bleffed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jefus Chrift our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. H-E grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghoft, be with us all evermore. Amen. THE 1 The Thanksgiving of Women after Child birth, commonly called, The Churching of Women a amdo, palel DIS 19 (1) 2014 The Woman at the ufual time after, ber Delivery, hall come into the Church decently apparrelled, and there fhall kneel down in some convenient place, as hath been accustomed, or as the Ordinary fall direct: And then the Prieft fall Jay unto her, ORASMUCH as it hath pleafed Almighty God of his goodness to give you fafe deliverance, and hath preserved you in the great danger of Child-birth, you fhall therefore give hearty thanks unto God, and fay, Then fhall the Prieft fay the 116 or 127 Pfalm. b. AN 1 "" OUR Father, &c, 5:24 ic Minifter. O Lord, fave this woman thy fervant 24. 1. Anfw... Who putteth her trust in thee. Minifter. Be thou to her a strong tower, nadwaga Anfw. From the face of her enemy. Minifter. Lord, hear our prayer, 45.32 90 200 37 Anfw. And let our cry come unto thee. A ALMIGHTY God, we give thee humble thanks for that thou hast vouchfafed to deliver this Woman thy fervant from the great pain and peril of Child birth Grant, we beseech thee, most merciful Fa that the through thy help may boch faithfully live, and walk according to thy will in this life present, and alfo may be partaker of everlafting, glory in the life to come, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Woman that cometh to give her thanks, must offer accustomed offerings; and if there be a Communion, it is convenient that he receives the holy Communion, € 7 ཐ; . + A COMMINATION, Or Denouncing of GOD's Anger and Judgements against Sinners, with certain Prayers to be used on the first Day of Lent, and at other times as the Ordinary fhall appoint. * After Morning Prayer, the Litany ended, RETHREN, in the primitive Church fouls might be faved in the day of the more afraid to offend, Y according to the accustomed manner, the Priest shall, in the Reading• Pew, or Pulpit, fay, there was a godly difcipline that at the beginning of Lent, fuch per were Lord; and that others admonished by their example, might be the Inftead whereof (until the faid difcipline may be reftored again, which is much to be withed,) it is thought good, that at this time, in the prefence of you all, thould be read the general fentences of God's curfing againft impenitent finners, gathered out of the feven and twentieth Chapter of Deuteronomy, and other places of Scripture; and that ye fhould answer to every Sentence, Amen: To the intent, that being admonished of the great indignation of God against finners ye may the rather be moved to earnest and true repentance; and may This Office feems to bear fome Relation to the Purificand the Bed undefiled; yet so signal a Deliverance from ation of Women after Child-birth, as appointed by the Law Danger feems juftly to call for a thankful acknowledgment, of Mofes. And tho the Ceremonial Part of that Law is in Publick, as well as Private. abolished, tho's Marriage is honourable among all Men, + + This Office must be allowed to have a very affulton walk more warily in thefe dangerous days; fleeing from fuch vices, for which you affirm with your own mouths the curfe of God to be due. CURS ――――――――――――▬▬▬▬▬▬ URSED is the man that maketh any carved or molten image, to worship it. ~ -Deut, 27, 15. * Answer. Amen. the fatherless, and widow. v. 19: Minifter. Curfed is he that fmiteth his neighbour fecretly ver. 24.Anfwer. Minifter Amen. Apfwer. Amen. NOW TOW feeing that all they are accurfed (as the prophet David beareth witnefs) who do err and go aftray from the Commandments of God, let us (remembering the dreadful judgment hanging over our heads, and always ready to fall upon us) return unto our Lord God with all contrition and meekness of heart; bewailing and lamenting our finful life, acknowledging and confeffing our offences, and feeking to bring forth worthy fruits of penance. For now is the ax put unto the root of the trees; fo that every tree, that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and caft into the fire. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: He fhall pour down rain upon the finners, foares, fire and brimftone, ftorm and tempeft; this fhall be their portion to drink. For lo, the Lord is come out of his place to vifit the wickedness of fuch as dwell upon the earth. But who may abide the day of his coming? Who fhall be able to endure when he appeareth His fan is in his hand, and he will purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. The day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night: and when men fhall fay, Peace, and all things are faft, then fhall fudden deftruction come upon them, as forrow cometh upon a woman travailing with child, and they fhall not escape. Then fhall appear the wrath of God in the day. of vengeance, which obftinate finners, through the stubbornness of their heart, have heaped unto themselves which defpifed the goodness, patience, and long-fufferance of God, when he called them continually to repen. tance. Then fhall they call upon me (faith the Lord) but I will not hear; they fhall feek me early, but they Thall not find me; and that because they hated knowledge, and received not the fear of the Lord, but abhorred my counsel, and defpifed my correction. Then fhall it be too late to knock, when the door fhall be shut i and too late to cry for mercy, when it is the time of juftice. O terrible voice of molt just judgment, which fhall be pronounced upon them, when it shall be faid unto them, Go ye curfed into the fire everlafling, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. Therefore, brethren, take we heed betime, while the day of falvation faileth; for the night cometh when none can work: But let us, while we have the light, believe in the light, and walk as children of the light, that we be not caft into utter darkness, where fs weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let us not abufe the goodness of God, who calleth us mercifully to amendment; and of his endless pity promifeth us forgiveness of that which is paft, if with a perfect and true heart we return unto him, For though our fins be as red as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow and though they be like purple, yet they fhall be made white as wool. Turn ye (faith the Lord) from all your wickedness, and your fin fhall not be your deftruction. Caft away from you all your ungodlinefs that ye have done; make you new hearts, and a new spirit: Wherefore will ye die, O ye house of Ifrael; teeing that I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God? Turn ye then, and ye shall live. Although we have finned, yet we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins. For he was wounded for our offences, and fmitten for our wickednefs. Let us therefore return unto him, who is the merciful receiver of all true penitent finners; affuring ourfelves that he is ready to receive us, and moft willing to pardon us, if we come unto him with faithful repentance; if we will fubmit ourselves unto him, and from henceforth walk in his ways; if we will take his cafy yoke, and light burden upon us, to follow him in lowlinefs, patience, and charity, and be ordered by the governance of his Holy Spirit; feeking always his glo. ry, and ferving him duly in our vocation with thanksgiving. This if we do, Chrift will deliver us from the curle of the law, and from the extreme malediction which fhall light upon them that fhall be fet on the lef: hand; and he will fet us on his right hand, and give us the gracious benediction of his Father, commanding us to take poffeffion of his glorious kingdom: unto which he vouchsafe to bring us all, for his infinite mercy. Amen. ARAFLAR " 40123 2 david bat dency; as it points out to us the dreadful confequences of "tainly misunderstand it who represent the saying Amen to Sin, in order to lead us to Repentance: And they most cer- the declarations in the former part of it as Curling or Will: PRAY WOO Then shall ikey all kneel upon their knees, and the Priest and Clerks kneeling (in the Place where they are accustomed to jay the Litany) fhail fay the 51st. Pfalm. Lord, have mercy upon us. Chrift, have mercy upon us. Minifter. O Lord, fave thy fervants; Anfw. That put their truft in thee. Anfw. And for the glory of thy name deliver us; be merciful to us finners; for thy Names fake. Minister. Let us pray. LORD, we beseech thee mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confefs their fins unto thee: may our Lord. Amen. Ὁ ་ MOST mighty God, and merciful Father, who haft compaffion upon all men, and hatest nothing that thou haft made, who wouldeít not the death of a finner, but that he fhould rather turn from his fin and be faved; Mercifully forgive us our trefpales; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of ur fins. Thy property is always to have mercy: to thee only it appertaineth to forgive fins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, fpare thy people whom thou haft redeemed; enter not into judgement with thy fervants, who are vile earth, and miferable finners; but fo turn thine anger from us, who meekly acknowledge our vilenefs, and truly repent us of our faults; and fo make hafte to help us in this world, that we may Ever live with thee in the world to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen、、 ༣་❖ ”ཞེས Then shall the people, ay this that followeth, after the Minifter : thou us, O and fo fhall we be turned. The O Lord, be favourable to thy people, Who turn to thee in weeping, fafting, and praying. For thou art a merciful God, full of compaffion, long-fuffering, and of great pity. Thou fparell when we delerve punishment, and in thy wrath thinkett upon mercy. Spare thy people, good Lord, fpare them. And let not thine heritage be brought to conaution. Hear us, O Lord, for thy mercy is great, and after the multitude of thy mercies look upon us, through the merits and mediation of thy bleffed Son Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. " Then the Minifier alone shall say, THE Lord blefs us, and keep us; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and give us peace now for evermore. Amen. 1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. T HERE is but One living and true God, everlasting without body, parts, or paffion; of infinite power, wifdom, and goodness; the Maker and Preferver of all things, both visible and invifible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Perfons, of one fubftance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. 11. Of the Word, or Son of God which was made very Man. HE Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal of one fubftance with the Man's nature in of Virgin, fub ftance: fo that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Perfon, never to be divided, whereof is one Chrift, very God, and very Man; who truly fuffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a facrifice, not only for original guilt, but alfo for actual fins of men.. : 1 III. Of the going down of Chrift into Hell. S Chrift died for us, and was buried; fo allo is it to be believed, that he went down into Hell, A$ HRIST did truly rife again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, botes, and all things apper taining to the perfection of Man's nature, wherewith he afcended into Heaven, and there fitteth, until he return to judge all men at the last day. V. Of the Holy Ghoft. HE Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one Subftance, Majefty, and Glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. VI Of the fufficiency of the boly Scriptures for Salvation. H * TOLY Scripture containeth all things neceffary to Salvation: fo that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith, or be thought requifite or neceffary to Salvation. In the name of the holy Scripture we do understand thofe Canonical Books of the Old and New Teftament, of whofe Authority was never any doubt in the Church; s Of the Names and Number of the Canonical BOOKS. G Enefis, Joshua, The I. Book of Samuel, The II. Book of Samuel, The II. Book of Kings, The Book of Judith, *The reafons for compiling thefe Articles feem to have been firft thefe, in imitation of the German Proteftants, to make known the true opinions of the Church of England; and the real caufes of her oppofition to the Church of Rome. 2dly, To keep all fuch out of its Pale, as might be difpofed fecretly to undermine and betray it. For as the Reformers had marted long under the tyranny of Popery, so they had rea The I. Book of Chronicles, And the other Books (as Hierome faith) the Church doth read for example of life and inftruction of manners ; The Pfalms, The Proverbs, Baruch the Prophet, The Song of the three Children, fon to endeavour to fecure themselves from it, and from all its all the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account them Canonical. VII. Of the Old Teftament THE HE Old Teftament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Chrift, who is the only Mediator between God and Man, being both God and Man, Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign that the Old Fathers did look only for tranfisory Promifes. Alt though the Law given from God by Mofes, as touching Ceremonies and Rites, do no: bind "Chriftian men, nor the Civil Precepts thereof ought of neceflity to be received in any Commonwealth: yet notwithstand ing, no Chriftian man whatfoever is free from the obedience of the Commandments which are called Morale VIII. Of the three Creeds. HE Three Creeds, Nice Creed, Athanafius's Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apofiles to may be 7. warrants boly Scripture. O "IX Of Original or Birth Sin. RIGINAL Sin ftandeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk) but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is ingendred of the offspring of Adam, wherary man is very far gone from original righteoufnefs, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, fo that the fle luffeth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every perfon born into this world, it deferveth Gods wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain; yea, in them that are regenerated, whereby the luft of the flesh, called in Greek, Phronema farkos, which fome do xpound the wisdom, fome fenfuality, fome the affection, fome the defire of the flesh, is not fubject to the law of God. And although there is no co demnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the Apotle doth confefs, that concupi ccace and luft hath of itself the nature of hn. 1 1 * X. Of free-will, THE HE condition of man after the fall of Adam, is fuch, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural ftrength and good works to faith, and calling upon God: Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleafant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Chrift p eventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will. XI. Of the Juftification of Man. WE are, accounted right cus or of our Lord Saviour Chrift, by faith; and not for our own works or defervings. Wherefore, that we are juftified by faith only, is meft wholfome Doctrine, and very full of comfort as more largely is expreffea in the Homily of Justification. XII. Of Gaca Works. AL LBEIT that good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Juftification, cannot put away our fins, and endure the feverity of God's Judgment; yet are they pleafing and acceptable o God in Cà rit and do fpring out neceffarily of a true and lively Faith; infomuch that by them a lively faith may evidently known, as a tree difcerned by the fruit. be as XIIL Of Warks bafore Juftification. done before the grace his are not pleafing to afmuch as they fpring not of faith in Jefus Chrift, neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-Authors fay) deferve grace of congruity: yea, rather for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of fin. XIV Of Works of Supererogation.. OLUNTARY Works befides, over and above God's Commandments which they call Works of Superera gation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety for by them men do declare, that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his fake, than of bounden dur ty is required: whereas Christ faith plainly, When ye have done all that are commanded to you, fay, We are unprofitable servants. XV. Of Chrill alone without Sin. HRIST in the truth ofour nature, was made like unto us in all things, (fin only except ;) from which he was a .. himself once made, fhould take away the fins of the world: and fin (as St. John faith), was not in him. But all we the reft (although baptized and born again in Christ) yet offend in many things; and if we fay we have. no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 XVP. Of Sin after Baptifm Nobr OT every deadly in willingly committed after Baptifm, is fin against the Holy Ghost, and unparden able. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to fuch, as fall into fin after Baptifm. Af ter we have received the Holy Ghoft, we may depart from grace given, and fall inte fin, and by the grace of God (we may) arife again, and amend our lives, And therefore they are to be condemned, which fay they can no moic fin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to fuch as truly repent and fore |