Then the deacon vpon his knees at the foote of the altar prepares him felfe to receive commiffion from the priest to publish the Gofpell by this prayer.

Leanse, O almighty God, my heart andlips,who didft purify with a fiery coale the lips of the Prophet Isay and Vouchsafe fo to purify me for thy mercyes fake that I may worthily declare thy holy Gofpell. Through our lord IefusChrist, &c. Amen.

M

VNDA cor

meum,aclabia mea, omnipotens Deus, quia labia 1faye Prophetæ calculo mundafti ignito: ità me tua grata miferatione dignaremudare,vt fanctum Euangelium tuum digne valeam nutiare. Per Dominum no

Then taking the booke from the altar he asks the Priests bleffing Reuerend father bleffe me.

Reverend father bleffe Tube domne benedi

me.

cere.

The Prieft bleffeth him.

ur Lord be in thy heart and lips, that thou mayft worthily publish his Gospell, In the name of the father, and of the fon, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

D

Ominus fit in corde tuo,& in labiis tuis; vt digne, & competenter annuncies Euangelium fuum. In nomine Patris,& Filii, & Spiritus fanīti, Amen.

The Deacon Kiffeth the Priests hand, to teftify that as in the old law, a Seraphin did purify the lips of the Prophet Ifay with a coale of fire, fo in the new law it is Iefus-Chrift reprefented by the Prieft who purifyes his mouth. He goes to the place appointed for reading the Gofpell with the Subdeacon, Thurifer, and two Acolyts who carry two tapers lighted before him, to fignify the ioy which the faithfull ought to haue for this great bleffing of the light of faith. He turns towards the people that they may heare the Gof. pell. the Subdeacon holding the booke open before him, to teftify that what he reads to the people is onely what the prieft ordered him.

Before he reads the Gofpell he befeeches Gods bleffing vpon the affembly, to heare his word worthily faying.

Dominus vobifcum.

Our Lord be with you.

The affembly reciprocally befeeching God to affift him with his grace, & and the Deacon faying Sequentia fanéti Ewangelii, c. The fequence of the Gospelt c. maks the figne of the croffe vpon his fore head, his mouth and breast, to fignify he publishes the word of God with a good heart, and will not be ashamed to confeffe it before men, and taking the Thurible, he incenfeth the booke thrice in honour of the Bleffed Trinity, in whom wee are taught to beleeue by the Gospell.

whilft the Deacon reads the Gofpell with an audible voice, the priest stands on the Epiftle fide which reprefents the Iewish people, to tell vs that Chrift preached the Gofpell amongst them, & that from Iudea it should be carryed to other Nations, He stands vpright vncouered as doe the rest of the people to teach vs that the word of God is to be feard with reuerence and to teftify our faith in the Refurrection.

Sequentia faniti The fequence of the Euangelii fecundum Holy Gofpell accorMathæum. cap. 21. ding to faint Matthieu. Chap. 21.

In this Golpell the Church mindes vs of Chrifts triumphant eatry into Ierufalem, foretold by the Prophet Zacharias. chap.

9. where wee are to obferve thar Eue, and the Synagogue are figured by the shee Affe. And by the Affe colt neuer yer vfed the Gentils are reprefented, for before the coming of Chrift, none had euer called the Gentils tothe true faith. The village where these creaturs were tyed, is a figure of the feruitude of this world, and the command which Chrift gaue his difciples to untye them is a prefentation of that power which God hath giuen his Minifters to abfolue men from their fins. T that time

N illo tě

appropin quaffet le

was come to Bethphage fus Ierofolymis, &

at the foote of mount Oliuet then he fent two of his Disciples, saying to them: Goe yee into the towne that is against you, and immediately you shall find an Affe tyed and a colt with her: loose them, & bring them to me: and if any man shall fay ought vnto you, fay ye that our Lord hath need of them; and forthwith he will let them goe. And this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prothet faying. Say yee to

1

veniffet Bethphage ad montem Oliueti tanc mifit duos Difcipulos fuos, dicens eis: Ite in caftellum, quod contra vos eft:& ftatim invenietis Afină alligatam, & pullum cum ea.Soluite & adducite mihi. Et fi quis vobis aliquid dixerit, dicite,quia Dominus his opus habet : & cofeftim dimittet cos. Hoc autě totum fatum eft, vt adimpleretur quod dictum eft per Prophetam, dicentem. Dicite filiæ

:

Sion, ecce Rex tuus the daughter of Sion: venit tibi manfuetus, behold thy king comfedens fuper afinam, meth to thee, meeke, & pullum, filium and fitting vpon an Affe fubiugalis. Eutes au- and a colt the fole of tem Difcipuli, fece- her that is vsed to the runt ficut præceperat yoke. And the Disciples illis Iefus. Et addu- going did as Iefus comxerunt afina & pul- manded them. And they lum: & impofuerunt brought the Affe and fuper eos veftimenta the colt and laid their fua, & eum defuper garments vpon them, federe fecerunt. Pla- and made him to fitt rima autem turba thereon; And a very ftrauerunt veftimenta great multitude fpread fua in via. Alii au- their garments in the tem cadebant rames way and others did de arboribus, & fter cut boughs from the nebant in via.Turbe trees, and ftrawed them autem quæ præcede in the way: and the mul bant, & quæ feque- titudes that went before bantur, clamabant, and that followed, cried dicentes. Hofanna faying: Hofanna to the Filio Dauid Bene- fon of David; Bleffed dictus qui venit in is he that commeth in Romine Domini. the name of our Lord. Hofanna in the highest.

After the deacon hath read the Gospell he prefents the booke to the priest to Kiffe,to fignify thereby the Vnion & Charity which the faithfull ought to haue in the obferuance of God, that fo they may obtaine pardon for their fins & there upon he fays.

May our fins be forgi- Per Euangelica diuen by vertue of the Eta deleantur noftra Holy Gospell. delicta.

The deacon incenfeth the priest thrice, thereby expreffing our honour to Chrift who hath freed vs from our fins by our fayth in the Gofpell, acknowledging him to be God and the Second Perfon of the Trinity.

Then the Palms are bleft, by which ceremony the Church commemorating Chrifts triumph applyes her prayers for vs to obtain of God through the merits of this diuine fauiour ( vnleffe wee render our felues vncapable) the grace to reape the fruit of that victory, which he has obtained ouer the world and the diuell.

Our Lord be with you. B. And with thy fpirit. Let vs Pray. God increase the faith of thofe that hope in thee and clemetly heare the prayers of thy fupplicants: Let thy manyfold mercyes comme vpon vs: bleffe these boughes of Palms or Olives and as in the figure of the Church thou didft multiply Noë going forth of the Arke and Moyfes going out of Egypt with the childeren of Ifrael. fo grant that wee carrying these

Dominus vobifcum. . Et cu spiritu tuo.

Oremus.

Are

Vge fidem in te fperantium, Deus, & fupplicum preces clemeter exaudi: veniat fuper nos multiplex mifericordia tua: benedicantur & hi palmites Palmarum, feu Oliuarum:&ficat in figura Ecclefia multiplicafti Noë egredientem de arca, & Moyfen exeuntem de Ægypto cum filiis Ifrael: ità nos portates Palmas,