thanks and praise, as for all thy mercies, so especially for the returns of seed-time and harvest, and for crowning the year with thy goodness, in the increase of the ground, and the gathering in of the fruits thereof. And, we beseech thee, give us a just sense of this great mercy; such as may appear in our lives, by an humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all glory and honour, world without end. Amen. The Collect to be used instead of that for the day. MOST merciful Father, who hast blessed the labours of the husbandman in the returns of the fruits of the earth; We give thee humble and hearty thanks for this thy bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness to us; that our land may still yield her increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. THE EPISTLE. St. James i. 16. Do er, every perfect gift is from above; O not err, my beloved brethren. Every good and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. THE GOSPEL. St. Matt. v. 43. E have heard that it hath been said, Thou YE shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? Or if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. PRAYER TO BE USED IN FAMILIES. 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 whom they shall think proper, say as follows, all kneeling. UR 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. AL Acknowledg ment of God's mercy and preservation, espe LMIGHTY and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being; We, thy needy creatures, render thee our humble praises, cially through for thy preservation of us from the the night past. beginning of our lives to this day, and especially for having delivered us from the dangers of the past night. To thy watchful providence we owe it,* (that no disturbance hath come nigh us or our dwelling; but that we are brought in safety to the beginning any kind befall a family, inof this day.) For these thy mercies, stead of this, we bless and magnify thy glorious say, that not. withstanding Name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our morning sacrifice of we are brought praise and thanksgiving; for his sake who lay down in the grave, and rose again for us, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. * When disturbances of our dangers, in safety to the this day. beginning of Dedication of soul and body to God's service, with a re AND, since it is of thy manner gracious Father, that anotner day is added to our lives; We here solution to be dedicate both our souls and our bogrowing daily dies to thee and thy service, in a sober, in goodness. 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 Breakness and corruption of our BUT UT, O God, who knowest the grace to enable us to perform that resolution. 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 excited to our duty. Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of thy judgments, 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; and according to the works done in the body, be eternally rewarded or punished, by him whom thou hast appointed the Judge of quick and dead, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. us the follow For grace to N guide and keep particular, we implore thy grace and protection for the ensuing ingday, and for day. Keep us temperate in our meats God's blessing and drinks, and diligent in our several callings. Grant us patience under on the business of the same. any in On Sunday morning, stead of this, say, and let rit accompany us to the place of thy public worship, making us serious thy Holy Spi afflictions thou shalt see fit to lay on us, and minds always contented with our present condition. 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 and attentive, us in all our ways *(and prosper the and raising our works of our hands in the business minds from the of our several stations.) Defend us world to the thoughts of this from all dangers and adversities; and consideration be graciously pleased to take us, and of the next, all things belonging to us, under thy fervently join fatherly care and protection. These in the prayers things, and whatever else thou shalt and praises of thy Church, see necessary and convenient to us, and listen to we humbly beg, through the merits our duty with and mediation of thy Son Jesus Christ honest hearts, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. THE that we may in order to practise it. HE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen. EVENING PRAYER. The family being together, a little before bed time, let the Master or Mistress, or any other whom they shall think proper, say as follows, all kneeling. 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. |