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.

The best staye, that these men can lay holde vpon, is to denie Christes Institu∣tion. And therefore M. Hardinge saith here, In no wise wee doo not graunt it, which is an argument of good courage, but of smal proufe. But he addeth further, If it

were Christes Institution, yet notwithstandinge by the authoritie of the Churche,* 1.1 and vpon good con∣sideration, it might be broken. His reasons be these, In the olde Testament, Dauid did eate the Shewbreade, notwithstandinge it were forbidden: the people in the wil∣dernesse ceased from Circumcision, notwithstandinge it were commaunded▪ the Machabees fought and defended them selues vpon the Sabboth day,* 1.2 notwithstan∣ding God had appointed that day to reast.* 1.3 In the New Testament, wée Baptize Infantes that can receiue no teachinge:* 1.4 and sometime wee thinke it sufficient to sprinkle them, or to powre them ouer: and the Apostles contrary to Christes In∣stitution, Baptized in the name of Iesus Onely. If M. Harding coulde haue brought any suche example, or authoritie, as was required, suche poore healpes should not haue needed. For these allegations are partly true, partly false, partly not agrée∣inge to that wée haue in hande, neither in place, nor in time, nor in y^e ende, nor in y^e manner of dooing, nor in other circumstances: & therfore make litle to this purpose.

Dauid tooke of the Shewbreade:* 1.5 but he was forced thereto by extremitie of famine: Neither did he euer decrée, y^t it should be lawful for al others to doo y^e like.

The people ceased from Circumcision in the wildernesse:* 1.6 but they had Gods special dis∣pensation so to doo, as it is noted by Lyra, for that they were in continual trauel from place to place: and people beinge newly Circumcised coulde abide no labour: yet made they no law, that Circumcision should quite be abolished.

The Machabees might lawfully defende them selues vpon the Sabboth day.* 1.7 For, as Christe expoundeth the law, Man is not made for the Sabbothe, but the Sab∣both is made for man. And therefore the Iewes did il, that beinge beséeged vpon the Sabboth day,* 1.8 as Dion saith, stoode stil, and yeelded them selues vnto their ene∣mies. Yet did not the Machabees proclaime, that it should be lawful vpon the Sabboth to goe to the fielde.

Touching Baptisme, first wée teache the Fathers, & afterwarde wee Baptize them, and their children: and this is no breache of Christes commaundement. For after wée be once become Gods people, God hath promised, That he wil be our God, and the God of our children: And by the Prophet Ezechiel he saithe,* 1.9 your children be my children. They that sprinkled them that they Baptized, vsed bothe the woorde, and also the element or kinde of water, that was commaunded: neither dooth it appeare, that Christe gaue any commaundement of dippinge the partie into the water. But these men take quite away from the people, bothe the element & kinde of wine, and also the woordes of Consecration.

Last of al, in that he saithe,* 1.10 The Apostles contrary to the Institution, Baptized in the name of Christe Onely, Bisides the méere sophistication of the mater, he also falsifieth the woordes, putting that behinde, that S. Luke set before.

And that thou maist the better perceiue the fraude, I must doo thée, Christian Reader, to vnderstande, that in the time of the Apostles, some that were Bapti∣zed, receiued the Holy Ghost in sensible signes, and were hable immediatly, some to speake sundrie tongues, some to woorke other miracles: Some others receiued no suche miracle, but Baptisme onely: as they of Samaria that were Baptized by Philip. Therefore, saith S. Luke, Peter and Iohn praied for them,* 1.11 that they also might receiue the Holy Ghost in visible signes, as wel as others. For the Holy Ghost vntil that time, was come vpon none of them,* 1.12 but onely they were Baptized in the name of the Lorde Iesus, by this woorde, Onely, excluding nothing els, but the outwarde miraculous giftes of the Holy Ghost.

But M. Harding transposeth and shifteth S. Lukes woordes at his pleasure, and placeth this woorde Onely, in the ende, and therby excludeth the essential forme of Baptisme, as if they had béene Baptized in the name of Christe Onely, and so not in the name of the Father, and of the Holy Ghost. This errour must néedes

holde by the can••asinge of the Scriptures.* 1.13

To Baptize In the name of Christe, is to Baptize according to the Order, In∣stitution, & Commaundement of Christe. Neither doo these woordes, In the name of Christe, importe that Baptisme was ministred in the name of Christe onely, & in none other name biside: no more then these woordes, Paule the seruant of Ie∣sus Christe, doo importe, that Paule was the Seruant of Christe onely, and so not the Seruant of God the Father,* 1.14 nor of the Holy Ghost: Or these woordes, that Paule spake vnto the keeper, Beleeue in the Lorde Iesus, doo discharge him from beléeuing in y^e other twoo persons of the holy Trinitie. Doubtlesse he must be very bolde with the Scriptures of God, that wil presume hereby to prooue, either that the Apostles altered y^e essential forme of Baptisme, or that they proclaimed them Heretiques, that in Baptizinge woulde folow Christes Institution.

The obiection of wasshing of féete is common, & hath been often answeared. S. Bernarde calleth it a Sacrament.* 1.15 I graunte. But S. Bernarde is a Doctour but of late yeres, and therefore his authoritie herein must weigh the lighter. Neither dooth he so cal it according to the nature, and common Definition of a Sacrament. For neither was there any certaine element namely chosen, nor any special woordes appointed to make it a Sacrament, nor any promisse of Grace thereto annexed. Onely he calleth it a Sacrament by a general kinde of takinge. And in that mea∣ning S. Hilarie saithe,* 1.16 The Sacrament of Praie••: the Sacrament of Fasting: the Sacrament of Fulnesse: the Sacrament of Thirste: the Sacrament of Weeping. And S. Bernarde in an other place in like sorte saithe,* 1.17 The Sacrament of a painted Crosse: and in this place he saith, that the washinge of féete betokeneth the washing, and purging of veni∣al sinnes,* 1.18 whiche signification he calleth a Sacrament.

But Christe saithe, I haue geuen you an example, that as ye haue seen me doo, ye also doo the like. Therefore (saith M. Hardinge) this commaundement byndeth as wel as the other, Drinke ye al of this. How may a man trust M. Hardinge in the darke, that wil thus deceiue him in the light? For he knoweth that the wa∣shinge of feete was neither Institution of Christe, nor any parte of the Sacra∣ment, nor specially appointed to be doone by the Apostles, nor the breache thereof euer déemed Sacriledge,* 1.19 as Gelasius writeth of this disorder of the halfe Commu∣nion. Whether the Apostles for any time after Christes Resurrection obserued it or no, it appeareth not. Neither is there any thing, to my remembrance, wri∣ten of it.* 1.20 As wée may perceiue by S. Paule, it was an office more belonging vnto wemen, then vnto men. And it séemeth by S. Augustine, that this Ceremonie in the Churche had relation vnto some other cause, and not vnto the Institution of Christe, neither to the example or practise of the Apostles. For thus he writeth vn∣to his fréende Ianuarius touching the same:* 1.21 If thou demaunde, vpon what considera∣tion this Ceremonie of washinge feete beganne first, notwithstandinge I haue wel thought of it, yet can I finde nothinge, that seemeth more likely, then this: for that the bodies of them that had appointed to be Baptized (at Easter) being il chearished by reason of the Lēten fast, woulde haue had some lothsomnesse in the touchinge, onlesse they had beene washte at some time before: And that therefore they chose this day chiefely to that purpose, vpon whiche day the Lordes Supper is yerely celebrate. Here S. Augustine saithe, it was the fulsom∣nesse of the bodies, and lothsomnesse of the senses, that first began this Ceremonie, and not the Institution or commaundement of Christ. But as touchinge the Mini∣stration of the Communion in Bothe Kindes, it is most certaine, that y^e Apostles vsed it, and that Christ commaunded it to be vsed stil vntil his comminge.

With what indifferent iudgement then can M. Hardinge thus compare these thinges togeather: a Sacrament, with no Sacrament: an Institution, with no in∣stitution: a thing, that in the Primitiue Church was euery where vsed, with that

thing, wherof no proufe can be made, that vpon Christes commaundement it was euer vsed. Neither did Christe therefore so abase him selfe, to washe his Disci∣ples féete, to the intente they according to the letter should doo the same: but in him selfe to shew them a perfite example of humilitie▪ For they were yet in a déepe dreame, that Christe should come like a Kinge with al worldly Maiestie, and that they should be Princes,* 1.22 & sit with him to rule the worlde. Therfore to breake them out of this sleape, he tooke vpon him this vile and seruile office, that they might sée, that his comming was to serue them, and therefore might learne humilitie, by his example one of them to serue an other.* 1.23 In like manner Christe set a childe before his Disciples,* 1.24 & willed them al to be as children. He bad them to shake of the dust from their shoes,* 1.25 & to carie neither rodde nor scrippe aboute them, and to salute no man vpon the way: not that they shoulde practise these thinges according to y^e ri∣gour of y^e woordes, but to the intent y^t by the same, they might be induced to a déeper vnderstanding. Such, was the Sacrament, and meaning of the Washing of féete.

The reasons that follow, are of like value. For Christ said not, Doo this after supper, or sittinge, or at a table, or beinge so many togeather: Neither did the A∣postles euer so vnderstande his woordes. But when he had Ministred the Sacra∣ment vnto his Apostles in Bothe Kindes, he bade them doo the same, that he had doone: and so they vnderstoode his woordes, and Ministred the Sacrament vnto the people in Bothe kindes accordingly.

The woordes of S. Cyprian here alleged, are spoken of sprinkeling, or powring on water ouer them, that were Baptized: which is but a Ceremonie, and therefore ought to be at libertie, and is not of the substance of Baptisme. Neither dooth it follow, Wee may breake a Ceremonie, Ergo, wee may breake the substance of Christes Institution. This reason rather maketh against M. Harding and his fellowes. For if Ceremo∣nies should be vsed freely, and without rigour, as S. Cyprian saith, why then be they so precise in their Oyle, their Balme, their Lightes, and other thinges of like value, y^t be the abuse thereof neuer so greate, yet they wil remitte nothinge? And if they be so precise, and so earnest in Ceremonies, & diuises of their owne, how muche more ought wée to be earnest, in maters touching the essential forme of the Institution of Christe?

Notes

• * 1.1

  In the name of Christe onely.
• * 1.2

  1. Samuel. 2••
• * 1.3

  Iosue. 5.
• * 1.4

  1. Machabae. 1.
• * 1.5

  1. Samuel. 21.
• * 1.6

  Iosua. 5.
• * 1.7

  1. Macha. 2. Matth. 12.
• * 1.8

  Dion.
• * 1.9

  Ezechiel. 16.
• * 1.10

  M. Harding fal∣sifieth the wor∣des of S. Luke.
• * 1.11

  Actor .8.
• * 1.12

  Onely.
• * 1.13

  vvashinge of feete.
• * 1.14

  Act. 16.
• * 1.15

  In sermone de Coena Domini.
• * 1.16

  Hilar. in Matt. canon. 5. 11. 12. 23.
• * 1.17

  Hilar. De Tri∣nita. li. 10.
• * 1.18

  Bernard. De bo∣nis defendēdis.
• * 1.19

  De Con. dist. 2. Comperimus.
• * 1.20

  1. Timoth 5.
• * 1.21

  Augustin. ad Ianuar. Epist. 118
• * 1.22

  Matthae. 20.
• * 1.23

  Matth. 18.
• * 1.24

  Math. 10.
• * 1.25

  Matth. 8.