Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Part 2 · Chapter 24 – Chapter 25
VVhat thinges are to be noted vponupon theſe foreſaid matters. CHAPTER XXIIII.
a IT hath bene ſaide, that Leo was he who firſt ordained the cenſinges in the Maſſe, howbeit I cannot ſay whether he ordained them all yea or no, or whether ſome bodie elſe added mo therto. If it be not a ſolemne Maſſe, the Gods which are made in it, are not perfumed.
b And againe, the play were not worth a button, if this frankenſence were not charmed according to their accuſtomed maner. What kinde of conſecration & bleſſing is this? And beſides, what a mockery and ſorcery is this, to ſpeake vntounto the frankenſence? Now, if this frankenſence be burnt in the honour of the deuill (as in deede it is, conſidering that he is the very Authour, of ſuch a Maſſe as at this preſent it is) then call they for his bleſſing to be vponupon this frankenſence.
c The Romaniſts,Matth. 2, whē they make an expoſitiō of the miſticall meaning of the giftes which the wiſe men that came frō the Eaſt, by the guiding of the ſtar, to worſhip our Sauior Ieſus Chriſt offred, ſay, that the offring of the gould, declared him to be a King, & that the mirrhe, ſignified his humility & death: & the frākēſens, the acknowledging of him to be God, becauſe that incēſe betokeneth diuinity,Deut, 33 & that God ordained the incēſings in the law, that by thē ſuch homage ſhould be don vntounto him as appertained & was conuenient for his diuine maieſty. By this interpretatiō thē, the Altar, chalice maſſe booke, & the Prieſt himſelfe alſo ſhould be, God. At the leaſt wiſe, that honor is here don vntounto them, which, as they ſay, appertaineth vntounto God. And therfore it is no maruel, that S. Gurdegobreas ſo honoreth his table & chalice, & his maſſe book alſo (which by his will he would not change nor giuegive for his mealy God.) For, I may tell it to you, they ar a great deal more beneficial vntounto him, thē the Bible is. For, the Bible would neuer bring him to that honor, to drink in ſo faire & goodly plate, nor ſo good wine, neither yet make him ſo fat, nor ſo wel liking. Neither is it any maruell though Sir Gurdegobreas himſelf be cenſed, cōſidering that by theſe his ſleights of legier de main, he cā ſo wel iuggle, as that he can make Gods euen with his breathing. Now, if he be a maker of Gods, he him ſelfe muſt needs be farre greater & more excellēt then the Gods, which he maketh, for as much as the workman, doth euer farre excell his work.
d If the Priſt him ſelf ſay or ſing the Goſpell, he ſaluteth the people with his arſe alwaies towards them. But if the Deacō do it, he turneth his ſide towards them, & looketh on thē, aſ cauſe my deare.
e We hauehave elſwhere ſpoken of the ceremonies, wherewith the Goſpell is honoured in the Maſſe. And that which hath bin ſaid of the prieſt, may alſo, in ſome ſort, be referred to the dealing of the people, eſpecially about the cr…ſſing of thēſelues.
f They alwayes beginne the fragments of the Goſpell which they rehearſe in this maner, In the place, as in the Epiſtles takē out of the Acts of the Apoſtles, they ſay, In diebus illis, that is to ſay, in thoſe dayes, & in thoſe which are taken out of the Epiſtles of S. Paul, they ſay, Fratres, Brethren: & in thoſe which are taken out of the Catholique Epiſtles, Chariſsimi, Dearelie beloued. Wherein, they ſpeake as if they addreſſed their wordes to the people, as if there were manie of them, when as in verie deede oftentimes there is but one bodie with the Prieſt, and ſometimes none at all but him ſelfe alone. As for the other two prefaces, the Prieſtes them ſelues hauehave made ſuch a ſkorne and by worde of them, as that when a man ſheweth them anie of their follies and faultes, by the rule of the Goſpell, they aunſwere, that it was, in illo tempore, in that time: &, In diebus illis, In thoſe dayes. VVhereupon they would conclude, That that was in the olde time and aged dayes, and that thoſe times and dayes are gone & paſt, as though the Goſpell appertained nothing at all to them. Which doctrine is ſo wel put in practiſe as wel by them ſelues, as alſo by thoſe which follow them, as that they moſt manifeſtly declare, both by their doctrine, life & conuerſation, that they make no more accompt, nor care no more for the Goſpel, & the word of God, then if it neuer cōcerned, nor yet appertained any whit vntounto them.
g The matter contained in this little fragment of the Goſpell, according to S. Iohn, here alleaged hath both largely & ſufficiently enough bin handled in th'expoſitiō of the office vpō Corpus Chriſti day, where we ſhewed how theſe wordes wayed with the the doctrine of the Romaniſts, cōcerning the bodily preſence & communion of the bodie and blood of our Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, as well to the beleeuers as to the faithleſſe, in the Supper.
h It ſhould ſeeme that he would here make a charme of the words of the Goſpell, requiring by them to hauehave ſinnes defaced, as though the power therof conſiſted in the words, & in the vttering of thē. But we are to note, that as faith commeth, & is giuen by God through the hearing of his worde, without which there can be no true faith: euen ſo likewiſe, hearing ſerueth to none other purpoſe, but to condēnation, if it be not receaued by faith, by mean wherof, ſinns are defaced, by the blud of Ieſus Chriſt. Now, ſeing the people vnderſtād not that which is ſpoken, how can their ſinnes be defaced by the words of the Goſpell, which they can not beleeue to be true, & ſo can hauehave no true faith without they vnderſtood thē? For,Rom. 10. as the Apoſtle ſaith, how can they beleeue without it be told thē. I wil not deny but that they may beleue, howbeit it ſhalbe after the maner of the Popiſh Church: in which Church, to beleeue, is taken with them, to beleeue vponupon credit, & report of the countrie, and thinke that whatſoeuer it ſaith & ſetteth foorth, is true, although they which beleeue it, vndeſtand not one worde of it. But this neither comforteth, nor yet confirmeth the conſcience of anie.
i This is euen like to the maner of the Prieſtes them ſelues, who are oftentimes ſo ignoraunt, as that they vnderſtand not, what they them ſelues ſay, and yet beleeue & confeſſe theſe holy words.
Of the Nycene and Conſtantinople Creede, containing the ſound faith of the true and auncient Church. CHAPTER XXV.
ANd whē he hath made the ſigne of the croſſe, he kiſſeth the booke a And afterward let him ſay, if it be to be ſaid.
I beleeue in one God.
Then let him beginne in the middest of the Altar, with his handes a ſunder, and after he hath begunne, let him ioyne his handes a while together, and make an ende after this ſort.
The Father Almightie e maker of heauen and earth, and of all thinges viſible, and inuiſible, d & in Ieſus Chriſt, the onelyonly begotten Sonne of God, And borne of the Father before all worlds.
God of God, light of light, verie God of verie God: begotten and not made: Conſubſtantiall with the Father, by whome all thinges are made. Who for vsus menne & for our ſaluation came downe from heauen, and was incarnate by the holy Ghoſt of the virgine Marie.
Here he boweth his knee.
And was made man. And was alſo crucified for vsus vnderunder Pontius Pilate: ſuffered, and was buried. And the thirde day aroſe againe accordinge to the Scriptures. e Hee aſcended into heauen▪ and ſitteth on the right hand of the Father. f And ſhall come againe in glory to iudge the quick & the dead: Whoſe Kingdom ſhall hauehave no ende. And in the holie Ghoſt, the Lorde and giuer of life: who proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne. Who with the Father and the Sonne together is worſhipped and glorified, who ſpake by the Prophets. And one holy, vniuerſall, and Apoſtolike Church. I confeſſe alſo one Baptiſme, for the Remiſſion of ſinnes: and do looke for the Reſurrection of the deade: and the life of the worlde to come. Amen.
ET facto ſigno crucis, oſculatur librum.
Deinde a dicat, ſi ſit dicendum.
Credo in vnum Deum.
Diſiūctis manibus in medio Altaris incipiat: & poſtquam inceperit, paulatim iungat manus, & ſic finiat.
Patrem Omnipotentem factorem Caeli & terrae, viſibilium omnium & inuiſibilium, & in vnum Dominum Ieſum Chriſtum filium Dei vnigenitum, & ex Patre natum ante omnia ſecula.
Deum de Deo, lumen, de lumine: Deum verum, de Deo vero: Genitum non factum, conſubſtantialem patri, per quem om nia facta ſunt. Qui propter nos homines & propter ſalutem noſtram deſcendit de caelis. Et incarnatus eſt de Spiritu ſancto, ex Moria Virgine.
Hic genu flectitur.
Et homo factus eſt, crucifixus etiam pro nobis, ſub Pontio Pilato: paſſus & ſepultus eſt. Et reſurrexit tertiae die ſecundum Scripturas. Et aſcendit in caelum, ſedit ad dextrā Patris, & iterum venturus eſt cum gloria, iudicare viuos & mortuos: cutus regni, non erit finis. Et in Spiritum ſanctum Dominum, & viuificantem, qui ex Patre, filioque procedit: Qui cum Patre & filio ſimul adoratur, & glorificatur, qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et vnū ſanctam Catholicam & Apoſtolicam Eccleſiam. Confiteor vnum Baptiſmum in remiſſionem peccatorū. Et expecto reſurrectionē mor tuorum. Et vitam venturi ſaeculi. Amen