The Book of Common Prayer
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    The Book of Common Prayer (1928)

 

Offices of Instruction

FIRST OFFICE.

After the singing of a Hymn, shall be said by the Minister and People together, all kneeling, the following Prayer, the Minister first pronouncing,

Answer. 
 The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

LORD of all power and might, Who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, Increase in us true religion, Nourish us with all goodness, And of thy great mercy keep us in the same; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then, the People being seated, the Minister shall ask them the Questions which follow, the People reading or repeating the Answers as appointed.

    Question. What is your Christian Name?
    Answer. My Christian Name is ——.
    Question. Who gave you this Name?
    Answer. My Sponsors gave me this Name in Baptism; wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.
    Question. What did your Sponsors then promise for you?
    Answer. My Sponsors did promise and vow three things in my name: First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh; Secondly, that I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith; And Thirdly, that I should keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life.
    Question. Do you not think that you are bound so to do?
    Answer. Yes, verily; and by God's help so I will. And I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me his grace, that I may continue in the same unto my life’s end.

Then the Minister shall say,

YOU said that your Sponsors promised and vowed that you should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. Recite the Articles of the Christian Faith as con-tained in the Apostles’ Creed.

Then, all standing, shall be said the Apostles' Creed by the Minister and People.

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.
 

 

Then, the Minister, turning to the People, shall ask the Question following, the People responding.

    Question. What do you chiefly learn in these Articles of your Belief?
    Answer. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me, and all the world.
    Secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all mankind.
    Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the people of God.
    And this Holy Trinity, One God, I praise and magnify, saying,

Minister and People.
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.

Here may be sung a Hymn, after which the Minister, turning to the People, shall say,

YOU said that your Sponsors promised and vowed that you should keep God’s holy will and commandments. Tell me how many Commandments there are.
    Answer. There are Ten Commandments, given in old time by God to the people of Israel.

Then shall the Minister say,

Let us ask God's help to know and to keep them.

Answer. 
 The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Then shall be said this Prayer by the Minister and People together, all kneeling.

O ALMIGHTY God, Who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, That they may love the thing which thou com-mandest, And desire that which thou dost promise; That so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, Our hearts may surely there be fixed, Where true joys are to be found; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

 

Then shall the Minister repeat the Ten Commandments, and after every Commandment the People shall say the response. But NOTE, That where so instructed, the People may repeat the Commandments, the Minister saying the response. And NOTE further, That the part of the Commandment which is inset may be omitted.

    I. Thou shalt have none other gods but me.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    II. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them;

for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and show mercy unto thou-sands in them that love me and keep my commandments.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    III. Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain

for the LORD will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his Name in vain.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    IV. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner of work; thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy cattle, and the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    V. Honour thy father and thy mother;

that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    VI. Thou shalt do no murder.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    VIII. Thou shalt not steal.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

    X. Thou shalt not covet

thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.

    Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee.
 

 

 ¶ Then shall the Minister say,

GRANT to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

After this, the People being seated, the Minister, turning to them, shall ask the Questions which follow, the People reading or repeating the Answers.

    Question. What does our Lord Jesus Christ teach us about these Commandments?
    Answer. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us that they are summed up in these two Commandments: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength; this is the first and great Commandment. And the second is: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
    Question. What then do you chiefly learn from the Ten Commandments?
    Answer. I learn two things from these Commandments; my duty towards God, and my duty towards my Neighbour.
    Question. What is your duty towards God?
    Answer. My duty towards God is To believe in him, to fear him, And to love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all my strength:

    I., II. To worship him, to give him thanks: To put my whole trust in him, to call upon him:
    III. To honour his holy Name and his Word:
    IV. And to serve him truly all the days of my life.

    Question. What is your duty towards your Neighbour?
    Answer. My duty towards my Neighbour is To love him as myself, and to do to all men as I would they should do unto me:

    V. To love, honour, and help my father and mother: To honour and obey the civil authority: To submit myself to all my governors, teachers, spiritual pastors and masters: And to order myself in that lowliness and reverence which becometh a servant of God:
    VI. To hurt nobody by word or deed: To bear no malice nor hatred in my heart:
    VII. To keep my body in temperance, soberness, and chastity:
    VIII. To keep my hands from picking and stealing: To be true and just in all my dealings:
    IX. To keep my tongue from evil speaking, lying, and slandering:
    X. Not to covet nor desire other men's goods; But to learn and labour truly to earn mine own living, And to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.

Then shall be sung a Hymn, after which the Minister shall say as followeth.

KNOW this; that you are not able to do these things of yourself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve him, without his special grace; which you must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer. What is the prayer that our Lord taught us to pray?
    Answer. The Lord's Prayer.
    Minister. Let us pray, as our Saviour Christ hath taught us, and say,

Then shall be said by the Minister and People together, all kneeling,

OUR Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

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.

  

 

SECOND OFFICE.

After the singing of a Hymn, there shall be said the following Sentence by the Minister and People together.

COME ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. And he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.

    Minister. Show thy servants thy work;
    People. And their children thy glory.
    Minister. Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us;
    People. As we do put our trust in thee.
    Minister. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
    People. But unto thy Name be the praise.
    Minister. Lord, hear our prayer.
    People. And let our cry come unto thee.
    Minister. The Lord be with you.
    People. And with thy spirit.
    Minister. Let us pray.

O ALMIGHTY God, who hast built thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the head corner-stone; Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple acceptable unto thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here may be sung a Hymn, after which, the People being seated, the Minister shall ask them the Questions concerning the Church which follow, the People responding.

WHEN were you made a member of the Church?
  Answer. I was made a member of the Church when I was baptized.
    Question. What is the Church?
    Answer. The Church is the Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head, and all baptized people are the members.
    Question. How is the Church described in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds?
    Answer. The Church is described in the Creeds as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
    Question. What do we mean by these words?
    Answer. We mean that the Church is
    One; because it is one Body under one Head;
    Holy; because the Holy Spirit dwells in it, and sanctifies its members;
    Catholic; because it is universal, holding earnestly the Faith for all time, in all countries, and for all people; and is sent to preach the Gospel to the whole world;
    Apostolic; because it continues stedfastly in the Apostles' teaching and fellowship.
    Question. What is your bounden duty as a member of the Church?
    Answer. My bounden duty is to follow Christ, to worship God every Sunday in his Church; and to work and pray and give for the spread of his kingdom.
    Question. What special means does the Church provide to help you to do all these things?
    Answer. The Church provides the Laying on of Hands, or Confirmation, wherein, after renewing the promises and vows of my Baptism, and declaring my loyalty and devotion to Christ as my Master, I receive the strengthening gifts of the Holy Spirit.
    Question. After you have been confirmed, what great privilege doth our Lord provide for you?
    Answer. Our Lord provides the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, for the continual streng-thening and refreshing of my soul.
 

 

After another Hymn, the Minister shall proceed with the Questions on the Sacraments, as followeth.

HOW many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church?
    Answer. Christ hath ordained two Sacraments only, as generally necessary to salvation; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.
    Question. What do you mean by this word Sacrament?
    Answer. I mean by this word Sacrament an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us; ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive this grace, and a pledge to assure us thereof.
    Question. How many parts are there in a Sacrament?
    Answer. There are two parts in a Sacrament; the out-ward and visible sign, and the inward and spiritual grace.
    Question. What is the outward and visible sign or form in Baptism?
    Answer. The outward and visible sign or form in Baptism is Water; wherein the person is baptized, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
    Question. What is the inward and spiritual grace in Baptism?
    Answer. The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness; whereby we are made the children of grace.
    Question. What is required of persons to be baptized?
    Answer. Repentance, whereby they forsake sin; and Faith, whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of God to them in that Sacrament.
    Question. Why then are infants baptized, when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them?
    Answer. Because, by the faith of their Sponsors, infants are received into Christ's Church, become the recipients of his grace, and are trained in the household of faith.
    Question. Why was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ordained?
    Answer. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was ordained for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby.
    Question. What is the outward part or sign of the Lord's Supper?
    Answer. The outward part or sign of the Lord's Supper is, Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.
    Question. What is the inward part, or thing signified?
    Answer. The inward part, or thing signified, is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are spiritually taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper.
    Question. What are the benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord's Supper?
    Answer. The benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper are the strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ, as our bodies are strengthened and refreshed by the Bread and Wine.
    Question. What is required of those who come to the Lord's Supper?
    Answer. It is required of those who come to the Lord's Supper to examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins, with stedfast purpose to lead a new life; to have a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and to be in charity with all men.
 

 

Here may be sung a Hymn, after which the Minister shall ask the People the following Questions concerning the Ministry, the People responding.

WHAT orders of Ministers are there in the Church?
    Answer. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons; which orders have been in the Church from the earliest times.
    Question. What is the office of a Bishop?
    Answer. The office of a Bishop is, to be a chief pastor in the Church; to confer Holy Orders; and to administer Confirmation.
    Question. What is the office of a Priest?
    Answer. The office of a Priest is, to minister to the people committed to his care; to preach the Word of God; to baptize; to celebrate the Holy Communion; and to pronounce Absolution and Blessing in God's Name.
    Question. What is the office of a Deacon?
    Answer. The office of a Deacon is, to assist the Priest in Divine Service, and in his other ministrations, under the direction of the Bishop.

Then shall the Minister add,

Answer. 
 The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

GRANT, O Lord, that they who shall renew the promises and vows of their Baptism, and be confirmed by the Bishop, may receive such a measure of thy Holy Spirit, that they may grow in grace unto their life's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GRANT, O Father, that when we receive the blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, coming to those holy mysteries in faith, and love, and true repentance, we may receive remission of our sins, and be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.

The Minister of every Parish shall diligently, upon Sundays and Holy Days, or on some other convenient occasions, openly in the Church, instruct or examine the Youth of his Parish.

And all Fathers, Mothers, Guardians, and Sponsors shall bring those, for whose religious nurture they are responsible, to the Church at the time appointed, to receive instruction by the Minister.

So soon as Children are come to a competent age, and can say the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments and are sufficiently instructed in the matter contained in these Offices they shall be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him.

 

  
 

 

The Order of Confirmation

Or Laying on of Hands upon Those
that are Baptized, and come to
Years of Discretion.

Upon the day appointed, all that are to be confirmed shall stand in order before the Bishop, sitting in his chair near to the Holy Table, the People all standing until the Lord's Prayer; and the Minister shall say,

REVEREND Father in God, I present unto you these persons to receive the Laying on of Hands.

¶ Then the Bishop, or some Minister appointed by him, may say,

    Hear the words of the Evangelist Saint Luke, in the eighth Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

WHEN the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Then shall the Bishop say,

DO ye here, in the presence of God, and of this con- gregation, renew the solemn promise and vow that ye made, or that was made in your name, at your Baptism; ratifying and confirming the same; and acknowledging your-selves bound to believe and to do all those things which ye then undertook, or your Sponsors then undertook for you?

And every one shall audibly answer,

I do.

Then shall the Bishop say,

DO ye promise to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?

And every one shall answer,

I do.

    Bishop. Our help is in the Name of the Lord;
    Answer. Who hath made heaven and earth.
    Bishop. Blessed be the Name of the Lord;
    Answer. Henceforth, world without end.
    Bishop. Lord, hear our prayer.
    Answer. And let our cry come unto thee.

Bishop. Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by Water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given unto them forgiveness of all their sins; Strengthen them, we beseech thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace: the spirit of wisdom and under-standing, the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever. Amen.
 

 

Then all of them in order kneeling before the Bishop, he shall lay his hand upon the head of every one severally, saying,

DEFEND, O Lord, this thy Child with thy heavenly grace; that he may continue thine for ever; and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come unto thy everlasting kingdom. Amen.

Then shall the Bishop say,

Answer. 
 The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Bishop. Let us pray.

Then shall the Bishop say the Lord's Prayer, the People kneeling and repeating it with him.

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 shall the Bishop say,

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who makest us both to will and to do those things which are good, and accept-able unto thy Divine Majesty; We make our humble suppli-cations unto thee for these thy servants, upon whom, after the example of thy holy Apostles, we have now laid our hands, to certify them, by this sign, of thy favour and gra-cious goodness towards them. Let thy fatherly hand, we beseech thee, ever be over them; let thy Holy Spirit ever be with them; and so lead them in the knowledge and obedience of thy Word, that in the end they may obtain everlasting life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with thee and the same Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

O ALMIGHTY Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts and bodies, in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that, through thy most mighty pro-tection, both here and ever, we may be pre served in body and soul; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Then the Bishop shall bless them, saying thus,

THE Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be upon you, and remain with you for ever. Amen.

The Minister shall not omit earnestly to move the Persons confirmed to come, without delay, to the Lord’s Supper.

And there shall none be admitted to the Holy Communion, until such time as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed.

  

 

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