1789 Book of Common Prayer: Prayers & Thanksgivings · 1789 Book of Common Prayer: Front Matter & Lectionary

The Book of Common Prayer

	1789 U. S. Book of Common Prayer

PRAYERS	Title
AND THANKSGIVINGS	& rubric printed as one rubric until 1845.
UPON
SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
¶
To be used before the two final Prayers of Morning and Evening Service.
P
R A Y E R S.
A
Prayer for Congress.
¶
To be used during their Session.
MOST gracious God, we humbly beseech thee,
as for the peoples of these United States in general, so especially for
their Senate and Representatives in Congress assembled; That thou wouldest
be pleased to direct and prosper all their consultations, to the advancement
of thy glory, the good of thy Church, the safety honour and welfare of
thy people; 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.
For
Rain.
O
GOD, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised to all
those who seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, all things
necessary to their bodily sustenance; Send us, we beseech thee, in this
our necessity, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the
fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to thy honour; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For
Fair Weather.
ALMIGHTY
and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech thee, of thy great goodness,
to restrain those immoderate rains, wherewith, for our sins, thou hast
afflicted us. And we pray thee to send us such seasonable weather, that
the earth may, in due time, yield her increase for our use and benefit.
And give us grace, that we may learn by thy punishments to amend our lives,
and for thy clemency to give thee thanks and praise; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
In
Time of Dearth and Famine.
O
GOD, heavenly Father, whose gift it is that the rain doth fall, and the
earth bring forth her increase; Behold, we beseech thee, the afflictions
of thy people; increase the fruits of the earth by thy heavenly benediction;
and grant that the scarcity and dearth, which we now most justly suffer
for our sins, may, through thy goodness, be mercifully turned into plenty;
for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy
Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
In
Time of War and Tumults.
ALMIGHTY
God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able
to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful
to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee,
from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defence,
may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the
only giver of all victory; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For	Title
those who are to be admitted into Holy Orders.	& rubric printed as one rubric until 1845.
¶
To be used in the Weeks preceding the stated Times of Ordination.
ALMIGHTY
God, our heavenly Father, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church
by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the same,
and at this time so guide and govern the minds of thy servants the Bishops
and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no man,
but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons, to serve in the
sacred Ministry of thy Church. And, to those who shall be ordained to
any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both
by their life and doctrine they may show forth thy glory and set forward
the salvation of all men through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶
Or this
ALMIGHTY
God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed
divers Orders in thy Church, Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee to
all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the
same, and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue
them with innocency of life that they may faithfully serve before thee
to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In
Time of great Sickness and Mortality.
O
ALMIGHTY God, the Lord of life and death, of sickness and health; Regard
our supplications, we humbly beseech thee; and; as thou hast thought fit
to visit us for our sins with great sickness and mortality, in the midst
of thy judgment, O Lord, remember mercy. Have pity upon us miserable sinners,
and withdraw from us the grievous sickness with which we are afflicted.
May this thy fatherly correction have its due influence upon us, by leading
us to consider how frail and uncertain our life is; that we may apply
our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which in the end will bring us to
everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For
a Sick Person.
O
FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need;
Look down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, behold, visit, and relieve
thy sick servant for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon him
with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness;
preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; give him
patience under his affliction; and, in thy good time, restore
him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of
his life in thy fear, and to thy glory. Or else give him
grace so to take thy visitation, that, after this painful life ended,
he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through . Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For
a Sick Child.
ALMIGHTY
God, and merciful Father, to whom alone belong the issues of life and
death; Look down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, with the eyes of
mercy, upon the sick child for whom our prayers are desired. Deliver him,
O Lord, in thy good appointed time, from his bodily pain, and
visit him with thy salvation; that if it should be thy good pleasure
to prolong his days here on earth, he may live to thee, and be
an instrument of thy glory, by serving thee faithfully, and doing good
in his generation. Or else receive him, into those heavenly habitations
where the souls of those who sleep in the Lord Jesus enjoy perpetual rest
and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of thy Son, our Saviour,
Jesus Christ. Amen.
For
a Person, or Persons, going to Sea.
O
ETERNAL God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging
of the sea; We commend to thy Almighty protection, thy servant, for whose
preservation on the great deep our prayers are desired. Guard him,
we beseech thee, from the dangers of the sea, from sickness, from the
violence of enemies and from every evil to which he may be exposed. Conduct
him in safety to the haven where he would be with a grateful
sense of thy mercies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For
a Person under Affliction
O
MERCIFUL God and heavenly Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word
that thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, look
with pity, we beseech thee, upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom our
prayers are desired. In thy wisdom thou hast seen fit to visit him
with trouble, and to bring distress upon him. Remember him O
Lord in mercy; sanctify thy fatherly correction to him; endue
his soul with patience under his affliction, and with
resignation to thy blessed will; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness;
lift up thy countenance upon him, and give him peace; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For	Title
Malefactors, after Condemnation.	& rubric printed as one rubric until 1845.
¶
Or else the Prayer in the Visitation of Prisoners, beginning
"O Father of Mercies," &c., may be used.
O
MOST gracious and merciful God, we earnestly beseech thee to have pity
and compassion upon those persons recommended to our prayers,
who now lie under the sentence of the law, and are appointed
to die. Visit them, O Lord, with thy mercy and salvation; convince
them of the miserable condition they are in, by their
sins and wickedness; and let thy powerful grace produce in them
such a godly sorrow, and sincere repentance, as thou wilt be pleased to
accept. Give them a strong and lively faith in thy Son, our blessed
Saviour, and make it effectual to the salvation of their souls.
O Lord, in judgment remember mercy; and whatever sufferings they
are to endure in this world, yet deliver them, O God, from the
bitter pains of eternal death. Pardon their sins, and save their
souls, for the sake and merits of thy dear Son, our blessed Saviour and
Redeemer. Amen.
A	This
Prayer to be used at the Meetings of Convention.	prayer and rubric added in 1845
ALMIGHTY	Note:
and everlasting God, who by thy Holy Spirit didst preside in the Councils	In most of the editions prior to 1845 (and after 1805) I have seen, this
of the blessed Apostles, and hast promised, through thy Son Jesus Christ,	prayer appears separately, without the rubric following and without any
to be with thy Church to the end of the world; We beseech thee to be present	italics, in the Ordinal between the Consecration
with the Council of thy Church here assembled in thy Name and Presence.	of a Church and the Institution of Ministers. In a few books printed
Save us* from all error, ignorance, pride, and prejudice; and of	before 1845 it appears here.
thy great mercy vouchsafe, we beseech thee, so to direct, sanctify, and	*
govern us in our present work, by the mighty power of	"them", unitalicized, before 1871.
the Holy Ghost, that the comfortable Gospel of Christ may be truly preached,
truly received, and truly followed, in all places, to the breaking down
the kingdom of sin; Satan, and death; till at length the whole of thy
dispersed sheep, being gathered into one fold, shall become partakers
of everlasting life; through the merits and death of Jesus Christ our
Saviour. Amen.
¶
During the period of the session of any General or Diocesan Convention,
the above Prayer may be used by all Congregations of this Church, or of
the Diocese concerned; the clause “here assembled in thy Name
and Presence,” being changed to “now assembled in thy
Name and Presence;” and the clause “govern
us in our present work,” to “govern them in
their present work.”
	Page from Prayers
	and Thanksgivings, in an edition published in 1810.
T
H A N K S G I V I N G S.
	Title
The	& rubric printed as one rubric until 1845.
Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth.
¶
To be said when any Woman being present in Church, shall have desired
to return thanks to Almighty God for her safe deliverance.
ALMIGHTY
God, we give thee humble thanks for that thou hast been graciously pleased
to preserve, through the great pain and peril of childbirth, this
woman, thy servant, who desireth now to offer her
praises and thanksgivings unto thee. Grant, we beseech thee most merciful
Father that she, through thy help may both faithfully live and
walk according to thy will in this life present and also may be partaker
of everlasting glory in the life to come through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For
Rain
O
GOD 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 God, who hast justly humbled us by thy late visitation of us with
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 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 God, 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 compassed.
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 God, 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 against 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
godliness 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 great Sickness and Mortality.
O
LORD God, 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 judgment
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.
For
a Recovery from Sickness.
O
GOD, who art giver of life, of health, and of safety; We bless thy Name,
that thou hast been pleased to deliver from his bodily sickness
this thy servant who now desireth to return
thanks unto thee in the presence of all thy people. Gracious art thou,
O Lord and full of compassion to the children of men. May his heart
be duly impressed with a sense of thy merciful goodness and may he
devote the residue of his days to an humble, holy, and obedient walking
before thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For
a Safe Return from Sea.
MOST
gracious Lord, whose mercy is over all thy works; We praise thy holy Name
that thou hast been pleased to conduct in safety, through the perils of
the great deep, this thy servant, who now desireth to
return his thanks unto thee, in thy holy Church. May he
be duly sensible of thy merciful providence towards him, and
ever express his thankfulness by a holy trust in thee, and obedience to
thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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