Morning Prayer

The Minister shall begin the Morning Prayer by reading one or more of the following Sentences of Scripture.

Seeing that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb. iv. 14, 16.

DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us, in sundry places, to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought, at all times, humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart, and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying—

A General Confession. To be said by the whole Congregation, after the Minister, all kneeling.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Declaration of Absolution, or Remission of Sins. To be made by the Priest alone, standing; the People still kneeling.

ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live, hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins. He pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord’s Prayer; the People still kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.

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.

Then likewise he shall say,

Here, all standing up, the Minister shall say.

Then shall be said or sung the following Canticle; except on those days for which other Canticles are appointed; and except also, that Psalm 95 may be used in this place. But Note, That on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday the Venite may be omitted.

O COME, let us sing unto the LORD; * let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; * and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God; * and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before the LORD our Maker. For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; * let the whole earth stand in awe of him. For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; * and with righteousness to judge the world, and the people with his truth.

35, 36

¹Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!

²Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!

³Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”

⁴Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!

⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away!

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!

⁷For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.

⁸Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it — to his destruction!

⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

¹¹Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.

¹²They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.

¹³But I, when they were sick — I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

¹⁴I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.

¹⁵But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;

¹⁶like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.

¹⁷How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!

¹⁸I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.

¹⁹Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause.

²⁰For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.

²¹They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”

²²You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!

²³Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!

²⁴Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me!

²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart's desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!

²⁷Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

²⁸Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.

¹Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

³The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

⁴He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

⁵Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

⁶Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.

⁷How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

⁸They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

⁹For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

¹⁰Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

¹¹Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

2 Samuel 2:12

Then shall be read the First Lesson, according to the Table or Calendar. And NOTE, That before every Lesson, the Minister shall say, Here beginneth such a Chapter [or Verse of such a Chapter]. of such a Book; and after every Lesson, Here endeth the First [or the Second] Lesson.

¹²Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

O ALL ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O YE Heavens, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Waters that be above the firmament, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Showers and Dew, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye winds of God, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Dews and Frosts, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Nights and Days, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Lightnings and Clouds, bless ye the Lord * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O LET the Earth bless the Lord: * yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Mountains and Hills, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Green Things upon the earth, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Seas and Floods, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Beasts and Cattle, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O LET Israel bless the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Spirits and Souls of the Righteous, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord: * praise him, and magnify him for ever. LET us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: * praise him, and magnify him for ever.

Luke 12:13-34

Then shall be read, in like manner, the Second Lesson, taken out of the New Testament, according to the Table or Calendar.

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,

¹⁷and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’

¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’

²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

²²And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

²⁴Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

²⁶If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

²⁸But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.

³⁰For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

³¹Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

³²“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

³³Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel; * for he hath visited and redeemed his people; And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, * in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, * which have been since the world began; That we should be saved from our enemies, * and from the hand of all that hate us. To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, * and to remember his holy covenant; To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, * that he would give us; That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies * might serve him without fear; In holiness and righteousness before him, * all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: * for thou shalt go. before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people * for the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; * whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us; To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Then shall be said the Apostles’ Creed by the Minister and the People, standing. And any Churches may, instead of the words, He descended into hell, use the words, He went into the place of departed spirits, which are considered as words of the same meaning in the Creed.

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost: The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints: The Forgiveness of sins: The Resurrection of the body: And the Life everlasting. Amen.

And after that, these Prayers following, the people devoutly kneeling; the Minister first pronouncing,

Let us pray.

Then shall be said the following Suffrages.

Then shall follow the Collect for the Day.

Collect of the Day

Monday after the 14th Sunday after Trinity

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Collect for Peace

O GOD, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Collect for Grace

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.

The following Prayers shall be omitted here when the Litany is said, and may be omitted when the Holy Communion is to follow. And NOTE, That the Minister may here end the Morning Prayer with such general intercessions taken out of this Book, as he shall think fit, or with the Grace.

A Prayer for The President of the United States, and all in Civil Authority

O LORD, our heavenly Father, the high and mighty Ruler of the universe, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth; Most heartily we beseech thee, with thy favour to behold and bless thy servant THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and all others in authority; and so replenish them with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that they may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. Endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant them in health and prosperity long to live; and finally, after this life, to attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for the Clergy and People

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift; Send down upon our Bishops, and other Clergy, and upon the Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for all Conditions of Men

O GOD, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted, or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; [*especially those for whom our prayers are desired;] that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them, according to their several necessities; giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

A General Thanksgiving

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies, we, thine unworthy servants, do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; [*particularly to those who desire now to offer up their praises and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed unto them.] We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests; Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. 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.