The Fourth 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 19 Caeli enarrant.

THE heavens declare the glory of God; * and the firmament showeth his handy-work.

²One day telleth another; * and one night certifieth another.

³There is neither speech nor language; * but their voices are heard among them.

⁴Their sound is gone out into all lands; * and their words into the ends of the world.

⁵In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun; * which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run his course.

⁶It goeth forth from the uttermost part of the heaven, and runneth about unto the end of it again; * and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

⁷The law of the LORD is an undefiled law, converting the soul; * the testimony of the LORD is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple.

⁸The statutes of the LORD are right, and rejoice the heart; * the commandment of the LORD is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, and endureth for ever; * the judgments of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; * sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover, by them is thy servant taught; * and in keeping of them there is great reward.

¹²Who can tell how oft he offendeth? * O cleanse thou me from my secret faults.

¹³Keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins, lest they get the dominion over me; * so shall I be undefiled, and innocent from the great offence.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be alway acceptable in thy sight, * O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

Psalm 20 Exaudiat te Dominus.

THE LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; * the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee:

²Send thee help from the sanctuary, * and strengthen thee out of Sion:

³Remember all thy offerings, * and accept thy burnt-sacrifice:

⁴Grant thee thy heart’s desire, * and fulfil all thy mind.

⁵We will rejoice in thy salvation, and triumph in the Name of the LORD our God: * the LORD perform all thy petitions.

⁶Now know I that the LORD helpeth his anointed, and will hear him from his holy heaven, * even with the wholesome strength of his right hand.

⁷Some put their trust in chariots, and some in horses; * but we will remember the Name of the LORD our God.

⁸They are brought down and fallen; * but we are risen and stand upright.

⁹Save, LORD; and hear us, O King of heaven, * when we call upon thee.

Psalm 21 Domine, in virtute tua.

THE King shall rejoice in thy strength, O LORD; * exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation.

²Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, * and hast not denied him the request of his lips.

³For thou shalt meet him with the blessings of goodness, * and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his head.

⁴He asked life of thee; and thou gavest him a long life, * even for ever and ever.

⁵His honour is great in thy salvation; * glory and great worship shalt thou lay upon him.

⁶For thou shalt give him everlasting felicity, * and make him glad with the joy of thy countenance.

⁷And why? because the King putteth his trust in the LORD; * and in the mercy of the Most Highest he shall not miscarry.

⁸All thine enemies shall feel thine hand; * thy right hand shall find out them that hate thee.

⁹Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven in time of thy wrath: * the LORD shall destroy them in his displeasure, and the fire shall consume them.

¹⁰Their fruit shalt thou root out of the earth, * and their seed from among the children of men.

¹¹For they intended mischief against thee, * and imagined such a device as they are not able to perform.

¹²Therefore shalt thou put them to flight, * and the strings of thy bow shalt thou make ready against the face of them.

¹³Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength; * so will we sing, and praise thy power.

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 22 Deus, Deus meus.

MY God, my God, look upon me; why hast thou forsaken me? * and art so far from my health, and from the words of my complaint?

²O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest not; * and in the night season also I take no rest.

³And thou continuest holy, * O thou Worship of Israel.

⁴Our fathers hoped in thee; * they trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵They called upon thee, and were holpen; * they put their trust in thee, and were not confounded.

⁶But as for me, I am a worm, and no man; * a very scorn of men, and the outcast of the people.

⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn; * they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying,

⁸He trusted in the LORD, that he would deliver him; * let him deliver him, if he will have him.

⁹But thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb; * thou wast my hope, when I hanged yet upon my mother’s breasts.

¹⁰I have been left unto thee ever since I was born; * thou art my God even from my mother's womb.

¹¹O go not from me; for trouble is hard at hand, * and there is none to help me.

¹²Many oxen are come about me; * fat bulls of Bashan close me in on every side.

¹³They gape upon me with their mouths, * as it were a ramping and a roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; * my heart also in the midst of my body is even like melting wax.

¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my gums, * and thou bringest me into the dust of death.

¹⁶For many dogs are come about me; * and the council of the wicked layeth siege against me.

¹⁷They pierced my hands and my feet: I may tell all my bones: * they stand staring and looking upon me.

¹⁸They part my garments among them, * and cast lots upon my vesture.

¹⁹But be not thou far from me, O LORD; * thou art my succour, haste thee to help me.

²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword, * my darling from the power of the dog.

²¹Save me from the lion's mouth; * thou hast heard me also from among the horns of the unicorns.

²²I will declare thy Name unto my brethren; * in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

²³O praise the LORD, ye that fear him: * magnify him, all ye of the seed of Jacob; and fear him, all ye seed of Israel.

²⁴For he hath not despised nor abhorred the low estate of the poor; * he hath not hid his face from him; but when he called unto him he heard him.

²⁵My praise is of thee in the great congregation; * my vows will I perform in the sight of them that fear him.

²⁶The poor shall eat, and be satisfied; they that seek after the LORD shall praise him: * your heart shall live for ever.

²⁷All the ends of the world shall remember themselves, and be turned unto the LORD; * and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him.

²⁸For the kingdom is the LORD’S, * and he is the Governor among the nations.

²⁹All such as be fat upon earth * have eaten, and worshipped.

³⁰All they that go down into the dust shall kneel before him; * and no man hath quickened his own soul.

³¹My seed shall serve him: * they shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation.

³²They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness * unto a people that shall be born, whom the Lord hath made.

Psalm 23 Dominus regit me.

THE LORD is my shepherd; * therefore can I lack nothing.

²He shall feed me in a green pasture, * and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.

³He shall convert my soul, * and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; * for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.

⁵Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of them that trouble me; * thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.

⁶Surely thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; * and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.