Miscellaneous Prayers.

For use immediately after a Death.

GOD, to Whom all things live, and in Whom our bodies perish not, but are bettered by death; we humbly beseech Thee, that Thou wouldest call to Thee the soul of Thy servant Receive it at the hands of the holy Angels; lay it in the bosom of Abraham; raise it up again in the last great Day of Judgment, and whatsoever stains it hath contracted through the snares of Satan, do Thou pitifully and graciously wash away. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

E commend to Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant and we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, that Thou wouldest not refuse it a place in the bosom of Thy Patriarchs, a soul for whose sake Thou didst of Thy mercy come down to earth. Acknowledge, O Lord, Thy creature, not made by strange gods, but by Thee, the only living and true God: for there is none other god beside Thee, nor any works like unto Thy works. Rejoice his soul, O Lord, with Thy presence, and remember not his old sins and excesses, which through the violence of anger or the heat of evil desire, he hath at any time committed. For although he hath sinned, he hath not denied the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, but hath believed, and hath had a zeal for God, and the Creator of all things hath he faithfully worshipped. Remember not, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the sins of his youth, and his ignorances;

but, according to Thy great mercy, be mindful of him in the brightness of Thy great glory. Let the Heavens be opened to him, let the Angels rejoice with him. Receive Thy servant, O Lord, into Thy Kingdom. Let St. Michael, the Archangel of God, Prince of the armies of Heaven, receive him. Let the holy Angels of God come forth to meet him, and conduct him to the city of the heavenly Jerusalem. Let Blessed Peter the Apostle, to whom God gave the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, receive him. Let St. Paul the Apostle, who was counted worthy to he a vessel of election, assist him. Let St. John, the chosen Apostle of God, to whom were revealed the secrets of Heaven, intercede for him. Let all the holy Apostles, to whom the Lord gave the power of binding and loosing, pray for him. Let all the Saints and elect of God, who in this world have suffered torments for the Name of Christ, intercede for him, that loosed from the bonds of the flesh, he may attain unto the glory of the Heavenly Kingdom, through the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.

THE

HE Angels bear thee to Paradise: at thy coming may the Martyrs receive thee, and lead thee into the holy city Jerusalem. The choir of Angels receive thee, and with Lazarus, who was once a beggar, mayest thou gain eternal

rest.

O

Before a Burial.

LORD, with Whom do live the spirits of them that die, and by Whom the souls of Thy servants, after they are delivered from the

burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity: we most meekly beseech Thee for this Thy servant, that having received forgiveness for all his sins which he hath committed in this world, he may escape the gates of hell, and the pains of eternal darkness; that he may for ever dwell with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the region of light, and Thy blessed Presence, where there is neither weeping nor heaviness; and that when the dreadful day of the general judgment shall come, he may rise again with the just, and receive this dead body which must now be buried in the earth, to be joined with his soul, and be made pure and incorruptible for ever after in Thy glorious kingdom. For the merits of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALMIGHTY God, we give Thee hearty thanks

for this Thy servant, whom Thou hast delivered from the miseries of this wretched world, from the body of death and all temptation; and, as we trust, hast brought his soul, which he committed into Thy holy Hands, into sure consolation and rest. Grant, we beseech Thee, that at the Day of Judgment his soul, and all the souls of Thy elect departed out of this life, may with us, and we with them, fully receive Thy promises, and be made perfect altogether. Through the glorious Resurrection of Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOD of Spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trodden down death, hast subdued the devil, and hast given life to the world, do Thou, O Lord, give rest to the soul of this Thy servant who has fallen asleep, in a place of

light and verdure, in a place of refreshment, where sorrow, grief, and lamentation enter not: forgive him every sin of word, deed, or thought, in Thy goodness and clemency; for there is no man who liveth and sinneth not. For Thou alone art without sin. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy word is truth; for Thou art the resurrection, the life, and the refreshing of this Thy servant who is fallen asleep, O Christ our God, to Whom we ascribe glory with Thy Eternal Father, and Thy Allholy and Life-giving Spirit, now, always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

For use by Surviving Friends.

GRANT, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that

while we lament the departure of Thy servant, we may always remember that we shall most certainly follow him. Give us grace to prepare for our last hour by a good and holy life, that we may not be taken unprepared by sudden death, but may be ever on the watch, that when Thou shalt call, we may go forth to meet the Bridegroom, and enter with Him into everlasting glory. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MOST wise and merciful God, Who hast ordained this life as a passage to the future, confining our repentance to the time of our pilgrimage here, and reserving for hereafter the state of punishment and reward: vouchsafe to us, who are yet alive, and have still the opportunity for reconciliation with Thee, the grace so to watch over all our actions, and to correct

every wandering from the true way to Heaven, that we may not be surprised with our sins uncancelled, or our duties unfulfilled; but when our bodies are laid in the grave, our souls may ascend to Thee, and dwell with Thee for ever in the mansions of eternal bliss. Through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.

On behalf of the Relatives of Persons recently deceased.

GRACIOUS Father, enable these Thy servants to bow before Thee in humble submission to Thy Divine appointment. Draw them, we pray Thee, unto Thyself, that while they mourn the loss of him they so much loved, they may obtain consolation in the fuller knowledge of that love of Thine which at the first provided for them so great an earthly blessing, and is now effectual to supply the place of every gift which Thy wisdom removes: and grant them, when this life of trial is ended, to find with him, who has been taken from them, a merciful judgment in the last day and a joyful entrance into Thy glory. Through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOD, the Protector of them that put their trust in Thee, do Thou mercifully comfort Thy servants in their present sorrow; relieve them in every future difficulty, and teach them as earthly means of reliance are withdrawn to confide the more simply in Thy Fatherly care, Who hast promised to supply all our need. Through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.