At the MAGNIFICAT. Anth. O, according as the

SUNDAY falls.

PRAYER. Collect at Mass, p. 137.

CHRISTMAS-EVE.

MASS. INTROIT. Exod. xvi. Ps. xxiii.

ODIE scietis, quia

THIS day shall you H veniet Dominus, &

know that the Lord will come and save us : and in the morning you shall see his glory. Ps. The earth is the Lord's, and all that it containeth; the whole world and all that dwell therein. V. Glory.

salvabit nos: & mane videbitis gloriam ejus. Ps. Domini est tera & plenitudo ejus; orbis terrarum, & universi qui habitant in eo. V. Gloria.

COLLECT. Deus, qui nos.

God, us in the

God, who makest us rejoice in the yearly expectation of the feast of our redemption; grant that we who chearfully receive thy only begotten son as a Redeemer, may behold, without fear, the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, coming as our judge. Who liveth. This collect alone is said to-day, unless it be Sunday. EPISTLE. Rom. i. 1, 6.

PAUL

AUL the servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, chosen to preach the gospel of God, which he had before promised by his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his son, who was made to him according to the flesh of the seed of David, and was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received grace and the apostleship, to preach obedience to the faith in all nations in his name, amongst whom you also are, be ing called by our Lord Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL.

This day shall you know that the Lord will come and save us; and in the morning you shall see his glory. V. Thou who rul

Hodie scietis, quia veniet Dominus, & salvabit nos; & mane videbitis gloriam ejus. V. Qui regis Israel, intende, qui dedu

est Israel, hearken, thou who leadest Joseph like a sheep; thou who sittest on the cherubim, shew thyself to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasse.

cis velut ovem Joseph; qui sedes super cherubim, appare coram Ephraim, Benjamin, & Manasse.

If it be a Sunday, add:

Alleluia, Alleluia. V. To morrow shall be cancelled the sins of the earth; and the Saviour of the world shall reign over us. Alleluia.

W

Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Crastina die delebitur iniquitas terræ ; & regnabit super nos Salvator mundi. Alleluia.

GOSPEL. Matt. i. 18, 21.

HEN Mary the mother of Jesus was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Ghost. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her, thought to dismiss her secretly. But while he was thinking on these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying; Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife, for that which is born in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins. OFFERTORY.

Lift up your gates, O you princes; and be you lifted up, O you eternal gates, and the king of glory shall enter in.

Ps. xxiii.

Tollite portas, principes, vestras : & elevamini, portæ æternales, & introibit Rex gloriæ.

SECRET.

RANT, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that

GR

as we celebrate the eve of the adorable birth of thy Son, we may one day receive with joy his eternal rewards, Who liveth.

RANT us, we beseech thee, O Lord, relief by ce

sacred mysteries are our meat and drink. Thro' the

same.

TH

CHRISTMAS-DAY.

A DOUBLE OF THE FIRST RANK:

INSTRUCTION,

HE custom of spending a considerable part of the night in prayer, was not peculiar to the Eve of this great solemnity: it is what was usually done on the Eves of all the greater solemnities. We are therefore to look upon the assembly and prayers of this night as a precious relic of the fervour of the primitive Christians; and if we have any share of their piety, we shall not easily dispense with ourselves from assisting at the office of this sacred night.

We should endeavour to warm our hearts with the sentimental effusions of a Fenelon: "I adore thee O "dear infant Saviour, all naked and in tears and laid in "a manger. Thy infancy and poverty is my sole delight, "Oh, that I were as little and as poor as thee, O eter"nal wisdom, reduced to a state of helpless infancy, "take from me all vain and presumptuous wisdom. "Make me to become a child with thee! May the

Sages of the earth be silent! I wish to be nothing, to "know nothing, to believe all, to suffer all, to lose all, "but my infant Saviour Jesus. The word made flesh,

the omnipotent word of the Father is silent; he lisps "and crys like an infant, and shall I glory in any wis"dom? shall I pride myself with intellectual excellence? "shall I fear for a worldly reputation? no; no; all my

delight shall be to grow little, to conceal myself, to "be silent, to participate the infamy of my crucified "Jesus at Calvary, and to imitate the annihilated state "of my helpless and stammering Redeemer at Bethle"hem." Oh how sweetly and how forcibly does our little Infant Saviour preach here by example, what he will afterwards preach to us by his instructions; unless ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But what we give to piety and devotion during the night, we ought not to take by sleep or intemperance

from the sanctification of the day. The church hath appointed three Masses on the Feast of Christmas, her intention therefore is, that the faithful should return to Church again in the morning to hear a second; and also a third at the proper hour; and that they should endeavour to spend the rest of the day in exercises of piety, by assisting at the afternoon service.

I. VESPERS.

The PSALMS as on SUNDAYS, p. 74, except the last.

Anth. T

HE King of peace, whom the whole earth desireth to see, hath shown his great

ness.

Anth. The King of peace hath shown his greatness above all the kings of the whole earth.

Anth. The time of Mary was come for her to bring forth her first-born Son.

Anth. Know that the kingdom of God is at hand: Verily, I say to you, it shall not be delayed.

Anth. Raise up your heads, behold your redemption is at hand.

HE goodness and kindness of God our Saviour hath appeared. Not for the works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy hath he saved us.

The world's Redeemer thee Quod solus è sinu Patris,

Be everlasting homage Qui natus es de Virgine,