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.

The greate danger, and horroure of Idolatrie that hereof riseth,* 1.1 M. Hardinge thinketh maie easily vs salued by the example of Rachel, and Lea: and thus he brin∣geth in Goddes Mystical Prouidence for defence of open erroure: and thus teacheth vs in steede of Rachel to take Lea, and to honoure a Creature in steede of God.

Wherein it shalbe necessary briefly to touche, howe many wayes, euen by theire owne Doctrine, the poore simple people maie be deceiued, and yeelde the honoure of God to that thinge, that in theire owne iudgement is no God.

Thus therefore they saie,* 1.2 If the Priest chance to forgeate to putte wine into the Cuppe, and so passe ouer the Consecration without Wine:

Or, if the Breade be made of any other,* 1.3 then wheaten floure, which maie possi∣bly, and easily happen:

Or, if there be so muche Water in quantitie, that it ouercome, and alter the Nature of the Wine:* 1.4

Or,* 1.5 if the Wine be changed into Uineger, and therefore cannot serue to Con∣secration:

Or,* 1.6 if there be .xiij. Cakes vpon the Table, and the Priest for his Consecration determine onely vpon twelue, in whiche case they saie, Not one of them al is Con∣secrate:

Or,* 1.7 if the Priest dissemble, or leaue out the Woordes of Consecration: or, if he forgeate it, or minde it not, or thinke not of it: In euery of these, and other like defectes, there is nothinge Consecrate, and therefore the people in these cases, ho∣nouringe the Sacrament, by theire owne Doctrine geueth the Glorie of God to a Creature: whiche is vndoubted Idolatrie.

And that the folie hereof maie the better appeare, one of them writeth thus,* 1.8 Quod si Sacerdos, &c. If the Priest hauinge before him sundrie Cakes at the time of Con∣secration, doo minde onely, and precisely to Consecrate that onely Cake, that he holdeth in his hande, some saie, the reast be not Consecrate: but saie thow, as Duns saith, They be al Conse∣crate. Yea further he saith, If the Priest doo precisely determine to Consecrate onely the one half parte of the Cake, and not likewise the other half, that then, the Cake beinge whole, that one parte onely is Consecrate, and not the other.

Pope Gregorie saith, If the Priest be a knowen aduouterer, or Fornicatour, and con∣tinewe stil in the same,* 1.9 that his Blissinge shalbe turned into Cursinge: and that the people knowinge his life, and neuerthelesse hearinge his Masse, committe Idolatrie.

In this case standeth the simple people: So many waies, and so easily they maie be deceiued. For notwithstandinge they maie in some parte knowe, the prie∣stes life, and open dealinge, yet howe canne they be assured of his secrete Woordes, of his Intention, of his Minde, and of his Wil? Or if they cannot, howe canne they safely Adoure the Sacrament, without doubte, and danger of Idolatrie?

But they them selues see wel, it cannot be:* 1.10 and therefore haue diuised a simple poore healpe of theire owne. They saie,* 1.11 We maie not Adoure the Sacrament, but vnder a Condition, that is to saie, If it be Consecrate. And so saith Thomas Salis∣buriensis,* 1.12 Nullus quantumcunque sit simplex, vel quantumcunque sit discretus, debet praecisé credere, hoc esse Corpus Domini: Sed cum hac conditione, si in Consecratione ri∣tè sint acta omnia. Aliter enim asseret de Creatura, quod ipsa sit Creator: & ita esset Idolola∣tria. Noman, be he neuer so simple, or neuer so wise, ought precisely to beleue, that this is the Bodie of our Lorde, that the Priest hath Consecrate, but onely vnder this condition, If al thin∣ges concerninge the Consecration be donne, as apperteineth. For otherwise he shal auouche a Creature to be the Creator: whiche were Idolatrie. By this Doctrine M. Hardinge teacheth the people thus to kneele downe, and to Adoure the Sacrament: If thou ••e God in deede, then I woorship the: But, if thou be not God, then I wil not woorship thee.

Thus Arnobius saith, The Heathens in olde time were woonte to call vpon Iup∣piter, Siue tu Deus es, siue tu Dea es: Whether thou be a God, or a Goddesse, wee cal vpon thee. Thus Goddes people is leadde, to geue the honour of God, they cannot tel, vnto what: and to honour a Creature in steede of God.

Yet must al this be excused by the example of Rachel, and Lea.* 1.13 As if M. Harding woulde reason thus: Iacob by Goddes special Prouidence, knew Lea in stéede of Rachel:

Ergo, Wée may safely Adoure a bare Creature with godly honoure: and say vnto it: Thou art our God: Thou madest Heauen & Earth: wée haue none other God but thée: and al this without peril of Idolatrie. He woulde not thus da••ly, if he knew, what it were to bestow Goddes Glorie, vpon that thinge, that is no God.* 1.14 Certainely, this is not the worshipping of God in Sprite, and Trueth.

S. Martine was muche more circumspecte in this case, as may wel appeare by that, is written of him. For when the Diuel came vnto him, & tooke vpon him to be Christe, and therefore required him, to boowe downe, and to geue him honour:* 1.15 No saide S. Martine, I cannot tel whether thou be Christe, or no. Onlesse I see Christ in the same shape, and forme, that he was Crucified in vpon the Crosse, I wil not Adoure him in any wise. S. Augustine saith, Audistis quia Messias Christus est: audistis quia Christus vnctus est. Non sic posuit Iacob Lapidem vnctum, vt veniret, & Adoraret: alioqui Idololattia est,* 1.16 non Significatio Christi. Yee haue hearde, that Messiasis Christe: ye haue hearde, that Christe is the Annointed. Iacob did not erecte the Annointed stoane, to the intente to come, and to Adoure it. Otherwise, it is Idolatrie, and not a Signification of Christe. Theophilus being sometime demaunded,* 1.17 wherefore he woulde not Adoure the Emperour, as the manner then was, with godly honour, made answeare thus, Quia non ad hoc in∣stitutus est Imperator, vt Adoretur: Sed vt legitimo honor•• honoretur: Bicause the Em∣perour is not appointed, to thende wee should honour him, as God: but that wee should geue him that honour, that vnto him apperteineth. So, if M. Harding wil likewise demaunde, wherefore wée Adoure not the Sacrament with godly honour, the godly simple man may make him this answeare: Bicause it was ordeined reuerently to be receiued, and not to be Adoured: as a Sacrament, and not as God. For in al the Scriptures, and holy Fathers, wee haue neither Commaundement to force vs hereto, nor Example to leade vs hereto. Wée Adoure the Bodie of Christe, not onely for the turninge of an hande, while the Priest is hable to holde vp the Sacrament, & that with doubte of our selues, whether wée doo wel, or no, whiche thinge is vtterly vncomfortable, and dangerous, & ful of terrour to the conscience: But wée worship that Blessed, and Glorious Bodie, as that Blissed Martyr S. Stéeuin did, beinge in Heauen at the Right Hande of the Power of God, and therefore without doubte, and danger: and that at al times, and for euer: and wée beléeue, and confesse, that Iesus Christ, euen in the Nature, and Substance of our Fleashe, is the Lorde in the Glorie of God the Father.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Doubtes touchinge Consecra¦tion.
• * 1.2

  Thom. par. 3. q. 83.
• * 1.3

  Iohan. De Bur∣go. Pupilla oculi cap. 3.
• * 1.4

  Idem.
• * 1.5

  Idem.
• * 1.6

  Cerson contra Floretum lib. 4.
• * 1.7

  Extra. De Cele∣bra. Missar. de Homine.
• * 1.8

  Summa Ange∣lica. Euchari∣stia. 26.
• * 1.9

  Dist. 81. Si qui.
• * 1.10

  Thom. in lib. 3
• * 1.11

  Senten. Dist. 9.
• * 1.12

  Thomas Salis∣burien. De Ar∣te praedicandi. Cap. 25.
• * 1.13

  Arnob. li. 3. Gene. 29.
• * 1.14

  Iohan. 6.
• * 1.15

  Sulpitius in Vita Martini.
• * 1.16

  Augustin. in Iohan. tracta. ••
• * 1.17

  Theophilus con∣tra Autolycum. lib. 1.