The Book of Common Prayer and The Scottish Liturgy. Episcopal Church in Scotland
grant that as the minds | of thy children are enlightened with knowledge, so their hearts | may be daily drawn to the love of thee and of thy only Son, our | Saviour. And this we beg for the sake of the same Jesus Christ | our Lord. Amen. | | For Universities, Colleges, Schools, and other places of | learning. | | Almighty God, of whose only gift cometh wisdom and understanding; | We beseech thee with thy gracious favour to behold our | universities, colleges, and schools, that the confines of | knowledge may be ever enlarged, and all good learning flourish | and abound; bless all who teach and all who learn; and grant | that both teachers and learners in humility of heart may look | ever upward unto thee, who art the fountain of all wisdom; | through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with | thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world | without end. Amen. | | For Theological Colleges. | | O God who, through thy Holy Spirit, dost illuminate the minds | and sanctify the lives of those whom thou dost call to the | work of pastors and teachers; Look with thy favour upon all | colleges for the instruction and discipline of those who are | to serve in the sacred ministry of thy Church; bless those who | teach and those who learn, that they may apply themselves with | such diligence to the knowledge which is able to make men wise | unto salvation, and submit themselves with such ready obedience | to the law of thy Son our Saviour, that they may fulfil their | ministry with joy; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. | Amen. | | For the supply of Candidates for the Ministry of the Church. | | O Lord Jesus Christ, whose servants Simon Peter and Andrew his | brother did at thy word straightway leave their nets to become | fishers of men; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to | those whom thou dost call to the sacred ministry of thy Church, | that they may hear thy voice, and with glad hearts obey thy | call; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy | Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. | | For the Forces of the King, in his Navy and Army. | | O Lord God of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty | arm to strengthen and protect the sailors and soldiers of our | King in every peril, both of sea and land; shelter them in the | day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all | evil; endue them ever with loyalty and courage; and grant that | in all things they may serve as seeing thee who art invisible; | through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | During a Parliamentary election. | | Most gracious God, we humbly beseech thee, as for this Kingdom in | general, so especially for those who at this time are called to | elect representatives to serve in the High Court of Parliament; | Grant 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. | | During Municipal and other elections. | | Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom; Guide and direct, we | humbly beseech thee, the minds of all those who are called at | this time to make choice of fit persons to serve in the———. | Grant that in the exercise of their choice they may promote thy | glory and the welfare of this city [or town or county or | parish]. And this we beg for the sake of our Lord and Saviour | Jesus Christ. Amen. | | For Hospitals for the Sick. | | Almighty God, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ went about doing | good, and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the | people: Continue, we beseech thee, his gracious work among us | in the hospitals and infirmaries of our land; console and heal | the sufferers; grant to the physicians and surgeons wisdom and | skill, and to the nurses diligence and patience; prosper their | work, O Lord, and vouchsafe thy blessing to all who give of | their substance for its maintenance; through the same Jesus | Christ our Lord. Amen. | | For the recovery of a sick person. | | Almighty and immortal God, giver of life and health; We beseech | thee to hear our prayers for thy servant N., for whom we | implore thy mercy, that by thy blessing upon him and upon | those who minister to him of thy healing gifts, he may be | restored, if it be thy gracious will, to health of body and | mind, and give thanks to thee in thy holy Church; through | Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | For Workmen and the Employers of Labour. | | O God, who in thy providence hast appointed to every man his | work; Assuage, we humbly beseech thee, all strife and contention | between those who are engaged in the labours of industry and | those who employ their labour; deliver both masters and workmen | from all greed and covetousness; and grant that they, seeking | only that which is just and equal, may live and work together in | brotherly union and concord, to their own well-being, and the | prosperity of this realm; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | For brethren and friends in other lands. | | Almighty Father, who art present in thy power in every place; | Give ear in thy loving-kindness to the supplications which we | offer unto thee on behalf of our brethren and friends in distant | lands; may thy mighty hand shield and protect them from all | evil; may thy Holy Spirit guide them in the right way and bless | their going out and their coming in; and grant that, being united | by our fellowship with thee, we may all at the last be gathered | in the home which is above; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | For those who travel by sea. | | O Almighty God, whose way is in the sea, and whose paths are in | the great waters; Be present, we beseech thee, with our brethren | in the manifold dangers of the deep; protect them from all its | perils; prosper them in their course; and bring them in safety | to the haven where they would be, with a grateful sense of thy | mercies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. | | Almighty God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart | hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after | they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and | felicity; We praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy | servants who have finished their course in thy faith and fear; | and we most humbly beseech thee that, at the day of the general | resurrection, we, and all they who are of the mystical body of | thy Son, may be set on his right hand, and hear that his most | joyful voice, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom | prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Grant this, | O merciful Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only | Mediator and Advocate. Amen. | | O almighty God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, who by a | voice from heaven didst proclaim, Blessed are the dead who die | in the Lord: Multiply, we beseech thee, to those who rest in | Jesus, the manifold blessings of thy love, that the good work | which thou didst begin in them may be perfected unto the day of | Jesus Christ. And of thy mercy, O heavenly Father, vouchsafe | that we, who now serve thee here on earth, may at the last, | together with them, be found meet to be partakers of the | inheritance of the saints in light; for the sake of the same | thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
THANKSGIVINGS
A General Thanksgiving.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; [ * particularly to those who desire now to offer up their praises and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed unto them.] We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
[Margin Note:] * This to be said when any that have been prayed for desire to return praise.
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.