The Anatomy of the Mass, Book 1 · Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXIII. That the Sacrifice of the Maſſe agrees neither with Scripture nor with reaſon.
1. THe two third partes of Saint Pauls Epiſtle to the Hebrews are employed in ſpeaking both of the Sacrifice, and of the Prieſthood of the Chriſtian Church, where nevertheleſſe no mention is made at all of the Euchariſt, nor of any other Sacrifice of redemption than the death of Chriſt our Lord.
2. Moreover, in many places, namely about the end of the ninth Chapter, the Apoſtle ſaith, As it is appointed unto men once to dye, ſo Chriſt was once offered for to take away our ſinnes. Teaching us, that as man dieth but once, and that the death of men is not reiterated, neither bloodily nor unbloodily: ſo the Sacrifice by which Chriſt offered himſelfe for our ſinnes, receiveth no iteration. And in the tenth Chapter, two ſeverall times, he ſaith in expreſſe tearmes that Chriſt hath offered Ʋnicam oblationem, one onelyonly Sacrifice, and then ſate him downe on the right hand of God.
3. For ſince Chriſts death is a price, and a ſufficient Sacrifice for our redemption; there is no more need of another Sacrifice of redemption. That if for applying unto our ſ lves Chriſts Sacrifice he muſt he ſacrificed againe, by the ſame reaſon for to apply his d…ath unto our ſelves, he muſt be put to death againe. Chriſt and his death is applyed unto us by the fraction of the bread, 1. Cor. 10.16. And by Baptiſme, Galat. 3.27. And by that Faith whereby Saint Paul ſaith that hee dwelleth in our hearts, Epheſians 3.17. but not in ſacrificing him.
4. But how ſhould Chriſt in the Maſſe ſatisfie for our ſinnes, ſeeing he is no more in that condition of ſatiſfying, nor of ſuffering for us? But onelyonly in the ſtate of interceding and impetrating for us, as Bellarmin confeſſeth.*Bellar. li. 2. de Miſſa cap. 1. §. Secundo Chriſtus nunc nec mererince ſ…isfacere poteſt, ſed tantum in petrare. I gitur impetratio propria eſt hujus ſacrificij vis & effi… …ia. Chriſt (ſaith he) cannot now merit nor ſatiſfie, but only impetrate. Wherefore the proper vertue and efficacie of this Sacrifice is to impetrate; not therefore to redeeme and ſatisfie. Now for to impetrate, Chriſts interceſſion whereby he maketh requeſt for us, ſitting at the right hand of his Father, Rom. 8.33. is ſufficient, without being needfull to ſacrifice him.
5. Wherefore the Paſtors of the Chritian Church, are never called Prieſts in the Scripture, for to diſtinguiſh them from the people. But all the faithfull are called Prieſts by Saint Peter in his firſt E…iſtle, Chap. 2.9. And by Saint John, Revelation 1.6. He hath made …s Kings and Prieſts unto God and his Father,
6. The Apoſtle Saint Paul to the Epheſians 4.11. maketh a denumeration of the Offices which Chriſt, aſcending up to heaven, left here to his Church. And he gave ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Evangeliſts: and ſome Paſtors and Teachers, Of Prieſts and Sacrificers he ſpeaketh not one word. No more than in the firſt to Timothy, and in the Epiſtle to Titus, where he deſcribeth the duty of Prieſts (whom hee calleth alſo Biſhops) and of Deacons, without making any mention of this Prieſthood.
7. It is evident that to be a Sacrificer, is a thing more excellent than to be Sacrificed. So Aaron was more excellent than the beaſts that he offered: Not onelyonly becauſe he was a man, and had theſe Sacrifices in his power: but alſo becauſe theſe Lambes and Bullocks were figures of Chriſt, as hee was a man, who was to die for us: but Aaron repreſented Chriſt, as hee was God, offering his body in Sacrifice to his Father for our finnes. Prieſts therefore boaſting themſelves of ſacrificing Chriſt, advance themſelves above Chriſt.
8. In all Sacrifices the thing ſacrificed and offered unto God, muſt be deſtroyed and killed. But in the Maſſe Chriſt is not deſtroyed and ſuffereth nothing there. Therefore in the Maſſe Chriſt is not ſacrificed. To ſay that in the Maſſe Chriſts ſacramentall being is deſtroyed, is a pure mockerie. For Chriſt hath but one being, to wit his naturall being. And this word of Sacramentall being, is as much as a ſignificative being, which is a Chymera o… fond conceit. The principall is that in the Maſſe they pretend to ſacrifice Chriſt for our redemption. But the Sacramentall or ſignificative being of the Lord is not the price of our redēption, & is not ſacrificed for us. That if the Sacrifice be made when the ſpecies of the bread and wine are deſtroyed, we muſt ſay that the Sacrifice is made in the ſtomach of the Prieſt ſome houres after the Maſſe is ended: for there muſt be ſome time for to deſtroy the ſpecies by the diſgeſtion.
9. Furthermore in all Sacrifices the thing ſacrificed muſt bee Conſecrated, and in every Sacrifice there muſt be ſome Conſecration. But in the Maſſe there is nothing conſecrated. Not the bread, for they hold it is no more bread. Not Chriſts body, for men cannot conſecrate him: It is he that conſecrateth us. Not the accidents of bread: For they be not offered to God in Sacrifice: otherwiſe the Maſſe would be a Sacrifice of accidents, of colour, of ſavor, of lines, and ſuperficies.
10. Our Adverſaries never find themſelves more puzled, than when they are put to finde in the inſtitution of this Sacrament, ſome action wherein this Sacrifice doth conſiſt by which they pretend that the conſecrated Hoſte is ſacrificed to God in propitiatory Sacrifice. Doth this Sacrifice conſiſt in the words whereby the Prieſt preſenteth the body of Chriſt unto God, and prayes him to have that offering acceptable? But we have ſeene in the foregoing Chapter that our Adverſaries doe confeſſe, tha… Chriſt made not God his Father. Doth this Sacrifice confiſt in the fraction of the bread? But that is impoſſible; for Chriſt brake the bread before hee uttered the words of Conſecration, therefore hee brake no conſecrated Hoſte. And when the Prieſt lets the Hoſt fall whole into the Chalice without breaking it, the Maſſe leaveth not for that to be called a Sacriſice, as Bellarmin *Bellar. lib 1. de Miſſa. cap. 27. §. 60. Si forte panis conſecratus in calicem decidat, non ſolet fragi, ſedrelinquitur ita int…grum uſque ad ſumptionē, nec tamen ſacrific um irritum, aut eſſentialiter immutanri creditur. Adde quod hac caeromonia Dommus non v detur eſſe uſus.acknowledgeth. Perhaps they will ſay the Sacrifice conſiſteth in the manducation: But that cannot be. For eating is not ſacrificing. That if eating be ſacrificing, every one of the People ſhal be a ſacrificing Prieſt: and the Peoples mouthes ſhall be as many Altars. VnderUnder Moſes Law in all the ſacrifices, after which the people did …ate of the things ſacrificed, the ſacred feaſt was made ſome houres after the Sacrifice was ended. Neither can the Sacrifice conſiſt in the pronouncing of the words of Conſecration: For by theſe words This is my body, the Prieſt off…reth nothing to God. But every Sacrifice is an offering made unto God. Furthermore, in every Sacrifice, he that ſacrificeth, addreſſeth himſelfe to God, but theſe words are addreſſed to the broad. Which is more, we have ſeene hereabove the Confeſſion of our Adverſaries, acknowledging that in all this action Chriſt offered nothing to God. Therefore he made no Sacrifice.
11. It is to be noted that in the Roman Church the Order of Prieſthood is a Sacrament, whoſe it ſtitution they wil have to be found in the Inſtitution of the Euchariſt, when the Lord ſaid, Doe this, as if Chriſt by one and the ſame words had inſtituted two Sacraments. With as much abſurditie, as if one would needs finde the Inſtitution of Marriage or of Extreame Vnction in the inſtitution of Baptiſme. That if theſe words, Doe this in remembrance of mee, bee the formall and expreſſe words whereby Chriſt conferred the Order of Prieſthood, how comes it to paſſe that the Biſhops, when they d…e conſerre that Order in the Ember weeks, make no mention of theſe words at all?
12. Our Adverſaries put two ſorts of Sacrifice. The one bloody, the other unbloody, which they call the Sacrifice of Melchiſedek, and which they ſay to be farre more excellent that the blooddy ſacrifice, and will have the Maſſe to be the Sacrifice after the Order of Melchiſedek. Whence followeth that the Maſſe is more excellent than Chriſts death, which is a bloody Sacrifice. It is great wonder then that the Apoſtle to the Hebrewes ſpeaking ſo at large of the Prieſthood of Melchiſedek, maketh not any mention at all of Maſſe, nor of Euchariſt.
13. But how is it thay by theſe words Doe this in remembrance of mee, Chriſt ſhould command men to ſacrifice him in the Maſſe, ſince it is impoſſible to ſacrifice Chriſt in remembrance of Chriſt? ſeeing alſo that Saint Paul immediately after theſe words, addeth the explication of them, ſaying, For as often as yee cate this bread and drink this cup, ye doe ſhew the Lords death, 1. Cor. 11. He teacheth us that to Doe this, is to eate bread and drink the cup in remembrance of the Lords death.
Here therefore every man that ſeare… God, and loves the Lord Jeſus, ſhal conſider what a crime it is for moratal men and ſinners to intrude and take upon themſelves to Sacrifice the Eternall Sonne of God to his Father, and to bee Prieſts after the Order of Melchiſedek, without charge and without commiſſion.