PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS

UPON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

¶ To be used before the two final Prayers of Morning and Evening Service.

P R A Y E R S.

A Prayer for Congress.

¶ To be used during their Session.

 
MOST gracious God, we humbly beseech thee, as for the peoples of these United States in general, so especially for their Senate and Representatives in Congress assembled; That thou wouldest be pleased to direct and prosper all their consultations, to the advancement of thy glory, the good of thy Church, the safety honour and welfare of thy people; that all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours, upon the best and surest foundations, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety, may be established among us for all generations. These and all other necessaries, for them, for us, and thy whole Church, we humbly beg in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ, our most blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen.
 

For Rain.

O GOD, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised to all those who seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, all things necessary to their bodily sustenance; Send us, we beseech thee, in this our necessity, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to thy honour; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For Fair Weather.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech thee, of thy great goodness, to restrain those immoderate rains, wherewith, for our sins, thou hast afflicted us. And we pray thee to send us such seasonable weather, that the earth may, in due time, yield her increase for our use and benefit. And give us grace, that we may learn by thy punishments to amend our lives, and for thy clemency to give thee thanks and praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

In Time of Dearth and Famine.

O GOD, heavenly Father, whose gift it is that the rain doth fall, and the earth bring forth her increase; Behold, we beseech thee, the afflictions of thy people; increase the fruits of the earth by thy heavenly benediction; and grant that the scarcity and dearth, which we now most justly suffer for our sins, may, through thy goodness, be mercifully turned into plenty; for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
 

In Time of War and Tumults.

ALMIGHTY God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For those who are to be admitted into Holy Orders.

¶ To be used in the Weeks preceding the stated Times of Ordination.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no man, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons, to serve in the sacred Ministry of thy Church. And, to those who shall be ordained to any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may show forth thy glory and set forward the salvation of all men through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ Or this

ALMIGHTY God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church, Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same, and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life that they may faithfully serve before thee to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

In Time of great Sickness and Mortality.

O ALMIGHTY God, the Lord of life and death, of sickness and health; Regard our supplications, we humbly beseech thee; and; as thou hast thought fit to visit us for our sins with great sickness and mortality, in the midst of thy judgment, O Lord, remember mercy. Have pity upon us miserable sinners, and withdraw from us the grievous sickness with which we are afflicted. May this thy fatherly correction have its due influence upon us, by leading us to consider how frail and uncertain our life is; that we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which in the end will bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For a Sick Person.

O FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need; Look down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servant for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; give him patience under his affliction; and, in thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory. Or else give him grace so to take thy visitation, that, after this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through . Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For a Sick Child.

ALMIGHTY God, and merciful Father, to whom alone belong the issues of life and death; Look down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, with the eyes of mercy, upon the sick child for whom our prayers are desired. Deliver him, O Lord, in thy good appointed time, from his bodily pain, and visit him with thy salvation; that if it should be thy good pleasure to prolong his days here on earth, he may live to thee, and be an instrument of thy glory, by serving thee faithfully, and doing good in his generation. Or else receive him, into those heavenly habitations where the souls of those who sleep in the Lord Jesus enjoy perpetual rest and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
 

For a Person, or Persons, going to Sea.

O ETERNAL God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea; We commend to thy Almighty protection, thy servant, for whose preservation on the great deep our prayers are desired. Guard him, we beseech thee, from the dangers of the sea, from sickness, from the violence of enemies and from every evil to which he may be exposed. Conduct him in safety to the haven where he would be with a grateful sense of thy mercies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For a Person under Affliction

O MERCIFUL God and heavenly Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, look with pity, we beseech thee, upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom our prayers are desired. In thy wisdom thou hast seen fit to visit him with trouble, and to bring distress upon him. Remember him O Lord in mercy; sanctify thy fatherly correction to him; endue his soul with patience under his affliction, and with resignation to thy blessed will; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; lift up thy countenance upon him, and give him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Malefactors, after Condemnation.

¶ Or else the Prayer in the Visitation of Prisoners, beginning "O Father of Mercies," &c., may be used.

O MOST gracious and merciful God, we earnestly beseech thee to have pity and compassion upon those persons recommended to our prayers, who now lie under the sentence of the law, and are appointed to die. Visit them, O Lord, with thy mercy and salvation; convince them of the miserable condition they are in, by their sins and wickedness; and let thy powerful grace produce in them such a godly sorrow, and sincere repentance, as thou wilt be pleased to accept. Give them a strong and lively faith in thy Son, our blessed Saviour, and make it effectual to the salvation of their souls. O Lord, in judgment remember mercy; and whatever sufferings they are to endure in this world, yet deliver them, O God, from the bitter pains of eternal death. Pardon their sins, and save their souls, for the sake and merits of thy dear Son, our blessed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

A Prayer to be used at the Meetings of Convention.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who by thy Holy Spirit didst preside in the Councils of the blessed Apostles, and hast promised, through thy Son Jesus Christ, to be with thy Church to the end of the world; We beseech thee to be present with the Council of thy Church here assembled in thy Name and Presence. Save us* from all error, ignorance, pride, and prejudice; and of thy great mercy vouchsafe, we beseech thee, so to direct, sanctify, and govern us in our present work, by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost, that the comfortable Gospel of Christ may be truly preached, truly received, and truly followed, in all places, to the breaking down the kingdom of sin; Satan, and death; till at length the whole of thy dispersed sheep, being gathered into one fold, shall become partakers of everlasting life; through the merits and death of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.  

¶ During the period of the session of any General or Diocesan Convention, the above Prayer may be used by all Congregations of this Church, or of the Diocese concerned; the clause “here assembled in thy Name and Presence,” being changed to “now assembled in thy Name and Presence;” and the clause “govern us in our present work,” to “govern them in their present work.”

Note: In most of the editions prior to 1845 (and after 1805) I have seen, this prayer appears separately, without the rubric following and without any italics, in the Ordinal between the Consecration of a Church and the Institution of Ministers. In a few books printed before 1845 it appears here.

Page from Prayers and Thanksgivings, in an edition published in 1810.

T H A N K S G I V I N G S.

The Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth.

¶ To be said when any Woman being present in Church, shall have desired to return thanks to Almighty God for her safe deliverance.

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 desireth 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.
 

For Rain

O GOD our heavenly Father who by thy gracious providence dost cause the former and the latter rain to descend upon the earth, that it may bring forth fruit for the use of man; We give thee humble thanks that it hath pleased thee in our great necessity to send us at the last a joyful rain upon thine inheritance, and to refresh it when it was dry, to the great comfort of us thy unworthy servants, and to the glory of thy holy Name; through thy mercies in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For Fair Weather.

O LORD God, who hast justly humbled us by thy late visitation of us with immoderate rain and waters, and in thy mercy hast relieved and comforted our souls by this seasonable and blessed change of weather; We praise and glorify thy holy Name for this thy mercy, and will always declare thy loving-kindness from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For Plenty.

O MOST merciful Father, who of thy gracious goodness hast heard the devout prayers of thy Church, and turned our dearth and scarcity into plenty; We give thee humble thanks for this thy special bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness unto us, that our land may yield us her fruits of increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Title & rubric printed as one rubric until 1845.

For Peace, and Deliverance from our Enemies.

O ALMIGHTY God, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies; We yield thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed. We acknowledge it thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For Restoring Public Peace at Home.

O ETERNAL God, our heavenly Father, who alone makest men to be of one mind in a house, and stillest the outrage of a violent and unruly people; We bless thy holy Name, that it hath pleased thee to appease the seditious tumults which have been lately raised up against us; most humbly beseeching thee to grant to all of us grace, that we may henceforth obediently walk in thy holy commandments; and, leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, may continually offer unto thee our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for these thy mercies towards us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For Deliverance from great Sickness and Mortality.

O LORD God, who hast wounded us for our sins, and consumed us for our transgressions, by thy late heavy and dreadful visitation, and now, in the midst of judgment remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death, We offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies which thou hast delivered to be a living sacrifice unto thee always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For a Recovery from Sickness.

O GOD, who art giver of life, of health, and of safety; We bless thy Name, that thou hast been pleased to deliver from his bodily sickness this thy servant who now desireth to return thanks unto thee in the presence of all thy people. Gracious art thou, O Lord and full of compassion to the children of men. May his heart be duly impressed with a sense of thy merciful goodness and may he devote the residue of his days to an humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

For a Safe Return from Sea.

MOST gracious Lord, whose mercy is over all thy works; We praise thy holy Name that thou hast been pleased to conduct in safety, through the perils of the great deep, this thy servant, who now desireth to return his thanks unto thee, in thy holy Church. May he be duly sensible of thy merciful providence towards him, and ever express his thankfulness by a holy trust in thee, and obedience to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.