tion. But the Pontiff has to administer to the Neophytes another Sacrament, which is the confirming them by the gift of the Holy Ghost, and which he alone can confer. Were he to wait till all are Baptised, Easter-day would dawn upon them, before the whole of to-night's service is over. He therefore baptises a few himself,-men, women, and children,—and leaves his Priests to administer baptism to all the rest. In the Baptistery, there is a part which is called the Chrismarium, because the Sacrament of Chrism, or Confirmation, is given there. Thither does the Pontiff now repair, and sits upon the throne prepared for him. He resumes the Vestments he had laid aside, when descending to the Font; and immediately, they bring to him the Neophytes he has baptised, and, after them, those baptised by the Priests. He gives to each a white robe, which they must wear till the following Saturday; and as he gives it, he says: "Receive this "white garment, which is holy and unspotted: and "see thou carry it before the judgment-seat of our "Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal "life!" As soon as the Neophytes have received it, they retire to the Pavilions prepared in the Baptistery. There they change their wet clothes for others, and, aided by their Sponsors, they vest themselves with the White Robe. They then return to the Chrismarium, where they are to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

CONFIRMATION.

On Thursday last, when consecrating the Chrism, the Pontiff told us how, when the Waters of the deluge had fulfilled their office of purifying the earth, the Dove appeared, bearing an olive-branch in her beak ;—it was the symbol of peace, and of the reign of Him, whose sacred Name signifies

the Anointed his name is Christ. Our Neophytes have been purified from their sins by the Water of Baptism: they are now kneeling before the Pontiff, awaiting the gift of the Dove, and longing for that pledge of peace whereof the Olive is the symbol. The holy Chrism has been already marked upon their heads; but, then, it was only a sign of the dignity to which they had been raised. Now, it does more than signify grace,—it works it in the soul. Neither is it in the power of a Priest to give this anointing, which confirms the Christian; it requires the hand of a Bishop, for he alone can consecrate the Chrism.

The Neophytes are arranged before him:-on one side, the men; on the other, the women; the infants are in their Sponsors' arms. The Adults place their right foot on the right foot of their godfather or godmother, showing, by this sign of union, their spiritual filiation in the Church.

The sight of this innocent flock gladdens the heart of the Pontiff. He rises from his throne, and thus addresses them: "May the Holy Ghost come down upon you, and may the power of the Most High keep "you from sin!" Then stretching forth his hands, he invokes upon them the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, whose action is to confirm, in our Neophytes, the graces they have received in the Font of Baptism.

Led by their Sponsors, they come, one by one, before the Bishop. Their faces express the eagerness, wherewith they long to receive what will make them perfect Christians. The Pontiff signs the forehead of each of them with the holy Chrism; and, by this he imprints an indelible character on the soul. The words he uses are these: "I sign thee with the sign "of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the Chrism of "salvation, in the name of the Father, and of the "Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Then giving a slight blow on the cheek, (which, with the ancients, was the

sign of a slave's being made a freedman,) he signifies that the Neophyte is admitted into the liberty of the Children of God; and he says: "Peace be with thee!” The assistant Ministers tie a bandlet round the forehead, so that nothing may touch the part which has been anointed with holy Chrism. The Neophytes have to wear this bandlet until the Saturday following, when they will lay aside the white garments received at their Baptism.

The night has passed away during the solemnisation of these sublime mysteries: the hour has come for the glad celebration of the Holy Sacrifice in honor of our Lord's Resurrection from the Tomb. It is time for the Pastor to lead back to the Temple his happy flock, that has received such a glorious addition. It is time for him to give to his dear Sheep the Divine Nourishment, to which they have henceforth a claim. The gates of the Baptistery are thrown open, and all return in procession to the Church. The Paschal Candle, the Pillar of Fire, goes before the troop of Neophytes, whose white robes glitter in the day-dawn of Easter. The faithful people follow after the Bishop and Clergy, and all enter, with an air of triumph, into the Church. During the Procession, they again chant the Canticle that was sung by Moses and the children of Israel after the Passage through the Red Sea. The Bishop repairs to the Secretarium, where he is robed in the richest Vestments of the Treasury. During this interval, the Chanters recommence the Litany, repeating each invocation thrice over. According to the present arrangement of the Liturgy, it is sung but once during the whole of to-day's Service, that is, as soon as the Clergy return to the Choir, after the Blessing of the Font, and each invocation is sung twice. In Churches where there is no Font, the Litany is sung after the Prayer which follows the Twelfth Prophecy; and as far as the words, Peccatores, te rogamus

audi nos, the Celebrant and Ministers lie prostrate on the Altar steps, praying for the Neophytes who are this day added to the Church, throughout the world. We here give the Litany as it is now sung, with the additions that have been made to it at various periods.

THE LITANY.

All ye holy Angels and Arch- Omnes sancti Angeli et

All ye holy orders of blessed Omnes sancti

All ye holy Patriarchs and Omnes sancti Patriarchæ

Sancte Petre, ora pro no- Saint Peter,