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.