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May we ever eat in gladness
Of this rich angelic Bread:
May we in death's hour of sadness
With this sweetest gift be fed.

"He was at the third day hour
Led a Victim forth to die:
When He bare His Cross of

His elect to raise on high.

"Lead us, Giver of salvation,

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power,

To our home Thyself beside, Where eternal jubilation

Dwelleth, through the Lamb that died.

"Evermore we there the story

Of Thy wondrous deeds will raise; Reigning with Thy saints in glory, We will offer gifts of praise.

"Sacrifice and hymns in union,

GOD we bring this festal day: May He with Divine Communion Feed us with His love for aye.

Amen."

Altar Manual.

"Hail, O Word Incarnate truly,
Virgin-born, before Whom duly
We in faith undoubting fall.
Hail, to Thee, Who scourged in malice,
Drankest of the bitter chalice,

Mingled vinegar and gall.

"Hail to Thee Who didst not falter
On the cross's mournful altar,
Dying there in sharpest pain;
Hail to Thee, Whose one oblation
Saved the world from condemnation,
Burst the gates of hell in twain.

"Hail, Thou brightness, ever glorious!
Hail, Thou Flesh of CHRIST victorious,
Flower and fruit of virgin's womb!
Hail, Thou Bread by angels shared !
Hail, Thou Light of saints prepared,
SAVIOUR of the world from doom.

"Hail, Thou meek Redeemer, sending Mercies to us never ending,

Thou Who soothest helpless men!

Hail, O CHRIST, the FATHER's splendour,
Grant, I pray, Thy mercies tender,

Now and evermore.

Amen."

Altar Manual.

Thanksgiving after Communion, Christmas-tide.

"JESUS, gentlest SAVIOUR,
GOD of might and power,
Thou Thyself art dwelling
In us at this hour.

"Nature cannot hold Thee,
Earth is all too strait,
For Thine endless glory,
And Thy royal state.
"Out beyond the shining
Of the farthest star,
Thou art ever stretching
Infinitely far.

"Yet the hearts of children

Hold what worlds cannot,
And the GOD of wonders
Loves the lowly spot.

“JESUS, gentlest SAVIOUR,
Thou art in us now,

Fill us with Thy goodness
Till our hearts o'erflow.

Pray the prayer within us,
That to heaven may rise,
Sing the song that angels
Sing above the skies.

"Multiply our graces,

Chiefly love and fear,

And, dear LORD, the chiefest,

Grace to persevere.

"Oh, how can we thank Thee
For a gift like this,
Gift that truly maketh
Heaven's eternal bliss?

For others on the Blessed Sacrament, see Ancient and Modern, 205, 207, 206, 198, &c.; Book of Common Praise, 212, 213, 214, 215. (See "Footprints of the LORD," Maundy Thursday.)

Introit. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a SON is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, &c. Ps. Sing unto the LORD a new song (Magnificat,) for He hath done marvellous things. Glory be," &c.

1 Sung at midnight celebration, Anglican Church, Rue Madeleine, Paris, on Christmas night.

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THE KING'S ATTENDANTS; OR, THE THREE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS.

FEASTS OF S. STEPHEN, S. JOHN, AND THE HOLY INNOCENTS.

It will be well to pause awhile to consider the remarkable position of these three Festivals that follow immediately on the Natal Day of CHRIST the King. Easter and Pentecost have each their two festal days following the Sunday. Christmas Day is placed in this respect on a similar but more honoured footing. But there is this difference: at Easter and Whitsuntide the days partake of the name of the festival: at Christmas they stand alone, and though forming part of the Christmas Octave, are called by the names of the Saints whom they commemorate.

Some explanation may be found for this most striking arrangement of the Catholic Church in the vivid way in which the primitive Christians actually realized the close union between CHRIST and His people through the Holy Incarnation, especially those who had laid down their lives for His sake. Hence martyrs were sometimes called Xpiotopópos,1 or CHRIST-bearers,2 and S. Augustine says: "As CHRIST by being born was brought into union with Stephen, so Stephen by dying was brought into union with CHRIST."

The early Church never lost sight of the fact that the Holy Child of Bethlehem was also the Man of sorrows, and this very probably led to commemorating the first martyr on the first day of his Master's suffering life on earth.

Thus we find the Apostles taking comfort in their sufferings from the thought of the Incarnation, and speak

1 Eusebius, viii. 10. See Annotated Prayer Book.
2 See also the well-known legend of S. Christopher.

ing of our LORD (after His Ascension) to the FATHER as "Thy Holy Child JESUS," gaining more strength and comfort from their sympathy with His humility and suffering than even from their hope of the glory of His Ascension.

Another explanation is given by early writers—viz., that CHRIST being the Head, three orders of martyrs are joined to Him by the grace of martyrdom-He Himself being the King of Martyrs, (Song of Solomon v. 10,) "the chief among ten thousand." This threefold order consists of martyrs—

1. In will and deed-such as S. Stephen.

2. In will, but not in deed-such as S. John.

3. In deed, but not in will—such as the Holy Inno

cents.

Again, these three days represent, it has been said, the three ways by which the Incarnation bears fruit in the Saints of GOD: i.e., suffering, love, and purity.

S. Stephen trod in the very steps of his Master by a suffering death.

S. John, leaning on JESU's Bosom in perfect love, followed His Heavenly example by a patient life-long endurance of the cross, and is the especial apostle of love.

The Holy Innocents represent those who, trained in innocence and purity, are enabled to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.1

It has been beautifully said, that it has been the wisdom of the Church "so to order and arrange her festivals as to bring out in strong relief the great doctrine of the Incarnation of the SON of GOD, as the source of all grace to man in doing or suffering. To all those who are incorporated with CHRIST and dwell in Him by faith and love, death is not death, but is birth to endless life. Therefore the days on which the martyrs of the Church died for CHRIST are called by her 1 See Annotated Prayer Book.