s offered but once with the shedding of
blood--viz. upon the cross; today he is offered in the mass as a peace
making and sacramental victim. Then he was offered in a visible
form capable of suffering; today he is offered in the mass veiled in
mysteries, incapable of suffering, just as in the Old Testament he was
sacrificed typically and under a figure. Finally, the force of the
word shows that the mass is a sacrifice, since "mass" is nothing but
"oblation," and has received its name from the Hebrew word misbeach,
altar--in Greek thysiasterion, on account of the oblation. It has been
sufficiently declared above that we are justified not properly by faith,
but by love. But if any such statement be found in the Holy Scriptures,
Catholics know that it is declared concerning fides formata, which works
by love (Gal. 5), and because justification is begun by faith, because
it is the substance of things hoped for. Heb. 11:1. Neither is it denied
that the mass is a memorial of Christ's passion and God's benefits,
since this is approved b the figure of the paschal lamb, that was at the
same time a victim and a memorial, Ex. 12:13, 14, and is represented not
only by the Word and sacraments, but also by holy postures and vestments
in the Catholic Church; but to the memory of the victim the Church
offers anew the Eucharist in the mysteries to God the Father Almighty.
Therefore the princes and cities are not censured for retaining one
common mass in the Church, provided they do this according to the sacred
canon, as observed by all Catholics. But in abrogating all other masses
they have done what the Christian profession does not allow. Nor
does any one censure the declaration that of old all who were present
communed. Would that all were so disposed as to be prepared to
partake of this bread worthily every day! But if they regard one mass
advantageous, how much more advantageous would be a number of masses, of
which they nevertheless have unjustly disapproved. When all these
things are properly considered we must ask them to altogether annul and
repudiate this new form of celebrating the mass that has been devised,
and has been already so frequently changed, and to resume the primitive
form for celebrating it according to the ancient rite and custom of the
churches of Germany and all Christendom, and to restore the abrogated
masses according to the ultimate will of their founders; whereby they
would gain advantage and honor for thems