7. Not that there is any natural or necessary connexion, between fasting, and the blessings God conveys thereby. But he will have mercy as he will have mercy: he will convey whatsoever seemeth him good, by whatsoever means he is pleased to appoint. And he hath in all ages appointed this, to be a means of averting his wrath, and obtaining whatever blessings we from time to time stand in need of.
How powerful a means this is, to avert the wrath of God, we may learn from the remarkable instance of Ahab. There was none like him, who did sell himself; wholly give himself up, like a slave bought with money, to work wickedness. Yet when he rent his cloaths and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and went softly: theword of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days.
It was for this end, to avert the wrath of God, that Daniel sought God, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. This appears from the whole tenor of his prayer, particularly from the solemn conclusion of it. O Lord, according to all thy righteousnesses (or mercies) let thy anger be turned away from thy holy mountain—Hear the prayer of thy servant, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate.—O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive: O Lord, hearken and do, for thine own sake, Dan. ix. 3, 16, &c.
8. But it is not only from the people of God that we learn, when his anger is moved, to seek him by fasting and prayer; but even from the Heathens. When Jonah had declared, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed, the people of Nineveh proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them unto the least. For the king of Nineveh arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing. Let them not feed, nor drink water. (Not that the beast had sinned, or could repent: but that by their example man might be admonished, considering that for his sin, the anger of God was hanging over all creatures.) Who can tell,if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?—And their labour was not in vain. The fierce anger of God was turned away from them. God saw their works, (the fruits of that repentance and faith, which he had wrought in them by his prophet;) and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them: and he did it not, Jon. 3, 4, &c.
9. And it is a means not only of turning away the wrath of God, but also of obtaining whatever blessings we stand in need of. So when the other tribes were smitten before the Benjamites, [108]all the children of Israel went up unto the house of the Lord, and wept and fasted that day until even; and then the Lord said, Go up again; for to-morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. So Samuel [109]gathered all Israel together, when they were in bondage to the Philistines, and they fasted on that day before the Lord: and when the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel, the Lord thundered upon them with a great thunder, and discomfited them, and they were smitten before Israel. So Ezra; [110]I proclaimed a fast at the river Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones—and he was entreated of us. So Nehemiah; [111]I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, Prosper, I pray thee,thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. And God granted him mercy in the sight of the king.
10. In like manner, the apostles always joined fasting with prayer, when they desired the blessing of God, on any important undertaking. Thus we read, Acts xiii. There were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers—As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, (doubtless for direction in this very affair) the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had (a second time) fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away, ver. 1, 2, 3.
Thus also Paul and Barnabas themselves, as we read in the following chapter, when they returned again to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, confirmed the souls of the disciples; and when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, commended them to the Lord, ver. 23.
Yea, that blessings are to be obtained in the use of this means, which are no otherwise attainable, our Lord expresly declares in his answer to his disciples asking, [112]Why could not we cast him out? Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place,and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit, this kind (of devils) goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting: these being the appointed means of attaining that faith, whereby the very devils are subject unto you.
11. These were the appointed means. For it was not merely by the light of reason, or of natural conscience, (as it is called) that the people of God have been in all ages directed, to use fasting as a means to these ends. But they have been from time to time taught it of God himself, by clear and open revelations of his will. Such is that remarkable one by the prophet Joel, [113]Therefore thus saith the Lord, turn you unto me, with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning—Who knoweth if the Lord will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Then will the Lord be jealous over his land, and will spare his people. Yea, I will send you corn and wine and oil—I will no more make you a reproach among the Heathen.
Nor are they only temporal blessings which God directs his people to expect in the use of these means. For at the same time that he promised to those who should seek him with fasting, and weeping, and mourning, I will render you the ears which the grashopper hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpiller and the palmer-worm,my great army, he subjoins, So shall ye eat and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God—Ye shall also know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God. And then immediately follows the great gospel-promise, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.