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Then Nabuchodonosor, in fury, and in wrato, com manded that Sidrach, Misach, and Abednago, should be brought; who immediately were brought before the king. And Nabuchodonosor the king spoke to them, and said: Is it true, O Sidrach, Misach, and Abednago, that you do not worship my gods, nor adore the golden statue that I have set up? Now therefore if you be ready, at what hour soever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, harp, sackbut, and psaltery, and symphony, and of all kind of music, prostrate yourselves, and adore the statue which I have made: but if you do not adore, you shall be cast in the same hour into the furnace of burning fire: and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand? Sidrach, Misach, and Abednago answered and said to king Nabuchodonosor: We have no occasion to answer thee concerning this matter. For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of burning fire, and to deliver us out of thy hands, O king. But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up. Then was Nabuchodonosor filled with fury: and the countenance of his face was changed against Sidrach, Misach, and Abednago, and he commanded that the furnace. should be heated seven times more than it had been accustomed to be heated. And he commanded the strongest men that were in his army, to bind the feet of Sidrach, Misach, and Abednago, and to cast them into the furnace of burning fire. And immediately these men were bound and were cast into the furnace of burning fire, with their coats and their caps, and their shoes, and their garments. For the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace was heated exceedingly. And the flame of the fire slew those men that had cast in Sidrach, Misach. and Abednago. But these three men, that is, Sidrach,

Misach, and Abednago, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire. And they walked in the midst of the flame praising God, and blessing the Lord.

Let us pray. Omnipotens.

Almighty and eternal God, the only hope of the world, who, by the voice of thy prophets, has manifested the mysteries of this present time: graciously increase the desires of thy people; since none of the faithful can advance in any virtue without thy inspiration. Thro'. R. Amen.

The BLESSING of the FONT.

When the Celebrant goes towards the Font, is said the TRACT. As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God. V. My soul hath thirsted after the living God: when shall I come and appear before the face of God? V. My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say to me every day: Where is now thy God?

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Concede.

Let us pray.

GRANT, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we, who celebrate the gift of the Holy Ghost, may, by the inspiration of heaven, earnestly thirst after the fountain of life. Thro'.... in unity of the same.

When the Priest comes to the Font. The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit. Almighty and eternal God, be present at these mysteries, be present at these sacraments of thy great goodness: and send forth the spirit of thy adoption to regenerate the new people, whom the font of baptism bringeth forth: that what is to be done by the ministry of us thy servants, may be accomplished by the effect of thy power. Thro' R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy

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spirit. F. Raise up your hearts on high. R. We have them raised up to the Lord. V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R. It is meet and just. T is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, to give thee thanks always, and in all places, O holy Lord, almighty Father, and eternal God: who, by thy invisible power, dost wonderfully produce the effects of thy sacraments: and, though we are unworthy to administer such great mysteries, yet, as thou dost not abandon the gifts of thy grace, so thou inclinest the ears of thy goodness even to our prayers. O God, whose spirit in the very beginning of the world moved upon the waters; that even then the nature of water might receive the virtue of sanctification: O God, who by water didst wash away the crimes of a guilty world, and by the overflowing of the deluge didst give us a figure of regeneration; that one and the same element might, in a mystery, be the end of vice, and the origin of virtue: look down, O Lord, on thy Church, and multiply in her thy regenerations, who by the streams of thy abundant grace, fillest thy city with joy, and openest the fonts of baptism all over the world for the renewal of the Gentiles; that by the command of thy majesty it may receive the grace of thy Son from the Holy Ghost.

Here the Priest divides the Water in the form of a Cross.

Who, by a secret mixture of his divine virtue, may render this water fruitful for the regeneration of men to the end that those, who are to be sanctified in the immaculate womb of this divine font, and are to be born again new creatures, may come forth a heavenly offspring; and that all, however, distinguished by age in time, or sex in body, may be brought forth to the same infancy by grace, their spiritual mother. Therefore may all unclean spirits, by thy command, O Lord, depart from hence

may all the malice of diabolical wiles be entirely banished; may no power of the enemy prevail here et him not fly about to lay his snares: let him not creep in by his secret artifices; let him not corrupt with his infection.

Here he touches the Water with his Hand.

May this holy and innocent creature be free from all assaults of the enemy, and purified by the destruction of all his malice. May it become a living fountain, a regenerating water, a purifying stream: that all those, that are to be washed in this saving bath, may obtain, by the efficacy of the Holy Ghost, the grace of a perfect purification.

Here he makes the Sign of the Cross thrice over the Font, saying:

Wherefore I bless thee, O creature of water, by the living God, by the true God, by the holy God; by that God, who in the beginning separated thee by his word from the dry land, and whose spirit moved upon thee.

[Here he divides the Water with his Hand, and throws some of it out towards the four quarters of the World.]

Who made thee flow from the fountain of paradise, and commanded thee to water the whole earth with thy four rivers. Who changing thy bitterness in the desert into sweetness, made thee fit to drink; and produced thee out of a rock to quench the thirst of the people. I bless thee also by our Lord Jesus Christ, his only Son: who, in Cana of Galilee, changed thee into wine, by a wonderful miracle of his power. Who walked upon thee dry-foot, and was baptized in thee by John in the Jordan. Who made thee flow out of his side, together with his blood, and commanded his disciples that such as believed should be baptized in thee, saying: Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father. and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

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Do thou, O Almighty God, mercifully assist us who observe this commandment: do thou graciously inspire us.

Here breathing thrice upon the Water in Form of a Cross, he says:

Do thou with thy mouth bless these clear waters; that besides their natural virtue of cleansing the body, they may also prove effectual for purifying the soul.

Then he sinks the Paschal Candle into the Water three different times, saying each time:

May the virtue of the Holy Ghost descend into all the water of this font.

Then breathing thrice on the Water, he goes on, And make the whole substance of this water fruitful, and capable of bringing to a new life.

Here the Paschal Candle is taken out of the Water, and the Priest goes on,

Here may the stains of all sin be washed out: here may human nature, created to thy image, and reformed to the honour of its author, be cleansed from the filth of the old man: that all who receive this sacrament of regeneration, may be born again new children of true innocence. Thro'-who is to come to judge the living and the dead, and the word by fire. R. Amen.

Here the People are sprinkled with the blessed Water, and some is taken away by the Ministers, to distribute to the people for use in their houses, afterwards the Oil of the Catechumens is poured in, in the Form of a Cross, the Priest saying:

May this font be sanctified and made fruitful by the oil of salvation for such as are to be born anew in it, unto life everlasting. R. Amen.

Then he pours the Chrism into it, saying:

May this infusion of the chrism of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, be performed in the name of the Holy Trinity. R. Amen.

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