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.

THERE appeareth smal hope that M. Hardinge wil deale plain∣ly in the rest, that thus maketh his first entrie with a cauill.

For where as the mater is known, and agreed vpon, it is great folie to pyke quarell vpon the woorde. Euery Masse (saith he) is common, and none priuate. If it be so, then hath he already con∣cluded fully on our syde. For if there be no priuate Masse at all, thē was there no priuate Masse in the primitiue Church, which was my fyrst assertion.

But M. Hardinge, as may be gathered by his manner of proofes, is not yet wel resolued, neither what is priuate, nor what is Masse. For in the .22. article of his booke, intreatynge of the accidentes of breade and wyne, to th'intent to auoyde the grosse absurdities that followe Transubstantiation,* 1.1 he saieth, These mattiers were neuer taught in open audience, but priuately disputed in the schooles, and set abroade by learned men in their priuate wrytinges. There he calleth y^• thynge priuate, that is disputed in open audience, in the hearynge of fyue hundred, or moe, and is sette abroade to the knowledge of the worlde: And here the thynge that is done by the priest and his boye alone in a corner, he calleth common. Thus he maketh woordes to sounde what him listeth,* 1.2 sometyme common to be priuate, sometyme priuate to be common at his pleasure.

And as touchinge Masse, sometyme he maketh it the Sacrifice: sometyme the Communion: sometime the prayers: and so séemeth not yet wel to knowe, vpon what grounde to stande.

His fyrst reason is this: The Sacrifice of the priest is common, therefore the

Masse is common.* 1.3 Here might be demaunded, who gaue the priest authoritie, to make this Sacrifice? and without authoritie how can he make it? But if his Sa∣crifice be common, why doeth he geue it these priuate tytles, This for the lyuinge: This for the dead: This for a frende: This for him selfe?

His second reason is this: It is a feast, and therefore it is common: and thus he salu••th one errour with an other. For if it be a feast, how is it receiued by one alone? If it be receiued by one alone, howe can it séeme to be a feast? But he saith, it is prepared for al. Uerely it is but smal prouision to serue so many. The priest him selfe knoweth this is vntrue. He prepareth for him selfe, and not for o∣thers: He speaketh to him selfe, and not vnto the congregation: He receiueth him selfe alone, and not with his brethren. Therefore in this respecte we must néedes saye, the Masse is priuate, and not common.

The thirde reason touchinge the wil of the Minister, is very vncertayne. For neither can the priest by his willinge alter natures, or make that thinge common, whiche is priuate: nor can any man certeinely knowe, what thinge the prieste willeth. For what if his wil be to woorke Necromancie, or Sorcerie, as it is re∣ported of Pope Hildebrande? Or what if his wil be to poyson some bodie, as Hen∣ry the Emperour was poysoned in the communion bread:* 1.4 Pope Uictor in the cha∣lice? Or what if his wil be to woorke fayned miracles, as Lyra sayeth, many are wrought in the open Churche by the priest to mocke the people. Doubtles if the priestes wil may be knowen, either by his woordes, or by his doinges, or by his ge∣sture, or by his prouision, or by the quantitie of his breade and wyne, or by his whole vsage and practise, it may soone be séene, his wil is to make a priuate ban∣ket, and not a common.

These be very weake foundations to buylde vpon. Of the same M. Hardinge might rather, and farre better haue geathered the contrarie. For if it be the com∣mon sacrifice of the whole Churche, it shoulde be offered by the whole Churche, as S. Ambrose saieth:* 1.5 Vt multorum oblatio simul celebretur: That the oblation of many may be made togeather.

If it be a common feast of the whole Churche, it shoulde be receiued commonly of the whole churche.* 1.6 And therefore S. Hierome sayeth. Dominica ccena omni∣bus debet esse communis. The lordes supper must be common to al, and that not for these simple shiftes that M. Hardinge and his fellowes haue diuised. S. Hieromes reason is this: Quia dominus omnibus Discipulis, qui aderant, aequaliter tradi∣dit Sacramēta. Bycause the lorde gaue the Sacramentes equally to al the Disciples that were present. These woordes be plaine, Equally, and To al the Disciples. And therefore saith S. Hierome, accordinge to this example the Lordes supper must be common.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pag. 182. b.
• * 1.2

  M. Hardinge maketh cōmon, priuate: and priuate, cōmon.
• * 1.3

  These reasons be answeared af∣terwarde more at large.
• * 1.4

  Hermannus Contractus. Nicolaus Lyra in. 14. cap. Da∣nielis.
• * 1.5

  Ambro. 1. Cor. 11
• * 1.6

  Hieron. 1. Cor. 11