Spiritus est vicarius Christi in terra. The poore mans garden, wherein are flowers of the scriptures, and doctours, very necessarie and profitable for the simple and ignoraunt people to reade: / truely collected and diligently gathered together, by Iohn Northbrooke, minister and preacher of the worde of God. Seene and allowed, according to the order appointed in the Queenes iniunctions..

¶ The. xl. Chapiter.

¶ Of choise and difference of mea•…•…es.

THat whiche goeth into the mouthe, defl∣leth* 1.1 not the man: but that which commeth out of the mouthe, that defileth the man.

And there came a voice to hym, arise* 1.2 Peter, kill, and eate.

But Peter saied, not so, Lorde: For I* 1.3 haue neuer eaten any thyng that is pollu∣ted, or vncleane.

And the voice spake vnto hym again, the seconde tyme, the* 1.4 thynges that God hath purified, pollute thou not.

I knowe, and am perswaded through the lorde Iesus, that* 1.5 there is nothyng vncleane of it self: but vnto him that iudgeth any thyng to be vneleane, to hym it is vncleane.

The kyngdome of God is not meate and drinke: But righ∣teousnesse,* 1.6 and peace, and ioye in the holy ghost.

Meate maketh not vs acceptable in God: for neither if wée* 1.7 eate, haue we the more: neither if wee eate not, haue wee the lesse.

What sa•…•…uer insolde in the shambles, eate 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and aske no* 1.8 question for conscience sake.

For the earth is the Lordes, and all that there in is.* 1.9

Let no man condemne you in meate & drinke, or in respecte* 1.10 of au holy daie, of the newe 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ or of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉,

Whiche are but a shadowe of thynges to come•…•… but the bo∣die* 1.11 is in Christe.

Now the spirite speaketh euidently, that in the latter ty∣mes,* 1.12 some shall departe from the faithe, and shall giue heede to spirites of errour, and doctrine of deuills,

For biddyng to marrie, and commaundyng to abstaine frō* 1.13 meates, whiche God hath created to be receiued with giuyng thankes, of them whiche beleue, and knowe the truthe.

For euery creature of GOD is good, and nothyng ought to* 1.14 be refused, if it be receiued with thankes giuyng.

For it is sanctified by the worde of God, and praier.* 1.15

Unto the pure, are all thynges pure.* 1.16

It is a good thyng, that the harte bée stablished with grace, and not with meates, whiche haue not profited thē, that haue been occupied in them.

¶ The Doctours.

GOD is not honoured with the beallie: no•…•…* 1.17 with meates, whiche the Lorde Christe saieth, doe perishe, and are pourged in con∣ueyaunce by naturall order, for who so by meates, honoureth the lorde, in a maner maketh his beally to be his God.

Wheras thou wrote vnto me that there* 1.18 were certaine brethren, whiche did so abstaine front the ea∣tyng of fleshe, that thei iudged them vncleane that rate fleshe•…•… it is plaine against the faithe, and holsome doctriue.

It maketh no matter at all, what nourishement or meate* 1.19 thou takest, that thou maiest succour, and helpe the necessitie of the bodie, so that thou doest agree with them, that thou li∣uest with all.

And to beleue that meates are euill, or causeth euill, or* 1.20 synne to theim that receiue theim, is the proportie, not of the Christian men: but peculiarly of the Hierarchies, and Mani∣chees, whiche were heretiques.

If there hée a man (as it is pouible) so spare of diet, and pro∣sitable with all, that he will take but twise in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ruling* 1.21

and temperyng with that abstinēce, the appetite of his throte and beally. And be it also, that there bee sette at supper before this man, a fewe hearbes, and a little Bacon, sodden with the same hearbes, so much in •…•…uantitie, as maie suffice to putte a∣waie his hunger, and that the same man quenche his thirste, with three or fower draughtes of pure wine, that is vnmyng∣led with water. And that this be his daiely diet.

And againe on the other side, if there be one that tasteth no fleshe, nor drinke wine: but straunge kinde of dishes, made of séedes and fruictes, with a boundaunce of Pepper cast vpon it, wherof he eateth plentifully at nine of the clocke in the mor∣nyng, and at supper, and also drinketh of the water, wherwith the huskes of Grapes be washed after the pressyng. &c. Whe∣ther of these twaine iudge you, as touching meate and drinke, doe liue in more abstinence? I thinke ye be not so blinde: but that ye will preferre the man, whiche liueth with the litle Bacon and wine, to the other glutton, for the trueth it selfe doth driue you to this annswere.

But you Heretiques bee of the contrarie opinion, for by your opinion, if this seconde man should sup with the first, but one night, and shoulde but touche his lippes, and smell of his Bacon, though it were restie, ye woulde streight waie con∣demne hym to bell 〈◊〉〈◊〉, as a breaker of your seale, (that is) of •…•…our religion.* 1.22

In the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 season all men for the most part absteine, not onely from 〈◊〉〈◊〉: but also from certaine fruictes, as euerie man either will, or is able to doe, more or lesse.

Heretiques liue by drie bread: but what profit is there in* 1.23 this idle purpose? It is altogether vaine, and foolishe, and in respecte of the causes of their superstition, it is also miserable.* 1.24

Some men eate only fishe, others vse both fishe and fleshe too: Some others when they •…•…aue faste doon 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thrée of the clocke in the after noone, after warde thei refresh their bodies, without difference or choise of meates: I thinke the Apostles lefte this matter to euery mans discretion, that •…•…iery man maie doe good without 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or superstition, or nere 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

It is good to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not with* 1.25

meates, whiche did not profite them that was occupied with them. Here he blameth them that brought in the Iewish cu∣stome* 1.26 and abstinence from meates. Therfore this faith is ne∣cessary, and not the accustoming and vsing of certaine meates: For they that afore hande did forbeare from meates, that is, they that alwaies looke on suche kéepyng and vsing of mea∣tes plainely hath profited nothing, as men which wander out beyonde the true bonds of saith.

Appolonius wrote a booke against Montanus the Hereti∣que,* 1.27 and his secte, and this Montanus was he that taught that marriage might bée dissolued and broken. And this is hee that first of al other did ordaine the lawes of fasting, and laid them on mens shoulders.

Bicause we finde nothyng concernyng this matter (of the* 1.28 keepyng of Lent) in olde and auncient writyng, I thinke that the Apostles left it to the iudgement of euery man, that euery man should neither for feare, nor compulsion worke it that is good.

What maner of man Spiridion was, as concernyng recei∣uing* 1.29 of straungers & waifaring men, by this it doth euidently appeare. A certaine man in the tyme of Lent iourneiyng, came vnto him, who was without meate fiue daies, Spiridion séeyng the straunger verie weake, saide to his daughter, goe and wash the straungers féete, and set meate before him. And when the virgine had saide, that there was neither bread nor meate in the house (of the which then he was wont to haue no stoore, by reason of the fast) Spiridion first praiyng and asking pardon, commaunded his daughter, to sée the porke, whiche he had in his house salted, which being sodde, he sittyng with the straunger, did eate of the fleshe set before hym, and requested, that the straunger would eate with hym, who refusing, and professyng hym self to be a christian, for that same (saieth Spi∣ridion) thou oughtest not to refuse it, for to the cleane all thin∣ges are cleane, as the wordes of God hath taught vs.* 1.30

If any man abstaine, and for be are from fleshe, not for ab∣stinence: but bicause he defieth and abhor•…•…eth that meate, it •…•…ath pleased the holy counsail, that he should aforehand taste,

and eate of it, and if he will abstaine, let hym abstaine: but if he despise and refuse it, so that he will not eate, and taste the potage that is sodden with the fleshe, let this man bicause he is disobedient, and will not deliuer hym self from suspition of heresie, be deposed from the degree, and order of the Cleargie.* 1.31

I thinke it more pure Religion, and more agreyng with the learnyng of the Gospell, and the Apostles, if no certaine kinde of meate were prescribed and appointed: But that all men should be warned, that euery man accordyng to the dis∣position, and complexion of his bodie, should eate those thyn∣ges, whiche bee moste profitable for good health, not to vse ex∣cesse: but sobernesse, with giuyng thankes, and the desire of a good mynde.

I allowe and approue it that ye saied: the meate maketh* 1.32 vs not in fauour with God, seyng that GOD hath created all thynges for the vse of man, and requireth nothyng of vs, but holinesse: what forceth he whether we eate fleshe of fower fo∣ted beastes, or of fishes, or of birdes that flie? There is none of all these, that either maketh, or marreth holinesse, neither putteth any thyng to it, or taketh any thyng frō it. The choise of these, and the puttyng difference betweene one & an other, maie make a man superstitious, and to haue vaine Religion: but it cannot make a man holie. Christe taught no difference of these thynges.

Therefore it were greate rashenesse, if a wretched man should goe about to burthen and charge any man with suche ordinaunces, let euery man eate what he list, as his bodie re∣quireth, so it be doen soberly, measurably, and for all thynges geue thankes vnto God.

But now a daies of what thinges riseth offences? euen of* 1.33 those thinges whose vse the Gospell doeth not forbid: naie, whose forbidders the learning of the Apostles doth condemne, for biddyng meates whiche God hath created to be eaten, and for biddyng to marrie.

There is more supersition herein among christians, then* 1.34 euer was amongest the Iewes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math. 15. 11.
• * 1.2

  Actes. 10. 13.
• * 1.3

  14
• * 1.4

  15
• * 1.5

  Rom. 14. 14.
• * 1.6

  17
• * 1.7

  1. Cor. 3. 8.
• * 1.8

  Cap. 10. 25.
• * 1.9

  26
• * 1.10

  Collos. a. 16.
• * 1.11

  17
• * 1.12

  1. Timo. 4. 1.
• * 1.13

  3
• * 1.14

  4
• * 1.15

  5
• * 1.16

  Titus. 1. 15. Hebre. 13. 9.
• * 1.17

  Tertullian in his Epistle of the leweshe meates.
• * 1.18

  Augustine in his. 119. Epists to lanuarius.
• * 1.19

  In his boke of questions of the Gospell.
• * 1.20

  In his. 1. booke and. 66. chap. of the doctri∣nes and opini∣ons of the Churche.
• * 1.21

  In his boke of the maners the Churche, & of the Mani∣ches.
• * 1.22

  I•…•… his 30. boke and. 5. Chap. againste Fau∣stus.
• * 1.23

  Hillarie vpon the. 64. Psalm.
• * 1.24

  Cassidorus in his. 5. boke and 38. Chap.
• * 1.25

  Theophilact
• * 1.26

  vpon the 13. Chapter to the Hebrewes.
• * 1.27

  Eusebius in his 5. boke, and 18. Chap.
• * 1.28

  Socrates in his 9. boke, and 38. Cap. of the Tripertite Hi∣storie.
• * 1.29

  Sozomenus in his. 1. booke, & 10. Chap. of the tripertite historie.
• * 1.30

  The Counsell of Martine, Pope, distincti∣on. 30. Cahoh. Si quis.
• * 1.31

  Erasmus in his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 set be∣fore the. 1. Epi∣to the Cor.
• * 1.32

  In his booke vpon the. 8. Chap. the. 1. of the Cor.
• * 1.33

  In his boke of the choise of meates to Christopher, B. of Basile.
• * 1.34

  In his annota∣tions, vpon the 14. to the Ro∣maines.