before the cross, and delivers a discourse or sermon upon the excellency of it, there being three tapers burning at the foot of it, and then he takes off his mitre and repeats a prayer. The Litanies are next sung, and after them there is an anthem, which being over, the bishop sprinkles the cross with holy water, and perfumes it with frankincense. If the cross is not above his reach, he sets lighted candles upon each arm of it; but if it is beyond his reach, then a ladder is brought him to mount on. The whole of this ceremony concludes with an exhortation to the people, and several psalms and prayers. Besides such crosses as we have already mentioned there are some of a more celebrated nature, and to which greater honours are paid. At Loretto in Italy, where the Roman Catholics believe there is a cottage in which the Virgin Mary died, there is a famous crucifix, celebrated for working a vast variety of miracles, and is said to have been used by the Virgin herself, because the angels brought it along with the cottage from the Holy Land to Dalmatia, and from thence to Italy. In a nunnery at Ghent, in Flanders there is a crucifix, with its mouth always open, the reason of which is this: One day during the carnival, a nun being hindered from joining with the rest in an entertainment, made her complaint to the crucifix, which spoke to her, and told her not to be displeased, for she would be married to it. The nun died the next day, and ever since, the mouth of the image on the crucifix has continued open. There is at Trent, a crucifix, with which when the council was sitting there, approved of all their acts with an audible voice; and this is believed as real matter of fact by the Roman Catholics. There is in Bavaria, a remarkable crucifix, of which the following story is related by the priests, and believed by the people. One day a stag being hunted, happened to set his foot on a crucifix; which had such an effect on him, that he stood still and would not move, nor had the dogs any power to touch him. In memory of this, a convent was built at the village of Pallingen, which drew a vast number of people to the place; so that the emperor Charles the Great, in whose reign this happened, granted the village the privilege of holding a fair. This gave great offence to the inhabitants of a village called Weilhaum, who made interest with the emperor to get the fair removed; but the crucifix was so much offended with what had been done, that it set fire to, and consumed to ashes, the little town of Weilhaum. antiquity, which seems rather improbable, because perukes are of a modern invention. But what is remarkable in this crucifix is, that although the devotees who visit the place never go away without a few of the hairs, yet they are never diminished. It is needless to say any thing more, concerning the amazing numbers of crucifixes used by the Roman Catholics, whether in churches, on the highways, in the market places, in private houses, and indeed in almost every place. All power and virtue are believed to rest in them; for the Roman Catholics tells us, that some of them have shed tears, others sweated blood; while some have discovered sacrilege and struck the malefactor either dead, lame, or blind. Some have restored the dead to life, and others health to the diseased; and all have distinguished themselves for something of a miraculous nature. The Roman Catholics must not be without crucifixes in their houses, and Mr. Keysler, in his travels over the Alps, tells us, that if a person should be found dead, which often happens, on account of the vast number of precipices, they search his pockets, and if he has neither a crucifix, nor beads, he is denied christian burial; the people taking it for granted that he is a heretic. Of some other remarkable Ceremonies in the Church of Rome. By the decrees of the council of Trent, no images are to be set up in churches, till they are first consecrated by the bishop of the diocese; and the ceremony is much the same as that used at the benediction of a cross or crucifix. While the prayer is repeating by the bishop, he mentions the name of the saint whom the image represents, and after that the holy water is sprinkled over the image; but if it is an image of the Virgin Mary, it is sprinkled and perfumed three different times, and several psalms and anthems are sung, the whole ceremony being concluded, by the bishop's making the sign of the cross three times, in honour of the three ersons in the holy and ever blessed Trinity. It is certain that the Roman catholics believe these images capable of working miracles, for there is scarce one to be met with to which the honour of this supernatural power has not been ascribed. These things are not imagined by us, for we read of them in all the printed lives of those saints, who are adored in the church of Rome. There is at Naples an image of Jesus Christ, which an impious wretch stabbed, and so sensible, was it of pain, that it put its hand to the wound. | other. It was brought from Jerusalem about the The image of St. Catherine, at Sienna, has also driven away devils, and wrought many other extraordinary miracles, The image of the blessed Virgin at Lucca, being once treated in a rude and indecent manner by a soldier, who threw stones at her, and had almost broken the head of the young Jesus which she held in her arms; she set the child on her other side, and he has ever since been so pleased with his situation, that he will not consent to change it; although many devotees have offered to restore him again to the embraces of his mother. time of the crusades, because it did not chuse to remain among Mahometans. It afterwards changed its situation several times, till at last it fixed on a chapel in the cathedral of Turin, which is now called the chapel of the holy shroud. There it has wrought many miracles, such as restoring the dead to life, curing the lame and the blind, casting out devils, and such is its immaculate virtue, that although it is every day touched by pilgrims and devotees, yet it is never soiled, nor is there any necessity for washing it. But notwithstanding all the virtues ascribed Another object of great devotion in the church of to these shrouds, yet there are many more, nor is Rome, is the holy shroud in which Joseph of Arima-there a country where the Roman Catholic religion thea wrapped Christ's body when he laid it in the is professed, but some of them are to be found. In tomb; but either fortunately or unfortunately, it what manner they could multiply into such numhappens that there are more than one of these bers, must be left to the reader's own judgment, for shrouds, and all adored in the same manner. The we do not consider ourselves obliged to account for two most celebrated of these shrouds are one at it. Bezancon, and one at Turin. With respect to the first, we have the following account in writings of the most celebrated Roman Catholic authors: On the festival of Easter, during mattins, or morning prayers, three canons walk out of the chapel, where the shroud is deposited, and sing as they go towards the high altar, "Who is he that shall remove the stone from the sepulchre." At the same time, several boys dressed in the form of angels, meet them, and ask, whom seek ye?" to which they answer," Jesus of Nazareth?" whereupon the boys reply, he is not here." Then the chanter addresses himself in the following words to the first of the three canons; "Tell us, O Mary! what thou hast seen in the way." "I have seen (says the canon) the sepulchre of Christ who liveth, and the glory of him who is raised from the dead." The second adds, "I have seen the angels who are witnesses of the resurrection, I have seen the holy shroud:" and at the same time shews it, along with the other clcaths in which the body of Jesus was wrapped. The third canon says, Jesus Christ, our hope, is risen!" The choir confess the truth of our Saviour's resurrection by singing, "It is much better to believe the testimony of Mary, than the impostures of the Jews; we know that Christ is risen from the dead." This act of devotion is finished by the Te Deum, which is sung by the choir and the people in the most solemn manner. This sacred shroud of Bezancon is famous for the many miracles it has wrought, for we are told that it has often restored the dead to life, it has given sight to the blind, and cured the most inveterate and dangerous distem pers. Nor is the shroud at Turin less famous than the As the church of Rome is the most attached to ceremonies of any in the known world, that bears the name of Christians, so we find that every thing used in religious service is cnosecrated, The robes worn by the priests, the cloth which covers the altar, the altar itself, the church, the church-yard, and indeed every thing must be consecrated and blessed before they can be made any use of. This opens a large field for clerical privileges, emoluments and honours; and it impresses upon the minds of the people that there is something more than human in the character of that man who can change the nature of inanimate beings. The next ceremony to be attended to, is the homily or sermon, which follows after the gospel, and consists of exhortations to the people, to continue stedfast in the faith, by avoiding heresies, and to perform such duties as are incumbent on them to their fellow creatures. When the gospel is read, the priest who is to preach, goes to the bottom of the steps by the epistle side, and comes to the altar; he then takes off his robes and puts on his cap, and kneels down on the last step of the altar, where he repeats a prayer, begging of God that he will be pleased to give his blessing to what he is about to perform. Before he begins the sermon, he bows to the crucifix, and makes the figure of the cross upon himself. Then he makes a low bow to the people, and at every time he repeats the names of Jesus or Mary, he takes off his cap. If the bishop is present, the preacher is always uncovered, and after sermom he exposes the crucifix to the view of the people. It is remarkable, that all the Roman Catholics preach without notes, and they put on a great appearance of fervency in delivering their discourses; which sel dom dom fails to make an impression on the minds of the hearers. As many of their sermons are preached in honour of their saints, so the accounts of the miracles wrought by those persons are sure to furnish them with abundance of matter. Their attitudes and gestures often border on ridicule; but custom, long sanctified by a continual repetition, draws a veil over every thing. In a word, the sermons delivered by the Roman Catholic priests, are in all respects suited to the nature of their devotions, and those who consider the one as a duty must reap some benefit at last from the other; for in all cases there must be a strong connection between both, otherwise the form of religion would be lost. It is a rule laid down in the canons of the church of Rome, that all the altars should be made of stone, the intention being to represent Christ, who is the foundation stone of the spiritual building, which is the church of the faithful. The table of it must be of one single stone, and the body must either be supported by pillars, or filled up with mason's work. There should be at least three steps to go up to it, either of stone or brick, and covered with a carpet, and the clerk is to take care that a fine linen cloth be spread upon the altar. All this must be observed with the greatest exactness in respect to the high altar, where the body of christ is generally deposited, and two clerks must adorn and take care of it, nor are they, on any account, to approach it without surplices on. Be little bell, which he tinkles when the host is elevated; The Pyx must be made of gold, or silver gilt within; and when the sacrament is consecrated, by mixing wine with the host, it is put into it; and it must be taken out once a week, lest it should become mouldy. A veil, in form of a tent, made of rich white stuff, must cover this precious repository of wafers. There must be a box of silver, gilt within, to carry the communion to the sick when it is to go any considerable way: and it must be put into a silk purse, and hung about the neck in such places as are difficult of access. There must be another box for the larger wafers, which are round; and this may be made of silver, tin, or pasteboard, lined with white taffety within, and adorned with rich silk without. A round leaden plate must be put into the box, that the wafers may be ready; and these wafers must be kept in a place-neither too moist nor too dry. A plate of silver in the form of the sun, is fixed opposite to the sacra ment, on the altar; which, with the light of the tapers, makes a most brilliant appearance. As soon as they approach it, they are to kneel down, adore the holy sacrament, and repeat some ejaculatory prayers; and in particular these rules must be observed as often as the ornaments of the altars are changed. When they change the ornaments, which is frequently done, the clerks are careful to sweep up the dust before they put on the ornaments for the day; and the cloth that covers the table must be so adjusted as to form the shape of a Cross, by two corners hanging down to the ground, and the other two not above half way. The whole must be blessed and crossed, and sprinkled with holy water; and the same formalities are to be observed with respect to the tabernacle of the altar, and the box wherein the host is laid. Altars are likewise adorned with artificial or natural flowers, according to the season of the year, and the dust must be swept | off from the altar, once every day. The tabernacle must be of an odoriferous smell, and broken a little, of the holy sacrament is fixed upon the altar, and is before it is put into the censer, but not reduced to adorned with silver, gold, and all sorts of precious powder. stones, having on each side tapers of fine white wax, which being kept constantly burning, serve greatly | pewter, or tin; and the sprinkler, either of the same, The incense which is made use of in the church The holy water pot ought to be made of silver, or wood, with hogs' bristles, or wolves hair twisted The clerk, who attends the priest at mass, has around it; and at the end there must be a a hollow knob knob with holes, in which a small spunge must be enclosed. There must be two vessels of pewter or earthen ware, to hold water for the clerks to wash the chalice, and other things, belonging to the altar. The cloth which covers the altar must be of fine white linen, nor too thin, not stitched, and should be without lace, but if there is any lace, it must be very narrow, and within two fingers breadth of the edge that comes forward. In that part where the priest most commonly kisses the altar, there must be a small cross wrought on the linen, with white silk or thread. The Pales, another utensil used at the altar, must be made of the same linen as that already mentioned, and each must be blessed and consecrated, nor can any person below the degree of a sub-deacon be permitted to touch them. These are used to represent the grave cloaths in which our Lord was wrapped when laid in the sepulchre. They are believed to have many virtues in them, and they serve to point out a vast number of mysteries, which the Roman catholics say, protestants have not faith to comprehend. These linen cloths are commonly called the corporeals, and a bag is made of the same materials, to hold them, with several crosses sewed upon it. These bags and purses are fastened by a button and loop, and on one of the outsides there is a cross embroidered, of about three quarters of a span in length. The veil of the chalice is made of silk, of the same colour as the rest of the decorations; and is about three spans square, but there are no crosses, nor any figures whatever upon it. In large churches. where the solemn mass is performed, the priest must have veils of ten spans long, and striped with silk of four colours, viz. white, green, red, and purple, to hold the paten up with; but black veils are never made use of, not even at masses for the dead, nor on Good Friday. There must be veils or covers for the crosses in passion week, and these are made of camblet, or stuff of a purple colour; but without any figure, image, or cross upon them. In every church there ought to be a flag or standard, about nine or ten spans long and six broad, of a colour suitable to the patron, and in the middle of it the figure of the patron should be represented in umbroidery. This standard is by the canons ordered to be of a sattin damask, taffeta, or camblet lined with linen, with a border and a fringe round it, and the pole must be about five foot long. With respect to the mass book, it is so well known, that we need not say inuch concerning it, only that so late as the tenth century, almost every church had its mass book or liturgy, and all these in some things differed from each other. At present, there are some difference between the liturgy used by the French church and that at Rome. The Roman catholics are fully persuaded that the mass book was written by St. Peter and given to his successor St. Clement; but we shall leave the reader to judge how this can be reconciled with church history, which gives no account of mass books till the sixth century. Before a church can be erected, the bishop's consent must first be had and obtained, and it belongs to him to fix the place, the extent of it, the revenues and ministers belonging to it, the funds for lights and decorations, with all such other things as are necessary. He must likewise fix the cross on the ground of the new intended church, and lay the first stone of it, or at least if he does it not in person, then he must appoint another to act under him. A wooden cross must be set where the altar is to stand, the day before the stone is to be laid, and likewise on the day following. A square stone is to be made choice of, which is to be the foundation stone of the sacred fabric, and if it happens to be at Rome, and the pope is inclined to perform the ceremony, he must have his rochet on, and other robes suitable to the solemnity of the occasion; but an inferior bishop performs it in his ordinary robes, holding the pastoral staff in his hand. 66 Thus dressed he must go to the ground intended for the new church, and there bless the salt and water, by repeating several prayers; that for the salt is the following: May it be exorcised by the living God, and being so exorcised for the salvation of those who believe, may it preserve health of body and mind to all such as shall partake of it, and may it have sufficient influence to destroy the malice of satan.' After this, he blesses the water in the same manner, and then puts the salt into the water in the form of a cross, repeating several prayers suitable to the occasion. An anthem is then sung, with the eighty-third psalm, in which all that are present join; and during this part of the ceremony, the bishop, or the person officiating for him, sprinkles the ground with the salt and water. The psalm and anthem being ended, he turns himself towards the place which he has been sprinkling with holy water, and addresses himself to God in a prayer, thro❜ the mediation of that particular saint to whom the new church is to be dedicated and consecrated. He then takes off his mitre, and blesses the foundation stone of the altar, repeating several prayers, and sprinkles it with the holy water. The sprinkling being performed, he makes several times the sign of the cross, in the name of the Father, the Son, Son, and the holy Ghost, and it is done by marking the stone with a knife or a chissel. A litany is then sung, after which the bishop rises up from kneeling on a carpet spread for him on the ground, and turning towards the stone, repeats some more prayers. Another anthem is sung, and then the hundred and twenty-fourth psalm; and to conclude, while the mason is fixing the stone, the bishop touches it with his hand, and says, "thou shalt cleanse me with hysop." are singing. He blesses the holy water, and first sprinkles himself, after which he does the same to all present. He then puts on his mitre again, and walks round the church, attended by the sub-deacon carrying the cross, and the clerk with the holy water. As he goes along, he sprinkles the walls of the church in the name of the blessed trinity, and as he walks, his robe is held up by two train-bearers behind, while the clerk carries the holy water at such a proper distance, that the bishop may be able to dip the sprinkler into it. Being returned to the place from whence they set out, and another anthem and psalm sung, the bishop, while present, repeats several prayers. These ceremonies are so numerous, that every person who joins in them must hold a ritual in his hand. Another prayer being repeated, the bishop strikes the door of the church with his pastoral staff, repeating aloud, "Open the gates, that the King of glory may come in." The deacon who remained locked up within, asks who this king of glory is, to which the bishop answers, "That it is the Lord God Almighty, the God of hosts," Then all the people ory out, "Open the doors," while the bishop repeats a prayer in Latin, to frighten away the devil. At length the door being opened, the bishop enters, attended by his ministers only; for the people are not yet permitted to enter, except two or three masons, who are to close the sepulchre where the relics are deposited, and cement the altar table with mortar. The bishop as he goes in says, "Peace be in this house." To which the deacon answers, "When thou shalt enter into it." Whilst some words applicable to this wish are singing, the bishop This is the form observed in the dedication of an altar, but when the church is finished, there must be another dedication of the whole fabric, before divine service can be performed in it. A Sunday, or holiday, if possible, must be made choice of for that purpose, and the arch-deacon is to give notice of it to the people, that they may fast the eve before. In the mean time, the clergy prepare the relics which are to be deposited under the altar of the new church, and they are put into a neat decent vessel, together with three grains of incense; to this are added a small slip of parchment, the year, the month, and the day on which the church was consecrated, with the bishop's name who performs the ceremony, and the name of the saint to whom it is dedicated. The vase in which the relics are deposited, must be sealed up and put in a very clean place, and two tapers must be kept burning before it. Before the dedication begins, three crosses of a considerable height must be painted on each of the walls of the church, and over each of them must stand a wax candle of an ounce weight. The care of this is left to the clerk or sacrist," who is obliged to have every thing properly prepared for the reception of the bishop who is to perform the ceremony. On the morning of the day appointed for the cercmony, the bishop appears in his pontifical robes, and orders twelve candles to be lighted. He then goes out of the church and orders every one present to do the same, except one deacon, who is left behind, locked up and dressed in his robes. The bishop, with his attendants, goes to the place where the relics were put the day before, and begins the seven penitential psalms with a low voice, and an anthem, without litanies, and during the time they are repeating, he takes off his robes and puts on others. advances to the middle of the church, where he kneels downs, and begins the l'eni Creator Spiritus, with his head uncovered, and his face towards the high altar. Then one of the sub-deacons takes lime ashes, and scatters them on the pavement, in the form of a cross; pronouncing twice the name of the saint to whom the church is dedicated. The same honours are shewn to the saints whose relics are deposited in the church; because it is believed that many miracles will be wrought by them. While this is doing, the people call out, "We beseech thee to hear us." And along with the name of God, they join that of the titular saint, making The remainder of the clergy present at the cere- several times the sign of the cross. The bishop mony, are dressed in their robes, and after they makes the sign of the cross three times upon the the psalms, the bishop, with his atten- altar, after which he repeats some prayers, and an dants, goes to the church door, where he pulls off anthem is sung, with the song of Zachariah. Durhis mitre, and begins an anthem, which is succeed- ing this part of the ceremony the bishop puts on his have ed sung there on a No. 11. carpet for that purpose, whilst the litanies double alphabet in capitals. |