General confession to be said by the whole congregation, after the minister. 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.But, we entreat thee, O GOD! to have mercy upon us, thine offending creatures. Spare thou those who confess their faults; restore thou those, who are truly penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in the gospel of Jesus Christ our lord. And grant, O most merciful father! that we may, in future, live a virtuous and religious life, agreeably to thy holy word. Amen. Minister. ALMIGHTY GOD! unto whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hidden; purify the thoughts of our hearts, that we may truly love thee, and worthily praise thy holy name, now and for ever. Amen. OUR OUR FATHER! who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us, day by day, our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those, who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Minister. Raise our hearts unto thee, O GOD! Answer. And our tongues shall speak thy praise. Then shall be read the xcvtb psalm, or the cth psalm, except on EASTER-DAY, when a proper anthem is appointed. Psalm xcv. O! COME, let us sing unto JEHOVAH! let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation: 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and show our joy before him in psalms of praise : 3 For JEHOVAH is the great GOD; and the great king above all gods. B 3 4 In 4 In his power are the depths of the earth; so likewise are the heights of the mountains. 2 Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more: death hath no longer dominion over him. For, when he died unto sin, he died once for all: but now he liveth, he liveth unto God. Thus let it be with you: consider yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto GOD, through Jesus Christ our lord. Rom. vi. 9. 5 The sea is his, for he made it; and his hands formed the dry land. 6 O! come, let us worship, and bow down, and kneel before JEHOVAH, our maker: 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the flock under his care, 8 "To-day," saith Jehovah, "if ye would hear my voice, harden not your hearts; as when I was provoked, and when I was tried in the wilderness ; 9 "When the children of Israel tried me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 " I was grieved with that generation, and said; They are a people who err in their hearts, and consider not my ways. II "Wherefore, I swore in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest." Now unto JEHOVAH, immortal, invisible, the only GOD; Be honour and glory, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen. Or, 4 Or, Psalm c. SING Unto JEHOVAH, all ye na tions; serve JEHOVAH with joy, and come before his presence with a song. 2 Acknowledge that JEHOVAH IS GOD : he made us, and to him we belong; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture; 3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and praise his name. 4 For JEHOVAH is gracious; his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth from generation to generation. Now unto JEHOVAH, immortal, invisible; the only GOD; Be honour and glory, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen To be used on EASTER-DAY, instead of either of the foregoing psalms. CHRIST is the passover, that was slain for us. Therefore let us keep a festival; not with the former leaven, nor with a bitter leaven of iniquity; but with those things which are without leaven-sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. V. 7. 3 Christ hath been raised from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them who sleep. For, since by a man came death, by a man will also come a resurrection of the dead. For, as by means of Adam all die; even so by means of Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor. xv. 20. Now unto JEHOVAH, immortal, invisible, the only GOD ; 1 Be honour and glory, through the go spel of Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen. : Then shall be read a psalm or psalms, at the discretion and appointment of the minister, concluding the whole with one of the following doxologies; i Now unto JEHOVAH, immortal, invisible, the only GOD; Answer. |