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.

Here M. Harding sheweth, that this Reseruation of the Sacrament, in diuers Countries hath béene diuersely vsed: Under locke, and key: At the Aultars ende: In a Chapel: In the Uestrie: In the Bishoppes Palace. And al this of the vsage of late yeeres: for of Antiquitie, sauinge onely the Epistle of Chrystome to Inno∣centius, whiche also, as it shal appeare, maketh much against him, he toucheth no∣thinge. But emongst al these diuersities of keepinge, he hath not yet founde out his Canopie. And touchinge, that he allegeth of the Reseruation of the Sacra∣ment in the Bishoppes Palace, it seemeth very litle to further his purpose. For, where as the Sacrament was reserued onely in the Bishops Custodie, it foloweth necessarily, that there, in ••ther parish churches, and Chappels, was no suche Re∣seruation. Chrysostomes epistle to Innocentius is good witnesse,* 1.1 that the Sa∣crament was Reserued to be receiued of the people, at the Communion the nexte day, or in very shorte time after. For it was Reserued in bothe Kindes, as it ap∣peareth plainely by his woordes. But it is cleare, bothe by the iudgement of Rea∣son, and also by their owne Cauteles in that behalfe,* 1.2 that the Wine in suche sorte and quantitie cannot be keapte any longe time without sowering.* 1.3 And the man∣ner in Graecia was, during the time of Lente, to Consecrate onely vpon the Sa¦tursdaies, & Sonnedaies,* 1.4 and yet neuerthelesse to Communicate of the same vpon the other wéeke daies. For the ende of this Reseruation in olde times was, not that the Sacrament should be A••oured, but that it should be receiued of the people: and specially that persons Excommunicate, for whose sake it was reserued, beinge suddainely called out of this life, vpon their repentance might at al times receiue y^e Communion, and departe with comforte, as the Members of the Churche of God.

But, me thinketh, M. Hardinge dooth herein, as Apelles the Painter sometime did, in setting out Kinge Antigonus physenomie. For vnderstandinge, that Anti∣gonus was blinde of the one side, he thought it best to painte him out onely with halfe face, and so he conningly shadowed the deformitie of the other eye. Euen so M. Hardinge sheweth vs certaine varietie of keepinge the Sacrament, and other smal maters of like weight: but the danger of Idolatrie, and other like horrible de∣formities he dissembleth conningly, and turneth from vs. Lothe I am, to vse the comparison:* 1.5 But S. Hierome saith it: Diabolus nunquam se prodit aperta facie. The Diuel neuer sheweth him selfe openly with his whole face.

In the olde times, when the Sacrament was keapte in Cheastes, in Napte∣kins, in Baskettes, and in Priuate Houses, there was no danger of Adoration.

But vnder the Canopie wée sée, not onely, that the effecte hath fallen out farre otherwise, but also that the very cause thereof was at the first to the contrarie.

For so saithe Linwoode him selfe,* 1.6 Citius repraesentatur nostris aspectibus Adoranda: It is the rather offered vnto our sightes to be woorshipped. If there were no cause els, yet is this it selfe cause sufficient, to abolishe this new order, of hanging vp the Sacra∣ment vnder a Canopie. For therefore the Kinge Ezechias tooke downe the Bra∣sen Serpent,* 1.7 and brake it in peeces, notwithstanding God had specially commaun∣ded Moses to erecte it vp: bicause he saw it abused to Idolatrie.

Againe, they them selues, vpon smaller considerations, haue vtterly aboli∣shed the manner of Reseruation, that was vsed in the Primitiue Churche. For they wil not now suffer, neither Lay people, nor Wemen to kéepe it in their hou∣ses: nor Boyes to carrie it to the sicke,* 1.8 as then the Boye did to Serapion: nor In∣fidels,

or men not Christened,* 1.9 to were it about them, as then did S. Ambroses bro∣ther Satyrus. I leaue the Ruste, the Moulde, the Canker, & the Bréedinge of wor∣mes: whereby that holy, and reuerende Mysterie of Christes Death is oftentimes made lothesome, & brought into contempte.* 1.10 They them selues doo testifie, that suche thinges, not onely may happen, but also haue often happened. It is saide, that Alphonsus the Kinge of Arragon, for the preseruation of his honour, & safetie, so longe keapte the Sacrament aboute him, that at last it putrified, & breadde woor∣mes: which, when they had eaten vp, and consumed one an other, in the ende there remained onely one great woorme, that was the last, and had eatē al his felowes. In suche cases they commaunde, that the woormes be burnte, and the asshes buried in the Aulter. The Glose it selfe vpon the Decrées saith thus,* 1.11 It is not necessarie to keepe the wine: And the Reason is this: Quia opus esset nimia cautela:* 1.12 Bicause wee shoulde neede to haue to muche a doo with the keepinge of it.

In the Councel of Laterane it is confessed, that the Sacramente so kepte hath beene abused Ad horribilia, & nefaria facinora, To woorke horrible, and wicked deedes. And M. Hardinge him selfe confesseth,* 1.13 that, for certaine like abuses,* 1.14 the same Re∣seruation was in some parte abolished in the Councel of Bracara.

To be shorte, touchinge the Canopie, Linwoode him selfe findeth faulte with it, as it appeareth in the Prouincial. For thus he writeth: Dicitur, quòd in Ioco Mundo, & singulari debet seruari, It is saide, The Sacrament ought to be keapte in a cleane seueral place sequestred from other. Whereunto he addeth thus:* 1.15 Ex hoc videtur, quòd vsus obseruatus in Anglia, vt in Canopaeo pendeat, non est commendabilis. Hereby it appeareth, That the order, that is vsed in Englande, of hanginge vp the Sacramente in a Ca∣nopie, is not commendable.* 1.16 Here M. Hardinge hath causes, bothe in general, why al manner suche Reseruation ought to be Misliked, and also in special, why the Ca∣nopie can not be liked.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Chrysostom. ad Innocentium.
• * 1.2

  De Con Dist. 2.
• * 1.3

  Presbyter. In Glosa.
• * 1.4

  In sex••a Synodo Constantinop. ca. 52. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.5

  Hieronym. in vita Malchi.
• * 1.6

  Guliel. Linwood li. 3 de custodia Eucharistiae &c.
• * 1.7

  2. Regum. 18.
• * 1.8

  ••••seb. li. 6. ca. 44
• * 1.9

  Canopie not com∣mendable.
• * 1.10

  Ambros. De O∣bitu Satyri.
• * 1.11

  Gerson contra Floretum. li. 4.
• * 1.12

  Cōcil. Aurelian. De Conse. Dist. 2 Presbyter. In Glosa.
• * 1.13

  Concil. Latera∣nen. sub Innocē∣tio. 3. Can. 20.
• * 1.14

  Concil. Braca∣ren. 3. Ca. 5.
• * 1.15

  Extra de Cele∣bratio. Missarū Sanè.
• * 1.16

  Guliel. Linwood li 3. de Custodia Eucharistiae.