Abridgment of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Of the Popiſh Maſſe, by which ſacriledge the Supper of Chriſt hath not only bene profaned, but alſo brought to nothing.
1 HEreby it appeareth how farre contrarie the Maſſe is to the holy inſtitutiō of the Supper.
Ob. It is a ſacrifice to obtaine remiſſion of ſinnes.
An. Yea it blaſphemeth Chriſt: it burieth his croſſe: it maketh his death to be forgotten:The vertues of the Maſſe. it taketh away the frute thereof: and it weakneth the Sacrament wherein the memoriall of his death is left.
2 Firſt,1 Blaſpheming of Chriſt. thoſe which ſay Maſſe muſt needes be prieſts. And that cannot be done without horrible blaſpheming of Chriſt, ſeing he is appointed of his Father to be the onelyonly and eternall prieſt*:Heb. 5.5. & 10.7 Pſal. 110.14. & ſuch as hath no neede to hauehave a vicegerent vnderunder him.
Obiect. Sacrificing prieſts are not appointed vnderunder Chriſt as if he were dead,Suffragaines. but they are only Suffragaines or helpers.
Heb. 7.23.An Chriſt who is not hindered by death, is one, and needeth no parteners.
Obiect. Melchiſedech offered bread and wine to Abraham, which was a preparation to the Maſſe.
An. That is falſly referred to bread and wine, which the Apoſtle referreth to bleſſing.
2 Fruite of the Maſſe.3 Another vertue of the Maſſe, is: that it doth burie the croſſe and paſſion of Chriſt.
Obiect. The Maſſe is onelyonly a repeating of the ſacrifice which was once offered.
An The Apoſtle teacheth, that no repetition is neceſſarie*,Heb. 9.26. & 10 10. ſaying: The remiſſion of ſinnes being once obtained, there remaineth no more offering.
The ſacrifice of Chriſt is not repeated.Ob. The Maſſe is the application of the ſacrifice.
An. The true application is made by the preaching of the word, & the adminiſtration of the holie Supper.
4 Obiect. It ſhall come to paſſe that incenſe & a cleane oblatiō ſhalbe offred to his name, through out the whole world*.Mat. 1.8.
An. As if it were a new & vnwonted thing with the Prophets to depaint out by the externall rite of the Law, the ſpirituall worſhip of Cod, wherto they exhort the Gentiles,Ioel. 2.28. Ieſ. 16.21. when they ſpeake of their calling*.
5 The third office of the Maſſe, is, to blot and raſe out of mēs memories the true death of Chriſt.The third office of the Maſſe What the Maſſe is. For what is the Maſſe but a newe and altogether a diuerſe teſtament, ſeing that it promiſeth newe remiſſion of ſinnes?
Obiect. This ſacrifice is vnbloudie.
An. Therfore contrarie to the nature of ſacrifices, becauſe there is none without ſheding of bloud,4 Office to draw men back from Chriſt. leſt waſhing be wanting.
6 The fourth office of the Maſſe is to take from vsus the fruite which came to vsus from the death, of Chriſt. For who can thinke that he is redeemed by the death of Chriſt, when he ſhall ſee new redemption in the Maſſe?
Obiect. We obtaine remiſſion of ſinnes by none other meanes in the Maſſe, ſaue onelyonly becauſe it is alreadie purchaſed by the death of Chriſt.
An. That is,An abſurditie. we are redeemed by Chriſt vppon that condition, that we our ſelues may redeeme our ſelues.
7 Laſt of all the holy Supper wherin the Lord lefte a remembrance of his paſſion, is taken away,5 Office to take away the Supper. The cōtrarietie betweene the Supper and the Maſſe. when the Maſſe is ſet on foot. For the Supper receiueth, the Maſſe giueth & offereth: the Supper teacheth that we obtain ſaluatiō by the death of Chriſt alone, the Maſſe chalengeth that to it ſelf: the Supper is the bond of vnitie, the Maſſe of diuiſion: For in the priuate Maſſe, there is no partaking of the Supper, though there be manie preſent.
8 Obiect. But the prieſt eateth in the name of the whole Church.
An. Who commanded him ſo to do? Chriſt will hauehave the bread to be broken and deuided. In the Maſſe it is ſhewed and worſhipped.
9 Moreouer this peruerſneſſe was vnknowen to the purer Church. Therfore let vsus ſay that they do erre filthilie, which take the Maſſe for a ſacrifice.
10 Obiect. The men of old time called the holie Supper a ſacrifice.
An. But they declare therwithall that they meane nothing elſe,How the Supper is a ſacrifice. Aug. lib. 20. con. Fauſt. cap. 18. but the remembrance of that only ſacrifice, which Chriſt our only Prieſt did offer vponupon the croſſe*.
11 Moreouer they did more neare imitate the Iewiſh manner of ſacrificing, then either Chriſt ordained, or the nature of the Goſpel did bear: & they turned aſide too much vntounto the ſhadows of the law.
The compariſon of Moſes his ſacrifices, and our thanks giuing.12 For there is difference put betweene Moſes his ſacrifices and the Lords Supper, becauſe though they did repreſent to the people of the Iewes, that efficacie of the death of Chriſt, which is giuen to vsus at this day in the Supper: yet the manner of repreſenting was diuerſe. Becauſe there the Prieſtes, the ſacrifice, the Altar, did figure the ſacrifice of Chriſt which was to come: but the ſignes of the Supper as bread and wine, do celebrate the remembrance of the ſacrifice alreadie paſt.
Two kindes of Sacrifices.13 Furthermore the word Sacrifice being taken generally, doth comprehend what ſoeuer is offred to God. And though there were diuerſe formes of ſacrifices, yet they may be referred vntounto two members. For either the offering was offered for ſinne, after a certaine maner of ſatisfaction, and it is called expiatorie or cleanſing: or it was in ſteed of thanksgiuing,Exod. 29.30. to teſtifie the thankfulneſſe of the mind. To this are referred burnt offerings, & drinke offerings, oblations,Ioh 19.30. firſt frutes, peace offerings*, but the ſacrifice of cleanſing was ſo offred by Chriſt alone, & ſo finiſhed, that there is no place left afterward for anie other ſacrifice.
1 Sacrifice of purging.14 Wherfore the ſhauelings by Maſſing commit blaſphemie, and that ſuch as is not to be ſuffered, both againſt Chriſt and againſt his ſacrifice, when they thinke vponupon the repeating of the oblation, and of newe remiſſion of ſinnes.
15 Euen Plato doth ſufficientlie reproue their vanities, whē he derideth them very wittilie,Platoes ſcoffe. which thought that their wickedneſſe was couered with theſe as with veiles: and hauing made as it were a couenant with God, did more careleſlie pamper themſelues: he ſeemeth altogether to allude to the vſe of the cleanſing of the Maſſe.
16 VnderUnder the other kinde of ſacrifice which wee called the ſacrifice of thankſgiuing,2 The ſacrifice of thankesgiuing. all offices of louelove are contained, which when we doe toward our brethren, we honour the Lord himſelfe in his members: againe, all our praiers, praiſes, thankſgiuing, and whatſoeuer we do to the worſhip of God: which is ſo neceſſarie for the church, that it cannot be abſent from the ſame*.Mat. 1.11. Rom. 12.1. Ph. 4.18.
17 Such workes had the name of ſacrifices giuen them, not onlie in the new teſtament*Heb. 13.15. 1 Pet. 2.9., but alſo in the old*Oſee. 14.3. Pſal. 51.21. The abhomination of the Maſſe.: and in this ſenſe all the faithful are called Prieſts.
18 What remaineth but that the blinde may ſee the deafe may heare, and very children may vnderſtand, this abhominatiō of the Maſſe? Which being offered in the golden cup, hath made all kings of the earth, & people ſo drunke, that being more blockiſh then verie beaſts, they hauehave placed the ſhip of their ſaftie in this one only deadlie gulf. This is that Helena for whom the enemies of the truth fight ſo couragiouſlie.
19 Theſe are the things which we thought good to ſpeake concerning the two Sacraments:There be but 2 Sacramentes. Baptiſme is the entrance into the Church. the vſe whereof was deliuered to the Churche of Chriſte from the firſt beginning of the newe Teſtament, to the ende of the worlde: namelie, that Baptiſme ſhoulde be as it were a certaine entrance into the Church, and the entring or beginning of faith: and the Supper is as it were continuall food,The Supper is the dayly food. wherewith Chriſt doth ſpirituallie feed the familie of his faithfull. For that cauſe it is often repeated, but baptiſme is not ſo.
20 Therefore let the church of Chriſt bee content with theſe two: neither let it not onlie admit anie thirde for the preſent time, but not ſo much as deſire it, or wait for it, vntill the end of the worlde. For it belongeth to God alone to erect a ſacrament, ſeeing it belongeth to him alone both to promiſe & alſo to giuegive ſaluation.