A reioindre to M. Iewels replie against the sacrifice of the Masse. In which the doctrine of the answere to the .xvij. article of his Chalenge is defended, and further proued, and al that his replie conteineth against the sacrifice, is clearely confuted, and disproued. By Thomas Harding Doctor of Diuinitie.

Harding.

The pacience of your stincking Martyrs, who (say you) vttered no worse worde, then, ô Lorde forgeue them, ô Lorde Iesu receiue my spirite: is by you hyely commended. Pa∣cience in an euil cause is no sufficient trial of a true Mar∣tyr. It is not suffering, but the cause of suffering, that ma∣keth a Martyr. Blessed are they that suffer persecution, saith Christe, but there he addeth, propter iustitiam, for righte∣ousnes. How many, theeues, murtherers, and Traitours, see wee to suffer their death paciently? Yet are they not canonizate for Martyrs. Many among the Donatistes tooke their Death with as great pacience, and as hartely prayed for their Aduersaries as any of al your Martyrs did. Margarete the wife of Dulcinus, when she came to suffer death at Nouaria in Lombardie for the filthy here∣sie of the Adamites, for whiche her husband had died before, song Te Deum, and shewed a maruelous pacience, and cōtempte of death. Peruse the Stories of Bohemia, and ye shal find, that bothe men and wemen put to death for that abominable heresie, suffered their executiō with suche quiet, pacience, and constancie: that it seemed to lerned men a worthy thing to be Cronicled. Verely of the

glorie of pacience shewed at death, the Anabaptistes, that haue ben burnt in sundry places in our dayes, by al mens iudgement haue wonne the garland from you, and frō your brothers, and Systers, be they Lutherans, or Cal∣uinistes. Neither haue al your Martyrs dyed with suche pacience, and quiet wordes, as here you talke of.

Touching the digging vp of the Carkasses, not of Goddes Sainctes, as you name them, but of the Deuils Champions, and the asciting of some that were before buried, to appeare at the Consistories: al this was not done for wreaking of Anger, as you feine, but for exam∣ples sake, that others might be frayed from folowing them, and for shew, how detestable their heresie was, and the same not without lawe custome, and wel liking of Christian people. Neither altogether without the ex∣ample of the Scriptures. For in them we reade, that the good king Iosias brake vp the Graues of wicked Priestes, and false Prophetes, and burned their bones to Asshhes. So that this complaint toucheth the holy king Iosias, no lesse then the Catholiques.

S. Augustine saith, that if the crimes obiected against Cecilianus, were true, and could be plainly proued: ipsum iam mortuum anathematizaremus•• we would accurse him now being dead. If a Curse may be extended vpon an heretique, after he is departed this worlde, whiche ban∣nisheth the soule from the communiō and societie of the saued companie: why may not the Carkasse of a noto∣rious dead heretique be for examples sake digged out of halowed grownde appointed for the reuerent burial of those bodies, that when they liued were tabernacles of the holy Ghost: that after death they reste not with the

bodies of them, from whom they diuided them selues by schisme and heresie, when they lyued? And therefore I aduise you M. Iewel, and your brothers, not to bestow great charges about your toumbes, and places of burial, least the time come, as certainely it shal come, onlesse for synne God vtterly forsake our Countrie: when your Carkasses shalbe digged out againe, and be serued as he∣retiques Carkasses these many hundred yeres haue ben: example whereof we haue in the Frenche Chronicles of one Amalricus, an heretique in S. Bernardes time, whose body at Paris was digged out of his graue after his death, and burnt to Ashes, whiche punishment he was knowen being dead to haue deserued, when he ly∣ued. Your owne brethren of Geneua are reported of late yeres to haue digged one out of his graue, and to haue hanged vp his dead carkasse vpon a Gibbet, for that he repented him of your heresies in his death bed, and re∣ceiued the blessed Sacrament, before he departed.

And how say you to your brethern of Basile? Did they not digge vp the carkasse of Dauid Georgius, and burne it with his Image long after he had ben buried? Shal it be lawful for you in England to burne the bones of S. Tho∣mas of Cantorburie the Martyr, and for your brethren the Huguenotes in Fraunce to burne the holy Reliques of S. Irenaeus that blessed and so auncient Martyr, of S. Martin, and S. Hilarie: and may not the Catholiques burne the carkasses, and bones of blasphemous Sacra∣mentaries, and other heretiques?

But now to conclude, what meane you M. Iewel, thus to complaine of vs, and to accuse the Catholiques of Crueltie? Are your selues giltles hereof? I meane

you, your brethren, and them of your side, specially the ministers, and Superintendentes of England. Who are more cruel, they, that doo but execute an olde Lawe of death vnder the Prince according to com∣maundement, or they, that hauing no lawe to put men to death, by al meanes procure, and cause suche a lawe to be made them selues? Who haue so importunatly, so lowdely, so maliciously cryed out vpon the Prince, to draw her sworde against the Catoliques? Who cryed out stil for the law of Premunire to be extended against them, and last of al for the lawe of death to be enacted a∣gainst them, as in cases of hye treason? How oftentimes haue ye required this your owne new law to be execu∣ted vpon learned, holy, and innocent men? Were it not that God stayeth the harte of the Prince, and inclined her vnto mercie and clemencie, ye would soone make al the worlde witnesse of the crueltie of your hartes.

I wil not here say so muche as I could, nor thinke I it good to grate muche vpon this sore. Certaine it is, God seeth the crueltie of your hartes, and what deadly hatred ye beare towarde the Catholiques. What is either in you, or in vs amisse, our Lorde amend it. I wish you, and your brethren would wel consider, what S. Augustine saith to the Donatistes, whom ye farre passe in number, and malice of heresies. Thus it is. Si quid à nostris Chri∣stianae charitatis modum votum{que} non custodientibus, odiosè & perniciosè patimini, non esse illos nostros citò dixerim, sed aut futuros, si se correxerint, aut in fine separandos, si in ma∣litia perdurârint. Nos tamen nec propter pisces malos retiae rumpimus, nec propter vasa in coutumeliam facta domū ma∣gnam deserimus. Quod si vos quoque illos à quibus talia Cae∣tholica

patitur, non esse vestros eadem regula dicitis, probate animum vestrum, corrigite errorē, amplectimini vnitatem spiritus in vinculo pacis. If it be so that ye suffer any thing spitefully done vnto you by them of our side not keping the meane and vowe of Christian charitie: I may soone say, that they be not of our number, mary but that they shalbe, if they amende them selues, or that in the ende they shalbe separated from vs, if they continue. How so euer it be, yet wil not we for the euil Fisshes sake breake the Nettes, neither forsake the great House (that is to say, the Churche) for their sakes, who be Vessels made to dishonour. Now in case ye also, by like rule wil say, that they, at whose handes the Catholique Churche suffereth suche thinges, be not of your side: then trie your owne mynde, amend your errour, imbrace vnitie of sprite in the band of peace.

Notes

• Matt. 5.
• Pacience in dying, argueth no Mar∣tyrdom.
• Anno. Do- 1305.
• Burning of Dead carcases, no nevv thing.
• 4. Reg. 23
• 2. Par. 34
• Augustin. Epist. 50.
• In Chro∣nicis Frā∣cicis.
• Dauid Georges Carkasse digged vp at Basil, and burnt with his Image.
• August. de vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 17.