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us, and for our salvation; and Thee, O thou only begotten, God the Son, who didst suffer death upon the cross for all men, and appointedst the baptism of regeneration as a symbol thereof; and thee the Holy Ghost, the Giver of all spiritual life, we praise and adore. And we pray that the Lord would vouchsafe to receive the infant of this family into his holy household, the true land of promise, his Church; and keep and govern him in the same, and at length bring him to everlasting life. Amen.

At Evening Prayers on this day, suitable thanksgivings may be taken from the Prayers for the Anniversary of Baptism, or from Saturday Morning.

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On the Anniversary of a Birthday.

THOUSAND

years in thy sight are but as yesterday, seeing that is past as a watch in the night. Ps. xc. Appropriate Psalms.-xc. ciii. cxxi. cxxvii.

(Jeremy Taylor, Bp.)

BLESSED and Eternal God, we give thee praise and glory for thy great mercy unto us, and especially thy servant, whose birth we this day commemorate, in causing us to be born of Christian parents, and not allotting to us a portion with misbelievers and heathen that have not known thee. We bless thee that thou didst not suffer us to be strangled at the gate of the womb, but thy hand sustained and brought us to the light of the world and the illumination of baptism. We have indeed broken the promises then made for us, yet thou hast continued unto us life and time of repentance. O dearest Lord, pardon the errors and ignorances, the vices and vanities, of our past years; let us no more stain the whiteness of our baptismal robe; but, giving up our names to Christ, and glorying to be his disciples, and servants of Jesus, let us never fail of thy grace. Let our years be so many degrees of nearer approach unto thee, and forsake us not, O God, in our old age, when we are gray-headed. But when our strength faileth us, be thou our strength and our guide unto death; that we may reckon our years, and apply our hearts unto wisdom, and at last, after the spending a holy and a blessed life, we may be brought unto a glorious eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

On the Anniversary of the Baptism
Of any Member of the Family.

EXCEPT ye be born of water and of the Spirit, ye cannot

enter into the kingdom of God. John iii.

By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. 1 Cor. xii.

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ? Rom. vi.

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Appropriate Psalm.-xxxii.

Prayer for Pardon.
(Bp. Cosin.)

LORD, heavenly Father, who of thine infinite goodness towards us when we were born in sin, and heirs of everlasting wrath, didst vouchsafe that we should be born again of water and of the Holy Ghost, in the blessed laver of Baptism, we most humbly beseech thee to pardon all our former breaches of that our solemn promise, and to endue us with the assistance of thy Holy Spirit, that henceforth we may walk in newness of life, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world, the flesh, and the devil, may die daily unto sin, and live and reign with thee for ever, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Those of the family who are not yet confirmed may be required

to answer the subjoined questions from the Catechism, after the Lesson is read, on the day of their respective baptismal anniversaries.*

* Question. What is your name?

Answer. N. or M.

Question. Who gave you this name?

Answer. My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism; wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.

Question. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you? Answer. They did promise and vow three things in my name, First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh. Secondly, that I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And thirdly, that I should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life.

Question. Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe, and to do, as they have promised for thee?

Answer. Yes verily and by God's help so I will. And I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me his grace, that I may continue in the same unto my life's end.

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Or this.

(Compiled from Bps. Patrick and Cosin.)

LORD, Heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast of thy great goodness caused us to be born of Christian parents, and hast received us into covenant with thee, and regenerated us with thy Holy Spirit in the blessed laver of Baptism, making us thereby members of Christ, thy children, and heirs of eternal life. Look down upon this thy family, and especially on [. . . ], who was as on this day brought to that holy ordinance. Renew in thy servant, and in us, most merciful Father, whatever has been decayed by the fraud and malice of the devil, or by our own carnal will and frailty. Continue and preserve him in the unity of thy Holy Church, endue him with the assistance of thy Holy Spirit, that henceforth he may walk in the newness of life, worthy of that blessed estate whereunto thou hast called him, and keeping himself unspotted from the world, the flesh, and the devil, he may die daily unto sin, for which cause he was baptized unto the death of Christ.

And here, O Lord, we gratefully extol the abundant riches of thy grace, and pray thee, that as we have had our part in the first regeneration, so we may at the last great day have our part in the second and great regeneration, and live with thee for ever, through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour. Amen.

The whole of the Prayers for Saturday morning may be used on these days, adding also this Prayer.

LMIGHTY and everliving God, we now offer up our

A vouchsafed to regenerate

this thy servant (or child) by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given unto him forgiveness of all his sins: strengthen him, we beseech thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily increase in him thy manifold gifts and grace, the spirit of wisdom and understand. ing, the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill him, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever. Amen.

Before and after Confirmation.

Then layed they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Acts viii.

The Prayer.

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who makest us both

to will and to do those things that be good and acceptable unto thy Divine Majesty; we make our humble supplications unto thee for thy children, and more especially for those [of this household and] of this place,

Before Confirmation. shortly about to renew the solemn promise that was made in their names at their Baptism.

After Confirmation.

upon whom, after the example of thy holy Apostles, the Bishops of thy Church have now laid their hands, by that sign to certify them of thy favour and gracious goodness towards them.

Let thy fatherly hand, we beseech thee, ever be over them; let thy Holy Spirit ever be with them; and so lead them in the knowledge and obedience of thy Word, that in the end they may obtain everlasting life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Before the Marriage of one of the Family.

GOD, who hast consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent mystery, that in it is signified and represented the spiritual marriage and unity betwixt Christ and his Church: Look mercifully upon thy servant, [and also upon him, to whom she is about by thy providence to be united,] and bless them. And as thou didst send thy blessing upon Abraham and Sarah, to their great comfort, so vouchsafe to send thy blessing upon these thy servants; that they obeying thy will, and alway being in safety under thy protection, may abide in thy love unto their lives' end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Before a Burial.

See further on; the Prayers, &c. for Seasons of Affliction, Sickness, and Death.

Before a Journey,

And may also be used when the children are leaving the parental roof for School. (See p. 165.)

THE path of the just is as a shining light, which shineth

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more and more unto the perfect day. Prov. iv.

Appropriate Psalms.-xci. cxxi.

Collect.

REVENT us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer.

(Jer. Taylor, Bp., and Bp. Patrick.)

ALMIGHTY God, who fillest all things with thy presence, and art a God afar off as well as near at hand; who didst send thy angel to bless Jacob in his journey, and didst lead the children of Israel through the Red Sea, making it a wall on the right hand and on the left [who didst open to the wise men a way to thee by the leading of a star]; be pleased to let thy angel go out before us, and guide us on our journey, preserving us from dangers of robbers, from violence of enemies, and sudden and sad accidents, from falls and errors, and prosper our journey to thy glory, and to all our purposes; and preserve us from all sin, that we may return in peace and holiness with thy favour and thy blessing, and may serve thee in thankfulness and obedience all the days of our pilgrimage.-Bless this habitation also which we leave, and all that remain in it, that at whatsoever distance we be from one another, we may all live and walk in the same spirit of faith and holi

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