2
not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." Dan. x. 2, 3, 11, 12. Vide also Luke ii. 37. Acts x. 30.
2. Now here it will be objected, perhaps, that these instances are taken from the Old Testament, and belong to the Law of Moses, which is not binding on Christians.
I answer;
(1.) That in the above passages Fasting is connected with moral acts, humiliation, prayer, meditation, which are equally binding on us as on the Jews. Man is now what he was then; and if affliction of the flesh was good then, it is now.
(2.) In matter of fact, private Fasting, such as instanced in the passages above quoted, was no special duty of the Mosaic Law. Public Fasting, indeed, was on one occasion enjoined by Moses himself, and on others by subsequent Rulers; but this was in part a ceremonial act, not a moral discipline, and was doubtless abolished with the other rites of the Law.
"Of Fasts," says Lewis, "there was no more than one appointed by the Law of Moses, called the Fast of Expiation...... The great day of Expiation was a most severe Fast, kept every year upon the tenth day of the month Tizri, which answers to our September...... This solemnity was observed with fasting and abstinence, not only from all meat and drink, but from all other pleasure whatsoever; insomuch that they did not wash their faces, much less anoint their heads, nor wear their shoes,...... nor, (if their Doctors say true,) read any portion of the Law which would give them delight. They refrained likewise not only from pleasure, but from labour, nothing being to be done upon this day but confessing of sins and repentance."[1]
Nay, it may rather be said, that the Jewish Law, as such, was rather opposed than otherwise to austerities. The Nazarites and Rechabites, being exceptions to the rule, are evidence to it. Vide, on the other hand, Deut. xii. Eccles. v. 18.[2]
Such then being the character of the Law in its formal letter, it tells just the contrary way to that which superficial reasoners might expect. For it is most remarkable, first, that the greatest prophets under it, such as Elijah, and Daniel, were without express command singularly austere and self-afflicting men, in the midst of a people, who from the first went lusting after "the fish which they eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons,
