The Seventeenth Day

Morning

A Shorter Form for Morning Prayer

After the reading of a brief portion of Holy Scripture, let the Head of the House-hold, or some other member of the family, lead those present, all kneeling, in saying 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. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen.

O LORD, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings, being ordered by thy governance, may be righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here may be added any special Prayers.

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

Morning Prayer

The Master or Mistress having called together as many of the Family as can conveniently be present, let one of them, or any other who may be appointed, say as followeth, all kneeling, and repeating with him the Lord's Prayer.

Here may follow the Collect for the day.

Acknowledgement of God's Mercy and Preservation, especially through the Night past.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being; We, thy needy creatures, render thee our humble praises, for thy preservation of us from the beginning of our lives to this day, and especially for having delivered us from the dangers of the past night. For these thy mercies, we bless and magnify thy glorious Name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; for his sake who lay down in the grave, and rose again for us, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

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 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.

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 judgements, 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.

For Grace to guide and keep us the following Day, and for God's Blessing on the business of the Same.

IN particular, we implore thy grace and protection for the ensuing day. Keep us temperate in all things, and diligent in our serveral callings. Grant us patience under our afflictions. Give us grace to be just and upright in all our dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all men, according to our abilities and opportunities. Direct us in all our ways. Defend us from all dangers and adversities; and be graciously pleased to take us, and all who are dear to us, under thy fatherly care and protection. These things, and whatever else thou shalt see to be neccessary and convenient to us, we humbly beg, through the merits and mediation of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

THE Grace + of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

Morning Psalms

Psalm 86 Inclina, Domine.

BOW down thine ear, O LORD, and hear me; * for I am poor, and in misery.

²Preserve thou my soul, for I am holy: * my God, save thy servant that putteth his trust in thee.

³Be merciful unto me, O Lord; * for I will call daily upon thee.

⁴Comfort the soul of thy servant; * for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵For thou, Lord, art good and gracious, * and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

⁶Give ear, LORD, unto my prayer, * and ponder the voice of my humble desires.

⁷In the time of my trouble I will call upon thee; * for thou hearest me.

⁸Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; * there is not one that can do as thou doest.

⁹All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship thee, O Lord; * and shall glorify thy Name.

¹⁰For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: * thou art God alone.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O LORD, and I will walk in thy truth: * O knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name.

¹²I will thank thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; * and will praise thy Name for evermore.

¹³For great is thy mercy toward me; * and thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hell.

¹⁴O God, the proud are risen against me; * and the congregations of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set thee before their eyes.

¹⁵But thou, O Lord God, art full of compassion and mercy, * long-suffering, plenteous in goodness and truth.

¹⁶O turn thee then unto me, and have mercy upon me; * give thy strength unto thy servant, and help the son of thine handmaid.

¹⁷Show some token upon me for good; that they who hate me may see it, and be ashamed, * because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

Psalm 87 Fundamenta ejus.

HER foundations are upon the holy hills: * the LORD loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

²Very excellent things are spoken of thee, * thou city of God.

³I will make mention of Egypt and Babylon, * among them that know me.

⁴Behold, Philistia also; and Tyre, with Ethiopia; * lo, in Sion were they born.

⁵Yea, of Sion it shall be reported, this one and that one were born in her; * and the Most High shall stablish her.

⁶The LORD shall record it, when he writeth up the peoples; * lo, in Sion were they born.

⁷The singers also and trumpeters shall make answer: * All my fresh springs are in thee.

Psalm 88 Domine, Deus.

O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: * O let my prayer enter into thy presence, incline thine ear unto my calling;

²For my soul is full of trouble, * and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

³I am counted as one of them that go down into the pit, * and I am even as a man that hath no strength;

⁴Cast off among the dead, like unto them that are slain, and lie in the grave, * who are out of remembrance, and are cut away from thy hand.

⁵Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, * in a place of darkness, and in the deep.

⁶Thine indignation lieth hard upon me, * and thou hast vexed me with all thy storms.

⁷Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me, * and made me to be abhorred of them.

⁸I am so fast in prison * that I cannot get forth.

⁹My sight faileth for very trouble; * LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched forth my hands unto thee.

¹⁰Dost thou show wonders among the dead? * or shall the dead rise up again, and praise thee?

¹¹Shall thy loving-kindness be showed in the grave? * or thy faithfulness in destruction?

¹²Shall thy wondrous works be known in the dark? * and thy righteousness in the land where all things are forgotten?

¹³Unto thee have I cried, O LORD; * and early shall my prayer come before thee.

¹⁴LORD, why abhorrest thou my soul, * and hidest thou thy face from me?

¹⁵I am in misery, and like unto him that is at the point to die; * even from my youth up, thy terrors have I suffered with a troubled mind.

¹⁶Thy wrathful displeasure goeth over me, * and the fear of thee hath undone me.

¹⁷They came round about me daily like water, * and compassed me together on every side.

¹⁸My lovers and friends hast thou put away from me, * and hid mine acquaintance out of my sight.

Midday

The Angelus

℣.The Angel of the LORD announced unto Mary,

℟.And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

℣.Behold the handmaid of the LORD.

℟.Be it unto me according to thy word.

℣.And the Word was made flesh.

℟.And dwelt among us.

℣.Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

℟.That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray.

WE beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts: that, as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion + we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Evening

A Shorter Form for Evening Prayer

After the reading of a brief portion of Holy Scripture, let the Head of the House-hold, or some other member of the family, lead those present, all kneeling, in saying the Lord's Prayer.

LIGHTEN our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Here may be added any special Prayers.

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, this night and evermore. Amen.

Evening Prayer

The Family being together, a little before bed-time, let the Master our Mistress, or any other who may be appointed, say as followeth, all kneeling, and repeating with him the Lord's Prayer.

Here may follow the Collect for the day.

* Here let him who reads make a short pause, that every one may secretly confess the sins and failings of that day.

Confession of Sins, with a Prayer for Contrition and Pardon.

MOST merciful God, who art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and hast promised forgiveness to all those who confess and forsake their sins; We come before thee in an humble sense of our own unworthiness, acknowledging our manifold transgressions of they righteous laws.* But, O gracious Father, who desirest not the death of a sinner, look upon us, we beseech thee, in mercy, and forgive us all our transgressions. Make us deeply sensible of the great evil of them; and work in us an hearty contrition; that we may obtain forgiveness at thy hands, who art ever ready to receive humble and penitent sinners; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

Prayer for Grace to reform and grow Better.

AND lest, through our own fraility, 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.

The Intercession.

AND accept, O Lord, our intercessions for all mankind. Let the light of thy Gospel shine upon all nations; and may as many as have received it, live as becomes it. Be gracious unto thy Church; and grant that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry, may serve thee faithfully. Bless all in authority over us; and so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands, that they may punish wickedness and vice, and maintain thy true religion and virtue. Send down thy blessings, temporal and spiritual, upon all our relations, friends, and neighbours. Reward all who have done us good, and pardon all those who have done or wish us evil, and give them repentance and better minds. Be merciful to all who are in any trouble; and do thou, the God of pity, administer to them according to their several necessities; for his sake who went about doing good, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Thanksgiving.

TO our prayers, O Lord, we join our unfeigned thanks, for all thy mercies; for our being, our reason, and all other endowments and faculties of soul and body; for our health, friends, food, and raiment, and all the other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore thy mercy in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and in giving us the knowledge and sense of our duty towards thee. We bless thee for thy patience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provocations; for all the directions, assistances, and comforts of thy Holy Spirit; for thy continual care and watchful providence over us through the whole course of our lives; and particularly for the mercies and benefits of the past day; beseeching thee to continue these thy blessings to us, and to give us grace to show our thankfulness in a sincere obedience to his laws, through whose merits and intercession we received them all, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for God's Protection through the Night following.

IN particular, we beseech thee to continue thy gracious protection to us this night. Defend us from all dangers and mischiefs, and from the fear of them; that we may enjoy such refreshing sleep as may fit us for the duties of the coming day. And grant us grace always to live in such a state that we may never be afraid to die; so that, living and dying, we may be thine, through the merits and satisfaction of thy Son Christ Jesus, in whose Name we offer up these our imperfect prayers. Amen.

THE Grace + of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

On Sundays, and on other days when it may be convenient, it will be proper to begin with a Chapter, or part of a Chapter, from the New Testament.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 89 Misericordias Domini.

MY song shall be alway of the loving-kindness of the LORD; * with my mouth will I ever be showing thy truth from one generation to another.

²For I have said, Mercy shall be set up for ever; * thy truth shalt thou stablish in the heavens.

³I have made a covenant with my chosen; * I have sworn unto David my servant:

⁴Thy seed will I stablish for ever, * and set up thy throne from one generation to another.

⁵O LORD, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous works; * and thy truth in the congregation of the saints.

⁶For who is he among the clouds, * that shall be compared unto the LORD?

⁷And what is he among the gods, * that shall be like unto the LORD?

⁸God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints, * and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.

⁹O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee? * thy truth, most mighty LORD, is on every side.

¹⁰Thou rulest the raging of the sea; * thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise.

¹¹Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it; * thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm.

¹²The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine; * thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is.

¹³Thou hast made the north and the south; * Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name.

¹⁴Thou hast a mighty arm; * strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

¹⁵Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat; * mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

¹⁶Blessed is the people, O LORD, that can rejoice in thee; * they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.

¹⁷Their delight shall be daily in thy Name; * and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast.

¹⁸For thou art the glory of their strength, * and in thy loving-kindness thou shalt lift up our horns.

¹⁹For the LORD is our defence; * the Holy One of Israel is our King.

²⁰Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst, * I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

²¹I have found David my servant; * with my holy oil have I anointed him.

²²My hand shall hold him fast, * and my arm shall strengthen him.

²³The enemy shall not be able to do him violence; * the son of wickedness shall not hurt him.

²⁴I will smite down his foes before his face, * and plague them that hate him.

²⁵My truth also and my mercy shall be with him; * and in my Name shall his horn be exalted.

²⁶I will set his dominion also in the sea, * and his right hand in the floods.

²⁷He shall call me, Thou art my Father, * my God, and my strong salvation.

²⁸And I will make him my firstborn, * higher than the kings of the earth.

²⁹My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, * and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

³⁰His seed also will I make to endure for ever, * and his throne as the days of heaven.

³¹But if his children forsake my law, * and walk not in my judgments;

³²If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; * I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges.

³³Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him, * nor suffer my truth to fail.

³⁴My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips: * I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David.

³⁵His seed shall endure for ever, * and his throne is like as the sun before me.

³⁶He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon, * and as the faithful witness in heaven.

³⁷But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine anointed, * and art displeased at him.

³⁸Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant, * and cast his crown to the ground.

³⁹Thou hast overthrown all his hedges, * and broken down his strongholds.

⁴⁰All they that go by spoil him, * and he is become a reproach to his neighbours.

⁴¹Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies, * and made all his adversaries to rejoice.

⁴²Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword, * and givest him not victory in the battle.

⁴³Thou hast put out his glory, * and cast his throne down to the ground.

⁴⁴The days of his youth hast thou shortened, * and covered him with dishonour.

⁴⁵LORD, how long wilt thou hide thyself? for ever? * and shall thy wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁶O remember how short my time is; * wherefore hast thou made all men for nought?

⁴⁷What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? * and shall he deliver his soul from the power of the grave?

⁴⁸Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses, * which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

⁴⁹Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have, * and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people;

⁵⁰Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, * and slandered the footsteps of thine anointed.

⁵¹Praised be the LORD for evermore. * Amen, and Amen.