The Book of Common Prayer and The Scottish Liturgy. Episcopal Church in Scotland
and seven days after. | | Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting | doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Psalm xxiv. 7. | | Or, We have a great high priest that is passed into the | heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Let us therefore come boldly | unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find | grace to help in time of need. Heb. iv. 14, 16. | | Whitsunday and six days after. | | When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with | one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from | heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house | where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven | tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them: and | they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. Acts ii. 1–4.
Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me:
| The exhortation, Dearly beloved brethren, except on occasions | specified by the Bishop, may be omitted, or may be abbreviated | as follows: | | Dearly beloved brethren, I pray and beseech you, as many as are | here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble | voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me; | | Or the following may be said instead, | | Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation after the Minister, all kneeling.
Almighty and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done, And there is no health in us: But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders; Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults, Restore thou them that are penitent, According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord: And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
The Absolution or Remission of sins to be pronounced by the Priest alone, standing: the people still kneeling.
Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live; and hath given power and commandment to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins: He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The people shall answer here, and at the end of all other prayers,
Amen.
Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer with an audible voice: the people also kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Then likewise he shall say,
O Lord, open thou our lips.
Answer. And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Priest. O God, make speed to save us.
Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Here, all standing up, the Priest shall say,
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Priest. Praise ye the Lord.
Answer. The Lord's Name be praised.
Then shall be said or sung this Psalm following: Except on Easter-day, upon which another Anthem is appointed: and on the nineteenth day of every month it is not to be read here, but in the ordinary course of the Psalms.
| The Easter Anthems may be used for seven days after Easter.
VENITE, EXULTEMUS DOMINO.
Psalm xcv.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving: and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God: and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth: and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship, and fall down: and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness;
When your fathers tempted me: proved me, and saw my works.
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said: It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways.
Unto whom I sware in my wrath: that they should not enter into my rest.
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.
Then shall follow the Psalms in order as they be appointed. And at the end of every Psalm throughout the year, and likewise in the end of Benedicite, Benedictus, Magnificat, and Nunc dimittis, shall be repeated,
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Then shall be read distinctly with an audible voice the First Lesson, taken out of the Old Testament as is appointed in the Kalendar: Except there be proper Lessons assigned for that day: He that readeth so standing and turning himself, as he may best be heard of all such as are present. And after that shall be said or sung, in English, the Hymn called Te Deum Laudamus, daily throughout the year.
Note that before every Lesson the Minister shall say, Here beginneth such a Chapter, or Verse of such a Chapter, of such a Book: And after every Lesson, Here endeth the First, or the Second Lesson,
TE DEUM LAUDAMUS.
We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee: the Father everlasting.
To