surable experience of the accomplishment of the promise relative to that case, Prov. iv. 12, "When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened." And where they are to be determined in a matter of special weight, such as the change of their lot, the choice of an employment, some momentous undertaking, or any the like occurrences in life, whereof serious Christians will find not a few, allowing them time and opportunity to deliberate on them; that is a special occasion for extraordinary prayer with fasting, for light from the Lord, the Father of lights, to discover what is their duty therein, and what he is calling them too in the matter. So the captives returning from Babylon with Ezra, kept a fast at the river Ahava, "to seek of God a right way," Ezra viii. 21.

10. When duty being cleared in a matter of special weight, it comes to the setting to; in which event, one needs the presence of God with him therein, the divine blessing upon it, and success in it. Thus Esther being to go in unto the king, to make request for her people, there was solemn fasting, on that occasion, used by her and the Jews in Shushan, Esth. iv. 8, 16. And Barnabas and Saul being called of God unto a special work, were not sent away to it, but after fasting and prayer, Acts xiii. 2, 3. We need not only light from the Lord to discover unto us our duty in particular cases, but that being obtained, we need also his presence to go along with us in the thing, that we may be enabled rightly to make our way, which he bids us go. Therefore said Moses, Exod. xxxiii. 15, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." Sin hath defiled every thing to us; and 'however promising any worldly state, condition, or thing whatsoever, may appear in our eyes, yet if we have not the presence of God in it, and his blessing upon it, to purify it unto us, we will be mired in it, and find a snare and a trap, if not a curse therein to us.

11. When one, having some unordinary difficulty to encounter, is in hazard of being ensnared either into sin or danger. On such an occasion was the fore-mentioned fast at Shushan kept; Esther jeoparding her life, in "going in unto the king in the inner court," not called by him, Esth. iv. 11, 16. The ship has need to be well ballasted, that sails while the wind blows high; and in a difficult and ensnaring time, there is need of fasting and prayer for Heaven's safe-conduct through it. Men's trusting to themselves in such a case, cannot miss of betraying them into snares.

12. Lastly, When one hath in view some special solemn approach unto God; in which case a special preparation is requisite. Thus Jacob called his family to such preparation, in the exercise of repentance, in order to their appearing before the Lord at Bethel,

Gen. xxxv, 2, 3. The Israelites were called to the same, in order to the awful solemnity of the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, Exod. xix. 10, 11, 15. And it is observable, that, whereas the feast of tabernacles was the most joyful of all the feasts the Jews had throughout the year, a solemn fast was appointed of God to be observed always before it, four free days only intervening, Lev. xxiii. 27, 34. For in the method of grace, none stand so fair for a lifting up, as those who are most deeply humbled, Isa. xl. 4; Luke xviii. 14; Jam iv. 10. Wherefore it is a laudable practice of our church, that congregations keep a congregational fast, before the celebration of the feast of the sacrament of the Lord's supper among them, in order to their preparation for a solemn approach unto God in that holy ordinance. And, for the same reason, secret fasting by particular persons apart, and private fasting by families apart, espepecially such as have not access to join in the public fast, would be very seasonable on such an occasion. And if those secret and private fasts could more generally obtain, and get place in congregations, some little time before the communion work did begin, it would be a token for good, and might prove like the noise and shaking among the dry bones, that ushered in the breathing on the slain, and the causing them to stand "up upon their feet,” Ezek. xxxvii. 7, 10.

These things duly considered, each Christian may be in case to judge for himself, when it is that he is under a providential call to personal fasting and humiliation.

SECTION III.-DIRECTIONS ANENT PERSONAL FASTING AND HUMILIATION.

Having seen the divine warrant for personal fasting and humiliation, and considered the nature of a providential call to that extraordinary duty, it remains to offer some advices or directions for the profitable managing of it in practice.

DIRECTION I. When you find that the Lord is calling you to this duty, prudently make choice of a fit time and place for it aforehand, wherein you may have access to go about it without distraction. And carefully dispose of your ordinary affairs before that time, so as you may have no let nor hindrance from that part which you can prevent. Works of necessity and mercy which are lawfully done on the Lord's day, are much more so in this case, wherein the duty waits not on the time, but the time on the duty. Yea, in case something of worldly business which you could not foresee nor prevent, do fall out in time of your fast, and cannot be deferred or put off without some notable inconveniency, you may, without scruple, dis

patch it; for the time is not holy. But in that case, labour that, if possible, your work be not thereby marred; and carefully keep up your frame of spirit for the duty you are engaged in. But Christian prudence to weigh circumstances, for which you are to look up unto the Lord, is necessary to determine herein, according to the general rules of the word, Matth. xii. 3—7.

As for such as are not masters of their time, which is the case of servants, they cannot lawfully dispose of their time at their own hand even for this duty; for our God "hates robbery for burnt offering," Isa. lxi. 8. But then they may endeavour to procure the necessary time at the hand of their masters, to whom, if they be godly and serious, they may modestly hint their design, pitching on a time with so much discretion, as that their good may not be evil spoken of. And if any be so unmindful of their Master which is in heaven, as to refuse such a discreet desire, yet let not the party by any means think, that the sacred nature of the thing he has in view gives him a power to rob his master of so much of his time; for men can offer nothing to God with a good conscience but what is their own, and exercises of devotion are so far from slacking the tie of moral duty to our neighbour that they are nothing but an outward form of devotion, unacceptable to God, so far as they do not influence the party to a careful and religious observance of the duties of morality, such as judgment or justice, mercy, and faith, or faithfulness, Matth. xxiii. 23. Neither yet let him imagine, on the other hand, that he is then no further concerned to look after that extraordinary duty; for no reason can be assigned why one ought not to be willing to be at as much pains or expense for procuring to himself an opportunity of communion with God in that duty, as he will be for an opportunity of attending some worldly business of his own, placing another in his room. But if none of these can effectuate it, then, though the day or time of labouring is the master's, yet the night or time of resting is the servant's; let him give unto God what he has, and it shall be accepted through Christ. But, excepting the case of a providential necessity obliging one to take the night for this exercise, the day is, generally speaking, the most proper time for it, beginning the exercise in the morning.

DIRECTION II. Make some preparation for it the night before, turning your thoughts towards the exercise you have in view, considering of it, and avoiding every thing that hath a tendency to disfit or indispose for it. Shun carnal mirth and sensual delights; sup sparingly; to eat the more, that one is to fast religiously after, is to mock God and cheat one's self. In the intervals of sleep, take heed that your thoughts be not vain, and much more that they be VOL. XI.

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not vile; but that they be such as tend to fit you for the extraordinary duty in view.

DIRECTION III. Rise early in the morning, even sooner than ordinary, unless by reason of bodily weakness that would tend to disfit you for the work; for then you are called, in a special manner, to watch unto prayer, Eph. vi. 18. Sleep is a fleshly comfort, which, howbeit it is necessary, yet one is in this case called to be sparing of. Therefore the priests were bid "lie all night in sackcloth," Joel i. 13; and it is recorded of Ahab, that he in his fast lay so, 1 Kings xxi. 27. A proper means to make one sleep sparingly.

DIRECTION IV. As soon as you awake in the morning, let holy thoughts, with a view to your work, immediately have access into your heart, and beware that carnal or worldly thoughts get not the start of them; for if you allow that, they will be to your soul like water poured upon firewood, that makes it hard to kindle. Surely, if one is at any time to follow the example of the Psalmist David, Psalm cxxxix. 18, "When I awake, I am still with thee," he is to do it at such a time.

DIRECTION V. Let your ordinary duties of prayer and reading of the word, be first of all performed; for extraordinary duties are not to justle out the ordinary, but to be superadded unto them. And in such prayer, beg of God grace to enable you for the work before you, according to his promise. Yea, it may be very expedient, that thereafter you go unto God again by prayer, particularly and purposely for his grace to enable you unto the duty now come to the setting to. And forasmuch as our corrupt hearts are, upon a near view, of a difficult and laborious holy exercise, very apt to wax faint, and our hands to hang down, albeit, the way of the Lord is declared to be "strength to the upright," Prov. x. 29; do you therefore, by all means, study to exercise faith, and labour to believe stedfastly, that his grace shall be sufficient for you, therefore, by all means study to exercise faith, and labour to believe stedfastly, that his grace shall be sufficient for you, to the making of "his yoke easy, and his burden light" unto you, 2 Cor. xii. 9, with Mat. xi. 30. For no man shall ever be able to perform a duty acceptably unto God, without a believing persuasion, in greater or lesser measure, of an allowance made him of grace sufficient for an acceptable performance of it, 2 Cor. iii. 4, 5, Philip, ii. 12, 13. One will otherwise be but a wicked and slothful servant, as our Saviour teacheth, Matth. xxv. 24-26.

DIRECTION VI. After prayer in faith, for the aid of divine grace, as in the preceding direction, begin the work with a solemn review of your sins, in deep meditation, and serious communing with your

own heart thereupon; applying yourself to think of them, in such manner as you think of your affairs, when considering how to manage them in cases of difficulty. GoD calls for this at your hand. Hag. i. 5, "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways." Lam. iii. 40, "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord." It is recommended to us by the practice of the saints; Psalm lxxvii. 6, "I commune with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search ;" and cxix. 59, "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies." The nature of a religious fast requires it; for how can the deep humiliation therein to be aimed at, be otherwise obtained? or what way else can one be fitted to make a confession suitable to such an occasion? It is observable, that in the fast mentioned, Neh. ix., the "reading of the law" went before the making of the confession, ver. 3. So the first work was to set the looking-glass before their eyes, that therein every one might see his foul face. And the direction given to fallen Israel, in order to a recovery; Hos. xiv. 2, "Take with you words, and say," &c., doth plainly bear, that there should, in that case, be solemn serious thinking before solemn prayer.

Now, to assist you in the practice of this part of your work, the following advices are offered:

First, Read some pertinent passage of holy scripture, and that with application, as reading your own heart and life therein. Such are those passages, which contain discoveries and confession of sin, as Isa. lix; or lists of sins, or of several sorts of sinners, as Rom. i. 29-32, 2 Cor.; vi. 9, 10, Gal. v. 19-21, 2 Tim. iii. 1—5, Rev. xxi. 8. Particularly, I recommend for this purpose, Ezra ix., Neh. ix., Dan. ix. Of these, or other scriptures of the like nature, you may read such as you shall judge meet.

Secondly, It will be expedient and useful, in this case, to read also the Larger Catechism on the ten commands, in the answers to the questions, "What is required?" and, "What is forbidden?" and especially the latter. For by reading thereof with application to yourself, you will find out your guiltiness in many points, which perhaps would not otherwise come into your mind.

Thirdly, This done, apply yourself to think of your sins, in order to your getting a broad and humbling view of your sinful and wretched case. And for your help herein, I suggest to you these things following:

1. You may compose yourself, what way you find, by experience, to be best for keeping the mind fixed. It is a piece of Christian prudence in this case, to dispose of every thing so as you may the more readily reach that end, and block up the avenues by which