most sacred day, on which the Holy Spirit appeared to the apostles in innumerable tongues; and also venerating the memory, in the first place, of the glorious Mary, &c (as before.)

Holding the hands expanded over the oblations, he says,

(Hanc igitur oblationem.) We beseech thee, O Lord, to accept this obla tion of our service, and that of all thy family, which we offer to thee for those, also, whom thou hast been pleased to regenerate of water and of the Holy Spirit, granting to them remission of all sins, and dispose our days in thy peace, and command that we be delivered from eternal perdition, and numbered amongst the flock of thy elect. (He folds hands.) Through our Lord Christ. Amen.

Which oblation, &c.

And is said to the following Saturday, inclusive.

The following preface, with its hymn, is said on the feast of the most holy Trinity, and on all Sundays throughout the year, when there is no preface assigned.1

For ever and ever. R. Amen.

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit.

Let us lift up our hearts. have lifted them up to the Lord.

ten Son and the Holy Spirit, art one God, one Lord,-not in the singleness of one person, but in the trinity of one substance. For what we believe of thy glory, as thou hast revealed it, that we believe of thy Son, and that of the Holy Spirit, without any difference. That in the confession of the true and sempiternal Deity, propriety (proprietas 2) in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty, may be adored; which the angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim praise, who cease not to cry out daily, saying with one voice.

The following preface, with its hymn, is said on feasts of B. M., (except on the feast of the Purification, in which is said one from the Nativity,) and through their octaves, also in feasts falling within them, if they have not a preface of their own. But it is said either on the Annunciation, or Transfixion, or Visitation, or Comme moration, or Assumption, or Nativity, or Solemnity, or Presentation, or Conception, according to the denomination of the feast. In the dedication of holy Mary of Nives, it is said, and in the Festivity; in votive masses, also, of the Conception of the B. M., and in the commemoration of the

R. We Conception.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is meet and just. Truly it is meet and just, right and salutary, that we should always, and at all times, give thanks, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God; who, with thy only begot

1 This preface is also said, with its hymn, on the votive masses of the most Holy Trinity.

2 Proprietas,- here translated propriety, which is no translation, but the Latin word itself, used in a sense not yet English, for want of a word to express that peculiarity, nature, or quality, which we call person, or that separation, ownership, or property which one has in himself, and which distinguishes him from all others.

3 Neither in the Old nor New Testament can there be found a phrase equivalent to this. It sounds strange to a Scripture reader. Chastity, purity in the heart and life, are Scriptural graces; but marriage is honourable in all,-whilst such a phrase as this is dishonouring to the mothers and fathers of our race-to the best and holiest in all ages-by thus exalting celibacy into something glorious, as if itself, and irrespective of circumstances, meritorious with God.

1 This preface, with its hymn, is said on single feasts and ferial days (holidays) where there is no proper preface, and on all masses for the departed.

CANON OF THE MASS.1

The priest stretching out and folding his hands, raising his eyes to heaven, and then casting them down, bowing profoundly before the altar, with his hands placed over it, says,

Most merciful Father, we humbly pray and beseech thee by Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, the altar is kissed, that thou wouldst accept and bless, he folds his hands, then signs thrice, these + gifts, these + presents, these

holy, unspotted sacrifices, with hands stretched forth, he goes on, which we offer to thee in the first place, for thy holy Catholic Church; to which, vouchsafe to grant peace and protection, and to

unite and govern throughout the world; together with thy servant our Pope, N., and our Bishop, N., and all orthodox persons, and professors of the Catholic and apostolic faith.

Commemoration of the Living.

Be mindful, O Lord, of thy servants and handmaidens, N. and N. He folds hands, and prays for a little, in behalf of those for whom he wishes in particular to pray; then continues with folded hands, and all here present whose faith and devotion are known to thee; for whom we offer to thee, or who offer to thee this sacrifice of praise, for themselves, and all that belong

1 The canon is the fixed and invariable part of the mass, in which consecration is made.

2 The sign of the cross is made thrice over "these holy, unspotted sacrifices," as if to render them more holy. It is true they are not yet consecrated, and, therefore, not yet made Christ; but we shall see that this sign is made over the consecrated elements, and as the priest represents Christ, and the consecrated elements are by supposition Christ, he is thus signing over his own body. In this prayer we remark also the expression, a holy, unspotted sacrifice for thy holy Catholic Church," and yet, at the same time, it is called "the sacrifice of praise, and thanksgiving, expressed by the name eucharist-which Protestants call it. This was the first and figurative sense of the phrase sacrifice, in the Christian Church. The expiatory sense is the later transition; or, as here phrased, "for thy holy Catholic Church."

a The name of the reigning sovereign is here inserted.

to them; for the redemption of their souls, for the hope of health and salvation; for which they pay their vows to thee, the eternal, living, and true God.

our service, as also of all thy family, and grant us to spend our days in thy peace, and command us to be delivered from eternal perdition, and to be numbered amongst the flock of thy elect. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Which oblation do thou, O God, we beseech thee, vouchsafe in all things to make, the priest here makes the sign of the cross thrice over the oblations, blessed, approved, ratified, reasonable and acceptable; that it may be made for us the body and blood of thy most beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Communicating with, and honouring, in the first place, the memory of the glorious Mary, always a virgin, mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ; as also of thy blessed apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Thaddeus; Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Laurence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosma and Damian, and of all thy saints, for whose merits and prayers grant that, in all things, we may receive the help of thy protection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Holding his hands expanded over he blessed, here the priest makes the oblations, he says,

We beseech thee, O Lord, well pleased, to accept this offering of

Who, the day before he suffered, the priest here takes up the host, took bread into his holy and venerable hands; and with eyes lifted up to heaven, here the priest lifts up his eyes, to thee, O God, his Almighty Father, giving thanks,

the sign of the cross over the host, brake, and gave to his disciples, saying, Take and eat ye all of this.

1 The remembrance of Christ is the essence of the institution; yet, although approaching nearer and nearer to that act of consecration which is said to bring Christ down from heaven, we still hear the words "honouring in the first place the memory of the glorious Mary," "whose merits and prayers," are put side by

side with the Saviour's.

2 Here is a prayer in all the simplicity of scriptural, apostolic Christianity, of fered through Christ alone, the one mediator, "able," and as willing as "able" to save, and that to the "uttermost all that come to the Father by him."

3 Rome has not innovated enough here to conceal her innovations. The words "brake it," are taken from the original institution, as recorded (Matt. xxvi. 26.). The words are retained by Rome, but not the thing signified. The act of breaking the bread that should follow being omitted. Thus Rome says, and does not. Then the bread used is a thin circular wafer, having the image of Christ; not a loaf, nor part of a loaf, such as Christ used-and which alone is bread in the common sense of that word: a wafer for bread is a type of the subtle, attenuated, and incomprehensible thing Rome has made of the sacramental elements. To receive this wafer, or no bread, the communicant opens his mouth that the priest may place

Holding the host in both hands, between his forefingers and thumbs, he utters secretly the words of consecration, distinctly and attentively

FOR THIS IS MY BODY.

Having finished the words of consecration, he immediately kneels and adores it; rises, shows it to the people,replaces it upon the corporal, again adores; and does not separate his thumbs and forefingers, unless when the host is to be handled, and until the washing of his fingers. Then uncovering the chalice, he says,

In like manner after he had supped, with both hands the priest here takes the chalice, taking also

this excellent chalice into his holy and venerable hands; also giving thanks to thee, with his left hand, the priest, holding the chalice, signs over it with his right, he blessed it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and drink ye all of it.

He utters the words of consecration secretly over the chalice, holding it a little elevated.

FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL TESTAMENT, THE MYSTERY OF FAITH ; WHICH SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU, AND FOR MANY, FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS. 2

Having finished the words of

it on his tongue, not to be chewed, but to be swallowed entire, or slowly dissolved in the mouth.

Again, the words of Christ, "Take eat, this is my body," have been altered in the mass to, 66 Take, eat ye all of it." All is not used in reference to the bread by any of the evangelists. It is used by Matthew in reference to the wine alone, "Drink ye all of it," (Matt. xxvi. 27); a change which Rome, of her own authority, has ventured to make iu the very words of Christ. Of this, any Romanist may assure himself, by looking into his own version of the Scriptures, (the Douay). The purpose of this innovation is evidently to give a colouring to the withholding of the cup from the laity, and to enable Rome to soothe them with the assurance, that though the wine is withheld, in getting the bread, they get of both kinds. If they had seen the phrase all applied to the drinking of the wine alone, and not to the bread, they would have said, That if any of the elements should be withheld, it was the bread not the wine. To have been safe, Rome ought to have omitted the all in both cases, or left Christ to speak his own words in the communion.

1 Adores it, that is, the host. The Latin of this rubric is,-"Statim hostiam consecratam genuflexus adorat; surgit, ostendit populo." Nothing can govern hostiam, but adorat. But the English manuals for the laity usually disguise this. A Dublin Pocket Missal, 1840, Tegg and Co., gives it thus:-"Kneeling, the priest adores, and then elevates the sacred host." Which leaves a convenient ambiguity about what is adored. In the edition of Missal for the laity, 1850, Dolman, this rubric is entirely omitted, along with most other rubrics.

"The

2 These are Rome's words, not Christ's. On this daring innovation, Rome has put a bold face. Pope Innocent III., as quoted by Du Moulin, says, Church holds them from tradition." Words easily said in behalf of any imaginable invention !