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and keep all his Commandments to the utmoft of my power g; And I muft without delay feek forgiveness of all I have wrong'd, and make them fatisfaction and amends to the utmost of my power b; and heartily forgive every body that has wrong'd me i.

Luke 10. 25 to 29. Ezek. 18. 21.

See 75 2

Ats 7. 60.

you

i Matth 6. 14, 15. ch.

See 60, 61 2.

b Matth. 5.23 to 27. 18. 35. Luke 23. 34.

XXVIII. Q. When you truly repent, what must then believe?

a Heb. 11. 6. God is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him, by performing his promifes to them. b Mark 16. 15, 16. Luke 24.46, 47. The Gofpel which we must believe, is that upon our repentance God

will forgive our fins for the fake of Chrift's Dying for our fins. And

A. I muft believe, and be fure that God will perform his promises a to forgive me all my fins b, and to hear all my prayers for Grace and other mercies as he fees beft c, and to fave my Soul in heaven d, for the fake of his Son's Dying for the forgiveness of our fins e.

this the repenting man's believing that God will perform his promife to forgive his fins for the fake of Chrift's Dying for us, is that faith which Rom. 4. 5, 24, is counted or imputed for righte oufnels, and is meant by believing on bim that juftifieth, that is, forgiveth the ungodly repenting. And thus we muft furely believe on him, because he rais'd up Chrift from the dead to call us to, and give us the fame forgiveness. ver. 24, 25. Acts 6. 31. ch. 26. 17, 18. Matth. 28. 20. c Matth. 7. 11. Mark 11. d Ezek. 18. 27, 28. Because by his Dying for the forgiveness of our fins he has obtain'd all mercies for us. Creed, 44 and 53 2

24.

See the

XXIX. When must you do the duty of Repentance ?

a Luke 13. 3, 5. ch. 24, 47:

A. I must turn to God with Repentance a, I muft without delay

b Matth. 26. 75.
← Numb. 15. 30, 31
A wilful fin is a great

fin, altho' the matter
of it be fmall. Gen. 3.
17. &c.
d Luke 17.

4. There is the fame,
and greater reason for
our repentance towards

God for our daily fins.

delay repent of any great fin b, and of any wilful fin c. Every day when I pray to God, I muft repent of the fins of the day or night paft d. And I muft often repent of the fins of my life with fafting e.

But we cannot make a particular repentance for every failing; because then we must do nothing else. Therefore for our daily fins which we cannot help, we muft repent with our daily Prayers.

e That we may as duly as we can, bewail our fins, which we can never duly bewail; and that we may keep up our true repentance, and perform it better and better. And the more we truly repent, the more we shall have of the comfort of pardon. Matth. 5.4. Jam. 4. 8, 9, 10.

XXX. Q. How often must you repent of the fins of your life with fafting?

a Joel 2. 12, 13: Matth. 11. 21.

b Levit, 16. 21, 29, 30, 31. ch. 23. 29, 30. Our Great Day of Attonement is GoodFriday. Next to that is Afb-Wednesday, the first day of the Fast in remembrance of our Lord's Fafting forty days, and forty nights

A. With Repentance and Fafting I must turn to God a. And with Repentance and Fafting I muft feek God's Mercy on all folemn Fast days appointed by Authority b, and in all times of God's Corrections, and as near as I can, every week d

for our fake, as we profefs in the Collect for the first Sunday in Lent. The Thirtieth of January is fuch a one as those Zech. 3. 19, compar'd with 2 Kings 25. 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 25. Fer. 41. 2 to 8. Great reafon have we to humble our felves for our fins on that day, that the like Judgments of the murder of our King, and the confufion of our Church, may not come upon us again.

The Fafts in time of war, and other times of God's Corrections, are commanded, Joel 1. 13, 14. ch. 2. 12 to 18. Jonah 3. 2 Chr. 20: as we are told Rom. 15.4. The like reafon there is for any one's private fafting and repentance, when God fends upon him any great affliction, or danger of great affliction. Rev. 3.19. d Matth. 9. 14, 15. Luke 2. 37. ch. 18, 12. Therefore our Church

Church appoints every Friday for a day of fafting and Mourning for our fins, with our Bleffed Saviour, who for our fins fo Bitterly Mourned and fuffered upon a Friday. And by this Mourning we shall obtain the Comfort of his Resurrection on his Holy Day.. Matth. 5.4...

As to the other Fafting days appointed by the Church; In the Lent we are to Mourn for our fins, with our Bleffed Saviour in his forty days Faft, and his Bitter Sufferings and Death; that at Eafter we may have the Comfort of his Resurrection, and of his Holy Supper.

On the Eves or days before most of the holy Days, we are likewife to Mourn for our fins, and remember the Fastings and Sufferings of our Blessed Lord and his Saints, that we may have the Comfort of the holy Days; And alfo to prepare our felves to fuffer with them, when we are called to it, that we may be glorified with them. Rom. 8. 17. 28 to 31.

In the Ember-days we are to humble our felves by fafting, as unworthy of God's mercies; that we may pray humbly and earneftly for Able and Faithful Minifters, and alfo for a Bleffing upon the following feafon.

In the Rogation-days we are likewife to humble our felves; that we may pray effectually for a Bleffing upon the fruits of the earth; and for the averting of thofe Judgments, whereby they have been deftroy'd. Therefore the cultom of entertainments and drinkings on thofe days, is an impious contradiction to the Defign of them.

All the Fafting days, if you count them, make up no more than the number of twice a week, upon good grounds fuppofed to be taught by John the Baptift, (who certainly taught the Will of of Chrift) as well as by the Pharifees. Luke 2. 37. ch. 5. 33. ch. 18. 12. Altho' Chrift excus'd his difciples from fuch often fafting, while he the Bridegroom was with them, Luke 5. 36. and proportionably in other times of great extraordinary rejoycing; and he alfo taught that fuch often fafting is not be ftrictly requir'd of fuch weak Chriftians as know not how to be patient of it, ver. 26, &c. Yet he excus'd none from all fafting. Matth. 11. 21. ch. 17. 17 to 21. Levit. 23. 29. And it was in fpeaking of the weekly falting, that he faid his Difciples should fait, when he the Bridegroom fhould be taken from them." Luke 5. 35.

As to the great extraordinary rejoycing which difpenfes with omitting the weekly Faft, or other like Faft: it is not fuch rejoycing as may as well be made upon another day; but what comes immediately from God upon that day. Such is a great Deliverance from powerful enemies.

And

And our Church in the book of Common Prayer allows no yearly Feaft, but that of the Birth of Chrift, to take off the weekly Faft in remembrance of his Dying for our fins.

When any other Feaft-day falls upon a Friday, that may take off the faft of the Eve; that a festival remembrance may not be chang'd into a double faft. The fame may be when St. Matthias's day falls upon Afb-Wednesday: But when a Feaft-day happens upon any other Fait, except Easter-Eve, the Feaft is to be preferr'd.

XXXI, Q. What is the fafting of true repentance?

a Matth. 9. 15, Chrift calls fafting, mourning. Dan. io. 2, 3. If on more solemn Faft-days, whether publick or private (of which ought to be at least one of the Ember-days in each feafon, and one of the Rogation-days) I cannot with

A. On the days of fafting to exprefs my hearty forrow for my fins, and my unworthinefs of God's mercies, by fasting from food as I can a, and from all pleasures b; and at all times to be as fparing in my food, as is needful to overcome my finful defires c.

out inconvenience faft from all food till the Evening, (Judg. zo. 26. Jonah 3.7.) that is till fix or seven a clock in the evening; or till after the time of evening Prayer, I may take so much as neceffity requires. Matth. 12. 7. If on other Fafting-days appointed by the Church, I cannot be content with both meaner, and more fparing food than ordinary, (Dan. 10. 3.) I may be content with one of the two. And I and every body may, and furely ought to abftain from feafting, and drinkings, and every thing, that is better than ufual; and alfo to faft from all food as long as we can conveniently, on all the Faft days. Luke 5.33b. Ifai. 58. 3. Marriage may not be on a Fafting-day: (Matth. 9. 15) and ornaments and gay apparel ought to be laid afide. Jonah 3. 5, 6. Matth. 11. 21. This reason plainly teaches. 1 Cor. 9. 27. St. Paul denied his body for the good of the Souls of others. ver. II, 12, 22. Then furely he did so, as far as was needful for his own Soul.

XXXII. Q. There is another fafting for Prayer: What is that?

A. Upon

A. Upon great occafions to express my unworthiness of God's mercies, by fafting from food, and other worldly enjoyments, that I may be more humble and earnest in my Prayers a.

And for

a Matth. 17. 19, 21. As 13. 3. ch. 14. 23. the conftant great need we have of Pardon and Grace, keep, as well as thou canft, all the Fasts of the Church. In all of them Mourn for thy fins, and confels thy unworthiness of God's mercies, that thou mayft be more humble and earnest in thy prayers for Pardon and Grace, and for the other mercies the Church directs thee to pray for on any of those days. Luke 2. 37. ch. 5. 33. In fome of thofe Fafts perform the work of Repentance, once a week if thou canst conveniently, at least once a month. 29 2. e.

See

XXXIII. Q. What is the fecond Commandment? A. Thou shalt not make to thy felf any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them. For I the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, and vifit the fins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and fhew mercy unto thoufands in them that love me, and keep my Commandments.

XXXIV. Q. What are you commanded in this Commandment?

a Deut. 4. A. I am Commanded not to worship God by 15 to 19. an image a, or by any other wrong way of wor1, 2, 3. fhip b.

b Levi. 10.

XXXV. Q. Tell me fome wrong ways of wor

Ship?

a Ecclef. 5.1. John

4. 24.

Matth. 15. 8, 9.

b Ecclef. 5. 2.

c Ver. 2, 3. Matth.

A. Saying prayers that we do not understand a, praying rafhly without a form b, too long prayer c.

6. 7, 8. If our Saviour continued all night in prayer to Go

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