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 And the reaſon of all this ſtrictneſs and ſeverity of this occaſion is thus, when men do faſt from meat they acknowledge themſelves to be unworthy of leaſt crumb of that meat they faſt from. And when they do, in the time of their faſting, cover themſelves with ſackcloth, they acknowledge that to be better than they deſerve. They call to mind that the clothing is only the effect of their nakedneſs; and their nakedneſs is only the effect of their ſin: therefore they are reſolved not to be proud of the clothes, which out to humble them with thoughts of their first original, and to put their mind of thoſe tattered rags they are now clothed inſtead of their glorious robe of righteouſneſs what they once had in paradiſe. When men do embers, and ſprinkle aſhes upon their heads, to publicly tell God, that their ſins are to many, and great, that they deſerve nothing but death; nothing but to have theſe dreadful words, in the office of the burial of the dead founding in their ears, Earth to earth, aſhes to aſhes, duſt to duſt. And when men do thus openly declare their inward for of heart, by theſe, and the like outward ſigns of humbling and mortification, they mightily move both woman and man to have mercy upon them. For, when Servants of Ben-badad, King of Syria, girded ſome cloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, preſented themſelves to Ahab king of Iſrael, in humble and miſerable condition, he could not choſe have pity upon him, though God had appointed to utter deſtruction, and tho' he and his people we loſe their lives from ſaving him and his people from death Kings xx. 32 42. Yea and that very ſame Action by humbling himſelf and faſting in ſack-cloth and moved God to take away from him one of the great temporal judgments that ever was threatened against a mortal man, Kings xxi, 17 and alſo the following verſes to the end of the chapter.

And here now, let no proud ſinner, that deſpleases the miniſter of God's word, imagine that the day