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 M. Hardinge by countrepointes, and by sundrie circumstances of diffe∣rence, compareth the state of the Primitiue Churche, and his Churche of Rome to∣geather, and thereof woulde seeme to prooue, that S. Paules woordes, which S.

Paule him selfe calleth Mandata Domini, The Lordes commaundementes, stoode good onely for that time present and for no time afterwarde: as if he woulde say, Gods wil were mutable, or his commaundementes holde onely for terme of yéeres.

I graunte, there appeare greate notes of difference betwéene the order of the Primitiue Churche, and the order that now is in the Churche of Rome. For, to leaue al that M. Hardinge hath here touched by way of comparison, and to note that may séeme neare to this prupose, The rulers there wisshed, and laboured that the people might abounde in knowledge: Here, their whole labour and study is, that the people may abounde in ignorance. There, the Ministers spake with sundrie tongues, that the people of al Nations might vnderstande them: Here, the Minister speaketh in a strange tongue, to the intente that noman may vnder∣stande him. There, the simple, and the ignorant were made eloquent: Here, the Bishoppes, and Cardinals, and greatest learned are made dumme. And to pro∣secute no further, there appeared in the Primitiue Churche, the vndoubted woor∣kes of the holy Ghoste, and y^e very tractes, and steppes of Christes féete: and there∣fore Irenaeus,* 1.1 and other Olde Fathers, in cases of doubte, appealed euermore to the order, and example of that Churche. And Tertullian saith, Hoc aduersus om∣nes haereses valet,* 1.2 id esse verum, quodcun{que} prius: id esse adulterum, quodcun{que} posterius. This Marke preuaileth agianst al Heresies: That is the trueth that was vsed first, that is false, and corrupte, that was brought in afterwarde. And therefore the Holy Fathers in the Councel* 1.3 of Nice made this general shoute, and agreed vpon the same, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Let the auncient orders holde stil, referringe them selues thereby, to the vse and order of the Primitiue Churche. Contrarywise, Ualentinus, Marcion, and other like Heretiques, thought them selues wisest of al others, and therfore vtterly refused (as M. Hardinge and his fellowes now doo) to stande to the Apo∣stles orders: Thus Irenaeus* 1.4 writeth of them: Dicent se, non solùm Presbyteris, sed etiam Apostolis sapientiores esse, & sinceram veritatem inuenisse. They will say, that they are wiser, not onely then other priestes, but also then the Apostles, and that they haue founde out the perfit trueth. I say not, M. Hardinge is so wickedly minded, as Ualenti∣nus, or Marcion was: but thus I say, He vtterly refuseth, to stande to the Apo∣stles orders, and foloweth other late diuised fantasies: and therein vndoubtedly doothe, euen as the olde Heretiques Marcion, and Ualentinus did.

[ 1] Now let vs consider M. Hardinges reasons. The state (saith he) of the Primi∣tiue Churche was farre vnlike the state of the Churche, wee be now in.

Ergo, VVee are not bounde to S. Paules commaundementes.

[ 2] Againe he saith, Some one, or other in a Parishe, vnderstandeth somwhat of the Latine Tongue:

[ 3] The people is sufficiently instructed in Religion:

[ 4] They come togeather now, not so muche to be instructed, as to praie:

Ergo, they ought to haue their Seruice in a strange tongue.

O what meaneth M. Hardinge thus to deale? Lothe I am, to make the compa∣rison. But true it is: Uery Children doo not vse, to reason in so childishe sorte.

He knoweth wel, that commonly, neither any one of the whole parish, vnderstan∣deth the Latine tongue, nor oftentimes the Priest himselfe. He knoweth that the people of his Churche, is not instructed in Religion, nor no man suffered to in∣structe them. And, not withstandinge bothe these partes were graunted true, yet coulde he not any way conclude, that therfore y^e people should haue their Seruice in a strange vnknowen tongue. Thus, neither is the Antecedent true, nor doothe the Consequent thereof folow. Now iudge thou, good Christian Reader, whether these proufes beare weight sufficient to leade thy conscience.

He saith, Praiers in the Common Uulgare tongue were necessary in the pri∣mitiue Churche, for breedinge of the Faith. But what thinge can be bredde by

praiers in a strange tongue? What Knowledge, what Faithe, what Charitie?

The Apostles were not voyde of Faithe:* 1.5 yet they saide vnto Christe, O Lorde increase our Faithe. Christe speakinge of the latter daies, saith thus: VVhen the Sonne of man shal come, he shal scarcely finde Faith in the vvorlde. Doubte∣lesse, the thinge, that was good to reare the Faithe, is also good to repaire the Faithe: and that was then necessary to increase Faithe, is also necessary now to continue Faithe.

But to what ende doothe he allege the woordes of Chrysostome?* 1.6 Did that good Father euer minister the Common Seruice vnto the people in a strange tongue?* 1.7 M. Hardinge knoweth, The people vnderstoode Chrysostome, what he praied: and answeared him in their owne tongue: and praied with him al togeather. Or did Chrysostome euer checke the people for their knowlege, or discourage them from reading the Scriptures? Certainly he oftentimes rebuketh them for not rea∣dinge, and willeth them to bye the Scriptures:* 1.8 to reade the Scriptures: and to conferre at home with their families of the Scriptures.* 1.9 And wher as M. Harding to withdraw the peoples hartes from readinge, saith, The Scriptures are darke, and dangerous, and no man hable to wade in them without a guide: S. Chryso∣stome contrarywise,* 1.10 to encourage y^e people to reade the Scriptures, saith: They be plaine, and easy, and that the ignorant and simple man, by praier vnto God, may atteine the knowledge of them without any Maister, or Teacher, by him selfe a∣lone. For these be his woordes, euen as M. Harding hath alleged them:* 1.11 Profectò si orare cum diligentia insuescas, nihil est, quòd doctrinam conserui tui desideres, cùm ip∣se Deus sine vllo interprete, mentem tuam abundè luce afficiat. If thou vse to praie dili∣gently, there is no cause, why thou shouldest defier the teaching of thy felow seruante. For God him selfe wil abundantly lighten thy minde without any interpreter.* 1.12 The like saieing he hath often otherwhere. Declaring y^e storie of Queene Candaces Chamberlaine, he writeth thus: Fieri non potest, vt is, qui Diuinis Scripturis magno studio, feruenti{que} de∣siderio vacat, semper negligatur: Licet enim desit nobis hominis Magisterium, tamen ipse Dominus supernè intrans corda nostra, illustrat mentem, rationi iuba•• suum infundit, de∣••egit occulta, doctor{que} fit eorum, quae ignoramus. It cannot be that any man with greate studie, and feruent desier readinge the Scriptures, should stil be leafte destitute. For although wee lacke the Instruction of man, yet wil God him selfe from aboue enter into our hartes, and lighten our minde, and caste a beame of light into our reason, and open thinges that be hidden, and become our teacher of suche thinges, as wee know not. Therefore this place of Chrysostome standeth M. Hardinge in smal stéede, onlesse it be by the counte∣nance of an ancient Doctour, to make the simple beléeue, he hath saide some∣what: The reason, that he geathereth hereof, is this: The vnlearned man, be he neuer so simple, may reade the Scriptures in his owne Vulgare tongue, and vnderstande the same without a teacher: Ergo, The Common Seruice ought to be ministred vnto the Laye people in an vnknowen tongue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Irenaeus li 3. ca. 3.
• * 1.2

  Tertull. aduer∣sus Pra••eam.
• * 1.3

  Concil. Nicen.
• * 1.4

  Irenae. li. 3. ca. 2.
• * 1.5

  Lu. 17.
• * 1.6

  Chrysostom.
• * 1.7

  Contra Anomae∣os homi. 3.
• * 1.8

  Chrysost. in Mat. hom. 2.
• * 1.9

  Chrysostom. in Psalm. 43.
• * 1.10

  Chrysost. ad Co∣loss. hom. 9.
• * 1.11

  Chrysost. contra▪ Anomaeos. homi. 3.
• * 1.12

  Chrysost. in ••en. hom. 35.