practise of the most points of controuersie betweene them and vs. The Methode which I shall follow in this ensuing confutation shall be this First I shall shew that the pretended sacrifice of the Masse hath no foundation either in the Scriptures or practise of the Apostles or was knowne to the Fathers of the first sixe hundred yeares after Christ. Secondly I shall shew how the Masse got entrance increase and continuance in the Church of Rome from the time of Gregorie the great vntill these 〈◊〉 dayes Thirdly I shall answer vnto the Obiections of our Aduersaries Lastly I shall lay downe arguments confuting them and establishing the Doctrine now taught in the Church of England And for the first of these If this sacrifice of the Masse haue any ground in Scripture the Papists will be sure to alleadge whatsoeuer may seeme to make for their purpose Let vs then lay in the ballance of the Sanctuary their wrested Scriptures and see how they prooue the matter in hand First they alleadge the words of our Sauiour to the woman of Samaria The houre commeth that you shall not worship the father neither in this mountaine nor at Ierusalem but the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth What prooue they from hence to adore say they is to sacrifice which sacrifice say they is the sacrifice of the Masse But who can be so blind as not plainely to discerne that by worship is meant all spirituall seruice and that after the materiall sacrifices the spirituall sacrifices shall succeede And Saint Augustine vnderstands it of inward and spirituall prayer Wouldest thou pray in a Temple pray within thy selfe saith he changing this outward and materiall Seruice to inward and spirituall Chrysostome expounds Christ to 〈◊〉 of the spirituall sacrifice of our selues which the Apostle mentions Rom. 12. 1. And 〈◊〉 their owne Cardinall thus expounds this place In spirit that is to say not in the mountaine not at 〈◊〉 not in 〈◊〉 one 〈◊〉 place not with a temporall Seruice but with an inward and spirituall Ferus likewise one of their own though nor so corrupt as now they are sayes In spirit in as much as they shall haue receiued the Spirit of 〈◊〉 crying in him Abba Father in truth in as much as they shall call upon him in his Sonne who is Truth it selfe Offering saith he afterwards no more any quicke and liuing creatures but their owne bodies in sacrifice a holy oblation and offering Thus neither by the Fathers nor by some of their owne Writers expounding this Scripture can it appeare that Christ speakes in this place concerning the sacrifice of the Masse Secondly the falshood of Iohannes 〈◊〉 Durantus is palpable when he saith That it is perspicuous by the testimonies of Christ himselfe and of Paul the Apostle and of the ancient Fathers that Christ instituted the sacrifice of the Masse and was the Authour thereof Wherefore hauing recited the institution of the Sacrament out of the 22. chapter of Luke and the first of the Corinth the eleuenth vpon these words Doe this in remembrance of me hee concludeth that by those words Christ gaue commandement to sacrifice for to doe signifies to sacrifice according to that of Virgill Quum faciam vitulam pro frugibus c. Answ. I answer Facere in the latine signifies sometimes to sacrifice but it is onely a Poeticall phrase feldome read and neuer but when it is ioyned with the thing to be sacrificed And the greeke language wherein the Euangelist Luke and the Apostle Paul writ vseth not the word Poiein to sacrifice Wherefore Christ instituting there not a Sacrifice but a 〈◊〉 enioyneth vs to doe the same that hee hath done namely to blesse the bread to eate the bread to blesse the cup to drinke of the cup to distribute them both and to receiue them both Thirdly a great Papist of late yeares seeing himselfe thrust out of this place flyeth to another and will needes prooue that the Apostles said Masse by that place of the Acts. Leitourgountôn ae autôn kai nesteuontôn As they ministred vnto the Lord and fasted This word Leitourgountôn as they ministred he will haue to signifie as they were saying Masse Answ. I answer the word properly signifies to 〈◊〉 ones duty or to serue and therefore is to be translated as they were seruing the Lord. I know in the greeke Church the Lords Supper was called leitourgia a liturgie or seruice but that is kat exochen because it is the clearest badge of our Christian profession and a speciall worke of Gods seruice So the Apostle calls the almes of the Saints leitourgia a liturgy or seruice in both which places the word is vsed which they would haue to signifie to say Masse in the place before alleadged They may as well prooue that the Angells said Masse for the same Epitheton is attributed to them They are called leitourgika pneumata ministring spirits It were strange to translate it Massing spirits But what is the meaning of the former place Leitourgounton As they were ministring Oecumenius tells vs Truely the same that 〈◊〉 they were preaching The Syriacke and the Arabian As they were at praiers Their old translation as they were executing their office and ministerie And the Glosse addeth in good workes euery man according to his order and degree Nicholas de Lyra and Caietan two of their owne men the first sayes As they serued God euerie one according to his degree fasting to the end that their spirits might be so much the more raysed and lifted vp to 〈◊〉 and diuine things The second sayes He speaketh nothing of what kind their ministring was but in as much as hee had spoken before of Prophets and teachers he would in finuate vnto vs that they serued God in teaching and prophecying Among these and all ancient expositers there is not one can be found that did euer dreame of finding the Masse in this place of Scripture But let vs further grant that the word doth signifie that they were celebrating the holy Sacrament yet what can they from thence collect to prooue the sacrifice of the Masse yea but say they Leitourgein signifies to sacrifice Nay but properly to execute a publike charge either in spirituall or temporall affaires Wherefore Suidas calls Leitourgia he demosia huperesia a publike of fice or charge and so is called quasi ta leita ergazein to doe some publike worke for the people or suppose wee should yeeld they were sacrificing why not sacrificing the Gospell according to that place which formerly I haue quoted and expounded to bee nothing els but by preaching the Gospell to make the sacrifice of Christ to be knowne to their hearers and by the sword of the spirit the word of God to kill and slay mens sinnefull lusts that so they may bee offered vp to God a pure and vnspotted sacrifice Fourthly they tell vs of the Masse of Saint
JAMES Earl of DERBY VNMASKING OF the Masse-Priest WITH A DVE AND DIligent examination of their holy Sacrifice By C. A. SHEWING HOW THEY PARTAKE with all the ancient Heretiques in their profane impious and Idolatrous worship LONDON Printed for RICHARD WHITTAKER and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the Kings head 1624. TO THE RIGHT NOBLE AND TRAVELY Religious IAMES Lord STRANGE Heire to the Right Honorable WILLIAM Earle of Darby I. L. wisheth encrease of blessings Internall Externall Eternall RIGHT HONORABLE AS the God of Nature hath Decked that Great Man the World with diuers ornaments it being in nothing more admirable then in variety so hath the same God inriched that little World Man with sundry endowments he being in nothing more profitable to the Church then in Diuersity For to some he hath giuen to be Apostles to others to be Prophets to others to be Teachers and all this for the gathering together of the Saints for the workes of the Ministry for the building vp of the body of Christ. So that wherein one is Defectiue another is Excellent that the Church of Christ may bee perfectly instructed in all things by the mutuall labours of each fellow member Hence it comes to passe that some men abound with variety of Tongues others with interpretation of Languages some with the smoothnes of Doctrine and others are acquainted with the knotty study of Polemicall Theologie there being nothing commodious for that Mysticall body of Christ which cannot be supplied by one member or other And albeit this renowned Kingdome of great Britaine flowes with multitudes of most pregnant wits as once did Canaan with 〈◊〉 and Hony who are sarre more powerfully able to buckle with our Aduersaries then my selfe yet beeing confident in the Almighty I 〈◊〉 with little Dauid aduentured to encounter with this great 〈◊〉 of Gath the Romish 〈◊〉 hoping my labours albeit vnpollished with Eligancy of stile shall not bee altogether vnprofitable to the Church The insolency of the Romish Foxes as in all places of this Land so more especially in those parts where your 〈◊〉 hath Command and Mansion and my selfe Residence and Imployment hath forced me to the search of this subiect The setling of weake and confirmation of sound Protestants hath pressed it to the Presse The bonds of Respect and Duty wherein I am obliged vnto your Honor bind both my selfe and it vnto your Noble Selfe vnto whose Patronage I Commend it and vnder whose Name I commit it to the wide World The Motiues that induce me to Dedicate this small Treatise to your Honor are First the Externall Nobility of your Birth being so Noble a Branch equally springing from two Illustrious Stems Secondly the Internall Nobility of your Grace manifested by your so sincere affection to Religion wherein with Timothy your Honour hath beene instructed from your Child-hood and to the true Professours whereof your Lordship hath vouchsafed alwayes a gracious countenance Thirdly your purpose to visite other Kingdomes abroad where doubtlesse occasion will be offered vnto your Lordship to maintaine that Truth wherein you haue beene bred and to oppose that Falshood which you cannot but detest 〈◊〉 I presumed to preferre this part of my studies vnto your Honorable Patronage that it might remaine with your Honor as an Antidote against the Poyson of Popery and Infection of the Romish Locusts Lastly that hereby I might render vnto your Honor some testimonie of thankfulnesse for those manie vndeserued Fauours which Your Lordship hath beene pleased to conferre vppon mee that as I remaine bound vnto Your Honor for euer So heereby I might free my selfe from the staine of Ingratitude Accept therefore I most humbly beseech your Honor this pleadge of his vnfained thankfulnesse who shall continually pray to God to blesse your Lordshippe with aboundance of Honor Wealth Grace Prosperity in this World and the full Fruition of Eternall Glory in the World to come Your Honours in all seruice to be Commanded IOHN LEVVIS To the Christian Reader CHristian Reader the audacious and frequent practise of the Masse-Priests in offering their blasphemous Sacrifice with the vnsufferable impudency of the Romish Laity both in conference to iustifie and by presence to communicate therein more especially in our Northerne parts where I am Resident hath constrained me to wade into this abstruse Mystery not intending to make it the Worlds common obiect as may appeare by the stile but rather to furnish my selfe with Defensiue and Offensiue armour matter of answer and opposition in case of encounter What intention had vowed mine owne intreaty of Friends and desire of the Common good hath made thine If thou know the Author censure not his youth seeing the scantinesse of yeares is supplied by the largnesse of Industry but if thou finde any fruite worth gathering taste it thankfully rendring God the glory me thy Prayers The solidity of the matter I hope thou canst not impeach the plainnesse vsed in Penning with the Faults escaped in Printing I hope thou wilt winke at Iudge me Thine in any Christian seruice 〈◊〉 LEVVIS In Blasphemiam Sacrificorum PRiests make Christ Body and Soule you must not doubt They 〈◊〉 drinke box him vp and beare about One's too little Bread and Wine Hold him seuerall so we dine Thou with thy Christ I with mine Is thy mouth the Virgins Wombe Is bread her Seede Are thy Words the Holy Ghost Is this our Creede Oh presumptuous vndertaker Neuer Cake could make a Baker Yet the Priest can make his Maker What 's become of all those Christs the Priests haue made Do those hoasts of Hosts abide or doe they fade One Christ abides but all those flie One Christ liues but all those die One is true the rest a lie MELCHIZEDECHS Antitype Or The eternall Priesthood and All sufficient sacrifice of Christ. Hebr 10. 12. But he hauing offred one Sacrifice for sinne sitteth for euer at the right hand of God THe Authour of this Epistle writing vnto the beleeuing Iewes which had receiued the doctrine of Christ intends not to persuade them that Iesus was the Messiah foretolde by the Prophets to bee the Sauiour of the world for of this they were already satisfied but his scope and intent is rather more fully to informe them concerning the offices of Christ which he prooues largely and exactly to be three Propheticall Kingly and Priestly These hee layes downe generally in the three first verses of this Epistle For first hee shewes that whereas the Lord had spoken obscurely and vmbratically by his Prophets touching the Christ yet now hee spake personally by his Sonne who was the Messiah himselfe and the great Prophet of his Church Secondly he shewes that Iesus was our Lord and King appointed by his father as heire of all things by whom he made the world in whom alone the glorie and maiesty of the father is to be contemplated who sustaineth all things by his mightie word each creature obeying his
estated in glory By him we haue our fetters knockt off and our filthy rags cast away by him we are arrayed with rich apparrell of holines and innocencie by him wee are brought into his fathers presence and are accepted of God Almightie Through him we haue our Iustification through him we haue our Sanctification through him we haue our Glorification Seeing then the saluation of all beleeuers is perfectly wrought and consummated by the sacrifice of Christ here may arise a question Quest. Whether there be any sacrifices to bee offered by Christians vnder the Gospell or no Answ. I answer there are not any Ilasticke or propitiatory sacrifices to bee offered for attonement with God for to that end Christ hath offered himselfe once for all But as you haue heard that all Christians are spirituall Priests so they haue spirituall sacrifices to offer still vnto God which sacrifices are these First a broken and a contrite heart The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart oh Lord thou wilt not despise without this sacrifice all others are abhominable in the sight of God Secondly the offering vp of beleeuers per leitourgian ministrornm by the seruice of Gods ministers of this Paul speakes That I should be the minister of Iesus Christ to the Gentiles ministring the Gospell 〈◊〉 God that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable 〈◊〉 sanctified by the Holy Ghost Thirdly al manner of prayer and supplication Let my prayers be directed before thee as 〈◊〉 incense and the lifting vp of my hands as the euening sacrifice Fourthly all praise and thanksgining which wee giue vnto God By him therefore let vs offer the sacrifice of prayse to God 〈◊〉 that is the fruits of our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanks to his name This sacrifice of 〈◊〉 Orthodox fathers called an im ton thu sian an vnbloody sacrifice as 〈◊〉 in his embassage for the Christians to the Emperours Antonius and 〈◊〉 And Eusebius Offerant illi logikas kai anaimous thu sias Let them offer 〈◊〉 and vnbloody sacrifices So Cyrill Oecumenicus Iustine Martyr Clemens Alexandrinus fathers of great 〈◊〉 called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haleluiahs of Angels and the holy hymnes of the Saints acceptable 〈◊〉 sacrifices Fiftly our almes and reliefe of the poore are spirituall sacrifices To doe good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well 〈◊〉 And Paul calls the beneuolence of the Philippians sent by Ep phroditus an odor of a sweet smell and a sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God Sixtly there is the sacrifice of righteousnesse or iustice Offer to God the sacrifices of right 〈◊〉 and againe Then shalt thoube pleased with the sacrifices of righteousnesse 〈◊〉 there is the slaying of our sinnes and offering them vp dead vnto the Lord with there signation of our selues to Gods seruice I beseech you therefore 〈◊〉 by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable seruice Eighthly the bodily death of the Martyrs inflicted on them by bloody tyrants is a spirituall sacrifice Thus Paul calls himselfe a Sacrifice Yea if I bee offered vp a sacrifice for the seruice of your faith And I take it in this sense it is the Prophet Dauid speakes saying Precious in the sight of God is the death of his Saints Thus did that holy Polycarpe the Disciple of Saint Iohn call his death which hee indured for the testimony of Iesus a Sacrifice And so Saint Augustine speaking of the Martyrs hath these words The Gentils dedicated Temples consecrated Priests erected altars and offered sacrifices to their gods We Christians dedicate Temples to our Martyrs not as to Gods but to their memories as to dead men whose spirits liue with the Lord. Neither doe we erect alvars whereon we sacrifice to the Martyrs but to one God theirs and ours Wee offer sacrifice at which sacrifices those Martyrs as men of God are named in their place and order nor are they 〈◊〉 by him that offers the sacrifice for the sacrifice is not made to them but to God although it be in the remembrance of them for he is the minister of God and not theirs and the sacrifice is the body of Christ which is not offered vnto them for they themselues are that body In the latter end of which words Saint Augustine shewes that the whole Church which is the mysticall body of Christ whereof the Martyrs are a part is a gratefull sacrifice acceptable vnto God Lastly the sacrament of the Lords supper is a sacrifice but not after the manner of the Papists but onely figuratiuely So the bread and cup are called the sacrifices of Christians by Iustine Martyr because they represent the sacrifice of Christ and were instituted in remembrance of it So Dyonisius calls it Sumbolike ierourgia ☠Symbolicum Sacrificium Eccles. Hiera cap. 30. a Symbolicall sacrifice So Saint Augustine Quod ab omnibus appellatur sacrificium signum est veri 〈◊〉 That which by all men is called a sacrifice is but a signe of the true sacrifice And that immolation which is in the hands of the Priest is called the passion death and crucifixion of Christ not that it is so indeed and in truth but onely by the way of remembrance So that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper may be called Sacrificium 〈◊〉 a Recordatory Sacrifice wherein vsing the signes and Symbolls of his body and blood with true faith and thankfull hearts we celebrate the memoriall of the death and sacrifice of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. Wherefore the Fathers called it an vnbloody sacrifice because it was not a proper sacrifice but onely mysticall and figuratiue And indeed this makes it not to bee properly a sacrifice because in a sacrifice we giue vnto God but in a Sacrament wee receiue from God but in the Lords Supper wee giue not the body and blood of Christ vnto God but receiue it from the minister as from Christ for the confirmation of our faith which makes it to be properly and truely a sacrament but a sacrifice it is called improperly and by representation Thus you see what was the sacrifice offered by Christ and what are the spirituall sacrifices of euery Christian. Now followes the third branch of this first part of the text Namely the cause why Christ offered this sacrifice or the end whereunto this sacrifice was directed which is said here to be for sinne But this man hauing offered one sacrifice for sinne Here we are to note that albeit the Angels had sinned as well as man yet it was not for their sinne that Christ offered sacrifice for they had no benefite by his incarnation death or passion but for the sinnes of mankind and withall we are to obserue that albeit Christ was a man endued with true humane nature yet in regard he was not a sinnefull man but a lambe without blemish and without spot a
Peter S. Marke S. Matthew S. Andrew S. Dennis S. Clement These are nothing but forged fables of which we may say as Augustine touching that false booke of the Acts of the Apostles which the Manichees falsely pretended that hereby the enemies of the Gospel endeauour to weaken the strength of the scriptures and to strengthen the arme of falshood and therefore I may say of them as Leo the first said of those writings That these pretended writings of the Apostles which vnder their names containe the seedes of many false doctrines 〈◊〉 not onely to be forbidden in the Church but quite banished and burned Forged they are as appeares First by this that they abound so with errours which in the purer ages of the Church were not hatched Secondly in that none of them were euer mentioned by any of the Fathers that liued 500 yeares after Christ. Lastly in that in the masse of St. Iames many sentences yea whole clauses of Paules Epistles are wouen in and inserted albeit St. Iames was beheaded before Paul writ any Epistles Fiftly they alledge for the maintenance of their blasphemous sacrifice that Epistle which quite kils it and huntes it out of the world Wee haue an altar whereof they haue no power to eate which serue in the Tabernacle Now say they if they had an altar then had they also a sacrifice and if a Sacrifice what but that of the Masse Ans. I answere let vs learne what this Altar is and wee shall soone know what the sacrifice is The scope and meaning of the Author is to prooue that as the beasts were burned without the campe which were offered for sinne-offerings for the people so Christ suffered without the gates being made a sinne-offering for his elect and as the Priest that serued in the Tabernacle had no part of that sinne offering so they that trusted in the ceremonies of the leuiticall Law and thought to be made perfect by legall sacrifices they had no part in Christ and that because they did make frustrate the Crosse of Christ which was the visible Altar whereon hee was offered without the gate And thus and no otherwise hath their owne glosse vnderstood it saying We haue an 〈◊〉 that is the Crosse vppon which Christ was offered of which Christs sacrifice And saith he according to this second manner it is proper to this sacrament that Christ is immolated or sacrificed therein Thus these great and learned Doctors pillars I may call them of the Church of Rome confesse the same with vs that Christ is not really properly and truely sacrificed in the Eucharist but Metonymically because therein is a representation of the death of Christ and a commemoration of his passion and an application to euery particular beleeuer of the benefits of Christs redemption vnto himselfe by faith And here we are to take notice of the reason why the Fathers tearmed the Sacrament by the name of a Sacrifice and why they called it an vnbloody Sacrifice Seeing the whole outward seruice both of the Iewes and Gentiles consisted principally in sacrifices it seemed hard and harsh to those that were conuerted either from the one side or other and like to giue much offence if the Church should wholy abolish all sacrifices because these Prosolites newly conuerted to Christianity did not beleeue that religion could subsist without sacrifices Least therefore they might exasperate or prouoke either the one or the other the Christians applyed themselues both to heare and speake of altars and sacrifices and for that the Apostles had taught them that all externall sacrifices had their end in Christ they therefore durst not giue any approbation to the continuance of Iewish sacrifices much lesse to Heathenish therefore they called the Lords Supper their prayers their seruice their almes and well-nigh euery religious actions a Sacrifice the Table of the Lord an Altar the Bishops and Pastors Priests And thus the Fathers called the Supper of the Lord the true Sacrifice of Christ because of the truth of representation and truth of the effect thereof to the faithfull because also that the Church doth therein truely offer her selfe to God as August de ciuit Dei lib. 10. cap. 20. Thus the Lords Table was called by the Fathers an Altar not properly but by a signe and allusion and hereupon sometimes it is called an Altar sometimes a Table The Table of thy spouse hath holy bread and an 〈◊〉 Cup. And Augustine None say so 〈◊〉 such as receiue life from the Lords Table Againe he calls it an Altar Ad Bonifa Epist. 90. saying They rushed in vpon him with horrible 〈◊〉 and furious cruelty with clubs and such like weapons as he stood at the Altar breaking downe the wood of the Altar most barbarously And some of the Fathers deny that they haue any Altar properly which doubtlesse they would neuer haue done had they acknowledged a Propitiatory sacrifice in the Sacrament Our Altar is an earthly gathering together of such as do apply themselues to prayers Arnobius sayth The heathen did accuse the Christians because they did not build them Altars About the 400. yeare Altars began not for sacrifice but for the honour and memory of the Martyrs as the Councill of Carthage doth record cap. 11. Now how do the Fathers call it an vnbloody sacrifice In two respects first thereby to distinguish betweene this representatiue Sacrifice of the Sacrament and the bloody sacrifices of the law and the bloody Sacrifice offered by Christ himselfe vpon the Crosse by which very distinction it appeares that the Fathers dreamed not of Transubstantiation or the presence of any humane or 〈◊〉 blood in the Sacrament for then doubtlesse they would neuer haue vsed that distinction And me thinkes that distinction being admitted by the Church of Rome 〈◊〉 and ouerturneth the reality of a Propitiatory 〈◊〉 For Christ cannot be sacrificed except hee be slaine and he cannot be slaine without shedding of blood and if his blood be shed really vpon the Table after a corporall manner then how is it an vnbloody Sacrifice wherefore it is first called an vnbloody Sacrifice to distinguish betweene the bloody sacrifices of the Iewes and of Christ himselfe it being not a resacrificing of Christ but onely a figuratiue representation and a mysticall commemoration of the sacrifice of Christ. Secondly it was called an vnbloody Sacrifice because it was Eucharisticall and a sacrifice of prayse and thankesgiuing as for all blessings in generall so especially for the worke of our redemption by Christ. And this is manifested by a notable saying of Saint Augustine Hold it firmely and doubt not that the only begotten sonne of God which was made flesh for vs offered himselfe for vs a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour vnto God to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost in the time of the ancient Law liuing sacrifices were offered and to whom now with the Father and the holy Ghost one onely God