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.

To proue that the halfe Communion is a thing indifferent, he bringeth foorth thauthoritie of Melancthon, Bucer, & a certaine learned man of Bohemia: some of them falsely alleged, & some without any allegation at al. Neither doth he bringe them to thintent to take them for his authours, & to folow them: for they neither in their bookes, nor in the order of their Churches, euer consented to the breache of Christes Institution. But herein he bewrayeth his wante of olde Doctours: for hauinge thauthoritie of them, he woulde neuer haue alleged any of these.

In Melancthon he misseliketh much the manner of his speache, in that he cal∣leth the Sacrament a Signe: whiche woorde (as he saithe) is straunge, and not the accustomed woorde of the Churche. Sauinge that he seeketh occasions, and quarels without cause, as his woonte is, otherwise he knoweth, that a Sacra∣ment

hath beene called a Signe in al times,* 1.1 and ages of the Churche.

Petrus Lumbardus thus defineth a Sacrament,* 1.2 Sacramentum est Signum rei Sa∣crae. A Sacrament is the Signe of a holy thinge. And as it is thought, the very substance and nature of a thinge cannot be better knowen,* 1.3 th••n by the Definition. S. Augu∣stine saith, Signa cùm ad res diuinas adhibentur, sacramenta vocantur. Signes, when they be applied to godly thinges, be called Sacramentes. And againe, writinge of the dif∣ference that is betwéene the Sacramentes of the Olde Lawe,* 1.4 and of the Newe, he saithe thus, In Signis diuersis, eadem fides. The Signes beinge diuerse, the faithe is one. And writinge againste one Adimantus (he saithe) Non dubitauit Dominus dicere,* 1.5 Hoc est corpus meum, cùm daret Signum Corporis sui, The Lorde doubted not to say this is my Bodie, when he gaue the Signe of his Bodie. Likewise saithe Chrysostome, Si mortuus Iesus non est, cuius symbolum,* 1.6 ac Signum hoc Sacrificium est? If Iesus died not, whose token, and whose Signe is this Sacrifice? And lest any man shoulde be decei∣ued in the meaninge of this woorde Signe,* 1.7 S. Augustine him selfe hath expounded it thus: Signum est res praeter speciem, quam ingerit sensibus, aliud quiddam faciens ex se in cognitionem venire. A Signe is a thinge, that bi••ides the sight it selfe, whiche it of∣freth vnto the senses,* 1.8 causeth of it selfe some other certaine thinge to come into knowlege.

Hereby it may appeare, that this woorde Signe, is not so strange, as M. Hardinge would haue it séeme, nor so vnaccustomed vnto the Churche. Although it misse∣like him, that we should doo, as the olde Fathers did, yet he might geue vs leaue, to vse suche woordes, and phrases, as the olde Fathers vsed.

But (he saithe) Melancthon, and Bucer accompted it as a thinge indifferent. In deede these godly learned men, when they saw, that through the malice of their aduersa∣ries, they coulde not obteine, that Christes Institution might vniuersally be re∣ceiued, yet they desired at the least, it might be leafte free without restrainte, for e∣uery Churche to doo therein, as they shoulde thinke good, and that without mur∣mure, or offence of others. And thus farre foorthe their desire was, it might be iudged free: not that they thought, Christe had not ordeined the Sacrament to be ministred vnto the people in bothe kindes, or that in it selfe it is indifferent: but that the faithful of God might indifferently, and freely vse it without controle∣ment, and that it should not be iudged Heresie, to doo as Christe had commaunded.

So the godly Fathers at the beginninge, when they coulde not perswade the Princes of the worlde, with their people, to receiue the Gospel, yet they thought they were gainers, and gaue God thankes, when they might haue place, and liber∣tie for them selues, freely, and with quiet conscience, to meete togeather, and to preache the Gospell.

This libertie M. Hardinge cannot like with al. He woulde haue it free for the whole Churche to determine of it: but not for euery Churche particular. This is a shifte to deceiue the ignorant. For he knoweth wel, that al other Churches throughout the worlde, from the firste plantinge of the Gospel vntil this day, doo stil minister the Holie Communion in Bothe Kindes, as Christe commaunded: and that Christes Institution was neuer openly, and by consente broaken, but onely in the Churche of Rome: whiche Churche also is not vniuersal, but meere particular: and that the same breache in the same Churche of Rome, sprange not of any consent of Bishoppes, or other learned men, but, as it is prooued before, onely of the simple deuotion of the people. And doothe M. Hardinge thinke, the people may safely breake Christes Institution without any General Councel: and may not safely returne againe to the same, without a general Councel? Uerely there needeth no Councel, where as nothinge is donne by Councel.

Touchinge the indifferencie of this mater, wherupon M. Hardinge hath bu••lte this whole treatie, and in what sorte the breache of Christes Institution may

séeme a thinge indifferent, I know no better answeare, then that is already made by S. Cyprian, who in the like case maketh answeare thus:* 1.9 Si quis de antecessori∣bus meis non hoc obseruauit, & tenuit, quod nos Dominus exemplo, & magisterio suo docuit, potest simplicitati eius de indulgentia Domini venia concedi: nobis veró non po∣terit ignosci, qui nūc a Domino admoniti, & instructi sumus &c. If any of my predecessours haue not followed, and keapte that thinge, whiche the Lorde by his example, and commaunde∣ment, hath taught vs, he for his simplicitie may be pardoned: but (if wee wilfully offende) there is no pardon for vs, that are already warned, and instructed of the Lorde. Wee geue God thankes, that whiles he instructeth vs, what wee shall doo for the time to come, he forge∣ueth vs that is past, bicause wee haue e••••ed of simplicitie. Thus farre foorthe the breache of Gods ordinance may be borne with al by the iudgement of S. Cyprian.* 1.10 But he addeth further, Post inspirationem verò, & reuelationem factam, qui in eo, quod er∣rauerat, perseuerat, prudens & sciens, sine venia ignorantiae peccat, praesumptione a••{que} ob∣stinatione superatus: After that God hath once opened and reueled (his truthe) who so con∣tinueth stil in his errour, willingly and wittingly offendeth without hope of pardon, as beinge ouercome with Presumption, and Wilfulnesse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A Signe.
• * 1.2

  Lib 4. dist. 1.
• * 1.3

  August. De Do∣ctrina Christia. lib. 3. ca. 15.
• * 1.4

  In Iohan. Tra∣ctatu 45.
• * 1.5

  Augustin. contra Adimantum. ca 12.
• * 1.6

  Chrysostom. in Matthae. hom. 83.
• * 1.7

  Augustin. de Do∣ctrina Christ. lib. 2.
• * 1.8

  De Con. Dist. 2. Signum est.
• * 1.9

  Cyprian. li. ••. Epist. 3.
• * 1.10

  Cyprian. Ad Iubaianum de Haereticis Baptizandis.