A Prayer before receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Most holy, and blessed, and gracious Lord God, with all humility and reverence I here present myself before thee, to seek thy face and entreat thy favour, and, as an evidence of thy good-will towards me, to beg that I may experience thy good work in me. I acknowledge myself unworthy, utterly unworthy ofthe honour; unfit, utterly unfit, for the service to which I am now called. It is an inestimable privilege that I am permitted so often to hear from thee in thy word, and to speak to thee in prayer; and yet, as if this had been a small matter, I am now invited into communion with
thee at thy holy table, there to celebrate the memorial of my Saviour's death, and to partake by faith of the precious benefits which flow from it. I, who deserve not the crumbs, am called to eat the children's bread. O Lord, I thank thee for the institution of this blessed ordinance, this precious legacy and token of love, which the Lord Jesus left to his church; that it is preserved to this age, that it is administered in this land, that I am admitted to it, and have now before me an opportunity to partake of it. Lord, grant that I may not receive thy grace herein in vain. O thou, who hast called me to the marriagesupper of the Lamb, give me the wedding-garment; work in me a disposition of soul, and all those pious and devout affections which are suited to the solemnities of this ordinance, and requisite to qualify me for an acceptable and advantageous participation of it. Behold the fire and the wood, all things are now ready; but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering Lord, provide thyself a Lamb, by working in me all that thou requirest of me upon this occasion. The preparation of the heart, and the answer of the tongue, are both from thee Lord, prepare my unprepared heart for communion with thee. Lord, I confess I have sinned against thee, I have done foolishly, very foolishly, for foolishness is bound up in my heart I have sinned, and have come short of being glorified with thee. The imagination of my heart is evil continually, and the
bias of my corrupt nature is very strong toward the world, and the flesh, and the gratifications of sense; but towards God, and Christ, and heaven, I move slowly, and with a great many stops and pauses. Nay, there is in ray carnal mind a wretched aversion to divine and spiritual things. I have mispent my time, trifled away my opportunities, have followed after lying vanities, and forsaken my own mercies. God be merciful to me a sinner for how little have I done, since I came into the world, of the great work that I was sent into the world about Thou hast taken me into covenant with thee; for I am a baptized Christian, set apart for thee, and sealed to be thine thou hast laid me, and I also have laid myself, under all possible obligations to love thee, and serve thee, and live to thee. But I have started aside from thee like a deceitful bow I have not made good my covenant with thee, nor hath the temper of my mind, and the tenor of my conversation, been agreeable to that holy religion which I make profession of, to my expectations from thee, and engagements to thee. I am bent to backslide from the living God, and if I were under the law, I were undone but I am under grace, a covenant of grace which leaves room for repentance, and promiseth pardon upon repentance, which invites even backsliding children to return, and promises that their backsliding shall be healed. Lord, 1 take hold of this covenant; seal it to me at thy table. There let me find my heart truly humbled
for sin, and sorrowing for it after a godly sort O that I may there look on him whom I have pierced, and mourn, and be in bitterness for him that there I may sow in tears, and receive a broken Christ into a broken heart: and there let the blood of Christ, which speaks better things than that of Abel, be sprinkled upon my conscience, to purify and pacify it. There let me be assured that thou art reconciled to me, that my iniquities are pardoned, and that I shall not come into condemnation. There say unto me, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee. And that I may not come unworthily to this blessed ordinance, I beseech thee lead me into a more intimate and experimental acquaintance with Jesus Christ and him crucified; with Jesus Christ and him glorified; that knowing him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, and being by his grace planted in the likeness of both, I may both discern the Lord's body, and show forth the Lord's death. Lord, I desire, by a true and lively faith, to close with Jesus Christ, and consent to him as my Lord and ray God. 1 here give up myself to him as my Prophet, Priest, and King, to be ruled, and taught, and saved by him. This is my beloved, and this is my friend. None but Christ, none but Christ. Lord, increase this faith in me, perfect what is lacking in it; and enable me, in receiving the bread and wine at thy table, by a lively faith to receive Christ Jesus the Lord. O let the great gospel doctrine of Christ's dying to save
sinners, which is represented in that ordinance, be meat and drink to my soul, meat indeed, and drink indeed. Let it be both nourishing and refreshing to me, let it be both my strength and my song, and be the spring both of my holiness and my comf )rt. And let such deep impressions be made upon my soul, by actual commemoration of it, as may always abide upon me, and have a powerful influence on me in my whole conversation; that the life I now live in the flesh may be by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Lord, I beseech thee fix my thoughts; let my heart be engaged to approach unto thee, that I may attend upon thee without distraction. Draw out my desires towards thee; give me to hunger and thirst after righteousness that I may be filled; and to draw near to thee with a true heart, and in full assurance of faith; and since I am not straitened in thee, O let me not be straitened in my own bosom. Draw me. Lord, and I will run after thee. O send out thy light and thy truth, let them lead and guide me; pour thy Spirit upon me, put thy Spirit within me, to work in me both to will and to do that which is good, and leave me not to myself. Awake, O north wind, and come thou south, and blow upon my garden; come, O blessed Spirit of grace, and enlighten my mind with the knowledge of Christ bow my will to the will of Christ; fill my heart with the love of
Christ, and confirm my resolutions to live and die with him. Work in me. I pray thee, a principle of holy love and chaiity towards all men, that I may forgive my enemies (which by grace I heartily do), and may keep up a spiritual communion in faith, hope, and holy love, with all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord, bless them all, and particularly that congregation with which I am to join in this solemn ordinance. Good Lord, pardon every one that engageth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of their fathers, though not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. Hear my prayers, and heal the people. Lord, meet me with a blessing, a father's blessing at thy table; grace thine own institution with thy presence: and fulfil in me ail t! e good pleasure of thy goodness, and the work of faith with power, for the sake of Jesus Christ, my blessed Saviour and Redeemer. To him, with the Father and the eternal Spirit, be everlasting praises. Amen. Another, after receiving of the Lord's Supper. O Lord my God, and my Father in Jesus Christ, I can never sufficiently admire the condescension of thy grace to me. What is man that thou dost thus magnify him, and the son of man that thou thus visitest him Who am I, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto
Hast brought me into the banqueting-house, and thy banner over me hath been love I have reason to say, That a day in thy courts, an hour at thy table, is better, far better than a thousand days, than ten thousand hours elsewhere. It is good for me to draw near to God. Blessed be God for the privileges of his house, and for those comforts with which he makes his people joyful in his house of prayer. But I have reason to blush and be ashamed of myself, that I have not been more aft'ected with the great things which have been set before me, and offered to me at the Lord's table. O what a vain, foolish, and trifling heart have I? When I would do good, even evil is present with me. Good Lord, be merciful to me, and pardon the iniquity of my holy things, and let not my many defects, in my attendance upon thee, be laid to my charge, or hinder my profiting by the ordinance. I have now been commemorating the death of Ciirist; Lord, grant that by the power thereof sin may be crucified in me, the world crucified to me, and I to the world; and enable me so to bear about with me continually the dying of the Lord Jesus, as that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in my mortal body. I have now been receiving the precious benefits which flow from Christ's death Lord, grant that I may never lose, never forfeit those benefits; but as I have received Christ Jesus the Lord, give me grace so to walk in him, and to live as
one that am not my own, but am bought with a price, glorifying God with my body and spirit, which are his. I have now been renewing my covenant with thee, and engaging myself afresh to thee to be thine; now, Lord, give me grace to perform my vow. Keep it always in the imagination of the thought of my heart, and establish my way before thee. Lord, preserve me by thy grace, that I may never return again to folly. After God hath spoken peace, may I never, by my loose and careless walking, undo what I have been doing to-day; but having my heart enlarged with the consolation of God, give me to run the way of thy commandments with cheerfulness and constancy, and still to hold fast my integrity. This precious soul of mine, which is the work of thine own hands, and the purchase of thy Son's blood, I commit into thy hands, to be sanctified by thy Spirit and grace, and wrought up into conformity to thy holy will in every thing. Lord, set up thy throne in my heart, write thy law there, shed abroad thy love there, and bring every thought within me into obedience to thee, to the commanding power of thy law, and the constraining power of thy love. Keep through thine own name that which I commit unto thee, keep it against tliat day when it shall be called for let me be preserved blameless to the coming of thy glory, that 1 then may be presented faultless with exceeding icy. All my outward affairs 1 submit to the dis9 K k
posal of thy wise and gracious providence. Lord, save my soul, and then, as to other things, do as thou pleasest with me only make all providences work together for my spiritual and eternal advantage. Let all things be pure to me, and give me to taste covenant love in common mercies and by thy grace let me be taught, both how to want and how to abound, how to enjoy prosperity, and how to bear adversity, as becomes a Christian and at all times let thy grace be sufficient for me, and mighty in me, to work in me both to will and to do that which is good of thine own good pleasure. And that in every thing I may do my duty, and stand complete in it, let my heart be enlarged in love to Jesus Christ, and affected with the height and depth, the length and breadth, of that love of his to me, which passeth all conception and expression. And as an evidence of that love, let my mouth be filled with his praises. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive blessing, and honour, and glory, and power: for he was slain, and hath redeemed a chosen remnant unto God by his blood, and made them to him kings and priests. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name, who forgiveth all mine iniquities, and healeth all my diseases: who redeemeth my life from destruction, and crowneth me with loving-kindness and tender mercy who hath begun a good work, and will perform it unto the day of Christ. As long as I live will
I bless the Lord I will praise my God while I have any being; and when I have no being upon earth, I hope to have a being in heaven to be doing it better. O let me be borne up in everlasting arms, and carried from strength to strength, till I appear before God in Zion, for Jesus' sake, who died for me, and rose again, in whom I desire to be found living and dying. Now to God the Father, Son, and Spirit, be ascribed kingdom, power, and glory, henceforth and forever. Amen. An Address to God before Meat. O Lord our God, in thee we live, and move, and have our being, and from thee receive all supports and comforts of our being. Thou spreadest our table, and fillest our cup, and comfortest us with the gifts of thy bounty from day to day. We own our dependence upon thee, and our obligations to thee: pardon our sins we pray thee; sanctify thy good creatures to our use, and give us grace to receive them soberly and thankfully, and to eat and drink not to ourselves, but to thy glory, through Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen. After Meat. Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with his benefits, and gives us all things richly to enjoy, though we serve him but poorly. O Lord, we thank thee for present refreshments in the use of thy good creatures, and for thy love to
Short forms of prayer · A Method for Prayer, 1834
A General Confession.
To be said by the whole Congregation, after the Minister, all kneeling.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those. O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Evening Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
A General Confession.
To be said by the whole Congregation, after the Ministger, all kneeling.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Morning Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
Dedication of Soul and Body to God's Service,
with a Resolution to be growing daily in Goodness.
AND since it is of thy mercy, O gracious Father, that another day is added to our lives; We here dedicate both our souls and our bodies to thee and thy service, in a sober, righteous, and godly life: in which resolution, do thou, O merciful God, confirm and strengthen us; that, as we grow in age, we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Family Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
Good Friday.
Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me. Lam. i. I 2.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Eph. i. 7.
Morning Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
Lent.
Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel ii. 13.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm li. 17.
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. St. Luke xv. 18, 19.
Morning Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
Lent.
I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Psalm li. 3.
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws which he set before us. Dan. ix. 9, 10.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 St. John i. 8, 9.
Evening Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
Prayer for Grace to enable us to perform that Resolution.
BUT, O God, who knowest the weakness and corruption of our nature, and the manifold temptations which we daily meet with; We humbly beseech thee to have compassion on our infirmities, and to give us the constant assistance of thy Holy Spirit; that we may be effectually restrained from sin, and incited to our duty. Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of thy judgments, and such a grateful sense of thy goodness to us, as may make us both afraid and ashamed to offend thee. And, above all, keep in our minds a lively remembrance of that great day, in which we must give a strict account of our thoughts, words, and actions to him whom thou hast appointed the Judge of quick and dead, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Family Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
Prayer for Grace to reform and grow Better.
AND lest, through our own frailty, or the temptations which encompass us, we be drawn again into sin, vouchsafe us, we beseech thee, the direction and assistance of thy Holy Spirit. Reform whatever is amiss in the temper and disposition of our souls; that no unclean thoughts, unlawful designs, or inordinate desires, may rest there. Purge our hearts from envy, hatred, and malice; that we may never suffer the sun to go down upon our wrath; but may always go to our rest in peace, charity, and good-will, with a conscience void of offence towards thee, and towards men; that so we may be preserved pure and blameless, unto the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Family Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
The Declaration of Absolution, or Remission of Sins.
To be made by the Priest alone, standing; the People still kneeling.
But NOTE, That the Priest, at his discretion, may use, instead of what follows, the Absolution from the Order for the Holy Communion.
ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live, hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins. He pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel.
Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer; the People still kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
V. O Lord, open thou our lips.
R.
Morning Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
The Declaration of Absolution, or Remission of Sins.
To be made by the Priest alone, standing; the People still kneeling.
ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live, hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins. He pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel.
Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repent- ance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Or this.
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you Absolu- tion and Remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer; the People still kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
V. O Lord, open thou our lips.
R.
Evening Prayer · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
The Litany
To be used after the Third Collect at Morning or Evening Prayer; or before the Holy Communion; or separately.
O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth;
Have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world;
Have mercy upon us.
O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful;
Have mercy upon us.
O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God;
Have mercy upon us.
Remember not, Lord, our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers; neither take thou vengeance of our sins: Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and be not angry with us for ever.
Spare us, good Lord.
From all evil and mischief; from sin; from the crafts and assaults of the devil; from thy wrath, and from everlasting damnation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion; from all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word and Commandment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity and Circumcision; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God; and that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church universal in the right way;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee so to rule the heart of thy servant, The President of the United States, that he may above all things seek thy honour and glory;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to bless and preserve all Christian Rulers and Magistrates, giving them grace to execute justice, and to maintain truth;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of thy Word; and that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth, and show it accordingly;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to send forth labourers into thy harvest;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy people;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to give us an heart to love and fear thee, and diligently to live after thy commandments;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of grace to hear meekly thy Word, and to receive it with pure affection, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to bring into the way of truth all such as have erred, and are deceived;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to strengthen such as do stand; and to comfort and help the weak-hearted; and to raise up those who fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to succour, help, and comfort, all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to preserve all who travel by land, by water, or by air, all women in child-birth, all sick persons, and young children; and to show thy pity upon all prisoners and captives;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to defend, and provide for, the fatherless children, and widows, and all who are desolate and oppressed;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to have mercy upon all men;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, so that in due time we may enjoy them;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord .
That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to thy holy Word;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.
Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.
O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world;
Grant us thy peace.
O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world;
Have mercy upon us.
O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, hear us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Then shall the Minister, and the People with him, say the Lord's Prayer.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Minister may, at his discretion, omit all that followeth, to the Prayer, We humbly beseech thee, O Father, etc.
O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins.
Neither reward us according to our iniquities.
Let us pray.
O God, merciful Father, who despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart, nor the desire of such as are sorrowful; Mercifully assist our prayers which we make before thee in all our troubles and adversities, whensoever they oppress us; and graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us, may, by thy good providence, be brought to nought; that we thy servants, being hurt by no persecutions, may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Minister and People.
O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thy Name's sake.
Minister.
O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works that thou didst in their days, and in the old time before them.
Minister and People.
O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thine honour.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
From our enemies defend us, O Christ.
Graciously look upon our afflictions.
With pity behold the sorrows of our hearts.
Mercifully forgive the sins of thy people.
Favourably with mercy hear our prayers.
O Son of David, have mercy upon us.
Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ.
Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ.
O Lord, let thy mercy be showed upon us;
As we do put our trust in thee.
Let us pray.
We humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and, for the glory of thy Name, turn from us all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant, that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honour and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Go to 1928 Book of Common Prayer
The Litany · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
The Penitential Office
On the First Day of Lent, the Office ensuing may be read immediately after the Prayer, We humbly beseech thee, O Father, in the Litany; or it may be used with Morning Prayer, or Evening Prayer, or as a separate Office.
The same Office may be read at other times, at the discretion of the Minister.
The Minister and the People kneeling, then shall be said by them the Psalm following. Miserere mei, Deus. Psalm li. Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness; * according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.
Wash me throughly from my wickedness, * and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults, * and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; * that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.
Behold, I was shapen in wickedness, * and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts, * and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; * thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness, * that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Turn thy face from my sins, * and put out all my mis- deeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God, * and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence, * and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
O give me the comfort of thy help again, * and stablish me with thy free Spirit.
Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked, * and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health; * and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.
Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord, * and my mouth shall show thy praise.
For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee; but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: * a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.
If the Litany hath been already said. the Minister may pass at once to O Lord, save thy servants; etc.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
O Lord, save thy servants;
That put their trust in thee.
Send unto them help from above.
And evermore mightily defend them.
Help us, O God our Saviour.
And for the glory of thy Name deliver us; be merciful to us sinners, for thy Name's sake.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
And let our cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
O Lord, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee; that they, whose consciences by sin are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be absolved; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Most mighty God, and merciful Father, who hast compassion upon all men, and who wouldest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his sin, and be saved; Mercifully forgive us our trespasses; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sins. Thy property is always to have mercy; to thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed; enter not into judgment with thy servants; but so turn thine anger from us, who meekly acknowledge our transgressions, and truly repent us of our faults, and so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with thee in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Then shall the People say this that followeth, after the Minister.
Turn thou us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. Be favourable, O Lord, Be favourable to thy people, Who turn to thee in weeping, fasting, and praying. For thou art a merciful God, Full of compassion, Long-suffering, and of great pity. Thou sparest when we deserve punishment, And in thy wrath thinkest upon mercy. Spare thy people, good Lord, spare them, And let not thine heritage be brought to confusion. Hear us, O Lord, for thy mercy is great, And after the multitude of thy mercies look upon us; Through the merits and mediation of thy blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Then the Minister shall say,
O GOD, whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive; Receive our humble petitions; and though we be tied and bound with the chain of our sins, yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us; for the honour of Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
THE LORD bless us, and keep us. The LORD make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The LORD lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, both now and evermore. Amen.
Go to 1928 Book of Common Prayer
The Penitential Office · The Book of Common Prayer (1928), 1928
