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.* 1.1

We condemne not the Churche of God in any Generation, be the Abuses the∣reof neuer so greate. God resembleth it vnto a Uine, vnto a Cornefilde, and vnto a Flocke of Sheepe. Notwithstandinge the Uine be spoiled, and torne downe,* 1.2 yet is it the Uine of the God of Sabaoth. Notwithstandinge the Filde lie waste, and be ouer growen with weedes, yet is it stil the Lordes Filde. Notwithstanding the Flocke be forsaken of the Shepheardes, and renne astraie, and perishe in the wil∣dernes, yet is it stil the Flocke of Christe. And herein we haue great cause, to Glorifie the Name of God, that, when he seeth it good in his sight, sendeth foorth Labourers to reare vp, and to dresse his Uine: to laboure, & to weede his Grounde: to geather in, and to feede his Flocke.

This allegation of the Councel of Toledo serueth M. Hardinge, onely to be∣traie his want. For if he could haue founde any other Coūcel of antiquitie, I trow, he woulde not haue alleged this. It was holden welneare seuen hundred yeeres after Christe: by which time many greate disorders, and deformities were priuily cropen into the Churche, as maie appeare both otherwise, and also by this same example, that one Priest vsed then to saie many Masses in one daie, and yet him selfe not to Communicate, contrary both to the Institution of Christe, & also to the Lawes, and Canons of the Churche:* 1.3 and therefore the Glose vpon the Decrees calleth it a most Naughty Custome: and this Councel it selfe saith, Who so euer so dooth, is gilty of the Lordes Sacrament. Thus both the computatiō of the time, and also the disorder, and abuse of the thinge it self considered, this Authoritie nee∣deth no further answeare.

It was impertenent in this place for M. Hardinge, to moue mater of the Sa∣crifice. How be it for shorte answeare thereto, the Sacrifice, that in the Olde Wri∣ters is called, Daily, is that euerlastinge, and onely Sacrifice,* 1.4 that Christe once of∣fered vpon the Crosse, beinge there a Priest for euer, according to the order of Mel∣chisedech: and, who so euer thinketh not that Sacrifice sufficient, but imagineth some other Sacrifice for sinnes to be made by man, is an enimie of the Crosse of Christe, and of his Sacrifice, and treadeth downe the Sōne of God vnder his feete,* 1.5 and counteth the Bloude of the Testament to be vnholy. In what sense the My∣sterie of the Holy Communion is of the Olde Fathers called a Sacrifice, it shalbe shewed at large in the seuenteenth Article hereof, seruinge wholy to that purpose.

Touchinge this woorde, Missa, neither is the name, nor the meaninge thereof of suche Antiquitie, as it is here supposed by M. Hardinge. It grewe first in vse aboute foure hundred yeeres after Christe, & is very seldome vsed of the Olde La∣tine writers: of S. Augustine, S. Hierome, Tertullian, S. Cyprian, Arnobius, Lactantius, and others of that age, neuer: vnto S. Chrysostome, S. Basile, Na∣zianzene, Gregorie Nyssene, and al other Greeke writers, vtterly vnknowen. It is founde in two sundrie places vnder the name of S. Augustine,* 1.6 and once vnder the name of S. Hierome. But it is certaine, that these bookes were neither S. Au∣gustines, nor S. Hieromes.

Howe be it,* 1.7 we make no greate accoumpte of the name. The natural sense, and meaninge thereof, contrary to M. Hardinges surmises, necessarily importeth a Communion, and not a priuate Masse. For this Latine woorde, Missa, is as muche as, Missio, that is, a commaundinge awaie, or licence to departe.* 1.8 So S. Cyprian saith, Remissa peccatorum, in steede of Remissio: And the order of the Churche then was this, That Nouices, y^t were not yet Christened, & were called Catechumeni, & others, y^t were called Poenitentes, y^t for some offence were inioyned to doo penance, notwithstanding they might lawfully heare the Sermons, & praie togeather with the reaste, yet might they neither be present at the Baptisme, nor receiue the Holy

Mysteries. And therefore, after the Gospel was read, and the Sermon ended, the Deacon saide vnto them, Ite, Missa est. Goe ye hence: Ye maie departe. Likewise in S. Gregories time the Deacon vsed thus to saie,* 1.9 Qui non communicat, det locum: Who so dooth not Communicate, let him geue place. Thus al they, that either woulde not, or might not Communicate with the rest of their brethren, were willed to departe: whereof it necessarily foloweth, that al they, that remained, did Communicate.

Of this departure away, and Proclamation of the Deacon, the action it selfe, whiche was the holy Communion, was called Missa. Afterwarde, when either through negligence of the people, or through auarice of the Priestes, the whole or∣der hereof was quite altered, and the thing, that had beene Common, was become Priuate, yet, as it happeneth often in other the like thinges, the former name re∣mained stil. For example, The Uigilles, or Night Watches, were tourned into Fastinges: Aultars, that serued for offeringe vp of Calues, and Goates, were tur∣ned into the Lordes Table: The Sabaothe day was turned into the Sunday.

Yet, the thinges beinge thus altered, the names notwithstandinge of Uigilles, Aultars, and Sabaothe daies remaine stil in vse, as they did before. Therfore M. Hardinge herein, as commonly elswhere, thought it best, to deceiue his Reader, by the mistakinge, and errour of the Name.

Last of al, if the Fathers in the Councel of Toledo, and Leo meante al one thinge, as here it is constantly auouched, then is M. Hardinge by the same Fa∣thers but poorely reliued. For it is most euident, by that is already saide, that Leo meante the Holy Communion, and not M. Hardinges Priuate Masse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Missa.
• * 1.2

  Esaie. 1.
• * 1.3

  De Cons. Dist. 2. Relatum est in Glosa.
• * 1.4

  Hebrae. 10.
• * 1.5

  Philippen. 3. Hebrae. 10.
• * 1.6

  August. in Ser∣mont••. de tem∣pore.
• * 1.7

  Hieronym. in Prouerb.
• * 1.8

  Cyprian. lib. 3. Epistolar.
• * 1.9

  Gregorius Dia∣logor. li. 2. ca. 23.