A declararation [sic] of the twelue articles of the christen faythe with annotations of the holy scripture, where they be grounded in. And the righte foundation and principall comon places of the hole godly scripture, a goodly short declaration, to all Christians profitable and necessarye for to come to the right vnderstondynge of holy Scripture compyled for the commodite of al christen people. By D. Vrbanum Regium.

[ 22] The Masse.

The masse is a testamente of Christ wherein is promysed, pardon and re∣missyon of synnes vnto all faythfull Christians, and soundeth thus.

As they dyd eate the Lorde Iesus, loke the breade, and gaue thankes bra∣ke it, gaue it to hys disciples, and sayd Take, eate, thys is my body. And he toke the cuppe, thanked, and gaue it them, and saide, drynk of it euery one. Thys is the cuppe, the newe Testa∣ment, in my bloude, that shall be shed for you, and for many for the remissiō of synnes. Thys do in the remembraū¦ce of me. Reade Mathewe, Marke, Luke, and the Epistle of Paule to the Chorinthians. Euen there is the mas¦se instituted of Christ. Therfore what so euer is more there by they additiōs of menne.

These forsayd wordes must euery mā knowe perfectely, & remembre thē in a right stedfaste faith. It is not lauful. that they shoulde be hidden and spokē secretely yf thou wilt heare masse a right, remembre that here is a meate and drynke. therfore muste thou eate

and drynke, or elles thy masse hearyn∣ge is of no valoure.

Howe shall I do then? Take the wordes of the masse before the, and re¦membre them in a ryght fayth, that thou doubte not, but as Christe hath promysed thy, euen so shall it come to passe vnto the, and in the fayth of the same wordes, receyue the blessed Sa∣crament, as a sure holy token, vnder the whiche suche promyse is made vn∣to the, whereby thyne herte is brough¦te to the wordes, to beleue them. This is spiritually and corporally to go, to goddes borde.

Whan the Sacramente is not mi∣nistred vnto the, but thou hearest mas¦se onelye, then take the wordes of the Testament into thy herte, and remem¦bre there, what thy God and Lorde Iesus Christe hath done for the, howe he by hys death hath redemed the, and deserued for the eternall lyfe. And besydes thys hast thou the very right lyuynge token and seall, hys body & hys bloude.

Beleue the wordes and the token,

so obtaynest thou the promysed inhe∣ritaunce, and goest to Goddes borde, spiritually, thou doest strengthen thy selfe oute of the wordes of Christe, thou doest conforte the, preserue and amende the. For he that doth accepte the wordes and token in fayth is nou∣rysshed and strengthened agaynst all temptations and necessities, and mo∣ued and prouoked to geue thankes, vnto the plenteous mercyfull father, which hath geuen and made suche a ryche, costely Testamente to vs poore damnable synners.

Here maye be no doubte at all in the promyse. For it is therfore called a Testamente, that is, a thynge which can not be called agayne, a sure pro∣myse, whiche is sealled and confirmed with the precious death of the Son∣ne of God. Here is no bloude shed of vnreasonable cattell, whiche can not take awaye synne, but the precyous innocent bloude of Iesu Christ, which pourgeth our consciences from deade workes, whiche for that cause is a me∣diatour of the newe testamēt, as Pau∣le doth name hym.

The masse is properly no oblation, but is a remembraunce of the hyghe worthy oblation or Sacrifice whiche Iesus Christe the sonne of God in he∣auen, offred hym selfe for oure synnes vpon the crosse ones. This remem∣beraunce shall be very newe vnto all hertes, whereby man is taught, what he hath ben, and what God hath done for hym. There of groweth then confi¦dence in suche a kynde Lorde and re∣demer. Also loue is raysed towardes God, and towardes oure neyghbour, and a renewynge of the olde man.

We haue nowe many masses, but the death of the Lorde is seldome she∣wed, the plentyfull grace of the death of Christe shoulde alwayes be shewed thereby. And we shoulde admonysshe & exhorte one another to the loue of God, and of our neyghbours. For thys Sacrament signifyeth vnite in loue, as the names therof clearly do declare.

Briefely, whatsoeuer a Testamēte hath in it selfe in especyall, that same hath also the masse. The Testatour is

Christe. The testamente are the wor∣des, as is a fore sayde, whereby Chri¦ste dyd institute the blessed Sacramēt of the aulter, therein is contayned with fewe wordes, what Christe hath bequethed, and geuen vs. The sealle, bonde, and assuraunce, is the body, & bloude of Christe, a pledge, token, and sealle of the Godly promyse, and re∣demption for vs. The heyres are all faythfull Christians. The inheritaun∣ce is pardon and remissyon of synnes. Where as remission of synnes is, the∣re followe all goodes, promysed and geuen in the Testament. For whan the synnes be remitted and forgeuen, then haue we a mercyfull God throu∣ghe Christe. Christ is then oures, and with hym all thynges. Thys is nowe the inheritaunce.

The Sacrifyces of the olde Testa∣mente were vnperfecte, for they dyd not take and wasshe awaye synne, thei were a figure of the ryght perfecte sa¦crifyce, whiche taketh away our syn∣nes, and maketh vnto vs a mercyfull God. That was Christe, which dyed

vpon the crosse, a ryght onely sacrify∣ce of the newe Testamente, for oure synnes, oure onely sanctification, iusti¦fycacyon, and satisfaction. Nowe whē we haue masse, or go to Goddes bor∣de, than may we not saye properlye, that Christ is offred agayn, for he dy∣eth now no more. The Apostle sayth. He hath done it once. And after that fayth he agayne. Once dyd he entre into the holy place. He offreth not him selfe often, he was offred but ones. But proprely is it a remembraunce of the ryght perfecte oblacyon, which once vpon the crosse is accomplysshed And here is the passyon of Christ ear∣nestly remembred, through the which fayth is strengthened and augmēted, loue towardes God and man kynde∣led, and hope stablysshed and confir∣med. Therfore sayde Christe. Thys do in the remembraunce of me, that is when ye eate my body, and drynke my bloude, then remember my death, that I dyed for you, and redemed you, and became an oblation for your synnes.

Notes

• Matth. xxvi mar. xiiij Luc. xxij i. Cor. xi.
• To hea∣re masse a ryght.
• Goyng to God∣des bor∣de.
• Ebre. xi
• Ebre. ix
• Rom. iij
• the mas∣se is no sacrifyce
• Hebr. ix.
• A testa∣ment.
• i. Tim. ij
• Ro. viij.
• Ebre. x
• the obla¦cion of Christe
• Ebre. vi ix. Rom. vi