Classical Theology.—Xvi.

CLASSICAL THEOLOGY . —XVI .

JMXDQX , SATURDAY , MARCH 31 , 18 U 0

VI . —CERES A 2 i D AUGUST—( COimJTOED . ) IN some parts of Central Italy the first reaping * , commonco towards the end of June , a Aveek or two earlier than in the immediate vicinity of-,-Rome . As soon as a fow of the adjoining unhedged fields are cut , a floor for the threshing or treading corn is prepared , such as ive read of in the

Scripture , where the ox was not to he muzzled , ancl such as is described in the Georgics . A piece of ground in the highest ancl driest part of the field is sot apart , cleared smoothed Avith tv hoc , and carefully swept . If the crop is not heavy it is threshed with the flail , but if otherwise it is trodden out by cattle , generally horses ; it is then winnowed

by the method of screening , or by means of sieves on the spot , and is thou ready to be stored . In conclusion , there is usually music and dancing , and a feast of cakes , made of flour , honey , and oil , called ciambelli , ivith others named piszi , composed of bailey meal and no deficiency of salt ; there is a plentiful supply of wine , but rare indeed is the

madness or folly of inebriation among these light hearted peasantry . Should the harvest be anything like abundant , it is the rule , seldom excepted , to reserve a large sheaf for an offering to some favourite or guardian saint . Agreeably ivith . this custom , ive read in Leviticus of the oblations of the meat and firstfruit offeringsand of the frankincense

, thereof , ancl the SAveet savour unto the Lord . "When any ¦ will offer a meat offering unto the Lord , Ms offering shall be of fine flour , and he shall pour oil upon it , and jmt frankincense thereon ; If thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baked in the oven , it shall be unleavened cakes of fiue flour mingled with oilor unleavened wafers anointed Avifch oil .

, Every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season Avith salt ; neither shalt thou suffer the salt ofthe covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering : Avith . all thy offerings thou shalt offer salt . Ancl if thou offer a meat

offering of thy firstfruits unto the Lord , thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn , even corn beaten out of full ears . " Of the sheaf , as of the firstfruits , Ave shall 'find a corresponding mention in the same book ( Levit . xxiii . 10 ) . " When ye be come into the land ivhich I give you , and shall reap the harvest thereof , then ye

shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your liarvest unto the priest . " In like as ivell as in unlike manner the pagans offered the firstfruits to Ceres ancl their agrestial deities . A modern lady travelling in Italy , ivith charming eloquence ancl observation , lias g iven a description of some of the ceremonies Avhich she Avitnessed respecting the plentiful harvest

and the reserved sheaf ; ofthe latter she says— "The reapers carry it along ; the officiating priest meets them ; a prayer of dedication is repeated , and the sheaf is placed before the altar of the saint in her chapel . We hacl the pleasure of seeing the little church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in this way adorned ; whether it be the remains of pagan ritesov

, the natural expression of pious gratitude , acting alike under different IHAVS ancl in different ages , our senses Avere sufficiently gratified , and ive Avere too well pleased to make any deeper inquiry , The Indian girl , ivhen her father or lover is at sea , sends her rush boat laden Avith an offering of spices and appropriate flowers , to some god or goddess of the isles . "

"We have seen , " she continues , "tho poor Hindoo place his cocoa nut ancl his palmful of rice before Ms household deities . We read of the elegant offerings of odorous flowers and fruits made by Catullus to the rural guardians of his vineyard ; but none of these have p leased us so much as the substantial and consecrated sheaf iven bthe Christian Polese to the

Mag y donna delle Grazie . " We are told in reference to the relig ious worship of others with whom we do not perhaps agree ( for ive alloAv the meaning in reference to the Egyptians , and the leagues ancl covenants Avith the Canaanites , a broader extension ) , in

Classical Theology.—Xvi.

Exodus xxu . j 28 , Thou shalt not revile the gods ; be it , therefore , far from us to let drop an invidious remark on these foreign offerings to saints . But we cannot avoid observing that tho heathen did the like unto their gocls ; ancl that St . Paul and Rt . Barnabas evinced evident dismay and confusion before tho people of Lystra , AVIIO would have received them as gocls after the miraculous healing of the

impotent man who had been a cri pple from his birth but hacl risen up and Avalkecl by the force of the Spirit at the Avord of Paul . " ' For when the people saw what he had done , they lifted up their voices , saying in the sj ^ eech of Lycaonia , The gods have come clown to us in the likeness of men . And they called Barnabas-Jupiterancl PaulMercurius

, , , , because he Avas the chief speaker . Then the priest of Jupiter , which Avas before the city , brought oxen and garlands unto the gates , and would have : dono sacrifice with the ; people ; which Avhen the apostles Barnabas and Paul , heard of , they rent their clothes ancl ran in among the people , crying out , and saying , Sirs , why do ye , those things 1 We

are men of Ijjve passions with , you , ancl preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living Gocl , which made heaven , ancl earth , and the sea ., and all things that are therein : AA'I IO in time past suffered all nations to walk in their OAVU ways . Nevertheless he left not himself Avithout witnessin that he did goodancl gave us rain from

, , heaven , and fruitful seasons , filling our hearts Avith food and gladness . And ivith these sayings scarce restrained they the peojile , that they hacl not clone sacrifice unto them , "Acts xiv .

It has , we believe , of late years become a popular idea that the . Romish priests suppress as much as possible the propagation ofthe JSTOAV Testament amongst their humble adherents Ave wish fair truth to be everywhere triumphant , and should be sorry to encourage exaggeration . With respect to the Old Testament they prohibit de facto its promulgation—there can be no doubt of that ; but the whole ritual and service of

the Romish church is taken from the gospels . A Protestant may doubtless discover much relative exaggeration , and in these matter of fact clays , may be somewhat surprised at it . In saying this , we ourselves confess to a little astonishment at what Ave have seen ; but Avithout the least desire to adduce any comment of our OAVU , Ave are led here to curtail an

extract from Turner ' s Tour in Normandy . The festival pageant of the Assumption , in the Romish and Greek churches , in commemoration of the supposed miraculous ascension of the Virgin Mary into heaven , formerly held in the Archbishopric of Rouen , was established b y Des Marets , the governor of Dieppe , in 144 . 3 , in honour of the final expulsion of the English . The first master of tho " Guild of Assumption" Avas its . founder , under whoso auspices and

direction it was conducted . About Midsummer the principal inhabitants used to assemble at the Hotel cle Ville , or town house of Dieppe , where the ) r selected the girl esteemed , of the most exemplary character to represent the Virgin Mary , and six other young women to act the parts of the daughters of Zion . The honour of personating or figuring in

this holy drama AA'as greatly coveted . The historian of Dieppe gravely assures us , " that the earnestness felt on the occasion mainly contributed to tho preservation of that purity of manners and genuine piety , which subsisted in this town longer than in any other of Eranee "—non causa pro causa ! But the election of the Virgin was not sufficient ; a

representative of St . Peter was also to bo found among the clergy , ancl of the eleA'en other apostles among the ' huty . This being accomplished , on the 1 . 4-fch ( 15 th ?) of August , the implied virgin ivas laid in a tomb-shaped cradle , and early in the morning , attended b y her male and female suiteAvas carried to the church of St . Jaques . As soon as

, the lauds had been sung , the procession repaired to the master of the guild , before whoso cloor was stretched a large carpet embroidered with letters of gold , in verses , setting forth his own good qualities , ancl his love for tho hol y Mary ,