If, in a Protestant point of view, the mass is considered as an attack on the true spirit of Christianity, as upholding not only transubstantiation, but also the doctrine of intercession of saints, yet still, in the eyes of a good Roman Catholic, it is a rite full of elevated thoughts, devout prayers, and highly proper and religious ideas.
The first part of the mass, from the _Introite_ to the _Offertory_, is composed almost entirely of fragments of Scripture: such are, first, the _Introite_, generally taken from the Psalms; secondly, the _Collect_, which is the same as that in the Protestant Book of Common Prayer for Sundays; thirdly, the _Epistle_, which is part of a chapter out of the prophecies, or out of one of the epistles in the New Testament; fourthly, the _Gradual_, also taken from the Psalms; and fifthly, the _Gospel_, which, as its name indicates, is a portion of a chapter taken from some one of the four evangelists. The parts added by the popes are, first, the _Kyrie Eleyson_, taken from the rites of the Greek church; secondly, the _Gloria_, which is a magnificent outburst of the most elevated religious sentiments; and lastly, the _Symbol_ of the faith.
The _Offertory_, which is the second part of the mass, is one series of prayers, in which the _Canon_ is prepared, by offering up the host (which has to be consecrated in order to obtain upon it the blessing of the Most High), and by invoking the intercession of the saints, and enumerating all the graces and favours implored through the medium of the sacrifice. The priest, in this part of the ceremony, washes his hands; he concludes with the _Preface_, an act of thanksgiving, in which are explained some of the mysteries of religion applicable to the day on which they are celebrated. Among others of this latter class, the preface for the Trinity is admired for its conciseness, and the elegance and accuracy with which the composition explains that great mystery, in terms which cannot be objected to even by any Protestant church.
After the offertory follows the canon, which is the preparation for the consecration, and is also composed of prayers, in which a spirit of penitence, and the invocation of the divine protection in the solemn act about to be celebrated, form prominent features. The priest next takes the host, pronounces over it the words of consecration, and elevates it, so that the people may see and adore it. He does the like with the chalice, and then prepares himself for the communion, which consists in his eating the host and drinking the wine in the cup. Twice afterwards he pours wine and water into the cup, and drinks off the contents, which are called the _ablutions_. He pronounces other two prayers or thanksgivings, blesses the people, and dismisses them with the formula, “_Ite_, _missa est_,” “Go, the mass is over.” Still, however, he continues to read, on ordinary days, in the first chapter of St John’s Gospel, or, on other solemn days, from the other evangelists.