The Book of Common Prayer Part 18

| | Almighty G.o.d, of whose only gift cometh wisdom and understanding; | We beseech thee with thy gracious favour to behold our | universities, colleges, and schools, that the confines of | knowledge may be ever enlarged, and all good learning flourish | and abound; bless all who teach and all who learn; and grant | that both teachers and learners in humility of heart may look | ever upward unto thee, who art the fountain of all wisdom; | through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with | thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one G.o.d, world | without end. _Amen_.

| | _For Theological Colleges_.

| | O G.o.d who, through thy Holy Spirit, dost illuminate the minds | and sanctify the lives of those whom thou dost call to the | work of pastors and teachers; Look with thy favour upon all | colleges for the instruction and discipline of those who are | to serve in the sacred ministry of thy Church; bless those who | teach and those who learn, that they may apply themselves with | such diligence to the knowledge which is able to make men wise | unto salvation, and submit themselves with such ready obedience | to the law of thy Son our Saviour, that they may fulfil their | ministry with joy; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

| _Amen_.

| | _For the supply of Candidates for the Ministry of the Church_.

| | O Lord Jesus Christ, whose servants Simon Peter and Andrew his | brother did at thy word straightway leave their nets to become | fishers of men; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to | those whom thou dost call to the sacred ministry of thy Church, | that they may hear thy voice, and with glad hearts obey thy | call; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy | Spirit, one G.o.d, world without end. _Amen_.

| | _For the Forces of the King, in his Navy and Army_.

| | O Lord G.o.d of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty | arm to strengthen and protect the sailors and soldiers of our | King in every peril, both of sea and land; shelter them in the | day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all | evil; endue them ever with loyalty and courage; and grant that | in all things they may serve as seeing thee who art invisible; | through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| | _During a Parliamentary election_.

| | Most gracious G.o.d, we humbly beseech thee, as for this Kingdom in | general, so especially for those who at this time are called to | elect representatives to serve in the High Court of Parliament; | Grant that all things may be so ordered and settled by their | endeavours, upon the best and surest foundations, that peace and | happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety, may be | established among us for all generations. These and all other | necessaries, for them, for us, and thy whole Church, we humbly | beg in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ our most blessed | Lord and Saviour. _Amen_.

| | _During Munic.i.p.al and other elections_.

| | Almighty G.o.d, the fountain of all wisdom; Guide and direct, we | humbly beseech thee, the minds of all those who are called at | this time to make choice of fit persons to serve in the------.

| Grant that in the exercise of their choice they may promote thy | glory and the welfare of this city [_or_ town _or_ county _or_ | parish]. And this we beg for the sake of our Lord and Saviour | Jesus Christ. _Amen_.

| | _For Hospitals for the Sick_.

| | Almighty G.o.d, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ went about doing | good, and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the | people: Continue, we beseech thee, his gracious work among us | in the hospitals and infirmaries of our land; console and heal | the sufferers; grant to the physicians and surgeons wisdom and | skill, and to the nurses diligence and patience; prosper their | work, O Lord, and vouchsafe thy blessing to all who give of | their substance for its maintenance; through the same Jesus | Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| | _For the recovery of a sick person_.

| | Almighty and immortal G.o.d, giver of life and health; We beseech | thee to hear our prayers for thy servant _N_., for whom we | implore thy mercy, that by thy blessing upon _him_ and upon | those who minister to _him_ of thy healing gifts, _he_ may be | restored, if it be thy gracious will, to health of body and | mind, and give thanks to thee in thy holy Church; through | Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| | _For Workmen and the Employers of Labour_.

| | O G.o.d, who in thy providence hast appointed to every man his | work; a.s.suage, we humbly beseech thee, all strife and contention | between those who are engaged in the labours of industry and | those who employ their labour; deliver both masters and workmen | from all greed and covetousness; and grant that they, seeking | only that which is just and equal, may live and work together in | brotherly union and concord, to their own well-being, and the | prosperity of this realm; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| | _For brethren and friends in other lands_.

| | Almighty Father, who art present in thy power in every place; | Give ear in thy loving-kindness to the supplications which we | offer unto thee on behalf of our brethren and friends in distant | lands; may thy mighty hand shield and protect them from all | evil; may thy Holy Spirit guide them in the right way and bless | their going out and their coming in; and grant that, being united | by our fellowship with thee, we may all at the last be gathered | in the home which is above; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| | _For those who travel by sea_.

| | O Almighty G.o.d, whose way is in the sea, and whose paths are in | the great waters; Be present, we beseech thee, with our brethren | in the manifold dangers of the deep; protect them from all its | perils; prosper them in their course; and bring them in safety | to the haven where they would be, with a grateful sense of thy | mercies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| | _Commemoration of the Faithful Departed_.

| | Almighty G.o.d, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart | hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after | they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and | felicity; We praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy | servants who have finished their course in thy faith and fear; | and we most humbly beseech thee that, at the day of the general | resurrection, we, and all they who are of the mystical body of | thy Son, may be set on his right hand, and hear that his most | joyful voice, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom | prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Grant this, | O merciful Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only | Mediator and Advocate. _Amen_.

| | O almighty G.o.d, the G.o.d of the spirits of all flesh, who by a | voice from heaven didst proclaim, Blessed are the dead who die | in the Lord: Multiply, we beseech thee, to those who rest in | Jesus, the manifold blessings of thy love, that the good work | which thou didst begin in them may be perfected unto the day of | Jesus Christ. And of thy mercy, O heavenly Father, vouchsafe | that we, who now serve thee here on earth, may at the last, | together with them, be found meet to be partakers of the | inheritance of the saints in light; for the sake of the same | thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. _Amen_.

THANKSGIVINGS

A General Thanksgiving.

Almighty G.o.d, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; [ * _particularly to those who desire now to offer up their praises and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed unto them._] We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. _Amen_.

[Margin Note:] * This to be said when any that have been prayed for desire to return praise.

_For Rain_.

O G.o.d our heavenly Father, who by thy gracious providence dost cause the former and the latter rain to descend upon the earth, that it may bring forth fruit for the use of man: We give thee humble thanks that it hath pleased thee, in our great necessity, to send us at the last a joyful rain upon thine inheritance, and to refresh it when it was dry, to the great comfort of us thy unworthy servants, and to the glory of thy holy Name; through thy mercies in Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

_For fair Weather_.

O Lord G.o.d, who hast justly humbled us by thy late plague of immoderate rain and waters, and in thy mercy hast relieved and comforted our souls by this seasonable and blessed change of weather: We praise and glorify thy holy Name for this thy mercy, and will always declare thy loving-kindness from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

_For Plenty_.

O most merciful Father, who of thy gracious goodness hast heard the devout prayers of thy Church, and turned our dearth and scarcity into cheapness and plenty: We give thee humble thanks for this thy special bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness unto us, that our land may yield us her fruits of increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

_For Peace and Deliverance from our Enemies_.

O almighty G.o.d, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies: We yield thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compa.s.sed: We acknowledge it thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

_For restoring Public Peace at Home_.

O eternal G.o.d, our heavenly Father, who alone makest men to be of one mind in a house, and stillest the outrage of a violent and unruly people: We bless thy holy Name, that it hath pleased thee to appease the seditious tumults which have been lately raised up amongst us: most humbly beseeching thee to grant to all of us grace, that we may henceforth obediently walk in thy holy commandments; and leading a quiet and peaceable life, in all G.o.dliness and honesty, may continually offer unto thee our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for these thy mercies towards us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

_For Deliverance from the Plague, or other common Sickness_.

O Lord G.o.d, who hast wounded us for our sins, and consumed us for our transgressions, by thy late heavy and dreadful visitation; and now, in the midst of judgement remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death: We offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee, always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

_Or this_.

We humbly acknowledge before thee, O most merciful Father, that all the punishments which are threatened in thy law might justly have fallen upon us, by reason of our manifold transgressions and hardness of heart: Yet seeing it hath pleased thee of thy tender mercy, upon our weak and unworthy humiliation, to a.s.suage the contagious sickness wherewith we lately have been sore afflicted, and to restore the voice of joy and health into our dwellings: We offer unto thy Divine Majesty the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, lauding and magnifying thy glorious Name for such thy preservation and providence over us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.

| THE BIDDING PRAYER | | | Let us pray for Christ's Holy Catholic Church throughout the | world, especially for the Churches of Great Britain and Ireland; | for all Christian Sovereigns, Princes and Governors, particularly | our Sovereign Lord King _GEORGE_, over all estates of men in | these his dominions supreme; for our gracious Queen _Mary_, | for _Alexandra_ the Queen Mother, for _Edward_ Prince of Wales, | and all the Royal Family; for the ministers of G.o.d's holy Word | and Sacraments, especially for _N_. Bishop of this diocese and | all he clergy of the same; for the great Council of the nation | [now in Parliament a.s.sembled], for the n.o.bility, Judges, and | Magistrates of the realm, * especially for the [Lord] Provost | and Magistrates of this ancient [and royal] city [or burgh]: | that all these in their several callings may serve truly and | faithfully to the glory of G.o.d and the edifying and well | governing of his people, remembering always the strict and | solemn account which they must give before the judgement seat | of Christ. And for all other subjects of this realm, let us pray | that they may live in the true faith and fear of G.o.d, in dutiful | obedience to the King and brotherly charity one to another. And | that there may never be wanting a supply of fit persons to serve | G.o.d in Church and State, let us pray for a blessing on our | universities [especially on . . . . . ], and on all colleges | and schools, especially on the Theological College of our | Church, that in these and in all places set apart for G.o.d's | honour and service true religion and sound learning may ever | flourish and abound. [+ And let us give thanks to Almighty G.o.d | for all his servants, both living and departed, who have given | of their substance or service towards the founding, building, | maintenance, and adornment of this church ++ and especially are | we bound to remember . . . . . ]

| | Finally, let us praise G.o.d for those who are departed out of | this life in the faith of Christ, and let us pray unto him that | we may be made partakers with them in the glorious resurrection | unto life everlasting. All which things let us humbly ask in | the words which Christ himself hath taught us, saying: | | Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom | come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us | this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespa.s.ses, As we | forgive them that trespa.s.s against us; And lead us not into | temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, | the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

| | [Margin Notes:] * to be used in cities and burghs.

| | + to be used at Dedication Festivals or Commemorations of | benefactors.

| | ++ _or_ inst.i.tution _or_ college.

THE COLLECTS EPISTLES AND GOSPELS

TO BE USED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

_Note that the Collect appointed for every Sunday, or for any Holy-day that hath a Vigil or Eve, shall be said at the Evening Service next before_.

| _Before the Collect of the day may be said_ Let us pray.

THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

THE COLLECT.

Almighty G.o.d, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. _Amen_.

_This Collect is to be repeated every day with the other Collects in Advent, until Christmas Eve_.

THE EPISTLE. Rom. xiii. 8.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.