Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

Now in the law of the clean and unclean, he doth first of all put certain generalities, then he descendeth by specialities, and doeth in a bedroll reckon up certain particular things in a very natural course and order. The place is at the full set out in the eleventh Chapter of Leviticus & the fourteenth of Deuteronomium. Those beasts were allowed to be eaten, which cleave the hoof, and chaw the cud. Here are two things set down, in which the duty of a good man is notably contained. For if we will be clean we must divide the hoof, and also chaw the cud. Our affection is the foot of our minds, which affection must not be followed. We must have discretion in all things to judge betwixt affections. And as in a cleft there be two parts or sides, the right & the left, so a good man chooseth the good, and flieth from the evil. Chawing of the cud is our judgment. For we must not admit every thing which we hear and see, but those things only which we have examined exactly & found to be contrary neither to God nor to his law.

Nowe in the lawe of the cleane and vncleane, hee doth first of all put certaine generalities, then he descendeth by specialities, and doeth in a beadrowe reckon vpp certaine particular things in a very natural course and order. The place is at the full set out in the eleuenth Chapiter of Leuiticus & the fourtéenth of Deuteronomium. Those beastes were allowed to be eaten, which cleaue the hoofe, and chawe the cudd. Here are two thinges set downe, in whiche the duetie of a good man is notablie conteyned. For if wée will be cleane wee must diuide the hoofe, and also chawe the cudd. Our affection is the foote of oure mindes, which affection must not be followed. We must haue discretion in al things to iudge betwixt affections. And as in a cleaft there be two partes or sides, the right & the left, so a good man chooseth the good, and flyeth from the euill. Chawing of the cudd is our iudgment. For wee must not admit euery thing whiche wée heare and sée, but those thinges only which we haue examined exactly & found to be contrary neither to God nor to his lawe.

There are then repeated many living things particularly, which were not lawful to be eaten among the people of the Lord. Those were either four-footed beasts upon the earth, or fishes, or birds, or such as creep upon the ground. Of four-footed beasts four by name we are especially forbidden. The Camel, whose long and lofty neck doeth teach us, that pride and arrogance must be eschewed. The Connie or the mountain mouse: for God doeth utterly mislike the men that are altogether overwhelmed like Connies in the earth, and never lift up their minds unto heaven. The Hare a fearful beast: which doeth warn us to shake off all cowardly fearfulness: even as also the Hog doth put us in mind to avoid all uncleanness. For a Hog is the very type and picture of nasty filthiness, and of it doeth the byword rise to call an uncleanly person a beastly swine. And of Circe the fable goeth that she with her enchantments did turn Ulysses his men into a sort of loathly Hogs.