beseech thee, the assurance of thy mercy, and sanctify us by thy heavenly grace; that we, approaching thee with a pure heart and undefiled conscience, may offer unto thee a sacrifice in righteousness, and celebrate thy blessed name in the faith and Spirit of thy Son. O God, mercifully accept the prayers of thy Holy Church throughout the world which this day are offered at the footstool of thy throne; give us grace to prepare our hearts, that we may serve thee with reverence and godly fear; grant us a true apprehension of thy divine majesty, and a deep sense of our unworthiness; that so, approaching thy sanctuary with lowliness and devotion, we may present an offering acceptable to thee and in the spirit of Him who hath taught us how to pray. Amen.

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee, fulfill 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.

(Other prayers or collects may here be added.)

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

To be said by the Minister and People.

OUR

UR 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, forever and Amen.

ever.

(An anthem, chant, or hymn may here be sung.) Then shall follow, by minister and people, the responsive reading of the Psalms.

Ninth Service.

OPENING SENTENCES.

One or more to be read by the Minister.

PREPARE ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

EXHORTATION.

To be read by the Minister.

THE heavenly Father, in whose presence we now stand, is always more ready to hear than we to pray; nor does any thing hide him from us but the veil of our impure and earthly mind. And since the preparations of even the willing heart are not without him, let us inwardly pray for the grace of a humble and holy spirit, that for a little while we may be alone with him; and, as his beloved Son went up into the mountain to pray, so we may rise above the haste and press of life, and commune with him in spirit and in truth.

RESPONSIVE SENTENCES.

To be read by the Minister and People.

SEEK ye the word of the Lord and read, for his thoughts are not as our thoughts.

Strengthen ye the weak hands; and confirm the feeble knees;

Say to them that are of fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:

Behold your God will bring deliverance; he will come and save you.

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame leap as the hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in a thirsty land;

The solitary place shall be glad, and the

desert shall blossom as the rose.

And a highway shall be there, the way of holiness;

To the meek it shall be a path of light, and the wayfaring man shall not err therein.

Come walk in his word, with songs of joy;

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Glory be to God, Most High, the EverBlessed Father,

Who is, and was, and shall be, world without end. Amen.