From all irreligion, and contempt of thy sacred mysteries,

From all presumption, and the abuse of thy holy word,

From all heresies and schisms,

From gluttony and drunkenness,

From the profanation of thy holy name, in cursing and swearing,

From all kinds of prodigality and sensuality,

From frauds, and all kinds of oppression and injustice,

From the spirit of faction, of malice, hatred, and every kind of uncharitableness,

Deliver us, O Lord.

O God, thou hast been a Father to this nation, and replenished it with many blessings. -Forsake it not now, we beseech thee, and give it not up to a reprobate sense.

Bless this people, O Lord, and be thou their inheritance. And sanctify us, and make us a holy nation.

Give to all its inhabitants, O Lord, the spirit of the gospel.-Hear us, O Lord.

Give to them a zeal for unity, peace, and truth.

Grant that they may all seek the things that are above, and walk by the spirit of Christ.

Grant that all who are in error may, by thy heavenly light, be led into thy truth. Grant that all sinners may be truly con

Hear us, O Lord.

verted, and, forsaking their evil ways, return to thee their God.

Grant that all scandals may be removed.

Grant that the pastors may become the light of the world.

Grant that all magistrates may administer justice.

Grant that all of the wealthier ranks may esteem virtue their greatest honour, and be ashamed of vice.

Grant that the youth of both sexes may be withheld from all evil ways, and that they may dedicate their lives to virtue, piety, and religion.

Grant that all obstinacy and blindness may be removed from the hearts of this people, and that, being reformed according to thy blessed will, they may serve thee in holiness and truth.

Hear us, O Lord.

Hear us, O Lord, now calling on thee.-And, through the infinite merits of thy only Son, grant our petitions.

LET US PRAY.

O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast forsaken many Christian nations, and, in punishment of their sins, hast suffered them to be overrun by error and infidelity; grant, we beseech thee, that the rigour of these thy judgments may strike us with a timely fear, and that, in earnest forsaking our evil ways, we may find mercy with thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Remember, we beseech thee, thy ancient mercies, and for the sake of so many holy servants, who have been faithful to thee, shew now compassion to us, and let thy former mercies be renewed in us.-Hear us, O Lord, and in thy mercy grant our petition.

Give ear to us, O God, here assembled before thee, humbly prostrate in the confession of our unworthiness, and wholly confiding in thy goodness and mercy.-Hear, likewise, O God, all those thy Saints who, in this island, have faithfully served thee, and are now happy with the in heaven.

Hear them praying for their country, and let their intercession prevail, through the merits of thy only Son, through which alone all prayers, whether on earth or in heaven, can find acceptance with thee. Amen.

LET US PRAY.

O GOD, by whose mercy the world subsisteth, and to whose power every nation of the earth is subject, have mercy on this nation, we beseech thee, and, according to its necessities, which are all known to thee, so pour forth thy blessings on it that, by the help of thy grace, it may in all things be well-pleasing in thy sight; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A

HISTORICAL

PRAYER BEFORE

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.

GOD, who hast instigated even the poor tribes, who have never heard thy word, to adore thy majesty by sacrificial offering: oh God who didst, by direct revelations to thy holy patriarchs and to thy chosen people of Israel, appoint sacrifices to be offered in thy honour and in propitiation for the sins of mankind: oh God who, by thy holy prophets, didst foretel the establishment, "from the rising to the going down of the sun," of a still more holy and more perfect sacrifice to thy name, in which thy Christ should be a priest for ever according to the order of that Melchisedech who made to thee a pure offering of bread and wine: oh God who didst, on the wood of the cross, fulfil thy promises, and present thy Son a victim for the sins of the world, and who hast commanded the same sacrifice to be commemorated and repeated in an unbloody manner on our altarsthus granting us that perfect mode of adoring and propitiating thee of which all other sacrifices were but the types and figures:-grant me, oh almighty God, thy grace, so to be present at this adorable sacrifice that I may feel the bene fit of it in my soul.

I bless and praise thy goodness for not having confined the offering of this sacrifice to one place,

and to one altar, as thou didst with the chosen people of Israel. Permit not my soul to become negligent through familiarity with thy favours; but make me sensible that I am about to stand in the immediate presence of my Saviour, and to join in offering that merciful Saviour to the Eternal Godhead. Graciously accept the offering in atonement for my sins; and, through it, enable me to obtain those virtues and blessings which my soul stands most in need of. "For now is the acceptable time :" let it be now, oh God, the time for securing my salvation. Amen.

Before the Parochial or SOLEMN MASS on Sundays, the following ANTHEMS are sung, at sprinkling the Holy Water.