A Potion for This Holy Time of Lent, Title page – Dedication
A Potaciō or drīkynge for this holi time oflēt very cōfortable for all penitent synners, newly prepared by Theodore Basille.
¶ Iohn. 7:
If ony man thyrsteth, let hī come to me, & dryncke.
The pryncypall Contentes of thys Boke.
i. OF Penaunce.
ii. Of Contricion, Cōfession, Satisfaccion, or amendement of lyfe.
iii. Of fastynge.
iiii. Of certayne Ceremonies vsed in y• Chyrche, this tyme of Lente, & what they sygnifye.
v. And informacion, howe we ought to prepare our selues for to receiue worthely at the tyme of Easter, ye moost blessed Sacrament of the ….
¶ Luke. xiii.
¶ Excepte ye repent & amend your lyfe, vndoubt…dly ye shall perysh all.
To the ryght honorable syr Thomas Neuel knyght, Theodore Basille wysshethe lōge lyfe, cōtynuall helth, and prosperous felicite.
I HaueHave not forgotten wt howe gentle & thanckefull mynde (as I maye passe ouer ye sigulerbene ficēce & grādliberalyte, which at that time ye shewed to me) your ryght honorable mastership did receyue y• Christmasse Bācket which nowe of late I dedycated vntounto your name, chefely whan you had diligētly compared it with the moost holye worde of God, the towch stone of all Gods word is a towche stone to proue and try al doctryne.doctryne to trye the adulteryne, fay ned & false frō the syncere, germayne & true learnyng, & perceyued that it dyd not onlye agree wyth the moost sacred Scryptures, but also wythe the teachynge of the auncient Doctors of the holy churche, whome you hauehave as all mē ought, in great admiracion, with whose authoryties it is opu…ently fortressed. Uerely for the probacion of that my worke, & comparynge it with the trueth of Christ & the doctryne of the holy & learned Doctors, I can none otherwyse but hyghly cōmende, prayse, auaunce, & magnifye the industrye & laboure of your righte honorable maystershyp, whiche so prudently proue all kynde of doctryne with the true & infallyble towchstone of gods moost blessed word. For in thus doynge you shew youre selfe not to be ledde wyth ony blynde or perciall affecte, but wyth an vpright & high indifferēcy, much alienated & estraunged from the mā ners of diuers men at this tyme, amonge whome some as folyshe symple receyue all kynde of doctryne wt oute ony probacion or triall, some agayne contrarye to the dexteryte of Christen iudgemente lyke frantyke parsons do temeraryously, rashly, & wtout ony aduysement condemne a thynge before they hauehave iustlye examyned it by the holy Scryptures. S. Paule saythe: Quenche not the ii. Thes. v.spyryte. Despyse not Prophesyes. Proue and examyne all thynges, & that whiche is good, holde. S. Iohn̄ i. Ioan. iiiialso saythe, derelye beloued, beleue not eueryevery spiryte, but proue the spy rytes, whyther they are of God or not. Hereto pertayneth the sayenge of Christ, search ye the Scriptures. Ioan. v.Dauid also saythe: Blessed are they psal. ….that searche the testymonyes of the LORDE. Here are al Christē men com maūded not furyously streight way es to condemne, what so euer lyketh them not at the fyrst aspecte & blush but to search the scriptures, & by thē to proue, whither they be true or not Luke declarethe in the Actes of the Act. xvii.Apostles, that whan Paule & Sylas preached to certayne mē at Barrea, they that hearde them, receyued the worde gladlye, yet not withstondynge they searched the scryptures dayely, & tryed by them, whyther it was so or not, as they preached. So becommeth it all mē to do, not rashe ly to admyte & receyue, nor yet furyously to cōdemne eueryevery thynge at y• fyrste syghte, but as Paule sayth, to …i. Thes. v.proue all thynges, & to chose & holde that which is beste. Chynges muste be proued by the Scryptures & not by the spiryte of pryde, contencion, despyte, & contumacy. If mē would do this, there shoulde not be so great diuision in the chyrche of Chryst, as there is nowe a dayes. Christ & Chri Note.stes trueth is only learned of the ho ly scryptures. They that teache ony other thynges than the scryptures, tech not Christ, but humayne inuēciōs. Neither ought ony thyng as a necessarye trueth to be beleued vnderunder payne of damnacion, for to be admytted in the chyrche of Chryste, except it may be establysshed by the holy scrypture & pure word of God. For ye righteousnes of god is proued saith s. Paule by ye testymony & wyt Rom. iii:nes of the lawe & Prophetes Agayn he sayth: Yf we our selues or an Aū gel Gal. i.from heauen do preach vntounto you ony other Gospell, thā that we hauehave preached vntounto you, hold it accursed. As I sayde before, so saye I nowe agayne, yf any man shall preach vntounto you ony other gospell than yt, which ye hauehave receyued, holde it accursed. Hereto agreeth Origene, it is nedefull for vsus, sayth he, to caull the holy scriptures into wytnes. For our iudgementes & exposiciōs wythout these wytnesses, hauehave no fayth. Also S. Ierome, that we affyrme, muste In Ierem: Hom. i.be establysshed & approued with the testimonies of the holye scryptures, Ad …iesiphon.in the which God speaketh dayly to thē yt beleue. Itē Cyrillus, Christ alone In Ioan. cap. vi.is to be followed as a mayster, & to hī alone ought we to cleue. They that brynge ony other thynge besydes the doctryne & teachynge of the Apostles, sayth Theophilact, Paule In Roma. cap. vlt….playnly sayth, yt slaūders, yt is to say heresies & dissēciōs are brought in of them. Do not these thynges declare howe colde & vayne all thynges are, that fyght wyth the worde of God, and hauehave not theyr foundacions of the moost holy scryptures.
Certes as towechynge my lucubracions The mind of the …uthor cōcernynge all his bokes … h… hathe or shal set forth here after.and workes, which I hauehave hytherto made, or shall by the helpe of God here after make, I submytte them all with moost submission and humilite of mynde to ye syncere iuge mētes of them that are ghostly learned & taughte of GOD in Christes chyrche to be iudged, tryed and examined by the infallible verite of god des worde. Yf the holy Scriptures shal approue & allow thē, I moost hū bly besech all men thāckefully to accepte them, & to gyue all the glorye & prayse vntounto God. If they shall seme to fyght & dissent wyth the worde of God, holde them accursed, as Paule sayth, & so do in lyke manner ye workes Gala. i.of all other, that consente not wt the Euangelyke veritie. But yf the worde of God testifieth and beareth witnes of them, receyue thē, & gyue God thanckes, which so plenteously worketh in his seruauntes for ye edificacion of his chyrche.
Moreouer this your diligēt sear A Potaciō for Lent.chynge & comparynge of my Bancket with the holy scriptures and the auncient Doctors dydde so greatly please me, yt syns yt tyme I thoughte not vnsyttynge to prepare a Potaci on for this holye tyme of Lente, & to dedycate that also vntounto your name. Which thinge I hauehave done, yea and that in all poyntes accordynge to y• verite of Gods worde & the mynd of the moost auncient and best learned Doctors. Who so euer shall vouch… What pro fyt ther is to be gotten at this Potaciōsafe to be present at this Potacion, & with a gredy appetite to taste of it certes he shal not a litle reioyse of it. For he shal here lerne almoost all thi ges that are necessary to be knowen of a Christen man concernynge this tyme of Lent. Fyrst I hauehave entreated of Penaunce, declaryng what it is, how it ought to be done, of whom we shoulde aske grace truelye to repent, & howe it maye be obtayned.
Secondly I hauehave spoken of Contricion, Cōfessiō & satisfaccion or amēde ment of lyfe. Thyrdely I hauehave decla red y• true māner of fastyng. Fourth ly I hauehave intreated of diuers Ceremonies, that be vsed in the Chyrche this tyme of Lent, & declared what they signify & preach vntounto vsus. Laste of all, I hauehave shewed howe we ought to prepare oure selues for to receyue worthelye at the tyme of Easter the moost blessed Sacrament of the ….
All these thinges hauehave I done in this Potacion following, not folow yng myne owne fātasy or imagynacion but the veryte of Gods worde, the authorite of Christes moost holy Chyrche & the mynde of the aunciēt and best learned Doctours.
This my laboure, what soeuer it be, I nowe dedicate & offer to youre right honorable maisterships name, desyrynge you to accepte thys lytle gyft as a testimony of my good hert and obsequious mynd towarde you, moost instantly also besechyng you, & all other in your name to iudge it by the word of God, & to compare it with the trueth of Christes Gospel. In so doyng I doubte not, but that both this & al my other workes shal be receyued wythe the more grate, thankefull & acceptable myndes, vn to the great profytte of the readers, & the hygh glorye of almyghty God, who euer preserue your right honorable maystershyp in cōtinuall helth and prosperous felicite.
AMEN.
¶ The potacion for Lente.
¶ Philemon the maker of the Potacion. Theophyle, Eusebius, & Christopher the gestes.
PHILEMON.
IT is not long agō sins I made a certayne of my neygheboures a Christmasse Banckette, which so farre as I can perceyue, they hauehave ryght well digested, wherof I am not a lytle gladde. For syns that time they hauehave not on ly garnysshed theyr houses with the moost sacred scryptures after yt man ner of this my poore māsiō, but they are also become newe mēne in theyr conuersaciō. They hauehave vtterly put of olde Adam, & put on the newe mā Iesus Christ. They hauehave cast away Rom. …iii.the workes of the flessh, & put on the armours of lyght, yea they hauehave ioy fully amplexed the fruytes of the īpi rite. For they walke now no more in darkenes, but as y• chyldren of lyght in all goodnes, iustyce & verite. To Eph…. ….the poore people they are become very mercyfull & tēder, to theyr neygh bours gentle & louynge, to theyr ene mies pacient & longe sufferynge, not Roma. …i.renderynge euell for euell but redye at all tymes not only to forgyue thē but also to do thē good to the vttermoost of theyr power. Moreouer to oure moost soueraygne Lorde & excellent Kynge they shewe thē selues vnfaynedly obedient both in worde and dede with all submission & humi lyte. The other magistrates of ye publique weale they also hauehave in great reuerence. And also for the spiritual ministers of Goddes worde they en tierly louelove, reuerently feare, & hauehave them in no lesse honour, than true & faythfull chyldren hauehave theyr naturall parentes. Yea they esteme them i. Tim. v.as the seruauntes of God, & dispensatours of the diuyne misteries, and therfore do they gyue thē double honoure, accordynge to the admoniciō of the Apostle. To conclude, they so behaue them selues, that they are it reprehensible & fautles in the syght of all men. They shyne as great ligh Philip. ii.tes amōge theyr neyghbours. They …itum. ii.garnysh the doctryne of our Sauyour Christ wyth all innocency & purite. So that by theyr meanes there are, I thancke my LORDE God, many of oure neighbours whiche nowe begyn to followe that trade and to practyse lyke godlynes. And as they them selues are wholly bente to this true godlynesse, so lykewyse do they trayne & brynge vp theyr familye & housholde after that trade, which is to me a syngulare great pleasure. If they go forth, as they begynne, I do not doubte, but that within few yeres it wyll come to passe, that no Re alme thorowe Christendome shall be able to compare withe Englonde in syncere doctryne & godlye lyuynge. Seyng therfore that they receyued so great profytte of my Christmasse Bancket, I was the gladder to call them nowe agayne vntounto a Potaciō or drynckynge, trustynge that they shal receyue here of no lesse commodi te thā they dyd of the other. They ap poynted to come vntounto me about two of the clocke this after noone. I mer uayle therfore that they are so long absent. For the houre is paste. I wyl go forth oute of my doores & se whyther they come or not. But what nede it? me thike I heare one knocke at the dore. It are they I am sure. I wyll go and brynge them in. Neygh bours, I hauehave looked longe for you, but ye are welcome to me at the last.
THEO.
Brother Philemon, we thāke you hertely.
EVSE.
I pray you be not discontēted that we hauehave somewhat taried after our houre. For we were cōpelled to tary for this our neyghbour Christopher.
CHRI.
A frende of myne olde acquayntaunce came vntounto me from my parentes, which dyd somewhat lette vsus in dede.
PHIL.
It makethe no matter, ye are welcome nowe all vntounto me, wyll it please you to go wythe me into my Parloure?
THEO.
I hadde rather, yf it shall be your pleasure, tary here a whyle in your haull to behold these moost god ly spectacles, and to se, whyther my house be in all poyntes garnysshed lyke vntounto this or not.
PHIL.
To tary here lēger for yt purpose, were nothig but a losse of tyme. For oure houses in this behalfe are so lyke one to ano ther, yt ye cāne lesse discerne an egge from an egge, or a fygge frō a fygge, as they saye. They be in all poyntes lyke, concernynge the inwarde garnysshynge of them wt the holy scryptures. Therfore I pray you al, come your waye into my parloure.
CHRI.
We followe gladlye.
PHIL.
Brothers & neyghboures welcome once agayne.
EVSE.
We moost intierlye thancke you.
PHIL.
If it shall please you to sytle downe, I wyll be glad to talke with you.
THEO.
I pray you speke what it pleaseth you. We wyll heare you gladly with attente myndes.
EVSE.
Nothynge can brynge to vsus more pleasure than to heare you, your cōmunicaciō is alwaies so god lye & fruytfull.
CHRI.
We are now al set, & wholly bēt to heare you.
PHIL.
The spirite of God be amonge vsus, & lead vsus īto all trueth of Gods moost holy wisdome.
Neighbours it is not vnknowen to you, that this Christmas last past I bad you to a Christmasse Bācket, vntounto the whiche you verye gentylly came. At the whiche Bancket, I did not onlye sette before you meate for your bodyes, but also for youre soules. I fedde you with a Christmasse, that is to say, an heauenly Bancket in the whiche I proponed & brought for the vntounto you foure dysshes, I am sure, ye remēber it right well.
EVSE.
Ye forsoth brother Philemon.
PHIL.
Although I doubte not but that ye retayne them all in youre memorye right wel, yet by your paciēce I wyl now reherse thē agayne to you ī few wordes.
CHRI.
I praye you let it be so.
PHIL.
In ye fyrst dysh yt was set be The sūme of the Bancket.fore you, ye tasted of ye fal of our fore father Adā. In that ye learned, how yt by the synne of Adam we all were not only depryued of, immortalite & Gen. iii. Ioan. iii;all goodnes, but also dāned, so yt we became very fleshe, without the spyryte of God, vtterly estraūged from all feare of God, & borne the sonnes Ephe ii.of wrath, in asmuch yt we beyng left to our selues, could neuer hauehave bene delyuered from that miserable capti uite, into the which Satan had cast vsus, thorowe the trāsgression of goddes cōmaundement, but dayly more & more we must nedes hauehave precipytated & cast our selues headlonge in to an hell of euels. Therefore because ye shoulde not dispayre, I broughte forth to you your second dysh, wher in I declared & proued vntounto you by the holy scrypture and the auncient Doctors, that wha… we were in this miserable & piteous case, God of hys great mercies wtout our merytes or deseruynges had pytie on vsus, & promysed Tit. iii▪ Gen. iii.to saue vsus thorowe his intierly beloued Sōne, our LORDE and sauiour
Iesus Christ. Which thyng accordig to his promyse at the tyme predefyned & afore appoynted came vndoub tedly to passe. Than in your thyrde dyshe dyd I expresse to you, by what meanes ye myght come by & obtayn these so large & so bounteous benefy tes of God the father thorow Iesus Christ. I sayd vntounto you, that ye next & the moost redy waye to gette thys kyndenes at the hande of God is to repent & beleue, that is to saye, to be Mar. i.sory for the synnes commytted, and to beleue to hauehave remission of our sin nes of God the father for Chrystes sake. In your fourth dysh I declared vntounto you that after we hauehave repented vsus of our synnes, and beleued to hauehave forgyuenesse of them thorowe Christe, it remayneth that we than sheweour selues newe men in our cō uersacion, & medle no more with the Ephe. v.vnsruytfull workes of darknes, but rather reproue thē. For excepte our repentaunce & faythe worke in vsus a new lyfe, they profyt nothyng at al. Brynge forth fruyies, saythe …aynt Iohn, worthye of repentaunce. For eueryevery tree, that bryngeth not forth M…. …good fruyte, shall be cut downe and cast into y• fyre. And as concerninge fayth, S. Iames sayth, as the body wtout the spirite is dead, so is fayth I…co. ….wto…t workes dead Therfore I decla red vntounto you in that youre fourthe dysh, that as withoute good workes your repentance & fayth auayle nothyng Math …ell.(I speake of them which hauehave oportunite to worke & yet wyll not) so lykewyse to them that exercyse no good workes but remayne in theyr olde synfull lyuynge is Christ no sauiour, but remayneth styll vntounto thē a feacre LORDE, & a cruell Iudge.
For Christ wyll not knowe them at the daye of iudgement to be his people, that are vnfruytfull trees, & in this world bryng forth no good wor kes, yea he wyll saye vntounto them, departe Psal. vi. Math. vii.from me ye workers of iniquite. The virgines that hauehave not only Mat. xxv.lampes, but also oyle, shall enter in with the Brydegrome vntounto the mariages, the other shal be sparred out Not the ydle lubbers but the faythfull Math. xx.workers in the vyneyearde shall hauehave ye peny at night. Not the sonne which sayd to his father, yt he would worke in his vyneyearde, & dyd not, Math. xxishall be his fathers heyre, but ye sōne whiche wroughte in it in dede. The fruytefull Olyue tree shall dwell in the house of the LORDE, but the vnfruytfull Math. xxifygge tree, glystereth it ne uer so pleasantly with grene leaues shall be cursed & cōmytted vntounto hell fyre. In consideracion wherof I exhorted you at that tyme vntounto the di ligent operacion of good workes, yt ye myght be founde worthy yt kynge dome, which youre heauenly father Mat. xxv.hathe prepared for them that fulfyll his wyll from the begynnyng of the worlde.
Theise & such other thynges not vnworthy the hearinge I rehearsed to you at that Christmasse Bācket. Neither hauehave ye forgotten them, I am sure.
THEO
No verely neighbour Philemō.
EVSE
We hauehave since yt time Mat. vii.ful oft called them to our remēbraū ce, & cōmuned of thē togither.
PHIL.
In so doynge, ye hauehave done wel. For Rom. ii.not they that heare the law are righ teous before God, but they that expresse the lawe in theyr dedes shal be counted righteous. He yt loketh on ye Iaco. ….perfecte lawe, which is the lawe of ly berte, so that he is no forgetfull hearer, but a doer of the worke, he shall be blessed in his dede.
CHRI.
GOD giuegive vsus grace to do yt alwaye, which he requireth of vsus.
PHIL.
Your fruytes syns that tyme hauehave manifestly declared the nouyte and chaunge of your lyfe, wherof I very muche reioyse & gyue God herty thanckes, de sirynge hym to fynysshe that in you prosperously, which he hath begūne godly. And this is ye cause neighbou res yt I hauehave ben so bold to caul you agayne nowe to a Potacion or dryn kynge, trustynge that if you marke those thinges well, that shall at this tyme be spoken, ye shall feale no lesse What this holy tyme of Lent re quireth of Christen men.swetenes in them, than ye dyd in the Bancket. For ye knowe that this is a tyme not for the bodye, but for the soule, not for the belly, but for ye spyryte, not for the mouthe, but for the mynde. This tyme requireth a modelt sobriete, & not luxurious royot. This tyme requirethe a penitent & sorowfull herte, & not a mynde set al on pleasure. This tyme requirethe abstinence and not delicate welfare. This tyme requirethe sober prayer, & not vayne iestynges. This tyme requireth lamentacion for our synnes, & not a pleasure to remayne in them. Therfore hauehave I nowe prepared for you a godlye Potacion, worthy this tyme, that ye may go home agayne from me, not with mouthes but with myndes, not with bellyes, but with soules, … and e… farsed with celestiall meace. I wyll nowe declare vntounto you, what youre Potacion shall be. I pray you heare me diligently.
EVSE.
Brother Philemon, we thancke you for your godly kyndenes towarde vsus What so euer it shall be youre pleasure to saye, we shal not only be diligent to heare it, but also to beare it awaye, & do ther after, so nere as God shall gyue vsus grace.
PHIL.
For as much as ye moost confortable Sacrament of Penāce Of What thynges it shall been treated in thys Potacion.is in this holye tyme of Lente more vsually exercised towarde penitent synners, than at ony other tyme tho rowe oute all the yeare, therfore am I nowe determined to talke somewhat with you in this matter. This thynge once done, I wyll teach you the true & Christen faste, that youre fast maye be pleasaunt to God & profitable to youre soules helthe. After warde I wyll declare vntounto you the significacion of certayne ceremonyes, that be vsed in the Chyrche thys tyme of Lent. Last of al I wyl shew you, howe ye shall prepare youre selues to receyue worthely at the tyme of Easter, the moost blessed Sacrament of … …e Christes very body & bloud. For as all these thynges are godly, so are they very necessary to be knowen of all Christen menne. Which thynge moued me to call you hyther at this tyme, yt you hauynge knowledge of them, maye the more godly behaue your selues this holye tyme of Lent, both before God & mā
CHRI.
This your beneficence towardes vsus vndoubtedly procedeth from an harte stuffed with true & Christē charyte, seyng that ye desyre no lesse the saluacion of oure soules, than of your owne.
PHIL.
That affecte and mynde ought to be in eueryevery christen man, that was in Christ Iesus. God Philip. ii.forbydde therfore that I or ony mā shoulde hyde vp the talent & ground Math. xxv.whiche God hathe gyuen vsus, but rather employe it to the vtilitie & profyt of other. Therfore whyle I lyue shal I be redy at al tymes by ye helpe of GOD gladly to impart to other what so euer God hath vouched safe to gyue to me eyther in goodes spirituall or corporall. But I pray you marke dilygentely, for nowe begynneth our Potaciō.
CHRI.
Our LORD GOD mought gyue vsus vnderstandynge in all thynges, and so at this ii. Tim. ii.tyme watch vponupon his worde, that it Iere. i.maye not returne agayne in vayne, Esa. xliii.but prosper & bryng forth fruyte in vsus rytchly, to the glory of his name, & the consolacion of all oure soules.
EVSE.
Amen.
THEO.
LORDE let it so come to passe.