hope? Truly my hope is even before thee; and our secret in thee. sins in the light of thy countenance. Deliver me from all mine offences; and make me not a rebuke unto the foolish. When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, thou makest his beauty to consume away, like as it were a moth fretting a garment: every man therefore is but vanity. Hear my prayer, O LORD; and with thine ears consider my calling: hold not thy peace at my tears. For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner; as all my fathers were. O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength; before I go hence, and be no more seen. LORD, thou hast been our refuge, from one generation to another. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, thou art GoD from everlasting, and world without end. Thou turnest man to destruction; again thou sayest, Come again, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday; seeing that is past as a watch in the night. As soon as thou scatterest them, they are even as a sleep; and fade away suddenly like the For when thou art angry, all our days are gone: We bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told. The days of our age are threescore years and ten; and though men be so strong that they come to fourscore years, yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Glory be to the FATHER, and to the SON, and to the HOLY GHOST; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. T Then shall follow the Lesson, taken out of the fifteenth chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. 1 Cor. xv. 20. NOW is CHRIST risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in CHRIST shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: CHRIST the first fruits; afterwards they that are CHRIST's, at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to GoD, even the FATHER; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be de stroyed is death: for he hath | terrestrial: but the glory of the put all things under his feet. celestial is one, and the glory of But when he saith all things are the terrestrial is another. There put under him, it is manifest is one glory of the sun, and that he is excepted which did another glory of the moon, and put all things under him. And another glory of the stars: for when all things shall be subdued one star differeth from another unto him, then shall the SoN star in glory. So also is the also himself be subject unto resurrection of the dead. It is him that put all things under sown in corruption; it is raised him, that God may be all in all. in incorruption. It is sown in Else what shall they do which dishonour; it is raised in glory, are baptized for the dead, if the It is sown in weakness; it is dead rise not at all? Why are raised in power. It is sown a they then baptized for the dead? natural body; it is raised a And why stand we in jeopardy spiritual body, There is a every hour? I protest by your natural body, and there is a rejoicing, which I have in spiritual body. And so it is CHRIST JESUs our Lord, I die written, The first man Adam daily. If after the manner of was made a living soul, the last men I have fought with beasts Adam was made a quickening at Ephesus, what advantageth spirit. Howbeit, that was not it me, if the dead rise not? Let first which is spiritual, but that us eat and drink, for to-morrow which is natural; and afterward we die. Be not deceived: evil that which is spiritual. The communications corrupt good first man is of the earth, earthy: manners. Awake to righteous- the second man is the Lord ness, and sin not: for some from heaven. As is the earthy, have not the knowledge of GOD. such are they that are earthy: I speak this to your shame. and as is the heavenly, such are But some man will say, How they also that are heavenly, are the dead raised up? and And as we have borne the with what body do they come? image of the earthy, we shall Thou fool, that which thou also bear the image of the sowest is not quickened except it heavenly. Now this I say, die. And that which thou sowest, brethren, that flesh and blood thou sowest not that body cannot inherit the kingdom of that shall be, but bare grain; GOD; neither doth corruption it may chance of wheat, or some inherit incorruption. Behold, other grain. But God giveth I show you a mystery: we shall it a body as it hath pleased him; not all sleep, but we shall all and to every seed his own body. be changed, in a moment, in All flesh is not the same flesh; the twinkling of an eye, at the but there is one kind of flesh last trump: for the trumpet of men, another flesh of beasts, shall sound, and the dead shall another of fishes, and another be raised incorruptible, and we of birds. There are also shall be changed. For this celestial bodies, and bodies corruptible must put on incor ruption, and this mortal must | suffer us not, at our last hour, put on immortality. So when for any pains of death to fall this corruptible shall have put from thee. ¶ Then, while the earth shall be cast upon the body by some standing by, the Minister shall say, FORASMUCH as it hath pleased ALMIGHTY GOD, in his wise providence, to take out of this world the soul of our on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and deceased brother, we therefore the strength of sin is the law. commit his body to the ground; But thanks be to GoD, which earth to earth, ashes to ashes, giveth us the victory through dust to dust: looking for the our Lord JESUS CHRIST. There- general resurrection in the last fore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the LORD; forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the LORD. When they come to the while the day, and the life of the world to come, through our Lord JESUS CHRIST; at whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of corpse is made ready to be laid into the those who sleep in him shall be earth, shall be sung or said, MAN, that is born of a woman, hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and continueth in one stay. changed, and made like unto his ¶ Then shall be said, or sung, In the midst of life we are in death of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O LORD, who for our sins art justly displeased? voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, T Then the Minister shall say the Lord's Yet, O LORD GOD most holy, O LORD most mighty, O holy and most merciful SAVIOur, OUR Father, who art in headeliver us not into the bitter ven, Hallowed be thy Name; pains of eternal death. 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. Amen. Thou knowest, LORD, the secrets of our hearts shut not thy merciful ears to our prayers; but spare us, LORD most holy, O GOD most mighty, O holy and merciful SAVIOUR, thou most worthy Judge eternal, ¶ Then the Minister shall say one or both of eternally; who also hath taught the following Prayers, at his discretion. us, by his holy apostle St. Paul, ALMIGHTY GOD, with not to be sorry, as men without whom do live the spirits of hope, for those who sleep in those who depart hence in the him; we humbly beseech thee, LORD; and with whom the O Father, to raise us from the souls of the faithful, after they death of sin unto the life of are delivered from the burden righteousness; that when we of the flesh, are in joy and shall depart this life, we may felicity; we give thee hearty rest in him; and that at the thanks for the good examples general resurrection in the last of all those thy servants, who, day, we may be found acceptable having finished their course in in thy sight; and receive that faith, do now rest from their blessing, which thy well-beloved labours. And we beseech thee, Son shall then pronounce to all that we, with all those who who love and fear thee, saying, are departed in the true faith Come, ye blessed children of of thy holy name, may have my Father, receive the kingdom our perfect consummation and prepared for you from the bliss, both in body and soul, beginning of the world: Grant in thy eternal and everlasting this, we beseech thee, O merciful glory, through JESUS CHRIST Father, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord. Amen. our Mediator and Redeemer. O MERCIFUL GOD, the Amen. Father of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, who is the resurrection and the life; in whom whosoever believeth, shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth and believeth in him, shall not die 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. THE THANKSGIVING OF WOMEN AFTER CHILD-BIRTH, COMMONLY CALLED THE CHURCHING OF WOMEN. ¶ This Service, or the concluding prayer alone, as it stands among the Occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings, may be used at the discretion of the Minister. The Woman, at the usual time after her delivery, shall come into the church decently apparelled, and there shall kneel down in some convenient place, as hath been accustomed, or as the ordinary shall direct: And then the Priest shall say unto her, FORASMUCH as it hath pleased ALMIGHTY GOD, of his goodness, to give you safe deliverance, and to preserve you in the great danger of child-birth; you shall therefore give hearty thanks unto God, and say, Then shall the Minister say the following Dilexi, quoniam. I AM well pleased that the LORD hath heard the voice of my prayer; That he hath inclined his ear unto me: therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. I found trouble and heaviness, and I called upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our GoD is merciful. tower, Ans. What reward shall I give | enemy. unto the LORD, for all the benefits that he hath done unto me? I will receive the cup of salvation; and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows now in the presence of all his people; in the courts of the LORD's house, even in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD. Glory be to the FATHER, and to the Son, and to the HOLY GHOST; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. ¶ Then shall the Minister say the Lord's Prayer, with what follows: but the Lord's Prayer may be omitted, if this be used with the Morning or Evening Prayer. From the face of her Min. LORD, hear our prayer: Ans. And let our cry come unto thee. Min. Let us pray. O 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 desires 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. The woman that cometh to give her thanks, must offer accustomed offerings, which shall be applied by the Minister and the church-wardens to the relief of distressed women in child-bed and if there be a Communion, it is convenient that she receive the Holy Communion. |
