behold thy son. forsaken me.

with me in Paradise. 3. Behold thy mother; woman 4. My God, my God, why hast thou 5. I thirst. 6. Into thy hands I commend my spirit. 7. It is consummated."

Q. What means the priest laying down the Host upon the corporal, and then covering the chalice again? A. It signifies the taking of our Saviour down from the Cross, and his burial.

Q. Why, then is the priest silent for a time?

A. To signify our Saviour's rest in the sepulchre on the Sabbath.

Q. Why is the Host divided into three parts?

A. To signify the division of our Saviour's soul and body made on the Cross, and that the body was broken, and divided in three principal parts, namely, his hands, side, and feet.

Q. Why after this doth he sign the chalice three times with a particle of the Host, and raise his voice, saying, Pax Domini, &c., The peace of our Lord be always with you?

A. To signify that the frequent voice of Christ to his disciples, Pax vobis, Peace be to you; as also to signify the triple peace which he hath purchased for us, by his Cross, namely, external, internal, and eternal.

Q. Why then is the particle of the Host put into the chalice?

A. To signify the reuniting of our Saviour's body, blood and soul, made at his resurrection; as also to signify, that we cannot partake of the blood and merits of Christ, unless we partake of his cup of sufferings.

Q. Why is the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world, said with a loud voice? A. To commemorate the glory of our Saviour's ascension, and to signify that he was slain like an innocent lamb to take away our sins and give us peace.

Q. Why is the Pax, or kiss of peace, given before> communion?

A. To signify, that peace and mutual charity, which ought to be among the faithful, who all eat of one bread of the Eucharist, and are all members of one mystical body.

Q. What means the three prayers said by the priest before the communion?

A. They are said in honour of the blessed Trinity. In the first he begs peace for the whole church, and perfect charity among all Christians. In the second, he beseecheth God, by the body and blood of Christ, (which he is there about to receive) to free him from all evil. In the third, that it may not prove to his damnation and judgment, by an unworthy receiving of it, but to the defence and safety of his soul and body. And this immediately precedes the consummation of the Host and Chalice, which is another of the most essential parts of the whole service of the mass.

Q. What signifies the consummation or communion? A. It signifies Christ's burial, and the consummation of his passion.

Q. What means the Domine non sum dignus, &c.? A. It signifies, "O Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof; but only say the word," &c. And it was the Centurion's prayer, by which he obtained health for the sick boy, Matt. viii. 8. And teacheth us not to approach this sacrifice, but with an humble and contrite heart.

Q. What means the prayers said by the priest after communion?

A. They are thanksgiving to God for having made us partakers of his unbloody sacrifice of the Altar, and by it also of the bloody sacrifice of the Cross.

Q. What means the words Ite Missa est?

A. They signify, that the Host is offered, Mass ended, and the people dismissed; representing the voice of the angel, dismissing the apostles and disciples when they stood looking up after Christ ascended into heaven, with, O ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here looking up into heaven?" Acts i. 11.

Q. What means the priest lifting up his hands and blessing the people?

A. It signifies the blessing which Christ gave his apostles and disciples at his ascension, with his hands lifted up.

Q. What signifies the Gospel of St. John?

A. It signifies the Apostles preaching the gospel to all nations. Luke xxiv. 50.

Q. What is the missal ?

A. It is the Mass book, wherein this holy service is contained.

CHAP. XXIII.

The Primer or Office of our Blessed Lady, Expounded.
Q. WHO composed this office?

A. The church, directed by the Holy Ghost?
Q. Why is the Primer so called?

A. From the Latin word Primo, which signifies, first of all, so to teach us, that prayer should be the first work of the day, according to that, "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be given you."

Q. Why is the office divided into Hymns, Psalms, Canticles, Antiphons, Versicles, Responsories, and Prayers? A. For order, beauty, and variety sake.

Q. What warrant have you for that?

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A. Out of Col. iii. 16. Sing ye in your hearts unto the Lord in spiritual Psalms, Hymns, and Canticles." Q. Why should the laity pray out of the Psalms, which they little understand?

A. 1. Because, by so doing, they pray out of the mouth of the Holy Ghost. 2. Because, if they do it with devout and humble hearts, it is as meritorious in them, as in the greatest scholars; for a petition hath the same force, whether it be delivered by a learned or unlearned man; so hath also prayer. 3. Because a psalm is of the same value in the sight of God, in the mouth of a child or woman, as from the mouth of the most learned doctor.

Q. Why is the office divided into seven several hours?

A. That so it might be a daily memorial of the seven principal parts, and seven hours of our Saviour's passion. Q. What ground have you for that?

A. Out of Zac. xii, 10. "At that day I will pour

out upon the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and prayer, and they shall look up at him whom they have pierced."

Q. What meaneth at that day?

A. The day of grace, the new law.

Q. What means the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ?

A. The church of Christ.

Q. What means the spirit of grace and prayer?

A. The Holy Ghost which dictated the office, and poureth forth the grace of God into our souls by virtue of it.

Q. What means, "And they shall look up at him whom they have pierced?"

A. It signifies that the whole order, scope, and object of the office should be Christ crucified

Q. How are the seven hours a memorial of the passion of Christ?

A. Because the seven hours were consumed in his passion; for three hours he hung living on the Cross; other three hours he hung dead upon it; and the seventh hour was spent in nailing him to and taking him from the Cross.

Q. What do we commemorate by the Matins and Lauds?

A. His bloody sweat in the garden; as also his been dragged thence to Jerusalem.

Q. What by the prime or first hour?

A. The scoffs and indignations which he sustained, whilst they led him through the streets early in the morning to the princes of the Jews; as also the false accusations which then were brought against him.

Q. What by the third hour?

A. His whipping at the pillar, his crowning with thorns, his clothing with a purple garment, his sceptre of a reed, and showing to the people with these words: Behold the man.

Q. What by the sixth hour?

A. His unjust condemnation to death, his carrying the Cross, his stripping and nailing to the Cross. Q. What by the ninth hour?

A. His drinking gall and vinegar, his dying on the Cross, and the opening his side with a spear. Q. What by the even-song?

A. His taking down from the Cross, and the darkness which was made upon the face of the earth. Q. What by the Complin ?

A. His funeral and burial.

Briefly thus: The matins and lauds, his agony, and binding in the garden: the crime, his scoffs, and false accusations; the third hour, his clothing with purple, and crowning with thorns; the sixth hour, his condemning and nailing to the Cross; the ninth hour, his yielding up the ghost, and the opening his side; the even-song, his taking from the Cross; and the complin, his burial.

The Particulars of the Office Expounded.

Q. WHY doth our Lady's office always begin with an Ave Maria?

A. To dedicate the office of our Lady, and to beg her aid for the devout performance of it to God's honour. Q. Why do we begin every hour with, Incline unto my aid, O God: O Lord, make haste to help me?

A. To acknowledge our infirmity and misery, and our great need of divine assistance, not only in all other things, but also in our very prayers; according to that of the Apostle, "No man can say Lord Jesus, but in the Holy Ghost."

Q. Why do we add to this, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost?

A. To signify that the intention of the office is, in the first place, to give one and equal glory to the most blessed Trinity, and to invite all creatures to do the like: this is the principal aim of the whole office; therefore we not only begin every hour, but also end every Psalm with the same verse.

Q. Who ordained the Gloria Patri?

A. The Apostles, according to Baronius in his 3d Tome. Q. Why do we join unto the Gloria Patri, Sicut erat, &c. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end?