The Book of Common Prayer Table
of contents
Forms of Prayer
to be
used at Sea
The Morning and Evening Service to be used
daily at Sea shall be the same which is appointed in the Book of
Common Prayer.
These two following Prayers are to be also used
in her Majesty's Navy every day.
O Eternal Lord God,
who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the
sea; who hast compassed the waters with bounds until day and night
come to an end: Be pleased to receive into thy Almighty and most
gracious protection the persons of us thy servants, and the Fleet
in which we serve. Preserve us from the dangers of the sea, and
from the violence of the enemy; that we may be a safeguard unto our
most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen ELIZABETH, and her Dominions, and
a security for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful
occasions; that the inhabitants of our Island may in peace and
quietness serve thee our God; and that we may return in safety to
enjoy the blessings of the land, with the fruits of our labours;
and with a thankful remembrance of thy mercies to praise and
glorify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect
Prevent 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.
Prayers to be used in Storms at Sea.
O most
powerful and glorious Lord God, at whose command the winds blow,
and lift up the waves of the sea, and who stillest the rage
thereof: We thy creatures, but miserable sinners, do in this our
great distress cry unto thee for help: Save, Lord, or else we
perish. We confess, when we have been safe, and seen all things
quiet about us, we have forgot thee our God, and refused to hearken
to the still voice of thy word, and to obey thy commandments: But
now we see how terrible thou art in all thy works of wonder; the
great God to be feared above all: And therefore we adore thy Divine
Majesty, acknowledging thy power, and imploring thy goodness. Help,
Lord, and save us for thy mercy's sake in Jesus Christ thy Son, our
Lord. Amen.
Or this:
O most
glorious and gracious Lord God, who dwellest in heaven, but
beholdest all things below: Look down, we beseech thee, and hear
us, calling out of the depth of misery, and out of the jaws of this
death, which is ready now to swallow us up: Save, Lord, or else we
perish. The living, the living shall praise thee. O send thy word
of command to rebuke the raging winds, and the roaring sea; that
we, being delivered from this distress, may live to serve thee, and
to glorify thy Name all the days of our life. Hear, Lord, and save
us, for the infinite merits of our blessed Saviour, thy Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Prayer to be said before a Fight at Sea
against any Enemy.
O most
powerful and glorious Lord God, the Lord of hosts, that rulest and
commandest all things: Thou sittest in the throne judging right,
and therefore we make our address to thy Divine Majesty in this our
necessity, that thou wouldest take the cause into thine own hand,
and judge between us and our enemies. Stir up thy strength, O Lord,
and come and help us; for thou givest not alway the battle to the
strong, but canst save by many or by few. O let not our sins now
cry against us for vengeance; but hear us thy poor servants begging
mercy, and imploring thy help, and that thou wouldest be a defence
unto us against the face of the enemy. Make it appear that thou art
our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
General Prayers.
Short Prayers for single persons that cannot
meet to join in Prayer with others, by reason of the Fight, or
Storm.
Lord, be merciful
to us sinners, and save us for thy mercy's sake.
Thou art the great God, that hast made and
rulest all things: O deliver us for thy Name's sake.
Thou art the great God to be feared above all:
O save us, that we may praise thee.
Special Prayers with respect to the Enemy.
Thou O Lord,
art just and powerful: O defend our cause against the face of the
enemy.
O God, thou art a strong tower of defence to
all that flee unto thee: O save us from the violence of the
enemy.
O Lord of hosts, fight for us, that we may
glorify thee.
O suffer us not to sink under the weight of our
sins, or the violence of the enemy.
O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thy
Name's sake.
Short Prayers in respect of a Storm.
Thou, O Lord, that
stillest the raging of the sea: hear, hear us, and save us, that we
perish not.
O blessed Saviour, that didst save thy
disciples ready to perish in a storm: hear us, and save us, we
beseech thee.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy
upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, hear
us.
O Christ, hear
us.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy
Ghost, have mercy upon us, save us now and evermore. Amen.
Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that
trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver
us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.
When there shall be imminent danger, as many as
can be spared from necessary service in the Ship shall be called
together, and make an humble Confession of their sin to God: In
which every one ought seriously to reflect upon those particular
sins of which his conscience shall accuse him: saying as
followeth.
The Confession
ALMIGHTY God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge
of all men: We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and
wickedness, Which we from time to time most grievously have
committed, By thought, word, and deed, Against thy Divine Majesty,
Provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do
earnestly repent, And are heartily sorry for these our misdoings;
The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; The burden of them is
intolerable. Have mercy upon us, Have mercy upon us, most merciful
Father; For thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, Forgive us all
that is past; And grant that we may ever hereafter Serve and please
thee In newness of life, To the honour and glory of thy Name;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Then shall the Priest, if there be any in the
Ship, pronounce this Absolution.
Almighty God, our
heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised
forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and
true faith turn unto him; Have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver
you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness;
and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thanksgiving after a Storm.
Jubilate Deo. Psalm 66
O be joyful in
God, all ye lands : sing praises unto the honour of his Name, make
his praise to be glorious.
Say unto God, O how wonderful art thou in thy
works : through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies be
found liars unto thee.
For all the world shall worship thee : sing of
thee, and praise thy Name.
O come hither, and behold the works of God : how
wonderful he is in his doing toward the children of men.
He turned the sea into dry land : so that they
went through the water on foot; there did we rejoice thereof.
He ruleth with his power for ever; his eyes
behold the people : and such as will not believe shall not be able
to exalt themselves.
O praise our God, ye people : and make the voice
of his praise to be heard;
Who holdeth our soul in life: and suffereth not
our feet to slip.
For thou, O God, hast proved us : thou also hast
tried us, like as silver is tried.
Thou broughtest us into the snare : and laidest
trouble upon our loins.
Thou sufferedst men to ride over our heads : we
went through fire and water, and thou broughtest us out into a
wealthy place.
I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings:
and will pay thee my vows, which I promised with my lips, and spake
with my mouth, when I was in trouble.
I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacrifices,
with the incense of rams : I will offer bullocks and goats.
O come hither, and hearken, all ye that fear
God: and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul.
I called unto him with my mouth : and gave him
praises with my tongue.
If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart :
the Lord will not hear me.
But God hath heard me : and considered the voice
of my prayer.
Praised be God, who hath not cast out my prayer
: nor turned his mercy from me.
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.
Confitemini
Domino. Psalm
107
O give thanks
unto the Lord, for he is gracious : and his mercy endureth for
ever.
Let them give thanks whom the Lord hath redeemed
: and delivered from the hand of the enemy;
And gathered them out of the lands, from the
east and from the west : from the north and from the south.
They went astray in the wilderness out of the
way : and found no city to dwell in;
Hungry and thirsty : their soul fainted in
them.
So they cried unto the Lord in their trouble :
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them forth by the right way : that they
might go to the city where they dwelt.
O that men would therefore praise the Lord for
his goodness : and declare the wonders that he doeth for the
children of men!
For he satisfieth the empty soul : and filleth
the hungry soul with goodness.
Such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of
death : being fast bound in misery and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of the
Lord : and lightly regarded the counsel of the most Highest;
He also brought down their heart through
heaviness : they fell down, and there was none to help them up.
So when they cried unto the Lord in their
trouble: he delivered them out of their distress.
For he brought them out of darkness, and out of
the shadow of death : and brake their bonds in sunder.
O that men would therefore praise the Lord for
his goodness : and declare the wonders that he doeth for the
children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass: and smitten
the bars of iron in sunder.
Foolish men are plagued for their offence : and
because of their wickedness.
Their soul abhorred all manner of meat : and
they were even hard at death's door.
So when they cried unto the Lord in their
trouble: he delivered them out of their distress.
He sent his word, and healed them : and they
were saved from their destruction.
O that men would therefore praise the Lord for
his goodness : and declare the wonders that he doeth for the
children of men!
That they would offer unto him the sacrifice of
thanksgiving : and tell out his works with gladness!
They that go down to the sea in ships : and
occupy their business in great waters;
These men see the works of the Lord : and his
wonders in the deep.
For at his word the stormy wind ariseth : which
lifteth up the waves thereof.
They are carried up to the heaven, and down
again to the deep : their soul melteth away because of the
trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken
man : and are at their wits' end.
So when they cry unto the Lord in their trouble:
he delivereth them out of their distress.
For he maketh the storm to cease : so that the
waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad, because they are at rest:
and so he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.
O that men would therefore praise the Lord for
his goodness : and declare the wonders that he doeth for the
children of men!
That they would exalt him also in the
congregation of the people : and praise him in the seat of the
elders!
Who turneth the floods into a wilderness : and
drieth up the water-springs.
A fruitful land maketh he barren : for the
wickedness of them that dwell therein.
Again, he maketh the wilderness a standing water
: and water-springs of a dry ground.
And there he setteth the hungry : that they may
build them a city to dwell in;
That they may sow their land, and plant
vineyards : to yield them fruits of increase.
He blesseth them, so that they multiply
exceedingly : and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
And again, when they are minished and brought
low : through oppression, through any plague or trouble;
Though he suffer them to be evil intreated
through tyrants : and let them wander out of the way in the
wilderness;
Yet helpeth he the poor out of misery : and
maketh him households like a flock of sheep.
The righteous will consider this, and rejoice:
and the mouth of all wickedness shall be stopped.
Whoso is wise will ponder these things : and
they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord.
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.
Collects of Thanksgiving.
O most blessed
and glorious Lord God, who art of infinite goodness and mercy: We
thy poor creatures, whom thou hast made and preserved, holding our
souls in life, and now rescuing us out of the jaws of death, humbly
present ourselves again before thy Divine Majesty, to offer a
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, for that thou heardest us
when we called in our trouble, and didst not cast out our prayer,
which we made before thee in our great distress: Even when we gave
all for lost, our ship, our goods, our lives, then didst thou
mercifully look upon us, and wonderfully command a deliverance; for
which we, now being in safety, do give all praise and glory to thy
holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Or this:
O most mighty
and gracious good God, thy mercy is over all thy works, but in
special manner hath been extended toward us, whom thou hast so
powerfully and wonderfully defended. Thou hast shewed us terrible
things, and wonders in the deep, that we might see how powerful and
gracious a God thou art; how able and ready to help them that trust
in thee. Thou hast shewed us how both winds and seas obey thy
command; that we may learn, even from them, hereafter to obey thy
voice, and to do thy will. We therefore bless and glorify thy Name,
for this thy mercy in saving us, when we were ready to perish. And,
we beseech thee, make us as truly sensible now of thy mercy, as we
were then of the danger: and give us hearts always ready to express
our thankfulness, not only by words, but also by our lives, in
being more obedient to thy holy commandments. Continue, we beseech
thee, this thy goodness to us; that we, whom thou hast saved, may
serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
A Hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving after a
dangerous Tempest.
O come, let us give
thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious : and his mercy endureth
for ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
let the redeemed of the Lord say so : whom he hath delivered from
the merciless rage of the sea.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion:
slow to anger, and of great mercy.
He hath not dealt with us according to our sins:
neither rewarded us according to our iniquities.
But as the heaven is high above the earth : so
great hath been his mercy towards us.
We found trouble and heaviness : we were even at
death's door.
The waters of the sea had well-nigh covered us:
the proud waters had well-nigh gone over our soul.
The sea roared : and the stormy wind lifted up
the waves thereof.
We were carried up as it were to heaven, and
then down again into the deep : our soul melted within us, because
of trouble;
Then cried we unto thee, O Lord : and thou didst
deliver us out of our distress.
Blessed be thy Name, who didst not despise the
prayer of thy servants : but didst hear our cry, and hast saved
us.
Thou didst send forth thy commandment : and the
windy storm ceased, and was turned into a calm.
O let us therefore praise the Lord for his
goodness: and declare the wonders that he hath done, and still
doeth, for the children of men.
Praised be the Lord daily : even the Lord that
helpeth us, and poureth his benefits upon us.
He is our God, even the God of whom cometh
salvation : God is the Lord by whom we have escaped death.
Thou, Lord, hast made us glad through the
operation of thy hands : and we will triumph in thy praise.
Blessed be the Lord God : even the Lord God, who
only doeth wondrous things;
And blessed be the Name of his majesty for ever
: and let every one of us say, Amen, Amen.
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.
2 Corinthians 13.
The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,
be with us all evermore. Amen.
After Victory or Deliverance from an
Enemy.
A Psalm or Hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving
after Victory.
If the Lord had not
been on our side, now may we say : if the Lord himself had not been
on our side, when men rose up against us;
They had swallowed us up quick : when they were
so wrathfully displeased at us.
Yea, the waters had drowned us, and the stream
had gone over our soul : the deep waters of the proud had gone over
our soul.
But praised be the Lord : who hath not given us
over as a prey unto them.
The Lord hath wrought : a mighty salvation for
us.
We gat not this by our own sword, neither was it
our own arm that saved us : but thy right hand, and thine arm, and
the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto
us.
The Lord hath appeared for us : the Lord hath
covered our heads, and made us to stand in the day of battle.
The Lord hath appeared for us : the Lord hath
overthrown our enemies, and dashed in pieces those that rose up
against us.
Therefore not unto us, O Lord, not unto us : but
unto thy Name be given the glory.
The Lord hath done great things for us : the
Lord hath done great things for us, for which we rejoice.
Our help standeth in the Name of the Lord : who
hath made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord : from this time
forth for evermore.
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.
After this Hymn may be sung the TE DEUM.
Then this Collect.
O Almighty
God, the Sovereign Commander of all the world, in whose hand is
power and might which none is able to withstand: We bless and
magnify thy great and glorious Name for this happy Victory, the
whole glory whereof we do ascribe to thee, who art the only giver
of Victory. And, we beseech thee, give us grace to improve this
great mercy to thy glory, the advancement of thy Gospel, the honour
of our Sovereign, and, as much as in us lieth, to the good of all
mankind. And, we beseech thee, give us such a sense of this great
mercy, as may engage us to a true thankfulness, such as may appear
in our lives by an humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee
all our days, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom with thee and
the Holy Spirit, as for all thy mercies, so in particular for this
Victory and Deliverance, be all glory and honour, world without
end. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13.
The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,
be with us all evermore. Amen.
At the Burial of their Dead at Sea
The Office in the Common-Prayer-Book may be
used: only instead of these words [We
therefore commit his body to the ground, earth to earth,
&c.] say,
We therefore commit
his body to the deep, to be turned into corruption, looking for the
resurrection of the body, (when the Sea shall give up her dead,)
and the life of the world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ;
who at his coming shall change our vile body, that it may be like
his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is
able to subdue all things to himself.
Text from The Book of Common Prayer, the
rights in which are vested in the Crown,
is reproduced by permission of the Crown's Patentee, Cambridge
University Press.