929 BOOK (Daniel,!). W
the Holy Sacrifice of the * . Dootrine8 and
COLL.
S. MICHAELIS.
SKIPTON.
S.J.
BIB. M KIR
COLL.
S. MICHAELIS
SKIPTON.
S.J.
Cb. d& CbatMen d.
Lcndvn J>njtt&t for Joseph fiee/cer I^Fefr
HIERURGIA;
OR THE
HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS,
WITH
NOTES AND DISSERTATIONS
ELUCIDATING
ITS DOCTRINES AND CEREMONIES,
NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIVE PLATES, &c.
r
IN TWO PARTS.
lUftUNlO
BY DANIEL ROCK, D.D.
x. O
VOL, I.
LONDON:
JOSEPH BOOKER, NEW BOND STREET.
_ <?*
MDCCCXXXIII.
C. Richards, Printer, 100, St. Martm s-lane,Charing-cross.
TO
JOHN XVI. EARL OF SHREWSBURY,
EARL OF WATERFORD AND WEXFORD,
HEREDITARY LORD HIGH STEWARD OF IRELAND,
4rc. %c. Xfc.
THESE VOLUMES ARE INSCRIBED,
AS A TESTIMONY OF THE EDIFICATION DERIVED FROM A LONG AND NEAR
INSPECTION OF THOSE NUMEROUS VIRTUES WHICH SANCTIFY HIM AS
A CHRISTIAN, EXALT HIM AS A NOBLEMAN, AND ENDEAR HIM TO
EVERY ONE WHO HAS THE HAPPINESS OF HIS ACQUAINT
ANCE ; AND TO ERECT A MONUMENT OF THE GRATE
FUL, AND OF THE RESPECTFUL BUT SINCERE
ATTACHMENT OF THEIR AUTHOR,
DANIEL ROCK, DO.
ALTON TOWERS,
March 18, 1833.
PREFATORY NOTICE.
OF the more intelligent and inquiring amongst our
Protestant fellow-countrymen, several have occa
sionally manifested a desire to see a manual which
not only contained the prayers, but explained the
ceremonies, and elucidated the doctrine, of the
Mass. The purport of these pages is to fill up
such a deficiency in the number of those well-
composed and highly useful expositions of Catholic
doctrine, which we already possess.
The work is divided into two parts ; the first of
which embraces the Ordinary of the Mass, in Latin
and in English, to which are appended notes ex
planatory of the ceremonies and the ritual of the
Liturgy. The second part contains dissertations
on the doctrine of the Eucharist, as a sacrifice, and
a sacrament ; on the Invocation of Saints ; on
Purgatory ; on Images ; on Ceremonies ; on the
Vestments, and the history of their origin and
gradual change to their present form ; and on the
several points of ritual and disciplinary observance.
vi PREFATORY NOTICE.
The Roman Catacombs are precious and highly
interesting to every true believer in the Gospel,
from their having been the burial-place of the holy
martyrs and primitive Christians, from their still
exhibiting the very subterraneous chambers in
which the earliest followers of Christ at Rome were
accustomed to assemble on the Lord s day, in order
to assist at, and partake of, the Eucharistic sacri
fice, and from furnishing a residence and refuge
to the popes, the clergy, and the faithful in gene
ral, during more than twelve fiery persecutions.
The Basilicas erected by Constantine in the old
capital of the Roman empire, and by his immediate
successors and pious individuals, in the same city
and in other parts of the Italian peninsula, are also
highly valuable. United together, the catacombs
and ancient churches of Rome and of Italy in gene
ral, constitute a wide and fertile field of monu
ments, both curiously interesting and serviceable
alike to the theologian, the ecclesiastical antiquary
and the artist. Over any part of this diversified
region, the British reader has seldom, perhaps
never, been conducted, while making those enqui
ries, and prosecuting those investigations, on liti
gated articles of doctrine and discipline, which in
every other quarter have been directed in the most
masterly and able manner, and display the fruits
of long and toilsome research over a widely ex
tended field of erudition. The author has broken
up this new and prolific ground, and has not un-
PREFATORY NOTICE. vii
frequently alleged an inscription from a martyr s
tomb, to fortify his argument in vindication of
some tenet of the ancient faith ; and produced a
fresco-painting, or a piece of sculpture, from the
subterranean chambers of the catacombs, and a
mosaic from some ancient church, to explain the
origin of our present sacerdotal vestments, or in
illustration of the rites and ceremonies still prac
tised at the celebration of our holy Liturgy. A
repeated inspection of many of those venerable
monuments, during a college-residence of almost
seven delightful years, in the centre of Christianity,
convinced the author of their inestimable value and
importance, at the same time that it awakened a
desire to study and investigate them. Such im
pressions were more deeply imprinted on his mind,
at a second visit to Rome, in which he was indulged
for the improvement of his health, during the win
ter of 1828-29, by the liberality of his kind and
noble patron the Earl of Shrewsbury, who pro
cured and placed at his disposal, during the com
position of the present volumes, works not only
highly interesting, but necessary, yet so expensive,
as to be entirely beyond the author s means of
purchase.
Knowing, from self-experience, that the vculus
jidelis, the faithful eye can collect much more
information by a single glance at the drawing of
a pictorial or sculptured monument of antiquity,
viii PREFATORY NOTICE.
than from perusing whole chapters taken up with
the most minute and elaborate descriptions of it,
he was determined to enrich his labours with copies
of those monuments referred to in the text, or ac
companying notes. The reader will, therefore, find
these pages embellished with several copper-plate
and wood engravings, executed by Mr. Moses,
and other artists of the first order in the respective
branches of their profession, and whom the author
must congratulate on the able manner in which
they have acquitted themselves of the task confided
to their care.
The reader will, no doubt, detect the absence
of true perspective, remark several obvious faults
in the drawing of the human figure, and notice
other seeming deficiencies in some at least of the
engravings which are scattered through these vo
lumes. He should, however, bear in mind, that
of these graphic illustrations of the text, many
were selected from monuments executed at a period
when painting and sculpture, together with the
sister-arts and sciences, were sinking into, or
emerging from, that night of ignorance which dark
ened Europe during the middle ages.* As these
* No admirer of the Fine Arts should be without the talented
and elaborate works of D Agincourt and Cicognara. The learned
Frenchman employed thirty years in the compilation of his His-
toire de I Art par les Monumens, depnis sa Decadence au 4eme
PREFATORY NOTICE. ix
monuments were produced to elucidate an ancient
custom, or to corroborate some argument, by no
ticing the accordance in Catholic belief at the pre
sent moment, with that of early times, the author
considered it a religious duty to exhibit as accurate
transcripts of them as he could possibly procure.
Hence he solicited those friends who so kindly
furnished him with tracings and copies of these
ancient monuments, and directed the artists who
engraved them, to be as minutely faithful in their
respective delineations, and transcribe them
siecle, jusqu d son renouvellement au 16eme ; and the patriotic
Italian has eloquently advanced the claims of his own Italy as the
nurse of all the family of the Arts, in his Storia delta Scultura
dal suo Risorgimento in Italia Jino al secolo di Canova. How
deeply it is to be regretted that no Englishman has hitherto been
stimulated by the patriotism of Cicognara, or warmed by a love for
the Arts, similar to that which quickened D Agincourt, to achieve
for Great Britain what these authors, with small fortunes and no
patronage, have done for Italy for Europe. Materials are abun
dant; since not only are our native productions, especially from
the tenth century, most numerous in architecture, sculpture, and
painting in illuminated MSS., but many of them still exist in the
highest state of preservation. Nothing is wanting, but some indi
vidual, with sufficient abilities and the necessary acquirements,
with the will to collect and arrange those splendid national monu
ments, to vindicate the honour of Britain, and prove the ancient
success with which she cultivated the Arts, at least from the tenth
up to the commencement of the sixteenth century, and hence de
monstrate her actual capability of recovering her former glory, and
adding to it new splendours, if animated to such a meritorious enter
prise by due encouragement.
x PREFATORY NOTICE.
with every fault, however glaring. The object, in
this instance, was not to improve nor decorate,
but to render fac-similes of those curious originals
which, notwithstanding their defects, are interest
ing to the artist and antiquary.
The author cannot allow the present occasion
to pass away without making suitable acknowledg
ments to the publisher of these volumes, for that
solicitude and attention which he manifested during
the printing of them. The author therefore avails
himself of this opportunity of offering to Mr.
Booker, of New Bond Street, his best thanks, not
only for his attention and immediate acquiescence
to every one of the suggestions for the printing
and embellishment of this work ; but for the
ready zeal and prompt exactitude with which he
carried them into effect. For the handsome spe
cimen of typography, and beautiful style in which
the plates and illustrations are executed, the public
are indebted to Mr. Booker, who, in taking upon
himself the responsibility of publishing the present
volumes, spared no expense in carrying them
through the press.
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
PART THE FIRST.
Page
Sprinkling of the Holy water - 1
Ordinary of the Mass - -4
Benediction with the blessed Sacrament after Mass - - 64
Notes on the Rubrics - - - - - - -71
PART THE SECOND.
CHAPTER. I.
SECT. I.
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
1. The necessity of interior and exterior worship. 2. Sacrifice of
fered from the beginning of the world. 3. What sacrifice is.
4. The four ends of sacrifice. 5. The legal sacrifices were of
no avail when unconnected with the future death of the Re
deemer. 6. A new sacrifice was necessary. 7. The sacrifice
of the Cross a true sacrifice. 8. All the ancient sacrifices
comprehended in it. 9. The unbloody sacrifice of the New
Law - - p. 167
SECTION II.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
10. The Mass a true sacrifice. 11. Sacrifice of Melchisedech.
12. The sacrifice of Melchisedech elucidated by the Fathers.
13. Illustrated by an ancient Mosaic at Ravenna. 14. The
Paschal Lamb a figure of the sacrifice of the Mass. 15. Accom
plishment of the prophecy of Malachias in the sacrifice of the
Mass. 16. Christ announces a new sacrifice. 17. The sacrifice
of the Mass proved from St. Paul - - p. 177
Xll CONTENTS.
SECTION III.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
18. The Real Presence. 19. The promise made by Christ that
he would give us his flesh and blood to eat and drink. 20. Ob
jection answered. 21. Proof from the Institution. Objections
answered. 22. The Real Presence proved from St. Paul. 23.
Taught by the rest of the Apostles. 24. All the ancient Litur
gies attest the Real Presence - - - p. 201
SECTION IV.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
25. What is meant by the term. 26. Transubstantiation proved
from Scripture. 27. Attested by St. Cyril. 28. Illustrated by
a practice of the modern Greek Church. Objections answered.
29. From St. Paul. 30. Objection of the term Transubstantia
tion. 31. Recapitulation - p. 237
CHAPTER II.
SECT. I.
HISTORY OF THE MASS.
1. Christ said the first Mass. 2. Christ directed the Apostles to
celebrate Mass. 3. The Apostles said Mass. 4. A ceremonial
instituted by the Apostles for offering up Mass. 5. Attested by
St. John. 6. The remarks of some Protestants noticed. 7. The
Liturgy indicated by St. Ignatius. 8. Noticed by Pliny. 9.
Described by St. Justin - p. 259
SECTION II.
LAY COMMUNION.
10. Belief of the Church on Lay Communion. 11. Communion
under one kind of Apostolic institution. 12. When and why
generally adopted by the Latin Church. 13. Agreeable to Scrip
ture. 14. Objection from Scripture answered. 15. Unleavened
bread used at the Last Supper. 16. Unleavened bread used by
CONTENTS. Kill
the Latin Church ; by the Maronites, and Armenians. 17. The
sacrament hinted at in the Apocalypse. 18. The circular form
of the Host very ancient - - - p. 273
CHAPTER III.
ON THE TERM MASS.
1. Meaning of the word Mass. 2. Origin of it. 3. The anti
quity of its use - - p. 297
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE USE OF LATIN AT MASS.*
An unknown tongue used in the Jewish Temple. 2. Not
blamed by Christ, who prayed in an unknown tongue. 3. Rea
sons why the Catholic Church uses Latin at Mass. 4. The
people not necessarily obliged to understand the language of
the Mass. 5. Latin at Mass no-wise prejudicial to the people.
6. Greeks, Syrians, Copts, and Armenians, use an unknown
tongue at Mass. 7. Objection answered. 8. Stricture on the
Protestant version of the words of St. Paul - p. 307
CHAPTER V.
ON THE INVOCATION OF SAINTS AND ANGELS.
1 . Immeasurable distance between the worship given to God, and
the reverence shown to the Saints. 2. Religious respect may
be rendered to Saints and Angels. 3. The Angels and Saints
make intercession for men. 4. Inferred from the communion
of Saints in the Apostles Creed. 5. From the charity which
animates the Saints. 6. The Invocation of Angels proved from
Scripture ; from the Psalms ; from Genesis ; from the Apoca
lypse. 7. The Invocation of Saints proved from Scripture. 8.
Holy men have, even in this life, been invoked by others. 9.
XIV CONTENTS.
Invocation of Saints in the primitive Church proved from an
cient inscriptions. 10. Invocation of Saints in the Anglo-Saxon
Church. 11. Contained in all the Liturgies. 12. Objections
answered. 13. Charity engages the Saints to pray for us. 14.
They have the power of doing it. 15. They know what passes
upon earth. 16. Their intercession not derogatory to the me-
diatorship of Christ. 17. Manner of addressing God through
the Saints. 18. Similarity of Catholic and Protestant prayers.
19. Inconsistency of an objection - - p. 323
INDEX OF PLATES AND WOOD-CUTS.
VOL. I.
1. Copper-plate. THE ELEVATION. To be placed as frontispiece to Vol. i.
The lower part represents the Elevation of the Host,
immediately after it has been consecrated. The upper
portion of the engraving was suggested by various pas
sages in the Apocalypse, respecting the mystic sacrifice
of the Lamb, which St. John saw in vision.
The beautiful passage extracted from the writings
of the eloquent St. John Chrysostom, A.D. 398, which
may be found at p. 142, will furnish an appropriate elu
cidation of the subject of this engraving.
2. Copper-plate. THE CRUCIFIXION. To be placed to face p. 38.
After Michael Angelo. The original design is in the
possession of the reigning prince of Lucca, and deposited
in the ducal palace of that city.
3. Wood-cut. Figure of Melchisedech, from an ancient mosaic in
the Church of St. Vitalis at Ravenna, p. 186.
4. Wood-cut. The painting which usually ornaments the ceiling
over the altar, in Greek churches, j9. 243.
During the time that M. deNointel was ambassador
of France at the Porte, he visited many of the churches
belonging to the Greeks. Excepting in those which
were extremely poor, he invariably observed a lamp
suspended and burning before the place in which the
blessed Sacrament was deposited. His attention was
attracted by certain paintings representing sometimes
an altar on which lay an open volume exhibiting these
XVI INDEX, ETC.
words : Take eat ; this is my body ; at other times, a
chalice, out of which Jesus Christ was issuing, under
the form of a little infant, having the hook of the Gospels
opened, and showing the words of consecration on the
right, and on the left the Eucharistic bread. In some
churches, the ambassador observed, over the altar, a
painting in which there appeared the chalice, the Host,
and the book of the Gospels, with figures on both sides,
each holding in his hand a scroll, on which was written,
God, our God, who hast sent us thy celestial bread
which is the nourishment of the world. The pictures
that are to be more generally seen, are those which re
present angels and saints adoring the Host made in the
form of a human figure, and the chalice on an altar.
Le Brun. torn. vi. p. 660.
5. Two Woodcuts. Arculse, or little boxes, used in the first ages of the
Church, by the faithful, for carrying home the blessed
Eucharist after Mass, p. 273.
6. Copper-plate. The various forms of the Host, or Eucharistic bread.
To face p. 294. 1. Form of the Eucharistic bread in
the Latin Church. 2. Its form in the Greek Church.
Corban, or Eucharistic bread used by the Copts.
THE LITURGY OF THE MASS.
SPRINKLING OF THE HOLY WATERS
^f Before Solemn Mass on Sundays, one of the
following Anthems is sung, according to the
time of the year.
COMMON
PS.L. v.ix. Asperges
me Domine hyssopo, et
mundabor : lavabis me,
et super nivem dealba-
bor.
PS.L. v.iii. Miserere
mei, Deus, secundum
magnam misericordiam
tuam.
ANTHEM.
PS.L. v.ix. Thoushalt
sprinkle me, O Lord,
with hyssop, (2) and I
shall be cleansed : thou
shalt wash me, and I
shall be made whiter
than snow.
Ps. L. v. iii. Have mer
cy on me, O God, ac
cording to thy great
mercy.
THE LITURGY
V. Gloria Patri, et
Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
R. Sicut erat in prin-
cipio, et nunc, et sem
per, et in ssecula ssecu-
lorum. Amen.
Ant. Aspergesme,&c.
V. Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the
beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
Ant. Thou shalt
sprinkle me, &c.
The Priest being returned to the foot of the
Altar says ;
V. Show us, O Lord,
thy mercy.
V. Ostende nobis
Domine misericordiam
tuam.
R. Et salutare tuum
da nobis.
V. Domine exaudi
orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus
ad te veniat.
V. Dominus vobis-
cum.
R. Et cum spirit u
tuo.
Or emus:
Exaudi nos, Domine
R. And grant us thy
salvation.
V. O Lord, hear my
prayer.
R. And let my cry
come unto thee.
V. The Lord be with
you.
R.
And with thy
spirit.
Let us pray:
Hear us, O Holy
sancte, Pater omnipo- Lord, Almighty Father,
tens, seterne Deus ; et eternal God ! and vouch-
mittere digneris sane- safe to send thy holy
OF THE MASS.
turn Angelum tuum de
ccelis, qui custodial, fo-
veat, protegat, visitet,
atque defendat omnes
habitantes in hoc habi-
taculo. Per Christum
Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
Angel from heaven, to
guard, cherish, protect,
visit, and defend, all
who are assembled in
this place. Through
Jesus Christ our Lord-
R. Amen.
^f From Easter to Whitsunday, inclusively, in
stead of the foregoing Anthem, (Asperges, &c.)
the following is sung, and Alleluias are added
to the V. (Ostende nobis) and to its R. (Et Salu-
tare, &c.)
ANTHEM.
Ezech. C.XLVII. Vidi Ezech.c.xLvn. I saw
aquam egredientem de water flowing from the
templo a latere dextero, right side of the temple,
Alleluia: et omnes ad Alleluia: and all to whom
quos pervenit aqua is-
ta, salvi facti sunt, et
dicent, Alleluia.
Ps. Confitemini Domi-
that water came, were
saved, and they shall
say, Alleluia.
Ps. Give praise to
no, quoniam bonus : quo- the Lord, for he is good,
niam in saeculum miseri- for his mercy endureth
cordia ejus. Gloria, &c. for ever. Glory, &c.
B 2
THE LITURGY
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. (S)
Being arrived at the foot of the Altar, and
having made a reverence to the Crucifix^ the
Priest commences Mass lnj making the sign of
the Cross, , (5) and saying the following Psalm.
At Solemn High Mass, (6} the Priest is accom
panied by a Deacon and Sub-deacon. At High
Mass, as celebrated in country congregations,
and at Low Mass, he is attended by Lay indi
viduals, who, in the language of the Church,
are called Acolytes^
In nomine Patris, 4"
et Filii, et Spiritus Sanc-
ti. Amen.
Introibo
In the name of the
Father/ 8) * and of the
Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen.
Antlphon^ I will go
in to the altar of God.
Antiphona.
ad altar e Dei.
R. Ad Deum,quil8eti- R. To God who giv-
ficat juventutem rneam. eth joy to my youth.
Ps. XLII. Judica me, PS.XLII. (IO) Judge me,
Deus, et discerne cau- O God, and distinguish
sam meam de gente non my cause from the nation
sancta : ab homine ini- that is not holy, deliver
quo et doloso erue me. me from the unjust and
deceitful man.
R. Quia tu es, Deus, R. For thou art, God,
fortitude mea : quare me my strength : why hast
OF THE MASS.
repulisti? et quare tristis
incedo dum affligit me
inimicus?
P. Emitte lucem tu-
am, et veritatem tuam:
ipsa me deduxerunt et
adduxerunt in montem
sanctum tuum, et in
tabernacula tua.
R. Et introibo ad al ta
re Dei : ad Deum qui lae-
tificat juventutem me-
am.
P. Confitebor tibi in
cithara, Deus ; Deus
meus : quare tristis es
anima mea? et quare
conturbas me?
R. Spera in Deo quo-
niam adhuc confitebor
illi : salutare vultus mei,
et Deus meus.
P. Gloria Patri, et
Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
R. Sicut erat in prin-
cipio, et nunc, et sem-
thou cast me off? and
why do I go sorrowful
whilst the enemy af-
flicteth me?
P. Send forth thy
light and thy truth :
they have conducted me,
and brought me unto
thy holy hill, and into
thy tabernacles.
R. And I will go in
to the altar of God ; to
God who giveth joy to
my youth.
P. To thee, O God,
my God, I will give
praise upon the harp :
why art thou sad, O my
soul? and why dost thou
disquiet me ?
R. Hope in God, for
I will still give praise
to him : the salvatipn
of my countenance, and
my God.
P. Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the
beginning, is now, and
6 THE LITURGY
per, et in saecula ssecu- ever shall be, world
lorum. Amen. without end. Amen. (11)
P. Introibo ad altare P. I will go in to the
Dei. Altar of God.
R. Ad Deum qui Iseti- R. To God who giv-
ficat juventutem meam. eth joy to my youth.
P. Adjutorium 4- nos- P. May our help % be
trum in nomine Domini, in the name of the Lord.
R. Qui fecit coelum et R. Who made heaven
terrain. and earth.
*[[ Inclining his he adf^ profoundly, the Priest
says :
Confiteor Deo omni- I confess to Almighty
potenti, beatse Mariae God, to the blessed Mary,
semper Virgin!, beato ever a virgin, to blessed
Michael! Archangelo ; Michael the Archangel,
beato Joanni Baptistse, to blessed John the Bap-
sanctis apostolis Petro tist, to the holy apostles
et Paulo, omnibus sane- Peter and Paul, to all the
tis, et vobis fratres : quia saints, and to you,breth-
peccavi nimis cogitatio- ren, that I have sinned
ne,verbo,etopere, (Per- exceedingly in thought,
cutit sibi pectus ter y di- word, and deed, (Here he
cens) mea culpa, mea strikes his breast thrice,
culpa,mea maxima culpa. (13) ) through my fault,
Ideo precor be^tam Ma- through my fault,through
riam semper Virginem, my most grievous fault.
beatumMichaelemArch- Therefore I beseech the
angelum, beatum Jo- blessed Mary, ever a Vir-
OF THE MASS.
annem Baptistam, sano
tos apostolos Petrum, et
Paulum, omnes sanctos,
et vos fratres, orare pro
me ad Dominum Deum
nostrum.
R. Misereatur tui
omnipotens Deus, et
dimissis peccatis tuis,
perducat te ad vitam
seternam.
P. Amen.
gin, (14) blessed Michael
the Archangel, (15) blessed
John the Baptist, (16) the
holy apostles Peter and
Paul, (17) and all the
Saints, (18) and you, breth
ren/ 1 ^ to pray to the Lord
our God for me. (a0)
R. May Almighty God
be merciful unto thee,
and forgiving thee thy
sins, bring thee to ever
lasting life.
P. Amen.
At solemn High Mass, the Deacon and Sub-
deacon, and, at other Masses, the Acolytes, re
peat the Confiteor Deo omnipotent}, &c. (I con
fess to Almighty God, &c.) with this sole varia
tion, that they substitute " et tibi Pater," " et te
Pater," (" thee Father,") in place of "V obis Fra-
tres," " et vos Fratres," (" You brethren.")
P. Misereatur vestri
omnipotens Deus, et
dimissis peccatis ves-
tris, perducat vos ad
vitam seternam.
R. Amen.
P. Indulgentiam HH
absolutionem, et remis-
P. May Almighty God
be merciful unto you,
and, forgiving you your
sins, bring you to life
everlasting.
R. Amen.
P. May the Almighty
and merciful Lord grant
s
THE LITURGY
sionem peccatorum nos-
trorum, tribuat nobis,
omnipotens, et miseri-
cors Dominus.
R. Amen.
P. Deus tu conversus
vivificabis nos.
R. Et plebs tua laeta-
bitur in te.
P. Ostende nobis Do-
mine, misericordiam tu-
am.
R. Et salutare tuum
da nobis.
P. Domine, exaudi o-
rationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad
te veniat.
P. Dominus vobis-
cum.
R. Etcumspiritu tuo.
us pardon, -I- absolution,
and remission of our
sins.
R. Amen.
P. Turn to us, O God,
and thou wilt enliven us.
R. And thy people
will rejoice in thee.
P. Show us, O Lord,
thy mercy.
R. And grant us thy
salvation.
P. O Lord, hear my
prayer.
R. And let my cry
come unto thee.
P. The Lord be with
you. (21)
R. And with thy spirit.
^f Extending and then joining his hands, he
says :
Oremus : Let us pray :
^f In ascending the steps of the Altar, he recites
to himself:
Aufer a nobis quae- Take away from us our
sumus, Domine, iniqui- iniquities, we beseech
OF THE MASS. 9
tates nostras ; ut ad thee,O Lord, that we may
sancta sanctorum, puris be worthy to enter with
mereamnr mentibus in- pure minds into the holy
troire : per Christum Do- of holies : through Christ
minum nostrum. Amen, our Lord. Amen.
^[ Being arrived at the Altar, he bows down,
and kisses it, ( ^ } saying :
Oramus te, Domine, We beseech thee, O
per merita sanctorum Lord, by the merits of thy
tuorum, quorum reli- saints, whose relics are
quiae hie sunt, et omni- here, and of all the
um sanctorum, ut in- saints, that thou wouldst
dulgere digneris omnia vouchsafe to forgive me
peccata mea. Amen. all my sins. Amen.
^f Here, at High Mass, the Priest blesses the
Incense (23) by making the sign of the cross over
it, while he recites the following words :
Ab illo bene 4- dica- Mayest thou be bless-
ris, in cujus honore ere- ed HH by him in whose
maberis. Amen. honour thou shalt be
burned. Amen.
^f And afterwards fumes the Altar. Then turning
to the book, or as it is called, the Missal, he
makes the sign of the cross, and reads thelntrQit,
which is different every day. The one inserted
properly belongs to Trinity Sunday.
10
THE LITURGY
INTROIT.P*)
Benedicta 4- sit sane- Blessed % be the ho-
ta Trinitas, atque indi- ly Trinity, and undi-
visa Unitas: confitebi- vided Unity: we will
praise him because he
hath shown his mercy
to us.
Ps. O Lord, our God,
how wonderful is thy
name over the utmost
mur ei,
biscum
quia fecit no-
misericordiam
suam.
Ps. Domine, Domi-
nus noster, quam ad-
mirabileestnomen tuum
in universa terra. Gloria
Patriot Filio, et Spiritui Glory be to the Father,
Sancto. Sicut erat in and to the Son, and to
principio, et nunc, et the Holy Ghost. As it
was in the beginning,
boundaries of the earth.
semper, et in saecula sae-
culorum. Amen.
P. Kyrie Eleison. (25)
R. Kyrie Eleison.
P. Kyrie Eleison.
R. Christe Eleison.
P. Christe Eleison.
is now, and ever shall
be, world without end,
Amen.
P. Lord have mercy
upon us.
R. Lord have mercy
upon us.
P. Lord have mercy
upon us.
R. Christ have mercy
upon us.
P. Christ have mercy
upon us.
OF THE MASS. 1 1
R. Christe Eleison. R. Christ have mercy
upon us.
P. Kyrie Eleison. P. Lord have mercy
upon us.
R. Kyrie Eleison. R. Lord have mercy
upon us.
P. Kyrie Eleison. P. Lord have mercy
upon us.
*ff The Priest goes to the middle of the Altar,
where, extending both his arms, he recites the
Gloria in Excelsis, if it is to be said, and bows
his head at the word Deo or God.
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS.(26)
Gloria in excelsis Deo, Glory be to God on
et in terra pax homini- high , and, on earth, peace
bus bonae voluntatis. to men of good will.
Laudamus te ; benedici- We praise thee; we bless
mus te ; adoramus te ; thee ; we adore thee ; we
glorificamus te. Gratias glorify thee. We give thee
agimustibiproptermag- thanks for thy great
nam gloriam tuam. Do- Glory, O Lord God, hea-
mine Deus, Rex cceles- venly King, God the Fa-
tis, Deus Pater omnipo- ther Almighty. O Lord
tens. Domine Fili, uni- Jesus Christ, the only
genite Jesu Christe ; Do- begotten Son. O Lord
mine Deus, Agnus Dei, God, Lamb of God, Son
Filius Patris, qui tollis of the Father, who tak-
peccata mundi, miserere est away the sins of the
nobis. Qui tollis pec- world, have mercy on us.
12 THE LITURGY
cata mundi, suscipe Who takest away the
deprecationem nostram. sins of the world receive
Qui sedes ad dexteram our prayer. Who sittest
Patris, miserere nobis. at the right hand of the
Quoniam tu solus sane- Father, have mercy on
tus, Tu solus Dominus, us. For thou only art
Tu solus altissimus Jesu holy, Thou only art
Christe, cum SanctoSpi- Lord, Thou only, O Je-
ritu, in gloria Dei Patris. sus Christ, together with
Amen. the Holy Ghost, art most
high in the glory of God
the Father. Amen.
^[ Immediately after reciting the Gloria in excel-
sis at Low Mass; and at High Mass when the
choir has concluded singing it, and he is returned
from his seat; the Priest kisses the middle of the
Altar, and turning with outstretched arms, pro
claims this fervent wish; ( ^ }
P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with
cum. you.
R. Et cum spiritu R. And with thy
tuo. spirit.
^f Afterwards the Priest turns to the Missal and
with uplifted hands, (28) recites the Collect, (29) or
Collects for the day, making a slight inclina
tion of the head towards the crucifix^ each time
he says "Oremus," or pronounces the sacred
name of Jesus.
OF THE MASS.
COLLECT.
Oremus. Let us pray^
Omnipotens sempi- O Almighty and ever-
terne Deus, qui dedisti lasting God, who hast
famulis tuis in confessi- given to thy servants
one verse fidei, seternse to acknowledge in the
Trinitatis gloriam ag- confession of the true
noscere, et in potentia faith, the glory, and to
majestatis adorare uni- adore in the power of
tatem : qusesumus, ut thy majesty, the unity
ejusdem fidei firmitate, of the eternal Trinity :
ab omnibus semper mu- We beseech thee that,
niamur adversis. PerDo-
minum nostrum Jesum
Christum filium tuum:
Qui tecum vivit et reg-
by the strength of this
faith, we may be de
fended from all adver
sities. Through our
nat in unitate spiritus Lord Jesus Christ thy
sancti Deus, per omnia Son : who liveth and
ssecula saeculorum. reigneth with Thee in
the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world
without end.
R. Amen. R. Amen. (32)
OCCASIONAL COLLECTS.
^[ From Candlemas-day, to Passion-Sunday, and
from the third Sunday after Pentecost, till Ad
vent, except on those Feasts which are called
Doubles, or within Octaves ; the following is
the second Collect.
14 THE LITURGY
Or emus. Let us pray.
A cunctis nos, quae- Defend us, O Lord,
sumus Domine, mentis we beseech thee, from
et corporis defende pe- all dangers of body and
riculis; et intercedente soul ; and the blessed
beata et gloriosa sem- and glorious Mary the
per Virgine Dei geni- ever Virgin mother of
trice Maria,, cum beatis God, together with thy
Apostolis tuis Petro et blessed Apostles Peter
Paulo, atque beato N., and Paul, and the bless-
et omnibus sanctis, sa- ed N., and all the saints
lutem nobis tribue be- interceding for us ; (33)
nignus et pacem; ut de- grant us, in thy mercy,
structisadversitatibuset health and peace, that
erroribus universis, EC- all adversities and errors
clesia tua secura tibi ser- being removed, thy
viat libertate. Church may serve thee
with a pure and undis
turbed devotion.
^f From the first Sunday in Advent to Christmas-
eve, after the Collect of the day, the following
is said:
Deus, qui de beatae O God who wast
Maria? Virginis utero pleased that thy Word
Verbum tuum, Angelo when the Angel deliver-
nuntiante, carnem sus- ed his message, should
cipere voluisti : prsesta take flesh from the womb
supplicibus tuis; ut of the blessed Virgin
qui vere earn genitricem Mary ; give ear to our
OF THE MASS. 15
Dei credimus, ejus apud humble petitions; and
te intercessionibus adju- grant, that we who be-
vemur. lieve her to be truly the
mother of God, may be
assisted by her prayers.
^f To this is added a third, which is left to the
choice of the Priest who in general selects
either of these two.
Omnipotens sempi- O Almighty and ever-
terne Deus, cujus spi- lasting God, by whose
ritu totum corpus EC- spirit the whole body
clesiae sanctificatur et of the Church is sanc-
regitur : exaudi nos pro tified and governed ;
universis ordinibus sup- hear our humble pray-
plicantes : ut gratise tuae ers for all degrees there-
munere, ab omnibus tibi of, that by the assistance
gradibus fideliter servia- of thy grace, they may
tur. Per Dominum nos- faithfully serve thee.
trum Jesum Christum Through our Lord Jesus
filium tuum : Qui tecum Christ thy son : Who
vivit et regnat in unita- liveth and reigneth with
te ejusdem spiritus sane- Thee in the unity of the
ti Deus : per omnia sae- same Holy Ghost, one
cula sseculorum. God, world without end.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
1 Or,
Deus omnium fide- O God, the pastor
Hum pastor et rector, and governor of all the
16 THE LITURGY
famulum tu urn N., quern faithful, look down, in
pastorem Ecclesise tuse thy mercy, on thy ser-
praeesse voluisti, propi- vant N., whom thou hast
tius respice : da ei, quae- appointed pastor over thy
sumus, verbo et exem- Church: and grant, we
plo quibus praeest profi- beseech thee, that, both
cere : ut ad vitam, una by word and example,
cum grege sibi credito, he may edify all those
perveniat sempiternam. who are under his charge,
Per Dominurn nostrum and with the flock in-
Jesum Christum filium trusted to him, arrive at
tuum: Qui tecum vivat length at eternal happi-
et regnat in imitate spi- ness. Through our Lord
ritus sancti Deus ; per Jesus Christ thy Son :
omniasaeculasaeculorum. Who liveth and reigneth
with thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
EPISTLE. (34)
Lectio Epistolae beati Epistle of St. Paul
Pauli Apostoli ad Ro- to the Romans, c. xi.
inanos. c. xi. v. 33, 36. v. 33-36.
O Altitudo divitia- O the depth of the
rum sapientiae et scien- riches of the wisdom
tiae Dei; quam incom- and of the knowledge
prehensibilia sunt judi- of God! How incompre-
cia ejus, et investiga- hensible are his judge-
biles viae ejus! Quis ments, and how un-
OF THE MASS. 17
enim cognovit sensum searchable his ways !
Domini: aut quis con- For who hath known the
siliarius ejus fuit: Aut mind of the Lord ? Or
quis prior dedit illi, et who hath been his coun-
retribuetur ei ? Quo- sellor? Or who hath first
niam ex ipso, et per given to him, and recom-
ipsum, et in ipso sunt pense shall be made him?
omnia. Ipsi honor et For of him, and by him,
gloria, in ssecula saecu- and in him, are all things:
lorum. Amen. to him be glory for ever.
Amen.
R. Deo Gratias. R. Thanks be to God.
A prayer which may be said at the Epistle.
Thou hast vouchsafed, O Lord, to teach us thy
sacred truths by thy Prophets and Apostles ; Grant,
therefore, O my God, that I may listen to thy divine
instructions with profound respect, and docility of
heart. But, above all, grant, that I may so improve
by this sacred word in the love of thy holy name,
and in the observance of thy law, as to show forth
in my whole conduct, that I am truly thy disciple ;
that I may no longer follow the corrupt inclina
tions of flesh and blood, but may master all my
passions ; and strengthened by thy grace, and di
rected by thy light, so walk on in the way of thy
commandments, as never more wilfully to offend
thee by any mortal sin ; for I know thou hast said :
Be ye doers of the word i and not hearers only
(St. James i. 22.) for not the hearers of the law
18 THE LITURGY
are just before God ; but the doers of the law
shall be justified. (Rom. ii. 13.)
^[ At solemn High Mass, the Subdeacon chants the
Epistle, which varies according to the Sunday
or Festival.
GRADUAL.^)
Dan.c. in. Benedictus Dan. c. m. Blessed art
es Domine, qui intueris thou,OLord,whobehold-
abyssos, et sedes super est the deeps, and sittest
Cherubim. on the Cherubim.
V. Benedictus es, Do- V. Blessed art thou, O
mine,infirmamentocoeli, Lord, in the firmament
et laudabilis in saecula, of the heaven, and wor-
Alleluia, Alleluia. thy of praise for ever.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
V. Benedictus es, Do- V. Blessed art thou, O
mine, Deus patrum nos- Lord, the God of our fa-
trorum, et laudabilis in thers, and worthy of
ssecula. Alleluia. praise for ever. Alleluia.
^f The Gradual varies with the Sunday ; but from
Septuagesima Sunday until the Saturday in
Holy Week, for this Alleluia of the Gradual, is
substituted some portion of the Psalms, which
is denominated the Tract. (36)
^[ At High Mass the Priest here blesses the In
cense with the usual prayer : and standing at
OF THE MASS. 19
the middle of the Altar, inclines his he ad lowly
down, and with joined hands resting on the edge
of the holy table, repeats this invocation:
Munda cor meum, ac Cleanse my heart,
labia mea, omnipotens and my lips, O Al-
Deus, qui labia Isaise mighty God, who didst
prophetae calculo mun- cleanse the lips of the
dasti ignito, ita me tua prophet Isaiah with a
grata miseratione dig- burning coal: and vouch-
nare mundare, ut sane- safe, through thy gra-
tum Evangelium tuum cious mercy, so to purify
digne valeam nuntiare. me, that I may worthily
Per Christum Domi- announce thy holy gos-
num nostrum. Amen. pel. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Dominus sit in corde May the Lord be in
meo, et in labiis meis: my heart, and on my
ut digne et competen- lips, that I may wor-
ter annuntiem Evan- thily and in a becoming
gelium suum. Amen. manner announce his
holy Gospel. Amen.
^] In the interim, the Acolytes, hearing their ta
pers elevated^ and the Thurifer, with the In
cense^ proceed to the Gospel-side of the sanc
tuary, where they remain during the chanting
or lecture of the Gospel, at which time the whole
of the congregation stands up. (39)
c2
20 THE LITURGY
solemn High Mass, the Deacon cleposites the
book of the Gospels on the Altar ; (40) and then
recites, upon his knees, the prayer Munda cor
meum, (Cleanse my heart) fyc. Having taken the
book of the Gospels from the Altar, lie kneels
down and asks the Pries fs blessing; after re
ceiving which, he is accompanied by the Thuri-
fer and the Acolytes to the left side of the Al
tar, where he chants the Gospel.
GOSPEL.
P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with
cum. you.
R. Etcum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit.
*k Sequentia sancti E- 4- The following is
vangelii secundum Mat- part of the Gospel accor-
thseum. ding to St. Matthew.
R. Gloria tibi Do- R. Glory be to thee,
mine. O Lord.
^f At these latter words, the Priest makes the sign
of the Cr oss ^ first upon the Missal, and then
upon his own f ore he ad, mouth, andbr east, and, in
this last ceremony, is imitated by the peopled
^f At High Mass, he afterwards bows to the Mis
sal, and incenses it three tiniest
Matt. c. xxvin. In illo Matt.c.xxvm. At that
tempore : dixit Jesus time Jesus said to his dis-
discipulis suis : Data ciples: Allpower is given
OF THE MASS. 21
est mihi omnis potes- to me in heaven and on
tas in ecelo, et in terra, earth. Going therefore,
Euntes ergo docete om- teach ye all nations :
nes gentes ; baptizan- baptizing them in the
tes eos in nomine Pa- name of the Father, and
tris, et Filii, et Spirit us of the Son, and of the
Sancti, docentes eos Holy Ghost, teaching
servare omnia quse- them to observe all things
cumque mandavi vobis. whatsoever I have com-
Et ecce ego vobiscum manded you: and be-
sum omnibus diebus, hold, I am with you all
usque ad consumma- days, even to the con-
tionem sseculi. summation of the world.
R. Laus tibi Christe. R. Praise be to thee,
O Christ.
The following prayer may be said instead of the
Gospel.
O LORD JESUS CHRIST who earnest down from
heaven to instruct us in all truth ; and continuest
daily to teach us by thy holy Gospel and the preach
ers of thy word : grant me grace, that I may not be
wanting in any care necessary for being instructed
in thy saving truths. Let me be as industrious in
my soul s concern as I am for my body ; that while
I take pains in the affairs of this world, I may not,
through stupidity or neglect, suffer my soul to starve
and perish everlastingly. Let the rules of thy Gos
pel be the direction of my life, that I may not only
know thy will, but likewise do it ; that I may ob-
22 THE LITURGY
serve thy commandments ; and resisting all the in
clinations of corrupt nature, ever follow Thee, who
art the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; for thus
only, O Jesus, can I be thy disciple ; and thus only
canst Thou be my master.
^f At the end of the Gospel, which varies accord
ing to the Feast, or Sunday, the Priest, while
repeating to himself this aspiration: Per Evan-
gelica dicta deleantur nostra delicta. May our
sins be blotted out by the words of the Gos
pel/ 4 ^ kisses^ the book, and the assistant an
swers, Laus tibi Christe. Praise be to thee, O
Christ. At Masses of the Dead, the book is not
kissed ; lights are not borne ; nor is incense
used, because every mark of joy and solemnity
is omitted. At Solemn High Mass, the Sub-
deacon carries the book of the Gospels to the
Priest to be kissed by him: and afterwards the
Deacon incenses liim^ and in his turn, is in
censed by the Thurifer.
^f Then the Priest, standing in front of the Cru
cifix, repeats the Credo or Creed : (if it is to
be said.) ( ^ As he commences, he outstretches
his arms, ( ^ } but immediately afterwards joins
his hands together, while he at the same time
makes an inclination of his head (J } on pronounc
ing the word Deo or God, and then goes on re
citing the Creed, which he concludes by sign
ing himself with the sign of the Cross.
OF THE MASS.
THE CREED.
Credo in unum Deum, I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and
earth, and of all things
visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus
turn, Filium Dei unige- Christ, the only begotten
nitum.EtexPatrenatum Son of God, And born
of the Father before all
ages, God of God; Light
of Light ; true God of
true God ; begotten not
made; consubstantialto
Patri ; per quern omnia the Father, by whom all
facta sunt. Qui propter things were made. Who
nos homines, et propter for us men, and for our
nostramsalutem descen-
dit de coelis.* (Hie ge-
nuflectitur) ET INCAR-
NATUS EST DE SPIRITU
SANCTO EX MARIA VIR-
GINE: ET HOMO FACTUS
Crucifixus etiam
Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem coeli et terrse,
visibilium omnium, et
invisibilium. Et in unum
Dominum Jesum Chris-
ante omnia saecula. Deum
de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Deum verum de Deo
vero. Genitum non fac-
tum, consubstantialem
EST.
pro nobis : sub Pontio
Pilato passus, et sepultus
est. Et resurrexit tertia
salvation came down
from heaven.* (Here
all kneel ) (5 } AND BECAME
INCARNATE BY THE HOLY
GHOST, OF THE VIRGIN
MARY: AND WAS MADE
MAN. He was crucified
also for us, suffered un
der Pontius Pilate, and
was buried. And the
die, secundum Scriptu- third clay he rose again
ras. Et ascendit in COB- according to the Scrip-
24 THE LITURGY
lum : sedet ad dexteram tures, and ascended into
Patris. Et iterum ven- heaven : sitteth at the
turus est cum gloria ju- right hand of the Father,
dicare vivos et mortuos : And is to come again
cujus regni non erit finis, with glory to judge both
Et in Spiritum sanctum the living and the dead:
Dominum et vivifican- of whose kingdom there
tern : qui ex Patre Filio- shall be no end.
que procedit. Qui cum And in the Holy
Patre et Filio simul ad- Ghost, the Lord and
oraturetconglorificatur: Giver of life, who pro-
qui locutus est per pro- ceedeth from the Father
phetas. Et unam sane- and the Son : who to-
tam Catholicam, et Apo- gether with the Father
stolicamEcclesiam.Con- and the Son,, is adored
fiteor unum baptisma in and glorified ; who spoke
remissionem peccato- by the prophets. And
rum. Et expecto resur- One, Holy, Catholic, and
rectioriem mortuorum. Apostolic Church. I
Et vitam % venturi sae- confess one baptism for
culi. Amen. the remission of sins,
and I expect the resur
rection of the dead, and
the life Hh (51) of the world
to come. Amen.
P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with
cum. you. (52)
R. Etcum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit.
Oremus. Let us pray.
OF THE MASS. 25
OFFERTORY.^)
Benedictus sit Deus, Blessed be God the
Pater, unigenitusque Father, and the only be-
DeiFilius; sanctus quo- gotten Son of God, as
queSpiritusfTY^.e.xn.) likewise the Holy Ghost,
quia fecit nobiscum mi- (Tob.c.xu. ) because he
sericordiam suam. hath shown his mercy
to us.
OBLATION OF THE HOST.C54)
*[f At Low Mass, the Priest here unveils the Cha
lice, and unfolds the Corporal;^ then taking
the Paten ( ^ with the Host, ( ^ elevates it with
both hands, reciting, at the same time, the fol
lowing prayer.
^ At Solemn High Mass, the Chalice is deposited
on the Altar, by the Sub-deacon, and the Cor
poral is unfolded by the Deacon.
Suscipe, sancte Pater Accept/ 58 O holy Fa-
omnipotens, aeterne De ther, Almighty and eter-
us, hanc iminaculatam nal God, this unspotted
Hostiam, quam ego in- Host, (59) which I thy un-
dignus famulus tuus of- worthy servant, offer un-
fero tibi Deo meo vivo to thee, my living and
et vero, pro innumera- true God,, (60) for myinnu-
bilibus peccatis, et of- merable sins, offences,
fensionibus et negligen- and negligences, (61) and
tiis meis, et pro omnibus for all here present ; as
26
THE LITURGY
circumstantibus, sed et
pro omnibus fidelibus
Christianis vivis atque
defunctis ; ut mihi et il-
lis proficiat ad salutem
in vitam seternam.Amen.
also for all faithful
Christians/ 62 * both living
and dead ; (63) that it may
avail both me and them
unto life everlasting.
Amen.
Having made the sign of the Cross with the
Paten, the Priest places the Host upon the
Corporal, the Deacon pours wine, and the Sub-
deacon a small quantity of water ( ^ } into the
Chalice, at Solemn High Mass; at Low Mass,
the Priest does it himself. Before the water
is poured, he makes (excepting at Masses of
the Dead} the sign of the Cross over it, and says:
Deus, 4* qui humanse
substantise dignitatem
mirabiliter condidisti et
mirabilius reformasti :
da nobis per hujus aquae
et vini mysterium, ejus
divinitatis esse consor-
tes, qui humanitatisnos-
trse fieri dignatus est
particeps, Jesus Christus
Filius tuus Dominus nos-
ter : Qui tecum vivit et
regnat in unitate Spiri-
tus sancti Deus, per om-
O God, % who hast
shown the wonders of
thy goodness to man in
his creation, and still
more so in his redemp
tion, grant that by the
Mystery of this Water
and Wine, we may be
made partakers of his di
vine nature, who vouch
safed to become partak
er of our human nature,
namely, Jesus Christ our
Lord thy Son, who liveth
OF THE MASS. 27
ma saecula saeculorum. and reigneth with Thee
Amen. in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
OBLATION OF THE CHALICE.
Offerimus tibi, Domi- We offer unto thee, O
ne, Calieem salutaris, Lord, the Chalice of Sal-
tuam deprecantes cle- vation, beseeching thy
mentiam, ut in conspec- clemency, that it may
tu divinae Majestatis tu- ascend before thy divine
se, pro nostra et totius Majesty, as a sweet o-
mundi salute cum odore dour, for our salvation,
suavitatis ascendat. A- and for that of the whole
men. world. Amen.
*[[ At Solemn High Masses, the Sub-deacon here
receives the Paten which he envelopes in the
extremities of the veil with which his shoulders
are mantled, and then goes and stands behind
the Celebrant, holding it up in an elevated po
sition until the conclusion of the Pater Noster,
when he again deposites it upon the Altar. , (63)
^f When the Priest bows before the Altar, he says:
In spiritu humilitatis, Accept us, O Lord,
et in animo contrito sus- coming to thee in the
cipiamur a te Domine : spirit of humility, and
et sic fiat sacrificium contrition of heart, and
nostrum in conspectu grant, that the sacrifice
28
THE LITURGY
tuo hodie, ut placeat ti- which we offer this day
bi Domine Deus. in thy sight, may be
pleasing to thee O Lord
God.
^f Here the Priest elevates his eyes towards hea
ven,^ and outstretching his hands (&7} which he
afterwards joins, makes the sign of the Cross,
over the Host and Chalice, (6Q] at the same time
that he repeats the following prayer.
Veni,sanctificator om-
nipotens seterne Deus,
et bene ^ die hoc sacri-
ficium tuo sancto nomi-
ni prseparatum.
Come, O Almighty
and eternal God, the
sanctifier, and bless %
this sacrifice, prepared
for the glory of thy
holy name.
At High Mass, he then blesses the Incense m
in the following prayer.
Per intercessionem
beati Michaelis Arch an-
geli stantis a dextris al-
taris Incensi, et oinnium
electorum suorum, in-
censum istud dignetur
Dominus bene 4* dicere,
et in odorem suavitatis
accipere. Per Christum
nostrum. Amen.
May the Lord, by the
intercession of the bless
ed Michael the Archan
gel standing 70) at the
right hand of the Altar
of Incense, and of all his
Elect, vouchsafe to bless
4- this Incense, and re
ceive it as an odonr of
sweetness. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
OF THE MASS. 29
^f Afterwards he incenses the bread and wine,
saying;
Incensum istud a te May this Incense
benedictumascendat,ad which thou hast blest,
te, De-mine, et descen- O Lord, ascend to thee,
dat super nos misericor- and may thy mercy de-
dia tua. scend upon us.
^| He then incenses the Altar, repeating at the
same time the following Psalm.
Ps. cxl. Ps. cxl.
Dirigatur,Domineora- Let my prayer, (71) O
tio mea : sicut incensum Lord, be directed as In-
in conspectu tuo: ele- cense in thy sight; the
vatio manuum mearum lifting up of my hands,
sacrificium vespertinum. as evening sacrifice. Set a
Pone, Domine, custo- watch, O Lord, before my
diam ori meo, et ostium mouth, and a door round
circumstantiae labiis me- about my lips, that my
is : ut non declinet cor heart may not incline to
meum in verba malitiae, evil words, to make ex-
ad excusandas excusati- cuses in sins,
ones in peccatis.
^[ When the Priest returns the Censer, at Solemn
High Mass, to the Deacon, at others to the
Thurifer, he recites to himself these words ;
and is afterwards incensed (12} by the attendant
minister.
Accendat in nobis May the Lord enkin-
30
THE LITURGY
Dominus ignem sui a-
moris, et flammam aeter-
nae charitatis. Amen.
die within us the Fire
of his Love, and the
Flame of everlasting
Charity. Amen.
The Priest, with his hands joined, goes to the
Epistle side of the Altar, ( } where he washes
the tips of his fingers^ as he recites the fol
lowing verses of Psalm xxv. which, excepting
at Masses for the Dead, and during Passion-
time, he concludes with the minor Doxology ;
Glory be to the Father, fyc?^
Ps. xxv. v. 6. I will
wash my hands among
the innocent : and will
compass thy altar, O
Lord.
That I may hear the
voice of thy praise : and
tell of all thy wondrous
works.
I have loved, O Lord,
the beauty of thy house ;
Ps. xxv. v. 6. Lavabo
inter innocentes manus
meas : et circumdabo
altare tuum, Domine.
Ut audiam vocem lau-
dis : et enarrem univer-
sa mirabilia tua.
Domine, dilexi deco-
rem domus tuae, et lo
cum habitationis gloriae and the place where thy
tuae.
Ne perdas cum impiis,
Deus, animam in earn :
et cum viris sanguinum
vitam meam.
In quorum manibus
glory dwelleth.
Take not away my
soul, O God, with the
wicked : nor my life
with bloody men.
In whose hands are
OF THE MASS.
31
iniquitates sunt : dex-
tera eorum repleta est
muneribus.
Ego autem in inno-
centia mea ingressus
sum : redime me, et mi
serere mei.
Pes meus stetit in di-
recto : in Ecclesiis be-
nedicam te, Domine.
Gloria Patri et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princi-
pio, et nunc, et semper,
et in ssecula saeculorum.
Amen.
iniquities : their right
hand is filled with gifts.
But as for me I have
walked in my innocence:
redeem me, and have
mercy on me.
My foot hath stood
in the direct way : in the
churches I will bless
thee, O Lord.
Glory be to the Fa
ther, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the be
ginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world with
out end. Amen.
Returning and standing before the middle of
the Altar, with his head bowed down, the Priest
recites to himself the following prayer.
Suscipe, sancta Trini- Receive, O holy Tri-
tas, hanc oblationem,
quarn tibi offerimus ob
memoriam passionis, re-
surrectionis, et ascen-
sionis Jesu Christi Do
mini nostri : et in honore
beatae Marise semper
nity, (76) this oblation,
which we make to thee
in memory of the Pas
sion, Resurrection, and
Ascension, of our Lord
Jesus Christ : and in
commemoration of the
THE LITURGY
virginis,et beati Joarmis
Baptistse, et sanctorum
Apcstolorurn Petri et
Pauli, et istorum, et
omnium Sanctorum : ut
illis proficiat ad hono-
rem, nobis autem ad
salutem ; et illi pro no
bis intercedere dignen-
tur in ccelis, quorum me-
moriam agimus interris.
Per eumdem Christum
Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
blessed Mary ever a vir
gin, the blessed John
Baptist, the holy Apos
tles Peter and Paul, and
of all the Saints ; (77} that
it may be available to
their honour and our
salvation ; and may they
vouchsafe to intercede
for us in heaven, whose
memory we celebrate
on earth. Through the
same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Turning himself towards the people, he says ;
Orate, Fratres, ut me-
um ac vestrum sacri-
ficium acceptabile fiat
apud Deum Patrem om-
nipotentem.
R. Suscipiat Dominus
sacrificium de manibus
Brethren, (78) pray that
my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to
God the Father Al
mighty.
R. May the Lord re
ceive the sacrifice from
tuis, ad laudem et glo- thy hands, to the praise
riam nominis sui, ad uti- and glory of his name,
litatem quoque nostram, and to our benefit, and
totiusque ecclesiae suae to that of his holy
sanctae. Church.
OF THE MASS. 33
THE SECRET/ 79 )
Sanctifica, qusesumus, Sanctify, we beseech
Domine Deus noster, thee, O Lord our God,
per tui sancti nominis by the invocation of thy
invocationem hujus ob- holy name, the victim of
lationis hostiam, et per this oblation : and by it
earn nosmetipsos tibi make us an eternal of-
perfice munus seternum. fering to thee. Through
Per Dominum. &c.
^f The Secret varies according to the Festival
or Sunday.
OCCASIONAL SECRETS.
^f Which follow the Rubrics, and correspond
with the Collects, fyc.
Exaudi nos, Deus sa- Graciously hear us,
lutaris noster ; ut per O God our Saviour :
hujus sacramenti virtu- that by virtue of this
tern, a cunctis nos men- sacrament, thou mayest
tis et corporis hostibus defend us from all ene-
tuearis : gratiam tribu- mies of both soul and
ens in prsesenti, et glo- body : grant us grace
riam in futuro. in this life, and glory in
the next.
In mentibus nostris, Strengthen, we be-
quaesumus, Domine, ve- seech thee, O Lord, in
rae fidei sacramenta con- our souls the mysteries
firma : ut qui concep- of the true faith : that
34 THE LITURGY
turn de virgine Deum we who confess him,
verum et hominem con- who was conceived of a
fitemur ; per ejus salu- Virgin, to be true God,
tiferse resurrectionis po- and true man, may, by
tentiam, ad aeternam the power of his saving
mereamur pervenire lae- resurrection, deserve to
titiam. come to eternal joys.
Da famulis tuis, Do- Grant thy servants,
mine, indulgentiam pec- O Lord, the pardon of
catorum, consolationem their sins, comfort in
vitae, gubernationem life, and thy perpetual
perpetuam : ut tibi ser- protection ; that, perse-
vientes, ad tuam jugiter vering in thy service,
misericordiam pervenire they may for ever ob-
mereantur. Per Domi- tain thy mercy . Through
num nostrum. &c.
Or,
Oblatis, quaesumus Be appeased, O Lord,
Domine, placare mune- with the offering we
ribus : et famulum tu- have made, and cease
urn, N. quern pastorem not to protect thy ser-
Ecclesiae tuae praeesse vant N. whom thou hast
voluisti, assidua protec- been pleased to appoint
tione guberna. Per Do- Pastor over thy Church,
minum nostrum Jesum Through our Lord Jesus
Christum filium tuum : Christ thy Son : who
Qui tecum vivit et reg- liveth and reigneth with
nat in unitate Spiritus thee in the unity of the
sancti Deus : Holy Ghost, one God :
OF THE MASS.
35
*(] Here he elevates his voice, and says :
P. Per omnia ssecula P. World without
sseculorum.
R. Amen.
P. Dominus vobis-
cum.
R. Et cum
spiritu
tuo.
end. (8
R. Amen.
P. The Lord be with
you.
R. And with thy
spirit.
Here he uplifts his hands. (
up your
P. Sursum corda.
R. Habemus ad Do-
minum.
P. Gratias agamus
Domino Deo nostro.
R. Dignum et justum R. It is meet and just,
est.
P. Lift
hearts.
R. We have lifted
them up to the Lord.
P. Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God. (82)
THE PREFACE/ 83 )
Vere dignum et jus- It is truly meet and
turn est, sequum etsalu- just, right and available
tare, nos tibi semper et to salvation, that we
ubique gratias agere : should always, and in all
Domine sancte, Pater places give thanks to
omnipotens, aeterne De- thee, O holy Lord, Fa-
us. Qui cum unigenito ther Almighty, eternal
Filio tuo, et Spiritu God, who together with
Sancto, unus es Deus, thy only begotten Son,
unus es Dominus : non and the Holy Ghost, art
D2
36 THE LITURGY
in unius singularitate one God, and one Lord:
personse, sed in unius not in a singularity of
Trinitate substantise. Person but in Trinity of
Quod enim de tua gloria, substance. For what we
revelante te credimus, believe of thy glory, as
hoc de Filio tuo, hoc de thou hast revealed, the
Spiritu Sancto, sine dif- same we believe of thy
ferentia discretionis sen- Son and of the Holy
timus. Ut in confessione Ghost, without any dif-
verse, sempiternseque ference or distinction.
Deitatis, et in personis So that, in the confession
proprietas, et in essentia of the true and eternal
unitas, etin majestate a- Deity, we adore a dis-
doretursequalitas. Quam tinction in the Persons,
laudant Angeli, atque a unity in the Essence,
Archangeli, Cherubim and an equality in the
quoque ac Seraphim: Majesty. Whom the An-
qui non cessant clamare gels and Archangels, the
quotidie, una voce di- Cherubim also and Se-
centes : raphim praise, and cease
not daily to cry out with
one voice saying :
^f Here the Priest lowers the tone of his voice,
which however still continues audible ; and with
his hands joined, and his head profoundly in
clined, he recites the following hymn, (84) while
the bell (85) is rung by the Acolyte.
Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy
Sanctus Dominus Deus Lord God of Sabaoth. (8G)
OF THE MASS.
37
Sabaoth. Pleni suntCoeli
et Terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini. Ho
sanna in excelsis.
Heaven and earth are
full of thy glory.
Hosanna in the high
est. Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of
theLord. (87) Hosanna (88)
in the highest.
^j On all Sundays in the year which have no
proper Preface, the foregoing is recited.
The common Preface on all Festivals, and other
days to which a peculiar one is not assigned,
and in Masses of the Dead, is the following:
Vere dignurn et jus- It is truly meet and
turn est, sequum et sa- just, right and available
lutare, nos tibi semper to salvation, that we
et ubique gratias agere, should always, and in
Domine Sancte, Pater all places give thanks
omnipotens seterne De- to thee, O holy Lord,
us : per Christum Domi- Father Almighty, Eter-
num nostrum. Per quern nal God, through Christ
majestatem tuam lau- our Lord. Through
dant Angeli, adorant
Dominationes, tremunt
Potestates. Cceli ccelo-
rumque virtutes, ac be-
ata Seraphim, socia ex-
ultatione concelebrant.
Cum quibus et nostras
whom the Angels praise
thy Majesty, the Domi
nations adore it, the
Powers tremble before
it. The Heavens, and
the Powers of Heaven,
and blessed Seraphim
38
THE LITURGY
voces, ut admitti jubeas with common jubilee
deprecamur, supplici glorify it. Together with
confessione dicentes.
Sanctus,
Sanctus, &c.
Sanctus,
whom we beseech thee,
that we may be admit
ted to join our humble
voices saying,
Holy, Holy, Holy,
&c.
The Priest lifts up his eyes and hands to
wards heaven^ and after kissing the Altar , (90)
makes the sign of the Cross three times over
the Oblation.^
THE CANON* 950 OF THE MASS.
Te igitur, Clemen-
tissime Pater, per Je-
sum Christum Filium
tuum Dominum nos
trum, supplices roga-
mus, ac petimus, uti
accepta habeas et be-
nedicas, hsec -fr dona,
hsec 4- munera, hsec 4 s
Sancta Sacrificiaillibata.
In primis quae tibi ofFe-
rimus pro Ecclesia tua
Sancta Catholica : quam
pacificare, custodire, a-
dunare? et regere digne-
We humbly pray and
beseech Thee, there
fore, most merciful Fa
ther through JesusChrist
thy Son, our Lord, that
thou woulclst vouchsafe
to accept and bless these
fr gifts, (93) these 4- pre
sents, these ^ holy un
spotted sacrifices which
in the first place we offer
thee for thy holy Catho
lic Church, (94) to which
vouchsafe to grant peace;
as also to preserve, unite,
OF THE MASS. 39
ris toto orbe terrarum : and govern it throughout
una cum famulo tuo the world, together
Papa nostro N. et Anti- with thy servant N. our
stite nostro N. et Rege Pope, (95) N. our bishop,
nostro N. et omnibus and N. our King, (96) as
Orthodoxis, atque Ca- also all orthodox believ-
tholica? et Apostolicae ers and professors of the
fidei cultoribus. Catholic and Apostolic
faith.
COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING.
Memento, Domine, Be mindful, O Lord,
famulorum famularum- of thy servants, men
que N. et N. and women, N. and N.
*([ He silently mentions those whom he intends to
pray for.
Et omnium circum- And of all here pre-
stantium, quorum tibi sent, whose faith and de-
fides cognita est, et nota votion are known unto
devotio, pro quibus tibi thee, for whom we offer,
offerimus, vel qui tibi or who offer up to thee
offerunt hoc sacrificium this Sacrifice of praise
laudis pro se, suisque for themselves, their fa-
omnibus pro redemptio- rnilies, and friends, for
ne animarum suarum, the redemption of their
pro spe salutis et inco- souls, for the health and
lumitatis suae, tibique salvation they hope for,
reddunt vota sua seter- and who pay their vows
no Deo, vivo et vero. to thee, the eternal, liv
ing and true God.
40 THE LITURGY
Communicantes et Communicating (97)
memoriam venerantes, with and honouring in
in primis gloriosae sem- the first place, the me-
per Virginis Marise Ge- mory (98) of the ever Vir-
netricis Dei et Domini gin Mary, Mother of our
nostri Jesu Christi : sed Lord Jesus Christ, as al-
et beatorum Apostolo- so of the blessed Apo-
rum, ac Martyrum tuo- sties and Martyrs, Peter
rum, Petri et Pauli, An- andPaul,Andrew,James,
drese, Jacobi, Joannis, John, Thomas, James,
Thomse, Jacobi, Philip- Philip, Bartholomew,
pi, Bartholomsei, Mat- Matthew, Simon and
thsei, Simonis et Thadaei, Thaddeus : Linus, Cle-
Lini, Cleti, dementis, tus, Clement, Xystus,
Xysti, Cornelii, Cypria- Cornelius, Cyprian, Lau-
ni, Laurentii, Chrysogo- rence, Chrysogonus,
ni, Joannis et Pauli, John and Paul, Cosmas
Cosmse et Damiani, et and Damian, and of all
omnium Sanctorum tu- thy Saints ; by whose
orum: quorum meritis merits and prayers, grant
precibusque concedas, that we may be always
ut in omnibus protecti- defended by the help of
onis tuse muniamur au- thy protection. (99)
xilio. Per eundem Chris- Through the same Christ
turn Dominum nostrum, our Lord. Amen.
Amen.
^T Spreading his hands over the Oblation lie
says : (100)
Hanc igitur oblatio- We therefore be-
OF THE MASS.
nem servitutis nostrae,
sed et cunctae familiae
tuae, quaesumus Domi-
ne, ut placatus accipias,
diesque nostros in tua
pace disponas, atque
ab aeterna damnatione
nos eripi, et in electo-
rum tuorum jubeas gre-
ge numerari. Per Chris
tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
seech thee, O Lord, gra
ciously to accept this
oblation of our service;
as also of thy whole
family, and dispose our
days in thy peace, pre
serve us from eternal
damnation, and rank
us in the number of
thine elect. Through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Quam oblationem tu
Deus in omnibus, quae-
sumus, benedic-Kam,
adscripHam, ra-Kam,
rationabilem, accepta-
bilemque facere digne-
ris: ut nobis CoH-pus,
et San4-guis fiat dilec-
tissimi Filii tui Domini
nostri Jesu Christi.
Which oblation do
thou, O God, vouchsafe
in all respects to bless,
4- approve, 4- ratify, 4-
and accept, that it may
be made for us the
Body 4* and Blood Hh of
thy most beloved Son
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Qui pridie quam pa-
teretur, accepit panem
in sanctas ac venerabiles
manus suas ; et elevatis
oculis in ccelum ad te
Deum Patrem suum om-
Who the day before
he suffered, took bread
into his holy and vene
rable hands, and with
his eyes lifted up to
wards heaven to thee.
THE LITURGY
nipotentem: tibi gratias the Almighty God, his
agens, bene 4* dixit, frc- Father: giving thanks to
git deditque discipulis
suis, dicens: Accipite et
manducate ex hoc orn-
nes.
HOC EST ENIM CORPUS
MEUM.
thee, he blessed, !- brake,
and gave it to his disci
ples, saying; Take and
eat ye all of this.
FOR THIS is MY BODY.
After pronouncing the Words of Consecration,
the Priest kneeling adores^ and elevates (m) the
sacred Host: and the Acolyte rings the bell.
Simili rnodo postquam
ccenatum est, accipiens
et hunc praeclarum Ca-
licem in sanctas ac vene-
rabiles man us suas : item
tibi gratias agens, bene-
i- dixit, deditque disci
pulis suis, dicens; Ac
cipite et bibite ex eo
omnes. Hie EST ENIM CA-
LIX SANGUINIS MEI, NOVI
ET ^TERNI TESTAMENTI :
MYSTERIUM FIDEI: QUI
PRO VOBIS ET PRO MULTIS
EFFUNDETUR IN REMISSIO-
NEM PECCATORUM. HsBC
quotiescunque feceritis,
In like manner, after
he had supped, taking
also this excellent Cha
lice into his holy and
venerable hands, giving
thee also thanks, he
blessed, % and gave it
to his disciples, saying:
Take and drink ye all
of this. FOR THIS is THE
CHALICE OF MY BLOOD
OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL
TESTAMENT : THE MYS
TERY OF FAITH, WHICH
SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU,
AND FOR MANY, TO THE RE
MISSION OF SINS. As often
OF THE MASS. 43
in mei memoriam facie- as you do these things,
tis. ye shall do them in re
membrance of me.
^f Here also kneeling, he adores ; and elevates
the Chalice. The Acolyte rings the bell. (W3)
Unde et memores, Wherefore, O Lord,
Domine nos servi tui, we thy servants, as also
sed et plebs tna sancta, thy holy people, calling
ejusdem Christi Filii tui to mind the blessed pas-
Dornininostritam beatse sion of the same Christ
Passionis, nee non et ab thy Son our Lord, his Re-
inferis Resurrectionis surrection from hell, (104)
seel et in coelos gloriosae and admirable Ascension
Ascensionis: offerimus into heaven, offer unto
praeclarae majestati tuse thy most excellent Ma
de tuis donis ac datis, jesty of thy gifts be-
Hostiam % puram, Hos- stowed upon us a pure
tiam+8anctam,Hostiam *% Victim, (105) a holy %
-Hmmaculatam : Panem Victim, an unspotted *
4- sanctum vitae aeternae Victim, the holy -p Bread
et Calicem 4- salutis per- of eternal life and Cha-
petuae. lice *t- of everlasting sal
vation.
Supra quse, propitio Upon which, vouch-
ac serenovulturespicere safe to look, with a pro-
digneris ; et accepta ha- pitious and serene coun-
bere, sicuti accepta ha- tenance, and to accept
bere dignatus es muuera them, as thou wast
pueri tui justi Abel, et pleased to accept the
44
THE LITURGY
sacrificium Patriarchs gifts of thy just servant
nostri Abrahse : et quod Abel, and the sacrifice
of our Patriarch Abra
ham, and that which thy
high Priest Melchise-
dech offered to thee, a
tibi obtulit summus sa-
cerdos tuns Melchise-
dech, sanctum sacrifici
um, immaculatam Hos-
tiam.
holy Sacrifice and
spotted Victim.
un-
^f He profoundly
Supplices te roga-
mus, Omnipotens Deus,
jube hsec perferri per
manus sancti Angeli tui
in sublime altare tuum,
in conspectu divinae
Majestatis tuae : ut quot-
quot, ex hac altaris par-
ticipatione, sacrosanc-
tum Filii tui Cor-j-pus,
et SangJ-uinem sump-
serimus, omni benedic-
tione coelesti, et gratia
repleamur. Per eum-
dernChristum Dominum
nostrum. Amen.
inclines himself:
We most humbly be
seech thee, Almighty
God, command these
things to be carried by
the hands of thy holy
Angel to thy altar on
high, in the sight of thy
divine Majesty : that
whosoever of us, by par
taking of these gifts on
thy altar, shall receive
the most sacred Body*j-
and Blood of thy Son,
may be filled with every
heavenly grace and bles
sing. Through the same
Christ our Lord. Amen.
OF THE MASS. 4-5
COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD.W
Memento etiam Do- Be mindful also, O
mine, famulorum famu- Lord, of thy servants
larumque tuarum N. et N. and N. who are gone
N. qui nos prsecesserunt before us, with the sign
cum signo fidei, et dor- of faith, and rest in the
miunt in somno pacis. sleep of peace. (107)
^f Here particular mention is silently made of
such of the Dead as are to be prayed for.
Ipsis, Doinine, et om- To these, O Lord, and
nibus in Christo quies- to all (10] who sleep in
centibus, locum refri- Christ, grant we beseech
gerii lucis et pacis ut thee, a place of refresh-
indulgeas, deprecamur. ment, light, and peace.
Per eumdem Christum Through the same Christ
Dominum nostrum. our Lord. Amen.
Amen.
^] Here striking his breast, he says .* (109)
Nobis quoque pecca- Also to us sinners,
toribus famulis tuis, de thy servants, confiding
multitudine miseratio- in the multitude of thy
num tuarum speranti- mercies, vouchsafe to
bus, partem aliquam et grant some part and fel-
societatem donare dig- lowship (I10) with thy holy
neris, cum tuis sanctis Apostles and Martyrs ;
ApostolisetMartyribus: with John, Stephen,
cum Joanne, Stephano, Matthias, Barnabas, Ig-
46
THE LITURGY
Matthia, Barnaba, Igna-
tio, Alexandro, Marcel-
lino, Petro, Felicitate,
Perpetua, Agatha, Lu
cia, Agnete, Caecilia,
Anastasia, et omnibus
sanctis tuis : intra quo
rum nos consortium,
non sestimator meriti,
sed venise, quaesumus
largitor admitte. Per
ChristumDominum nos
trum.
Per quern hsec omnia,
Domine, semper bona
creas, sancti4*ficas, vi-
vii-ficas, bene*Hlicis, et
prsestas nobis. Per ip-
-Hum, et cum ipJ-so, et
in ip-fcso, est tibi Deo
Patri %* Omnipotenti, in
unitate Spiritus %* Sanc-
ti, omnis honor et glo
ria.
natias, Alexander, Mar-
cellinus, Peter, Felicitas,
Perpetua, Agathy,Lucy,
Agnes,C ecily, Anastasia,
and with all thy saints :
into whose company we
beseech thee to admit
us, not in consideration
of our merit, but of thy
own gracious pardon.
Through Christ our
Lord.
Through whom, O
Lord, thou dost always
create, sanctify, -^quick
en, 4* bless, and 4 s give
us all these good things.
Through him, Hh and
with him, 4- and in him,
fr is to thee, God the
Father -fr Almighty, in
the unity of the Holy-i-
Ghost, all honour and
glory.
^f Here lie elevates his voice:
P. Per omnia ssecula P. World
saeculorum. end.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
without
OF THE MASS.
Or emus.
Praeceptis salutaribus
moniti, et divina insti-
tutione format!, aude-
inus dicere.
Pater noster qui es in
coelis ; sanctificetur no-
men tuum : Adveniat
regnum tuum : Fiat
voluntas tua sicut in
coelo, et in terra. Pa-
Being
Let us pray.
instructed by
thy saving precepts, and
following thy divine di
rections, we presume to
say.
Our Father, (112) who
art in heaven, hallowed
be thy name : thy king
dom come : thy will be
done on earth, as it is
in heaven : give us this
nem nostrum quotidia- day our daily bread ;
num da nobis hodie : and forgive us our tres-
as
Et dimitte nobis debita
nostra, sicut et nos di-
mittimus debitoribus
nostris. Et ne nos in-
ducas in tentationem.
R. Sed libera nos a
malo.
P. Amen.
passes as we forgive
them that trespass
against us : and lead us
not into temptation.
deliver us
R. But
from evil.
P. Amen.
At solemn High Mass, the Deacon, towards
the conclusion of the Pater noster, goes to the
right hand of the Priest, where he awaits the
approach of the Sub-deacon, from whom he
receives the Paten which he puts into the hand
of the Priest, who then says :
Libera nos quaesu- Deliver us, we be-
48 THE LITURGY
mus, Domine, ab om- seech thee, O Lord,
nibus mails, prseteritis, from all evils past,
praesentibus et futuris : present, and to come ;
et intercedente beata and the blessed and
et gloriosa semper Vir- glorious Mary the ever
gine Dei Genitrice Virgin mother of God, (113)
Maria, cum beatis together with thy bless-
Apostolis tuis Petro, et ed Apostles Peter, and
Paulo, atque Andrea, Paul, and Andrew, and
et omnibus sanctis : da all the Saints interced-
propitius pacem in die- ing for us, mercifully
bus nostris : ut ope grant peace (114) in our
misericordise tuse adju- days : that through the
ti, et a peccato simus assistance of thy mercy,
semper liberi, et ab we may be always free
omni perturbatione se- from sin, and secure
curi : Per eumdem Do- from all disturbance,
minum nostrum Jesum Through the same Lord
Christum Filium tuum : Jesus Christ thy Son :
Qui tecum vivit et who liveth and reigneth
regnat in unitate Spi- with Thee in the unity
ritus sancti Deus. of the Holy Ghost, one
God:
^| Here he elevates his voice, and says :
P. Per omnia saecula P. World without
sseculorum. end.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
P. Pax Domini sit P. The peace of the
OF THE MASS. 49
semper vobiscum. Lord be always with
you.
R. Etcumspiritutuo. R. And with thy spirit.
^f Here the Priest breaks the Sacred Host (U5} into
two parts, from one of which, he detaches a
little particle ; and having deposited the two
larger ones upon the Paten, he puts the small
one in the Chalice, saying ; (m}
Haec commixtio et May this mixture, and
consecratio Corporis et consecration of the Body
Sanguinis Domini nos- and Blood of our Lord
tri Jesu Christi, fiat ac- Jesus Christ, be to us
cipientibus nobis in vi- who receive it, effectual
tarn seternam. Amen. to eternal life. Amen.
^f Then having made a genuflection, striking his
breast, he says;
Agnus Dei qui tollis Lamb of God who
peccata mundi, miserere takest away the sins of
nobis. the world, have mercy
on us. (117)
Agnus Dei qui tollis Lamb of God who
peccata mundi, miserere takest away the sins of
nobis. the world, have mercy
on us.
Agnus Dei qui tollis Lamb of God who
peccata mundi, dona no- takest away the sins of
bis pacem. the world, give us thy
peace.
50 THE LITURGY
^f In Masses of the Dead, he says;
Agnus Dei qui tollis Lamb of God who
peccata mundi, dona eis takest away the sins of
requiem. the world, give them
rest.
Agnus Dei, &c. dona Lamb of God, &c.
eis requiem. give them rest.
Agnus Dei, &c. dona Lamb of God, &c.
eis requiem sempiter- give them eternal rest,
nam.
^f Standing in an inclined position, with his hands
joined and resting on the Altar, and his eyes
reverently fixed upon the Sacred Host, the
Priest recites the following prayers, the first
of which is omitted in Masses of the Dead.
Domine Jesu Christe, Lord Jesus Christ,
qui dixisti Apostolis tu- who saidst to thy Apo-
is : Pacem relinquo vo- sties, I leave you peace,
bis, pacem meam do vo- I give you my peace ;
bis : ne respicias pecca- regard not my sins, but
ta mea, sed fidem Eccle- the faith of thy Church;
sise tuse : eamque secun- and grant her that peace
dum voluntatem tuam and unity which are
pacificare et coadunare agreeable to thy will :
digneris. Qui vivis et Who livest and reignest
regnas Deus, per omnia God, world without end.
saecula saeculorum. A- Amen,
men.
OF THE MASS. 5 L
*[[ At Solemn High Mass, the Deacon kisses the
altar at the same time with the celebrating
Priest, by whom he is saluted with the kiss of
peace, , (118) accompanied by these words:
P. Pax tecum. P. Peace be with thee.
^f To which the Deacon answers;
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit.
^j And then salutes, in like manner, the Sub-dea
con, who conveys the kiss of peace to those
amongst the clergy who may be assisting at
Mass.
Domine Jesu Christe, Lord Jesus Christ,
Fili Dei vivi, qui ex vo- Son of the Living God,
luntate Patris, cooperan- who, according to the
te Spiritu Sancto, per will of thy Father, with
mortem tuam mundum the co-operation of the
vivificasti : liberameper Holy Ghost, hast by thy
hoc sacrosanctum Cor- death, given life to the
pus, et Sanguinem tuum, world, deliver me by this
abomnibusiniquitatibus thy most sacred Body
meis et universis malis: and Blood from all my
et fac me tuis semper iniquities, and from all
inhserere mandatis, et a evils : and make me al-
te nunquam separari per- ways adhere to thy com-
mittas ; Qui cum eodem mandments, and never
Deo Patre et Spiritu suffer me to be separat-
Sancto vivis et regnas ed from thee : who with
Deus in ssecula sseculo- the same God the Father
E 2
52 THE LITURGY
rum. Amen. and the Holy Ghost, liv-
est and reigneth God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
Perceptio Corporis tui, Let not the participa-
Domine Jesu Christe, tion of thy Body, O Lord
quod ego indignussume- Jesus Christ, which I,
re prsesumo, non mihi though unworthy, pre-
proveniat in judicium et sume to receive, turn to
condemnationem: sed my judgment and con-
pro tua pietate, prosit demnation; but through
mihi ad tutamentum thy mercy, may it be to
mentis et corporis, et ad me a safe-guard and re-
medelam percipiendam. medy, both of soul and
Qui vivis et regnas cum body : Who with God the
Deo Patre in unitate Father, in the unity of
Spiritus Sancti Deus, the Holy Ghost, livest
per omnia ssecula ssecu- and reigneth God, world
lorum. Amen. without end. Amen.
^f Taking the Host in his hands, he says;
Panem coelestem acci- I will take the bread
piam, et nomen Domini of heaven, and call upon
invocabo. the name of the Lord.
^f Striking his breast in humility and with devo
tion, he says three times ; (U9)
Matt. c. vm. v. 8. Do- Matt.c.vm. v.S. Lord
mine, non sum dignus, I am not worthy that
ut intres sub tectum thou shouldst enter un-
OF THE MASS. 53
meum : sed tantum die der my roof; but only
verbo, et sanabitur ani- say the word and my
ma mea. soul shall be healed.
^f Taking reverently both parts of the Sacred
Host, in his right hand; and signing with it
the sign of the Cross on himself , ( ] he says the
following prayer, and then receives.
Corpus Domini nostri May the Body of our
Jesu Christi custodiat Lord Jesus Christ pre-
animam meam in vitam serve my soul unto life
seternam. Amen. everlasting. Amen.
*[[ After a short meditation on the stupendous
mystery, he uncovers the chalice; adores,
genuflecting, the sacred Blood: and then,
with the most religious diligence, gathers upon
the Paten, or silver Disk, the very smallest
atoms (l2L} of the Host, which remain upon the
corporal; (this is the small linen cloth upon
which the species are deposited) these frag
ments he puts into the Chalice, which he then
takes m in his hands, saying:
Ps.cxv. Quid retribu- Ps. cxv. What shall I
am Domino pro omnibus render to the Lord, for
quae retribuit mihi ? Ca- all the things that he
licem salutaris accipiam, hath rendered to me ? I
et nomen Domini invo- will take the Chalice of
cabo. Laudans invocabo Salvation ; and I will
Dominum, et ab inimicis call upon the name of
54 THE LITURGY
meis salvus ero. the Lord. Praising I
will call upon the Lord,
and I shall be saved
from my enemies.
^| Receiving the blood of our Saviour, he says ;
Sanguis Domini nos- The Blood of our
tri Jesu Christi, custo- Lord Jesus Christ pre-
diat animam meam in serve my soul unto ever-
vitam aeternam. Amen, lasting life. Amen.
^f Taking the first Ablution he says ;
Quod ore sumpsimus, Grant, O Lord, that
Domine, pura mente ca- what we have taken
piamus, et de munere with our mouth, we may
temporali, fiat nobis re- receive with a pure mind,
medium sempiternum. that of a temporal gift,
it may become to us an
eternal remedy.
^f Taking the second Ablution he says ;
Corpus tuum, Domi- May thy Body,O Lord,
ne quod sumpsi, et San- which I have received,
guis quern potavi, adhse- and thy Blood which I
reat visceribus meis, et have drunk, cleave to
prsesta, ut in me non re- my bowels ; and grant
maneat scelerum macu- that no stain of sin may
la, quern pura, et sancta remain in me, who have
refecerunt sacramenta. been fed with thy pure
Qui vivis et regnas in see- and holy sacraments.
OF THE MASS. 55
cula sseculorum. Amen. Who livest and reignest
for ever and ever. Amen.
^f Then he returns to the Book and reads the
Communion, which varies with the day.
THE COMMUNION.^)
Benedicimus Deum We bless the God of
cceli, et coram omnibus heaven, and we will
viventibus confitebimur praise him in the sight
ei : (Tob. c. xn.) quiafe- of all the living : (Tob.
cit nobiscum misericor- c. xn.) because he hath
diam suam. shown his mercy to us.
POST-COMMUNION.W
Oremus. Let us pray.
Proficiat nobis ad sa- O Lord our God, may
lutem corporis et animse, the reception of this sa-
DomineDeusnoster,hu- crament, together with
jussacramentisusceptio: the confession of the
et sempiterna3 sanctae everlasting holy Trinity
Trinitatis ejusdemque and of the undivided
individuae unitatis con- unity of the same, avail
fessio. Per Dominum us, for the health both
nostrum Jesum Chris- of our souls and bodies,
turn filium tuum : Qui Through our Lord Jesus
tecum vivit et regnat in Christ thy Son ; who
unitate Spiritus Sancti liveth and reigneth with
Deus : per omnia ssecula thee in the unity of the
sseculorum. Amen. Holy Ghost, one God,
56
THE LITURGY
world without end. A-
men.
OCCASIONAL POST-COMMUNIONS.
Let us pray.
May the oblation of
this divine sacrament,
we beseech thee, O Lord,
both cleanse and defend
us ; and the blessed Ma-
Oremus.
Mundet et muniat
nos, qusesumus Domine,
divini sacramenti munus
oblatum: etintercedente
beata Virgine Dei gene-
trice Maria, cum beatis ry, the virgin mother of
Apostolis tuis Petro et God, together with the
Paulo, atque beato N. et blessed Apostles Peter
omnibus sanctis; a cunc- and Paul, and the bless-
tis nos reddat et perver- ed N. and all the saints
sitatibus expiatos, et ad- interceding for us ; ren-
versitatibus expedites. der us expiated from all
perversities, and free us
from all adversities.
Gratiam tuam, quse-
sumus, Domine, menti-
bus nostris infunde : ut
qui, Angelo nuntiante,
Christi Filii tui incarna-
tionem cognovimus ; per
passionem ejus et cru-
cem, ad resurrectionis
gloriam perducamur.
Pour forth, we be
seech thee, O Lord, thy
grace into our hearts,
that we, who by the
message of an Angel
have known the incar
nation of Christ, thy
Son, may by his passion
and cross, come to the
glory of his resurrection.
OF THE MASS.
57
Libera, qusesumus,
Domine, a peccatis et
hostibus, famulos tuos,
tibi supplicantes : ut in
sancta conversatione vi-
ventes, nullis afficiantur
adversis. Per Dominum
nostrum Jesum Chris
tum filium tuum : Qui
tecum vivit et regnat in
unitate Spiritus Sancti,
Deus : per omnia sascu-
la saeculorum. Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, we
beseech thee, from all
sin, and from all ene
mies, thy servants, who
offer their humble pray
ers to thee ; that leading
holy lives, they may be
attacked by no misfor
tunes. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ thy Son :
who liveth and reigneth
with thee in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, One
God, world without end.
Amen.
Hsec nos, quaesumus
Domine, divini sacra-
menti perceptio prote-
gat: etfamulumtuumN.
quern pastorem Eccle-
siae tuae prseesse voluisti,
una cum commisso sibi
grege, salvet semper et
muniat. Per Dominum
nostrumJesumChristum
filium tuum : Qui tecum
vivit et regnat in unitate
Spiritus Sancti, Deus :
per omnia ssecula ssecu-
May the participation
of this divine sacrament
protect ,us, we beseech
thee, O Lord ; and al
ways procure safety and
defence to thy servant
N. whom thou hast ap
pointed pastor over thy
Church, together with
the flock committed to
his charge. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ thy
Son ; who liveth and
reigneth with thee in
58 THE LITURGY
lorum. Amen. the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world
without end. Amen.
^f Proceeding to the middle of the Altar, which
he kisses, the Priest turns round and greets the
People with ;
P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with
cum. you.
^f To which the Choir, or the Acolyte, answers;
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit.
^| Then continuing with his face towards the
People, he announces to them leave to depart.
P. Ite, missa est. P. Go, you are dis
missed.
^f To which is answered ;
R. Deo Gratias. R. Thanks be to God.
^f On those days however, on which the Angelic
Hymn, Glory be to God on High, is omitted;
instead of dismissing the people with these
words, the Priest, after having turned round
towards the Altar, says;
P. Benedicamus Do- P. Let us bless the
mino. Lord.
OF THE MASS. 59
^f In Masses of the Dead, instead of either of
the foregoing salutations, is said;
P. Requiescant in P. May they rest in
pace. peace.
^[ To which is answered ;
R. Amen. R. Amen.
^[ At Solemn High Mass, it is the Deacon who
chants the Ite, missa est, 8fc. $*e. (125)
^f Then bowing before the Altar, the Priest says;
Placeat tibi, sancta Let the performance
Trinitas, obsequiumser- of my homage be pleas-
vitutis meae, et prsesta : ing to thee, O holy Tri-
ut sacrificium quod ocu- nity, and grant that the
lis tuse majestatis indig- sacrifice which I, though
nus obtuli, tibi sit ac- unworthy, have offered
ceptabile, mihique, et up in the sight of thy
omnibus, pro quibus il- Majesty, may be accept-
lud obtuli, sit, te mise- able to thee, and through
rante, propitiabile. Per thy mercy be a propiti-
ChristumDominumnos- ation for me, and all
trum. Amen. those for whom it has
been offered. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
^f Then having kissed the Altar, he looks up to
wards Heaven and elevates his hands, which
he afterwards joins, at the same time that he
bows his head, saying in an audible voice:
60 THE LITURGY
Benedicat vos omni- May Almighty God,
potens Deus, Pater et the Father, Son, % and
Filius, % et Spiritus Holy Ghost ; bless you.
Sanctus.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
^f And having turned himself to the People, be
fore he has entirely completed this prayer, he
gives his Messing , (126) by making the sign of
the Cross over them with his outstretched right
hand: just as he invokes the persons of the
Holy Trinity. (The Benediction is omitted at
Masses of the Dead.) Then turning to the
Gospel-side of the Altar, he says ;
P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with
cum. you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit.
^[ He then traces the sign of the Cross, first upon
the Altar on the commencement of the Gospel;
then upon his forehead, lips, and breast; and,
afterwards, reads the particular Gospel ap
pointed for the occasion; but more generally
it happens that the Gospel of St. John is the
proper one to be recited.
P. 4- Initium sancti P. *!- The beginning
Evangelii secundum Jo- of the holy Gospel ac-
annem. cording to St. John.
R. Gloria tibi, Do- R. Glory be to thee,
mine. O Lord.
OF THE MASS.
61
St.John, c. i. In princi
ple erat Verbum,etVer-
bum erat apud Deum,
et Deus erat Verbum.
Hoc erat in principle
apud Deum. Omnia per
ipsum facta sunt : et sine
ipso factum est nihil,
quod factum est : in
ipso vita erat et vita erat
lux hominum : et lux
in tenebris lucet, et te-
nebrse earn non com-
prehenderunt. Fuit ho
mo missus a Deo, cui
nomen erat Joannes.
Hie venit in testimo
nium, ut testimonium
perhiberet de lumine :
ut omnes crederent per
ilium. Non erat ille lux :
sed ut testimonium per
hiberet de lumine. Erat
lux vera, quse illuminat
omnem hominem ve-
nientem in hunc mun-
dum. In mundo erat,
et mundus per ipsum
factus est, et mundus
eum non cognovit : in
St. John, c. i. In the
beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with
God, and the Word was
God: the same was in
the beginning with God.
All things were made
by him ; and without
him was made nothing
that was made. In him
was life, and the life was
the light of men ; and
the light shineth in
darkness, and the dark
ness did not compre
hend it. There was a
man sent from God
whose name was John ;
this man came for a
witness, to give testi
mony of the light, that
all men might believe
through him : he was
not the light, but was to
give testimony of the
light. That was the true
light which enlighteneth
every man that cometh
into this world. He was
in the world, and the
62
THE LITURGY
propria venit, et sui
eum non receperunt.
Quotquot autem rece
perunt eum, dedit eis
potestatem filios Dei
fieri, his qui credunt in
nomine ejus : qui non
ex sanguinibus, neque
ex voluntate carnis, ne
que ex voluntate viri,
sed ex Deo nati sunt.
ET VERBUM CARO FACTUM
EST,ethabitavit in nobis:
et vidimus gloriam ejus,
gloriam quasi unigeniti
a Patre, plenum gratise
et veritatis.
R. Deo gratias.
world was made by him,
and the world knew him
not. He came into his
own, and his own re
ceived him not. But as
many as received him,
he gave them power to
Tbe made the sons of
God, to them that believe
in his name, who are
born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man,
but of God. AND THE
WORD WAS MADE FLESH, (127)
and dwelt among us ;
and we saw his glory,
the glory as it were, of
the only begotten of the
Father ; full of grace
and truth.
R. Thanks be to God.
The following V. R. and Prayer are in some
Places said every Sunday and Holiday after
Mass.
V. Dominesalvum fac
Regem nostrum N.
R. Et exaudi nos in
V. O Lord save N.
our King.
R. And hear us in the
OF THE MASS. 63
die qua invocaverimus day we call upon thee.
te.
V. Gloria Patri et Fi- V. Glory be to the
lio et Spiritui Sancto. Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Sicut erat in prin- R. As it was in the
cipio et nunc, et sem- beginning, is now, and
per, et in saecula saecu- ever shall be,world with-
lorum. Amen. out end. Amen.
Oremus. Let us pray.
Qusesumus omnipo- We beseech thee, O
tens Deus : ut famulus Almighty God, that thy
tuus N. Rex noster, qui servant N. our King,
tua miseratione susce- who by thy mercy, hath
pit regni gubernacula, undertaken the govern-
virtutem etiam omnium ment of these realms,
percipiat incrementa : may also receive an in-
quibus decenter ornatus, crease of all virtues,
et vitiorum monstra de- wherewith being adorn-
vitare, et ad te, qui via, ed, he may avoid every
veritas, et vita es, gra- enormity of sin ; and
tiosus valeat pervenire. come at length to thee,
Per Dominum nostrum who art the way, the
&c. truth, and the life.
Through Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
64 THE LITURGY
BENEDICTION WITH THE BLESSED SACRA-
AFTER MASS.
Having put incense into the thurible, the Priest
takes the Blessed Sacrament out of the Taber
nacle^ and enclosing it in the Ostensorium, (130)
or, as it is sometimes called, Remonstrance, re
poses it upon the Altar, with the appropriate
genuflections both before and after. He then
descends the steps, and kneeling down, incenses
it; while the choir sings the hymn Tantum ergo
Sacramentum, &c. Having recited the prayer
Deus qui nobis, &c., the Priest is mantled with
the Veil. (m} Then going up to the Altar, he
adores, m and muffling his hands in the extre
mities of the Veil, takes up the Blessed Sacra
ment ; and turning round slowly, and with the
most religious reverence, blesses with it the
people, who are the while profoundly bending
in silent worship. The bell is rung during this
ceremony, to announce when the solemn act of
blessing commences and finishes, that all may
/mow how long to continue bowed down in ado
ration. The Priest having replaced the Osten-
sorium upon the Altar, after genuflecting, de
scends and incenses it again; then lays aside
the Veil, and deposit es the Sacred Host in the
Ciborium, ( 3) which he either replaces within
the Tabernacle, or removes to the inner Sacristy.
OF THE MASS. 65
^[ Whilst the Priest, at the commencement of
Mass or of Vespers, during which there is what
is called the exposition of the Blessed Sacra
ment, is taking the Expositor ium out of the
Tabernacle, and enthroning it under the canopy,
the following hymn is generally sung.
Tantum ergo Sacramen- To this mysterious table
turn,, now
Veneremur cernui : Our knees, our hearts,
and sense we bow :
Et antiquum documen- Let ancient rites resign
turn, their place
Novo cedat ritui : To nobler elements of
grace :
Prsestet fides supplemen- What our weak senses
turn, can t descry
Sensuum defectui. Let stronger faith the
want supply.
Genitori, genitoque, To God the Father born
of none,
Laus et jubilatio : To Christ his co-eternal
Son,
Salus, honor, virtus quo- And Holy Ghost whose
que, equal rays
Sit et benedictio : From both proceed, be
equal praise :
Procedenti ab utroque, One honour, jubilee, and
fame,
66
THE LITURGY
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen.
V. Panem de coelo
praestitisti eis. Alleluia.
R. Omne delectamen-
tum in se habentem.
Alleluia.
Oremus.
Deus, qui nobis, sub
sacramento mirabili,pas-
sionis tuse memoriam re-
liqiiisti : tribue qusesu-
mus, ita nos corporis et
sanguinis tui, sacra mys-
teria venerari, ut re-
demptionis tuse fructum
in nobis jugiter sentia-
mus. Qui, &c.
For ever bless his glo
rious name. Amen.
V. Thou hast given
them bread from Hea
ven. Alleluia.
R. Replenished with
whatever is delicious.
Alleluia.
Let us pray.
O God, who in this
wonderful sacrament,
has left us a perpetual
memorial of thy passion :
grant us, we beseech
thee, so to reverence the
sacred mysteries of thy
body and blood, as in
our souls to be always
sensible of the redemp
tion thou hast purchased
for us. Who livest, &c.
^j Whilst giving Benediction, is frequently sung
the following hymn.
O Salutaris Hostia ! O saving Host ! that
Heaven s gate
Quse Coeli pandis osti- Laidst open at so dear
um : a rate :
OF THE MASS. 67
Bella premunt hostilia : Intestine wars invade
our breast ;
Da robur, fer auxilium. Be thou our strength,
support, and rest.
2. Unitrinoque Domino, 2. To God the Father
and the Son,
Sit sempiterna gloria, And Holy Spirit Three
in One,
Qui vitam sine termino, Be endless praise : may
He above
Nobis donet in patria. With life eternal crown
our love.
F 2
NOTES
ON THE
RUBRICS.
NOTES, &c.
(1)
For the origin of Holy-Water, and the form of
blessing it ; see Chapter xm, Part 2.
(2)
A sprig of the Hyssop-plant was used for sprink
ling the water of purification on the people under
the Mosaic dispensation ;* and at the going out
of the children of Israel, they were commanded to
dip a bunch of hyssop in the blood of the paschal-
lamb, and sprinkle their door-posts with it.f
(3)
The English word Mass, in Latin Missa, is de
rived from the word Missio. It was the practice
in the primitive Church, during the celebration of
the mysteries of the Lord s Supper, to dismiss from
the assembly, at a certain part, all those who had
not been perfectly initiated into the truths of the
Gospel, and admitted to the communion of the
* Numb. C. xix. V. 18. f Exod. C. xii. V. 22.
72 NOTES
faithful : this was denominated the * Missio or
the Dismissal, whence is formed the Latin abbre
viation Missa, and the English Mass. See Chap. in.
Part 2.
The derivation of the term by which the prin
cipal afternoon service is designated, is somewhat
similar. Vespers, or Evening Song, constitute the
sixth amongst the Seven Canonical Hours, as those
forms of prayer are called, which each Ecclesiastic,
from the Subdeacon upwards, is bound to repeat
every day, either in public or in private. The
term, Vespers, is derived from Vesper, the star
that appears towards sunset, the time appointed
by ancient usage, for the recital of Evening Song.*
The antiquity of this form of prayer may be
traced back to the earlier ages of the Church;
since it is not only especially noticed in the Apo
stolic Constitutions^ but mentioned by St. Basil,
St. Ambrose, and St. Jerom ; the last of whom de
nominates it the Hora Lucernaris, or time of
lighting lamps at the decline of day.
It may be proper to observe, that the Vestment,
which, in most places, is worn by the officiating
priest at Vespers, is the Cope; for an account of
* Vespera fitquando Sol occidit. St. August. Serm. in Psalm. 29.
Vespera a sidere quod Vesper nuncupating et decidente sole exori-
tur. Isidorus de Eccl. Offic. C. 22, et Etym. L. 6, C. 35.
-f- EerTrepcte yEVopevrjg avvaOpoiffeiQ rr\v KK\r]<ria.v w firtaKOTTE KO.I
fjLe.ro. TO pr)Qi)vai rov tirLXvyvlov ^/aX/iov. Lib. viii. C. 35. Apud
Labbeum. Condi. Gen. tom.i. p. 499.
ON THE RUBRICS. 7o
which the reader may consult No. 59, Ch. xn. on
the Vestments.
(4)
The use of Images in the house of God, is au
thorized by Scripture. Moses was commanded to
place the images of two Cherubim upon the Ark ;
(Exod. Ch. xxv. and xxvi.) and Solomon carved all
the walls of the Temple round about with divers
figures and carvings, (3 Kings, Ch. vi. V. 29.) By
making a reverence before the crucifix, Catholics
do not intend to worship the image of their divine
Redeemer, but the Redeemer himself. All denomi
nations of Christians, as well as Catholics, bow
the head when they hear the sacred name of Jesus
pronounced : Catholics bow also when they behold
his figure. The sound and the figure are both
images of Jesus. No sensible Protestant will ever
raise an objection to that inferior respect which
Catholics exhibit towards the cross and the images
of Jesus ; since he will remember that, in receiv
ing the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper, according
to the rites of the Established Church of England,
each communicant is obliged to kneel down to the
sacramental elements, though he verily believes
them to be nothing more than common bread and
wine mere figures of the body and blood of Christ.
The reader is referred to Ch. x. in the second part
of this work, for several observations on the Ca
tholic practice of employing Images. The anti-
74 NOTES
quity of the custom of setting up Crucifixes in
Churches, and the reason of placing one upon the
Altar, are both noticed in Ch. ix, Numb. 6 and 7.
(5)
Consult Ch. ix. for the antiquity and meaning
of the sign of the Cross.
(6)
There are two forms which the Church employs
for offering up the Eucharistic Sacrifice; one called
High Mass; the other, Low Mass. Both are the
same in essence, and differ in the ceremonies *
only, which are more numerous and solemn in the
celebration of High, than in that of Low Mass. By
Solemn High Mass, it is intended to signify the
Mass at which a Deacon and Subdeacon minister.
The Roman Missal prescribes that we should
kneel during the whole of Low Mass, except at
the recital of the two Gospels, and the Creed
(should there be one). If, therefore, ill health, or
weakness do not compel us to sit down occasion
ally, we ought to comply with the Rubric, and
hear Mass in a kneeling posture, which is the one
most becoming a sinner who is present at the com
memoration of the death of his crucified Redeemer.
Through a devotional respect for the blessed
* For some observations on the use of Ceremonies in general,
see Ch.vni, Part 2.
ON THE RUBRICS. 75
Eucharist, the priest who celebrates Mass, as well
as those who receive the holy communion, are
fasting from the previous midnight. That this
custom of receiving the blessed Sacrament fasting,
was instituted by the Apostles, may be gathered
from a passage in the writings of Tertullian. (Ad
Uxor. Lib. 2, Ch. v.)
(7)
Acolytes constitute the highest of the four mi
nor orders in the Latin Church, in which they
have been employed, from the remotest antiquity,
to perform the inferior ministry at the Altar. St.
Cornelius who suffered martyrdom in 254, and his
African contemporary, St. Cyprian, * in their
epistles, severally mention these subordinate clerks.
The Roman pontiff, in that part of his letter to
Fabius, f where he enumerates the clergy of
Rome, says that there were forty-six priests, se
ven deacons, seven subdeacons, forty-two acolytes,
exorcists, and lectors, together with fifty-two door
keepers. The fourth Council of Carthage, cele
brated in the year 398, takes especial notice of the
form of their ordination ; and directs, that when
an acolyte is ordained, let him be instructed by
the bishop how he is to perform his office. But
let him receive from the archdeacon the candle
stick, with a wax taper, that he may know that to
* Epist. LV. apvdLabb. torn. i. ^.691. f dpudEuseb.liib. vi. C.43.
76 NOTES
him has been consigned the duty of lighting the
lights of the church. And let him receive an emp
ty cruet, to supply wine for the Eucharist of the
blood of Christ." * The same formula is recited
in the sacramentary of St. Gregory. The term is
Greek, and derived from the word AKoXovdog, which
signifies a young servant or attendant. One amongst
their most conspicuous offices within the sanctu
ary is, as St. Isidore informs us, f to bear about
the wax tapers. It has been the custom for seve
ral centuries to allow lay persons, even youths, to
discharge the ministry at the holy sacrifice and
other functions, without having the ordination of
acolytes. The cassock and surplice, the ecclesias
tical garments which they are allowed to wear, are
severally described in Chapter xn. on Vestments, at
Nos. 9 and 63.
(8)
This mark 4- whenever it is found, expresses
that the Priest, at those words to which it is af
fixed, makes the sign of the Cross ; for some re
marks on which, see Ch. ix.
* Acolythus cum ordinatur, ab episcopo quidem doceatur qua-
liter in officio suo agere debeat. Sed ab arcbidiacono accipiat cero
ferarium cum cereo, ut sciat se ad accendenda ecclesiae luminaria
mancipari. Accipiat et urceolum vacuum, ad suggerendum vinum
in eucharistiam sanguinis Christi. Cone. Gen. Labbei, torn. ii. p. 1 200.
f See Note 37, p. 99.
ON THE RUBRICS. 77
(9)
Before commencing the Psalm, the Priest re
cites a versicle of it ; ( I will go/ &c. called the An-
tiphon, which, as its two Greek component words
indicate, signifies a reciprocal voice or sound. He
and his two assistants alternately repeat the verses
of this introductory Psalm. Such an alternation
in singing or reciting Psalms and Hymns, may be
traced up to the earliest ages of the Church. So
ancient is it, that its introduction is attributed *
to St. Ignatius, a disciple of the Apostles, f In
the Church service it is usual to select, very often
from the Psalm itself about to be commenced,
some verse which is repeated both before and af
ter saying it. Sometimes the same verse or An-
tiphon is repeated by one side of the Choir, at the
closing of each verse of the Psalm, the whole of
which is recited by the other. As there is no por
tion of the Psalter more appropriate for the mini
sters of God to recite when about to offer up sa
crifice, than this verse ; I will go unto the Altar
of God, it has in consequence been chosen as
the Antiphon to the Psalm ; Judge me, &c. and
directed to be said on every occasion by the Priest
at the commencement of Mass.
* Socrates, Lib. 6. C. viii.
f St. Ignatius, who suffered martyrdom at Rome under Trajan,
was appointed by St. Peter to fill the Episcopal Chair of Antioch,
on the death of Evodius, the immediate successor in that See, of
he Prince of the Apostles.
78 NOTES
(10)
This Psalm, on account of the expressions of
joy which it contains, is omitted at Masses of the
Dead ; and during Passion-time, that is, the fort
night before Easter.
en)
This is denominated the minor Doxology, or
short hymn of Glory. The first part of it Glory
be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost; is presumed to have been framed by the
Apostles. * The second portion ; as it was in
the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end, Amen ; is ascribed to the Council of
Nice assembled in the year 325, and was appended
by the Nieene Fathers as a contradiction to the
doctrines of Arius, who maintained that the Son
was not in the beginning, nor equal to the Fa
ther, f
The custom still observed by the people of
standing up at Vespers, during the Glory be to
the Father/ &c. and of the choir bursting out in-
* That the first of the two versicles which compose the Glory he
to the Father/ was in use as a prayer amongst the faithful, anterior
to the Council of Nice, is certain. St. Basil, who lived a little more
than forty years after it was held, notices, in his letter to Amphilo-
chius, this hymn, as ancient ; and the illustrious St. Athanasius,
who flourished at the time the Council of Nice was celebrated, in
referring to this Doxology, makes no mention of its being then but
recently introduced.
f Opera Benedict! xiv. De Sac. Missa, C. iii. V. 19.
ON THE RUBRICS. 79
to a louder chorus, no doubt owes its origin to
the same cause which introduced this Doxology
at the close of each Psalm. To express their be
lief in the doctrine of the holy and undivided Tri
nity, it appears that the people were instructed to
stand up, and mingle their voices with the swell
ing strain of the choir, and thus proclaim their
loud and unanimous assent to that dogma, as if it
were by acclamation. The antiquity of this rite
is attested by Cassianus, who flourished about the
year 424, when he incidentally mentions it, and
not as if of recent introduction, but as a ceremony
established throughout Gaul at the time when he
was writing. In this province, (Gaul) remarks
that author, at the conclusion of a Psalm, all
standing up, unite in singing together, in a loud
strain, Glory be to the Father , &c.*
At a later period, Theodemarus, Abbot of Monte
Casino, notices the standing up, and the inclina
tion of the head during the recital of the " Glory
be to the Father" as a rite of ancient institution.f
(12)
While reciting the prayer I confess, &c. the
Priest, with his hands joined, lowly bends down
* In hac provincia (Gallia) in clausula psalmi, omnes adstantes
concinunt cum clamore ; Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Cass. Lib. 2. C. viii.
f Sicut et alia quse a majoribus iristituta servamus, stamus, flec-
timus cervicem, quoties Gloria canitur. Epist. ad Theodorum apud
Paulum Diaconum.
80 NOTES
his head, to express his confusion for his sinful-
ness, and to imitate the humble Publican, who
would not so much as lift up his eyes towards
heaven. *
(13)
At these words, he strikes his breast. This
manner of expressing grief for sin, is both ancient
and scriptural. The Publican mentioned in the
Gospel,f struck his breast, saying, O God, be
merciful to me a sinner; and at the Crucifixion,
the multitude that saw the things that were done,
returned striking their breasts. .*!; The striking of
the breast is meant to signify, not only that we
are indignant against this bosom of ours, which
has so often rebelled against Heaven ; but that we
desire that it may be bruised and softened by
compunction ; and that the stony heart may be
exchanged for one of flesh. In the Old as well
as in the New Law, the Confession of Sins has in
variably preceded Sacrifice. The High-Priest un
der the Mosaic dispensation, before he offered the
emissary goat, was directed to confess all the ini
quities of the children of Israel, and all their of
fences and sins. ||
Some Protestants have objected, that, in this
prayer, Catholics make a confession of their sins,
* St. Luke, C. xviii. V. 13. f Ibid.
\ St. Luke, C. xxiii. V. 48. Ezek. C. xi. V. 19.
II Lcvit.C.xvi. F.21.
ON THE RUBRICS. 81
not only to God ; but also to the Saints. In answer
to this,, it should be observed, that we here con
fess, riot only to the Saints in Heaven, but also to
our brethren upon earth ; and, in both instances,
we employ the same expression : and thus we com
ply with the injunction of St. James, who says,
confess your sins one to another. * Now as it
is not the slightest derogation from God s honour
to confess to sinners on earth, it is impossible to
conceive how it can be unlawful to confess our
guilt, and acknowledge our transgressions, to the
Saints in Heaven, who are, at the day of final re
tribution, to sit in judgement on us ; for it was
thus that our divine Redeemer addressed his Apo
stles ; Amen, I say to you, when the Son of Man
shall sit on the seat of his Majesty, you also shall
sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel ; f and St. Paul exclaims;- e know you not
that the Saints shall judge this world ? JAn almost
similar form of confession, with its absolution,
may be seen in the Poenitential drawn up by Eg
bert, who was archbishop of York in 732.
Concerning the Invocation of Angels and Saints,
the reader is referred to Ch. v. Part 2.
(14)
Not only did the Archangel Gabriel salute the
Blessed Virgin Mary with this respectful language ;
* St. James, C. v. V. 16. f St. Matt. C. xix. V. 28.
j 1 Cor. C. vi. V. 2.
G
82 NOTES
Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou amongst women ; * but she her
self, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, de
clared thatf all generations should call her
blessed/ By this prayer, Catholics partly realize
this prophetic declaration uttered by the mo
ther of our Lord/
(15)
Of the Archangel Michael, it is said in the pro
phecy of Daniel ; { Michael shall rise up, the
great prince, who standeth for the Children of thy
people/;*;
(16)
St. John Baptist was, as it were, the conclusion
of the Old, and the beginning of the New Testa
ment. He was the Angel sent before the face
of the Redeemer. He was "the voice of one
crying in the desert, prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make straight his paths/ It was he who
preached the Baptism of penance unto the remis
sion of sins.
(17)
It was to St. Peter that Jesus Christ made this
splendid promise; f Thou art Peter, and upon
* St. Luke, C. i. V. 28. f Ibid - c - * v - 48 -
Dan. C. xii. V.I. St. Mark, C. i. V. 2, 3, 4.
ON THE RUBRICS. 83
this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of
Hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give
to thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven ; and
whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be
bound also in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt
loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in Hea
ven. 5 * St. Paul was associated with St. Peter in
preaching the Gospel at Rome, and in founding
the Roman Church, of which the first Pope or
Bishop was St. Peter.
(18)
The Saints in Heaven are addressed in this
prayer for three reasons. I. Their perfect Charity,
or love of God, induces them to feel a concern
about every offence that is perpetrated against
their heavenly Sovereign. II. They take particu
lar interest about every thing which regards us
here below, and participate in that joy which is
in Heaven upon one sinner that doth penance. f
III. Because it not unfrequently happens that Al
mighty God grants, through the intercession of
his favourites, the pardon which he denies to the
sinner himself. The Lord thus spoke to Abime-
lech; Abraham shall pray for thee, and thou shalt
live, J and he likewise said to the friends of Job ;
( Go to my servant Job : and my servant Job
* St. Matt. C. xvi. V. 18, 19. f St. Luke, C. xv. V. 7.
t Gen. C. xx. V. 7.
G2
84 NOTES
shall pray for you ; his face I will accept, that folly
be not imputed to you. * See Ch. v. Part 2.
(19)
St. James bids us to confess our sins one to
another. f
(20)
When we address ourselves to God, we say ;
have mercy on us. When we address ourselves
to Saints, to Angels, or to men, we say ; c pray
for us.
(21)
The words Dominus vobiscum, or The Lord
be with you are found in several passages of the
Old Testament. f Booz said to the reapers ; the
Lord be with you. And they answered him: The
Lord bless thee. J Such, too, was the salutation of
the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The response ; f and with thy spirit, is furnished
by those words of St. Paul to Timothy ; The Lord
Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. ||
(22)
The Priest kisses the Altar, out of respect and
affection towards that spot on which Jesus Christ
* Job, C. xlii. V. 8. f St. James, C. v. V. 16.
t Ruth, C. ii. V. 4. St. Luke, C. i. V. 28.
II 2 Tim. C. iv. V. 22.
ON THE RUBRICS. 85
is daily immolated : for we may well exclaim with
St. Optatus Milevitanus, who flourished towards
the year 308 ; what is the Altar but the seat of
the Body and Blood of Christ? * The use of Al
tars in the Church, and the respect which has been
invariably manifested towards them from the ear
liest ages, will be noticed in a separate Chapter.
The Priest is directed to kiss that part of the Al
tar where is placed the stone under which it is usual
to deposite the Relics of some Saint or Martyr. Thus
there is furnished another testimonial of reverence
to our divine Redeemer, through the respect which
is exhibited towards the earthly remains of those
who have exemplified his precepts by their virtues,
or sealed the profession of his doctrines with their
blood. In the earliest ages of the Church, the
holy Sacrifice of the Mass used to be offered on
the tombs of the Martyrs; and hence arose the
custom of enclosing a portion of their Relics in the
Altar-Stone. It is but becoming, that beneath
our earthly Altars, should repose the Relics of the
Saints, since St. John remarks of them in his vision
of the heavenly sacrifice ; I saw under the Altar
the souls of them that were slain for the word of
God, and for the testimony which they held. f For
some remarks on the veneration which the Catho
lic Church pays to Relics, see Part 2. Ch. vi.
* Quid enim est Altare nisi secies corporis et sanguinis Christi.
Adv. Par-men. Lib. vi. p. 91. f Apoc. C. vi. V. 9.
86 NOTES
(23)
By the express command of God, the use of In
cense was very frequent in the service of the Jew
ish Temple.*
(24)
This portion of the Service is called the INTROIT
or entrance; because, at solemn High Masses, the
Choir usually chants it as the Priest is approaching
the Altar. It is composed of two or three versicles
selected from the Psalms, or other parts of Scripture.
(25)
* Kyrie eleison are two Greek words, which sig
nify Lord have mercy/ Such a petition is most
appropriately recited at the commencement of the
tremendous mysteries. Then it is that we should
supplicate the mercies of Heaven in cries like those
of the blind men of Jericho ;f with the persever
ance of the Canaanean mother, J and as humbly as
the ten lepers. Kyrie eleison is repeated, three
times, in honour of God the Father ; Christe elei
son/ three times, in honour of God the Son ; and
Kyrie eleison/ three times, in honour of God the
Holy Ghost.
(26)
This has been denominated the Angelic Hymn,
because it commences with the words chanted by
* Exod. C. xl. V. 5. St. Luke, C. i. V. 10, 1 1.
f St. Matt. C. xx. V. 30. J St. Matt. C. xv. V. 22, &c.
St. Luke, C. xvii. V. 13.
ON THE RUBRICS. 87
Angelic voices in the midnight air at the birth of
our divine Redeemer, which was announced to the
shepherds by an Angel zoned in light, with whom
( there was a multitude of the heavenly army,
praising God, and saying, Glory be to God in the
Highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. *
This Canticle, as the fathers of the fourth Council
of Toledo, celebrated in the year 633, observed,
consists of the strain sung by the multitude of the
heavenly array, and of pious aspirations composed
by the pastors of the Church. The Greeks call it
the great Doxology.
In commencing this hymn, so beautiful for its
devout sentiments, and venerable for its antiquity,
the Priest outstretches and elevates his hands, and
turns his eyes towards heaven. A pious sensibility
naturally dictates such gestures. They exhibit in
a feeling manner those inward profound emotions,
and that religious elevation of the soul, experienced
by the fervent Christian; and testify, that whilst
his lips are resounding with those angel-notes of
praise Glory be to God on High they echo but
the accents of a heart that sighs to embrace and
retain the joys of Heaven for all eternity. The in
clination of the head at the name of God, is to
manifest our worship of God, made man for our
redemption. At the conclusion, he makes the sign
of the Cross, according to the custom of the an-
* St. Luke, C.ii. V. 13, 14, &c.
88 NOTES
cient Christians, who sanctified* all their principal
actions by calling to their minds the sacrifice of
Christ s atonement by this holy symbol. The Gloria
in excelsis. being a canticle of gladness, is conse
quently omitted at Masses said in black for the
Dead; and also during the penitential seasons of
Lent, Advent, &c. unless the Mass be of some Saint.
(27)
The Priest bows down before the Altar, because
he who wishes to communicate a benediction unto
others, must, first of all, by his humility, incline
Heaven to bestow the blessing he desires to im
part. He kisses the Altar because it is the throne
of Jesus. He turns round towards the congrega
tion, because he speaks a holy greeting: and he
holds his arms extended to signify, by such a na
tural expression of sincere and warm affection,
that he is acting in the name of Jesus, the loving
Father of his people.
(28)
Nothing can be more impressive than this scrip
tural and very ancient custom of extending the
arms during the time of prayer. It was thus that
Moses prayed upon the mountain, while the Chil
dren of Israel were combating on the plain with the
Amalekites.f The Psalmist makes frequent men-
* Chapter on the Cross, No. 3. f Exod. C. xvii. P. 11.
ON THE RUBRICS. 89
tion of it. Hear, O Lord/ he cries, the voice
of my supplication when I lift my hands to thy
holy temple * Lift up your hands to the holy
place f ( I stretched forth my hands to thee. J
St. Paul refers to this ceremony when he says :
I will that men pray lifting up pure hands.
That such was the method of praying observed
amongst the primitive Christians, is evident both
from the testimony of the earliest writers of the
Church, and from those monuments of Christian
antiquity which are extant. Tertullian, in his book
on prayer,^[ and Prudentius, in his hymn on the
Martyrdom of St. Fructuosus,|| particularly men
tion it. In the fresco-paintings with which the
Christians of the first ages adorned the cham
bers of their Catacombs at Rome, are still visible
many figures with outstretched hands, in the act
of praying.* An illustration of such a rite may
be seen in Ch. xn. on Vestments, No. 29, where is
given the figure of a veiled female in the act of
prayer. The Sarcophagi which contained the bo-
dies,f and the Cippi, or marble slabs that covered
the tombs of the Martyrs,J as well as articles of
* Ps. xxvii. V. 2. Protest. Trans. Ps. xxviii, &c.
f Ps. cxxxii. V. 2. Protest. Trans. Ps. cxxxiv.
1 Ps. cxlii. V. vi. Protest. Trans. Ps. cxliii, c.
1 Tim. C. ii. V. 8. f C. xi. et xiii. || Hymn. vi. V. 107.
* Annghii, Roma Subterranea, vol. i. pp. 54 1, 565, 581, &585.
f Bottari, Roma Sotterranea, plate cxxxvi.
t Aringhii, vol. i. p. 606.
90 NOTES
domestic furniture,* exhibit figures in similar po
sitions. Anciently this gesture was common both
to the Clergy and Laity during the time of prayer ;
but now, with the exception of some places in the
southern parts of Germany, where the people still
employ it in the Churches,f it is observed by the
Priest only.
(29)
Amongst ancient ecclesiastical authors, the word
Collect signifies a meeting of the faithful for the
purposes of prayer. J
In the early times of Christianity, it was usual
for the people to assemble in a particular Church
on fast- days, but especially during the season of
public calamity, in order afterwards to proceed in
regular procession to another church previously
determined upon, for the celebration of what was
called, in the language of the period, a station.
* Buonarruoti, Vasi Antichi di vetro, plates xviii. and xxi.
f The writer particularly noticed this custom at Munich, where
he observed numbers of people at the Cathedral and other churches,
praying with outstretched hands, and in a posture exactly resem
bling the one so often to be seen on ancient Christian monuments.
j In the writings of the Fathers the following expressions; col-
lectas agere congrega ri ad collectam which are of frequent oc
currence, are to be understood in this sense.
The ceremony was denominated station, because it was at
the second Church that the procession stopped to hear Mass, and
listen to a sermon. It was on occasion of these stations that Pope
St. Gregory, the Apostle of England, preached the major part of
his Homilies to the Roman people.
ON THE RUBRICS. 91
When the Clergy and the people had assembled at
the place appointed, the Bishop, or the Priest who
was to officiate, recited over the collected multi-
titude a short prayer, which, from the circum
stance, was denominated the Collect, or the ga
thering prayer.*
2. As the Mass is the principal service of the
Church, for the celebration of which the faithful
are collected ; we see the propriety of denominat
ing by the term Collect, that prayer which the
Priest puts up to God in behalf of those amongst
his servants who have come together to adore him.
In fact, the ancient mode of saying the Collect, fur
nishes another warrant for the propriety of such a
designation. Before the Celebrant began the
prayer itself, he exhorted, as he does now, the
people to offer their petitions to heaven, by saying
{ Let us pray. The Deacon then proclaimed
aloud Let us kneel down and, after a pause,
which was employed by all present in silent sup
plication, that minister a second time cried out ;
Stand up again. The Priest then rising from his
knees, prayed aloud.f Though not the name, the
* In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, there are two prayers for
the Feast of the Purification : the first is entitled; The Collect at
St. Hadrian s the church at which the Clergy and people met, be
fore proceeding to St. Mary Major s, where the second was recited
as the Collect in the Mass of the Festival.
f An illustrious Father of the Greek Church, St. Basil, who
died in the year 379, refers, in his book on the Holy Ghost, c. xxvii.
to this ceremony, which is still observed throughout the Latin
92 NOTES
form however,, of prayer, which we have in the
Collect, may be traced up to Apostolic origin.
Many of the occasional Collects now in use, are
proved, by referring to the Sacramentaries of Popes
Gelasius and Gregory, to have been composed
more than thirteen hundred years ago.
It may, in conclusion, be observed, that as it is
the official duty of the Priest to stand between the
Altar of God and the people, to collect the vows
and the petitions of those around him, and offer
them up altogether to the throne of grace and
mercy, hence the formula employed for such a pur
port, has been very properly, from this circumstance
alone, denominated Collect, from the collection
which the pastor makes of the prayers of his flock,
and from his afterwards compressing in one com
mon summary, the requests of each single individual.
(30)
By making a reverence before the Crucifix, by
bowing his head as he pronounces the sacred name
of Jesus, and by kissing the text of the Gospel;
the Priest intends to honour and worship, not an
image, nor a book, nor a sound, but Jesus Christ
himself in heaven, who is represented and called
Church, at the Quatuor Tempora, or Ember days, on Good Friday,
and Holy Saturday ; with this only difference, that at High Mass
the Sub-deacon, and at Low Mass the Acolyte, without allowing
any time to transpire in a pause, says ; " Stand up again."
ON THE RUBRICS. 93
to his remembrance by these several sensible signs
and figures. To these symbols of Jesus, the Priest
exhibits no more honour than the Jewish priest
hood, by an express command of God, manifested
to the Ark of the Testament, and to the Temple.
The Catholic neither worships nor prays to, nor
reposes any trust in images, as the Heathens did
in their idols ; nor does he believe any power or
virtue to reside in them. He is expressly taught
by his Church that images have neither life nor
sense to help him. (Concilium Trident. Sess. 25,
and the first Catechism.) For some further obser
vations upon Images, see Part 2, Ch. x.
(31)
Such an admonition is addressed by the Priest
to his congregation for the purpose of warning
them that his prayers are for the common benefit ;
and of assuring them that it will be in vain for
him to lift up his hands towards heaven in their
behalf, unless they also elevate their hearts at the
same moment.
(32)
The Acolyte in the name of the people answers ;
Amen at the end of the Collect, Post-com
munion, &c. and thus ratifies what the Priest has
been saying, according to the custom of the Jews,
and primitive Christians. Amen is a Hebrew word
employed to confirm what has been announced ;
9i NOTES
and according to the tenor of the discourse to
which it is appended, signifies,, either that is
true/ or may it be so/ or I agree to that/
It is, in reality, a form of speech indicative of an
assertion, a desire, or a consent. 1 . When the
Amen is uttered after a declaration of the truths
of Faith, as for instance the Creed, it is a simple
assertion, and signifies, that is true/ 2. The
Amen indicates a wish, when it follows a prayer
in which the Priest expresses a desire for some
blessing or a spiritual good ; for example, the con
version of nations, health of soul and body, and
rest to the spirits of departed brethren. 3. When
the Priest recites a prayer which pledges us to the
performance of any thing, the Amen repeated after
it, declares our determination to comply with the
engagement.
(33)
For some remarks on the Intercession of Saints,
see Part 2, Ch. v.
(34)
The Jews commenced the public service of
their Sabbath by reading Moses and the Prophets :*
the first Christians followed their example, and
during divine worship on the Sunday, read passages
from the Old or New Testament, f But as these
* Acts, C. xiii. V. 15. f Tertul Apol C, xxxix.
ON THE RUBRICS. 95
extracts were more generally made from the
letters of St. Paul the Doctor of the Gentiles, this
scriptural lecture received the appellation of the
Epistle. The Epistle of each Sunday is taken
from the letters of St. Paul, or of the other
Apostles, and according to Alcuin,* not without
a spiritual meaning ; for in causing the writings
of God s envoys, to be recited previous to the
lecture of the Gospel, the Church appears to imi
tate the example of Jesus Christ, who deputed
some among his disciples to go before him into
those quarters which he was about to honour
with a visit. It is thought that the present
distribution of Epistles and Gospels throughout
the year, was arranged by St. Jerom at the desire
of Pope Damasus about the year 376.
Portfons of the sacred writings are read during
the recital of all the other offices of the Church.
At Vespers, for instance, is said the Little Chapter,
which is a short lecture, containing a few sen
tences selected from some portion of the Old or
New Testament. It is mentioned as early as the
sixth century, by the Council of Agde, in Gaul,
celebrated in the year 506. The Venerable Bede,
in speaking of the Little Chapter, says, that in
imitation of the children of Israel, who, in the
time of Ezra, used to read four times during the
day out of the Volume of the Law, a practice was
* Alcuinus de divin. Offic. Alcuin was an Englishman, and
flourished towards the year 780.
96 NOTES
introduced into the Church of reciting a lecture,
from the Sacred Scriptures, after each portion of
the daily psalmody, known at present under the
appellation of the Canonical Hours. *
(35)
After the Epistle, in order to unite prayer with
instruction, the whole, or part of one of the Psalms
is recited ; and this anthem is called the GRADUAL ;
from an ancient custom which once prevailed of
chanting it on the Gradus, that is, steps of the
Ambo or Pulpit,f in which the Epistle used to
be recited. J These versicles composing the
Gradual, used to be chanted sometimes by one
chorister alone, without any pause or interruption ;
sometimes alternately and by many voices which
responded one to another. When the chanting
was performed by one voice, and without inter
ruption, it was distinguished by the appellation
of TRACT, from the Latin Tractim without
ceasing. When it was sung by several of the
Choir, or by the whole congregation who took
up some of the strophes, it was called the Anthem
sung in versical and response. Hence the origin
* Beda, Lit. iii. Expos, in Esdram, C. xxviii.
f These Ambones are still to be seen in some of the oldest
churches at Rome, such as St. Clement s, St. Laurence s and seve
ral others.
* Rabanus Maurus, L. 1, C. xxxii. He wrote in (he ninth
Century.
ON THE RUBRICS. 97
of the generic term Gradual, and of the specific
ones, Tract and Response.
(36)
As there is something plaintive and melancholy
in solemn, long-drawn strains of a single voice,
the Tract is chanted in penitential seasons, or
during the time the Church is occupied in com
memorating the passion of our divine Redeemer.
But during the period that the Church is busied in
solemnizing the joyful mysteries of our religion,
at Easter and on those Sundays when she more
particularly commemorates the Resurrection of
her Spouse, and on other festivals, the swell and
harmony of many voices blended together, and
the bursts of alternate Choirs singing Alleluia, are
admirably adapted to exhibit her joy; and hence
the versicle commenced and finishes with that
word of jubilation. ALLELUIA is a Hebrew term
which signifies praise the Lord : but as it ex
presses a transport of joy which cannot be ade
quately rendered by any term in Greek or Latin,
it has been retained in its original form. Tobias,
wishing to signify the joy which is to distinguish
the flourishing periods of the Church of Christ, or
of the New Jerusalem, proclaims that Alleluia
shall be sung in all its streets; * and St. John assures
us that the inhabitants of Heaven hymn their
praises in Alleluias.f
: Tob. C. xiii. V. 22. f Apocal C. xix.
H
98 NOTES
There are certain Rhythms which, on particular
festivals, are chanted after the Gradual ; and
hence receive the denomination of Sequences; but
are also called Proses, because, though written in
a species of verse, they are not fettered by any of
the recognized laws of metre. The introduction
of these hymns into the Liturgy, is thought to
have originated in the devotion of B. Notkerus,
Abbot of the Monastery of the Irish St. Gall, in
the diocese of Constance, towards the closing of
the ninth century.* Of the many Sequences or
Proses which have been composed, four only are
inserted in the Roman Missal. The first of them
is the e Victimae Paschali, &c. sung at Easter, and
which, according to Durandus,f is the production
of Robert, King of the Franks, in the eleventh
century : the second is the Veni Sancte Spiritus/
&c. for Pentecost, and is considered to have been
written in the eleventh century also, by B. Her-
mannus Contractus ; the third is the Lauda
Sion/ &c. for the feast of Corpus Christi, and is
ascribed to St. Thomas of Aquino : the fourth is
the justly celebrated Dies ira3, &c. which issued
from the pious pen of Cardinal Latino Orsini, a
Dominican friar who flourished in the thirteenth
century. J The beautiful and celebrated hymn,
Stabat Mater dolorosa, 5 is attributed to Pope In
nocent III. by Pagi, in the life which he wrote of
that Pontiff.
* Notkerus died in 912. f Lib.iv. C.22.
1 Benedictus xiv. de Sacrificio Misses, Lib. ii. C. 5, Sect, xviii.
Georgius, De Liturgia Romani Pontificis, tom.ii. p. 218.
ON THE RUBRICS. 99
The use of hymns is coeval with the Christian
Church ; and many of those now in use, are the
compositions of some of the most illustrious Fa
thers and Saints of the fourth and succeeding cen
turies, who wrote several in honour of the Apostles
and Martyrs.*
(37)
St. Jerom, who flourished about the year 376,
refers to this ceremony in his able answer to Vi-
gilantius, whom he thus addresses : Throughout
all the churches of the East, whenever the Gospel
is recited, they bring forth lights, though it be at
noon day; not certainly to drive away the dark
ness, but to manifest some sign of joy. f Those
attendants who answer and wait upon the Priest,
and at High Mass carry the lights, are thus noticed
by St. Isidore in his book called Origines, which
he composed towards the year 595 : f Those who
in the Greek tongue are denominated Acolytes,
are, in Latin, called Taper-bearers, from their car
rying wax-candles at the reading of the Gospel, or
when Sacrifice is to be offered. Then tapers are
lighted and borne by them. J
(38)
Amongst the nations of antiquity, an offering of
perfumes was regarded as a token of the most pro-
* Cone. Tolet. C. iv. C. 12.
f Hier. Epist, advers. Vigilantium. + Isid, Orig. Lib. vii. C. 12.
H 2
100 NOTES
found respect and homage. Moses received par
ticular instructions from God to erect an altar of
Incense in the Tabernacle. The early Christians
imitated the example of the Jews, and used incense
at the celebration of their liturgy. The ceremony
of burning incense at this part of the Holy Sacri
fice,, should figure to us, that as a grateful perfume
exhales from the glowing thurible, so, a sweet
odour is diffused throughout the soul by the Gos
pel of Jesus Christ, whose bosom glowed with love
for man. The spiritual meaning which the Church
attached to the burning of incense will be indicated
under Note 72. For some observations on the an
tiquity and general custom throughout the western
and oriental churches, of burning perfume at divine
service, the reader may consult Ch. xvn. on In
cense, Part 2.
(39)
By standing up during the Gospel, we express
our readiness to answer the call of the inspired
volume; and to obey the precepts which it delivers
to us.
(40)
This is the remnant of a very ancient ceremony
practised in the Greek* and Latin Churches. At
the General Councils, a copy of the sacred volume
* See the Liturgies which bear the names of St. James, of St.
Basil, and of St. John Chrysostom. Precisely the same ceremonies
as we observe immediately before and at the chanting of the Gos
pel, are also prescribed by the Greek Church.
ON THE RUBRICS. 101
was placed upon an elevated and richly ornamented
throne.* At other times, the holy book was laid
upon the altar, as may be perceived in a mosaic
which still ornaments the cupola of St. John s church
at Ravenna, and was executed about the year 451.f
In his Annotations on the Greek liturgies, Goar
has the following note on this ceremony of depo
siting the volume of the Gospels on the middle
part of the altar, as on a royal throne ; Evange-
lium altaris medio perpetuo accumbens Christum
regem throno suo insid entem manifestat : et Sacer-
dos primo ad altare appulsu, in evangelio Christum
veneratur: Diacono humilitatis et status sui con-
scio, thronum ilium regium adorare contento. J
(41)
It is thus that the priest signifies that the Gos
pel he is about to read, is the book of Jesus cru
cified ; and by this action he imitates the piety of
the early Christians, who never commenced any
work without first making the sign of the Cross.
See Ch. ix. on the Cross, Part 2.
(42)
The priest and people here, and at the last Gos
pel, sign, first, their foreheads with this emblem of
* Cyrill. Alex, apolog. ad Theod.
f Ciampina, Monimenta Vetera, torn. i. p. 236, Tab. Ixx.
j Goar Rituale Gr^corum, p. 122.
102 NOTES
Christianity, to manifest, as St. Augustin observes,
so far are they from blushing at the Cross, that
they do not conceal this instrument of redemption,
but carry it upon their brows,* and with St. Paul,
glory in the Cross ;f then, their mouths; "For
with the heart we believe unto justice; but with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation ; J
and, finally, upon their bosoms, by way of admoni
tion that the precepts of Christ should be im
printed in indelible characters upon the heart of
every true believer in the Cross. See Ch. ix, on
the Cross, in Part 2.
(43)
This is done both out of reverence for the word
of God ; and to signify that every thing which ema
nates from such a hallowed source, is sweet and
venerable.
(44)
This is in accordance with what we read of the
great multitude of people who came to hear Jesus,
and to be healed of their diseases.
(45)
Such a ceremony testifies our reverence, and
expresses our joy in the Gospel, and affection to
wards Jesus, inspired by his divine words.
* Usque adeo de cruce non erubesco, ut non in occulto habeam
crucem Christi, sed in fronte portem. Aug. in Psalm, cxli.
-I- Gal. C. vi. V. 14. t Rom. C. x. V. 10. St. Luke, C.vi, V. 18.
ON THE RUBRICS. 103
(46)
This tribute of respect is offered to the priest,
because he is the principal sacrificing minister
who should manifest the odour of his knowledge
in every place/ according to the language of St.
Paul.*
(47)
The Creed is said every Sunday during the
year, and on all those feasts, the objects of which
are in a manner comprehended in it; such as the
different festivals instituted in honour of Christ,
and of his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary ; of
the Apostles and Doctors of the Church, by whose
arduous labours and writings, the doctrine included
in this symbol of Christianity, has been dissemi
nated through the world.
There is a liturgical practice which must be in
teresting to the reader. The custom of saying the
" Our Father and the f Creed in silence at Ves
pers, and at the other portions of the divine ser
vice, excepting Mass, in which it is recited aloud,
appears to be the remnant of that ancient law, de
nominated the " Discipline of the Secret," which
was most religiously observed by the faithful dur
ing the first four ages of the Church.f According
to this Apostolical institution, neither the Lord s
Prayer, nor the Creed, J was permitted to be re-
* 2 Cor.C.u. V. 14.
f Disciplina Arcani, per Emanuclem a Schelstrate.
t Vide Benedictum xiv. Lib. ii. C. xix. N. 4, De Sac, Missa?.
104 NOTES
cited aloud at those parts of the public service, at
which it was possible for any unbeliever or unini
tiated person to be present.* It was only after
the catechumens had been diligently instructed,
and were about to receive baptism, that they were
taught these prayers.f Hence may be readily
perceived the original reason why the Lord s Prayer
should be recited, at Mass, in an elevated tone of
voice, and at Vespers, and the Canonical Hours,
in perfect silence. The presence of the unbeliever,
the Jew, and the Catechumen, was willingly tole
rated during the recital of various parts of the
public service, and of the commencement of the
Liturgy or Mass. But it was one of the official
duties of the deacon, to see that all such persons
had withdrawn from the assembly, long before
that period of the Mass arrived, at which the Our
Father was recited. For a short history of the
Creeds used in the Church, consult Ch. xiv, Part 2.
(48)
Whenever we address ourselves to the Divinity,
w 7 e ought to elevate our hearts towards Heaven.
The exterior lifting up of the hands, is a figure of
the interior elevation of the mind towards God.
(49)
This inclination of the head is to exhibit our
* Writing to his sister Marcellina, St. Ambrose observes Post
Irctiones et tractatum, climissis Catechumenis, Symbolum aliquibus
competentibus in baptisteriis tradebam. Epht. xxx.
-\ Disciplina Arcani, p. 101.
ON THE RUBRICS. 105
profound respect for the ineffable perfections of
the Deity.
(50)
At these words, all kneel down to venerate the
mystery of the Incarnation ; and to adore a God
made man, who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God; but debased
himself, taking the form of a servant, being made
in the likeness of a man, for which cause God also
hath exalted him, and hath given him a name
which is above all names : that in the name of Je
sus every knee should bow, of those that are in
heaven, on earth, and under the earth. *
(51)
It is thus we study to express that our hopes of
a joyful resurrection, and of the happiness of eter
nal life, are founded solely on the merits of Jesus
crucified.
(52)
As long as the Discipline of the Secret f was
enforced, this was the period at which the Cate
chumens were dismissed from the Assembly ; and
then, what was called the Mass of the Faithful,
began. Not only were the Catechumens J or per-
*PMlipp. C.ii. V.6,7,9, 10.
f For a notice of the Discipline of the Secret, see a note at No.
22 in Ch. i. on the Sacrifice of the Mass, Part 2.
t Who the Catechumens were, is mentioned in a note to No. 2,
in Ch. iii. Part 2.
106 NOTES
sons who had not been purified by the regenerat
ing waters of Baptism, excluded from the Sacrifice
of the Mass, but also the public penitents, or
Christians who had defiled the robe of baptismal
innocence by the blacker stains of sin, and were,
in consequence, considered, in those times of pri
mitive fervour, unworthy to remain and attend at
the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
(53)
The Offertory is an Anthem which the priest
recites prior to the Oblation ; and which, in some
places, is chanted by the choir immediately after
the Dominus vobiscum. It owes its name to a
practice which was anciently observed in the
Church by the faithful, who, at this part of the
Mass, presented at the altar their offerings of bread
and wine, to be consecrated at the holy Sacrifice.
The choir, in singing this Anthem whilst the priest
is offering the bread and wine, imitates the chant
of the Jewish sanctuary at the celebration of the
Aaronic sacrifice; For when the high-priest
stretched forth his hand to make a libation, and
offered of the blood of the grape, he poured out
at the foot of the altar a divine odour to the most
high Prince. Then the sons of Aaron shouted,
they sounded with beaten trumpets, and made a
great noise, to be heard for a remembrance before
God. Then all the people together made haste and
fell down to the earth upon their faces, to adore
ON THE RUBRICS. 107
the Lord their God, and to pray to the Almighty
the most High. And the singers lifted up their
voices, and in the great house the sound of sweet
melody was increased. *
(54)
The matter, as it is called, of the Sacrifice, is
composed of wheaten bread, and wine of the grape.
The Latin Church, in imitation of our divine Re
deemer^ employs unleavened bread in the cele
bration of the blessed Eucharist ; a practice which
with regard to England, was noticed by our coun
tryman Alcuin, more than a thousand years ago.J
For some other remarks upon unleavened bread,
see Part 2, Ch. n.
(55)
The Corporal is a square piece of fine linen, so
called because it touches the body of our Lord.
It has been known by such an appellation for more
than ten centuries. || In the Ambrosian rite, which
received its present arrangement from St. Ambrose,
the Corporal is likened to the linen cloths in which
* Ecclesiasticus, C. L. V. 16, &c.
f St. Matt. C.xxvi. V. 17. St. Mark, C. xiv. V. 12; and St.
Luke, C. xxii. V. 7.
t Panis qui in corpus Christ! consecratur absque fermento ullius
alterius infectionis debet esse mundissimus. Epist. 69, ad Lugdu-
nenses. Alcuin wrote towards the year 790.
In Latin, Corpus.
j| See Amalarius, who wrote towards 820.
108 NOTES
the body of our Saviour was shrouded in the se
pulchre, and on unfolding it at the offertory, the
priest recites what is termed the e Oratio super
sindonem. The Greeks make use of a similar
square piece of linen cloth, which they spread out
as we do.* In their liturgies it is called tiXrirov, a
word which implies precisely the same meaning
as our corporal.f In explaining what is to be un
derstood by the eiXyrov, or corporal, Germanus, Pa
triarch of Constantinople, (A.D. 1222) says; It
signifies the linen cloth in which was wrapped the
body of Christ when it was taken down from the
Cross, and deposited in the monument. J At a much
earlier period, (A.D. 412) an eminent saint of the
Greek Church attached the same meaning to the
corporal; St. Isidore, who spent the greater part
of his life at Pelusium, on the Nile, and was at
first the disciple, afterwards the bosom friend and
strenuous vindicator of St. John Chrysostom, ob
serves, in one of his epistles, when speaking of the
corporal; "That this piece of linen cloth which
is spread under the divine gifts, serves the same
* Goar, Euchologium Gra>corum, pp. 70, 162. It should not
escape the learned reader s notice, that, in the Greek liturgies, the
word by which the Priest is designated is Upevg, an appellation
which the classic writers anciently employed to signify, not merely
a minister of religion, but more especially, a sacrificing priest.
f Ibid. p. 70.
X To EiXrjrov ffrjjucuVa rr\v fftv$6va ev rj IvaArjQ/j rw aiofjia rov
X/OIOTOV K TOV OTCLVpOV KOTCifiaV KCU V [AVrjfuiaTl TtQiv. TlieOrid, p.
153. The Theory is an exposition of the Greek Liturgy.
ON THE RUBRICS. 109
purpose as the one employed by Joseph of Arima-
thea. For as that holy man enveloped with a
winding-sheet, and deposited in the sepulchre, the
body of the Lord, through which the universal
race of mortals participated in the resurrection : in
the same manner we, who sacrifice bread of pro
position on the linen cloth, (or corporal,) without
doubt, find the body of Christ. * This spiritual
signification, which has been attributed from all
antiquity to the piece of linen called the corporal,
as well as the very term itself, by which it is de
nominated in the Greek and Latin Churches,
though an indirect, is a very convincing argument
in demonstration of the belief of the real and cor
poreal presence of Jesus Christ in the blessed Sa
crament, which has been professed at every age,
and by every nation of the Christian world.
(56)
A circular plate, silver gilt, and sometimes made
of gold, so called from the Latin word Patena.
(57)
From the Latin Hostia, or Victim.
* Pura ilia sindon, quse sub divinorum donorum ministerio ex-
pansa est, Joseph! Arimathensis est ministerium. Ut enim ille
Domini corpus sindone involutum sepulturae mandavit, per quod
universum mortalium genus resurrectionem percepit : eodem modo
nos propositionis panem in sindone sacrificantes, Christi corpus
sine dubitatione reperimus. Lib.i. Epist.23.
110 NOTES
(58)
This Prayer is modelled upon the words of the
Prophet Daniel. Ch. HI. V. 39, &c.
(59)
Though merely bread, still, by anticipation, it
is called an unspotted Host or Victim, as it is
about to be converted by Almighty God during the
consecration, into the Body of Jesus Christ the
one the only Victim without stain or imperfec
tion.
(60)
The Sacrifice of the Mass is never offered to any
Saint, but to God only.
(61)
In many things we all offend. *
(62)
e First for his own sins, and then, for the peo-
ple s. t
(63)
Hence it is evident that prayer is made, at every
Mass, for all the faithful departed, as well as for
the particular individual whom the priest may es
pecially commemorate afterwards, and in suffrage
of whose soul he is offering up the holy sacrifice
to God. The Catholic doctrine of prayer for the
* St. James, C. iii. V.2. f Heb. C. vii. V.27.
ON THE RUBRICS. Ill
souls of the departed, is explained in Ch. vn. on
Purgatory.
(64)
A small quantity of water is mixed with the
wine, according to a tradition of the Church which
teaches us that water was mingled with the wine
in the Eucharistic cup, by our divine Redeemer.
The Protestant writer, Bingham, acknowledges
such to have been the practice of the ancient
Church, and enumerates Justin Martyr and St.
Cyprian, amongst several other authorities, for
this fact.*
(65)
See some remarks on this ceremony, Part 2,
Ch. vi, on the Vestments.
(66)
On this, as on most other occasions, the priest
lifts up his eyes in imitation of Christ, who thus
invoked the omnipotent power of his heavenly
Father.
(67)
This act naturally expresses of itself, a suppli
cation of the Most High.
(68)
The sign of the Cross is so frequently made dur
ing the celebration of Mass, and in blessing any
* Bingham, Bookxv. Ch. 2, Sect.vn.
112 NOTES
thing dedicated to the service of Almighty God,
to indicate that all our hopes for the blessings
prayed for, are founded solely on the merits of
Christ s passion, which he endured on the Cross.
See Ch. ix, on the Cross.
(69)
In all the Greek liturgies, the oblations are here
incensed ; amongst others, see the liturgy of St.
Chrysostom, in the Euchologiurn Grsecorum, edited
by Goar, p. 73.
(70)
Who standeth, &c. There appeared unto him
(Zachary) an Angel of the Lord standing on the
right side of the altar of incense. And the Angel
said to him : Fear not, Zachary ; for thy prayer is
heard. * St. John, in his book of the Apocalypse,
mentions that ( Another Angel came and stood
before the altar which is before the throne of
God f No wonder that the Church, with these
texts of Scripture before her eyes, implores the
intercession of the Angels, at this part of her Li
turgy. See Ch. v, on the Invocation of Angels.
(71)
Dirigatur, &c. This prayer, recited by the Priest
while incensing the altar, is composed of the se
cond, third, and fourth verses of the 140th Psalm.
* St. Luke, C. i. V. \ 1 , 13. f A P OC - c - viii - v - 3 -
ON THE RUBRICS. 113
(72)
These several incensings are, in the first in
stance, intended as so many tokens of respect for
those objects towards which they are employed;
but, in the second, there may be derived from them
much public instruction. The incense which is
burnt in the honour of the Deity, is a symbol of
what our prayers should be ; and of the oblation
which we ought to make of ourselves to Heaven.
The incense with which the bread and wine are
perfumed, is meant to indicate that the assistants
unite their vows and prayers along with those of
the Celebrant who offers this oblation. The priest
encircles the altar with the fuming thurible, to sig
nify, that as the altar is the throne of Jesus Christ,
an odour of sweetness is diffused around it. The
ministers of the sanctuary are incensed ; first, to
admonish them to raise their hearts, and to make
their prayers ascend like grateful incense in the
sight of God; and secondly, to put them in mind
that they are those members of the Church who
should continually strive to be able to say with
truth ; ( We are the good odour of Christ unto
God in them that are saved/* and of whom it may
be truly observed by men ; God always mani-
festeth the odour of his knowledge by them in
every place. f
(73)
In our Cathedrals and old Churches, all of which
* 2 Cor. C. ii. V. 15. f Ibid. V. 14.
I
114 NOTES
are of Catholic erection, may be still observed, on
the Epistle, or left side of the altar, or rather, of
the spot where the altars once stood in the chan
cel, as well as in the side-chapels, a small niche in
the wall, that contained a perforated basin of
stone, through which was poured the water used
at the washing of the priest s fingers. It is indif
ferently called Piscina, and Lavacrum.
(74)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who flourished towards
the middle of the fourth century, assigns to this
ablution a spiritual meaning. This holy catechist
observes; "You have seen the deacon furnish
water to the sacrificing priest, and presbyters
standing about the altar, to wash their hands. Did
he give it to cleanse away any stain of dirt that
soiled their bodies? By no means. For we do not
enter into the church with our persons defiled: but
that washing of hands is a symbol, and indicates
that you ought to be pure from every sin and pre
varication,* The Apostolic Constitutions^ and
* AXXct (rvfjifioXov eon, TOV Seiv v/j-ag KaQapviv TTO.VTWV
TrifJiaTCJV teal avofirjfjiaruv, TO VftyaaQai. eVeit^ yap at %tipQ trvpfio-
\ov TToa^eii)Q vi^affSrai ravrae, TO KaSapbv c)7/Aovori /cat a/itujuov rwv
7rpa^d)y aivLTTO/jie^a. S. Cyrilli, Catech.xxm. Mys. V. p. 325.
j- Etc $e vTro^taKOVOQ ^ictarw CLTTOVI^LV ^apwy rote iepevffi av^o-
\ov KadapoTrjTOQ fyvyjjjv 0fJ ava.KifjiV(i)v C onstitutiones Apost.
Lib. viii. C. 11. Apud Labbeum Condi. General, tom.i. p. 471.
ON THE RUBRICS. 115
the author of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy,* a
work which bears upon it the name of St. Diony-
sius, the Areopagite, but is now generally consi
dered the production of Synesius an African
bishop of the fifth century, affix a similar mystic
signification to this ceremony.
(75)
As this is a hymn of joy, as was before remarked,
it is properly omitted in the service for the Dead ;
and at a time when the pains and sufferings of
Christ are commemorated.
(76)
The Sacrifice of the Mass cannot be offered to
any being except the Deity alone ; and the Catholic
would consider it impious and blasphemous to offer
up Mass to any Saint or Martyr, however illustri
ous for virtue. What St. Augustin asserted 1300
years ago on this same subject, we reiterate at this
moment; f What priest, at the tombs of the Saints
assisting at the altar, ever said: we offer to thee,
Peter, or Paul, or Cyprian ; but what is offered is
offered to God who crowned the Martyrs, at the
sepulchres of those whom he crowned. f
(77)
By the devotion which we here manifest towards
the Saints, we exhibit our reverence towards Jesus
* Ch. liii. f S. Augustinus, lib.xx. contra Faust. Ch. i.
i 2
116 NOTES
Christ, and his Eternal Father, and the Holy
Ghost; for it is purely through the merit of our
Redeemer, and by the grace afforded by the Divi
nity, that the Saints are what they are, the favour
ites of Heaven, and brethren of Jesus Christ. We
do not honour them for any thing they possess of
themselves, but we honour in them God s gracious
gifts, which wrought their holiness, and formed the
sacred spring of all their virtue. We therefore
make them one of the mediums through which we
convey our homage to the Deity. See Ch. v, on
the Invocation of the Saints.
(78)
This prayer calls to our remembrance an ex
pression of Apostolical antiquity. Such was the
appellative with which St. Peter addressed the
people at Jerusalem ;* and it is a favourite expres
sion of St. Paul.
(79)
So called, because these prayers are recited by
the priest, in an under voice, audible to himself,
but not heard by the surrounding congregation.
(80)
These words form the conclusion of the SECRET.
The priest here elevates his voice at Low Mass,
and at High Mass employs a chant in their recita-
* Acts, C. ii. V. 29.
ON THE RUBRICS. 117
tion, in order to fix the attention of the people,
and to invite them to unite their prayers with his.
The style of music for singing the Preface* and the
Pater Noster, and for chanting the psalms at
Vespers, and at other parts of the divine service,
has about it a simple grandeur, and is so exqui
sitely touching, that, independent of those claims
to our respect which it possesses by its venerable
antiquity, it has been regarded with enthusiasm,
through its own intrinsic merits, by some amongst
the most celebrated composers and writers on mu
sic.* It is indiscriminately called Plain Song, and
* Baini, the actual superintendent (A. D.I 833) of the Pope s choir,
and the author of a beautiful Miserere, which is sung at Tenebrae,
during Holy Week, in the papal chapel, has lately published me
moirs of the life and compositions of the justly celebrated Pales-
trina. Enumerating the several titles to our veneration possessed
by what is denominated the Gregorian Song, he observes of it :
Le vere antiche melodie del canto gregoriano sono afFato inimita-
bili. Si possono copiare, ed adattarle, ad altre parole : ma fame
delle nuove pregiabili come le antiche, non si sa fare, non v ha chi
1 abbia fatto. lo non diro, che la maggior parte di esse furono opera
de primitivi cristiani ; e che alcune sono dell antica sinagoga, nate
percio, mi si permetta 1 espressione, quando 1 arte era viva. lo non
diro che molte sono opere di S. Damaso, di S. Gelasio, e massime
di S. Gregorio Magno...Io non diro, siccome consta per moltissimi
monumenti rimastici, che prima di comporre alcun canto ecclesias-
tico osservavan gli an tori la natura, 1 indole, il sen so delle parole, c
la circostanza in cui dovevano essere eseguite, e classificandone il
risultato, le ponevano nel modo, o tono corrispondente sia per 1 acu-
tezza o gravita, sia per il suo moto e modo di procedere, sia per la
collocazione dei semitoni, sia perle fogge particolari di modulazioni
sia per gli andamenti proprii delle melodie : differenziavano la ma-
niera di canto per la messa dalla maniera per I uffizio ; altra era la
foggia di canto per 1 introito, altra per il graduale, altra per il tratto:
118 NOTES
the Gregorian Chant ; and though some portions
of it several tones, for instance,, of the Psalms be
supposed to have been used in the Jewish Temple,
still it receives this latter appellation from the Ro
man pontiff St. Gregory the Great,* who reformed
altra per I offertorio, altra per il communio, altra per le antifone, al-
tra per i responsorii ; altra per la salmodia dopo I antifona all intro-
ito, altra per la salmodia nelle ore canoniche : altra per il canto da
eseguirsi a voce sola, altra per il canto del coro : e tutto cio il rica-
vavano dalla limitata estensione di quattro, cinque, al piu sei corde,
e tavolta, ma ben di rado, da sette ed otto intervalli. lo non diro,
il ripeto, niuna in particolare di siffate cose : ma dico sibbene, che
da tutti questi pregi insieme uniti ne risulta neh" antico canto gre-
goriano un non so che di ammirabile ed inimitabile, una finezza
di espressione indicibile, un patetico che tocca, una naturalezza flui-
dissima, sempre fresco, sempre nuovo, sempre verde, sempre bello,
mai non appassisce, mai non invecchia : laddove stupide, msignifi-
canti, fastidiose, absone, rugose sentonsi incontanente le melodie
moderne de canti o variati od aggiunti, incominciando dalla meta
circa del secolo XIII, fino al di d oggi. Memorie Storico-critiche
della vita e delle opere di Giov.Pierluigi da Palestrina, tom.ii.
pp. 81, 82.
The Abbate Baini pays a compliment to the musical taste of
some of our countrymen in the following note : Al Sig.Odoardo
Grinfield, socio della R.A. di Londra, alii Signori Davis, Morris,
e ad altri dotti inglesi, i quali non hanno 1 orecchio alterato dalla
moda, e ottuso dall abitudine, intesi dire piu d una volta, che si
sentivano commossi dal canto gregoriano, piii che dalle rumorose
musiche alia maggior parte dei nostri teatri. Ibid. p. 122.
Rousseau, in his Dictionnaire deMusique., article Plain Chant,
is equally warm in his approbation of plain chant ; for he says of
its measures : Tels qu ils nous ont ete transmis dans les anciens
chants ecclesiastiques, y conservent line beaute de caractere, et une
variete d affections bien sensibles aux connoisseurs non prevenus.
* This Pope died in the year 604, and his name should be em
balmed in grateful remembrance by every Englishman, as it was
he, who, through St. Austin, whom he sent with forty monks from
Rome to Britain, converted our Saxon ancestors from Paganism to
Christianity,
ON THE RUBRICS. 119
the too florid and artificial style, which, towards
the decline of the sixth century, had imperceptibly
insinuated itself into the Church service.* To in
troduce a pure and more appropriate taste, the
pontiff established a school of singers at Rome,f
an institution which is still discernible in the choir
of the Pope s chapel, where many of the graces
peculiar to the ancient style are still exclusively
but scrupulously preserved solely by tradition. J To
this school of singers, founded by St. Gregory, the
whole of the Western Church, but particularly the
English portion of it,was indebted for its beautiful
and appropriate style of ecclesiastical music. John
the Deacon assures us that St. Austin, who, under
Almighty God, was the instrument in the hands of
St. Gregory, for the conversion of our Saxon fore
fathers to the Christian faith, introduced this style
of singing into Britain immediately from Rome.
* Pellicia de Christ. Eccl. Potilia, torn. i. p. 254.
f This we gather from the life of that illustrious Pontiff, written
by John the Deacon, A.D.875, who says : Deincle in domo do-
mini, more sapientissimi Salomonis, propter musicse compunctio-
nem dulcedinis, Antiphonarium Centonem Cantorum studiosissi-
mus nimis utiliter compilavit. Scholam quoque Cantorum quae
hactenus iisdem institutionibus in Sancta Romana Ecclesia modu-
latur,constituit, eique cum nonnullis prsediis duo habitacula, scilicet
alterum sub gradibus Basilicas Beati Petri Apostoli, alterum vero
sub Lateranensis Patriarchii domibus fabricavit. In Vita S. Gre-
gorii, Lib. ii. Cap. 6.
t Nella nostra cappella peraltro si conserva tuttora per tradizione
non interrotta alcun canto ritmico, e fornito degli antichi ornament!.
Memorie Stor.-Crit. delta vita, Sfc. di Palestrina, torn. ii. p. 90.
120 NOTES
According to the same Papal biographer,* the
pontiff Vitalianus, according to our own Venerable
Bede, the pontiff Agatho deputed the Roman
singer John, together with Theodore, to instruct
the British churches in the science of the ecclesi
astical music.f The monk Guido of Arezzo, in
the eleventh century, conferred a signal benefit on
Plain Song, by the invention of a new musical ga
mut or scale, the notes of which he denominated
Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, and La, from each first and
sixth syllable in the Sapphic verses which compose
the first strophe of the hymn chanted on the feast
of St. John Baptist, the 24th of June.
UT queant laxis REsonare fibris,
MIra gestorum FAmuli tuorum,
SOLve polluti LAbii reatum,!
Sancte Joannes.
* Johannes quidem Romanus cantor destinatus fuit cum Theo-
doro aeque cive Romano, sed Eboraci Archiepiscopo, per Gallias in
Britannias, qui circumquaque positarum Ecclesiarum filios ad pris-
tinam cantilenas dulcedinem revocans, tarn per se, quam per suos
discipulos, multis annis Romanae doctrinse regulam conservavit.
f Intereat (Concilio Hedtfeldensi, A.D.680 celebrate) huic Syn-
odo, pariterque Catholicae fidei decreta firmabat vir venerabilis Jo-
hannes Archicantor Ecclesiae S. Petri, et Abbas Monasterii Beati
Martini, qui nuper venerat a Roma per jussionem Papae Agathonis,
duce reverentissimo Abbate Biscopo, cognomine Benedicto. TSeda,
Hist. Eccl. Lib. cii.
t Happening, during a visit to Rome, to go into a church whilst
the monks were chanting this hymn, Guido perceived that the first
syllable of the first word of each succeeding hemistich, regularly as
cended, either by a whole, or half tone ; so that, commencing with
the key-note, and rising to the sixth, there was ultimately formed
a complete Greek hexachord. A French musician, called Le Maire,
ON THE RUBRICS. 121
In the public libraries at Rome are preserved
several manuscript Missals of a date anterior to
the eleventh century, in which the intonations for
the Gloria in Excelsis, and the lie, missa est,
and the chants for the Preface and the Pater
Noster, are precisely the very same as those em
ployed at High Mass at the present day.
The custom of singing psalms, and employing
instrumental music during divine worship, consti
tuted as conspicuous a rite in the service of the
Jewish Temple, as it does, at present, in the Chris
tian Church.
c David and the chief officers of the army sepa
rated for the ministry the sons of Asaph, and of
Heman, and of Idithun, to prophesy with harps,
and with psalteries, and with cymbals, according
to their number serving in their appointed office
and God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three
daughters. All of these under their father s hand
were distributed to sing in the temple of the Lord
with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, for the
service of the house of the Lord; and the number
of them with their brethren that taught the song,
of the Lord, all the teachers were two hundred
and eighty eight. * That in the Apostolic times
the faithful mingled chanting with their prayers
in the public assemblies, is attested by several ex-
is reported to have superadded the syllable Si, an augmentation
which perfectly reproduced the Greek diatonic scale of tetrachords.
* 1 Para. C. xxv. P. 1, 6, 7, Protestant Version, 1 Chronicles.
122 NOTES
pressions in the epistles of St. Paul. Speak* says
that Apostle to the Ephesians,* to yourselves
in psalms and spiritual songs; and again, to the
Colossiansyf admonish one another in hymns
and spiritual songs/ That such instructions were
not unheeded by the early believers, is attested
even by heathen writers. Lucian glances at the
devotion of the Christians in singing hymns ; and
Pliny relates, J in his famous letter to the Roman
Emperor Trajan, that on interrogating certain in
dividuals who had been persuaded to return to
Gentilism They affirmed of the Christians, that
the amount of their fault or their error was, that
their custom was to assemble on a certain day be
fore light, and recite reciprocally a hymn to Christ
as to God.
By writers who have bestowed particular atten
tion on the subject, it is supposed that the Plain
Song of the Catholic Church, derived its origin
from the synagogue. After the destruction of
their temple, and their subsequent dispersion among
the nations of the earth, the Jews are presumed to
have lost their ancient music; and, therefore, it is
in the psalmody and service of our Church, rather
than in their synagogues, that must be sought for
whatever remains of genuine ancient Hebrew mu-
* C.v. V. 19. t c -- v - 16 - I Lib.x. Epist.97.
Affirmabant autem hanc fuisse summam culpae suae, vel erroris,
quod essent soliti stato die ante lucem con venire, carmenque Christo,
quasi Deo, dicere secum invicem.
ON THE RUBRICS. 123
sic.* The solemn and devotional character of the
Ambrosian chant, is particularly mentioned by se
veral ancient writers ; but the improvements en
grafted on it by St. Gregory the Great, are still
more celebrated. The chanting for the psalmody
in the time of St. Ambrose, contained no more
than four tones : to these were added four more
by Pope St. Gregory.
The Psalms are spiritual canticles, and derive
their name, ^0X^01, from the Greek verb ^aXAav, to
touch a musical instrument gently; because they
were always chanted in the Jewish Temple to the
sound of the timbrel, the psaltery, or harp. That
they are metrical compositions, and have a ryth-
mus, has been noticed by many eminent ancient
and modern writers, amongst the former of whom
may be enumerated Josephus, Origen, and St. Je-
rom. No one, however, has illustrated this point
more successfully than Dr. Lowth, in his work
" De Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum," whose remarks
have been corroborated by his commentator Mi-
chselis.f
The invention of the wind-organ, J is ascribed
to the times of Julian the Apostate; and the intro
duction of this instrument into the Church-service,
is referred, by some authors, to the Pontificate of
* Gerbertus de Musica Eccl. torn. i. p. 9. f Prtelec. iii. p. 28.
t See page 193, and Note M, of the Antiquities of the Anglo-
Saxon Church.
Bona and Flatina.
124 NOTES
Pope Vitalian, who occupied the Chair of St. Peter
about the year 660. That the organ was known
amongst our Saxon ancestors, even at that period,
is attested by the poetic enthusiasm with which
its thousand voices are noticed by St. Aldhelm, to
wards the closing of the seventh century.
" Maxima millenis auscultans organa flabris
Mulceat auditum ventosis follibus iste,
Quamvis auratis fulgescant caetera capsis."
Bib. Pat. Tom. vm. p. 3.
The present mode observed throughout the
Church, of chanting the psalms by alternate verses
at Vespers, and during other portions of the di
vine office, claims for itself the highest antiquity.
From the words of the historian Socrates,* it
appears that St. Ignatius Martyr, Bishop of An-
tioch, and favourite disciple of St. John the Evan
gelist, was the earliest to introduce into the Church
the alternation in singing the hymns and spiritual
canticles. According, however, to Theodoretusyf
during the reign of the Emperor Constantius, two
monks at Antioch, Flavianus and Diodorus, in imi
tation of what they had already observed amongst
the Syrian Christians, distributed the choir into
two parts ; and regulated that the psalms of David
should be chanted by each division alternately.
The practice was very soon propagated from An
tioch to the neighbouring provinces. But it is to
the great St. Ambrose, as we are assured by his
* Lib. vi. Ch. 8. f Hist. Eccl Lib. ii. Ch. 24.
ON THE RUBRICS. 125
illustrious disciple St. Augustin, that we are in
debted for its introduction into the western or
Latin Church.
(81)
Here the priest elevates his hands, to impress
upon the people, by such an outward sign, the ex
hortation which he then delivers for the interior
elevation of the heart to God.
* (82)
Whilst pronouncing these words, he joins his
hands and bows his head, to express as signifi
cantly as possible, by this corporal homage, that
it is the worship of the spirit, which God insists
upon.
(83)
It is called the Preface, from its being the in
troduction to the prayers of the Canon of the
Mass. It is an invitation to elevate our hearts to
God, and to offer him our thanksgivings for the
stupendous work which he is about to accomplish
through the ministry of his priest, by the words
of consecration. In this instance, the Church pro
poses to imitate her founder, Jesus Christ, who re
turned thanks to his Eternal Father before he
called back to life Lazarus, from the tomb in which
he had been four days buried; and when he mul
tiplied the loaves,* and converted bread and wine
into his own body and blood.f
* St. John, C. vi. V. \ 1. f 1 Cor. C. xi. V. 24.
126 NOTES
That the form of prayer called the Preface is
very ancient, is certain ; that it owes its introduc
tion into the Liturgy to the Apostles, is more than
probable. This may be gathered from a variety of
sources. St. Cyprian, (A.D.248) in his book on the
Lord s Prayer, particularizes the antecedent Pre
face by which the priest prepared the minds of the
brethren for the more solemn portions of the Mass.*
It is also noticed in the Liturgy of the Mass con
tained in the Apostolical Constitutions, where we
find it thus described ; Then the high priest
standing at the altar with the presbyters, makes a
private prayer by himself, having on his white, or
bright vestment, and signing himself with the
sign of the cross on his forehead. Having done
this, he says ; The grace of Almighty God, and
the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellow
ship of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. And the
people answer with one voice ; And with thy
spirit ! Then the high priest says ; Lift up your
hearts ; and they all answer ; We lift them up to
the Lord. The high priest says again ; f Let us
give thanks to the Lord ; and the people answer ;
It is meet and right so to do. Then the high priest
says ; It is very meet and right above all things,
to praise Thee, the true God, &c.f
* Ideo et Sacerdos, ante Orationem Praefatione prsemissa parat
fratrum mentes, dicendo : Sursam corda, ut, dum respondet plebs :
Habemus ad Dominum : admoneatur, nihil aliud se, quam ad Do-
minum. C. 13.
-f- HLvL,a[JiVOQ ovv Ka& eavrov b ap^ifpeue cijua rolg iepevai, Kal
effQijra pETevSvg KCII crag rrpo rf ^vffiaaTrjpidii TO rpo-jrftiov
ON THE RUBRICS. 127
The frequent allusions which St. Augustin makes
to the Preface, will recur to every one who is at
all familiar with his writings.
The Greek Church has but one Preface in its
Liturgy ; but in the Latin or Western Church,
different Prefaces have been used on different
holydays from the most ancient times. The pur
port of this variety was, that in each particular
Preface, might be designated some amongst the
chief characteristics of that especial mystery for
which thanks were rendered to God by the Church
on that annual festival. In a letter attributed to
the Roman Pontiff Pelagius II, who died in the
beginning of the year 590, there are enume
rated* by name, nine out of the eleven Prefaces
now in use. The tenth, or what is usually deno
minated the Common Preface, is probably the
most ancient one we have, since it may be found
in the Sacramentary of Pope St.Gelasius. (A.D. 492.)
Concerning the Preface which is recited on the
festivals of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and is at-
TOV ffTavpov Kara TOV juerwTroi/ rr\ X t P* Troirjora/LievoQ ELQ KCLVTCLQ.
Td) jj Xapte TOV TTavTOKpaToooQ Qeov /cat ?j ayaTr// TOV KVOLOV rjfj.a>v
Irjffov XptoroiJ KCLI r) KOLVWVIOL TOV ayiov irvevfjiCtTOQ eorw ^era irav-
TMV vjj.u)v /cat TTCLVTSQ ffVfji^v^Q XeyETUffCLv OTL /cat juera TOV irvev-
/uaroc ffov /cat o ap^tepevf aro) TOV vovv /cat TTCLVTEQ f-^ofjiev Trpoe
TOV KVplOV /Cat 6 ap^LEOEVq EVJ^apLffTrjffMfJLeV TV KVplljJ /Cat TTCLVTtG
afyov /cat ^t/catov* /cat 6 ap^iepcvQ etTrarw, a^tov a>c aXrjSoJQ /cat t-
fcatov 7T(Oo TravTuv avv/jLVEiv <TE TOV OVTUS ovTCt ov. Constitutwnes
Apost. Lib. viii. Ch. 12. Apud Labbeum Cone. Gen. tom.i. p. 474.
* See Micrologus, Ch.lx. a work written by an author of the
eleventh century.
128 NOTES
tributed to Pope Urbanus, (A.D. 1087) it is cer
tain, if it be not the composition of that pontiff,
it at least received his approbation.
(84)
Every one will immediately appreciate the ex
pressive propriety of this part of the ceremonial,
at the same time that he recognizes in the prayer
which accompanies these actions, various passages
adopted from the Scriptures. The Prophet Isaias,
in the description of his vision, says ; The Sera
phim cried one to another and said : Holy, Holy,
Holy, the Lord God of Hosts, all the earth is full
of his glory; * and St. John heard the same jubi
lations hymned by the four living creatures who
rested not day and night saying, Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God Almighty . f
This seraphic hymn, denominated, in the Latin
Church, the SANCTUS, is to be found in all the
Oriental liturgies, J and is distinguished in most of
the Greek ones by the appellation of Epinicion,
* Isaias, C. vi. V. 3. f Apoc. C. iv. V. 8.
t In his observations on the Syriac liturgies, Renaudot remarks,
when speaking of the Preface ; Terminatur Oratio (Praefatio) per
hymnum Triumphalem, Sane (us. Talis est Praefationum omnium
Grsecarum et Orientalium dispositio absque ullo, prseterquam ex
verborum copia, discrimine, et quod omnes gratiarum actionem
continent, et in hymnum triumphalem desinunt, Latinis, ea in
parte, similes sunt. Renaudot, Liturgiarum Orientalium Collectio,
torn. ii. p. 78.
See the liturgies of SS. Chrysostom and Basil in the Eucholo-
gium Grcecorum, where what we call the Sanctus, is denominated
the Errtvuaoc v^vos, p. 76, 166.
ON THE RUBRICS. 129
or hymn of triumph. In the liturgy which we
have in the Apostolic Constitutions, it is particu
larly specified that all the congregation shall unite
in reciting it at the end of the Preface. That
prayer which is there given, is beautiful, and con
cludes thus : The innumerable armies of angels
adore Thee; the archangels, thrones, dominions,
principalities, dignities, powers, hosts, and ages ;
the cherubim and seraphim also with six wings,
with two of which they cover their feet, and with
two their faces, and with two fly, saying, with
thousand thousands of archangels, and ten thou
sand times ten thousand angels, all crying out
without rest and intermission: and let all the peo
ple say together with them, Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord of Hosts : heaven and earth are full of thy
glory: blessed art Thou for ever. Amen. *
St. Cyril of Jerusalem takes particular notice
also of this triumphal hymn, in his explanation of
the liturgy. The Catechist observes: We also
mention the cherubim which Isaias saw in the
spirit, standing about the throne of God, and with
two wings covering their faces, and with two their
feet, flying with two, and saying, Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God of Hosts. f The celebrated hymn called
* Kcu ?rac 6 Xaoe a/za enrarW aytoe aytog ayioc Kvpiog o-a/3aw0,
7rA>7p7/g 6 ovpavoQ Kal if yr? rr\c. cio^jye avrov eu\oyr?ro SIQ roig atut-
va.Q t apriv. Constitutionum, Lib.viii. Ch. 12. Condi. Gen. Apud
Labbeum, torn. i. p. 479.
j- Mj/rjjuovt O j iUv Kal rw ffepafyi/ji, a EV 7rvVfjan ciytw
fcK, rapccrrtyc^ra KVK\W rov Sporov rov Otoi? KO.I ra7c jj
K
130 NOTES
the Trisagion,* and chanted in the Latin Church
on Good Friday only, during the ceremony of kiss
ing the Cross, is inserted in several of the Oriental
liturgies, and is frequently recited in their public
offices and private devotions, by the Greek and
Oriental Christians.f This hymn was first intro
duced, as a public prayer, at Constantinople in the
reign of Theodosius the Younger, during the sup
plications offered up by the whole city, to avert
the horrors of an earthquake. J
(85)
The bell is rung as an admonition to the people
that the priest is about to enter upon the most aw
ful portion of the Mass, namely, the Canon, or In
vocation, which immediately precedes the conse
cration; and for this reason, they are invited, by
this ceremony, to redouble their attention, their
reverence, and their fervour, from the moment
that the Sanctus/ or seraphic hymn commences.
Instead of distracting, the ringing of the bell fixes
the religious attention of the people ; and if we
may, without presumption, reason on the will of
the all-wise Deity, it would seem that the obser
vance of a similar practice was enjoined in the ser-
KaraKaXinrTOvra TO 7rpo<rw7rov, ra7g fie fiver I TOVQ Trofiaz, KCLI
rate fivffl TTETV^VO." cai \eyovra, AFIO2, AFIO2, AFIO2, KT-
PIOI IABAH0. Catech. Mys. V. p. 327.
* Ayiog 6 00(, } ciytoe iffj(yp&g t aytoc aSavaroe, eXeqcro
f Renaudot, tom.i. p. 70.
j S. Joannes Damascenes, Orthod. Fidel, Lib. iii. Ch. 10.
ON THE RUBRICS. 131
vice of the Jewish Sanctuary for the like intent ;
since we read that the Lord thus commanded Mo
ses : Thou shalt make the Tunic of the ephod
all of violet.. ..and beneath, at the feet of the same
tunic, thou shalt make as it were pomegranates, of
violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, with
little bells set between: so that there shall be a
golden bell and a pomegranate, and again another
golden bell and a pomegranate ; and Aaron shall
be vested with it in the office of his ministry, that
the sound may be heard when he goeth in and
cometh out of the Sanctuary. * The author of the
book of Ecclesiasticus also notices, the ephod with
many little bells of gold all round about, that as
Aaron went in there might be a sound and a noise
made, that might be heard in the temple, for a me
morial to the children of the people. f
(86)
Sabaoth is one of those Hebrew words which
were left untranslated in the earliest Latin version
of the Holy Scriptures, called the Vetus Itala, and
has been preserved in three places in the transla
tion by St. Jerom. Sabaoth is a plural, and signi
fies ( Armies. As the Roman Missal has always
followed the ancient Italic version, it has conse
quently preserved the word Sabaoth, instead of
adopting the Vulgate translation of it, exercituum/
that is, of armies/
* Exod. C. xxviii. V. 31, 33, 34, 3-5. f Eccl C. xlv. V. 10, 1 1 .
K 2
132 NOTES
(87)
These words are borrowed from the Gospels of
St. Matthew and St. Mark, who inform us that our
divine Redeemer triumphantly entered into Jeru
salem amid the acclamations of the people, who
applied to him the words of the Psalmist,* and
shouted Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : Ho
sanna in the highest. f
(88)
Hosanna is another of those Hebrew expres-
sionsj which have been inserted without a trans
lation, in the Liturgies of all the Churches. It is,
in fact, two Hebrew words contracted by the
Greeks into one; and signifies save now, or,
save, we pray thee. It was one of those favour
ite exclamations of joy in use amongst the Jews
at the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles, when
they went about with green boughs in their hands.
(89)
The propriety of such gestures will be recog
nized, when it is remembered, that at the same
time the priest invokes the celestial Father in these
words : Most merciful Father/ with which the
Canon commences.
* Psalm cxvii. V. 26. f Matt, C. xxi. V. 9.
j Amen, Alleluia, and Sabaoth, have already been enumerated
as such. Ruhr. Talmud, apud Lightfoot, Hor. Hebraic. p,410.
ON THE RUBRICS. 133
(90)
The priest exhibits this sign of reverence and
affection towards the altar, under the persuasion,
that in a few seconds it is to be made the throne
on which will repose the Body and Blood of Jesus,
verily and indeed present, but veiled under the
appearances of bread and wine. For some remarks
on the Real Presence and Transubstantiation, the
reader is referred to the third and fourth Chap
ters on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Ch. i. Part 2.
(91)
The priest makes the sign of the Cross over the
Host and Chalice as he repeats these words : bless
these gifts, these present, these unspotted sacri
fices/ because we neither demand, nor do we hope
to obtain, the benedictions of heaven, except
through the merits of Jesus, who paid our ransom
on the Cross.
The frequent use of the sign of the Cross during
the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass, is at
tested by the most authentic testimonies. The
Apostolic Constitutions remark how the priest,
standing at the altar, signed himself with the tro
phy of the Cross.* St. Chrysostom informs us,
that the sign of the Cross was not only in perpe
tual use amongst Christians every hour, but more
* O apX t P l> c trrag TT^OO rw &v<na.(TTr)pip TO rpOTratov TOO oravpov
/-ara rov ^ETMTTOV rrj \ipl Trou^aa^jif.voQ EIQ Travrac etTrarW Constit.
dpost. Lib. viii. Ch. 12. p. 474.
134 NOTES
especially employed at the holy table, and in the
ordination of priests; and that its splendour
beamed forth with the body of Christ at the mystic
supper. * With regard to its use in the Latin
Church, St. Augustin asserts that it was united
with every pious and religious office. What/
demands the Saint, f is the sign of Christ unless
the Cross of Christ? which sign, unless it be ap
plied either to the brows of the believers, or to
the water out of which they are regenerated, or to
the oil by which they are anointed with Chrism,
(Confirmation) or to the Sacrifice with which they
are nourished none of these rites is properly per-
formed. f
(92)
To this part of the Mass, beginning with e Te
igitur/ and finishing with the Pater Noster/ the
whole of which is recited in an inaudible tone of
voice by the Celebrant, has been affixed the term
Canon; because, as the native meaning of this
Greek word imports, this prayer has been laid down
as the Rule, or Canon, which is to be rigidly fol-
* QVTOS \v rrj tipd 7|Oa7T^j oitrog ev raig ryv uptuv
CUf , OVTOQ TTClXlV ^JLETOL TOV ffW/JClTOQ TOV XjOlOTOV ETTL TO IJLVffTlKOV SetTT-
vov &aXa/j7rci. Chrys. torn. v. Ch. 9. p. 840.
j- Quid est signum Christ! nisi crux Christ! ? Quod signum nisi
adhibeatur sive frontibus credentium, sive ipsi aquae ex qua rege-
nerantur, sive oleo quo Chrismate unguntur, sive sacrificio quo
aluntur, nihil horum rite perficitur. St^Atuj.Hom.cxvm.inJoan.
ON THE RUBRICS. 135
lowed by the priest who offers up the Holy Sacri
fice. The minutest variation from it can never
be tolerated.
(93)
These gifts and these presents are by anticipa
tion called unspotted sacrifices, because they are
shortly to become the Body and Blood of Christ, the
Lamb of God, the only victim without stain or spot.
(94)
St. Paul says of the Church, that Christ loved
it, and delivered himself up for it, that he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it
should be holy, and without blemish. * As the
God of Truth cannot violate his promises, the
Church has ever been, is, and will be, holy.
(95)
In praying for the Unity of the Church, it is but
just that we should, in the first place, remember
its visible head and centre upon earth, the Pope
or Bishop of Rome ; since, as long ago as the year
177, St. Irenaeus, in noticing the successors of these
Bishops who had been appointed by the Apostles,
says : e As it would be tedious to enumerate the
whole list of successions, I shall confine myself to
that of Rome ; the greatest, and most ancient, and
* Ephes. C. v. V. 25, &c.
136 NOTES
most illustrious Church, founded by the glorious
Apostles Peter and Paul ; receiving from them her
doctrine, which was announced to all men, and
which, through the succession of her Bishops, is
come down to us For, to this Church, on account
of its superior Headship,* every other must have
recourse ; that is, the faithful of all countries : in
which Church has been preserved the doctrine de
livered by the Apostles. f One of the bonds which
connect us with the Chair of Peter, the centre of
Unity, is prayer for its actual occupant.
(96)
Not only do Catholics honour the King,* be
cause, as St. Paul observes, he is God s minister
to thee for good ; but if thou do that which is evil,
fear : for he beareth not the sword in vain, but
however widely they may differ from him in reli
gious belief, and though he even be a persecutor
of the Church, they nevertheless pray for him. In
this they not only obey the voice of the Apostle,
who desires that supplications, prayers, and inter
cessions be made for kings ;|| but they imitate the
faithful of the Old Testament, since we learn that
the Jews who were captives in Babylon, accom
panied the collection of money which they sent to
Jerusalem to Joakim the priest, for the service of
* Propter potiorem principal! tatem. f Adv.Hter. Lib.iii.Ch.3.
I 1 Peter, C. ii. V. 17. Rom. C. xiii. V. 4.
|j \Tirn. C.ii, V. \, 2.
ON THE RUBRICS. 137
the altar, with this particular request; Pray ye
for the life of Nabuchadonosor, the king of Baby
lon, and for the life of Balthassar his son, that
their days may be upon the earth as the days of
heaven. * Moreover, they follow the example of
the primitive Christians, who, as Tertullian in
forms us in his first Apology,f prayed for the Em
perors though they were Pagans ; and, as we ga
ther from the letters of St. Dionysius of Alexan
dria, continued to offer up fervent prayers for the
health of the Emperor Gallus, notwithstanding he
was persecuting them.J
(97)
The Apostles Creed teaches us to believe in
the Communion of Saints.
(98)
The Lord announced to King Ezechias, by the
mouth of the prophet Isaias, that he would protect
and save Jerusalem against the Assyrians for his
own sake, and for David his servant s sake. The
Israelites frequently entreated the Almighty to
hear their prayers, for the sake of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. The Church, in like manner, refers to
the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, f the mo
ther of our Lord, and of the other Saints, of the
* Baruch, C. i. V. 7, &c. f C. xxx.
% Euseb.Hist,Eccl. Lib. vii. Ch. 1.
4 Kings. Protest, Version, 2 Kings, C. xix. V. 34.
138 NOTES
new Law, to render God more propitious to her
supplications for their sakes. See Ch. v, on the
Invocation of Saints, Part 2.
In the very ancient liturgy, called of St. James,
and which was used in the church of Jerusalem,
we find the following commemoration of the
Saints: Bowing down, the priest says; O Lord,
do thou vouchsafe to make us worthy to celebrate
the memory of the holy Fathers and Patriarchs ;
of the prophets and Apostles, of John the precur
sor and Baptist, of Stephen the first of deacons
and first of martyrs, and of the holy Mother of
God and ever Virgin, Blessed Mary, and of all the
Saints. Raising his voice: Wherefore we cele
brate their memory, that whilst they are standing
before the throne, they may be mindful of our po
verty and weakness ; and may, together with us,
offer to Thee this tremendous and unbloody sacri
fice, for the protection of the living, for the con
solation of the weak and unworthy, such as we
are, &c.*
St. Cyril, A.D. 348, in his instructions on this
very liturgy, observes : We make a commemora
tion of all those who have fallen asleep before us,
first of the patriarchs, prophets, Apostles, and mar
tyrs, that God, by their prayers and intercession,
may receive our supplications. Then we pray for
the dead, &c.f
* Renaudot, tom.ii. p. 36.
-f- Eera pv^/jLovevo/jL^v K. CU TW 7rpo/vC/c0iju7jUywj , Tcpurov Trurpuip-
ON THE RUBRICS. 139
(99)
To the twelve Apostles, are united twelve from
amongst the most illustrious martyrs who watered
the foundation of the Church with their blood.
Linus, Cletus, and Clement, were fellow-labourers
with St. Peter, in the preaching of the Gospel at
Rome; and all three severally became his succes
sors in the Pontifical Chair. Xystus and Cornelius,
were two other Popes; the first was martyred in
the reign of Trajan, the latter in the year 252.
Cyprian was the celebrated martyr, and Bishop of
Carthage. Laurence was Deacon to Pope Xixtus
II. Chrysogonus was an illustrious Roman, mar
tyred at Aquileia, under Dioclesian. John and
Paul were brothers, who, rather than worship
marble gods, and idols, underwent a cruel death,
by order of Julian the Apostate. Cosmas and Da-
mian were physicians, who, for the love of God
and of their neighbour, exercised their profession
gratis.
(100)
It was a very common ceremony in the Old
Law, for the priest to hold his hands over the vic
tim which was about to be offered up as a sacrifice.*
, otTrooroXwv , paprvpuv OTTUQ b 0og TCUQ ev^ais av-
me irpoffSefyrai -f\^v TJ\V Ser]W S. Cyrillus, Ca-
tech, Myst. V. ix. p. 328.
* Exod. C.xxix. V. 10. and Levit. C. i. V. 4.
140 NOTES
(101)
The adoration of the Eucharist is attested by
all antiquity. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a father of
the Greek Church, thus addresses the recently
baptized, who were about to make their first
Communion: "After having thus communicated
of the Body of Christ, approach to the Chalice of the
Blood, not stretching out your hands, but bowing
down in the attitude of homage and adoration,
and saying Amen. * St. Ambrose, who died in the
year 397, says : c The very flesh of Jesus Christ,
which, to this day, we adore in our sacred myste-
ries. f St. Augustin remarks that This flesh
Christ took from the flesh of Mary ; and because
he here walked in this flesh, even this same flesh
he gave to us to eat, for our salvation ; but no one
eateth this flesh without having first adored it,
and not only do we not sin by adoring, but we
even sin by not adoring it!\
The elevation and adoration of the body and
* Efra /iera TO KoivwvYiffai ae TOV ffaparog Xpiorov, Trpocrep-^pv
Kdl r<j> TTOTrjpia) TOV ai/jLaTOQ fJLrj avaTtivuv Tag, xapac, aXXa KUTrrwy,
Kdl Tporrp TrpoffKvvrjffews Kai o /3ao juaroe Xryuv TO, A.^.r\v Catech.
Myst. V. p. 332.
-j- Caro Christi, quam hodie quoque in Mysteriis adoramus, et
quam Apostoli in Domino Jesu adorarunt. De Sp. Sanct. L.iii.C. 12.
t De carne Mariae carnem accepit, et quia in ipsa, carnehic am-
bulavit, et ipsam carnem nobis manducandam ad salutem dedit.
Nemo autem carnem illam manducat, nisi prius adoraverit, et non
solum non peccemus adorando, sed etiarn peccemus non adorando.
Psalm xcviii. V. 9.
ON THE RUBRICS. 141
blood of Jesus Christ in the holy sacrifice of the
Mass, are to be found in all the Oriental liturgies,
whether Greek, Syriac, Egyptian, or Ethiopic ;*
and are distinctly pointed out in the liturgies of
St. James, St. Chrysostom, and St. Basil.f
The following is the rubric for the elevation, ex
tracted from the liturgy of St. Chrysostom. Here
the priest and deacon adore, both saying in secret,
God be merciful to me a sinner. And all the
people likewise adore. But when the deacon shall
observe the priest extending his hands and cover
ing the holy bread, that he may perform the sa
cred elevation, he exclaims, Let us attend : and
the priest says, Holy things for holy people:
and the choir answers, One is holy, one Lord
Jesus Christ in the glory of the Father. Amen.J
The elevation and adoration of the sacred blood
in the chalice is afterwards made, if possible, in a
more impressive manner; when, at the bidding of
the priest, the deacon approaches to receive the
holy communion, announcing aloud I come to
* Renaudot, torn. ii. p. 214. f Ib. torn. i. pp. 23,82, 122,265,343.
| EtVa TrpoffKvvei 6 iepevg KO.I b cUafcovoe V 6> <rn TOTTW \eyovreQ
jjLVffTiKWQ rptg. O 0>c i\affQr)Ti IJLOL TW ajuaprwXw. Kcu 6 Xaog
6fj.oi(t)Q TTCLVTEQ jutra vXa/3fm irpoffKvvoiHnr , OTCLV fie irj 6 SiaKovog
TOV iepa e/craroira rag ytipaq KCU awM^evov rov ayiov aprov Trpog TO
Trof/crcu Tr]v ayiav v\^t>)ffiv, E;0wva TTjOoo^wjUfv. Kat 6 iepevQ. Ta
ayia TOIQ aytoie. O xP* ^ 1 S ctytoc, EIQ Kvptog \Y](TOVQ X^OIOTOG EIQ
So fav 0eou Trarpoc. Goar, Euchologium Graecorum, p. 81.
In the Greek liturgy, the elevation does not take place until
just before the Communion. In the Latin liturgy, the elevation did
not take place anciently until the Pater Nostev. See notes 1 02 & 1 1 1 .
142 NOTES
the immortal king, I believe, O Lord, I confess.*
During the earlier ages of the Church, the eleva
tion was rendered particularly solemn in the east,
The screen which separates the sanctuary from
the body of the church, in those countries which
follow the Greek rite, is perforated with three
door-ways, which are now partially, but in ancient
times, were quite covered over with curtains.f
Once it was the custom to let fall these curtains
at the commencement of the Canon, and they were
only withdrawn at the elevation, that the sacred
mysteries might receive the adoration of the people.
To this ceremony St. Chrysostom refers in a stream
of beautiful language, worthy of the golden-
mouthed fountain of eloquence from which it
flowed. Discoursing on the blessed Sacrament of
the altar, the Saint exclaims: Here when sacri
fice is offered up ; when Christ is immolated,, the
victim of the Lord; as soon as you shall hear those
words, Let us all pray in common ; as soon as
* Ibid. p. 83, 84. On this point we possess the admission of a
candid French Protestant who says : Des docteurs si illustres ont
avance que les Grecs ne recoivent point la transsubstantation, que
je me fais une peine de vous dire le contraire. Cependant il le
faut bien, puisque c est la verite : apparemment qu ils ont eu de
mauvais memoires, ou qu on leur a voulu parler de quelque secte
qui n est pas connue en ces quartiers ici : car je vous puis assurer
que les Grecs de Constantinople et de Smyrne la croient purement
et simplement comme les Latins; et s ils ne se mettent point a ge-
noux hors de 1 elevation de 1 Hostie, c est que leur facon d adorer
n est pas telle. Voyage du Sieur Dumont, tom.iv. Lett. i. p. 16.
f This practice will be noticed in a subsequent dissertation on
the ancient altars, Ch. xvi.
ON THE RUBRICS. 143
you shall perceive that the veils that overhang the
gates are drawn aside, then figure to yourselves
that the heavens have descended from on high,
and that the angels have come down. * And in an
other homily: e Before that awful moment, be
moved; nay tremble to the very soul, before you
behold, as the veils are drawn aside, the angelic
choir advancing yes, mount spontaneously to
heaven itself. f
(102)
Up to the eleventh century, the elevation did
not take place until about the end of the Canon.
Towards the year 1047, Berengarius began to
broach his errors concerning the Holy Eucharist.
Not only were the heterodox opinions of this in
novator immediately anathematized by several
councils; but the whole Latin Church unanimously
adopted a ceremonial at the celebration of Mass
the elevation which should at the same time fur
nish a most significant condemnation of the new
doctrine of Berengarius, and be an unequivocal
and practical profession of faith concerning the
real presence of Christ in the Sacrament, in which
* Evrav^a eK^epopevrjQ rr/e Svatag, /ecu TOV X|0torov
Kal TOV 7rpo/3arou TOV SeviroTiKOu, orav aKovariS) AfryQw^uev TTCLVTEQ KOL-
ry, OTO.V icrjs aveXfcojueva ra a^t^vpa^ TOTE vo^iaov c)taorre\\effQat
TOV ovpavov ava>0fv, Kal KxmeVcu roi/e ayygXoug. Homil. III. in
Epist. ad Ephesios.
f Homil. I. in Epist. ad Corinth.
144 NOTES
bread and wine are transubstantiated into the
Body and Blood of Jesus, uplifted by the priest,
and adored by the people at the elevation. In the
Greek and Eastern Churches, the ceremony of the
elevation, which has always been observed by
them., does not take place until just before the
Communion.*
(103)
The bell is rung to fix the attention of the peo
ple, and to give them warning to prostrate soul
and body, and to adore their crucified Redeemer
concealed under the appearances of bread and wine.
Such of our Protestant fellow countrymen who
may choose to be present at the celebration of the
Sacrifice of the Mass, should kneel down without
waiting for any intimation at this, and other so
lemn periods of our service. If they neglect to do
so, they prove themselves not only unacquainted
with public decorum, but guilty of inconsistency.
Though they may refuse their assent to the Ca
tholic doctrine comprehended in the Eucharist, still
they must recognize in the sacrament, as celebrated
and administered according to the Catholic ritual,
as many titles to demand their homage, as their own
Lord s supper, at which they kneel. The Catho
lic, on the other hand, should study to manifest,
by his outward demeanour, the inward belief, and
* Gear, Eucliohgiinn Graecorum, p. 81.
ON THE RUBRICS. 145
consequent reverence which he cherishes towards
the Eucharistic mysteries. He should be bent on
both knees in silent adoration. He should avoid
either suspending his own, or interrupting the de
votion of his neighbour by coughing, &c. &c.
which sometimes violates that silence which ought
profoundly to reign at the moment of the elevation.
To excite his own devotion, let him occupy his
mind with the real though shrouded presence of
Jesus, now throned upon the altar around which
Cherubim and Seraphim are kneeling lowly down in
worship : let him call to his remembrance the des
cription just now given* by St. John Chrysostom,
who, in such splendid strains of eloquence, sketches
what takes place, at this tremendous time, within
the sanctuary. There is something indescribably
impressive in the suspension of the choir, as well as
of the music, and in the silent pause which is ob
served in some places at the consecration and ele
vation; during which not one sound is audible,
save only the tinkling of the bell, and each one
is prostrate in the most profound adoration.
There is a sublimity of worship produced by
such a silence, that cannot be too earnestly recom
mended where music accompanies the celebration
of the Mass.
(104)
Not the Hell of the damned, but that Hell into
which, as we are taught to believe by the Apostles,
* See Note 101.
L
146 NOTES
Jesus Christ descended after he was dead and
buried; a place between Heaven and the Hell of
the damned, denominated by Catholics the Limbus
Patrum. To this middle state St. Peter refers,when
he says that Christ being put to death indeed in
the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit. In which also
coming, he preached to those spirits that were
in prison; which were sometime incredulous. *
For some further remarks upon a middle state,
see Ch. vn. Part 2.
(105)
The Church avails herself of every occasion to
impress upon the minds of the priest and of the
people this truth, that the sacrifice of the altar is
the very same with that which was offered on the
Cross. She is solicitous that the priest, especially
after the consecration, should behold, with an eye
of faith, Jesus Christ immolated on the Cross, as
St. Paul observes to the Galatians, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ hath been set forth, crucified
among you. f
To produce this effect, she has ordained in her
liturgy that all these words which designate the
Body or the Blood of Jesus Christ, should be ac
companied by the sign of the Cross, to signify
that the consecrated Host and contents of the Cha
lice are the same Body which was crucified, and
the same Blood which was shed upon the Cross.
* 1 Peter, C. iii. V. 18, &c. f 1 Gal C. iii. V. 1.
ON THE RUBRICS. 147
For some remarks on the Real Presence and Tran-
substantiation, see Part 2, Ch. i, Sect. 3 and 4.
(106)
In all the ancient liturgies, of the eastern as
well as the western Church, prayer is invariably
made for the souls of the faithful departed.* For
some illustrations of this article of faith, the curi
ous reader is referred to Ch. vn. in the second
part of this work.
(107)
According to the language of Christian anti
quity, to die in peace, is to die with the sign of
ecclesiastical communion, in a union and society
with Jesus Christ and his Church.
(108)
After having prayed for certain persons in par
ticular, the Church instructs us to pray for the
souls of all the faithful departed in general, in or
der, as St.Augustin observes, That such religi
ous duty,whenever it becomes neglected by parents,
children, relations, or friends, may be supplied by our
pious and common mother the Church. f In the
* Extracts from these several liturgies are given in Ch.xv. on the
Diptychs.
f Supplicationes pro omnibus in Christiana et Catholica socie-
tate defurictis etiam tacitis nominibus eorum, sub generali comrne-
moratione suscipit Ecclesia, ut quibus ad ista desunt pareutes aut
filii, aut quicumque cognati vel amici, ab una eis exhibeantur pia
matre communi. August, tract, de curd pro mortnis, Cap. iv.
L 2
148 NOTES
primitive Church, the names of those for whom
the priest was to pray more especially, were en
rolled within ivory tablets, called diptychs, for
some notices on which, see Ch.xv. Part 2.
Prayer for the dead is made, at this part of the
holy sacrifice, in the liturgy which we have in the
Apostolic Constitutions ;* and St. Cyril of Jerusa
lem, in his catechetical instructions to the recently
baptized concerning the Mass of the faithful, at
which they w r ere about to be, for the first time,
present, tells them that first, commemoration of
the Saints is made, that God, by their prayers and
intercession, may receive our supplications ; and
that then, we pray for our holy fathers and bishops,
and all who are fallen asleep before us, believing it
to be a considerable advantage to their souls to
be prayed for, whilst the holy and tremendous sa
crifice lies upon the altar. f
(109)
In imitation of the publican who is described
by our Redeemer in the Gospel, as striking his
breast, and saying, O God, be merciful to me a
sinner. *
* Lib.viii. C.12.
-f- Emx Kal virep ^tv>/juovi/o^tv Kal rwv 7rpoKeKOLfj.r)p(.vd)v ctyitttv Tra-
Tep<i)v, Kal eTuaxoTrwv, iccu Tra^rwv cnrXaiQ T&V tv r\\iiv TrpOKeKoifj.*)/*^
vuv jucytor?/v ovr\(fiv TriarrevovreQ eveffdat TO.IQ ^v^aig, vTrep u>y 77
^crjcriQ ava(j>epTai, rrjQ ayiac KOI ^jOifcwtWrar^e TrpoKeijuevrjQ
S.Cyrillus, Catech. Mystag.V. No.ix. p. 328.
t St. Luke, C. xviii. V. 13.
ON THE RUBRICS. 149
(110)
Mention is here made of several martyrs and
saints belonging to the several orders and states
of holy personages in the Church. St. John Bap
tist is of the order of Prophets ; St. Stephen of the
order of Deacons; St. Matthias of the order of
Apostles ; St. Ignatius, who suffered martyrdom at
Rome, in the year 107, is of the order of Bishops ;
St. Alexander, who was put to death for the faith,
at Rome, in the year 117, is of the rank of Popes;
St. Marcellinus, who was martyred in the reign of
Dioclesian, is of the order of Priests ; St. Peter, the
fellow martyr of St. Marcellinus, of the order of
Clerks ; SS. Perpetua and Felicitas are of the
state of married persons ; SS. Agathy and Lucy,
St. Agnes, St. Cecily, and St. Anastasia, are of the
state of Virgins.
(Ill)
Here the priest holds the sacred Host in his right
hand over the Chalice, which he takes in his left,
and then elevates a little both the Host and the
Chalice. Up to the eleventh century, the Body
and Blood of Christ were here held up to receive
the adoration of the people. But, as has been al
ready observed, about the year 1047, a more so
lemn elevation was adopted by the Church, to fur
nish a public and daily profession of its ancient
faith concerning the Real Presence, in contradic
tion to the impious novelties of Berengarius. This,
in consequence, is denominated the minor or second
150 NOTES
elevation, in contradistinction to the first, which
precedes it, and takes place immediately after the
consecration.
(112)
In the Latin Church, the Our Father is recited
at Low, and sung at High Mass ; in the Greek
Church, it is repeated or chanted by all the people.
In many parts of Asia, the sacrifice of the Mass
is offered up in ancient Syriac; in Africa, especi
ally in Egypt, in ancient Coptic, once the common,
but for these many centuries past, dead languages
in these respective countries. Though the Asiatic
and African Christians of the present day talk a
dialect quite different from the ancient Syriac and
Coptic, with which they are utterly unacquainted,
still, in joining in the public offices and liturgy of
the Church, they recite the ( Our Father/ &c. in
the obsolete language, notwithstanding they pos
sess vernacular translations of this prayer into mo
dern Arabic, which they use in their private devo
tions.*
(113)
The priest invokes the suffrage first of the blessed
Virgin Mary, whom St. Elizabeth, filled with the
Holy Ghost, denominated the mother of ourLord. f
That the blessed Virgin is the mother of Jesus
Christ, is indubitable : but Jesus Christ is God ;
consequently, she is properly styled the mother of
* Renaudot, Liturgiarum Orientalium Collectio, torn. i. p. 113.
St. Luke, C.I V. 4 1,43.
ON THE RUBRICS. 151
God, ($OTOKOQ) a title which was approved of by a
general council held at Ephesus in the year 341.*
St. Peter and St. Paul conjointly founded the
Church of Rome by their labours and their preach
ing ; and both of them cemented the foundation
with their blood. Rome has ever exhibited espe
cial veneration towards St. Andrew, as he was the
brother of St. Peter, the prince of the Apostles.
(114)
At these words the priest makes on himself the
sign of the Cross with the paten, which he after
wards kisses as the instrument of peace, and the
disk on which is about to be deposited the blessed
Eucharist, the peace of Christians. He employs
it in making the sign of the Cross, because it was
by the Cross that Christ became f our peace.. ..and
hath reconciled us to God in one body by the Cross,
killing the enmities in himself, and coming, he
preached peace. f
(115)
The fraction of the Host is one of the principal
ceremonies in the Canon of the Mass, and is found
in every ancient liturgy, either of the western or
eastern Churches. The fraction or breaking of
bread by Jesus Christ at the last supper, is parti-
* This is the third of the four General Councils recognized by
the English Protestant Church. f Ephes. C. ii. V. 14, &c.
152 NOTES
cularly mentioned by three of the Evangelists,
and by St. Paul, who tells us that Jesus took bread,
and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
take ye and eat, this is my body/ That this rite
was ordained by Christ, and was something more
than ordinary breaking of bread, may be inferred
from the stress which the Apostle of the Gentiles
lays upon it, when he thus interrogates the Corin
thians; The bread which we break, is it not the
partaking of the body of theLord ? ; and from the
circumstance, that not only was Christ recognized
by the two disciples at Emmaus in the breaking
of bread,* but in the book of the Acts, the break
ing of bread is synonymous with consecrating the
blessed Eucharist ; for St. Luke informs us that it
was on the first day of the week they assembled
to break bread.f
(116)
This ceremony is interesting from its connexion
with a practice once followed by the Church. It
was anciently a custom for the Sovereign Pontiff
at Rome, and for the Bishops of the other cities in
Italy, to send by acolytes,^ deputed for that pur
pose, a small portion of the holy Eucharist which
they had consecrated, to the various titular
* St. Luke, C. xxiv. V. 35. -j- Acts, C. xx. V. 7.
J St. Tharsicius was one of those acolytes, who, rather than be
tray to the Pagans who had seized him, what he was carrying, suf
fered himself to be beaten to death with clubs. Vide Martyrologium
Romanum, Die August. 15.
ON THE RUBRICS. 153
churches of the city.* The priest who was cele
brating the holy sacrifice, used to put this particle
into the Chalice, at the same time that he recited
the prayer, The peace of our Lord/ &c.
That the Roman Pontiffs, on the other hand,
were accustomed to receive the holy Eucharist
which was sent to them by bishops of distant
churches, is attested in a letter concerning the
churches of Asia, addressed by St. Irenseus to Pope
Victor. The object of such a practice was to sig
nify that communion of the same sacrifice and sa
crament by which the head and members of the
Church were spiritually united; so that, in the
words of St. Paul, they might address each other;
for we being many, are one bread, one body, all
that partake of one bread. f
(117)
Every time that these w r ords are repeated, all
strike their breasts to testify a sorrow for their
sins, of which, by this ceremony, they implore for
giveness from a merciful Redeemer.
(118) L
St. Peter J and St. Paul instruct the faithful to
* There is an enactment to this effect by Pope Melchiades, who
died in the year 313. See Jlnastasius, vol. ii. p. 271.
f 1 Cor. C. x. V. 17. $ 1 Peter. C. v. V. 14,
Rom. C.xvi. V. 16. 1 Cor. C. xvi. V. 20. 2 Cor. C. xiii. V.
1 Thess. C. v. V. 26.
154 NOTES
whom they directed their epistles, to salute one
another with a holy kiss. This ceremony was, in
consequence, especially observed at the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist, as we gather from all the
public liturgies, and most ancient Christian writers.
Justin Martyr,* Tertullian,f St.Cyril of Jerusalem, J
as well as several others, particularly notice it; and
in the Apostolical Constitutions, is contained this
minute description ; After the priest has given
the salutation of peace, and the people have re
turned their answer, a deacon goes on to proclaim
solemnly that they should salute one another with
a holy kiss ; and so the clergy salute the bishop,
and lay-men their fellow lay-men. Hence arose
the custom which is still kept up in many places
upon the continent, and in several country congre
gations in England, of men and women occupying
separate sides of the church.
(119)
Here, those who have complied with the instruc
tion of the Apostle, and have proved themselves, ||
and who are not conscious to themselves of sin, or
have obtained pardon of it by the sacrament of pe-
* Apol. ii. p. 97. f Ad Uxorem, Lib. ii. C. 4.
1 Catech.Myst. V. No. 2. Constitut. Lib. viii.
|| But let a man prove himself.. ..For he thateateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment (in the Protestant trans
lation, damnation) to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.
1 Cor. C. xi. V. 28, 29.
ON THE RUBRICS. 155
nance,, accompanied with a firm purpose of amend
ment,* advance towards the rails to receive the
holy communion. As the post-communion is the
prayer of thanksgiving after communion, and is
common both to priest and people, it is greatly to
be desired that such as receive the blessed Sacra
ment, would present themselves at the proper
time, which is at the Domine, non sum dignus. It
is to invite communicants to approach the altar,
that the acolyte or minister rings the bell at this
part of the Mass. The communion is given in
the following manner. The acolyte, kneeling on
the epistle side of the altar, repeats the Confiteor,
(see page 7) as a public declaration of sorrow for
sin on the part of those who are about to receive
the blessed Eucharist. The priest then turns
round to the people, and says: May Almighty
God be merciful unto you, and forgiving you your
sins, bring you to life everlasting? R. Amen. 9
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant you
pardon, 4- absolution, and remission of your sins
R. Amen Having adored on his knees, he then
takes the sacred Host into his hands, and turning
about, says : Behold the Lamb of God, behold
him who taketh away the sins of the world. Lord,
I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under
my roof, say but only the word and my soul shall
be healed! This last sentence he repeats thrice,
* Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them : and
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. St. John., C.xx. V.23.
156 NOTES
which is as oftentimes recited along with the priest
by the communicants, who, at each repetition,
strike their breasts, in attestation of their sorrow
for having ever sinned, and of their unworthiness
to receive the Body and Blood of their Redeemer.
The priest then descends to the rails, bearing
within a kind of vase, called the Ciborium, or upon
the Paten, the blessed Eucharist. Holding the
communion-cloth spread over their hands, with
their eyes reverently closed, the head modestly
raised, the mouth conveniently opened, and the tip
of the tongue resting upon the lip, the communi
cants successively receive the body of Christ,
which is administered to them in the following
manner: the priest, holding one of the conse
crated particles in his right hand, makes with it
the sign of the Cross over the communicant, to
call to his remembrance that it is the very body
of Jesus Christ which hung upon the Cross ; and
afterwards imparts it to him with these words : {
( The body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy
soul unto life eternal. Amen The communicants,
on receiving the sacrament, bend down and adore
in silent but most fervent worship. They then re
tire from the rails, not with a hasty, but decorous
step, with downcast eyes, and a becoming gravity.
Concerning communion under one kind, and the use
of unleavened bread, see Part 2, Ch. n. Sect. ii.
(120)
To express in a lively manner that the sacred
ON THE RUBRICS. 157
Body which he is about to take, is the very same
which was sacrificed upon the Cross.
(121)
In the Greek Church each Eucharistic particle
is called juapyaptrr/c, or e Si pearl/ to signify that the
smallest part of the blessed sacrament is a jewel
of the greatest price. In the rubric of St. John
Chrysostom s liturgy, the deacon, or in his ab
sence, the priest, is directed to wipe the sacred
Chalice thrice, and to take most particular care
lest the particle called the pearl remain. * St.
Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived about the year 351,
in his instructions for receiving the holy Eucha
rist, thus exhorts the recently initiated : Receive
the holy Body with such care, that you do not suf
fer any part of it to be unhappily lost; for should
you let any of it fall, regard it as much as the loss
of one of your own members. Let not one single
crumb of that which is much more precious than
gold or gems, escape you.f Such anxious solici
tude would not have been exhibited by the author
of the liturgy, nor would the sainted catechist have
insisted on such scrupulous attention about an
atom of common bread. Both, consequently, be
lieved each particle of the blessed Eucharist, to be
the real body of Christ Jesus.
* Goar, Euchologium Graecorum, p. 86.
j- UpcHre^wv fj-rj TrapaTroXtfftjs TL EK TOVTOV uvrov. fcrep yap sav
cnro\(TtiQ,TOVT<f) we a?ro OLKELOV SrjXovori ^rjfjiiu)dr]Q jUfAovg. S. Cyril.
Catech. Mystag. V. No. 21, p. 332.
158 NOTES
(122)
The priest who celebrates Mass, receives under
both kinds, because he must consume the sacrifice
offered up under two species. At the last supper,
when Christ commissioned his Apostles to do as
he had done, he said to them: Drink ye all of
this. No one, however, was present but the Apo
stles, all of whom were then ordained sacrificing
priests. The priest or bishop, nay, even the Pope
himself, who partakes of the blessed Eucharist
without saying Mass, receives the communion like
any laymen, under one kind only. For some other
remarks, see Ch. 11. Sect. ii. of Part 2.
(123)
The anthem called the communion, varies with
each Sunday and festival; and is generally, though
not always, a versicle extracted from the Psalms.
It is thus denominated, because it used to be an
ciently chanted by the choir during the time the
priest distributed the blessed Eucharist to the
people.
In the Apostolic Constitutions,* it is prescribed
that the thirty-third psalmf should be employed
for this purpose. In his exposition of the liturgy
used at his time in the ancient Church of Jerusa
lem, St. Cyril thus notices the chanting of the
communion: f After this, you hear one singing
* Lib. vin. C. 13, Apud Labbcum, Condi. Gen. torn. i. p. 484.
f In the Protestant Bible, the thirty-fourth.
ON THE RUBRICS. 159
with a divine melody, inviting you to a communion
of the holy mysteries, and saying, O taste, and
see that the Lord is gracious. *
(124)
This prayer received its name from being recited
just after the communion; and because it is an act
of thanksgiving to God for the ineffable favour of
having participated in the sacred mysteries. The
form used in the ancient Church may be seen in
the Apostolic Constitutions.f
(125)
The same ceremony is observed in the Greek
liturgy, which directs the deacon to proclaim to
the people : Let us proceed in peace. J For
some observations on this form of dismissing the
people, see Ch. in. Part 2.
(126)
In the Old Testament we frequently read that
the priest, stretching forth his hands to the people,
blessed them. Levit. C. ix. V. 22.
* S.Cyrillus, Catech. My stag. V. No. 20, p. 331.
f Lib. viii. C. 14. Where it is called The declaration after com
munion, Tipoatywvrjffig fj.erd rt\v fJitraX^iv.
t Ev tlprjyy TrpoffEXdw/jiEi . Goar, Euchologium Graecorum, p.
85. According to the Apostolic Constitutions, the deacon declared
to the people that Mass was finished by announcing: Depart in
peace cnroXveade ev eip^vy. Apud Lab. Con. Gen.tom.i. p. 487.
160 NOTES
(127)
All make a genuflexion at these words, to adore
the second person of the blessed Trinity, who was
pleased to take flesh for our redemption.
(128)
The Benediction over the people with the bles
sed Sacrament, is a rite frequently practised. On
the Continent, no sooner does the church-bell toll
for it, than crowds suspend their occupations, and
hasten to prostrate themselves around the altar,
before Jesus Christ veiled under the appearance of
bread, in the Eucharist. Catholics, in every part
of the globe, by this act of public adoration to the
blessed Sacrament, profess their belief in the Real
Presence and Transubstantiation.* They would
deem it the foulest act of idolatry to worship a
piece of bread. Since, however, they are assured
by the word of God, that the second person of the
blessed Trinity, who became incarnate for us, is
really present, though concealed under the appear
ance of bread; as the Holy Ghost was really pre
sent, though concealed under the appearance once
of a dove another time, of a flame of fire ; they
exhibit divine adoration to him, well knowing that
it cannot be idolatry to worship the true and liv
ing God, Christ Jesus.
* See C. i. Part 2, on the Liturgy of the Mass.
ON THE RUBRICS. 161
(129)
Such is the appellation given to a species of
small temple erected on the central part of our
altars; and in which, the blessed Eucharist is re
served, not only for the use of the sick, but to be
occasionally exposed to the adoration of the peo
ple, and to be perpetually present to excite their
devotion, and draw the faithful to the house of God.
(130)
The ostensorium is a species of vessel employed,
as its name implies, for showing the blessed Sa
crament to the people, to receive their worship.
It is composed of a stem, which supports a crystal
case, surrounded by rays of glory.
(131)
For some notice on the use of the veil, and the
custom derived from antiquity of never touching
the sacred vessels but with covered hands, see Ch.
xir. No. 48, on the Vestments ; Part 2, on the Li
turgy of the Mass.
(132)
Catholics believe that in the blessed Eucharist
are the Body and the Blood, together with the Soul
and the Divinity of Jesus Christ. They believe
that after the words of consecration, what was bread
is then changed, or, as it is called, transubstanti
ated into the Body of Christ; so that, not the sub-
M
16*2 NOTES ON THE RUBRICS.
stance, but the appearance only of bread remains.
By bending the knee, Catholics, therefore, intend
to worship Christ, and not a piece of bread. To
bow the knee in divine adoration of a piece of
bread, or of any thing else besides the Deity, would
be idolatrous and blasphemous.
(133)
The ciborium is a silver chalice-like vase, with
a cover, in which the blessed Sacrament is reserved
within the Tabernacle.
END OF NOTES ON THE RUBRICS.
DISSERTATIONS
ON THE
DOCTRINE AND RITUAL
OF THE
HOLY EUCHARISTIC SACRIFICE.
PART II.
M 2
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
SECTION I.
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
1. THE necessity of interior and exterior worship. 2. Sacrifice
offered from the beginning of the world. 3. What sacrifice is.
4. The four ends of sacrifice. 5. The legal sacrifices were of no
avail when unconnected with the future death of the Redeemer.
6. A new sacrifice was necessary. 7. The sacrifice of the
Cross a true sacrifice. 8. All the ancient sacrifices comprehended
in it. 9. The unbloody sacrifice of the New Law.
SECTION II.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
10. The Mass a true sacrifice. 11. Sacrifice of Melchisedech.-
12. The sacrifice of Melchisedech elucidated by the Fathers.
13. Illustrated by an ancient Mosaic at Ravenna. 14. The
Paschal Lamb a figure of the sacrifice of the Mass. 15. Ac
complishment of the prophecy of Malachiasin the sacrifice of the
Mass. 16. Christ announces a new sacrifice. 17. The sacri
fice of the Mass proved from St. Paul.
SECTION III.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
18. The Real Presence. 19. The promise made by Christ that
he would give us his flesh and blood to eat and drink. 20. Ob
jection answered.
CONTENTS.
21. Proof from the Institution. Objections answered. 22. The
Real Presence proved from St. Paul. 23. Taught by the rest
of the Apostles. 24. All the ancient liturgies attest the Real
Presence.
SECTION IV.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
25. What is meant by the term. 26. Transubstantiation proved
from Scripture. 27. Attested by St. Cyril. 28. Illustrated by
a practice of the modern Greek Church. Objections answered.
29. From St. Paul. 30. Objection of the term Transubstanti
ation. 31. Recapitulation.
PART THE SECOND.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE
HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
SECTION I.
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
I. NECESSITY OF INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR WORSHIP.
RELIGION is that reverential homage of the heart
and mind which connects us with God by a per
fect submission of ourselves to his sovereign ma
jesty, and the profound prostration of the soul be
fore the throne of his omnipotence, which we ex
hibit by exterior worship.
It is true that the most grateful offering to the
Lord, is that inward adoration the homage and
the breathings of the heart : because God is a
spirit, and they that adore him must adore him in
spirit and in truth.*
But man is a compound, not a simple being.
He is gifted with a soul which assimilates him to
* St. John, C.iv. F.24.
168 ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
the angelic spirits ; and he possesses a body, which
constitutes a part of the visible creation.
Composed, therefore, of a body and a soul, we
must, through the very constitution of our nature,
offer up this oblation outwardly, in order to fur
nish a visible and a public manifestation of the in
ward emotions of the spirit towards the Divinity ;
and hence we must necessarily associate along with
interior worship, the rites of some exterior cere
monial, which, in fact, is nothing more than an
outward sign, and a sensible declaration, indicative
of that interior oblation of ourselves, which each
one of us is bound to make to God our Creator,
and perpetual preserver.
It is, therefore, impossible that true Religion
can in any way subsist without interior and exte
rior adoration. This will be more evident when
we consider that religion, as its very name implies,
is, as it were, a bond a ligature, connecting men
with one another, by the profession of a common
faith, and a similarity of public worship, in which
they outwardly unite to acknowledge their depen
dence upon God, and to manifest their affection
and devotion towards him.
II. SACRIFICE OFFERED FROM THE BEGINNING OF
THE WORLD.
Nature herself invariably inspired man with the
idea that sacrifice was the first the most essen
tial act of exterior religion. From the world s
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL. 169
foundation to the present moment, its existence
may be more or less discovered amongst men
throughout the earth, however widely separated
from each other by almost immeasurable distance,
or the interposition of barriers erected by nature,
and utterly impossible to be surmounted.
The earliest record of the human race represents
Cain as offering to God the fruits of the earth, and
Abel as making a similar acknowledgment of
homage with the e firstlings of his flock. * After
the waters of the deluge had subsided, and Noah,
with his family, had issued from the Ark, he
built an altar unto the Lord ; and taking of all
cattle, and fowls that were clean, offered up holo
causts upon the altar. f
The Almighty condescended to attest the holi
ness of Job by imparting efficacy to the prayers
and the sacrifice which that model of resignation
to the will of Heaven presented in behalf of his
less righteous neighbours. The oblation of Mel-
chisedech is too well known to demand our obser
vations ; while Abraham was so sedulous in sacri
ficing, that he was even ready to make a victim of
his only, and well beloved son Isaac. The dictates
inspired by nature, were ratified in the law deli
vered by God himself to Moses, in which are de
scribed with much minuteness the various sacri
fices to be offered by the Hebrew people, and in
* Gen. C. iv. V. 3, 4. f Gen. C. viii. V. 20.
170 ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
which it is declared, that to withhold men from sa
crificing, or to offer up a sacrifice to any other be
ing whatever, save God alone, were crimes of the
most serious enormity : Wherefore the sin of the
young men (the sons of Heli) was exceeding great
before the Lord, says the sacred text, ( because
they withdrew men from the sacrifice of the Lord/*
III. WHAT SACRIFICE IS.
Exterior sacrifice, according to the proper ac
ceptation of the term, is an offering or oblation of
some sensible thing, by a lawfully appointed mini
ster, in order to acknowledge, by the destruction,
or, at least, the change effected in the offering, the
majesty and sovereign power of God ; to proclaim
his absolute dominion over every thing created :
and while we make a contrite declaration of our
sinfulness, and confess our weakness, to deprecate
his wrath, and seek his favour.
IV. THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
Exterior sacrifice consists, therefore, in making
an oblation to God of something tangible to the
senses of some outward substance to be destroyed,
or to undergo some change. The tribute of such
a homage is rendered for those four reasons which
constitute the various ends of sacrifice. 1. It is
* 1 Kings, C. ii. V. 17. In the English Protestant Bible,
this is called the first Book of Samuel.
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL. 171
presented to Almighty God to recognize his para
mount and absolute dominion over every thing
created. 2. To thank him for all those benefits
conferred by him upon us. 3. To supplicate a
pardon for our sins, and to profess ourselves debt
ors to his violated justice. 4. To entreat for
those helps of grace so absolutely necessary to for
tify our weakness.
From the particular intention for which this act
of highest worship may be rendered unto heaven,
sacrifice derives a peculiar appellation, or is dis
tinguished by a corresponding epithet. It is seve
rally denominated Latreutical, or of praise and
supreme adoration, Eucharistic, or of thanksgiv
ing, Propitiatory and Impetratory.
V. THE LEGAL SACRIFICES WERE OF NO AVAIL WHEN
UNCONNECTED WITH THE FUTURE DEATH
OF THE REDEEMER.
Of the various sacrifices in use amongst the
Jews, the most distinguished were the holocaust,
the sin-offering, and the peace-offering. Though
these sacrifices were commanded by the sacred
law delivered unto Moses, still they were but sha
dows of the good things to come, * weak and
needy elements, f in themselves incapable of pleas
ing, or appeasing Heaven. They received their vir
tues from the future death of the Redeemer ; and
* Heb. C. x. V. 1. f Gal. C. iv. V. 9.
172 ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
whenever they were possessed of any efficacy, they
derived it from the faith of those who offered them,
and who contemplated prospectively, and kept
steadily in view, the sacred victim, the Lamb un
spotted and undefiled, * that taketh away the sins
of the world, f and which was slain from the begin
ning of the world. J
VI. A NEW SACRIFICE WAS NECESSARY.
A new sacrifice, the substance of these shadows,
was necessary ; for the Lord of Hosts had pro
claimed to the Jewish people, that he had no plea
sure in them, and would not receive a gift from
their hands ; he announced to them that there
should be another, and a more acceptable sacrifice
offered to his name amongst the Gentiles. The
time predicted with so much precision by the pro
phets, for the appearance of the Messiah, at length
arrived ; and the Saviour came to offer this clean
oblation spoken of by Malachias, to his heavenly
Father, saying : Sacrifice and oblation thou
wouldest not ; but a body thou hast fitted to me.
Holocausts for sin did not please thee : then said
I : behold I come : in the head of the book it is
written of me ; that I should do thy will, O God.
Sacrifices and oblations thou wouldest not, neither
are they pleasing to thee. ||
*lPeter,C.i.F. 19. f/SV. John,C.i.V.29
Malach. C. \. V. 10. || Heb. C. x. V. 5-8.
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL. 173
VII. THE SACRIFICE OF THE CROSS A TRUE SACRIFICE.
That Jesus Christ, the great high priest, pre
sented to his Father a real sacrifice upon the Cross,
upon which he himself was the victim, is a truth
upon which the whole of Christianity revolves as
on a hinge, for c Christ hath loved us, and hath
delivered himself for us an oblation, and a sacrifice
to God : * and we have a great high priest that
hath passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of
God. f
VIII. ALL THE ANCIENT SACRIFICES COMPRISED IN IT.
THE HOLOCAUST. THE PEACE-OFFERING.
THE SIN-OFFERING.
The sacrifice of the Cross was a holocaust ; for
our blessed Redeemer offered up himself wholly
and entirely without reserve for our offences. And
what could possibly become a more acceptable ob
lation for a sacrifice of peace, than the Word itself
made flesh, of whom the Eternal Father said
aloud : e This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased. 3 ;*; What victim could be better cal
culated to draw down heaven s blessings on man
kind, than Christ Jesus, ( who being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, taking the form of a servant, and humbling
himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the
death of the Cross.
* Ephes. C. v. V. 2. f Heb. C. iv. V. 14.
% St. Matt. C. xvii. V. 5. Phill. C. ii. V. 68.
174 ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
That it was, in fine, an offering for sin, is evi
dent. For God indeed was in Christ reconciling
the world to himself, not imputing to them their
sins : * and If the blood of goats, or of oxen,
and the ashes of a heifer, being sprinkled, sanctify
such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh ;
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who by
the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto
God, cleanse our consciences from dead works, to
serve the living God ? And therefore is he the me
diator of the New Testament, that, by means of
his death, for the redemption of those transgres
sions which were under the former Testament,
they that are called may receive the promise of
eternal inheritance. !
IX. THE UNBLOODY SACRIFICE OF THE NEW LAW.
Although, indeed, it is true that Christ has
blotted out the handwriting of the decree that
was against us, and has taken the same out of the
way, fastening it to the Cross ; J and by one obla
tion hath perfected for ever them that are sancti
fied ; still, it is no less positively certain, that he
does not regard it as in any manner deteriorating
the inestimable value of that ransom which he had
paid for us, or detracting from the all-sufficiency
of the sacrifice upon the Cross, not only to have
* 2 Cor. C. v. V. 19. f Heb. C. ix. V. 13-15.
I Colon*. C. ii. V. 14. Heb. C. x. V. 14.
ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL. 175
left us the sacraments for our sanctification, but
to be our mediator in heaven, where e he is now
making intercession for us. * This office of me
diator he more especially exercises by presenting
to his Father that one, same oblation of himself,
which he made, in a bloody manner, on Mount
Calvary, and now causes to be every day comme
morated in an unbloody sacrifice by his delegated
priests, throughout the earth ; thus realizing the
declaration of the Prophet Malachias, that, from
the rising to the setting of the sun, there should
be made, amongst the Gentiles, a clean oblation to
the Lord of Hosts. In this way, too, he dis
charges the functions of his priesthood : for Christ
Jesus hath an everlasting priesthood : f he is f a
high priest for ever according to the order of Mel-
chisedech. JNow it is a doctrine on which St. Paul
emphatically insists, that every high priest is ap
pointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, wherefore it is
necessary that he (Christ) also should have some
thing to offer.
That any one can really be a priest that a
priest can possibly fulfil that office characteristic
ally distinctive of the sacerdotal order that a
priesthood can exist, and, for a single moment,
have its chief and essentially peculiar function ex
ercised, without a real sacrifice, are such glaring
* Heb. C. vii. V. 25. f Ibid. V. 24.
t Ibid. C. vi. V. 20. Ibid.. C. viii. V. 3.
176 ON SACRIFICE IN GENERAL.
contradictions, that the most artful ingenuity may
toil in vain to reconcile them : for priest, priest
hood, and Sacrifice, are co-relative expressions,
which necessarily presuppose the existence of each
other. Christ, therefore, as a high-priest, must
have a real sacrifice, in which a real victim is of
fered up, according to the rites, and by the mini
sters belonging to his order of priesthood ; but
since this priesthood is to be everlasting in its du
ration, it must, therefore, continue perpetually em
ployed about its functions, the most conspicuous
amongst which is sacrifice. That the Christian
priesthood, from the period of its foundation to
the present moment, has been occupied unceasingly
in such an office, is a fact authenticated in every
page of profane as well as ecclesiastical history.
That this sacrifice called the Mass, which is, and
has been, and will continue to be, daily celebrated
in the Church, according to the injunctions of its
sacred institutor, is that real sacrifice of the new
law, we will now proceed to demonstrate by a va
riety of arguments and proofs derived from Holy
Scripture, and furnished by the several monuments
of ecclesiastical antiquity.
177
SECTION II.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
X. THE MASS A TRUE SACRIFICE.
That in the Liturgy of the Mass there is offered
this real sacrifice, may be evidenced by the most
clear and unexceptionable authorities deduced from
Sacred Scripture. Such are the figures and pro
phecies illustrative of the Messiah, contained in
the ancient Testament ; and in the new, the testi
monies of the Evangelists, together with the au
thority of St. Paul.
XI. SACRIFICE OF MELCHISEDECH.
The sacrifice and priesthood of the King of Sa
lem, first demands, and shall receive our notice.
In the Book of Genesis, we read, that Melchise-
dech, the King of Salem, brought forth bread,
and wine, for he was a priest of the most High
God. * This incident the royal prophet,f and St.
Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews, J apply to
Christ in such a manner, as not merely to intimate
that Melchisedech was a figure only of our divine
Redeemer, since the very same might equally be
said of Aaron ; but that Christ was a priest for
ever according to the order of Melchisedech, and
* Gen. C. xiv. V. 18. f Psalm cix. 4. J Ileb. C* vii.
N
178 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
not according to the order of Aaron. This St. Paul
more unequivocally notices than the royal Psalmist.
From the double kind of difference which so ma
nifestly distinguished the priesthood of Melchise-
dech from that of Aaron, we may gather two ar
guments in support of our assertion. The first,
and at the same time, the most important diffe
rence which characterized them, is found in the
matter of sacrifice. Although the sacrifices of the
Hebrew sanctuary, and the sacrifice of Melchise-
dech, agreed with reference to the self same ob
ject which they severally typified, as they all were
images of the same Christ Jesus; still they varied
in their signs. The sacrifices of Aaron were bloody ;
and, under the species of slaughtered animals, pre
figured the passion, and the death of Christ. The
sacrifice of Melchisedech was unbloody; and under
the form of bread and wine, represented the body
and the blood of that same Christ. If, therefore,
Christ be a priest, not according to the order of
Aaron, but according to the order of Melchisedech;
he must have instituted some kind or other of sa
crifice, which is an unbloody one, under the spe
cies of bread and wine.
That by virtue of his priesthood, Christ had to
offer sacrifice, in the species of bread and wine,
is immediately deducible from the very type in
which it was prefigured. In his sacrifice of bread
and wine, Melchisedech, the priest of the most
High God, bore the most illustrious figure of
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 179
Christ. Hence it follows, that Christ also, in the
institution of the blessed Eucharist in bread and
wine, not only acted as a priest, but truly sacri
ficed ; since, otherwise, he would not have accu
rately realized this figure of himself. If the same
offering or sacrifice be not continued till the con
summation of ages, Christ could not be a priest
for ever according to the order of Melchisedech.
Another difference will be discovered to exist
between the priesthood of Aaron and that of Mel
chisedech. The priesthood with which the King
of Salem was invested, was exclusively of one man
alone, who, while he had no predecessor, was not
succeeded in his sacerdotal office by any indivi
dual. The Aaronic priesthood was communicated
to many, not only at the same time, but was regu
larly kept up by a formal and long-protracted suc
cession. This difference the Apostle of the Gen
tiles notices in the most particular manner, in his
Epistle to the Hebrews, where he says that Mel
chisedech was without father, without mother,
without genealogy, having neither beginning of
days, nor end of life ; * and through the remaining
portion of the chapter, applying all those circum
stances to Christ, he proclaims of him, that he is
a priest for ever, who, while he had no predeces
sor, will never have a successor ; since, not only
he himself lives always, but the Lord has sworn
*Heb. c. vii. v. 3.
N 2
180 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
that his priesthood shall neither be changed, nor
transferred, as it happened to the Levitical priest
hood. This, moreover, St. Paul corroborated by
those words, extracted from the Psalmist : The
Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent, thou art
a priest for ever. * Now if the priesthood of
Christ is to endure until the end of time, most
certainly, the rites and ceremonies of sacrifice
must also last as long ; unless, indeed, we have
the temerity to suppose the priesthood of Jesus to
be an empty and a vacant thing, or some idle and
imaginary office. The bloody sacrifice upon the
Cross, w r as offered up but once ;f it never can be
repeated in a bloody manner, since Christ can die
no more ; for he is now immortal and impassible.
There must, therefore, exist some other mode of
sacrifice, which is to be perpetually performed ;
for how can any one be a priest, who has no kind
of sacrifice to offer ? Priest and sacrifice are terms
which mutually imply the existence of each other;
a truth so evident, that, as was before observed,
St. Paul declares, that every high priest is ap
pointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. J Hence it must
be admitted, that in the Church of Christ, there
does exist some true form of real sacrifice, which
is celebrated by sacerdotal ministers carefully dele
gated to be the vicegerents upon earth, in the place
of Jesus Christ, the great high priest ; such a form
* Psalm cix. f Heb. C. x. F. 10. t Heb. C. viii. V. 3.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 181
of sacrifice is discoverable no where, except in the
holy and tremendous sacrifice usually denominated
the Mass.*
* Here the reader must be admonished of a serious im
position which has been practised by the Protestant trans
lators of the New Testament, not only on the members of
the Church of England, but on every one who may chance
to read her version of the Holy Scriptures. In his Epistle
to the Hebrews, -the Apostle says: In the which will,
we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus
Christ once; (Heb. x. 10 J which sentence is thus trans
lated in the Protestant Version : i By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. Here we have for air added to the
genuine text, for there is not a syllable of it either in the
Greek original, or in the Latin vulgate. It is impossible
to consider this ingraftment on the word of God, as the
result of accident or negligence ; on the contrary, we must
refer it to deliberate design, for the following reasons.
1. The Greek adverb, t0a7ra, once, but very seldom oc
curs in the New Testament, and only in the writings of
St. Paul. Besides the one at present under observation,
the following are the only passages in which it may be
found: Rom.vi. 10, Heb. ix. 12, 1 Cor. xv. 6. In all these
places, the Protestant translators have rendered it by
6 once? or at once ; they, therefore, knew its proper force,
and could render it according to its native meaning.
2. The unwarrantable introduction of these two monosyl
lables for all; essentially corrupts this text, and per
verts its sense against the Catholic, in favour of the Pro
testant doctrine on the holy Eucharist. No doubt, there
fore, but they were advisedly inserted, to procure a scrip-
182 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
The only point of mutual but exclusive coinci
dence between the priesthood of Melchisedech
and that of Christ, is an identity of matter bread
and wine employed in the sacrifice.
The King of Salem received tithes of Abraham,
and blessed him and his companions ; but the Le-
vitical priesthood also collected tithes, and be
stowed their benedictions ; if Melchisedech had
tural authority for one of the novelties introduced by what
is miscalled the Reformation. In fact, this citation from
the writings of St. Paul, is invariably adduced in its viti
ated form, as a warrant for that modern doctrine first pro
mulgated in England by the framers of the thirty-first
amongst those articles of religion recognized by the esta
blished Church, which teaches, that 6 The Sacrifices of
Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the priest
did offer Christ for the quick and the dead to have remis
sion of pain and guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dan
gerous deceits.
When the intelligent and sensible Protestant reflects
that there is not one single personage registered in that
calendar of Saints, appended to his book of Common
Prayer, who did not live and die, or win the palm of mar
tyrdom, in the belief of the Catholic doctrine of the Mass ;
and that many of them were in the habit of daily offering
up that Eucharistic sacrifice he will censure the teme
rity, at the same that he blushes for the inconsistency of
his Church, in designating the practice of those very men
whom she herself has recognized for Saints, as a blasphe
mous fable, and pronouncing the most venerable and
best authenticated tenet amongst the articles of genuine
Christianity, as a ( dangerous deceit.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 183
not been anointed with oil, had succeeded no one
in the priestly office,, nor was followed by any suc
cessor ; the same may be observed in Abel; if his
genealogy was unknown an incident, however,
quite extraneous to the priesthood ; this was com
mon to Job, and others who were priests. The
only way in which the priesthood of Melchisedech
differed from every other priesthood before the
promulgation of the second law, was in the obla
tion of bread and wine. This, therefore, must con
stitute the agreement between the sacrifice of Mel
chisedech, and the sacrifice of Christ, who selected
wheaten bread and wine of the grape, as the mat
ter which should be transubstantiated into his
body and his blood by the words of consecration.
That the motive which induced Melchisedech to
bring forth bread and wine, was not to present re
freshment to the soldiers of Abraham, but to offer
sacrifice to God in celebration of that Patriarch s
victory, is evident, both from the language and
the context of this passage in the Book of Genesis.
If Abraham and his servants partook of Melchi-
sedech s oblation of bread and wine; it was for
them a sacred refection, similar to those observed
amongst the Israelites in their sacrifices of thanks
giving. It could not have been by way of corpo
ral refreshment, since the sacred text informs us,*
* Gen. xiv. 24. Some Protestants quarrel with the read
ing of this passage in our Catholic Bibles, and contend,
184 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
that Abraham s soldiers had already feasted on the
provisions which they found among the spoils
that they captured from the vanquished Kings.
XII. THE SACRIFICE OF MELCHISEDECH ELUCIDATED
BY THE WRITINGS OF THE FATHERS.
That the Church has invariably considered this
passage in the Book of Genesis as demonstrative,
not only of Melchisedech s having sacrificed in
bread and wine ; but, also, that his oblation was
that the Hebrew particle c van," should be rendered as it
is in the Protestant Version, and he was a priest, in
stead of c for he was, &c. In defence of the Catholic
translation of the particle vauj as preferable to the one
followed in this particular passage, by the authorized
Bible of the Church of England, we may observe: 1st,
That St. Jerom, a most eminent Biblical scholar, and a
thorough master of the Hebrew language, has thus given
the passage in his vulgate : c Erat enim sacerdos, for
he was a priest: With consistent Protestants, St. Jerom s
authority must possess great weight, as they refer to his
opinion with so much deference in the sixth of the thirty-
nine articles. 2d, Grammarians inform us, that this par
ticle is not only copulative, but indicative of a cause, and
that the manner of construing it must be collected from
the series of the discourse. Parker, in his Hebrew Lexi
con, enumerates as many as seventeen different ways in
which it is employed in Scripture. 3d, The English Pro
testant, like the Catholic Bible, has the particle ( vau*
translated by the word 4 /0r, instead of and? in the very
same Book of Genesis ; (Gen. xx. 3 J the Hebrew text is
H17T] literally thus, and she is mar-
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 185
beautifully typical of the Eucharistic sacrifice pe
culiar to the Christian dispensation., is evident
from the attestations of the holy Fathers. For a
proof of this, the curious reader is referred to a
learned and invaluable work containing extracts
from the writings of those early and venerable
witnesses of the Faith.* In that volume are recited
the observations on this subject delivered by St.
Cyprian,f Eusebius of Csesarea^J St. Jerorn, and
Theodoret.||
XIII. ILLUSTRATED BY AN ANCIENT MOSAIC AT
RAVENNA.
But there is another curious and highly inter
esting illustration of this text, which, as far as the
writer is aware, has hitherto never been introduced
to notice. This is furnished by one amongst those
numerous pictorial monuments of early Christian
piety which decorate the ancient church of St. Vi-
talis at Ravenna.^f The wall about the apsis or
ried to a husband, but which is rendered in the Protes
tant Version, for she is a man s wife. No Protestant
can therefore rationally object to a mode of translation
which is approved by his own Church, in her authorized
version of the Sacred Scriptures.
* The Faith of Catholics confirmed and attested by the
Fathers of the first Jive centuries, compiled by the Rev. Jo
seph Berington, and the Rev. John Kirk, London, 1830.
f /ftp. 271. t/6.p.273. /.p.281. || Ib. p. 286.
1[ Ciampini, Monimenta Vetera, torn. ii. p. 70, tab. xxi.
186 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
recess, which overhangs the sanctuary, is encrusted
with mosaic-work, in which are represented vari
ous subjects, chosen from the Old and New Tes
taments. Amongst those Scripture histories, three
are prominently discernible : they are, the sacrifice
of Abel ; the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, and
the sacrifice of Melchisedech.
Figure of Melchisedech in an ancient Mosaic in the church of
St. Vitalis at Ravenna.*
The King of Salem is represented as standing
by an altar, on which are two small circular cakes,
The church of St. Vitalis was built in the year 547, and
adorned with mosaics at the same epoch.
* The wood-cut is as faithful a delineation of the Ra
venna Mosaic, as could be procured ; the reader, there
fore, when he remarks its want of perspective, and the
awkward, if not impossible position of Melchisedech s
left foot, should remember, that such defects and inac
curacies are characteristic of the time when the original
was executed.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 187
between which stands a little vase, not much un
like a drinking cup ; a nimbus, or glory, surrounds
his head ; his arms are outstretched towards the
altar, almost in the same way that our priests ex
tend theirs at Mass, when they spread their hands
over the sacramental elements, and recite the
prayer Hanc igitur/ &c. just before the conse
cration. His robes exactly resemble our vestments
of the sanctuary ; the under one descends to the
ankles like an Alb ; and the tunic, or mantle, is
fashioned precisely as the ancient Chasuble, and
like it, is a garment adapted to envelope the whole
person, but gathered up above the shoulders, for
greater convenience during the oblation of the sa
crifice :* in fact, Melchisedech, both in attitude
and costume, is nothing but the figure of a priest
celebrating Mass. There can be no doubt, that
these three subjects, and particularly the sacrifice
of Melchisedech, were selected to indicate that
they were ancient types of the sacrifice of the new
Law, called the Mass. Theophilus, the Patriarch
of Antioch,f remarks, that Melchisedech is repre
sented with the circle of glory round his head, to
signify that he was the first man who became a
priest ; and St. Cyprian J notices, that the bread
and little vessel are symbols of the blessed sacra-
* See Ch. xn, on the Vestments, No. 41.
t Lib. n, ad Autolycum circa finem.
% In Epist. LXIII, ad Caecil mm de sacramento Domini.
188 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
/
ment. Indeed, these observations on these three
sacrifices are all but asserted in that prayer which
almost immediately succeeds the consecration ;
Upon which, (the holy bread of eternal life and the
chalice of our everlasting salvation) vouchsafe to
look down with a propitious and serene counte
nance, and accept them, as thou wast pleased to
accept the gifts of thy just servant Abel, and the
sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham, and that which
thy high -priest Melchisedech, offered to thee, a
holy sacrifice and immaculate victim." This repre
sentation, therefore, of the offering of bread and
wine, by Melchisedech, affords another ancient
warrant for regarding it as a prefiguration of the
sacrifice of the Mass.*
f In those ages, when printing was unknown, the
pastors of the Church availed themselves of the arts to
represent to their people, by means of fresco-painting,
mosaic-work, and sculpture, executed on the walls of the
churches, the scripture-history, and the truths of our holy
religion. The reason was obvious : to the faithful, these
were instructive volumes, written in intelligible and self-
spealdng characters. But as their religious instructors
justly conceived that the guardians of the faith, were the
best expounders of its mysteries, instead of permitting the
artist to select and treat the subjects according to his own
imagination ; they rather employed his pencil to inscribe,
in colours, what they dictated to him ; and it is a well
attested fact, that, in the early ages of the Church,
painters, and those who wrought in mosaic, and artists in
general, were, in the execution of their works, permitted
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 189
XIV. THE PASCHAL LAMB A FIGURE OF THE SACRIFICE
OF THE MASS.
A second argument to prove the Mass to be a
real sacrifice, may be drawn from the ceremony of
the Paschal Lamb !* That the oblation of this victim
was a figure of the Eucharist, is evident from the
words of the Apostle, who tells us ; " Christ our
Pasch is sacrificed, therefore let us feast, not with
the old leaven, but with the leaven of sincerity
and truth."f From the Evangelists we learn that,
immediately after our Divine Redeemer had con
cluded the legal observance of the Passover, he
proceeded to celebrate the Eucharist. By the
to exercise their own liberty and invention, no further
than in the drawing and colouring- of their pieces. The
bishop, or pastor of the edifice which was to be orna
mented, not merely fixed upon the subjects, but invariably
prescribed the precise manner in which each one should
be treated in all its several, and even its smallest parts.
(Anastasius Bibliothecarim de vitis Romanorum Pontificum
Curante Blanchinio, Vol. iii. p. 124.) Nor did they permit
themselves to be directed by their own -caprice, while
guiding the labours of the painter or the sculptor ; but
most religiously adhered to the traditions which had been
handed down to them. We may, therefore, rest assured,
that these ancient monuments are faithful and authentic
records, not of the opinion of Laics, and private individu
als, but of the public doctrine of the Church at the period
when they were executed.
* Exod. C. xii. f 1 Cor. C. v. V. 7, 8.
190 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
identity of place and time, he more unequivocally
assured his followers, that the substance had, at
length, arrived to realize the shadow, and that the
old law, with its ceremonies, was abrogated, and
made to yield its place to a new and better Testa
ment. If we consider the circumstances attending
on both these solemn rites, we shall observe, that
there was no one single figure of the ancient law,
which bore a reference to Jesus the Messiah, which
was so accurately fulfilled by him, as the ceremo
nial of the Paschal Lamb, in the institution of
the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
1. It was directed that the Paschal Lamb
should be sacrificed on the evening of the four
teenth day of the first month :* a circumstance, of
which particular notice was taken by the law, and
in consequence, the Jews most diligently observed
it : now it was immediately after having cele
brated the passover with legal exactness, that our
divine redeemer instituted the blessed Eucharist.
2. The Paschal Lamb was immolated in remem
brance of the passage of the Lord, and the
liberation of the Israelites from their Egyptian
bondage : the Eucharist is offered to commemo
rate the passage of our Saviour, by his bloody
passion, from this world to the kingdom of his
father ; and to celebrate our redemption from the
tyranny of Satan, over whom Christ Jesus tri-
* Exod. C. xii. V. 6.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 191
umphed by his glorious death upon the cross.
3. The Paschal Lamb was offered that it might
be eaten and be as it were, the sustenance to
fortify the traveller for a lengthened journey on
which he was about to enter ; since it was in the
guise of travellers, that the Jews partook of it
with their loins girt up, holding staves in their
hands, and having sandals on their feet : and
what is the Eucharist but a strengthening food,
a sacred refection for men while on their pilgrim
age through this desert-world, and journeying
towards the land of promise, Heaven their real
and celestial country. 4. The Paschal Lamb
could not be eaten excepting by the clean and
circumcised, and within the precints of the holy
city ; so the Eucharist cannot be partaken
of with profit, but by those who have been
baptized, are clean of heart and purified from
sin, and by being associated with the Catholic
Church, are come to Mount Sion and to the
City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to the company of many thousands of Angels,
and to the Church of the first born who are
written in the heavens, and to God the judge of
all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect. *
The Paschal Lamb was at the same time a
sacrifice and a sacrament ; because, after it had
been offered up, it was eaten by the Israelites ; so
* Heb. C.xii. F.22, 25.
192 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
likewise,, the Eucharistic oblation is a sacrifice
and a sacrament, a sacrifice, because our Pasch,
Christ Jesus is presented to his Father on our al
tars, and a sacrament, because the faithful receive
him there, whose flesh is meat indeed, and whose
blood is drink indeed.
XV. ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE PROPHECY OF MALA-
CHIAS, IN THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
Another and most conclusive proof in favor of
the Sacrifice of the Mass, is furnished by the
Prophet Malachias who was commissioned to
promulgate the following commination to the
Jewish people. I have no pleasure in you, saith
the Lord of Hosts. For, from the rising of the
sun even to the going down, my name is great
among the Gentiles, and in every place there is
offered to my name a clean oblation, for my name
is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of
Hosts/*
This illustrious prediction cannot be applica
ble to the Jewish sacrifices, because they are
pointedly rejected, and so far from being offered
up in every place, they were exclusively confined
to the temple of Jerusalem ; while the clean obla
tion which Malachias speaks of, was to be made
in every region of the earth, and not by Israelites,
but Gentiles. It cannot be referable to the un-
*Malach.C.i. F. 10, 11.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 193
hallowed and impure rites of Paganism, which pro
faned, instead of glorifying, the name of the Al
mighty. It cannot be applied to designate that
bloody sacrifice immolated on the altar of the
Cross at Calvary, since that was offered once only,
and in one place. It is, therefore, verified in no
other way, than by the unbloody sacrifice, by that
clean oblation which is, and will be offered up by
the Christian priesthood to the end of time, and
in every nation that the sun can gaze upon, from
his rising to his setting. This prophecy, therefore,
refers to the Eucharistic sacrifice of our altars,
called the Mass, which now supplies the place of
all the ancient victims, and has been unceasingly
celebrated from the death of Christ until the pre
sent moment, and continues to be every where
duly celebrated.
Some amongst the innovators of the sixteenth
century, to neutralize the force of this triumphant
argument, endeavoured to affix a spiritual mean
ing to the prophet s declaration, and therefore in
terpreted it as expressive of a sacrifice, improperly
so called, of praise and thanksgiving, of prayer,
good works, and patience. Nothing, however,
could be more erroneous than this modern gloss
upon the inspired pages. 1. The word nmp,
which occurs in the original Hebrew text of this
prophecy, indicates a particular species of sacri
fice, in which fine flour, oil, and frankincense,
commingled together, were employed as the obla-
194 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
tion :* and it should be remarked that the holy Scrip
tures, whenever the term sacrifice is used in a figu
rative sense, invariably attach some adjunct to it,
which immediately discriminates the metaphoric
meaning; and hence, in various portions of the sa
cred volume, we meet with the following expres
sions: f a sacrifice of praise/ a sacrifice of right
eousness/ a sacrifice of joy/ &c. The Min-
chaJi^ of the Hebrew scripture is translated by
the word Owia, or sacrifice, in the Septuagint, and
is the term employed to signify the oblation of
Cain and of Abel. J 2. That it cannot be, with ac
curacy, understood of a spiritual offering composed
of prayer, devotion, or thanksgivings, will imme
diately be evident, when we remember that such
a kind of sacrifice had, after the days of Malachias,
who lived about four hundred years anterior to
the coming of the Messiah, been rendered very
frequently, by Jew as well as Gentile, and had in
deed been made from the earliest period of the hu
man race, by every sincere adorer of the Deity ;
whereas the prophet announces the future institu-
* Levit. C.ii. V. 1, and C.vi. V. 14, 15.
t Gesenius, in his Hebrew Lexicon, which has been
translated into English by Christopher Leo, says of this
word : In the Mosaic ritual, it is applied especially to
the unbloody sacrifices as offerings of meat and drink,
which were offered with the animal sacrifices. Hence
Sacrifice and offering, Ps. xl. V. 7. Jer. C. xvii. V. 26.
Dan. C. ix. V. 27. J Gen. C. iv, V. 4, 5.
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 195
tion of a pure oblation, a sacrifice peculiar to a
subsequent covenant, and which was not only to
be exclusively offered up by Gentile believers, but
should supersede all the various Levitical sacrifices
which would then be abrogated.
XVI. CHRIST ANNOUNCES A NEW SACRIFICE.
That a new sacrifice, which should be offered
up in spirit and in truth/* was requisite, our di
vine Redeemer proclaimed to the Samaritan wo
man, who proposed to him the question about the
place on which it was necessary to adore. Now,
that the adoration indicated by our blessed Re
deemer is synonymous with sacrifice, may be in
ferred from a variety of circumstances : for the
difference between the Jews and the Samaritans,
was about the place on which the exterior worship
of sacrifice could legally be exhibited, since both
were thoroughly persuaded that man could invoke
the Lord by supplications and by prayers, could
observe the various forms of simple adoration,
and present his heart to Heaven, in every region
of the earth. Our divine Redeemer entered into
the idea of the Samaritan woman, and answered
her by saying : < The hour cometh, when you
shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem,
adore the Father ; or, in other words, the time is
fast approaching, when sacrifice shall be no longer
* John, C.iv. F. 23.
o 2
196 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
offered, either on Mount Gerizim, or in the Jewish
temple ; but true adorers shall adore the Father in
spirit and in truth, without being circumscribed
within the limits of one peculiar or favoured city,
by a new and better sacrifice ; spiritual, not car
nal ; true, and not typical or figurative ; effected
by the holy spirit, and the mysterious words of
consecration, not by pouring out the blood of
goats and of oxen, nor by sprinkling the ashes of a
heifer; illustrious, not from being a shadow of the
good things to come, but because it is that very
thing itself, the adorable reality.
XVII. THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS PROVED FROM
ST. PAUL.
Fly, exclaims the Apostle of the Gentiles,
Fly from the service of idols. I speak as to wise
men : judge ye yourselves what I say. The cha
lice of benediction which we bless, is it not the
communion of the blood of Christ? and the bread
which we break, is it not the partaking of the
body of the Lord ? For we, being many, are one
bread, one body, all that partake of one bread : be
hold Israel according to the flesh; are not they,
that eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the altar?
What then ! Do I say that what is offered in sacri
fice to idols is any thing? or that the idol is any
thing? But the things which the heathens sacrifice,
they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I
would not that you should be made partakers with
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 197
devils. You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord
and the chalice of devils ; you cannot be partakers
of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils. *
This passage from St. Paul proves, by a triple
argument, the Mass to be a real sacrifice.
1. The Apostle institutes a comparison between
the table of the Lord, where the believers in Jesus
receive the holy Eucharist, and the table of the
Gentiles, who sacrifice to idols, and the table of
the Jews, on which the people offered up their
carnal victims to the true and living God. From
this parallel it follows, that the table of the Lord
is an altar, and consequently, the Eucharist a pro
per sacrifice ; for, without a most egregious ano
maly in language, an altar can never be erected,
unless for the purposes of real sacrifice. 2. The
Apostle institutes a comparison between the Eu
charist, and the sacrifices of the Jews and Gentiles.
He declares, by the most unequivocal expressions,
that, as the faithful receive at the table of the
Lord, the body and the blood of Christ, so the
Jews participate in those victims, and the Gentiles,
in the immolation which they severally offer up in
sacrifice upon their respective altars. St. Paul s
comparison would, however, not only be quite im
perfect, but utterly inapplicable, if the Eucharist
were not as much a real sacrifice to the Almighty,
* 1 Cor. C. x. F. 14-2L
198 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
as were the victims which the Hebrew nation sa
crificed to him, and the immolations and libations
of the Gentiles, made in honour of their imaginary
Deities. 3. The Apostle traces a resemblance be
tween that society which the Christian has with
the Godhead, by a participation in the sacred Eu
charist, and the society which the Gentile formed
with his idols, by eating those meats which had
been offered in their honour. He teaches that
the individual who partakes of the victim sacri
ficed to idols, becomes himself an idolater ; and
hence he exhorts the believers at Corinth, to ( fly
from the service of idols. While urging such ad
vice, he employs this train of argument ; those
who eat of the sacrifices partake of the altar, and
consequently unite with the heathens, as they sa
crifice to devils, and therefore, make themselves
their worshippers.
If the form of argument adopted by St. Paul be
just, we may pursue it in reasoning on the Eucha
rist ; and conclude, that those who eat of that ve
nerable oblation, become partakers of the table of
the Lord, and consequently, join in offering that
victim immolated to God, and identify themselves
with those who make it, and, in this manner,
honour Heaven, by the most solemn, as well as the
highest act of adoration ; and thus verify the as
sertion of the Apostle of the Gentiles, who assures
the Hebrews, in his Epistle to them, that we have
THE MASS A SACRIFICE. 199
an altar, whereof they have no power to eat who
serve the tabernacle. *
That in the Mass there is offered a real and pro
pitiatory sacrifice to God,, is a truth, not only de
clared in Scripture, but corroborated by the his
tory and the institutions of the Church ;f and unani
mously attested by the writings of her Pastors, in
characters as brilliant as the stars that light the
firmament. Volumes might be filled with such
testimonies, but, for want of space, 1 must reluc
tantly pass on without gleaning, and offering to
the reader, the most conspicuous amongst them.
There is, however, one in particular, so very ap
propriate and interesting, that it would be unpar
donable not to bestow on it especial notice.
Who is ignorant of the tender but afflicting
scene which took place at the separation of the
*Heb.C.xiii. V.W.
f For a triumphant illustration of those arguments in
proof of the sacrifice of the Mass, deduced from the litur
gies and ceremonials of the Church, the inquisitive and
learned reader is referred to a work entitled Christianity ;
or the evidences and characters of the Christian religion,
(London, 1827J the masterly performance of the late
Right Rev. Dr. Poynter, a prelate conspicuous for his
piety, his enlightened zeal, and profound theological
learning. He who pens this notice rejoices to possess
the present opportunity of recording his tribute of reve
rence to the memory of that venerable bishop, some ex
tracts from whose work are found in Appendix II.
200 THE MASS A SACRIFICE.
hoary and venerable Xystus, the second of that
name who filled the throne of St. Peter, and the
youthful and heroic St. Laurence, while the lictors
of the Emperor Valerian* dragged the holy Pope
to martyrdom ? As the pontiff was led away, his
Deacon St. Laurence followed weeping; and, at
last, burst forth into this pathetic exclamation :
Father, whither are you going without your son ?
whither are you hastening, O holy priest, without
your deacon? You were never wont to offer sa
crifice without me your minister : wherein have I
now displeased you ? have you found me wanting
in my duty ? Try me now, and see whether you
have made choice of an unfit minister for dispens
ing the blood of Christ ! f
* The Emperor Valerian issued his cruel edicts against
the Church in the year 257.
t Butler s Lives of the Saints, vol. viii. p. 139.
201
SECTION III.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
XVIII. THE REAL PRESENCE.
From reviewing the proofs which so clearly
establish the Mass to be a real sacrifice, we na
turally proceed to investigate another most import
ant tenet comprehended in that doctrine.
For eighteen centuries the Catholic Church has
been sedulous in teaching, as one amongst those
articles of faith delivered to her by the Apostles,
who received it from the lips of truth itself, the
Son of God, that in the sacrament of the altar
usually denominated the Eucharist,* are received
the real Body and the real Blood, together with
the soul and the divinity of Jesus Christ the very
word made flesh, which, conceived by the Holy
* The primitive Fathers denominate the sacrament in
stituted by our Saviour at the Last Supper, by the term
Eucharist, a Greek word which signifies thanksgiving.
Such an appellation is most appropriate, since it intimates
that our Redeemer offered up thanksgivings to the Lord
at its institution ; and also instructs us concerning the
necessity of presenting our grateful thanks to heaven,
whenever we receive this abridgment of all God s won
ders ; this standing memorial of our redemption through
the blood of Jesus ; and the pledge of a bright eternity.
202 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
Ghost, and born of the blessed Virgin Mary was
afterwards affixed to the cross, and died for our
redemption. The following are some amongst the
numerous arguments she exhibits for her unvary
ing belief in such a dogma.
XIX. THE PROMISE MADE BY CHRIST THAT HE WOULD
GIVE US HIS FLESH AND BLOOD TO EAT AND DRINK.
In the sixth chapter of St. John, we observe that
Jesus, after having wrought so great a miracle as
that of feeding five thousand persons in the desert
with five barley loaves and two small fishes, took
occasion to unfold the doctrine of the real presence
to the wondering multitude. The Evangelist in
forms us that the Saviour thus addressed them ;
( I am the living bread that came down from hea
ven ; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for
ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh,
for the life of the world. The Jews therefore
strove among themselves, saying, how can this
man give us his flesh to eat ? Then Jesus said to
them : Amen, Amen I say unto you : except ye eat
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood,
you shall riot have life in you. He that eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. For my
flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
abideth in me and I in him ; as the living Father
hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 203
eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This
is the bread that came down from heaven. Not
as your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness
and are dead. He that eateth of this bread shall
live for ever. Many, therefore, of his disciples
hearing it, said : this saying is hard, and who can
hear it? After this, many of his disciples went
back, and walked no more with him. *
This passage of scripture claims our particular
attention. Here our divine Redeemer promises to
give his followers an especial kind of nourishment
a food which would surpass the manna of the
desert itself a wondrous bread the bread of
angels,f rained down from heaven, where it was
miraculously produced, and which exhibited such
wonders in all its several circumstances. When
the dew fell in the night upon the camp, the manna
also fell with it. * It fell only round about the
camp of the Israelites, and that too every day ex
cept the Sabbath. In such quantities did this
bread of heaven rain down upon the Jews for those
forty years of their wandering through the wil
derness, that it was sufficient to nourish the whole
multitude of more than a million of people, each one
of whom, though he might gather, could not secure,
except on the sabbath, more than sufficient for his
daily maintenance, which was a gomor, or, accord-
* StJohn C.\i. V. 51-59, 61-67. f Ps. Ixxvii. V. 25.
% Numb. C. xi. V. 7. Exod. C. xvi. V. 27.
201 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
ing to our English measure, about three quarts.*
Every sixth day it came down in double quantities,
and though it infallibly putrified when reserved
beyond one single day, yet on the Sabbath it never
suffered such an alteration.f This same manna
which melted away before the beams of the morn
ing sun, when left in the fields, on being conveyed
within the tent, acquired such hardness and con
sistency as to be ground in the mill or pounded
in a mortar; and would even so far resist the ac
tion and the heat of fire, as to be boiled in a pot,
and made up into cakes. J Any bread therefore,
which could possibly surpass it in excellence, must
be wondrous indeed; hence that food alluded to
by Christ, and signified to be superior to the manna
of the ancient Israelites, must, like it, not only
come from heaven, but comprehend still greater
wonders; and that it did, is evident from every
expression of our Saviour.
1. His future gift was not to be common inert
inanimate bread, but living bread, consequently
with life in it, quickened with a spirit; yes, it was
to be it is the very flesh of Jesus, animated by
his radiant, spotless soul, and sanctified by its union
with his divinity. 2. But this is not all : if we
interrogate the sacred text concerning the nature
of that bread from heaven, with which the Re-
* Exod. C. xvi. V. 18. t Exod. C. xvi. V. 20-22.
% Numb. C. xi. V. 8. St. John. Cvi. V. 51.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE, 205
deemer pledged himself to furnish all his faithful
followers ; he himself, not merely once by accident,
but oftentimes and formally repeated for answer,
that the food he promised, was to be his true, his
very flesh ; his flesh indeed, his blood indeed/
The Jews were scandalized ; they asserted that it
was impossible, as they cried aloud ; how can this
man give us his flesh to eat ? This is a hard saying
and who can hear it ?
Now, abstracting from that celestial charity,
which instead of placing, would rather have re
moved the stone of scandal in the path of those
who sought and trusted to its guidance ; abstract
ing from a sacred love for truth ; even common
honesty would have imperatively demanded, that
Christ, the author of all truth veracity itself
should not allow a portion of his disciples to aban
don him, merely through a misrepresentation of
one single sentence, which, according to their una
nimous and public construction of it, uttered in his
presence, insisted on a tenet which he never in
tended to promulgate, especially since it would
have cost no further trouble than a word to dis
abuse them of their error, had it been one ; and
to develope the real meaning of his doctrine, had
they misconstrued it. While it is certain that the
Jews literally understood our Saviour as having
intimated that he would give them his very flesh
and blood, to be their nourishment ; it is at the
same time equally conspicuous, that he intended to
206 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
define in clear and intelligible language, how they
were to understand his words. Instead, however,
of correcting the notion that possessed them, of
his having said they were to eat his real flesh and
drink his real blood, by attaching a figurative
meaning to his words ; he not only reiterates the
selfsame expressions, and several times repeats the
self same doctrine ; but employs a most solemn
formula of speech in use among the Jews, in order
to affix still more deeply in their minds the im
pression of a real presence, and to satisfy them
that they had rightly construed the import of his
discourse, which was, that they should have his
real flesh and blood to eat and drink. Nor does
he once so much as remotely insinuate that he was
to be understood as having spoken in a figurative
manner.
As it was fitting that veracity itself should not
allow his chosen apostles, his numerous disciples,
thousands among the Jews, and millions of Chris
tians in after ages, to mistake the meaning of his
expression on a subject of primary importance,
we may legitimately conclude, that had the multi
tude been wrong in interpreting his discourse to
indicate a manducation of his real flesh and blood,
far from declining to resolve a difficulty, and re
move the scandal which alienated from his preach
ing so many e who walked with him no more/ the
Saviour would not have hesitated to rectify the
error, especially in reference to his Apostles, whom
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 207
he had selected to receive, and afterwards dis
seminate, the knowledge of his doctrines ; but
would have pursued the same course on this occa
sion, which he invariably followed in other less im
portant instances. It was his custom to explain,
at least to his disciples, whatever might have been
at first unintelligible in his public preaching to
the multitude, or in his private conferences with
themselves. Nicodemus could not comprehend
the words of our divine Redeemer on the necessity
of Baptism ; and this ruler of the Jews, in conse
quence, observed : How can a man be born
again when he is old? But Jesus removed the dif
ficulty by unveiling the import of his words, as he
answered : - Unless a man be born again of water
and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. * The disciples did not compre
hend him when he bade them beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees ; but while he chided their inac
curate interpretation of this expression, he in
formed them that he animadverted on the pernici
ous doctrines of those Hebrew teachers. On an
other occasion, Jesus remarked to his Apostles :
I have meat to eat which ye know not of. They
misconstrued the observation, and demanded if any
man had brought him any thing to eat ? But in
explanation of what he had said, he answered
them: ( My meat is to do the will of him that
* St. John, C. iii. V. 5.
208 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
sent me. * Towards the conclusion of his discourse,
our Saviour referred to his future ascension. He
noticed it as a circumstance which would oppose
still greater difficulties to be surmounted by those
amongst his auditors whose present incredulity re
fused to believe, that, although he was actually
present, he could possibly give them his flesh and
blood. Had, then, our divine Redeemer promised
to bequeath nothing more than a bit of common
bread, which should represent his body, it is im
possible to imagine how the Jews would have had
to experience greater difficulty in believing such a
doctrine, after, than before Christ s ascension.
This is evident; for a sign to which a specific
meaning is once unequivocally affixed, is, at all
times, equally intelligible to the parties initiated
in its import. If, on the other hand, Christ in
tended, as he really did, to assure his followers
that he would bestow his very flesh and blood, to
be their Sacramental nourishment ; then, indeed,
we immediately perceive the force of our Saviour s
reference to his future ascension ; we understand
how what appeared so hard to the intelligence
of his followers, the very moment while they
viewed him standing in the body visible and palp
able amongst them, would necessarily become ten
thousand times more difficult to their stubborn be
lief, at a subsequent period, when they should be-
* St. John, C. \v. F. 32-34.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 209
hold his body taken up, and wafted in radiance to
the throne of God. Unless our Saviour had been
anxious to persuade the Jews that the bread from
heaven about to be given to the world, was not a
symbolic piece of bread, but his real body ; he
never would have studied, by predicting the mira
culous event of his elevation into heaven, to induce
them, when it should be realized, ( to submit their
reason to the obedience of faith/ When, there
fore, we learn that our Jesus, knowing in himself
that his disciples murmured at this, said to them;
doth this scandalize you ? If then you shall see
the Son of man ascend up where he was before? *
We are certain that he insisted still more point
edly in requiring belief in the Eucharist : we hear
him teaching his disciples that after the removal
of his body from among them, and in the absence
of the natural appearances of flesh and blood, they
were, however, to have no hesitation in acquiesc
ing in this mysterious dogma. Hence we may
collect, that our Lord in promulgating this tenet
of the real presence, noticed in its favour, the very
argument, which its adversaries at the present hour
wield in combating against it, whilst they assert
that the body and blood of Christ must be as far
from our altars, as heaven is from earth : though
they teach that the body and blood of Christ are
* St. John, C. vi. V. 62.
P
210 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
verily and indeed taken and received by the faith
ful in the Lord s supper. *
XX OBJECTION ANSWERED.
Against these arguments, are advanced by the
impugners of this tenet, those words of Christ ;
It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth
nothing. f Such an expression, however, instead
of invalidating, fortifies the doctrine of the real
presence.
It was not until Christ had no less than six
several times asserted, with much solemnity, and
in the most explicit language, that his flesh and
blood should be really present and given in the
sacrament, that he observed, e it is the spirit that
quickeneth, &c. Had it therefore, been his pur
port, in this latter sentence, to correct the inter
pretation that the multitude affixed to his former
asseverations, which they construed as signifying
the manducation of his very body had he really
* The last answer but three in the Protestant Catechism
in the book of Common Prayer. How the inconsistencies,
to say nothing of the irreligion of the innovators of the six
teenth century, are exhibited when those men abridge the
omnipotence of God, by denying the possibility of Christ s
being present in the holy Eucharist ; though at the self
same moment, they maintain that his body and his blood
are verily and indeed taken and received, though it is
not possible for them to be verily and indeed given.
f St. John C. vi. V. 64.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 211
insinuated in the faintest manner, that the Eu
charist did not contain, but was a figure only of
his flesh and blood ; is it not self evident that not
only those Jews who f strove amongst themselves/
and so loudly vociferated how can this man give
us his flesh to eat/ but such among the disciples
also who experienced the belief in a real eating of
his body to be a thing so hard to recognize,
would have encountered no difficulty either in com
prehending such a doctrine, or in yielding their
assent to it ; and, instead of walking no more with
their teacher, would have been more anxious to
follow him, and to listen to his precepts ; and yet,
what happened? They took scandal at his words,
and abandoned him. The retiring disciples, there
fore, openly assure us by their desertion of Jesus
Christ, the very moment after he had uttered this
expression, that they did not understand him to
indicate by it ; that the former parts of his discourse
about the eating of his flesh and blood, were to be
explained in a figurative manner, but on the con
trary, conceived him to reiterate, if possible with
greater earnestness than ever, the doctrine of the
real presence.
The words of Christ on which this objection
against the real presence has been attempted but
without success to be erected, bear a twofold in
terpretation. It is not unusual with the writers
of the sacred volumes to designate the carnal and
human reason of man, by the word flesh/ whilst
p 2
212 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
they employ the term spirit/ to signify the grace
of God and the inspirations of the Holy Ghost.
Such a form of language is more particularly dis
cernible when their object is to oppose the one, in
contrast with the other. Jesus declared to St.
Peter ; Flesh and blood hath not revealed it to
thee, but my Father who is in heaven. * St. Paul
admonishes the Romans that the faithful walk
not according to the flesh, but according to the
spirit. f Our Saviour while insisting on the man-
ducation of his real body, in answer to the argu
ment which the Jews, like the modern sceptics,
deduced from human reason and their senses
against its possibility, observed that at the same
time it was incompetent for flesh or carnal reason
to decide on such a dogma ; it was only by the
grace of God the light of heaven the quicken
ing spirit/ that it could be believed in, or discerned,
and hence he immediately remarked ; There are
some of you who believe not therefore did I say
unto you, that no man can come unto me unless
it be given him by my Father. J How remarkably
coincident is this expression of the Saviour, with
the one he uttered when St. Peter acknowledged
his divinity ; < Flesh and blood hath not revealed
it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
An extract from the commentaries of St. Augus-
* St. Matt. C. xvi. V. 17. f Rom. C. viii. V. 4.
t St. John, C. v. V. 65, 66 St. Matt. C. xvi. V. 17.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 213
tin, will not only furnish a second illustration of
this passage, but will likewise testify what was the
general belief of the Church upon the Eucharist,
so far back as fourteen hundred years ago, when
that zealous and learned Father, instead of perceiv
ing any argument could be extracted against that
sacrament from the words of our Redeemer ; on
the other hand, adduced them, in his public in
structions to the people on the real presence, in
order to assure them, that, though the body of
Christ, as mere simple flesh and blood, and sepa
rated from his soul and divinity, might not profit
any thing, yet, when animated by that blessed
spirit and his divine nature, they profited a great
deal. Hence it is that he exclaims ; What means
the flesh profiteth nothing ? It profits nothing as
the Jews understand it as it is torn in pieces in
a dead body or sold in the shambles. But it
profits, as quickened by the spirit, for if the flesh
profiteth nothing, the word would not have been
made flesh that he might dwell with us. *
XXI. PROOF FROM THE INSTITUTION.
OBJECTIONS EXPLAINED.
What our divine Redeemer promised at Caphar-
naum, he realized about a year afterwards at Jeru
salem, where he went to celebrate the passover.
The institution of the blessed Eucharist is
* S. Augustinus. In tract, Johan. xxvii.
214 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
recorded with particular precision by four among
the inspired writers of the New Testament, whose
several recitals of this occurrence we shall care
fully notice.
St. Matthew says ; and whilst they were at
supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed and brake ;
and gave to his disciples, and said : take ye, and
eat : this is my body. And taking the chalice, he
gave thanks ; and gave to them, saying, drink ye
all of this. For this is my blood of the New Tes
tament which shall be shed for many unto remis
sion of sins. * St. Mark relates ; that whilst they
were eating, Jesus took bread ; and blessing, broke,
and gave to them, and said : take ye, this is my
body. And having taken the chalice, giving thanks
he gave it to them, and they all drank of it, and
he said to them, this is my blood of the New Tes
tament which shall be shed for many. f St. Luke
observes; "That taking bread, he gave thanks, and
brake, and gave to them, saying, this is my body,
which is given for you : do this for a commemora
tion of me. In like manner the chalice also, after
he had supped, saying, this is the chalice of the
New Testament in my blood which shall be shed
for you. l The words of the Apostle of the Gen
tiles are no less explicit and declaratory of the real
presence than the words of these three Evangelists.
* ##. Matt. C. xxvi. V. 26-28. f St. MarkC. xiv. V. 22 24.
t St. LwtejC.xxii, V. 19,20.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 215
It was thus St. Paul addressed the Corinthians :
( For I have received of the Lord, that which also
I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the
same night in which he was betrayed, took bread,
and giving thanks, broke, and said : take ye and
eat, this is my body which shall be delivered for
you : this do for the commemoration of me. In
like manner also the chalice, after he had supped,
saying : this chalice is the New Testament in my
blood ; this do ye as often as you shall drink, for
the commemoration of me. *
It would have been practically impossible for
these inspired writers to have selected clearer or
more appropriate language to assure the world that
Christ bestows his real flesh and blood to man in
the blessed sacrament. For, that these passages
are to be interpreted not in a figurative, but in
their obvious literal sense, is evident from the fol
lowing reasons.
1. Though St Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and
St. Paul wrote with different objects in view at
different times indifferent places and to different
people, they are unanimous in describing the in
stitution of the sacrament, not only in the self
same manner, but almost in precisely identical ex
pressions ; and so remote are they from letting fall
one syllable, however trivial, which could, in any
way, suggest to their readers, that the Saviour s
* 1 Cor. C. xi. V. 23-25.
216 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
words might be figuratively understood, that their
narratives, on the contrary, preclude any such in
terpretations. According to them, our blessed
Redeemer did not say ; this piece of bread is no
thing but a figure of my body ; but he positively as
sured his apostles, that what he held in his hand
was his very, his real flesh This is my body ; and
that what was contained in the chalice, was his
very, his real blood This is my blood ; that very
body too, which was given for us was nailed to
the cross and died for our redemption that very
blood which was shed for many. Since these pas
sages from scripture assure us that we precisely
receive in the sacrament, neither more nor less
than what was made to suffer for us on the cross,
they compel us, therefore, to arrive at one of these
conclusions : either that the true and real body and
blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ are substantially
present and given in the sacrament ; or that it was
not his true and real body which was given ; not
his true and real blood that was shed for us, but
the figure and the shadow only of his human nature.
The pious Christian who would shudder at the
notion of believing that his Saviour deceived him
by a pretended and a figurative death, should not
defraud himself of the invaluable treasure of the
body and the blood of Christ, nor continue to
withhold his assent to a dogma delivered to him by
the lips of that same Saviour; nor emulate the
incredulous disciples, by crying out ; how can
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 217
this man give us his flesh to eat ? But further in
vestigation into the nature of the Eucharist, and
a close review of all the circumstances attendant
on its institution, will reveal the error of the Pro
testant, and establish the truth of the Catholic
belief, concerning this stupendous mystery.
2. As the Eucharist is not only a sacrament, but
the principal, and most wondrous of their number,
it will be difficult to conceive why Almighty God
should have chosen to depart from his usual me
thod of employing language to be literally taken
whenever he has been pleased to ordain these sa
cred rites, both in the new and ancient law, in or
der to make exception with reference to the holy
Eucharist, and adopt a figurative mode of speak
ing in its institution.
Circumcision,* and the eating of the Paschal
Lamb,f together with the many sacrifices and ex
piations which we read of in Leviticus, which
graced the Jewish covenant, and those sacraments
which adorn the Christian dispensation, were or
dained, or promulgated, in clear and simple lan
guage ; and after collating the last chapter of the
Gospel of St. Matthew, and the last chapter of St.
Mark, we shall discover that this observation is
particularly applicable in regard to baptism. In
St. John, J indeed, we see that our divine Redeemer,
referring to this sacrament of regeneration, makes
* Gen. C. xvii. f Exod. C. xii. J St. John, C. iii.
218 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
use of a figurative expression ; but he hastens to
explain it, by assuring Nicodemus that the rege
neration of which he had spoken,, was not carnal,
but spiritual ; since, to enter heaven, man must be
born again of water, and the Holy Spirit.
3. That the holy Eucharist should be considered
as a covenant, likewise, is demonstrable from the
form of its institution. Those words This is my
blood of the New Testament, employed by our
divine Redeemer when he consecrated the wine in
the chalice, bear such a manifest relation to those
almost identical expressions which Moses used in
establishing the ancient alliance,* that the Apo
stles must have actually referred to them for an
explanation of what the^ Saviour said ; and con
sequently concluded, that, as Moses spoke of
real blood, when he thus addressed the Israel
ites s This is the blood of the covenant which
the Lord hath made with you/ so Christ indi
cated and gave his real flesh and blood, when
he proclaimed of that covenant which he then con
tracted with his chosen people ; This is my
blood of the New Testament.
4. We should particularly bear in mind, that the
Apostles only, were present at the last supper; and
before them alone, were pronounced the words at
its institution. If the Saviour spoke to the Scribes
and Pharisees in parables, he furnished an expla-
* Exod. C. xxiv. V. 8.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 219
nation of these enigmas afterwards to his Apostles,
to whom he declared his mysteries in intelligible lan
guage, and instantaneously removed the erroneous
interpretation which they, at first, attached to any
thing that he might have mentioned. These, too,
were the persons whom he assured, e To you it
is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of
God ; but to them that are without, all things are
done in parables. * It was, moreover, after parti
cipating in the Pasch, which with desire he had
desired to eat with them ;f and on that evening,
when, having loved his own who were in the world,
he loved them to the end ;J and, consequently, re
solved to confer upon mankind, through them, a
mark of singular affection. He was also making
his last will, and instituting the most awful and
august amongst his sacraments. He was realiz
ing the figurative sacrifices of the ancient law, and
giving a substance to its shadows. A father, how
ever, who takes but an ordinary interest in his
children s welfare, far from expressing the most
important portion of his will in obscure or figura
tive expressions, studies, on the contrary, to
explain himself in clear and intelligible terms. He
who loves his friends, will, at the hour of death,
address them with unequivocal sincerity, and do
nothing to practise a deception on them. He who
* St. Mark, C, iv. V. 11. f St. Luke, C. xii. V. 15.
% St. John, C. xiii. V. 6.
220 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
delegates a chosen few to be the messengers of
genuine truth to others, will not, in the very last
instructions to them, solemnly deliver an errone
ous doctrine.
As a proof that by these words, f This is my
body/ This is my blood/ Christ intended no
thing more than that the sacramental species were
to be considered as a figure only of his flesh and
blood ; the followers of the Church of England in
stance some metaphorical expressions used by our
Redeemer as he preached to the multitude, when
he said to them : f I am the door/* I am the
vine/f &c. But these and similar expressions do
not prove, in any way, that those words, This
is my body/ &c. should also be interpreted in a fi
gurative manner.
1. Because, upon the words of institution,
This is my body/ This is my blood/ our di
vine Redeemer impressed their literal and natural
meaning, not merely by the emphatic way in
which we may presume he pronounced them, but
by circumstances which accompanied their utter
ance, by the time, and place in which they were
delivered, and by their announcing the accom
plishment of a former solemn promise. Corre
sponding circumstances are severally wanting in
those expressions noticed by the opponents of
* St. John, C. x. f Ibid. C. xv.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 221
the real presence. When Christ observed of him
self, I am the door/ he did not lay his hand
on any individual door, and, after blessing it, de
clare, e I am this door/ or, This door is my
body. He never took hold of any particular vine,
and said, "I am this vine/ or, This is my blood.
2. Neither a door, nor a vine, was ever known
to be employed in the solemnization of a cere
mony which was the type of, and bore the clearest
reference to, the coming of the Messiah ; and for
which a separate festival was annually celebrated
within the walls of one distinguished city. But
when Christ instituted the holy Eucharist, he took
one particular portion of bread in his hand, he
blessed that particular portion, he brake it, and
gave to his disciples, saying, while he held it in
his hand, e This is my body/ Such a scene, more
over, took place immediately after he and his dis
ciples had solemnized the Paschal supper, in a
house within the precincts of the holy city of Je
rusalem.
3. Those who refuse to recognize the doctrine
of a real presence as included in those words of
Jesus : This is my body/ This is my blood/
and plead, in their defence, that Christ should be
figuratizely understood on this occasion, as he is
on those others, when he says : e I am the door/
I am the vine/ must either have taken up such
an argument without examination, or employed it
with a knowledge of its sophistry. First of all,
222 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
Christ expressly manifests his wish to be under
stood as employing those expressions of the door
and the vine in a figurative manner, and supplies
upon the spot a key to their interpretation, by re
marking : f I am the door ; by me if any man en
ter in, he shall be saved ; and he shall go in, and
go out, and shall find pastures. * And again :
I am the true vine, and my Father is the hus
bandman. Every branch in me that beareth not
fruit, he will take away ; and every one that bear
eth fruit he will purge it, that it may bring forth
more fruit. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can
you, unless you abide in me/f When Christ at
the last supper uttered those words : This is
my body, &c. he expressly manifested, as was just
now proved in the observations on the words of
Institution, J that he wished to be understood as
employing such expressions in a literal sense ; nei
ther did he then nor on any occasion, either before
or afterwards, supply a figurative interpretation
of them. It is, therefore, self-evident, that no com
parison can be legitimately instituted between
them; nor can it be argued, that because those
first expressions should be figuratively explained,
the latter also must receive a similar interpreta
tion. In the second place, there does not exist
the slightest parallel between the metaphors of the
* St. John, C. x. V. 9. f Ibid. C. xv. V. 1-3. J See p. 216.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 223
door and the vine, and the words of Institution :
This is my body/ &c. though we measure the
latter by Protestant principles, which refuse to re
cognize in them an authority for the real presence.
In order that there should be such a resemblance
between these forms of speech, as to warrant the
conclusion, that, because one was to be understood
figuratively, the other should properly be inter
preted in such a manner, it would be necessary to
take for granted, that our Saviour, when he said,
I am the door, I am the vine/ intended to
express, that he was the sign or figure of a door
or vine. Such a supposition is obviously absurd.
When he calls himself a vine, or a door, it is to in
dicate that he possesses qualities of which a door,
or a vine, present imperfect but sensible ideas. It
was far from his intention to signify, either that
he was an emblem of such things, or that they
were figurative of him. With similar facility, so
lutions may be severally furnished to those other
difficulties which separatists have pretended to ex
tract from Scripture, and have raised against this
essential article of Christianity.
Against the argument which Catholics borrow
from the words of the Institution, there is another
objection which the opponents of the real presence
have, with visible complacency, invariably repeated,
from the time of Calvin to the present day ; and
as Home has been one of the latest to exhibit this
objection to public notice, it shall be recited in the
224 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
words of that author. e If the words of Institution
had been spoken in English or Latin first, there
might perhaps have been some reason for suppos
ing that our Saviour meant to be literally under
stood. But they were spoken in Syriac ; in which
as well as in the Hebrew and Chaldee languages,
there is no word which expresses to signify/ f repre
sent/ ( or denote/ Hence it is, that we find the ex
pression, it is/ so frequently used in the sacred
writings, for e it represents/ or signifies. It is fur
ther worthy of remark, that we have a complete
version of the Gospels in the Syriac language,
which was executed at the commencement of the
second, if not at the close of the first century, and
in them it is probable that we have the precise
words spoken by our Lord on this occasion. Of
the passage, Matt. xxvi. 26, 28, the Greek is a
verbal translation, nor would any man, even at the
present day, speaking in the same language, use,
among the people to whom it was vernacular,
other terms to express, This represents my
body/ and, ( This represents my blood. *
This passage involves, in reality, two difficul
ties ; for while it asserts, that in the Syrian or Ara-
mean language, there are no words which mean
6 to signify/ &c. it maintains, that the auxiliary verb
* Introduction to the critical study and knowledge of the
Sacred Scriptures. Fifth Edition, Part 2, Cap. v. Sect. I
Tom. ii. p. 590.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 225
e to be, 5 was, in consequence, employed in that dia
lect, to supply the deficiency, and to indicate a
symbol.
Though the observations of Home, on which
he pretends to construct an argument against the
real presence, were in reality correct, still, it
could not be made available to overturn that doc
trine, the truth of which we are contending for ;
since a cloud of venerable witnesses determined
the meaning of this passage to be precisely what
the Catholic Church has affixed to it for more than
eighteen centuries. But the assertion of Home is
perfectly erroneous. So far from not possessing
any word to express a figure is the Syro-Chaldaic,
or Aramaean dialect, that there is not one language
known to be enriched with such a multitude of
synonymes to signify the very idea. The learned
and laborious scrutiny of an able master of the
oriental languages, has succeeded in detecting and
enumerating no less than forty different words in
Syriac, all expressive of our English substantive,
figure. *
* See the dissertations illustrative of Syriac literature,
by the Rev. Dr. Wiseman, who ornaments, while he pre
sides over, the English College at Rome. His work, from
which the above observations are borrowed, is intituled :
l Home Syriacae, seu commentationes et anecdota, res vel
litteras Syriacas spectantlaC Auctore Nicolao Wiseman,
S. T. IX
Q
226 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
We now approach the second difficulty. It was
surmised by Home, that the use of the auxiliary
verb to be/ in the sense of e to signify/ prevailed
so much amongst the Syrians, as to persuade the
belief that the words of Christ, at the institution
of the blessed Eucharist, were understood in a fi
gurative manner by the Apostles. Now, it is lu
cidly demonstrated, that the Syrians not only had
more synonymous terms to indicate the word fi
gure/ than any other people, but were accus
tomed to employ such expressions much more fre
quently. That with the Syrians, it was not a
practice to use the verb it is/ instead of ( it re
presents/ it signifies/ may be easily substanti
ated, by collating the Syriac with the Latin ver
sion of the Scriptures ; when it will be ascertained,
that in those passages in which the verb est is
inserted in the vulgate, and where the perspicuous
nature of the context entirely excludes all mistake
with regard to its meaning, still the correspond
ing words which occur in the Syriac text, are type
and symbol.
The assumption, therefore, of Home, and all his
predecessors, is quite erroneous. Instead of the
Syriac being such a barren language, as not to
possess one word which would express figure/ it
is most remarkably abundant in terms indicative
of this very meaning, and can enumerate no less
than forty in its vocabulary.
2. Respecting the custom gratuitously presumed
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 227
to have prevailed amongst the Syrians, of employing
the auxiliary verb to be/ under the same acceptation
as the verbs to represent/ to typify/ to sig
nify/ it has been authenticated, that it is of much
more frequent occurrence in Latin, and used in Sy-
riac less frequently than in any other language. Far
therefore, from weakening the argument which the
Catholic deduces from the words of Institution in
favour of the real presence, it is fortified by this
attempted objection, since it is demonstrated that
Christ had more than forty words at his command,
to express a figure, type, or symbol ; and that he
passed them over, to select one, which, of all
others, was the best adapted to declare the real
presence, while it precluded every excuse for as
signing to his words a figurative signification.
XXII. THE REAL PRESENCE PROVED FROM ST. PAUL.
That the words of the Redeemer were intended
to affix the belief in a real presence of his body in
the sacrament, and that the minds of the Apostles
received such an impress from them, may be as
certained from various testimonies ; but, first of
all, from the authoritative declaration of St. Paul,
who unequivocally asserts such a doctrine in seve
ral portions of the first Epistle which he addressed
to the Corinthians. In the tenth chapter he ex
claims : The chalice of benediction which we
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of
Christ ? and the bread which we break, is it not
Q2
228 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
the partaking of the body of the Lord ? * It was
the object of St. Paul to impress as forcibly as pos
sible upon the Corinthians, that as the Israelites,
according to the flesh, partook of the altar by eat
ing of the immolated victim, so the Christian, by
receiving the Eucharist, was made a partaker of
the body of Jesus Christ, which was sacrificed
upon the altar of the Cross. The old was but a
shadow of the new Law ; hence, what was prefi
gured by the one, the other realized. As, therefore,
the faithful, under the Mosaic dispensation, by a
real eating of the victim, partook of the sacrifice
that had been offered ; so, for the accomplishing of
this type in the Christian covenant, we are given
to participate in the sacrifice upon the Cross by a
real manducation of that precious victim, immo
lated there for man s redemption. Moreover, that
this teacher of the Gentiles wished to signify, not
a figurative, but the true and real presence of Je
sus in the sacrament, is corroborated by a casual
remark which he makes, when he says : We are
one bread, and one body, all that partake of one
bread. f Now, it is only in the Eucharist that,
strictly speaking, we partake of one bread. There
it is, indeed, that we all receive the very same,
identical, and heavenly nourishment, the flesh of
Christ, which is perfectly and entirely the same,
and one, though distributed to millions; for that
* 1 Cor. C. x. V. 16. f lUd. C. x, V. 17.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 229
which the Christian feeds upon in this mysterious
banquet, does not, as in other repasts, differ from
the bread which is given to another. We all of us
become one bread and one body by receiving
this great sacrament ; since, according to the pro
mises of Christ, all that eat his flesh and drink
his blood, abide in him, and he in them. * The
same Apostle remarks : For I have received of
the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he
was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks,
broke, and said : Take ye and eat ; this is my
body which shall be delivered for you : this do for
the commemoration of me. In like manner also
the chalice, after he had supped, saying : This
chalice is the New Testament in my blood ; this
do ye, as often as ye shall drink, for the comme
moration of me. For as often as you eat this
bread and drink the chalice, you shall show the
death of the Lord until he come. Therefore, who
soever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice un
worthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the
blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself;
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the
chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unwor
thily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself,
not discerning the body of the Lord. f Here St.
Paul, in the most explicit terms imaginable, asserts
* St. John, C. vi. V. 57. f 1 Cor. C. xi. V. 23-29,
230 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
that the sacramental species, though they have the
appearances of bread and wine, are, in reality, the
very body which was delivered, and the very blood
which flowed for us. He warns the Corinthians,
that unto the unworthy, as well as to the worthy
communicant, are given the flesh and blood of Je
sus. He does not introduce one single word about
c Faith only ; nor does he intimate that the worthy
Christian only can receive the body of the Lord :
on the contrary, he maintains that the true and
real body of Christ is given in the sacrament, to
all men, whether infidels or true believers, whe
ther saintly or sinful. Common sense persuades
us that this is the doctrine of St. Paul : for if the
unworthy, or such as had not proper or sufficient
faith, do not receive the true body and blood of
Christ in this sacrament, how is it possible for
them to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ?
How, too, can they, with justice, be accused of
not discerning the body of the Lord, if it be not
present ? At most, they have received nothing
but a simple piece of bread, and drop of wine, in
the place of that life-giving nourishment, the real
flesh and blood of Christ, of which they would
have, verily and indeed, partaken, had they pre
pared themselves by the necessary dispositions.
But to insist that a man may be guilty of pro
faning, and of not noticing the body of Christ,
when it is not only not present, but as far from
danger of profanation, and neglectful slight, as
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 231
heaven is from earth, is about as rational as to
maintain, that the servant of a king may be actu
ally guilty of murdering his royal master with his
own hand, or of exhibiting an insulting levity and
contemptuous disdain, even in the regal presence,
though, at the very time, that contumelious sub
ject be ten thousand miles from the person of his
sovereign.
XXIII. TAUGHT BY THE REST OF THE APOSTLES.
The belief in the real presence, insisted on with
so much energy by St. Paul, the rest of the Apo
stles also delivered, along with the other doctrines
of the Gospel, to all those nations which they con
verted by their preaching. This is evidenced by
those Liturgies* that they drew up for the
* The term Liturgy is a compound of two Greek words,
\e ITOQ, public, and epyov, work, or action, and was em
ployed to designate the service of the altar.
To veil the sacred mysteries from the gaze of vulgar ig
norance and Gentile profanations, or, in Scripture lan
guage, not to cast ( pearls before swine, the Discipline of
the Secret, which is of Apostolic origin," enacted that the
faithful in general should conceal the Creed/ the Sacra
ments/ and the holy sacrifice of the Mass/ from all know
ledge of the uninitiated; and the members of the priest
hood in particular, were directed to convey the substance
and formularies of the liturgy by word of mouth to one
another ; and though required to learn and retain them
by memory with the most scrupulous precision, were pro
hibited from committing them to writing. During the
232 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
Churches which they severally founded, as well as
by the writings of those holy Pastors who imbibed
their Christianity during a personal acquaintance
with the Apostles, or who more immediately sue-
early portion of the fifth age, Nestorius 6 attempted to en
graft upon the liturgy his errors concerning the Incarna
tion. To counteract this artifice, and to preclude the pos
sibility of any future heresiarch propagating his novelties
by disseminating them through the prayers and invoca
tions of the public ritual, and for other weighty reasons,
the Church resolved to vary from her ancient discipline,
and ordained that all the liturgies should be committed
to writing. It was then that St. Basil and St.Chrysostom,
Popes Gelasius and St. Gregory the Great, St. Ambrose,
and other learned and pious prelates of the Greek and
Latin Churches, to adapt the public service to the disci
pline of the period, and the wants of such portions of the
fold of Christ as were more immediately entrusted to their
spiritual solicitude, in some passages retrenched, in others
augmented, the prayers and ceremonies of the liturgies ;
and without adulterating in the slightest manner the sub
stance or the doctrine of those Apostolic monuments, gave
them a new, and in many instances a more appropriate
form. Hence it was that those liturgies, which, up to the
period of their renovation, had been denominated by the
names of those Apostles who originally framed them, ex
changed their ancient, for a modern appellation, and
were called after those venerable prelates by whom they
had been remodelled.
For the proofs of this, see a work entitled De Disciplina ArcaniJ
per Emanuelem a Schelstmte, Romae 1685, the first, as well as the most
able treatise which has hitherto been published on the subject. b Ibid,
p. 15. c Ibid. p. 18, et 106. d Ibid. p. 20, et passim. Leant. Bysant.
contra Nest, et Eutych,
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 233
ceeded them in the office of public instruction.
As each liturgy contains the common form of
prayer, and ceremonial order of public worship of
that individual Church in which it was observed,
it must exhibit a clear and well authenticated pro
fession of the faith delivered by the Clergy, and
believed by the people constituting that particular
portion of the flock of Christ, from the earliest
period in which such a form of ritual was intro
duced.
XXIV. ALL THE ANCIENT LITURGIES ATTEST THE
REAL PRESENCE.
Now, it is a most luminous fact, which should
be incessantly kept in view throughout the pro
gress of this investigation, that, on collecting all
the several liturgies, which had for so many hun
dred years a separate existence in those various
parts of Christendom kept so far asunder by natu
ral as well as adventitious impediments ; and on
comparing these forms of prayer together, not
only a great resemblance of parts, and a similarity
in ceremonies, but a perfect and unvarying accord
ance with regard to doctrine, especially on the real
presence, is discoverable through all of them with
out one solitary exception. This will be evidenced
by a reference to those venerable documents.*
* The Abbe Renaudot made public, in the year 1716, a
numerous collection of Oriental liturgies, accompanied
234 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
From the fact of this perfect accordance be
tween all the liturgies which have existed in the
Christian world, from the promulgation of the Gos
pel to the sixteenth century, must result one of
these two consequences ; either the Catholic dog
ma is a genuine and essential article of the faith
with notes, and a useful introduction ; the whole compris
ing 2 vols. 4to. Anterior to the learned Frenchman s la
bours in studying the antiquities of the Eastern Church,
that pious and all-accomplished scholar Cardinal Thoma-
sius had bestowed a similar attention on the several litur
gies belonging to the West; and printed, in 1680, the an
cient Sacramentaries of the Church of Rome, in that me
tropolis of Christianity. It was from this work of the
Roman Cardinal, that Dom Mabillon extracted in 1685
the Gallican liturgy, which he had attentively collated
with a manuscript of the sixth century, and with two other
very ancient manuscripts. In 1640, Dom Menard, well
known by his pursuits in ecclesiastical antiquities, pub
lished the Sacramentary of St. Gregory/ to which he at
tached some luminous annotations. The Mozarabic*
Missal had already been printed, through the pious care
of Cardinal Ximenes, in 1500. Pere le Brun collected all
those liturgies, to which he added some others, which his
precursors in this curious investigation had not been able
to procure ; he compared them all with one another, and
with those modern ones drawn up by Protestants ; so that
at present nothing is wanting to assist the scholar to de
cide upon these venerable and most ancient monuments
of genuine Christianity.
In proof of the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence,
Transubstantiation, and the holy sacrifice of the Mass,
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 235
of Jesus Christ, since it has been handed down as
such by the Apostles, universally believed by
the nations, and the people whom they taught,
guarded and venerated on that account with the
most religious jealousy by their more immediate
successors, as well as by all their legitimate de
scendants in the sacred ministry to the present
period : or the Scriptures have deceived us ; the
Church, the pillar and the ground of truth, has
been shaken by error, and Christ has violated his
last, most solemn promise ; for, instead of being
with the teachers of his Gospel e all days even to
the consummation of the world, * instead of send
ing the spirit of truth to abide with them f and
teach them all truth, J he has, for more than eight
een hundred years, permitted them to preach er-
copious extracts have been made, and translated into En
glish from these liturgies, by the Right Rev. Dr. Poynter,
in his invaluable work intituled ( Christianity, for some
passages of which the reader is referred to Appendix I.
a St. Gregory the Great, whose charitable zeal, through the ministry
of St. Austin and his associates, converted England from Saxon Pagan
ism to Christianity, was elected Pope in the year 590. A Sacramentary
was anciently the volume which contained the prayers and ceremonies of
the Liturgy, or Mass, and of the administration of the Sacraments. It
was, at the same time, a ritual, and a Missal. In the Greek Church it
is called the Euchology.
6 Such was the denomination given to those Christians in Spain, who
though they lived intermingled with their Moorish conquerors, preserved
their faith from contamination, and, by an annual donative, purchased
the free exercise of it from their masters, who come from Arabia, in the
language of which country, such as were not descendants of Arabians,
but dwelt incorporated with that nation, were designated Most-Arabics,
a term that by Spanish enunciation has been converted into Mozarabics.
iii. F.20 -^St.JohnC.^iv. F.17. lb.C.xvi. F.13.
236 ON THE REAL PRESENCE.
roneous doctrine, and to maintain unceasingly and
every where, that the true, the very flesh and
blood of Christ, are present, and received in the
blessed Eucharist.* But every sincere believer
will acknowledge it to be impossible that the
Scriptures could be wrong, that truth itself
could speak a falsehood, or that Christ should
break his promise ; and, therefore his Church has
invariably taught those doctrines only, which were
dictated to her by the Holy Ghost, and has, con
sequently, preserved the genuine truth of Christ
himself, by teaching his real presence in the Eu
charist. Hence, as each true follower of Jesus is
commanded to hear the Church, if we be such, we
shall unhesitatingly declare an unreserved assent
to such a tenet ; or, otherwise, incur the punish
ment denounced against the contumacious, and be
likened to the heathen, and to the publican,f
and consider ourselves guilty, not only of despising
the Church, but guilty of despising God, who sent
* So forcibly did this argument strike upon the learned
Protestant Grotius, that he observes : c I find in all the
Liturgies, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, and others,
prayers to God, that he would consecrate, by his Holy
Spirit, the gifts offered, and make them the Body and the
Blood of his Son. I was right, therefore, in saying, that
a custom, so ancient and universal, that it must be consi
dered to have come down from the primitive times, ought
not to have been changed. Votmn pro Pace.
t Matt. C. xviii. V. 17.
ON THE REAL PRESENCE. 237
down from heaven his well beloved Son, not merely
to preach the truth, but to establish an infallible
tribunal for its perpetual preservation,- to build a
sacred ark, and which the Holy Spirit should
guard and overshadow with his wings, that beam
with heavenly effulgence, and shed unerring light
upon the sacred record, when the body of its mi
nisters approach to read it.
SECTION IV.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
FROM briefly noticing these proofs of the real
presence, we naturally descend to another essen
tial dogma included in the Eucharist, namely,
Transubstantiation.
XXV. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM.
Such a term the Church employs to express that
by the words of consecration, the whole substance
of the bread, is changed into the Body ; and the
whole substance of the wine, into the Blood of
Jesus Christ.
The truth of such a doctrine is firmly establish
ed ; first by scripture ; and secondly, by tradition.
238 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
XXVI. TRANSUBSTANTIATION PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE.
In the sixth chapter of St. John, as we before
remarked, our divine Redeemer promises to give
his followers, not an image, nor a figure of his
body, but that very body itself his flesh to be
their meat indeed, and his blood to be their drink
indeed * we are perfectly unable to discover how
Jesus ever realized a promise tendered in such a
solemn manner ; except we admit that, at the in
stitution of the Eucharist, he himself converted,
or, to use the language of the Church, transub
stantiated bread and wine into his body and blood;
and transmitted the exercise of this stupendous
power to his apostles and their consecrated suc
cessors. A reference to the Last Supper establishes
the doctrine of Transubstantiation on an immovea-
ble basis. Jesus took bread ; and blessing, broke,
and gave to them, and said : take ye, this is my
body. f &c. Our blessed Redeemer neither said
this is a figure of my body this chalice represents
my blood ; nor did he observe ; here is my body
here is my blood, nor along with this bread is
my body along with this wine is my blood.
No ; but he positively asserted in the clearest way
imaginable this is my body this is my blood ;
or in other language, this which you now perceive
me holding in my hands, and which was lately
bread, is now my very body ; not my figurative,
* St. John, C. vi. V. 56. f St. Mark, C. xiv. 22, &c.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 239
but real body ; that very same that true iden
tical substantial flesh of mine, to be ere long
nailed to a cross for your redemption : this is my
true, my real blood, which shall be shed for many/
That which is the body of Christ, cannot possibly
be bread ; that which is the blood of Christ cannot
possibly be wine ; therefore, since we are taught
by Christ himself in terms most positive, that in
the sacrament we receive his body and his blood ;
since we are cautioned by St. Paul to approach
the holy table in a worthy manner, lest we eat
and drink judgment* to ourselves not discerning
the body of the Lord ; since in fine, the immediate
successors of the apostles, and the universal Church
have been unanimous and urgent, now more than
eighteen centuries, in reiterating such an admoni
tion ; we are certain that bread and wine no longer
exist there after consecration, and although we may
perceive the appearances, the substance of the
sacramental elements is changed ; and what was
bread and wine, is now transubstantiated into the
body and blood of Jesus.
XXVII. PROOF FROM ST. CYRIL.
The language held by St. Cyril of Jerusalem,
almost fifteen centuries ago,f while unfolding to
* 1 Cor. C. xi. V. 22.
f In a work lately published, (1830) intituled A concise
View of the succession of Sacred Literature, its author,
240 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
the Catechumens, who were about to receive, for
the first time, the blessed Eucharist, explains the
nature of the sacrament so well, and furnishes such
a splendid example of the uniformity between the
present and ancient belief of Catholics upon this
tenet, that it would be culpable to pass it by with
out notice. ( As then/ observes the Father, e Jesus
Christ, speaking of the bread, declared and said,
this is my body, who shall ever dare to call his
word into question ? And, as speaking of the
wine, he positively assured us and said, this is my
blood, who shall doubt it, and say, that is not his
Dr. Adam Clarke, in the analysis of the first Apology for
the Christians, addressed by Justin Martyr, to the Ro
man Emperors, Titus, u^Elius, Hadrian, &c. passes at page
97, Vol. I. the following remark : He (Justin Martyr,
A. D. 140.) thus speaks of the Eucharist, p. 98 ov yap we
KOIVOV uprov ovde KOLVOV Tropa ravra. Xa^t/3avojuev , aXX or TpOTrov dia
\oyov Qeov ffapKo-rroiriQtis I^OVQ, in some measure asserting the
transformation of the elements. Here we have a Protes
tant divine, whose hostility to the Catholic Faith is dis
cernible in several parts of his writings, reluctantly ac
knowledging that the doctrine of Transubstantiation was,
in the year 140, an article of Christianity. After this, the
sensible Protestant must admit that his modern Church
is wrong in rejecting, while the Catholic Church so vene
rable for her antiquity, is right in retaining the doctrine
of Transubstantiation, which, by the admission of even
Protestant divines, was industriously taught and pertina
ciously adhered to, by those primitive believers who sealed
their faith with martyrdom.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 241
blood? Once, in Cana of Galilee, he changed water
into wine by his will alone ; and shall we think it
less worthy of credit, that he changed wine into his
blood ? Invited to an earthly marriage, he wrought
this miracle ; and shall we hesitate to confess that
he has given to his children his body to eat, and
his blood to drink? Wherefore with all confidence
let us take the body and blood of Christ, for under
the type or figure of bread, his body is given to
thee, and under the figure of wine, his blood is
given ; that so being made partakers of the body
and blood of Christ, you may become one body
and one blood with him wherefore, I conjure
you, my brethren, not to consider them any more
as common bread and wine, since they are the body
and blood of Jesus Christ, according to his words ;
and although your sense might suggest that to you,
let faith confirm you. Judge not of the thing by
your taste, but by faith assure yourself without
the least doubt, that you are honoured with the
body and blood of Christ. This knowing, and of
this being assured, that what appears to you bread,
is not bread but the body of Christ, although the
taste judge it to be bread; and that the wine
which you see, and which has the taste of wine, is
not wine but the blood of Christ. * An innumer
able host of Greek Fathers belonging to the ear
liest ages, and of writers who have flourished at
* Cat. Mystay. IV. pp. 320, 321
R
242 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
more remote periods, might, if it were requisite,
be drawn out in long array to combat for the dogma
of Transubstantiation, which is, and has at all
times been most strenuously maintained through
out the eastern as well as western parts of Chris
tendom.*
XXVIII. ILLUSTRATED BY A PRACTICE OF THE MODERN
GREEK CHURCH.
That the modern Greeks do not differ from their
more orthodox and ancient countrymen in the
belief of such a doctrine, is attested by a practice
* That our Anglo-Saxon ancestors believed in the doc
trines of the Real Presence and Transubstantiation, pre
cisely as they are taught, at this moment, by the whole
Catholic Church, has been lucidly demonstrated by the
learned historian of England, Dr. Lingard, in his elegant
work, intituled ; the Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon
Churchy in which that writer observes ; To them, (the
Anglo-Saxons) the modern doctrine, that the Eucharist is
the mere manducation of the material elements, in com
memoration of the Passion of the Messiah, was entirely
unknown. They had been taught to despise the doubtful
testimony of the senses, and to listen to the more certain
assurance of the inspired writings ; according to their
belief, the bread and wine, after consecration, had ceased
to be what their external appearance suggested; they
were become, by an invisible operation, the victim of re
demption, the true body and blood of Christ. P. 196.
Dr. Lingard, in a note, assembles a host of Anglo-Saxon
witnesses, who bear testimony to his assertion.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
243
which every where prevails amongst them at this
day, of representing by a picture or mosaic, on
the ceiling of the apsis or recess which canopies
their altar, the Eucharistic species, indicated not
by a figure of a piece of bread, but of a little in
fant cradled, as it were, within the paten or sacra
mental plate, by the side of which, is placed a
chalice, which contains the blood,* as may be ob
served in the accompanying engraving on wood.
The painting which usually ornaments the ceiling over the altar in
Greek churches.
* Dionysius of Constantinople caused a similar device to be
painted at the beginning of his attestation, which he sent,
in the year 1672, to the king of France ; and Dositheus,
in the synod of Jerusalem, glances at this national custom
in the following unequivocal expressions. It is astonish
ing that the heretics have not observed how Jesus Christ
is represented on the hemicycle of the sanctuary under the
likeness of an infant in the sacred disk ; for they might
R 9
244 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
No arguments, whether erroneously imagined to
be deducible from scripture, or alleged by human,
consequently fallacious reason, however specious
they may at first appear, if leisurely and dispassion
ately examined, will be found available to neutra
lize the words of Christ, to invalidate the testimony
of the Apostle of the Gentiles, or to annul the
doctrinal and authoritative decision of the uni
versal Church.
XXIX. FROM ST. PAUL.
Some passages have been noticed in the Epistles
of St. Paul, in which that inspired writer is un
warrantably presumed to contradict the dogma
of Transubstantiation, merely because he happens
to have asked this question ; The bread which
we break, is it not the partaking of the body of
the Lord ? * and to have said a little later in the
same Epistle ; For as often as you shall eat this
bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show the
perceive that as the Orientals represent within the disk
neither an emblem, nor grace, nor any thing but Jesus
Christ himself; they consequently believe that the Eu-
charistic bread is nothing else, and that it is made to be
substantially the body itself of Jesus Christ. a
See LE BRUN, Ceremonies de la Messe, tome II, p. 463, where a
sketch is given of the painting, similar to ours.
* 1 Cor. C. x. V. 16.
TRAN SUBSTANTIATION. 245
death of the Lord until he come/* It is true that
St. Paul denominates the Eucharistic species by
the term bread ; but what does he intend to indi
cate by such an appellation ? Is it ordinary bread?
No, he makes a particular distinction between
common bread and that of which he is speaking.
For he does not say the bread which any one
breaks/ &c. or ( as often as ye shall eat bread/
but he lays a heavy stress upon his words : he
carefully observes a marked distinction by saying,
the bread which we break/ c. As often as you
shall eat this bread/ &c. And at the closing of
each sentence, he lets us know what constitutes the
difference between the Eucharistic, and unblessed
ordinary bread. He teaches us that the chalice
which he blesses is the { communion of the blood
of Christ ; not a figure, but the blood, the very
blood itself of Christ ; and the bread which he
breaks is the partaking of the body of the Lord /
not an eating of the emblem, but of the very sub
stance of the real flesh of Jesus. As a warning of
those serious consequences that will follow from a
profanation of this tremendous, but celestial ban
quet ; the Apostle thus impressively exhorts us :
6 Therefore whosoeverf shall eat this bread J or
* I Cor. C. xi. V. 26.
f Not only the man with faith the guiltless true be
liever but any man who has not faith every one in
general, whosoever/
J The Protestant translators of the Church of England
2d<6 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be
guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord/
But let a man prove himself; and so let him eat
of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the
body of the Lord. * In all these passages, St. Paul
most positively says, that the real body and blood
of Christ are present in the Eucharist, and the
unworthy and the worthy, and indeed every one
without exception, eat and drink of them, when
ever they receive the sacrament. But real blood
cannot be at the same time real wine : real flesh
cannot be at the same time real bread ; therefore,
not to make St. Paul contradict his own words,
we must understand him to say, that, what was
bread, and what was wine, are by the blessing ut
tered over them, changed, that is, transubstantiated
into the body and the blood of Christ : and while
indeed the accidents of bread and wine still remain
version of the Testament, have been guilty of corrupting
the original Greek text in this passage of St. Paul, who
does not say ; and drink, but or drink f) -n-ivr). This
mis-translation was, no doubt designedly made, to favour
the erroneous doctrine that communion under both kinds is
requisite. Christ however expressly taught the very contra
ry, when he declared that those who worthily received under
one kind only, should have eternal happiness. He that
eateth this bread shall live for ever. (St.John C. vi. V. 59 J
* 1 Cor. C. xi. V. 27, 28.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 247
even after the benediction, so they outwardly seem
to be unchanged, and therefore may without any
impropriety, be called bread and wine, because
they appear to the senses to be such ; yet since
their substances are changed, they are properly
called what they inwardly and really are converted
into, the body and the blood of Jesus Christ.
In scripture language, it not unfrequently hap
pens that things which have been changed, or tran
substantiated, even after transformation, still retain
the name of that material which originally con
stituted them. Aaron took the rod before Pharao
and his servants, and it was turned into a serpent,
and Aaron s rod devoured the magicians rods. *
Though Aaron s rod was transubstantiated into a
serpent, still it was called a rod. Moses and Aa
ron did as the Lord commanded ; and lifting up
the rod, he struck the water of the river before
Pharao and his servants, and it was turned into
blood and the Egyptians could not drink of the
water . f Here again, although the water had been
converted into blood, its stream is however deno
minated water. After Christ had wrought the
change of water into wine, still the Evangelist
does not drop the first appellation of the liquor
while noticing the observations of the chief steward,
* who had tasted the water made wine,J and knew
* Exod. C. vii. V. 10-1-2. f Exod. C. vii. V. 20, 21.
St. John C. ii. V. 9.
248 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had
drawn the water. When John sent his disciples
to Christ, saying, art thou he that art to come ?
Jesus making answer, said to them, go relate to
John what you have heard and seen. The blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead rise again. * It is self evident
that the man who sees, is assuredly not blind ; he
ceases to be deaf who has the faculty of hearing ;
what therefore does our Saviour wish to signify ?
That those who had been blind, now see ; that
those who had been lame, now walk ; that those
who had been lepers, are now cleansed ; that those
who formerly were deaf, now hear ; that those
who had been dead, now live again. These exam
ples scattered through the holy scriptures, would
have warranted St. Paul to have severally observed
of them : this rod is a serpent ; this water is blood ;
this water is wine ; the dumb man speaks ; the
deaf one hears ; the dead Lazarus lives. Had then
the Apostle of the Gentiles made use of similar
expressions in reference to those miraculous events,
his auditors would not have argued that his autho
rity might thence be collected to deny such won
ders ; on the contrary, they would have recognized
in these words, his recorded declaration in their
favour. While therefore we maintain that with
the greatest propriety of scripturelanguage, St. Paul
* St. Matt. C. xi. V. 2-5.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 249
might, and did indeed observe, that the bread which
he broke was the body of Christ : we at the same
time contend that such a form of speech, instead
of weakening, confirms, in the most conspicuous
manner, the tenet of transubstantiation : since at
the same time we are assured that Christ s real
body is in the sacrament, the material is noticed
from which it is transformed ; and the term bread
is employed to notify, not that it is real bread,
but, that it is formed originally from such a sub
stance.
XXX. OBJECTION OF THE TERM TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
To the person who objects that the word Tran
substantiation is not to be discovered in any part
of Scripture, it may be replied, that the terms
Trinity and Incarnation cannot be found there
either : and consequently, if a doctrine must of
necessity be looked upon as anti-scriptural, because
the titles which ecclesiastical writers have appro
priated to its designation, cannot be traced back
to the sacred pages, then the Protestant of the
Church of England must yield to the reasoning of
the Socinian and the Anti-Trinitarian, and reject,
along with them, the doctrine of the Trinity and
Incarnation : for neither of these words is read in
any passage of the -Testament or Bible. The in
telligent and thinking Protestant would immedi
ately reply to those who assailed these stupendous
doctrines by such an argument, that if the names
250 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
be not discernible,, at least the doctrines designated
by those expressions, Trinity and "Incarnation/
are expressly taught in Scripture, and are, there
fore, to be most tenaciously maintained. Let him,
henceforth, take his own solution for a similar dif
ficulty which he raises against the Catholic dogma
of Transubstantiation.*
To a dogma established from Scripture, it is
folly, not to say presumption, to oppose arguments
deduced from the senses. That the doctrine of the
Eucharist is founded on the word of God, has been
demonstrated. To him, therefore, who refuses to
yield acquiescence because his human reason can-
* That terms of identical meaning- have been invariably
employed throughout the East and West, is attested by an
author whose authority, as he was not a Catholic, will
meet with more respect from our opponents. Samuel
Parker, the Protestant Bishop of Oxford, thus observes :
6 In the first place, then, it is evident to all men that are
but ordinarily conversant in ecclesiastical learning, that
the ancient Fathers, from age to age asserted the real and
substantial presence, in very high and expressive terms.
The Greeks styled it Metabole, Metarrhuthinisis, Metas-
kenasmos, Metapoiesis, Metastoicheiosis ; and the Latins
agreeable with the Greeks, Conversion, Transmutation,
Transformation, Transfiguration, Transelementation, and
at length, Transubstnntiation, by all which they ex
pressed nothing more nor less, than the real and substan
tial presence in the Eucharist. Bishop Parker s reasons
for abrogating the Test, p. 13. Oct. 30, Anno 1678. Printed
1688.
TRANSUBST ANT1 ATION. 25 1
not grasp the mystery, we answer in the words of
a minister of the established Church. While ar
guing upon this subject, some persons, I regret to
say, have been far too copious in the use of these
unseemly terms, absurdity, and impossibility.
To such language, the least objection is its repre
hensible want of good manners. A much more
serious objection is the tone of lofty presumptu-
ousness which pervades it, and which is wholly
unbecoming a creature of very narrow faculties.
Certainly God will do nothing absurd, and can do
nothing impossible. But it does not therefore ex
actly follow that our view of things should be al
ways perfectly correct, and wholly free from mis
apprehension. Contradictions we may easily fancy,
where, in truth, there are none. Hence, before we
venture to pronounce any particular doctrine to
be a contradiction, we must be sure that we per
fectly understand the nature of the matter pro
pounded in that doctrine ; for, otherwise, the con
tradiction may not be in the matter itself, but in
our mode of conceiving it. In regard to myself,
as my conscientiously finite intellect claims not to
be an universal measure of congruities and possi
bilities, I deem it both more wise and more de
corous, to refrain from assailing the doctrine of
Transubstantiation on the ground of its alleged
absurdity and impossibility. By such a mode of
attack, we in reality quit the true field of rational
and satisfactory argument. The doctrine of Tran-
252 TRANSUBSTANTIATION.
substantiation, like the doctrine of the Trinity, is
a question, not of abstract reasoning, but of pure
evidence. We believe the revelation of God to
be essential unerring truth. Our business, there
fore, most assuredly is, not to discuss the absur
dity and the imagined contradictoriness of Tran-
substantiation, but to enquire, according to the
best means we possess, whether it be indeed a
doctrine of Holy Scripture. If sufficient evidence
shall appear to be the case, we may be sure that
the doctrine is neither absurd nor contradictory.
Receiving the Scripture as the infallible word of
God, and prepared, with entire prostration of mind,
to admit his declarations, I shall ever contend that
the doctrine of Transubstantiation,like the doctrine
of the Trinity, is a question of pure evidence, *
XXXI. RECAPITULATION.
From the creation of the human race up to the
present moment, sacrifice has always constituted
the essential, as well as the most conspicuous part
of man s external homage to the Godhead. The
first society of religionists who ventured to muti
late the worship of the Deity, by the abstraction
of sacrifice, the most ancient and the most essen
tial of its rites, were the Protestants.
In the law of nature, and under the Mosaic dis
pensation, existed a variety of sacrifices. In the
* Faber s Difficulties of Romanism.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 253
gospel-covenant there is but a single sacrifice,
but of a two-fold nature, of which the bloody one
is that by which Christ was offered up to his Eter
nal Father, once, upon the altar of the Cross : the
other is unbloody, and is that by which the self
same Jesus is offered up daily upon our altars, but
under the appearances of bread and wine, partly
to commemorate his bloody sacrifice, partly for
other purposes.
The unbloody sacrifice, denominated the Mass,
is the same in essence, as that bloody sacrifice of
Calvary, and while in many respects it coincides
with, in some it differs from it. It agrees with it
in three different ways. 1. In the object immo
lated ; for in both it is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of
God, that is presented by way of victim. 2. In the
chief offerer ; for Christ, in both instances, stands
the victim, is in both the principal, or great high-
priest. 3. In the end ; for as once upon the Cross,
so now daily on our altars, Christ is offered for the
sins of men.
The ways in which the unbloody sacrifice, called
the Mass, differs from the bloody sacrifice at Je
rusalem, are not many. On the Cross our Savi
our was offered up in his human form, which was
discernible to the senses of the multitude around
him : upon the altar, he is offered with his body
veiled under the appearances of bread and wine,
and in the manner of a sacrament. Two things
distinct in themselves, though intimately connected
254 TRANSUBSTANTIAT1ON.
with one another, are discernible in this stupen
dous mystery, The first is the consecration, by
the efficacy of which the bread and wine are tran
substantiated into the body and blood of Jesus ;
the second is the manducation, by which we are
made partakers in this great sacrifice. In the con
secration, the body and the blood are mystically
separated, because Jesus Christ has separately pro
nounced: This is my body, This is my blood
These words exhibit a forcible and efficacious
representation of the violent death which our
Saviour underwent for our redemption.
Thus the word made flesh reposes on our altars;
and no one will refuse to acknowledge that the
presence of Jesus Christ is a species of interces
sion all-powerful with God in favour of the human
race, since the Apostle assures us that Jesus Christ
appears in the presence of God for us ;* and as
Bossuet appropriately remarks : ( We believe that
Jesus Christ, present upon the altar, in this figure
of his death intercedes for us, and represents con
tinually to his Father, the death which he suffered
for the Church. In this same sense we answer
that Christ offers himself for us in the Eucharist.
Such is the Christians sacrifice, which so widely
differs from all those peculiar to the law of nature,
or celebrated in the Jewish Temple. It is a spi
ritual sacrifice, where the victim, though identi-
* Hel. C\ ix. V. 24.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 255
cally present, still is not observable, excepting to
the eye of faith only ; where the sword of the sa-
crificer is the word of Christ, pronounced by his
ministering priest, and which works the mystic se
paration of the body from the blood ; where this
blood is not poured out nor spilled, except in mys
tery, and where there is no death, except by re
presentation. Still, it is a sacrifice, in which Jesus
Christ is verily contained, and immolated to God,
under this figure of death, a sacrifice continually
commemorating that once offered on the Cross.
The Eucharistic sacrifice abstracts nothing from
the sacrifice at Calvary : on the contrary, it exists
only by its connexion with that bloody sacrifice,
and receives all its virtue and all its efficacy from
it. Such is the Catholic s doctrine on the sacri
fice of the Mass.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER II.
SECTION I.
HISTORY OF THE MASS.
1. Christ said the first Mass. 2. Christ directed the Apostles to
celebrate Mass. 3. The Apostles said Mass. 4. A ceremonial
instituted by the Apostles for offering up Mass. 5. Attested by
St. John. 6. The remarks of some Protestants noticed. 7. The
Liturgy indicated by St. Ignatius M. 8. Noticed by Pliny.
9. Described by St. Justin.
SECTION II.
LAY COMMUNION.
10. Belief of the Church on Lay Communion. 11. Communion
under one kind, of Apostolic institution. 12. When and why
generally adopted by the Latin Church. 13. Agreeable to
Scripture. 14. Objection from Scripture answered. 15. Un
leavened bread used at the last supper. 16. Unleavened bread
used by the Latin Church ; by the Maronites, and Armenians.
17. The Sacrament hinted at in the Apocalypse. 18. The
circular form of the Host very ancient.
PART THE SECOND
CHAPTER II.
HISTORY OF THE MASS
AND
LAY COMMUNION.
SECTION I.
HISTORY OF THE MASS.
I. CHRIST SAID THE FIRST MASS.
OUR divine Redeemer was the first to offer up
that holy sacrifice, since called the Mass. This he
did, when, after having celebrated the Jewish
Passover, he instituted the holy Eucharist. Then
it was, that our Lord took bread and wine, and
blessed them, and made them his body and his
blood.* He deposited the holy victim, which ex
piates the sins of man, upon the sacred table ; and
he placed it there in the form of a victim, because
* St. Matt. C. xxvi, V. 26.
s2
260 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
he produced a mystic separation of it by render
ing his body present under the species of bread,
and his blood, under the species of wine. Thus
was the table hallowed, and thence became an al
tar, upon which our Lord exhibited to his Father s
view, the victim of our reconciliation. Afterwards
he took it up from the altar, and gave it to his dis
ciples to partake of, accompanying the precious
treasure with an imperative injunction, which, at
the same time that it commanded them to do as
he had done, conferred upon them the sacerdotal
dignity, required for the due discharge of such an
ordinance. At the closing of this stupendous ce
remony, they chanted their thanksgivings in a holy
canticle.* Such are the facts we find registered
in the Gospel-record, of the institution of the
blessed Eucharist.f
II. CHRIST DIRECTED THE APOSTLES TO CELEBRATE
MASS.
The words of Jesus were too distinct and explicit
not to be intelligible : hence, the Apostles knew,
that by this expression, Do this for a comme
moration of me, our Saviour meant to be thus
understood: "As I took bread, and brake, and
gave to you, saying : this is my body : and really
and substantially made it, by my heavenly power,
what 1 said it was, my body, which is given for
i. llbid.
HISTORY OF THE MASS. 261
I
you ;* and, as I, having taken the chalice, giving
thanks, gave to you, saying : this is my blood :
and really, substantially made it what I then de
clared it was, my blood, which shall be shed for
many ;f and thus offered to my heavenly Father,
in a mystic and unbloody manner, that same vic
tim, my own same body and blood, which is to be
immolated on the Cross in a visible and bloody
manner, so do you take bread, and blessing it,
make it my body ; and taking wine, bless it, and
make it my blood ; and thus, continually present
to heaven, in an unbloody manner, not a different,
but the self same sacrifice, which shall be offered
up in a bloody manner, once, upon the Cross :
Do this for a commemoration of me,J for as often
as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice,
you shall show the death of the Lord until he
come.
III. THE APOSTLES SAID MASS.
In order to obey the precept, and commemorate
the death of their omnipotent and heavenly pre
ceptor, we observe the Apostles most exact in ex
ercising that marvellous prerogative, with which
he had invested them, of doing what he had him
self accomplished after supper in their presence,
and which he bestowed upon them when he said :
* St. Luke, C. xxii. F. 19. f St. Mark, C. xiv. V. 2 J.
t St.Luke, C. xxii. V. 19. 1 Cor. C. xi. V. 26.
262 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
41
Do this for a commemoration of me/* In proof
of this, we have only to consult the Scripture, and
interrogate antiquity. St. Luke informs us, in his
Acts of the Apostles, that as they were minister
ing, or, to use the word employed by Erasmus in
his version of this passage, ( as they were sacri
ficing to the Lord, the Holy Ghost said to them,
separate me Saul and Barnabas. f The same sa
crifice which the Evangelist distinguishes by the
term ministration, we Catholics, at the present
day, call the Mass. St. Luke also informs us how
the earliest converts to the Gospel were persever
ing in the doctrine of the Apostles, and in the
commemoration of the breaking of bread, and in
prayers,* or, according to the language of that
period, the first believers were most careful to at
tend at the Eucharistic sacrifice or Mass : for the
Mass is the celebration of the sacred mysteries,
accompanied by a series of sublime instructions
and solemn prayers, which precede, accompany,
and follow its performance, indicated by this pas
sage of the Acts. A remarkable accordance may be
discerned between the practice of Catholics at the
Apostolic period, and that observed by Catholics of
the present time. They were, like ourselves, not
only most careful to hear Mass upon the Lord s day,
but were accustomed to make use of lights to af
ford more solemnity to its celebration; and studied
* St. Luke, C. xxii. K.I 9. f Acts, C\xiii. V.2. I Ib. C. ii. F.42.
HISTORY OF THE MASS. 263
to procure the benefit of verbal instruction in a
sermon delivered by their pastors ; since we read
that on the first day of the week, when they were
assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed with
them and there were a great number of lamps
in the upper chamber, where they were assembled. *
IV. A CEREMONIAL INSTITUTED BY THE APOSTLES FOR
OFFERING UP MASS.
In the absence of history, both religion and de
corum would prohibit us from supposing, even for
an instant, that the Apostles did not observe any
certain rites in offering up the Eucharistic sacri
fice : undoubtedly they were unanimous in agree
ing with St. Paul, who thus admonishes the Co
rinthians : Let all things be done decently, and
in order. f It is not at all surprising, therefore,
that we find an animated picture sketched by one
of the Apostles, and which, we may presume,
either represents the Liturgy as it was then cele
brated, or became the model according to which
it was afterwards arranged.
V. ATTESTED BY ST. JOHN.
6 1 was in spirit/ says St. John, in his book of
the Apocalypse, on the Lord s day, and I saw
* Acts, C. xx. V. 7, 8. The numerous lamps, particularly
noticed here, were, no doubt, employed to give splendour
to the sacred institution. f 1 Cor. C. xiv. V. 40.
264 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks, I saw one, clothed
with a garment down to the feet, and girt about
with a golden girdle,* and behold, there was a
throne set in heaven, and upon the throne one sit
ting and round about the throne were four and
twenty ancients sitting, clothed in white garments :f
and I saw, on the right hand of him that sat on
the throne, a book written within and without
and in the midst of the throne a Lamb standing
as it were slain and the four and twenty ancients
fell down before the Lamb, having every one of
them harps, and they sang a new canticle and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne saying with a loud voice: The Lamb
that was slain is worthy to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and benediction. J I saw under the altar,
the souls of them that were slain for the word of
God and they cried with a loud voice, saying :
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not
judge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ?
And another angel came, and stood before the al
tar, having a golden censer ; and there was given
to him much incense, that he should offer up of
the prayers of all saints, upon the golden altar,
which is before the throne of God ; and the smoke
* Apoc. C. i. V. 10, 12, 13. f Ibid. C. iv. V. <2, 4.
t Hid. C. v. V. 1,6, 8, 0, 11, 12. Ibid. C. vi. V. 9, 10.
HISTORY OF THE MASS. 265
of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended
up before God. * Such is the recital furnished to us
by St. John of the vision with which he had been
favoured precisely on the Lord s day, or first day of
the week, on which it was the practice of the faith
ful to meet together for the celebration of the
holy mysteries, or Mass.f The Apostle gives us
the description of an assembly, over which pre
sides a venerable pontiff, seated on a throne, and
encircled by four and twenty ancients, or priests.
The white robe, the garment reaching to the feet,
together with the golden girdle, are enumerated
amongst the sacerdotal vesture : the harps, the
canticles, and all the music of the angels choir are
noticed ; and of the instruments employed in sa
crifice, are specifically mentioned, an altar, golden
candlesticks, a golden censer, with its fire and smok
ing incense, and the sealed book. There is present a
Lamb, standing as it were slain, and, by conse
quence, a victim, to whom divine honours and su
preme adoration are exhibited by every creature
which is in heaven and on the earth. J It is,
therefore, a sacrifice at which Christ is present ;
being, at the same time, both high priest and im
molated victim. Under the altar are the sainted
martyrs, who thence address their supplications to
God ; and before it stands an angel offering up
* Apoc. C. viii. V. 3, 4. f Acts, C. xx. V. 7.
%Apoc. C. v . V. 13.
266 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
the prayers of the saints, that is, of the faithful
upon earth.
The observation of St. Irenseus* on these pas
sages extracted from the Apocalypse, is most ap
posite. That ancient Father very properly re
marks ; either St. John, in order to shadow forth
the glory and the splendour of the adoration, which
all the choirs of angels and the saints, are continu
ally exhibiting to God within his sanctuary of
heaven, must have used an imagery and language
descriptive of the ceremonial practised by the
Christians of his time in their assemblies on the
Lord s day ; or else, the liturgy of the holy sacri
fice, or the Mass, must have been modelled accord
ing to the vision of that favourite disciple of our
Lord. In either case, the liturgy or Mass bears
deeply impressed upon it the type of apostolical
institution : a consequence we shall more readily
acknowledge, when we remember that it is sug
gested by a writer, who was taught his Christianity
by the immediate scholars of the Apostles them
selves, and who penned this observation about the
year 167 of the Christian era, that is, almost seven
teen centuries ago.
VI. THE REMARKS OF SOME PROTESTANTS NOTICED.
It is a familiar, but unwarrantable observation
with separatists from the Catholic Church, that dur-
* Adver. Haer. L. 4, Ch. xvn. No. 5, Ch. xvm. No. 6.
HISTORY OF THE MASS. 267
ing the first four centuries, neither adoration was
paid to the Eucharist, nor any religious veneration
manifested towards angels and saints, or to the
relics of martyrs. Conscious of the overwhelming
weight possessed by several arguments, which
could be drawn from those portions of the book of
the Apocalypse we have just referred to, as de
monstrative of a regular form of ceremonial for
the holy sacrifice and public worship already esta
blished during the lifetime of St. John ; and which
by demolishing their favourite hypothesis, would
detect the very modern novelty of that mode of
public service, which they have framed upon its
basis, in substitution for the olden one ; they as
sert, in order to escape from the pressure of such
arguments, that the Apocalypse is only the record
of a vision, and not a history of facts ; that the
throne, the altar, and the sacrifice upon it, seen by
St. John, were in heaven, and not upon the earth.
Such a remarkable resemblance, however, exists
between the more conspicuous outlines of this
mysterious representation, drawn in so graphic a
manner by the luminous pencil of the Evangelist,
and those sketches of the celebration of the Eu-
charistic mysteries, incidentally pictured by the
earlier Fathers in their letters and other writings,
and even by Pagans in their remarks upon the
Christians around them, or traced with studious
and minute accuracy in the liturgies of each par
ticular Church ; that we are compelled to refer
268 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
them to one original, from which they have all
been copied with but very little and unimportant
variation.
Bingham, notwithstanding all his prejudices in
favour of his own sect, and his antipathy to Catho
lic doctrines, has been more liberal than many of
his Protestant brethren, for he candidly acknow
ledges, in his notice of these very passages in the
Apocalypse, that we have here seen the model of
the worship of Christ, as begun and settled in the
practice of the Church, in the first ages, and we
shall find it continued in the same manner, in those
that followed immediately after. 5 *
VII. THE LITURGY INDICATED BY ST. IGNATIUS, M.
The seven letters addressed by St. Ignatius to
the Christians of Ephesus, and of Magnesia, of
Trallia, and of Philadelphia, and of Smyrna, to
St. Poly carp, and to the faithful at Rome, just
before his martyrdom in that imperial city, about
the year 107, furnish several passages more or less
descriptive of the manner in which the eucharistic
sacrifice or Mass was offered, by each bishop en
circled by a crowd of priests and deacons, at that
epoch, throughout Asia Minor. A peculiar respect
is due to the testimony of a personage who was
second in succession from St. Peter in the chair
of Antioch, had listened to the preaching of that
* Bingham , Origincs Ecclesiaticac, Book 13, Ch. ii. Sec. 2.
HISTORY OF THE MASS. 269
prince of the Apostles, and of St. Paul ; and was
the intimate disciple of St. John the Evangelist.
VIII. NOTICED BY PLINY.
Pliny the younger, who was appointed to the
government of Bithynia a few years after the death
of the illustrious bishop of Antioch, in a memorial
he presented to Trajan, notices concerning the
Christians in his province, that some of them who
had been brought before his tribunal, had declared
to him, that they were accustomed to assemble on
a particular day before it was light, and amongst
other parts of their worship, chanted a hymn to
Christ, as to their God.*
IX. DESCRIBED BY ST. JUSTIN.
Of the liturgy observed at Rome, about the year
150, St. Justin Martyr, has left us an interesting
description in the first of those two apologies he
severally addressed to Antoninus Pius, and Marcus
Aurelius. e To him who presides over the bre
thren, is presented bread, and a cup of water and
wine, which he taking, gives praise and glory to
the Father, through the name of the Son and the
Holy Ghost, and returns thanks in many prayers,
that such gifts have been vouchsafed to us. These
offices being duly performed, the whole assembly
in acclamation, answers Amen: then the ministers,
Plin. Lib. 10, Ep. xcvii.
270 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
whom we call deacons, give to each one present to
partake of the blessed bread, and the wine and water
and take away some to the sick. This food we call
the Eucharist, of which they alone are allowed to
partake, who believe the doctrines taught by us
to be true, and have been washed by Baptism for
the remission of sin, and unto regeneration. Nor
do we take these gifts as common bread and com
mon drink : but in the same manner as our Saviour
Jesus Christ, incarnate by the word of God for our
salvation, took flesh and blood, so we have been
taught that the food with which, by change, our
blood and flesh are nourished, being blessed by the
prayer of his word, becomes the flesh and blood of
that very incarnate Jesus.*
The same substantive form of sacrifice which we
here observe described by St. Justin Martyr, as
practised by the Roman Christians in the second
century, was carefully preserved in after ages. A
prayer or ceremony it is true, was occasionally
added to the ritual ; but always through a wise
economy, either to satisfy the devotion, or to ex
press with stronger emphasis against some newly
broached heresy, the orthodox faith of the mem
bers of that Apostolic Church, which stands this
day a glorious monument to testify the truth of
the promise made by Christ to Peter, when he
said to that Apostle ; Simon, Simon, behold
* Apoloy. 1. Hagae Comitum, 1742, p. 82, 83.
HISTORY OF THE MASS. 271
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift
you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not ; and thou being once converted,
confirm thy brethren ; * and amongst whom are,
and always could be found such saintly men, that
the same encomiums, which St. Paul pronounced
upon their ancestors, might with justice be passed
upon some now living, and on individuals who have
ornamented Christian Rome in every century
your faith is spoken of in the whole world. f
The liturgy of the Mass, as celebrated at Rome
in the fifth and sixth centuries, is preserved in the
SacramentariesJ of Gelasius, and St. Gregory the
Great. From the Roman monk St. Augustin,
whom the latter pontiff, St. Gregory, sent to con
vert our Saxon forefathers, we received along with
the other doctrines of genuine Christianity, the
sacrifice of the Mass : and the liturgy we practise
in celebrating it at the present day, is identically
the same in substance, and varies but very little in
some few unimportant ceremonies, from the very
ritual sent by Pope St. Gregory to England thir
teen centuries ago. Thus, not only the doctrine
* St. Luke, C. xxii. V. 31, 32. f Rom. C. i. V. 8.
J Sacramentaries are books which were anciently em
ployed in the Church, and contained the prayers and cere
monies of the Mass, and of the administration of the seven
sacraments.
Pope Gelasius died in the year 496. St. Gregory
flourished a century later.
272 HISTORY OF THE MASS.
of the Mass, but the form of solemnizing it at the
present hour, can be traced up through a well
connected chain of evidence, to the time of the
Apostles ; and, though the interval of seventeen
centuries intervenes between us, still an identity
of belief and practice links us together, and mo
rally renders us one religious body with the pri
mitive Christians.
273
SECTION II.
LAY COMMUNION.
Arculse or little boxes, used in the first ages of the Church, by the
faithful, for carrying home the blessed Eucharist after Mass.*
X. BELIEF OF THE CHURCH ON LAY COMMUNION.
It is the belief of the Catholic Church that in
the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the
body of Christ is not separated from his blood,
nor his blood from his body ; nor is either of them
* These boxes were found in the Vatican Catacombs,
within different sarcophagi, each lying on the breast of
the entombed deceased. They must have belonged to
wealthy individuals, as they are of gold. They open in
front ; and have, fastened at the top, a ring through which
might be passed a cord or string ; and, thus suspended,
they were, no doubt, carried round the neck. There is
every reason to esteem these boxes as monuments of an
tiquity mounting up to the second or third century.
T
274 LAY COMMUNION.
disjoined from his soul and his divinity ; but all
and the whole living Christ is entirely contained
under each species ; so that whoever receives un
der one kind, becomes truly partaker of the whole
sacrament : nor is he deprived either of the body,
or of the blood of Christ.* The receiving of the
holy communion under one or both kinds, is an
article of discipline which the sovereign Pontiff
can vary as he may deem expedient.f It is true,
indeed, that is an article of discipline which is still
observed by the orthodox as well as the schisma-
tical followers of the Greek ritual, to receive the
blessed Eucharist under both kinds. So far, how
ever, is the Greek Church from considering com
munion under the two species as essential to the
integrity of the sacrament, that during the whole
of Lent, except on Saturdays and Sundays, and the
feast of the Annunciation, the Mass, as it is called,
of the Presanctified, J is alone permitted by its ru-
Pellicia, De Eccl. Christi Politia, torn. iii. pp. 32, 33. They
have engraved on them the monogram of Christ ^fT> all( l
Alpha and Omega. Behind, there is a dove, another
symbol of our Redeemer.
* See Prop, in the Faith of Catholics, 8$c. p. 259.
f Concil. Trident. Sess. xxii. Ch. 11.
t It is so denominated, because it is a Mass in which
the priest does not perform the consecration, but receives
the blessed Eucharist under one kind alone that of
bread which was consecrated at a preceding Mass, and
reserved for the occasion. By the Greeks the Mass of the
LAY COMMUNION. 275
brics to be celebrated ;* consequently the Greek
priest who offers up Mass, as well as those amongst
Presanctified is called Xarwpyto. ruv Trpor/ymo-jueVwv, 61 Trporj-
yiafffjievoi, or simply, n Trporiyiafffjievr]. This Mass IS not
peculiar to them, but is said throughout the Latin Church
on Good Friday. Leo Allatius assigns as a reason for the
observance of this rite in the East, that the consecration
being proper for festivals only ; and all the days in Lent
except Saturday and Sunday being fasting-days, they do
not consecrate on the other days of this week, but receive
the holy .Eucharist which had been reserved from the pre
ceding Sunday. For it should be observed, that when
primitive fervour cooled ; and all who attended at
Mass, did not, as formerly, partake of the holy sacrifice,
a rite was introduced of merely blessing, not consecrating,
small pieces of bread, which were afterwards distributed
to those amongst the people who did not receive the Eu
charist, as a symbol of mutual love, and religious commu
nion. The bread so blessed, though quite distinct from
the Eucharist, was denominated EvXoyia, Eulogia, or
Blessing, a term originally employed to signify the blessed
sacrament itself. In the Greek liturgy, whenever the Eu
charist is consecrated, the Eulogia is still distributed ;
and a similar custom is observed in France at the paro
chial Mass, but instead of Eulogia, it is called by the
French Pain-benit. That the people, therefore, may not
break their fast by eating the Eulogia, the Greeks do not
consecrate the Eucharist on fasting days. By their Mass
of the Presanctified, they demonstrate that, in opposition
to Protestants, they, as well as Catholics of the Latin
Church, believe not only in the real and corporeal, but per
manent presence of Jesus Christ in the blessed sacrament.
* Leo Allatius, Epist. ad Nihusium, ad calcem Libri
De Utriusque Ecclesiae consensione, p. 867.
276 LAY COMMUNION.
the laity who may choose to receive the blessed
Eucharist, on any other day but Saturday or Sun
day or the feast of the blessed Virgin Mary, during
the whole penitential season, take the holy com
munion under one kind only, that of bread.* In
the Church of Constantinople, which is followed as
their guide by most of the other Churches of the
Greek schismatical denomination, the Eucharistic
species under the form of bread, reserved for the
Mass of the Presanctified and the communion of
the people, is never sprinkled with the sacred
blood.f Moreover in the Greek Church, the Via
ticum or Eucharist given to the dying, is adminis
tered on all occasions, and at every season of the
year, under the sole form of bread alone. J Of the
* Hsec Liturgia Prsesanctificatorum toto maximi jejunii
tempore, exceptis Sabbatis, Dominicis, et die Annuncia-
tioni Sacro, diebus singulis a volentibus peragitur, ergo
toto eo tempore Sacerdos celebrans, et administri altari
inservientes, et quicunque alius religionis causa commu-
nionem aecipiens, sub sola specie panis, cum panis ille
sanguine tinctus non est, vel si tinctus, species vim, et
consequenter, etiam sanguis evanuerint, communicant.
Ibid. p. 876.
f Leo Allatius, Ibid. p. 874.
% Magna Feria quinta quilibot sacerdos, quos censet
pro infirmis et morientibus necessarios futures panes con-
secrat, eosque postmodum collectos, et in pyxide vel alio
vasculo repositos in sanctuario, donee necessitas fuerit,
conservat. Eos quemadmodum et cle Praesanctificatis
dictum est, alii cochlcari sanguine Christi madido tan-
LAY COMMUNION. 277
Maronites and other Oriental Christians, Abraham
Ecchellensis, himself a Maronite, testifies, that
amongst them, the blessed sacrament is adminis
tered under one kind only that of bread to the
sick, to the country people, and to such as on ac
count of the distance of residence, cannot come to
church for communion.* With regard to the Latin
Church, it is an historical fact, that during many
centuries, communion was generally, though not
exclusively, administered under both kinds to the
faithful, both men and women, who assisted at the
public celebration of the holy sacrifice, at which
they had made their offering of bread and wine to
be consecrated.f
XI. COMMUNION UNDER ONE KIND OF APOSTOLIC
INSTITUTION.
That from the time, however, of the Apostles,
communion has been administered under one kind
gunt, alii non tangunt. Cum opus est inter annum, ex
eo vasculo micam panis arreptam, et reverenter ad infir-
mum deportatam, in aquam vel vinum si est in cochleari
immergunt, ut mollior facta, facilius deglutiri possit a
valde debilitatis, et turn infinno, recitatis ad hoc praescrip-
tis precibus, porrigunt. Et hoc est Grsecorum segrotan-
tium, morientiumque viaticum. Seel hie nulla3 species
sanguinis sunt, neque separatus sanguis. Ergo Graeci
morientes per to turn annum in sola specie panis commu
nicant. Leo Allatius, Ibid. p. 879.
* Bona, Her. Lit. lib. ii. Ch. xvm. num. 2.
t Bona, Ibid. num. 1.
278 LAY COMMUNION.
only that of bread in the manner which is now
practised throughout the Latin Church., is attested
by all antiquity. In the first ages, when the faith
ful suffered such grievous persecutions, it was cus
tomary to intrust the blessed Eucharist, under the
form of bread, to their pious care, for the purpose
of being conveyed to the sick, and to those confined
in prison for the faith ; or to be privately received
by themselves at home, when the danger of being
apprehended, should prevent them from attending
the celebration of the holy mysteries in the cata
combs, or other places of assembly.* In his ex
hortations to a Christian woman not to marry a
Pagan husband, Tertullian observes ; s Will he
not know what you receive in secret, before you
* The Acolyte St. Tharsicius was arrested by the Pa
gans, as he was carrying the blessed Sacrament, on one of
these occasions, and stoned to death, because he would not
betray it to them. Romse Via Appia passio sancti Tharsicii
Acolythi quern Pagani cum invenissent, Corporis Christi
sacramenta portantem, cceperunt disquirere quid gereret :
at ille indignum judicans porcis prodere margaritas, tarn
diu ab illis mactatus est fustibus et lapidibus, donee ex-
halaret spiritum. Martyrologium Romanum, Die 15 Au-
gmti. To the memory of this Martyr were composed the
following verses, which are ascribed to Pope St.Damasus,
Anno 366.
Tharsicium sanctum Christi Sacramenta gerentem
Cum malesana manus peteret vulgare prophanis,
Ipse animam potius voluit dimittere caesus
Prodere quam canibus rabidis coelestia membra.
LAY COMMUNION. 279
take any food?* And if he shall perceive bread,
will he not believe it to be what it is called ? f The
same author, in another part of his writings, to
obviate the difficulty which was started by some
scrupulous persons against receiving the blessed
Eucharist upon a fasting day, lest the fast should
be broken by the communion, suggests that f they
take the body of the Lord, and reserve it, and thus
participate of the sacrifice, as well as comply with
the obligation of fasting/J The testimony of St.
Cyprian is equally lucid on the same subject. That
illustrious bishop of Carthage relates an astonishing
event which happened to a Christian woman, who,
having been guilty of an act of idolatry at a Pagan
altar, immediately afterwards presumed to take
in her unhallowed hands, and endeavour to open
her ark or little box which contained the sacrament
of the Lord, but was so terrified by a burst of fire
flashing from within, that she dare not lay hold
on it. St. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria about
* This proves the primitive Christian custom of receiv
ing the blessed Sacrament fasting 1 .
f Non sciet maritus quid secreto ante omnem cibum
gustes ? Et si sciverit panem, non ilium credet esse qui
dicitur? Lib. ii. Ad Uxorem, Cap. 5.
J Accepto corpore Domini et reservato, utrumque sal-
vum est, et participatio sacrincii, et executio omen, De
Or at. Ch. xiv. Tertullian flourished about the year 194.
Cum quaedam rnulier arcam suam in qua Domini sanc
tum fuit, manibus indignis tentasset aperire, igne inde
280 LAY COMMUNION.
the year 247, in his letter to the Roman pontiff
Fabianus, relates that a certain old man, called
Serapion,, when at the point of death, dispatched
a youth for the priest, who happening also to be
confined to his bed by sickness, sent to the dying
Serapion a particle of the blessed Eucharist by the
messenger, whom he directed first to moisten the
sacrament with a little water, and then put it into
the mouth of the old man, who expired just after
receiving the holy communion.* St. Gregory Na-
zianzen testifies of his sister Gorgonia, in the funeral
oration he pronounced at her obsequies, that she
always kept the body of the Lord the blessed
sacrament in her chamber. The Anachorites who
retired into the desert that they might become
more perfect by leading a solitary life, used to
communicate themselves under the form of bread.f
To afford the sick the consolation of participating
in the sacrament, and to provide the viaticum J in
surgente deterrita est, ne auderet attingere. Lib. de lap-
sis. St. Cyprian suffered martyrdom in the year 258.
* Apud Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. vi. Ch. 44.
f Martene, De Ant. Eccl. Kit. lib. i. Ch. 5. Art. in.
J Viaticum signifies a provision and preparation for a
journey into the other world. By the first Council of Nice,
celebrated in 325, it is decreed : That all penitents shall
have their final and necessary E^otW, or viaticum, when
they are about to die.
t Se T&V e^odevovruv, o vraXatoc /cat KavoviKog VOJJIOQ <ftv\a^dij-
LAY COMMUNION. 281
cases of emergency for the dying, particles of the
Eucharist,, under the species of bread, were pre
served, as is the present custom, in the church, and
sometimes enclosed within a golden vessel, made
in the form of a dove, which hung suspended by a
chain before the altar ;* at other times, were de-
ff TO.L Kal VVV, to<r, 1 Tig lo$V(H, TOV T\VT(tlOV KO.I aVCLyKaiOTCLTOV
efadfov fjiij aTTOffrepelffdcu Canon. 13, apud Labbeum, Cone. Gen.
torn. ii. p. 36.
* Martene, De Ant. Eccl. Kit. lib. i. Ch. 5. Art. in. St.
Amphilochius, or whoever was the author of the life of
St. Basil, remarks concerning the illustrious prelate, that
once, after having consecrated and elevated the sacred
Host, he divided it into three parts; one of which he re
ceived with much fear, the second he reserved for his fu
neral, and the third he enclosed within a golden dove,
and suspended over the altar. Amongst the various accu
sations preferred against Severus the heretical bishop of
Antioch, at the Council of Constantinople held in 536,
one was, having appropriated to his own private use, not
only the treasures of his church, but the gold and silver
doves which were suspended over the baptistry, and at the
altar. Tag yap tg TVTTOV TOV aylov TrvevfjiaTOQ ^pvffag re /cat ap-
, f.iTciTa>v aAAwv e(T(f>Tepi<ra.TO Condi. Constant. Act.
5. Apud Labbeum, torn. v. p. 160. The place at the altar
where the dove used to be suspended, was called * Peri-
sterion, from the Greek word, Trepiorepa, or dove. The
Christian poet Sedulius refers to these doves in the follow
ing verses:
Sanctus Columbre
Spiritus in specie Christum vestivit honore.
and the Pontiff St. Hilarus, Anno 4(51, presented to one
282 LAY COMMUNION.
posited in one of the two chambers, which, in an
cient churches, stood on both sides of the altar,*
and were called Pastophoria ;f or were placed, as
of the churches at Rome, a golden dove weighing two
pounds. Columbam auream pensan. libras 2. Anastas.
Biblioth. torn. i. p. 62. The same custom of reserving the
Eucharist in a suspended dove, prevailed in many
churches in France until a few years ago.
* See Ciampini, Monimenta Vetera, Tab. 11, vol. i, for
the ichnography, or ground plan, of St. Clement s church
at Rome, one of the most ancient and venerable monu
ments of Christian antiquity in existence.
f From the Greek Traoro^opto*/, or inner chamber. An
ciently there were two small recesses, one on each side
of the tribune or sanctuary. In the first of these cham
bers, the blessed Eucharist was kept; and hence, no
doubt, arose the pious custom, now so general in Catho
lic countries, of having a special and richly decorated
chapel for the blessed Sacrament. In the second of these
chambers, were deposited the holy Scriptures, the Missal
and rituals, together with the sacred vessels, and the vest
ments of the priests and ministers who used to robe them
selves within this recess, and retire thither to pray in pri
vate, and make their act of thanksgiving after the holy
sacrifice. While these chambers answered all the purposes
of our modern Vestry, they were also denominated, Se-
cretarium, Vestiarium, Scenophylacium, and Cimelia. St.
Paulinus of Nola, in the graphic description (Epist. XII.
ad Sever.) which he has bequeathed to us of his church,
informs us that it had two Secretaria, one on the right,
the other on the left-hand side of the altar ; over the en
trance to the first were inscribed these verses :
LAY COMMUNION. 283
at this day in England, upon the altar itself, within
an ark or tabernacle which was surmounted by the
cross.* From these and numerous other testimo
nies which might be accumulated from ecclesias
tical history, it is evident, that from the earliest
periods, communion was very often administered
under one kind only.f
Hie locus est veneranda penus qua conditur, et qua
Promitur alma sacri pompa ministerii.
and the two following over the second :
Si quern sancta tenet meditandi in lege voluntas,
Hie poterit residens sanctis intendere libris.
* The second Council of Tours, held in 567, enacted:
That the Body of the Lord should be placed upon the
altar, not amid the row of images, but beneath the figure
of the Cross ; Ut corpus Domini in altari, non in imagi-
nario ordine, sed sub crucis titulo componatur. Condi.
Turon. can. iii. apud Labbeum, torn. v. p. 853.
t The various facts enumerated in the text, demonstrate
that Catholics of the present time precisely agree in faith
and practice with Catholics of the primitive ages, since,
like them, they believe, not merely in the real, but perma
nent presence of Jesus Christ in the blessed Eucharist.
Luther, therefore, by admitting but a transitory presence
of Christ, which he limited to the moment when the com
municant, receives the sacrament, not only differed with
the Church at his day, but with the Church from all an
tiquity, and was, in consequence, guilty of a notorious in
novation.
284 LAY COMMUNION.
XII. WHEN AND WHY GENERALLY ADOPTED BY THE
LATIN CHURCH.
Towards the commencement of the twelfth cen
tury, an alteration took place in the administration
of the sacrament, which then began to be adminis
tered, in public as well as in private, under one
kind only that of bread. The reasons for such a
variation, were the several accidents and abuses
which happened through awkwardness and inat
tention in partaking of the consecrated cup.* A
becoming reverence towards the blessed Eucharist
demanded such a change in discipline ; and the
belief that Christ was wholly present under one as
well as under both species, prevented the faithful
from erroneously imagining that such a practice
could in any wise deprive them of a portion of the
sacrament. Nothing, however, was authoritatively
promulgated by the Church concerning this regu
lation until the year 1414, when the Council of
Constance, in opposition to John Huss in Bohemia
and his partisans, who erroneously asserted that
the use of the cup was absolutely necessary, de
creed that, as the body and blood of Christ were
wholly contained under each species, the custom,
* The Abbot Rodulf, who lived in the year 1110, thus
dissuades the use of the cup amongst the laity :
Hie et ibi cautela fiat, ne presbyter aegris
Aut sanis tribuat laicis de sanguine Christi.
Nam fundi posset leviter, simplexque putaret,
Quod non sub specie sit totus Jesus utraque.
LAY COMMUNION. 285
introduced for weighty and just reasons, and long
observed in the Church, of communicating in one
kind, should be received as a law which no one,
without the authority of the Church, might reject
or alter.* In this instance, we cannot too loudly
applaud the wise economy of the Church, which has
more than once opposed error in faith and such
was that of the Hussites by an article of disci
pline or a ritual observance ; and no doubt, if cir
cumstances required it, she would not only change
this discipline again; but do as Pope Gelasiusf did,
and insist upon communion being received by
all the faithful not under one, but both kinds, if
there were any of her members, who, like the Ma-
nichaeans, at the time that pontiff occupied the see
of St. Peter, abstained from the cup through su
perstition. J
* Condi. Constantiense, Apud Labbeum, torn. xii. p. 100.
f Apud Gratianum. Deconsec. diss. 2.
J Pope St. Leo the Great, in one of his sermons, after
animadverting on the extravagant opinions concerning
the creation of some kinds of matter hy the evil spirit,
advocated amongst the Manichaeans, testifies that one of
the many superstitious practices dictated to those heretics
by such an error, was an abstinence from the Eucharistic
cup ; Cumque ad tegendam infidelitatem suam nostris
andean t interesse mysteriis, ita in sacramentorum com-
munione se temperant, ut interdum tutius lateant : ore
indigno corpus Christ! accipiunt, sanguinem autcm re-
demptionis nostrae haurire omnino declinant. S.Leo
Magnus, Serm. 4. De Quadrag.
286 LAY COMMUNION.
XIII. AGREEABLE TO SCRIPTURE.
That communion under one kind, that of bread,
is authorized by the words of Christ himself, may
be easily demonstrated. In the sixth chapter of
St. John, where the mystery of the holy Eucharist
is promised, not only is there made a separate
mention of eating ; but precisely the same pro
mises of future life which are announced to those
who both eat and drink ; are also given to such
as eat only ; If any man/ says our divine Re
deemer, eat of this bread, he shall live for ever :
and the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the
life of the world.* He that eateth me, the same
also shall live by me.f He that eateth this bread
shall live for ever. J
St. Paul, in speaking of the Eucharist, represents
it under one kind only, for he says ; Whosoever
shall eat this bread or drink the chalice of the
Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
of the blood of the Lord.
XIV. OBJECTION FROM SCRIPTURE ANSWERED.
It is in vain to pretend that Christ ordained
communion under both kinds, when he said ;
* St. John, C. vi. V. 52. f Ibid. V. 58. % V. 59
1 Cor. C. xi. V, 27. The Protestant version of this
passage is corrupted by putting- and drink instead of or
drink . Such a translation is warranted neither by the
Latin Vulgate ; vel Inherit, nor by the Greek # rj } that
is; or drink.
LAY COMMUNION. 287
Drink ye all of this * for who were the ( all ac
tually present when Christ pronounced these words,
and who all drank of the chalice ?f Not an in
discriminate crowd of the faithful ; not the seven
ty-two disciples with his blessed mother, but the
apostles only those chosen few to whom only,
Jesus, in the same place, and on the same occasion,
delivered this mandate ; Do this for a commem
oration of me. He who contends that by these
words ; ( drink ye all of this communion under
both kinds was enjoined by our Redeemer upon
all, must, by a similar process of argument, like
wise necessarily admit ; first, that the sacrament
may be given to Turks, and Jews, and Pagans, for
they constitute an integral part of all men ; se
condly, that all persons, not only men, but women,
even children are, like the apostles, to become
priests, and are commanded to consecrate the bread
and wine. By parity of reasoning, this would
become indisputable ; for the same individuals to
whom it was said ; ( Drink ye all of this were
also commanded thus ; f Do this for a commemo
ration of me. It is however allowed, on every
side, that the consecration of the sacramental spe
cies was intended by our Saviour to be performed
by those only who should succeed to the powers
and the functions of the apostles, because, to these,
and through them, to their ministerial successors,
* Xt. Matt. C. xxvi. F. 27. f St. Mark, C. xiv. V. 23.
288 LAY COMMUNION.
such a commission was exclusively directed. Pre
cisely in the same manner, it must be acknow
ledged that the injunction of drinking of the cup,
was delivered as a precept, not to the faithful in
general, but exclusively to the apostles, and their
lawful successors, to be observed by them when
ever they should offer up the sacrifice of the Mass,
and thus fulfil the commands of Christ, who said
Do this for a commemoration of me.
The Eucharist is both a sacrifice and a sacra
ment. In the sacrifice, it is, by divine institution,
necessary for the sacrificing priest to consecrate
and drink of the chalice in order to complete the
sacrifice the mystic oblation of Christ s body, and
the shedding of his blood upon the Cross. In the
sacrament, this is not required of the communicant.
There, it is sufficient for him, in order to parti
cipate in its substance and its grace, to receive, in
a worthy manner, the body and blood of Christ
hidden under the appearance of only one outward
sign. This sign exists in the appearance of bread.
But as Christ is now immortal and impassible, his
blood cannot be separated from his body, nor his
body from his blood ; he, therefore, who receives
his body, must necessarily receive his blood, and
vice versa. It should riot be forgotten, moreover,
that at the last supper, Christ took bread, and
blessed it, and broke it, and distributed to each
apostle a distinct and separate portion ; he did not
present them with one whole sacramental bread to
LAY COMMUNION. 289
be divided amongst them all. Not so with the
cup ; he blessed and gave but one, and the same
chalice for them all to drink from. His command
that all should drink of it, was naturally suggested
by this very circumstance : he said to them, there
fore, drink ye all of this/ that he might admonish
those who were the first to partake of the conse
crated cup, that there were others to participate
of it also ; and hence, it was to be shared amongst
them all in such a manner, that each one might be
able to receive a portion. For as he then imparted
the power, nay issued his commands to them all,
to do for a commemoration of him what he had
just done converted bread and wine into his real
body and his real blood, and mystically immolated
in sacrifice that very body which was given for us,*
and that very blood which was shed for us ;f he
wished them to receive under both kinds, then, that
afterwards, when reiterating that same sacrifice in
the Mass, they might comprehend the import of
those words ; f Do this for a commemoration of
me/ Hence must it be acknowledged, to borrow
the words of the council of Trent, J that ( the whole
and entire Christ, and the true sacrament are taken
under either kind ; and therefore, as to the fruit,
that they who thus receive, are deprived of no ne
cessary grace/
St. Luke, C. xxii. V. 19. f Ibid, V. 20. J Sess. xxi. C. 3.
u
290 LAY COMMUNION.
XV. UNLEAVENED BREAD USED AT THE LAST SUPPER.
Whether the bread employed at the sacrifice of
the Mass, be leavened or unleavened, is a circum
stance of pure discipline which does not touch the
essence of the Eucharist, That our divine Re
deemer, however, used unleavened bread at its in
stitution, is a fact concerning which no doubt can
be for a moment entertained ; for the Evangelists
particularly notice that Christ instituted the blessed
sacrament on the first day of the Azymes, or of the
unleavened bread,* and after he had, with his
apostles, partaken of the Paschal lamb ;f at which
sacrifice, it was unlawful to make use of any other
than unleavened bread.
XVI. UNLEAVENED BREAD USED BY THE LATIN CHURCH,
BY THE MARONITES, AND ARMENIANS.
Throughout the Latin Church, unleavened bread
is used at Mass, as more in conformity with the
example furnished by our Redeemer. It is made
thin and circular, and bears upon it either the fi
gure of Christ, or those initials I. H. S. The Ma-
ronites, and Armenians also always observe the
same practice ; the Ethiopian Christians consider
it proper to employ unleavened bread at their
Mass on Maunday Thursday. The Greek and
other oriental Churches, orthodox and schisma-
* St. Matt. C.xxvi.F.17. St.Mark,C.*iv. F.ll. St. Luke,
C. xxii. F. 7. f Ibid, C. xxii. F. 2.
LAY COMMUNION. 291
tical, use unleavened bread, which however is not
common household bread, but made with much
more scrupulous attention, and stamped with a mul
titude of crosses, and an inscription.
XVII. THE SACRAMENT HINTED AT IN THE APOCALYPSE.
The sacrament of the blessed Eucharist under
the appearance of bread, is beautifully alluded to
by St. John in the second chapter and seventeenth
verse of his Apocalypse, where it is said ; ( To
him that overcometh I will give the hidden manna,
and I will give him a white counter,* and in the
counter, a new name written, which no man know-
eth but he that receiveth it/
It is necessary to premise, that amongst the an
cient Greeks it was a custom to vote, on public
* The Protestant version renders the Greek i/^oc by the
term stone : the Catholic by the word ( counter. The
latter translation is to be preferred as more conformable
to the manners of the period in which St. John wrote, and
consequently better calculated to express his meaning.
As little pebble stones were originally used in Greece to
announce a public sentence, afterwards it happened that
whatever might be casually substituted in their place,
although of wood or ivory, as well as the vote or sentence
itself, was indiscriminately denominated by the term ^0oc
a pebble. Hence this word is employed in the Acts of
the Apostles, (c. xxvi. v. 10 ) to signify a judicial sentence,
and is translated in the Protestant version by the word
voice and not i stone.
u2
292 LAY COMMUNION.
occasions, with white and black pebbles* gathered
on the sea shore, or the banks of a river. In pro
cess of time,, these little stones were exchanged
for small circular pieces of wood or ivory, fashioned
like our modern counters. At the election of the
magistracy, each citizen inscribed the name of his
favourite candidate, upon the pebble or the coun
ter supplied for such a purpose ; and thus gave
his suffrage in his support. While the application
of such a usage to the Eucharist is so happy, it
cannot be satisfactorily explained, excepting by a
belief in the real presence, and a reference to the
Catholic form of celebrating that tremendous mys
tery.
According to the doctrine of the Church, it is
here the victor over sin, is given to feed upon the
body and blood of Jesus Christ, the real manna,
hidden, it is true, but for that very reason truly
present under the appearances of bread and wine.
The sacramental host resembles, in colour and in
form, the white counter of the ancients; and bears
upon it, the impress and the initial letters of the
sacred name which no man rightly estimates, or
can accurately know except the true believer. If,
in the sacrament, there were nothing but a common
piece of bread, not transubstantiated into the
body of our Lord, but quite unchanged, dead,
* Mos erat antiquus, niveis atrisque lapillis
His damnare reos, illis absolvere culpa. Ovid, Met. L. xv. V. 42.
LAY COMMUNION. 293
inanimate bread, not that living bread which came
from heaven, how could the Christian s manna
the flesh and blood of Jesus, be hidden under it ?
How could a new name be written on such bread
when it still continued to remain what it was be
fore; or what name would it be ?
The Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist, can
alone give sense and meaning to this passage,
which, at the same time that it derives its true
interpretation from such a tenet, reciprocally ren
ders an important suffrage in favour of this mys
terious article of faith.
XVIII. CIRCULAR FORM OF THE HOST VERY ANCIENT.
The custom of forming the Eucharistic host flat
and circular, may be traced back to the remotest
periods of Christian antiquity. The holy pontiff
St. Zephyrinus, who flourished in the third cen
tury, denominates the sacramental bread, a crown
or oblation of a spherical figure ; Corona sive
oblata sphaericse figurse. *
Honorius of Autun in France,f about the year
1130, and Durandus,J towards 1286, both assign
to this orbicular form of the host a mystic signifi
cation.
* Vide Benedictum xiv. De sacrlfido M tssae, Lib. i,
Ch. vi. Sect. 4.
t Gemma Animae, Ch. xli. num. 8.
t In Rational?, Lib. 4, Ch. xxx. num. 8.
294 LAY COMMUNION.
The Greeks prepare their hosts, occasionally
square as well as circular,* for which the following
mystic reason is furnished. The circle is allusive
to the divinity, which the bread and wine receive,
when they are transubstantiated : the square ex
presses, that, by the sacrifice of Christ upon the
Cross, salvation is imparted to the four quarters of
the earth, to east and west, and north and south.
Whether the host be round or square, the allusion
to it in the book of Apocalypse, under the desig
nation of a counter, is equally appropriate.
* Gabriel Philadelphicmis in Apol. pro Ecc. Orien.
1 1
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
ON THE TERM MASS.
1. Meaning of the word Mass. 2. Origin of it. 3. The antiquity
of its use.
297
PART THE SECOND.
CHAPTER III.
ON THE TERM MASS.
THE unbloody sacrifice of the new law, pre
dicted with so much emphasis by Malachias, when
the Prophet says; From the rising of the sun
even to the going down, my name is great among
the Gentiles ; and in every place there is a sacrifice,
and there is offered to my name a clean offering/*
has been designated by a variety of expressions,
at the several periods of the Christian era. It has
however been for more than fourteen hundred
years denominated almost exclusively by the word
Mass,f throughout the Latin Church; and for the
same period, has gone under the appropriate term
of Liturgy amongst the Greeks.
* Malach. C.i. V. U.
f In the first edition of the Protestants prayer book,
called the book of Common Prayer, the communion ser
vice is entitled The supper of the Lord, and holy com
munion, commonly called the Mass.
298 ON THE TERM MASS.
I. MEANING OF THE WORD MASS.
The Latin word Missa, is a contraction of Mis-
sio, which signifies a dismissal or permission to
depart as soon as the sacrifice is completed. Such
abbreviations are not unusual with profane* as well
as ecclesiastical writers.
II. ORIGIN OF IT.
The origin of denominating the holy Eucharistic
sacrifice, by the term Mass or dismissal, arose from
a ceremony, which in the earliest ages of the
Church, was observed on two several occasions, and
still continues to be practised once, during its ce
lebration.
Immediately after the reading of the Gospel,
and the delivery of the sermon by the Bishop, the
Deacon turned about to the assembly, and in an
elevated tone of voice, admonished the different
persons who composed it, that the initiated only
might remain, and consequently the unbaptized,
and unbeliever, were required to depart.
* The classic reader will have noticed examples of this
in the writings of Cicero, Virgilius, Ovidius, and Sueto
nius. In the works of the Fathers may be discovered si
milar expressions. Tertullian and St. Cyprian use c re-
missa for remissio. The first observes: Diximus de
remissa peccatoruin. TcrtuL lib. 4. Adver. Marcionem.
The Bishop of Carthage says : Dominus baptizatur a
ON THE TERM MASS. 299
The formula common to the Greek as well as to
the Latin Church, employed on this occasion, was
to the following effect ; The Catechumens are dis
missed ; the faithful shall remain. * Hence it was,
that the portion of the Liturgy or common service
which preceded the Creed and Offertory, was de
nominated the Mass of the Catechumens/f since
those, who were distinguished by such an appel
lation, were dismissed from the Church, J and not
servo et remissam peccatorum daturus ipse non dedigna-
tur lavacro regenerationis corpus abluere. S. Cyp. de
bono PatientidB. In both these passages remissa is used
instead of remissio, like Missa for Missio.
* This we gather from Isidorus, who wrote in the year
595 : Missa says that writer : Missa dicta est ab emit-
tendo. Nam tempore quo sacerdos incipit consecrare Cor
pus Dominicum, dicendum est a Diacono post Evange-
lium Si quis Catechumenus est procedat foras; et quia
tune emittuntur catechumeni ab Ecclesia, ideo dicitur
Missa ab emittendo. 1 Etymolog. L. vi. C. 19.
t The Catechumens were such as had abandoned the
synagogue, or passed over from Gentilism to become
Christians; and, as their name implies, were under a
course of catechetical instructions previously to their
being admitted to the sacrament of Baptism.
% They were dismissed with the following formulas by
the Deacon in the Latin Church : Catechumeni rece-
dant : si quis Catechumenus est, recedat ; omnes Catechu
meni recedant foras. The style of the Greek Church was
similar. The Deacon first of all intimated to all heathens
300 ON THE TERM MASS.
permitted to assist at the sacrifice which was then
beginning.*
As soon as the Eucharistic sacrifice was termi
nated, the Deacon proclaimed to the congregated
faithful that they might withdraw. This he an
nounced by a form of speech which to the present
day remains in use. Ite Missa est: Go, leave is
given to depart/f hence arose, in the earliest
ages amongst our venerable predecessors in the
faith, a custom of denominating the second part of
the sacred Liturgy, the Mass of the Faithful/
From this we gather, that the whole of the Li
turgy or public service, was by the ancients, com
prehended, under two general divisions, to each
of which they assigned a distinctive appellation.
The first, was termed the Mass of the Catechu
mens Missa Catechumenorum ; the second the
Mass of the Faithful Missa Fidelium. In order
and heretics to withdraw: Mrj rig -r&v bxpoplrw \ri\ ns rwv
airiaruv. (Constit. lib. viii. C. 5.) Then were recited the
prayers over the Catechumens and public penitents. Af
terwards the Deacon proclaimed to all who were not
communicants to retire : oi aKowwvriToi Trepurarrio-aTe. Constit.
lib. viii. C. 12.
* Here commenced the more solemn part of the service
in which were included the prayers of the faithful.
Ei/xcu TTiffrtiv, as they are called by the council of Laodicea.
(Can. xix.)
f The Ite Missa est, of the Latin Church, corresponds
with the airoXvtffdt and TrpotXOtTe in the Greek Liturgy.
ON THE TERM MASS. 301
to express these two portions of the Liturgy in
the language of the present time, we should de
nominate the one, Ante-communion service, the
latter, the communion service. When the disci
pline of the secret fell into disuse and public
penance was abolished, an exclusion from the sa
cred mysteries, and consequently the distinction
between the Mass of the Catechumens and the
Mass of the Faithful, ceased to be observed ; and
the entire form of prayer, from the beginning to
the end, employed in offering up the Eucharistic
sacrifice, was denominated by the exclusive term,
Mass, as at present.
That the whole of the Liturgy should have re
ceived its name from an incidental ceremony, will
cease to awaken our surprise, when we remember
that reasons, almost similar, have determined those
appellations which usage has affixed to certain
other functions of the Church. The service chanted
at the solemn obsequies for the repose of a departed
soul, is called a Dirge from the antiphon of the first
nocturn at Matins, which begins with the word
Dirige. The Thursday in Holy week, which is
more generally known by the appellation of Maun-
day Thursday, received its name from a corre
sponding circumstance, as the ceremony of the
washing of feet commences with the chant of the
anthem : Mandatum, &c.
302 ON THE TERM MASS.
III. THE ANTIQUITY OF ITS USE.
Of the antiquity of the word Mass, it may be ob
served, in respect to England, that the employment
of this appellation is coeval with the re-introduction
and establishment of the Christian faith in Britain
during the sixth century, through the zeal of the
Roman pontiff, St. Gregory the Great, and the la
bours and the preaching of the monk St. Augustin
and his Roman brethren. This is attested by al
most every document belonging to the earliest
periods of our ecclesiastical or civil history, as
well as by the canons extant of those national and
provincial Councils which have been celebrated
amongst us. In reference to Rome, to whom we
are indebted for our earliest knowledge of the
faith of Christ ; in reference to Italy, and to the
Western Church in general, we have authorities
that certify the employment of the word Mass, to
designate the public Liturgy, as far back as the
second age. Pius, the first of that name who filled
the chair of St. Peter, addressed a letter, about the
year 166 to the Bishop of Vienne, in Gaul. The
Roman pontiff commences his epistle by observ
ing to the Gallican prelate : As you well remem
ber, our sister Euprepia conveyed over to the poor
her house in which we are now residing, and where
we celebrate Mass. * In the year 254, Pope Cor-
* Soror nostra Euprepia, si cut bene recordaris, titulum
domus suse pauperibus assignavit ubi nunc cornmorantes
ON THE TERM MASS. 303
nelius also addressed a letter to Lupicinus, another
bishop of the same city, and informs him such was
the fury of the persecution then kindled against
the Christians at Rome, that they durst not ven
ture to offer up Mass, even in the catacombs
which were any-wise noted.*
In the acts of St. Stephen it is mentioned, that
this holy Pope and martyr went about celebrating
Mass in the catacombs of Rome.f
Writing in the year 374 to his sister Marcellina,
and detailing some disturbances which took place
at Milan, when an attempt was made to seize upon
a Church, St. Ambrose says : The next day,
which was Sunday, whilst I was expounding the
Creed, information was brought me, that officers
Missas agimus. Eplst. Pit ad Justum Episc. Vien. Apud
Labbetim, Condi. Gen. torn. i. p. 576.
* The pontiff thus begins his letter : Scias, frater ca-
rissime, arcam dominicam vento persecutionis acerrime
commoveri unde publice neque in cryptis notioribus
Missas agere Christianis licet. Epist. Cornelii ad Luper.
Apud Labbeum. Condi. Gen. p. 681.
f During the persecution lighted up by Valerian in the
year 257, St. Stephen was beheaded in the catacombs by
a band of soldiers sent to apprehend him. This pontiff
was discovered in the act of offering up the Eucharistic
sacrifice, which was scarcely concluded when he was
thrust into his pontifical chair, and his head severed from
his body. This chair is still preserved at Pisa.
304 ON THE TERM MASS.
had been deputed to seize the Portian Church ; I
continued to perform my duty, and began Mass. *
In the year 390 was celebrated the second
Council of Carthage which had been assembled by
Genethlius, and was composed of all the prelates
of the Church through Africa. In the third
amongst those thirteen canons enacted by that
synod, we find it was prohibited for ecclesiastics,
who were simply priests, to receive again to the
communion of the Church, and to reconcile any
one at public Mass.^
* Ego mansi in munere, Missam facere coepi. S.Ambr.
Epist. 13. In one of his discourses, the same illustrious
bishop thus admonishes his people : Moneo vos, ut qui
juxta ecclesiam est, et sine gravi impedimento potest, quo-
tidie audiat Missam. S. Ambr. Serm. 34.
f Reconciliare quemquam in publica Missa, presbytero
non licere, hoc omnibus placet. Labbeus, Condi. Gen.
tom.ii. p. 1160.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
1. An unknown tongue used in the Jewish temple. 2. Not
Warned by Christ, who prayed in an unknown tongue. 3. Rea
sons why the Catholic Church uses Latin at Mass. 4. The peo
ple not necessarily obliged to understand the language of the
Mass. 5. Latin at Mass no-wise prejudicial to the people. 6.
Greeks, Syrians, Copts, and Armenians, use an unknown tongue
at Mass. 7. Objection answered. 8. Stricture on the Protes
tant version of the words of St. Paul.
307
PART THE SECOND.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
THOUGH the Church has never pretended that it
was necessary to write and celebrate the Liturgy
in a language not understood by the people, she
has never considered it as imperatively requisite
that her service should be performed in the vulgar
tongue ; and that the language which she speaks
in her public service, should follow the changes
and variations incidental to the vernacular idioms
of those several nations which compose her house
hold. This Babel-like commixture, variety, and
dissonance, would have been productive of much
confusion, and serious inconvenience.
I. AN UNKNOWN TONGUE USED IN THE JEWISH
TEMPLE.
In this respect the spouse of Christ has imitated
the example furnished to her by the ancient syn
agogue. From the commencement of the Jewish
dispensation, up to the conquest of Jerusalem by
x 2
308 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
Nebuchadonosor,* genuine Hebrew, the language
in which the Pentateuch,, and most of the old
Scriptures are written, was the only tongue fami
liar to the Israelites. The sacred volume was re
cited, and the service of the Temple was performed
in the language common to the nation. But dur
ing their seventy years captivity, the Jews forgot
their ancient Hebrew, and adopted the Syriac, or
Chaldaic, as their ordinary language. On their re
turn, however, to Jerusalem, no change was made
in the language of the sanctuary. The law, and
the Prophets, were still read in pure Hebrew to
the people assembled in the synagogues ; and the
public service of the Temple was celebrated be
fore them in the same language, although they did
not understand it.
A practice so religiously observed after the Ba
bylonish captivity, is continued with the same
scrupulous exactitude to the present day amongst
the Jews, who have their ritual performed, and re
cite their prayers in ancient Hebrew, in whatever
country they happen to reside.
II. NOT BLAMED BY CHRIST, WHO PRAYED IN AN
UNKNOWN TONGUE.
Had there been any blame attached to the cus
tom of praying in a strange or unknown tongue,
Christ would, undoubtedly, have enumerated this
* 4 Kings, C. xxv. Protestant Version, 2 Kings, fyc.
USE OF LATIN AT MASS. 309
amongst the other accusations which he so unhe
sitatingly advanced against the Scribes and Phari
sees. Not only, however, did he tacitly approve
of such a practice, as he did not pass a stricture
on it ; but he exhibited his public approbation of
its use, by frequenting the Temple on occasions
when it was observed ; and more than this, the
very moment he was offering up himself a bloody
sacrifice upon the Cross, he prayed, and prayed
aloud, in the hearing of the multitude around him,
in a language which they did not understand : Eli,
Eli, lama sabacthani, he ejaculated, as he yielded
up the spirit ; and the people, mistaking the pure
Hebrew word Eli for the name of one of the pro
phets, said : This man calleth Elias. *
III. REASONS WHY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH USES LATIN
AT MASS, ETC.
The Catholic Church has been induced by seve
ral persuasive reasons to celebrate the holy sacri
fice of the Mass in the Latin language throughout
almost all the nations of Europe.
1st. Latin was the ancient language employed by
St. Peter when he first said Mass at Rome ; and
such was the language, in which that prince of
the Apostles drew up the Liturgy, which, along
* St. Matt. C. xxvii. V. 46, 47. Eli, in hebrew >b is,
a compound of bs, God, and the suffix of the first person
^, of me.
310 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
with the knowledge of the gospel, he, or his suc
cessors the Popes, imparted to the different people
of Italy, of France, and Belgium, of Spain, of Por
tugal, of England, Ireland and Scotland, of Ger
many, of Hungary and of Poland.*
2nd. From the time of the Apostles, Latin has
been invariably employed at the altar through the
western parts of Christendom, though their inha
bitants very frequently did not understand that
language. Hence the Catholic Church, through
an aversion to innovations, carefully continues to
celebrate her Liturgy in that same tongue which
apostolic men, and saints have used, for a similar
purpose, during more than eighteen centuries.f
* Le Brun. Tome Troisieme, p. 137, 138.
t The inhabitants of the British isles and of all the
northern parts of Europe, knew nothing of the Latin lan
guage, when they were converted to the Christian faith.
This, however, did not prevent their religious instructors
from always celebrating the Mass and administering the
sacraments in Latin, though the people could not under
stand it. In reference to this subject Dr. Lingard makes
the following remarks in his valuable work, The Anti
quities of the Anglo-Saxon Church. * Both the Mass and
the canonical service were performed in Latin. For the
instruction of the people, the Epistle and Gospel were read,
and the sermon was delivered in their native tongue : but
God was always addressed by the ministers of religion in
the language of Rome. The missioners, who, from what
ever country they came, had been accustomed to this rite
USE OF LATIN AT MASS. 311
3rd. A uniformity in public worship is thus more
securely preserved, since a Christian, in whatever
country he may chance to be, will encounter no
inconvenience with regard to his attendance at
church ; for he still beholds the service performed,
in every place, according to the self same rite,
and in precisely the same language, to which he
has been accustomed at home, from his early
childhood.
Supposing it were the practice of the Church to
celebrate her Liturgy in each of the several lan
guages common to those respective nations that
dwell within her widely extended pale, instead of
possessing, as at present, the advantages of under
standing the offices of religion, when a thousand
miles from home, the Englishman for example,
would find himself a stranger at their celebration
in more than one spot within the narrow circuit
of the British islands ; and would perceive it to be
as easy to comprehend the service on the sabbath-
day when performed in Irish in Ireland, in Welsh
from their infancy, would have deemed it a degradation
of the sacrifice, to subject it to the caprice and variations
of a barbarous idiom ; and their disciples, who felt not
the thirst of innovation, were proud to tread in the foot
steps of their teachers. 7 p. 199. The practice of the Ca
tholics of England at the present day, perfectly coincides
with that followed, a thousand years ago, by their Anglo-
Saxon ancestors.
312 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
in Wales, in the Manx language in the Isle of
Man, in the Gaelic, or in the Low-land tongue in
Scotland, as if recited in Persian, or in any of the
oriental dialects.
Although the same order and distribution in the
prayers of the Liturgy, and the same ceremonies
in celebrating it, might indeed supply an index to
guide the foreigner in accompanying the priest
who was saying Mass in the idiom of the country;
still, however, this advantage would be compa
ratively little. It would be more than neutralized
by the distractions to which this foreigner s devo
tion would be almost necessarily exposed. For not
only his attention must be interrupted, but his re
ligious gravity might stand in danger of being dis
composed, by the novel, and, to a stranger, some
times ludicrous sounds of those uncouth dialects
which are peculiar to certain portions not only of
Great Britain, but of every other empire. The
same difficulty does not apply to the use of Latin.
A Catholic of the western Church, whether he be
a Mosquito Indian, or a Chinese, an Italian, or an
Icelander, never hears any other language but
Latin spoken in the sanctuary. He grows up ac
customed to it. To him it has nothing strange or
curious; on the contrary, his ear becomes fami
liarized with it, and he listens to its accents with
religious veneration.
4th. To avoid those changes, to which all living
languages, as we find by experience in our own,
USE OF LATIN AT MASS. 313
are perpetually exposed,* the Church has pru
dently determined to retain the Latin as the lan
guage of the altar: for she perceives the danger
and inconvenience of altering the expressions of
her Liturgy at every change and variation in lan
guage.
IV. THE PEOPLE NOT NECESSARILY OBLIGED TO UNDER
STAND THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
The same reasons which prevented the Jewish
priesthood from allowing any alteration in the lan
guage of their service, have, at all times, persuaded
the whole Catholic Church, whether distinguished
under the appellations of Latin, Greek, or Arme
nian, not to permit the slightest change or varia
tion in the idioms in which her respective Litur
gies were originally composed. During the Mosaic
Law, the public service of the Temple was sacri
fice. In the Gospel dispensation, the Mass, or
public service of the Church, is also sacrifice. But
in the performance of this sacred function, no
* This remark has been corroborated by a passage in a
sermon, preached in St. Luke s Church, Liverpool, on
Sunday, June 5th, 1831 ; by the Rev. James Aspinall, A.M.
in which that gentleman, speaking on the services of
the Church of England, observes: The omission of some
obsolete words and phrases, of which time has changed
the meaning, or to which it has given a stronger meaning
than they bore when adopted; is a point in which criti
cism demands improvement. p. 5.
314 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
office is assigned to the people. The sacrifice is
offered up by the priest in their name and on their
behalf. The whole action is between God and the
priest. So far is it from being necessary that the
people should understand the language of the sa
crifice, that they are not allowed even to hear the
most important and solemn part of it ; and in the
Eastern Churches, they are not permitted so much
as to see either priest or altar.* They attend in
deed, and pray, as the crowd did while Zachary
was within the Temple : but they do not act ; they
do not say the prayers of the priest ; they have
nothing to do with the actual performance of the
holy sacrifice.
V. LATIN AT MASS NO-WISE PREJUDICIAL TO THE
PEOPLE.
It cannot be prejudicial to the poor Catholic who
is ignorant of Latin, that the Mass is celebrated
in that tongue. Because, in the first place, the
pastors of the Church are very careful to comply
with the injunctions of the council of Trentyf and
* The Greek and Oriental Liturgies direct the sanc
tuary to be separated from the body of the Church by a
partition- wall in which there are three doors. As soon as
the more solemn portion of the Mass, the Canon, com
mences, veils are drawn over these doors, so that the priest
and his assistants remain unseen.
t Condi. Trident. Sess. xxii. Ch. 8.
USE OF LATIN AT MASS. 315
to instruct their flocks in the nature of that great
sacrifice, and to explain to them in what manner
they should accompany the officiating priest with
prayers and devotions best adapted to every por
tion of the Mass. In the second place, the faithful
in the old Law could derive much edification,, and
exhibited a great deal of real piety, when assisting
at the service of the temple, though they could
neither understand the words, nor oftentimes so
much as observe the actions of the officiating mi
nister. No one but the high-priest, and he, but
once a year, might enter into the sanctuary, which
was within the veil before the Propitiatory ; and
it was particularly enjoined that no man should
be in the Tabernacle at the time, as may be learned
from the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus. In the
first chapter of St. Luke, we read, that e all the
multitude of the people was praying without at
the hour of incense, while, according to the cus
tom of the priestly office, it was Zachary s lot to
offer incense going into the Temple. In a similar
way a devout Christian may assist, with much profit
and fervent devotion, at the celebration of the great
Eucharistic sacrifice of the new Law the Mass
though he may not understand the language of
the prayers which the priest is reciting. Imagine,
reader, you, or any other faithful believer in Jesus,
had been present on Mount Calvary at the time
our divine Redeemer was immolating himself upon
the Cross, a sacrifice for the sins of the whole
316 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
world ; supposing that you had the same lively
faith in Christ which animates you now ; would
not the view of all that painful scene have been
sufficient to awaken in your soul the most lively
sensations of the love of God, and have made you
utter thanksgivings for such tenderness of mercy,
at the same time that you avowed a detestation of
your former sinfulness, though indeed you were
not able to catch one word from the lips of Christ,
your High Priest, or if you did hear his prayer on
the Cross, like the surrounding Jews, could not
understand its language ?* Just so in the Mass,
which is the selfsame sacrifice as that which Christ
presented to his Father on the Cross ; because both
the Priest and the Victim are the same. It is
abundantly sufficient to kindle the devotion of the
people, that they be well instructed in what is
going forward ; and that they excite in their souls
appropriate acts of adoration, thanksgiving, and
repentance, though they may not understand the
prayers which the priest is uttering.
VI. GREEKS, SYRIANS, COPTS, AND ARMENIANS, USE AN
UNKNOWN TONGUE AT MASS.
From the days of the Apostles, the liturgy of the
Mass has been celebrated in Greek, and in Latin,
in Syriac, and in Coptic. Since the fourth cen
tury it has also been solemnized in Ethiopic and
Armenian.
* St. Matt. C. xxvii. V. 47, 49.
USE OF LATIN AT MASS. 317
The language of those liturgies was never chang
ed, although the people for whom they were ori
ginally drawn up, and amongst whom they still
continue to be celebrated, have entirely transformed
their ancient language, and are perfectly incapable
of understanding it, at the present time, in its ori
ginal form.
Hence, it follows, as a consequence, that the Latin
Church acts only in the spirit of all the ancient
Churches from the days of the Apostles ; since,
like them, she refuses to exchange her ancient for
a modern language.
VII. OBJECTION ANSWERED.
Against the practice of saying Mass in Latin, not
unfrequently is noticed the fourteenth chapter of
the first Epistle to the Corinthians, in which St. Paul
condemns the use of some unknown tongues, in the
assemblies of the Church. But on this subject it may
be observed, in the first place, St. Paul does not
utter one single word, from the commencement to
the conclusion of this letter, concerning the liturgy
of the Church. In the second place, the purport
of the apostle in this portion of his writings, is
only to reprehend the abuse of the gift of tongues,
a fault committed by some amongst the Corinthi
ans, who, out of idle ostentation, affected to deliver
exhortations, and to pour forth extemporary pray
ers, at their assemblies, in a language entirely un
known, which, for want of an interpreter, could
318 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
furnish no edification to the, rest of the faithful.
Such, however, is far from being the practice of the
Catholic Church, where all exhortations, sermons,
and similar instructions are delivered to the people
in a language which they understand ; where no
unknown, extemporary, or modern prayers are
recited ; but an ancient public liturgy is performed,
which, by daily use, has not only become familiar,
but is well known, at least as to the substance, to
all the faithful ; where in fine there is no want of
interpreters, since the people have the Church ser
vice translated for them in her ordinary prayer-
books, like the one which you are now perusing ;
and the pastors are commanded to explain to them
the mysteries, and doctrines comprehended in the
Mass.* In the third place, St. Paul, far from re
prehending the use of an unknown tongue, when
employed with devotion and humility, approved of
it in the clearest manner, nay, absolutely requires
that no one should prohibit such a custom : for
the Apostle, in the thirty-ninth verse of that same
chapter commands ; To speak with tongues for
bid ye not/
VIII. STRICTURE ON THE PROTESTANT VERSION OF THE
WORDS OF ST. PAUL.
Before dismissing this subject, it may be proper
to remark the disingenuous conduct resorted to by
* Condi. Trident, Sess. xxii. Ch. 8.
USE OF LATIN AT MASS. 319
the authors of the authorized English version of
the scriptures, in their translation of the fourteenth
chapter of St. Paul s first Epistle to the Corinthians.
It should be sedulously kept in view, that a refer
ence is made in this chapter to certain languages
unknown to the people, which St. Paul condemns
some amongst the Corinthians for employing at
their public assemblies ; and to other languages
equally unknown, but the use of which is entirely
approved of by the Apostle. The Protestant trans
lators have superadded to the original Greek text,
the word unknown/ in verses 2, 4, 13, 14, 19 and
27 ; but in verses 18 and 39, where the use of a
language, though it be unknown to the people, is
approved of, notwithstanding precisely the same
phrase occurs in the Greek original, they have not
inserted the word unknown/ as in the other verses.
It would appear from history that the English
Protestant Church is not entirely hostile to the
celebration of her liturgy, when convenience or
caprice may suggest it, in a language unknown to
the people : for Dr. Heylin informs us that in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, the Irish Parliament
passed an act for the uniformity of the common
prayer, with permission of saying the same in Latin,
where the minister had not the knowledge of the
English tongue. But for translating it into Irish
there was no care taken. The people are required
by that statute, under several penalties, to frequent
their churches and to be present at the reading of
320 USE OF LATIN AT MASS.
the English liturgy, which they understood no
more than they do the Mass : by which means we
have furnished the papists with an excellent argu
ment against ourselves, for having the divine ser
vice celebrated in such a language, as the people
do not understand. *
The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, to
gether with the colleges of Eton and Winchester,
obtained permission from the head of their church,
to celebrate the divine service in the Latin lan-
guage. f
In the Sun newspaper appeared the following
paragraph : The clergy as usual, on the opening
of a session, assembled yesterday morning in con
vocation at the Chapter-house in St. Paul s church
yard, whence they went in procession to the Ca
thedral. The archbishop of Canterbury took his
seat in the dean s stall, the bishop of London on
his throne, and the bishops of Salisbury and Ban-
gor, in the prebendal stalls to the right of his Grace.
The latter, then, as junior bishop, read the Latin
Litany. A Latin sermon was delivered by Dr.
Burton, of Christ s church, Oxford ; at its conclu
sion, Gloria in Excelsis was chaunted by the
choir, after which the archbishop dismissed the
congregation with the usual blessing, also in Latin,
and the procession returned to the Chapter-house/ J
* Dr. Heylins Hist, of the Reformation, p. 128.
f Wilk, Counc. Tom. iv. p. 217. % Sun, Oct. 28, 1830.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
ON THE INVOCATION OF SAINTS AND ANGELS.
1. Immeasurable distance between the worship given to God, and
the reverence shown to the Saints. 2. Religious respect may
be rendered to Saints and Angels. 3. The Angels and Saints
make intercession for men. 4. Inferred from the communion
of Saints in the Apostles creed. 5. From the charity which
animates the Saints. 6. The invocation of Angels proved from
Scripture, from the Psalms, from Genesis, from the Apo
calypse. 7. The invocation of Saints proved from Scripture.
8. Holy men have, even in this life, been invoked by others.
9. Invocation of Saints in the primitive Church proved from an
cient inscriptions. 10. Invocation of Saints in the Anglo-Saxon
Church. 11. Contained in all the Liturgies. 12. Objections
answered. 13. Charity engages the Saints to pray for us.
14. They have the power of doing it. J5. They know what
passes upon earth. 16. Their intercession not derogatory to the
mediatorship of Christ. 17. Manner of addressing God through
the Saints. 18. Similarity of Catholic and Protestant prayers.
19. Inconsistency of an objection.
323
PART THE SECOND.
CHAPTER V.
ON THE INVOCATION OF SAINTS AND ANGELS.
THE Catholic Church teaches that the Saints,
reigning with Christ, offer up their prayers to God
for men ; that it is good and profitable suppliantly
to invoke them; and to have recourse to their
prayers and assistance, in order to obtain favours
from God, through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is our only Redeemer and Saviour ! *
From announcing, in her own language, this
tenet of the Church of Christ concerning the invo-
* Mandat sancta Synodus omnibus Episcopis et cseteris
docendi munus curamque sustinentibus ut....fideles dili-
genter instruant docentes eos, Sanctos una cum Christo
regnantes, orationes suas pro hominibus Deo offeree, bo-
num atque utile esse suppliciter invocare ; et ob beneficia
impetraiida a Deo per Filium ejus Jesum Christum, Do-
minum nostrum, qui solus nosterRedemptor et Salvator est,
ad eorum orationes, opem auxiliumque confugere. Con.
Trid. Sess. xxv. in mitio.
Y 2
324 ON THE INVOCATION
cation of the angels and saints ; we will now proceed
to enumerate some few of the many passages from
Scripture which so forcibly confirm this doctrine ;
and at the same time endeavour to arrange these
proofs in such a way, as to establish the necessity
of its belief, while we overthrow those objections
raised against the divine truth of this dogma, in
the same order which its impugners follow in as
sailing it.
I. IMMEASURABLE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE WORSHIP
GIVEN TO GOD, AND THE REVERENCE SHOWN TO
THE SAINTS.
It has been, unwarrantably, assumed by Protes
tants, that the Catholic, by invoking, must neces
sarily worship the saints and angels as divinities;
and, therefore, as often as he entrusts his prayers
to any one amongst them, transfers to the creature
that divine and superior homage which belongs
to God alone. But this is false ; and as the pre
mises, so the consequences deduced from them are
equally erroneous. The Catholic believes that the
most flagitious of all crimes would be, to exhibit
the slightest particle of that respect and adoration
pertaining to the divine being, towards any crea
ture, however preeminent for sanctity amongst his
fellow men, or highly exalted in heaven amid the
hierarchy of angels, or the choir of blessed Saints.
The Catholic, however, can easily point out a dif
ference between divine worship, and the honour
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 325
he manifests towards the saints. There is a su
preme and sovereign homage, which belongs ex
clusively to God, by reason of his deity and infi
nite perfections. The exhibition of this sovereign
homage constitutes divine worship, which may
not, at any time, or, for any reason, be yielded
to any other being whatsoever. Such supreme
religious homage has in the language of the
Schools, been denominated Latria.* There is an
infinitely inferior honour which may be lawfully
rendered to many of God s creatures. By an ex
press and separate injunction of the Decalogue,
we are directly commanded to honour our father
and our mother ; and, indirectly to show all be
coming honour and deference to our superiors,
both spiritual and civil. We honour all those
whose rank and dignity challenge, or whose virtues
and whose talents induce us to yield them our
spontaneous tribute ; and yet in all these instances,
we neither transfer the honour which belongs to
God to a creature; nor defraud him of any portion
of that reverence and worship which belong to
him by divine right. There is some thing inter
mediate between divine perfection, and human ex
cellence ; for instance, grace and the glory of the
saints. These are supernatural and most trans
cendent gifts ; and the church, to tell her grati-
* From the Greek XaTpeta the worship due to God
only from Xarpevw, to serve, to worship.
326 ON THE INVOCATION
tude towards God for such unmerited benefits,
pays an honour and a reverence infinitely inferior
to divine worship, but more elevated than human
respect, to all those departed servants of Heaven,
who have been distinguished by such favours, and
hallowed with such extraordinary sanctity. In
other words, instead of honouring the creature,
she honours those rays of grace and holiness which
emanate from the throne of the Creator, and are
reflected in his saints those mirrors of virtue
and righteousness. Such a reverence is called
Dulia. *
II. A RELIGIOUS RESPECT MAY BE RENDERED TO SAINTS
AND ANGELS.
That we may manifest our inferior, though re
ligious veneration towards the angels and the
saints, is demonstrated by the most unequivocal
authorities in scripture ; and warranted by the
example of the most faithful and the holiest ser
vants of Heaven. 1st. It was God himself who first
directed man to reverence the Angels, as he thus
addressed the Israelites through Moses : Behold,
I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and
keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee unto the
place I have prepared. Take notice of him and
hear his voice and do not think him one to be con
temned, for he will not forgive when thou hast
* SovXiia, service, an inferior kind of respect or homage.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 327
sinned, and my name is in him/* 2nd. We behold
the patriarchs and the saints of old, bowing down
before the angels and rendering them the most
profound respect. Abraham on receiving the three
angels into his tent, fell prostrate at their feet.f
Lot, on seeing the two angels that came to So
dom, rose up, and went to meet them, and wor
shipped prostrate on the ground. J Josue displayed
an equal reverence towards the angel-spirit whom
he beheld, when f as he was in the field of the city
of Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and saw a man
standing over against him, holding a drawn sword,
and he went to him and said: art thou one of
ours, or of our adversaries? and he answered;
no, but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and
now I am come. Josue fell on his face to the
ground, and worshipping said ; what saith my
Lord to his servant ? Loose, said he, thy shoes from
off thy feet ; for the place whereon thou standest
is holy.
Protestants observe, to escape the pressure of
these passages, that it was God himself, under the
form of an angel, that appeared to these ancient
saints on these several occasions. This is quite a
gratuitous assumption, not warranted by any part
of scripture, and directly contradicted by its in
ternal evidence. God had never taught those ve-
* Exod. C. xxiii. V. 20, 21. t Gen. C. xviii. V. 2.
I Gen. C. xix. V.I. Josue, C. v. V. 13, 14, 15.
328 ON THE INVOCATION
nerable men to anticipate a visit from him in this
manner ; and the angels did not announce it : on
the contrary, God suggested to them quite an op
posite belief; for, first of all, he promises the
Israelites that he will send his angel to precede
them ;* then immediately declares that he himself
will also go before them;f thus tracing out a
marked distinction between his angels and Him
self. The homage, therefore, that they exhibited
to the angels, must have been intended for the an
gels as created beings and messengers of God, and
not immediately for God himself. Again, the angel
who spoke to Josue does not claim any attribute
of the Godhead, but on the contrary, by declaring
himself to be the prince of the host of the Lord,
signifies, that he is not the Lord himself, but the
servant, the mere minister of heaven. Moreover,
in the Hebrew text of the quotations from the
books of Genesis and Josue, whenever the deity
is intended to be spoken of, the uncommunicable
term Jehovah, in English Lord, is employed,
as the appropriate name of God, and expressing a
title of the divinity ; when, however, the angels,
and, consequently, creatures are mentioned, then
the appellation with which Abraham, Lot, and
Josue severally salute these messengers from
heaven, is Adonai, likewise translated Lord ; a
term applied to men, and employed here to indi-
* Exod. C. xxiii. V. 21. f Exod. C. xxxiii. V. 14, &c.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 329
t
cate that dignity, and delegated power with which
creatures are invested.
The servant, who was sent by Abraham to bring
home a wife for his son Isaac, thus prayed as he
halted with his camels in the evening ; O Lord
(Jehovah) the God of my master, or Lord (Adonai)
Abraham, &c. The same servant when he found
Rebecca, is described as having bowed himself
down, and adored the Lord saying ; Blessed be
the Lord (Jehovah) God of my master, or Lord
(Adonai) Abraham. *
The substantive ^st 1 ?^, or messenger, the word,
by which those spirits who visited the patriarchs
and holy men of old, are designated, clearly indi
cates that they were not apparitions of the deity
under human form, since God is not a messenger.
Thus the sacred text expressly notifies that those
angels, that appeared to Abraham and Lot, to
Josue, to Balaam, and to Daniel, were mere crea
tures, who were honoured by men with a religious
veneration, on account of him who sent them ; and
who accepted of such an inferior homage instead
of refusing it, which they would have done, had
it been unlawful. We may, likewise, be certain
that these spirits were real and created beings,
not visible manifestations of the Godhead under
human form; since, on some occasions, two, on
others, three angels appeared at the same time.
* Gen. C. xxiv. V. 26, 27.
330 ON THE INVOCATION
.
God would never have chosen to reveal himself in
a manner most directly calculated to convey the
notion that there was not one God but many Gods,
an idea which the decalogue most studiously en
deavoured to banish from among the Jews.
III. THE ANGELS AND SAINTS MAKE INTERCESSION
FOR MEN.
That the angels and saints have manifested their
concern for the spiritual happiness and earthly
prosperity of men, is evident from scripture ; in
dependent of the proof to be deduced from the pub
lic and practical belief of the Church, and the doc
trine of her pastors.
We gather from the prophecy of Zacharias, how
earnestly the angel of the Lord interceded for the
Jews ; ( O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not
have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Juda,
with which thou hast been angry ? *
The angel Raphael told Tobias ; When thou
didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead...
I offered thy prayers to the Lord !f
The angel J (probably Gabriel) who came to make
a revelation unto Daniel, thus addressed that pro
phet; But the prince of the kingdom of the Per-
* Zacharias, C. i. V. 12.
f Tobias, C. xii. V. 12. For the Canonicity of this book,
see Appendix n, at the end of the volume.
% Gabriel appeared twice before to Daniel. See C. viii.
F-16, C. ix. F.21.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 331
sians resisted me one and twenty days, and be
hold Michael one of the chief princes, came to
help me, and I remained there by the king of the
Persians. *
The Psalmist, speaking of the man who dwelleth
in ( the aid of the Most High/ attests that God
( hath given his angels a charge over thee ; to keep
thee in all thy ways. f
Jeremias announced to the Jews that the Lord
had said ; If Moses and Samuel shall stand before
me, my soul is not towards this people. J God,
therefore, must have given the Israelites to un
derstand such was his wrath against them, that
though Moses and Samuel were actually to inter
cede in their favour, still, he would cast them from
his sight. That Moses and Samuel could, there
fore, pray for the Jews ; that those holy men did
pray for them, is positive, unless indeed we be
willing to suppose that the Eternal Truth and Wis
dom held out idle and unmeaning threats.
Judas Machabeus related a vision, in which
he saw how Onias, who had been high priest, a
good, and virtuous man, holding up his hands,
prayed for the people of the Jews, and after this,
there appeared also another man admirable for age
and glory, and environed with beauty and majesty.
* Dan.C.n. F.13. t Psalm xc. F.ll. % Jeremias, <7.x. V.I.
For the canonicity of the books of Machabees, consult
Appendix II.
332 ON THE INVOCATION
Then Oriias said ; this is a lover of his brethren,
and of the people of Israel ; this is he that prayeth
much for the people,, and for all the holy city,
Jeremias the prophet of God. *
Not only the Old, but the New Testament can
bear witness to this doctrine. It was thus that
our blessed Redeemer closed one of those parables
which he delivered to the multitude ; Make unto
you friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when
you shall fail, they may receive you into everlast
ing dwellings. ! There is no one so ignorant as
not to know that by the mammon of iniquity/ is
signified riches. J Alms-deeds are, therefore, strongly
recommended by our divine Redeemer in this pas
sage ; and we are taught to secure the future
friendship of the poor and indigent, by our muni
ficence towards them at the present moment ; while
we are instructed such will be the efficacy of our
charities, that the poor, whom we are thus enabled
to secure as friends, will have it in their power to
serve us, after they have departed from this world,
and become inhabitants of the everlasting dwel
lings of the heavenly kingdom where they will re
ceive us, though we ourselves should fail without
their assistance. As only God is the distributor
* 2 Machabees, C. xv. V. 12-14 f St. Luke, C. xvi. F.9.
J Mammona apud Hebrseos divitise appellari dicuntur;
convenit et Punicum nomen : nam lucrum Punice mam
mon dicitur. S. August, de Serm. Dom. Lib. ii.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 333
of grace, the orphan, the widow, and the miserable
whom we have benefited by our alms on earth,
possess no other means of rendering us a return
for our liberality, than at present by offering up
their petitions in our behalf to Christ, and making
intercession for us, afterward in heaven, when they
shall be among its blessed inhabitants.
St. John expressly tells us that the saints above,
present our prayers before the mercy-seat, and thus
become our intercessors. Whilst relating his vi
sion of the heavenly Jerusalem, the beloved disciple
describes how the four and twenty Ancients fell
down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are
the prayers of the saints. *
IV . INFERRED FROM THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS IN
THE APOSTLES CREED.
That the saints in heaven should intercede for
us, their mortal brethren in the faith, is agreeable
to reason as well as to religion.
1. How we can really believe, while we recite,
that specific article of the creed which teaches a
* communion of saints/ without acquiescing in the
truth of this assertion, would be difficult to explain.
That this communion exists only between the faith
ful and the righteous upon earth, without compre
hending the saints above within its limits, is dia-
* Apoc. C. v. V. 8.
334 ON THE INVOCATION
metrically opposed to the doctrine of St. Paul, who
tells his Hebrew converts ; You are come to
Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many
thousand angels, and to the Church of the first
born, who are written in the heavens, and to God
the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made
perfect/*
V. FROM THE CHARITY WHICH ANIMATES THE SAINTS.
Charity is a virtue, a principle of ardent love
towards God, and goodwill to men, which unceas
ingly inclines such as are endowed with it, to glo
rify heaven, and to do good towards others. ( Cha
rity never falleth away ; f and, consequently, the
saints above who are glowing with the purest
holiest fervour of this virtue, must not only love
their brethren, whom they have left below, as they
love themselves ; but also study how to procure
for them a participation in that beatific happiness
which they themselves are enjoying. The only
way they can command, of effectually contributing
to realize the desires of their charity, is prayer,
through which they intercede in our behalf. The
man who refuses to acknowledge, that among
the spirits of the blessed, such interest is taken
about mortals, surely entertains no very exalted
opinion concerning the intenseness and extent of
* Heb. C. xii. V. 22, 23. f 1 Cor. C. xv. V. 8.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 335
action belonging to that celestial charity which
animates the inhabitants of heaven ; at the same
time that he tacitly, though necessarily admits,
that the influence of this love of our neighbour, can
be, since it has been, exerted in a more praise
worthy manner, even by the damned themselves,
than by the blessed spirits* e The rich man died,
and was buried in hell ; and addressing himself to
Abraham, he said: Father, I beseech thee, that
thou wouldest send Lazarus to my father s house,
for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto
them lest they also come unto this place of tor
ments. * This single authority from scripture
would warrant the docile peruser of its sacred con
tents, to presume that the saints in heaven feel for
the living, quite as much charity as any damned
soul in hell can possibly experience ; and therefore
as Dives interceded for his brethren, so Abraham,
and Lazarus, and all the saints continually present
their prayers, with unwearied charity, in behalf of
every true believer.
Having proved that the angels and saints do in
terest themselves in our behalf by praying for us,
we will now proceed to establish by an appeal to
the sacred volume, that, on our part, it is good
and profitable, suppliantly to invoke the angels,
and the saints ; and to have recourse to their pray
ers and assistance.
* St. Luke, C. xvi. V. 22, 27,28.
336 ON THE INVOCATION
VI. THE INVOCATION OF ANGELS PROVED FROM SCRIP
TURE, FROM THE PSALMS, FROM GENESIS,
FROM THE APOCALYPSE.
While reading the Psalms, every one must be
struck with those beautiful invocations to the an
gels uttered by the royal prophet. Bless the
Lord/ he exclaims, all ye angels ; you that are
mighty in strength, bless the Lord, all ye his hosts,
you ministers of his that do his will. * David was
aware that the sun, and moon, and stars, and other
portions of inanimate nature, could neither hear
his voice, nor chant the praises of the Creator ;
but he knew that the angelic spirits were hovering
around him, and capable of mingling their songs
of jubilation with his own ; for he assures us that
the angels of the Lord shall encamp round about
them that fear him.f God hath given his angels
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways/ J
Just before his death, the patriarch Jacob, after
he had called upon God in favour of the two sons
of Joseph, Manasses and Ephraim, thus invoked
an angel s benediction over them. The angel that
delivered me from all evils, bless these boys.
Jacob consequently addressed a prayer of inter
cession to an angel.
* Psalm cii. V. 20, 21. Protest, version ciii. V. 20, 21.
t Psalm xxxiii. V. 8. Protest, version xxxiv. V. 7.
t Psalm xc. V. 11. Protest, version xci, V. 11.
Gen. C, xlviii. V. 1G.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 337
That the charitable assistance of the angels may
be lawfully requested by the true believer,, is evi
dent from the words and the example of an Evan
gelist. St. John, in writing to the seven Churches,
greets them in the following manner ; Grace be
unto you from the seven spirits, which are before
the throne ; * a form of benediction which, while
it assures us, that we may have recourse with much
profit to the kind entreaties of the spirits which
stand around the Majesty of heaven, in order to
obtain grace, the spiritual gift of God ; at the same
time exhibits an example for our imitation : for
the Apostle, by desiring that grace might flow from
the seven spirits, assuredly invoked them to obtain,
by their entreaties, such a favour from Him, before
whose throne they were ; since God only, is the
author and distributor of grace.
VII. INVOCATION OF SAINTS PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE.
Those several extracts from the holy scriptures,
that constitute such an immoveable foundation for
establishing the doctrine of the invocation of an
gels, are equally available as a solid basis to uphold
the invocation of saints.
This is obvious from many other portions of the
holy volume. Christ himself assures us that the
saints in heaven are equal to angels, and are the
children of God. f Like the angels, they receive
a power over the kingdoms of the earth, and their
* Apoc. C. i. V. 4. f St. Luke, C. xx. V. 36.
z
338 ON THE INVOCATION
inhabitants; for our blessed Redeemer thus de
clares ; He that shall overcome, and keep my
works, I will give him power over the nations ; *
and it is observed by St. Paul; that We see now
through a glass in an obscure manner ; but then,
face to face. Now, says the Apostle, I know in
part ; but then I shall know, even as I am known. f
The language of St. John is still more remarkable,
for he says ; Dearly beloved, we are now the
sons of God ; and it hath not appeared what we
shall be. We know that when he shall appear, we
shall be like to him ; because we shall see him as
he is. J The power, therefore, and the knowledge,
with which the angels are endowed, and the same
solicitude and charity for man which animate them,
are equally attributable to the saints, who are now
enjoying the beatific vision with the angel spirits,
and participate with them in all the privileges of
heaven, discharge the same kind offices of bro
therly affection towards us poor mortals, and are
equally entitled to receive the tribute of our ho
nour and our reverence ; and like them may be
profitably invoked to assist us by their intercession
at the throne of mercy.
VIII. HOLY MEN HAVE, EVEN IN THIS LIFE, BEEN
INVOKED BY OTHERS.
It is an occurrence, which is very often noticed
* Apoc. C. ii. V. 26. f 1 Cor. C m xiii. V. 12.
% St. John, Epist. 1, C. iii. V. 2.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 339
in the Old, as well as the New Testament, that
the servant of God who had rendered himself con
spicuous for his virtues and his piety, was, whilst
living, continually solicited by his admiring bre
thren to intercede with heaven in their favour.
Thus it was that the children of Israel entreated
holy Samuel ; e Cease not to cry to the Lord our
God for us that he may save us out of the hands
of the Philistines. * The Lord himself directed
Eliphaz, and Baldad, and Sophar, to go to his ser
vant Job, and to request the favourite of heaven to
pray for them.f With St. Paul, it was perpetually
the practice to solicit a remembrance in the prayers
of the faithful. e I beseech you brethren, writes
the apostle of the Gentiles to the Romans
through our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the cha
rity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your
prayers for me to God. J A similar request he
urges in his Epistles to the Ephesians, to the
Thessalonians,|| to the Colossians,lf and to the He
brews.**
That the apostles were sedulous to discharge in
their turn this debt of Christian kindness, which
they so earnestly solicited from the charity of
* 1 Kings. C. vii. V. 8. Protest. Trans. 1 Samuel.
f Job, xlii. V. 8, J Romans, C. xv. V. 30.
\Ephes. C. vi. V. 18,19.
|( 1 Thes. C. v. V. 25, and 2 Thess. C. iii. V. 18.
IF Coloss. C. iv. V. 3. ** Hel. C. xiii. V. 18.
Z2
340 ON THE INVOCATION
others for themselves,, we may be certain, since
St. Paul repeatedly announces to his converts, that
he did not cease to pray for them ;* and St. John
reiterates the same assurance.f Whilst, therefore,
the apostles and those who had been initiated into
the mysteries of the Faith of Jesus by their
labours, demonstrated in their daily practice,
that they believed that the prayers of the e just
man availeth much,* although in many things
we all offend, and even the just man falleth seven
times ;|| and if we say, we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves ; ^f they must have been persuaded that
the prayers of the saints above of those who dwelt
in heaven where nought defiled can enter, ** and
where they do not cannot fall into the very
smallest sin, were gifted with far more efficacious
virtues, and availed much more, than the prayers
of any mortal being however righteous. Indepen
dently, therefore, of the doctrine of the infallible
Church of Christ, that has invariably insisted on
this dogma from the moment of her birth up to
the present period, we may conclude from these
various reflections, that we are as much authorized,
at present, to beg of St. Peter, and St. Paul, and
* Col. C. i. V. 9, and 2 Thess. C. iii. V. 1.
t 3 Epist. of St. John, C. i. V. 2.
J Epist. of St. James, C. v. V. 16. Ibid, C. iii. V. 2.
|| Prov. C. xxiv. V. 16. H St. John. 1 Epist. C. i. V. 7.
** Apoc. C. xxi. V. 27.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 341
of every other saint, to pray for us, as was either
of these glorious servants of the Lord to request
that his fellow brethren should pray for him ; or
the primitive believers to supplicate their mar
tyred teachers those glorious apostles to re
member them in heaven, and to offer up their daily
supplications in behalf of their necessities. Whole
pages might be laden with weighty extracts from
the writings of those early fathers who have so
eloquently attested the belief of the apostolic times,
concerning the invocation and intercession of the
saints; and the reader who may wish to satisfy
his curiosity on this portion of the subject, is re
ferred to a learned work which has already been
pointed out to his notice.*
There are however two eminent early Christian
writers, whose testimony on this and other points
of doctrine is so lucid and conclusive, that they
must not be passed by without being introduced
to the acquaintance of the reader, whose attention
will be again directed to them in other parts of
* Faith of Catholics on certain points of Controversy, con
firmed by scripture and attested by the Fathers of the first
five centuries, compiled by the Rev. Joseph Berington, and
the Rev. John Kirk.
Dr. Adam Clarke in his Concise View of the Succession
of Sacred Literature , published in 1830, admits that
Origen, a writer of the Greek Church, and who was born
in the year 185, insists, in his treatise concerning prayer,
on the mediation of saints in heaven.
ON THE INVOCATION.
the present volume. These writers are St. Pauli-
nus of Nola,* and Prudentius.f If the words or
the fervent example of an enlightened and holy
pastor of the Church,, as far back as the closing of
the fourth century, can produce any effect, then
* Pontius Meropus Paulinas was born at Bourdeaux, in
the year 353, and v>ry early in life was selected to dis
charge the most dignified functions in the Roman Em
pire. In 393 he received the priesthood ; and towards the
end of the year 409, was elected to the episcopal chair of
Nola. His literary acquirements were such that St. Jerom
writes of him ; Every one admired the purity and ele
gance of his diction ; the delicacy and elevation of his
thoughts; the strength and sweetness of his style; and
the playfulness of his imagination. (St. Hier. Epist.Wl,
102,) His works that have been hitherto collected, con
sist of letters, some of which are interspersed with original
verses; of short poems mostly on religious subjects; and
of hymns, or rather, birth-day odes, in honour of St. Felix,
for whose memory Paulinus cherished the most devout
respect.
t Aurelius Prudentius Clemens, who is justly regarded
as the most eminent and elegant of the ancient Christian
poets, was born in Spain in 348, (Przef. in hymn in Ca-
themer. p. 1.) at Calahorra in Old Castile. (Hymn. 1. de
Cor ; et hymn. 18. V. 31). Twice was he honoured with
the office of governor over certain provinces and cities in
Spain. Though a particular favourite of the Emperor
(Theodosius or Honorius), he quitted the imperial pre
sence, to retire from the world. During a visit of devotion
which he paid to Rome, he saw a great many martyrs
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 343
must we acknowledge, not only that it is lawful
to invoke the intercession of the saints departed ;
but also admit that their prayers are highly avail
able in our behalf. In his third ode in honour of
his favourite patron St. Felix, after proclaiming the
joy he felt at the annual celebration of his festival,
the pious prelate thus addresses that saint and
martyr ;
Hie amor, hie labor est nobis ; heec vota tuorum
Suscipe, commendaque Deo, ut eum sedula cura,
*****#
Quern bonitate pium, sed maiestate tremendum,
Exora, ut precibus plenis meritisque redonet
Debita nostra tuis, cum tu quoque magna piorum
Portio regnantem Felix comitaberis Agnum :
Posce ovium grege nos statui, ut sententia summi
ludicis hoc quoque nos iterum tibi munere donet
Ne male gratatis Isevos adjudicet haedos.
Nat. iii. S. Felicis, V. 117, fyc.
tombs, at which he prayed for the cure of his spiritual
wounds. Amongst his poems may be mentioned his Psy-
chomachia, or combat of the soul against vice ; his Ca-
themerinwn, or book of hymns; his Apotheosis, or defence
of the Deity, and the divine Attributes. But the most
celebrated portion of the writings of Prudentius, is his
book ITepi 2re0ai>wi/, or On the croivns of the Martyrs con
taining fourteen hymns. The works of this author have
a particular value about them, for, independent of the
charms of poetry, they testify the religious belief and
practice of Spain and Italy, at the period when they were
composed, by the peculiar and minute manner in which
they describe the then existing ecclesiastical monuments
and pious customs of the Christian world.
344 ON THE INVOCATION
This is our labour, this our work of love,
Receive our vows and offer them above.
*****
That God of fearful majesty whose sway
Is mercy-guided, Felix, for us pray,
That unto pray rs and merits such as thine,
For all our faults he would a pardon sign.
And when to thee amid the sacred band
Tis giv n around the spotless Lamb to stand,
O sue that we amongst his sheep be plac d,
Not mid the banish d left-hand goats disgrac d ;
And thus shall we, a second time, be bless d
By heav n s mild sentence, at thy kind behest.
In other odes composed in honour of the same
St. Felix, Paulinus manifests his devotion to him
in language equally clear and energetic ; and de
clares how confident he feels of receiving benefit
through that martyr s intercession ;
Concurramus ad hunc spe conspirante Patronum ;
Suscipiet nostras placida pietate querelas
Et dum natalem ipsius celebramus ovantes
Inque vicem flebit nobis, quia mente dicata
Nos leetamur ei. Non est cura haec nona sanctis
Exorare Deum pro peccatoribus tegris.
Nat. viii. V. 210, fyc.
With hope to him as patron let us fly,
And, pity-touch d, hell list our plaintive cry ;
And as his feast we keep with holy rite,
To our poor pray rs his merits he ll unite.
In sweet reverse for us he ll weep, the while
We joy in him with souls devout, and smile :
Unto the saints, tis not a recent care
For sin-struck man to pour the pious pray r.*
* Sentiments similar to these are expressed in the short
consolatory poem which St. Paulinus addressed to Pneu-
matius and Fidelis on the death of their son :
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 345
Prudentius, by the sentiments of tenderest devo
tion which he has so happily interwoven with his
verses, and the energetic language in which he
gives expression to his homage,, attests with a force
as strong as that of St. Paulinus, his own and the
age s belief in the invocation of saints. That such
a credence was not peculiar to his particular na
tion, nor a novel fabrication of the times during
which he lived, is certified by the triumphant man
ner in which the poet notices that the saints were
recognized as the patrons of the world by every
people professing Christianity, amongst whom,
such as were induced at any period to supplicate
their intercession, had experienced its efficacy.
In his hymn in honour of the martyrs SS. He-
meterius and Celedonius, he says :
Exteri necnon et orbis hue colonus advenit :
Fama nam terras in omnes percucurrit proditrix,
Hie patronos esse mimdi, quos precantes ambiant,
Nemo puras hie rogando frustra congessit pieces ;
Laetus hinc tersis revertit supplicator fletibus,
Omne, quod justum poposcit, impetratum sentiens.
Tanto pro nostris periclis cura suffragantium est,
Sed tamen et nobis poterit tua gratia longum
Vivere, si nostri sis memor ad Dominum.
******
Celse, juva fratrem socia pietate laborans,
Ut vestra nobis sic locus in requie.
******
Innocuisque pares meritis peccata parentum
Infantes castis vincite suffrages.
******
Ut precibus commune tuis miserante habeamus
Presidium Christo nos quoque, Celse, tui.
De obitu Celsi, ad Fneu. injinc.
346 ON THE INVOCATION
Non sinunt, inane ut ullus voce murmur fuderit :
Audiunt, statimque ad aurem regis aeterni ferunt.
Inde larga fonte ab ipso dona terris influunt :
Supplicum causas petitis quse medelis irrigant.
Nil suis bonus negavit Christus unquam testibus :
Testibus, quos nee catenae, dura nee mors terruit
Unicum deum fateri sanguinis dispendio :
Sanguinis sed tale damnum lux rependit longior.
Hymn. I, Perist. V. 10, $c.
The stranger hither hies with pious haste,
For sounding fame all earth around has pac d,
And told, the patrons of the world were here,
That we should, trusting, supplicate their pray r.
For man these advocates ne er came to try,
But home return d with joy -enkindled eye
And tears dried up to tell to all around
His just request was with a blessing crown d.
Such, gainst our evils, is their saintly care,
No plaints we sigh are wasted on the air ;
But straight they heed them ; hurrying they bring
Our supplications to the heav nly King ;
From whose deep fountains, copious blessing flows,
And yields a cure to every suppliant s woes :
For nought has bounteous Christ e er yet denied
To pray r of martyrs, saints who ve testified
The true belief in one eternal God,
In galling fetters, neath the flaying rod,
While fiercest death stood by with brandish d dart ;
Then wrung the life-blood from the fearless heart.*
* Prudentius has repeatedly mentioned, in various other
parts of his poems, the then prevailing religious practice
of invoking the aid of the saints; and has eloquently
asserted the efficacy of their intercession in behalf of those
who address themselves to their fraternal charity. The
invocation of saints is clearly pointed out in the following
verses :
Adesto mine, et percipe
Voces precantum supplices,
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 347
IX. INVOCATION OF SAINTS IN THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH
PROVED FROM ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS.
In favour of the belief and practice of the In
vocation of Saints by the primitive Church, there
Nostri reatus efficax
Orator ad thronum Patris.
* * # * *
Miserere nostrarum precum
Placatus ut Christus suis
Inclinet aurem prosperam
Noxas nee omnes imputet.
Hymn. v. Perist. V. 545, et seq.
Talking of the tomb of St. Agnes at Rome, he says ;
Servat salutem virgo Quiritium :
Necnon et ipsos protegit advenas,
Pure-, ac fideli pectore supplices.
Hymn. xiv. Perist. V. 5.
In noticing the protection to be derived from the inter
cession of the saints, Prudentius gratefully observes of his
own native city Calahorra ;
O triplex honor, O triforme culmen,
Quo nostrse caput excitatur urbis
Ctmctis urbihus eminens iberis !
Extiltare tribus libet patronis
Quorum prsesidio fovemur omnes
Terrarum populi pyrenearum.
Hymn. vi. Perist. V. 145.
Le Clerc, an eminent French Protestant writer, passes
the following remark upon the Peristephanu of Pruden
tius ; It is very evident from various passages in these
hymns, that Christians invoked the martyrs at that period,
and believed that they had been assigned by the Almighty
as the especial patrons of some particular places. Certain
348 ON THE INVOCATION
is a species of proof which has been seldom, per
haps never before, introduced to the notice of the
English reader. The Roman catacombs are per
petually exhibiting such lucid evidence upon this
article of apostolic doctrine, as to dispel the faint
est shadow of doubt or uncertainty from about the
subject. For whenever that burial-place of the
primitive and persecuted witnesses to the faith is
explored, it almost invariably happens that an in
scription is discovered over some martyred saint,
in which the prayers of the Christian champion
who sleeps within, are desired by those who with
religious reverence interred his mangled body, and
composed his epitaph.* In the year 1694 was
discovered, in the cemetery of SS. Gordianus and
Protestant writers,who admit that along with the scripture
should be united the tradition of the first four or five
centuries, have denied that prayer was ever made to the
saints up to the fourth age of the Church. They should,
however, not have erected such an imaginary system, with
out having first of all investigated facts, since it is easy to
refute their supposition by several parts of the writings
of Prudentius. Le Clerc, Vies des Peres primitifs, in
Prudentio.
* The religious zeal which prompted many of the faith
ful to expend large sums of money, and even risk their
lives to rescue the bodies of the martyrs from insult ; and
to possess themselves even of the earth which was
sprinkled with their blood, will be noticed in the next
chapter, Num. 6, 7.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS.
349
Epimachus,* the grave of the holy martyr Sabba-
tius, along with the following inscription on a
marble slab which closed up the oblong niche in
the wall or sepulchre containing the martyr s
bones.f
Sabbati Dulcis Anima Pete et Roga
Pro Fratres (sic) et Sodales Tuos;j:
O Sabbatius, sweet soul, petition and pray for
Thy brethren and companions.
* This cemetery is on the Latin way, and about a mile
from Rome.
f See a note to Num. 7, in the next chapter, for a de
scription of the way in which the graves were made in the
catacombs. Concerning these ancient cemeteries, the
reader is referred to Appendix iv.
J Grammatical inaccuracies are of frequent occurrence
in ancient inscriptions, hence we must not be surprised to
find * pro fratres instead of ( pro fratribus &c. This in
scription was afterwards presented by Cardinal di Car-
pegna to the learned Florentine senator Buonarruoti, who
has inserted it in his interesting work entitled Osser-
vazioni sopra alcuni Frammenti di Vasi antichi di vetro,
where the reader may see it at p. 167. In the works of
the poets and the orators of paganism, a palm-branch and
wreath were emblematical of victory. The sacred wri-
350 ON THE INVOCATION
The following sepulchral inscription was extracted
from a tomb in the cemetery of Callistus :
ATTICE SPIRITVS TVS
IN BONV ORA PRO PAREN
TIBVS TVIS
Atticus, thy spirit is in good, pray for thy parents.*
ters also have noticed the palm-branch as a symbol of the
triumph gained by the martyr and the true believer;
(Apocal. c. vii. v. 9J and the crown or garland as indica
tive of that eternal glory which the saints enjoy in heaven.
(Isaiah, c. xxviii. v. 5. 1 Cor. c. ix. v. 25. 2 Tim. c. iv. v. 8.
Epist. of St. James, c. i. v. 12. 1 St. Peter, c. v. v. 4. Apo
cal. c. ii. v. 10.) Hence it is that a palm-branch and a
wreath of laurel are usually traced in the mortar, scratched
on the tile, or sculptured on the marble slab, which may
have been severally employed by the first Christians, to
seal the martyrs graves in the catacombs. Both these
types of victory are mentioned by the Christian poet Pru-
dentius, who lived so near to the times of persecution.
In his hymn in honour of St. Vincent, he says of that
illustrious martyr :
Tu solus, o bis inclyte
Solus brabii duplicis (brabii pro bravii)
Palmam tulisti : tu duas
Simul parasti laureas."
Peristeph. Hymn. 6, v. 537.
The palm-branch and the laurel-crown, which accompany
the inscription, unitedly testify that Sabbatius was mar
tyred for the faith.
* Apud Muratorium in Novo Thes. p. 1833, num. 6.
Bianchini, in his learned work entitled, f Demonstrate
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 351
Another inscription, found in the cemetery of
Cyriaca,* is to a similar effect :
JOVIANE VlBAS IN DfiO ET
ROG (id est ROGA.)
In the cemetery of Priscillaf was discovered the
following :
ANATOLIVS FILIO BENEMERENTI FECIT
QVI VIXlT ANNIS VII. MENSIS VII. DIE
BVS XX. ISPIRITVS TVVS BENE REQVIES
CAT IN DEO PETAS PRO SORORE TVA.
The two succeeding inscriptions were inedited
until a few years ago, when they became the sub
ject of a particular dissertation, and were published
by an Italian antiquary. J
SIMPLICIO
VENEMEREN
Ti. FILIO. TE -
IN PACEM
P. T. PR. N. S.
that is :
Historic Ecclesiastic Quadripartite comprobatse Monu-
mentis; places this inscription in the first table of the first
century of the Christian Church.
* This cemetery is on the Tyburtine way, and has its
entrance at the Church of St. Laurence out of the Walls.
f This cemetery is on the Salarian way.
Intorno uri antico Marmo christiano, Lettera di Cle-
mente Cardinal^ Bologna, 1819.
352 ON THE INVOCATION
SIMPLICIO BENEMERENTI FILIO
(Suscipiat) TE (Christus) IN PACEM
PeTe PRo NoiiS.*
The second is preserved in the church of the
Blessed Trinity at Velletri :
ANATOAICEMwNHPwTO
TOKONTEKNONOCTICH
MEiNEAoencnpocoAiroN
XPONONYEYXOYYIIEPHMwN
To Jlnatolius, our first begotten son, (thou) who
wast given to us for a short time, pray for us.
The following inscription, which may be found
inserted in the works of one of the most celebrated
scholars in lapidary writing,f is equally demon
strative of the belief and practice of the primitive
* In ancient inscriptions, the Vis frequently substituted
for B ; and to those who are anywise versed in the lapi
dary style of writing, it is well known, that very often
words are so abbreviated, that their consonants only,
sometimes no others than the first and last, are inscribed.
Fabretti, Inscr. Domest. c. \\\.p. 164, Mazzochi, de Epist.
Hilarii.p. 11, innotis.
t Gaetano Marini, who expended forty years in studying
and transcribing the Christian inscriptions discovered in
the Catacombs. Those valuable monuments of ecclesias
tical antiquity, with others relating to the civil history of
Pagan Rome, to the number of many thousands, were
collected and classified by Marini, and now incrust the
walls of the first corridor of the Vatican gallery. They
form a body of documents which, to use the expression of
Marini himself, e una raccolta la piu grande e la piu
dotta che sia al mondo. Aned. di G. Marini 9 Roma, 1822.
OP SAINTS AND ANGELS. 353
Church with regard to the invocation of departed
saints :
ROGES. PRO. NOBIS. QUIA. SCIMUS. TE. IN.
CHRISTO.*
At Rome, in 1758, in an excavation at the church
of St. Agnes out of the walls, was discovered an
epitaph composed by St. Damasus, who was elected
Pope in 366, in honour of that youthful martyr
and illustrious virgin. The pontiff concludes his
verses with this invocation of St. Agnes :
O VENERANDA MIHI SANCTUM DECUS ALMA PUDORIS
UT DAMAS1 PRECIB | FAVEAS PRECOR INCLYTA
MARTYR.f
The following inscription records a vow discharged
by the religious empress Galla Placidia and her
children, towards the year 440, when, as it would
appear, the imperial family experienced the efficacy
of the intercession made in their behalf during a
tempest at sea, by St. John the Evangelist.
SANCTO AC BEATISSIMO APOSTOLO
JOANNI EVANGELISTS
GALLA PLACIDIA AUGUSTA
CUM FILIO SUO PLACIDIO VALENTINIANO
AUGUSTO
ET FILIA SUA JUSTA GRATA HONORIA
AUGUSTA
LIBERATIONS PERICULO MARIS
VOTUM SOLVIT.J
* Marini, f$crizioniAlbane,p.37: and Fr. Arvali,p.266.
f J/^dMarangonium in Appen. ad Act. S. Victor, p. 138.
t Ravenna;, in Eccles. S. Joannis Evany el. apud Mora
torium,^. 1878.
2 A
354 ON THE INVOCATION
X. INVOCATION OF SAINTS IN THE ANGLO-SAXON
CHURCH.
It will not, the writer presumes, be considered
by the British reader as an intrusion on his pa
tience, if a few extracts from an elegant and
learned work on our native history,* be presented
to his notice, in proof of the perfect conformity in
belief and practice concerning the Invocation of
Saints, which subsists between the Anglo-Saxons
and the present Catholic inhabitants of the British
Islands.
But a short acquaintance with ancient litera
ture/ observes Dr. Lingard, will prove, that our
ancestors were too well instructed to confound
man with God. They knew how to discriminate
between the adoration due to the Supreme Being,
and the honours which might be claimed by the
most holy among his servants : and while they wor
shipped Him as the author of every blessing, they
paid no other respect to them than what was owing
to those whom they considered as his favourites,
and their advocates. Whoever shall attentively
peruse the works of the Saxon writers, or the acts
of the Saxon councils, from the era of their con
version to what is deemed the darkest period of
their history, will observe this important distinc
tion accurately marked and constantly inculcated.
* The Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church, by J. Lin
gard, D.D.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 355
When the poet sang the praises of his patron, he
sought neither to interest his mercy, nor deprecate
his justice : to obtain the assistance of his inter
cession, to be remembered by him at the throne
of the Almighty, was the sole object of his petition.*
If the preacher from the pulpit exhorted his hear
ers to solicit the prayers of their more holy bre
thren, he was careful to inculcate, that they should
adore God alone, as their true Lord and true God.f
If the Christian, when he rose from his bed, was
accustomed to beg the protection of the saints, he
was yet commanded in the first place to worship
with bended knees the majesty of his Creator. J
* See Alcuin s Address to the Virgin Mary :
Tu mundi vitam, totis tu gaudia sseclis,
Tu regem coeli, tu dominum atque Deum
Ventris in hospitio genuisti, virgo perennis
Tu precibus nobis auxiliare tuis.
Alcuin. apud Can. torn. ii. pars ii. pAl} .
Also S. Aldhelm de Virgin. Bib. Pat. torn. viii. p. 22, and
Bede Vit. S. Cuihb.p. 291.
f The Saxon Homilist is very accurate in his expres
sions : Him alone shall we adore. He alone is true
Lord and true God. We beg the intercession of holy men
that they would intercede for us to their Lord and our
Lord. But nevertheless we do not pray to them as we do
to God." (Homil. Sax. apud Whel. p. 283 J < Nulli mar-
tyrum, says the manuscript quoted above, sacrificamus,
quamvis in memoriis martyrum constituamus altaria.
Ibid.
| f Having worshipped his Creator alone, let him invoke
2 A 2
356 ON THE INVOCATION.
These distinctions were too easy to be mistaken.
The idea of intercession necessarily includes that
of dependence : and to employ the mediation of
his favourites, is to acknowledge the superior ex
cellency of the Deity. *
XI. CONTAINED IN ALL THE LITURGIES.
The unhesitating belief of our Anglo-Saxon an
cestors in the intercession of the saints, and the
religious ardour with which, as is attested by a
variety of monuments, they invoked their prayers,
demonstrate the genuineness of their religious cre
dence, and its consequent identity with that of the
universal Church, whether in the east or west, on
this important article of faith. That such a doc
trine was in fact most studiously inculcated by the
Apostles and their immediate successors, may be
readily ascertained by referring to the liturgies
that have been in use from time immemorial in
God s saints, and pray that they would intercede for him
to God ; first to holy Mary, and then all the saints of
God. Lib. Leg. Eccles. apud Wilk. p. 272.
* Thus, in the Saxon homilies, the preacher points out
the difference between the intercession of the saints and
the mediation of Christ, when he exhorts his auditory to
solicit the intercession of the Virgin Mary, with Christ
her Son, her Creator, and her Redeemer. Serm. inAnnunc.
St. Marias, apud Wanley, p. II. See the Antiquities of
the Anglo-Saxon Church; p. 279-280.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 357
those several Churches, which those first preachers
of the Gospel, or their immediate disciples, found
ed.*
XII. OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
If it be idle or illicit to call upon the saints to
pray for us, then the impropriety and unlawfulness
of our invocations must arise from some of the
following causes ; namely, the unwillingness and
incapability of the saints to pray for us ; or, be
cause they cannot hear our prayers ; and even,
though they could, the offering of them up would
be an injury perpetrated against the Godhead, and
a particular derogation from the mediatorship of
Jesus Christ.
XIII. CHARITY ENGAGES THE SAINTS TO PRAY FOR US.
I. With respect to the unwillingness of the
saints to present our petitions at the throne of
mercy, we cannot for a single moment contemplate
even the possibility of its existence : for though
faith shall have a termination when we shall see
God as he is ;f though hope will one day win the
object of its longings ; J charity never falleth away,
* Extracts from the Liturgies in use throughout the
East, are given in Appendix II.
f St. John, C. iii. V. 2.
J 4 But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man
seeth, why doth he hope for ? Rom. C. viii. V. 24.
1 Cor-. C. xiii.
358 ON THE INVOCATION
but glows brighter and purer, and acts more un
ceasingly within the bosom of the saint in heaven,
than in the breast of the most righteous man that
ever lived upon earth.
If, therefore, charity impels each Christian,
whose pretensions to piety are of the very hum
blest order, inwardly to remember his brethren,
his friends, and all fellow-creatures, in his daily
prayers ; the same virtues must possess an impulse
incomparably more active in stimulating the
blessed souls in heaven, to intercede for those
whom they have left upon earth.
XIV. THEY HAVE THE POWER OF DOING IT.
II. Concerning their ability to perform this
charitable office for us, it is to be observed, that
if the saints, while they themselves were wanderers
in the desert of this world, could present their
supplications to Almighty God in our behalf, it is
inconceivable why they cannot exercise the same
kindness, now that they have entered into the en
joyment of the promised land of heaven ; and how,
in the plenitude of their actual happiness, the power
of doing good, and of moving according to the
spirit of God s own love, should be circumscribed
within much more narrow limits than what were
assigned for its action while on earth.
XV. THEY KNOW WHAT PASSES UPON EARTH.
III. But, perhaps, it may be argued that they
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 359
do not know what passes here below, and there
fore, as they cannot hear our prayers, it is conse
quently useless for us to beg their intercession.
What authority have those who differ from the
Catholic Church, for such an objection ? None
whatever ; for instead of being warranted by any
passage in the Scriptures, or countenanced by rea
son, it is, on the contrary, most easily removed by
calling in the aid of Scripture and reason. If it
be asserted that the saints of themselves, or by
any quality inherent in their nature, cannot hear
our prayers, nor penetrate the secret enclosure of
our hearts to read the thoughts and watch the
motions that are stirring there, we most readily
assent to such a declaration : but this does not
overthrow the dogma respecting the prayers of
the saints. To accomplish this, it must be demon
strated that Almighty God cannot impart to them
such a knowledge : to refuse, however, to recog
nise such a power in the Deity would be blasphe
mous. God has communicated to the prophets the
knowledge of events that were not to happen for
many hundred years. Eliseus witnesses, as though
he were personally present, the scene that takes
place between Giezi and the Syrian general Naa-
man ; f Was not my heart present when the man
turned back from his chariot to meet thee ? So
now thou hast received money, and received gar
ments, &c. . . . But the leprosy of Naaman shall
360 ON THE INVOCATION
also stick to thee and to thy seed for ever. * The
same prophet was acquainted with what passed in
the council-chamber of the Syrian king, who ima
gined that some amongst his friends had betrayed
his secret confidence ; e And calling together his
servants, he said : Why do ye not tell me who it
is that betrays me to the king of Israel ? and one
of his servants said : No one, my Lord, O King,
but Eliseus the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth
the king of Israel all the words that thou speakest
in thy privy-chamber. f
To St. Peter was revealed the deception of Ana
nias and Sapphira.J Surely, if the Divine Being
could convey to his servants while on earth a per
fect knowledge of transactions which eye could
not see, nor of which the ear could receive the
faintest information ; he must be equally able to
impart similar communications unto the spirits of
the blessed, who are now much more susceptible
of receiving these revelations. It was from afar
off, from hell itself, that the rich man put up his
prayer to Abraham : but neither the great chaos
which was fixed between them, nor the difference
of place and state, prevented that holy patriarch
from hearing, and replying to the supplication.
* 4 Kings, C. v. V. 26-27, (Protest. Vers. 2 Kings.}
t 4 Kings, C. vi. V. 11-12. % Acts, C. v. F. 3.
St. Luke, C. xvi. V. 24-25.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 361
If a prayer can be heard in limbo from the depths
of hell, assuredly our petitions can penetrate from
earth to heaven. Abraham, moreover, was aware
that Moses and the prophets had existed, and had
put on record the laws and admonitions of Al
mighty God :* the same omnipotence that com
municated this to Abraham, imparts to his blessed
servants a knowledge of those prayers addressed
to them by mortals here on earth. This will enter
more readily into our conception, when we call to
our remembrance, that now the saints possess ad
vantages which were not enjoyed by Abraham
while in limbo ; for they are installed in the actual
fruition of beatific glory are in heaven, and see
God face to face. Our divine Redeemer assures
us that there shall be joy in heaven upon one
sinner that doth penance :f but who are they who
participate in this holy jubilation ? the whole court
of heaven ; arid consequently the saints as well as
the angels, the universal body of the citizens be
longing to the celestial Jerusalem : no one is ex-
cepted, and no one can : for we are told by Christ
himself, that the saints in glory are like to the
angels. J The brightest angels have not a peculiar
faculty or power by which they can ascertain what
passes or is said on earth, independent of the in
terposition of the Deity : how, therefore, do they
* St. Luke, C. xvi. V. 29. f Ibid. C. x. V. 7.
I St. Matt. C. xxii: V. 30, # St. Luke, C. xx. V. 36.
362 ON THE INVOCATION
become acquainted with the sinner s repentance ?
Whatever medium the Protestant assigns for the
conveyance of terrestrial knowledge to the angels,
the Catholic will ascribe as the method by which
the saints become informed of our requests to en
gage their prayers and supplication in our favour.
XVI. THEIR INTERCESSION NOT DEROGATORY TO THE
MEDIATORSHIP OF CHRIST.
IV. But it will be further objected, that although
the saints may be able to hear our invocations, still
it is injurious to the mediatorship of Christ to call
upon them. In reply, the Catholic observes, that
he by no means elevates the saints whom he calls
upon, to the dignity of mediators of redemption,
or distributors of graces : he merely invokes their
charity ; he solicits them to be the bearers of his
supplications to the throne of his and their Saviour
Jesus, the true the one the only mediator of
redemption : he attests how earnestly studious the
Church is in teaching the unlawfulness of asking
anything of the saints as if they were the authors
of divine benefits, and the dispensators of glory
and of grace, or could impart to us any of the
means required for securing our salvation. He
illustrates this portion of the creed of his Church
by a reference to the formularies of public prayer
which she employs in her services, and to those
authentic and doctrinal expositions which she ex
hibits as the standard of her faith.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 363
XVII. MANNER OF ADDRESSING GOD THROUGH THE
SAINTS.
The form of prayer used in the solemn and
public worship of the Church, will, in the clearest
manner, testify her doctrine on the invocation of
saints.* Throughout the Missal,f and the Brevi-
ary,J there is not one single prayer, or collect,
addressed to any saint whatever : but every one
of them is directed to God alone. They begin
with one or other of the following invocations to
the Deity : Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, &c.
Almighty, eternal God : f Intercessio nos qusesu-
mus Domine May the intercession, O Lord, &c.:
Praesta qusesumus omnipotens Deus Grant,
O Almighty God, &c. They end with this conclu-
* Pope St. Cselestinus, who ascended the pontifical
throne, in the year 431, observes, in his letter to the bishops
of Gaul ; Obsecrationum sacerdotalium sacramenta re-
spiciamus, quse ad Apostolos tradita in toto mundo atque
in omni Catholica Ecclesia unifor miter celebrantur, ut
legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi.
f An appellation given to the volume which contains
the Liturgy of the Mass, together with the whole order of
divine service to be celebrated on the Sundays, Festivals,
and Saints 1 days throughout the year.
J A book which contains the form of daily office or de
votion, to be recited in public or private by every Catholic
minister from the moment he is initiated into holy orders,
until the hour of his death. Such a duty is equally in
cumbent on the pope, as well as the humblest sub-deacon.
364 ON THE INVOCATION
sion : Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son.
The following strophe includes the sense of these
lines in which each anthem chanted in the public
office, closes.
In this, most gracious Father, hear,
With Christ thy equal Son, our pray r,
Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee
Resides and reigns eternally. Amen.
XVIII. SIMILARITY OF CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT
PRAYERS.
Whoever will take the trouble to compare the
collects appointed to be read during the service of
the Church of England, on all Sundays of the year,
with the collects that are set down in the Roman
Missal, for the same occasions, will be probably
surprised to discover such a perfect accordance
between them, in almost every instance, as to con
vince him that the Book of Common Prayer is
indebted to the Mass of the Catholic Church, for
every beautiful invocation to the Deity. The co
incidence is peculiarly observable on the feast of
St. Michael and all angels, when Protestants employ
a prayer the very same in sense, and a literal trans
lation of the collect which the Catholic Church
recites upon the same occasion.*
* ORATIO.
Deus, qui miro ordine angelorum ministeria homi-
n unique dispensas; concede propitius: ut a quibus tibi
ministrantibus in ccelo semper assistitur, ab his in terra
vita nostra muniatur. Per Dominum nostrum, &c.
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 365
Though the Christian possesses only one Medi
ator of redemption, Christ Jesus,, who alone has
reconciled us through his precious blood,* and
after having wrought the work of our redemption,
and having entered once into the Holy of Holies/f
always lives to make intercession for us ; J it does
not by any means follow as a necessary conse
quence, that it is unlawful to solicit the intercession
of angels and the saints ; for were it so, neither
St. Paul would have recommended himself with so
much earnestness to the prayers of the brethren
on earth ; nor would St. James have thus exhorted
us to pray for one another that you may be sav
ed ; || for assuredly the prayers of a mortal man
upon earth, however just and pure he may be from
human imperfections, must derogate from the glory
of Jesus as our Mediator, and deteriorate the price
he paid for our redemption, quite as much as the
intercession of the glorified spirits in heaven. The
Apostles did not consider it to be injurious to the
FROM THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.
O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted
the services of angels and men in a wonderful order ;
mercifully grant, that as the holy angels always do thee
service in heaven, so by thy appointment they may succour
and defend us on earth : through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
* 1 Tim. C. ii. F.5. f Heb. C. ix. V. 12. \ Heb. C. vii. F.25.
.18. || St. James f.v.V.lQ.
366 ON THE INVOCATION
mediatorship of Christ to ask the saints to pray for
them ; why therefore should we ?
XIX. INCONSISTENCY OF SUCH AN OBJECTION.
Men of every religious denomination are mutu
ally solicitous to obtain the prayers of one another ;
and they do not hesitate to promise or request
this reciprocity of Christian brotherhood ; but
what are we ? Alas, the best among us are poor
miserable creatures, with a load of sins and imper
fections on our shoulders ; and yet, many will re
quest the prayers of each other without scruple,
at the same instant that they would regard it as a
heinous crime to beg the intercession of the pure
and spotless saints in heaven ; and pronounce it
injurious to the mediatorship of Jesus, to address
to his chosen faithful servants, who now wear robes
of glory brilliant and purple with his saving blood,
the self same invocations the identical requests,
they make to sinners.
It is difficult to conceive how a rational and
thinking Protestant can possibly object to that re
lative and inferior honour which Catholics exhibit
towards the saints, when he himself is punctual in
observing certain rites and ceremonies which can
not be ultimately referable to anything but this
same practice.
1. There is scarcely one Protestant church, of
however modern erection, which is not dedicated
to God under the appellation of some peculiar
OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 367
saint : for one sacred edifice which bears the title
of the Trinity, there are a hundred denominated
after St. Mary, St. Peter, or St. Paul.
2. In the ritual of the Church of England, cer
tain days are appointed for the especial celebration
of festivals in honour of the saints, when their
names are introduced with all becoming reverence
in the collect of the day.*
3. Instead of selecting an adjunct to his surname
from the catalogue of heathen worthies, the Pro
testant assumes at baptism the appellation of some
saint, and thus in imitation of the Catholic, mani
fests his preference as well as reverence towards
the glorified inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem.
We will close our observations on this subject
by a concise though comprehensive abstract of the
Catholic doctrine on the Intercession and Invoca
tion of the saints, furnished by a work of public
authority in the Church, the Catechism of the
Council of Trent, which says : We do not ad-
* Such for instance are St. Andrew s day, the feast of St.
Thomas the Apostle, the conversion of St. Paul, the Presen
tation of Christ in the Temple, or the Purification of the
Virgin Mary, St. Matthias s day, the Annunciation of the
blessed Virgin Mary, St. Mark s day, St. Philip and St.
James s day, St. Barnabas the Apostle, St. John Baptist s
day, St. Peter s day, St. James the Apostle, St. Bartholo
mew the Apostle, St. Matthew the Apostle, St. Michael
and all angels, St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Simon and
St. Jude Apostles, and All Saints day.
368 ON THE INVOCATION OF SAINTS AND ANGELS.
dress God and the saints in the same manner :
God we implore to grant us the blessings of which
we stand in need, and to deliver us from the dan
gers to which we are exposed ; but the saints, be
cause they are the friends of God, we solicit to
undertake the advocacy of our cause with him, to
obtain for us from him, all necessaries for soul and
body. Hence, we make use of two different forms
of prayer : to God, we properly say ; have mercy
on us, hear us : but to the saints; pray for us. 9
The words, have mercy on us/ we may also ad
dress to the saints, for they are most merciful ; but
we do so on a different principle ; we beseech
them to be touched with the misery of our condi
tion, and to interpose, in our behalf, their influence
and intercession before the throne of God. In the
performance of this duty, it is strictly incumbent
on all, not to transfer to creatures, the right which
belongs exclusively to God: and when kneeling
before the image of a saint, we repeat the Lord s
Prayer, we are also to recollect, that we beg of the
saint to pray with us, and to obtain for us those
favours which we ask of God, in the petitions of
the Lord s Prayer ; in fine, that he becomes our in
terpreter and intercessor with God. That this is
an office which the saints discharge we read in the
Apocalypse. *
* Catechism of the Council of Trent, translated by the
Rev. J, Donovan, 1829, p. 467.
