Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 24
Of Fasting and abstinence.
FAsting and abstinence from meats in ye beginning was vsed as a meanes to tame the flesh, (as ye Apostle saith.) Concerning which Cyrill puts down his opinion, & the opinion of the catholique church in his daies, thus, most euidently:In Leu. lib. 10. How (saith he) after you hauehave knowne the truth, are you turned againe to the weake and beggerly elements of this world, which as from the beginning, ye will obserue againe? You obserue daies and monethes and times, and yeares. See how by his Prophet Esay, the Lord refused this kind of fasting: and saith, I hauehave not chosen this fast, saith the Lord, for a day that a man should humble his soule. Thou if thou wilt fast, and humble thy soule, according to Iesus Christ; the time of the whole yeare is open vntounto thee: yea hauehave thou the daies of thy whole life, to humble thy soule in, if so be that, thou hast learned of our Lorde and sauiour, which is meeke and lowly of heart. Thou therefore if thou wilt fast, fast according to the commandement of the gospel, obserue in thy fasting, the lawes of the gospell. In which after this manner our Sauiour commandes, concerning fasting: But thou when thou fastest, annoint thy head, and wash thy face. If thou aske how thou shalt wash thy face: Paul the Apostle teacheth, how thou maiest beholde the glory of the Lord, his face being reueiled vntounto thee, being fashioned againe according to the same Image, from glorie to glory, as though by the spirit of the Lord. Annoint thine head: but beware least with the oile of sinne. Let not the oile of sinne make thy head fat: but annoint thy head, with the oile of ioyfulnesse, with the oile of mirth, with the oile of merciemercy. So that according to the commandement of the wise man, mercy and truth depart not from thee. So that, when we fast, to wash our face, by Cyrilles iudgment, is to meditate in the scriptures, by which we are reformed againe, to the glorious Image of God. O happie meditation and reading! which reneweth in thy soule, by little and little, the Image of God, which thou hadst lost by Adams fall: Euen as they which walke in the sunne, their bodilie faces are by little and little sunne burnt; so they, which vse reading of the scriptures, ye faces of their soules, by little and little, are sunne burned and tanned with the glorie of the Image of God. Againe, to annoint thy head with oile, is to fast ioifullie,To giuegive almes is to annoint our head when we fast. and not against thy will; and to giuegive almes, is the oile of mercy, when thou fastest. And after: Wilt thou that I shal shewe thee how thou shalt fast? fast from all sinne, eate no meate of malice, eate none of the dainties of pleasure, bee not inflamed with the wine of ryot, fast from euill workes, absteine from euill speeches, bridle thy selfe from naughty thoughts, touch not the stolne bread of frowarde doctrine, long not for the deceiptfull meates of the Philosophers, which may seduce thee from trueth. Such a fasting pleaseth God. But to abstaine from meates, which God hath created to bee receiued of the faithfull, with thanksgiuing, and to do this with them that crucified Christ, cannot bee acceptable to God. The Pharisies sometime disdained against the Lord because his disciples fasted not. To whom hee answered, because the children of the bridegroome cannot fast, as long as the bridegroome is with them. They therefore fast, that hauehave lost their bridegroom: we which hauehave the bridegroom with vsus cannot fast. Neither notwithstanding doe wee say this, that we should loose the bridle of christian abstinence: For we hauehave the daies of Lent consecrated to fasting, we hauehave the fourth and sixt day of the weeke, in which we fast solemnly. There is a liberty granted to a christian, to fast at all times, not for the superstition of keeping the fast: but for the vertue of abstinence. For how else could chastity vncorrupt be kept among them? vnlesse she were vnderpropped with the pinching staies and props of continency. How shall they apply themselues to the scriptures? How shal they employ themselues to wisdom and knowledge, but by bridling the belly & abstinence? How shall one geld himselfe for the kingdome of heauen? vnlesse he cut off abundance of meates, vnlesse hee vse abstinency, as a seruant. This therefore is the maner of christian fasting. Heere wee may see plainelie, that those daies of fasting were obserued in Cyrils age, which our church vseth, and the same endes of fasting: that is, not for superstition, as though there were any holinesse in meates, but for continencie and chastitie, to tame the bodie, to bee more apt to study the scriptures: These were the endes for which christians fasted. But there is also (saith he) another kinde of religious fasting, whose praise is set forth in the writings of some of the Apostles. For we find written in a certaine booke of the Apostles: Blessed is hee that fasteth, that he may sustaine the poore. This mans fast is verie acceptable to the Lord. And indeed worthely enough; for he imitates him that gaue his life for his brethren, &c. The which kinde of fast also our gracious prince hath commanded of late, and our church hath practised.
The same ende of fasting we may reade in those which they call the Apostles Canons, If any Bishop, priest, Can. 50or Deacon shal abstain from mariage, flesh, or wine, not for this cause, that his mind should be made more fit to serue God, but because they are abhominable, &c. let him be thrust out of the church: as also any lay man. Heere is first the cause of abstinence, to tame the flesh: and of single life, to make the minde more apt to serue God. But both these since hauehave béene accompted steps to heauen, meanes of saluation: And mariage in a minister; as also meates eaten at times, not by the pope prescribed, is abhominable. Ferus of this superstition of meates writes thus: So many amongst vsus, In Ioh. ca. 18 pa. 487. 488.trusting to the ordinances of man, hereof do promise righteousnesse to themselues: in the meane time, nothing regarding the commandements of God. Against such the 23. chap of Matth. is of no lesse force, then it was in times past against the hypocrites, among the Iewes; who woulde not hauehave thought but that that people had beene holy, and to hauehave had a iust cause against Christ, which with such care & religion, kept the constitutions of the fathers? If they would not break the commādement of a godly man: how much lesse are they to bee thought to breake the lawe of God? Here wee may see hypocrisie. But Christ taught vsus another righteousnesse, when hee saide: O father, sanctifie them in thy truth. That is that true sanctification, when the father himselfe possesseth our heartes, and reneweth and lighteneth them, with the true knowledge of Christ, with faith and remission of sinnes. This holinesse flesh acknowledgeth not: but imagineth a certaine carnall holinesse, whereby it abstaineth from certaine meates, and meetings, and familiarity of certaine men. And surelie this was the superstition and counterfeit holinesse in poperie.
Their Imber daies, foure times by the yeare,Pontacus Burdegal. in chrono… an. Dom. 214. were first ordained by Calixtus, who at those times decréed yt orders shold be giuē to ministers, and that the people thorow the whole church (as it should seem) should pray & fast thē, that God would send good pastors into his church. But in those Imbers, now they neuer thinke on this.
The Rogation wéeke was first ordained, because there was a great earthquake at Vienna, and Wolues and wilde beastes came in and slew men. And therefore they fasted and praied. Or as some other thinke, because all things then are springing, they pray God that he would blesse the fruits of the earth, and crowne the earth with his goodnes. But their latter Rogations, were a matter of state rather then humilitie: euerie one kéeping his order, and following the crosse. And here somtimes a surmised contempt of one going before another (as I hauehave heard) hath bred more malice that weeke,Exod. 17.10 Ios. 7.6 These beads began an. Dom. 1090. a new deuise. Polidor Virgil de inuent. r…r. then a whole yeere after could salue againe. Their beades Peter the Ermit, a French man, inuented (as it shoulde séeme) to teach that we shoulde continue in praier. For so no doubt Moses continued in praier all the while Iosuah fought against Amalecke. And Iosuah himself, when as God was angry with Israell for Achans offence, rent his clothes, and fell vponupon his face to the earth, euen till the eeuen-tide, before the Arke of the Lorde, continuing in prayer: and Elias praied seauen times, 1. King. 18.44 Mat 26.38before he obtained raine, and our Sauiour saide the same praier thrice. As no doubt all these continued begging of God still the same thing chiefelie, as also the importunate widow in the gospell, had but one suite to the Iudge, which she continued: so to continue in praier, or often to say the same praier, is no sinne. But they hauehave taught of late that the saying or repeating ouer onelyonly,Ex opere operato. of so manie aues, so manie pater nosters, and so many creedes, not vnderstoode (of the worke done as they saie) do obtaine remission of their sinnes. What shall I speake of all their abuses? Ferus also concerning their abuses, saieth thus: How many thinges hauehave the saintes ordained of a good intent, In Iud. ca. 18 Pal. 426.which we now see to bee turned partly into abuse, partly into superstition: let holidaies, ceremonies, Images, masse, monasteries, bee an example. So that by Ferus iudgement, euen the principall partes of their religion are nothing else but abuses and superstition. Therefore wee may saie of this Romish Babilon, of this daughter of Babilon (as Dauid saieth),Psal. 137.9, Blessed is hee that taketh thy young infants, that is those things which the fathers in simplicitie suffered, (which in déed were the infants of poperie) and dasheth thē against the stones, that is, against the great rocke Iesus Christ. Oh would to God our catholiques at this day would do so: these yong imp… and infants (as it were of poperie) in the church concerning ceremonies, which the fathers then suffered, nowe beguiles manie: And thus craftelie poperie came in; and by little & little, al their superstitions grew. They which hauehave eies to see, may see now, what vgly monsters they are grown vntounto. They are so monstrous and so great, that many of them, euen their own fathers, and fa…ous do detest and abhorre: as you maie here sée. Wherfore let all other christians forsake them.
Turning the grace of God into wantonnesse. Text.] foreign in the Gréeke, taketh his name of a citie called Salga (as some thinke) wherein all were vertuous and good, and therefore by a depriuation, it signifieth all incontinencie, and the vnrulie affections of the minde, when as (like a wanton Heifer) it is not kept within the boundes of reason: and also, a merrie iest or fact. Such wantonnesse, our flesh delighteth in; such fleshlie and carnall mirth, mans nature onelie loueth. But this wanton mirth, this carnall ioie, Gods worde condemnes.Ier. 9.23. Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome, nor the strong man glory in his strength, neither the rich man glory in his riches (saith the Prophet) much lesse in these vanities: But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that hee vnderstandeth, and knoweth me (saith the Lord.) And S. Paul saith) Christ is made to vsus of God, wisedome, righteousnes, sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, he that reioiceth, let him reioice in the Lord. 1. Cor. 1.30.So that here is the true ioie of christians, to remember that they hauehave such an excellent treasure, and gift giuen them of God; to remember these their spirituall riches of their soules; to remember these benefits of Iesus Christ. And therefore S. Paul saith often, reioyce in the Lord, that is in Iesus Christ,Phil. 4.4. who of God is giuen to thee, with all his goods, with all his merites, with all that he hath. And againe, I say reioice. This is the true grace of God, this is euerie true christians ioy. But these counterfeite Catholiques, hauehave turned this grace of God into wantonnesse. For in Poperie, few knewe what Iesus Christ had done for them. Manie for lacke of knowledge of the scriptures, vnderstood not that Christ was made ours: and therfore could not reioice in the Lord. What was the sum almost of all their religion? but wantonnesse. For this reioicing and mirth in the Lord, they had other kinds of mirth and disports: but they were all wantonnesse. They had in those daies mirth enough, but fleshly, wanton, and carnall mirth. What shall wee accompte (to beginne first euen with their best things,) of their senselesse songs without all vnderstanding, of their curious deskants, of their sweete censing, of their costly ornaments, of their statelie processions, where euerie man must keepe his place? What were all these? but plaine wantonnesse. All these were pleasant to the flesh; but nothing profitable to the soule, nor delectable to the maiestie of God; Whose worshippe is not now, in such outward things (as our sauiour tolde the woman of Samariah, Io. 4.23.) but in spirit, that is, wish the hearte of man, and in truth, that is, not with any more Iewish ceremonies or shadows: then the which, the Popes religion was almost nothing else. The swéete perfume of frankinsence, the pleasant voice of man, the braue shewe of copes embrodered, delighteth man: but the maiestie of God regardeth no such thing. Nay (our sauiour saieth) that which is highly esteemed amongst men, Luke 16.15.is an abomination before God. He respected more the plaine and simple mantle, with the faithfull and pure heart of Elias, then all the priestes of Baal, with their costlie vestementes and ornaments. But to let these passe, what were their pilgrimages, their guilde feastes, their feasts dedicated to euerie saint, who bare the name of any church, their feastes of eueryevery arte and occupation once by the yeare, their bonefices, their maypoles, their bookes of fables, (in reading whereof they spent most of their time,) their dauncing, what were all these? but wantonnesse and fleshlie delights. And here note that the Apostle S. Iude saith, that these counterfeit christians shall not embrace wantonnesse onelie, or be giuen to it: but shall turne the grace of God into wantonnesse. They shall account these the chiefe pointes of religion: they shall make these their chiefe seruice of God: as though they worshipped God by these thinges. This is to turne the grace of God into wantonnesse: and did not they so? It is too manifest.
And here by the way, this is a speciall note, for euerie true catholique, that would not bee deceiued, to marke: not to looke on their religion,Reu. 6.8. as nowe they hauehave cloked it, and refined it: (They hauehave turned the black horse, in the reuelation, to a pale horse: they hauehave nowe for euerie grosse error, gotten a fine cloake, and for eueryevery abuse, some couering, & for eueryevery superstition, some salue:) but to looke on it, as it hath béene vsed heretofore, in the daies of their forefathers. Let them not aske the Iesuites what is the popish saith, but let them aske those, which nowe yet liuing, can of their owne knowledge tell them: and then they shall plainly sée the nakednesse, the abominations, and superstition, and the blindnesse of it. And surely the lacke of this one thing, I am persuaded, seduceth verie manie at this daie. They embrace poperie, and euen marry themselues to her, in the attire and furniture, she now commeth into the world: But they neuer remēber, nor consider, how deformed, how blind, how vaine, how wanton she hath béen. But …is their wantonnes, these guildes, these drinkings, these their feasts, those vaine books, this masse or huge chaos of ceremonies, and against the word of God. S. Paul also prophesieth of this wāton religion. Preach thou the word (saith he) to Timothy. 2. Ti. 4.2.For the time will come, when they will not abide that doctrine of health, that is, the word of God: but according to their owne lustes shall heape vp to themselues teachers: And shall turne their cares from the truth, and shall be giuen to fables. This heape of teachers, maie signifie the …ackes and great multitude of their Friers, which they heaped to themselues, as their onelie teachers: to whome Christ in his gospell, gaue neuer anie commission or authoritie to teach or preach to his flocke; but onelyonly to pastors. And the truth is the word of God: as Dauid saith: Thy lawe is the trueth: Psal. 119.1….and these fables noe doubt, were their legendes, their Beuis of Hampton, their Valentine and Vrson, and such like bookes, which they greatly delighted to reade in. And this is a marke of Antichristes religion, a plaine marke, and an onelyonly marke. For thus we reade in S. Paul of Antichristes disciples:2. Thes. 2. v. 10.11. that sathan beguiled them in all manner of deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnes, because they receiued not the louelove of the truth, that they might be saued. And therfore God sent them strong illusions, that they might beleeue lies; That all they might be damned, which beleeued not the truth, but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse. Let all men here beware, they which louelove not the truth, that is, Gods word: but hauehave pleasure in fables, and lies; To those God shal send strong illusions, they shall be deceiued; naie they shal be dāned. Let all men beware how they louelove not Gods word, how they delight in fables and tales, the danger is great. But marke what followeth, which is the onelyonly cognisance or badge of all true christians: But we ought alwaies to giuegive thāks to God for you (saith the Apostle,) because that God from the beginning hath chosen you to saluation, through the sanctification of the spirit, and the faith of the truth. All Gods children beleeue the truth, and by it are saued, and therefore knowe it. Dauid saith,Psal. 1.2. The man is blessed that hath his delight in the lawe of God, and therein meditates day and night: Then he is accursed that delighteth in tales. And againe in an other psalme.Psal. 4.2. O ye sonnes of men (saith he) how long will ye hauehave such pleasure in vanity, and seeke after leasing? S. Peter also teacheth all christians,1. Pet. 4. v. 2. that it is sufficient, that we hauehave spent the time past of our life, after the lustes of the Gentiles, walking in wantonesse, lusts, drunkennesse, glutony, drinkings, and such abominable idolatries: wherein it seemeth a strange thing to the heathen, that the christians will not keepe them company still; and therefore they speake euill of vsus. But they shall giuegive account to him, that is ready to iudge both quicke and dead. Of these their often, vsuall, and excessiue f… stings, and drinkings; which they account as nothing, which the heathen in their religion vsed, and nowe sathan hath brought againe into the church of Christ: this is Peters iudgment. Banqueting is accounted of S. Paul a worke of the flesh. Gal. 5.21. 1. Cor. 10.7. Exod. 32.6.The Idolaters after their worshippe of their calfe in Exodus, sate downe to eate and drinke, and rose vp to plaie. See if in poperie, they were not like these. So in Daniell, king Nabuchadnezars religion was all musicke, D…. 3.5.& pleasant to the senses; marke if papists religion were not like this. And what is it then, but wantonnesse? which … S. Paul so often accounts among the workes of the flesh.
Their vaine bookes also, which they delighted in, and which in s…éede of Gods booke (which sathan had hidde,2. King. 22.8. as in the daies of Iosias,) he had put in their handes, to finde them occupied withall, doe not these places of scriptures condemne? Our sauiour that telleth the Iewes, Io. 8.44.yeare of your father the diuell, and the lustes and pleasure of your father ye will doe. He hath beene a murtherer from the beginning, and aboade not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, then speaketh he of his owne. For he is a liar, and the farther thereof. Here are two plaine markes, and badges of Sathans children: to delight in bloud, and in lies: hee was a murtherer, and a liar, from the beginning: and his children followe his steppes. Why then lies, whatsoeuer, (either lying bookes or tales) are the impes and brode of sathan. And shall christians nourish them in their bosomes? And to likewise S. Paul teacheth all christians, howe they should walke and spende thou liues,Ephes. 5.2. Walke (saith he) in louelove as Christ hath loued vsus, and hath giuen himselfe for vsus to be an offering, and sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauour to God. But fornication, and all vncleannesse or courtousnesse, let it not bee once named among you, (as it becommeth saintes) neither filthinesse, nor foolish talking, neither iesting, which are things not comely: but rather giuing of thankes. If these things be not comelie for christians soules: that disorder, what vncomlinesse, that horrour was in their former times, in the soules of a great manie? when as nothing was vsed almost but these. And our sauiour saith, That of eueryevery idle word, Mat. 12.30.we shall giuegive account at the day of iudgment: Howe then shall their idle and vaine bookes be iustified?In Praefat. Retract. Which of his faithfull seruants (saith S. Augustine) hath not Christ terrified, by this saying? It was one reason, that made him make his booke of Retractations. The Apostle S. Paul counselleth all christians,Col. 3.16. that the word of God should dwell plenteously and richly in their houses: but they being affraide to entertaine that guest, which he commendeth vntounto them, least they should take anie harme thereby, least it should make them heretiques (for so they hauehave saide) hauehave entertained the words of sathan, vaine and lying bookes; & so in stéede of Christ sathan hath dwelt with them: as their night walking spirits doe plainly prooue and testifie.