The 1549 Book of Common Prayer: Burial · The 1549 Book of Common Prayer: Preface

The Book of Common Prayer

	The Book of Common Prayer - 1549

THE
ORDRE FOR THE
BURIALL
OF THE DEAD.
The
priest metyng the Corps at the Churche style, shalt say: Or els the
priestes and clerkes shalt sing, and so goe either into the Churche,
or towardes the grave.
I	John
AM the resurreccion and the life (sayth the Lord): he that beleveth	xi.
in me, yea though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lyveth
and beleveth in me: shall not dye for ever.
	Job
I KNOWE that my redemer lyveth,	xix.
and that I shall ryse out of the yearth in the last daye, and shalbe
covered again with my skinne and shall see God in my flesh: yea and
I myselfe shall beholde hym, not with other but with these same iyes.
WE	1
brought nothyng into this worlde, neyther may we carye any thyng out	Tim. vi. Job i.
of this worlde. The Lord geveth, and the Lord taketh awaie. Even as
it pleaseth the Lorde, so cummeth thynges to passe: blessed be the name
of the Lorde.
When they come at the grave, whyles the Corps is made readie to be layed
into the earth, the priest shall sa ye, or els the priest and clerkes
shall syng.
MAN	Job
that is borne of a woman, hath but a shorte tyme to lyve, and is full	ix.
of miserye : he cummeth up and is cut downe lyke a floure; he flyeth
as it were a shadowe, and never continueth in one staye.
¶ In the myddest of lyfe we be in death, of whom
may we seke for succour but of thee, o Lorde, whiche for our synnes
justly art moved? yet o Lord God moste holy, o Lord moste mighty, o
holy and moste merciful saviour, delyver us not into the bitter paines
of eternal death. Thou knowest, Lord, the secretes of our hartes : shutte
not up thy mercyfull iyes to our praiers : But spare us, Lord most holy,
o God moste mighty, o holy and mercifull saviour, thou moste worthy
judge eternal, suffre us not at our last houre for any paines of death
to fal from the.
Then the priest castyng earth upon the Corps, shall saye.
I
COMMENDE thy soule to God the father almighty, and thy body to the grounde,
earth to earth, asshes to asshes, dust to dust, in sure and certayne
hope of resurreccion to eternall lyfe, through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall chaunge our vile body, that it may be lyke to his glorious
body, accordyng to the myghtie workyng wherby he is hable to subdue
all thynges to himselfe.
Then shalbe sayed or song.
I	Apoca.
HEARDE a voyce from heaven saying, unto me: Wryte, blessed are the dead	[=Revelation]
whiche dye in the Lorde. Even so sayeth the spirite, that they rest	xiiii.
from theyr labours.
Let
us praye.
WE
commende into thy handes of mercy (moste mercifull father) the soule
of this our brother departed, N. And his body we commit to the
earth, besechyng thyne infinite goodnesse, to geve us grace to lyve
in thy feare and love, and to dye in thy favoure: that when the judgmente
shall come which thou haste commytted to thy welbeloved sonne, both
this our brother, and we, may be found acceptable in thy sight, and
receive that blessing, whiche thy welbeloved sonne shall then pronounce
to all that love and feare thee, saying: Come ye blessed children of
my Father: Receyve the kingdome prepared for you before the beginning
of the worlde. Graunt this, mercifull father, for the honour of Jesu
Christe our onely savior, mediator, and advocate. Amen.
This praier shalt also be added.
ALMIGHTIE
God, we geve thee hertie thankes for this thy servaunte, whom thou haste
delyvered from the miseries of this wretched world, from the body of
death and all temptacion. And, as we trust, hast brought his soule whiche
he committed into thy holye handes, into sure consolacion and reste:
Graunte, we beseche thee, that at the daye of judgement his soule and
all the soules of thy electe, departed out of this lyfe, may with us
and we with them, fully receive thy promisses, and be made perfite altogether
thorow [through]
the glorious resurreccion of thy sonne Jesus Christ our Lorde.
These
psalmes with other sufirages folowyng are to be sayed in the churche
either before or after the buriall of the corps
Dilexi, quoniam. Psalm cxvi.
I
AM well pleased that the lorde hath hearde the voyce of my prayer.
That he hath enclined his eare unto me, therefore
wil I call upon him as long as I live.
The snares of death compased me round about, and
the paynes of hel gatte holde upon me : I shal finde trouble and heavines,
and I shal cal upon the name of the lorde, (O Lorde,) I beseche thee
deliver my soule.
Gracious is the lord, and righteous, yea, our god
is mercifull.
The lord preserveth the simple : I was m misery and
he helped me.
Turne agayn then unto thy rest, o my soule, for the
lord hath rewarded thee.
And why? thou hast delivered my soule from death,
mine iyes from teares, and my feete from fallyng.
I will walke before the lorde in the lande of the
living.
I beleved, and therfore wil I speake : but I was
sore troubled. I sayd in my haste : all menne are lyers.
What rewarde shall I geve unto the lorde, for al
the benefites that he hath doen unto me?
I wil receive the cup of salvacion, and call upon
the name of the lorde.
I will pay my vowes now in the presence of all his
people : right dere [dear] in the sight of the lord is the death of hys
Saintes.
Beholde (O lorde) how that I am thy servaunte : I
am thy servaunt, and the sonne of thy handmayde, thou hast broken my
bondes in sunder.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thankesgevyng,
and will call upon the Name of the Lorde.
I will pay my vowes unto the lorde, in the syghte
of all his people, in the courtes of the lordes house, even in the middest
of thee, O Hierusalem [Jerusalem].
Glorie to the father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c.
Lauda, anima, mea. Psal. cxlvi.
PRAYSE
the lorde, (o my soule), while I live wil I prayse the lorde : yea,
as long as I have any being, I wil sing prayses unto my god.
Note
that this psalme is to be sayed after the others that foloweth.
O put not your trust in princes, nor in any childe of man, for there
is no helpe in them.
For when the breath of man goeth furth, he shall
turne agayn to his yearth, and then all his thoughtes perish.
Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for hys
helpe : and whose hope is in the lorde hys god.
Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and al that
therein is : whiche kepeth his promise for ever.
Whiche helpeth them to right that suffer wrong, which
feedeth the hungrie.
The lorde looceth men out of prieson, the lorde geveth
sight to the blynde.
The lorde helpeth them up that are fallen, the lorde
careth for the righteous.
The lord careth for the straungers, he defendeth
the fatherlesse and widdowe : as for the waye of the ungodly, he turneth
it upsyde downe.
The lorde thy God, O Sion, shalbe kyng for evermore,
and throughout all generacions.
Glory to the father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c.
Domine,	In some printings,
probasti. Psalm cxxxix.	this Psalm is placed after the next one, with a note: Note that this Psalm is to be said after the
O	other that followeth.
LORD, thou hast searched me out, and knowe me. Thou knowest my down-sitting,
and mine up-rising : thou understandest my thoughtes long before.
Thou art about my pathe, and about my bed, and spiest
out al my waies.
For loe, there is not a woord in my toungue, but
thou (o lorde) knoweste it altogether.
Thou hast fashioned me, behinde and before, and layed
thine hande upon me.
Such knowelage is to woonderfull and excellente for
me : I cannot attaine unto it.
Whither shall I goe then from thy spirite? or whither
shal I goe then from thy presence?
If I clime up into heaven, thou art there : If I
goe down to hel, thou art there also.
If I take the winges of the morning, and remaine
in the uttermoste partes of the sea;
Even there also shal thy hande leade me, and thy
righte hande shall holde me.
If I saye : paradventure the darkenesse shall cover
me, then shall my night bee turned to daye.
Yea the darkenesse is no darkenesse with thee: but
the night is all clere as the daye, the darkenesse and lyghte to thee
are bothe alike.
For my reynes [reins]
are thine, thou hast covred me in my mothers wombe : I wyll geve thankes
unto thee, for I am fearefully and woonderously made: mervailous are
thy woorkes, and that my soule knoweth right well.
My bones are not hidde from thee, though I bee made
secretely, and fashioned beneath in the yearth.
Thine eyes did see my substaunce, yet being unperfecte
: and in thy booke were al my membres written.
Whiche daye by daye were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them.
Howe dere are thy councels unto me, O God? O howe
greate is the summe of them?
If I tell them, they are moe in noumbre then the
sande when I wake up, I am present with thee.
Wilt thou not sley the wicked, O God? departe from
me, ye bloudethristie men.
For they speake unrighteously againste thee : and
thyne enemies take thy name in vaine.
Dooe not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee : and
am not I greved with those that ryse up against thee?
Yea I hate them righte sore, even as thoughe they
were myne enemies.
Trye me, O God, and seeke the grounde of myne harte
: prove me and examine my thoughtes.
Looke well if there be any way of wickednes in me,
and leade me in the waye everlasting.
Glory to the father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c.
Then
shall folowe this lesson, taken out of the XV. Chapter to the Corinthians,
the firste Epistle.
CHRISTE
is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruictes of them that slepte.
For by a man came death, and by a man came the resurreccion of the deade.
For as by Adam all dye: even so by Christ shal al be made alive, but
every manne in his owne ordre. The firste is Christe, then they that
are Christes, at hys comming. Then commeth the ende, when he hath delivered
up the kyngdome to God the father, when he hath put downe al rule and
al authoritie and power. For he must reygne til he have putte al his
enemies under his feete. The laste enemie that shal bee destroyed, is
death. For he hath putte all thinges under his feete. But when he sayeth
al thinges are put under him, it is manifeste that he is excepted, whiche
dyd putte all thinges under him. When all thynges are subdued unto hym,
then shall the soonne also hymselfe bee subjecte unto hym that put all
thynges under him, that god mai be all in all. Elles what doe they,
whiche are baptized over the dead, if the dead ryse not at all? Why
are they then baptized over them? yea, and why stand we alway then in
jeoperdie? By our rejoysing whiche I have in Christ Jesu oure lorde,
I dye dayly. That I have fought with beastes at Ephesus after the maner
of men, what avavntageth it me, if the dead ryse not agayn? Let us eate
and drynke, for to-morowe we shall dye. Be not ye deceived: eivill wordes
corrupt good maners. Awake truly out of slepe, and sinne not. For some
have not the knowledge of God. I speake this to your shame. But some
man. will say: how aryse the dead? with what bodye shall they come?
Thou foole, that whiche thou sowest, is not quickened, except it dye.
And what sowest thou? Thou sowest not that body that shall be; but bare
corne as of wheate, or of some other: but god geveth it a bodie at hys
pleasure, to every seede his owne body. All fleshe is not one maner
of fleshe: but there is one maner of fleshe of men, another maner of
fleshe of beastes, another of fishes, another of birdes. There are also
celestiall bodies, arid there are bodies terrestriall. But the glorye
of the celestiall is one, and the glorye of the terrestrial is another.
There is one maner glory of the sonne, and another glorye of the moone,
and another glorye of the sterres. For one sterre differeth from another
in glorie. So is the resurreccyon of the dead. It is sowen in corrupcion,
it ryseth again in incorrupcion. It is sowen in dishonour, it rysethe
agayne in honour. It is sowen in weakenesse, it ryseth agayn in power.
It is sowen a naturiall bodie, it ryseth agayn a spirituall bodie. There
is a naturall bodie, and there is a spirituall bodye: as it is also
written: The firste manne Adam was made a living soule, and the last
Adam was made a quickning spirite. Howebeit, that is not firste which
is spiritual: but that which is naturall, and then that whiche is spirituall.
The firste man is of the earthe, yearthy: The seconde manne is the Lorde
from heaven (heavenly). As is the earthy, such are they that are yearthy.
And as is the heavenly, such are they that are heavenly. And as we have
borne the image of the yearthy, so shal we beare the image of the heavenly.
This say I brethren, that fleshe and bloud cannot enherite the kyngdome
of God: Neyther doeth corrupcion enherite uncorrupcion. Behold, I shewe
you a mistery. We shall not all slepe: but we shal al be chaunged, and
that in a momente, in the twynkeling of an iye by the last trumpe. For
the trumpe shall blowe, and the dead shall ryse incorruptible, and we
shall be chaunged. For this corruptible must put on incorrupcion: and
this mortall must put on immortalitie. When this corruptible hath put
on incorruption, and this mortall hath put on immortalitie: then shall
bee brought to passe the saying that is written: Death is swalowed up
in victorye: Death where is thy styng? Hell where is thy victorye? The
styng of deathe is sinne: and the strength of sinne is the lawe. But
thankes be unto god, whiche hath geven us victory, through our Lorde
Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dere brethren, be ye stedfast and unmovable,
alwaies ryche in the woorke of the lorde, forasmuch as ye know that
your labour is not in vayne, in the lorde.
The
lesson ended then shall the Priest say.
Lorde, have mercie upon us.
Christe, have mercie upon us.
Lorde, have mercie upon us.
Our father whiche art in heaven, &c.
And leade us not into temptacion.
Aunswere. But deliver
us from evil. Amen.
Priest. Entre not (o
lorde) into judgement with thy servaunt.
Aunswere. For in
thy sight no living creature shalbe justifyed.
Priest. From the gates
of hell.
Aunswere. Deliver theyr
soules, o lorde.
Priest. I beleve to
see the goodnes of the lorde.
Aunswere. In the lande
of the living.
Prieste. O lorde, graciously
heare my prayer.
Aunswere. And let my
crye come unto thee.
Let
us pray.
O
LORDE, with whome dooe lyve the spirites of them that be dead: and in
whome the soules of them that bee elected, after they be delivered from
the burden of the fleshe, be in joy and felicitie: Graunte unto us thy
servaunte, that the sinnes whiche he committed in this world be not
imputed unto him, but that he, escaping the gates of hell and paynes
of eternall derkenesse: may ever dwel in the region of highte, with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the place where is no wepyng, sorowe,
nor heavinesse: and when that dredeful day of the generall resurreccion
shall come, make him to ryse also with the just and righteous, and receive
this bodie agayn to glory, then made pure and incorruptible, set him
on the right hand of thy sonne Jesus Christ, emong thy holy and elect,
that then he may heare with them these most swete and coumfortable wordes:
Come to me ye blessed of my father, possesse the kingdome whiche hath
bene prepared for you from the beginning of the worlde: Graunte thys
we beseche thee, o mercifull father: through Jesus Christe our mediatour
and redemer. Amen.
THE
CELEBRACION
of
the holy communion when there is a burial of the dead.
Quemadmodum.
Psalm xlii.
LIKE
as the hart [deer]
desireth the water-brookes, so longeth my soule after thee, o God.
My soule is athirst for god, yea, even for the living
god : when shal I come to appeare before the presence of god?
My teares have beene my meate day and nighte, whyle
they dayly say unto me, Where is now thy god?
Nowe when I thinke thereupon, I powre out my hart
by my selfe : for I went with the multitude, and brought them furth
unto the house of god, in the voyce of praise and thankesgeving, emong
suche as kepe holyday.
Why art thou so full of heavines, (O my soule) :
and why art thou so unquiete within me?
Put thy trust in god, for I wil yet geve him thankes
for the helpe of his countenaunce.
My God, my soule is vexed within me : therefore will
I remember thee concerning the land of Jordane, and the litle hill of
Hermonim [Hermon].
One deepe calleth another, beecause of the noyse
of thy water pypes, all thy waves and stormes are gone over me.
The lorde hath graunted his loving-kyndenesse on
the daye tyme, and in the nighte season dyd I syng of hym, and made
my prayer unto the god of my lyfe.
I wil say unto the God of my strength, why haste
thou forgotten me? why goe I thus hevelye, whyle the enemie oppresseth
me?
My bones are smitten asoonder, whyle myne enemies
(that trouble me) cast me in the teeth, namely while they say dayly
unto me : where is nowe thy God?
Why art thou so vexed, (O my soule) and why arte
thou so disquieted within me?
O put thy trust in god, for I will yet thanke him
which is the helpe of my countenaunce, and my God.
Glorie to the Father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c.
Collette.
O
MERCIFULL god the father of oure lorde Jesu Christ, who is the resurreccion
and the life: In whom whosoever beleveth shall live thoughe he dye:
And whosoever liveth, and beleveth in hym, shal not dye eternallye:
who also hath taughte us (by his holye Apostle Paule) not to bee sory
as men without hope for them that slepe in him: We mekely beseche thee
(o father) to raise us from the death of sin, unto the life of righteousnes,
that when we shall departe this hyfe, we maye slepe in him (as our hope
is this our brother doeth), and at the general resurreccion in the laste
daie, bothe we and this oure brother departed, receivyng agayne oure
bodies, and rising againe in thy moste gracious favoure: maye with all
thine elect Saynctes, obteine eternall joye. Graunte this, o Lorde god,
by the meanes of our advocate Jesus Christ: which with thee and the
holy ghoste, liveth and reigneth one God for ever. Amen.
The Epistle. 1 Thess. iv.
I
WOULDE not brethren that ye shoulde bee ignoraunt concernyng them which
are fallen aslepe, that ye sorowe not as other doe, whiche have no hope.
For if we beleve that Jesus dyed, and rose againe: even so them also
whiche slepe by Jesus, will God bring again with him. For thys saye
we unto you in the word of the Lorde: that we whiche shall lyve, and
shal remain in the comyng of the Lord, shal not come ere they which
slepe. For the Lorde himselfe shal descende from heaven with a shoute,
and the voice of the Archangell, and troump of God. And the deade in
Christe shal arise first: then we whiche shall lyve (even wee whiche
shal remayne) shal bee caughte up wyth them also in the cloudes, to
meete the Lorde in the ayre. And so shall wee ever be with the Lorde.
Wherefore coumforte youreselves one another wyth these woordes.
¶ The gospell. John vi.
Jesus
saied to his disciples and to the Jewes: Al that the father geveth me,
shall come to me: and he that commeth to me, I cast not away. For I
came down from heaven: not to do that I wil, but that he wil, which
hath sent me. And this is the fathers wyll whiche hath sente me, that
of all whiche he hath geven me, I shal lose nothing: but raise them
up again at the last day. And this is the wil of him that sent me: that
every one which seeth the sonne and beleveth on him, have everlasting
life: And I wil raise him up at the laste daye.

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