A fruitful treatise of fasting wherin is declared what ye Christen fast is, how we ought to fast, [and] what ye true vse of fastyng is. Newlye made by Thomas Becon.
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Title
A fruitful treatise of fasting wherin is declared what ye Christen fast is, how we ought to fast, [and] what ye true vse of fastyng is. Newlye made by Thomas Becon.
Author
Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567.
Publication
[Imprynted at London :: By Ihon Day, dwellyng ouer Aldersgate. These bookes are to bee solde at the shop at the lyttle Cundyte in Chepesyde,
[1551?]]
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Subject terms
Fasting -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A06783.0001.001
Cite this Item
"A fruitful treatise of fasting wherin is declared what ye Christen fast is, how we ought to fast, [and] what ye true vse of fastyng is. Newlye made by Thomas Becon." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A06783.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed July 27, 2024.
Pages
¶The .xx. Chapter.
THe seconde cause whye wee
ought to vse fastinge is,* 1.1 that
we abstaining from meates,
maye haue to giue vnto the pore
and hongry the more liberallye.
For this kind of fasting pleaseth
God greatly, when he seeth that
we haue so put on the bowels of
tender mercy & are led with such
and so harty compassion toward
our pore neighbour, that we can
not finde in our hearte he shulde
want, yea rather then he shoulde
lacke, we wil spare it out of oure
own belli & giue it him, god right
wel accepteth this fast, and bles∣seth
the faster wyth plentye and
abundaunce, as the wisemā saith
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
He that hath pitie on the poore,* 1.2
maketh the Lord his debter, and
loke what he layeth oute, it shal
bee payed hym agayne. Unto
thys manner of fastynge dothe
God exhorte vs by the Prophet,* 1.3
where he saieth, breake thi bread
to the hongrye, and lede the nea∣dye
and wayefaringe men into
thyne house. Whē thou seest a na¦ked
man, couer him, and despyse
not thi flesh. What it is to breake
thy bread to the hongri, we heard
afore in the .xiii. chapter.* 1.4 The an¦gell
of God tolde Thobye▪ that
when fastinge praier and almes
deedes go together, that is good
and accepted in the Lordes sight
It is written in a certaine ••oke
called Pastor (the author wherof* 1.5
they say Hermas. S. Pauls dis∣ciple
was) on thys manner: On
that daye that thou shalte faste,
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
thou shalt taste nothing at al but
bread and water, & whē thou hast
coūted the quantitye of the meat
that thon wast wont to eat on the
other daies, the cost y• thou shul∣dest
make on that daye that thou
fastest lay it vp,* 1.6 & giue it to the wi¦dow,
to the fatherles childē, or to
the poremā, and so shalt thou fast
a good fast, that he which hath re¦ceiued
it of the, may fil his soule,
and that his praier may go vnto
the lord for the. If thou fulfillest
thy fast on this māner, as I com∣maund
the, thy sacrifice shalbe ac¦ceptable
to the Lorde, and thy
fast shalbe written in the boke of
life.* 1.7 Origen saithe, we finde in a
certaine boke, that the Apostles
saide, blessed is he that fasteth to
thys ende, that he maye nourishe
the poore man.* 1.8 The fast of suche
one is wonderfully accepted be∣fore
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
God. Hereto pertaineth the
sayinge of.* 1.9 S. Austen, mercy dyd
commende and greatly setforthe
the praier and fastinge of Corne∣lius.* 1.10
For hee beinge ryche and a
wealthye man fasted. He dyd not
onlye faste, but he also fed them
that wanted, that theyr fulnesse
myghte make his faste accepta∣ble.
Agayne in a nother place he
sayeth,* 1.11 before all thynges, that
whyche we were wonte to eate at
our dynner, on the fastyng daies
let vs bestowe it on the poore.
Oure goulden mouthed Doc∣toure
in a certayne homilie coun¦celleth
vs,* 1.12 that when so euer wee
faste, we should be lyberall to the
poore, and gyue theym largelye
of oure goods. In a nother place
he also sayeth, he that eateth hys
meate and is not hable to fast,* 1.13 let
hym geue the larger almes, lette
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
him be the more diligent in prai∣ing,
let him haue the more feruēt
desyre to heare the word of God.
Here Chrisostome estemeth al∣messe
among other vertues of so
hie price, that if ther be ani which
can not abyde to fast for y• weak¦nes
of theyr bodye, yet if they be
plenteous in doinge the workes
of mercye and in prayinge and
hearing the worde of God, they
are not refused of god, but accep¦ted
as good Christians. Mercye
therfore and almes is a precious
thinge in the sighte of God▪ and
ought to be exercised of the faith¦ful,
when so euer occasion is ge∣uen
whether they faste or not.
Mercye,* 1.14 saieth the aungell, is
bet••er then to hoorde vp••e trea∣sures
of golde. For mercye dely∣uereth
frō death clense the sin, &
causeth to find euerlasting life.
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
Thus haue wee hearde that
Christen menne oughte to vse
theyr faste vnto thys ende, that
they abstaynynge frome meate
and drincke mighte haue wher∣of
to geue the more abundant∣lye
to the poore, to feede the hun∣grye,
to clothe the naked, to re∣lieue
the sicke, to healpe the en∣debted,
and to comforte the nea∣dye.
O blessed are they that so
faste.* 1.15 But wher are they, and we
shall commende them, and call
them blessed? For great and com¦mendable
thynges dooe suche
woorcke amonge theyr neygh∣boures
and Christen brethren.