alled a sacrifice, it would be well. Not that we
offer the sacrament, but that by our praise, prayer and sacrifice
we move Him and give Him occasion to offer Himself for us in
heaven, and ourselves with Him. As though I were to say, I had
brought a king's son to his father as an offering, when, indeed,
I had done no more than induce that son to present my need and
petition to the king, and made the son my mediator.

[Sidenote: All Christians Priests]

27. Few, however, understand the mass in this way. For they
suppose that only the priest offers the mass as a sacrifice
before God, although this is done and should be done by everyone
who receives the sacrament, yea, also by those who are present at
the mass and do not receive the sacrament. Furthermore, such
offering of sacrifice every Christian may make, wherever he is
and at all times, as St. Paul says: "Let us offer the sacrifice
of praise continually through Him," [Heb. 13:15] and Psalm cx:
"Thou art a priest forever." [Ps. 110:4] If He is a priest
forever, then He is at all times a priest and is offering
sacrifices without ceasing before God. But we cannot be
continually the same, and therefore the mass has been instituted
that we may there come together and offer such sacrifice in
common.

But let him who understands the mass otherwise or uses it
otherwise than as a testament and sacrifice of this kind take
heed how he understands it. I understand it, as has been said, to
be really nothing else than this, that we receive the testament
and at the same time admonish ourselves and be minded to
strengthen our faith and not doubt that Christ is our priest in
heaven, who offers Himself for us without ceasing and presents us
and our prayer and praise, and makes them acceptable; just as
though I were to offer the human priest as a sacrifice in the
mass and appoint him to present my need and my praise of God, and
he were to give me a token that he would do it. In this case I
would be offering the priest as a sacrifice; and it is in this
wise that I offer Christ, in that I desire and believe that He
accepts me and my prayer and praise, and presents it to God in
His own person, and to strengthen this faith, gives me a token
that He will do it. This token is the sacrament of bread and
wine. Thus it becomes clear that it is not the priest alone who
offers the sacrifice of the mass, but every one's faith, which is
the true priestly office, through which Christ is offered a