ought to be offred no more For Christes death is so perfect a sacrifice that by the one offering we are made cleane from sinne for euer And touchinge his bodie he is no more in thys worlde There is to be noted that Saynt Paule sayeth that Christe is once offered The papistes saye often He saieth all thinges are cōsummate made perfecte by one sacrifice The papistes wil haue moneie masses Note also that Christe offered hym selfe and so dyd not the churche byshopes nor priestes and thys worde cōsummate or made perfecte doeth blanke them that they haue nothing to answere for the holy gost confuteth theyr sophistrie and cauilacions wyth so manifeste and playne argumentes as can not be denied Note also thys worde euerlastinge Christe is an euerlastynge prieste for he made satisfaction for all the synne of the whole worlde and this sacrifice hath a continuall efficacitie and vertue in all thē that beleue in it and shew it forth wyth thākes giuinge for the same It is truely a great vnthākfulnes to say it is necessarie to offer christ againe an other waye for the sinnes of the worlde They seke manye euations to defende their often offring One is thys they say Christ offreth hym selfe Sacramentally thei are but ministres But thei declare not this worde sacrament what thyng it is leste they should vtter the truth The sacrament is no nother thynge then a token for vs to remembre that Christ being an only sacrifice toke awaye oure synnes once on the crosse If they woulde declare it after thys sorte we shoulde sone agre But when no man doeth resiste them herein they maye doo wyth there Masse what so euer pleaseth them They rule fortune at theyr owne pleasure Victorie in battaile is optained bi their Masse satisfaction for sinne what thinge is it that the Masse cannot do And they make theyr bostes that they deserue by this holi worke what thing so euer is needful But whē they are put to there answer thē thei fly to this euaciō afore reherssed Christe offereth hym selfe therin we are nothynge elles but ministers theyr cannon which they magnifie and extoll aboue the gospell doeth manifestlie opē and detecte theire vngodlines and blasphemi for before they come to the consecracion thei saye I offre presente and gyue to God an holye and vndefiled sacrifice for the peace of the whole congregacion of holly churche when as it is nothynge but breade and wyne And it is named the sacrament And albeit they beliue that it is not then oure Lordes bodye yet they offer it fore all the world This must nedes be plaine Idolatrie to gyue to breade and wyne the honour and glorie of Christe who gaue hymselfe for the church to reconsile and make hys father atone wyth vs. Howe can Christe offer offre himselfe in the sacrament before he is ther I thinke men maye nowe easlye perceyue howe muche their lies and answere differ frōe their dedes and masses What an heinouse offence is thys to offre a peice of breade a litle wine for the onely Sacrifice of Christe the highe prieste And shal the bread and wyne be of lyke efficacitye and power to redeme synne with the bloud of Iesus Christe But they are muche more blasphemouse after the consecracion sayng that the bread and wyne are tourned into the naturall bodye and bloude of Christ for they saye we offre to thy holly maiestye an holly offeringe holy breade of lyfe euerlasting and cup of euerlastynge health whiche we praye the vochsafe to regarde and loke vpon wyth thy moste merciful eies and cherful countenaūce and let them be as acceptable to the as the reward of rightuouse Able sacrifice of our father Abrahā Make thē an hollye cleane sacrifice that thei may be brought to thin altar by the handes of the angel These are the wordes of the cānon If they speake of Christe as they cōmōly vnderstād it how cā their Imaginacion take place where they saye that Christe offred hym selfe in the sacramente For they praie for Christe and desire of god that he maye be in suche fauoure wyth God as Abel and Abraham and that the Angell maye brynge hym to the aultar of god For they cā not take bread of eternal life to signifie the people although christ were in the breade bodelye yet he shoulde not be offered to God for that were great derogaciō to the honour of hys priesthod Great in conuenience doeth folowe to saye that the Masse is a sacrifice for sinnes For saynt Paule sayeth forgiuenes of synnes is not without sheddinge of bloude Howe is Christ then offered in the Masse when there is no offeringe wythout bloude for if there be any sacrifice that suffereth not and is without bloude Saynt Paules Argumētes are folishe and of no strength or vertue saying Christ offreth hymselfe no more or elles he muste necessarily dye once agayne and must haue died oftentymes sens the begininge of the worlde But vndoubtly S Paul doeth knowe the true sence and meaneinge of holly scripture better thē any of al the papistes For a sacrifice for sinne is neuer offred without bloud This saying therfore that some thing was offered in the olde lawe as breade wythout bloude maketh nothinge for there purpose For when the bodyes of lyuinge creatures are slayne and sacrifice is offered for sinnes bloude must be shed Thei cannot therefore proue by scripture that Christes bloude is offered in the Masse otherwyse then in remembraunce and thankes giuing And thys is done both of the ministers and receiuours For as prayer so thankes giuing also belongeth to al men He that geueth thankes sayeth not I offer any thing more than a thanfull herte and prayse to God If the people were taught thys doctrine They woulde not bestowe somuch monie on masses and vpō the foūdacions of chauntries and fraternities as they haue done throughe persuacion that remission of synnes is obtayned in the Masse not by grace promised to them that beleue but by offering of Christe the sonne of God and by prayeinge for hym Phie I am ashamed to rehersse thys abominable balasphemie of theirs in maters of God The papistes in as muche as in them lyeth kill and crucifie Christe agayne in there sacrifice of the Masse doinge no other wyse then if Christe as yet were not ascended into heauen to hys father he that doeth thys maketh Christe subiecte to death and crucifieth hym agayne For Christe entred not nor entreth in to the hollye place of heauen but by his bloud Let vs labour that Christ maye dwell in oure hertes They obeicte the if it be derogacion to Christes honour and dignitie and that the merite of hys passion be not perfecte because we offer Christe agayne fayeth Baptisme and kepinge of godes commaundementes maye diminishe the dignitie of Christe and full merites of his passion and therefore it should not nede to do any good workes This is a folish and an vnmete comparisiō The offeringe verely of
good a countenaunce with as like fauour as Christ him self for there is like state of the hed and other membres For whoe dare eyther accuse or condemne them that God hath chosen them that god hath promysed iust and for whome Christe is medyator and intercessour They are clothed with Christe and all his garmentes wherfore as Iaacob pleased his father in Esau his steade hauīg on Esau his clothes Semblably wyll take vs for no true sonnes clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ and wyl geue vs the enheritaunce of his heauenlye kingdome with Iesu Christ hys sonne to whome be all honor and glory for euer and euer Amen Finis ¶ To the right worshipfull and his singuler good Master Siluester Butler George Bancrafte Wishethe prosperitye and healthe boeth of bodye and soule WHen I considered wyth my selfe the greate daūgerous abuses in the administracion of such sacramentes as our sauiour Iesus Christe left to his misticall bodie the churche of the fayethfull to be externe signes and tokens of suche giftes as God hath and doth dailie worcke in vs to his own glorie and saluacion of oure soules ▪ I can fynde perceiue and proue none to be somuche abused as the holy and sacret supper of our Lord. For wher as he ordined that holy sacramēt of his bodie and bloud to be eaten and dronken in remembraunce of his passion whose frute they taste therin which haue ther stedfaste fayth in hym And thereby shewe furth the Lordes death vntyll he come and as brede is made of many graines wyne of many grapes so the membres of the congregacion of Christes churche Haueinge one God one fayeth and one Baptisme are put in remēbraūce in eateinge and drinkinge that they are one bodie whereof Christe is the hed The beally bishopes of Babilon the Romishe Antichrist haue anullyd extripate cleane abolished the ordinaunce of Christ and vse of thappostelles in the administracion therof And haue of their owne brayne excogitated deuised and brought in to the churche a newe and straynge ordinaunce for the same whiche is as cōtrarie to christes wil and purpose touching that blessed supper as heauē to earth lyght to darknes lyfe to death and they call it the blessyd Masse but it maye be truely callyd a diluesh Masking for menes eies are masked there with that thei cannot se the trueth but through that detestable abominacion haue bene brought to moste miserable perdiciō for they applie it to souldyoures in war for faire weather and rayne for the plage pockes and suche other diseases for beastes sicke of the morren for preseruacion of health and for remissiō of synnes boeth for the quicke and deade I wyl not speake how God is mocked therin and Christe had in derision they pley booe pepe wyth seste me or seste me not My pene abhoreth to write what duckinge knellenge lickinge kissing or Crossing and breathing these diuilles apes haue deuised in thys whorishe Masse ther desguisinge In apparell at Masse hath picked manye a pore mannes purs and hath robbid theire soules of the true frutes of the spirite for al suche somes of monie that men shoulde haue bestowed on theire poure parentes childrē and nedie neighbours was to litle for their vestimētes albes stoles chalices corporaces aulter clothes Massbockes and suche other wherein Christe hath no delite for Christe and the Appostelles vsede none suche disguisynge in the admininistracion of thys blessid Sacrament of Christes bodie and bloud but were contendid with such ramente as they were accustomed daylye to were so these shameles Idolaters shewing them selues of what generacion they are dare so bouldlye face out such manifeste lyes agaynste gods glorye the plaine truth and ordinaunce of christ What shal I speake of these holi mumers I would haue saied holy Masse mongers that whan they here of any rich manes death they flocke together lyke rauennes to a dead Carrē Not to conforte them that mourne for the deade wyth hope of the resurrection of the fleshe not to gyue thankes to God for them that are departed in the fayeth of Christe nor to praye that we departinge in the same fayeth maye wyth them receyue like rewarde but to get money with Requiem eternā and pro quorum memoria corpus Christi sumitur with censing dashing of holy water such other lyke Iuglinges so that the ryght vse of it is cleane altered as thought christ had neuer ordeined it in remembraunce of his death and passion and for as much as in thys treatise folowinge the true vse of the Lordes supper and also the deuelishe patchinge of the popishe Masse is in fewe wordes liuely declared I haue thought it good to trāslate the same into the englishe tonge to the edifinge of my dere bretherne in Christ praiinge God the father of oure sauiour Iesus Christ that these thinges may shortlie be reformed that the pore flocke of Christ be nomore deceyuede wyth suche craftye conueiaunce to kepe them in cōtenual blinded for lucres sake to the great daunger of their soules and pernicious derogaciō of gods glorie to whome be honour and glorye for euer AMEN FOr asmuche as God hath commaunded vs by his Appostle i. Pet. iii. Peter Oh ye fathers of oure countrie in wysdome grauitie and godlines to be readie at all tymes to gyue an answere to euery mā that asketh vs a reson of oure fayth it is mete that we should more gladly answere to a questiō proponed beinge requirede of you oure moste Soueraigne Magistrates to whome we knowe also what is oure dutie in other thinges We haue affirmed and vpon sure grounde and reason proued in oure publike sermons that the popishe Masse is not an offering for the quicke and dead but a moste detestable abominaciō before god And therfore a man wyll not belyue how glad we are which loue the truthe that you oure moste prudent senatours require of vs an answer to thys question for we conceyue greate hope that God whyche moueth you to desire to atteine the knowledge of the light and truth wil of his infinite mercye encrese hys grace in you that after the example of the godlye kinges Ezechias and Iolias when the trueth diligently serched out and truly knowen you wyl take awaye abolishe and vtterlye distroye all such tradicions of man as are repugnante to the worde of God And al suche thynges as are taught and set fourth contrarie to the ordinaūce of god and holsome doctrine of Christe whiche thinges stire vp the anger and griuouse displeasure for God agaynste vs miserable creatures for in so doinge you shall norishe confirme and establishe peace vnitie and concorde in thys noble citie of Basell and bringe your subiectes to a sincere godly fourme of lyuinge that at the daie of Iudgement the bloud and condempnacion of moste detestable sinners shall not be required at your handes being oure Magistrates and gouerners but rather you shal be rewarded of God and receyue in thys worlde prayse and
in thys holie supper for he woulde haue gyuen hys bodie to thē reallie not in the sacramente It is not inoughe for these piuishe papistes to offer christes bodie to God except they offer it also for remission of synne for health of the bodie and for hope of eternal life For other wise it shuld not be so highly estemed If they continewe still in these errours against the plaine trueth they will The belefe of a true christian Ro. iiii deny Christ For he that knoweth Christe is certainely assured that he is god and man the sauiour of the worlde that in hym as in the true sede of Dauid al nacions are blessed and that no mā can come to the father but by him For the father Ga. iii. Iohn xi doth so loue him that for hys sake his angre toward vs is pacified for he is our rightuousnes holines and redempcion that nomā Cor. i. is saued but bi his name only that he alone fulfilled the worke of our Act. iiii redempcion with out any helper And finally that he did sufficiētly satisfie Esae lxiii for our sinnes on the crosse if we beliue truely on him This is the Heb. x. ground of our christen faith wher on christes church is builded And Math. xvi he that denieth Christe to be hys perfecte and sufficient redemer by once sufferinge death on the crosse maketh him an vnsufficient priest and vnable redemer And therfore they deny Christ in that they deni his ful power and vertue in our redemptiō These Maskinge Masse priestes in their often offeringe of Christe denye that we are Iustified by fayth only ascribinge part of oure iustificacion to good workes cōtrarie to the playne scriptures of Eph ii God for we are saued by grace and not of workes And they magnifie and extolle the Masse aboue all other good workes makeinge them sēlues fellowe priestes wyth Christ wherin they shew of what generacion they be euen as they sprynge of Lucifer the father of pride nowe let vs expende and cōsider whether Christe commaunded his disciples to make an offeringe of the sacrament of his holy supper or whether he offered hym selfe therein or no. Vndoubtedly Christes wordes diligently obserued and noted we maye perceyue easlye the Christ offred no sacrifice therein To take and breake bread doth not signifye to offre To geue thankes is not to do sacrifice for elles he hadde done sacrifice in fedynge fyue thousand with the fewe barlye loues to gyue his disciples to eate And to say do this in remēbraunce of me in shewynge furth the Lordes death vntyll he come is not an offering To belyue that Christ was giuen vs the he gaue his bodie to death for vs that he shed his bloud not at the supper but on the crosse to redeme vs frō syn is not an offering Finally to proue the testamēt the beleue on the which was cōmaunded in the testament doth not signifie to offre How wyl you nowe proue your offerynge in the Masse We come to the Lordes table we take and eate trusteinge in Christes promesses howe do we thē gyue to him againe If a king shoulde gyue a ringe to a pore mā for a gage not that he shoulde be heire of hys landes and goods but that it should helpe hym and that he thereby shoulde remember his liberalitye mercye and the people myght cōmende and prayse hym for that facte the pore man receyueth it to giue it agayne to the king thynkinge to do hym a great pleasure to make hym riche wyth hys own gift wer not this a mad mā So may al such be Iudged as offere to Christ agayne the whych he gaue vs for our owne vse and profite and that thereby we shoulde kepe in remembraūce his loue and mercye towarde vs. Christ did not lifte vp the sacramēt ouer his head as these proude papistes do They obiecte and saye that God cā giue some thynges and receyue them agayne as the sacrifices of tholde lawe Thoughe they were the giftes Psal x of God Yet they were gyuen to hym agayne and thoughe a cōtrite herte is the gyfte of god yet it is a sacrifice to God If we were cōmaunded to offer sacrifice as they were then theire obiection shoulde be of some strēgth and efficacie But wee haue no suche commaundemente neyther the scriptures make mencion of these popishe sacrifices For Christ is of greater power and reputaciō then that these proude popish prelates other can or oughte to offer hym to hys father Christe sitteth on the fathers ryght hande and once satisfied for the synnes of the Atc. vii true Christen church with a most sufficient and perfecte sacrifice Dare we then moste miserable wretches enterprise to do thys thynge agayne He that doth offre vp sacrifice is better thē the sacrifice They therefore are better thē Christe their sacrifice he offred vs a sacrifice to God and do we goo about to offer hym He that offerreth vp sacrifice ought to be as pure as the sacrifice Oh howe pure they make Christ nowe He as a testament maker gaue his disciples the sacramēt in his supper none other wise thē as a writtē testamēt wherin by fayth in Christ we receiue Christes bodie bloude the vertue and frutes of the same If wee gyue hym hys testamente agayne as if he required it of vs should not we haue the testament maker in a contempt And should Aba xi not the promise in the testamente be of effecte Who ahboreth not thys kynde of blasphemie whē we consider the hyghnes of Christes priesthod and what this worde sacrifice contayneth in it we maye easlye perceyue what Iniury we do to thynke that we offer Christes bodye as the papistes do S. Paule declareth vnto vs the pristhod of christ saiing it is mete the we Hebru vii haue suche a godly and vndefiled byshop made higher then heaues whych nedeth not to offre dayly First for hys owne sinnes and thē for the synnes of the people as the byshop of the olde lawe for Christ dyd thys once in offeringe vp hys owne bodye and in an other place he sayth Christe beinge the hyghe priest of the good thinges to come came by a greater and more perfecte Tabernacle whiche was not made wyth handes that is to saye was not of thys kynde of bulding Neither came he by the bloud of gotes and calues but by hys owne bloude he entred once into thys holly place and founde eternall redempcion for we are made hollie bi godes fre mercie through the offering of christes bodie done once for all For Christe verely beinge one sacrifice offred vp for our sinnes sitteth on his fathers right hand lokeing for the thing that remayneh vntil his enemise be made his fotestole for wyth one offring he made perfecte those that are sātified Saynt Paule teacheth vs by Melchisedech That Christ is king of peace rightuousnes By these places of scripture it is Manifest that Christ