Two treatises. 1. The holy exercise of a true fast, described out of God's…

But let us see wherein this Abstinence doth consist; where first of all cometh to be considered, the Abstinence from Meats and Drinks; whereof (as the principal of the outward Observations) the whole exercise took the name.¹ And the word it self with ⟨p. 17⟩the practise, declare, that it is not only a sober use of Meats, which ought to be continual all the life long, or a more sparing diet then at other times: but an utter Abstinence from evening to evening, from all kind of meats & drinks. Whereby it appeareth, that the Popish Fast is nothing less, then the Fast which the Scripture teacheth: for they break the neck of this Abstinence both by fullness and by delicacy. By fullness, in that it is lawful (as other days) at Dinner, to fill them selves with anything, flesh only excepted: at evening & morning, to fill them selves with Bread and Drink. By delicacy for that, where men on that ⟨p. 18⟩day, should content themselves with common and course meats, sufficient only for preservation of health: the Papists in their abstinence, did either not so much as aim at this mark, or else they shot grossly wide. For in permitting the use of all things at their Dinner, besides Flesh; it is evident, that they left greater dainties, & greater stirrers of fleshly lusts, then they did cut off. And besides, the dainties in meats; Wine, (then which there is nothing more provoking) was as usual that day, as of others. And at evening, when they would give the clearest testimony of their Abstinence, and when they did light their ⟨p. 19⟩candles (as it were to show their abstinence by; the greatest part of those that were both able and might find in their hearts, to bestow it of them selves, had their Tables furnished with Spice-bread, with Fruits of this side and beyond the Seas, with Marmelet and Sucket, and such like: then which dealing, what could be more childish? to deny the tasting only of one morsel of Flesh, and to permit a fullness of bread: to forbid the courser Meats and Table, which might have bin furnished for two pence, and to draw in the delicatest Meats, which could not be provided for twenty shillings: to restrain the use of things ⟨p. 20⟩