leave them; not resting in forms of godliness, but living in the power of it, in love and duty, in holiness and godly choice; through Jesus Christ our Lord. V. Most gracious God and Father, imprint in our hearts great apprehensions of thy power and thy glories, of thy judgment and thy mercies; of our sins and of our change approaching, of our fugitive life and the day of our death, of our duty and our danger, and the inexpressible terrors of the day of judgment; and, in proportion to such apprehensions, teach us, O God, to walk in this world with fear and caution, with hope and purity, with diligence and devotion, religiously and usefully, humbly and charitably, with love and obedience to thee, with love and justice to our neighbours, with sober spirits and chaste bodies, with temperance and peace, with faith and patience, with health and holiness, in the favour of God and the friendliness of our neighbours, in the communion of the church, and in obedience to all good laws; that we, being blessed by thy providence, defended by thy ministering angels, conducted by thy good Spirit, instructed by thy word, nourished by the body of Christ, cleansed by his blood, and clothed with his righteousness, may grow from grace to grace in the increase of God to the fulness of Christ, being subjects of thy kingdom of grace in this world, and heirs of the kingdom of glory in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. VI. Give us pardon, O thou God of mercy and peace, for all the errors and follies, the ignorances and omissions, the rash words and imprudent actions, of which any of us hath been guilty this day, or at any time before; we confess our sins every day, and yet every day sin against thee; and we pray unto thee for all the blessings that we need, and thou givest us all that we pray for, and much more; but yet we regard thee not, but every day we have new matter of shame and sorrow. Lord, have mercy upon us. For if thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, we shall not be able to abide or stand upright in judgment: thy mercy is great, and thou hast blessed us this day, and kept us from the evils of our inclination, and the evils of temptation: and though in the things wherein our consciences do not accuse us, we are not justified, but by thy mercies and loving-kindness in Christ Jesus, yet we rejoice in thy goodness to us, and praise thy bounties and thy love, and hope in thy mercies, and beg of thee that thou wilt pardon us, and keep us this night and ever; sanctify and save us, bless us at home and abroad, in the works of our calling and the duties of religion, in our persons and relations; make us to do what pleaseth thee, and to be what thou hast designed us to be, and to receive what thou hast promised, and to keep us from all the evil we have deserved, for Jesus Christ's sake, our dearest Lord and Saviour. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communication of the Holy Spirit of God, be with us, and with all our relatives, and with all the servants of God, for ever and ever. Amen. VARIETIES TO BE ADDED UPON THE GREAT FESTIVALS OF THE YEAR. UPON CHRISTMAS-DAY. The Psalms appointed at Morning Prayer, Psalm ii. xlv. cx. The Hymn for Christmas Day, to be said after the Second PRAISE waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all filesh Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: he shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. come. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation, who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.. The people that walked in darkness, hath seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of men. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water-springs. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. He shall sit upon the throne of David to order his kingdom, and to establish it with judgment and justice for ever and ever. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of men. Minister. Glory be to God on high. Answer. And on earth peace, good will towards men. Minister. Amen. Answer. Amen. Then proceed to the Nicene Creed. : The Collect, to be inserted after the first Collect of the Morning and Evening Prayer; and may be said during the twelve Days. Almighty God, who hast so loved the world, that for our redemption from sin and misery, thou gavest thy Son, that he, taking upon him our nature, and being born of a virgin, might perform to thee the obedience which mankind owed, and pay the price in which we were indebted, and teach us what thou wouldst have us to do, and convey to us all the good which thou didst design for us; overshadow us with thy Holy Spirit of grace, that we may conceive Christ in our hearts by faith, rely upon him in a holy hope, and express him in an excellent charity; that as he was pleased to take upon him our nature, so we may be born again, and be partakers of the divine nature, that conforming to his image, following his example, and being filled with his Spirit, we may grow in the knowledge and love of God, and live in righteousness, that being thy sons by a holy adoption, we may partake of the inheritance of thy well-beloved Son, the first-born of all the creatures, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. UPON GOOD-FRIDAY. Instead of the Psalms of the day, read at Morning Prayer Psalm xxii. xxv. li. Evening Prayer, Psalm lxxxi. lxxxv. lxxxvi. lxxxviii. Or any three of them. The Collect. O MOST blessed, most gracious Saviour Jesus, who, by thy obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, didst become the sacrifice of the world, the great example of patience, the Lord of life, the good Shepherd, laying down thy life for thy sheep, and the Mediator between God and man; let thy wounds heal, thy blood cleanse, thy death make us to live, and thy Spirit make us to work righteousness all our days; that we may, by thy aid, and by thy example, obey our heavenly Father with all our powers and all our faculties, with our reason and our affections, with our souls and with our bodies, with our time and with our estate, in prosperity and adversity; that we may bear our cross patiently, and do thy work cheerfully, and be ready to benefit mankind with great charity and great industry, that being followers of thy life and partakers of thy death, we may receive a part in the resurrection of the just to the joys of God in thy inheritance, O most blessed, most gracious Saviour Jesus. Amen. FOR EASTER-DAY. The Psalms appointed for Morning Prayer, Psalm xxx. xlv. xlvi. The Hymn to be said after the Second Lesson at Morning and In thee, O Lord, I have put my trust; let me never be put to confusion, but rid me and deliver me in thy righteousness; incline thine ear unto me and save me. Be thou my strong, hold whereunto I may always resort: thou hast promised to help me; for thou art my house of defence and my castle. For thou, O Lord God, art the thing that I long for: thou art my hope even from my youth. Through thee have I been holden up, ever since I was born: thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb; my praises shall be always of thee. O let my mouth be filled with thy praise, that I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long. Thy righteousness, O God, is very high: and great things are they, which thou hast done: O God, who is like unto thee! O what great troubles and adversities hast thou showed me! and yet didst thou turn and refresh me: yea, and broughtest me from the deep of the earth again. Thou hast brought to me great honour, and comforted me on every side. Therefore will I praise thee and thy faithfulness, O God, playing upon an instrument of music: unto thee will I sing upon the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee: and so will my soul, whom thou hast delivered. Blessed be the Lord God, even the God of Israel, which only doth wondrous things. |