The Holy Exercise of Fasting, Title page – Dedication
THE HOLY EXERCISE OF FASTING. Deſcribed largely and plainly out of the word of God: with all the parts and cauſes, and ſeuerall kinds of the ſame: together with the moſt fit times, and conuenient ſeaſons, when and how long it ſhould be held: with the manifold fruite and commoditie that redoundeth to vsus thereby: and the whole nature and order thereof. In Certaine Homilies or Sermons, for the benefit of all thoſe, that with care and conſcience intend at any time publikely or priuately to put in practiſe the ſame. By Nicolas Bownde Doctor of diuinitie.
Peruſed and allowed by publike authoritie.
Occupie till I come, Luk. 16.13.
Math. 25.11. It is well done good ſeruant and faithfull: thou haſt beene faithfull in little, I will make thee ruler ouer much: enter into thy maſters ioy.
Printed by IOHN LEGAT, Printer to the Vniuerſitie of Cambridge, 1604. And are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Crowne in Pauls Churchyard by Simon Waterſon.
To the right Reuerend father in God, and right honourable Lord, Doctor Iohn Iegon, Lord Biſhop of Norwich, the continuance, and daily increaſe of all thoſe heauenly vertues and graces, which the Apoſtle S. Paul requireth in a Biſhop, 1. Tim. 3.2.
RIght reuerend father, and very honourable Lord, beſides many other weightie reaſons, whereby I hauehave beene mooued to commend this ſimple preſent vntounto your Lordſhips fauour, which it is not neceſſarie nor conuenient to make all the world acquainted with (it is enough that your Lordſhip priuately doth take knowledge of them) it may be ſufficient openly to profeſſe thus much; That whereas my ſelfe, with all the reſt of my brethren & fellow miniſters, were in our countrie, and in all the reſt of your L. Dioces of Norfolke and Suffolke, the laſt ſommer inioyned by your letters ſent to your officers to that ende (according to the order ſet downe before in print, by the authoritie of the Kings moſt excellent maieſtie) to come to the Church eueryevery we…ke vponupon the wedneſdaies and fridaies, with the reſt of our people & flocke committed vntounto vsus: there and then to be occupied in praier and faſting, to intreat the Lord for our ſinnes, and for the ſinnes of the reſt in this land: that ſo his heauie hand, which by the peſtilence was then very ſharpely, and that a long time ſtretched out in many cheife cities and towns of this realme, and namely, of this your L. Dioces, as Norwich, and Yarmouth, and ſome other might be called in at his appointed time,Sam. 24.16. as it was in the daies of king Dauid. Whereby it came to paſſe, that both here, and in many places els, there was much more preaching & hearing of the word of God, and praying vntounto him, then was before, and otherwiſe would hauehave beene. So that by meanes of the ſtraite charge laid vponupon all by your L. letter, there was much good done in this countrie at that time, the fruite whereof I hope, remaineth vntounto this day. For though the booke containing the cauſe and order of thoſe faſts, which was made by ſome of the cheife gouernours in the Church of England, and was authorized by the Kings Highneſſe, did (as I take it) not onelyonly giuegive leaue vntounto all places publikely to meete vponupon theſe aboue named daies to theſe ends, but did inioyne them to it: and ſo all men might hauehave taken knowledge of it, and of their dutie therein from thence: eſpecially when the cauſe of it (namely ſo grieuous, and ſo vniuerſall a plague) was ſo notorious, that it could not be hid from any: yet it was found too true by experience in many places, that vntill ſuch time as men were further called vponupon by your Lordſhips letter, full of great and weightie reaſons to perſwade thereunto, that neither many miniſters had any care to call vponupon their people to ſo holy and neceſſarie a ſeruice, nor the people any great deuotion to come: So ſlowe are men vntounto any part of Gods ſeruice, yea though it doth ſo greatly cō cerne them, eſpecially to this principall part of it in faſting and praier (which hath beene very long out of vſe) that they had neede not onelyonly lightly to be called vponupon, but with many ſtrong coards violently hailed vntounto it: though vntounto all matters of the world, they are ſo forward and haſtie, that they runne of their own accord, and none can ſtay them. Hereupon it hath come to paſſe, that a great part of the good, that this way hath beene done vntounto the people of God, and ſeruice to his maieſtie, is to be imputed vntounto your lordſhips diligent care, who did ſo timely, and effectually ſtirre vp men vntounto it: eſpecially in reſpect of thoſe cheife places & others, vnderunder your Lordſhips iuriſdiction, which then were greatly ſubiect vntounto this viſitation, as well as other parts of this land, neither are they all of them yet free from it. Therefore theſe beeing part of my labours at that time, they are in ſome ſort due vntounto your Lordſhip, by whoſe means I receiued incouragement thereunto, as others did to the like. And I hauehave preſumed to preſent them vntounto your Lordſhip, that by them you may ſee, and by one may iudge of the reſt, how readie we are, and ſhall be, to yeild obedience to all your L. godly proceedings: promiſing for my ſelfe, and preſuming of the reſt that when we ſhall be likewiſe commanded (which we expect, and hope for in time) to keepe ſolemne dayes of thankſgiuing for the mitigating of this plague in ſo great meaſure in the moſt places, and for the cleane taking of it away in many, we will be, by the grace of God, as ready to performe that part of ſeruice, as we hauehave beene forward vntounto this. And in the meane ſeaſon according to our bounden duty we will indeauour not only priuatly to be thankfull vntounto God, but vponupon all ſuch daies, as we hauehave our publike aſſemblies, to doe it in ſome part, and to call vponupon our people to be thankfull to God with vsus, both in hart, words, and life: leaſt the Lord for our vnthankfulnes doe returne vponupon vsus with the ſame, or ſome other great puniſhment of his. Which we hauehave ſo much the more cauſe to feare, vnles we thus ſeeke to preuent it, becauſe the late memory of ſo great a worke, both of iuſtice in ſending the plague, and of mercy in taking it away, is not ſo freſh & effectuall with all men, nay with very few, as it ſhould: but they like to vngratious children ſo ſoone forget the rodd, as it is off their back. And ſeeing by theſe your Lordſhip may take knowledge, that by your godly incitation many were made more painfull in their callings (at the leaſt for that time) then otherwiſe they would have beene, whereby alſo God was more honoured, and the people more inſtructed: your Lordſhip will according to that high place, wherein God hath placed you, eſpecially to that end, take all opportunities by word and writing ſtill to incite all men to be zealous and feruent in the worke of the miniſtery: by giuing all good incouragement vntounto the painfull labourers in Gods harueſt, and by quickning vp them that are any way ſlothfull and negligent, and by diſcountenancing them that are altogether careles and idle, and by ſtopping vp the paſſage vntounto al idol ſheapherds & hirelings, who ſeeke the fleece and not the flock: whoſe right arme as it is cleane withred vp, and their right eye vtterly darkned ſo as the Prophet ſaith they hauehave neither will,Zach. 11.17. nor abilitie to doe any good in the Church of God. That ſo not only the goſpell may ſtill more and more be purely preached in this your Lordſhips Dioces, (as now by the grace of God it is, and hath beene a long time by many learned & great men) but that the people in all places may be compelled diligently to frequent it: & not only themſelues to yeeld obedience vntounto it, but to hauehave their children & ſeruants,Act. 10.2. euen their whole families willingly catechiſed: that they may feare God with all their houſehoulds. That ſo we may bleſſe god, not only for your comming among vsus, but much more for your continuance with vsus, and ouer vsus: and pray to him for you (as we doe, and mind to doe) that the Lord will long preſerue you zealous of his glory, and carefull of the good of that part of his church, ouer which the holy ghoſt hath made you ouerſeer,ap. 20.28. which alſo Ieſus Chriſt hath purchaſed, not with gold or ſiluer, but with his owne moſt pretious blood. That ſo among the reſt of his good and faithfull ſeruants, who hauehave vſed their talents well,ib. 25.2…. he may giuegive you a full reward in the kingdome of heauen, who hath ſaid, if thou louelove me feed my ſheepe, if thou louelove me, feed my lambes. …. 21.1….For though the daily exerciſes of the word of God ſhould be ſufficient of themſelues, to purchaſe credit and reuerence to thēſelues with all ſorts of people, as to the moſt holy ordinances of the eternall God; and the great wantes, that are in all men, ſhould driue them to ſeeke to them continually as to the meanes of their ſaluation, whereby all their wantes might be ſupplied: yet ſuch is the irreligion in many, and the want of feeling in others, that they are no more forward vntounto any part of Gods ſeruice, or of the meanes of their owne ſaluation, then authority doth compell them. Thus aſſuring my ſelfe, that your later deedes will be anſwerable to theſe good beginnings, or rather happy proceedings; yea that they will goe farre beyond them in all godly zeale, I comfort my ſelfe, with the reſt of my brethren in the daily expectation and hope of it: praying to god,Pſal. 69.9. that the zeale of his houſe may euen conſume you: that ſo you waxing old in all well doing,Prou. 16.31. your age may be ſo much the more honorable, beeing found in the way of righteouſnes. And ſo not doutibng of your Lordſhips fauourable acceptatiō of theſe my poore endeauours, I leaue them to your fatherly and honorable protection, and my ſelfe, & my ſeruice to your continuall commandement, very humbly taking my leaue. Norton in Suffolke. 30. Aprill. 1604.
Your Lordſhips euer humbly at commandment. Nicolas Bownd.