slowly approached the Pontiff; when near him, he prostrated himself on the ground before him, lying flat on his face, or nearly so. What more humble posture could he have assumed, had he been drawing near in worship to his Creator, instead of approaching a fellow mortal? When you remember where the Pope is seated, and how the Cardinals adore him, does it not awfully appear, that "he as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." The Catholics when accused of worshipping the Pope, pretend that the word adoration, adorazione, means nothing more than reverence-yet it is the very technical word which is always used by them when they speak of worshipping God Almighty; and if they only intend to imply simple reverence done to the Pope, either as temporal or spiritual sovereign, why do they not use some of the many words with which their copious language supplies them, and whose meaning could not be mistaken, even by the unlearned. The truth is, that the ceremony implies far more than reverence done to the Pope; it acknowledges the Pope as the Vicar, or successor of Christ on earth; and it bears all the semblance which external forms can give to adoration or worship.

The Roman Catholics however appeal to scriptural authority for thus adoring the Pope, referring to Acts x. 25. "And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him." If however they would read the next verse, they would find that St. Peter himself refused the proffered honour, and said to Cornelius, "Stand up, I myself also am a man.

On the following Sunday, the

* A greater than St. Peter, even the great and mighty angel who appeared to St. John in the Apocalypse, refused to be worshipped. Rev. xxii. 8, 9.

Pope was crowned. A procession, similar to that which took place on Wednesday, came from the Quirinal Palace to the Vatican; and about an hour after it entered St. Peter's. The Pope was borne as usual on his throne; blessing the people as he passed. He stopped at the chapel of the Santissimo to adore the host, and also at that of St. Gregory, where various changes were made in his robes preparatory to his saying

mass.

When the procession left this chapel on its way to the high altar, the scene was truly imposing. The church of Rome on this occasion displayed all her splendour. The pilasters of St. Peter were hung with crimson, damask, and gold, the effect of which is very rich. The robes and mitres of the Pope, the Cardinals, and higher orders of ecclesiastics were superb. The guards, attendants, and assistants, were in their state dresses. The nobility of Rome, the foreign ambassadors and their suites, in their gayest robes, and a vast crowd of the temporal and spiritual subjects of the newly elected Pontif, were assembled in their best apparel to be present at his first mass, and witness his coronation; while the immense size of St. Peter's, and the good arrangements, prevented any serious inconvenience from the crowd. Three times, as the procession advanced towards the high altar, a small quantity of flax was kindled by an attendant who preceeded the Pontiff, and a master of ceremonies each time exclaimed, Sancte Pater, sic transit gloria mundi.' 'Holy father, thus passes the glory of the world; ' This is done to remind the Pope of the transitory nature of all earthly things, and himself among the rest-and certainly when we think of the honours paid to him, the hint is by no means unnecessary.

*

* One cannot but be reminded by this

As soon

The space behind the altar was formed into a sort of half-circus, at the one end of which stood the Pope's throne, and at the other the high-altar. The sides were formed by rows of benches for the Cardinals and their train-bearers, generals of orders, and other privileged persons. The whole was enclosed by a frame-work of wood, covered with crimson cloth. This space was open in the direction of the great nave of the church, so that all the assembled multitude could see at least something of what was going on, and the only accesses to it were by the one or the other side of the altar, where a body of Swiss Guards were placed to keep out all unprivileged persons. as the Pope reached this inclosure, his portable throne was set down, and the three youngest Cardinal priests came up to him, and successively kissed him, first in the face and afterwards in the breast. In this ceremony are represented by the three Cardinals, the three kings of the East who came to worship our Saviour, and by the two kisses they denote the two natures which they acknowledged in the infant Jesus,or as one of their own writers expresses it, the divine as it were concealed in his breast, the human as it were visible in his countenance.' The Pope then proceeded to the altar to perform mass. The altar on this occasion was decorated with great magnificence, and almost all the vessels employed were either of solid gold, or of silver gilt, richly ornamented with precious stones

ceremony of the slave in the triumphal chariot of old :

et sibi consul Ne placeat, curru servus portatur eodem. Juvenal, Sat. x. line 41, 42.

and sculpture. After saying part of the mass, the Pope returned to his portable throne. There the oldest Cardinal-deacon put on him the pontifical mantle, pinning it with three gold pins, each adorned by an emerald set with brilliants, in memory of the three nails wherewith our Saviour was nailed to the cross. At the same time he thus addressed the Pope: • Receive the holy mantle, the plenitude of the pontifical office, to the honour of Almighty God and of the most glorious Virgin Mary, his mother, and of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of the holy Roman

church.'

The Pope now returned to the altar and went on with the service of the mass for a short time, during which he was plentifully censed by one of the Cardinals. He then walked to the throne of state already mentioned, at the further end of the enclosure. As soon as he was seated, the ceremony of adoring him, described on a former occasion, was again performed. The Cardinals were permitted to kiss his foot and his hand, and receive his embrace, the Archbishops, Bishops, and mitred Abbots, to kiss his foot and knee, and the Penitentiaries to kiss his foot.

The Pope does not take the communion at the altar, but the consecrated host and wine are carried to his throne where he receives them. Three consecrated wafers are presented to him, two of which are swallowed in his presence by one of the assistants, and in like manner the wine is tasted, to assure him that there is no poison contained in either. This ceremony appears to me to be wholly inconsistent with the Romish belief of transubstantiation-they declare that the whole substance of the wafer and the wine is changed by the words of consecration, into the body and blood of Christ-and if so, how can there be poison in

them? In receiving the wine the Pope does not drink it immediately from the chalice, but a silver tube or pipe is presented to him, through which he sucks up part of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Pope afterwards returns to the altar and concludes the service of the mass, and when he is seated on his portable throne and about to retire, a deputation of the canons of St. Peter's comes up to him, and in the name of the chapter, presents to him a purse containing twenty-five pauls of old coinages, saying Most blessed father, the chapter and canons of this holy church, offer to your Holiness the usual fee for a well sung mass.'

The Pope gives the purse to the Cardinal who read the gospel for the day, and he gives it to his train-bearer, who conveys it to the Sacristan of St. Peter's, from whom he receives five dollars in return.

The Pope was now carried to the external balcony above the centre door of St. Peter's to be crowned, the choir singing 'Corona aurea super caput ejus,'' a golden crown upon his head.'

A throne was prepared on the balcony for the purpose, and as soon as the Pope was seated on it, the Cardinal-bishop of Ostia recited an appropriate prayer over him. The second Cardinal-deacon then took off the Pope's mitre, and the oldest Cardinal-deacon placed the triple crown upon his head, addressing him in these words :

papal throne are as lofty now in the 19th century, as ever they have been since Popery began, but thanks be to God, whatever the pretensions may be, the power of antichrist is much diminished.

The Pope then read the benediction as follows: May the holy apostles Peter and Paul, in whose power and authority we confide, intercede for us with the Lord. By the prayers and merits of the blessed Mary, always a Virgin, of the blessed Michael the archangel, of the blessed John the Baptist, and the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, may Almighty God have mercy upon you, and may Jesus Christ, having remitted all your sins, lead you to life everlasting. Amen.

6

Then rising and making the triple sign of the cross, he bestows the usual blessing: And may the blessing of Almighty God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, descend upon and abide with you for ever. Amen.'

Two Cardinals read the plenary indulgence granted by the Pope on this occasion to all present—one of them in Latin the other in Italian, and the two bulls were thrown down among the crowd; when a violent struggle took place to obtain them. The Pope then rose and again bestowed his blessing. As soon as it was concluded, the firing of artillery and ringing of bells announced that the ceremony was completed.

I must say that the benediction is a very grand scene. The whole piazza in front of St. Peter's, which occupies several English acres, all the windows which could

command even a distant view of it, and every street leading into it, as far as the eye could reach, appeared a dense mass of human beings, with the exception of a small hollow square formed by the troops. While the Pope pronounced the benediction all were uncovered, and almost all were

kneeling. Not a whisper was to be heard. Even a protestant could not witness without emotion so many thousands of his fellow-creatures kneeling to receive the blessing of their new sovereign. The feelings of a sincere catholic must have been highly excited.

THIS expression affords a beautiful illustration of the peace which is promised to each individual member of the Church of Christ. “The wicked,” as it is said in Isaiah lvii. 20, 21. 66 are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." But his promise to the Christian is, that his peace shall be as a river. Not always undisturbed, for as the river is sometimes obstructed and disturbed in its course by the rocks and stones which are in its bed, so do indwelling sin, and conflicts between the flesh and the spirit, impede the flow of the Christian's peace. And as the beasts And as the beasts of the field when they come to drink of the water of the stream, render it turbid, stirring up with their feet the mud and sand; thus do the pollutions of the world, the temptations of sin and Satan, stir up in the renewed heart the remains of the natural carnal mind, and peace no longer flows clear and pure. The surface of the river too is sometimes ruffled by the wind, though not broken into tumultuous waves, like the troubled sea. Thus when the storms of trial and sorrow sweep as it were over the Christian's soul, the calmness of peace is disturbed, and His voice alone, who stilled the raging ocean, saying, "Peace,

be still," can restore its tranquil flow.

Again, the waters of the river, though they cease not to run their course, are bound by the icy chain of winter, and the cheering influence of the sun can alone dissolve their bonds, and enable them to flow freely. Is not this a striking emblem of those cold affections, that languid faith by which the Christian's peace is as it were frozen, and it is dreary winter with his soul? the warm and healing beams of Jesus, the sun of righteousness cause his peace again to flow on in a free current. The source of the river is perhaps a small brook rising out of the ground scarcely noticed; yet, notwithstanding the interruptions it may meet with, it flows on, supplied by the rain which cometh down from heaven, widening and increasing it as it goes, and becoming a mighty river, where it reaches the ocean. Thus does peace first arise in the believer's soul, a small, and almost imperceptible stream; yet, ouce risen, who shall check its flow? Gracious rain from above, the heavenly dew of grace swell its waters, and thus it flows on; sometimes interrupted indeed, yet in an ever-widening, ever-deepening stream, till it reaches the boundless ocean of eternity, where peace is lost in the fulness of joy, and the pleasures which are at God's right hand for evermore. L. E. A.