(Continued from page 196.)
“But that there may be no error in the name, let us define what fasting is; for we do not understand by it simply a restrained, and sparing use of food, but something else. The life of the pious should be tempered with frugality, and sobriety, so as to exhibit, as much as may be a kind of fasting during the whole course of life. But there is another temporary fast, when we retrench somewhat from our accustomed mode of living, either for one day or for a certain period and prescribe to ourselves a stricter, and severer restraint in the use of that ordinary food, and the sparing use of it. By the time I mean, that while fasting we are to perform those actions for the sake of which the fast is instituted. For example, when a man fasts because of solemn prayer, he should engage in it without having taken food. The quality consists in putting all luxury
aside, and, being contented with common and meaner food, so as not to excite our palate by dainties. In regard to quantity, we must eat more lightly and sparingly, only for necessity and not for pleasure. But the first thing always to be avoided is, the encroachment of superstition, as formerly happened to the great injury of the Church. It would have been much better to have had no fasting at all, than have it carefully observed, but at the same time corrupted by false and pernicious opinions, into which the world is ever and anon falling, unless pastors obviate them by the greatest fidelity and prudence. The first thing is constantly to urge the injunction of Joel, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel ii. 13); that is, to remind the people that fasting in itself is not of great value in the sight of God, unless accompanied with internal affection of the heart, true dissatisfaction with sin and with oneself, true humiliation, and true grief, from the fear of God; nay, that fasting is useful for no other reason than because it is added to these as an inferior help. There is nothing which God more abominates than when men endeavour to cloak themselves by substituting signs and external appearance for integrity of heart. Accordingly, Isaiah inveighs most bitterly against the hypocrisy of the Jews, in thinking that they had satisfied God when they had merely fasted, whatever might be the impiety and impure thoughts which they cherished in their hearts. “Is it such a fast that I have chosen?” (Isa. lviii. 5). See also what follows.
(The above exposition of the eminent John Calvin should cause men to ponder solemnly, and seriously when perhaps without much prayer, or consideration they care for confession of sin, days of humiliation, and prayer without the sincerest heart-rending in secret for our personal sins!) (We believe that true confession of sin, grief, and pain of heart before God, must begin in secret, and if it begins there by the teaching of the Holy Ghost it will be known to the people of God in public; and, it will be a life-long confession of sin, a daily prostration, and genuine humiliation for sin in every approach to the infinite God of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have heard men praying, and preaching and if one did not know better, the impression they would give to their hearers was that they had no sin in them! Fasting, humiliation, and confession of sin must begin in the heart, otherwise God is not honoured nor glorified by lip confession of sin. We believe that true confession of sin comes from the Holy Ghost, and when He begins in the souls of sinners His good work, individuals, Churches, and nations will not find it a burden to humble themselves before the mighty hand of God.)
The fast of hypocrites is, therefore, not only useless and superfluous fatigue, but the greatest abomination. Another evil akin to this, and greatly to be avoided, is to regard fasting as a meritorious work and species of divine worship. For seeing it is a thing which is in itself indifferent, and has no importance except on account of those ends to which it ought to have respect, it is a most pernicious superstition to confound it with the works enjoined by God, and which are necessary in themselves without reference to anything else.
Such was anciently the dream of the Manichees, in refuting whom
Augustine clearly shows, that fasting is to be estimated entirely by those ends which I have mentioned, and cannot be approved by God, unless in so far as it refers to them.
Another error, not indeed so impious, but perilous, is to exact it with greater strictness and severity as one of the principal duties, and extol it with such extravagant encomiums as to make men imagine that they have done something admirable when they have fasted. In this respect I dare not entirely excuse ancient writers from having sown some seeds of superstition, and given occasion to the tyranny which afterwards arose.
We sometimes meet with sound and prudent sentiment on fasting, but we also ever and anon meet with extravagant praises, lauding it as one of the cardinal virtues. (What a master in Israel the godly, and learned John Calvin was! No wonder although formalists, pharisees, and ignorant papists hate his very memory. Men who never read his excellent works, write, and traduce his character from sheer malice, which can be traced to Satan, the murderer of souls!) “Then the superstitious observance of Lent—(Lent a fast of forty days, observed in commemoration if our Saviour, beginning with Ash Wednesday, and continuing till Easter—Roman Catholics and Anglo-Romanists in England, and their apeing Scoto-Catholics observe Lent and Easter as if they were sincere and pious Christians!) had everywhere prevailed: for both the vulgar imagined that they thereby performed some excellent service to God, and pastors commended it as a holy imitation of Christ; though it is plain that Christ did not fast to set an example to others, but, by thus commencing the preaching of the gospel, meant to prove that His doctrine was not of men, but, had come from heaven.
And it is strange how men of acute judgment could face into this gross delusion, which so many clear reasons refute: for Christ did not fast repeatedly (which He must have done had He meant to lay down a law for an anniversary fast) but once only, when preparing for the promulgation of the gospel. Nor does He fast after the manner of men as He would have done had He meant to invite men to imitation; He rather gives an example, by which He may raise all to admire rather than study to imitate Him. In short, the nature of the fast is not different from that which Moses observed when he received the law at the hand of the Lord (Exodus xxiv. 18; xxxiv. 28). For, seeing that that miracle was performed in Moses to establish the law, it behoved not to be omitted in Christ, lest the gospel should seem inferior to the law. But from that day, it never occurred to any one, under pretence of imitating Moses to set up a similar form of fast among the Israelites. Nor did any of the holy prophets and fathers follow it, though they had inclinations and zeal enough for all pious exercises: for though it is said of Elijah that he passed forty days without meat and drink (I Kings xix. 8), this was merely in order that the people might recognise that he was raised up to maintain the law, from which almost the whole of Israel had revolted.
It was therefore merely false zeal, replete with superstition, which set up a fast under the title and pretext of imitating Christ; although there was a strange diversity in the mode of the fast, as is related by Cassio-
dorus in the ninth book of the History of Socrates: “The Romans,” says he, “had only three weeks, but their fast was continuous, except on the Lord’s day and the Sabbath. The Greeks and Illyrians had, some six, others seven, but the fast was at intervals. Nor did they differ less in the kind of food: some used only bread and water, others added vegetables; others had no objection to fish and fowls; others made no difference in their food.”
Augustine also makes mention of this difference in his latter epistle to Januaries. Worse times followed. To the absurd zeal of the vulgar were added rudeness and ignorance in the Bishops, lust of power, and tyrannical rigour. Impious laws were passed, binding the conscience in deadly chains. (The eating of flesh was forbidden as if a man was forbidden, as if a man was contaminated by it.) Sacrilegious opinions were added, one after another, until all became an abyss of error. And that no kind of depravity might be omitted, they began, under a most absurd pretence of abstinence, to make a mock of God (Foot Note: Bernard, in Serm. I. in die Paschea, censures, among others, princes also, for longing, during the season of Lent, for the approaching festival of our Lord’s resurrection, that they might indulge more freely!) for in the most exquisite delicacies they seek the praise of fasting: no dainties now suffice; never was there greater abundance of variety or savoriness of food.
In this splendid display they think that they serve God. I do not mention that at no time do those who would be thought the holiest of them wallow more foully. In short, the highest worship of God is to abstain from flesh, and with this reservation, to indulge in delicacies of every kind. On the other hand, it is the greatest impiety, impiety scarcely to be expiated by death, for any one to taste the smallest portion of bacon or rancid flesh with his bread. Jerome, writing to Nepotian, relates, that in his day there were some who mocked God with such follies: those who would not even put oil in their food caused the greatest delicacies to be procured from every quarter; nay, that they might do violence to nature, abstained from drinking water, and caused sweet and costly potions to be made for them, which they drank not out of a cup, but a shell (what was then the fault of a few is now common among all the rich) richly and luxuriously. But I am unwilling to waste many words on a subject as to which there can be no doubt. All I say is, that, as well in fasts as in all other parts of discipline, the Papists are so far from having anything right, anything sincere, anything duly framed and ordered, that they have no occasion to plume themselves as if anything was left them that is worthy of praise.
(To be continued.)