A Weighing and Considering of the Interim, Part 10 – Part 12
OF THE MASSE.
The booke acknoweledgeth, that the Masse deserueth not forgeuenesse of synnes. That is true. But that they afterward further alleage sayinges out of the olde & new teachers as touchyng the oblacion & offeryng to strēgthen theyr preuy Masse, those be sayinges that cōtain many thynges in them, and it were very easy to shew good suer groūd out of. S. Austen and other theragaynst, that the same sayinges belong not to theyr preuy Masse and oblacion or offeryng, for althoughe they call it an offeryng, yet declare they them selues thus, that it deseruethe not forgeuenes of Synnes. And also that they them selues offer not the Sonne to God the father, for that is the owne & onelyonly worcke of the onelyonly begotten sonne, that he offereth himselfe, as the texte speaketh Heb: 9, He is gone into the holy place throughe his owne bloude, he standeth before the father as a peacemaker for euer, and prayeth for vsus, in the same moste preuy coū cel, whiche is the holy place.
But of the offeryng that men offer, they say it is a thancksgeuing and a rememberaunce, that is, therwith we throughe belefe praye for and receaue the forgeuenesse that is obtayned and gotten for the sonnes sake. And this prayer and thankesgeuyng shall be made in the dealing out and in the vse of the sacramēt, *Not of Masse.as it is commaunded and instituted. And the *This is the Masse of it selfe.ceremony of it selfe withoute this worck in the herte, in belefe, prayer and thankesgeuyng, is no offeryng.
And let this be ynough spoken of the olde teachers, whereof we offer oure selues to geue furher declaracyon at all tymes.
And because ther lyeth muche of this matter, in that that it belongeth to all chrystendome, and for that that the Masse is through many erroures comen in to great misuse: for whiche God vndoutedly punysheth the worlde, as it is wrytten, whoso vnworthely vseth the Sacrament, maketh hymselfe gylty of the Body and bloud of Chryste: ought men with great earnest to seke and helpe to kepe, mayntayne, and vpholde, the trueth of this Artycle, to the honoure of God and saluacyon of menne.
And this is also one of thartycles whiche belongeth in generall to all menue bothe learned and vnlearned. Wherefore thortely to aunswere to this question.
Whether the preuy Masse, or the Masse without a companye takyng it to gether be to be set vp agayne? This is oure answere. That we with true meanyng, counsel that we sette not vp the Masse agayne that is done without a company receanyng it together. And the piayne reason why, is this.
There shall no Gods seruyce be ordened or done in the Churche, that is not ordeyned and commaunded in the worde of God. And the vse of the Sacramente is so ordeyned and not otherwyse, that the dealyng oute and the vse be kepte and done, as the sonne of God sayeth. Take it and eate it. &c. And drynke all thereof. &c. And, doe this in my remembraunce. And it was also thus holden many hundreth yeares in the fyrste churche.
Therefore is this fyrst vse agreyng with the wordes of Chryste, suerly the ryght and true vse, and shalbe mayntened vpholden and kepte, and there shall no other worckes be set vp therein, whiche are not commaunded.
There hauehave not been also alwayes in tymes paste dayly Masses. But at Alexaundria, whiche was a great cytye, was the Cōmunion holden three tymes a weke, on sonday, wensdaye and fridaye, and in many other Cities onelyonly vponupon the Sondaye and holy daye.
This olde goodly and godly custome, is throughe goddes grace with all reuerence, with sermons, Leassons, commaundementes and thanckesgeuynges, orderly holden in our Churches.
And yf there be any other worck sette vp in the stede of these, that offence wyll wounde many hertes, and feare them wholly from the communyon.
There are also mo burthens hāgyng vponupon this artycle of the Masse, as to saye, of the Canon, prayer to Saynctes, and Soull Masses.
The Canon sayth playnly that this worke is holden for the redēpcion & raunsoming of the soules. &c. Whereby all the vnlearned hauehave vnderstanded, that this worke deserueth forgeuenes of sines, which meanyng is also against the booke.
There be also other vnmete sayinges in the Canon, as when the priest prayeth that God will take in good worth that offeryng, as he did Abels offeryng, where they yet vnderstand the offeryng of the sone of God.
To be shorte, there be so manye horrible misuses in the popishe custome and facyon, that we shrynke and quake for feare whē we speake of them, and praye therfore that no man may be loadē with the setting vp of suche thynges.
Of the praying to Sayntes.
THe praying to a substaunce yt cannot be seen, which is not by vsus, geueth to the same substaūce this honour, that it knoweth and can iudge all mennes hertes and al their thoughtes and sighes.
This honour belongeth onelyonly to the substaunce of God, wherfore the praying to Saynctes is not right nor lawfull.
And although they hauehave fayned here agaynst that god geueth them a seuerall reuelacyon of suche praier as is made vntounto them, that is spoken without the booke. *For the …ripture …taketh of … suche …ng, they …ne this … their …ne bray….And we set theragainst, this highe saying: Thou shalt cal vpō or praie vntounto thy lord God, & serue hym alone.
And where as they also saye, that they be prayed vntounto as seruauntes and aduocates: This answere also is not ynough: For the praying vntounto them is of it selfe a wytnesse and token, that they that be not seen, are made almightye, the whyle the propertie whiche belongeth to god almyghty, is geuen vntounto them.
Secondarily, we maye not hauehave other mediatours, annexed & sette vntounto Christ, to be in iointer wt him.
Thirdly, it is also openly knowē to all the world, that men hauehave not onelyonly sought to make the Saintes mediatours, but yt they hauehave also sought a sondry helpe by eueryevery one of them.
This great Idolatrie shoulde be strēgthened if that beginnyng, and praier to them, of which the booke speaketh, be kept and holden.
Fourthly. There maye no godsseruice be brought into the churche which god hath not ordened in his word: and as for prayig to saintes hath no commaundement of God, as is openly knowen.
Fyfthly. Mans herte may not, nor cannot praye, when it knoweth not whether suche a forme of prayer please god or not. And there is no word of god that teacheth vsus so to praye. Yee there be theragaynst strong commaundementes, which teache that onelyonly the one godly substaunce ought to be prayed vntounto, & yt thorowe the mediatour. And this saying must abide fast & suer, what souer ye aske of the Father in my name, he will geue it you. This onelyonly begotten sonne is sette before vsus for our Mediatour, peacemaker and speaker for.
Hereagaynst sayeth the Booke not onelye of the speakyng for vsus, but also of the deseruinges of the Saynctes, whiche is yet more to be rebuked.
And this is a shamefull lye, that it saith, that Jacob taught his children to praye vntounto Abraham, to Isaac, and to him, and expoundeth the saying Gene. 48. They shall be called myne and Abrahams and Jsaacs chyldren, that is, I wytnesse that the promyses whiche be promysed me and Abraham & Isaac, shall inheret vponupon them, as vponupon our aftercomers, that is to saye, yt they shall suerly hauehave one churche and ordre, and that many of them shalbe inheritoures of euerlastyng lyfe.
This true vnderstanding of the texte leaueth the boke out, and fayneth a false of praying to Saynetes.
There be also other mo sayinges in the Booke that are wrong expounded. Hereby it is playne, yt no manne maye agree or consent to these Articles of the boke, in which the prayer to Saynctes is commaunded and strengthened.
Howbeit it is profitable for many thinges to know the whole story of the churche frō the beginning to the ending, to take witnesse therof, that god vpholdeth his churche alwaies, and that god be thanked, that he hath opened and shewed himself in the Saynctes.
And also that we teache and strengthen our selues with thinsā ple of the Saynctes.
The true storyes of the Saynctes are also often alleged of vsus in Sermons, and shewed to ye people, whiche thyng we wyll also from henceforth do.
OF Souse Masses.
THese Masses are almoste the moste commen Ceremonies in Abbayes and in other churches in maner in all Countreyes and lā des, for they bryng moneye. And there be many erroures comen into the world through Soulemasses, wherof it is to long to speake at this tyme.
But it is also a peruertig of ye Sacrament, ye it is applyed for ye deed. For ye Sacramēt was instituted to stirre vp & strēgthen ye belefe of the liuing, and also for a remēbraunce.
Now are not the dead presēt at it: And it is saide without any groūd, that the priest deserueth them anye thyng through these Ceremonyes.
Therefore maye not this Article in the boke be consēted vntounto in anywyse, and the saying of. S. Denise whiche is alleged as touchyng the burying, speaketh no whit of the Masse. Where as some also hauehave praied for the dead, yt maketh nothyng at all for the Masse. Let this also be ynough therof at this tyme.