L clL { EL nF r,rwac I,,OO u l L (tl iswill tktlt;cq~Z~ - e~a~ l~e ~ lib,"'d ~'r l HL,11JI) 1 l -" | " /L wd O t Wt,llle LL, {do bltesn -I t i~l-it + f tlgy WoUllJ)../J IIl~,. (iay. ir-lAAS RV l. Fat the LruL',if' tr Idtatlk dL-" 7)~(Zg- ~(2 0 C, * * Ij \, v,' V ~l: i III 1, |I' -. | -T i,:. t i;.x Cr, ~_: /; -__l:;_LL 1 Ii'(_i — 1> I m l 2 1 i1 iN, -. THE URSULINE MANUAL, OR A COLLECTION PRAYERS, SPIRITUAL AL S^ INTERSPERSED WIT 1' THE VARIOUS INSTRUCTIONS NECESSARY FOR FORMING YOUTH TO THE PRAOTIOE OF SOLID PIETY ORIGINALLY ARRANGED FOR THE YOUNG LADIES EDUCATED AT THE URSULINE CONVENT, CORK. BEVISED BY THE VERY REV. JOHN POWER, D. D., AND APPROVED BY THE MOST REV. JOHN HUGHES. D. D.. Archbishop of New York. NEW YORK: EDWARD DUNIGAN AND BROTHER, (JAMES B. EIREER,) No. 151 FULTON STREET. 1857. ENTstRED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1i55, bv JAMES B. KIRKER, J u the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the UnitAO States for the Southern District of New Yo-k MNTRODUCTION TO THE NEW-YORK EDIITIOU URSULINE MANUAL. THE intrinsic merits of this Prayer Book, and the high place it deservedly holds in public esti. mati n, have induced the Publisher to reprint it in this city. Though the work was originally in. tended for the use of the Young Ladies educated in the famous Ursuline Convent, in the city of Cork; yet many editions of it quickly succeeded each other, both in Dublin and in London: a fact which alone bespeaks its worth; and a mere perusal of the table of its contents, will show, that no book of the same kind, contains a greater amount of pious and useful reading. The Pub. iber has the st isfaction to state that no pains fVe been sparer to adapt the Work to the pe. culiar circumsta& es of this country, and that it comes before the public with strong claims {in their attention. It has been carefully revised by the Very Reverend Divine whose name apFears in the title page, and is approved of by the Spin. mal Authority of this Diocess. APPROB kTION OF THE IRISH EDITION BY the desire of the RT. REV. DR. MURPHY, thU R C. Bishop of Cork, I have attentively perused the Manuscript of a Book entitled The URSU. lINE MANUAL; or, a Collection of Prayers, Spiritual Exercises, -c. interspersed witi the various Instructions necessary for forming Youth to the Practice of solid Piety. The fervent Piety, interesting Instructions, and useful Doctrinal Expositions contained in this Work, are ext;emely valuable; and few books appear to me better fitted than it is tc advance the Cause of Religion, Morality, and Virtue. It,s calculated, in my opinion, not only to be serviceaoie in Religious Communities, but likewise in Private Families, and as a Devotioril Book to the Faithful in general. THOMAS R. ENGLAND, P. P, &o. &c Cork, rapril 14th 18^3 CONTENTS Ph FFA C E...................................................... Table of Moveable Feasts........................ 35 Roman Calendar........................................... 37 Feasts and Fasts........................................... 46 An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine............. 49 Morning Exercise.................................. 53 Morning Prayers................................... 54 A Prayer to be said by Children for their Parents...'61 Night Prayers................................................ 61 Daily Examination of Conscience.................... 62 The Seven Stations of the Passion...................... 65 The Litany of Jesus................................... 66 A Prayer in honour of the Childhood of Jesus Christ. 65 A Litany in honour of the Child Jesus................ 70 A short Prayer of St. Bernard to the Blessed Virgin 71 The Acts of Faith, EIope, and Charity............... 72 An Act of Divine Love and Oblation.................. 73 Means of Sanctifying Study.............................. 74 On the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass...................... 75 A Prayer before Mass................................... 82 A Prayer for the Authorities.............................. 8 The Ordinary of the Mass................................86 A Mass for the Dead............................ 109 A Mass on the Passion of our Lord................... 127 On the Sacrament of Penance.................... 139 An Examination of Conscience......................... 142 Jn Contrition........................................... 160 Motives for exciting Contrition.......................... 165 An Act of Contrition................................... 174 Resolution of Amendment................................176 A Prayer before Confession................ 179 Of Confession.................................... 181 Prayers after Confession............................. 189 Of Satisfaction..................................... 192 Of Indulgences................................ 195 An Offering of Sacramental Penance......... 197 Of first Communion...............198 4 C1ONTENTS. A Pnyer for those preparing for first Communion.... 204 Instructions and Devotions for Communion........... 206 A Prayer for the three Days before Communion...... 211 Meditations for the three Days before Communion.. 212 First Day.-On the opposite Dispositions of Communicants................................. 212 Second Day.-The Passion of our Lord applied to the Holy Communion.................................. 216 Third Day.-On the Virtues which should adorn a Communicant................................... 221 Immediate Preparation for Communion................ 225 Prayers before Communion............................... 226 A Method of hearing Mass before Communion...... 232 Devout Prayers after Communion...................... 242 A Method of hearing Mass after Communion........ 246 A Prayer for the three Days after Communion....... 257 Meditations for the three Days after Communion.... 258 First Day.-On the Sentiments which the Holy Communion should produce in our Souls.................. 258 Second Day.-On the Imitation of Christ............. 263 Third Day.-On the Danger of not Corresponding with the Graces received in the Holy Communion. 268 Preparation for Confirmation............................ 274 A Prayer before Confirmation............................ 279 A Prayer for the Holy Ghost, to beg the Descent of that Divine Spirit with his seven-fold Gifts......... 280 The Ceremony of Confirmation......................... 281 A Prayer after Confirmation.............................. 288 On the Presence of God........................... 289 On the Sign of the Cross.................................. 292 On Meditation.................................. 295 The Method of Meditation............................ 298 Preparatory Acts of Meditation......................... 299 On the predominant Passions......................... 306 Devolions for every Day in the Week.................. 317 Exercise for Sunday.-Devotions to the adorable Trinity..... 318 Trinity.................................... 318 --- -~ Monday.-Devotions for the Souls in Purgatory............................... 320 -- —'Tuesday.-Devotion to our Angel Guardian.............................. 323 ~ Wednesday.-Devote us to St Joseph. 326 CONTENTS. I Exercise for Thursday.-Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament........................... 329 Friday.-Devotion to the Passion of our Lord................................ 332 ----------- Saturday.-Devotion to the Blessed Virgin...................................... 335 On Novenas................................................ 340 A Novena in honour of the holy Name of Jesus...... 341 to the Sat red Heart........................... 349 - to the Blessed Virgin..................... 343 to St. Joseph................................344 to St. Patrick........................ 346 to St. Charles Borromeo..................... 348 - to St. John the Batist.................... 350 A Prayer to St. Augustine......................... 351 to St. Angela.................................. 352 to St. Urula................................ 353 to St. Aloysius................................ 353 On the Choice of a State of Life...................... 354 A Prayer for the Choice of a State of Life............. 355 A Prayer to implore the divine Direction in any Undertaking....................................... 356 A Renewal of the Baptismal Vows..................... 356 A Prayer for deceased Parents............................ 358 An Universal Prayer............................ 359 The Rosary of Jesus............. 360 The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin........................ 365 The Litany of the LifE and Passion of our Lord...... 377 The Litany of the Blessed Sacrament................... 379 - - for a Happy Death.................... 381 A Prayer for a Happy Death.... 382 The Thirty Days' Prayer............................. 383 A Method of honouring the Mysteri 3s of the Life and Passion of our Lord................ 386 Devotions for the Sick..................................... 389 Prayer before receiving the Viaticum.................... 391 Short Acts of Thanksgiving after receiving the Viaticum...................................................... 392 Prayer before Extreme Unction.......................... 393 Prayer after Extreme Unction....................... 394 Preparation for Death.................................... 394 Prayers for the Agonizing......................... 396 1* 6 CONTENTS. The Seven Penitential Psalms.......................... 406 Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus................ 408 An Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 408 The Litany of the Sacred Heart......................... 409 An Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart.......... 411 Devotions to the Heart of Mary........................ 413 The Litany to the Heart of Mary................ 414 The Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin............. 415 The Litany of Loretto, in English and Latin.......... 417 ~ the Saints, in English and Latin...... 420 The Vespers of Sunday, in English and Latin........ 429 Various Hymns and Canticles, in English and Latin 436 Lucis Creator Optime................................... 437 Iste Confessor.................................. 438 Magnificat anima...................................... 440 Adeste Fideles.................................. 441 Salve Regina.................................................. 442 Alma Redemptoris........................................... 442 Ave Regina Celorum................ 443 Regina Cculi letare................ 443 PaReging a Clinotar.......................................... 443 Salutaris Hostia........................................... 446 Panis anelicus........................................... 447 Ecce Panis................................. 447 Ave verum Corpus.............................. 449 Audi benigne Conaitor........................... 450 Vexilla regis.................................................. 451 Stabat Mater.................. 453 O Filii et filie.................................... 456 Salutus humanae Sator......................... 458 Vent Creator Spiritus...................................... 459 Veni Sancte Spiritus............................... 461 Cor area legem continens.................................. 463 Te Deum laudamus......................................... 464 Benedictus..................................................... 466 Miserere.................................................. 467 Litte Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary............... 468 Avs Maris Stella................................. 471 The Office for the Dead.................................... 473 APPENDIX. RItamm for adheri'g to the Roman Catholic Religon 50i PREFACE. THOsK 1io have made the human minl the ob ject of their peculiar study, unanimously allow, that nothing contributes so materially to the happiness of society as a christian and well-directed system of education for youth. This has ever been looked upon as a public concern, a subject of universal interest; because, generally speaking, the early impressions made on the minds of children, are those which they longest retain; and the habits to which they are formed in youth, are those in which they persevere. The greatest and most enlightened Doctors of the Church, sensible that faults are corrected, and virtue inculcated, with more than ordinary facility and success in youth, have considered the cultivation of young minds as closely connected with the glory of God, and calculated to promote the temporal and eternal happiness of mankind. On that account, the greatest men were remarkable for their zeal in catechizing and instructing children. Many devoted their time and talents, not only to the religious instruction of youth, but likewise to their education, that the system pursued therein may not interfere with their more important interests; others successfully exerted themselves in providing establishments, wherein young persons may acquire profane science, useful knowledge, and accomplishments suitable to their future prospects, without any risk of losing their innocence and piety; a danger always attendant on any system of public education which in not founded on religion, conducted 8 PREFACE. by religion, and directed to religion. 0} pirt nities for attaining education, similar to thoso provided by the pious and the learned for the youth of past generations, are, by the providence of Got, within the reach of the youth of the present day. There are now, as there were formerly, multitudes instructed and educated in religious seminaries, whose piety in their progress through life, appears to be solid and enlightened; whose minds are cultivated and formed; whose hearts are filled with the meekness and charity of Jesus Christ; and who exhibit striking evidences of the fruits which may naturally be expected from a religious education. Unfortunately, however, there exists a strong antipathy to a religious education, founded on a misconception of its object, and tending materially to limit its advantages to much the smallest portion of society. This prejudice originates in the erroneous idea entertained by many, that this species of education is confined to such subjects as regard religion alone; that it excludes the sciences, and most branches of liberal education; and that, being incompatible with ornamental accomplishments and elegant manners, it is consequently better calculated to disqualify than to prepare any young lady for society. Such opinions are unfounded; they are entertained only by those who have no knowledge of the system pursued in conferring a christian education. In that system, religion, it is true, is always, as it should be, the first object kept in view: a thorough knowledge of the duties and obligations of a christian is imparted to youth; a deep sense of the necessity of acting en that nowledge, by the constant discharge of those c bligations, is impre:ssed on their minds; and those al e held up to them uniformly as the most necessary, the most valuable and useful of all acquirements; as the st urce of true enjoymentz here, and the only foundation. for hoping eternal enjoyments hereafter. But that dois not prevent due attention being paid to every branch i education, and to every accomplishment whien should enter into the system of a young lady's education. It is not a little to be lamented that this truth is not more generally understood or believed, by those who naturally desire to facilitate the studies of their children; for experience has proved the necessity and the utility of accompanying the education of youth with religious instruction. It has proved, beyond a doubt, that to instruct children thoroughly in the principles of the christian doctrine, and the truths and maxims of the gospel; to teach them to apply those truths to themselves, and to make them the rule of their conduct, is an excellent method of facilitating their progress in other pursuits, and in a great measure of insuring their success. For, to say nothing of the blessing which the Almighty always gives to such studies as children are taught by religion to consecrate to his service, and to sanctify by the innocence of their lives, how could it be expected that young persons would persevere in restraining the levity, and conquering the sloth and inapplication of early years, so far as is necessary for succeeding in their studies, if not stimulated by a strong sense of duty. Beside, this precaution becomes particularly requisite with regard to iemale youth, for every one who has any experience concerning them knows, that unless religious instruction teach them early the comparative insignificance of human acquirements, and fill their hearts with the fear and love of God, it will be very unsafe to fill their heads with mere worldly knowledge. In fact, the little attention paid to young ladies in this respect, is the primary cause of the vanity, levity, extravagance, neglect of duty, and unchristian lives of many young persons, who certainly received a liberal, and otherwise judicious education. In the course of that education, great care, constant attention, instrucdion of all kinds were perhaps lavished on them, and the utmost pains were taken to render them amiable and accomplish )d members of society' but in vain 10 PREFACi. Why so? Because religious insti iction, and a contin nal application ofitt principles to tneir conduct in early life, did not enter into the system of their education. So insensible are the generality of young pers(na under such circumstances to their own real interests, that they seldom co-operate with the exertions oftheir teachers, and consequently those exertions seldom succeed. Little acquainted with a truth, which religious instruction renders familiar to its pupils, that disappointments and afflictions are the ordinary portion of mortals in their progress through life, they long for the expiration of their school days, and will not be persuaded that they are, in reality, the most peaceful, the happiest, and even the most precious of their lives. If they do not actually lose their time, their attention is chiefly directed to such branches of education as they consider most ornamental; and they neglect the less shining, but more valuable acquirements, which are indispensable in a woman. The time allotted to their studies expires, without their having well commenced them;-they return home little acquainted with their duties to God, to society, and to themselves, and still less disposed to fulfil them; accomplished, perhaps, but not educated, and particularly ill-qualified to discharge the useful and responsible duties of so^iety, which are the birthright of women. Those evils, which are nothing when compared to subsequent misfortunes, may evidently be traced to the want of a religious education:-for, as the Scripture says, Those things which thou hast not gathered in thy youth, how shalt thou find them in thy old age? But how different is the conduct of those who are blessed by Providence with a religious education! Being early instructed concerning the obligations contracted by their baptism, the great end of their creation, and the principles of their religion in general; and moreover deeply impressed with the necessity of living according to the maxims of the gospel, in order to insure their salvation, they are generally disposed PREFACE. 11 to set a high value on every opportunity of acquiring religious instruction. Beside, diligence in study holds such a distinguished rank among their important duties, that it renders the otherwise thorny path of.earning a sweet and pleasing one to them. It seldom happens, that a few years, thus devoted to the pursuit of virtue and useful knowledge, fail in forming the minds of young persons to the love of both; their whole time being divided between religious duties and necessary relaxation, they contract an early habit of being always profitably occupied. They imbibe the spirit of sincere piety, which not only teaches them what their duties are, but how to place their greatest satisfaction in discharging those duties faithfully. They gradually correct their faults, and even practise virtue in such a manner as would do credit to more matured age. They almost forget that there are any'other amusements or pleasures than those innocent enjoyments within their reach; and are so perfectly sensible of the utility of school restraint, that they generally anticipate their emancipation from it with the deepest regret. Thus the good seed frequently produces such speedy fruits in young persons, as give the most encouraging hopes of their becoming models of virtue to society, the consolation and ornament of their families; and perhaps instrumental to the salvation of many by their good example. Another of the many groundless objections made to religious education is, that its pleasing fruits are often nippe in the bud, and that some young persons, who received a very christian education, are observed to be as anxiously devoted to the world and its vanities, as those who know nothing of religion. Unhappily there have been individuals whose conduct justified such remarks; but, considering the fatal influence of bad example, bad company, ridicule, and all the other temptations that assail young persoas in society it is a wonderful proof of the effect of rea 12 PREFIAOE. gious instruction, that such instances are few. Comt paratively speaking, it is certain, that they are fewso few, as to leave it still an undeniable truth, that a good education is seldom so totally thrown away as that, sooner or later, its fruits do not appear. Those young persons who were religiously educated, yet whom false maxims, or pernicious example, had engaged to imitate the follies of worldlings, seldom per. sist in stifling the remorse caused in their hearts, by the opposition between their consciences and their conduct. They are carried away for a time, but often, through the mercy of God, and the bias their minds so eariy received, with no worse effect than to superadd the lessons of their own experience to those of early instruction. They were often told that the pleasures of virtue are the only real pleasures; that those of the world are empty and bitter; that the fulfilment of duty is the road to contentment, and that serving the world is purchasing insipid enjoymenis at a very dear rate. They perceive, some sooner, some later, but almost all perceive at last, that those maxims are truths, and then it is that they recall and resolve to act on the salutary instructions of their youth. There have been some, it is true, who un fortunately persevered, even to the evening of life, in their ungrateful abuse of the graces conferred in a religious education; but even those have been known to prove on the bed of death, by their contrition and sincere return to their Creator, that the fear of God, which they had early imbibed, had not completely lost its influence, nor the virtuous impressions made on them by a good education had been entirely effaced. However, those are graces due to none, and lfeast deserved by those who most presumptuously depend on them. The danger of abusing so great an advantage as a religious education, should ever be present to the minds of those who receive it, and atimulate them to acquire such a store of virtue in eir youth, as may strengthen them to resist the PRSFACG. 13 dangers they hare to encounter ill after-life. The allurements of the world are dangerous to all, but axe particularly to be dreaded for females, who seldom possess sufficient firmness to resist example, and who frequently from their cradle manifest a love of the world, of extravagance and show, with a passion for pleasure and endless variety-dangerous propensities, thaL ii uiome young persons appear quite destroyed, but afterwards prove to have been only dormant, from the absence of objects and occasions calculated to rouse them. It becomes their duty in particular, to remember their Creator in the days of their youth before the time of affliction come; to endeavour to correct the faults inherent in their characters; to profit of the blessings of a religious education; to guard against inapplication while at school, and to avoid, at their departure, inconstancy, in the virtuous habits they have acquired. Those being the great evils which sometimes tend to prevent the good effects of the best education, the object of this work is to assist youth in guarding against them-to lead them early into the path of piety, and enable them to persevere in that path during life. The young persons for whom The Ursuline Manual is expressly intended, will perceive that it is nothing more than a collection of their ordinary Devotions, with the addition of such spiritual exer cises as they may require on extraordinary occasions, which will prevent the necessity of multiplying Prayer Books. The preparation for approaching the Sacraments, in particular, is explicit and detailed; to give them all the instruction they require for the due performance of such solemn duties; and to impress them with a just idea of their importance. The other abridged instructions comprised in this volume will, it is hoped, refresh and invigorate the impressions already made, and from the brevity of their form be less easily forgotten than the more ample ones usually given on those important points. 9 14 PROFAO, As very few prayers enter into the system laid down for their conduct during the period of their education, for the purpose of leaving more leisure for attending to their studies and attaining the several ends for which they are placed at school, it becomes particularly incumbent on them to sanctify these studies, and nqt to allow whim or caprice to influence their conduct in the discharge or neglect of d..L sehnol duties, lest the habits of sloth or indifference which they then indulge, may predispose their minds for much more serious omissions in the weighty avocations of after-life. Their principal efforts then should tend to the attainment of piety, and the acquiring of a certain solidity of character, which is founded on good sense, and directly opposite to the fickleness, affectation, and false timidity, which make many young ladies appear almost fools, whom nature did not intend for such. Solid information and the improvement of their minds are the next objects to be kept in view. They should always recollect that, after the pleasures derived from virtue, those to be found in the pursuit of knowledge, are the purest and most worthy of a rational being. Study improves the memory, forms the judgment, and if diligently and judiciously pursued. will give them such resources in their own minds, as will render them in after-life independent of idle visiters and conversations, with other still more dangerous amusements which a vacuity of mind renders necessary to some young ladies. In labouring to cultivate their minds, they should endeavour to imitate those great ornaments of their sex, whose knowledge kept pace with their sanctity-such as St. Catharine of Alexandria, St. Catharine of Sienna, &c. The example of the former, in particular, who is the Patroness of many celebrated schools, should direct young persons in the pursuit of learning, and also ir the use to be made of mental acquirements. From her hu. mility, meekness, diffidence in herself, and contempt PREFACZ 1i for all worldly learning, when compared with the most trifling improvement in virtue, they will perceive the folly of setting great value on their acquirements, vnd still more of making an ostentatious show of such resources in conversation or otherwise. That ridicu. lous method of shining would never be adopted by young ladies, could they be convinced that it produces an effect directly contrary to their intentions. In aiming at an exhibition of the extent of their knowledge, they frequently show only its limits-and, at all events, prove that their conceptions of science in general must be very narrow, when they so much overrate their own trifling acquirements. The general vocation of christians is, to live in the world-to sanctify themselves in the world-and to do good in the world according to their abilities. Therefore young persons should not forget to form their manners, and to qualify themselves in every other respect for mixing in society. The manners of those who profess piety, contribute materially to render it attractive or repulsive in the eyes of'the generality of persons who judge only by appearances. Gentleness, forbearance, condescension, deference for others, and forgetfulness of self, are the dictates of charity, which is genuine politeness, and therefore should be observable in every christian's exterior comportment. The elegant manners, and all the forms and ceremonies of refined society, should not be neglected, provided they do not degenerate into those extravagant compliments, which have neither sense nor sincerity. This polish is by no means incompatible with the spirit of religion, as is proved by the example of many great saints, who, though most accomplished in the eyes of the world, were not on that account less pleasing in the sight of God. The period of leaving school is peculiarly critical, even for those young persons who had conducted themselves with most piety, and profited in every respect of the advantages they enjoyed in the course 16 PREFACE. of their education. The liberty which then succeeds to restraint-and their intercourse with such a variety of characters, whose principles differ materially from those they have been accustomed to consider as the only safe guides for their conduct, sometimes effect a greater change in a few months, than would be exected after a lapse of years. St. Augustine says of himself, that, "having been recalled home from his studies at sixteen years of age, vices began to spring up in his heart like briers in a neglected ground, and that they multiplied, because there was no discreet hand to pluck them out." Those young persons who would be sorry to say the same from experience, and thus to lose the happy fruits of their early efforts in the service of God, ought to follow the advice of St. Francis of Sales, who counsels " a christian to enter the world with great fear, to live in it with great watchfulness, and to guard against the poisonous infection of its air, by the strong antidotes of serious reflection and devout prayer." They should seriously reflect, before they leave school, on the graces they received during their residence there, and dwell particularly on the fruits that will be expected from those graces. It is to give them leisure for those reflections, and to dispose their minds, by prayer, for profiting of them, that, in several religious seminaries, a short retreat is appointed for those who have finished their studies, and are about to return home. That retreat is a last and very great grace annexed to their religious education, of which they should endeavour to profit, by giving their undivided attention to the means prescribed for going through it fervently, and endeavouring particularly to draw from the reflections of those few days, three very necessary dispositions for persons who are on the eve of entering the world. First, a holy fear of its dangers; because those dan. gers will never be sufficiently guarded against, if they be not sincerely dreaded-secondly, the utmost diffidence iI their own strength, knowing that the least of PREFACE. 17 those dangers to which they are about to be exposed, would be sufficient to overturn their good purposes, if they are left to themselves-lastly, a lively and firm confidence in God, who is just as well able to preserve then in the world, as he was to save Lot from the fire of Sodom, and the Hebrew children from the corruption of Babylon. With regard to the line of conduct which young persons should pursue after their return home, it should be the result of serious reflection on that positive declaration of our Lord, that no one can serve two masters; that is, no one can conciliate the idle, useless pursuits of too many persons in the world, with the service of God; therefore they must expect to hear, on all sides the maxims of the world, which are as corrupt and wicked as their author, the Prince of darkness, without being influenced by any of them so far as to depart from the maxims of the gospel, on which they know they are to be judged. In a word, they must make an open profession of piety, and act consistently with that profession-that. is, they must give that good example which the world itself expects from those who are well instructed. For this end, it would be advisable for young persons to call to mind that short rule for attaining eternal salvation, which their Catechism points out from the Scripture, viz.: to avoid evil and do good. It is necessary to avoid evil, that is, sin, and all occasions of sin. It would be melancholy, indeed, if young persons left a seminary of piety, without that sincere horror of sin, which would urge them to avoid, with the utmost care, every thought, word, and action, evidently sinful; but the occasions of sin, unfortunately so numerous in the world. are much to be dreaded by youth, on account of their great inexperience, and consequent inability to detect the snares which are laid for them, or to discern the fatal end to which a flowery path so often leads. But however inexperienced they may be in many respects, they will 2* 18 PREPAC require nothing more than the voice of conscience tc decide that the following are dangerous occasions oJ sin, which every young lady should particularly resolve to avoid. First, ialeness, which the Scripture says has taught much evil. It is natural enough for young persons, immediately after leaving school, to indulge in a little relaxation from the strict order and regularity of sys. tem to which they had been accustomed: but it is a common artifice of the enemy to persuade them, that this relaxation may extend to their spiritual dutiesthat the Sacraments may be deferred, and whole days spent in absolute idleness. Those who listen to that suggestion, will soon experience its bad effects-a relish for idleness, and a disgust for occupation, will insensibly steal upon their hearts, and if they do not put a stop to the growing evil by early and punctual attention to their religious duties, and a speedy regulation of their time, they will soon feel the truth of St. Bernard's words, that "idleness is the sink of all temptations-the mother of folly-the death of the soul, and the receptacle of all evil." The second occasion of sin to be avoided is, bad company, and indiscriminate friendships.-Bad company is so evidently injurious, that no young person, who fears God, should expose her salvation by voluntarily. associating with any one whose morals are known to be questionable. St. Teresa says of her self, that a vain female cousin, and another young person, engaged in all the vanities of the world, with whom she associated in her youth, effected such a change in her principles and conduct, as to leave nc trace of the virtuous impressions she had received in the convert where she was educated. If bad cmonyany had such influence on that great saint, who was distinguished from her early years by solid virtue, sound sense, and great abhorrence of the shadow of evil, how much more injurious will it prove to those young persons, whose natural character and disposi. PREFACE. 19 tions render them less able to resist its influence t With respect to friendships, young persons are greatly exposed to contract them indiscreetly, being too often carried away by the external qualifications of those whom they choose for their friends. The Scripture says, Be in peace with many, but let one of a thousana be your counsellor-that is, your friend and confidant In fact, so many qualities are necessary on both sides to render a close intimacy, confidence, or strict friendship safe, or useful between young persons in the world, that the best resolutions a young lady could make, on this head, are, to be extremely circumspect in selecting any one as a friend-to adhere to the great precept of charity, which requires, that every one should be loved for God's sake-and to be exact.n treating all with affability and condescension, but very few with familiarity and unreserve. She should never choose a friend who does not fear and serve God; since friendship, without that foundation, must be injurious; and lastly, she should always give less confidence to the best and most deserving friend, than she does to her parents. Those should be the first friends of young persons, their only entire confidants, as well as their directors and advisers in the choice of any others-without their advice, nothing should be undertaken, and from them nothing should be concealed. The other occasions of sin to be avoided, are, bad books, novels, theatrical amusements, 4-c. These have unhappily injured many young persons, being well calculated to destroy the good inclinations received from nature, and all the effects of a virtuous education. Heretical books, or any others tending to weaken faith, or lessen respect for religion, are dangerous lectures, and expressly prohibited. Well-instructed persons sometimes are not as guarded as they shullld be in this respect, from excessive curiosity, or from secret presumption on the strength of their faith; which presumption has often been followed by sO PREFACE. dangerous temptations. Among bad tooks may be specially ranked the infidel productions of the last century, which no young lady should venture to open. Those works, such as the writings of a Voltaire, a Rousseau, a d'Alembert, &c., whose fascinating style has served to communicate their poison to thousands, are the -real disgrace of libraries, though they unhappily hold a distinguished place in too many. A learned and excellent author, speaking of novelt and romances, says, that " such compositions are injurious both to morals and true literature; that they pervert and deprave the heart, poison the morals, and excite the passions, which it is the real business of a christian to restrain:-that they chill by degrees the fervour of pious inclinations, and banish from the mind all that was in it of solidity and virtue: in fine, that young persons in the habit of reading such lectures, soon retain no ardour but for those things which the world esteems and God abominates." These considerations should make all young persons very cautious in the choice of books, and lead them never to read any, without having first ascertained whether they be calculated for their perusal. However, it should be remembered, that a book is not to be considered bad, merely because it contains a few exceptionable passages. Those will occur in works which are otherwise excellent, and calculated to convey useful information. Such passages should always be passed over; but to reject every work in which they are to be found, would not only restrain reading within very narrow limits, but likewise tend to weaken the judgment, and create unfounded fears. Plays and Theatrical Amusements may be counled among the most dangerous occasions of sin which young persons have to avoid in the world. They are sometimes a stumbling-block to their piety and good resolutions, because it is now too much tle custoim to employ advice, solicitations, and even authority, to overcome every reluctance on this head. PREFACE 3, The opinion of the most earned and holy doctors of the church has, at all tines, been in opposition to theatrical amusements. By St. Augustine they are styled "the pest of souls; the ruin of virtue and deo corum:" and St. Chrysostom denominates them " tho fuel of the passions, and the pomps of Satan, which christians solemnly renounce." Notwithstanding this, it is a melancholy truth, that there are persons now found, who ate so insensible to the real interests of their daughters, sisters, and other female friends, as to authorize, and even procure their presence at such diversions. An eminent prelate of the present day, whose profound erudition and invaluable writings already rank him among the most zealous and efficient defenders of religion and morality, loudly condemns this practice. He expresses just astonishment at the inconsistency of those parents, who first, by a christian education, provide their children with the means of saving their souls, and afterwards expose them to the evident risk of being eternally lost, by permitting them to frequent stage representations. " Those parents," continues he, " deserve n; pity, if their children ultimately disappoint their hopes; because they have to reproach themselves with industriously eradicating the early lessons of virtue and morality they had received, and implanting those of the world, the flesh, and the devil, by conducting them to the head school, where these lessons are taught, viz. the play-house." However, as it is in every one's power, aided by divine grace, to resist solicitations on this head, as well as every other temptation; their success, with respect to many young persons, must be attributed to want of resolution on their part. It is true, that curiosity to witness these exhibitions, as well as the desire and love of amusement, are quite natural to youth; so much so, that the best instructed young persons must rather ambition the merit of overcoming such inclinations, than the privilege of not feeling them. But, at the same time, they should remember, i95 pMLrFcZ. that this is a victory which the Almighty requires and consequently, a steady determination never to assist at theatrical amusements, should be one of their most particular resolutions on entering the world. They are not ignorant of the various and solid rea. sons which exist for making and keeping such a resolution. Among those the two following should be particularly impressed on their minds: First, the risk they run, by frequenting the theatre, of losing what should be dearer to them than life itself, the grace of God, and the love of virtue; because, as St. Augustine observes, "it is at the theatre that the flesh and the devil assault the minds and hearts of young people, by every means calculated to instil the poison of vice; to enervate the soul, and flatter the passions, by a general and simultaneous movement of all the allurements and charms of the senses. Secondly, the bad example which the appearance of a well-instructed Catholic would give in a playhouse, as likewise the scandal which it may occasion, by leading others to indulge without scruple in amusements, of which they before hesitated to partake. It may not be amiss here to caution young persons against the arguments generally made use of in favour of theatrical amusements; that by examining at leisure the emptiness and insufficiency of those arguments, they may not afterwards be influenced by their apparent plausibility. Young persons, for example, must expect to be told, that going to plays is not sinful, because many excellent characters frequent the theatre without scruple. It is unfortunately too true, that this dangerous practice is patronized, though it can never be authorized, by some Catholics, from whom a different line of conduct shonld be expected; but that circumstance does not in the least diminish its danger or its guilt. If preqedent were a sufficient excuse before God for any sin, what crime is there hat may not be committed with impunity 1 There PRZFACK. s8 fore, so far from being decided, in this respect, by the opinion and practice of others, young persons should act consistently with the principles which were early impressed on their minds; and though the example of all those whom, in other respects, they consider most worthy of their deference and imitation, were alleged as a motive for going to plays, they should always answer, as Bossuet did to Louis XIV. on a similar occasion: " Sire, there are great examples for going to the theatre, but great reasons for staying away." Young persons will be told, in the next place, that they may safely freauent the theatre, because the stage has undergone considerable improvement; that it is no longer what it formerly was-and that good plays cannot injure any one. Allowing that there were such a wonder exhibited as a play perfectly good in itself, it is certain that it would be impossible -o find one perfectly safe in all its appendages, such is scenery, dress, action, &c. Those circumstances done constitute a great portion of the danger of the stage-they communicate a fatal interest to the most insipid plays, and an infallible poison to those which are in themselves less dangerous. On this account alone the theatre should always be dreaded and shunned, particularly by young females, who are much more exposed to be injured by such circumstances, than by the play itself. But, even independent of those circumstances, the fact cannot be concealed, that however purified the plays of the present day may be from the'old leaven, yet the far greater number are full of immoral sentiments, and always turn an some passion, from whose contagious influence, it would indeed be difficult to guard the heart of any female who witnesses those representations. A third irgument adduced in favour of plays is, the experience of persons who affirm that they frequent the theatre without being in the least injured by that M4 PREPACI, practice. Those who make that assertion, must get credit, either for great insincerity, or great blindness A. holy father defines the theatre tD be " Satan's own field of battle, whereon those who expose themselves in the combat, must engage their enemy with every species of advantage on his side, which his infernal malice can devise;" and divines expressly declare, that a christian who frequents the theatre, can only avoid falling into sin, by an escape as wonderful as it is rare; consequently, those who produce their own experience, in contradiction to the decision of divines -in opposition to the opinion of the holy Fathers, and likewise to the testimony of many persons who frequented the theatre, only to regret that practice on their sincere conversion, give great reason to apprehend that they endeavour to deceive themselves as well as others; or else, that their souls having become already the victims of these dangerous amusements, are dead in sin, and on that account insensible tc new wounds. All that remains to be said on this subject, is, that young persons should earnestly beg of God to enable them to rise superior to all ridicule or solicitation on this head, and to act, on occasion of temptation, with that christian firmness, which God will reward, and the world itself must admire. With regard to the various other dangers and temptations, which are almost inseparably attached to the necessity of living and conversing in the world, young persons, Who sincerely endeavour to serve God, should consider them rather as motives for unbounded confidence in the protection of the Almighty, than for excessive fear. To abstain from those which it is in their power to avoid, is all that is required from them Those who fulfil that duty, may in every other circumstance confidently promise themselves the paternal and special protection of Providence; because the Scripture threatens destruction, not to those who are in danger. but to those who love it too well to avai PREFACE 9 themselves of the opportunities of escape \; ithin their reach. Eccles. iii. 27. Beside avoiding evil, a second condition for salva. tion, pointed out to young persons by their catechism, is to do good. Every well-instructed christian is fully aware that to do good is a necessary condition for attaining life everlasting, consequently resolve on complying with the injunction; nevertheless, the de terminations of many on this head are but vague re solutions, which eventually produce no solid effects There are others also who perform a great man. works of supererogation, while in the mean time they neglect the essential duties of a christian, as well as those attached to their situations in life. It is consequently of extreme importance, that young persona should not confine themselves to a general resolution of keeping the commandments, but that they moreover determine to discharge their respective duties. A firm conviction, that fidelity to those duties is, in reality, the observance of the commandments, and a short road to all the perfection required from them as christians, should induce them to form distinct, precise, yet rational ideas concerning their nature and extent. Thereby they will he prevented from doing too little or too much; and also, saved from that constant fluctuation in opinion and practice, which is too evident in those who have no fixed principles for their direction, or whose conduct is governed by any other rule, rather than the maxims of christianity. To form this distinct idea of her duties, and make her resolutions accordingly, a young person may class them all under three heads-those which relate to God -those which regard her neighbour-and those which she owes to herself. The duties which relate to the immediate service of the Almighty are, a fervent and punctual discharge of spiritual exercises, such as morning and night prayers-daily examination of conscience-mature consideration on the truths of eternity, which is so 3 26 PREFACE. necessary for keeping alive their influence in the heart-fervent and regular frequentation of the Sa. craments, on which the life of the soul may be said to depend-likewise that regular attendance at sermons, and other offices of the church, which is re. quisite for public edification. Any remarks on the necessity of discharging those duties with fidelity and fervour, or any directions as to the method of doing so, would be quite superfluous here. These matters have been frequently touched on throughout this work, and in some places rather diffusely explained, with a view, not only to inspire young persons with a spirit of fervour and punctuality in the discharge of their daily exercise of devotion, but also to guard them against the false notions of many persons, whose devotion consists in spending the greater part of their time in long prayers, which cannot be done without prejudice to other essential duties, and without causing the service, which the Almighty requires in one way, to interfere, with that which he equally exacts in another-an effect which can never follow from a well-regulated, rational system of devotion. On this account, the young persons for whom this work is particularly intended, are recommended to persevere in those daily devotions to which they had been accustomed, without adding to or retrenching from theL number. In the discharge of those exercises they should be punctual, avoiding most carefully that inconstancy so common in youth, which prompts them to shorten-to prolong-to put off, or to omit practices of piety, without any better motive for so doing than their particular humour, disposition of mind, or want of inclination. To insure this regularity as much as depends on them, the time for their prayers, daily considerations, and other devotional exercises, should be regulated; remembering, however, that maxim which was so often impressed on their minds, and is again so frequently repeated in the course of this work, that all private devotions should be subservient PREFACE. 97 to the duties of their station; and that, whenever it happens that both cannot be discharged, the former duties should always be sacrificed to the latter, by which, in the sight of God, they will be substituted. Those involuntary interruptions and passing deviations from their spiritual duties, when occasioned onlv by obedience, charity, or necessary condescension, so far from being injurious, are most conducive to their advancement in solid virtue. The duties of young persons towards their neighbour, may be divided into those they owe to their immediate family, and those due to society at large. Their manner of discharging the former in particular, will be the real test of their having derived from a religious education the fruits it is intended to produce. Those who are instructed need not be told that respect, obedience, tenderness, and grateful affection, are the duties they owe their parents, and that kindness and charity are due to equals; but very few seem impressed with the necessity of conducting themselves altogether in such a manner as would render them amiable, useful, and edifying in their family. Those who have not been instructed, or who abuse the benefit of instruction, so far as to be totally devoted to the follies of the world, think of nothing bur amusement and show; consequently they lead a life as useless to their friends as it is to themselves. Agreeable enough among strangers, they are usually unamiable and dissatisfied at home, because their element is dissipation and folly.-Others, on the contrary, aim at pleasing and serving God; but they seem to forget that it is impossible to do so without fulfilling the duties they owe to their family. They are generally abroad, either employed in works of devotion, or in rendering services of charity and instruction to others which are perhaps more wanted, and would consequently be better bestowed at home. They spend in private devotion the time which they should devote to the general good, and even amuse. 28 PREFACX. ment of their family; and if their little regulations be inteirupted by a set vice required from them-by a visiter to be received-or by any other active duty of their state which requires to be discharged, their embarrassment or dissatisfaction often appears, to the great disedilication of their neighbour, and discredit of religion. The intention of those persons to gain heaven may be very good, but they evidently mistak the way; as our Lord expressly declares, when he says it is not those who say, Lord, Lord, who shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father, who is in heaven. The will of God, in this particular, most certainly is, that a young person, who has received the blessings of a religious education, should afterwards endeavour to piomote his glory, by promoting the peace and advantage, both spiritual and temporal, of her family. She is bound to preserve its peace, and, of course, should most carefully avoid all that could tend to disturb general tranquillity and harmony. Impatience and fretfulness would be particularly scandalous in those who are perceived to know and fulfil in other respects the duties of a christian. " Those," says a learned spiritual writer, " whose hearts are filled with charity and goodness, are strangers to lowering and contracted looks: true virtue always increases the sweetness and gentleness of the mind, though this is attended with invincible constancy, and inflexible firmness in every point of indispensable duty. That devotion is defective, or rather false, which is accompanied with pride, obstinacy, or uncharitableness. Whatever makes us sour or morose, certainly makes as worse, and instead of begetting in us a nearer resemblance with our divine model, it gives a strong tincture of the temper of the devils." These words should be attentively considered by all young persons, particularly by those who are conscious of acting in such a manr.er as renders them not a bond of union among their friends, but a source of discord; whose PREFACE. 89 nnsubdued temper, unamiable manners, selfishness, and love of their own ease, disturb that domestic society, which it should be their care and ambition to enliven, and of which the advantages they received should make them the soul and the charm. To promote the spiritual advantage of her friends is, also, another duty of a young person; but. in endeavouring to do so, she should recollect, that this is seldom effected by disputes about religious mattersthose are always unbecoming in youth, and should be avoided with diffidence, as above their capacity and beyond their sphere: nor is much good, in general, done by incessant admonitions or uncalled-for advice. The eloquent and successful voice, which seldom fails to persuade, is good example; an even, unruffled temper; amiable, obliging manners; tender charity, which is always disposed to excuse the faults of others; a readiness to oblige, and to undertake even more than a part in domestic cares, and to sacrifice cheerfully self-gratification to the gratification of others. Any young person who acts in this manner, and who is, beside, careful to contribute to the improvement and instruction of her younger brothers and sisters, may truly be said to fulfil her duty to her family-she promotes, as far as could depend on an individual, its real interest, by inducing others to imitate those virtues which they so much admire in her, and by convincing them, in her own person, of a truth little credited in the world, because seldom exemplified, viz. that there is nothing so admirable, so engaging, so cheerful, so sociable, in a word, so truly amiable, as solid piety. The obligations of a christian towards society at large, chiefly consist in giving good example, that is, by paying strict attention to all public duties of religion; by practically showing forth the principles of religion; and also by not hesitating, when authorized by prudence and necessity, to espouse the cause of religion; and to support, by word as well as by ac3* 30 PREFACI tions, the maxims of the gospel. Charity is also a great debt due to every one-it is a virtue which in. cines young persons to banish every idea which may occur to the prejudice of those who act in a mannez that, to well-instructed young persons, appears wrong, but which they should attribute to ignorance or irad. vertence. Charity should also restrain youth from that ridicule, or those uncharitable remarks, which are, unfortunately, the life and common topic of conversation in the world. Young persons could not adopt a better, or more excellent rule on this subject, than the following, given by an enlightened guide of youth: " Say nothing of any person which would not bear to be repeated to that person-avoid a tone of authority and decision, it is unbecoming in young persons-pronounce with great caution on the merits or demerits of others-and be so reserved and moderate in expressing your own sentiments, as to make it difficult for others to judge for or against you." Concerning the customs and fashions of the world, it should be remembered that a rational compliance with them is a kind of duty which those who mix in society owe to its members. There are some fashions, which the express rules of prudence and economy do not permit a christian to adopt, however great her means or expectations may be;-there are others, which the laws of propriety expressly condemn. The appearance which some young ladies make in ball-rooms and places of public resort, is highly offensive to com. mon decency-repugnant to every principle of modesty and christian reserve. Their fashionable mode of dress, as it is called, or rather their absolute undress, tends to a far different end from that they pro. bably propose. It renders them objects of ridicule to the generality, and of contempt and disgust in the eyes of those whose opinion deserves respect. Fashions, which even border on such a scandalous system, should of course be pointedly and publicly swerved from, and condemned by the practice of every young PREFACM. 31 erson who knows how to respect herself, indepen entlv of the respect due to religion. But as to the other customs of fashionable persons regarding dress, conformity with them may be either vanity or virtue, according to the motive which inclines to such compliance. One point is certain, that religion neither requires nor authorizes any singularity, or affected deviation from the common rules of society, respecting dress, in such points as are in themselves strictly innocent. Any young person, who conforms exteriorly to the fashions in those particulars, yet in her heart, like queen Esther, disclaims any worse motive than compliance with the formalities of her rank in life, may be more pleasing in the sight of God, than others who attempt to excuse their neglect in dress by alleging religion and contempt of the world as its motive, but who, in reality, make those virtues serve as a cloak for singularity and real indolence. One of the chief duties which young persons have to discharge towards themselves, after they leave school, is a continuation of the same interest, and in some measure the same exertion for their own advantage, with which they should have pursued their studies. It happens, not unfrequently, that many who l ft school thoroughly instructed in the christian doctrine, possessing a tolerable fund of useful information, a taste for study, and a love for useful pursuits, after a few years retain scarce any of these advantages. This may be traced to the total neglect of their own improvement, which they think themselves authorized to indulge because they have left school. Instead of cultivating the seeds of virtue, which instruction had sown, and building on the foundation which their studies had laid, they scatter what they had gathered in the one way, and forget what they had learned in the other. This is a great injustice to themselves, which many have regretted after it had become irreparable: therefore it is very necessary that young persons should not imagine, on leaving 32 PREFACE. school, that theil education is finished, and that they are so firmly grounded in virtue, or science, as to dispense themselves from further exertions for the improvement of their hearts and minds:-on the contrary, though school-days are peculiarly those of study, yet youth is always a season for improvement; while that lasts, they should profit of their exemption from the cares which may await their more advanced years, and never fail, as far as circumstances permit, to devote some part of each day to study, which may be pursued with more interest and success, when persons are disengaged from the various other duties of school. Reading, in particular, which is one of the most rational and interesting of all occupations, should not be neglected, because, when well directed, and attended with perseverance and reflection, it is a most effectual means of enriching the mind, improving the judgment, and giving solidity to mental acquirements. Music, drawing, or those other ornamental acquirements which engross so much time, and are attended with considerable expense, cannot, except through necessity, be laid aside by any young lady without injustice to herself, or to those friends who spared no exertions to render her accomplished ia. every respect. But, as it will avail a man nothing, to gain the whole world, if he lose his own soul, it follows, that the essential duty which all christians have to discharge towards themselves, consists in the attention they are bound to pay to the concerns of their souls. Those who are brought up with care, and who enjoy in their early years such continual assistance, advice instruction, and admonition, as make the practice of virtue easy, and leave them little more to do, than to correspond with the exertions of others, very often fail in this important point, and fall off considerably when their virtue begins to depend more on themselves, and they are obliged to walk as it were alone in the path of God's commandments. Like the young PRBEFAC. 33 king Joas, who continued to love and serve God only while under the care of the high priest Joiada, such young persons persevere in the practice of virtue, so long as they are urged or encouraged to do so; but as soon as external help fails, their resolution begins to waver, and thereby they run an evident risk of soon falling. The best method of guarding against this danger, is to impress on their hearts those solid principles of the fear and love of God, which are the foundation of true virtue, and also to adopt the means necessary for promoting their own immediate sanctification, particularly the following: First, the advice of a director, which is necessary to all christians, but indispensably requisite for youth. " Be not without a guide," says St. Jerom, speakirrgto young persons,'' lest you should mistake your road, and perish in your wandering, or go faster, or slower, than God requires." Secondly, spiritual reading: a great variety of spiritual books should be avoided, lest their multiplicity serve to prevent the maxims of any from making a due impression. The New Testament, the Lives of the Saints, the Introduction to a devout Life, the Imitation of Christ, the Spiritual Combat, the Think Well On't, and the Characters of real Devotion, are works from which young persons may undoubtedly draw the two great benefits to be derived from spiritual reading, viz. instruction in the maxims of virtue, and encouragement for reducing those maxims to practice: a more extensive spiritual library will be better timed, when their judgment and character are firmly and happily formed. Thirdly, serious reflection on the great truths of religion. This is a precaution absolutely necessary for preventing the maxims of the gospel from being effaced in their early years by those of the world. Death-judgment-the shortness of time, and duration of eternity-the misery of sin, the vanity of the world-the death and passion of Jesus Christ-the merit and necessity of suffering-the spirit of chris 34 PREFACE. tianity, and duties of a christian, should be assiduously considered by all young persons, and great care taken on their part to retain the counsels and instrucions of their early years, and make use of them as occasions may require, for the direction of their conduct. This work, though particularly designed for the use and instruction of young persons during their studies, and on that account adapted to their capacities in simplicity of style, and confined chiefly to their actual wants, as to the select on of prayers and spiritual ex. ercises, will be found very useful in assisting thR memory, and seconding the laudable efforts of those who sincerely desire to preserve in their hearts the spirit of piety. It is recommended to them in theil progress through life, as a summary of the advice and instructions they had been accustomed to receive, and as a kind of mirror, in which they may at any time discern how far they have retained or lost the virtuous impressions of their early youth. Should this work fall into the hands of any persons who were educated and instructed according to the principles it inculcates yet who are now conscious that their life in the world does not correspond with the early graces they received, it is most sincerely hoped, that it will not only serve to remind them of the blessings they received from God, and the ingratitude of abusing the early mercies of the Lord, but also assist them to trace back their steps, at least, to the virtues of their childhood; and enable them to regain their first fervour, and to preserve with more fidelity, during the remainder of their lives, that perfect knowledge of the obligati-ns of a christian, and that determined, efficacious will to fulfil them, which are the two most precious fruits to pe erived from a RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. TABLE OF MOVABLE FEASTS. a * 1856 fe 14 xxviij Jan. ( Feb. 6 Mar. 2i 1865 g 13 xij Feb. 4 Feb. 21 April 8 1856 fe 14 xxviij Jan. 27 Feb. 16 Mar. 23 1857 d 15 iv Feb. MFeb. 25 April 12 1868 c 21 xv Jan. I Feb. 17 April 4 1859 b 17 xxvj an. 24eb. 2 0 Mar.i 24 1860 Ag 18 vj Feb. 12 Feb. 22 April 8 1861 f 19 xviv Jan. 27 Feb. 13 Mar. 31 1862 e xxv Feb. 17 Mar. 5 April 20 1863 ed 2 xj Feb. I Feb. 18 April 1 1869 cb 8 xxij Jan. 24 Feb. 10 Mar. 27 1865 A 4 xiij Feb. 12 Mar. 2 April 16 1876 g xiv JanF. 28 Feb. 14 April 1 1867 g f 6 xxv Feb. 21 Mar. 16 pri 21 1868 ed 7 vj Feb. 9 Feb. 26 April 12 1869 c 8 xviij Jan. 24 Feb. 10 Mar. 28 1870 b 9 xxviiv Feb. 13 Mar. 2 April 17 1871 A 10 ix Feb. 5 Feb. 22 April 9 1872 gf 16 xx Jan. 28 Feb. 14 Mar. 31 1873 12 i xvj Feb. 17 Feb. 6 April 13 1874 d 13 xij Feb. 9 Feb. 18 April 5 1875 d c 14 xxiij Jan. 24 Feb. 10 Mar. 28 1876 bA 16 iv Feb. 13 Mar. I April 16 1877 g 16 xv Jan. 28 Feb. 14 April 1 1878 f 17 xxvj Feb. 17 Mar. 6 April 21 1879 e 18 vij Feb. 9 Feb. 26 April 13 1880 dc 19 xviij Jan. 25 Feb. I1 Mar. 28 TABLE OF MOVABLE FEASTS. 1856 May 1/May I1 lay 22 14 28 iov. 30 1857 May 21[May 31 June 11 15 25 Nov. 29 1858 May 13May 23 June 3 1 26 Nov. 28 1859 June 2 June 12 June 23 2 23 Nov. 27 1860 May 17 May 27 June 7 3 26 Dec. 2 1861 May 9 May 19 May 30 4 28 Dec. 0 1862 May 291June June 19 1 24 Nov. 30 1863 May 14 May 24 June 4 6 26 Nov. 29 18564 Jay 2 May 15 May 26 7 27 No. 27 1865 May 25 June 4 June 15 8 25 Dec. 3 1866 May 10 May 29 May 31 9 27 Dec. 2 1867 May 30 June 9 June 20 10 24 Dec. 1 1868 May 21 May 81 June 11 11 25 Nov. 29 1869 May 6 May 16 May 27 12 27 Nov. 28 1870 May 26 June 6M ay 1Ju 13 25 Nov. 27 1871 May 18 May 28 Jute 8 14 26 Dec. 3 1872 May 3 May 19 May 30n 15 27 Dec. 1 1878 May 22 June 1 June 12 1 25 Nov. 30 1874 May 14 May 24June 4 2 26 Nov. 29 1875 May 6 May 16 May 276 3 27 Nov. 28 1876 May 25 June 4lJune 15 4 25 Dec. 3 1877 May 10 May 20 Mav 31 6 27 Dec. 2 1878 Ma 2 J 1 J 1 1 Nov. 30 1878 May 30 June 9 June 20 6 24 Dec. 1 1879 May 22 June 1 June 12 7 25 Nov. 30 1880 May 6 May 16 May 27 8 27 Nov. 28 THZ ROMAN CAILENDAR JANUARY 31 Days. I CIRCUMCISION of 14 St. Hilary, B. C our Lord. 15 St. Paul the first fler, 2 The Octave of St. Ste- mit. St. Maurus, M. phen. 16 St. Marcellus, P. M. 3 The Octave of St. 17 St. Anthony, Ab. John. 18 Chair of St. Peter at 4 The Octave of the,tome. St. Prisca, Holy Innocents. V. M. 5 rhe Vi.i! of the Epi- 19 St. Canute, King of phany. St. Telespho- Denmark, M. rus, P. M. 20 SS. Fabian and Sebas6 The EPIPHANY of tian, MM. our Lord, with an Oc- 21 St. Agnes, V. M. tave. 22 SS. Vincent and An7 St. Lucian, Priest and astasius, MM. Martyr. 23 The Desponsation of 8 St. Severius, Bishop the B. Virgin MARY. of Naples. 24 St. Timothy, B. M. 9 SS. Julian and Busilla, 25 The Conversion of St. MM. Paul. 10 St. William, Duke of 26 St. Polycarp, B. M. Aquitain, C. 27 St. John Chrysostom, 11 St. TheodosiustheCe- B. C. D. nobiarci, Ab. 28 Commemoration of St. 12 St. Tutiana, M. Agnes. 13 TheOctaveo'tbeEpi- 29 St. Francis de Sales phaa'y. B. C. 38 FEBRUARY and MARCH. 30 St. Martina, V. M. 16 St. Onesimus, Bishop 31 St. Peter Nolasco, C. of Ephesus, and M. Founder of the Order 17 St. Theodulus, M. of our Blessed LADY, I1 St. Simeon, B. M. for the Redemption 19 St. Mansuetus, Bishop of Captives. of Milan. ErThe 2d Sunday after 20 St. Eucherius, B. C. Epiphany-The Fes- 21 St. Severian, B. M. tival of the Most Holy 22 The Chair of St. Peter name of JESUS. at Antioch. 23 (Vigil.) St. Serenus, FEBRUARY 28 Days. Gardener, M. 24 St. Mathias, Apostle. 1 St. Bridget, Virgin, 25 St. Felix, P. C. Patroness of Ireland. 26 St. Alexander, Bishop 2 The Purification of the of Alexandria. B. V. M. 27 St. Leander, Bishop 3 St. Blase, B. M. of Seville, C. 4 St. Andrew Coisini, 28 St. Romanus, Ab. B.C. 5 St Agatha, V. M. [VIn Leap Years Febru. 6 St. Ignatius, B. M. ary has 29 Days, ana 7 St. Romuald, Ab. the Feast of St. Ma. Founder of the Or- thias is kept on the der of CAMALDOLI. 25th. 8 St. John of Matha, C. Founder of the Order MARCH 31 Days. of the TRINITARIANS. 9 St. Marcellus, P. M. 1 St. Albinus, B. C. 10 St. Scholastica, V. M. 2 St. Simplicius, P. C. 11 SS. Saturniniis, and 3 St. Cunegundis, V. his Companions, M. 4 St. Casinir. Prince ot 12 St. Meltius, Bishop of Poland, C. Antioch, C. 5 St. Phocas, M. 13 St. Catharine de Ric- 6 St. Victor and Comp ciis, V. MM. 14 St. Valentine, M. 7 St. Thomas ofAquino 16 SS. Fauslinus and Jo- C. D. vita, MM. 8 St. Cataldus, B. C. -to' / ILo MARoI sn e te IV e Tes,. o' th, e ^~Xog~ XxeGT~t' I g'.~ \ 0St T.; St roanc s, xS ~ 0 Y. J loe. OrJ of -J St. XVlXll st A 5. ot t.h0 ] kb;;rC, B. St. ~in'e C. 1St~.EU 0st. v J\J p(N, 0i ve-. St. CX 0. Al 4^^~^,O St - 5~:;i 3 ":p.\ t.5t 0 st., thc. ~2 ti~ent Western'1 st. eoth MonkSt. B'. \iho, er't.9 S g's'- c. St. k SSst. S 9??. ~et., ~'le'..' IS St. tJ Xn e r 3~ 0 t. *oil lug o f V coxl~, este i^otl^eft1Wo'S'21S c i-Of he6.A) r a+. -Vi^tOT 40 MAYand JUNE. 25 St. Mark the Ev. 20 St. Bernardin of Sien. 26 SS. Cletus and Mar na, C. cellin, PP. MM. 21 St. Valens, B. M. 27 St. John, Ab. C. 22 St. Basilicus, M. 28 St Vitalis, M. 23 St. Desiderius, B. M. 29 St. Peter, M. 24 SS. Donatian and Ro80 St Catharine of Sier.- gatian, MM. na, V. 25 St. Gregory VIT.,P.C. MAY 31 Days. 26 St. Philip Neri, C. Founder of the Con. I SS. Philip and James, gregathon of ORATOApp. RIANS. 2 St. Athanasius, B. C. 27 St. Mary Magdalen of 3 The Invention of the Pazzi, V.' Holy Cross. 28 St. Germanus, B. C 4 St. Monica, Widow. 29 St. Maximinus, B. C. 5 St. Pius V., P. C. 30 St. Felix, P. M. 6 St. John before the La- 31 St. Angela of Brescia, tin Gate. Foundress of the UR7 St. Stanislaus, B. M. SULINE ORDER, devot8 The Apparition of St. ed to the Instruction Michael. of young Girls, rich 9 St. Gregory Nazian- and poor. zen, B. C. 10 St. Congall, Ab. JUNE 30 Days 11 B. Francis de Hyeronimo. 1 St. Pamphilus, P. M. 12 SS. Nereus, &c. MM. 2 SS. Marcellinus, &o 13 St. John the Silent, MM. B. C. 3 St. Clotildis, Queen of 14 St. Boniface, M. France. 15 St. Dympna, V. M. 4 St. Francis Caraccio. 16 St. John Nepomucen, lo, C. M. 5 St. Boniface, B. M. 17 St Paschal Baylon, C. 6 St. Norbert, B. C. 18 St. Venantius, M. Founder of the Or. 19 St. Peter Celestine, P. der of PREMONSTRAC. Founder of tie Or- TENSIANS. der of CELB STINES. 7 St. Robert, Ab. JINE and JULY. 41 8 St. Metardus, B. C. 29 SS. Peter and P1ul 9 SS. Primus and Feli- Apostles, with an Occian, MM. tave. 10 St. Margaret, Queen 30 The Commemoration of Scotland, Widow. of St. Paul the Apos11 St. Barnaby, Apostle. tie. 12 St. John of Sahagun, C. JULY 31 Days. 13 St. Anthony of Padua, C. 1 The Octave of St. John 14 St. Basil the Great, the Baptist. B. C. 2 The Visitation of the 15 SS. Vitus, &c. MM. B. V. {f. 16 St. John Francis Re- 3 St. Fulogius, and his gis, C. companions, MM 17 St. Avitus, P. C. 4 St. Flavian, Bishop of 18 SS. Marcus and Mar- Antioch. cellinus, MM. 5 St. Athanasius, Dea19 St. Juliana a Falconie- con, M. ri, V. Foundress of the 6 The Octave of SS. PeOrder of MANTEL- ter and Paul. LAT E. 7 St. Benedict the XI., 20 St. Sylverius, P. M. P. C. 21 St. Aloysius, Gonza- 8 St. Kylian, B. M. ga, C. 9 St. Cyrillus, Bishop of 22 St. Paulinus, B. C. Gortyna, M. 23 Vigil. Fast. 10 The Seven Brethren, 24 The Nativity of St. MM. John the Baptist, with 11 St. Pius I., P. M. an Octave. 12 St. John Gualbert, Ab. 25 St. William, Ab.Foun- Founder of the Reli. der of the Congrega- gious Order of VALtion de MONTE-VIR- LIS UMBROSA. GINE. 13 St. Anacletus, P. M. 26 SS. John and Paul, 14 St. Bonaventure, B MM. C. D. 27 St. Cressent, B. M. 15 St. Henry II. Empes8 Vigil. Fast. St. Leo ror of Germany, C. II. P. C 16 The Commemoration 4* 42 JULY and AUGUST )f the B. V. M. of 3 The finding ofSt. SteMount Carmel. phen, Protomartyr. 17 St. Alexius, C. 4 St. Dominick, C 18 St. Camillus de Lellis, Founder of the Ordet C. Founder of the of FRIARS PREACHOrderfor serving the ERS. SICK. 5 The Dedication of the 19 St. Vincent of Paulo, Church of the B. V C. Founder of the M. of Nives. LAZARITES, or FA- 6 The Transfiguration of THERS OF THE MIS- our Lord. SION. 7 St. Cajetan, C. Foun20 St. JeromsEmilian, C. der of the Order of Founder of the RE- THEATINS. GULAR CLERGY of So- 8 SS. Cyriacus, Largus, MASCHA. and Smaragdus, MM. 21 St. Praxedes, V. 9 (Vigil.) St. Romanus, 22 St. Mary Magdalen. M. 23 St. Apollinaris, B. M. 10 St. Laurence, M. with 24 (Vigil.) St. Christina, an Octave. V. M. 11 St. Tiburtius, M. 25 St. James, Apostle. 12 St. Clare, V. Foun26 St. Anne, Mother of dress of the Order of the B. V. M. POOR CLARES. 27 St. Partaleon, M. 13 St. Hypolitus, M. 28 SS. Naz. Celsus, and 14 (Vigil. Fast.) Victor, MM. and St. 15 The ASSUMPTION Innocent, P. C. of the B. V. M. with 29 St. Martha, V. an Octave. 30 SS. Abdon and Sen- 16 St. Hyacinth, C. nen, MM. 17 The Octave of St. 31 St. Ignatius of Loyola, Laurence. C. Founder of the 18 St. Helen, Mother of Society of JESUS. Constantine the Great. 19 SS. Timothy, &e AUGUST 31 Days. MM. 20 St. Bernard, Ab. 1 St. Peter's Chains. 21 St. Jane Frances do 2 St. Stephen, P. M. Chantal, Widow. AUGUST and SEPTEMBER. 43 22 The Octave of the As- 11 St. Protus, M. sumption. 12 St. Eanswide, V. Ab. 23 (Vigil.) St. Philip Be- bess. niti, C. 13 St. Eulogius, B. C. 24 St. Bartholomew, Ap. 14 The Exaltation of the 25 St. Lewis TX. King of Holy Cross. France, C. 15 The Octave of the Na26 St. Zephyrinus, P. M. tivity of the B. V. 27 St. Joseph Calasanc- M. tius, Founder of the 16 SS. Cornelius and poor Regular Clergy Cyprian, BB. MM. of the pious Schools 17 The Impression of the of the MOTHER OF Sacred Stigmas of St. GOD. Francis. 28 St. Augustine, B.C.D. 18 St. Joseph of Cuper29 The Decollation of St. tino, C. John the Baptist. 19 SS. Januarius, B. and 30 St. Fiaker, C. Companions, MM. 31 St. Raymund Nonna- 20 (Vigil.) St. Eustatus, C. chius and Companions, MM. SEPTEMBER 30 Days. 21 St. Matthew, Apostle and Evang. 1 St. Rose of Lima, V. 22 St. Thomas of Villa 2 St. Stephen, King of nova, B. C. Hungary, C. 23 St. Linus, P. M., St. 3 St. Simeon Stylites, C. Thecla, V. M. 4 SS. Marcellus, &c. 24 Feast of the B. V M. MM. of the Redemptioa of 5 St. Laurence Justinian, Captives. B. C. 25 St. Cleolfrid, Ab 6 St. Onesiphorus, M. 26 SS. Cyprian and Jug7 St. Regina, V. M. tina, MM. 8 The Nativity of the 27 SS. Cosmas and DaB. V. M. with an Oc- mian, MM. tave. 28 St. Wenceslas, M. 9 St. Gorgonius, M. 29 Dedication of St. Mib 10 St. Nicholas of To]:n- chael's Church. tine, C. 30 St. Jerom, C. 44 SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER. IC Sunday within the tion of the BARE. Octave of the Nativity FOOTED CARMELITES of the B. V. M. the 16 St. Gall, Ab. Festival of the Holy 17 St. Hedwiges, orAvoi. Name of the B. V. M. ce, Duchess of Po. On the third Sunday in land, Widow. September, the seven 18 St. Luke, Evangelist. dolours of the Blessed 19 St. Peter of AlcantaVirgin. ra, C. 20 St. John Cantius, C. OCTOBER 31 Days. 21 SS. Ursula and Companions, VV. MM.I St. Remigius, B. C. St. Ursula is the spe 2 The Feast of the Guar- cial Patroness of th6 dian Angels. URSULINE ORDER, in 3 St. Dionysius the Are- stituted by St. Ange. opagite, B. M. la of Brescia, in 1532, 4 St. Francis of Assi- for the Instruction of sium, C. Founder of young Girls, rich and the Order of FRAN- poor. CISCANS. 22 St. Mark, Bishop of 5 SS. Placidus and Com- Jerusalem, M. panions, MM. 23 St. Theodoret, M. 6 St. Bruno, C. Foun- 24 St. Raphael, Archander of the CARTHU- gel. SIAN MO~KS. 25 SS. Chrysanthus and 7 St. Mark, P. C. and Daria, MM. SS. Sergius,&c.MM. 26 St. Evaristus, P. M. 8 St. Bridget, Widow. 27 (Vigil.) 9 St. Denis, B. and Corn-28 SS. Simon and Jude panions, MM. Apostles. 10 St. Francis Borgia. 29 St. Theodorus, Ab. 11 St. Germanus, B. M. 30 St. Marcellus, M. 12 St. Walfrid, B. C. 31 (Vigil. Fast.) St 33 St. Edward, King and Quintin, M. Confessor. IJ? The first Sunday 14 St. Callistus, P. M. of October, the Fes. 15 St. Teresa, V. Foun- tival of the Rosary of dress of the Reforma- the B. V. M. NOVEMBER and DECEMBER. 45 NOVEMBER 30 Days. 19 St. Elizabethof Hungary, Widow. 1 The FESTIVAL OF 20 St. Felix of Valois. C. ALL SAINTS, with Founder of the Oran Octave. der of TRINITARIAPS. 2 The Commemoraition 21 The Presentation of of the Faithful de- the B. V. M. parted. 22 St. Cecilia, V. M. 3 St. Malachy, Bishop 23 St. Clement, P. M. of Armagh. 24 St. Columban, Ab. 4 St. Charles Borromeo, 25 St. Catharine, V. M. B. C. Patron of the 26 St. John of the Cross. Ursuline Schools. 27 St. Virgil, B. C. 5 St. Elizabeth, Mother 28 St. Didacus, C. of St. John Baptist. 29 (Vigil.) St. Saturni-. 6 St. Leonard, Hermit. nus, M. 7 St. Engelbert, B. M. 30 St. Andrew, Apostle. 8 The Octave of all I1? On the second SunSaints. day in November, the 9 The Dedication of the Feast of the ProtecChurch of our Sa- tion of the B. V. M. viour, called St. John of Lateran. DECEMBER 31 Days. 10 St. Andrew Avellino, C. 1 St. Eligius, B. C. 11 St. Martin of Tours, 2 St. Bibiana, V. M. B. C. 3 St. Francis Xavier, C. 12 St. Livin, B. M. Apostle of the Indies. 13 St. Stanislaus Kost- 4 St. Peter Chrysologus, ka, C. B. C., St. Barbara, 14 St. Laurence, Bishop V. M. of Dublin. 5 St. Sabbas, Ab. 15 St. Gertrude, V. 6 St. Nicholas, B. C. 16 St. Martin, P. M. 7 St. Ambrose, B. C. D, 17 St. Gregory, Thauma- 8 The Immaculate Con turgus, B. C. ception of the B. V 18 The Dedication of the M. with an Octave Churches of SS. Pe- 9 terandPaul, atRome. 10 St Melchiades, P. C 46 FEASTS AND FASTS. 11 St Damasus, P. C. 24 (Fast.) Vigil of the 12 St. Synesius, M. Nativity. 13 St. Lucy, V. M. 25 The NATIVITY OF 14 St. Spiridion, B. C. OUR LORD. 15 The Octave of the 26 St. Stephen, the first Conception of the B. Martyr. V. M. 27 St. John, Apostle and 16 St. Eusebius, B. M. Ev. 17 St. Olympias, Widow. 28 The Feast of the Holy 18 The Expectation of the Innocents, with an B. V. M. Octave. 19 St. Nemesion, M. 29 St. Thomas of Canter. 20 (Vigil.) St. Philago- bury, B. M. nius, B. C. 30 The Office of the Sun21 St. Thomas, Apostle. day within the Octave 22 St. Ischyrion, M. of the Nativity. 23 St. Servulus, C. 31 St. Sylvester, P. C. FEASTS AND FASTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. Holy Days on which there is a strict obtigaton to hear Mass, and refrain from servile works. All Sundays in the year. The Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord, Jan. 1 The Epiphany, Jan. 6. The Annunciation, March 25 Ascension of our Lord. Corpus Christi. Assumption of the B. V. Mary, Avtist 5. Feast of All Saints, November 1. Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,.Dec. 25 IRA.TS AND FASTS 4? Fasting Days. AS days in Lent, except Sundays. The Eve of Whitsuntide. Tha Quarter-Tenses, or Ember days, that occur in the four seasons of the year. The Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of All Saints. Every Friday in Advent, and Christmas Eve. Days of Abstinence from Flesh Meat. Every day in Lent, except when the use of meat is allowed by the Archbishop or Bishop of the diocess. All Fridays in the year. All Ember days and Vigils as above.. If a fasting day fall on a Sunday, the fast is kept on the Saturday before. If Christmas Day fall upon a Friday, neither fast nor abstinence is observed. N. B. —The Catholic Church commands all her children to be present at the great Eucharistic Sacrifice which we call the Mass, and to rest from servile works on Sundays and holidays. Secondly, To abstain from flesh on all the days of fasting and abstinence. Thirdly, T4 confess their sins at least once a year Fourthly, To receive the blessed sacrament at uast -nce a year, during the Easter time. SB FEASTS AND FAST The time for satisfying Athe Easter precept in the United States, is, in virtue of a late concession, from the first Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday, bcth indusivelr. ABRIDGM E N OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. The Ten Commandments of God.-Exodus xx. 1. I AM the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. - Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of those that love me, and keep my commandments. 2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain. 3. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath (dy. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works; but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work on t, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them, and e0 AABRIDGMlNT T OCHRISTIAN DOCTRINU rested on the seventh day; therefore, the Lord lessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. 4. Honour thy father'nd thy mother, that thou m.yestbe long-lived upon the land which the Lo d thy Jod will give thee. 5. Thou shalt not kill. 6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 7 Thou shalt not steal. 8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy ueighbour. 9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, nor his servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that s his. The six Precepts of the Church. 1. To hear Masson Sundays, and all holidays of obligation. 2. To fast and abstain on the days commanded. 3. To confess our sins at least once a year. 4. To receive the blessed Eucharist at Easter, or dithin the time appointed.'6. To contribute to the support of our pastors. 6. Not to solemnize marriage at the forbidden imes; nor to marry persons within the forbidden degrees of kindred, or otherwise prohibited by the civrrch; nor clandestinely. Seven Sacraments. Baptism...... Matt. xxviii. 19 Confirmation.... Acts viii. 17. Eucharist... Matt. xvi. 26. Penance..... John xx. 23. Extreme Unction.. James v. 14. HIoly Orders...Luke xiii. 19 Matrimony.....Matt. xix. 0. The three Theological Virtues, Faith —Hope-and Charity. AN ABRIDGMENT OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. )1 The four Cardzna Virtues Pruder ce-Justice-Fortitude —and Temperanee. The seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost.-Isa. xi. 2, 3. Wisdom, Fortitude, Understanding, Knowledge, The fear of the Lord. Counsel, Piety, and The twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost. Charity, Patience, Benignity, Modesty, Joy, Longanimity, Mildness, Continency, and Peace, Goodness, Fidelity, Chastity. The spiritual Works of Mercy. To give counsel to the doubtful.-To instruct the ignorant.-To admonish sinners.-To comfort, the. afflicted.-To forgive offences.-To bear patiently the troublesome.-To pray for the living and the dead. The corporal Works of Mercy. To feed the hungry.-To give drink to the thirsty. -To clothe the naked.-To harbour the harbourless. -To visit the sick.-To visit the imprisoned;-atd, to bury the dead. The eight Beatitudes.-Matt. v. 1. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 2. Blessed are the meek; for they shall possess the land. 3. Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted. 4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after jus. Lice; for they shall be filled. 5. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. 6. Blessed are the clean of heart; for they ahall see Rod. A AftARiDt MINI OF CHtxSTIAN nOCTRIN. 7. Blessed are the peace-makers; for they shall b called the children of God. 8. Blessed are they that Fuffer persecution for jus. tice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The seven deadly Sins, and the opposite Virtues Pride,' Humility, Covetousness, - Liberality, Lust, Chastity,. Anger, Meekness, Gluttony, Temperance. Envy, I Brotherly love, Sloth. 3 Diligence. Sins against the Holy Ghost. Presumption of God's mercy-Despair —Impugn. mig the known truth-Envy at another's spiritual good-Obstinacy in sin-Final impenitence. Sins crying to Heaven for Vengeance. Wilful murder-The sin of Sodom-Oppression of the poor-Defrauding labourers of their wages. Nine Ways of being accessary to another's Sin. By counsel-By command-By consent-By pro vocation-By praise or flattery-By concealmentBy partaking-By silence-By defence of the il' done. Three eminent good Works. Alms-deeds, or works of mercy —Prayer —av Fasting. The Evangelical Counsels. Voluntary poverty-Chastity-and Obedience The four last things to be remembered Deatf -Ju dgment-Hell-and Heaven, y U;0ja MORNING PRAYERS. 13 Subjects fr daily Meditation. Remember, christian soul, that thou hast this day, aad every day of thy life, God to glorify, Heaven to gain, Jesus to imitate, Eternity to prepare for, The angels and saints to Time to profit of, invoke, Neighbours to edify, A soul to save, The world to despise, A body to mortify, Devils to combat, Sins to expiate, Passions to subdue, Virtues to acquire, Death perhaps to suffer, Hell to avoid, And judgment to undergo. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and first commandment: and the second is like to this-Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.-St. Matt. xxii. MORNING EXERCISE. Ir is of great consequence to the perfection of each dny that It should be begun well. The first thoughts of a Christian in the morning are, as it were, those first-fruits of which the Altmig.ty was always most jealous. Endeavour to contract the holy habit of raising your heart to the Almighty immediately on awaking, to implore his protection and holy grace, that the day which his infinite goodness now adds to your life may not add to your sins, but, on the contrary, increase your merits, and tend to his glory. It may be the last of your life-perhaps you may never see another morning, perhaps you may never have another day to glorify God, to imitate Jesus Christ, to expiate your sins, to avoid hell, to gain heaven, or to devote to any of the other important duties ofa Chris sian, which this page presents to you as subjects for daily medita tion. You are accustomed to repeat those subjects while you dress: endeavour to do so with such serious atter.tion, that they may powerfully animate you not to throw away a single moment of the-day you are commencing, and which may terminate by your being presented before the tribunal ofdivine justice. Let you! first reiembrance, then, be of God, your first action the sacred sign of the cross, and your first words an offering of your whole blig to your Creator, in the folbwing or a ry other form. 5* ~AA aMURNINs PRAYERSa Ms God, I offer thee my heart, and most fervently bog of thee to take possession of my whole being. It i for thy love, 0 divine Jesus, that I now rise. Deign to accept of every thought, word, and action of this day; give them a blessing; preserve me from sin, and grant me the graces necessary to merit eternal life..s soon as you are sufficiently dressed, say the following prayer kneeling, 0 )ETRNAL and adorable Trinity! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! I adore, bless, and glorify thy infinite majesty. Prostrate in spirit at the foot of thy throne, I thank thee for all the blessings I ever received from thy pure, gratuitous mercy.-I particularly thank thee, for having granted me this day, to advance in thy fear and love. It may'be my last; therefore, my God, I most earnestly beseech thee to enable me to avoid sin, and to employ every moment to thy-greater glory, and the sanctification of my soul Amen. As the ordinary, and most trivial duties of life can, according to the Apostle, be sanctified by an upright intention, take care to direct to the glory of God, even those actions, which too many young per sons perform through vanity, or at best through custom. Besides thinking of God. while you wash, dress, &c., say the following short prayers. MY God. grant that all my thoughts, words, and actions, may be sanctified by a pure intention of pleasing thee alone. 0 MY divine Saviour, may the tortures and humiliations of thy thorny crown sink deeply into my heart, that, strengthened by thy grace, I may never indulge vanity, or exceed that moderation which religion precribes in the arrangement of dress -MAY the precious blood and water which issued from thy sacred side, 0 merciful Jesus cleanse my owul from every stain of sin. 0 MY God, may the precious robe of innocence, which I received at baptism, be refreshed and purified by sincere repentance, and the saving merits of tth adorable Son, that at ie awful moment of deathi MORNING PRAYERS. 55 may exchange this vesture of dust for the bright garment of immortality. Amen. When it becomes your duty to repeat the prayers aloudfor the rest of your companions, do n.t say themprecrpitately, or, on the other hand, be unreasonably tedious, but take particular care to repeat themn distinctly, reverentially, and altogether in such an edifying manner, as will prove your own interior attention to what you say, and also animate the devotion of those who heat you. MY Lord and my God! in union with all thy elect in heaven and on earth, I adore thee, I love thee, I praise and thank thee, for all the benefits of nature and grace, general and particular, which I have received from thy infinite goodness and liberality: principally for having created me to thy image and likeness, preserved me to this day, and given thy only begotten Son to suffer death for me on the cross, and to wash away my sins in his most precious blood. [ thank thee for having called me to the true faith and religion of the holy Catholic and Apostolic Churchfor having so often pardoned me my sins, and preserved me during this last night from a sudden death, and from all the other dangers which might have befallen me, had I not been protected by thy merciful and watchful Providence. Alas! my God, how shall I acknowledge all these favours? I, who am nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing, without thy gracious assistance. I wish I could make thee an offering of gratitude and love proportionate to thy benefits; but as thou knowest my poverty and weakness, I beseech thee to receive, as the only sacrifice of thanksgiving I have to offer, an oblation which I now make of my b,dy, with all its senses; my soul, with all its facul. tils; my heart, with all its desires. I specially conste rate to thee, in union with the infinite merits of Jt sus Christ, every thought, word, and action of this day; firmly purposing, with the assistance of thy grace, not lo think, say, or do any thing, but what may tend to thy greater glory, and the sanctification olf my soul. Amen. Mg M6MORNINO PRAYERS. V Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity R. Now and for evermore. 4Amen. The Lord's Prayer. OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth. as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen. The Angelical Salutation. HAIL Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, JESUs. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen. The Apostles' Creed.., BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty,' Creator of-heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Aren. Confiteor. I CONFESS to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceed'mn 1v, in thought, word, and deed, through my fm through mv fault, through my most grievous fazi' MORNING PAY ERS 57 Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary, ever Virgin the blessed Michael the archangel, the blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord God for me. May the Almighty God have mercy upon me, forgive me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen. May the Almighty and Merciful Lord grant me pardon, absolution, and remission of all my sins. Amen. V. Vouchsafe, O Lord, during this day, R. To preserve me pure and without sin. V. Have mercy on me, O Lord. R. Have mercy on me, O Lord. V. Lord, grant that thy mercy may be shown to me. R. According to the hope I have placed in thee. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my supplications come unto thee. Let us pray. LORD God all-powerful, who hast brought me safely to the beginning of this day, protect me by thy providence, that during the course of it I may not fall into sin, but that all my thoughts, words, and actions, being directed bv thy holy grace, may tend to the accomplishment of thy divine will; that during this life, and the eternity of the life to come, I may, through thy divine assistance, be delivered and saved, 0 Sa viour of the world! who livest and reignest one God world without end. Amen 0 blessed Angel! to whose holy care I am corn mitted by the supreme clemency, illuminate, defend. and govern me this d y: preserve me particularly from sin, and watch ovsr me at the awful moment of my death. Amen. May the Lord bless and preserve me from all sir and danger; and may the souls of the faithful departed, through tho nercy of God, rest in peace Amen. 58 MORNING PRAYERS. 0 holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen (f Angels and of men, I honour and reverence thee with all my heart, and I desire to do so as perfectly as thy divine Son would have thee honoured in heaven and on earth. 0 Mother of Mercy! I choose thee this day for my mother; look on me as thy child, and in thy goodness treat me as the object of thy tender mercy. 0 Mother of grace and mercy, refuge of sinners, may Il through thy powerful intercession, be delivered from all sin, and preserved from eternal death: protect me, bless me, obtain for me from thy divine Son Jesus, that I may be for ever his true and faithful servant, and do not abandon me, either now or at the hour of my death. Amen. 0 great Saint! whose name I received in baptism grant me thy particular protection in every danger of soul and body; obtain for me the grace of fidelity to the obligations I contracted when, under thy patronage, I was admitted into the Church. And thou, 0 blessed citizen of heaven, whom I have this month chosen for my patron, obtain for me the virtue I stand most in need of, and above all, an ardent and solid love for Jesus my Saviour. Holy Mary, Mother of God, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Augustine, St. Charles, St. Angela, St. Ursula, and all your holy companions, Prayfor us. All you angels and saints of God, Make intercession for us. An Act of Contrition. 0 MY God! I am most heartily sorry for having ot tended thy divine Majesty; because i know that sin displeases thee, and that thou deservest to be sovereignly loved, adored, and faithfully served. I purpose firmly, with the help of thy ho!y grace, ieever MORNING PRAV ERS. 59 more to cffend thee deliberately, to do all that I can to atone for my isins, and to amend my life. Amen An Act of Faith. 0 MY God! I most firmly believe in thee, and in all that thou hast revealed to thy holy Catholic Church; because thou art truth itself, who canst neither doe ceive nor be deceived. Amen. An Ac.f of Hope. 0 MY God! I most firmly hope in thee, because of all thy promises, and trust that thou wilt give me eternal life, and the graces necessary to obtain it, through the merits of my dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. An Act of Charity. 0 MY God. I love thee more than all things, because thou art- infinite in every perfection, and worthy of all my love: grant that I may daily increase in this divine love, that I may love my neighbour as myself, and prefer a thousand deaths to the loss of thee by any mortal sin. Amen. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! our life, our sweetness, and our hope.* To thee do we cry, poor oanished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and, after this our painful exile, show unto us that blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus 0 clement! 0 pious! 0 sweet' Virgin Mary! V. Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. * Jesus Christ alone can be strictly called the Life and Hope of Christians. Such expressions applied to the Blessed Virgin Mary, ahould be taken in a limited sense, relative to tier quality of oui Patroness and Advocate. 80 MORNING PRAYERS. The Angelical Salutation. V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Marv. R. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, 4c. V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Mar it be done unto me according to thy word tail Mary, c4c. V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary, 4(c. V. Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God! R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray. POUR forth, we besech thee, 0 Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that weo whom the incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Instead of the Angelus, or Jnggelical Salutation, the Regina Coli, or Triumph, 0 Queen of Heave,, is said from Easter tc Trinity SUnday. Triumph, 0 Queen of Heaven, to see, Alleluia, The sacred Infant born of thee, Alleluia: Spring up in glory from the tomb, Alleluia: 0 by thy prayers prevent our doom, Alleluia. V. Rejoice and be glad, 0 Virgin Mary! Alleluia. R Because our Lord is truly risen, Alleluia. Let us pray. O GoD, who, by the resurrection of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to gladden the world, grant, we beseech thee, that, by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may receive the joys of eternal life. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. R. Amen. NIGHT PRAYERS. 64 A Prayer to be said by Children fo,heIr Parents. 0 MERCIFUL God, who visitest the iniquities of pa rents on their children to the third and fourth genera. tion, and showest mercy unto thousands of those who,ove thee and keep thy commandments; pour down thy blessings on my father and mother: reward,! oeseech thee, 0 Lord, all their labours and tender so licitude for my welfare, by the remission of their sins and deliver them from the punishments which ma) remain due to them. Endue them with such fortitude, and resignation to thy divine will, as may enable them to bear patiently all the trials of this life: may thy heavenly grace make them fruitful in good works, and may they, like the holy patriarchs, enjoy the blessings of a long, happy, and peaceable life, and find in their children the consolation and support of their old age. May the precious inheritance of their vir tues and welfare descend to their children; that through their wise counsels and good example, they and their offspring may be inseparably united in the enjoyment of eternal life, 0 Saviour of the world! who livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen. NIGHT PRAYERS. I ADORE thee, 0 my God! I praise and thank thee, my sovereign Lord, and most liberal Benefactor, and invite all creatures in heaven and on earth to join with me, in glorifying thee for all the benefits of nature and grace, general and particular, which I have received from thy infinite goodness and liberality; particularly for my having been preserved to this moment, assisted by thy holy grace, and delivered by thy particular protection from the many evils which might have befallen me. Alas! my God, how shall I acknowledge all these 6 62 NIGHT PRAYERS. favours; 1, who am but an ungrateful creature, and who, though overpowered by thy benefits, cease not to offend thee: I most humbly beseech thee to enlighten my understanding that I may know my faults; touch my heart that I may sincerely detest them; and vouchsafe to strengthen my will, that I may atone for may sins and amend my life. Examination of Conscience. 1 SHOULD now examine, as seriously as if I were sure the Almighty would call me this night out of the world, whether I have offended God this day by thought, word, deed, or omission. FiiLt, with regard to God.-Have I neglected, on awaking in the morning, to offer my heart to God! Have I said my morning prayers, or assisted at mass, with wilful distraction or irreverence; behaved disrespectfully in the chapel; taken the holy name of Gcd in vain; or been totally forgetful of the divine presence during the course of the day 1 Secondly, with regard to my neighbour.-Have I been wilfully disobedient; or indulged anger, impatience, ill-temper, hatred, jealousy, or desire of revenge.-Have I been guilty of rash judgments, detraction, or lies, or by any means been accessary to the sins of others. Thirdly, with regard to myself.-Have I indulged pride or vanity; sinned, by thought, words, looks, or actions, contrary to purity; been guilty of sloth, neg acted my improvement, or misemployed my time. An Act of Contrition. MY Lord and Creator, my divine Saviour and merciful Benefactor, who hast sacrificed thy life for my redemption, I am heartily sorry for all the sins I have this day committed against thy adorable Majesty. I sincerely detest every sin of my life, particularly those which displease thee most; and I detest them more for the injury t xey have done thee, than for the pun. NIGHT PRAYERS. f3 lshment they merit. Receive, 0 my divine Savy our! the efficacious contrition of thy own sacred heart, in atonement for the deficiency of my sorrow; and grant me, through thy sufferings and death, such sincere detestation of sin, that I may henceforward carefully avoid every occasion of offending thee, confess sin cerely, and perform the penance enjoined me. Amen V. Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity. R. Now and for evermore. Amen. Repeat the Our Father, Hail Mary, the Creed, and Confiteor Prostrate, before the closing of the day, To thee, Creator of the world, we pray: Shed round us, mid the darkness of the night, Rays of thy mercy, clemency, and might. Grant us in innocence and peace to sleep, All sinful visions from our slumbers keep: Let holy angels hover round our bed, And guard us from the enemy we dread. To Jesus, from a spotless Virgin sprung, Be honour given, and praises ever sung; Alike to God, th' Almighty Father, be, And Holy Ghost, who reign eternally. Amen. V. 0 Lord, save me whilst awake, and defend me whilst asleep. R. That I may watch with Christ, and rest in peace. V. Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, this night, R. To preserve me pure and without sin. V. Have mercy on me, 0 Lord. R. Have mercy on me, 0 Lord. V. 0 Lord, grant that thy mercy may be shown to me. R. According to the hope I have placed in thee. V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my supplication come unto thee. Let us pray. VISIT, I beseech thee, 0 Lord, this habitation, and Irive far from it all the snares of the enemy. May 64. NIGHT PRAYERS. thy holy angels d'vell herein, to preserve me in peace and may thy hoily benedictions always remain with me, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 0 Angel of God! to whose holy care I am committed by the supreme clemency, illuminate, govern, and defend me this night from all sin and danger. Amen. May the Lord all-powerful, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, watch over me, and preserve me from all evil. Amen. An Act of Adoration. MY Lord, my God, and my Father, I adore thee, in union with all creatures in heaven and on earth, acknowledging thee for my God and sovereign Lord; and as I began this day by offering myself to thee, I desire to finish it, by consecrating anew to thy divine Majesty my body, my soul, my life, and all that I am: keep me this night under thy particular protection, and grant me the grace, that whilst my eyes are closed by sleep, my heart may be for ever awake to thy divine love, and that, after this transitory life, I may see and enjoy thee for ever in a happy eternity Amen. 0 happy Mary! chosen to be The Mother of grace and clemency; Protect us now; and at the hour of death, 0 bear to heaven our parting breath. Amen Holy Mary, Mother of God, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Augustine, St. Charles, St. Angela, ~ St. Ursula, and all your holy companions, All you Angels and Saints of God, Make interce tson for ts. An Act of Contrition. 0 MY God I sm most heartily sorry for h-. ing IGHT PRAYERS. 65 offended thy divine Majesty, because I know sin displeases thee, and that thou deservest to be eavereignly'oved, and faithfully served' I purpose firmly, with the help of thy holy grace, never more to offend thee deliberately, to do all that I can to atone for my sins, and to amend my life. Amen. An Act of Faith. 0 MY God! I most firmly believe in thee, and in all that thou hast revealed to thy holy Catholic Church; because thou art truth itself, who neither canst deceive nor be deceived. Amen. An Act of Hope. 0 MY God! I most firmly hope in thee, because of all thy promises; and trust that thou wilt give me eternal life, and all the graces necessary to obtain it: through the merits of my dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. An Act of Charity. () MY God! 1 love thee more than all things, because thou art infinite in every perfection, and worthy of all my love: grant that I may daily increase in thy divine love; that I may love my neighbour as myself, and prefer a thousand deaths to the loss of thee by any mortal sin. Amen. Repeat the Hail, holy Queen, also the.Angelical Salutation, or Triumph, 0 Queen of Heaven, as before, pp. 59, 60. The Seven Stations of our Lord's Passion. 1st, IN the Garden of Olives, where our divine Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ prayed three times to God his Father, was bathed in blood at the sight of our sins, was consoled by an angel, and taken by the Jews. 2d, In the house of Annas, father-in-law to CaiDhas, where he was questioned on his doctrine and disciples, and received a blow from one of the ser vants of the high priest. 6* 6M6 THE LITANY OF JESUS. 3d, At I{aiphas's, where he was denied three time by St. Peter, and insulted and outraged all night. 4th, At Pilate's, where he was falsely accused by the Jews. 5th, At Herod's, where he was derided, clothed in a white garment, and mocked as a fool. 6th, At Pilate's, for the second time, where he was scourged at a pillar, crowned with thorns, Barab. bas preferred to him, and condemned to the ignomini. ous death of the cross. 7th, On Mount Calvary, whither he carried his cross, and was crucified for the redemption of all mankind. Seven.last Sayings of our divine Lord Jesus Chrtst on the Cross. 1st, IN praying for his enemies: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 2d, To the penitent thief: This day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 3d, To his Virgin Mother: Woman, behold thy son; and to St. John: Behold thy mother. 4th, I thirst, I thirst: and they gave him vinegar and gall to drink. 5th, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me. 6th, Into thy hands, 0 Lord, I recommend my spirit. 7th, All is consummated. The LITANY of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. LORD, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity, one God, 4 Jesus, Son of the living God, Jesus, Splendour of the Father, Jesus, Brightness oi eternal Light, THE LITANY OF JESU8. Jesus, King o' Glory, Jesus, the Sun of Justice, Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, whose name is called Wonderful Jesus, the mighty God, Jesus, the Father of the world to come Jesus, the Angel of the great council, Jesus, most powerful, Jesus, most patient, Jesus, most obedient, Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Jesus, lover of chastity, Jesus, our love, Jesus, the God of peace, Jesus, the Author of life, Jesus, the example of all virtues, Jesus, the zealous lover of souls, Jesus, our God, Jesus, the Father of the poor, Jesus, the Treasure of the faithful, Jesus, the good Shepherd, Jesus, the true Light, Jesus, the eternal Wisdom, Jesus, the infinite Goodness, Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life Jesus, the Joy of angels, Jesus, the King of patriarchs, Jesus, the Inspirer of prophets, Jesus, the Master of the apostles, Jesus, the Teacher of the evangelists, Jesus, the Strength of martyrs, Jesus, the Light of confessors, Jesus, the Spouse of virgins, Jesus, the Crown of all saints, Be merciful unto us. Spare us, 0 Lord Jesus Be merciful unto us. H zir us, 0 Lord Jesus. From all evil, From all sin, From thy wrath, SR THEI.LITANY OF JESUS From the snares of the devil, From the spirit of uncleanness, From everlasting leath, From the neglect of thy holy inspirations, Through the mystery of thy most holy incaraat( n,, Through thy nativity, Through thy divine infancy, Through thy sacred life, Through thy labours and travails, Through thy agony and bloody sweat, Through thy cross and passion, Through thy pains and torments, Through thy death and burial, Through thy glorious resurrection, Through thy admirable ascension, Thiough thy joys and glory, In the day of judgment, Iainb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, 0 Lord Jesus. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Hear us, 0 Loid Jesus. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy upon us, 0 Lord Jesus. Christ Jesus hear us, Christ Jesus graciously hear us. Let us pray. 0 LORD Jesus Christ, who hast said, ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; grant, we beseech thee, to our most humble supplications, the gift of thy divine love, that we may ever love thee with our whole hearts, and never cease from praising and glorifying hy name. Amen. 0 DIVINE Redeemer, give us a perpetual fear and love of thy holy name, tor thou never ceasest to direct and govern by thy grace those whom thou instructest in the solidity of thy love, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. 0 GOD, who hast appointed thy only begotten Son A PRAYER IN HONOUR OF THE CHILDHOOD ETC. 69 he S aviour of Mankind, and hast commanded that he should be called Jesus; mercifully grant that we may enjoy in heaven the happy vision of him whose holy name we venerate upon earth; who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen. A Prayer in honour of the Childhood of Jesus Christ. 0 MOST amiable Jesus! who for my love and for my instruction didst vouchsafe to conceal thy eternal wisdom under the weakness and dependence of childhood, I most humbly thank thee for having shown me, in thy own sacred person, how I should sanctify my youth, and thereby draw a blessing on my future life; beseech thee, 0 Lord, to penetrate my heart with thy fear and thy love, that I may profit of the example thou hast left me. Do not permit that a single day or hour of my life should be devoted to any other pursuit than thy service, the great and only end for which I came into the world. 0 adorable Jesus! since thou art pleased to ask foi my heart, take it, I beseech thee, entirely and for ever; model it on thy own sacred heart; inflame it with thy love, and impress it with such a lively horror of sin as may never be weakened; infuse therein the virtues of thy holy youth, thy meekness, innocence, docility, and charity I desire to honour thy obedience to thy blessed Mother, by constant submission to my superiors. I offer up my prayers in union with thine; I unite my intentions in all I do to that pure and divine intention, which infinitely exalted even thy least actions whilst thou wert on earth. I particularly devote my studies, and all my exterior occupations, to honour thy laborious and humble employments during thy early age. 0 divine Jesus, take me, thy unworthy child, under thy protection; preserve me from the dangers and temptations of the world, which is thy enemy, and direct all my thoughts, words, desires, and actions, to thy greater glory. Amen. 70 A LITANY IN HONOUR OF THE CHILD JESY. A Lztany in honour of the Child Jesus. LORD have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. God the Father of heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity, one God, Child Jesus, Son of the living God, Child Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, Child Jesus, the Word made Flesh, Child Jesus, image of the Godhead, Child Jesus, splendour of eternal light, Child Jesus, equal to thy eternal Father, Child Jesus, glory of thy virgin Mother, Child Jesus, first-born of all creatures, o Child Jesus, weeping in the manger, Child Jesus, conqueror of tyrants, c Child Jesus, overthrower of idols, Child Jesus, filled with zeal for the glory of thy Father, Child Jesus, voluntary subject to thy blessed Mother, Child Jesus, omnipotent in thy weakness, Child Jesus, great in thy humility, Child Jesus, fountain of graces, Child Jesus, furnace of love, Child Jesus, angel of the great council, Chile Jesus, root of the patriarchs, Chila Jesus. inspirer of the prophets, Child Jesus, joy of the shepherds, (hild Jesus, star of Jacob, Child Jesus, expectation of the eternal hills, Child Jesus, the desired of all nations, Chile Jesus, the divine model of youth, Child Jesus, the protector of children, Child Jesus, the mighty-the admirable- the prince of peace, PRAYER OF ST. BERNARD. 71 Be inerciful unto us, Spare us, 0 Lord Jesus. Be merciful unto us, Hear us, 0 Lord Jesus. By thy ineffable incarnation, By thy sacred birth, By thy humility and piety, By thy precious tears, By thy painful circumcision, By thy glorious manifestation,. By thy holy presentation, By the labours, sufferings, and humiliations of thy v childhood, a By thy tender love for youth, Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, 0 Lord Jesus. Lamnb of God, &c. &c. Lamb of God, &c. &c. Let us pray. LORD Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who having been conceived by the Holy C-'ost, wert pleased to be born in a stable; to be adored by the heavenly host; to be circumcised; manifested to the'Gentiles; presented in the temple; carried into Egypt; brought hack to Nazareth; to reveal in part thy eternal wisdom among the doctors at Jerusalem, and to pass thy holy childhood in subjection to thy blessed Mother and reputed Father; permit us little children to come to thee, and forbid us not, that by thy holy grace we may reverence the mysteries of thy sacred youth, with such sincere devotion, as to become conformable to thee in meekness, humility, docility, and charity, O divine Child, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen. A devout prayer of St. Bernard to the Blessed Virgin. REMEMBER, O most pious Virgin! that it has never been heard of in any age, that those who implored thy powerful protection were abandoned by thee. I thsrefote, 0 sacred Virgin, animated with the most T7 ACTS OF CONTRITION AND FAITH. lively confidence, cast myself at thy sacred feet, most earnestly beseeching thee to adopt me as thy child, to take care of my eternal salvation, and to watch over ipe at the hour of death. 0 do not, Mother of the Word Incainate! despise my prayer, but graciously hear and obtain the grant of my petitions. Amen. A Prayer before the Acts. GIVE US, 0 Almighty and Eternal God! an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what thou promisest, grant us to love and practise what thou cormmandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. An Act of Contrstion. O MY God! I am most heartily sorry for all my sins; I detest them above all things, from the bottom of my heart, because they displease thee, my God, who art so deserving, of all my love, for thy most amiable and adorable perfections. I firmly purpose, by thy holy grace, never more to offend thee deliberately; and by the same grace I will endeavour to atone for my sins. Amen. An Act of Faith. 0 MY God! I most firmly believe that thou art one only God, Creator and Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, infinitely great, and infinitely good. I most firmly believe that in thee, one only God, there are three Persons really distinct, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are all one and the same God: I most firmly believe that Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, the second Person of the most adorable Trinity, was made man, and died on the cross to redeem and save us: that he arose the third day, that he ascended into heaven: that he will come again, at the end of the world, to judge all mankind; that he will reward the good with eternal happiness, and condemn the wicked to everlasting torments. I likewise most firmly believe, that out of his infinite love for us, he has e.i ACTS OF HOPE. CH kRITY, ETC 73 ws, in the most adorable sacrament of car altar, his own most precious body and blood, his soul and divinity, for our spiritual food, and for our sacrifice; and that he has left in his Church the power of forgiving sins. I believe these, and all other truths which the holy Roman Catholic Church proposes to our belie' because it is thou, my God, who hast revealed them all, and thou art truth itself; thou neither canst do. ceive nor be deceived. In this faith, I desire to live, and in the same, by thy holy grace, I am most firmly resolved to die. Amen. An Act of Hope. 0 MY God! relying on thy almighty power, confiding in thy infinite goodness and mercy, and in thy sacred promises, I most firmly hope to receive the pardon of all my sins, and grane to serve thee faithfully in this life, that I may deserve to enjoy thee for ever in the next: through my Lord an-' Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. An Act of Chari!y. 0 MY God! I love thee with my whole heart and soul; I love thee above all things, for thy most amiable perfections, and I love my neighbour for thy sake: grant that I may daily increase in this divine love, and prefer a thousand deaths to the loss of it by any mortal sin. Amen. An Act of Divine Love and Oblation 0 MY God and my All! I most ardently desire, by every breath I draw, by every thought, word, and action, by every movement of body and soul, to tell thee a thousand and a thousand times, that I love thee more than my life, or any thing in the world, and that I consecrate myselff to thee, renewing my baptismal vows, together with the promises and resolutions of my life past. I offer thee also all the homage, love, joy, praise, thanks, and adoration, of the church mili tant, triumphant, and suffering; all that it has oflerea, 7 74 ON THE MEANS CF SANCTIFYINO STUDY. or will offer to thee to the end of time; all the (.ve, complacency, and delights thou possessest in thy divine essence, one God and three Persons; all the homage my beloved Jesus renders thee in the adorable sacrament of the altar; and all the masses that are now celebrating, that I may be a victim immolated with each, to thy honour and glory, without will, wish, or desire, but those solely of pleasing thee, loving thee, living for thee, and dying for thee. I am thine, 0 my God, make me so entirely and eter nally. Above all, take my heart, fill it with thy Love, extirpate from it all other affections, and make of it a burning furnace of pure flames of thy most ardent love for ever and ever. Amen. May the most just, elevated, and amiable will of God be accom::-..'ed in all things: may it be praised and glorified for ever. Amen. On the Means of Sanctifying Study. As your studies are at present among your chief duties, and oc cupy the greatest portion of your time, it is of considerable importance that you use your utmost endeavours to sanctify them, by directing those pursuits to the glory of God and your own spiritual advantage; otherwise, what will it avail you at the hour of death, to have studied with the greatest diligence, or the greatest success, since whatever is not done for God is lost for eternity; whereas, on the contrary, the most trifling among your schoe! duties, if offered to Him, and discharged for his love, is rendered meritorious, and inserted in the book of life. You should be convinced, that profane studies tend to great good or great evil, according as they are differently pursued; therefore be careful to adopt the right plan, and to lay up for yourself a treasure of merit, by the very means which so many young persons either neglect entirely, or pervert to bad purposes. To sanctify your studies, you should observe three things: First, You should look on them as next in importance to your spiritual duties; since submission to the will of God, obedience to your parents, and justice to yourself, require that you do a.l in your power to acquire that useful knowledge which, next to virtue, is the most desirable ofall acquisitions: consequently, loss of time, Idleness, or sloth, should appear to you, as they really are, great faults. Secondly, You should take the greatest care to purify your inten dion in studying. Your primary intention in all your studies should oe to acomplish God's holy will, to please his divineMajesty, and to obey your parents, as likewise those who hold their place. Pride, viity, a desire to excel others, or to attract admiration are ma ON THE HObY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 71 lves which reason and religion should tea(h you to despise and renounce. Thirdly, You should join prayer with study. On this head, nothing can be more applicable to your present circumstances, than the advice of St. Vincent Ferrer to young persons employed in studious pursuits: " If you desire," says he, " to study with advantage, let devotion accompany your studies: consult God more than your books, and ask him with humility to make you understand what you read and learn. Interrupt your application by short ejaculatory prayers: never begin or end your studies but by prayer: science is a gift of the Father of Lights; do not, therefore. consider it as the fruit of your own intellect or industry." It is unnecessary to add any thing to this most excellent admonition: attend to it, and you will soon perceive the benefit that will result, learning and virtue will mutually assist each other, your efforts will be more successful, for God's particular blessing will not be refused to such studies as are pursued in a Christian manner. Be careful to accompany interiorly the following offering of your studies, which is made aloud in your class, and to renew through, out the day, by frequent aspirations, the sentiments it contains. Prayer. I OFFER, 0 my God! in union with the adorable actions and sufferings of Jesus Christ during his mortal life, the duties I am now.going to perform for thy love, and in obedience to thy most holy will. I most humbly beg thy divine blessing, and the light of thy holy Spirit, that all my studies, and various duties, may tend to thy greater glory and my eternal salvation; as likewise to the service and edification of my neighbour. Amen. On the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. To assist devoutly and reverently at the adorable sacrifice of the Altar, is the greatest act of religion that man can perform; it is that which most glorifies God, and which most promotes our own eternal interests. Yet it is a melancholy truth, that an opportunity of assisting at mass is so little valued, that the generality of persons confine themselves to hearing Mass on Sundays and holidays, because on those days they are commanded to assist at the divine mysteries; and even at masses of piecept, many ale present with sinful distractions and disedifying indevotion. 76 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MA8S. You may * nforturrately witness such conduct here, after; but if you ever imitate it you will be highly culpable, because you cannot, as some may, plead by way of excuse, the want of instructions, or early impressions of respect and devotion towards the august and adorable sacrifice of our altars. You should therefore recollect, that at all times the most edifying piety and recollection, in assisting at these tremendous mysteries, will be expected from you, as the fruits of the knowledge you will be known to have acquired of your duty in this respect, and also as the fruits of the happiness you now enjoy in assisting daily at this divine sacrifice. It is therefore of the utmost consequence, that you now endeavour to conceive an exalted idea of the excellency and efficacy of the Mass, as likewise a deep sense of the happiness of assisting at this august sacrifice. Those dispositions will be best acquired by fervour and reverence in hearing Mass inow, since the habit of doing so daily and devoutly in your youth, must tend to draw down a blessing on your present and future life. To give solidity and permanency to your devotion in discharging one of the most solemn duties of our holy religion, you should be careful to retain the explanation you received of the types, figures, and ceremonies of the Mass: a knowledge of them, though not absolutely necessary, is at least extremely conoucive to devotion, since the most trivial action, ceremony, or even ornament used at Mass, is not without mysterious signification. But you should particularly impress on your mind three points1st. The nature and efficacy of the Mass. 2dly, The ends for which it is offered. 3dly, The dispositions in which you should be, and the method you should observe to assist worthiiy at the holy sacrifice. First, As t, the nature of the sacrifice of the Mass, you know from your catechism, that " a sacrifice," in general, "is that first and most necessary aft of digion, b., which we acknowledge God's supremt 01 THE HOLY SACRIFICE O1 THE MASS. 7 dominion over us, and our total dependence on him." It consists in the oblation of a victim by a lawful minister, and in a change being made in that victim, to acknowledge the supreme d(minion of God over all his creatures.-In the Mass, Jesus Christ is the Victim-the Priest makes an oblation of this Victim to the Eternal Father, on behalf of all men; and, finally, it undergoes a change, which shows forth the death of our Redeemer, by the apparent separation of the body from the blood, and the consumption of both by the priest. This most adorable sacrifice is the pure offering which is made to God in every place, from the rising of the sun, even to the going down, according to the prophecy of Malachy, (i. 11.) It is the same in substance with the sacrifice of the cross, because the Priest and the Victim are the same; the difference is only in the manner of offering. Jesus on the cross offered himself a bleeding victim to the justice of God for our redemptionJesus on the altar offers himself an unbloody victim, to glorify God and sanctify us, by applying to our souls the merits of his passion and death. Secondly, The ends for which Mass is offered: those ends are four: 1st, To acknowledge the sovereign dominion of the Almighty. 2d, To thank him for his benefits. 3d, To atone for our sins and those of t e world. 4th, To implore the blessings and graces of which we stand in need. In the old law there was a separate sacrifice in stituted for each of those ends; but in the Mass all are included, because it fully answers every end for which sacrifice is offered to God. The Mass is a holocaust, or sacrifice of adoration, in which Jesus offers himself to his eternal Father wholly and entirely, rendering to him such homage as is due to the Almighty; and which enables us also to acknowledge the majesty and dominion of God in 6* 8 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. a manner worthy of the Divinity, which it would otherwise be impossible for any creature to do. It is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and one fully ade. quate to acknowledge worthily all the blessings and graces, general and particular, which the Almighty bestowed on the world. It is a victim of expiation, of such value as would suffice to atone for all the iniquities of millions of worlds, and that in a superabundant manner. -Lastly, It is a sacrifice of impetration, that is to say, it is offered to implore from God all the graces, blessings, and assistance, spiritual or corporal, general or particular, which we desire for ourselves and others. This is the nature, and these are the ends of that adorable Sacrifice, "which," as your Catechism says, "was reservedfor the New Law, to futfil the figures of the Old Law, and to give religion its full perfection."-" Ah!" cries a great servant of God, speaking on this subject, "how much is it to be wished that we knew the value of the treasure in our possession! happy, infinitely happy'are Christians, if they but feel their happiness! What a source of blessings would this sacrifice be to them! What graces would they draw from it for body and soul, for time and eternity!" It is almost impossible to reflect an the infinite love which Jesus manifests, in thus permitting himself to be offered in sacrifice as often as we wish, without endeavouring to correspond witl his love, and manifesting, to the best of our power the most unbounded gratitude for so great a blessing as we possess in this adorable mystery. This you can most effectually do by carefully avoiding sin, which is the great obstacle to your sharing in the blessings and graces that are daily and hourly be. stowed on the world, through and by this great sacrifice: also by resolving to hear mass every day, and never to let sloth, indifference, or any other such cause, deprii e you of the inestimable advantages an ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 79 exed to so holy a practice.-There are, it is true, cases in which duties of obligation may interfere to prevent your assisting at Mass on week days. Such, however, will rarely occur, if the morning be profited of for discharging a duty so well calculated to draw down a blessing on the day. These cases need not be pointed olt; you are sufficiently instructed to discern them, and also to know, that when you are absent from Mass on week days, only to perform the more manifest will of God elsewhere, you lose nothing before God, who, in all cases, and under all circumstances, requires the discharge of duty before the gratification of private devotion. Thirdly, The dispositions with which you should hear Mass, regard your interior sentiments and exterior comportment; as is evident from your Catechism, which directs you to assist at this divine sacrifice " with great recollection and piety; and with every mark of outward respect and devotion." You should therefore always endeavour to assist at Mass with lively faith, contrition, and confidence in the mercy of God; those virtues are the most proper disposition for hearing mass, as well as the natural fruits of that great sacrifice. Faith is necessary, because without it you would not be enabled to penetrate the wonders which pass before your eyes on the altar.-Contrition for sin is naturally to be expected from every one who considers in the Mass a lively representation and renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross, which was offered for its expiation;-and Confidence in the infinite mercy of God, is a disposition at all times calculated to obtain great favours from the divine goodness, but it is particularly so at Mass. Endeavour always to excite this sentiment in your heart, when you assist at this august sacrifice, by considering the greatness and infinite value of the victim you then offer to God. Had you been at the foot of the Cross when Jesus Christ inuteoated himself in torments for your sake. 80 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. would you have hesitated in asking any favourt Would you nave thought any grace too great to hope for, or any sin too great to be forgiven, if you represented your necessities to a God who was expiring for your sake, and, in such propitious moments, implored mercy through his sacred passion and death. Be firmly convinced that your confidence in God should be equally lively whenever you hear Mass, for you have the very same grounds for hope. It is the same God who offers himself for you-it is the same unbounded love that causes him to do so; his sacred blood and infinite merits plead your cause just as efficaciously on the altar as they did on Mount Calvary, where, with a loud cry and tears, as St. Paul expresses it, he implored mercy and salvation for all sinners, and amongst them for you. Think of the penitent thief, whose unbounded confidence in the merits of a Redeemer obtained for him the greatest of all possible graces-perfect conversion and eternal happiness. Ask for any thing, and every thing you desire; ask with confidence, and you shall receive: for, in presenting Jesus Christ to his eternal Father, you will always be sure of giving more than you irr. -lore. It will serve to animate your devotion ii. nearing Mass, to offer it up each time for some particular intention; such as, to obtain the grace to conquer some fault; to acquire some virtue; for the conversion of some sinner; for those that are in the agonies of death; or for the suffering souls in purgatory; but, in particular, be careful to offer it, especially on days of obligation, for the four ends of the sacrifice, which you will find comprised in the short offering prefixed to the Ordinary of the Mass. As to the profound respect, recollection, silence, and guard over the senses, which are the exterior dispositions, or rather, that which forms the e;omportment required for assisting at Mass, it would appeal sufficient to have faith not to fail in them. When you behold," as St. Chrysostom says, "the Lord him ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF ThE MASS. 81 self laying the Victim on the Altar, and offered, and the priest attending, and praying over the sacrifice, purpled with his precious blood-when you consider, that what is then done is far more awful, more astonishing, more extraordinary, than when fire, falling from heaven, consumed the sacrifice of Elias, you cannot, without inexcusable presumption and impiety, be guilty of exterior disrespect at Mass." Yet, unfortunately, such impiety is not very unusual. The ministers of God may now, with too much truth, repeat the words of the same holy Doctor: "I see," says he, "persons behave disrespectfully, and without due attention in the Church. Can any impiety be found equal to this T At worldly assemblies every thing is regulated and carried on without confusion; and here, in the company of angels, you talk and laugh! Should we be surprised, if thunder fell from heaven, to punish such impiety?" Reflect fn those expressions, which are not too strong for the subject, and consider also, that persons who act in this manner renew, as far as depends on them, the insults, mockery, and derision, which were so great an aggravation to the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross. This consideration alone should impress you with a lasting horror of the scandalous custom of conversing, laughing, and saluting in the chapel, and even during the tremendous Sacrifice: a custom which you should carefully guard against, in defiance of human respect, or the politeness which is often alleged as an excuse for returning salutes, or repiying to inquiries in the chapel. Such politeness is not less.disedifying than misplaced. The method to be observed in hearing Mass may vary according to each person's devotion: it is in itself of less consequence than all the rest; because those whose hearts are penetrated with the dispositions here pointed out, cannot fail to hear Mass well whatever method they adopt. However, as young 08o0n ithonu i not give themselves much latitude in 82 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. so solemn a duty as this, you should generally spealk ing, in hearing Mass, follow the directions of youl Catechism, which says, that the best manner of hearing Mass, is to " offer it with the p' iest-to meditate on Christ's sufferings-and to go to communion; that is, either to follow the priest, which you can do by ising the Ordinary of the Mass; or else, to oc. cupy yourself entirely in commemorating the suffer ings of Christ, for which also you have a method in this book. In either case, when you do not communicate sacramentally, you should not neglect making a spiritual communion. Spiritual communion is a most holy and profitable devotion, calculated for all times, but particularly for the time of the Mass. It consists in ardently desiring to receive the adorable Eucharist, and in uniting the heart with God. It is made by an act of faith in the real presence of Christ in the holy Eucharist, an act of hope in his mercy, an act of love for his infinite perfections, and an act of desire to enjoy the happiness of sacramental communion. The best method you can adopt, would be to endeavour to excite sentiments of these virtues in your heart, while the priest communicates; uniting your heart to God as fervently as you can, and conversing with him interiorly, just as you would do if you had actually ieceived the holy communion. Do this in whatevel terms devotion may suggest: but whenever you want a form for the purpose, the prayer for spiritual communion, to be found in each of the following methods for hearing Mass, will answer extremely well. A Prayer before Mass. 0 MY God-! I most humbly beg of thee to grant me the necessary dispositions for assisting devoutly at the adorable sacrifice which I am about to present to thy divine Majesty, in union with Jesus Christ thy beloved Son, and with thy whole Church. I offer this Mass as a holocaust, to acknowledge thy absolute ON THE HOLY BACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 83 dominion over me, and all creatures; as a sacrifice of thanksgving for all thy benefits; as a sacrifice of expiation for my sins, and those of all creatures, living and dead; and as a sacrifice of impetration, to implore for myself and all mankind the graces and Alessings, spiritual and temporal, of which we stand most in need. I unite my heart to the dispositions which animate the heart of Jesus while he offers himself on the altar, and to those of the blessed Virgin when she stood at the foot of the cross. 0 my divine Jesus! grant that, like those who witnessed thy death on Mount Calvary, I may depart from this sanctuary penetrated with compassion for thy sufferings, and with sorrow for my sins, by which they were caused; as likewise with a firm resolution rather to die than to offend thee wilfully henceforward. Amen. While the Priest sprinkles Holy Water before SOLEMN MASS n7 Sundays, the following ANTHEMS are sung. Ant. ASPERGES me, Anth. THOU wilt sprinDomine, hyssopo, et mun- kle me, 0 Lord! with hysdabor: lavabis me, et su- sop, and I shall be cleansper nivem dealbabor. ed: thou wilt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Ps. Miserere mei, Deus, Ps. Have mercy on me, aecundum magnam mi- 0 God, according to thy sericordiam tuam. great mercy. V. Gloria Patri, &c. V. Glory be to the Father, &c. Ant Asperges me, &c. Anth. Thou wilt sprin. kle me, &c. The Priest having returned to the foot of the Altar, says, V* Ostende nobis, Dom- V. Show us, 0 Lord, ine, mnisericordiam tuam. thy mercy. R. Et salutare tuum da R. And grant us thy mobis. salvation. 64 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. V. Domine, exaudi or- V. 0 Lord, hear my ationem meam. prayer. R. Et clamor meus ad R. And let my cry come be veniat. unto thee. V Dominus vobiscum. V. May the Lord be with you. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. The Prayer, Exaudi. HEAR us, 0 holy Lord, Almighty Father, eternal 4od! and vouchsafe to send thy holy angel from neaven to guard, cherish, protect, visit, and defend &h that are assembled in this place: through J.slls Christ our Lord. Amen. From EASTER to WHIT SUNDAY, inclusively, instead of,he foregoing ANT. Aspeiges, &c. the following is suig, and Alle luias are added to the Versicles and Responsaries, &c. ANTHEM. VIDI aquam egredien- I SAW water flowir.g tem de templo a latere from the right side of the dextro, Alleluia: et om- temple, Alleluia: and all nes ad quos pervenit aqua to whom that water came ista, salvi facti sunt et were saved, and they shall dicent, Alleluia say, Alleluia.;: Ps. Confiteinini Do- Ps. Praise the Lord. mino, quoniam bonus: because he is good: bequoniam in saeculum mis- cause his mercy endureth ericordia ejus. Gloria. for ever. Glory, &c. A Prayer said before Mass in the United States of America. WE pray thee, 0 Almighty and e'erndl God, who, through Jesus Christ, has revealed thy glory to all nations to preserve the works of thy mercy; that thy church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith,'in the ooxafesnieo f lty name. ON THE HOLY SACRII*.E 3O THE MASS. 8R We pray thee, who alone art good and holy to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, N. N. the vicar of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his church; our own bishop, N. N. [or, if he be not consecrated, "our bishop elect;"] all other bishops, prelates, anm pastors of the church, and especially those who are appointed to exercise among us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct the people into the ways of salvation. We pray thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist, with thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the President of these United States; that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to thy people over whom he presides, by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immdrality.-Let the light of thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of congress,!. and shine forth in all their proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government; so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge, and may perpetuate to us the blessings of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers, who are appointed to guard our political welfare; that they may be enabled by thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend, likewise, to thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow-citizens, throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified in the observance of thy most holy lawt: that they may be preserved in union, and ia that peace which the world cannot give; and after 8 86 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. enjoying the blessings of this li'e, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray thee, 0 Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of thy servants departed, who are gone before us, with the sign of faith, and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relations, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation; and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors, who, by their donations or legacies to this church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship, and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, 0 Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace-through the same Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen. THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. IN Nomine Patris, et IN the name of the Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Father, and of the Son, Amen. &c. Amen. Ant. Introibo ad al. Anth. I will go unto tare Dei. the altar of God. R. Ad Deum, qui R. To God, who re laetificat juventutem me- joiceth my youth. am. Psalm xlii. JUDICA me, Deus, et JUDGE me, O God, ar d discerne causam meam distinguish my cause de gente non saneta: ab from the nation that is homine iniquo et doloso not holy: from the unerue me. just and deceitful man deliver me. THE OIDINARY OF THE MASS. 87 R. Quia tu es, Deus, R. Since thou, 0 fortitudo mea, quare me God, art my strength, repulisti, et quare tristis why hast thou rejected incedo dum affligit me me; and why do I go inimicus? sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me I P. Emitte lucem tu- P. Send forth thy am et veritatem tuam: Light and thy Truth; ipsa me deduxerunt, et they have conducted adduxerunt in Montem and brought me unto sanctum tuum, et in Ta- the holy Mount, and bernacula tua. into thy Tabernacle. R. Et introibo ad al. R. And I will go untare Dei: ad Deum to the altar of God: to qui ltetificat juventutem God who rejoiceth my meam. youth. P. Confitebor tibi in P. I will praise thee cithara, Deus, Deus on the harp, 0 God, my meus: quare tristis es, God: why art thou sor. anima mea? et quare rowful, 0 my soul? and conturbas me? why dost thou disturb me? R. Spera in Deo, R. Hope in God, for quoniam adhuc confite- him will I still praise: bor illi: salutare vultus he is my God, and the mei, et Deus meus. Saviour I look for. P. Gloria Patri, et P. Glory be to the Fa. Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. ther, and to the Son, &c. R. Sicut erat in prin- R. As it was in the cipio, et nunc, et sem- beginning, is now, and per, et in smecula secu. ever shall be, world loum. Amen. without end. Amen. P. Introibo ad altare P. I will go unto the Dei. altar of God. 88 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS R. Ad Deum qui le- R. To God who re tificat juventutem me- joiceth my youth. am. P. Adjutorium nos- P. Our help is in the trum in nomine Domi- name of the Lord. ni. R. Qui fecit ccelum R. Who'made hea. et terram. ven and earth. P. ConfiteorDeoom- P. I confess to Al. nipotenti, &c. mighty God, &c. R. Misereatur tui R. May Almighty omnipotens Deus, et di- God be mercifulto thee, missis peccatis tuis, per- and, forgiving thee thy ducat te ad vitam ieter- sins, bring thee to evernam. lasting life. P. Amen. P. Amen. R. Confiteor Deo om- R. I confess to Al nipotenti, beatse Mariae mighty God, to the semper Virgini, beato blessed Mary, ever a Michaeli Archangelo, Virgin, blessed Michael beato Joanni Baptistre, the Archangel, blessed sanctis Apostolis Petro John Baptist, the holy et Paulo, omnibus Sanc. Apostles Peter and tis, et tibi Pater, quia Paul, to all the saints, peccavi nimis cogita- and to you, Father, that tione, verbo et opere, I have sinned exceedmea culpa, mea culpa, ingly in thought, vord, mea maxima culpa. and deed, through my Ideo precor beatam Ma- fault, through my fault, riam semper Virginem, through my most griev. beatum Michaelum ous fault. Therefore Archangelum, beatum I beseech the blessed Joannem Baptistam, Mary, ever a Virgin sanctos Apostolos Pe- blessed Michael the THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 89 trum et Paulum, omnes Archangel,blessed John Sanctos, et te, Pater, Baptist, the holy Apos. orare pro me ad Domi- ties Peter and Paul, and num Deum nostrum. all the saints, and you, O Father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. P. Misereatur vestri P. May Almighty omnipotens Deus, et di- God be merciful unto mlssis peccatis vestris, you, and, forgiving you perducat vos ad vitam your sins, bring you to sternam. life everlasting. t. Amen. R. Amen. P. Inaulgentiam, ab- P. May the Almighty solutionem, et remissio- and most merciful Lord nem peccatorum nostro- grant us pardon, abso. rum, tribuat nobis om. lution, and remission of nipotens et misericors our sins. Dominus. R. Amen. R. Amen. P. Deus, tu conver- P. O God, thou being sus vivificabis nos. turned towards us, wilt enliven us. R. Et plebs tua ae- R. And thy people tabitur in te. will rejoice in thee. P. Ostende nobis, P. Show us, 0 Loid Domine, misoricordiam thy mercy. tuam. R. Et salutare.Jum R. And grant us tny da nobis. salvation. P. Domine, exaudi P. O Lord, hear my orationem meam. prayer. R. Et clamor meus R. And let my cry ad te veniat. come unto thee. 8 90 THlE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with tum. you. R. Et cum spiritu R. And with thy tuo. spirit. The Priest, going to the Altar, says, Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, that we may be worthy to enter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies: through, &c. Amen. Bowing down, he says, We beseech thee, O Lord, by the merits of thy saints, whose relics are here, and of all the saints, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins. Amen. Whilst he reads the Introit, say, Let the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for ever. From the rising to the setting of the sun all praise is due to the name of the Lord. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, and looks on all that is humble both in heaven and earth. Glory be to the Father, &c. P. Kyrie eleison. R. Kyrie eleison. P. Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy upon us. [R. Christe eleison. P. Christe eleison. R. Christe eleison. Christ have mercy upon us. [P. Kyrie eleison. R. Kyrie eleison. P. Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy upon us. GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. GLORIA in excelsis GLORY be to God on Deo, et in terra pax high, and on earth peace hominibus bonwe volun. to men of good will. THE ORDINARY OF THE -MASS. 91 tatis. Laudamus te; We praise thee, we benedicimus te; adora- bless thee; we adore mus te; glorificamus te. thee; we glorify thee, Gratias agimus tibi We give thee thanks for propter magnam glori- thy great glory, 0 Lord am tuam, Domine Deus, God, heavenly King, Rex ccelestis, Deus Pa. God the Father Al. ter Omnipotens. Do. mighty. 0 Lord Jesus mine Fili unigenite Jesu Christ, the only begot. Christe. Domine Deus, ten Son. 0 Lord God, Agnus Dei, Filius Pa. Lamb of God, Son of tris. Qui tollis peccata the Father, who takest mundi, miserere nobis. away the sins of the Qui tollis peccata mun- world, have mercy on di, suscipe deprecation- us. Who takest away em nostram. Qui sedes the sins of the world, re. ad dexteram Patris, ceive our prayers. Who miserere nobis. Quo- sittest at the right hand niam tu solus sanctus. of the Father, have Tu solus Dominus. mercy on us. For thou Tu solus altissimus, Je- only art holy. Thou su Christe, cum Sancto only art the Lord. Thou Spiritu, in gloria Dei only, 0 Jesus Christ, Patris. Amen. together with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen. The Przest, turning towards the People, salutes them, -:: saying, P Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with cum: you. R.'Et cuml spiritu R. And with thy tuok.,~ spirit. 02 TIHE ORDINARY OF TBE MASS. At the Collects, We humbly beseech thee, 0 Almighty and eterna. God, mercifully to give ear to the prayers of thy servant, which he offers to thee in the name of thy Church, and on behalf of us thy peo. pie: accept them to the honour of thy name, and the good of our souls, and grant us all those blessings which may contribute to our salvation: through, &c. Amen. At the Epistle, Be thou, 0 Lord, eternally praised and blessed, for having communicated thy Spirit'to the holy prophets and apostles, disclosing to them admirable secrets, redounding to thy glory and our great good. We firmly believe their word, because it is thine. Give us, we beseech thee, the happi. ness to understand their instructions, and so con. form our lives thereto, that at the hour of death we may merit to be received by thee into the mansions of eternal bliss. At the end of the Epistle, the Clerk answers, Deo gratias. Thanks be to God During the Gradual or Tract, How wonderful, O Lord, is thy name through the whole earth. I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Be thou my God and protector; in thee alone I put my trust; 0 let me never be confounded. Before the Gospel, CLEANSE my heart and my lips, 0 Almighty God, who didst cleanse the lips of the prophet THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 93 Isaiah with a burning coal: and vouchsafe, through thy gracious mercy, so to purify me, that I may worthily attend to thy holy gospel: through Christ our Lord. Amen. May the Lord be in my heart, and on my lips, that I may worthily, and in a becoming manner, attend to his gospel. Amen. P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with cum. you. R. Et cum spiritu R. And with thy tuo. spirit. P. Sequentia, (vel in. P. The continuation itium,) sancti Evangelii (or the beginning) of secundum, &c. the holy Gospel accord. ing to, &c. R. Gloria tibi, Do. R. Glory be to thee, mine. 0>,'',''" 0 Lord. During the Gospel, Be thou ever adored and praised, 0 Lord, who not content to instruct us by thy prophets and apostles, hast even vouchsafed to speak to us by thy only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, command. ing us by a voice from heaven to hear him: grant us, merciful God, the grace to profit by his divine and heavenly doctrine. All that is written of thee, divine Jesus, in thy gospel, is truth itself; manifesting infinite wisdom in thy actions; power and goodness in thy miracles; light and instruc. tion in thy maxims. With thee, sacred Redeemer, are the words of eternal life; to whom shall we go but to thee, eternal Fountain of Truth? I firmly believe, O God, all thou teachest; give me only grace to practise what thou commandest, a,dic0mmand what thou pleasest. 94 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. At the end of the Gospel, answer, R. Laus tibi, Christe. R. Praise be to the, 0 Christ. Then add with the Priest, in a low Voice May our sins be blotted out by the words of the Gospel. THE NICENE CREED. CREDO in unum De. I BELIEVE in one urn, Patrem omnipoten- God, the Father Al. tem, factorem cceli et mighty, Maker of hea. terrre, visibilium omni- ven and earth, and of ail um et invisibilium. things visible and invi. sible. Et in unum Dominum And in one Lord Je. Jesum Christum Filium sus Christ, the only beDei unigenitum; et ex gotten Son of God; and Patre natum ante om- born of the Father be. nia saecula. Deum de fore all ages. God of Deo; Lumen de Lu- God; Light of Light; mine; Deum verum de true God of true God; Deovero; genitum non begotten not made; factum; consubstantia- consubstantial to the lem Patri, per quem Father, by whom all omnia facta sunt. Qui things wei'e made. propter nos homines, et Who for us men, and propter nostram salu- for our salvation, came tem, descendit de coelis, down from heaven, and et incarnatus est de became incarnate of Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria the Holy Ghost of the Virgine, ET HOMO Virgin Mary. A ND FACTUS EST.* Cru- WAS MADE MAN.* * At these words all kneel THE aRDINARY OF THE MASS. 9b,ifixus etlam pro nobis He was crucified also sub Pontio Pilato, pas- for us, suffered under sus et sepultus est. Et Pontius Pilate, and was resurrexit tertia die se. buried. And the third cundum Scripturas. Et day he rose again ac. ascendit in ccelum, se. cording to the Scrip. det ad dexteram Patris. tures. And ascended Et iterum venturus est into heaven, sitteth at cum gloria judicare the right hand of the vivos et mortuos: cujus Father, and he is to regni non erit finis. come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. And in the Holy Et in Spiritum Sanc- Ghost, the Lord and trim, Dominum et vivi- Giver of Life, who pro. ficantem, qui ex Patre ceedeth from the Father Filioque procedit: qui and the Son: who, tocum Patre et Filio si. gether with the Father mul adoratur, et conglo. and the Son, is adored rificatur: qui locutus and glorified: who est per prophetas. Et spoke by the prophets. unam sanctam Catholi- And one holy Catholic cam et Apostolicam and Apostolic Church. Ecclesiam. Confiteor I confess one baptism lnum Baptisma in re- for the remission ofsins. missionem peccatorum. And I expect the resur. Et,expecto resurrec. rection of the dead, and tionem mortuorem, et the life of the world to vitam venturi seculi. come. Amen. Amieni.. 96 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. P. Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with cum. you. R. Et cum spiritu R. And with thy tuo. spirit. Oremus. Let us pray. At the Offertory, 0 my God, I sincerely offer myself and all I have to thee, to do and suffer whatever thou com. mandest or permittest. Receive my offering, and cleanse me from my sins, that through the infinite merits of the Victim about to be presented to thy divine Majesty, I may become acceptable in thy sight. OBLATION of the HOST. Accept, 0 holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God, this unspotted Host, which I thy unworthy servant offer unto thee, my living and true God,.or my innumerable sins, offences, and negligences, and for all here present: as also for all faith. ful Christians, both living and dead; that it may avail both me and them unto life everlasting. Amen. When the Priest pours the Wine and Water into the Chalice, 0 God, who in creating human nature, hast wonderfully dignified it, and still more wonder. fully reformed it, grant that, by the mystery of this Water and Wine, we may be made partakers of his divine nature, who vouchsafed to become partaker of our human nature, namely,. Jesus Christ our Lord, thy Son, who with thee, in the unity of, &c. Amen. THE ORDINARY OF'IH MASS. 97 OBLATION of the CHALICE. We offer unto thee, 0 Lord, the chal cc of sal. vation, beseeching thy clemency, that it may ascend before thy divine Majesty as a sweet odour, for our salvation, and for that of the whole world. Amen. When the Priest bows before the Altar, Accept us, O Lord, in the spirit of humility and contrition of heart, and grant, that the sacrifice which we offer this day in thy sight, may be pleasing to thee, O Lord God. When he blesses the Bread and Wine, Come, O.almighty and eternal God, the sane. tifier, and.bless this sacrifice, prepared for the glory of thy holy name. Washing his Fingers, he says, Ps. xxv. 6. I will wash my hands amongst the innocent. and will compass thy altar, 0 Lord. That I may hear the voice of thy praise: and tell all thy wondrous works. The beauty of thy house I have loved, 0 Lord and the place where thy glory dwelleth. Take not away my soul with the wicked; nor my life i'h' bloody men. Inl wlise ahnds are iniquities; their right hand is fi U giftS. walked in my innocence: redeem miIercy on me. lstood in the direct way; in the bless thee, 0 Lord. I-the Father, &c. 9 98 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. Bowing before the Altar, he says, R1 -elve, O holy Trinity, this oblation which we nmte to thee, in memory of the Passion, Resur. rection, and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honour of the blessed Mary ever a Virgin, the blessed John Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the Saints, 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 towards the People, he says, Orate fratres, ut me- Brethren, pray that unm acvestrum sacrifici- my sacrifice and yours umacceptabilefiat apud may be acceptable to Deum Patrem omnipo. God the Father Al. lentem. mighty. R. Suscipiat Domi. R. May the Lord re. nus sacrificium de ma- ceive the sacrifice from nibus tuis, ad laudem et thy hands, to the praise gloriam nominis sui, ad and glory of his name, utilitatem quoque nos- and to our benefit, and tram, totiusque Eccle- that of his holy Church. sieF sue sanctae. At the Secret Prayer or Prayers, Mercifully hear our prayers, 0 Lord, and gra. ciously accept this oblation, which we thy ser. vants present to thee; that as we offer'it to the nonour of thy name, so it m.y be to us here a means of obtaining thy grace, and hereafterteter. nal happiness. Through,. c. P. Per omnia secula P. Wo0rld _: sfc Gorunl. end. qlfE CANO OFr TH MASS. 99 R. Amen. R. Amen. P.' Dominus vobis. P. The Lord be with cum. R. Et cum spi- you. R. And with thy rrtu tuo. P. Sursum spirit. P. Liftupyour corda. R. Habemus ad hearts. R. We have Dominum. P. Gratias lifted them up to the agamus Domino Deo Lord. P. Let us give nostro. R. Dignumet thanks to our Lord'ustum est. God. R. It is meet and just. The common Preface. It is truly meet and just, right and aval,able to salvation, that we should always and in all places, give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God. Through Christ our Lord: by whom the angels praise thy majesty, the dominations adore it, the powers tremble oefore it, the heavenly virtues, and blessed seraphim, with common jubilee, glorify it. Together with whom we beseech thee, that we may be admitted to join our humble voices, saying:'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth. Ieaven and eah are full of thy glory. Hosannar i the highlt. Blessed is he that comes in the iame of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. -:CANON OF THE MASS. fore humbly pray and beseech thee, I Father, through Jesus ihst thy rd, that thou wouldst vouchs*-t ac..lg& l~s:t these gifts, these pres ]ihev 100 TGO CANONr OF THE MASS. holy unspotted sacrifices, which in the first place we offer thee for thy holy Catholic Church, to which vouchsafe to grant -peace; as also to pre. serve, unite, and govern it throughout the world: together with thy servant N. our Pope, N. our Bishop, as also all orthodox believers and pro. fessors of the Catholic and Apostolic Faith. COMMEMORATION OF THE _LIVING. Be mindful, O Lord, of thy servants, men and women, N. and N, He prays silently for those he tntends to pray for And of all here present, whose faith'and devo. tion isai4own unto thee, for whom we offer, or who offer up to thee, this sacrifice of praise for themselves) their families, and friends: for the redemption of their souls, for the health and sal. vation they hope for, and for: which they now pay tbeir vows to thee, the eternal, living, and true Cod. COMMUNICATING with, and honouring in the first place, the memory of the ever-glorious Vir. gin Mary, Mother of our Lord and Gd- Jesus Christ: as also of the blessed Aip^s" aid Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, Jarnes, JJin, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, MatjWw, Simon and Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus, me, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrencep,;hrbyso. gonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and.11t, and of all thy Saints; by whose merit an fe-t grant that we may be alwae defe 4 -' help of thy protection. Through the sa our Lo~d. - Ani THE CANON OF THE MASS. 101 Spreading his Hands over the Oblation, he says, We therefore beseech thee, 0 Lord, graciously lo accept this oblation of our servitude, as also of thy whole family; dispose our days in thy peace, preserve us from eternal damnation, and rank us in the number of thine elect. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Which oblation do thou, 0 God, vouchsafe in all respects to bless, approve, ratify, and accept; that it may be made for us the body and blood of thy most beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Who the day before he suffered, took bread into his holy and venerable hands, and with his eyes lifted up towards heaven, giving thinks to thee, Almighty God, his Father; he blessed it, brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat ye all of this, FOR THIS IS MY BODY.. At the Elevation. While the Priest pronounces the words of Consecration, do you contemplate in silence the wonders that pass before you. Your God, your Saviour, and your Judge, descends on the altar; hail his sacred presence by the most lively sentiments of respect, confdence, and love. 0 Victim of Salvation! Eternal King! Incar. nate Word! sacrificed for me, and all mankind! Precious body of the Son of God! Sacred flesh, torn with nails, pierced with a lance, and bleed. ing on a cross, for us poor sinners! Amazing goodieinfinite love! 0 let that tender love plead n my. behalf: let all my iniquities be iQ' d a"nd my name be written in the o x: I.. ~I believe in thee; I hope in thee;'1''~~.'To thee be honour,.-raise, glory, ^Slf4'for ever and ever Arien. 9' 103 TB' CGOMN or Ts MAMSS. 0 sacred Blood, flowing from the wounds of Jesus Christ, and washing away the sins of the world! cleanse, sanctify, and preserve my soul, that nothing may ever separate me from thee. Behold, 0 eternal Father, thy only begotten Son, and look upon the face of thy Christ, in whom thou art well pleased. Hear the voice of his Blood, crying out to thee, not for vengeance, but for mercy and pardon. Accept this divine oblation, and through the infinite merits of all the sufferings that Jesus endured on the cross for our salvation, be pleased to look upon us, and up. on-all thy people, with an eye of mercy. Weost humbly beseech thee, Almighty God, command these things to be carried by the hands of thy holy angels, to thy altar on high, in' the sight of thy divine Majesty, that as many as shall partake of the most sacred body and blood of thy Son at this altar may be filled with every heaven. ly grace and blessing. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD. Be mindful also, 0 Lord, of thy servants N. and N., who are gone before us with the sign of Faith, and rest in the sleep of peace. Here particular mention is made of Sucof the.Dead as are to beprayedfor.: Tu these, 0 Lord, and to all tat p i Christ, grant, we beseech thee, a place tmefrehi ment, light, and peace, thiugh tea same'0hn our Lord. Amen. THB CANON OF Trx- MASS. 103 Here, striking his breast, the Priest says, Alo to us sinners, thy servants, confiding in the multitude of thy mercies, vouchsafe to grant some part and fellowship with thy holy apostles and martyrs; with John, Stephen, Matthias, Bar. nabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecily, Anastatia, and with all thy saints: into whose company we beseech thee to admit us, not in con. sideration of our merit, but of thy own gratuitous pardon. Through Christ our Lord. By whom, O Lcrd, thou dost always create, sanctify, enliven, bless, and give us all th!se good things. By him, and with him, and in'ii,a is to thee, God the Father Almighty, in' the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory. P. Per omnia specula P. For ever and ever.< seculorum. R. Amen. R. Amen. Oremus. Let us pray. PRaECEPTIS salutari. BEING instructed by bus moniti, et divina in. thy saving precepts, and stitutione formati, aude. following thy divine di. mus dicere: rections, we presume to say: Pater noster, qui es Our Father, who art in cclis, sanctificetur in heaven: hallowed be no n; adveniat thy name: thy kingdom: fiat vo. come: thy will be done siCnt in ccelo, on earth, as it is in hea. ira. P)anem nos-. yen. Give us this day...4IWt.i idianum, da our daily bread: and ^04 THI CAN{M OF THIE MASS. nobis, hodie: et dimitte forgive us our trespass. nobis debita nostra, si- es, as we forgive them cut et nos dimittimus that trespass against us. debitoribus nostris. Et And lead us not into ne nos inducas in tenta- temptation. tionem. R. Sed libera nos a R. But deliver us malo. from evil. P. Amen. P. Amen. Deliver us, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, from all evils, past, present, and to come: and by the in tercession of the blessed and ever glorious Vir gin Mary, Mother of God, and of the holy apos. ties Peter and Paul, and of Andrew, and of all the saints, mercifully grant peace in our days:.hat through the assistance of thy mercy we may pe always free from sin, and secure from all dis. turbance. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Ghost lveth and reigneth, God. P. Per omnia secula P. World without seculorum. end. R. Amen. R. Amen. P. Pax Domini sit P. May the peace of semper vobiscum. the Lord be always with you. R. Et cum spiritn R. And with thy tuo. spirit. At his breaking and putting part of the Host into the Chalice, say, May this mixture, andconse oration of the body and blood of o6utrl d Jesus Christ, be to us that receive it: to eternal life. Amen. THE CANON OP TfE MASS. 105 Then bowing and striking his Breast, he says, Agnus Dei, qui tollis Lamb of God, who peccata mundi, misere- takest away the sins of "e nobis. the world, have mercy upon us. Agnus Dei, qui tollis Lamb of God, who peccata mundi, misere. takest away the sins or re nobis. the world, have mercy upon us. Agnus Dei, qui tollis Lamb of God, who peccata mundi, dona takest away the sins of nobis pacem. the world, give us peace. In Masses for the DEAD, he says twice, Give them rest; and last ly, Eternal rest. The following Prayer is also omitted.. Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst to thy apostles, I leave you my peace, regard not my sins, but the faith of thy Church; and grant her that peace and unity which is agreeable to thy will: who livest. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, according to the will of thy Father, through the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, hast, by thy death, given life to the world: deliver me by this thy most sacred body and blood from all my ini. quities, and from all evils: make me always ad. here to thy commandments, and never suffer me to be separated from thee: who livest and reign. est with God, the Father, in the unity of, &c. t the participation of thy body, 0 Lord c tlt which I, though unworthy, presume..... frn to my judgment and condemna. Bhrough thy mercy, may it be a safei 106 THE CANON OF THE IASS. guard and remedy both of soul and body. Wha with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Taking the Host in his Hands, he says, I will take the bread of heaven, and call upon the iame of the Lord. Striking his Breast, he repeats three times,' Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter kinder my roof: say but the word, and my soul shall be healed. On receiving the sacred Species, he says, H May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ pieserve my soul to life everlasting. Amen. Taking the Chalice in his Hand, he says, What return shall I make the Lord for all he has given to me? I will take the chalice of sal. vation, and call upon the name of the Lord. Praising I will call upon the Lord, and shall be saved frowr my enemies. Receiving the Blood of our Saviour, he says, May the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ pre. serve my soul to everlasting life. Amen. During the Ablutions and Post Communion, make a Spiritual Communion, asfollows. 0 my divine Saviour! I fervently adore thee ii this sacred and venerable sacrament, I love thee with all the affections of my heart, and I i with confidence in that infinite goodni,: - induces thee to remain among us.'.:tl THE CANON OF THE MASS. 107 could this moment enjoy the happiness of really communicating! 0 that 1 could this day receive that precious body which was once sacrificed for my love, and that adorable blood which flowed from thy sacred veins to wash away the sins of the world! But, alas! I am most unworthy of so great a favour. I do not deserve to receive thee, 0 God of all sanctity! Yet 1 ardently de. sire to do so, and I humbly conjure thee to accept this desire, and to give thyself to me by the influence of thy all-powerful grace. Come, O my God! my only Good! come to me, for I now offer thee my whole heart, most ardently desiring that it should belong to thee for whose iove it was created, and whose love can alone make it truly happy. I now consecrate and present to thee all my thoughts, words, and actions, from this moment to the happy day of my next communion, in union with thy infinite merits, and as a preparation for that great happiness. O.my God, I already look forward to it with joy, and I beg of thee most earnestly to grant me such purity of heart, and such fervent dispositions in approaching to thy holy table, that each c.mmnunion may produce in my soul an increase of thy fear and love, and strengthen me to perform the exalted duties of a true Christian, in what. ever situation of life thy providence shall hereaf. ter place me. P, Dominus vobis- P. The Lord be with eum. you. ^,. Et cum spiritu R. And with thy'