Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 1 · Part 33
The three and thirtieth Chapter openeth the Prophecie of Malachie.Hesk.
The Prophete Malachie towarde the latter end of the first chapter of his Prophecie, writeth thus:Fulk. I hauehave no pleasure in you saith the Lorde of hoastes, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sunne, vntill the going downe of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in euerie place incense shall bee offered vntounto my name, and a pure offering: For my name is great among the heathen. This text (saith M. Heskins) hath greatly tormented the protestantes: for they wrest it into diuerse senses, because it proueth inuincibly the sacrifice of the masse.
Therefore Oecolampadius expoundeth this sacrifice of the obedience of all nations, to the faith: Bucer, of faith and the confession of the same: Bullinger, of the land and prayse of God: Vrbanus Rhegius, of mortification and inuocation of Gods name. Al which M. Heskins him selfe that firste cryeth out of their discord, confesseth to agre in this, that they vnderstand the prophesie of the spirituall sacrifice of prayse and thanksgiuing. But these hereticall expositions, he saith, cannot stande. And why so▪ forsooth because these spiritual sacrifices be not new, but were offered by the godly, euen since Abel, who (he saith) was the first that offered sacrifice to God, and that of the fruites of the earth: whereas it is not to be thought, that Adam offered no sacrifice al that time before: and the text is plaine, that Abell offered the fruit of his cattell. But although the spirituall worship of God is not newe, yet it was newe to the Iewes, that the father shoulde bee worshipped from the time of Christ, neither in the moūt Garizim nor at Ierusalem, but of all nations in spirite and trueth,Iohn. 4. that is, without all externall and figuratiue sacrifices. An other reason is of the purenesse of the newe sacrifice, aboue the olde. For the olde sacrifices were pure by participation, the newe is pure by nature, and therefore nothing else but the bodie of Christe. But by his fauour the prophet in calling the newe sacrifice pure, doeth not charge the old with imperfection, if they had been offered according to their institution, but reproueth the priestes, that they had polluted the Lords sacrifices, with their couetousnes and hypocrisie, and in punishment of their pride (which thought God could not bee serued except it were by them) threateneth that he will reiect them and the people that were partakers of their sinnes, and set vp the spirituall pure worship of his name, among the Gentils in all partes of the worlde, which shoulde better please God (as ye Prophete saith) then a bullock that hath hornes & hooffes. And as for the purenes that M. Heskins requireth in the new sacrifices, wee hauehave a sufficient warrant of the holy Ghost Heb. 13. that by Iesus Christ wee offer the sacrifice of prayse always to God, that is, the fruites of the lippes which confesseth his name, doeing good and not forgetting to distribute, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. By which place you may see that the expositions of the godly before rehearsed, are grounded vponupon the word of God, and not the deuise or imagination of man. It is meruell yt M. Heskins (as the rest of ye papistes do in this place) doth not builde much vppon the worde foreign which properly doth signifie a sacrifice made of flower, and so a kinde of bread: but then he lacketh wine, and the other worde which the prophete vseth foreign which signifieth an incense or perfume, both excludeth that phantisie, and also sheweth that the Prophet, according to the common custom of other Prophets, speaketh after the capacitie of the people, in discribing the spirituall state of Christs Church by the external-figures & ceremonies of Moses law. And so there is no place in ye scripture, maketh lesse for the sacrifice of the masse, then this text of the prophete Malachie.