Here the Priest puts incense in the Censer, and sprinkles the Candles with holy Water, saying the ANTHEM, Sprinkle me, &c. p. xiii. without the Ps.

Then having fumed them with Incense, he distributes them to the Faithful, who receive them on their bended knees, first kissing the Candle, and then the Hand of the Priest. During the Distribution of the Candles is sung :

ANT. Lumen ad revelationem Gentium, et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.,

CANTICLE, Luke ii.

NUNC dimittis servum tuum Domine*: secun

dum verbum tuum in pace.-Ant. Lume, &c. Quia viderunt oculi mei*: salutare tuum.Ant. Lumen, &c.

Quod parasti *: ante faciem omnium populorum. -Ant. Lumen, &c.

Gloria Patri, &c.-Ant. Lumen, &c.

Sicut erat in principio, &-Aut. Lumen, &c.
Then is sung the following ANTHEM

Exurge Domine adjuva nos: et liberos propter nomen tuum. Ps. Deus auribus nostris audivimus; patres nostri annuntiaverunt nobis. V. Gloria. Ant. Exurge, to Ps.

After Septuagesima, when this Festival does not full
on Sunday, is said: P. Flectamus genua. R.
Levate.
PRAYER.

Exaudi.

Give ear, we beseech thee, O Lord, to thy people: that what we outwardly perform by this yearly devotion, we may inwardly obtain the effects of, by the light of thy grace. Thro'. Amen.

The Candles are held lighted during the Gospel, and from the Consecration, till after the Communion. INTROIT. Suscepimus, as on the vii. Sunday after Pentecost, P. 413.

COLLECT. Omnipotens.-O almighty and eter. nal God, we humbly beseech thy divine majesty,

that as thy only Son, in the substance of our flesh, was this day presented in the temple, so our souls, being perfectly cleansed, may become a pure oblation, and be presented to thee.

same.

Thro' the

LESSON. Mal. iii. 1. 4. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple Be hold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts: and who shall be able to think of the day of his coming and who shall stand to see him? For he is like a refining fire, and like the fullers herb: and he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. And the sacrifice of Judea and Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years: saith the Lord Almighty.

GRAD. Ps. xlvii -We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple: thy praise, O God, as well as thy name, is spread to the ends of the earth. V. As we have heard, so we have seen it come to pass in the city of our God, on his holy mountain. Alleluia, Alleluia. V. The old man carried the Child, and the Child governed the old man. Alleluia.

After Septuagesima, instead of the foregoing
Alleluias and V. is said the

TRACT. Nune dimittis.—Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace. Because my eyes have seen thy promised salvation. Which thou hast now prepared to shew unto all nations. A light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Gospel, Luke ii. 22. 32.

At that time

When the days of the purification of Mary, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried Jesus to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons. And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace. Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people: a light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. CREDO.

OFFERT. Ps. xliv.-Grace is spread on thy lips, therefore hath God blessed thee for ever and

ever.

SECRET. Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, `and grant us the assistance of thy mercy, that what we offer to thy divine majesty may be worthy to be accepted. Thro'.

PREFACE, Quia per incarnati, p. xxx.

COMM. Luke ii.-Simeon received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death till he beheld the Christ of the Lord.

P. COMM. Quæsumus. We beseech thee, O Lord our God, that the sacred mysteries which we have received to preserve our new life, may, by the intercession of blessed Mary, ever à Virgin, become a

remedy to us both now and for the time to come. Thro'.

Should the Purification fall on Septuag. Sexag. or Quinquag. Sunday, tho' the Candles are blessed and distributed, yet the Mass is dejerred till next Day.

IV. St. ANDREW CORSINI, Bp. Confessor, All as in the X. Mass, Statuit, p. 485, except COLLECT. Deus qui.-O God, who in every age furnishest the Church with fresh examples of virtue: grant thy faithful so closely to imitate blessed Andrew, thy Confessor and Bp. as to be, one day, partakers in his reward. Thro'.

V. St. AGATHA, V. and M.

All as in the XVI. Mass, Loquebar, p. 496, except INTROIT. Let us rejoice in the Lord, and ceJebrate this festival in honour of blessed Agatha the Martyr, for whose martyrdom the angels rejoice, and join in the praises of the Son of God P's. My heart hath uttered a good word: I refer my works to the king. V. Glory.

EPISTLE. 1 Cor. i. 26. 31.-Brethren: See your vocation there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: but the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise: and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong and the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in his sight. But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption: that, as it is written, He that glorieth, may glory in the Lord.

GRAD. Ps. xlv.-God will assist her with his

V.A

looks: God is in her, and she shall not fail. swift running stream rejoiceth the city of God: the Most High hath consecrated his tacernacle. Aliel. Allel. V. I spoke of thy law in the presence of kings, and I was not ashamed. Alenia. After Septuagesima, instead of the Alleluias and V. is said the TRACT, Qui seminant, p. 479 Gospel. Matt. xix. 3. 12. — At that time: The Pharisees came to Jesus, to tempt him, saving: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Who answering, said to the fave ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, made them male and female? And he said: For this cause, shall a man leave father and mother, and shail cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one fish. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say to him: Why did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away? He saith to them: Because Moses, by reason of the hardness of your heart, permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery. His disciples say unto him: It the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry. Who said to them: All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it.

COMM. He who vouchsafed to heal all my wounds, and restore my breast to my body, is the living God, whom I call upon.