FRIDAY
UNTO thee will I cry, O Lord, and
early shall my prayer come before thee!
Blessed art thou, O Lord, who didst,
as on this day, command the earth to
bring forth the living creature after his
kind; cattle, and creeping things, and
beasts of the earth, after their kind; that
they might be serviceable to man for
food, for clothing, and for help in his
labours:
And who madest man after thy own
likeness and didst bless him, and give
him dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowls of the air, and over
all the earth,
In which wonderful and most noble
operation I behold, and thankfully ad-
mire, thy consultation about it, the work
of thine own hand in it, thy breathing
of life into him, whereby man became
a living soul; the image of thy on divine
mind impressed upon him; the govern-
ment of creatures here below commit-
ted to him; the paradise prepared for
him; the charge given to thy angels
concerning him; the marvellous struc-
ture of his body, the several functions of
his heart, his reins, his eyes, his ears,
his tongue, his hands, his feet, and in-
deed his every part; for in all he is fear-
fully and wonderfully made.
But still more useful and more amaz-
ing are the superior faculties of his soul;
life, sensation, reason, intellect, free-
will, memory, and conscience.
How amply also hast thou made pro-
vision for the exercise of these noble fa-
culties! By a revealed and written law;
by the oracles of inspired prophets; by
the melody of holy psalms; by the pro-
fitable instruction of wise proverbs and
parables; by the examples and experi-
ence to be gathered from faithful histo-
ries; and by the typical worship of sa-
crifices, the shadows of greater and bet-
ter things to come.
BLESSED art thou, O Lord, for that
great and precious promise, which thou,
in the bowels of thy mercy, didst vouch-
safe to give for the support of our fal-
len parents, That the seed of the woman
should break the serpent’s head; and
for the punctual accomplishment of the
promise, which thou, in the fulness of
time, was pleased to make on this day.
Blessed be thou, O Lord, my God,
and my Saviour, for the holy and bitter
sufferings of this day! O grant, that
what thou wert then content to endure
for us men, and for our salvation, may
be effectual, for the saving of my soul in
particular.
An Act of Contrition.
I HAVE rebelled against the Lord my
God, and have fallen by my iniquity;
but I will take with me words, and will
return unto him, and say, take away all
my iniquity, and receive me graciously;
so will I render the calves of my lips.
Spare me, good Lord, spare me, and
give not up thy servant to reproach and
ruin. Be merciful, O Lord, be merci-
ful; cease from thine anger, I beseech
thee; repent, Lord, of the evil, and let
it not be.
I have followed after lying vanities,
and forsaken my own mercy, and have
been justly cast out of the sight of thine
eyes.
But, when my soiil fainteth, I will
remember my God, and will look again
towards thy holy temple.
Who is a God like unto thee, that
pardonest iniquity, and passest by the
transgression of thy people? Thou re-
tainest not thine anger for ever, because
thou delightest in mercy.
Turn again then; and have compas-
sion upon me; do thou subdue all mine
iniquities, and cast my sins into the
depths of the sea. Yea, perform all thy
truth, and thy goodness upon thy ser-
vant.
O Lord, I have heard thy threaten-
ings, and was afraid: I have considered
thy works, and was astonished: But do
thou in wrath remember mercy.
Behold me, O Lord, like thy servant
heretofore, clothed with filthy garments,
and Satan standing at my right hand;
but do thou, by the blood of thy
covenant, by the fountain opened for sin
and for uncleanness, wash me thoroughly
from my wickedness; and save me, as
a brand plucked out of the fire.
Father, forgive me, for I knew not
what I did: Alas! I knew not what I
did, when I sinned so grievously against
thee. Lord, remember me, in thy
kingdom; Lord, lay not the sins of
mine enemies to their charge. Lord,
lay not my own sins to my charge:
But, by thy agony and bloody sweat,
by thy head crowned with thorns, and
smitten with fists and staves; by thine
eyes, full of tears, and thine ears pierced
with slanders and revilings; by thy face
miserably defiled with spittle; by thy
mouth moistened with vinegar and gall;
by thy neck bending under the weight of
the cross; by thy back torn and furrowed
with scourges; by thy loud and bitter
cry; My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? By thy heart wounded
with a soldier’s spear; by the water and
blood streaming from that wound; by
thy body broken, and thy blood shed,
for me; by the saving and significant
memorials of thy love and sufferings;
forgive, O Lord, the offence of thy ser-
vant, and cover all my sins.
Take away all thy displeasure, and
turn thyself from thy wrathful indigna-
tion;
Turn me, O God, my Saviour, and
let thine anger cease from me.
Wilt thou be displeased for ever?
And wilt thou stretch out thy wrath
from one generation to another?
Wilt thou not turn again, and quick-
en me, that thy servant, may rejoice in
thee?
O shew me thy mercy, good Lord,
and grant me thy salvation.
A Prayer for Grace.
DEFEND me, I beseech thee, by thy
mighty power, and endue me with
strength, in the inner man; effectually
to withstand and irreconcileably to ab-
hor adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, ha-
tred, variance, emulations, wraths, mur-
ders, strifes, seditions, heresies, envyings,
drunkenness, revellings, and all the
works of the flesh, with its corrupt affec-
tions and lusts:
And help me to grow in grace, and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour;
and let me not be barren in that know-
ledge, but bring forth abundantly the
fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
meekness, and forbearance, against
which there is no law.
An Act of Faith.
I BELIEVE, that thou, O God the
Father, hast created me; despise not
then the work of thy own hands.
I believe that thou hast made me in
thy own image, after thy likeness; suf-
fer not then thy likeness to be cast away
and perish.
I believe that thou,O God the Son,
hast redeemed me by thy blood; per-
mit not then thyself to be defrauded of
a purchase which cost thee so dear.
I believe myself to be called a Chris-
tian, after thy own name; disregard not
then the person, whose greatest honour
it is to be named after thee.
I believe, that thou, O God the Holy
Ghost, hast sanctified me by the laver
of regeneration; reject not then the
soul, which thou hast graciously admit-
ted to be partaker of thy holiness.
I believe that thou hast grafted me
into the good olive-tree; cut not off the
branch which thou hast thus made a
member of Christ’s mystical body.
O THINK upon thy servant, as con-
cerning thy word, wherein thou hast
caused me to put my trust.
My soul hath longed for thy salva-
tion, and I have a good hope because of
thy word,
Mayest thou ever be with me, O
Lord, by thy power, to protect me: By
thy mercy in Christ to save me; By thy
truth and holy Scripture, to instruct and
comfort me: By the grace of thy Holy
Spirit, to renew and quicken me, now
and for ever and ever.
O DEAREST Saviour, impart to me
thy whole self; and let every part and
act of thine have its saving influence
over me:
Sanctify me by thy Spirit; feed and
strengthen me by thy body; ransom me
by thy blood; wash me in thy water;
heal me by thy stripes; refresh me by
thy sweat; hide me in thy wounds,
And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, keep my heart and
mind, in the knowledge and love of
God.
An Act of Intercession from the ancient
Liturgy of the Church of Jerusalem.
AND now, O Lord Jesus Christ, in
full faith and trust in thy life-giving
passion, salutary cross, death, burial,
and resurrection from the dead on the
third day, thy ascension into heaven,
and sitting at the right hand of the Fa-
ther, and looking for thy second glori-
ous and terrible advent, when thou
shalt come again with glory to judge the
quick and the dead, and shall render to
every one according to his works, we
wretched and miserable sinners do be-
seech thee, that thou wouldest not deal
with us after our sins, nor reward us
after our iniquities; but according to
thy clemency and ineffable love to man-
kind) overlooking and blotting out the
hand-writing that is against us thy ser-
vants, wouldest grant us thy heavenly
and eternal good things; for thy people
and thine inheritance make their sup-
plications unto thee; have mercy upon
us, O Lord God, Almighty Father,
have mercy upon us, according to thy
great mercy, and send down thy Holy
Spirit upon us all, through the appoint-
ed means and channels of grace in thy
church, for the sanctification of soul and
body, for bringing forth the fruit of good
works, for remission of sins, and for life
everlasting.
We supplicate and intreat thee, O
Lord, for thy holy catholic and apostolic
church throughout the whole world: Do
thou now also, O Lord, plentifully fur-
nish her with the rich gifts of thy Holy
Spirit. Look down upon her in her
captivity: O visit her once more with
thy salvation; and bring her out to serve
thee in the beauty of holiness.
Remember, O Lord, the holy bishops
in thy church, (especially thy servant
our bishop) endow them with wisdom,
and fill them with the Holy Ghost, that
they may rightly divide, and uprightly
walk in the word of truth.
Remember, O Lord, according to the
multitude of thy mercies and compas-
sions, all the presbyters and deacons
who compass thy holy altar; grant to
those an unblameable presbyterate, and
preserve these unspotted in their minis-
try, and purchase for them good de-
grees.
Remember, O Lord, all kings and
princes, whom thou hast appointed to
reign upon the earth, (especially thy ser-
vant our king,) and all in authority; es-
tablish their kingdoms in peace, and in-
cline their hearts to be favourable to thy
church, that in their tranquillity we may-
lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all
godliness and honesty.
Remember, O Lord, this city, dio-
cese, parish, &c. and every city and
country, with all the faithful that dwell
in them; preserve them in peace and
safety.
Remember, O Lord, our Christian
brethren that travel by sea or by land,
or are in foreign countries; that are in
chains or imprisonment; that are in cap-
tivity or banishment, or in hard slavery.
Remember, O Lord, those that are
sick, or diseased, and make haste to
heal and deliver them.
Remember, O Lord, every Christian
soul under affliction or calamity, and all
who stand in need of thy divine mercy
and help.
Remember also, the conversion of
them that be in error.
Remember all, O Lord, for good;
have mercy upon all, O Lord; be re-
conciled to us all; settle the flocks of
thy people in peace; remove all scan-
dals; make wars to cease; put a stop
to the violence of heresies; heal the
schisms of the churches; and grant us
thy peace and love, O God, our Savi-
our, and the hope of all the ends of the
earth.
Remember, O Lord, to grant us tem-
perate weather, moderate showers, plea-
sant dews, and plenty of the fruits of the
earth; and to bless the whole circle of
the year with thy goodness; for the eyes
of all hope in thee, and thou givest them
food in due season; thou openest thine
hand, and fillest every living creature
with thy gracious bounty,
Remember, O Lord, all who bring
forth fruit, and do good works in thy ho-
ly churches, and who are mindful of the
poor, the widows, orphans, strangers,
and indigent persons, and all who desire
to be remembered in our prayers.
And grant that we may all find mer-
cy and favour with all thy saints, who,
from the beginning of the world, have
pleased thee in their several generations,
patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs,
and every just spirit made perfect in the
faith of thy Christ, from righteous Abel
even unto this day; do thou give them
and us rest in the region of the living, in
the bosoms of our holy fathers, Abra-
ham, Isaac, and Jacob, whence sorrow,
grief, and lamentation are banished
away, where the light of thy counte-
nance visits and shines continually; and
vouchsafe to bring them and us to
the full enjoyment of thy heavenly king-
dom: And dispose the end of our lives,
O Lord, in peace, that they may be
Christian, well pleasing to thee, and free
from sin; that so, with that innumera-
ble company before the throne, we may
sing praises evermore to thy glorious
name, O Jesus, our Saviour, our Lord,
and our God, in the unity of the Father
and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Halle-
lujah.
An Act of Praise.
Glory to thee, gracious and merci-
ful God, who, when miserable man had,
by transgressing thy commandments,
forfeited thy favour, and utterly lost
himself; didst not disdain, nor forsake
him, in this forlorn condition; but by
many admirable methods, didst visit and
pity him.
As a compassionate and tender Fa-
ther, sustaining him with thy greatest
and most comfortable promise, that the
seed of the woman should break the
serpent’s head: Opening a door of faith
and repentance; and, in the fulness of
time, sending out of thy bosom thy
Christ, the Son of thy love, to take up-
on him the seed of Abraham; that, by
his spotless and holy life, he might ful-
fil the obedience of the law; and, by the
sacrifice of his death, might take away
the curse and sting of death; and, after
having thus given himself a ransom for
the whole world, might, by bis resurrec-
tion, restore that world to life.
O infinitely wise and good God, who
has left no expedient untried, for bring-
ing lapsed mankind back again to hap-
piness; and making them partakers of
thy divine nature, and everlasting glory.
O thou, who hast borne such ample
testimony to the truth of thy Son’s Gos-
pel, by miracles manifold and number-
less, by the most holy and memorable
lives of thy saints and servants, by their
invincible patience under torments and
death, by the most astonishing conver-
sion of the world, blinded with igno-
rance, prejudice, and sensuality, to the
obedience of the faith: And all this ac-
complished, without any advantage, or
assistance, from wealth, or power, or
public countenance, or charms of elo-
quence, or force of arms: Blessed and
praised, lauded and magnified, exalted,
sanctified, and adored, be thy glori-
ous name for ever and ever.
May the memory, and every men-
tion of these inestimable instances of
thy wondrous love, fill every heart with
joy and thankfulness, in all places, and
throughout all generations.
WORTHY art thou, O Lord, to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof,
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood.
Worthy is the Lamb that Was slain,
to receive power, and riches, and wis-
dom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing.
Therefore unto him that sitteth on the
throne, and unto the Lamb, be blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, for
ever and ever. Amen.
Salvation to our God, who sitteth on
the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Blessing and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power,
and might, be unto our God, for ever
and ever. Amen.