Misach, and Abednago, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire. And they walked in the midst of the flame praising God, and blessing the Lord.

Let us pray. Omnipotens.

Almighty and eternal God, the only hope of the world, who, by the voice of thy prophets, has manifested the mysteries of this present time: graciously increase the desires of thy people; since none of the faithful can advance in any virtue without thy inspiration. Thro'. R. Amen.

The BLESSING of the FONT.

When the Celebrant goes towards the Font, is said the TRACT. As the heart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God, V. My soul hath thirsted after the living God: when shall I come and appear before the face of God? V. My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say to me every day: Where is now thy God?

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray. Concede.

GRANT, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we, who celebrate the gift of the Holy Ghost, may, by the inspiration of heaven, earnestly thirst after the fountain of life. Thro'. . . . in unity of the same.

When the Priest comes to the Font.

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Almighty and eternal God, be present at these mysteries, be present at these sacraments of thy great goodness: and send forth the spirit of thy adoption to regenerate the new people, whom the font of baptism bringeth forth: that what is to be done by the ministry of us thy servants, may be ac complished by the effect of thy power. Thro', R. Amen.

J

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

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spirit. V. Raise up your hearts on high. R. We have them raised up to the Lord. V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R. It is meet and just. T is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, to give thee thanks always, and in all places, O holy Lord, almighty Father, and eternal God: who, by thy invisible power, dost wonderfully produce the effects of thy sacraments: and, though we are unworthy to administer such great mysteries, yet, as thou dost not abandon the gifts of thy grace, so thou inclinest the cars of thy goodness even to our prayers. O God, whose spirit in the very beginning of the world moved upon the waters; that even then the nature of water might receive the virtue of sanctification: O God, who by water didst wash away the crimes of a guilty world, and by the overflowing of the deluge didst give us a figure of regeneration; that one and the same element might, in a mystery, be the end of vice, and the origin of virtue look down, O Lord, on thy Church, and multiply in her thy regenerations, who by the streams of thy abundant grace, fillest thy city with joy, and openest the fonts of baptism all over the world for the renewal of the Gentiles; that by the command of thy majesty it may receive the grace of thy Son from the Holy Ghost.

Here the Priest divides the Water in the form of a Cross.

Who, by a secret mixture of his divine virtue, may render this water fruitful for the regeneration of men: to the end that those, who are to be sancti fied in the immaculate womb of this divine font, and are to be born again new creatures, may come forth a heavenly offspring; and that all, however, distinguished by age in time, or sex in body, may he brought forth to the same infancy by grace, their spiritual mother. Therefore may all unclean spirits, by thy cominand, O Lord, depart from hence;

may all the malice of diabolical wiles be entirely banished; may no power of the enemy prevail here: let him not fly about to lay his shares: let him not creep in by his secret artifices; let him not corrupt with his infection.

Here he touches the Water with his Hand.

May this holy and innocent creature be free from all assaults of the enemy, and purified by the destruction of all his malice. May it become a living fountain, a regenerating water, a purifying stream: that all those, that are to be washed in this saving bath, may obtain, by the efficacy of the Holy Ghost, the grace of a perfect purification.

Here he makes the Sign of the Cross thrice over the Font, saying:

Wherefore I bless thee, O creature of water, by the living God, by the true

holy God; by that God, who in separated thee by his word from the whose spirit moved upon thee.

God, by the

the beginning dry land, and

[Here he divides the Water with his Hand, and throws some of it out towards the four quarters of the World."] Who made thee flow from the fountain of paradise, and commanded thee to water the whole earth with thy four rivers. Who changing thy bitterness in the desert into sweetness, made thee fit to drink ; and produced thee out of a rock to quench the thirst of the people. I bless thee also by our Lord Jesus Christ, his only Son: who, in Cana of Galilee, changed thee into wine, by a wonderful miracle of his power. Who walked upon thee dry-foot, and was baptised in thee by John in the Jordan. Who made thee flow out of his side, together with his blood, and commanded his disciples that such as believed should be baptized in thee, saying: Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

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Do thou, O Almighty God, mercifully assist us who observe this commandment: do thou graciously inspire us.

Here breathing thrice upon the Water in Form of a Cross, he says:

Do thou with thy mouth bless these clear waters; that besides their natural virtue of cleansing the body, they may also prove effectual for purifying the soul.

Then he sinks the Paschal Candle into the Water three different times, saying each time:

May the virtue of the Holy Ghost descend into all the water of this font.

Then breathing thrice on the Water, he goes on, And make the whole substance of this water fruitful, and capable of bringing to a new life.

Here the Paschal Candle is taken out of the Water, and the Priest goes on,

Here may the stains of all sin be washed out: here may human nature, created to thy image, and reformed to the honour of its author, be cleansed "from the filth of the old man: that all who receive this sacrament of regeneration, may be born again new children of true innocence. Thro-who is to come to judge the living and the dead, and the word by fire. R. Amen.

Here the People are sprinkled with the blessed Water, and some is taken away by the Ministers, to distribute to the people for use in their houses, afterwards the Oil of the Catechumens is poured in, in the Form of a Cross, the Priest saying:

May this font be sanctified and made fruitful by the oil of salvation for such as are to be born anew in it, unto life everlasting. R. Amen.

Then he pours the Chrism into it, saying:

May this infusion of the chrism of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, be performed in the name of the Holy Trinity. R. Amen.

Lastly, he pours the Oil and Chrism into the Water in the Form of a Cross, saying:

May this mixture of the chrism of sanctification, and of the oil of salvation, and of the water of baptism, be performed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. R. Amen. After Blessing the Font, the Priest, with his Ministers, lie prostrate before the altar, and all the rest kneel whilst the Litany [see Rogation Days 359. is sung by two Chanters in the middle of the Choir, repeating the same words after them, to Christe exaudi nos inclusively. Kyrie and Christe eleison being alternately sung three times, the Priest with his Ministers in their proper vestments, begin Mass saying the Ps. Judica, &c. p. xv. but no Introit. At intoning the Gloria in excelsis the ringing of the bells is resumed and continued till it is finished. ̧

COLLECT. Deus.-O God, who enlightenest this most sacred night by the glory of the resurrection of the Lord; preserve in the new offspring of thy family the spirit of adoption thou hast given them; that being renewed in body and soul, they may serve thee with purity of heart. Thro'.

EPISTLE. Colos. iii. 1. 4.—Brethren: If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ shall appear, who is your life; then you also shall appear with him in glory. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

V. Praise the Lord, for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever.

V. Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus: quoniam in sæculum miseria cordia ejus.

TRACT. Ps. cxvi.-Praise the Lord all ye nations; join in his praise, all ye people. V. For