Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein
Chapter 18 - Rome's Mass a sacrilege where Christ's Supper is not only profaned but annihilated
1-7 - Rejection of the Mass
1. Rome says "the Mass is a sacrifice and offering to obtain forgiveness of sins." It "buries and oppresses [Christ's] cross."
2. Christ is our priest forever - Heb 5:6; Ps 110:4 - and no priest at Mass is required. Posing as priests under Christ, they actually deprive Christ of His honor as our High priest, because Heb 7:17-24 shows Christ as our sole priest, in contrast with all the human old covenant priests before Him.
3. The cross is overthrown when an altar is set up. Heb 9:12, 26; 10:10, 14, 18; John 19:30; 1 Cor 5:7-8 all show that Christ's sacrifice was once for all. But if the Mass is a sacrifice, then the cross "lacked the power to cleanse eternally."
4. When Mal 1:11 speaks of the Gentiles offering an offering in every place, God is only referring to our spiritual worship in terms of the OT law. In the same way, turning to God is ascent to Jerusalem - Isa 2:2-3; Mic 4:1-2; knowing God more is dreams and visions - Joel 2:28.
5. The Mass makes us forget Christ's death, and look to the re-sacrifice in that Mass, instead. Is Christ slain, again (Heb 9:25-26)? They object that it is a sacrifice without blood, but men can't redefine "sacrifice" like that, and shedding blood is required for cleansing, anyway - Heb 9:22.
6. Rome says we are redeemed by Christ if we partake of Mass. But this means "we have been redeemed by Christ on condition that we redeem ourselves." This takes us away from the cross. "There is only one sacrifice, so that our faith may be made fast to His cross."
7. The Mass is a giving to God and expecting salvation as a result. The Supper is receiving from God salvation, with thanksgiving. The Mass undoes the Supper, in effect.
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