Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 38
Hesk.The eight and twentieth Chapter treateth of the prayer for acceptation of the oblation or sacrifice made in the Masse and vsed as well by the Apostles, as the Fathers.
Fulk.That the Apostles and Fathers commended to God by prayers the sacrifice which thei offered, it is a manifest argument, that they offered not a propitiatorie sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christe, for that needeth no commendation of our prayers. They prayed therefore, that their sacrifice of thankes giuing, and duetifull seruice, celebrated in the memorie of Christes death, might be acceptable to God, as you shal see by al their prayers. First ye Liturgie vntruly ascribed to Iames praieth thus: Pro oblatis. &c. For these offred and sanctified, precious, heauenly, vnspeakable, immaculate, glorious, feareful, horrible, diuine gifts, let vsus pray to our Lord God, that our Lord God accepting them into his holy & heauenly, mentall and spirituall altar for a sauour of spiritual sweet smell, may giuegive vsus againe, and send vntounto vsus the diuine grace and gift of the most holy spirite. These sanctified giftes can not be the body and bloud of Christe, which are holy of them selue, but the bread and wine sanctified, to be a memoriall of the death of Christe in a spirituall sacrifice of thankesgiuing. Saint Clement, if wee beleeue Nicholas Methon, prayed thus: Rogamus &c. We pray thee, that with mercifull and cheerefull countenaunce thou wilt looke vponupon these giftes set before thee, thou God which hast no neede of any thing, and that thou mayest be pleased with them to the honour of thy Christ. These wordes are plaine that he offered not Christe, but the breade and wine to bee sanctified to the honour of Christe, namely that they might be made the body and bloud of Christe, to as many as receiue them worthily. In the Liturgie imputed to Basil, the Priest prayeth thus: Dominum postulemus &c. Let vsus desire the Lorde for these offered and sanctified the most honourable giftes of our Lorde God, and for the profite of the goods of our soules, that the most mercifull God, which hath receiued them in his holy, heauenly, intelligible altar, for a sauour of sweete smelling, would send vntounto vsus, the grace and communion of his holy spirite. The same wordes in a manner be in the Liturgie fathered vppon Saint Chrysostome, though it be manifest that it was written seuen hundreth yeares after his death, as is shewed before. Pro oblatis &c. For the offered and sanctified precious giftes, let vsus pray the Lorde, that our mercifull God, who hath receiued thē in his holy, heauenly, intelligible altar, may send vsus therfore grace, & the gift of the holy Ghost. Maister Heskins would hauehave vsus note, that these Fathers seeme to pray for their sacrifice, which we note very willingly, for thereby is proued, that their sacrifice was not the very body of Christ, for that nedeth no commendation of our prayers. Wel, S. Ambrose followeth. Lib. de Sacr. 4. Cap. 6. Petimus &c. We pray and desire, that thou wilt receiue this oblation in thy high altar by the handes of the Angels, as thou hast vouchsafed to receiue the gifts of thy seruant righteous Abel, and the sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham, and that which thy high Priest Melchisedech offered to thee. The very name of gods heauenly, mental, intelligible, holy, & high altar, do argue a spirituall sacrifice, and not a reall oblation of the naturall body and bloud of Christ. Next to these Liturgies, Maister Heskins adioyneth the wordes of the Canon of the Popish Masse, agreeing in effect with these of Ambrose, but nothing at all in vnderstanding. For that the Papistes esteeme their sacrifice to be very Christ, God, and Man, which none of the auncient fathers did. For which cause the Bishop of Sarum iustly reproued those three blasphemies in their Canon, not in respect of the words, but in respect of their vnderstanding of them. The first, that they seeme to make Christ in his fathers displeasure, that he needeth a mortall man to be his spokesman. The second, that the body of Christe should in no better wise bee receiued of his father, then a Lambe at the handes of Abel. The third, that they desire an Angel may come and carie away Christes body into heauen. These three blasphemies M. Heskins taketh vponupon him to auoyde or excuse. To the first, after many lowd outcries and beastly raylings against that godly learned father of blessed m… mory, he answereth, defending it first by example of these auncient Liturgies: that they prayed for their sacrifice: but this helpeth him not, for they neither thought nor saide, that their sacrifice was very Christe, God, and Man, but a sacrament and memoriall of him. Afterward hee saith, the meaning of their Church, is not to pray for Christe, but by Christ, to obtaine fauour bicause they say in the end of eueryevery prayer, per Christum Dominum nostrum, by our Lord Christ. But this hole is too narrowe for him to creepe out at. For he confesseth, that he prayeth for his sacrifice, and he affirmeth, that his sacrifice is Christ, therfore he praieth for Christ.
To auoyde the second blasphemie, hee saith, that the meaning of their Church is not, to pray that God will accept the sacrifice, which is acceptable of it selfe, but their deuotion and seruice, and them selues the offerers, as hee did accept Abell and his sacrifice &c. and so flyeth to the example of the olde Liturgies: but that will not serue him. For their sacrifice was not a propitiatorie sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ, but a seruice and duetie of thankesgiuing in remembrance of Christe. And therefore they might well pray that their sacrifice might be accepted, as Abell and his sacrifice, as Noe and his burnt offering, and so of the rest, but this meaning will not stande with the wordes of their Canon, which are that God will accept the sacrifices, that is, the body and bloud of Christ, as hee accepted the giftes of his iust seruaunt Abell &c. Therefore they must either chaunge the wordes of the Canon: or his aunswere to the second accusation, by the meaning of their Church, can not stande, howe so euer Hugo & Heskins would seeme to salue or rather to daub vp the matter. To the third and last hee aunswereth, denying that the meaning of their Church is, that the body of Christe should be caried by an Angel, but that their prayers should bee offered by an Angel or Angels in the sight of GOD, making a long and needlesse discourse, of the ministerie of Angels, and howe they offer our prayers to GOD, which is nothing to the purpose. For the Maister of the sentences: affirmeth, that an Angel must be sent to consecrate the quickening body, or else it can not be called a Masse, which is nothing like to Maister Heskins seruice? Lib. 4. dist. 13. In the end, he will ioyne issue with the proclamer that no Catholique euer thought, that Christes body was caried into heauen by an Angell. And it seemeth plainly, that they are all ashamed of the grosse absurdities and blasphemies of their Masse, and therefore are forced to feigne meanings and interpretations, which are cleane contrarie to the wordes thereof. The trueth is, that these and some other prayers of their Canon, were vsed in the Romane Church, before the opinion of transubstantiation, carnall presence, or propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse were receiued, and this is the cause, that being nowe applyed to these monstruous errours, they imploy such detestable blashemies, as all the Papistes in the world are ashamed to heare of, and not able to defend, whereas before these errours receiued, some of them were good prayers, some were tolerable.