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 is greate paine taken, to prooue that Christian men, in the Ministration of Christes Supper, are not bounde to folow the example of Christe: al learninge also shewed, to beguile the simple with a vaine distinction of Substantia, and Acci∣dens. S. Hilarie writinge of the lewde dealinge of the Arians, vsed in rackinge of the Scriptures,* 1.1 saith thus of them, Aut ita sc••ibuntur fides, vt volunt: aut ita vt vo∣lunt, intelliguntur: Their faithes must either be so written, as they wil: or els they must be cō∣strued, and taken as they wil.

The question that lieth betwéen vs, standeth not in this pointe, whether wée ought to doo euery thing that Christe did: but whether wée ought to doo that thing, that Christe bothe did him selfe, and also commaunded vs to doo, and was after∣warde practised by the Apostles, and holy Fathers, y^t had the Sprite of vnderstan∣dinge, and knew Christes meaninge, and was neuer broken, vntil the negligence and vndeuotion of the people, as M. Hardinge confesseth, brought in the contrary.

Christe saide not, Doo this in Hierusalem: or in this parlar: or after supper: or at this table: or being so many togeather: or standinge: or sitting: But he saide

thus,* 1.2 Doo ye this, that is, take ye Breade, blesse it: breake it: geue it, in my remem∣brance. This is not a Ceremonial Accident:* 1.3 but the very ende, purpose, and sub∣stance of Christes Institution.* 1.4 And therefore S. Paule saithe, The Breade that wee breake, is the participation of the Lordes Body: And al wee are one Breade, and one Body, as many as are partakers of one Breade.

Yet saith M. Hardyng, Wee are bounde to folowe Christes example in thinges that be of the substance of the Sacrament, not in thinges that be of order and congruence. Here vna∣wares he seemeth to confesse, that his Masse, what so euer substance it beare, yet is voide bothe of good ordre, and also of congruence. But what wicked wilful∣nesse may this be? To Minister the Sacramentes of Christe, as Christe him selfe did, & commaunded to be doone, is called an Accident Ceremonial, that may wel be chaunged: But for the Priest to speake in a straunge vnknowen tongue: to turne his face from the people: to Minister vnto him selfe alone: and to vse an infinite sorte of childish ceremonies, whiche neither Christe, nor his Apostles euer either vsed, or thought of, al these are holden for thinges substantial, and of importance, and be defended as necessary, and may not be chaunged. Suche power haue these men, to chaunge Accidence into Substance, and Substance into Accidence, when they liste.

The Churche (saithe M. Harding) hath charged and ordred, that no man that is woorthy and disposed, shalbe refused. O miserable is that Churche, where as no man, no not so muche as one, is wel disposed. Here in fewe woordes he condemneth the whole Churche of Rome, euen y^e whole Colledge of Cardinalles: amongst whom, as he saith, there is not one wel disposed, and woorthie: and therfore they al with∣drawe them selues from the Communion.* 1.5 But Chrysostome saithe, If thou be not worthy to receiue the Cōmunion, then arte thou not woorthy to be present at the Praiers. Therefore M. Hardinge shoulde driue his vnwoorthy people from the Churche, and not suffer them to heare his Masse.

They imagine that any man, be he neuer so greate a sinner, may pray to God, & haue frée accesse to y^e Throne of Maiestie.* 1.6 Onely they thinke a sinner may not re∣ceiue y^• holy Communion. But it is written, Let him departe from his wickednesse, who so euer calleth vpon the name of the Lorde. Whosoeuer is a member of Christe, and may boldly cal God his Father, may also be bolde to receiue the Communion.

If M. Harding wish in déede that the people woulde prepare them selues, & Com∣municate with the Priest, as he pretendeth, why dooth he not exhorte & mooue the people? Why dooth he not prouide for them? Why dooth he rather defende his Sole Receiuing contrary to his owne wisshing, and contrary to the example of Christe, as he him selfe confesseth? Doubtlesse there are many godly men emonge the peo∣ple, and oftentimes more vertuously disposed a greate deale, then the Priest. Nei∣ther is it of their vnwoorthinesse, that they absteine so often: nor of their woorthy∣nesse, that they receiue once in the yere: but onely of custome.

But if the people beslacke, yet must the Priest doo the Daily Sacrifice, saith M. Hardinge, that is, he must offer vp Christe vnto his Father for the sinnes of the worlde. Herein appeareth the wanton folie of this people. That they may doo, and are commaunded to doo, they wil not doo: but that they can not doo, that they wil néedes doo. The mater beinge so weighty, and not yet throughly beléeued, it had béen good for M. Harding to haue made proufe thereof by the authoritie of S. Augustine, S. Hierome, or some other olde Catholike Doctour, within y^e compasse of ••••re hundred yeres: but he bringeth foorth onely an Article or Decrée of his owne makinge. Sithe this is doone (saithe he) in the remembrance of Christes oblation once made on the Crosse for the Redemption of mankinde, Therefore it ought dayly to he celebrated throughout the whole Churche.

Least any errour grow hereof,* 1.7 it is to be noted, that these woordes, Daily Sacrifice, and Daily Breade* 1.8 are sometimes vsed in the holy Fathers, and both ap∣plied vnto the Body of Christe: but farre otherwise, and to other purpose, then M. Hardinge meaneth, as it shal soone appeare. The olde Fathers cal that the Daily Sacrifice, that Christe made once for al vpon the Crosse: for that as Christe is a Priest for euer, so dooth the same his Sacrifice last for euer: not that it is daily, and really renewed by any mortal creature, but that the power and vertue thereof is infinite in it selfe, and shal neuer be consumed. So saithe S. Augustine, Tibi hodie Christus est,* 1.9 tibi quotidie resurgit. To thee this day is Christe: and to thee daily he riseth againe. So likewise saith S. Hierome: Quotidie nobis Agnus occiditur, & Pascha quotidiè celebratur: Vnto vs euery day the Lambe is slaine: to vs euery day the Easter Feast••s kepte. And in like sorte writeth Germanus a later writer, Panis quotidianus est Christus,* 1.10 qui est, & antè fuit, & manet in saecula: Our daily Bread is Christe, whiche is now, and was before, and endureth for euer. Thus in Christes be∣halfe is that moste pretious Sacrifice euerlastinge.

Likewise the same one Sacrifice is euerlastinge not onely in it selfe, for that the vertue thereof is daily effectual in vs, and endureth for euer, but also of our behalfe, in that wée doo daily offer vp vnto God our Sacrifices of praises and thankes geuing for that so merciful, and wonderful woorke of our Redemption. And this kinde of Daily Sacrifice, biside a great number of other olde Doctours, the godly Father Irenaeus hath taught vs to make: His woordes be these, Sic & nos quotidiè offerre vult munus ad altare frequenter sine intermissione.* 1.11 Est ergo al∣tare in Coelis. Illuc enim preces & oblationes nostrae diriguntur. Euen so hath God willed vs dayly to offer vp our Sacrifice at the Aultar without ceassinge. Therfore our Aultar is in heauen: for thither our praiers and oblations are directed. Thus is that Sacrifice once offred vpon the Crosse rightly called our Daily Sacrifice, in like phrase of speach, as is this of Tertullian:* 1.12 Nos Sabbatum non septeno quoque die celebramus, Sed omni die, Wee keepe the Sabbothe not euery seuenth day, but euery day. But M. Hardinges fantasie, that is, that the Ministration of the Sacramentes is the Daily Sacrifice, includeth a manifest vntruethe.* 1.13 For afterwarde he graunteth him selfe, that vpon Good Friday there is no suche oblation made, and that (as he saithe) by the order of the Apostles. And againe he knoweth, that the Grecians in the Lente time neuer vsed to Consecrate,* 1.14 but onely vpon Satur∣daies, and Sundaies: as it appeareth by the sixthe Councel holden at Constantino∣ple,* 1.15 and by the Councel of Laodicea. And of the vse of the Latine Churche therein in his time, S. Ambrose writeth thus, Omni hebdomada offerendum est, e••iam si non quotidiè peregrinis:* 1.16 incolis tamen vel bis in hebdomada, Euery weeke wee must cele∣brate the oblation, although not euery day vnto straungers, yet for the inhabitantes▪ ye some times twise in the weeke.* 1.17 I trowe M. Hardinge wil not say, that the thinge that is one day lefte vndoone, or that is onely doone vpon y^e Saturdaies and Sundaies, or, as S. Ambrose saithe, twise in the wéeke, is not withstanding doone euery day.

Yet it is wel to be thought, that bothe S. Ambrose and other learned Bishoppes in the Latine Churche, and the Fathers in the Councel of Constantinople and Laodicea for the Greeke Churche, vnderstoode what was the Daily Sacrifice.

Uerely that Sacrifice, that Christe once made vpon his Crosse, endureth for Good Friday, and al daies in the Lent, and euery day in the yere, and for euer: and therefore is iustly called our Daily Sacrifice.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hilar. ad Con∣stantium Augu∣stum.
• * 1.2

  Matthae. 26.
• * 1.3

  Luke. 22.
• * 1.4

  1. Corin. 10.
• * 1.5

  Chrysostom. ad popul. Antio∣chenum. hom. 61
• * 1.6

  Hebrae. 4. 2. Timoth. 2.
• * 1.7

  Daily Sa∣crifice.
• * 1.8

  Daily Sacrifice. Daily bread.
• * 1.9

  Deverb. Dom. in Euang. secun∣dum Lucam. Serm. 28.
• * 1.10

  Hieron in. 1. ad Corin. cap. 6. Germanus in Ecclesi. rerum Theori••.
• * 1.11

  Irenaeus, li. 4. Cap. 34.
• * 1.12

  Tertullian ad. uersus Iud••••os.
• * 1.13

  Arti••ulo. 2. di∣uisi. 23. fol. 44. b.
• * 1.14

  Sexta Synod. cap. 52.
• * 1.15

  Co••cil. Lacdic••̄. can. 49.
• * 1.16

  Ambro. in. 1. ad Timo. ca. 2.
• * 1.17

  Non quotidiè.