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After the Psalm, the Gospel was read, and the bishop preached". Then the catechumens were dismissed', and the oblations of the faithful were received". Cyprian and Augustine speak of the beginning of the preface, Sursum corda, “Lift up your hearts";' to which the latter adds the form,“ Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro°;" and both speak of the thanksgiving or preface, which is also referred to by Tertullian. The singing of the hymn Tersanctus is alluded to by Tertullian.. All these things perfectly agree with the ancient Roman liturgy. Optatus speaks of a verbal oblation made for the church, which very nearly agrees with that of the Roman church'. Tertullian says that they

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k This is manifest from al- c. 13, p. 839, tom. x. most all the sermons of Au- Aug. de Don. Persev.c.cit. gustine, which profess to have P Cypr. de Orat. Dom. ut been delivered immediately af- supra. Aug. de Don. Persev. C. ter the reading of Scripture. cit. Tertullian. lib. i. adv. Mar

1 “Post sermonem missa fit cionem, c. xxiii. p. 377. “Sucatechumenis : manebunt fide- per alienum panem alii Deo les, venietur ad locum oratio- gratiarum actionibus fungitur.” nis.” Augustin. Serm. xlix. de q “Cur illa angelorum cirTemp. p. 275, tom. v.

cumstantia non cessant dicere, Locuples et dives es, et Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. Dominicum celebrare te Proinde igitur et nos angelodis, quæ corbanam omnino non rum, si meminerimus, candidati respicis, quæ in Dominicum jam hinc coelestem illam in sine sacrificio venis, quæ par- Deum vocem, et officium futem de sacrificio quod pauper turæ claritatis ediscimus." Terobtulit sumis.” Cypr. de Oper. tull. de Orat. c. iii. p. 130. et Eleemos. p. 203, ed. Fell. r“ Quis dubitet, vos illud

“ Ideo et sacerdos ante legitimum in Sacramentorum orationem, præfatione præmissa mysterio præterire non posse ? parat fratrum mentes dicendo, Offerre vos Deo dicitis pro EcSursum corda : ut dum respon- clesia quæ una est: hoc ipsum det plebs, Habemus ad Domi- mendacii pars est, unam te vonum : admoneatur nihil aliud

care, de qua feceris duas. Et se, quam Dominum, cogitare offerre vos dicitis pro una ecdebere.” Cypr. de Orat. Dom. clesia, quæ sit in toto terrarum p. 152. Aug. de Don. Persev. orbe diffusa." Optat. contra

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sacrificed or offered for the emperor', which is also consistent with the Roman liturgy. Cyprian speaks of the commemoration of the living Augustine seems to refer to prayers and an oblation before consecration"; and Optatus and Fulgentius speak of an invocation of the Holy Spirit to perform the sanctification of the elements'. This is almost the only point in which any material difference can be pointed out between the Roman and the African liturgies. The former never contained such an in

Parmen. lib. ii. p. 45. Paris, Apogeuxh; proceeding thus1679. Compare Gregor. Sacr. “si usitatius, ut dixi, in Scripa Menard. p. 2.

turis votum appellatur eux), s “ Itaque et sacrificamus pro excepto nomine generali orasalute imperatoris sed Deo nos- tionis, ea proprie intelligenda tro et ipsius : sed quomodo oratio quam facimus ad votum, præcepit Deus, prece pura. id est προς ευχήν. Voventur Tertull. ad Scapulam, p. 69, autem omnia quæ offeruntur c. 2. Compare Greg. Sacr. p. 2. Deo, maxime sancti altaris ob

t “Ad communionem admit- latio-ideo in hujus sanctificatuntur, et offertur nomen eo- tionis præparatione existimo rum.” Cypr. Epist. xvi. p. 37. Apostolum jussisse proprie fieri et Epist. lxii. p. 147. Compare mporevyàs, id est, orationes, Greg. Sacr. Menard. p. 2. Mar- hoc est enim ad votum quod tene, de Antiq. Eccl. Rit. lib.i. usitatius in Scripturis nuncuc. 4, art. 8, p. 400, &c. patur ευχή. Aug. Epist.

Speaking of the words of cxlix. p. 509, tom. ii. Compare the apostle, 1 Tim. ii. 1. “ E. Greg. Sacr. Menard. p. 2. ligo in his verbis hoc intelligere v « Quid est enim tam sacriquod omnis vel fere omnis fre- legum, quam altaria Dei (in quentat Ecclesia, ut precationes quibus et vos aliquando obtu(obsecrationes) accipiamus dic- listis) frangere, radere, remotas, quas facimus in celebra- vere ? In quibus vota populi et tione Sacramentorum, ante- membra Christi portata sunt: quam illud, quod est in Do- quo Deus omnipotens invocamini mensa, incipiat benedici; tus sit, quo postulatus descenorationes cum benedicitur et dit Spiritus Sanctus,” &c. Opsanctificatur, et ad distribuen- tat. cont. Parmen. lib. vi. p. dum comminuitur, quam totam 111. See also Fulgent. lib. ii. petitionem fere omnis Ecclesia qu. 2, ad Monimum, and conDominica oratione concludit." tra Fabian. Excerpta a Sir- This he explains from the mondo, p. 36. 39. scriptural use of the word

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vocation. But the African church may very well have introduced this form in imitation of the oriental liturgies, in which it had been extant from a most remote period. I have not found any distinct allusion to the words of our Saviour". The verbal commemoration of Christ's passion and death is spoken of by Cyprian and Fulgentius*. The commemoration of the departed saints is mentioned by Augustine, Cyprian, and Tertullian'; as is also the termination “in sæcula sæculorum,” and the response of the people, Amen, by Tertullian’. We also read, in Augustine, of the breaking of the bread or body for distribution, and of a benediction of the people, to which the canons of the African church refer, as “an imposition of hands ";" and Optatus alludes to the absolution of penitents sometimes given at this time. The Lord's Prayer then followed, and is

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spoken of by Augustine, Optatus, and Cypriano. The salutation of peace, “Pax vobis,” and the holy kiss, are alluded to by Augustine, Optatus, and Tertulliano. Augustine speaks of the anthem sung during communion', and of the thanksgiving, “post communionem."

This is perhaps almost all we can know about the African liturgy, and, as far as it goes,

it

agrees perfectly with the ancient Roman, except in the single instance of the invocation of the Holy Spirit, which was probably introduced from the east, or from Gaul and Spain. Some passages from the African Fathers have been cited, which may be imagined to refer to a liturgy different from the Roman. Thus, for instance, Tertullian and other Fathers speak of prayers for the emperor and his court', &c.; Augustine, of prayers for infidels, catechumens, &c. which do not appear in the ancient

d Augustini Epist. cxlix. ad cited above in note o Cypr. de Paulin. p. 509, tom. ii. quoted Orat. Dom. p. 146. above, in note", p. 138. The e For testimony of Augusfollowing passage is also valu- tine, see last note, and note , able. “Ideo cum dicitur, Sur- p. 135. “ Et non potuistis præsum cor; respondetis, Habe- termittere quod legitimum est. mus ad Dominum_ideo sequi- Utique dixistis Pax vobiscumtur episcopus vel presbyter qui salutas de pace, qui non amas." offert, et dicit cum responderit Optat. Milev. lib. iii. p. 79. populus, Habemus ad Domi- Tertull. de Orat. cited in note 5, num sursum cor : gratias aga- p. 135.

Domino Deo nostro-et f Retractat. lib. ii. c. 11. vos adtestamini, dignum et jus- & “Quibus peractis, et partitum est dicentes. Deinde postcipato sancto Sacramento, grasanctificationem sacrificii Dei tiarum actio cuncta concludit." -ecce ubi est peracta sancti. Epist. cxlix. ad Paulin. p. 509, ficatio dicimus orationem Do

tom. ii. minicam-Post ipsam dicitur h Tertull. in Apolog. p. 31 A. Pax vobiscum; et osculantur Arnob. adv. Gentes, lib. iv. sub se Christiani in osculo sancto. finem. August. 227, in die Paschæ, August. Epist. ccxvii. ad p. 974, tom. v. See Optatus Vitalem, p. 799, tom. ii. Milev. lib. ii. adv. Parmen.

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Roman canon. But in fact we have no proof that these prayers were used in the African canon; they may have occupied the place of the Roman collect before the lessons; and even if they did occur in the canon, it would not have constituted any material difference between the Roman and African rites, for we often find that such small additions were made in ancient liturgies, the main substance and order still remaining identical. I am altogether satisfied that the African liturgy agreed in very many points with the primitive Roman, and that no material difference can be shewn between them. If this were the proper place for doing so, and if I did not fear to enlarge this dissertation too much, it would be easy to trace this conformity of the Roman and African rites through the offices of Baptism, Matrimony, &c. and to bring a large body of

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į Victorinus Afer, lib. i. ad- Christus quod mortuus est pecversus Arianos, cites the fol- cato, mortuus est semel, quod lowing passage from the Afri- autem vivit, vivit Deo, etiam can liturgy: “Sicuti et in ob- nos in novitate vitæ ambulelatione dicitur, munda tibi po- mus, et munere charitatis acpulum circumvitalem, æmula- cepto, moriamur peccato, et torem bonorum operum, circa vivamus Deo.” p. 39. « Нос tuam substantiam venientem.” autem quod petimus, id est, ut Fulgentius, in his remarks on in Patre et Filio unum simus, 1 Cor. xi. 23, amongst the Ex- per unitatem gratiæ spiritualicerpta published by Sirmond. ter accipimus." This plainly p. 36, says, “ Cum tempore sa

shews that the African canon crificii commemorationem mor- contained petitions which did tis ejus faciamus, charitatem not exist in the Roman, but it nobis tribui per adventum sanc- does not prove that they were ti Spiritus postulamus : hoc originally different. The invosuppliciter exorantes, ut per ip- cation of the Holy Spirit was sam charitatem, qua pro nobis derived from Gaul, Spain, or Christus crucifigi dignatus est, the East, by the African church. nos quoque gratia sancti Spi- The petition for unity was no ritus accepta, mundum cruci- doubt introduced, in fixum habere, et mundo cru- quence of the schisms so precifigi possimus: imitantesque valent in Africa. Domini nostri mortem, sicut

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