his Apocalypse; and there we read of the worship paid in the heavenly Jerusalem to the divine Lamb of God, of an altar of incense, of chants and prayers, the various ranks and orders of the Blessed, adorned with palms, and white garments, and sacred vestments, and crowns of gold, and all the splendour of a heavenly ritual.

Lastly, it is most probable that the apostles themselves did not use, at all times and under all circumstances, precisely the same forms in the offering of the divine Sacrifice, but employed one more or less solemn, according as the circumstances of time or place, of tranquillity or persecution in the Church, dictated.

And here we might recall the origin of the different liturgies for celebrating the eucharistic Sacrifice which have been in use in the various Churches, whether of the East or of the West, all which, within their own limits, are respected and allowed by the mother and mistress of all Churches, the holy Church of Rome and See Apostolic. But leaving these, as beside our present purpose, we will touch briefly on the liturgy which the Roman Church makes use of, as having more authority, and being of more universal usage.

From the days of the Apostles it was always the case that many Pagans and Jews were accustomed to be present at the functions of religion celebrated in the churches of the Christians; some drawn by curiosity to see what was there done, others by a desire of being instructed and admitted into the new religion. As it was necessary, on the one hand, to receive all, with the greatest charity to teach them to know their God and Redeemer Jesus Christ; so, on the other, it was requisite to exclude persons who were not yet instructed and baptised from being present at the celebration of the more august and pro

found mysteries of the altar, that they might not expose to derision or profaneness that of which they as yet knew or believed nothing. In order, therefore, to reconcile these two important objects, it was thought right to divide the sacred liturgy into two parts, at the celebration of the first of which all, whether faithful or unbelievers, might be present with propriety and advantage, whilst the second part was reserved for the faithful alone. The first part was called the Mass of the catechumens, or scholars in the faith; the second, the Mass of the faithful.

The sacred liturgy of the Mass of the catechumens consisted of three principal parts, viz. of the Confession of Sins, the Prayers, and the Instructions, which were directed chiefly to prepare the catechumens for receiving holy Baptism, whereby they were to be admitted into the class of the faithful. This first part of the Mass, therefore, was merely the remote preparation for the Sacrifice; and during this the prayers, the psalms, and other parts, sung or recited, were directed to implore the mercy of God on the catechumens and unbelievers, that they might obtain the grace of faith and of holy baptism, and to enlighten and instruct them by lessons taken from the holy Scriptures, and by sacred discourses. The Mass of the catechumens extended as far as the Offertory, at which part of the liturgy they were dismissed, and none remained but the faithful only.

The Mass of the faithful, or the Sacrifice, properly began now, and also consisted of three parts, viz. the Offertory, the Consecration, and the Communion. The Offertory consisted of an offering of bread and wine, and at times of other gifts also, which were carried by the faithful and presented at the altar; of these the sacred ministers took so much as was required for the Sacrifice,

and for distributing the holy Eucharist to all those who desired to communicate-the remainder was set apart for the use of the poor. The portion of bread and wine set apart for the Sacrifice was then offered up and presented to God by the celebrating priest; and he, together with the whole people, offered up prayers over the oblation for himself, for the whole body of the clergy, for the civil powers of the state, and for the whole Church militant on earth and in the middle state of purgation. After the Offertory, which was succeeded by a preface, wherein the people were encouraged to offer thanksgivings and praises to God, in union with angels, and archangels, and all the company of heaven, the consecration of the bread and wine followed immediately; and then, once more, in the presence of our Lord under the sacramental veils, prayers, the same in substance as before, in behalf of the whole Church, were again recited. Last of all came the Communion, or dispensing of the body and blood of Christ to all the faithful who desired or were worthy of Communion. After which, and the recitation of certain other prayers called the Post Communion, or prayers after Communion, the deacon dismissed the people with the words, Ite, missa est-' Go, you are dismissed,' and thus finished the Mass, or Missa; for so the sacred liturgy came to be called from this ceremony of dismissal performed by the deacon, first at the end of the liturgy of the catechumens, and afterwards at the end of the Mass of the faithful.

In process of time the distinction between the catechumens and the faithful ceased, as well on account of the Church's custom of baptising children in their infancy, as on account of the conversion of whole nations to the faith. The Mass of the catechumens was not, however, discon

tinued, but was retained in substance as most useful for the faithful themselves, forming a beautiful supplement and addition to the Mass itself, and serving excellently to prepare and dispose the souls of the worshippers for the offering of the mystic sacrifice.

There are three things which principally hinder us from assisting worthily, and from partaking in all the fulness of the inestimable blessing contained in these tremendous mysteries. These defects are, first, sin; secondly, our natural unworthiness and misery; and, thirdly, our ignorance of the things of God. It should, therefore, be our unceasing study to remove these hindrances, and to make this our principal preparation for assisting at the divine Sacrifice. Accordingly, it is to this end that the portion of the sacred liturgy of the Mass preceding the Offertory is directed. For here, in the first place, it is the intention of the Church that the priest, and the whole people together with him, should publicly acknowledge themselves guilty, and confess that they have sinned in the presence of God and of the whole court of heaven, and therefore implore His mercy and pardon. In the next place, she directs them to beseech Almighty God, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin and of all the Saints, that He would vouchsafe His to all pregrace sent in an especial manner (as also to those who are absent, for whom prayer is likewise made); beseeching Him to supply, from the infinite abundance of His grace, all that is wanting through their vileness, misery, and unworthiness. Lastly, by the reading of the Prophecies, the Epistles, and Gospel, and the recitation of the Creed -the records of Divine revelation, she enlightens and instructs her children in the wisdom from above.

ARTICLE III.

AN EXPOSITION OF THE HOLY MASS.

SECTION I.

The origin and signification of the different parts of the Liturgy and Ceremonial.

Two fundamental causes called into existence the liturgy of the Mass. The first, which we may call the physical cause, was the necessity of making use of certain material things, of certain persons, of prayers, and other things of a like nature, in the repeated offering of the sacrifice ordained by Christ. The second, or moral cause, was the fitting celebration, with such provisions and arrangements as should fill men's hearts with devotion, and impress them with the majestic dignity of that sacrifice.

Guided by this motive, the holy Church proceeded to invest and adorn the unchangeable substance of the sacred liturgy with various accidental additions, which, appealing sublimely to the senses, raised at the same time the mind to holy meditation, and brought forth the powers of devotion of the heart. It was to aid the faithful in this that the Church was accustomed to connect the various sensible rites and ceremonies of the Mass with certain mystical meanings, having for their especial object the mysteries of redemption and the virtues of the Christian life.

These principles will guide us in the explanation of the various mystic significations of the different parts of the sacred liturgy, and which are reduced to three heads, viz. the natural sense, the allegorical, and the moral.

SECTION II.

Of the meaning of the altar and its ornaments.

The Church represents, 1, the upper chamber where