" "Nor has there
been any perceptible change made in the public ceremonies of the mass,
except that at several places _German_ hymns are sung along with the
_Latin_ ones." "Our custom is on holy days (and at other times also, _if
there be communicants_) to _say mass_, (not to say a Lord's Supper,) and
those who desire it, receive the Lord's Supper." Subsequently, however,
great changes were made in the public ceremonies attendant on the Lord's
Supper, and Luther in his Smalcald Articles rejects the mass entirely,
both the name and accompanying ceremonies. And soon after the whole
Lutheran church followed him. Still, if the Augsburg Confession were
_strictly binding on us_, we should be under the necessity of adopting
on sacramental occasions all the public ceremonies then and now usual in
the Romish Church in celebrating public mass." Here again we see the
following points, which were clearly proved above: 1. That the Augsburg
Confession denies having rejected the mass. 2. That she does reject
those doctrinal errors which gave rise to the Romish mass. 3. That it
was their custom on public occasions (when persons were present who
desired to commune) to say a mass, and then administer the sacrament to
them. 4. That the Confession explicitly asserts that "_no perceptible
change_" had been made in the public ceremonies of the mass, except the
introduction of German hymns along with the Latin ones in several
places.
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