we may have supposed once was sufficient, but here you pray may the Lord again bless it. Where did you learn that Michael the archangel had any influence with God to procure this second blessing? and then the prayer concludes, as if you were conscious of the uselessness, to say no worse of it, of any such intercession, by saying, "through Jesus Christ our Lord," as if you knew it was through Jesus only, any supplication will be attended to. Oh! why are you guilty of such unscriptural practices?

R.-Et accepto thuribulo a diacono incensat oblata, modo in rubricis generalibus prescripto dicens.

T.-And having received the incense vessel from the deacon, he incenses the oblation in the manner prescribed in the general rubrics, saying

R.-Incensum istud a te benedictum, ascendat ad te Domine, et descendat super nos misericordia tua. T.-May that incense, blessed by you, ascend to thee, O Lord, and may your compassion descend upon us. R.-Deinde incensat altare dicens.

T.-Then he incenses the altar, saying

Psalm cxl.-Dirigatur Domine, oratio mea, sicut incensum in conspectu tuo, elevatio manuum mearum sacrificium vespertinum. Pone Domine custodium ori meo, et ostium circumstantiæ labiis meis, ut non declinet cor meum in verba malitiæ ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis.

T.-May my prayer, O Lord, be directed as incense in thy sight, and may the lifting up of my hands be as the evening sacrifice. Place, O Lord, a watch upon my mouth, and a door of watchfulness upon my lips, so that my heart may not incline to words of malice, and to making excuses for my faults.

R.-Dum reddit thuribulum Diacono dicit.

T.-While he gives back the incense vessel to the deacon, he says—

R.-Accendat in nobis Dominus ignem sui amoris et flammam æternæ charitatis. Amen.

T.-May the Lord kindle in us the fire of his love and the flame of eternal charity. Amen.

R.-Postea incensatur sacerdos Diacono; deinde alii per ordinem. Interim sacerdos lavat manus dicens.

T.-After this, the priest is incensed by the deacon; then the others, according to their rank. In the mean while, the priest washes his hands, saying—

PSALMUS XXV.

Lavabo inter innocentes manus meas; et circumdabo altare tuum, Domine.

Ut audiam vocem laudis ; et enarrem universa mirabilia tua.

Domine, dilexi decorem domûs tuæ, et locum habitationis gloriæ tuæ.

Ne perdas cum impiis, Deus, animam meam, et cum viris sanguinum vitam meam.

In quorum manibus iniquitates sunt, dextera eorum repleta est muneribus.

Ego autem in innocentiâ meâ ingressus sum, redime me et miserere mei.

Pes meus stetit in directo; in ecclesiis benedicam te, Domine.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

PSALM XXV.-TRANSLATION.

I will wash my hands among the innocent, and I will repair to thine altar;

That I may hear the voice of praise, and tell forth all thy wonderful things.

Lord, I have loved the beauty of thine house, and the place of the habitation of thy glory.

Do not destroy my soul, O God, with the wicked, and my life with men of blood;

In whose hands are wickedness; their right hand is full of gifts.

But I have entered in mine innocency; redeem me and have compassion upon me.

My foot hath stood in the right path; I will bless thee, O Lord, in thy temples.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

R.-In missis pro defunctis et tempore passionis in missis de tempore omittitur "Gloria Patri." Deinde aliquantulum inclinatus in medio altaris junctis manibus super eo dicit.

T.—In Masses for the dead, and during the time of Easter or the Passion, and in Masses at particular times, "the Gloria Patri" is omitted; then the priest bending himself a little in the middle of the altar, having joined his hands over it, says―

R.-Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, hanc oblationem, quam tibi offerimus ob memoriam passionis resurrectionis et ascensionis Jesu Christi, Domini nostri, et in honorem beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis, et beati Johannis Baptistæ et sanctorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli, et istorum et omnium sanctorum; ut illis proficiat ad honorem, nobis autem ad salutem, et illi pro nobis intercedere dignentur in cœlis, quorum memoriam agimus* in terris. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

T.-Receive, O blessed Trinity, this oblation which we offer to thee, in memory of the passion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in honor of the Blessed Mary ever a Virgin, and of the blessed John the Baptist, and of the blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, and of these and all the saints, that it may advance their honor and our salvation, and that they may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven, whose memory

* Here we see traces of the primitive practice respecting the saints and martyrs; the ancient church had annual commemorations of them, that the survivors may be excited, through divine grace, to follow their examples of holy living. No person thought of praying to them in those days, or soliciting their intercession. The primitive Christians depended, as they were taught by the apostles in their inspired writings, upon only one Mediator, who is now at the right hand of God, to make intercession for his people.

we preserve on earth, through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

We have some remarks to make upon this prayer, the meaning of which we do not understand. How the oblation of the bread and the wine, mixed with water, can be offered to the blessed Trinity, in memory of the passion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can comprehend-but how this oblation can be made in honor of the Blessed Virgin, or of any apostle or saint, we really cannot understand—and how such an offering can redound to our salvation-how bread and wine offered up to God can advance our salvation, or honor the saints, we know not. Where is such an extraordinary doctrine or practice taught in Scripture? Nothing of the kind was known in the ancient church. The church to which you belong is bound to give you full information upon this subject, and to explain their reason for introducing a prayer utterly irreconcilable with Gospel truth and common

sense.

R.-Postea osculatur altare et versus ad populum extendens et jungens manus, voce paululum elevata dicit. T.-Then he kisses the altar, and turning to the people, extending and joining his hands, he says, in a voice moderately loud

R.-Orate, fratres, ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium acceptabile fiat apud Deum Patrem omnipotentem. T.-Pray, brethren, that mine and your sacrifice may De acceptable with God, the Father Almighty.

R.-Minister seu circumstantes respondent, alioquin ipsemet sacerdos.

T.-The clerk or those who stand around, otherwise the priest himself, says―

R.-Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis, (vel meis,) ad laudem et gloriam nominis sui, ad utilitatem quoque nostram, totiusque ecclesiæ suæ sanctæ.

T.-May the Lord receive this sacrifice from your hands, (or mine,) to the praise and glory of his name, and for our benefit, and that of the whole Church.

R.-Sacerdos submissa voce dicit-Amen. T.-The priest says then with a low voice-Amen. R.-Deinde manibus extensis absolute sine "Oremus," subjungit orationes secretas. Quibus finitis cum pervenerit ad conclusionem clara voce dicit. Per omnia sæcula sæculorum cum prefatione, ut in sequentibus. Prefatio incipitur ambabus manibus positis hinc inde super altare. Quos aliquantulum elevat cum dicit sursum corda," jungit eas ante pectus et caput inclinat, cum dicit "gratias agimus Domino Deo nostro." Deinde disjungit manus et disjunctas tenet usque ad finem prefationis. Qua finita, iterum jungit cas et inclinatus dicit " sanctus," et cum dicit "benedictus qui venit," signum crucis sibi producit a fronte ad pectus.

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T.-Then his hands widely extended, without saying-"Let us pray," he repeats the secret prayers; (these the people cannot hear,) which being finished, when he comes to the end he says with a loud voice"for ever and ever" with the preface, as is mentioned in the 66 sequences," ," which are different on different days-the preface is begun, both hands being placed separately over the altar. He raises them a little when he says, "lift up your hearts." He then joins them before his breast, and bows his head, when he says, we give thee thanks, O Lord, our God.” Then he separates his hands and holds them separate until the end of the preface-which being ended, he joins them again, and bowing says "the sanctus," or the prayer commencing with the word "sanctus,' or holy; and when he says "blessed is he that comes," he makes the sign of the cross from his forehead to his breast.

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The preface being different at different periods of the year, we shall only give one of them; and we would here remark how utterly useless all these forms which the priest uses appear, and how unmeaning are the various attitudes into which he is taught, by rule, to put himself when we consider the object and design of prayer.

R.-Sequens Prefatio dicitur a nativitate Domini