M. Hardinge. The .1. Diuision.
In this Article we doo agree with M. Iuel in some respecte. For we confesse, it cannot be auou∣ched by Scripture, auncient Councel, doctoure, or example of the primitiue Churche, that who so euer had saide the Sacrament is a Figure, a Pledge, a Token, or a Remembrance of Christes Bodie, had the∣refore ben iudged for an Heretike. (185)* 1.1 No man of any learning euer wrote so vnlearnedly. Much lesse to impute heresie to any man for saieinge thus, hath ben any of the highest mysteries, or greatest keies of our religion, with whiche vntrueth M. Iuel goeth aboute to deface the trueth. VVherefore this Article seemeth to haue ben put in either of malice towarde the Churche, or of ignorance, or onely to fille vp the heape, for lacke of better stuffe. Perusinge the workes of the auncient, and learned Fathers we finde, that oftentimes they cal the Sacramentes a Figure, a Signe, a Token, a Mysterie, a Samplar. The woordes of them vsed to this purpose in their learned tongues are these, Figura, Sig∣num, Symbolum, Mysterium, Exemplar, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Imago, &c. By whiche they meane not to diminishe the trueth of Christes Bodie in the Sacrament, but to signifie the Secrete manner of his beinge in the same.