Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Title page – Preface
THE CAVTELES, CANON, AND CEREMONIES, OF THE MOST BLAſphemous, abhominable, and monſtrous Popiſh MASSE. Togither, The MASSE intituled OF THE BODY OF IESVS CHRIST. Fully and wholy ſet downe, both in Latine and Engliſhe, The Latine faithfully taken out of the MASSE BOOKE after the Romiſh vſe. Imprinted at Lyons by Iohn Cambray, In the yeare a thowſand fiue hū dred and twenty, The title whereof hereafter enſueth on the next page. With certaine Annotations for the vnderſtanding of the text, ſet forth by that godly and learned Miniſter in the Church of God Peter Viret, and tranſlated out of French into English by Tho. Sto. Gent.
ANCHORA SPEI
Imprinted at London by Thomas Vautrollier for Andrewe Maunſell, dwelling in Paules Churchyarde at the ſigne of the braſen Serpent. 1584.
MIſſale, ad Sacroſanctae Eccleſiae Romanae vſum, nunc cum variis additamentis, &c. Impreſſum Lugd. Anno Domini, Milleſimo, Quingenteſimo vigeſimo, per Ioannem Moollyn, aliâs de Cambraye.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, SYR WILLIAM CYCELL KNIGHT, BARON OF Burleigh, Lorde High Treaſurer of England, Maiſter of the Queenes Maieſties Courtes of Wardes and Lyueries, Knight of the moſte honourable Order of the Garter, and one of her Highnes moſt honourable priuy Councel, continuaunce of health, encreaſe of all honor here in this life, and endles ioye and felicitie in the life to come.
HAVING engliſhed (right honorable) this litle ſhort Treatiſe of the Cawtelles of the moſte Blaſphemous, Abhominable, and Monſtrous Popiſh Maſſe: And hauing withall well weyed and conſidered that the enemies of the grace of God (the Papiſtes I meane) both in elder dayes helde, and at this day hold in meruelous great eſtimation and reuerence the ſame, as the chiefe ground worke, maine piller, & onelyonly corner ſtone of their ſuperſtitious and idolatrous religion, (if it may be ſayd a religion) an inuention moſt contrary to the holy inſtitution of the ſupper of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, to the great diſhonour of him & of his Church, ſtill fiercely & bloodely (where they hauehave dominion & rule) with ſword, fire, & fagot mainteining it: I thought it (in my poore opinion) a worke moſt neceſſary both for the glory of God, & alſo for the benefite of the ignoraunter ſorte of my countrey men, to ſend it abroad amongeſt them, that they might thereby perfectly ſee & rightly iudge (if they will not continue willfully blind) how groſſely both their Aunceſtors, and they them ſelues alſo, hauehave bene by that ſhorne broode of Antechriſtian Balamytes, the onelyonly blockiſh and ſhameles deuiſers of the ſame horribly abuſed & fondly led. And becauſe (Sir) the booke eſpecially and chiefly the comment vponupon the ſame is worthy the publiſhing: I hauehave therefore in a Chriſtian boldnes preſumed on your honorable curteſie, to offer & preſent it vntounto your wiſe and graue conſideration, as to a moſte honourable perſonage worthy & meete to ſtand the Patrone & defender of ſo notable a work, moſt humbly beſeeching you not ſo much to regard the baſenes of the Tranſlation, as the ſounde dealing of myne Author in the diſcouering & confuting of their moſt monſtrous & palpable dolteries. In doing whereof your L. ſhall not binde me alone in myne owne perticuler, but all the whole Church of God alſo in generall, within all her Maieſties Realmes and dominions, dayly to pray for the proſperous eſtate of your L. long to continue. London the ſixt of February. 1584.
Your L. alwayes to be commaunded in the Lord Ieſus, THOMAS STOCKER.
A PREFACE, DECLARING ALL SVCH MATTERS AS ARE TO BE handled and treated of, within this preſent hooke.
SITH we are now growne to an end of that Cronicle which wee were determined to make, concerning the Actes and deeds of Popes, whereby their holineſſe, & the reſt of their ordinances, may the better be diſcerned and iudged: I hauehave not thought it amiſſe to make ſome diſcourſe of the Canons and decrees made and eſtabliſhed in the Councelles which hauehave bene ſolemnelie helde from the Apoſtles time, euen vntounto this preſent. I meane of the Canons & decrees, which touch thoſe matters that we nowe intend to treat of. Howbeit there are manie cauſes which giuegive me occaſion, at this time not to deal with thē. The firſt is, for that I fear the book will grow to be ouer great, as I ſee it fal out by another booke of mine, which I tooke in hand intituled, Of the difference and conference of the Supper of the Lorde, and the Maſſe: Albeit I did at that time cut of manie thinges, which might verie well hauehave bene ſet foorth. The other is, That a great part of the Decrees and Canons of the Councelles appartaining to that matter which we preſentlie are to treate of, are attributed to the Romiſh Biſhops, & eſpeciallie to thoſe who at that time enioyed that ſea, wherein, thoſe Councels were ſolemnized. And therefore the greater part of them hath alreadie bene publiſhed and ſet abrode. Moreouer I do alſo conſider, that theſe Canons and decrees which are aſſigned vntounto the ancient Councelles, are often alotted vntounto them vnderunder a falſe title, as manie other ordinances alſo are attributed to manie auncient Romiſh Biſhops, who neuer once thought of them: and were falſlie collected euen by the very ſelfe ſame men which vpheld the Popiſh ſea, & all the abuſes and ſuperſtitions that euer were brought into Chriſtendome. Wherefore, it is moſt neceſſarie, that when anie Councelles are ſpoken of, that they which reade thē call to mind that, which we hauehave ſpoken of, in our other booke, concerning the witneſſes by vsus produced, for the ſetting downe of thoſe ordinances attributed to Popes, of whom we hauehave made mention. For therein is likewiſe committed great leaſings, by the reaſon of the knowledge and practiſe of a great number of falſe witneſſes by whom Antichriſt hath ſerued his owne turne, that by them he might obtaine a glorious glittering ſhewe vntounto his falſe religion & tyrannie, and chieflie vnderunder the title of antiquitie and auncient Councelles: vnderunder which colour, the Suppoſtes of the Romiſh Church labour with tooth and naile, to quench the truth and word of the Lord. And therefore it is verie requiſite that the matter be well looked vntounto. For, as wee muſt not lightly contemne the authoritie of the lawfull & Chriſtian Councelles: euen ſo likewiſe we muſt be well aduiſed how we allow vnlawfull Councelles, for lawfull, and that errors, ſuperſtitions, and hereſies, be not allowed & receaued vnderunder the colour of Chriſtian Councelles. And beſides, we muſt alſo vnderſtand thus much, That there was neuer any Councell ſo pure & Chriſtian like ſithens the Apoſtles time wherein ſom chaffe hath not bene mixed with the Corne, yea, & ſome notable beginning of ſuperſtition alſo: by which meane Antichriſt ſoone after, hath not gotten ſome matter to build an houſe for his raigne, and to work his ſecrete iniquitie withall. Wherefore, we are with very ſound iudgement to reade, whatſoeuer is ſet downe vntounto vsus vnderunder the name of Councelles and auncient Fathers, and not lightlie approue any thing, vntill ſuch time as we hauehave thoroughly examined the cauſe by the preſcript rule of Gods word. For which cauſes I hauehave purpoſlie ſet downe this aduertiſement, as well by reaſon of the Cannons and decrees which hauehave hertofore ſometimes bene alleaged, vnderunder the name of ancient Councelles, as alſo (if neede were) for thoſe, which hereafter might be alleaged for the declaration, and annotations which we hauehave yet to make, as well vponupon the Cautelles or inſtructions, as vponupon the forme and manner of the Maſſe, which we are now in hand to go on withall. But becauſe we wold be glad to obſerue the beſt order that might be, we will beginne at the Inſtruction which the Prieſtes in their Maſſe bookes call, The Cautelles of the Maſſe: Becauſe they are taught by them, thoſe things which he is to obſerue that meaneth to ſay Maſſe, and of the dangers which therin might fall out: as may very well be diſcerned by the reading of them. And therefore by a barbarous word they call them Cautelles, chieſlie by reaſon of the ſenſe, which they meane to take at it, ſignifying thereby, that euerie Prieſt muſt take good heede vntounto that which is ſet downe in them: although in verie deede this word Cautell, properly ſignifieth nothing elſe, but falſhood and deceipt. Wherefore, they them ſelues ſpeake more likely and truly in this behalfe then they think: conſidering, that whatſoeuer is in their Maſſe, is nothing elſe but mere trumperie and deceipt, and a common ſeducing of all Chriſtian people. And in verie deede, I hauehave ſet them foorth after the ſelfe ſame maner and forme, as they are ſet downe in their Popiſh Maſſe booke, which title is alreadie in the beginning of this booke propoſed and faithfullie tranſlated: to the end that eueryevery man might the better vnderſtand, the notable follies and horrible abhominations which are in the Maſſe, and in all thoſe which celebrate the ſame, and are at it. And for the better helping of the vnderſtanding of the Readers, I hauehave added thereto certaine expoſitions & annotations, to make the matters more plaine. Howbeit, I am to beſeech the Readers, not to be lightly offended at them, although they ſeeme very groſſe & ſtrange Becauſe I am to make them agree with the text, which is to be declared: and is in verie trueth worthy the gloſe which ſhall be giuen thereto: which ſhal not be a gloſe of Orleāce, contrarie to the text, but neat and pure, and of it ſelfe. And to the end that eueryevery iot therof might be the better vnderſtood, I hauehave deuided the matters into Chapters: & beſides, hauehave ſet downe the annotations of euerie of them in order, one after another: and marked by the Alphabet and cifers euerie annotation, according as the letters are marked in the text, to the end it might be the better vnderſtood, vntounto what place euerie of them is to be referred.
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