in the last supper saing to the Corynthyans Hoc n accepi a DnoÌ„ ê™ tradidi nobis c. 1. Chorin 11. That is that wich I receiued of the lord deliuered I vnto you That pure and holy order geuin by Christ and kept with so great reuerence by his apostels ought to haue suffised vs and not to make so many addicions which blemissh I wil not say beray the purenes of the sacrameÌ„t as thei haue done of baptym to which they haue ioyned salt oyle spyttel coniuring which things neither Iohn Baptist whan he baptised Christ nor the apostels did euer vse And thes which with reuerence doo kepe Christes appointment and with humblenes doo obey him are now cownted for heretikes as though thei were more bownd to obey men than god Let euery faithfull Christyan iudge iff we say the treuth This fift part of the canon geueth to vnderstand clerely that by thes wordes offerings sacryfices and giftes is vnderstand the wine not yet consecrated And that thei be none other but breade and wyne ffor he desireth that thei may become the body and blood of Christ So that according to the canon the bare simple breade and the bare simple wyne are a sacrifice for the redempcion of sowles and for saluacyon as in the ij part hath bene sayd We may not here glose that the Canon intendeth that the breade and wyne whan they shall be turned in to the body and blood as thei say shall be a sacrifice for the raunsominge of sowles for it meaneth of that breade and of that wyne which are to become the body and blode Now is it certen yea affter their own mind that that breade and that wyne which are yet to become the body and blood of Christ are bare playne breade and bare wyne And yet the Canon sayth that thei be a sacrifice for the raunsominge of sowles which is a plaine wickednes The syxt part of the Canon saith The which that is to say Chryst of whom is made mencion in the former part the day before he suffered The sixt parte of the canoÌ„ of the masse whith the consecration toke the bread in his holy and honorable handes here the priest taketh the host in his handes and addeth And his eies beinge lift vp into heauen to the god his father almyghty yelding to the thanckes he blessed And here is made a crosse vpon the host and is added he brake and gaue to his discyples saing Take and eate all of this ffor this is my body And here the host is liffted vp and caused to be honored a thing which christ hath not appointed But why is not the breade than broken as Christ did seing he commanded that thei shuld doo this in his rememberance And not to cause the breade or wine to be honored Whan this is done the host is laid down vpon the aulter and the cupp is taken in hand and the other part which is the seauenth part is said that is to say Likewise whan thei had supped taking this noble cupp in his holy and honorable handes The vij parte of the CanoÌ„ of the masse rendring thanckes again vnto the he blessed and heâ—…e is made a crosse ouer the cupp and added And â—…aue to his disciples saing Take and drinck all of â—…his for this is the cupp of my blood of the newe â—…nd euerlasting testament a mistery of the faith â—…he which shall be shed for yow and for many for â—…he remission of sinnes so offt as yow shall doo thes things yow shall doo them in my remembraÌ„ce And saing thes last wordes the cupp is lifft vp and caused to be honored as we haue said of the host that is to say all to gether contrary to christes ordinance In thes ij partes is made the consecracion of the breade and wine And in the consecracion of the bread are added ij wordes that are not in the euaÌ„gelistes that is to say that word enim and that other Ex hoc oeÌ„s And in the coÌ„secracioÌ„ of the wine are added ij other that is eterni aÌ„d misteriuÌ„ fidei which likewise are not in theeuaÌ„gelistes And it is to be marueled seing the defeÌ„ders of the masse say that with Christes wordes the consecracion is made and that thei ought not to add or minissh them and so moch the rather as thei them selues say that Christ gaue the powre of consecracion to thos wordes that he spake not to any other how durst thei be bold to ad any one word I will not now say that by this the sentence is changed Neuertheles seing we ought not to vse any other wordes than thos same that Christ spake because he gaue the powr of consecracion to thos only and not to any other as thei say and that we caÌ„not knowe certenly what wordes thei shuld be but by the euaÌ„gelistes or by paule And finding thos wordes that the canon doth add neither in theuangelistes nor in paule it is a great rasshnes to add them Here the Rational or cause teller of diuine officis saith that the apostels had the maner of the consecration from Christ and we from thapostels And that it is not to be merueled though these wordes which seme added be not fownd in the euangelistes and yet spokeÌ„ by christ For the euangelistes for shortnes haue past ouer many things which the apostels haue supplied And he giueth thexample of the visioÌ„ which Paul declareth in the 1. to the corinthiaÌ„s 1. Cor. 15 that Christ affter his resurrection appeared to moo than v. hondreth brethern of which vision theuangelistes make no mencyon at all and yet it was trewe He alledgeth also that amoÌ„g theuangelistes one declareth one thing and a nother leauith owt the same c. All this is trewe that theuaÌ„gelistes haue leffe owt certeÌ„ things which were done aÌ„d allthoughe the one supplieth that which the other leaueth owt this maketh not that we ought to add to the wordes of the euangelistes chefely to them of the consecracion to which wordes only Christ according to their oppinion hath geuen powr to change the breade in to the body and the wine in to the blood and not to any other Who doth asserten vs that Christ spake this word enim aÌ„d thes other words aded that is to say Ex hoc oeÌ„s aÌ„d thos other ij that is to say aeterni and misteriuÌ„ fidei We be certeÌ„ of the appearing of Christ to moo than v. hondreth brethern because Paul to whom christ did reueale it hath writon it But if Paul had not writon it and finding it not in the gospell how could it be certenly known And how shall we be bownd to beleue it Likewise this is the cause why things lefft owt by one euangelist are knowen because a nother doth tell them but if all had lefft them owt how could we certenly knowe theÌ„ O sai thei the church had it froÌ„ the Apostels Saist thow so how doest thow knowe it I will not beleue
the how many things are sayd of the Apostels aÌ„d are attributet to theÌ„ which neauer were We might than affter this sort attribute to the Apostels what we wold Paul writing to the Choryntes 1. Corith 11. teacheth them the forme of the dedicacion of the breade and the wyne and sayth that he had it of the lord and yet he putteth not in any of thes wordes and yet surely for all that he teacheth to consecrate well Why than doth he not putt in thes wordes Iff in the consecration there were nothing considered but the senteÌ„câ—… it made no matter though some words were added or minisshed so that the senteÌ„ce were not altered But the consideracion here is of the wordes that is to say what thei be to which Christ hath geuen the powr to consecrate and to them it behoueth not to add or to minissh All this I say according to their opinion For thei wold that Christ shuld haue geuen the vertew of consecrating to the wordes which he himselff spake and not to other And yet thes wordes that I say are added be neither in theuangelistes nor in Paule Here must we say that Paul taught not to consecrate well because he spake them not Or els iff Paul taught to consecrate well that Christ spake not thos wordes And if Christ spake them not thei haue vsed a great rasshnes that haue added them specyally hauing that opinion that thei haue of the consecracion that is to say of the powr geuen to thos wordes only that Christ pronownced Moreouer what is the cause that in the consecracion of the bread are not putt in thes wordes which christ pronouÌ„ced that is Quod ê“uobis datur which is giuen for yow as Luke saith or els ê™ pro uobis tradet aÌ„d fraÌ„gitur which is brokeÌ„ for yow as Paul saith as in the coÌ„secratioÌ„ of the wine there be thes wordes Which shall be shed for yow and for many for the remission of sinnes the body being no lesse geuen for our redempcion than the blood Why haue thei in this part maymed the wordes of the consecracion of the breade and not thos of the consecracion of the wine let euery man Iudge if this ought to be done But this is the best of the matter that the defenders of the masse to mainteine it say that that breade and that wyne is changed the one in to the body that is to say the bread and the other in to the blood that is the wyne And are muche combered because thei can not tell what is shewed by this demonstratiue Hoc whan is said Hoc est corpus meuÌ„ that is to say this is my body If by this word Hoc be shewed the breade the saing is false because the breade is not changed in to the body till all the wordes of the consecracion be vttered Iff the body be shewed it semeth that the body shuld be there before the wordes were spoken and before the consecracion shuld be made And we haue the like to say of the wordes of the consecracion of the wine which thing is declared whan is said Hoc eÌ„ n. saÌ„guis meus c. Iff the wine be shewed it is false that the wine shuld be blood If the blood be shewed it semeth that the blood shuld be there before the consecration were made Which thing caÌ„not be And therfor some say affter one sort and some affter a nother and to be short thei knowe not what thei may say One saith that this Hoc doth shewe partly to the sence and partly to the vnderstonding And this is the meaning of thes wordes this is my body that is to say that into which this thing shall be transsubstantiate is my body And this is the opinion of Rychard of S. Victor in his boke of the trinitye CerteÌ„ other say that the with comes of the breade are shewed And this is my body is as moch to say as in this is my body Some other say that this pronown Hoc is taken materially and doth not shewe any thing whan it is pronownced in the coÌ„secracioÌ„ But christes wordes only are repeated To other the contray appeareth ffor whan Christ pronownced thos wordes he shwed some thing and did consecrate Therfor now also being the same wordes and hauing the selff same vse that thei had whan Christ spake them thei shall haue the selff same significacion And euen as Christ than shewed some thing so now must some thing be shewed Innocentius the iij. in his bokes of the office of the masse doth hold that Christ coÌ„secrated with other words thaÌ„ thes Hoc est corpus meuÌ„ and Hic eÌ„ calix saÌ„guinis mei Some other haue said that the powr of consecrating is geuen to thes wordes that is to say that at the vttering of them is made he traÌ„ssubstaÌ„ciacion Some other say and amoÌ„g he rest master Durant that Christ first did consecrate with a diuine powr not knoweÌ„ to vs and affter he declared the fasshioÌ„ with which affter him meÌ„ shuld consecrate For Christ blessed with his own powr but we doo blesse by the vertu that he hath geuen to the wordes with which men coÌ„secrate that is Hoc est corpus meum and hic est sanguis meus And whan the priest pronownceth thes wordes the breade is changed into the body and the wine in to the bloode There be other that say that Christ consecrated with other wordes than thes Hoc est corpus meum and that he consecrated whan he blessed Peter coÌ„mestor saith that Christ consecrated with thes wordes Hoc est corpus meum and hic est sanguis meus but he spake them sofftly to him selff and changed the breade in to the body and the wine in to the blood and affter he repeated them with a lowd voice to the apostels Other some say that Christ pronownced the wordes twise first to geue them the vertu of consecrating and affter he pronownced the same wordes to teach the apostels the fasshon of consecrating and this opinioÌ„ is litle differing from the former Some other say that the breade and the wine are both consecrated together that is to say whan the wine is consecrated than is the breade consecrated and not before Other some say that the breade first is consecrated and affâ—…er the wine Abowt the forme of consecrating of the wine some say as Bonauenture in the iiij of the sentences the viij distinction and many other that thes wordes hic est calix sanguinis mei be of the substance of the forme of consecrating the wine the other which be added that is to say Noui aeter ni testamenti be only to furnissh Thomas of Aquine in the iij. part of his somm saith that all thes wordes be of the substance Scotus saith that being vnknowen for certenty whether thei be of the substance of the form or not that men ought not to determine that it shuld be so but thei ought to say all as iff thei were of
the substance of the forme albeit that comonly the doctors agree with Bonauenture And here is to be noted that according to the opinion of Scotus it is not yet knowē what shuld be the wordes of cōsecracion of the wine but in part It is sure that he said the truth that neither he nor Bonauenture nor Thomas of Aquina nor as many moo scole doctors as be defenders of the masse euer knewe certenly the very poinctt which shuld be the partes of consecracion And this is the profe theroff For iff thei had knowen it there shuld not haue bene so great a diuersitie and confusion of opinions as we haue sene And we could yet iff we wold speake of others This their so gret diuersitie sheweth plainely that thei neuer knewe it nor neuer were certen of the matter And it is most certen that iff the opinion that thei defend were trewe there shuld neuer haue bene so many and so diuers opinions What a vaine thing is it than to say that by the vertu of certen wordes shuld be made a changing of the breade and the wyne in to the body and blood of Christ which thing not withstonding by the holy scripture cānot be shewed that is that by the vertu of certen wordes the substance of things shuld be chāged and of the other part not to knowe or not to be certen which shuld be thos wordes Thei speake also in such sort of this consecratoin that affter their owne opinion the church or the peple that heare the masse are neuer certen whether the consecracion be made or not For the master of sentencis saith in the iiij that the heretikes can not bring it to passe that is to say to consecrate And also he saith yow must haue the intent for otherwise yow consecrate not And who can be certen either of the faith or of the intēt of him that celebrateth Surely no man being such things in the consciens of man which none seith but god and he that celebrateth Therfor the peple that heare the masse is neuer certen whan the consecracion is made and whan not The cause whi this confusiō is amōg them first is because thei knowe not properly what maner of thing consecracion is For consecracion meaneth one thing and thei thinck it shuld haue a nother meaning Besides thei beleue or at the least cause mē to thinck that thei beleue and thei preach the same as an article of the faith that that breade and that wine is changed th one in to the trew ād substāciall body of Christ that is to say the breade the other that is to say the wyne in to his blood And thei say that Christ really in body ād sowle as gret and as thick as he was vpon the wood of the crosse and as now he is in heauen is wholly in that litle host and wholly in that cupp where the wine was And thei will that here there shuld come to gether many miracles and thei hold that this meruelos change which thei call transsubstanciaciō shuld be done by the vertu of thos wordes of the consecracion And thei will that consecraciō doth meane changing of breade in to the body and of wine in to the blood made with thes wordes So that they make this consecracyon as the inchanters were wont to make their inchantmēts with certē wordes wich they being deceiued by the deuel thinck to haue vertu to worke certen wōderfull effectys So doo they that thinck with thes wordes spoken softly ouer the breade and the wyne to change by vertu of the same the bread and the wyne in the body and blood of Iesus Christ Thes ij be the causes why they know not with what wordes the consecratyō is made nor whā it is made ffor hauing that opinyon that they haue that is to say that there is made that meruelous change of bread ād wine thes wordes hoc est corpus meum make than the difficultye and they knowe not what thing is shwesd by this word hoc For iff the breade be shewed the saing appeareth falss vnto them because the breade is not the body of Christ tyll all the wordes be spoken and whan they shewe the breade the wordes be not yet spoken Than seing the body is not yet there there can not be shewed by this word hoc the body which yet is not And if they say they shewe the body by this hoc that saing hoc est corpus meum semyth to them vntrew likewise for seing the body is not yet there in that host it can not be shwed in it And thus not knowing how to make trewe that saing what soeuer sort they shuld speake it they goo abowt writhing it a thowsand maner of ways ād wold fayne help the matter if they could but they fynd not the way for god will not As it chāced to Pharaos coniurers that could not doo that they wold Exo. ◅ So thei wold yet for all that holding that opinyon they hold and for to geue credyt to the masse they wold yet I say make that saing agree with this theyr opinion but there is no meanes how Let them turne it yet as they will theyr opynyon standing Christes saing hoc est corpus meum cannot be made trewe Thā theyr opynynō is most false which cānot stād with gods truth that is to say his word It is chanced also to them as to thos that wold haue bylded the gret tower of Babilon and haue made it meruelos high as it is writon in Genesis Gene. ◅ but god confused their tonges that one dyd not vnderstand a nother allthough that all did agre to the bylding of it Euē so it hapnyth to thes carpēters or builders of the masse wich also wold if they could lifft it vp euen to heauen and make it be cownted as a godly thing and an high worship And thei all are agreed to this workmanship And because they see that iff thei hold not that the trew body of Christ is in the host ād his trew ād naturall blood in the cupp the masse shuld not be in price or any estimacion but rather by and by shuld decay therfor aboue all things thei take hede to this to persuade and by all meanes thei can to make the peple beleue that Christ is really and bodily in that host and that cup. Neuertheles god hath confused their tōgs ād their mindes in to so many waies and opiniōs in to so diuers fansies ād spechis that the one is disagreing ād cōtrary to the other This is now a plain and a manifest tokē that this workmāship pleaseth not god and finally shall fall to the grownd to the intent that the saing of Iesus Christ may be verified that eueri plantinge which the heauinly father hath not planted shall be rooted vp Mat. 15. We doo not now intend to goo abowt to proue here that that their opinion is false that is to say that the breade and wine shuld be changed
the one in to his body and thother in to his blood because we shuld make to long a digression from our purpos But with gods fauor whan we haue ended this discours of the masse and the masse booke we will in the end of the boke Ioine to it a plaine sermon of this matter in the which we will proue the treuth And for this time we will make it onli appeare that thei vnderstōd not what consecraciō meaneth Therfor yow must vnderstād that Cōsecrare affter the holy scripture meane◅h not to chāge one thing in to a nother by vertu of certen wordes as thei take and vnderstand the consecracion of bread and wine minding that it shuld be a changing of their substances in to other substancis that is to say in to the body and blood of Iesus Christ For a thing that is consecrated is not marred or destroied that it shuld not be any more the same that it was as thei say of the breade and wine that thei remaine no longer affter the consecracion but are vndone and destroied and be no more that thei were but the thing that is consecrated remaineth the selff same that it was first and is not altered in his substance but only is dedicate or appointed to a certen holy vse to the which first it was not appointed or ordeined This is the meaning of consecrare As for example And how 's is said to be cōsecrated to god whan it is appointed to some holy vse as a man wold say to the preaching of gods word to the administracion of the sacraments and to comō praier Euen so man is consecrated to god whan he is dedicated and appointed to an holy and secred vse of gods seruice All christians be consecrated to god that is to say dedicated and appointed to his seruice which is an holy thing because thei be the trewe temple of god in the which he dwelleth with his holy spirite as S. Paul saith in many places 1. cho 3. 2. cho 6. Ephe. 2. Now it appearith that the man remainith still the same and is not changed in substance because he is consecrated to god but only is dedicated and appointed to gods seruice to which he was not first appointed This which we say we say not of our selues but owt of the holy scripture in mani places Exo. 13.29 num 6. Leuiti 27. as in Exodus numerus leuiticus It is writton in exodus that euery first borne male shuld be consecrate to god as well of men as of beastis Also that Aron and his childern were consecrated to be priestes It apperith in numerus as well of men as wemen that were consecrated to god In the last of leuiticus where is spoken of the consecracion of men and of feldys and vniuersally of eueri consecrated thing It appeareth that that consecracion doth not meane to change one thing in to another with wordes but meaneth to dedicate and appoint and as a man wold sai to appropriate a thing to god and to an holy vse Euery thing that is cōsecrated to the lord saith god whether it be mā beast or felde shall not be sold nor can not be redemed or raunsomed And thes were the consecracions made in the lawe which although we doo not now vse yet neuertheles thei giue vs to vnderstand what Consecrare meaneth and that it importeth nothing els but to dedicate ād appoint a thing to an holy vse And so we will say of the consecracion of breade and of wine that it is no changing of their substancis made by vertu of wordes but it is an appointing to an holy vse that is to say that thei shuld signifie and bring to our remembrance the body and blood of Christ how he gaue them for our redempcion As he him selff said whan he instituted this holy sacrament of breade and wine Matth. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. 1. Corint 11. saing that thei shuld doo this in his remembrance We haue bene long in this our talk which we haue done for the ignorant and not for the lerned and becaus the matter is waighty THE III. CHAPTER This examineth the viij part of the canon and declareth how he that saith the masse vsurpeth that office that is Christes and also saith a most wicked praier which is a gret wrong to Christ THe viij part of the canon is this that is to say Wherfor we thy seruantes and thy holy peple remembring vs of christ thy sonn our lord of so blessed a passion and resurrection from the deade and of the glorios ascēsion in to the heauens doo offer to thy most excellēt maiestie of thy rewardes and gifftes the pure host the holy host the vnspotted host and here saing thes wordes are made iij. crosses ouer the host and ouer the cup consecrated to gether that is to say ouer both of them And affter he addeth Holy breade of life euerlasting and the cup of continuall helth And here ij other crosses be made the one whan the bread is named ouer the same host and the other ouer the cupp whan the same is named In this viij part is affirmed that the priest and the peple by the remembrans that thei haue of his death resurrection and ascension doo offer vnto god that host and that cupp consecrated which be as thei think the trewe body and very blood of Christ. But where is it fownd in all the whole scripture that Christ or god did euer ordein that either the priest or the peple shuld offer vnto god the body and blood of Iesus Christ In dede we find that we ought to make a memory of such an offering as christ hath made And therfor he hath ordeined this sacrament to thintent that we shuld vse the remembrance of that oblacion But that we ought to offer to god either the body or the bloode of his sonn that hath god not appointed vs nor yet Christ nor ani Apostel euer made mēcion of it For this office to offer vnto god the body and blood of christ belongeth only to christ who is the high ād euerlasting priest Heb. 7.9.10 and it belongeth not to vs. And the some christ hath done it ones for all whan he was offered and died vpon the crosse And it nedeth not to doo it offtner because that that only time hath suffised to satisfie god for the sinnes of all the elect And that which we doo now in the sacrament is not the offering of Christes body ād blood but is a memory of that offering And who knoweth not that the memory of a thing is not the selff same thing but a remēbrance of it And if ani wold say for all this that it belōgeth to christians to offer christ in the sacramēt because Peter saith that the Christiās be an holy priesthoode to offer spirituall offrings acceptable to god by Iesus christ To this I say that Peter meaneth not here to speake of the sacrament but meaneth of thos hostis
is clere that it was not made by one man nor at ones but at diuers times And the order of the times is moch lesse kept that is to say that that which the more awnciēt haue appointed shuld be now first in the canon but it is cleane contrary For Alexāder the .1 was before all thē ād yet the qui pridie quam pateretur which Alexāder him selff appointed is put in the vi place And the te igitur the which as thei say gelasius made who folowed Alexāder a lōg time goth before all thother partis of the canō Gregory as the ratiōall of diuine offices affirmeth added the preface before the pater noster that is to say the Oremus praeceptis salutaribus mōiti ād also that the pater noster shuld be said as he affirmeth in the register saing that it shuld be an vnfit thing that the praier of scolasticus of which we haue made mentiō before that is to say the canō shuld be said and christes praier that is to say the pater noster shuld be vnsaid Sergius the pope did first appoint that the Agnus dei shuld be thrise sōg ouer And to be short affter their own Iudgement Christ hath instituted of this masse nothing except the sacramēt All the rest was added by diuers mē ād at diuers times Looke vpon platina in the life of sixtus the 1. bishop of rome And the ratiōall of diuine offices in the fourth booke ād polidorus Virgilius of vrbine in the .x. chapter of the .1 booke de inuētorbus rerū all the which say that christ did say no part of this masse except the words of the cōsecration But it is worthy of noting that the defenders of the masse sai that the masse is gods institution for the sacrament is the chefe of the same masse and that it is trewe that the masse was augmēted ād increased bi diuers mē and at diuers times yet for all that thei sai that the masse for becaus of the chefe part is gods institution And thos additions be for furnisshing of it neuertheles the substance which is the sacramēt was made bi christ And it semith to me that thei wold sai of the masse as of a great riuer As for example of the poo the which at the head The poo is a great Riuer in Italie as Thamis is in England where it beginneth is very lytle and is no better than a lytle spring but becaus there comyth in to it many other ryuers therfor it becomyth affterward great neuerthelesse it kepith the name of Poo So is it of the masse But this talk is nothing worth Our questyon is not now of the name that all that gathering is called masse and the same sacrament shuld be also called Masse as it is called Poo not only the spring where it beginnyth but all thos ryuers gathered to gether in one great ryuer which affter is all to gether called Poo We speake here of the whole masse and we say that all the masse that is to say all that myxture of wordes ād of so mani ceremonyes was not instituted by Christ but by many Popys and that Christ made no more of the whole masse but the sacrament only And seing that we haue putt the similitude of the masse and of the Poo we will say that allthough that all that composition or gathering to gether of ryuers in to one great riuer shuld be called Poo not withstanding we shall neuer sai that all that gret and large ryuer shuld growe owt of that litle spring but we will say that it groweth of diuers ryuers that is to say the gret Poo And that all the Poo doth not growe of the lytle spring but only a lytle part of it So all the masse came not from Christ but only that lytle part of the consecracion Yea according to their own opiniō the rest was added by plaine men It is playne that taking also this word Masse for the sacrament that thei make it was neuer ordeyned by Christ nor vsed by his apostles For the sacramēt that Christ ordeined and the Apostles vsed was of a nother sort moch differing and diuers from theirs First the consecracion was made after a nother sort Becaus Christ said the words of the consecracion a lowd and dyd pronownce them plainely that all vnderstode Thei say them sofftly that none heareth them but he that saith the masse And how can it be a sacrament to them that vnderstond not nor heare not the wordes seing a thing can not be a sacrament except the wordes be hard and vnderstand Furthermore Christ said not thos wordes with mind to change the substance of the breade and wine in to his body and blood as thei think but to appoint th one and thother to be signes in his rememberans as his wordes doo shewe So that seing thei haue not the same meaning that Christ had nor will not doo the same that Christ did but a nother thing we must nedes say that such a sacrament is not Christes sacrament but a thing fownd owt by them selues made affter their own maner and not according to Christes institution Furthermore the sacrament which Christ did institute was instituted to th entent that it shuld be a spirituall supper delt to many and he gaue it to all Thei doo it not affter this sort but the prest only taketh that his sacrament and giueth it not to other nor this thing is no communion becaus a communion is whan many doo partake of one thing and not whan one alone vseth it So that seing thei doo not as Christ did or rather as he commanded that it shuld be done their is no trewe sacramēt as also we haue proued in the second chapter of this part Nor it was not instituted by Christ but by mans inuencion Let them than vnderstand this their masse either for all the hole gathering frō the Introibo to the Ite missa est or els for the sacrament only becaus it is no trewe sacrament I say that it is not gods ordinance but mans And being mans ordinans yet thei make it a sacrifice and a woshipping of god against his expresse commandment who will not be honored with the inuention of men as allredy we haue so offten sayd There remaineth now to see from whens this name of Masse had the beginning Certen say as Master William Durant in the proheme of the iiij part of his reason geuing of gods seruice that this Name Masse is some time a nowne collectiue some time a nowne proper A Nowne collectiue is à word that gatherith many into one A Nowne proper speakith but of one only whā it is a collectiue that is to say whan it importeth all the whole gathering from the entring to the end that is to say Ite missa est he saith that it is as moch to say as sent or committed ouer Becaus the faithfull peple by the mistery of the priest the which doth Christes
the which Christ hath cōmanded shuld be preached to euery creature What els be thes wordes but that Christ hath geuō his body and his blood for our rāsom ād forgeuenes of our sinnes Seing this thing is of necessitie that it shuld be preached to euery Christiā nor he is not a Christiā that doth not bileue why doo thei not say it with a lowd voice as in the old time it was wont to be Here thei find certen scusis and among other thei say that such wordes ought to be said in secret to th entent that the high holy wordes shuld not become vile And that it is red how in old time whan the canon was said with a lowd voice as it were all did vnderstand thos wordes and did openly sing them in the streates ād in the waies Wherupon certen shepardes singing thos wordes and hauing laid the breade vp on a certen stone at the vttering of the wordes the bred was turned in to flessh and for this caus the fire came from heauen that killed them for the which thing the holy fathers haue ordeined that vp on paine of cursing such wordes in the masse shuld be said in secret and with the holy garmentis This master William Durant saith in his racional of diuine offices Soo what fowndacions thes be I will not say fables of saing the wordes of the sacramēt in secret Iff thes wordes for this caus ought to be said in secret to th entēt that the high holy wordes shuld not become vile than it were nedefull to say the holy gospell in secret ād not to preach it openly with a lowd voice For what wordes be more high holy than thos of the holy gospell Furthermore the holy fathers that haue ordeined this iff it be trewe in dede that thei did ordeine it why did thei not rather command that the holy wordes shuld be pronownced with reuerens withowt making them say them in secret The which wordes among all the rest that are said in the masse euer◅ Christēman ought singularly to vnderstand Ought not euery Christian to knowe that Christ hath geuin his body and his blood for our ransom And that for remembrans of so gret a mistery Christ hath ordeined this sacrament And what els doo the wordes of the consecraciō say exeept this in substance I could here iff I wold say many things but what nedeth it to heape wordes in so plaine a matter It is withowt dowt a gret abuse to vtter thos wordes in secret The wordes of the sacrament ought to be hard of all withowt the which it is no sacrament neither the bread nor the wine nor any other thing iff that the significacion of it be not knowen nor that can not be knowen but by the same wordes of the sacrament Let vs goo on further A nother abuse is that Christes death is not shewed to them that be present contrary to saint Paul the which saith that in the vse of the sacrament the lords death ought to be shewed saing in his 1. to the Corinthians As offten as yow shall eate this bread and drink the cupp 1. Cor. 11. ye shall shewe the lordes death vntill he come that is to say yow shall preach it It is clere that in the masse the lords death is not shewed nor preached to the peple And what speake I of the daily and priuate masses It is not shewed neither in the time of the communiō whā thei reach furth the host to the cōmunicāts where thei ought to teach the pore peple of the significaciō ād of the importance of the sacramēt Thei sai nothing to thē except whether he bileue that Christ be in that host or no. As though Christ had instituted the sacramēt to th entent that it shuld be bileued that he were in that host so gret and so large as he was vp on the wood of the crosse and not for remēbrans of his death Yet Christ him selff said doe this in my remembrans and said not bileue ye that I am hid den in this bread so gret and so large as presently yow see me This was not Christes meaning for so moch as he wold haue said it Wherfor thā is not Christes death shewed in the masse Surely this is a manifest abuse The fourth abuse is that the prest alōne doth take that his sacrament I call i◅h◅s becaus in dede it is no sacrament and he geuith no part of it to any other But this is no communion for a communion is whan many do communicate or take part of one selff thing This maner of taking this sacrament is against Christ who hath instituted it to th entent that it shuld be taken in communion and not priuately and against sent Paul in the forsaid place ◅ Cor. 11. who rebuketh the chorinthes becaus thei did not take the sacrament together and with cōpany nor thei did not tary one for a nother And iff he so sharply rebuked them becaus thei did not tary one for a nother allthough that all shuld take the sacrament how wold he haue suffered that one only shuld haue taken it Thei doo also against the wordes which thei speake in the cōsecration For before thes wordes that thei say Hoc enim est corpus meum there be thes that is to say accipite manducate ex hoc omnes that is to say take yow and eate you all of this bread Why than doo thei not geue it to all or to many as Christ commanded according to their own opinion Parauenture thei will say that Christ spake thes wordes for thapostles and not for any other But this is not reasonably spoken for so moch as Christ taught them withthes wordes that he spake how thei shuld doo and minister this sacrament Iff he shuld haue spoken thes wordes for the Apostles only the Apostles them selues shuld neuer haue knowen how to haue ministred the sacrament to others but only to them seluis Furthermore in old time this is certen that there was no priuate masse said that is to say that one only shuld take the sacrament that is the priest that celebrateth but allweis there was a communion vsed In token of this the grekis did neuer receiue the priuate masse doing better in this part than the latines and keping Christis institucion and the apostolyke vse A nother abuse is that thei make it auayle for euery thing Thei applye it for the raine for the fayre wether against tempest warr derth pestylens and against all sortys of diseases for the holsomnes of the ayre for plenty peace helth of body for waifaryng men for wiues and husbandes against enemyes for the liuyng for the deade and for what thing is not the masse sayd In prayse of our lady of the angels of the sayntes for repentant for thos that geue allmes for thē that sayle for the Imprisoned for the remaining in a place for to call for wisdom It is said against persecutors for ani maner of troble for the
he should not haue neather the one nor the other of these two proê‘ties It foloweth I say that Christ in the sacrament should not haue a trew bodye yea no bodye because that his body be it where it will and as it will it cannot be separatid froÌ„ these two properties to a bodie most naturall aÌ„d inseparable according to Austen aÌ„d the troth Here they say that it is true speakinge naturally that these two conditions aÌ„d properties caÌ„not be separated from bodies but speaking supernaturally aÌ„d by miracle they may be separated froÌ„ the bodyes as in effectt they be separated from Christes bodye in the sacrameÌ„t To this I answer first that the substaÌ„tiall properties be neuer chaunged by miracle let them finde that god euer did it let them geue me one onely example We know that god is almighty and there is no maner thinge that may be done Impossible vnto him as the AuÌ„gell sayd to Marye but who knoweth that this thinge may be done I will not stand now to dispute this thinge I desier theÌ„ that they wold geue some other example but they will neauer do it Further I say that it belongeth to them to proue that god doth these miracles This is no good reason God can do it therfore he hath done it How many thinges caÌ„ god do that he hath not done God could haue sent more then twelue legions of Aungels for to delyuer Christ out of the Iewces hands Math. 26. as he himself doth witnes in S. Mat. aÌ„d yet he sent theÌ„ not And how many other thinges might we alledge if we wold that god can do aÌ„d yet he doth them not Thei must proue then that god doth these miracles By Christes sainges nor by the scriptures they cannot proue it except that they will alledge that Christ hath sayd it that is to say this is my body shewing the bread and this is my blood shewing the wine but this is a tryflynge profe for somuch that Christ ment not by this manner of speache to affirme that he is within the bread and the wyne but ment to saye that both the one and thother were signes and a remembraunces of his body and blood as plainly we will shew hereafter Peraduenture they will say that in matters of faith there nedeth no profes but men must stand to the letter This thinge is of faith therfore it nedeth no profe I say that in matters of faith we must stand to gods worde with the right vnderstanding of it and trew sense of the words nor we must not geue theÌ„ other and straunge senses Contrary to the mynde of the spirite The sense of the spirite is not that Christ should be bodelye in the host and in the cupp as it is sayde but it is that whiche we haue said and will better saye in the talke that foloweth where we will declare the maÌ„ners of sacramentall speaches according to the scripture And to be short that we may end now at leÌ„ght this reasoninge I saye that this opinion of the being of Christs body aÌ„d bluode in the sacrament doth diminishe the troth of Iesus Christs trew bodye and trew bluode And it maketh him to haue in the sacrameÌ„t a phantasticall body aÌ„d much more phantasticall then Martiane aÌ„d Manicheus who wheÌ„ they spake of Christ and apointed him notrew and naturall body but a phantasticall and Imaginable orels a seming bodie they saied things lesse striuing against nature then this opinion because they did neauer deuide Christs bodie nor speak of him things so vnimaginable as this opinion doth nor they neauer said that he was in two places at ones This opinioÌ„ maketh him to be in that he is man In infinite places nor they neauer said that a great bodie was conteined in so litle a thinge as these meÌ„ say aÌ„d so we wil saie of the other so many ImaginacioÌ„s which the forsaid opinioÌ„ placeth And yet though Manicheus aÌ„d MartiaÌ„ did say these or like things as they say It should haue bene lesse in coÌ„uenieÌ„t seinge they did apoint him a fantastike and a semeable bodie But this opinion affirming that Christ hath a trew and a naturall body in the sacrament doth yet speake such things of him as neather can be in dede nor be not Imaginable and be without all reason without also gods worde aÌ„d more reproweable as to this theÌ„ the fore said opinioÌ„s I meane of Manicheus and Martion and without doubt they speak things disagreing to themselues Furthermore if Christ be in the sacrament what meaneth it that the old church wheÌ„ should make the consecration of the bread aÌ„d wine did singe the preface as it is called Sur sum Corda that is to say lift vp your harts on highe aÌ„d also these words be now said in al the masses Suerly we ought to haue our harts where Christ aÌ„d our treasour is as he himself in S. Math Matth. 5. saith that is to saie where your treasoure shal be there will your hartes be Oure treasoure ought to be where Christ is And S. Paule to the Colossians saith Coloss 3. If you be risen againe together with Christ that is to saie If leauing the euell you haue taken the good aÌ„d new life to the likenes of Christ who leauinge the corruptible and mortal life hath takeÌ„ the incorruptible Immortal aÌ„d glorious life seek things which be aboue where Christ is who sitteth on the right hand of god seek those things that are aboue aÌ„d not the earthly things geuinge vs to vnderstaÌ„d that seing Christ Iesus is oure treasour aÌ„d all oure welth we ought to haue our harts were he is If it be so then that we ought to haue our hartes where Christ is let him be in what so euer place he will what neded it that the old church should admonish the people that they should lift vp there harts on highe that is to say into heauen if by and by after a few words he should haue desceÌ„ded into bread and into wine what need we to seek Christ so farr of that is to say in heaueÌ„ if he be so nere vs that is to say in that bread and that wine This sainge Sursum corda suerly geueth vs to vnderstand that the old church did not beleue that Christ was bodelie in the sacrameÌ„t for if they had beleued it they wold neauer haue said lift vp your hartes on highe but they wold haue said be you atteÌ„t o you faithfull for by aÌ„d by Christ Iesus oure lord shal be here present in the bread aÌ„d the wine as sone as the coÌ„secratioÌ„ is made Direct youre minds to the bread and the wine whaÌ„ they shal be coÌ„secrated because Iesus Christ shal be ther bodely but they said not after this sorte they haue in dede said lift vp your hartes on highe geuing to vnderstand that they beleued that Christ was in heauen and not in the sacrament The ninth reason The ninth reason is this and it gainsaieth the
to the priests and fryers shall receaue a hunderth fould and shall possesse the lyfe euerlasting Thus marre they lykwyse other saings of the holy scripture In old tyme this offering was bestowed on the poore by the deacons hands but now euery man knoweth to what vse it turneth When the offertory is done the hoste not yet consecrated is offered as they say and this prayer is said O holy father almighty euerlasting god take this vnspotted host which I thie vnworthy seruaunt do offer to the my liuing and trew god formy innumerable sinnes offences and negligences and for all the standers by and for all the faithfull Christians liuing and dead to the intent it may be profitable to me and to them for helth to lyfe euerlasting amen In this praier is said that that bread whiche they call the host is offered to god for the sinnes of all the faithfull liuinge and dead and also desireth that it may be profitable for health to lyfe euerlasting These are suerly great effects and it is much to be marueled at how this host not yet consecrated can do as they thinck these things that is to say to auayle to forgeuenes of sinnes and to lyfe euerlasting how can this be that a pece of bread which is but bread should worke so great effects I can not â—â—ceaue this I wold they wold proue it me by gods word And yf they wold say that they speake such words not by that which is then bread but by that that it shal be after the consecration they can not with trueth speake it for that host when it â—…all be consecrated shall not be any more bread 〈◊〉 they think no nor shall not be any more the same but another thinge for before it be consecrated and when this prayer is said it is onely â—…ead and when it is consecrated it is the trew boâ—… of Christ and no more materiall bread as they â—…ink And they in this praier speak of that hoste â—…hich they then offer sainge O holly father alâ—…ighty god take this vnspotted host shewing the â—…read not consecrated and they meane to speak of â—…hat that they shew and that it is then not that 〈◊〉 shal be Also the Cannon it self in the first parte â—…hich sayeth Quam oblationem tu deâ—…s c. declareth that it is spoken of the bread â—â—d wyne vnconsecrated as it apereth in that plaâ—…e Then this maner host that they then shew how â—…n it forgeue sinnes and saue men The Iewes in â—…ede offered such things for sinÌ„es but the Christians whose offering as Peter saith in his Epistel are spirituall offer not such things to god for there sinnes being suer that they are forgeuen them by Christ onely and not by any other thing This prayer therfore is wicked as many other are that are said in the Masse When the host is offered and the wine in the challice they also put to it water which thing they say that Alexander the first pope ordened First to shew that the health of the peple which is signified by the water acording to the saing of the Apocalipse Aquas quas uidisti ubi me retrix sedet populi sunt gentes linguae could not be without the sheding of Christs blode nor the blud shedding without the health of the people therfore it is necessarie that to betoken this the water should be mingled with the wine SecoÌ„dly it is to declare that there issued out of Christs syde together with the blood water in token that Christ is not without the people nor the people without Christ. Thirdly the water is mixt with the wyne to tell that there is in Christ the manhode together with the god head which towe things are betokened by the water and the wine the manhode by the water and the god hed by the Wyne I wil not at this present take on me the burdene of reprouing Alexander but I will yet tell what I thinke that in the Sacrament there ought to be made respecting those thinges that be the substance of them no maner of chaunge nether to encrease nor to diminish It is alreadâ—… knowen that Christ did not institute the Sacrament of the holy super with any other elements then with bread and wyne and that no water in it nor the apostels as farr as we vnderstand by there writings haue added any other thinge This me think shuld suffise Then euen as it belongeth not to any man in the world but to god and Christ that is god and man to institute Sacraments so ought no liuing man to diminish it and seme to vnderstand more theÌ„ the ordeiner Who is that inferiour that wold alter or chaunge the lawes or ordinaunces of his superiour after this sort then men might doo in baptisme they might put to wyne and alledge the cause as is aledged of the water why should water be rather put to the wyne in the Sacrament of the holy super then wyne to the water in the sacrament of baptisme was not the godhed and manhede aswel in baptisme as in the holy supper Yea they were more plainely betokened wheÌ„ Christ was baptised for that that was the fathers voyce the holy gost was seene in shape of a doue which things neuer chaunced in the supper so far as we vnderstand by the Euangelists and writinges of the apostles And whie cannot the godhed and maÌ„hed be betokened by wyne and water aswel in the one Sacrament as in the other Forthermore none except the ordeiner hath authoritie to geue a new betokening to the SacrameÌ„t Christ hath apointed what the bread and wine shuld betoken that is to saye that the bread shuld betoken and bringe to remembraunce the bodye and the blud and it belongeth not to vs to chaunge to put to or take fro the betokenings of suche things And this opinion here saith that the wyne betokeneth the godhead and Christ hath or deined that it shuld betoken and bringe to oure remembraunce his blud There is a great difference betwene the blud and the godhed for the blud is a creature but the godhed is god the Creator Lastly Paule who was taught of Christ as he wryteth to the Corinthians after what sort this Sacrament ought to be handeled maketh no maner mention of water and he durst not put to any thinge besyde that which Christ had taught him And by what authoritie I pray you go they and add to the Sacraments suerly this water ought not to be added Then next the priest offereth the cupp sainge We offer to the oh lord the cupp of health besechinge thye mercyfulnes that it may ascend with a swete sauoure into the sight of thy deuine maiestie for oure health and all the worldes Amen The self same that we haue sayd of the hoste or bread we may and ought to say of the cupp or wyne How can it be that the wyne not yet consecrated maye auayle for oure health and the whole worlds We will tary till they can
heare it not the same prest saing it veri sofftli in such sort as none heareth it except the prest him selff Therfor to thē which heare not nor ūderstād what is done nor said it is no sacramēt A fewe yeares past Mark there was in Mantua a certē frire of a certē order the which was put in ā Irō cage becaus he had celebrated masse māi yeares ād neuer did cōsecrate So it might chāce of māy other that might doo the like who cā assertē the peple that the bread ād wine is cōsecrated neither hearing vnderstanding what is said And iff any man wold say that there may be a sacrament although the wordes of the consecration shuld neither be hard nor vnderstand seing that the childern be baptised which vnderstand not what is said To this I answer that there is diuersitie betwene childern ād thē that be of full age for the childern although thei neither heare nor vnderstand yet thei may and ought to be baptised by gods commandment And this is taken owt of the scripture But thei of full age ought not to be baptised except thei vnderstād that which is said Yea baptime in full age requireth faith and the confessiō of the same And iff at any time it shuld be done otherwise that is to say iff it shuld not be vnderstand it shuld not be vnto him trewe baptim So moch more we shall say of the sacramēt of bread and wine the which none vse butt thei of full age that thei be no sacrament if the wordes be not spoken and vnderstand with which wordes thei be consecrated that is to say appointed to an holy vse and become a sacrament For this cause in old time the wordes of the consecration were said with a lowd voice to th entēt that euery one might vnderstād what was said so that seing the sacramēt of the masse is no trewe sacrament it is no memory of a sacrifice Further more we must knowe that the sacramēt is not an absolute thing but is a thing that hath respect to a nother thing that is to say to the vse to which it is appointed And whan such vse is taken a way it can not be properly called a sacrament The trewe vse of the sacrament is that it shuld be distributed to the multitude And to this end it is consecrated that is to say appointed Let vs see how the sauior vsed it whan he instituted it It is ce◅ten that he gaue it not to one only but to all his disciples and said vnto them that thei shuld doo as he taught them and did him selff And how did he He said not only ouer the bread and wine the wordes of the consecration as the priestes doo which seme to make an inchantment but he commanded them that thei all shuld take and eate the bread and drink the wine He did all this and said that thei ought to doo as he had done It behoueth iff it shuld be a sacrament to doo all that which Christ said and commanded and not part But now the Priest beside that it is not vnderstand what he doth he doth not deale the sacrament to the peple but taketh it him selff alone and yet he saith that he doth cōmunicate And he calleth that receiuing with the mowth that is to say taking the bread and wine he calleth it cōmunion speaking and doing abusingly It is called a cōmunion whan many doo partake of one thing not whā one by him selff alone doth take the whole as is done in the priuat masse By the which thing we may truli say that that sacrament of the masse is no trew sacrament Wherfor if Paul for that disorder that the corinthians did vse as it is writton in the 1. to the same corinthians which was 1. Cho. 11. that one taried not for another and it was but a small fawt in comparison of this said that that which they did was no eating of the lordes supper what shall we say of this sacrament in the which is committed not one but so many abuses and where the whole trewe vse of the lords supper is changed Christ cōmanded that all shuld take it And here in the masse the prest eateth and drinketh vp all alone My reason standeth in this The vse of the sacramēt is of the substance of the same sacramēt And where the vse is not to which it was appointed there the sacramēt in deed is not The vse of the lords supper or of the thankes geuing is not only to say the wordes ouer the bread and the wine but it is that many shuld take it and eate the one and drink the other as Christ appointed Than where such vse is not there is no sacramēt for he said to many Eate yow ād drink yow And why is not this done in the priuate masse but rather the cleane contrary For one alone that is to say the prest doth take the host and the cupp So that than it is no trewe sacrament I will geue the example of baptim to th entent that euery one may vnderstand how the sacrament standeth in the vse And whan the vse is ceased it is no more a sacrament The water of baptim is no sacrament but for that time that it wassheth ād is put vp on the body saing thes wordes I baptise the in the name of the father the sonn and the holy goost Amen Let that water fall in to another vessel affter that the creature be baptised it is no more baptime but is as any other water this is plaine Euen so I say of the sacrament of thanksgeuing whilest that it is delt and distributed it is a sacrament but that which is lefft of the bread and wine is no more a sacrament but it may be eaten and dronken as other bread and wine becaus it is no more appointed to such vse So I say of thos crommes of breade that fall vp on the grownd that thei be no sacrament I know that of this my talk many things doo folow the which will seme inconuenient And amongst other that thes osts the which are kept in the tabernacles or pixis and in the litle closettis be no sacrament becaus that there we haue not the vse the which is of the substance of the sacrament And there doth folowe it many other But let thē folow at their will I am of Christes opinion Ther for in this I remitt my selff to the Iudgement of Christes churches I say thus becaus it semith vnto me according to gods word that it shuld be so that is to say that as whan the vse of baptime is ceased the water is no more a sacrament so whan the vse of the thankesgeuing is ceased that is to say whan it is no more taken and dealt eaten and drunck it is no more a sacrament I meane eaton and drunck in common for so moch as the lords supper is not a doing of one particular man but of many men And becaus that in the masse
say that he is not there is the euel vnderstanding of Christes own wordes the which he spake whā he instituted the same sacrament For one opinyon vnderstandeth them after one sort and thother after a nother so that the controuersy ād contraryetye of the opinyons is because they vnderstand not Christes wordes as they ought to be vnderstand Matth. 26. Marci 14. Luk. 22. 1. Cor. 11. Whan Christ dyd institute this sacrament he toke first the breade and called it his body saing this is my body ▪ After he toke the wine ād called it his bloode They of the first opinyō say that seing the wordes be christes in dede they cā not be fals seing he hath playnely sayd this is my body shewing the breade ād this is my bloode shewing the wyne We must nedes say that christes body ād blood be there for els his wordes should not be trewe but fals which cā not be for somoch as that Christ being the chefe trouth can not say an vntrouth He hathe sayd that the breade is his body ād the wyne is his bloode ther for it must nedes be soo And in this opinyon there be also ij diuers myndes One sayth that Iesus Christ is not only in the sacrament but wil that neyther breade nor wyne shuld remayne in the sacramēt but that both of thē should be chāged and should be cownted turnkynded that is to say transsubstātiated as they call it the which meaneth turned in to Christes body ād blood The bread in to Chrystes trew ād natural body the wyne in to his blood And thei call this turnīg or chāging trāssubstātiacyō that is to say turning of the substances in such sort as there remayneth nothing of the bread ād the wyne but the withcommes or accydētes that is to say the whytenes of the breade the rowndnes the tast the sauor And so of the wyne there remayneth the rednes if it be redd the swetenes or the sharpnes according as the tast is and so of the other withcommes the which remayne withowt any subiect that is withowt any body to be in But the substances of th one ād thother be turned in to the substāces of christes body ād blood ād this is done by myracle becaus god can doo all things And this is the opinion of the prystes and fryres of the romish church And they haue in such sort preached it that the worlde in tyme past from certen hondreth yeares hetherto haue beleued it ād cownted it as an article of the faith And woo to hym that had sayd the contrary For they wold haue cōdemned ād burnt him as an heretik And that because the pope who was taken for god on earth for Christes lefetenant and had auctoritie to make men beleue what so euer liked hym and euery man was brought to his determinacion wold nedes haue it so Certen other of the first opinion too the which holdeth that Christ is realli and bodily in the Sacrament doo saie that not witstanding that Christes body is wholly in the breade and his blood wholli in the wine yet the breade and the wine abide in their substance as before and be not turned nor changed in to a nother thing as the former opinion saith And thes maner of mē must nedes saie that at the least .iij. very great miracles must come to passe in this Sacrament The first is that Christ is wholli under that breade ād under that wine as great ād as thick as he was on the crosse and as presentli as he is in heauen This is a gret thing that a great body continewyng great shuld be inclosed in a litle thing moch lesse then the same bodi The second miracle is that Christes whole bodi and his wholle blood is in the whole bread and in the whole wine and in eueri yea the least part of th one and the other as it is said of our reasonable sowle that it is whole in the whole bodi and whole in euery part of the body in such sort as if there shuld be made x. thowsand partes of the breade ād the wine whole Christ ād his whole blood shuld be in eueri of thos diuided partes which is yea a greater thing withowt cōparison thā that of the being of the sowle in the whole bodi ād in eueri part of the bodi For allthough the sowle be in eueri part of the bodi whilest that the partes abide yoined together yet it is not in all the partes of the bodi whan thei be separated For whan one part is diuided from the body the sowle is no more in the same But Christes bodi and blood according to this opinion be in all the partis of the bread ād of the wine whan thei be yoined to gether and whan thei be diuided or sondred The third miracle is that the same body and the same blood is in heauen and in earth both at a time and is in all places of the world where the sacrament is In France in Spayne in England in Almainy in Flanders in Italy in the east in the west in this in that citie In this in that church on this The tabernacle is a litle-closet wherein the sacrament is kept nere the altare on that Altare In this in that tabernale as thei say Yea and that thei say that Christ is euery where and filleth euery thing But it is behouefull for them that put or will haue the changing of the substances of the bread and the wine that is to say that their transsubstantion to put besides thes .iij. miracles others also and to make a better marcket of miracles than thei that put it not yea a better market than the holy scripture and god maketh to whom notwithstonding belongeth to make miracles who is not so liberall of mirakels as thei be The chefe grownd worck of this first opinion is that Christ said This is my bodi shewing the breade ād This is my blood shewing the wine And therfor Christ must be in the same sacramēt For els he shuld haue spokē falsely the which cā not be Thei bring furth in dede other reasōs but thei all doo litle auaile as that same that if Christ were not in the sacrament it shuld not haue bene so gret a fawt to him that had receiued it vnworthely as Paul saith that is to say who euer eateth that breade and drinketh that wine unworthyle he eateth and drinketh Iudgement that is to say cōdemnation If Christ were not there say they it shuld not be condemnation to eate that breade and to drink that wine But the condemnacion is to him that eateth and drinketh vnworthily Therfor Iesus Christes very body and blood is there And the same Paul in the self same chapter doth call the consecrated bread the lords body and therfor they say that Christ is in that breade and in that wine Thei of this opinion to my Iudgemēt doo make no other reasons that be any thing worth Not withstanding whan
the breade and the wine doo noryssh and mainteine the life of the body so Christes body and blood receiued spiritually and thorow faith in to the mind doo norissh and mainteine vs in the spirituall life And for this cause Christ Iesus called his flessh verily meate and his blood verily drinck But if the substance of breade and wine shuld not abide but the only withcommes shuld remaine there shuld not be that liklihode and agreement which this sacrament requireth because that the only withcommes of breade and wine withowt the substances can not norissh And whan the dewe agreemēt ād likelyhode is not there thei shuld not be trewe signes and consequently thei shuld not be trewe sacraments And here it may be seene that thei of this opinion destroie the sacraments making them not to be trewe but vaine signes taking from them the growndwork of their trewe meaning A nother reason is this The third reason If Christ were bodilie in the sacrament it should be nothinge profitable forsomuch as that the onelie spirituall eatinge of Christ is that Iohan. 6. that is profitable as the same Christ himself said to them that thought whan he said that his bodie was meat ād his bloude drinke ād that it was behouefull for the hauinge of life to eat his flesh and to drinke his blode They thought I say that he ment to speake of the bodily eatinge and drinkinge sending the one and the other thorow the mouthe in to the stomake as also they beleue that hold that Christ should be personalli and bodely in the sacrament What said Christ to these maner of men The spirit is that whiche geueth life the flesh helpeth nothinge that is to saye when I saie that you must eate my fleshe ād drīk my bluode I meane that you must eat my flesh and drink my bluode spiritually ād after this sorte they geue lyfe but my flesh eaten and my blood dronken as you vnderstand it do help nothinge It is necessary for the geuing of lyfe that my flesh be eaten and my blood be dronken spiritually and not fleshly Christ is eaten and his blood is dronken spiritually as he him self declareth whē mē beleue in him And Augustine ī the exposiciō of the said words saith Crede et māducasti that is to sai beleue and thou hast eaten geuinge to vnderstād that Christs intent was when he said these words that is to sai that it was behoufull to eat his flesh and drink his blood to say that it was behouefull to beleue in him And after this sorte his body was eaten and his blode was dronken And the text it self geueth vs to vnderstand that this is trewe the which saith first that the fathers will is that euery one that beleueth in Christ should haue lyfe euerlafting And a fewe words he addeth veryly veryly I say vnto you he that beleueth in me hath lyfe euerlaftinge I am the bread of lyfe And a litle after he saith if you shall not eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drink his blood you shall not haue lyfe in you He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath lyfe euerlastinge If thes wordes spoken by Christ be trew as necessaryly thei must be trew because Christ cannot tell an vntroth It doth necessaryly folow that the eatinge his flesh and drinking his bloode is none other but to beleue in him or at the least that the eatinge his flesh and drinking his blood and the beleuing in him be things so ioyned to gether that they cannot be separate the one frō the other The reason is this becauce that if these words were not the same in sentence or ells that thei were suche as might be separated the one from the other that is to say that the one might be trew without the other we must needs say that a man might be saued and haue the lyfe euerlasting without the eating of Christs flesh and drinking his blood the which is against Christs expresse wordes who saieth that he can not haue lyfe that eateth not his flesh and drinketh not his blood Or els we must nedes saye that a man might be saued not beleuinge in Christ This is clere because Christ saith that he that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood hath lyfe euerlasting If it be so that man is saued by eating his flesh and drinking his blood when as this eating and drinkinge be not the same that beleuinge is or els that they may be separated that is to sai that the eating and drinkinge should be without the beleuing a man then shall haue life euerlastinge without beleuing in Christ the which likewise is against Christs expresse words who will that he that bebeleueth should be saued ād he that beleueth not should be damned Seing then that the one ād the other of these two sainges be trew that is to saie that he that eateth Christs fleshe ād drinketh his blood hath lyfe euerlasting and he that dothe not this can not haue it And this other also is trewe that is to saie he that beleueth in Christ hath lyfe euerlastinge and he that doth not beleue cannot haue it It followeth of necessitie that to eate Christs flesh and to drink his blood and to beleue in him should be one self thinge or els yf they should not be the same at the least that they could not by any meanes be separated that is to saie the one to be without the other I haue made this longe discourse to make men vnderstand that these words of Christ of the eating of his flesh and drinking his blood be not to be vnderstand of the bodyly eatinge and drinking and much lesse are to be vnderstand of the eating and drinking the sacrament of the lords supper but of the onely spirituall eatinge and drinkinge and thei that alledge them of the body or els of the sacramentall eating or drinking do alledge them out of the purpose Further also to make men know the chefe purpose that is to sai that althoughe Christ were bodely in the sacramēt it should helpe nothing because that the fleshly eating after what so euersorte it should be done doth nothing proffit to the witnessing of Christ seing the spiritual eatinge onely is that which geueth life And if any wold answer and saie that when Christ said that the flesh did help nothinge that he did meane that it did help nothing whan it was eaten as they did vnderstand it to whome Christ spake that is to saie the Capernaits the which thought that he did meane to saie that they should eat his flesh as the flesh of the shambells is eaten and drink his blood as wine and water is dronk But Christ in the sacrament is eaten after suche a certene sort as he is not seane nor perceauid no nor chewed because he is in the same sacrament vndiuideably nor his flesh is not eaten nor blood dronken for to norish the body as other bodelie meates but to norishe the soule
turnekindinge If the bread be turned into the body and the wine into the bluod because Christ said this is my body shewinge the bread ād this is my bluode shewing the wine and that els Christs words should not haue benetrue if the bread should not haue bene turned into the body ād the wine into the bluode or at the least that Christs bodye should be in the bread and his bluode in the wine It followeth that the paschal lamb which Christ did eat with his disciples was turned into the passeouer because Christ said the lāb is the passouer as it is written in luke I haue earnestly desired to eat this passouer with you before I suffer Luk. 22. if is clere that by this word passouer Christ did meane the paschal lāb ād because that pascha is that going ouer and passing by that the Angell made whē he passed ouer the hebrues not entering in but onely entered into the Egiptiās houses killing theire first borne as we haue in Exodus Exod. 12. we shal be cōpelled to say that that lāb was turned into that same going ouer or passing by or els that that going ouer or passīg by was in that lamb according to there opinion that will that Christ should be really in the sacrament the substances of the bread and wine remaininge And because that that going ouer was not then when Christ said those words that is to saie that that lamb was the pascha or passouer but it was onely in Moyses time in Egipt it followeth that he did eat a thinge that was not behold what maner things do folow their opinion that wold that Christ should be bodily in that host and that cup because he spake these words this is my body shewinge the bread and this is my bluode shewinge the wine For so much as it is no lesse true that the lamb is the pascha or passouer then that bread ād that wine be Christs body ād bluod because Christ who cannot lie hath spoken th one and thother And god himself said the lamb is the passouer It was therfore of necessitie that the lamb should be turned into the passouer or at the least that that passouer should be in that lāb because god said soo If we will say that Christ hath geuen to the words of the Sacramēt of the bread ād the wine the power to make the turninge of th one ād tother into the body and bluod but he hath not gewen the pouer to thother words of the lamb to turne it into the passouer orels that the passouer should be the lamb Exod. 12. This saing must nedes be self willed and without reason because the one and thother is a sacrament and is made for remembrance the lamb was ordeined in remembrance of that passouer of the aungell that was in Egipt the bread and the wine in remembraunce of Christs body and bluod geuen for oure raunsominge Furthermore they must shew how Christ hath geuen suche power to those words that is to saie this is my body and this is my bluod that by vtteringe them such turning should be made orels that his body and bluod should be made present They shal neauer be hable to shewe this their self wild talk to be true neather by the holy scripture as it were behoue full thei should do Intending to affirme such a matter ād much lesse by any maner of reason auailable Further though it were so that Christ had geuē such power to the words yet he gaue it not but to those words that he thē said whan he did institute the sacramēt ād not to other And this they of the same opiniō do cōfesse but the words that Christ spake thē be no more true because he spake thē of the time to come and not of the time past that is to say this is my bodi the which shal be geuē for you and this is my bluod the whiche shal be shed for you These words were thē true because that his body was not yet geuē nor his bluod shed but they were to be geuē but now they be no more true but false because that euē as Christ now cā no more die nor suffer so cā he no more geue his bodie nor shed his bluod For so much as if he could do these things he should be sufferable and mortall ād this cānot be Therfore if these words had power to work those effects thē false words should haue had pouer to turne the substances orels to make Christ present in the sacrament but if they be true thē haue they power to make Christ sufferable ād mortal I cōfirm this reasō thus If because Christ said those wosds this is my body ād this is my bluod such turning should be made or els that he should be present in the sacramēt there wold folow inconueniences because that we shuld be compelled to saie that all the speeches of the scripture and of god in the which is affirmed that a thing is other this or that seing that god can not tel an vntroth we shal be compelled I say to affirme and graunt that it is so as the words seme to say And so we shal be cōpelled to graunte that the Testament or gods couenaunt whither you will call it should be there in the same circumcision For so much as that god as we haue in the Genesis said to Abram whan he did institute the circumcision Gene. 17. this is my couenant speaking of the same circumcision and for all that the circumcision was not that couenaunt but onely a signe of that couenaunt as in the same place that is to say the same chapter it is plaine that god called the circumcision the signe of his couenaūt It is plaine that the signe of a thinge is not the self same thinge And yet god said that the circumcisiō was the couenaunt We shal be compelled to graunt that that fearfull fantasy the which appered to Saule 1 Regū 28. as we haue in the first boke of the kings was Samuel in deed because the scripture there dothcal it Samuel and yet al the Catholike doctours say ād affirme that it was a fātasie ād a deceipt of the deuel ād not Samuell And we shal be compelled also to saie that because Christ said that he was the vine that he was so in dede And because the scripture calleth Christ a rock a lyon a lamb a shepe and as many other things as it speaketh of him we shal be compelled to affirme that Christ in dede was all those things But what will they say to Christs owne words in the same institution of the sacrament Christ did not onely say this is my body and this is my bluod but he said takinge the cupp Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. as luke ād paule do affirme this cup is my new testamēt in my bluode These words be aswell trew as those this is my body and this is my bluod ād Christ did aswell sai
gost as peter saieth in the second Epistle 2. Pet. 1. and it was confirmed with great signes and meruelous miracles Nor no ◅ue of the fathers or old doctours did ◅auer desire that they should be beleued as the holy scripture but they all with one voice do say and chefely Saint Augustine that concerninge matters of fayth we should so farr beleue them as is found in the holye scripture and none otherwise And thei will that it should be laufull to denye any men yea let them be of what so euer holynesse learninge and aucthoritie you will but not to deny the holy scripture Tell me who is he that wold beleue the article of the trinitie althoughe the whole world had told him if it were not plaine in the holy scriptures who wold beleue the article of the incarnation of the sonne of god and the other articles of the fayth If gods word had not told it What can men know of such thinges except so much as god oppeneth vnto them by the scripture Loke vpō Austen in the 19 epistle The 19. pistell where he sayth in sentēce that he beareth this honoure towards the Canonicall bokes of the scripture that he beleueth seurly that no one of them hath ◅rred but for all the rest he may deny them if thei do not proue their suings by the holy scripture The 3. pistell The very same in meaninge he sayth in the hundreth and eleuenth epistle writing to fortunatianus the bishop They all beside all this that I haue sayd were of this opiniō that Christ in that he is m◅ is only in heauē bodely In the se second boke against the denatists cap. 3. Let vs say the same of the determinacions of popes and of coūcels that all may err Austen in the second boke against the donatists sayth that the vniuersall former Coūcels may be amended by thē that folow If they may be amended suerly they may err and so they that folow after them who doubteth but they mai err aswell as they that go before And we by experience ma◅ see that many councels do err for one of thē doth gaynsay an other I speak not this because that men ought not to haue reuerence to councels when they be lawfully gathered together and in the holy gost and when the determinations that be made in them be accordinge to the holy scripture as the Councell of Nece was against Arrius The councell of Calcedone against Eutiches And certein other old councels the which had gods word for their rule And these onely were gathered to gether in Christs name and in the holy gost But I say in dede that whan they determine anye maner of thinge pertaining to fayth and do not stick to gods word that we ought not to obey such councels nor men ought not to beleue them And in our dayes we haue the example of the councell of Trent the goodly determinations that it made all at the popes good pleasure whome the bishoppes cannot gainsay because they haue all sworne neauer to go against the sea Apostolike What estimation should men haue of such coūcels where no respectt is had to gods honoure nor to his worde and such as be gathered together against Christ for to quēche him out and to establish the kingdō of Antichrist shal we allow such coūcels This is a cheefe grounde The faithfull Christian is not bounde nor ought not in matters pertaining to faith to beleue the hole world together if they do not bringe forth gods worde that is to say the holy scripture for their witnesse Wel now thei wil say that they haue gods worde that is to saye Christes words who sayd this is my body and this is my bluod she winge the bread and the wyne therfore the bread and wyne be turned into Christes body and bluod and Christ is wholly in the host and in the wyne Further he sayd those words in the sixt chapter of Ihon aboue recyted where he willeth that we should eat his flesh and drink his bluod and this is not done except in the sacrament therfore he is bodely in the sacrament I answer first to those words this is my body and this is my bluod and I aske where in the scripture at any tyme is found that suche a speche as This is my bodye and this is my bluode should meane this is turned into my body and into my bluod or els my body and my bluod be in these signes I neauer found this maner of speche Therfore the fore sayd words haue another meaninge then that the whiche they geue them or that whiche the scriptures vse that is to say this is the signe of my body shewinge the bread and this is the signe of my bluod shewinge the wyne as before we haue sayd and we will also better say in the declaration of those words This is in dede their meaninge To the saings of the sixt chapter of Ihon I say that they do not alledge thē to purpose because that there Christ doth not speak of the sacramentall eatinge but of the spirituall and by faith as in the third reason we haue declared yea as Christ him self doth expounde it in the text and so all the old doctours do expounde it And cheefely Augustine who sayth beleue ād thou hast eaten so that seinge that opinion of the turninge of the substāces of the bread and wyne into Christs body and bluod nor that of his bodely presence in the sacrament cannot be proued nether by reason nor any aucthoritie that auayleth we ought to conclude that it is a fayned inuention and imagination of men and commeth not from god The reasons of the true and Catholike opiniō beinge ended before that we answer to the obiections and ground workes of the partyes contrary to the trueth there remanith to mak apere that the opinion which we haue proued is that of the old church and the forenamed doctours and holy men And because I should be to long if I wold bringe the multitude of doctours It shall suffise me therfore to tell Augustines opinion a most ware and true expounder of the old and sound opinions the which Augustine holdeth not but the opinion of the Auntiens and that which was holdē in his tyme ād of his predecessours In his Epistle to bonifacius he writeth after this sorte Epistle 23. If the sacramēts should not haue some similitude of those things of the which they be sacraments they should be in no wyse sacraments And by this lykelynes those same sacraments many tymes take the name of the things them selues Euen us therfore after a certeyn meyns the sacrament of Christs body is Christes body the sacrament of Christes bluod is Christs bluode and so the sacrament of faith that is to say the baptisme is faith and is called faith See here Augustine how he vnderstandeth Christs speache when he sayth this is my body shewing the bread and this is my bluode shewinge the
is god the maker of nature can bringe it to passe in his body that is to saye that first the bread should be turned into his bodye and the wyne into his bluod and after then that it should be whole in the whole hoste and in the cupp and whole in euery parte of the sacrament and that it should be in dyuers places If he can do those thinges and will doo them as we vnderstand by the words of the sacrament the whiche say this is my bodye shewing the bread and this is my bluod sh◅winge the wyne then they be done because it is written in the psalme Quaecunque uoluit fecit dominus All thinges that the lord wold do he did I answer first to the reason it self and after I will speake of the similitudes To the reason that is to say if god can do it therfore he hath done it I say that it awayleth not and it is already answered before in oure seauenth reason that god doth not all that he can do as we geue the example of the twelue thousand legions of Aungels the which god if he wold could haue sent to help Christ and yet he sent them not God can bringe to passe that we all maie walke vpon the sea without shippes as some tyme Christ did And as it is written in the boke of wysdom and yet he doth it not Oure question is not whether god can do it or no but it is whether god hath done it or no. Thei saiyes and we saye no It belongeth to them to proue that he hath done it and that he doth it a fresh the which they shall neauer do nor can neauer bringe it to passe by gods word this is a suer rule Concerninge that they go aboute to saye that god had desire to do it this is not onely false but most false What reason is this Christ sayd this is my body shewinge the bread and this is my bluod shewinge the wyne therfore he will that the bread should be turned into his body and the wyne into his bluod or at the least that he should be in the sacrament in such sort as they say This reason doth not deserue any answer for so much as Christ by these words ment not to saye any other but that the bread and the wyne were a sacramēt and signes of his body and bluod and ment not to saye that which they affirme as before we haue so often declared The exāples or similitudes that they bringe furth be not to the purpose and thei be rather dissimilitudes then otherwise The example of Moyses rodd turned into the serpent and after the serpent turned into the rod and of the waters turned into bluod it is not like because the serpent Note further that in turninge of Moyses rod of the water into bluod and such other myracles the senses did witnes the chaunge of the thinges which holdeth not in the transubstantiation into the which the rodd was turned was not before but was newly made Likewise that bluod into the which the waters were turned was newlye made and was not before but Christes body and his bluod were and be before the bread They put certayne turninges against nature not maruelous but rather monstrous and Imaginatiue Let them geue me but one example in the hole scripture that god eauer turned one thinge into another that was before they shall not fynde it How dare they then be so bold to affirme such a thinge yea that which is more to go aboute to make men beleue it as an article of the fayth and yet thei cannot neather proue it by gods worde nor bringe furth any example that eauer any lyke thinge was done The example of the heauen that it is in oure eye which is litle is nothinge worthe because the heauē is not really in oure eye but there is onely the image or the similitude of the heauen the which similitude is litle as the eye nor it is not vnconuenient that the similitude or the Image of a great thinge shuld be litle as the Image of Cesar was in the coyne that was shewed to Christ by the pharisees the Image of Cesar was in that coyne the which was much lesse then Cesar himself and neuertheles it did represent Cesar who was great and much greater then that Image We will say the like of the Image of the man in the glasse the which althoughe that it be muche lesse then the man yet it doth represent the man This is no great matter that the Image of agreat thinge should be litle but it should be agreat matter that agreater body should be conteined in one much lesse as they say of Christ that great and thick as he was vpō the wood of the crosse and as presently he is in heauen he should be whole conteyned in a litle cake They that geue these examples of heauen and of the thinges that be seen in glasses do not proue that agreat bodye is conteyned in a litle as they say of Christ that he is conteyned in the hoste but they proue onely the Image or similitude of agreat thinge may be whole in a litle thinge the which we denie not but if the similitude or image of agreat thinge be in a litle thinge this is because that that Image it self also is litle and no greater then that body wher in it apereth yea it is lesse so that these exāples be not to the purpose To the other similitudes I say also that they auayle not that of the soule that it should be whole in the whole bodye and whole in euery parte of the bodye This is because the soule seing that it geueth lyfe to all the bodye as it is playne must nedes be in euery parte of the bodye for so much as that seinge it geueth lyfe not onely to the whole body but to euery parte of the same It is necessarye that it should be in all the partes because that if it were not in any parte that parte should not be a lyue And because that the soule wheresoeauer it is of necessitye it must be whole there being vndyuidable and not hauing partes because it is a spirite there fore it is necessary that the soule be whole in the whole and whole in euery parte of the body but Christes body not being a spirite and hauinge many partes beinge longe brode and thinke cannot be whole in the whole and whole in euery parte of the place where he is and as it is repugnaunte to a bodye to be a spirite so is it repugnant to it to be vndeuydhable in a place To the other similitude of oure face the which is whole in the whole and whole in euery parte of the glasse after this sorte that is to saye that when the glasse is broken the Image of the face is in euery peece of the glasse I say they be deceaued nor it is not true that one Image is in all those peeces of the glasse when it is
with handes why should it not be seene It is playne that euery thing that is felt may also be seene if it be not a thorow shewer as the ayer is But who did eauer see Christ in the sacrament Thother fault of thesame glose is that it speaketh against the text For the text of beringarius confession sayth expresly that not only the sacrament but Christs body and bluod be sensibly handled with the priestes handes be broken and knawed to morsels with the teeth of the faithfull These wordes cannot haue that sense that the master of the sentences geueth them because that the body and the bluod be playnely spoken of and he sayth in the text that they be broken and gnawed into morsels with the faythfuls teeth Further it is not to be thought that they who were present at that confession did vnderstand the wordes otherwise theÌ„ according to the open and lettered signification For so moch as that in confessions men must chefelye speake playnely and not in such sort as it should be necessary to gyue them gloses and expositions but thei ought to be opeÌ„ and many fast and farr from any doubt And so moch the more as they that compelled him to make that confession did wirt it them selues as it lyked theÌ„ It is sayd that a certen maÌ„ called Humbertus cardinall of burgony worded or if you will so call it framed that confessioÌ„ O Capernites This is the honor that thei did to Christ to constraine a poore maÌ„ to confesse that Christ who is immortall and vnsufferable should be sensibly handled and broken with the priestes handes and chawed and gnaued into morsels with the teeth of the faithfull Be these the councels gathered together in the holy gost Let the master of the sentences for all that and as many other glosers aâ—… be in the world glose at their pleasure yet thei shall neuer sett the matter well together This thing is to doltish yea it is a skorning both of the sacrament and of Christ him self what the causes should be that haue moued the deuysers of these opinyons of Christes bodyly presence in the sacrament and of the turning of the bread and the wyne into Christes body and bluod to Imagin such things I say in my Iudgsment that they be chefely .ij. The first is the ignorance of the maners of speach of the holy scripture because they were not exercysed in the same and they did imagen when Christ sayd this is my body shewing the bread And this is my bluod shewing the wyne that such a maner of speach cold not be true except that bread and that wyne were substantially and beingly the very body aÌ„d the very bluod of Christ or at the least that the one and thother that is to saie Christes body and bluod were with in the sacrameÌ„t Thei sawe that the words were clere and on the other side also that the old doctours many tymes did affirme and call the breade and the wyne body and bluod they thought that that was the mynd as well of the same doctor as of the holy scripture the which thing notwithstanding was neuer so And thei considered not that the same scripture whan it treateth of sacrameÌ„ts is woÌ„t to speak after that sort that is to say to call the sacraments by the name of the things signified as allredy we haue beforcerteÌ„ tymes told aÌ„d that the doctors likwyse folow the same maner of speach this I think is one cause why thei did so vtter it And to proue this true whaÌ„ thei goo about to proue their purpose thei alledge the saings of the doctors euel vnderstaÌ„d aÌ„d those words of Christ This is my body shewing the bread aÌ„d this is my bluod shewing the wine as though he had meÌ„t to sai that the substaÌ„ces of the bread aÌ„d wyne shuld be turned into his body aÌ„d bluod Not coÌ„sidering that Christ speake as the scripture is wont to speak whaÌ„ it calleth the sacrameÌ„ts by the name of the things signified And therfor thei haue affirmed those their opinioÌ„s to be thiÌ„gs ê‘taining to faith the which euery one should be buÌ„d to beleue as an article of the faith The foresaid laÌ„fraÌ„ck in his boke of the sacrameÌ„t the which he wrote against Beringarius saith we beleue saith he that the earthly substaÌ„ces the which vpon the lordes table be by the priestly ministery deuinelie hallowed by the heaueÌ„ly powr be vnspeakably vncoÌ„ceiuably aÌ„d meruelously turned in the veri essens or beiÌ„gnes of the lords body the formes of the same things and certeÌ„ other qualyâ—…ies being reserued And he saith also that the iust maÌ„ who lyueth by faith doth not labor to serchout with arguments and to vnderstaÌ„d with reson after what sort the bread is made flesh aÌ„d the wyne is turned in to bluod beingly the nature of the one and the other being changed because he will rather gyue faith to the heauenly my steryes to th entent that hereafter he might come to the rewards of faith then leauing the fayth to be toyled in vayne in conprehending those things that cannot be comprehended c. Thomas of aquyne in his hymne of the sacrameÌ„t of the lords body aÌ„d bluod sayth the lyke that is to saie the word flesh that is to sai the sonn of god made man with the word doth make bread flesh and the wyne is made Christes bluod and though the sense doo fayle to establish a pure hart yet faith only is sufficient And next after he sayth let him put to faith as a help for the fayling of the senses These .ij. men wold that opinion should be beleued as an article of the faith but if they haue beleued it as an article of the faith aÌ„d as their wordes doo affirme surely they haue slyghtly and euel fauordly beleued because that nothing ought to be beleued as an artycle of the faith except it be found expressely in the scripture Let them tell me then where is the scripture that they alledge Where is gods word on which they grownd their faith Should we beleue these doctours that make thearticles of the faith without gods word that bilde their bilding vpon the sand and not vpoÌ„ the sure rock The first cause I say of such opynions was the ignorance of the holy scripture The second cause without comparayson is moch wors than this And parauenture it shall appeare to some that I am of an euell mynd thinking so moch euel as I doo of the auctours of such opinions But if thei will consider the disceightes the craftes and the nomber of abuses that be malytiously committed in the masse thei will sai surely that I am yet to gentle that I think not moch wors What good caÌ„ be thought of the beginning of so great an error from whens doth procede so many inconueniences and disorders The second cause I say that I imagine is this that is to saie that thei desired to gyue credite to the priuate masse that is to say to
Epistle the grayle which is certeiâ—… verses of Psalmes and for the most parte with certein alleluiaes orels the tract which is also certeine verses of Psalmes and then is saide the gospell These things are of the holy scripture and good but be vndewâ—…ifully handled because they â—…re vnprofitably spoken Tell me what can the â—…pistle gospel or any of the scripture profit if they â—…e not vnderstand It is plaine that the more parte â—…f the people that here Masse commenly vnderâ—…and not the latine But what speake I of the peopâ—… They themselues that say the Masse for the â—…ost part are ignoraunt and vnderstand not the â—…eaninge of the words they speake but like pyes â—…r popingaies they pronounce the words and the â—…enteÌ„ces and vnderstand not the meaninge of then what an abuse is this And so much the more as that they say softly before the gospell two praiers â—…hat is Clense o almightie god my harte and my â—…ippes that didest clense the lippes of I say the prophet with a burning stone voutsafe eueÌ„ so to clense me with thy pitie that I may worthelie declare this holly gospell by Christ oure lord And after this he saieth the other Oure lord be in my hart and in my lippes that I may worthely aÌ„d sufficieÌ„tly shew forth his gospell After this sorte the priest saieth these prayers when there is no deacon but where the deacon is there he asketh the blessing at the priests hands who speaketh vnto him in the second person sainge The lord be in thy hart and in thy lippes c. The praier ended the deacon then singeth the gospell There is required in these praiers to set furth the gospell worthely and as it ought But how caâ—… the gospell be worthely set furth wheÌ„ it is vttered in such sort as it is nether vnderstand of him thaâ—… hereth it nor him that speaketh it and proffiteth nothinge at all Suerly they mock god and the gospell for on the one parte they desire gods grace to shew forth worthely the gospell and of the other parte they speak it or singe it in such sort as it cannot be vnderstand Is the gospell worthely declareâ—… by reading it onely on the boke Did our sauior câ—…maunde his Apostles when he said vnto them preach the gospel to all creatures that they shoulâ—… preach it in a tong that men vnderstand not Wheâ—…fore gaue he them the gift of tongs But that euen nation might vnderstand them The gospell why iâ—… it preached to the entent to be beleued How caâ—… it be beleued when it is not vnderstand What 〈◊〉 corruption is this of this Masse to say it to all the people whiche are there some time a thousand persons men and women litle and great and the more parte of them heareth onely the voice without vnderstanding any thinge that is saide in the hole Masse O poure people what misorder and abuse is this There is that haue hard Masse aboue fourescore yeres that neuer vnderstode any thinge nor knoweth what they haue done O shepherds that haue the charge of mens soules is this youre gouernement do you handell of this sorte Christs poore shepe which you ought to seede with gods worde and ye feed them with wynde why do you not remedy in youre Councels which to what end you kepe them it is well knowen this horrible abuse and many other as great as this but rather defend them and increase them from day to day as lawes of the churche What excuse shall you haue â—…at the day of iudgement before Christs throne for this youre administration Who hath taught you to speak in the churche before the hole nombre in an vnknowen tonge do you not know that this is against gods commaundement declared by the Apostell Paule 1. Cor. 14. where plainely he willeth that in the church and when the people are gathered together men should speak in a tonge that all men might vnderstand and rebuketh those that speake in an vnknowen tonge because it is without edification and proffit what a destruction is this to make the poore people lose the tyme and to kepe the people so disceaued that they should think it well done onely to here and vnderstand nothinge They know not that to read a thinge and not to vnderstand it is to dispise it as Cato saieth whom euery chilce doth lerne The cause why in the old tyme the latine tong was vsed in the churche was because that then the people did vnderstand it And Gregory at Rome to the people did vse none other tonge but latin as himself doth witnes in the preface to Ezechiell writing to Marian the bishop yea it was commaunded by the Emperours Ciuill law that the minister should speake the words of Consecration with a loud voice that all the people might here and vnderstand which should haue bene done in vaine if the people had not vnderstand the meaning of the words And therfore there was no praier said softly but all were openly spoken with a loud voice to the intent that the people might answer amen Which should haue bene askorne by the witnes of Paule in the said place of his Epistle to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 14. if they had not vnderstand what was said Therfore the minister or the priest when he should say the prayers said and yet saith Oremus prouoking the whole multitude gathered to gother to whom he speaketh that they should pray and make together with him the same peticion that he speaketh which cannot be fitly done if that be not vnderstand that the priest saieth And therfore this saing of the Epistle and gospell and all the rest as it is handeled in the Masse in the latine tonge and being not vnderstanded of the â—…tanders bye is a very great abuse and a begiling of the people of the profit of Gods worde The thirde chapter THere is declared that the prayer which is said in the offering of the host is wicked That the mixting water with wine is mans inuention and not gods That the praier of the offeringe the cupp is wicked as that is of the hoste When the gospell is done the Crede is sayd on holly daies on other daies it is not said After the Crede then is the offertory which is a saing of the Psalmes and some tymes it is some other parte of the scripture brefe and short When the offertory is said or whilest it is saing on holy daies chefely on sonday men offer and kysse the maniple or the paten and there is said to them that offer Centuplum accipies c. The which saing was a promes that Christe made to those that wold forsake father mother wyfe children and there temporall goods for his name and they aplie it to them that offer in this offeringe Behold wheather this be to pull gods word from the purpose and to corrupt it or no As though Christs inteÌ„t had bene to sai in these words whoso euer will kisse the phanel and offer to geue
wordes of the consecration and not of all the canon Innocentius in the decretallis de celebratione missarum in the chapter Cum marthe willeth and commandeth because he was pope that this canon shuld be receiued as deliuered by the apostels although it were writen at the least v. hondreth yeare affter the apostels time and but a litle before gregory the first Lib. 7. epist cap. 63. as he him selff witnesseth It was written by a certen mā named Scolasticus and is diuided in to xi partis some going before the consecraciō and some folowing Master William durāt in his Rationale diuinorum officiorum that is to say the declaration of the cause of euery thing vsed in gods seruice with great reuerēce expoundeth thes one part affter a nother as a thingful of veri great ād godly misteries And saith that euery point of this canō which we goo abowt to set owt doth very hardly appeare to be of any valewe Wherfor saith he The tong faileth The spech is vnfitt The witt is ouer come And the vnderstonding oppressed Notwithstonding I will knock at the dore that is to say I will pray god that he wil open to me thes great secrettis And yet for all thes there is not in this canon made by scolasticus so moch as one word of the holy scripture except thos of the consecration which are the least of it For the pater noster was added after by Gregory as in the place before rehersed and be christes wordes So that iff he shuld haue declared Iohns gospel or the mistery of the trinitie he wold not haue made such a furniture of wordes And he expowndeth it with so great diligence ād reuerēce as it is meruolose Thes be the worthy expownders that expownd mans wordes with more reuerence and with greater labor than gods So now expownding this canō he saith many things vaine and childish yea many thinges wicked Amongst the rest he saith that parauenture by gods foresight it is brought to passe and not procured by mans labor that the first letter of this canon shuld be T. which in hebrew is called Tau Which Tau in his shape sheweth and expresseth the signe and mistery of the crosse because god saith by Ezechiel print the Tau Ezech. 9. in the forhead of them that sorow and mourne for the abominations of Ierusalē For thes things sayth he be fullfilled by the passion of Christ ād the cross and haue their strenght And he addeth that in certen bokes that is to say massebokes the maiestie of the father ād also the Image of the crucifix is paynted to the intent that the priest might see as it were presently him that he calleth on and with whom he speaketh saing Te igitur c. And that the passion which here is represented may pearce in to the eyes of the hart And he addeth But the priest kisseth the feete of the Image of the same maiestie and is crossed in the forhead geuing vs to vnderstand that he goeth reuerently to the mistery of the redempcion Not withstonding saith he some kisse first the feete of the Image of the fathers maiestie and affter of the crucifix according to the order of the canon Other contrary wise For by the sonn men come to the father And wher hath this honest fellowe fownd that the maiestie of the father can be painted Exod. 20 Deut. 4.5 what shape hath the father who is an highe spirite that we may paint him Seing he himselff hath so straightly in the lawe commanded that there shuld be made no fasshion nor ymage of god Is not this to teach men to committ Idolatry Let no man maruel that I offten alledge William Durant For I doo it to none other end but that it may appeare of what sort the fowndacions of this masse are For this is he that yeldeth and telleth the causes and reasons of the things that are sayd and done in the masse Therfor I alledge him offten But let vs ronne ouer a litle this canon And examining it we shal see in it thes vnexpressable misteries affter master durant The first is this WE therfor O most mercifull father by Iesus Christ thy sonn our lord doo humbly pray and desire the that thow wilt accept these gyfftes these presentys and these vnspotted sacryfices And here must be made iij. crosses ouer the host and the chales likewise And he addeth First that we offer to the for thy holi catholike church which vouchsafe thow to quiet to kepe to Ioyne to gether and to gouerne in euery part of the earthes compasse to gether with thy seruant our Pope and our bisshop And here is the Pope and the bisshop of that dyocesse where the masse is said named by name Or iff thei be friars or mōkes that celebrate thei name their generall or Abbat and affter he addeth this That is to say And for all the right opinioned and kepers of the catholyke and apostolik faith This is the first of the xi partis of the canon In which it is destred that the breade and the wyne may be accepted for the church for the pope for the bisshops for the generals fryars or mōkes and for all the right opinioned and kepers of the catholik and apostolik faith And it is affirmed that that bread and that wyne not yet consecrated are holy and vndefiled sacrifices which are offered to god for the church ād for all thos that are there mencioned And here is no great hardnes for the wordes be plaine inough except that those iij. crosses which are made ouer the breade and wyne shuld betoken some very great misteries Master William durant saith here that thes iij. crosses doo betoken the iij. deliueries of Christ the first when god deliuerid his son to the world the second whē Iudas deliuerid him to the Iewes and the third whē the Iewes deliuerid him to death Iff this reason be good whi make thei not ther 4. crosses Seing that Christ hath deliuered also him selff as Peter saith 1. Pet. 2. Tradebatautem se iudicanti iuste that is he deliuered himselff to him that Iudgith Iustly Is not this Christ as mā and as priest deliuered or offered vnto god Eph. 5. a sacrifice for our sinnes And doth not S. Paul to the Ephes say that Christ deliuered himselff for the church to sāctifie it Heb. 9. ◅0 ād to the hebrews in how many places is ther made mencion Math. 20. that Christ hath offred himselff to god yea Christ him selff doth witnes that he hath geuē his life for vs. Is not this deliuery of as great importan̄ce as that of the Iewes and rather greater And why is ther not mencion made of it in thes crosses He saith also that thes iij. crosses are made in the worship of the trinitie and also in betokening the threfold vnion in the acceptacion of Christ. Also in rememberance of the threfold crucifiēg that is to say In the will
In the cries ād in the work And for the iij. times before the lawe that is to say from Adam to Noe frō Noe to Abrahā frō Abraham to Moyses So that this our master Durant allegeth as many significations of thes iij. crosses as there are threfoldnessis or nombers of thre Imagined Behold now the great misteries of this Canon Moreouer who hath auctorised him that made this Canon to giue so many significacions to thes crosses Is it in mans powr to doo it Thes things to him that vnderstandeth are supersticious and vnknowen not only of the Apostles but also of the primatiue and puer church I could if I wold touch that matter how that bread and that wine not yet consecrated could be sacrifices which are offered for the whole church and for all the faithfull but of this matter we will speake more here affter when we will proue Yea that the bread and wine consecrated that is to say whan thei be a sacrament are no sacrifyces but only a memory of the trew sacrifice thei be so muche lesse sacrifices whan as yet thei be not a sacrament that is to say not yet consecrated as we shall further declare The second part of the canō is the momento which is a prayer that is made for the liuing and it is this Lord remember thy seruants men and wemen And in this place praier is made for certen particular parsons as semeth good to hym that sayth the masse and affter he addeth And all the bowt standers whos faith is plaine vnto the and their deuocion knowen For whom we offer vnto the or els they offer vnto the this sacrifice of praise for thē selues and for all theirs for redempcion of their sowles for the hope of helth and for their safetie And thei yeld vp their vowes vnto the eternal liuing and trewe god In this memento ther is nothing but may be easily vnderstand Here he that sayth the masse affirmeth that that same bread and wyne which are not yet consecrate but bare bread and wine are offered to god for the redempcion of their sowles of whom memory is made and also of the about standers This speach doth a base Christ because it semeth that Christ shuld not haue redemed thos sowles as withowt dowt he hath done And he first promysed it and all the scriptures affirme Math. 20 Heb. 9. that he nedeth no more to doo it Paul to the hebrewes sayth that Christ hath fownd owt the euerlasting redempcion In the Apocalipse Iohn saith Apoca. 5. Thow hast redemed vs in thy blood and speaketh to Christ of euery tribe tong people ād nacion And hast made vs vnto our god kings and priestes And how many saings iff we wold and also nede were could we bring forth But it nedeth not in so plaine a matter to alledge moo witnessis Shuld we confesse as this praier doth that with breade and wine is made the redempcion of our sowles Christ only is our redemer and not the bread nor the wine vnconsecrated no nor when they be consecrated as thei call it But let vs admitt that thei were consecrated which not with stonding thei be not and that Christ were with vs bodily in parson yet it shuld not nede any more to offer him for the redempcion of our sowles because he hym selff hath done that withowt vs and hath offered hym selff ones for euer to bring that to passe What nedeth it than any more to offer him for that purpos Ought we not to beleue that our redempcion is made withowt seking who shuld make it againe as though it were not made Therfor this memento is wicked The third part of the canon is a praier in this forme Cōmunicating and honoring the memory of the gloryous and cōtinuall virgin Mary mother of god ād of our lord Iesus Christ ād of the blessed Apostels and Martyrs Peter and Paul Andrew The euelnes of the latin proueth him vnlearned in the latin tonge that made it Iames and Ihon Thomas Iames Philip Bartilmew Simon ād Thadeus Linus Cletus Clement Sixtus Cornelius Cyprian Lawrence Grisoganus Iohn and Paul Cosmyan and Damyan and of all thy sainctes for whos desertis and prayers grant vs that we may with the help of thy defence be strengthened in all thinges by the same Christ our lord Amen It is said that Siritius the pope did add thes wordes In which is celebrated the rememberans of the gloryos mother and Virgin and of the other sainctes here named But why there shuld be made memory of thos rather than of many other he that hath made this Communicantes ought to tell it It is destered that by owre communicating with the saintes and by partaking of their good things and by honoring the memory of them that god thorow their merites wold grant vs in all things to be strengthned with his help In this parte also there is nothing has is not easyly vnderstand And why he doth ◅ere suppose that the saincts pray for vs which ◅s not fownd by the holy scripture we shuld ◅alke a litle on this matter but at this time we will attend to that which is of more waight And we wil leaue this till a nother time to auoide tedyosnes to the reader THE II. CHAPTER The iiij and v. part of the canon is examined that is Hanc igitur oblationē and Quā oblationē It examineth also the vi and vij part which is Qui pridie ād simili modo where mē may plainly see that the defenders of the masse know not what Consecracion is no nor with what wordes nor whanit is made The iiij part of the canō is this that is to say We besech the therfor o lord that thow wilt accept or take this oblaciō of our seruice and of all thy howsold and that thow woldest dispose our dayes in thy peace and command that we may be freed from euerlasting damnacion and be nombred among the flock of thine elect thorow Iesus Christ our lord Amen Te fifft part is this that is to say The which oblacion o god we besech the vouchsaue in all things to make blessed auctorissed reasonable and acceptable so that to vs it may be made the body and blood of thy very welbeloued sonn our lord Iesus Christ And saing thes wordes there are made v. crosses the first but ouer the breade only and the last ouer the cupp only the other iij. ouer the bread and the cupp together Master durant reciteth diuers exposicions of thes words benedictā ascriptā ratā ratio nabilē ād acceptabilē ād of thes crosses and findeth owt certen other trines or threes diuers from them that he hath taught before But what neded it to institute so many crosses and supersticious doings as things necessary whan Christ hath not commanded them nor his apostels nor were neauer vsed by the primatiue church The apostle paule not being so bold to ordein the sacrament otherwyse than as Christ had taught him that he had done
not said with a lowd voice to signifie that christ sometime cried owt Mathei 27. as whā he cried on the crosse Heli Heli ād whā also preaching he cried if any be thirst let him come to me and drinck And the rationall a litle affter saith that be cause we be not worthy to deserue the forgiuenes of the things past present and to come except it be geuen vs by the praier of the blessed virgin Mary and of the blessed Peter ād Paul ād thother saintes therfor we do call them here to our help But I aske by whos intercession are sinnes forgeuen by Peters Paulis or the sainctes all which had their sin̄es Iff this praier intend that that the rationall saith it is blasphemos as though we deserue not pardon eycept by the blissed virgin and of the blessed Peter Paule Andrewe and other saintes And where is this sownd in the holy scripture that we deserue not forgiuenes of sinnes but by the praiers of saintes How doth this rationall knowe this How can we surely speake of the remission of sinnes iff not by the word of god The word of god thorowowtly saith that sinnes are forgeuen vs by christes intreating and that Iesus Christ is our meane aduocate and intreater and it appointeth no nother but him nor maketh no mention of ani other And this praier will haue that by saintes praiers sinnes are forgeuen vs. Why saith he not by Christis intercession Why do we than faine to our selues of our fansy other aduocates and other intreaters But let the rationall with his masse tell me a litle the forenamed saintes and all the rest by whos intercession deserued thei pardon hauing all had one sinn or others Sureli all had nede of pardon It is necessari iff thei will answer well that thei say bi Christ Iff it be soo why do thei allege other than him in the forgeuenes of sinnes What man so euer he be in the world for so moch as by one only way the sinnes of the world are forgeuen as S. Iohn saith in his 1. pistell that he is the propycyacion for our sinnes and not only for ours but for all thos of the world Whā this praier is done the host is broken ouer the cupp in 2. partes and one of thos partys is laid vpon the pa◅en and the other also is broken in 2. partes and the one of thes 2. second partis is laid also vpon the paten With the other that first was put there And affter holding in his hand that other of the 2. pecys also ouer the cupp he saith per omnia secula seculorum And Amen is answered And affter he addeth pax domini sit semper uo biscum And saing thes wordes there are made 3. crossis with that pece of the host ouer the cupp Whē the wordes be spoken and the crossis made the prest saith thes wordes that is to say Let the mixing and consecracion of the body of our lord Iesus Christ be vnto vs that do or shall receiue them vnto euerlastinge life And all thes things haue their significacions and their misteries that is to say their supersticions But why doo thei not handle the sacrament as Christ taught Christ did nat put any part of the breade in to the cupp but seuerally gaue it to his disciples first the bread which signified the body after the wine which signifyed the blood ech one a part by it selff And dyd not mingle them together as men are wōt to doo sometymes with comon breade that is eaten sopt in wyne This is not conuenyent in the holy sacramēt the which ought not to be hādeled otherwyse thā as Christ hath taught vs. Here the racyonall sayth that this mixture is made for iij. causes The first is to signifye that the body is not withowt the blood nor the blood withowt the body The second is to signifye that there is not but one sacrament The third is to declare the returne of the sowle to the body And what meaneth it that the Apostels and the prymatyue church the which kept the singlenes of the institucyon of the sacrament haue not added thes mynglings What is this but to handell the diuyne misteryes affter our owne fasshion yea rather to make a mock at them And euen as they them selues haue added why also may not we make other addicyon and gyue them their significacyōs and add eueri day to this masse euen tyll the day of iudgement and make it so long that thei shuld stand an hole yeare in saing it Than what meaneth this word cōsecracyon whan the prest sayth let this mixture and consecracyon of the body and blode of our lord Ihesus Christ be mades Is not the consecracyon made allredy and the bread turned in to the body and the wyne in to the blood as thei say what nedeth it more that it shuld be made agayne a newe iff it be made allready Except thei wold vnderstand and golfe affter this fasshō that is to say let the comixcyon of the body and the bloode that we make and the consecracyon allready made become to vs that shal take it the body and blood of Christ to the profite of euerlasting liffe But I can not tell if this were his mynd or no that ordeyned this part of the masse THE SECOND CHAPTER Of the Agnus Dei of the iiij prayers that goo before the receauyng of the sacrament and of ij that folow How gret a part of the last prayers in the masse be wicked and some of them speake against the pryuate masse THe agnus dei foloweth which is said iij. times Affter that are said iij. praiers the first destreth that god wold not looke vpon the sinnes of him that saith the masse and that he wold according to his will agree and make one the church The second destreth that by the most holy body and blood of Christ he wold deliuer him from iniquitie and from all his euels And praith that he may be brought nerer to the commandments of god and that he may neuer be sondered from him The third desireth that the sacrament shuld not become his iudgement and cōdemnacion but that it might be a defence of his sowle and body Whan thes iij praiers are said he taketh the host in his hand saing I will take the heuenly breade and wil call vp on the name of the lord and knocketh his brest iij. times saing also thrise Domine non sum dignus that is lord I ā vnworthie And affter he hath takē the host in his hād he saith the body of our lord Iesus Christ kepe my sowle to euerlasting life Amen And whan he hath said thus he receiueth the host And affter he taketh the cupp in his hand saing Quid retribuam Domino c. that is what shall I render to the lord And he saith thus The blood of our lord Iesus Christ kepe my sowle to euerlasting life and receiueth the cupp Thone and thother being receiued the prest affterwardes
And there he telleth the significacions of thos Agnus deies the which affter ward be distributed or delt to the peple by the pope him selff on the satterday in Aâ—…bis that is to say the first saterday affter caster And in th end describing the vertu of thes Agnus deies he saith that thei by the vertu of their consecracion and blessing defend the byleuers froÌ„ lightning aÌ„d teÌ„pest But sureli the pope hath done a great wrong to his Agnus deiies that hauing himselff auctoritie aÌ„d powr to giue to things all thos â—…tewis that him listeth as he hath geueÌ„ uÌ„to Asshes powr to work redeÌ„pcioÌ„ of sinÌ„es aÌ„d to the holy water salted the which euery prest caÌ„ blesse the vertu to driue a waie deuels aÌ„d to saue meÌ„ chefely to that water of the holisabbath which is caried from how 's to hous and hath geueÌ„ so meruelos vertuis so so many other things as we may see in this chapter of the blessings he hath done a gret wroÌ„g to his Agnus dei which no maÌ„ can blesse but himselff that he hath not geueÌ„ theÌ„ the vertu of the herbe Agnus casiê° of the which Dioâ—…corides aÌ„d Galene doo write seing the prestis the friers the monkes aÌ„d the noÌ„nys aÌ„d vniuersaly all the ecclesiastical state haue so moch nede off it For all haue vowed chastitie and mariage is forbidden them It were moch more to the purpos to geue them this vertu and so to take a way so great an abhomination from the world as sendeth the stink of it euen to heauen than that vertu to serue against lightning and tempest O benommed and blind world whaÌ„ wilt thow beginne to open thine eies to remember thy selff and to see how myserably thow art bowght and sold And by whom By them that professe to haue the in charge It is the right iudgement of god For whan fables are preched euery man bileueth them But let gods word christds doctrine and truth come and be preachet it is not only as a perelous error despised but rather fersely persecuted THE FOVRTH PART The fourth aÌ„d last part foloweth the which is of the abuses and of the abhomynacions of the masse and hath vi chapters THe first is that the mass doth not satisfie for them nor applie such things to man THE I. CHAPTER ALthough we haue in the former partis touched many abuses and errors of the mass neuertheles we intend in this last specially to treate of certen partycular and great abusis As for example that the mass shuld forgeue sinnes that it shuld satisfie for them or els that it shuld applie to vs such forgiuenes or satisfaction and that it shuld be a sacrifice for the liuing and for the deade Than next also that the same masse is mans inuention and not gods made by many And to be short we will speake of many other abuses which partly are touched aÌ„d of many wheroff yet ther is no mencion made And first we will proue that the mass forgeueth not sinnes satisfieth not god for them nor applieth not to vs the forgeuenes and satisfactioÌ„ made by Christ And to say the contrary is a very gret error and abuse And I proue it affter this sort For thos that affirme the mass to worke thes effectis either thei will and meane it of all the mass that is to say of all thos words that are said and ceremonies that are done from the beginning to the end and of all that made heape of wordes and gestures or els thei meane of the sacrament of the body and of the blood only the which is chefely considred in the mass Iff thei meane it of the whole masse it is false For by saing of wordes and by doing of ceremonies sinnes are not forgeuen Seing that iff a man shuld say the whole bible ouer which are gods wordes from the beginning to the ending an hondreth times thei could not forgeue him his sinnes How than shall sinnes be forgeuen or satisfaction made for them by saing masse which is mans inuencion as we will proue in the third chapter It is plaine that sinnes are not forgeuen by saing of wordes nor doing of ceremonies bycause that Iustificacion els shuld be by workes which is contrary to Paule Who dowâ—…eth that the speaking and vttring of wordes shuld be our worke Yea who is that wicked man that can not doo this say many Psalmes praiers lessons and doo ceremonies Roma 3.4.5.8 Gallat 2.3.4.5 Coloss 2. The deuell him selff can say many wordes that be holy and of god Paul thapostel as we haue in so many places of his epistles to the Romans to the Galathians and the colossians saith that no man is Iustified that is to say no mans sinnes are forgeuen him by the workes of the lawe commanded by god And he meaneth of those lawe whether it be of the commandementis which is the morall lawe or els of the ceremoniall lawe And will we say that sinnes be forgeuen by reading or speaking of wordes or els by doing of cerimonies not commanded by god but diuised by men This can not be Iff thei will say that thei meane not of all the mass but only of the sacrament the which hath this vertu and strength to forgeue sinnes and to satisfie god for them or els to applie Christes redemption to them for whom the masse chanceth to be said This is not trewe neither but is veri fals For the office of the sacraÌ„ents is not to worke thes effectis but it is to be token theÌ„ and to bring theÌ„ to mind and to assure vs of them For iff the sacrament shuld haue this vertu it shuld haue it chefely towardes them that worthily shuld receiue and take the sacrament but it hath it not to wardes thos same wherfor it hath it not towardes no nother That no sacrament not only that of the lords supper shuld haue this office I wil make it plaine and proue it For the worthy receiuing of the sacrameÌ„t whether it be of thankes geuing or of baptime presupposeth forgiuenes of sinnes and Iustificacion than neither the one nor the other doth it It is plaine that none ought to take what so euer Sacrament yow will iff he be of age except he doo trewe repentance and haue trewe faith But he that doth trewe repentance and hath trewe faith Actor 10. his sinnes are forgeuen him and he is Iustified as we haue in thactes of thapostles Peter saith speaking in Cornelius the hunderders how 's in Caesarea To this saith he that is to sai to Christ for he spake of him all the Prophetes beare witnes that euery one that byleueth in him receiueth forgeuenes of sinnes by his name And Paule also saith Actor 13. knowe ye o men and brethern that by this and he spake of Christ the forgeuenes of sinnes is declared to yow and by him that is to say by Christ euery one that byleueth is iustified from all thos things from the which yow could not be Iustified
it shuld be superfluos yea it shuld lessen the worthines of so gret a sacrifice for it wold seme that it were not sufficient So than the masses sacrament is no sacrifice for sinnes Next affter in the viij chapter he saith Heb. 8. that Christ hath so moch a more excellent presthode than the old bisshops as he is a mediator of a more excellent testament the which is made with more excellent promises And declaring of what sort the newe testament shuld be he allegeth the saing of the scripture Iere. 31. that is to say Ieremy the which saith this is the testament that is to say the newe testament which I will make with the how 's of Israell affter thos daies saith the lord I wil geue them my lawes in their mindes And in their hartis I will write them And I will be their god and thei shal be my peple And affter a fewe wordes he saith I will be pacified concerning their vnrightuosnes and their sinnes and iniquities I will no more remember Thes wordes conclude that there is for vs no nother sacrifice for sinnes but that which Christ ones made God saith who can not lie that geuing the newe testament he wold in such sort be mercifull as he wold no more remember the sinnes of his peple that is to say of the trewe byleuers The which geueth to vnderstand that he shuld be perfitely and perpetually pacified Let vs see now for what cause he shuld be so pacified We must say for no nother cause but for the mediators sake of such a testament that is to say for Christes sake by whom this testament was made Let vs goo on further How is god pacified by Christ except by the sacrifice the which he made offring him selff vnto god for the sinnes of his peple Gods anger and his Iustice is by no nother meanes pacified but becaus affter a maner of spech he hath wreked him selff vpon Christ. Off the which Esay saith I haue beaten him for the wickednes of my peple Than let vs say affter this sort iff god be pacified by Christes sacrifice and forgeuith our sin̄es It foloweth that there nedeth no nother sacrifice for sinnes For iff he wold haue other sacrifice for sinnes he shuld not be I say perfytely pacifyed nor requiring other sacrifyce that might satisfye for them he wold not forget owre iniquities Surely he that seith not this is very bare of vnderstanding In the ninth chapter shewing the differens betwene thold bysshops ād Christ he saith that the leuitical bisshop entred ones in the yeare into that place the which is called sancta sāctorum that is the head holy place not withowt blood the which he offered for him selff and for the sinnes of the peple And he saith that thos gifftes ād sacrifices which were offered could not make man perfite as perteining to the consciens But Christ the bisshop of trewe good things entred onys in to the head holy place with his own blood and gate ther theuerlasting ransō And affter he addeth that forgeuenes is not wrought withowt blood sheding And declaring what shuld be thos head holy placis where into Christ entered he saith that that is heauen and that he is there entered that he may presently appeare in gods sight for vs not to be offten offered as the bisshop that is to say the leuiticall bisshop off◅ times euery yeare entered by strange blood For other wise it shuld haue bene nedefull that he shuld haue offten suffered sins the beginning of the world But now towards th end of the world hath he ones appeared to destroy sinne by the offering of him selff And as it is appointed that all mē ones shall die ād affter that shal iudgement be so Christ is ones offered to take a way the sinnes of man All this talk doth shewe that neyther the masse nor the sacramēt is a sacrifice First it saith that thos gifftes and sacrifices which were offered could not make man perfite as perteining to the cōsciēs as though he wold say that they could not for giue sinnes nor perfitely clense man but Christes gifft ād sacrifice is that wich maketh man perfite as perteining to the cōsciēs It is plaine that Christes sacrifice is made for all thelect in all the world that be past present ād to come As Iohn saith in his first pistle that he is thappeasement of all the world 1. Ioh. 2. and he hath made thē perfite as cōcerning cōsciēs that is to say hath perfitely rāsomed freed halowed wasshed ād clēsed thē And he onli hath done that which thos nōber of sacrifices of the lawe could not doo And by that one ōly he hath satisfied quieted ād pacified their cōsciencis and hath made thē sure of his grace that is to say of forgeuenes of sinnes of recōciliaciō ād attonemēt with god ād of their saluacion To make a man perfite in consciens doth bring with it thes forsaid things Iff it be so than what nedeth it more to make other sacrifices and to goo abowt to seke to make that a newe that Christ hath perfitely made as though he had not ma◅ it that other word that foloweth proueth the v◅ry same that is to say that christ hath fownd ow◅ theuerlasting ransom that is to say the per◅ freing of all thelect in the world from sinne from damnation from death and from all euill for euer and this by the sacrifice that he made ones with his blood and by his passhion and death If he haue with his facrifice ones made gotē theuerlasting ransom that is to say that which shall allwaies be and shall neuer faile but euer cōtinewe wath nedeth there any other sacrifices for sin̄es We haue inough of that which christ ōes made because with that he fownd owt theuerlasting ransom And that other word which saith that withowt blood sheding forgeuēes is not wrought what doth it meane but that it is nedefull in the sacrifice which is made for sinnes and which forgeueth thē that blood shuld be shed ād that it shuld satisfie for sinnes And for this cause was nedefull that christ shuld shed his blood In the masse there is no sheding of blood therfor it is no sacrifice for sin̄es Tho ther word that cometh next affter that is to say that Christ is ētred in to heauē to the intēt that he may appeare in gods fight for vs not to be offten offered for it is as moch to say as one time suffiseth Forels it shuld haue bene nedefull that he shuld offten haue suffered sins the beginning of the world what doo thes wordes meane but that christ cānot be offered for sin̄es more th◅ one time And who so euer seketh toffer him off◅ner than one time there foloweth this inconueniens that it shuld haue bene nedefull that christ shuld offten haue suffered sins the beginning of the world Thei say that christ is offered in the masse for sinnes that is to say thei offer
him them selues to god not only for the liuing but also for the deade Iff christ be offered one only time and that hath fuffised what nedeth it any more to offer affter any maner of sort Iff that only time haue suffised for sinne what nedeth it more to say masse to that end Oh say thei the masse is that which applieth the merite of christes passhion But from whens gather thei that their saing but â—…owt of their own braine I will not say from the spirite of Antichrist It is not ynough to say that it is so but thei must proue it by the scripture The masse auaileth them not to applie the merite of christes Passion Faith sufficeth as before we haue saide For by the testimony of peter and Paul he that bileueth in Christ his sinnes be forgeuen him and he Iustified The other saing is that Christ in th end of the world hath appeared ones by thoffering of hym selff to dryue a way and to destroye synne that is to say all the synnes of the elect Iff he haue destroyed all sinne with his sacryfyce ones made to what purpos shuld we make moo sacryfices It nedeth not any more to doo that that is alredy done And that last saing what doth it meane That is that as it is appoynted and ordeyned that all men shall ones dye and affter Iudgement shall come so Christ is ones offered to take away the synnes of many that is to say of all thelectt The scripture vseth offt this word many for all thelectt as we haue in mathew Math. 20 where Christ sayth that the son of man was come to geue his lyfe for the redempcyon of mani And whan he dyd institute the sacrament he said that his blood shuld be shed for many Math. 26 Roma 5 And Paul to the romans sayth that by chrystes obedyeÌ„s many be made iust This word Many in all thes places importyth as moch as all thelect To our purpos iff it be appointed and ordeyned that Chryst shuld be offered one tyme for the sinnes of many as it is appoynted that all men ones shall dye what nedeth it any more to offer hym will we doo against gods ordynans Here the defenders of the masse answer that Christ is ones offered affter that maner that is to say suffering and dying and affter that sort it nedeth not that he shuld be any more offered because that only time suffised But now he is offered affter a nother sort that is to say sacramentally and affter this sort he may be offten offered for sinne This answer is nothing worth For iff Christ at that only time whan he offerd him selff destroied sinÌ„ to what purpos nedeth it to offer him any more to that effect and to doo that is alredy done The destruction of all sinnes was wrought by that only time that Christ was offered It nedeth not any more to doo it neither affter that nor affter any other sort In the tenth chapter he saith first Hebr. 1â—… that iff the sacrifices the which were offered in the lawe could haue made men perfite that is to say clensed them perfitely thei shuld not haue bene many times done becaus that thei that shuld haue done them being ones clensed shuld not haue had any more coÌ„sciens that is to say gnawing of sinne For that thing that taketh a way sinne taketh a way also the gnawing of the consciens for cause of sinne And this word sinne is put there for all sinnes And he addeth that the blood of bulles aÌ„d of hegootes caÌ„ not take a waâ—… sinnes and therfor he that is to say Christ entering in to the world speaketh the wordeâ—… of the psalme Psal 39. that is to say thow woldiâ—â— not haue sacrifice nor oblacioÌ„ nor thow art not delyted in whole burnt offerings for sinnes Thaâ—… I said lo I come that I may doo oh god thy will And affter he saith By the which wilâ—… we are halowed through the offring of Christes body ones done And affter a fewe wordes aâ—… it were shewing the caus why we be hallowed by the offring of Ihesus Christes body ones done he saith becaus that with one only offring he hath made perfite thos that be halowed Which thing the holy goost doth witnes the which foretold that god wold make a newe testament And amongst other things he saith that he wold nomore remember their sinnes that is to say his peples and his electis sinnes And he addeth that where forgeuenes off sinnes is wrought there nedeth not any more to make other oblacion that is to say to offer other sacrifice for sinne Thes wordes be cannon shot is ynough to beate down the whole bilding of the masse or els thei be swordes ynough to throte cutt hir or vtterly to kill hir First he saith that iff the sacrifices of the lawe had bene able to make meÌ„ perfite the selff same shuld neuer haue bene so offten done again becaus that they that had sacrifised shuld not haue had any more consciens of sinne being allredy ones clensed and purged Here the text saith plainely that it nedeth not to doo again thos sacrifices which take a way sinnes and make meÌ„ perfite the which is all one Iff the masse take a way sinnes why doo they say it so offten It shuld suffise to say one only to satisfie for them for whoÌ„ it shuld be said or that say it and to forgiue their sinnes Here the text saith that therfor thos sacrifices were the more offtened becaus they could not take a way sinnes Iff they had taken them a way it had not nedid to doo the selff same againe The defenders of the masse say that they doo no nother sacrifice in the masse but the selff same that christ did and that they doo offten O goodly ymaginacions They putt than Christ offten vp on the crosse wetingly done and of purpos The Iewes vnderstode not that Christ was Christ nor they knewe him not and therfor they crucified him as Paul to the Chorinthes saith And they knowe that Iesus is Christ and yet they put him so many times vp on the crosse 1. cho 2. and thei be so many times made giltie of his body and bloode as they say masses It is a godly sacrifice What will thei say here to the reason that the text maketh that is to say that if thos sacrifices of the lawe had bene able to take a way sinnes thei shuld not haue be done more than ones Iff the masse take a way sinnes why is it said again so offten Than Further as we haue said Iff that sacrifice which christ hath made one only time that is to say whan he offred him selff did than forgiue sinne and that only time sufficed what nedeth it to make any more sacrifices for sinnes The second saing is that we be halowed by gods will through the oblatioÌ„ that is to say the sacrifice of christes body ones made Iff we be halowed that is to
say iff we be made cleane aÌ„d iff our sinnes be forgeuen vs through christes sacrifice ones made wath nedeth it to make any other sacrifice or to offten the same Now the third saing the which reÌ„drith the caus of the whole that is to say that with one only oblatioÌ„ aÌ„d sacrifice christ hath made perfite all thos that is to say all thelect froÌ„ the beginÌ„ing of the world vnto th end Iff it be trewe as withowt dowt it is what nedeth it any more to make sacrifice for sinnes neither the selff same nor any other By that saith the text here be all thos made perfite that be holied that is to say thelect Iff thei be made perfite that is to say perfitely clensed and it meanith that thei want nothing what nede haue thei of moo sacrifices furthermore if the holy goost which caÌ„ not lie doo witnes that god through christ wold no more remember the sinnes of his peple that is to say wold perfitely and thorowly forgeue them what nedeth it any more to make sacrifices for sinnes To be short iff where as forgeuenes or sacrifice for sinnes is made there is not any other offring or sacrifice for the same as the text here saith becaus that that of christes is ynough the which was made onis why will we make mo sacrifices for sinnes if thei be wholly forgeuen and of such sort as god wold neuer remember him any more of them So that than it is clere and plaine by thes so many saings of this most christen and holy pystle fore ledged that we haue no nother sacrifice for sinnes but that which christ made on the crosse And iff it be so it doth in dede folowe of necessitie and certenly that neither the masse nor ther sacrament is a sacrifice for sinnes And if any one wold say how is forgeuenes of all sinnes wrought by christ seing euery day it is done a newe by repentans And Christ Iesus him selff commandeth vs in the praier which he hath taught his apostles what thei shuld say Et dimitte nobis debita nostra that is to say forgue vs our sinnes Iff he hath allredy forgeuen them what nede we any more desyre that he wold forgeue them vs To this I answer that whaÌ„ Paul sayth that by Christes sacrifyce is forgeuen vs all our sinnes 1. Ioh. 2 that is to say past present and to come the which also Ihon affirmeth in his I. pistle whan he saith 1. Pet. 2. that he is the appeasement of all the sinnes of the world And whan peter in his first also sayth that Christ hath born our sinnes Esa 53. on his body vp on the crosse And Esay likewyse sayth that god hath layd all our iniquyties vp on him that is to say vp on Christ Thes saings of the scripture and such other like haue this meaning that is to say that Christ Iesus hath satisfyed gods Iustyce for the whole sinnes of thelect past present aÌ„d to come nor god for this respect doth not looke for any other satisfaction or payment becaus he was perfitely and wholly satisfyed for our sinnes whaÌ„ Christ gaue himselff for a sacrifyce suffering and dyeng as he dyd nor there was not any other way for us to pacifie god and to satisfye him but this Vnderstonding affter this sort the fore sayd saings the forgyuenes of all the sinnes of all thelect of the world present past and to come are allredy forgeuen nor there is no nother forgeuenes loked for Becaus that for the sinnes of the same elect there is no nother satisfaccyon looked for And whaÌ„ it is sayd that sinnes be daily forgeuen by repentans this is to be vnderstaÌ„d as to vs that is to sai that we doo accept by fayth inclosed within repentans such forgeuenes and we doo enter in to the knowlege of gods grace and mercy shewed towards vs thorow Christ bi the forgeuyng of al our sinnes Wherfor euen as Christ hath onli satisfied for thelect aÌ„d not for the rest to whom his death auaileth not so thelect oÌ„ly haue the trew sayth aÌ„d doo knowe the forgiuenes of their sinÌ„es wrought theÌ„ by Christ Wherfor speaking properli neither the repentaÌ„s nor the faith doo forgeue the sinÌ„es becaus that gods grace oÌ„ly or mercy thorow Christ Iesus that is to say becaus he hath satisfied for us is that that forgeuyth sinnes But therfor the forgeuenes of synnes is attributed to repentans and to faith becaus the same faith is that which knoweth and accepteth such forgeuenes and it is a certen assurednes of the same And whan we aske euery day in the lords praier that he wold forgeue vs our sinnes we doo aske of god rather the knowlege and assurednes of such forgeuenes than the forgeuenes it selff of which the faithfull ought not to dowt but that it is wrought him in Christ. But we doo aske to knowe such forgiuenes better and to be more certen of the same The which knowlege and certentie being no nother but faith it selff is neuer so gret but it may increase and become greater And therfor the faithfull ChristiaÌ„ euery day and as offten as he remembreth him of his sinnes desireth forgeuenes of theÌ„ that is to say the knowlege aÌ„d more certentie of such forgeuenes Further more Christ will that praing daily we shuld ask forgeuenes of our sinnes to make vs to knowe that we be sinners aÌ„d that we doo continually offend him The which thing whan we knowe first it doth huÌ„ble vs before god ThaÌ„ it maketh vs know his mercy how gret it is It hangeth of this knowlege that we be inflamid more feruently to loue god to honor him to reuereÌ„ce him to serue him from the hart And according to his exaÌ„ple to loue our neyghbor to doo him good to forgiue him whan he offendith vs and to pardon wronges receiued the which in comparison of thos that we doo vnto god which be withowt noÌ„ber aÌ„d most great we ought to accownt them no wrongs and of no wâ—…ight Now there remaineth to proue that the sacrament of the masse is no remeÌ„brans of a sacrifice For iff it were a remeberans of a sacrifice it shuld be a trewe sacrameÌ„t but it is no trewe sacrameÌ„t chefely to theÌ„ that be there present and say not the masse therfor it is no remeÌ„berans of a sacrifice I proue that it is no sacrameÌ„t becaus that to a trew sacrament is necessary that the wordes of the coÌ„secratioÌ„ be said and that thei be vnderstaÌ„d according to that comoÌ„ saing and it is of AusteÌ„ accedit uerbum ad elemeÌ„tum fÃt sacramentum that is to say when the worde is Ioined to the ElemeÌ„t the sacrameÌ„t is made it is necessary I say to a trewe sacrament that the word shuld be Ioined other wise it is no sacrameÌ„t But how be thei certeÌ„ whiche be preseÌ„t at the masse that the wordes with the which thei coÌ„secrate be said by the prest or not For so moch as thei
office betwene god and men doth send their praiers and supplications to god Some time this name masse is a nowne proper and doth signifie Christ first sent from the father to vs and sent from vs to the father to th entent that before him he might intreate for vs Albeit for shortnes I doo not recite all his opinion Some other as Ihon rewcklin a man very well lerned in the hebrew tōg saith that the masse is no greke name nor latin but hebrewe ād is as moch to sai as sacrifice And now our massemongers wold that the masse shuld be a sacrifice for sinnes Othersome say as Polidor virgil of vrbine that Missa is as moch to say as geuing leaue to depart or licensing the peple that thei may goo their way that is to say-that licence and leaue is geuē them that thei may depart for so moch as in old time no man ought to depart from the holy things thei being present except licens were geuen them And Missa is as moch to say as missio or dimissio a licensing or geuing leaue to depart becaus that being ended the peple is licensed to goo at their plesure to their howses He saith besides many things vp on this matter but becaus I know that this name hath an abhominable signification I litle desire to serch any further for the beginning of so vngracios a name Whan it shuld haue begon to be so named and who shuld haue fownd it owt it is not well knowne It appearith that from pope gregories time the first hetherto it hath bene vsed And I doo not remember that I euer redd that before his time it was vsed THE IIII. CHAPTER That the mass is a gathering together and an heape yea a sea of abuses wikednessis and superstitions IT is not our purpos nor mind to tell all the abuses of the masse becaus we knowe them not all And allthough we knewe them thei be so many that to goo abowt to write them all thei wold make to gret a booke It shall suffise we write some of thē by the which may be sufficientli Iudged what maner a thing this masse is One of the chefe is the worshipping the host and the cupp the which is an Idolatry For frō whens gather thei that the sacramēts ought to be worshipped The sacramentis ought to be handeled with reuerens as holy things and godlie institutions but that thei ought to be worshipped we haue it not in any place of the scripture nor by any example of the apostels or of the saintes of the old church euē as the baptime is not worshipped but is a signe that maketh vs sure ād certen that our sinnis be forgeuin vs by Christ so neither the bread or let it be the host nor the cupp ought to be worshipped nor christ did not institute them to this end But be did institute them in remembrans of his body and blood geuin for forgiuenes of our sinnes This remembrans the bread and the wine allredy work withowt that that thei shuld be worshipped And it is to be noted that iff thei shuld be worshipped the apostles whan Christ did institute the sacrament of his body and blood thei wold haue worshipded it but thei did not worship it so farr as we haue by the story of the euangelistes yea thei sate still at the table And it well appearith by a certen text of Honorius the pope in the iij. booke of the decretalls in the title de celebratione missarum that this worshipping is no old but a newe thing And it semith that it shuld be the institucion of honorius himselff who died in the yeare of our lord 1226. His wordes in the said decretall be thes To th entent that thorow the small care of the pristes gods anger shuld not be more greuosly sent we doo straitely command that the sacrament of thanksgeuing be by the prestes placed in a singular place cleane and locked and kept deuowtly and faithfully But let the prest very offten teach his peple that whan the helthfull host is liffted vp on high in the celebracion of the masse thei reuerently bowe them seluis doing the same whā the priest beareth it to the sicke Here honorius cōmādeth that the peple shuld bowe thē seluis to the host ād doth not say than expressely that thei ought to worship it he saith only that thei ought to bowe thē seluis And he geueth vs to vnderstand by this his talk either that he him selff was the institutor of that thing or els that this bowing to the sacramēt began not long affter him For iff the vse had bene old it had not neded to make so straight a cōmādmēt to kepe it for thos things that the custō ād vse is to doo are done withowt cōmādmēt And whithowt dowt the sāe hōorius iff such a custōe had bēe before him he wold haue alledged either which had bēe the begin̄er or at the least the custō it selff And he of him selff wold not so haue spokē as he hath done The defenders of tbe masse will say that christ may be and ought to be worshipped where he is he is in that host wherfor he ought to be worshipped in the same I āswer that worshipping is a deede of faith faith is not but by the same word of god Let them shewe one Iote if thei cā doo it by gods word that Christ shuld be in the sacrament bodily We doo worship Christ in heauen becaus we haue the scripture clere that he is ascended in to heauen and there abideth and sitteth on the right hand of god Luke 24. Mark 16. Act. 13. Ephes 4. Act 3. as it is writton in luke and mark in thactis of thapostles ād to thephesians Who doth asserten vs that Christ is in that host and in that cupp First we be not certen that the prest hath consecrated hauing not perceiued the wordes Furthermore he may haue said the wordes ād yet the consecracion shall not be made becaus that either he shal not haue had th entent or the trewe faith which things the consecracion requireth as the master of the sentencis saith I speake now affter their opinion But of this thing we will speake more at large in the sermon of the sacrament Now I will not stand to dispute becaus I shuld be to long That may be said to them that worship Christ in the host and in the cupp that Christ said to the samaritane yow worship that that yow know not Furthermore as we haue said before and also wil say there hath bene no one or very fewe trew priestes from many an hundreth yeare hetherto becaus thos that haue ordeined them were not trewe bisshops so than thei did neuer consecrate Here there might be said many things but for shortnes I will leaue them Another abuse is that the wordes of the consecraciō be not said with a lowd voice as thei ought to be seing thei be wordes of the holy gospell
be trewe baptisme becaus there is the substance of the same that is to say the water And affter thos holy wordes that is to say I baptise the in the name of the father the sonn and of the holy goost Amen Euen so is it of the masse that for all that that there be many things added and that it is infolied with many diuicis of men yet the substance not withstanding of the sacrament is there that is to say the bread and the wine ād the wordes of the consecraciō the which things be instituted and ordeined by Christ him selff nor our purpos is not to allowe any other thing but Christis plaine institution And allthough there be made a certē worship we doo not worship the sacrament For god forbid we shuld but we doo worshipp Iesus Christ and no nother Therfor we doo not sinne going to the masse for so moch as that we doo not approue any other thing than that which is good and that which is of god The rest we leaue and we gather as it is comonly said the rose and leaue the thornes To conclude The fifft reason thei bring furth thexamples of the holy scripture that is to say of Nicodemus of Ioseph of the citie of Aramathea which both were secret disciples of Iesus Christ Luk. 23. Iohn 3.7.19 And theuangelistes doo witnes of them saing that thei were Iust Ioh. 3.7.19 And of Nicodemus Iohn writeth that he came first to Iesus by night Affterward he defended him in the cowncell of the Iewes In the end he caried an hundreth pownd of mirrh and Aloes to Christes buriall Surely thes were holy and iust men yet thei hidd them selfes for feare of the Iewes the which cowld not haue bene iff thei had not dissembled with thother Iewes doing as they did 4. kings 5. Thei bring furth also thexample of Naaman Sirus of whom it is writton in the iiij booke of the kings that Heliseus granted him that he might enter in to the temple of Remmon which was an Idoll and to worshipp in the same with the king of Siria Naaman being the chefe of the same kings warr And why may not we also doo the like Now thes and other like reasons and scusis be no nother but pretenses to doo euell and leaues with the which men wold yet couer thos things that thei doo but thei be deceiued as we will make it appeare But first we will proue our purpos that is to say that by no meanes it is lawfull to a Christian to say nor to heare no nor to be present at the masse and affter we will answer to thes reasons He that goeth to the masse doth iij. great euels He that goth to the mass doth 3. great euils First he doth against the honor nor of God Secondly against his neighbors safetie Thirdly against his own sowle helth That he doth against Gods honor I will proue it It is plaine that in no case it is at any time lawfull to doo against Gods honor for so moch as the honor and glory of God with the angels with mē ād with all maner of creatures is of more importans than the heauen and the earth becaus that God hath made euery thing for his glory as Salomon saith in the Prouerbis that is Prouer. 16. the lord hath wrought all things for him selff ād the wicked for the euell day That he who goth to the Masse or saith it or standeth there present at it doith against Gods honor it is to plaine for that we haue in the former discours hetherto proued that the Masse is the greatest abhominacion that euer was in all worlds becaus that there is committed a most gret Idolatry and that honor that belongeth only to God and Christ is geuen to plaine creatures The Masse is full of falsodes of supersticions of abuses of wickednessis and of blasphemies against God and Christ And how can it be euer lawfull in any case let it be what so euer it will for a Christen man to say it to heare it or to be present at it And iff a gentle man do more esteme his honor than his own liffe how moch more ought we to esteme Gods honor for the which we ought to gyue not only one but infinite liues iff we had so many And so moch the more as euery life is his gifft and procedeth from him yea is his We doo reade that many Idolaters haue bestowed their liffe for their earthly cōtry and for thonor of the same the which notwithstonding affter this present life did loke for none other And shall the Christiā feare to giue his mortall life for Gods honor and Christes for thē of whom he is euery way most sure that he shall haue euerlasting life I proue this thus Paul saith to the Romains euery thing that is not of faith is sinn Who is he knowing what maner a thing the Masse is that knoweth not likewise the same to be against Gods word Iff it be so how than can one with faith and good consciens be present at a thing the which he iudgeth to be blasphemos damnable and against God And who dowteth that he who doeth against his consciens sinnith let him doo what so euer he will It is not therfor lawful by any maner of meanes to be present at the Masse That he doith against his neighbors safetye likewise proue it First he offendeth and hurteth them that haue not yet the knowlege of Christ For so moch as whā thei see one that hath the knowlege of the gospel stād at the Masse herken to it bowe him selff and knele to the Sacrament and worship it what els can thei thinck but that he hath the self same opinion that thei them seluis haue And this being persuaded thei be confirmed in their error saing to them seluis behold him who was come to that newe opinion or religion now he changeth his mind and returneth to the old faith the which he had forsaken Surely he wold neuer haue returned iff he had not knowen that he was deceiued by the pretens of the gospell and perceiued that with vs is the trewe gospell the trewe church and Christes religion God forbid that we shuld forsake our opinion the which he with euident dedes doth shewe to be good And with thes thoughtes thei be enstranged from the gospell and from the truth and be confirmed in error Do yow thinck that this is a small euell with our example to estrange the mindes of men from the gospell and and from Christ and to confirme them in Antichrists church Secondly it hurteth the weake faithfull the which begin to bileue the gospell for whan thei see that thei who better vnderstād thā thē selues goo to the Masse thei become weaker in faith ād occasion is geuen them to returne to their first errors And affter this sort in the rase of faith thei be stopt not only hindered becaus thei begin to dowt And what