usque ad Epiphaniam (præterquam in dic S. Johannis Apostoli) et in purificatione B. Mariæ et in festo Corporis Christi et per octavam, nisi in ea occurrit festum, quod propriam prefationem habet et in transfiguratione Domini.

T.-The following preface is said from the nativity of our Lord to the Epiphany, (except upon the Octave or eighth day of St. John the Apostle,) and also in the purification of the blessed Mary, and in the feast of Corpus Christi, or of the body of Christ, and through the Octave to the eighth day after; unless a festival occurs, which has its own proper preface; and also in the transfiguration of our Lord :

:

PRIEST.-Per omnia sæcula sæculorum.
T.-For ever and ever.

RESPONSE.-Amen.

P.-Dominus vobiscum.

T.-The Lord be with you.

R.-Et cum spiritu tuo.

T.-And with thy spirit.

P.-Sursum corda.

T.-Lift up your hearts.

R. Habemus ad Dominum.

T.-We lift them up unto the Lord.

P.-Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
T.-Let us give thanks to our Lord God.

R.—Dignum et justum est.

T.-It is just and right to do so

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere, Domine sancte, Pater Omnipotens, æterne Deus. Quia per incarnati verbi mysterium nova mentes nostræ oculis lux tuæ claritatis in fulsit ut dum visibiliter Deum cognoscimus per hunc invisibilium amorem rapiamur. Et ideo cum angelis et archangelis cum thronis et dominationibus cumque enim militia cælestis exercitus hymnum gloriæ tuæ canimus sine fine dicentes

T.-It is truly proper, and right, and just, and healthful, that we should give thanks to thee always and everywhere, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Eternal God, because through the mystery of the incarnate Word, a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that while we behold God visibly we are carried away by this love of invisible things; and, therefore, with the angels and archangels, with thrones and dominions, and with all the army of the heavenly host, we sing forth the hymn of your praise, saying:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. T.-Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, (or of Hosts.)

Pleni sunt cœli et terra, gloriæ tuæ, Hosanna in excelsis.

T.-The heavens and earth are full of thy glory, Hosanna in the highest.

R. Benedictus, qui venit in nomine Domini, Hosanna in excelsis.

T.-Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.

We now come to what is called the "CANON OF THE MASS;" the most solemn part of the service.

R. Sacerdos extendens et jungens manus, elevans ad cælum oculos, et statim demittens profunde inclinatus ante altare, manibus super eo positis, dicit.

T.-The priest standing, and joining his hands, and raising his eyes to the heavens, and immediately casting them down, bending himself very low before the altar, and placing his hands over it, says :

PRIEST.—Te igitur, clementissime Pater, per Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, Dominum nostrum, supplices rogamus ac petimus, (osculatur altare,) uti, accepta habeas et benedicas, (jungat manus deinde signet ter super oblata,) hæc dona, hæc munera, hæc sancta sacrificia illibata, (extensis manibus prosequitur,) in primis, quæ tibi offerimus pro ecclesia tua

sancta Catholica, quam pacificare, custodire, adunare, et regere digneris, toto orbe terrarum, una cum famulo tuo papa nostro, N. et antistite nostro N. et omnibus orthodoxis atque catholicæ et apostolicæ fidei cultoribus.

T.-We, as suppliants, beseech thee, O merciful Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, thy Son, our Lord; (he here kisses the altar,) that thou mayest hold and bless these gifts, (let him then join his hands, and after that make the sign of the cross three times upon the oblation,) these offerings, these holysacrifices poured out, (he proceeds then with extended hands,) chiefly which we offer to thee for thy holy Catholic Church; which may you vouchsafe to keep in peace, to watch over, and unite in one, and govern all over the world, together with your servant N. our pope, (or father,) and our bishop N., and with all the orthodox worshippers of the Catholic and Apostolic faith.

R.-Commemoratio pro vivis.
T.-Commemoration for the living.

P.-Memento, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuorum N. et N. Jungit manus orat aliquantulum pro quibus orare intendit, deinde manibus extensis prosequitur. 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.

T.-Remember, O Lord, thy servants, and thy handmaidens, N. and N. He here joins his hands, and prays for a little while for those he intends to pray for; then extending his hands, he proceeds. And also all those here present, whose faith is approved of by thee, and whose devotion is known, for whom we make this offering, or who offer to thee this sacrifice of praise for themselves and all their families, for the redemption of their souls, for the hope of salvation, and of their safety,

and for which they pay their vows to thee, the eternal, living, and true God.

Next follows the part of the service called the "Infra actionem." The commencement of part of this prayer is different upon different festivals. The following part

is used on all occasions:

P.-Communicantes et memoriam venerantes, imprimis gloriosæ semper Virginis Mariæ, Genitricis Dei et Domini nostri Jesu Christi; sed et beatorum Apostolorum ac Martyrum tuorum, Petri et Pauli, Andreæ, Jacobi, Joannis, Thomæ, Jacobi, Philippi, Bartholomæi, Matthæi, Simonis et Thadæi, Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, Chrysogoni, Joannis et Pauli, Cosme et Damiani, et omnium tuorum Sanctorum, quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuæ muniamur auxilio. (Jungit manus,) per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

T.-Communicating with, and venerating the memory in the first place, of the glorious Mary, ever a virgin, the mother of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also of thy blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Thadeus, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprianus, Laurentius, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian, and of all thy Saints, by whose merits and prayers mayest thou grant that in all things we may be fortified by the help of thy protection, (he here joins his hands,) through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

It is unnecessary, after all that has been said upon the subject of praying to saints, and depending upon their intercession or merits, to make any comment upon that part of this most extraordinary and inconsistent prayer. The first part of the prayer is sanctioned by the ancient church, which was in the practice of commemorating the deaths and martyrdoms of the primitive

* The Eucharist was called, by the Primitive Church, a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving-not a sacrifice for sin, as your church now teaches.

saints, as we remarked before. And in the prayer for the Church Militant, the Reformed Established Church has an allusion to this early custom, where it is said, "And we bless thy holy name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear, beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good example, that, with them, we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom." But your Church is not content with this, but calls upon God to protect us by "their merits and prayers." Your church not only here asks for their intercession, but beseeches Almighty God by their merits. What authority have you for doing this? And then, with the most unaccountable inconsistency, you conclude with saying, " through the same Jesus Christ our Lord." We inquire again, are not the merits of Jesus sufficient? is not the intercession of Jesus sufficient? But you must needs add to them the merits of the apostles, which we know they must disclaim, as our blessed Lord taught them to do, Luke xvii. 10; and also the merits of a number of individuals, of whom you know nothing but the names, and some of whom, for aught you can tell to the contrary, may have had but small pretensions to the character of saints, however called so, or canonized by the Pope or Bishop of Rome; and, only it would lead us from our present subject, we would bring forward proofs of this fact.

Why do you call the Virgin, "the mother of God?" Where, in the sacred page of Scripture, is she given such a title? She was the mother of our Lord-but only in his human capacity. There is but one God, and three Persons constitute the Godhead. Surely she was not the mother of the Father, or of the Holy Ghost. The Lord Jesus Christ left the bosom of the Father, and took upon him the nature of man, and it is only in this respect as man-that the blessed Virgin is his mother; but such is the anti-scriptural anxiety of the Roman Church to justify the invocation of saints, and particularly of the Virgin, that she has invented this title of Mother of God, for the Virgin; to justify her idolatry as possessing a divine nature, or doctrine, which