use them thankfully, as God hath ordained. Therefore they are without excuse before God, which either filthily feed themselves, not respecting the sanctification which is by the word of God and prayer, or else unthankfully abuse the good creatures of God by surfeiting and drunkenness, forasinuch as God's ordinances in his creatures plainly forbid it. They that give themselves therefore to bibbing and banquetting,