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1 All in fasting must afflict their soules. Fasting commanded in the Old and New Testament.
Fasting is more than a temperate sober life.
2 Divers effects of sorrow. Divers efficient causes of Fasting.
3 The Germans little practise Fasting.
4 A parting blow at Illyricus.
ILlyricus in his first Tractate De Iejunio, materiâ hactenus parum liquidò explicatâ, vera dissertatio; Having not all this while explicated the matter distinctly enough, the true dispute, &c. hee beginneth with two positions boldly averred, hardly proved.
At all times great hath beene the superstition, and abuse of fa∣sting, and of other afflictions thereunto annexed. Yet was there not one cer∣taine forme of that fast: for it was free and voluntary, and therefore out of doubt, one did cruciate himselfe otherwise, than others did.
And yet himselfe truly confesseth, they fed on no dainties: But that is one certaine forme (say I) And he confesseth further: To fast is to abstaine from the chiefe commodities of the body; and to draw discommodities upon a mans selfe. To abstaine from meate, drinke, sleepe, washing, annointing, change of apparell, musicke, mirth, and all recreations: yea to put on sordid, and ill appa∣rell, which they call sackcloth, to lye on the ground, on ashes, dust or any other sordid place.
His very definition prescribeth this forme, and accordingly was it used: and yet he denyeth any one certaine forme. That some fasted longer, or oftner, or stricter than others, none will deny; but all did afflict their soules, or otherwise it was no true fast. Whereas hee saith, it was free and voluntary: no man can deny, but some had more occasion than others had, and did fast whën others did not; yes, and fasted voluntarily: yet himselfe confesseth they were comman∣ded to fast on the daies of expiation. Levit. 23.27. Yee shall afflict your soules. And the Prophet gave precepts for fasting: which in like case we are to imitate. Christ foretold the Apostles should fast. Christ said; When yee fast annoint your heads: implying that men were to fast.
I see fasting is commanded in the Old and New Testament, but what daies we are to fast, and not to fast, by precept from God, or his Apostles I finde not. Au∣gustine, Epist. 88. ad Casularum. Yet in that Tractate hee doth very well confute such as say, of old fasting was no other than a temperate and sober life. His rea∣son is excellent. Moses, Elias, Daniel, Christ, and his Apostles, who question∣lesse alwaies lived temperately, and soberly; yet even they did fast certaine daies. Againe (saith hee) It is easie to discerne from 2 Sam. 1.12. where they mourned, and wept, and fasted untill even. from Daniel, 10.2. and from Ionah 3.5 &c. that fasting is a more sowre, sorrowfull and hard thing, than a temperate, and sober life.
IN the middle Tractate, De efficiente causa jejunii; Thus hee discourseth, natu∣rally, Omnibus animalibus incitum est, it is given to all living creatures; not onely to live, but to live contentedly, and sweetly: and to procure pleasing things; and to fly the contrary. But in great sorrows men lead a discontented life, and desire to die; and therefore begin to neglect all things, belonging to an happy life. And in greater sorrow beate their breasts, teare their faces, and haire, as in the Southerne parts women were wont to do. These sorrowes are not fitly ordered by Illyricus. The sorrow which causeth men to desire death, is greater than that, when people beate their breasts: teare away the haire from their
heads, and skinnes from their face. But I must remember my promised brevity. Hee returneth to his first position. When wee are glad, wee naturally love this life, and the things tēnding to it: and when wee are sorry, wee hate life: fly the presence of men, and pleasures; yea embrace things discommodious. Yet custome much prevaileth in this point; for some people testifie their joy, and sorrow otherwise, both by the quantity and quality, than others doe.
Then defineth hee thus. Fasting is (in the holy Scriptures) a certaine afflicti∣on of the body, and an outward signe, and effect of a minde inwardly sorrowfull. or, a certaine outward mourning, which voluntarily, yet by a naturall motion, is undertooke whilst the soule mourneth. The efficient cause of fasting is (saith hee) plainly naturall: though both will and custome, doe some way concurre unto it. His conclusion runneth to this ēnd: that the torments or macerations of Fastings, may, and use to arise from great sorrow of the minde, from a broken and contrite heart, from the humiliation and prostration of the soule. Thus much (saith hee) of the efficient cause of fasting. Yet certainly some, if not many fast, not out of any great precedent sorrow, or naturall motion: but from the motion of grace, from a willing minde to prevent evils, either of sinne, or punishment, to obtaine Gods favour in things they desire, to tame their bodies, to prepare themselves for prayer, and holy exercises of devotion, to helpe the afflicted ei∣ther neere or farre off, to shew obedience to the Magistrate; and by fasting to humble themselves more than when they began to fast; and more than they would have beene humbled, if they had not fasted, to procure a blessing upon such great and difficult affaires as they intend to compasse, and to adapt the minde to spirituall contēmplations. Experience proveth all this. Fasting-spittle, Saint Augustine calleth Virginem salivam, perhaps you may terme, Virgineam salivam, Virgin-spittle, and is in it selfe more powerfull than any other spittle.
I Would say, farēwell high and mightily fed Illyricus, butchers, cooks, musitians, bakers, brewers & taverners will extoll thee: perhaps it grew frō thy Doctrine, in that Hamborough are 777. Brewers, 40. Bakers, one Physitian, one Lawyer. But learned men will think, that yee Germans little practise fasting for your selfe confesse, your northerne Nations, have no such fervent affections, and do not grieve so much as others doe, and do lesse shew outwardly their affections. And therefore yee will put your selves, to little or no bodily paine. Yee are neate men, and will not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, jejunium olere, smell of fasting: yee have beleeved Plautus, rather than Christ, jejunitatis plenus, anima foetidat: Plautus in Mercatore. Hee that is given much to fasting, doth use to have a stinking breath. Plautus in his Comedy intituled, The Merchant. If Illyricus had much studied the Fa∣thers, he would not have spoken so largely against fasting, Athanasius (in lib: de Virginitate) saith, Qui dicunt tibi, ne frequenter jejunes, ne imbicillior fias, istos Diabolus subornavit. The Divell hath suborned those who say: fast not often, lest yee grow weake. An heavy yet true censure in some cases, and to some persons. See what fasting can doe, saith Athanasius, ibidem. It healeth diseases, dryeth up distillations, chaseth away divels, expelleth evill thoughts, makes the minde more neate, and the heart more purified. Fasting is the food of Angels; and he who useth it, may be thought to be reckoned among the orders of Angels. What saith my crammed, and pampered German to this?
Chrysostome (Homil. 1. in Genes.) sayth, God desiring that wee should wash a∣way all our sinnes, hath invented this helpe, even our fasting, which is the mo∣ther of all good things, the mistresse of Modestie, and shamefastnesse, and the food of our soules. And in the next Homily. It is the tranquillity of our soules, the ornament of old men, the Schoolemaster of youth, and the teacher of continen∣cie. If Adam had abstained and fasted from one tree; death had beene dead; or therēfore had not dyed, because it never had beene, saith the same Saint Chrysost:)
in his first Sermon of fasting: The Prophet was slaine by a Lyon for eating and drinking, where God said, eate no bread, and drinke no water. 1 King. 13.22. Fasting is the imitation of Angels, as farre as lyeth in us, a contempt of pleasant things, a schoole of prayer, a bridle for the mouth, and a tamer of concupiscence. It slacketh fury, curbeth wrath, appeaseth the insurrection of nature, quickeneth reason, lighteth the flesh, drives away filthy nightly intemperance. It hath revo∣ked Gods sentence, and stopped the execution of his judgements. Fast because thou hast sinned: Fast that thou mayest not sinne: Fast to receive good; Fast to retaine good. The prayer of a fasting man is pleasing to God, and terrible to the devill, sayth Leo Magnus, Serm. de Iejunio septimi mensis. Iejunium est prima virtus contravitia, saith Chrysologus. Fasting is the first, or chiefest vertue against vices. Againe, what is of more vertue than fasting (saith Leo) by observing it, we draw neere to God; wee resist the Devill: wee overcome vice. Fasting was al∣waies meate to vertue; from abstinence proceed chast thoughts, reasonable de∣sires, wholsome counsels. The most effectuall prayer against sinne is Almes, and Fasting. All vices are by continencie destroyed. Whatsoever covetousnesse thirsteth after, pride affecteth, luxury lusteth for, fasting overcommeth. From the observation of holy fasting, beginne the rules of all vertue. Leo Serm. 11. de Quadrages. Adest maximum, sacratissimum{que} jejunium. The greatest and most ho∣ly fast of Lent is now come: which all faithfull men are bound to observe; for none is so holy that hee may not be holier; none so devout, that hee ought not to be more devout. Much more could I cite from the fathers; Who are those new masters, which exclude the merit of Fasting (saith Saint Ambrose) in the aforesaid 82. Epist. to the Church of Vercellis) who desireth to see more, let him have recourse to Bellarmine, Tom. 4. de bonis operibus in particulari. lib. 2. cap. 11. &c.
I Professe I am weary with turning after this Noveller, I am sorry it hath hin∣dred so much my maine intentions; yet because I finde him an antimonarchi∣call man, a very firebrand, and bellowes for sedition: a jacke of the people, teaching them rather to terrifie the Princes by rebellion, than to yeeld any thing for quietnesse sake; and that the people should defend their opinions with up∣risings, commotions, and insurrections (for which cursed opinions, his city of Magdeburge hath justly suffered) therefore have I spared him the lesse, esteeming him no other than a selfe-willed Epicure.
ON great and just occasions, O blessed God, hast thou commanded us to fast: and in fasting to afflict our soules: good Lord grant that I may all my life moderately, temperately, and soberly demeane my selfe: and yet upon just occasions may fast both privately and publikely, to serve thee, and to procure thy love, and thy blessings with thy love, for Jesus Christ his sake. Amen.