Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/310

  WORSHI OF TaB HOOT. [BOOr II. 9. Having considered the adoration of the !mr as it is taught by the Church of Rome, we shall now consider the pratt/co which obtains in this department of their worship. According to their Mial, the priest in every mass, as soon as he has consecrated the bread and wine, with bendeal knees adores the sacrament. He worships that very thing which is before him, upon the paten and in the �hn!ice; and gives the supreme worship beth of body and mind to it, as he could to God or Christ himsell'. For with his head and soul bowing toward it, and his ees and thoughts fixed on it and directed to it, he prays to it as to Christ: "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, give us peace."* The following is the English of the very words in their Missal: "Having uttered the words of consecra- tion, the priest, immediately falling on his knees, adores the conse- crated host: he rises, shows it to the people, places it on the corporale, nd again adores it."'[' When the wine is consecrated, the priest, ha like manner, "falling on his knees, adores it, rises, shows it to the pcoee, puts the cup in its place, covers it over, and again adores it." priest, rising up, alter he has adored it himself, lifts it up u high as he conveniently can, and, with e*es. fixed upon it, shows it, to be devoudy adored by the people, who, nayrag notice also by ringing the mass bell, as soon as they see it, fall down in the humblest adora- tion to it, as if it were the very appearance of God himself. If Christ were visibly present, they could not bestow more acts of worship thma they do to the host. They p to it, and use the same form of petition a.a. dinvocatio. n as they do to Christ himseW, of which we have aJready gven a specxmen. Thus both the priest and the people are to adore the host and the cup in the celebration of the euoharist. They direct and terminate their prayers upon the sacrament which is before them; and it is become a conunon form of doxology among them to say," Praise be given to the most holy sacrament," instead of saying, "Praise be given to God." This adoration is not only in the time of communion, but at other times also, in the church, whenever it is placed on the alar with the candles burn and the incense smoking before it, or hung up in rich shrine tabernacle, with a canopy of state over it. They say the church is sanctitled with it as with the presence of God himself. They also worship this sacrament when it is carried through the street in solemn and pompous procession, either before the Pope, or its conveyance to some sick person, or on the feast Cor/m In all these thnes it is to be worshippod as GOd himself, as it paes by. All, on these occasions, bow their heads to the earth and worsh The person who, in great churches, is to carry the acrament to numerous communicants, is called Bajtdu De/, the  or God. In Spain, when a priest carries the consecrated wafer to a dying �"Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccats mundi, mimmu'e nobis. Aimus Dei, qui poeeats muudi, mue,m nobis. Agnus .Dei,.' qi tofib poecats mundi, dom n Iutmm. --.Mfmb ]t0mfm p. 1. hltlmore, 18.

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