The Holy Exercise of Fasting, To the reader
To the godly and Christian Reader, the daily increaſe of that true godlineſſe, which hath the promiſe of the life preſent, and of that that is to come, 1. Tim. 4.8.
WHen as of late this holy exerciſe of faſting, was by publike authoritie, not without iuſt cauſe impoſed vpō vsus (welbeloued fathers and brethren) I thought it conuenient, or rather neceſſarie for that people, which then I had to deale with (and hauehave still) firſt of all to make them acquainted with the nature of it, not ſo much by preaching of faſting out of ſome one text, (which could not very fitly hauehave beene done) as by deliuering vntounto them in ſundrie ſermons the whole doctrine of it orderly, out of many places of holy Sc…pture, or rather out of the whole word of God indifferently. That ſo they might be the more willing to ſubmit themſelues vntounto it, when they did ſee cleerely what they ſhould doe, and …lſo that they doe it in ſome good meaſure …cceptable to God, and comfortably to thē ſelues, when they perceaued after what manner they ſhould doe it. And thus in making of theſe ſhort treatiſes and Homilies at the first I had reſpect only vntounto them. Since I cōſidering on the one ſide the great ignorance that is in moſt places, as of all other partes of gods ſeruice which are ordinary ſo moſt of all this, which is extraordinary, eſpecially becauſe it is, and hath beene ſo much out of vſe: and then waying on the other ſide, that there may be hereafter great cauſe offered vntounto vsus againe of vſing this holy & excellent ordinance of god, either publikely in many places, or priuately in more, ſeeing that this viſitatiō of the plague doth ſo linger, like vntounto the leaproſy which ſometime did hang long in the howſes of the Iewes, and ſoe doth very ſhortly, or not at all wholy depart from ſome places: beſides thoſe new chaſtiſements, which we know not how many or how ſoone they may come vponupon vsus: I thought ſince, that both for theſe, and for other cauſes theſe my labours might be not wholly vnprofitable to all thoſe, that are well minded. And thought I cannot be ignorant that there are many and godly and learned ſermons and treatiſes, both in engliſh and latine, already extant of this argument, and ſo my indeauour after them may ſeeme ſuperfluous: yet all things conſidered, I doubt not, but that ſome may ſtand in neede of theſe alſo. For as I muſt needes confeſſe, that I hauehave read the former, & indeauoured to follow ſome of thē: ſo I leaue the learneder ſort to ſuch of them, as themſelues ſhall beſt like: only this for the more ignorant ſort I hauehave aymed at, to make the whole doctrine of faſting eaſy and plaine, that they might with facility vnderſtand what god requireth of them in the day of faſt, and how they ought to behaue them ſelues therein: And to that end I hauehave ſet downe eueryevery thing orderly, & at large, & therefore the more clearly: and not ſcholastically and ſhortly (as ſome hauehave done) and by that meanes the more obſcurely, eſpecially vntounto the vulgar ſort: and I hauehave ſhewed the practiſe of eueryevery particular, out of the Scripture, ſetting downe at large the wordes of eueryevery text for the capacity of the ſimplest, and oftentimes for the more eaſines and plainnes, hauing recourſe of purpoſe to the ſelfe ſame texts, rather then making choiſe of new, which vainly might happily hauehave bread ſome obſcuritie Which kind of writing if it may ſeeme to bring tediouſnes vntounto the learned eares, they must conſider, that firſt I preached theſe ſermons to the meaner ſort, men not brought vp in learning and ſo did apply my ſelfe in handling of this doctrine vntounto their capacity, leading them on in it according to their owne pace (which is rightly to diuide the word of God: and in his howſe (as a wiſe steward) to giuegive vntounto eueryevery one of them their owne food in due ſeaſon) and ſince, euen as they were then preached, I hauehave publiſhed them for their ſakes eſpecially, and ſo hauehave deliuered them as milke, for all thoſe that are but babes and children in Christ. And therefore if any of theſe ſhall receiue any benefit by them, I hauehave attained vntounto the end of my labours, though the other ſort be not holpen by them one whit. For which I will pray vntounto God, euen as I deſire all you, to whome theſe preſents ſhall come, to pray for me: and the Lord heare vsus all for our ſelues, and one of vsus for an other: and his well beloued ſonne Ieſu… Christ our only mediatour for vsus all: that we may liue and dye in his faith and in his feare: that ſo the ſame Christ may be vntounto vsus life, and in death aduantage. Norton, in Suffolke.
Your louing brother in the Lord Nicolas Bownd.