preserue the brêed of cattle to maintaine the Princes nauie and the Calling of the Fisherman And the like is affirmed by our moderne Diuines that the Principall and right ends of fasting are thrée 1. To make the mind the more attentiue in the meditation of the dueties of godlinesse to bee performed 2. That the rebellion of the flesh may bee subdued For the flesh be-being pampered becomes an instrument of all and all licentiousnesse 3. To professe our guiltinesse and to testifie our humilation before GOD for our sinnes and offences committed against him This is proued by many places of Scripture as Numb 30. 14. Esay 5. 11. Rom. 14. 21. where the Apostle saith Non est bonum It is not good neither to eat flesh nor drinke wine whereby thy brother stumbleth or is offended This is proued by many examples of the Scripture as of Dauid Daniel Tobias Cornelius Paul and others This is proued by the testimonie of the ancient fathers and especially these of that learned father Saint Austin lib. 3. Chap. 5. against Faustus where hee saith Non ideo carnes prohibentur quia malae sunt sed quia illarum epulae carnis luxuriam gignunt Flesh is not therefore Ser. 66. sup Cant. forbidden because it is ill but because the banquetting thereof breedeth riot Of S. Bernard who saith Abstineo à carnibus c. I doe abstaine from flesh lest whiles I doe too much nourish the flesh I doe also nourish the vices of the flesh And of Chrisostome in his seuenth Homilie vpon the first Chapter of Genesis towards the latter end of the Homilie where hee saith Abstinentia propter hoc recepta est Abstinence is for this cause receiued that it may bridle the wantonnesse and riot of the flesh The causes of fasting are many and specially 4. 1. The Holy Ghost 2. The Commandement of God 3. Faith 4. Repentance The Holy Ghost is the cause for three reasons 1. Because by Nature wee are giuen to gluttony and drunkennesse which naturall vices wee doe not leaue without the grace of the holy Ghost 2. Because it is not sufficent to abstaine from gluttony and drunkennesse vnlesse the heart doeth also cōsent thereunto 3 Because Fasting is a good worke and all good workes are the fruits of the holy Ghost Gal. 5. 22. The Commandement of God is the cause for 2. reasons 1. Because it is expressed in the Commandement of the Lord that wee should abstaine from gluttony and drunkennesse 2. Because the Lord by his commandement doth require of vs such Abstinence and forbids the contrary Faith is the cause because without faith it can not bee well done nor acceptable vnto the Lord. For whatsoeuer is without faith is sinne and without faith it is impossible to please God Repentance is the cause because fasting is a true signe thereof and an outward meanes whereby wee doe acknowledge our guiltinesse and vnworthinesse of the least benefits of Almightie God And therefore the fasting of the Niniuites was a signe of their repentance and their repentance a signe and fruite of their faith whereby they beleeued the preaching of Ionas Thus much what fasting is How many sorts of fastings there are Of the Effects of fasting and the Causes of fasting Now of the Antiquitie Dignitie Necessitie of fasting Fasting is no new inuention nor any late vpstart The Antiquitie of it doeth make it venerable and the Perpetuitie of it vntil this day doeth highly grace it Some haue deriued it from Paradise made it as auncient as the first man Adam For the forbidding of the tree of knowledge of good and euill they say was a law of Abstinence The Stories of Gentilitie and Poetry doe shewe the Antiquitie of fasting most plainely For Ceres had her fast Iupiter his fast and Priamus in Homer bewailes the death of his sonne Hector with fasting and in dust Besides the Patriarkes vsed it the Prophets forsooke it not and our Sauiour Christ and his Disciples departed not from it The Dignitie of fasting is great eminent and very excellent for it is the exercise of nature thepractise of Gentilitie the Law and the Gospel of Christ himselfe It is comfortable Diuine Medicinable Spirituall wholesome and an instrument to euerie good work It doeth administer wisedome it doeth extinguish the wicked desires of the flesh doeth lift vp the mind to heauen it doth vnit man with God and as Tertullian sayth It doeth cast out deuils Nay our Sauiour Christ himselfe so sayth as wee may read in Matth. 17. 21. where it is said This kind of deuils is not cast out but by Fasting and Praier It is strange to see what the ancient fathers haue written of fasting how much they haue attributed thereunto Athanasius saith Lib. de Virg. That it is the meate of the Angels and that hee who doeth vse it is to bee thought of Angelicall order Great sayth hée is the force of Fasting Great things and excellent things are done by it Basil saith thereof thus Ieiunium Ser. 1. de Ieiu Prophetas ingenerat c. Fasting doeth breed Prophets and doeth adde strength to the mightie In warres it doeth adde fortitude in peace it doeth teach quietnesse And that I may speake in a word as many holy Fathers as haue béene thou shalt finde them all to bee directed and guided to leade a life worthy of God by abstinence and fasting Isydorus sayth of it thus Est res sancta opus coeleste c. It is an holy thing an heauenly worke a gate of the kingdome a forme of the kingdome to come and hee that doeth it well and holily is alienated from the world is made spirituall and is ioyned to God The Necessitie of fasting is such and so great that in this our common weale set dayes and times of Abstinence and fasting are appointed for ciuill and politike respects and as I said before to maintaine the Princes Nauy to preserue the breed of Cattell and the calling of the Fisherman Of this I will say euen as a zealous and Religious Diuine of ours saith in the conclusion of the 12. point of Fasting It were saith he to bee wished that fasting were more vsed of all Christians in all places considering the Lord doeth daily giue Perkins Refor Cathol pag. 231. vs new and speciall occasions of publike and priuate fasting These words of our Diuine we find to be true for the All-great and Euer-gratious GOD of Heauen hath of late giuen vnto vs new and speciall occasions of both priuate and publike fasting You know how after the death and dissolution of our late Soueraigne of happy memory Queene Elizabeth wee all feared great trobles and tumults to arise amongst vs And yet we saw that our peace and prosperitie was not eclipsed by reason of our good and godly King whom the louing Lord of Heauen hath placed vpon the seat of this kingdome to rule his people with a wise and prudent heart You know how the Almightie
the words of the booke of the Law Hee wept with care with compunction and with contrition of heart for his sinnes and offences committed against the Lord euen as hee did in Psalm 6. 6. where he saith Euerie night wash I my bed and water my couch with my teares I wept saith Dauid being a Prophet a Prince and the seruant of the Lord. A thing not vnfitting nor vnseemely for a Prophet a Prince the seruant of the Lord in such a case Because such kind of waeping is a signe of true and heartie repentance It is the fruit of passion a token of a broken heart and as S. Basill saith the food of the soule And therefore the Lord himselfe saith by his Prophet Ioel 2. 12. Turne vnto me saith hee with all your heart and with Fasting and with weeping and with mourning And our Sauiour Christ himselfe saith Luke 6. 21. Blessed are yee that now weepe for ye shall laugh And the Apostle S. Iames saith to the wicked rich men Chap. 5. 1. Goe to now ye rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you And chastened my selfe with fasting Insome translations I wept my soule fasted as it is in Psal 35. 13. Leuit. 23. 27. And as Apollinarius vpon this Psalme saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I haue broken or subdued my soule with the labours or sweates of fasting The Propher Dauid not onely wept and shewed his passion but chastened himselfe with fasting shewed his Mortification So did the Apostle S. Paul as he himselfe writeth 1. Cor. 9. 27. But I doe chasten and beate downe this my bodie and bring it into subiection why Lest when I haue Preached to others I my selfe should be reproued So did the Prophet Daniel as wee may read Cha. 10. 3. where he saith I was in heauinesse for three weeks of daies I ate no pleasant bread neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth So did that blessed Hilarion as S. Hierom writeth in his life who would say vnto his bodie thus as S. Hierom there relateth Ego Asine faciam te vt non calcitres O thou Asse said Hilarion to his bodie I will make thee that thou kicke not I will feed thee not with barlie but with chaff J will tyre thee with hunger J will load thee with great thrist I will bring thee ouer heats coldes that thou shalt rather thinke vpon thy meate than wantonnesse Wherewith did the Prophet Dauid chasten himself with fasting I wept and chastened my selfe with fasting So he did in Psalme 109. 23. where he saith My knees are weake through fasting my flesh is dried vp for lacke of fatnesse So did the children of Israel in the house of the Lord. Judg. 20. 26. So did Anna the daughter of Phanuel in the Temple of the Lord. Luke 2. 37. So Dauid and his men wept and fasted till euen for Saul and for Ionathan his sonne for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel because they were slaine with the sword 2. Sam. 1. 12. And so Dauid himselfe fasted praied and lay all night vpon the earth for the childs life 2. Samuel 12. 16. Some thinke that abstinence and fasting are one and the same because they are both imployed about the same matter and manie times the one is taken for the other And some thinke that to fast is nothing else but to liue soberly and conueniently to nature Abstinence euen as temperance doth bind euery man to keepe and obserue it For as it is not sit for any man at any time to liue intemperately so it is not meet for any mā to admit that which is against true abstinence because we ought to eate and drinke no more than reason willeth or necessitie of nature requireth Fasting doeth not bind all nor alwayes but some onely in their time and place For most certaine it is that our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles with many others both before and after them liued soberlie and conueniently to nature and yet they not alwayes fasted For if they had alwayes fasted our Sauiour Christ would neuer haue said The bridegroome Luke 3. 25. shall bee taken away from them and then shall they fast in those dayes And that was turned to my reproofe Here is the Construction Dauid was reproued for his wéeping and for chastening himselfe with fasting By whom By his enemies who would destroy him guiltlesse and were mightie Psal 69. 4. By his enemies who spake against him tested vpon him and being drunke made songs vpon him It hath not alwayes bene a fault but a fashion for wicked men to reprooue and reprehend vertue veritie in good men And therefore Iudas grudged at Mary Magdalen for breaking of the bore of ointment and for powring it on Jesus head Mark 14. 4. The Pharisees reproued Christs Disciples to his face for plucking the eares of Corne vpon the Sabbaoth day Matth. 12 1. And our Sauiour Christ himselfe was mocked scoffed at scorned scandalized reproched reproued and reuiled by the Jewes by the Scribes and others and told that he was a friend to Publicanes and sinners and that hee had in him Belzebub the prince of the Deuils Marke 3. 22. In the time of the heathen the Cynicke Diogenes despised all things the Philosopher Democritus laughed at all things the Philosopher Heraclitus wept at all things the Philosopher Aristotle thought hee knew all things and the carping god Momus blamed and reprooued all things Enuie and reproofe doe alwaies waite at vertues elbow For Isboseth shall neuer want a man in his owne campe Elah a seruant in his owne house and Dauid a sonne from his owne loines besides Achitophels Doegs and Shimees not onely to reproue him reprehend him but to worke treason and treacherie against him And therfore the Orator saith well in his first Paradoxe Ista omnia talia videmus We see all such things that also wicked men haue wealth and do hurt the good And the Prophet Dauid saith truly Psalm 11. 2. The vngodly bend their bowe and make readie their arrowes within their quiuer that they may priuily shoote at them which are true of heart Thus much of the Phrase The Matter as I said before is an Actiō of Dauid consisting of his Passiō and his Mortification a Cōstruction of that Action by others In the Actiō I haue thoght good to obserue these fiue particulars 1. What Fasting is 2. How manie sorts of Fasting there are 3. The effects of Fasting 4. The causes of fasting 5. The antiquitie dignitie and necessitie of Fasting In the Construction of the Action I haue thought good to obserue three Particulars and two Questions The 1. Particular what Lent is 2. By whom it was first ordained 3. To what end and purpose it was ordained The 1. Question Whether set daies and times of abstinence and fasting ought to bee commaunded by authoritie The other Question Whether it bee a sinne wilfully to breake and to despise
breede of Cattell to maintaine the Princes Nauie and the Calling of the Fisherman but especially for the worthy receiuing of the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Lords Supper For in the beginning of the primatiue Church many came to the holy mysteries promiscuously without any preparation Which when the ancient fathers vnderstood and saw the great harme and hurt that did arise of that negligent comming to that holy Table they established a Preparatiō or Correctiō decreed forty dayes of fasting praying hearing of the Word of God and comming to the Church that in those dayes the people being diligently purged by praier by fasting by reares by compassion and by other such meanes they might come to these holy mysteries with purer consciences and better deuotion The time of Lent was ordained at this time of the yeere in the Spring time for three reasons 1. By reason of heate encreasing and abundance of humors or moisture growing or comming on 2. To preserue brêed and encrease because at this time there is a generall bréed and encrease of all things 3. Because of the feast of the Lords Resurrection which requireth a peculiar Preparation For the general receiuing of the Eucharist or Lords Supper did alwaies fall out in the spring time I might speake more and much of these Particulars but I will conclude them with the saying of a worthy praise worthie Knight in a booke which he writeth of the relation of the religion of the west parts of the world where he saith thus I am so far off saith he from thinking the instutition of Lēt to be superfluous or the restraint in it vnprofitable that I rather encline to the custome of the Greeke Church who besides their great Lent haue three other Lents also in the yeere though the other neither so long nor in them so strict an obseruation Thus much of the 3. Particulars Now of the two Questions The first Question Whether set daies and times of abstinence and fasting ought to be commanded by authoritie Fastings are either of mens own frée voluntary accord as their particular deuotion doeth mooue them thereunto or els they are publikely enioyned in the Church and required at the hands of all men Montanus as Eusebius writeth was the first author of these appointed times of fasting of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of this set lawe-making of fasting For which cause manie there bee that reiect and renounce the same But most certaine and assured it is that set daies and times of fasting appointed in spirituall considerations to bee kept of Christian people tooke not their beginning either from Montanus or frō any other whose heresies may preiudice the credit due estimation thereof but haue their ground in the law of nature are allowable in Gods sight were in all ages heeretofore vsed and may till the worlds end be obserued not without singular vse and benefit They haue their ground in the law of nature because they teach vs to kéepe order and moderation sobrietie and temperance in our meates and drinkes For nature doeth content her selfe with a litle Nature is our best guide which if we follow we shal neuer go astray And therefore Cyneas the Philosopher was of this opiniō that when the gods framed Nature they went beyond their owne skil why because the maker quoth hee is subiect to the thing made They are allowable in Gods sight because they are daies partly of pēsiue humiliation and sorrow and partly a signe of duety deuotion and reuerence towards God They were in all ages héeretofore vsed for preuention of disorders and riot for the preseruation of Cattell and the maintenance of Sea-faring men because the decay of the one and the waste of the other could not well bee preuented without such politike order and consideration They may till the worlds end be obseruéd not without singular vse benefit because they draw men to penitency to temperance to sobriety to all Christian duety and deuotion and to the generall good and publike profit of the whole Common-weale Some there bre that would proue set dayes and times of Abstinence and fasting out of the Scripture and specially out of these places Leuit. 16. 29. The tenth day of the seuenth moneth ye shal humble your soules Leuit. 23. 27. The tenth day of this seuenth moneth shal be a day of reconciliation And Zach. 7. 5. When yee fasted and mourned in the 5. and 7. moneth Trueth it is that these set and prescribed fasts in Leuiticus were commanded of God as a part of a legall worship which had their end in the death of Christ And trueth it is also that the fasts spoken of by the Prophet Zacharie were appointed vpon occasion of the present afflictions of the Church in Babilon which ceased vpon their deliuerance But our set dayes and times of Abstinence and fasting are appointed and commanded to be obserued not for conscience or religions sake but for Ciuill and Politike regards and not for the priuate good but for the generall good of the whole Common-weale Which if they were left to the peoples owne choise libertie and will it may soone bee coniectured what would follow thereof because the corruption of the time is such and the wickednes of mans nature is so exorbitant that it is a hard matter to hold the ordinarie sort of people within the lists of duetie obedience and good order without the cōmandement of the superiour and the seueritie of good lawes For which cause very necessary it is yea a good and godly thing it is that set daies times of abstinence and fasting should be appointed and commanded by authoritie Which no one will dislike or disdaine vnlesse hee bee like vnto Aerius who opposed himselfe against fasting and said These set fasts away with them they are Ephipha haer 75. Iewish and bring men vnder the yoke of seruitude If I will fast let me chuse my time to fast that Christian libertie be not abridged I might prosecute this Question more at large but I hope euerie charitable Christian and equally-minded man and woman is heerein satisfied And therefore I will conclude it with this argument or this syllogisme Whatsoeuer is for the general good and publike profit of the whole Cōmonweale that ought to bee appointed and commanded by authoritie But set dayes and times of Abstinence and fasting are for the generall good and publike profit of the whole Common-weale Therefore they ought to bee appointed and commanded by authoritie The other Question Whether it be a sinne wilfully to breake and to despise set daies and times of Abstinence and fasting commanded by Authoritie To hold this question affirmatiuely may peraduenture seeme vnto some a Paradox or rather a grosse errour and grieuous absurdity But seeing Kings and Princes are Christs deputies here on earth to gouerne the world and in the Scripture are called gods Seeing Christ willed his disciples to beware of offences and
seeing S. Paul willed the Corinthians to giue no offence neither to the Jewes nor to the Grecians nor to the Church of God I can not chuse but beléeue and say that it is a sinne wilfully and without cause to breake and despise set dayes and times of Abstinence and fasting cōmanded by Authorite and this shall bee proued vnto you by 6. speciall arguments 1. By the fift Commandement 2. By the testimony of S. Paul Rom. 13. 1. 3. By the definition of Sinne. 4. By Examples 5. By the Ancient Fathers 6. By generall Councels This is proued by the fift Commandement In the 5. Commandement which is the first Commandement of the second Table we are commanded to honour our Parents where by honour is meant loue feare and obedience and by our Parents not onely our naturall Parents but all Kings Princes Gouernours and Superiours which doe rule vs. Well then if we wilfully breake and despise set dayes and times of Abstinence and fasting commaunded by Authoritie we doe not honour our Superiors If wee doe not honour our Superiors we breake this Commaundement If wee breake this Commandement I hope none will deny but we sinne This is proued by the testimony of S. Paul Rom. 13. 1. where the Apostle saith Let euery soule be subiect to the higher power Why because there is no power but of God We must not saith he resist the power for if we resist the power we resist the ordinance of God They that resist what shall they receiue They shall receiue to themselues iudgement Heerehence I frame this argument Whosoeuer doeth resist the power doth resist the ordinance of God But they that wilfullie breake and despise set daies and times of abstinence and fasting commanded by Authoritie doe resist the power Therefore they doe resist the ordinance of God If therein they doe resist the ordinance of God who can deny but that they sinne This is proued by the definition of sinne To sinne as S. Austen saith is facere quod non licet to do that which is not lawfull to doe Héerehence I drawe this argument Whosoeuer doe that which is not lawfull doe sinne but they which wilfully breake and despise set daies and times of Abstinence and fasting commanded by Authoritie doe that which is not lawfull therefore they doe sinne This is proued by Examples Adam in Paradise was commanded Gen. 2. 17. of the Lord not to eate of the tree of knowledge of good and euill If hee did hee should die the death Aarons sonnes were commanded Leuit. 10. 9 of the Lord not to drinke wine nor strong drinke in their ministerie which commandement because they brake they were slaine The man of God that came out 1. Reg. 13. of Iuda was slaine by a Lion because being seduced by the false Prophet hee did eate bread and dranke water in his house contrary to the Lords Commandement Saul would haue put his sonne 1 Sam 14. Ionathan to death because ignorantly he tooke a little honny contrary to his commandement If Adam Aarons sonnes and the Prophet of God were punished of the Lord for their not abstinence and if Ionathan was in so great danger for breaking his fathers commandement in eating a little honny Is it not a sinne before God for vs wilfully to breake and to despise set daies and times of Abstinence and fasting commanded by Authoritie seeing wee are commanded of the Lord to submit our selues to our Princes ordinances and bound in conscience truely and vnfeinedly to obey them Let vs yet goe further The noble kings Ezekias Iehosaphat and Iosias made lawes for the exercise and the recalling of Gods seruice That Christian and religious Emperor Constantine made lawes also in things pertaining to holinesse towards God and towards his Church Theodosius his successour tooke the same course King Alured or Alfred appointed and commanded set daies and times of Abstinence and fasting And so did king Edgar Anno Dom. 958. Had it beene a sinne for people in those daies to haue broken these their Princes lawes and ordinances wilfully wantonly and without cause and shall we thinke that it is not a sinne for vs in these daies to doe the like This is proued by the testimony of the ancient fathers Most certaine and assured it is that Austen Ambrose and other of the ancient fathers were of this mind and thought it a sinne wilfully to break and to despise set daies and times of Abstinence and fasting commanded by Authoritie S. Austen de temp Ser. 62. calleth them new teachers that shut out the merite of fasting and asketh what saluation we can obtaine if we blot not out our sinnes by fasting séeing saith hee the Scripture saith that fasting and almesdeeds doeth deliuer from sinne Alijs diebus ieiunare saith he remedium est aut praemium c. To fast on other daies is a remedie or reward but not to fast in Lent is a sinne S. Ambr. in ser 25. de Quadrag saith thus among many other things Non leue est peccatum Jt is no small sinne to breake a fast that is commanded Although these two ancient fathers had their errors and in some sort thought corruptly of fasting yet I will say of them and of their opinion concerning fasting as reuerend master Hooker saith lib. 5. Eccle. pol. lib. 5. pag. 208. Ecclesiast Poliicie Concerning euery mans duety herein saith he that which Austen and Ambrose are alleadged to haue done is such that all men fauouring equitie must needs allow and follow it also if they affect peace Well then if according to master Hookers iudgement al men must néeds allow this opiniō of these two Fathers if they fauour equitie and affect peace then I hope I may say that it is a sinne wilfully and without cause to breake and to despise set daies and times of Abstinence and fasting commanded by Authoritie This is prooued by generall Councels and specially by that of Chalcedon held in the yeere of our Lord 454. to confound the errour of Eutiches who held that in Christ God and Man make but one Nature The Councell of Mentz vnder Canon 35. Charles the great made this decrêe Si quis indictum ieiunium super biendo contempserit c. If any one shall with pride contemne fasting commanded and will not obserue it with other Christians let him be accursed The like was established by the Councell of Carthage in their 63. Canon By the Councell of Laodicen in their 50. Canon and by the Councell of Toletan in their 7. Canon If those Councels thought them fit to bee accursed and excommunicate that would not obserue fasting commanded by Authoritie shall not wee thinke that they thought it a sinne in them that did wilfully breake and despise the same I might stand longer and much longer vpon this question but I will conclude it with the saying of the Apostle S. Peter say vnto you euen as the Apostle Peter said to the Jewes 1. Epist 2. 13