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.

Beinge in a Mysterie, as it is before answeared, like as it requireth no Circum∣stance, or Necessitie of place, so it requireth no Bodily, or Real Presence. Con∣trariwise, if Christes Bodie were Present in déede, & that in suche Grosse, & Fleash∣ly sorte, as is here conceiued, then were it no Mysterie. For, to be Present in a My∣sterie, and to be Bodily, and Fleashly present, are taken for contraries. And there∣fore the Glose saithe, as is before alleged, Sacramentum dicitur Corpus Christi, non rei Veritate, sed significante Mysterio.* 1.1 The Sacrament of Christes Bodie is called Christes Bodie: not in Trueth of the mater, but by a Mysterie Signifi••inge.

But, where as it is further saide, that this Mystical presence is knowen onely vnto God, and, I trowe, to M. Hardinge, and to noman biside, al this is nothinge els, but a Religious Folie, imagined onely to astonne, and amase the Simple. For the Scriptures, and Holy Fathers are acquainted with no suche Mysterie. The Sacrament of Baptisme is a Mysterie, euen as is the Sacrament of Christes Bo∣die: and as Christe is Present in the one, so is he also Present in the other: that is to say, Truely, Uerily, effectually, and in déede: how be it not in this Grosse man∣ner of M. Hardinges Fleashly Presence. The places of S. Augustine, and S. Gre∣gorie concerne onely Christes Incarnation, the Union of the Diuinitie, & the Hu∣manitie, and other suche Articles, and groundes of Christian Religion, wherein Nature, & Reason vtterly haue no place: and therfore beinge spoken of one thinge, are applied by M. Hardinge vnto an other. Neither is M. Hardinge hable truely to say, that in any of al those places, there is either mention once made, or one Woorde spoken of the Sacrament. Wherefore it séemeth, M. Hardinge woulde purposely misleade his Reader, and teache him to Reason in this sorte:

Christe was Miraculously Incarnate of the Blissed Virgin:

Ergo, Christes Bodie is Really, and Fleashely in the Sacrament.* 1.2

True it is, That the Faithe of our Religion cannot be prooued by discourse of Reason.* 1.3 But euery fantasie may not goe for Christian Faithe. S. Paule saith, Fides ex auditu: Audi••us ex Verbo Dei. Faithe cometh by hearinge: Hearing cometh by the Woorde of God. Certainely, M. Hardinges Newe Faithe, or Fantasie, in the time of the Olde Catholique Fathers, was neither Christened, nor knowen in the worlde: as may appeare by their owne witnes of good Recorde. For bisides others, whome in this treatise I haue touched vpon occasion by the way, S. Augustine writeth purposely hereof vnto Dardanus in this wise. Noli dubitare, ibi nunc esse Hominem Christum Iesum,* 1.4 vnde venturus est &c. Doubte thou not, but Christe Iesus, as Man, is there, from whence he shal come: and haue thou in Remembrance, and Faithfully holde the Christian Confession, That he is Risen from the Deade: that he is Ascended into Heauen: that he sitteth at the Right hande of his Father: and that from thence, and from no where els, he shal come, to Iudge the quicke, and the Deade, euen as he was seene goinge into Heauen: that is,* 1.5 in the same Forme, and Substance of his Bodie: To whiche Bodie vn∣doubtedly he hath geuen Immortalitie: but hath not taken from the same the Nature of a Bodie. Accordinge to this forme (of Man) we may not thinke, that Christe is powred a∣broade into al places. For we must beware, We doo not so defende the Godhead of the Man, that we destroye the Trueth of his Bodie. Againe, Vnus Christus Iesus: vbique per id, quod Deus est: in Coelo autem per id, quod Homo. Christe Iesus is one Personne, and the same euerywhere in that he is God: but he is in Heauen, in that he is Man. Againe he saith, Semper quidem Diuinitate nobiscum est: Sed, nisi Corporaliter abiret à nobis, semper eius Corpus Carnaliter videremus. Christe by his Godheade is euer with vs: but onlesse he had departed away Bodily from vs, we shoulde euermore Carnally see his Bodie. These woordes are specially to be noted. If Christe were Bodily here, he shoulde Carnally be séene: Therefore, by S. Augustines iudgemente, if Christe were Bodily present in the Sacramente, wee shoulde sée him Carnally in the Sacramente. Againe, Et abijt, & h••c est: & redijt, & nos non deseruit. Corpus enim suum intulit Coelo: Maie∣statem autem non abstulit mundo. He is gonne, and yet is here. He is returned to his Father, and yet hath not forsaken vs.* 1.6 For he hath caried his Bodie into Heauen: but he hath not taken his Maiestie from the worlde. Againe, Pauperes semper habebitis vobiscum &c. The poore ye shal euermore haue with you:* 1.7 but mee you shal not haue. Let good men heare this, and not be careful. For this he spake of the presence of his Bodie. For accordinge to his Maiestie, accordinge to his Prouidence, accordinge to his vnspeakeable and Inuisible Grace, it is fulfilled, that he saide, I am with you alwaies, vntil the Consummation of the Worlde. But accordinge to the Fleashe, that the Woorde receiued: accordinge to that, he was borne of the Virgin: accordinge to that, he was taken of the Iewes: accordinge to that, he was nailed to the Crosse: accordinge to that, he was taken downe, and lapte in a shrowde, and laide in the Graue, and roase againe, and shewed him selfe: in this respecte, it is true, that he saide, Ye shal not euermore haue me with you.

Likewise againe,* 1.8 Dominus consolatur nos, qui ipsum iam in Coelo sedentem manu contrectare non possumus, sed Fide contingere. The Lorde doothe comforte vs, that can∣not touche him with our hande sittinge nowe in Heauen: But may touche him notwithstan∣dinge with our Faithe.* 1.9 And againe, Si illi proptereà crediderunt, quia tenuerunt, & pal∣pauerunt, nos quid facimus? Iam Christus Ascendit in Coelum, & non est venturus, nisi in fine, vt iudicet de viuis, & mortuis. If they therefore beleeued in Christe, bicause they helde him, and touched him, what doo we then? For Christe is now Ascended into Heauen, and wil not come againe, but in the ende, to iudge the quicke, and the Deade. So saithe O∣rigen. * 1.10 Christus secundum Diuinitatis suae Naturam non peregrinatur à nobis: Sed pe∣regrinature Secundum dispensationem Corporis, quod suscepit. Christe accordinge to the Nature of his Godhead is not a stranger vnto vs: but he is a stranger to vs, touchinge the di∣spensation

of the Bodie, whiche he hath receiued. Againe,* 1.11 Nec est Homo, qui est, vbi∣cunque duo, vel tres in eius nomine fuerint congregati &c. It is not Christe, as Man, that is, wheresoeuer two or three be geathered in his name: neither is Christe, as Man, with vs al∣waies vntil the Consummation of the worlde.* 1.12 So likewise saithe S. Hierome, Christus non est Corporaliter in Ecclesia: Surgens enim à mortuis Ascendit in Coelum. Christe is not nowe Bodily in the Churche: for beinge risen from the deade, he is Ascended into Heauen.

I passe ouer S. Ambrose, S. Gregorie, S. Cyril, S. Basile, Uigilius, Ful∣gentius, Didymus, Beda, and other like Auncient Fathers. Thus were they then resolued of Christes Bodie: and this they tooke to be the Catholique Faithe.

Yet neither were they therefore condemned for N••we Maisters: nor folowed they onely the Iudgement of Nature: nor leadde they the worlde with péeuishe Reasons: nor, touchinge Christes Bodie, had they forgotten, whose Bodie it was: nor were they counted the enimies of Goddes Omnipotent Power: nor were they then thought to fight against the Churche. But M. Hardinge with his newe di∣uised Fantasie, is a Patrone, and a mainteiner of the Manichees, of the Appolli∣naristes, of the Eutychians, and other moe horrible, and olde condemned Here∣tiques.

FINIS.

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Notes

• * 1.1

  De Conse. dist. 2. Hoc est. in Glo∣sa.
• * 1.2

  Christes Bodie in one place.
• * 1.3

  Roman. 10.
• * 1.4

  Augustin. Epist. ••••.
• * 1.5

  Cui profectò Immortalitatē dedit: Naturam non abstulit. Cauendum est, ne ita Diuini∣tatē astruamus Hom••••is, vt Ve∣ritatem Corpo∣ris auferamus. August. De ver∣bis Domini in Euangel. Secun∣dum Iohan. Ser∣mo. 60.
• * 1.6

  Augustin. in Io∣han. tracta. 50.
• * 1.7

  Ibidem.
• * 1.8

  Augustin. in E∣pist. Iohan. tra∣cta. 1.
• * 1.9

  Augustin. in E∣pist. Iohan. tra∣ctat. 2.
• * 1.10

  Origē. in Matt. tractat. 33.
• * 1.11

  Origen. in eadē homil.
• * 1.12

  Hieronym. in Prouerb. li. 1. c. 8.