A fruitful treatise of fasting

And forasmuch as so many as ⟨image 8⟩the Lord hath appointed watchmen over his flock, ought every one according to their talent to follow your Godly example in weeding our errors and planting true and Christen opinions in the hearts of the people, seeing that Satan hath not a little corrupted the true use of fasting, which being rightly used doeth highly please God, and abused, displeaseth him: I thought it good against this time of Lent, which of long continuance hath been appointed to abstinence, to write some what of fasting, that might both open away too the faithful how they may fast to please God, and also disclose the false manner of fasting brought in ⟨image 8⟩by the devil and his Ministers. And in this my treatise I have first declared what the Christen fast is,¹ secondly how we ought to fast, and thirdly what the true use of fasting is. I toke this labour upon me the more gladly, partly because no man hitherto hath written of that matter in our English tongue partly to satisfy the hearty requests of divers faithful brethren, which ceased not to require me in the Lords name to wright some what, that might instruct them in the true use of fasting. The matter, I grant. requireth a work man of riper judgement, and more exercised in the Lords harvest then I am, which might according to the worthiness of the matter, ⟨image 9⟩have set it forth pleasantly and learnedly, but seeing no man hath hitherto taken it in hand, I thought it my part not to deny the godly requests of the brethren but gladly to bestow upon them what so ever the Lord hath given me in this behalf.

And forasmuch as so many as ⟨image 8⟩the Lord hath appoynted watchmenne ouer hys flocke, oughte euerye one accordynge to theyr talente to folowe youre Godlye example in weedynge oure erroures and plantynge true and Christen opynyons in the heartes of the people, seinge that Sathan hath not a lyttle corrupted the true vse of fastynge, whyche beynge ryghtelye vsed doeth hyghelye please God, and abused, displeaseth hym: I thoughte it good agaynste thys tyme of Lente, whyche of longe contynuaunce hathe bene appoynted to abstinence, to write some what of fastynge, that myghte both openne awaye too the faythefull howe they maye faste to please God, and also dysclose the falsse manner of fastynge broughte in