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In the Gothic Missal (in Mabillon de Liturg. Gallic. Paris, 1729) we read, among other things, at p. 210 :

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Sacrificiis præsentibus Domine quæsumus intende placatus ; quibus non jam aurum thus et myrrha profertur, sed quod iisdem muneribus declaratur, offertur, immolatur, sumitur (scil. Christus)."

In the Missal of the Franks, lib. cit. p. 38.

"Sacrificium, Domine, quod desideranter offerimus, etc.-P. 319. Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostræ, sed et cunctæ familiæ tuæ, quam tibi offerimus," etc.

In the old Gallican Missal, (lib. cit. p. 334), we read the following prayers :

"Sacrificium tibi Domine celebrandum placatus intende ; quod et nos a vitiis nostræ conditionis emundet, et tuo nomini reddat acceptos: et communicatio præsentis osculi perpetuæ proficiat charitati.-P. 385. Descendat, precamur, omnipotens Deus, super hæc quæ tibi offerimus, verbum tuum sanctum; descendat inestimabilis gloriæ tuæ Spiritus ; descendat antiquæ indulgentiæ tuæ donum; ut fiat oblatio hæc Hostia spiritualis in odorem suavitatis accepta: etiam nos famulos tuos per sanguinem Christi tua manus invicta custodiat. Libera nos ab omni malo, omnipotens, æterne Deus: et quia tibi soli est præstandi potestas, tribue, ut hoc solemne sacrificium sanctificet corda nostra, dum creditur; deleat peccata, dum sumitur."

Decorum requires us now to cite some forms of prayer from the Roman Liturgy

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Suscipe, sancte Pater, omnipotens æterne Deus, hanc immaculatam hostiam, quam ego, indignus famulus tuus, offero tibi Deo meo vivo et vero, pro innumerabilibus peccatis et offensionibus et negligentiis meis, et pro omnibus circumstantibus, sed et pro omnibus fidelibus Christianis, vivis atque defunctis; ut mihi et illis proficiat ad salutem in vitam æternam.

"Offerimus tibi Domine calicem salutis, tuam deprecantes clementiam; ut in conspectu divinæ majestatis tuæ pro nostra et totius mundi salute cum odore suavitatis ascendat.

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"In spiritu humilitatis et in animo contrito suscipiamur a te Domine: et sic fiat sacrificium nostrum in conspectu tuo hodie ut placeat tibi Domine Deus.

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'Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, hanc oblationem, quam tibi offerimus ob memoriam passionis, resurrectionis et ascensionis Jesu Christi Domini nostri, etc. Suscipiat Dominus hoc sacrificium de manibus tuis ad laudem et gloriam nominis sui, ad utilitatem quoque nostram, totiusque ecclesiæ suæ sanctæ.

VOL. I.

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"Te igitur, clementissime Pater, per Jesum Christum filium tuum Dominum nostrum, supplices rogamus ac petimus uti accepta habeas et benedicas hæc dona, hæc munera, hæc sancta sacrificia illibata, imprimis quæ tibi offerimus pro ecclesia tua sancta catholica, quam pacificare, custodire, adunare, et regere digneris toto orbe terrarum, etc. [This prayer occurs in all the Liturgies.] Memento, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum et omnium circumstantium, quorum tibi fides cognita est et nota devotio, pro quibus tibi offerimus, vel qui tibi offerunt, hoc sacrificium laudis pro se suisque omnibus, pro redemptione animarum suarum, pro spe salutis et incolumitatis suæ ; tibique reddunt vota sua æterno Deo, vivo et vero."

More or less detailed representations of the principal actions in the life of Christ, prayers for the living and the dead, and the mention of saints, occur in every Liturgy from the earliest ages of the Church. But want of space prevents us from citing, in proof of this, any longer passages.

Translation of the Extracts from the Greek Liturgies.

In the liturgy of St. Chrysostom (in Goar's Euchologium sive Rituale Græcorum, p. 70. Par. 1647), the first prayer of the faithful in the Missa fidelium runs thus :

"We give thee thanks, O Lord God of Hosts, who hast judged us worthy both to assist now at thy holy altar, and to supplicate thy mercy on account of our own sins, and of the errors of thy people. Receive, O God, our prayers, make us worthy to offer unto thee prayers and supplications and unbloody sacrifices in behalf of all thy people, and make us, whom thou hast ordained for this thy holy ministry, worthy to invoke thee, in all places, and at all times, by the power of thy Holy Spirit, without blame and without offence, and according to the pure testimony of our conscience, that thou mayest hear us, and be propitious unto us, according to the multitude of thy mercies."

While the seraphic hymn of the sanctus is being uttered, the priest, among other things, says as follows (p. 72): "Thou art, O Christ our God, the offerer and the offered, the receiver and the distributed, and we render glory to thee together with thy eternal Father, and with thy most holy and righteous and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever, and for ages of ages. Amen."

Further on, p. 75:

The Priest saith: "Let us stand up in holiness; let us stand up with awe; let us endeavour to offer up in peace the holy oblation."

The Choir. "The victim of peace, the sacrifice of praise."

The Priest. "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all."

Choir. "And with thy spirit."

Priest, "Let us raise up our hearts."

Choir. "We have raised them up to the Lord."

Priest. "Let us give thanks to the Lord."

Choir. "It is most meet and just to worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one consubstantial and undivided Trinity."

Priest. "It is meet and just to celebrate thee, to bless thee, to praise thee, to give thee thanks, to worship thee in every place of thy dominion; for thou art a God ineffable, imperceptible, invisible, incomprehensible, everlasting, and always the same," etc.

In the liturgy of St. Basil, in Goar's Euchologium, (p. 162), the first prayer of the faithful runs thus: "Thou, O Lord, hast revealed to us this great mystery of salvation; thou hast vouchsafed to make us, humble and unworthy servants as we are, ministers of thy holy altar. Make us, by the power of thy Holy Spirit, worthy of this ministry, that, standing without condemnation in the presence of thy divine glory, we may offer unto thee the sacrifice of praise. Thou art who in all things workest all. Grant, O Lord, that, on account both of our sins, and of the errors of thy people, our sacrifice may be received, and become well-pleasing in thy sight."

The prayer of the Offertory, p. 164.

"O Lord, our God, who hast created us, and hast brought us into this life, who hast shown us the path to salvation, who hast vouchsafed to us the revelation of celestial mysteries; it is thou who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, hast ordained us for this ministry. Be pleased, O Lord, that we may become ministers of thy New Testament, and dispensers of thy holy mysteries. Receive us, O Lord, approaching to thy holy altar, according to the multitude of thy mercies, that we become worthy to offer unto thee this reasonable and unbloody sacrifice in behalf of our own sins, and the errors of thy people. Receive this sacrifice upon thy holy and reasonable altar, for a sweetsmelling fragrance, and send us down in return the grace of thy Holy

Spirit. Look down upon us, O Lord, and regard this our worship, and accept it, as thou didst accept the gifts of Abel, the sacrifices of Noah, the holocausts of Abraham, the sacred oblations of Moses and Aaron, and the peace-offerings of Samuel. As thou didst receive from thy holy apostles this true sacrifice, so also in thy benignity accept, Lord, from our sinful hands these gifts; in order that, being found worthy to minister without offence at thy holy altar, we may meet with the reward of faithful and prudent stewards in the tremendous day of thy just retribution."

In the Alexandrine liturgy of St. Mark (Renaudot Liturg. orient. coll. t. i. p. 145), the priest saith in the offertory: "Thou hast created all things by thy wisdom, the true light, thy only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ; through whom rendering thanks unto Thee, together with him and the Holy Ghost, we offer up this reasonable and unbloody sacrifice, which all the nations offer up to thee, O Lord, from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, from the North and from the South; for thy name is great among all the nations, and in every place incense and sacrifice and oblation are put up to thy holy name."

LONDON, RICHARDS, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

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