The interpretacyon, and sygnyfycacyon of the Masse Here begynneth a good deuoute boke to the honoure of god, of our lady his mother, [and] of all sayntes, and ryght profytable to all good Catholyke persones, to knowe howe they shall deuoutly here masse. And how salutaryly they shal confesse them. And how reuerently and honourably they shall go to the holy sacrament or table of our sauyour Ihesu chryste, with dyuerse other profytable documents and oraysons or prayers here conteyned, composed and ordeyned by frere Gararde, frere mynoure, of the ordre of the Obseruauntes.

¶ The .xxviii. Chapytre / howe greatly he synneth / whiche receyueth the sacrament vnworthely.

THe greatnesse of the synnes of those / whiche receyue the holy sacrament vnworthely and in deedly syn̄e to theyr euerlastyn¦ge dampnacyon / maye be con∣sydered by foure reasons.

¶ Fyrste / for suche folkes be reputed afore god for murderers of Ihesu chryste the sone of god. And as saynt Gregorye sayth: they do cōmyt greater synne whiche do dyspyse god reygnynge in heuen / than those whiche dyd crucyfye hym in erth. O what penaun¦ce wolde a good catholyke man do / whiche shulde haue crucyfyed our lorde / what pe∣naunce

is he than bounde to do / which hath vnworthely receyued the body of oure lor∣de god.

¶ Secondaryly / suche folkes be oft tymes punysshed in theyr bodyes by syckenes / or by sodayne deth. And therfore cōmonly af∣ter easter cōmeth syckenes / pestylence / and other inconuenyence / And that is bycause the man so vnworthely and in deedly syn̄e receyueth the holy sacrament.

¶ Thyrdly / for they synne more enormely than the Iewes / for the Iewes dyd synne by ygnoraunce. And as saynt Paule sayth yf they had knowen it / they wold not haue crucyfyed the lorde of glorye. But the syn∣ners chrysten men knowlege god / & knowe well y^t they be in great synne. The Iewes haue crucyfyed our lorde but ones / but the chrysten men do crucyfye hym very ofte / in so moche that wyttyngly they do go to the holy sacrament in deedly synne.

¶ Fourthly / suche folkes receyue vpō them the iugement of god / whiche he shall gyue vpon the dampned soules at the daye of iu∣gement / where he shall say: go ye cursed peo¦ple to euerlastynge fyre.

¶ Fyfthly / those that vnworthely receyue the holy sacrament / be lyke to Iudas the

traytoure / whiche dyd betraye and delyuer our lorde Ihesu to the Iewes. And it shall chaunce vnto them in hell / as it dyd to Iu∣das for after that he had vnworthely recey¦ued the holy sacrament: the deuyll dyd entre in to hym / so that he dyde betraye our lorde Ihesu chryste / wherfore afterwarde he fell in dyspayre and dyde hange hym selfe. So they become more obstynate in synne / those whiche receyue the holy sacrament dayly in deedly syn̄e / & they dare boldly do that thyn¦ge whiche other dare not thynke / ye and mo¦reouer do that thynge whiche the deuyll da∣re not do. And as Iudas delyuered our lor¦de to the Iewes: so in lyke case men delyuer our lorde Ihesu chryste / in as moche as they can / to the deuylles of hell. For they receyue our lorde Ihesu chryste in the place / whiche the deuyll doth possesse / and apperteyneth vnto hym.

¶ Syxtly / this is an vnkynde man / for he dyspyseth god his creatoure / which for hym hathe suffred bytter dethe vpon the crosse. This is yet a greater vnkyndnes ī the mā that the diuynyte & power of god is redy for to come to vysyte hym with his dyuyne gra¦ce inclosed in the holy sacrament / & the man maketh him self vnworthy to receyue hym.

¶ Seuenthly / suche persones be more vn∣happy than other / for the soueraygne good∣nes whiche is god: is hurtfull and dampna¦ble vnto them / & the medycyne of the soule is infyrmytie and deth vnto them. For as the holy sacrament is an euerlastynge lyfe vnto them whiche do receyue & vse it well so it is deth vnto those / whiche euyll & vn∣worthely receyue it.