An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross, Chapter 5
mes, where he promyſed to geue abread, euen hys fleſhe: in inſtitutyng Iohn. 6.the ſacrament of the aulter, as they calit, perfourmed the ſame: and that, as in al thynges, which he promiſed, he was foūd true, ſo in thys the Catholyke churche hath beleued, and doeth beleue no les.
And therfore, ſo ſone as y• prieſt in the maſſe hath fullye ſpoken theſe wordes, thys is my body, if he purpoſe or if his intencyō be as he ſpeaketh (for that is requiſite teach they) then y•, which before was bred, and ſemeth to the eye to be bred, is made in rerye dede Chryſtes body, fleſhe, bloud and bone, euen the ſelfe ſame, whych was crucifyed, roſe againe, and deſcended vp into heauen. So y• he, which beleueth not thys, is a moſte haynous he retyke, and cut of from the Catholyke churche, and is not mete to receaue thys holy ſacrament: becauſe he can not wythoute thys fayth of Chryſtes natural, reall, corporal and carnal body, vnderunder the fourme or accident of bred & wyne, otherwyſe receaue thys ſacrament, then vnworthely and to eternal damnacyon. This is a ſhorte ſumme of their doctrine, concernyng the ſupper.
Now concerning the ſacrifice Of the ſacryfyce.they teache, that though oure ſauyoure hym ſelfe dyd in dede make a full and perfect ſacrifice propiciatorye and ſatiſfactory, for the ſynnes of all the whole world, neuer more ſo (that is to ſay bloudeli) to be offred agaie: yet in his ſupper he offred y• ſame ſacrifice vntounto hys father, but vn bloudely: that is to ſay, in wyll and deſyer, whych is accompted often euen for the deed, as thys was.
Whyche vnbloudy ſacrifice he commaunded hys church to offer, in remembraunce of hys bloudy ſacryfyce: as the principal meane, wherby hys bloudye ſacrifice is applyed both to the quick and dead, as baptyſine is the meane, by the whych regene racion is applyed, by the prieſte, to the infaunte or chylde, that is baptyſed.
For in that, the ſupper of Chryſte is to them not onelyonly a ſacramente, but alſo a ſacrifyce: and that not only applicatorye, but alſo propiciatory, becauſe it applyeth the propiciatory ſacrifyce of Chryſte, to whom the pryeſte or miniſter wyll, bee he dead or alyue. And in that, euen from the begynnig, the fathers, ſay they, were accuſtomed in the celebracyon of y• ſupper, to hauehave Prayer for the dead.a memorial of the dead▪ and alſo in that thys ſacrifice is a ſacrifice of the whole churche, y• dead being members of the churche, of charitie as they can not but offer for them, euen ſo they can not but pray for them after the en ſample of the Catholyke church: becauſe it is a wholſome thyng, ſayeth Iudas Machabeus, to pray for the dead, that they may be delyuered from theyr ſynnes. Wherevnto, all the doctors doe conſent, ſay thei.
Now, as for prayeng to ſaintes, they teache, that al be it there is Prayer to ſaynctes.but one mediator of Redēpciō: yet of interceſſyon the holy ſaits of god, departed thys lyfe, maye wel be counted mediators. And therfore it is a poynt of a lowly hart and humble ſpirite, whiche god wel lyfeth, to call vponupon the ſayntes to pray for vsus firſt: leſt by our preſumpcion to come into gods preſence, we beeyng ſo vnworthy, and god beyng ſo excellent and ful of maieſtie, we more anger and diſpleaſe god. Where as by their helpe god may be intreated, to make vsus more worthy to come vntounto hym, and the ſoner to graunt vsus our peticions. For if the holye ſaynctes of God, here beeyng vponupon the earth, coulde & would pray for the people, obteinyng many thiges at gods hād: it is muche more to bee beleued now (ſay they) that they can and wyll, if we pray to them, obteine for vsus our humble and godlye deſyers. And therefore to ye ende ther ſacrifice propiciatori, which in the maſſe they offer, maye be the more avaylable, they vſe about it, much praying to ſaintes. So of theſe. 4. as of. 4. pillours, theyr maſſe ſtandeth.
The which maſſe, you may ſe, what it is, and how precious and worthy a pece of worke it is, by theyr doctryne concernynge the ſupper, the ſacrifice, the praying for the dead & to the dead: wherof I hauehave geuen you a Summe, in the moſt honeſt, godly and religious wiſe, that the beſt of thē doe ſet it forth in.
For els, if I ſhould hauehave ſhewed you thys theyr doctryne, as ſome of them ſette it forth: as I knowe you would abhorre it, ſo the ſubtyle papyſtes would ſay, that I rayled and miſreported them.
Therfore becauſe they ſhal hauehave no ſuche occaſyon, nor you by their moſt ſubtile colours be diſceaued, I hauehave, in the beſt maner I canne, reported a Summe of theyr doctryne.
The whyche to the ende you myghte the better conſyder and hauehave, I wyll nowe tell you, as gods worde teacheth, how theſe foure poyntes are to be beleued and receaued. And then wyll I open the fylthines and abomina cyon, whyche in thys theyr doctryne is deuellyſhly conteined.