taken that thefe offices be all carefully performed at or near the times here fpecified *.

The habits of the Pope, bishops, deacons, and other inferior officers, are variously modified, according to the time, place, occasion, &c. †

Of the CEREMONIES of the MASS.

We fhall now lay before our readers, in a concife manner, the ceremonies of the mafs, which the Catholics look upon as the moft acceptable of all adorations, and the moft effectual of all prayers. The church not only prays herself at this facrifice, which the priest offers up to God in the moft folemn manner, but Jefus Chrift, by the facrifice of his own body, offers up to his Father the moft perfect adoration that can poffibly be paid him, fince it is offered by a God.

The mafs confifts of two parts, viz. the firft, from the beginning to the offering, which was formerly called the mais of the catechumens; and the fecond, from the offering to the conclufion, called the mafs of the faithful. All perfons without diftinction were prefent at it till the offering, then the deacon crieth out, boly things are for fuch as are holy; let the profane depart

bence.

*The Papifts pretend great antiquity for canonical hours; they are undoubtedly derived from Judaifm, or we may trace their ori ginal from Paganifm. The heathens had their mattins, and the Egyptians faluted their gods every morning; they had also their primes, feconds, and tierces, which we call prime, tierce, fexte, -See Da Choul on the Religion of the Ancients

See likewife Picart's Ceremonies, vol. 1. p. 312.

+ When the Pope celebrates mafs himself, the cardinals appear in white damask robes laced with gold. The cardinal bishops wear copes, the cardinal prieits chafubles; the cardinal deacons, tunics, and all of them white damafk mitres. The bishops wear copes too, but they are of rich filks embroidered with gold, and white linen mitres fewed on pafte-boards.

Vol. I. No. 5..

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Monfieur Picart prefents us with thirty-five curious prints to illuftrate the feveral defcriptions of those ceremonies.

I. The priest goes to the altar, in allufion to our Lord's retreat with his Apoftles to the garden of Olives.

II. Before he begins mafs, he fays a preparatory prayer. The prieft is then to look on himself as one abandoned of God, and driven out of paradife for the fin of Adam.

III. The priest makes confeffion for himself, and for the people, in which it is required that he be free from mortal and from venial fin.

IV. The priest kiffes the altar, as a token of our reconciliation with God, and our Lord's being betrayed by a kifs.

V. The priest goes to the epiftle fide of the altar, and thurifies or perfumes it. Jefus Chrift is now supposed to be taken and bound.

VI. The Introite, faid or fung, i. e. a pfalm or hymn, applicable to the circumftance of our Lord's being carried before Caiaphas the high-prieft.

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VII. The priest fays the Kyrie Eloifon, which fig nifies, Lord have mercy upon us, three times, in allufion to Peter's denying our Lord thrice.

VIII. The priest turning towards the altar, fays, Dominus vobifcum, i. e. The Lord be with you; the people return this falutation, cum Spiritu tua, and with thy Spirit, Jefus Chrift looking at Peter,

IX. The priest reads the epiftle relating to Jefus being accufed before Pilate.

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X. The priest bowing before the altar, fays, Mund cor, i. e. Cleanse our hearts. The gradual is fung, This pfalm is varied according as it is the time of Lent or not. The devotion is now directed to our Saviour's being accused before Herod, and making no reply.

£ asty foo - Vol. I. p. 324. & feq. See alfo the Explanation of the Mafs.

XI. The

XI. The priest reads the gofpel wherein Jefus Chrift is fent from Herod to Pilate. The gofpel is carried from the right fide of the altar to the left, to denote the tender of the gofpel to the Gentiles after refufal by the Jews.

XII. The priest uncovers the chalice, hereby to represent our Lord was stripped in order to be fcourged. XIII. The oblation of the hoft, the creed is fung by the congregation. The priest then kiffes the altar, then the prieft offers up the hoft, which is to reprefent or import the fcourging of Jefus Chrift, which was introductory to his other fufferings.

XIV. The priest elevates the chalice, then covers it. Here Jefus's being crowned with thorns is thereby figured to the mind, fhewing that he was going to be elevated a victim; and it is well known the victims of the Pagans were crowned before they were facrificed to their idols.

XV. The priest washes his fingers, as Pilate washed his hands, declares Jefus innocent, bleffes the bread and the wine, bleffes the frankincenfe, and perfumes the bread and wine, praying that the fmell of this facrifice may be more acceptable to him than the Imoke of victims.

XVI. The priest turning to the people, fays, Oratre Fratres, i. e. let us pray. He then bows himfelf to the altar, addreffes himfelf to the Trinity, and prays in a very low voice. This is one of the fecretums of the mafs, and the imagination of the devout Chriftian is to find out the conformity between this and Chrift being cloathed with a purple robe; but we fhall be cautious of adding more on this head,. may ocean not lofe ourselves in the boundle of allufions. XVII. The priest fays the preface at the clofe of the Secretum. This part of the mafs is in affinity to Jefus Chrift being condemned to be crucified. The prieft ufes a prayer to God the Father, which is followed

that we

followed by the Sanctus, holy, holy, holy is the Lord, &c. which the people fing.

XVIII. The priest joining his hands, prays for the faithful that are living. This is faid to be in allusion to Jefus Chrift bearing the cross to die upon, that we might live.

XIX, The priest covers with a cloth the hoft and chalice, St. Veronica offering her handkerchief to Jefus Chrift.

XX. The priest makes the fign of the crofs upon the hoft and chalice, to fignify that Jefus Chrift is nailed to the cross.

XXI. The priest adores the hoft before elevated, and then he raifes it up, in the beft manner, to reprefent our Saviour lifted up upon the crofs. He repeats the Lord's prayer, with his arms extended, that his body might reprefent the figure of a cross, which is the enfign of Chriftianity.

XXII. The priest likewife confecrates the chalice, and elevates it, to reprefent the blood of Jefus Christ fhed upon the crofs.

XXIII. The prieft fays the Memento for the faithful that are in purgatory. This prayer is in allufion to that which our Lord made for his enemies; but this allufion would be forced and unnatural, unless the devotees looked upon themselves as his enemies.

XXIV. The priest then raifes his voice, fmiting his breaft, begs God's bleffing on himself and congregation, for the fake of fuch faints as he enumerates, and implores the divine Majefty for a place in paradife, to imitate the thief upon the crossed on sis

XXV. The priest elevates the hoft and cup, and fays the per omnia, then the Lord's prayerigoThe fign of the cross, which he makes on the hoft, the chalice, and the altar, is to reprefent to God that bleeding facrifice which his fon offered up to him of himfelf; then the devout Chriftian becomes the Casiow bus child

child of God, and is in allufion to the virgin Mary's being bid to look on St. John as her fon.

XXVI. After the Lord's prayer, the prieft fays a private one to God, to procure his peace by the mediation of the Virgin Mary and the faints, then puts the facred hoft upon the paten, and breaks it, to reprefent Jefus Chrift giving up the ghoft.

XXVII. The prieft puts a little bit of the hoft into the chalice. The true Chriftian is now with an eye of faith to behold Jefus Chrift defcending into Limbo, i. e. hell.

XXVIII. Then the priest fays, and the people fing, Agnus Dei, &c. thrice over, and the priest fmites his breaft. This action is an allufion to thofe who, having feen our Lord's fufferings, returned home fmiting their breafts.

XXIX. After the Agnus Dei is fung, the priest fays a private prayer for the peace of the church. He then kiffes the altar, and the inftrument of peace called the paxis, which being received at his hands by the deacon, it is handed about to the people to be kiffed, and paffed from each other with thefe words, peace be with you, and whilft the paxis is kiffing, the priest prepares himself for the communion by two other prayers, when he adores the hoft, and then fays with a low voice, I will eat of the celestial bread, and fmiting his breaft, fays, I am not worthy that thou Shouldeft enter into my house, three times after eating of the bread. He uncovers the chalice, repeating verf. i. of the 15th pfalm according to the Vulgate. When the priest has received the communion, he adminif ters it to the people. The application of thefe ceremonies is to the death and burial of Jefus Chrift, and his defcent into hell.

XXX. After this the priest, putting the wine into the chalice, in order to take what is called the ablution, repeats a fhort prayer, then he caufeth wine and water to be poured out for the fecond ablu

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tion,