A detection of sundrie foule errours, lies, sclaunders, corruptions, and other false dealinges, touching doctrine, and other matters vttered and practized by M.Iewel, in a booke lately by him set foorth entituled, a defence of the apologie. &c. By Thomas Harding doctor of diuinitie.

Iewel. 131.

Or rather, to set apart al comparison of persons, the doctrine of Christ this day, M. Harding, succedeth your doctrine, as the daye succedeth the

night: as the light succedeth darknesse, and as the truth succedeth errour.

Harding.

That is to say, your doinges, and proceedinges are the daye, the light, and the truth: but the Catholique faith whiche we teache, and al our predecessours in al the worlde haue euer taught, is the night, the darkenesse, and errour. But sir, if your doctrine be daye, or light, and ours night, or darkenesse: how chaunceth it, that our do∣ctrine was euer openly seene in the whole worlde from the Apostles time vnto these daies, in so many Bishoppes throughout al nations, teaching al one thing, and yours was not sene by your owne confession for nine hundred yeres together? This was a long night pardy M. Iewel. Is it the nature of the light not to be seene? Who sawe not our Altars, our external Priestes, and our Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ in the whole world from East to Weast, as Malachias prophecied, and the euent shewed?

But your no Aulters, your no external Priestes, and your no sacrificing of Christes body, briefly, the Imagi∣natiue face of your Negatiue Religion, or rather of your no Religion, who could see, before that now of late ye pulled downe our Aulters, to shewe howe ye had no Aulters, and before violently ye bannished our Priestes, and draue them out of their Churches, to shewe howe ye had no Priestes, and denied Christes Real Presence, to shew how ye had no Sacrifice? Our Munkes, and Friers from S. Ihon Baptistes dayes, and from the tyme of those, that liued a very holy life in Egypte, frō the time of S. Marke the Euangeliste vnto the time of

S. Basil in the East, of S. Augustine, S. Benedicte, S. Frauncis and S. Dominike in the Weast, had replenished Christendom with Cloisters, and Monasteries: to those our Monkes, I say, al the worlde beareth witnesse. But your no monkes, Renegates, and Apostates, liued in Turkie, or in Hel: for in the landes of Christendom no such doctrine shined, none suche was heard of, whiche should auouche, that it is not lawful by Gods grace to make a vowe, that a man wil renounce the riches, and pleasures of the worlde, and liue continently, vnder the obedience of a spiritual Father.

If your doctrine be the light, and the daye, howe commeth it to passe, that not so muche as one Churche, or chappel in the whole earth can be named, where before these fiftie yeres it was vnlawful to occupie holy Chrisme in bishopping of childerne, or to saye Masse, or to teache the seuen Sacramentes, to praie for the dead, to celebrate the Churche Seruice in the Latine tongue, to desire the Apostles, Martyrs, and the other Saintes to praie for vs, al which thinges now you accompt for vnlawful? Can the light be so darkened, that it should be vnknowen vnto you, whether ye had any auncestours at al, or no? We can, if neede were, set forth a rolle of our Pastours and Bishops, from this daye vpward vnto S. Peters time in such sort, as you shal name no one time, of whiche we are not hable to saye vnto you, these many prelates, and Pastours were knowen to preache Christes gospel, at once in diuers nations.

Marcke M. Iewel, what I saye to you, and consider of it wel: For herein your vtter Confusion appeareth, that ye are not hable to bring the continuance of your do∣ctrine

vp vnto S. Peters time without interruption, albeit you should be bounde to name for euery fiftie yeres in Order, but one man in the whole worlde at once. Thinke of it with al your witte, and geue me an instance. There are since Christes time fifteen hūdred yeres passed. Geue me for euery hundred yeres two Catholike men, one li∣uing after the other, whom you may iustifie to haue ben of your faith, holding that doctrine whiche you holde, and so geue me in al but thirtye menne, liuing, and know∣en to haue lyued, eche of them about fiftie yeres one after the other, and for my part I wil release you of your bond of subscription.

Such a lightsome Churche ye haue, that ye must go into the pit of Hel to fetch out Aêrius, Pelagius, Vigilan∣tius, Iouinian, Heluidius, Manichaeus, and such others of condemned memorie, to geue light vnto your Churche, or els you can bring foorth none at al. For whereas al the Greekes, as it may appeare by Epiphanius, and al the La∣tines, as it may appeare by S. Augustine, condemned him for an heretike, who said the prayers of the liue could not helpe the dead, what catholike is it possible to bring foorth, for the yere of our Lorde three hundred and fiftie, or foure hundred, who taught as ye now teache, that it is not lawful, nor profitable to praye for the dead?

Wel, ye are not the light, nor the daye. Is your do∣ctrine at the least the truth? Nay, that is the truth, which is also the light. For the true doctrine is taught in that Church which is built vpon an hil, and can not be hid.

The truth is vniforme, but emong you Luther and Zuin∣glius, Caluine and Westphalus, Bullinger and Brentius,

Illyricus and Beza, and sundrie other couples and partes agree so wel, that a man may easily know them to be false Prophetes. For whereas they al disagree, yet they are al without that Churche, where vnitie is preserued in the perpetual Succession of many Bishops alwaies agreeing in one saith. Therefore your doctrine is neither the light, nor the daye, nor the truth: but darkenesse, but night, but errour.

Notes

• VVhat is the daie, vvhat is the night in M. Ievvelles iudge∣ment.
• Malac. 1.
• Epiphan. Haeres. 75
• Math. 5.