Church of England

“ 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 aske those things which are requisite and necessary as well for the body as the soul. ”

“ Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Iesus 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 vnfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. ”

“ O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the only ruler of Princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers vpon earth: most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious soveraign Lord King Charles, and so replenish him with the grace of thy holy Spirit, that he may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. ”

“ That it may please thee to give vs true repentance, to forgive vs all our sins, negligences and Ignorances, and to indue vs with the grace of thy holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to thy holy Word. ”

“ The appointment of the which order pertaineth not to private men: therefore no man ought to take in hand, nor presume to appoint or alter any publick, or common order in Christs church, except he be lawfully called and authorized thereunto.
And whereas in this our time, the minds of men are so divers, that some think it a great matter of conscience to depart from a peece of the least of their Ceremonies ”

“ We humbly beseech thee O Father, mercifully to look vpon our infirmities : and for the glory of thy Name turne from vs all those evils that we most righteously have deserved, and grant that in all our Troubles, we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holines and purenes of living, to thy honor and glory, through our only mediatour and Advocate, Iesus Christ our Lord. ”

“ And if any such person once convict of any offence concerning the premisses, shall after his first conviction, eftsoons offend, and be thereof in form aforesaid lawfully convict : that then the same person shall for his second offence suffer imprisonment, by the space of one whole year, and also shall therefore be deprived ipso facto of all his spiritual promotions, And that it shall be lawfull to all Patrons or donors of all and singular the same spirituall promotions or any of them to present or collate to the same, as though the person or persons so offending were dead. ”

“ Remember not Lord our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers, neither take thou vengeance of our sinns : Spare vs good Lord, spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy most pretious blood, and be not angry with vs forever. ”

“ Who for vs men, and for our Salvation came downe from heaven, And was incarnate by the holy Ghost of the Virgine Mary, And was made man, And was crucified also for vs vnder Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, And the third day he rose againe according to the Scriptures, And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come againe with glory to iudge both the quicke and the dead: Whose kingdom shall have no end. ”

“ And in these our doings we condemn no other Nations, nor prescribe any thing, but to our own people only. For we think it convenient that every country should vse such ceremonies as they shall think best to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory, and to the reducing of the people to a most perfect and godly living without errour or superstition: And that they should put away other things, which from time to time they perceive to be most abused, as in mens ordinances it often chanceth diversly in divers countries. ”

“ Almighty and most mercifull Father, We have erred and strayed from thy wayes 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 vndon those things which we ought to have don, And we have don those things which we ought not to have don, And there is no health in vs: But thou, O Lord, have mercy vpon vs miserable offenders ”

“ And for as much as nothing can be so plainly set forth, but doubts may arise in the vse and practise of the same: to appease all such diversity (if any arise) and for the resolution of all doubts concerning the manner how to vnderstand, do and execute the things contained in this book; The parties that so doubt or diversly take any thing, shall alway resort to the Bishop of the Diocess, who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting and appeasing of the same; so that the same order be not contrary to any thing contained in this book. ”

“ O come, let vs worship, and fall downe : and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God : and we are the people of his pasture and the sheepe of his hand. To day if ye will heare his voyce, harden not your hearts : as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
When your fathers tempted mee : proved me and saw my works.
Forty yeares long was I grieved with this generation and said : it is a people that do erre in their hearts, for they have not known my wayes. ”

“ And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other : none is greater, or lesse then another.
But the whole three persons are coeternall together : and coequall.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid : the Vnity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Vnity is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved : must thus thinke of the Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting Salvation : that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right Faith is that we believe, and confesse : that our Lord Iesus Christ the Son of God, is God and Man. ”

“ Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be don in earth as it is in heaven, Give vs this day our daily bread: And forgive vs our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against vs: And lead vs not into temptation, But deliver vs from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. ”

“ To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham : that he would give vs.
That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies : might serve him without fear.
Jn holines, and righteousnes before him : all the dayes of our life.
And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes.
To give knowledge of salvation vnto his people : for the remission of their sins.
Through the tender mercy of our God : whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited vs. ”

“ Although we know it impossible (in such variety of Apprehensions, humors, and interests as are in the world) to please all ; nor can expect that men of factious, peevish, and perverse spirits should be satisfied with any thing that can be don in this kind, by any other then themselves : Yet we have good hope, that what is here presented, and hath been by the Convocations of both Provinces with great diligence examined and approved ”

“ Perfect God, and perfect man : of a reasonable soule, and humane flesh subsisting.
Equall to the Father, as touching his Godhead : and inferiour to the Father, as touching his manhood.
Who although he be God and man : yet he is not twoe, but one Christ.
One, not by Conversion of the Godhead into Flesh : but by takeing of the manhood into God.
One altogether, not by Confusion of Substance : but by Vnity of person.
For as the reasonable soule and Flesh is one man : So God and man is one Christ. ”

“ Our generall aime therefore in this vndertaking was, not to gratify this or that party in any their vnreasonable demands : but to do that which to our best vnderstandings we conceived might most tend to the preservation of peace and vnity in the Church ; the procuring of reverence, and exciting of piety, and devotion in the publick worship of God; and the cutting off occasion from themthat seek occasion of cavill, or quarell against the Liturgy of the Church. ”

“ That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, Priests and Deacons, with true knowledge and vnderstanding of thy word, and that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth and shew it accordingly,
We beseech thee to hear vs good Lord.
That it may please thee to indue the Lords of the Council, and all the Nobility with grace, wisedom, and vnderstanding,
We beseech thee to hear vs good Lord. ”

“ The Old Testament is appointed for the first Lessons at Morning, and Evening Prayer; so as the most part thereof will be read every year once as in the Kalendar is appointed.
The New Testament is appointed for the second Lessons at Morning and Evening Prayer, and shall be read over orderly every year thrice, besides the Epistles and Gospels; except the Apocalyps, out of which there are only certein proper Lessons appointed vpon divers Feasts. ”

“ Yet because there is no Remedy, but that of necessity there must be some Rules: therefore certein Rules are here set forth; which, as they are few in number, so they are plain, and easie to be vnderstood. So that here you haue an Order for prayer, and for the reading of the holy Scripture, much agreable to the mind and purpose of the old Fathers, and a great deal more profitable, and commodious then that, which of late was vsed. It is more profitable ”

“ 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 yeare. ”

“ And also, that if there shall happen any contempt or irreverence to be vsed in the Ceremonies or Rites of the Church by the misvsing of the orders appointed in this book : the Queens Maiesty may by the like advice of the said Commissioners, or Metropolitane, ordain and publish such further Ceremonies or Rites, as may be most for the advancement of Gods glory, the edifying of his Church, and the due reverence of Christs holy Mysteries and sacraments. ”

“ Be it therefore enacted by the authority of this present Parliament, that the said statute of repeal, and every thing therein contained, only concerning the said Book, and the service, Administration of sacraments, Rites, and Ceremonies contained or appointed in or by the said book, shall be void, and of none effect, from and after the feast of the Nativity of St ̣ Iohn Baptist next coming. ”

“ Not enforced so to do by any strength of Argument convincing vs of the necessity of making the said alterations : for we are fully perswaded in our iudgements (and we here profess it to the world) that the Book, as it stood before established by Law, doth not contain in it any thing contrary to the word of God, or to sound doctrine, or which a godly man may not with a good conscience vse, and submitt vnto, or which is not fairly defensible against any that shall oppose the same ”

“ But now, as concerning those persons which peradventure will be offended, for that some of the old ceremonies are retained still: if they consider that without some ceremonies it is not possible to keep any order or quiet discipline in the Church, they shall easily perceive iust cause to reform their iudgements. And if they think much that any of the old do remain, and would rather have all devised anew: then such men granting some ceremonies convenient to be had ”

“ 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. Note, that the Psalter followeth the division of the Hebrews, and the Translation of the great English Bible, set forth and vsed in the time of K. H. viii. ”

“ And yet lest any man should be offended, whom good reason might satisfie, here be certein causes rendred why some of the accustomed Ceremonies be put away, and some retained, and kept still. Some are put away because the great excess and multitude of them hath so increased in these latter dayes, that the burthen of them was intolerable ”

“ Psal. 143. 2Enter not into iudgement with thy servant [O Lord] for in thy sight shall no man living be iustified.
1. S. John. 1. 8, 9.If we say, that we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and the Truth is not in vs: [But] if we confess our sins, he is faithfull and iust to forgive vs our sinns, and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousness.
Dearly beloved brethren, the scripture moveth vs in sundry places to acknowledge, and confess our manifold sins and wickednes, and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly father ”

“ And the Curate that ministreth in every parish church or Chappel being at home, and not being otherwise reasonably hindred, shall say the same in the parish church or chappel where he ministreth, and shall cause a Bell to be tolled there vnto a convenient time before he begin; that the people may come to hear Gods word, and to pray with him. ”

“ The which was repealed and taken away by Act of Parliament in the first year of the raign of our late soveraign Lady Queen Mary to the great decay of the due honour of God, and discomfort to the Professors ̣ of the truth of Christs religion. ”

“ And they that have done good, shall go into life everlasting : and they that have done evill into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholick Faith : which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved. ”

“ Psal. 51. 9.Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out mine iniquities.
Psal. 51. 17.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken, and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Joel. 2. 13.Rent your hearts, and not your garments, and turn vnto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and mercifull, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Dan. 9. 9, 10.To the Lord our God belong mercies, and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him: Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his Laws which he set before vs. ”