A Fruitful Treatise, Chapter 15 – Chapter 17
¶The .xv. Chapter.
TO faste in secrete,What it is to faste in secrete. is not to keepe oure selues close from the sighte of men, and so hydinge our selfes in priuy corners to abstaine frō meate, but not to hunte and hawke after vaine glorye nor the prayse of men,Math. vi. for our fastinge, nor to seke to be sene of men whyle we faste to the ende, that they may commend & prayse vsus, as the hipocrites did, whome Christ reproueth for their vaine glory and ambicion, & saith, they hauehave their reward, not of god but of mē. We ar counted before god then to fast in secrete, whē we fast with such a minde, yt we wold fast in dede, thoughe no man liuinge did se vsus, aud when we regarde more the accōplishment of gods wyll and the subieccion and taming of our body, then al the glorye and praise that man can giuegive vntounto vsus.It is lawful to do anye good deede in y• syghte of men, so y• vayne glorye be absente. It is lawful for a Christen man to fast,Math. v. to praye to geue almes, or to do anye other good work before the world, so that the desire of worldly praise and vain glorye be not in his minde. For our sauiour Christ saith let your light so shine before mē that they may se your good works & glorify your father which is in heauen S. Paul also saith, be such as no man can complaine on,Philip. ii. and the vnfained sonnes of God without rebuke in the myds of a crooked and peruerse nacion, among whō se that ye shine as lyghtes in the world, holding fast the worde of life.i. Peter. ii. Again. S. Peter counceleth vsus, that where as some backebite vsus as euil doers, we shuld leade an honest and godlye life among them, that they seinge oure good workes maye prayse God in the daye of visitacion. But if we seke anye prayse of men,The desire of vayne glory poy…oneth all good workes. and desyre to be magnified for our good dedes doinge, verely then hauehave we our rewarde not of God but of the worlde. For there is not a more pestiferous infeccion to poisonne anye good woorcke, that it shuld lose the reward before God, then the desyre of vaine glory & worldlye prayse.Math. vi. For that it is, which Christ condemneth in the almes dedes, praiers and fastes of the hipocrits.Hom. xlvi in Mat. vi S. Ihon Chrisostome saith, they that so fast, ye thei plese men rather then God, they hauehave a labour concerning the afliccion of the body, b…t thorow vain glory thei cā hauehave no reward of their labour with god, which whē they ought to do it onl… for religion or faithes sake, had rather to seke y• vain glory of the world. And therfore saith the Lord,Lib. iiii. c… tra Iulia▪ cap. ii. verely I saye vntounto you, thei hauehave receuied th…ir reward. S. Austē also saith, some good thinges may be done, & yet they not doing them wel, of whom they ar don. For it is a good thīg to healp a man y• is in ieopardy & in daunger,Mark wel namely if he be an in innocent. But he that dothe this good dede▪ if he doth it because he loueth the praise of menne rather thē ye glori of god, it is not good y• he doth, for as much as he y• doth it, is not good. For God forbid, y• that shuld be or be coūted a good wil, which glorieth in other, or in it self,In libro. de …elia et …e…unio. & not in ye lord. Hereto pertaineth ye saying of. S. Ambrose when thou fastest, boaste not thy selfe, nor bragge not of it, for in so doynge thy faste profyteth the nothing. Those thinges that are done vntounto ostentacion & bosting continew not to be recompensed in the world to come, but they are consumed & brought to noughte with the rewarde of present thinges. Of exchewinge vaine glory oure sauiour Christe gaue vsus no table examples in al his doings. When he had healed the Leper,Mat. viii. he said vntounto him, se yu tel no man.Math. ix. After that he hadde restored the two blinde men to theyr syght, he charged them, that no man shuld knowe of it.Mark. …ii. And when he hadde made whole the dūme and deafe man, he commaunded them that wer present that they shuld tel it no man. In al these his doinges and such like he gaue vsus exāple to …le vain glory & worldly praise and onli to seke the glori & honor of god,…e…em. ix. and that we shuld reioice and glorye in nothing but in god alone,… …orin. i. as it is wrytten, he that reioiseth, let him reioise in the lord Therfore all the workes that we do, whether thei be praier, fasting almes deede, watching, visiting of the sicke, comforting of the prisonners, or ani other that be agreable to the word of God, we must do them with a single minde, and with such an heart, as being altogether estraūged from vain glory and worldly praise, seketh onli the honour of god & the accōplishment of his most blessed will. So shal we do our workes in secrete, and oure father,Math. vi. which seeth in secrete shal recompence vsus openli
Thus hauehave we hearde boothe what the true & christen fast is, & also how we ought to fast. Let vsus nowe fall in hand wyth the third and laste parte of thys treatyse, and so make an ende,
☞Of the true vse of fastinge. ¶The .xvi. Chapter.
THe vse yea rather the abuse of fasting in the Popes kingdomeThe manner of fasting in the Pop… kīgdome was wycked. was verie wicked and worthye to be abhorred of y• faithfnll. For besides the fondnesse of the symple people in abusing the noble ve…tue of fasting for want of knowledg vntounto many and sundrye superstic…ous and vngodlye purpos…s as partelye heretofore we hauehave heard: ther hauehave not wā ted among them that profes diuinitie whych both in their sermōs and writyngs corrupted the true and godlye vse of fastynge. For they hauehave taughte, that fastynge of it selfe is so worthye a vertue, and of so greate power, that it is hable to satysfye for synnes,The erroneous doctryne of y• Papystes cōcernyu… Fastynge. to appease the wrathe of God, to reconcile vsus to god, to deserue righteousnesse and to wynne euerlastynge lyfe. Thys doctryne is an enemye to the free grace of god, iniurious to the fruites and merites of Christes passion and by no meanes to be receiued of the faithfull Christians.Fastynge is a fruite of repentaunce. For all be it fastinge bee wythoute doubte a worthye fruite of repentaunce, and pleaseth God, when hee that fasteth, humbleth hym selfe in the syghte of God, confesseth hys synne, repenteth hym of hys mysdedes, calleth for mercye, beleueth to bee forgeuen for Christes sake, and studyeth earnestly frō hēce forth to lead a life comformable to the rule of gods worde, yet is it not of such vertue in it selfe, that it is hable to bring vntounto vsus those good things which we looke for at the hande of God thorowe Christe oure Lorde, I meane the fauoure of God, the forgiuenes of sinnes, the gifte of the holye ghoste, a newe hearte stuffed with spiritual affects, righteousnes, peace, quietnes of conscience, and euerlastinge life.
These be the singulare and free giftes of God, geuen only of him to so manye as be borne a newe by the holye ghost, and beleue in him. If the fastes of the holy men of whome we hearde here to fore had bene directed vntounto that end, that is, if by their fastes they had soughte to be iustified,Gene. xii. …xii. xxvi. and .xxviii and tourned theyr eyes from that blessed sede, in whome all nacions of the earthe were promised to be blessed, so had theyr fastes bene no… commended but discommended of God, not fauoured but abhorred, not receiued but reiected.
But theyr fastes came from a penitent and faithful heart toward God, and were exercised of them vntounto godly purposes, as we hauehave hearde, they seekinge saluacion onlye at the mercyfull hande of God for the promysed seede sake therefore were boothe they and theyr fastes allowed of God.The fasts of the olde Fathers. Let vsus therefore learne the true vse of fastinge, that we maie knowe to what ende oure fastes oughte to be directed, least while we seke for medicine, we find poison, and receiue for saluacion, damnaciō.
The .xvii. Chapter.
FYrste forasmuche as the lyfe of manne vponupon earthe is nothingeIob. vii. els then a warrefare and contynuall aflycte wyth her ghostly enemies,Galath. v seinge also that the fleshe withoute ceasing thorowe the subtile suggestion of sathan lusteth contrarye to the spirite, so that man in thys vale of miserye is neuer at quiet, nor hathe so much leasure as once to breathe, so greatlye on eueryevery side is he besieged and compassed aboute with cruel enemies, which assaulteth him, and tēpteth hym vehementelye that excepte hee stronglye fyghte agaynste hym wyth the weapons of the Lorde, and also yf hee geueth not dylygente watche, hee streyghtwayes falleth into his aduersaries hāds and is vtterly vndone. It is conneniente, that whosoeuer entendeth to gette a gloryous and triumphante victorye ouer hys enemyes, and not lyke a cowarde eyther to be putte to flyghte, or els to be ouercome, and for euer and euer pearish but rather valeauntlye to fyghte and neuer to cease tyll he hathe subdued hys ennemyes, that he striuinge couragiouslye maye obtaine that rewarde,i…. Tim. … whiche is promysed to so manye as fyghte lawefullye, euen the crowne of glorye and the enherytaunce of euerlastynge ioye, it is conuenyente, I saye, that hee seeketh all meanes possyble to auoyde the daunger of hys ennemyes, and so to behaue him self in al his doings that his aduersaries mai hauehave no interest in him, nor spye anye voyde place aboute him where they may giuegive the fyrste aduenture, and by thys meanes be encouraged not only to assaile him, but also to vāquish him. And for as muche as the deuil oure heade e…nemie goeth about not only hym self lyke a roringe Lion sekynge whome hee maye deuoure,i. Peter .v. but besides innumerable thousandes of wycked spirits, which pertaine to his armye,The diuelles armiar y• wycked spirits the world and the fleshe. and are ready at eueryevery moment to seeke the destruccion of man, hathe also two speciall seruauntes, whiche daylye procure oure vtter subuersion, I meane the worlde and the fleshe, the one beinge his waitinge man, the other his hande maide, readye at eueryevery hour to assayle and to subdue man, if diligente watche bee not geuen on oure behalfe: and forasmuch as amonge these our deadlye aduersaryes the flesh is the mooste presente and mortall foo, and an houshoulde ennemye euer at home and neuer without, euen with in oure owne brest, caryed aboute with vsus whersoeuer we goo, and accompanyinge vsus what so euer we do and continuallye prouokinge vsus vntounto those wicked acts,Galat. v. which striue against the heauenlye mocions of gods holye spirite, that by this meanes she maye doo her master the deuill greate pleasure by bringing vsus to destruccion: if we entende to subdue and get the victory of thys oure houshoulde ennemye the fleshe, let vsus knowe for a certentie, that ther is not a more spedye waye nor a more presente remedy agaynst her assaultes, then godlye fastinge is, which enemy, that is the flesh, beinge once subdued, the forayne ennemyes shal the easelier be kept oute, and we liue in the more quietnesse by the healpe of goddes spirit and feruente prayer.