η. Forty days did Elijah fast in the desert. (1 Kings xix. 8)
θ. Forty days did Nineveh afflict itself in sackcloth and ashes. (Jonah iii. 4.)
ι. Forty days was Christ with His Apostles after the resurrection. (Acts i. 3.)
2. We keep forty days of Lenten fast—
α. That we may represent in the Christian year the fasting of our Lord, as we also represent His birth, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension.
β. That we may appease God’s wrath against us; making satisfaction to the best of our power for our fallings short during the rest of the year.
γ. That we may practise and test our strength, so as to be able to exert it when temptation arises.
δ. That we may fulfil Christ’s words, When the Bridegroom is taken away, then shall ye fast in those days.
ε. That we may worthily prepare for the great solemnity of Easter, suffering with Christ that we may also be glorified together.
3. The advantages of fasting are,—
α. It keeps the body under, and brings it into subjection; giving us the habit of obtaining a mastery over our appetites.
β. It disposes the soul for prayer, and the mind for meditation.
