Great O Advent Antiphons (Magnificat Antiphons)

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THE ADVENT ANTHEMS

¶  On the appointed days these Anthems following may be sung or said immediately before and after the Magnificat.

December 16th. O SAPIENTIA

O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the Most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

Wisdom viii. 1, ix. 4, 9, 10; Proverbs viii. 22, sq.; Hebrews i. 1; John i. 3; Ecclesiasticus xxxiv. 3. sq.

December 17th. O ADONAI

O Lord of lords and Leader of the house of Israel, who appearedst in the bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and gavest him the Law in Sinai: Come and deliver us with an outstretched arm.

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

Acts 7:30, 28; Hebrews 12:18-21, 10:16.

December 18th. O RADIX JESSE

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the peoples, at whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the Gentiles shall seek: Come and deliver us, and tarry not.

O radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

Isaiah xi. 1, 10, lii, 15; Romans i. 3; Matthew xxviii. 19, 20.

December 19th. O CLAVIS DAVID

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel; that openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: Come and bring the prisoner out of the prison-house, him that sineth in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.

Isaiah xxii. 22, xlii. 7; Revelation iii. 7; Luke i. 32; Mark ii. 10; Matthew xxviii. 18, xvi. 18, 19.

December 20th. O ORIENS

O Day-spring, Brightness of the Light eternal, and Sun of Righteousness: Come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

Luke i. 78, 79; Malachi iv. 2; Wisdom vii. 26; Hebrews i. 3; John i. 4, 5; Titus iii. 4; Luke vii. 22; Ephesians v. 8-14.

December 21st. O REX GENTIUM

O King of the nations, and their Desire; the Cornerstone who makest both one: Come and save man, whom thou formedst of clay.

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

Acts xvii. 26; Ephesians ii. 14; Isaiah xlv. 22; Psalm cxiii. 6-8; xlvii. 9.

December 22nd. O EMMANUEL

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, Hope of the nations, and their Saviour: Come and save us, 0 Lord our God. 

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

Isaiah vii. 14, viii. 8, xxxii. 1; Psalm lxxii; Genesis xlix. 10; Haggai ii. 7; Luke i. 71, 74, 75

December 23rd. O VIRGO VIRGINUM

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be? For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery.

O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud? Quia nec primam similem visa es nec habere sequentem. Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.

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Wikipedia: O Antiphons

Project Canterbury, The Advent Antiphons With Scripture references and paraphrases.

Commentary on The Athanasian Creed

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Morning Prayer

Quicumque Vult

Commentary on the Quicunque Vult

from

THE CREEDS OF CHRISTENDOM

WITH A HISTORY AND CRITICAL NOTES, Volume I,

by PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D., L.L.D.,

PROFFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE IN THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, N.Y.

pp 34 - 42 [for his notes, see the printed volume on the INTERNET ARCHIVE

§ 10. THE ATHANASIAN CREED.

The ATHANASIAN CREED is also called SYMBOLUM QUICUNQUE, from the first word, ‘Quicunque vult salvus esse.’

I. Its ORIGIN is involved in obscurity, like that of the Apostles’ Creed, the Gloria in Excelsis, and the Te Deum. It furnishes one of the most remarkable examples of the extraordinary influence 'which works of unknown or doubtful authorship have exerted. Since the ninth century it has been ascribed to Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, the chief defender of the divinity of Christ and the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity (d. 373). The great name of ‘ the father of orthodoxy’ secured for it an almost ecumenical authority, notwithstanding the solemn prohibition of the third and fourth ecumenical Councils to compose or publish any other creed than the Nicene.

Since the middle of the seventeenth century the Athanasian authorship has been abandoned by learned Catholics as well as Protestants. The evidence against it is conclusive. The Symbol is nowhere found in the genuine writings of Athanasius or his contemporaries and eulogists. The General Synods of Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), and Chalcedon (461) make no allusion to it whatever. It seems to presuppose the doctrinal controversies of the fifth century concerning the constitution of Christ’s person ; at least it teaches substantially the Chalcedonian Christology. And, lastly, it makes its first appearance in the Latin Churches of Gaul, North Africa, and Spain; while the Greeks did not know it till the eleventh century, and afterwards rejected or modified it on account of the Occidental clause on the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son. The Greek texts, moreover, differ widely, and betray, by strange words and constructions, the hands of unskilled translators.

The pseudo-Athanasian Creed originated in the Latin Church from the school of St. Augustine, probably in Gaul or North Africa. It borrows a number of passages from Augustine and other Latin fathers.' It appears first in its full form towards the close of the eighth or the beginning of the ninth century. Its structure and the repetition of the damnatory clause in the middle and at the close indicate that it consists of two distinct parts, which may have been composed by two authors, and afterwards welded together by a third hand. The first part, containing the Augustinian doctrine of the Trinity, is fuller and more metaphysical. The second part, containing a summary of the Chalcedonian Christology, has been found separately, as a fragment of a sermon on the Incarnation, at Treves, in a MS. from the niddlc of the eighth century. The fact that Athanasius spent some time in exile at Treves may possibly have given rise to the tradition that the great champion of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity composed the whole.

II. CHARACTER and CONTENTS. — The Symbolum Quicunque is a remarkably clear and precise summary of the doctrinal decisions of the first four ecumenical Councils (from A.D. 325 to A.D. 451), and the Augustinian speculations on the Trinity and the Incarnation. Its brief sentences are artistically arranged and rhythmically expressed. It is a musical creed or dogmatic psalm. Dean Stanley calls it ‘a triumphant paean’ of the orthodox faith. It resembles, in this respect, the older Te Deum, but it is much more metaphysical and abstruse, and its harmony is disturbed by a threefold anathema.

It consists of two parts.

The first part (ver. 3-28) sets forth the orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity, not in the less definite Athanasian or Nicæno-Constantinopolitan, but in its strictest Augustinian form, to the exclusion of every kind of subordination of essence. It is therefore an advance both on the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed; for these do not state the doctrine of the Trinity in form, but only indirectly by teaching the. Deity of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and leave room tor a certain subordination of the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to both The post-Athanasian formula states clearly and unmistakably both the absolute unity of the divine being or essence, and the tri-personality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Cod is one in three persons or hypostases, each person expressing the whole fullness of the Godhead, with all his attributes. The term persona is taken neither in the old sense of a mere personation or form of manifestation (πρόσωπον, face, mask), nor in the modern sense of an independent, separate being or individual, but in a sense which lies between these two conceptions, and thus avoids Sabellianisrn on the one hand, and Tritheism on the other. The divine persons are in one another, and form a perpetual intercommunication and motion within the divine essence. Each person has all the divine attributes which are inherent in the divine essence, but each has also a characteristic individuality or property, which is peculiar to the person, and can not be communicated ; the Father is unbegotten, the Son begotten, the Holy Ghost is proceeding. In this Trinity there is no priority or posteriority of time, no superiority or inferiority of rank, but the three persons are coeternal and coequal.

If the mystery of the Trinity can be logically defined, it is done here. But this is just the difficulty : the infinite truth of the Godhead lies far beyond the boundaries of logic, which deals only with finite truths and categories. It is well always to remember the saying of Augustine : ‘God is greater and truer in our thoughts than in our words; he is greater and truer in reality than in our thoughts.’^

The second part (ver, 29-44) contains a succinct statement of the orthodox doctrine concerning the person of Christ, as settled by the general Councils of Ephesus 431 and Chalcedon 451, and in this respect it is a valuable supplement to the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. It asserts that Christ had a rational soul (νοῦς, πνεῦμα), in opposition to the Apollinarian heresy, which limited the extent of his humanity to a mere body with an animal soul inhabited by the divine Logos. It also teaches the proper relation between the divine and human nature of Christ, and excludes the Nestorian and Eutychian or Monophysite heresies, in essential agreement with the Chalcedonian Symbol.

III. The DAMNATORY CLAUSES. — The Athanasian Creed, in strong contrast with the uncontroversial and peaceful tone of the Apostles’ Creed, begins and ends with the solemn declaration that the catholic faith in the Trinity and the Incarnation herein set forth is the indispensable condition of salvation, and that those who reject it will be lost forever. The same damnatory clause is also wedged in at the close of the first and at the beginning of the second part. This threefold anathema, in its natural historical sense, is not merely a solemn warning against the groat danger of heresy, nor, on the other hand, does it demand, as a condition of salvation, a full knowledge of, and assent to, the logical statement of the doctrines set forth (for this would condemn the great mass oven of Christian believers) ; but it does mean to exclude from heaven all who reject the divine truth therein taught. It requires every one who would be saved to believe in the only true and living God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one in essence, three in persons, and in one Jesus Christ, very God and very Man in one person.

The damnatory clauses, especially when sung or chanted in public worship, grate harshly on modern Protestant ears, and it may well be doubted whether they are consistent with true Christian charity and humility, and whether they do not transcend the legitimate authority of the Church. They have been defended by an appeal to Mark xvi. 16 ; but in this passage those only are condemned who reject the gospel, i. e., the great facts of Christ’s salvation, not any peculiar dogma. Salvation and damnation depend exclusively on the grace of God as apprehended by a living faith, or rejected m ungrateful unbelief. The original Nicene Symbol, it is true, added a damnatory clause against the Arians, but it was afterwards justly omitted. Creeds, like hymns, lose their true force and miss their aim in proportion as they are polemical and partake of the character of manifestoes of war rather than confessions of faith and thanks to God for his mighty works.‘

IV. INTRODUCTION and USE. — The Athanasian Creed acquired great authority in the Latin Church, and during the Middle Ages it was almost daily used in the morning devotions.

The Reformers inherited the veneration for this Symbol. It was formally adopted by the Lutheran and several of the Reformed Churches, and is approvingly mentioned in the Augsburg Confession, the Form of Concord, the Thirty-nine Articles, the Second Helvetic, the Belgic, and the Bohemian Confessions.

Luther was disposed to regard it as ‘ the most important and glorious composition since the days of the apostles.”

Some Reformed divines, especially of the Anglican Church, have commended it very highly ; even the Puritan Richard Baxter lauded it as ‘ the best explication [better, statement] of the Trinity,’ provided, however, ‘ that the damnatory sentences be excepted, or modestly expounded.’

In the Church of England it is still sung or recited in the cathedrals and parish churches on several festival days, but this compulsory public use meets with growing opposition, and was almost unanimously condemned in 1867 by the royal commission appointed to consider certain changes in the Anglican Ritual.

The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, when, in consequence of the American Revolution, it set up a separate organization in the Convention of 1785 at Philadelphia, resolved to remodel the Liturgy (in ‘ the Proposed Book’), and, among other changes, excluded from it both the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds, and struck out from the Apostles’ Creed the clause, ‘ He descended into hell.’ The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, before consenting to ordain bishops for America, requested their brethren to restore the clause of the Apostles’ Creed, and ‘ to give to the other two Creeds a place in their Book of Common Prayer, even though the use of them should be left discretional.’ In the Convention held at Wilmington, Del., October 10, 1786, the request of the English prelates, as to the first two points, was acceded to, but ‘the restoration of the Athanasian Creed was negatived.’ As the opposition to this Creed was quite determined, especially on account of the damnatory clauses, the mother Church acquiesced in the omission, and granted the desired Episcopal ordination.'

In the Greek Church it never obtained general currency or formal ecclesiastical sanction, and is only used for private devotion, with the omission of the clause on the double procession of the Spirit.

Daily Evening Prayer

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Common Prayer

The Order for

Daily Evening Prayer 

[under construction]

¶  At the beginning of Evening Prayer the Minister shall read with a loud voice some one or more of these Sentences of Scripture that follow. And then he shall say that which is written after the said Sentences.

¶  And NOTE, That when the Confession and Absolution are omitted, the Minister may, after the Sentences, pass to the Versicles, O Lord, open thou our lips, etc., in which case the Lord's Prayer shall be said with the other prayers, immediately after The Lord be with you, etc., and before the Versicles and Responses which follow.

Opening Sentences of Scripture

¶  Then the Minister shall say,

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 —

¶  Or he shall say,

LET us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

A General Confession.

¶  To he 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.

¶  But NOTE, That the Priest, at his discretion, may use the Absolution from the Order for the Holy Communion.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him ; Have mercy upon you ; pardon and deliver you from all your sins ; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness ; and bring you to everlasting life ; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen,

¶  or this.

THE Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit.  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, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, In 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,

               O Lord, open thou our lips.

Answer.    And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

Minister.   O God, make speed to save us.

Answer.    O Lord, make hast to help us.

¶  Here, all standing up, the Minister shall say,

Minister.   Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost;

Answer.    As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Minister.   Praise ye the Lord.

Answer.    The Lord's Name be praised.

¶  Then shall be said or sung the Psalms, according to the Use of this Church. Then shall he read the First Lesson, according to the Table or Calendar. And after that, except on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Even, shall be sung or said the Hymn called Magnificat (or the Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary), as followeth.

MAGNIFICAT

The Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Luke 1. 46.

¶  Then a Lesson of the New Testament, as it is appointed. And after that shall be sung or said the Hymn called Nunc dimittis (or the Song of Simeon, as followeth.

NUNC DIMITTIS

The Song of Simeon

St. Luke 2. 29.

¶  Or else this Psalm ; except it be on the Twelfth Day of , the Month.

DEUS MISEREATUR

Psalm 67.

¶  Then shall be sung or said  the Confession of the Faith, called the Apostles' Creed, by the Minister and the People, standing.

The Apostles' 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 hell1; 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 with a loud voice.

                   The Lord be with you.

Answer.      And with thy spirit.

Minister.     Let us pray.

                   Lord, have mercy upon us.

                        Christ, have mercy upon us.

                   Lord, have mercy upon us.

¶  Then the Minister, Clerks, and people, shall say the Lord's Prayer with a loud voice.

OUR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, In 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. 

¶  Then the Minister standing up shall say,

Minister.     O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.

Answer.      And grant us thy salvation.

Minister.     O Lord, save those who govern us;    [note]

Answer.      And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

Minister.     Endue thy Ministers with righteousness;

Answer.     And make thy chosen people joyful.

Minister.     O Lord, save thy people;

Answer.     And bless thine inheritance.

Minister.     Give peace in our time, O Lord;

Answer.     Because there is none other that fighteth for us,

                      but only thou, O God.

Minister.     Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

Answer.     Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Minister.    O God, make clean our hearts within us.

Answer.     And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

¶  Then shall follow THE COLLECT OF THE DAY, which shall be the same that is appointed at the Communion, together with any other Collects appointed to be said; and these two prayers in order: the  Collect for Peace; and the Collect for Aid against all Perils. And the two last Collects shall never alter, but daily be said at Evening Prayer throughout all the year, as followeth; all kneeling.

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 defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

A Collect for Aid against all Perils.

LIGHTEN our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

¶  In Quires and Places where they sing, here followeth a hymn or anthem.

¶  A Sermon may be preached here and the offerings of the people received and presented at the Lord’s Table.

¶  Then these Prayers following are to be read here [without note], except when the Litany is read; and then only the two last are to be read, as they are there placed.

________

¶  In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

 A Prayer for the King's Majesty.

O LORD, our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lord, King CHARLES; and so replenish him with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that he may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. Endue him plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant him in health and wealth long to live; strengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies; and finally after this life he may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

A Prayer for the Royal Family.

ALMIGHTY God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

________

¶  In the United States

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 UNITEO 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.

¶  Or this.

O LORD our Governor, whose glory is in all the world; We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant to THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITEO STATES, and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness; and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.  Amen. 

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A Prayer for the Clergy and People.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who alone workest great marvels: Send down upon our Bishops, and Curates, and all 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.

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¶  Here may be read any of the Occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings at the discretion of the Minister. or any prayers sanctioned by the Ordinary, always ending with the Prayer of St Chrysostom and the Grace; and before any of the prayers may be said Let us pray for —, and before any of the thanksgivings, Let us give thanks for —. If none of these be said and no other Service follow, the Service shall end with the Prayer of St. Chrysostom and The Grace,

Prayers and Thanksgivings

________

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 the good estate of the Catholic Church; 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.

¶  This may be said when any desire the prayers of the congregation.

A General Thanksgiving.

¶  To be said by the Minister alone, or by the Minister and people together.

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.] 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 ourselves 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.

¶  This may be said when any desire to return thanks for mercies vouchsafed to them.

A Prayer of Saint 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

2 Corinthians 13. 14,

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.

Here endeth the Order of Evening Prayer.

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Benedictus

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Common Prayer

Morning Prayer

Benedictus

St. Luke 1. 68

BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel * for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
 2  And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us * in the house of his servant David;
 3  As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets * which have been since the world began;
 4  That we should be saved from our enemies, * and from the hands of all that hate us;

 5  To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers * and to remember his holy covenant;
 6  To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham * that he would give us;
 7  That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies * might serve him without fear;
 8  In holiness and righteousness before him, * all the days of our life.

 9  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;
10  To give knowledge of salvation unto his people * for the remission of their sins;
11  Through the tender mercy of our God; * whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
12  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.
    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.

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The Creed of Saint Athanasius

 FAITH HOME

Common Prayer

Morning Prayer

Quicunque Vult

commonly called The Creed of Saint Athanasius

    WHOSOEVER will be saved : before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith.
    Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled : without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
    And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
    Neither confounding the Persons: nor dividing the Substance.
    For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son: and another of the Holy Ghost.
    But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.
    Such as the Father is, such is the Son: and such is the Holy Ghost.
    The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate: and the Holy Ghost uncreate.
    The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible: and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.
    The Father eternal, the Son eternal: and the Holy Ghost eternal.
    And yet they are not three eternals: but one eternal.
    As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated: but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible.
    So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty: and the Holy Ghost Almighty.
    And yet they are not three Almighties: but one Almighty.
    So the Father is God, the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost is God.
    And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.
    So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord: and the Holy Ghost Lord.
    And yet not three Lords: but one Lord.
    For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity: to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
    So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion: to say there be three Gods, or three Lords.

    The Father is made of none: neither created, nor begotten.
    The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, but begotten.
    The Holy Ghost is of the Father: * neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
    So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons: one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
    And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other: none is greater, or less than another;
But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together: and co-equal.
    So that in all things, as is aforesaid: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
    He therefore that will be saved: must thus think of the Trinity.

    Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation: that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    For the right Faith is that we believe and confess: that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man;
    God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds: and Man, of the Substance of his Mother, born in the world;
    Perfect God, and Perfect Man: of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting;
    Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead: and inferior to the Father, as touching his Manhood.
    Who although he be God and Man: yet he is not two, but one Christ;
    One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh: but by taking of the Manhood into God;
    One altogether, not by confusion of Substance: but by unity of Person.
    For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man: so God and Man is one Christ.
    Who suffered for our salvation: descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead.
    He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty: from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
    At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies: and shall give account for their own works.
    And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting: and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

    This is the Catholic Faith: which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.
    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.

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C.S. note: The Latin text of the Athanasian Creed is as follows:

Quicunque vult salvus esse, ante omnia opus est, ut teneat Catholicam fidem: Quam nisi quisque integram inviolatamque servaverit, absque dubio in aeternum peribit. Fides autem Catholica haec est: ut unum Deum in Trinitate, et Trinitatem in unitate veneremur. Neque confundentes personas, neque substantiam separantes. Alia est enim persona Patris alia Filii, alia Spiritus Sancti: Sed Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti una est divinitas, aequalis gloria, coeterna maiestas. Qualis Pater, talis Filius, talis [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Increatus Pater, increatus Filius, increatus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Immensus Pater, immensus Filius, immensus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Aeternus Pater, aeternus Filius, aeternus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres aeterni, sed unus aeternus. Sicut non tres increati, nec tres immensi, sed unus increatus, et unus immensus. Similiter omnipotens Pater, omnipotens Filius, omnipotens [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres omnipotentes, sed unus omnipotens. Ita Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres dii, sed unus est Deus. Ita Dominus Pater, Dominus Filius, Dominus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres Domini, sed unus [est] Dominus. Quia, sicut singillatim unamquamque personam Deum ac Dominum confiteri christiana veritate compellimur: Ita tres Deos aut [tres] Dominos dicere Catholica religione prohibemur. Pater a nullo est factus: nec creatus, nec genitus. Filius a Patre solo est: non factus, nec creatus, sed genitus. Spiritus Sanctus a Patre [et Filio*]: non factus, nec creatus, nec genitus, sed procedens. Unus ergo Pater, non tres Patres: unus Filius, non tres Filii: unus Spiritus Sanctus, non tres Spiritus Sancti. Et in hac Trinitate nihil prius aut posterius, nihil maius aut minus: Sed totae tres personae coaeternae sibi sunt et coaequales. Ita, ut per omnia, sicut iam supra dictum est, et unitas in Trinitate, et Trinitas in unitate veneranda sit. Qui vult ergo salvus esse, ita de Trinitate sentiat.

Sed necessarium est ad aeternam salutem, ut incarnationem quoque Domini nostri Iesu Christi fideliter credat. Est ergo fides recta ut credamus et confiteamur, quia Dominus noster Iesus Christus, Dei Filius, Deus [pariter] et homo est. Deus [est] ex substantia Patris ante saecula genitus: et homo est ex substantia matris in saeculo natus. Perfectus Deus, perfectus homo: ex anima rationali et humana carne subsistens. Aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem: minor Patre secundum humanitatem. Qui licet Deus sit et homo, non duo tamen, sed unus est Christus. Unus autem non conversione divinitatis in carnem, sed assumptione humanitatis in Deum. Unus omnino, non confusione substantiae, sed unitate personae. Nam sicut anima rationalis et caro unus est homo: ita Deus et homo unus est Christus. Qui passus est pro salute nostra: descendit ad inferos: tertia die resurrexit a mortuis. Ascendit ad [in] caelos, sedet ad dexteram [Dei] Patris [omnipotentis]. Inde venturus [est] judicare vivos et mortuos. Ad cujus adventum omnes homines resurgere habent cum corporibus suis; Et reddituri sunt de factis propriis rationem. Et qui bona egerunt, ibunt in vitam aeternam: qui vero mala, in ignem aeternum. Haec est fides Catholica, quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque crediderit, salvus esse non poterit.

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*CS note: In the English text, "and of the Son" [et Filio] has been removed, and its place in the Latin text bracketed and italicized. See this commentary.

Benedictus es & Benedicite

 FAITH HOME

Common Prayer

Morning Prayer

Benedictus es, Domine

BLESSED art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: *

    praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou for the Name of thy Majesty: *

    praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holiness: *

    praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and dwellest between

     the Cherubim: * praised and exalted above all forever.

Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom: *

    praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: *

    praised and exalted above all for ever.

Benedicite, omnia opera Domini.

O ALL ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise  him, and magnify him for ever. 

 2. 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.

 4. O ye Waters that be above the firmament, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

 5.O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

 6. O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

 7. O ye Stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

 8. O ye Showers and Dew, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

 9. O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

10. O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

11. O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

12. O ye Dews and Frosts, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

13. O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

14. O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him and magnify him for ever.

15. O ye Nights and Days, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

16. O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

17. 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.

19. O ye Mountains and Hills, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

20. O all ye Green Things upon the earth, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

21. O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

22. O ye Seas and Floods, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

23. O ye Whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

24. O all ye Fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: *

     praise him, and magnify him for ever.

25. O all ye Beasts and Cattle, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

26. 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.

28. O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

29. 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.

32, O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord *

    praise him, and magnify him for ever.

LET us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: *

     let us praise him, and magnify him for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven *

      praised and exalted above all for ever.

¶  The words praise him, &c., may be omitted, except after verses 1, 2, 17. 18, 26, and 32.

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C.S. note: To provide a short substitute for the Te Deum or the Benedicite, the American Book of 1928 and the Scottish Book of 1929 introduced the Benedictus es, Domine. The Irish and South African Books adopted a canticle drawn from Isaiah xxvi.1-8; the English Proposed Book of 1928 employed Psalm li. The canticle has been used in the Morning Offices of the Eastern Church, and in the ancient Mozarabic liturgy of the Church in Spain it is sung, with the Benedicite, daily at the Office of Lauds. The Benedictus es and the Benedicite are one continuous hymn of praise, which forms an addition or insertion to the Book of Daniel at 3:23 in the Greek version of the Old Testament. In our Bibles it is included in the Apocrypha under the title 'Song of the Three Holy Children.'

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PREFACES, TABLES, & CALENDARS

  FAITH HOME

Common Prayer Index

Prefaces

An Act for the Uniformity of Common Prayer. (1562)

King James I's Proclamation for Uniformity (1604)

The Preface  (1559)

The Preface  (1662)

The American Preface. (1789)

     Preface

     Concerning the Service of the Church

     THE USE OF THE PSALTER AND THE LECTIONARY.

     HYMNS AND ANTHEMS

Anglican Church in North America (2019)

     Preface

     Concerning the Divine Service

Of Ceremonies,

     Why some be abolished and some retained.

     The Order how the Psalter is appointed to be read.

     The Order how the rest of the holy scripture is appointed to be read.

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Tables & Calendars

Table of proper Lessons, and Psalms.

Tables, and Rules for the Feasts, and Fasts through the whole year.

The Calendar, with the Table of Lessons,

TABLES AND RULES FOR THE MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLE FEASTS,
TOGETHER WITH THE DAYS OF FASTING AND ABSTINENCE
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND THE DAYS OF SOLEMN SUPPLICATION

TABLES OF PRECEDENCE

TABLES FOR FINDING HOLY DAYS

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Te Deum laudamus

FAITH HOME

Common Prayer

Morning Prayer

Te Deum laudamus

 WE praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.

To thee all Angels cry aloud; the Heavens, and all the

     Powers therein;

To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.

The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee.

The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee.

The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world doth

     acknowledge thee;

The Father, of an infinite Majesty;

Thine adorable, true, and only Son;

Also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

THOU art the King of Glory, 0 Christ.

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst

     humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.

When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou

     didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.

We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.

We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou

     hast redeemed with thy precious blood.

Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, in glory everlasting.

O LORD, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.

Govern them, and lift them up for ever.

Day by day we magnify thee; .

And we worship thy Name ever, world without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.

O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.

O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us, as our trust is in thee.

O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.

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