The Book of Common Prayer
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    The Book of Common Prayer - 1559


 

 AN ORDER

FOR EVENING PRAIER

THROUGHOUT THE YERE.

The Priest shal saie.

OUR Father, which, &c.

Then likewise he shal saye.

    O Lord open thou our lippes.
    Aunswere. And our mouth shall shewe furth thy prayse.
    Priest. O God make spede to save us.
    Aunswere. Lord, make haste to helpe us.

Priest.

    Glory be to the father, and to the sonne: and to the holy ghoste. As it was in the beginninge, is nowe, and ever shal be : worlde wythout ende. Amen.
    Praise ye the Lorde.

    Then Psalmes in ordre, as they be appoincted in the Table for Psalmes, except there be proper Psalmes appointed for that day. Then a Lesson of the olde Testament, as is appointed likewise in the kalender, except there be propre lessons appointed for that day. After that, Magnificat in Englishe, asfoloweth.
 

 

Magnificat. Luke 1

MY soule doeth magnifie the Lorde.
    And my sprit hath rejoysed in god my saviour.
    For he hath regarded the loweliries of his handmaiden.
    For beholde from hencefurth al generacions shall call me blessed.
    For he that is mightie hath magnified me : and holy is his name.
    And his mercy is on them that feare him : throughout all generacions.
    He hath shewed strength with his arme; he hath scatered the proude in the imagination of their hertes.
    He hath put downe the mightye from theyr seate : and hath exalted the humble and meke.
    He hath filled the hungry with good thinges : and the ryche he hath sent empty away.
    He remembring his mercy, hath holpen his servaunte Israel as he promysed to our forefathers, Abraham and his sede for ever.
    Glory be to the Father, and to the sonne, [and to the holy Ghoste]*.
    As it was in the beginninge, is nowe, [and ever shalbe, world without ende. Amen.]*
 

 

Musical colon added to each line in late 1500's.

Replaced by "&c." in 1604.

Or the xcviii. Psalme Cantate domino canticum nouum.

O SINGE unto the Lorde a newe songe : for he hath done marveilous thinges.
    With his owne right hande, and with his holy arme : hath he gotten him selfe the victorye.
    The Lord declared his salvacion : his righteousnes hath he openly shewed in the syght of the Heathen.
    He hath remembred his mercy and truthe towarde the house of Israel: and all the endes of the worlde haue sene the salvacion of our God.
    Shewe your selfes joyfull unto the Lorde, all ye landes : synge, rejoyce and geve thankes.
    Prayse the Lorde upon the harpe : synge to the harp with a Psalme of thankesgeving.
    With trumpettes also and shawmes : O shewe your selfes joyfull before the Lord the kynge.
    Let the Sea make a noyse, and all that therein is : the rounde worlde and they that dwell therin.
    Let the floudes clappe their handes, and let the hylles be joyful togyther before the Lord : for he is come to judge the earth.
    With righteousnes shal he judge the worlde : and the people with equitie.
    Glory be to the Father, and to the Sonne, [and to the holy Ghoste.]* As it was in the beginninge, is nowe, [and ever shalbe, worlde without ende. Amen.]*
 

Replaced by "&c." in 1604.

 

    Then a lesson of the new testament. And after that (Nunc dirnittis) in Englyshe, asfoloweth.

LORDE, nowe lettest thou thy servaunt departe in peace : according to thy worde.
    For myne eyes have sene : thy salvacion.
    Whiche thou haste prepared : before the face of all people;
    To be a lyght to lyghten the Gentiles : and to be the glorye of thy people Israell.
    Glorye be to the father, and to the sonne, [and to the holy ghoste.]*
    As it was in the beginning, is nowe, [and ever shall be, worlde withoute ende. Amen.]*
 

Replaced by "&c." in 1604.

 

Or els thys Psalme, Dens misereatur nostri in Englyshe.

GOD be merciful unto us, and blesse us : and shew us the light of his countenaunce, and bee mercifull unto us.
    That thy way maie be knowen upon earth: thy savinge healthe amonge all nacions.
    Let the people praise thee O God : yea, let all the people praise thee.
    O let the nacions rejoyce and be glad: for thou shalte judge the folke righteouslye, and governe the nacions upon earth.
    Let the people praise thee, O God: let all the people praise thee.
    Then shall the earth bringe foorth her increse: and God, even our owne God, shall geve us his blessinge.
    God shall blesse us : and all the endes of the worlde shall feare him.
    Glory be to the Father, &c.
    As it was in the beginning, &c.

    Then shal folow the Crede, with other prayers, as is before appoynted at Morning prayer, after Benedictus. And with the Collectes: Fyrste of the day, the seconde of peace, the thyrde for ayde agaynste all peryls, as hereafter foloweth, whiche two last Collectes shabe daylye sayde at Evenyng Prayer wythout alteracion.

The seconde Collecte at Evenynge Prayer.

O GOD, from whome all holy desires, all good counsailes, and all just woorkes do procede: geve unto thy servauntes that peace, whiche the worlde cannot geve: that bothe our hertes may be set to obey thy commaundementes, and also that by thee, we beynge defended from the feare of our enemies, may passe our time in rest and quietnes. Through the merites of Jesus Chryste our saviour. Amen.

The thyrde Collecte for ayde, against all peryls.

LYGHTEN oure darckenesse, wee beseche thee (O Lorde,) and by thy greate mercye defende us from all perils and daungers of this nyghte, for the lone of thy onely sonne oure Savioure Jesus Christe. Amen.
 

 
    In the feastes of christmas, the Epiphany, S. Mathye, Easter, the Assencion, Pentecost, S. John Baptyst, S. James, S. Bartholomew, S. Mathew, S. Simon, and Jude, S. Andrew, and Trinitie Sonday: Shalbe songe or sayde immediatly after Benedictus, thys confession of our Christen faythe.

WHOSOEVER wyll be saved : before all thynges it is necessarye that he holde the catholyke faythe.
    Whiche Faithe, excepte everye one dooe kepe holy, and undefyled : withoute doubt he shall perysh everlastingly.
    And the Catholyke Faythe is this : that we worshyp one God in Trinitie, and trinitie in unitie.
    Neyther confounding the persons : nor devidinge the substaunce.
    For there is one persone of the Father, an other of the Sonne : and another of the holy ghost.
    But the Godhed of the Father, of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost, is al one : the glory equall, the majesty coeternall.
    Suche as the Father is, such is the sonne : and suche is the holy ghost.
    The father uncreate, the sonne uncreate : and the holy ghoste uncreate.
    The Father incomprehensible, the sonne incomprehensible : and the holy Ghoste incomprehensible.
    The father eternall, the sonne eternall : and the holye Ghoste eternall.
    And yet they are not thre eternalles : but one eternall.
    As also there be not thre incomprehensibles, nor thre uncreated : but One uncreated, and one incomprehensible.
    So likewyse the Father is almighty, the sonne almighty : and the holy ghoste almighty.
    And yet are not there thre Almighties, but one almighty.
    So the father is God, the sonne is God : and the holye Ghoste is God.
    And yet are they not thre Gods : but one God.
    So lykewyse the father is Lord, the sonne Lorde : and the holy ghoste Lorde.
    And yet not thre Lordes : but one Lord.
    For like as we be compelled by the Christian verity : to acknowledge every person by hym selfe to be God, and Lorde.
    So are we forbidden by the Catholique Religion : to say there be thre Gods, or thre Lordes.
    The father is made of none : neyther created, nor begotten.
    The sonne is of the Father alone : not made, nor created, but begotten.
    The holye Ghoste is of the Father, and of the Sonne : neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceding.
    So there is one father, not thre fathers, one sonne, not thre sonnes : one holy Ghost, not thre holy Ghostes.
    And in this trinitie, none is afore, or after other : none is greater, nor lesse than other.
    But the whole thre persons : be coeternall toguether and coequall.
    So that in all thinges as is aforesayde : the Unitye in Trinitie, and the Trinitie in unitie is to be worshypped.
    He therefore that wil be saved : must thus thincke of the Trinitie.
    Furthermore, it is necessarye to everlasting salvation : that he also beleve rightlye in the Incarnation of oure Lorde Jesu Christ.
    For the right Faythe is, that we beleve and Confesse : that oure Lorde Jesus Christe the sonne of God, is God and Man;
    God of the Substaunce of the father, begotten before the worldes : and man of the substauce of his mother, borne in the worlde.
    Perfect god, and perfect man of a reasonable Soule, and humaine flesh subsistynge.
    Equal to the father as touchyng his godhead : and inferior to the father, touchyng his manhode.
    Who although he be God and man : yet he is not two, but one Christ.
    One; not by conversion of the Godhead into fleshe: but by taking of the manhode into God;
    One altogether, not by confusion of Substaunce: but by unitie of person.
    For as the reasonable soule and flesh is but one man : so God and man is but one Christ.
    Who suffred for our salvation : descended into hell, rose againe the thirde day from the deade.
    He ascended into heaven: he sitteth bn the ryghte hand of the father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quicke and the dead.
    At whose comming all men shal rise againe with their bodies and shall geve accompt for their owne worckes.
    And they that have done good, shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evel, into everlastyng fyre.
    This is the Catholike faith, whiche except a man beleve faithfully, he can not be saved.
    Glory be to the father, and to the sonne: and to the holy Ghoste.
    As it was in the beginninge, is nowe, and ever shalbe : worlde without ende. Amen.

Thus endeth the order of Morning and Eveninge Prayer through the whole yere.

 

 

Quicunque vult

 

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