Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 1 · Part 32
Hesk.The 32 Chapter to proue the sacrifice of our shewe bread, to be a continuall sacrifice, as the old shew bread was, alledgeth the prophesie of Daniel, and reiecteth the false expositions of the aduersaries.
The shew bread is here brought in for a meere shew, for there is no matter at all in it for his purpose,Fulke. except it be this, yt he saith The reseruation of that bread was a figure of the reseruation of their blessed bread. Which if it be true, it is not lawful for ye priest to eat his cōsecrated hostes, vntill they be a seuen nights old. For the shew bread, was of necessitie to stand on yt table, frō Sabbath to Sabbath. But of ye cōtinuāce of their sacrifice, not only Malachie; but also Daniel hath prophesied, who in ye 9. & 12. of his prophesie, foresheweth ye taking away of ye daily sacrifice, which (he saith) ye holy Fathers do expound to be done by Antichrist. As there be many prophesies in Daniel, very hard to interpret, so there is none more cleere, either in him or in any other prophet, for ye time when it should be fulfilled, then this of taking away ye daily sacrifice, & placing ye abhominatiō of desolation, for asmuch as our sauiour Christ him self Mat. 24. doth refer it to ye destructiō of Hierusalem & ye tēple. For then ye daily sacrifice, not of ye shew bread, but of ye morning & euening oblatiō, was vtterly taken away in act, as it ceassed in effect, when our sauiour Christe by his true sacrifice had taken away all figuratiue oblations. For as Hierom saith very well, whatsoeuer was afterward sacrificed by ye vnbeleuing Iewes in the temple, was not the sacrifice of God, but the worship of the diuel. But notwtstanding this, M. Hesk. wil needs hauehave it meant of ye daily sacrifice of ye Christians, & for yt purpose alledgeth ye iudgement of Petrus, ye Monk (I trow) of Clunie, yt there be foure principal sectes in ye world, yt is of ye Iewes, Sarazens, Pagans, and Christians, of which ye Iewes, Sarazens, & Pagans offer no sacrifice, but only ye Christians. But he is fowly beguyled, for ye Sarazens or Mahumetans offer sacrifice for the dead, after the maner of the Gentiles. And where this Peter acknowledged no Pagans, but such as dwell farthest in the North, it seemeth he hath not heard of so many nations as in all quarters be discouered to be Idolaters, especially those of Calechut, who beside the bloud of a cocke which they sacrifice to the Idole of the diuel, do offer vntounto it all meat that the king eateth. Wherfore the conclusion of P. Cluniacensis is a very vain & foolish collectiō. And wheras M. Hes. maketh so smal account of ye sacrifice of thanksgiuing, praises, prayers, & obedience, that he calleth them but common thinges, he sheweth what religion is in his brest. But where Daniel saith, then daily sacrifice shalbe taken away, he wil proue that there must be a daily sacrifice, and that of the Christians, by Hieronyms authoritie. Whose words are cited thus by him: Hos mille ducentos nonaginta dies Porphyrius in tempore Antiochi, & in desolatione templi dicis completos, quam & Iosephus & Machabęorum (vt dixintus) liber, tribus tantùni annis fuisse commemorant. Ex quo perspic… est, tres istos & semis annos de Antichristi dici temporibus, qui tribus & semis annis, hoc est mille ducentis nonaginta diebus sanctos perseq…turus est, & postea, ceciderit in monte inclyto & sancto. A tempore igitur quod nos interpreta…i sunus iuge sacrificiū quando Antichristus vrbem obtinens Dei cultum interdixerit, vsus que ad internecionem eius, tres & semis anni id est, mille ducenti nonaginta dies complebuntur. These thousand two hundreth and ninetie dayes Prophyrius saith, th… were fulfilled in the time of Antiochus, and in the desolation of the temple, which both Iesophus and the booke of Machabees, (as we hauehave said) do testifie to be d…n in three yeares only, whereby it is plaine these three yeares and an halfe to be spoken of the times of Antichrist, who by the space of three yeres and an halfe, that is a thousand two hundreth and ninetie days, shal persecute the holy and faithfull Christians, and after shal fall downe in the famous and holy hill. From the time therefore that we bene interpreted the daily sacrifice, when Antichrist shal forbid the seruice of God, vntounto his destruction there shall be fulfilled three yeres and an halfe, that is to say, a thousand two hundreth and ninetie dayes. We hauehave often seene before, what an impudent falsarie M. Hesk. is of the Doctors, and here, I know not for what cause, except it were to trouble the sense of Hieronymes words, both in ye Latine & in his English translation, he hath left out the Greeke word yt Hieronyme vseth in this sentence, A tempore iginer foreign, quod nos interpretati sumus iuge sacrificium &c. Therefore from the time of the perpetuitie, which we hauehave interpreted the perpetuall sacrifice, &c. At least wise he should hauehave noted in the margent Graecum est, non potest legi But to the matter, although Hierom, contrarie to the exposition of our sauiour Christ referre this taking away of the daily sacrifice, to the time of Antichrist, yet doth he interprete the same sacrifice, to be but the worship and seruice of God, which Antichrist should forbid. But Nicholas Lyra is a Doctour for M. Heskins tooth, for he expoundeth it of the sacrifice of the altar. And M. Heskins will proue it by reason. For it can not be meant of a spiritual sacrifice of praise, prayers, mortification, repentance, &c. For these can not be put downe, but shalbe frequented, euen vnderunder his flames and sword, therfore it must needes be the daily sacrifice of the altar. And yet M. Heskins thinketh, that shal not be cleane put downe, but secretly be vsed of godly disposed people, so that he were best to conclude, that there shal none at al be put downe. But may not the outward seruice of God be put downe, as Hieronyme saith, But it must of necessitie be the sacrament of the altar? O easie necessitie, that so lightly is auoyded! Well, beside this rushie cheine of M. Heskins necessitie you shall heare matter of congruitie.
If the fathers of all ages knewe that externe sacrifice did please God, should not christians much more, which liue in the cleare light, acknowledge the same? O profounde diuine! He hath forgotten that the true worshippers must nowe worshippe: God in spirit and trueth: Ioan. 4. Yet more. If those sacrifices were a sweete sauour to God, for his sake whom they figured, howe much more is our sacrifice, offering Christe him selfe vntounto him? But sir, their sacrifices were commanded, & Christ by his eternall spirite hath offered himselfe once, to ende all such sacrifices. For no man is worthie to offer him to God, but euen himself. If they giuegive not onelyonly sacrifice of laude and thankes, but also externall sacrifice of thankes, shall not Christians which hauehave receiued greater benefites then they, offer like, or rather greater thankes? Yes good M. Doctor, but by such meanes as God hath appoynted, and not by setting vp an other Altar and sacrifice, to deface the crosse and sacrifice of Christ. Althoughe nothing can bee feyned more leaden, and blockishe then these reasons bee, yet the illuminate doctor cryeth out agaynste his obcęcate and blind enemies, that cannot see ye congruitie of these matters, as it were a light shining through a milstone.