A replie vnto M. Hardinges ansvveare by perusinge whereof the discrete, and diligent reader may easily see, the weake, and vnstable groundes of the Romaine religion, whiche of late hath beene accompted Catholique. By Iohn Iewel Bishoppe of Sarisburie.

The B. of Sarisburie.

M. Hardinge thinketh he may leade alonge his simple Reader, and easily car∣rie away the mater vnder the bare Titles, and Names of the Learned Fathers. But what priuie mysterie is this? As I saide before, haue M. Hardinges Doctours no names? Or is not he hable to name his owne Fathers? He shoulde haue sette them out, as his wonte is, with al their Circumstances, what they were, when, and where they liued, what they wrote, and how they haue béene euer, & are nowe estéemed emonge the learned. But he wel knewe, that these Good Fathers liued al within the compasse of two hundred, or thrée hundred yéeres paste, as Thomas, Duns, Ockam, Henricus de Gandauo, Robertus de collo torto, and suche o∣thers. These be M. Hardinges greate Fathers, by whome he claimeth his newe Doctrine: in respect of S. Augustine, S. Hierome, S. Chrysostome, S. Ambrose, and others, not woorthy to haue the name of Children.

But the Catholique Faithe touchinge the Sacrament, saithe M. Hardinge, for the space of a thousande yeeres stoode vpright. Berengarius was the firste that beganne to sowe the seede of the

Sacramentarie Heresie. It is likely, M. Hardinge hath no greate regarde, howe his tales hange togeather. For before in the First Article, to serue his turne, he saide, The Messalians were the first Fathers of this Heresie. Nowe he seemeth to be other∣wise aduised: and saith, This Heresie was neuer hearde of within sixe hundred yeeres, after the Messalians were repressed: and that the first founder of it was Be∣rengarius. Yet M. Hardinge might soone haue knowen, that one Iohannes Sco∣tus, a famous learned man, and Scholar vnto Beda, and one Bertramus, as ap∣peareth by his booke, helde and mainteined the same Doctrine in the time of the Emperoure Lotharius, two hundred yeeres and more before Berēgarius. Where∣fore, it seemeth not to be so true, as M. Hardinge assuereth it, That Berengarius was the First Authour of this Doctrine.

But, for further declaration hereof, it shalbe necessary to open Berengarius whole iudgement in this mater: and afterwarde to consider the Confutation of the same. Thus therefore Berengarius wrote, as his greatest aduersarie Lan∣francus reporteth of him. Per-Consecrationem Altaris, Panis, & Vinum fiunt Sacra∣mentum religionis: non vt desinant esse, quae erant, &c. By the Consecration of the Aultar, the Breade, and the Wine are made a Sacrament of Religion, not that they leaue to be the same, they were before: but that they be altred into an other thinge, and become that, they were not before, as S. Ambrose writeth. And the Sacrifice of the Churche standeth of two thinges, the one Visible, the other Inuisible: that is to saie, the Sacrament, and the mater, or Substance of the Sacramente. Whiche Substance notwithstandinge, that is to saye, the Bodie of Christe, if it were before our eyes, it shoulde be Visible. But beinge taken vp into Heauen, and sittinge at the Right hande of the Father, vntil al thinges be restoared, accordinge to the woordes of the Apostle S. Peter, it cannot be called thence. Therefore S. Augustine saythe, When Christe is eaten, life is eaten: and when we eate him, we make no partes of him. And againe S. Augustine saith, Sacramentum est sacrum signum: A Sacrament is a holy token.

And what this woorde, Signum, meaneth, he declareth in his booke De doctrina Christiana. Signum est res, praeter speciem, quam ingerit sensibus, aliud quiddam faciens in cogitatio∣nem venire. A Signe is a thinge, that bisides the sight, that it offreth vnto the eies, causeth an other thinge to come into our minde. Againe, vnto Bonifacius, Onlesse Sacramentes had some likenes of the thinges, whereof they be Sacramētes, then were they no Sacramētes at al. And againe, Sacramentes be Visible Signes of heauenly thinges: but the thinges them selues beinge inuisible, are honoured in them: neither is that elemēt beinge Consecrate by the blissinge, so to be taken, at it is in other vses. This is the iudgement of Berengarius, agreeinge throughly with the woordes, and sense of the Holy Fathers: and confirmed, and auouched by the same.

Now let vs see the Confutation hereof. In a Councel holden at Rome vnder Pope Nicolas the. 2. Berengarius was forced to recante in this wise, Credo Corpus Domini nostri Iesu Christi Sensualiter, & in veritate, manibus Sacerdotum tractari, & frangi, & fidelium dentibus atteri. I beleue, that the Bodie of our Lorde Iesus Christe sensi∣bly, and in very deede, is touched with the handes of the Priestes, and broaken, and rente, and grounde with the teethe of the Faithful. This was the consente, and iudgement of that Councel. And what thinketh M. Hardinge of the same? Certainely the very rude Glose findeth faulte herewithal, and geueth this warninge thereof vnto the Reader, Nisi sanè intelligas verba Berengarij &c. Onlesse yowe warily vnderstande these woordes of Berengarius, you wil fal into a greater Heresie, then euer he healde any. Thus these Fathers by theire owne frendes Confession, redresse the lesse erroure by the greater: and in plaine woordes, in General Councel, by solemne waie of Recanta∣tion, professe a greater Heresie, then, by their owne iudgement, euer was defended by Berengarius.

Further, if this be in deede the Catholique Faith, as M. Hardinge woulde

so faine haue al the worlde to beleeue, and Bertramus, and Iohannes Scotus, bothe very famouse, and greate learned men, wrote openly against it, with the good contentation of the worlde, and without the apparent controlment of any man, two hundred yéeres, or more before Berengarius was borne: let him better aduise him selfe, whether these woordes were truely, or boldely, or rashely, or wisely, with such affiance vttered, and auouched of his side, That this his Faithe was neuer impugned by any man before the time of Berengarius.

But, that M. Hardinge calleth the Catholique Faithe, is in déede a Catho∣lique Erroure, the contrary whereof hath euermore béene taught, and defended by al the olde learned Catholique Fathers, as maye wel appéere, by that is already, and hereafter shalbe alleged of their writinges. Certainely, they, that nowe condemne Berengarius for vsinge the plaine woords, and Expositions of the Olde Fathers, woulde as wel condemne S. Augustine, S. Hierome, S. Ambrose, and the reaste, were it not for the Credite, and Authoritie of their Names.

The Doctours, that haue beene sithence the time of Berengarius, (saithe M. Hardinge) haue more often vsed these termes, Really, Carnally, &c. then other Olde Doctours within sixe hun∣dred yeeres after Christe. In these fewe woordes, M. Hardinge hath handsomely con∣ueied in a greate vntrueth. For this Comparatiue (More often) presupposeth the Positiue. Therefore the sense hereof must be this, The Olde Doctours often vsed these Termes, Really, Fleashly, &c. albeit not so often, as others of the later yée∣res. But. M. Hardinge knoweth, this is vntrue. For neither hath he here yet she∣wed, nor is he hable to shewe, that in this case of the Sacrament, any of these termes was euer vsed by any one of al the Olde Ancient writers. Wherof we may wel reason thus, The Olde Catholique Fathers intreatinge of y^e Substance of the Sacrament, neuer vsed any of these woordes, Really, Carnally, &c. Therefore it is likely, they neuer taught the people to beleue, that Christes Bodie is presente Really, and Fleashely in the Sacrament. Contrarywise, they in their Ser∣mons called the Sacrament a Figure, a Signe, a Remembrance of Christes Bo∣die: therefore it is likely, they woulde haue the Catholique people so to iudge, and beléeue of the Sacrament.

Notes

• Berenga∣rius.
• The .33. Diuision
• Iohannes Scotus.
• Bertramus.
• Lanfrancus De Sacramen. Eu∣charistiae.
• Ambros. De Sa∣cramentis. li. 4. ca. 4. Sacramen∣tum, & res Sa∣cramenti.
• Acta Apost. c. 3. Augustin. De Con. Dist. 2. Qui Manducas.
• Augustin. De Doctrina Chri∣stiana.
• Augustin. ad Eo∣nifaci. Epist. 23.
• Augustin. De Catechizandis Rudibus.
• De Consec. Dist. 2. Ego Berenga∣rius.
• This is an hor∣rible blasphe∣mie.
• ••losa. ibidem.