THE

PRIMER:

OR,

OFFICE

OF THE

B. VIRGIN MARY,

With a New and Approv'd VERSION
of the CHURCH-HYMNS.

To which are added the Remaining HYMNS
of the ROMAN BREVIARY.

Sold by RICH FITZSIMONS,
Book-Seller HIGH StreetDUBLIN. 1767

MUSEUM

A SHORT

Expofition of the Primer or Office

TH

OF THE

Bleffed Virgin Mary.

HE Office of our B. Lady, is of great Antiquity, and was compos'd by the Church, directed by the Holy Ghoft: This Book is called the Primer, from the Latin Word PRIMO, which fignifies, First of all, To teach us, That Prayer fhould be the first Work of the Day. The Office is divided into Pfalms, Hymns, Canticles, Anthems, Verficles, Refponfories, and Prayers, for Order, Beauty, and variety-fake, and warrented by Scriptures. (Col. 3. 16.) Sing you in your Hearts to our Lord, in Spiritual Pfalms, Hymns, and Canticles.

The Office is divided into Seven feveral Hours, according to that of the Prophet; Seven times in the Day I have prais'd thee: And likewife, to reprefent a Daily Memorial of the Seven principal Parts, and of the Seven Hours of our Saviour's Paffion. For our Saviour hung three Hours Living on the Cross, other three Hours he hung Dead on

the

the Crofs, and the feventh Hour was spent in nailing him to, and taking him from the Crofs. By the Mattins and Lauds, we commemorate his Agony and Binding in the Garden; by the Prime, his Scofs and falfe Accufations; by the third Hour, his Cloathing with Purple, and Crowning with Thorns; by the fixth Hour, his Condemning and nailing to the Crofs; by the ninth Hour, his yielding up the Ghoft, and the opening of his Side; by the Even-fong, his taking from the Crofs; and by the Complin, his Burial.

Note, that the Mattins (according to the precife canonical Time) begin at Midnight, and the Lauds are but, as it were, an Appendix to the Mattins: The Prime begins at fix of the Clock in the Morning, &c. But these Times are not punctually obferved, unless in Religious Houfes,

The Doxology, or Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, &c. is faid at the Beginning of every Hour, and at the End of every Pfalm, to fhew, that the Intention of the Office is, in the first place, to give one equal Glory to the moft Bleffed Trinity, and to invite all Creatures to do the like.

Alleluja is a Hebrew Word, and fignifies Praife ye our Lord with Joy and Exultation of Heart, and is the Language of the Blessed in Heaven, according to Apoc. 8. 6. Therefore the Church has forbidden it to be tranf

lated