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.

O what shifting here is, to auoide this miserable inconuenience? Innocentius thinketh it not good to saie, The Mouse eateth Christes Bodie in the Sacramente.* 1.1 But rather he saithe, That Christe, when he seeth the Mouse comminge, geateth him selfe away,

and leaueth the Sacramente. This Doctours iudgemente M. Hardinge alloweth be∣fore others, and thinketh it best to stande with reason.

But what then is it, that the Mouse eateth? Breade it cannot be. For that is gonne, as they saie, by Consecration. It remaineth, that the Mouse muste néedes eate the Shewes, and Accidentes. How be it, that were a strange kinde of feedinge. But nothinge is strange to M. Hardinge. Yet Shewes, and Accidentes can∣not nourishe. What is it then, wherewith the Mouse is nourished? M. Hardinge answeareth, Perhaps Almighty God by a Miracle suffereth the Breade to returne againe to feede the Mouse. Or els, if this wil not serue, he saithe further, Perhaps God woorketh an o∣ther Miracle, and by his Omnipotent Power, geueth the very Accidentes of Breade strengthe to nou∣rishe, and increase Substance, as if it were Breade. Thus these menne haue diuised a pre∣tie waie, to feede mise with Miracles.

Thomas of Aquine saithe, that if a man take ouer muche of the Consecrate Wine,* 1.2 notwithstandinge the Substance of the Wine be gonne, Yet he may be ouer∣seene by the Accidentes, and so may happen to be dronken by a Miracle.

Here wée see, M. Harding answeareth onely by Perhaps, as beinge not yet wel aduised, what he may say. Whereby it appeareth, his Doctrine holdeth no cer∣tainetie. Therefore, what so euer he say, wée may geue no great credite to his t••le, nor take it for Catholique.

S. Cyprian, that is here alleged, maketh no manner mention, neither of Fourmes, nor of Accidentes: nor teacheth vs, that the Mouse can e••te Christes Bodie: nor that Christe conueigheth him selfe away, and leaueth the Sacramente: nor that the Substance of Breade returneth againe: nor that the Accidentes haue power to nourishe:* 1.3 nor any other like fantasie. Onely he saithe, God gaue that wic∣ked man by that Miracle to vnderstande, that, for his Infidelitie, and Idolatrie, his Grace was so departed from his harte, as the Sacramente was departed from his hande. Therefore this place maketh vtterly nothinge to M. Hardinges purpose. Notwithstandinge h•• thought it good, so in this Article to vse the name of S. Cyprian, as in the Article before he vsed the name of S. Cyril: least he shoulde be thought, to passe ouer any Article without a Doctoure.

The best, that may be geathered of S. Cyprians woordes, is this, That the wicked receiueth not the Bodie of Christe. Whiche thinge, as it is most true, so it vtterly ••uerthroweth the whole substance of M. Hardinges Doctrine.

Nowe, good Christian Reader, that thou maiste sée, how aptely M. Hardinges Doctours agrée togeather, notwithstandinge so many of them telle vs, and holde it for most certaine, That a Mouse may eate the very Bodie of Christe, and receiue•• whole Christe, God, and Man into his belly: Yet others of them contrariwise telle vs, and holde it likewise for moste certaine, That a Faithful Christian man, be he neuer so godly, yet cannot receiue the Bodie of Christe into his Belly.* 1.4 For thus they write, Certum est, quòd, quàm citò species teruntur dentibus, tam citò in Coelum rapitur Corpus Christi: It is certaine, that, as soone as the Fourmes of the Breade be touched with the teeth, streigth waie the Bodie of Christe (is not receiued into the belly, but) is caught vp into Heauen. And he saithe not, Perhaps, as M. Hardinge doothe: but, Certum est, It is certaine, and out of question, and therefore Catholique.

And Hugo a greate Schooledoctour, suche a one, as M. Hardinge may not wel denie,* 1.5 saithe thus: Quando in manibus Sacramentum tenes, Corporaliter tecum est Christus: quando ore suscipis, Corporaliter tecum est. Postquam autem Corporalis sen∣sus in percipiendo deficit, deinceps Corporalis Praesentia quaerenda non est: VVhile thou holdest the Sacramente in thy hande,* 1.6 Christe is Bodily with thee: while thou receiuest the Sa∣cramente with thy Mouthe, Christe is Bodily with thee▪ But after that (the Sacrament is passed further, and) thy Bodily sense beginneth to faile,* 1.7 thou maiste no lenger tooke for

Bodily Presence. Thus they graunte, that a Mouse may•• receiue the Bodie of Christe into his belly: and yet they denie the same vnto a Man. Suche is the cer∣tainetie, and Constancie of this Doctrine.

But, to conclude, and to geue some certaine Resolution in this vncertaine, and doubteful Doctrine, it behooueth vs to vnderstande, that, as S. Augustine saithe, there is greate difference bitwéene Christes Bodie, and the Sacramente. For the Sacramente is Corruptible: Christes Bodie is Elorious, & voide of al corruption. The Sacramente is in the Earth: Christes Bodie is in Heauen. The Sacrament is receiued by our Bodily Mouth: Christes Bodie is receiued onely by Faithe, whiche is the mouth of our Soule. And who so vnderstandeth not this difference, vnderstandeth not the meaninge of any Sacramente.

Now, to applie the same to this purpose, The Mouse, or other Woorme may re∣ceiue the substance of the Breade, whiche is the outwarde corruptible Elemente of the Sacramente: But the very Bodie of Christe it selfe, whiche is in Heauen, can∣not be receiued, but by Faithe onely, and none otherwise.

S. Augustine speaketh thus in the personne of Christe:* 1.8 Ego sum Cibus gran∣dium: Cresce, & manducabis me: I am the foode of greate ones: Growe, and thou shalte eate me. Againe he saithe, Hoc est Manducare illam escam, & illum potum Bibere,* 1.9 in Christo manere, & Christum manentem in se habere: This is the Eatinge of that Foode, and the Drinkinge of that Drinke, for a man to abide in Christe, and to haue Christe abidinge in him.

Chrysostome saithe,* 1.10 Magnus iste Panis replet Mentem, non Ventrem. Iste Panis, & noster est, & Angelorum: This greate loa••e (meaninge thereby the Bodie of Christe, that is in Heauen) filleth the Minde, and not the Belly. This is our Breade, and the Breade of Angels. As the Angels receiue it, so wee receiue it.

And to conclude,* 1.11 so saithe S. Hilarie: The Breade, that came downe from Heauen, is not receiued, but of him, that hath our Lorde, and is the member of Christe.

By the Olde learned Fathers vndoubted iudgement, this is the onely Eating of the Fleashe of Christe: wherein Mise, and Brute Beastes, and wicked menne, that are woorse then brute beastes, haue no portion. And if these holy Fathers were now aliue, doubtelesse they would saie to M. Hardinge, and to his felowes: O curui in terras animi, & Coelestium inanes: O you, that lie groouelinge on the grounde, and haue no sense of thinges abooue.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Innocen. 3. De Officio Miss. ca. 11.
• * 1.2

  Thomas in. 1. Corin. 11.
• * 1.3

  Cyprian. Serm. 5. De Lapsis.
• * 1.4

  De Con. dist. 2. Tribus gradib. In Glosa.
• * 1.5

  Hugo De Sa∣cram. li. 1. par. 8. Ca. 13.
• * 1.6

  Bonauen. in 4. Senten. dist. 13. quae. 2.
• * 1.7

  Durand. li. 4.
• * 1.8

  August. Confes∣sion. lib. 7. ca. ••••.
• * 1.9

  August. in Io∣han. tracta. 26.
• * 1.10

  Chrysostom. ex varijs locis in Matthae. hom. ••.
• * 1.11

  Hilarius De Trinita. li. 8.