Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 32
Hesk.The two and thirtieth Chapter vponupon occasion that it is proued, that the primitiue Church vsed the altare, and reputed the bodie and bloud of Christ to be a sacrifice, beginneth to treate of the same sacrifice which we commonly call the Masse.
Fulk.Because the names of altar & sacrifice hauehave beene vnproperly vsed by auncient writers (for wee hauehave shewed that their altar was a table, and their sacrifice a thankesgiuing) therefore M. Hesk. will treat of the sacrifice of the Masse. And first of the name of Masse, which he saith we abhorre, and iustly, because it hath been vsed of many yeres, to signifie a most blasphemous and idolatrous seruice. The name he will deriue in all the haste, out of the Hebrue tongue from a word that is called Mas, from whence the Latines hauehave deriued their worde Missa, being the same that the Greekes called Liturgia, and the Latines officium, which is in English a seruice. To this I aunswere: first, that if Missa or Masse be nothing but a seruice, then Euen song may be called Masse, because it is a seruice. Secondly it carryeth no shewe of trueth, that the Latines would borrowe their name of the Hebrues, rather then of the Greekes. Thirdly, that there is no such Hebrue worde, as Maister Heskins affirmeth to bee, Mas, signifying a seruice, as I report mee to all that hauehave but meane knowledge in the tongue. Fourthly, that although the name of Missa bee of some antiquitie in the Romane church, yet is it neither so auncient as he maketh it, and that which is chiefely to be regarded, it is neuer founde in the holie scripture.
But nowe let vsus consider his authoritie. First, Leo bishop of Rome Epist. 79. sayeth thus: Necesse est vt quaedam pars populi sua deuotione priuetur, si vniut tantùm Missae more seruato sacrificium offerre non possunt, nisi qui prima diei parte conuenerint. It must needes be that some parte of the people bee depriued of their deuotion, if the manner or custome of our onelyonly masse being obserued, they cannot offer sacrifice, except such as came together the first part of the day. Vppon coulour of this place Maister Heskins will not onelyonly prooue, that the name of Missa is auncient, but also that it is lawfull to saye more then one Masse in one church in one day, if two then three, if three then tenne, if tenne then fifteene, and so twentie, which the proclaimer sayed could not be proued. But you shall see howe lewdly hee abuseth his reader. The proclaimers challenge was of tenne or twentie priuate Masses sayed in one church and commonly at one time. Maister Heskins bringeth in authoritie of Leo, which proueth, that when one communion coulde no serue any more, then so manie as the church woulde holde at one time, it was meete it should be celebrated twise, or as often as the same was filled with people, vntill all had receiued, which as wee confesse to be true, so maketh it nothing in the worlde for the priuate Masse, but altogether against it, as is plaine by the whole treatie going before, which Maister Heskins according to his accustomed synceritie hath cleane left out.
Vt autem in omnibus obseruantia nostra Concordet, illud quo que volumus custodiri, vt quum solennior festiuitas conuentum populi numerosioris indixerit, & ad eam tanta multitudo conuenerit, quam recipere Basilica simul vna non possit, sacrificij oblatio indubitanter iteretur, ne his tantùm admissis, ad hanc deuotionem, qui primi aduenerint, videantur hi qui posimodum confluxerint, non recepti, cum plenum pietatis at que rationis fit, vt quoties Basilicā pręsentia nonae plebis impleuerit, toties sacrificiū subsequēs offeratur. And that our obseruation may agree in al things, this also we will hauehave to be kept, that when a more solemne festiuitie shall call together a greater assembly of people, and so great a multitude is gathered vntounto it, that one great Church can not receiue them altogether, the oblation of the sacrifice without doubt may be done againe, least those only being admitted which came first, they which came together afterward, might seeme not to be receiued, whereas it is a matter full of godlinesse and reason, that how often so euer the presence of a newe people shall fill the Church, so often the sacrifice following should be offered. But M. Heskins vrgeth in the place by him cited, that the word missa is vsed, which is not denyed, but this was almost 500. yeres after Christ, about the yere 480. Secondly, that the Masse is a sacrifice. But he will not see that it is such a sacrifice, as all the people offer, which can not be a sacrifice propitiatorie, but of thankesgiuing. Howbeit, he saith, The Masse is a sacrifice, that is or ought by ioyne affection and deuotion of the people to the Priest, to be offered of them all. What affection or deuotion he would hauehave to the Priest, I do not well vnderstand, but let him shadowe him selfe, in what fond phrase of word he will, yet can he not auoyde, but that the people by the wordes of Leo, did offer sacrifice in as ample manner as the Priestes, and then they were all Priestes. Besides this, in the words of Leo he obserueth not, yt it was a custome of ye Church before his time to hauehave but one Masse or Communion in a day, so straightly kept, that vponupon necessitie they would not relent therein, vntill he tooke this order with them. But Maister Heskins asketh what scripture the proclamer hath to the contrarie for twentie Masses in one Church in one day? I aunswere: Saint Paule willeth the Corinthians to tarie one for an other 1. Cor. 11. for the Communion. By which it is euident, that it is not lawfull for eueryevery man to hauehave his priuate Masse, as M. Heskins would most absurdly proue. As for ye sacrifice propitiatorie of their Masse, hath all those scriptures against it, that set foorth the only propitiatorie sacrifice of Christ, and namely Heb. 9. & 10.
Furthermore, M. Heskins findeth the name of Masse vsed of Saint Ambrose, Ep. 33. Ego mansi in munere, missam facere coepi, orare in oblatione Deum vt subueniret. I did abide in mine office, I beganne to say masse, to pray to God in the sacrifice, that he would helpe. Howe faithfull a reporter of antiquitie Maister Heskins is to be coūted, this place among a great number doth sufficiently declare, and that he receiued not this text out of Ambrose him selfe, but out of some other mans collection or relation. Ambrose in that Epistle writing to his sister Marcellina about deliuering of a church to the heretiques, which he refused to do at the Emperour Valentinianes request, writeth thus: Sequenti die (erat autem Dominica) post lectiones atque tractatum dimissis Catechumenis, Symbolum aliquibus competentibus in baptisterijs tradebam Basilicae. Illic nunciatum est mihi, comperto quòd ad Portianam Basilicam de palatio decanos misissent, & vela suspenderēt, populi partem eò pergere. Ego tamen mansi in munere, missam facere coepi. Dum offero raptum cognoui a populo Castulum quendam, quem Presbyterum dicerent Arriani. Hunc autem in platea ostenderant transeuntes. Amarissimè flere & orare in ipsa oblatione Deum coepi, vt subueniret, ne cuius sanguis in causa Ecclesiae fieret, certè vt meus sanguis pro salute non solùm populi, sed etiam pro ipsis impijs effunderetur. Quid multa? Missis Presbyteris & Diaconis eripui iniuria virum.
The day following, which was Sunday, when the learners of Catechisme were dismissed after the Lessons that were read, and the treatise made vponupon them, I was instructing in the Creede certaine that desired Baptisme, in the baptizing place of the Church. There it was tolde me, after it was knowne, yt they had sent officers from the Palace vntounto the church called Portiana & hanged vp clothes (for ye Emperor) yt part of the people were going thither. I for all that abid in mine office, I beganne to let it goe. While I offered, I vnderstoode by the people, that one Castulus was taken by force, whome the Arrians saide to be a Priest. Him had they found as they passed by in the streate. I beganne to weepe most bitterly, and to pray to God in the very oblation, that hee would helpe that no mans bloud might bee shed in the cause of the Church, and truely that my bloud might be shed, not onelyonly for the sauegard of the people, but also for the vngodly them selues. What neede many wordes, I sent Priestes and Deacons, and deliuered the man from iniurie. I knowe M. Heskins will not allowe me to translate, missam facere, to let goe the Church, seeing they had entered vponupon it, the rather bicause offero and oblatione doth followe. But notwithstanding, seing Masse is neuer named in S. Augustin, Hierome, nor any other place of Ambrose in his or their authenticall writings, I can not of the onelyonly colour and coniecture of oblation folowing be resolued, that S. Ambrose vseth missam facere, to say Masse. For although I confesse, that the name of Missa for the Communion, began neare about that time to be in vse, yet did they neuer vse that phrase missam facere, but missum or missarum solennia celibrare, to celebrate the Masse or the solemnities of Masses, for so they called the administration of the Communion. Whereas missam facere can not be translated to say Masse, but rather to make Masse. Againe, if the only cō iecture of offero and oblatione following, were sufficient to proue missa to signifie Masse, M. Heskins might by ye like colour of Priestes and Deacons following, translate Missis, Presbyterie, & Diaconibus &c. with Masses, Priests and Deacons, I deliuered the man from iniurie. But to take it at the worst that the name of missa is here vsed for Masse, yet was this within the time of the Bishops limitation, & no Popish Masse, but a Christian communion, although some abuses perhaps were in it.
And for the decrees of Thelesphorus, Sixtus, Alexander, and such like Bishoppes of Rome, bycause they bee meere mockeries, and counterfeted long after their times, to get credite by the antiquitie of their names, I will loose no time in confuting them. And whereas M. Heskins saith, the proclamer reiecteth them without proofe, although it be not to be required, that in a sermon such matters should be debated at large, as in publique writings are throughly knowne to be debated and determined among the best learned: yet will I adde this one disproofe or two, of those Epistles to be forged. First Eusebius which was a most diligēt gatherer of such writings found none such in his time. Secondly, if there were nothing else, the very barbarous phrase of them all, and the false Latine that is in many, is sufficient to conuince them for counterfets: seing there was no vnlearned womā in Rome in those times, but spake better Latin thē these men feigne those learned Bishops to hauehave writen in those decretall Epistles. But M. Hesk. will proue Alexander to be the Authour of that Epistle which is ascribed to him, and therein will vse neither bare wordes, nor faint likelyhoods. In deed, for likelihoods he vseth none, either faint or strong, but in steede of authoritie whereof he bosteth, he vseth none at all but very bare wordes. He onelyonly quoteth in the margent, The 6. Counsel of Constantinople, not naming so much as in what part or action thereof this matter is intreated of, the actes of that counsel, being contained in a great booke as large as M. Hesk. third book at the least. And surely, although I hauehave vsed some diligence in search, yet I can finde no such matter, nor this Alexander once named in that Counsell. In deede I found long since, Dionysius authoritie cited by the name of Dionyscus Areopagisa Bishop of Athens, which is the matter yt perhaps deceiued M. Hes. or him yt ministred notes of authorities vntounto him. But to be short, the assurance remaineth still vnshaken, which the proclamer made in his sermon, that the name of Masse is not found in ancient writers, vntil 400. yeres after Christ. As for the Masse it selfe, if hee meane that forme of seruice vsed in the Church of Rome, and of them commonly called Masse, he knoweth it was not throughly peeced together, 600. yeares after Christ. For Gregorie had no small share in it, and he confesseth in this Chapter, that Telesphorus, Sixtus, Alexander, Felix, added somewhat vntounto it. As for the preparatorie prayers of Ambrose, hee doth well not to auouch them to be his, bicause no man of learning will acknowledge them to be his. And seeing the Greeke Liturgies are very vnlike the Latine Masse, hee doth but mocke the ignorant readers, to say they be all one. Finally, hee doth most absurdly conclude, that his Masse should be within the compasse of Saint Augustines rule. ad Ian. Ep. 118. That those thinges, which the vniuersall Church obserueth throughout the worlde, we may vnderstand that they are retayned, as ordained either of the Apostles them selues, or of the generall Counsels, whose authoritie in the Church is most profitable. Illa que per orbem vniuersa obseruat Ecclesia, datur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis, vel a plenarijs concilijs, quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrim a authoritas statuta, retineri. Thus hath M. Hes. cited Augustine, to hauehave a starting hole vnderunder the name of the church, but Saint Augustines wordes are somewhat otherwise. Illae autem quae non scripta, sed tradita custodimus, quę quidem toto terrarum orbe obseruantur, datur intelligi, vel ab ipsis Apostolis, vel plenarijs concilijs, quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima authoritas, commendata atque statuta retineri, sicuti quod Domini passio, & resurrectio, & ascensio in Coelum, & aduentus de Coelo Spiritus sancti, anniuersaria solennitate celebrantur: & si quid eliud …ale occurrerit, quod seruatur ab vniuersis quacunque se diffundat Ecclesia. Those things which we obserue being not written, but deliuered, which truely are obserued throughout all the world, it is giuen to be vnderstoode, that they are retained as commended and decreed, either by the Apostles, or by generall Counsels, whose authoritie in the Church is most wholsome, as yt the Passion & resurrectiō of our Lord, and his Ascention into heauen, and the comming of the holy Ghost from heauen are celebrated with yerely solēnitie, or if there be any such like matter, which is obserued of all men wheresoeuer the Church spreadeth her self. But seing the Popish Masse was vnknowne to the world in Augustines time, & neuer vsed throughout the worlde of all men: (for the orientall Churches neuer receiued it to this day) if it hauehave no better holde then it getteth by this place of Augustine, it must needes fall to the ground. And thus much concerning the name & fourme of the Masse. In the next Chapter we shall heare of the matter or substance of the Masse it selfe.