Chapter 34

Pentecost (Whitsunday)

The date of Pentecost is regulated by the date of Easter* But that Sunday is called The Day of the Holy Trinity. The Feast of the Holy Spirit (in that He is separate, yet equal in essence, honour and glory with the Father and the Son) is celebrated on the following day \ Monday, and is called the Day of the Spirit.

It is customary to decorate churches and houses at this Feast with freshly cut trees and flowers, and to stand at the Divine Liturgy holding flowers. This custom is founded upon that of the Old Testament Church {Lev. xxiii. 20-Tj; Num.xxviU. i6y The trees and flowers, the tokens of the renewed of Nature in the Springs typify also the renewal of mankind through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,

The special features in the celebration of this Feast consist of certain petitions m the Litany ; and of Prayers recited kneeling at Vespers, which, as a rule, immediately followeth the Liturgy,

At the All-Night Vigil.

The Stanza (Stikhira) for: Lord, I have cried : In Tone L Let us celebrate Pentecost, and the coming of the Spirit, and the appointed day of the promise, and the fulfilment of hope, and the mystery which is as great as it is precious. Wherefore unto thee, O Lord, the Maker of all things, do we cry : Glory to thee.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Come, O ye people, let us worship the Godhead in three Persons, the Son in the Father with the Holy Spirit. For the Father before time was begat the Son, who is coeternal and is equally enthroned, and the Holy Spirit who was in the Father, and was glorified together with the Son ; one Might, one Essence, one Godhead. Adoring the same let us all say : O Holy God, who by the Son didst make all things through the cooperation of the Holy Spirit : O Holy Mighty One, through whom we have known the Father, and through whom the Holy Spirit came into the world : O Holy Immortal One, the Spirit of comfort, who proceedest from the Father, and restest in the Son : O Holy Trinity, glory to thee.

The Gradual (Prokimeri) for the Day.

The Parables (Paremii). Num. xL 16, 17, 24-29; Joel il 23-32; Ezek. xxxvi. 24-28.

The Stanza at the Litiyd, in Tone VIII. When thou didst send thy Spirit, O Lord, while the Apostles sat, then were the Hebrew children affrighted with dread as they gazed ; for they heard them speak one to another in strange tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. For though unlearned they were made wise, and bringing the Gentiles unto the faith, proclaimed things divine. Wherefore, we also

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do cry unto thee, O Lord, who hast revealed thyself upon earth, and hast saved us from guile : Glory to thee.

The Hymn for the Day (Tropdr\ in Tone VIII. Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed fishers most wise, sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and thereby catching the universe as in a net O Christ our God, who lovest mankind, glory to thee.

The Collect-Hymn {Konddk). When the Most High confounded the tongues, he dispersed the nations : but when he distributed the tongues of fire, he called all men unto unity. Wherefore, with one accord, we glorify the All-holy Spirit

The Exaltation ( VeliUhdnie). We magnify thee, O life-giving Christ, and do homage to thine all-holy Spirit, whom thou didst send from the Father upon thy disciples divine.

The Gradual (Pro&imen), in the Fourth Tone. Thy good spirit shall lead me into the land of righteousness.

Verse (Stiih) : O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my petition.

The Gospel John xx. 19-23.

THE CANON.

Tone IV. (St. Cosmos ofMaium.)

Theme-Songs (Irmosi). I. He who shattereth the enemies with his lofty arm overwhelmed with the sea Pharaoh and his chariots : To him let us sing, for gloriously hath he been glorified.

III. Tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye shall be endued with power from on high, thou didst say unto thy disciples, O Christ ; for I will send another, like unto myself, even the Comforter, ray Spirit and the Father’s, in whom ye shall be established.

IV. When he foresaw thy coming in the latter days, O Christ, the Prophet exclaimed : I have heard of thy power, O Lord, that thou art come to save all thine anointed.

V. The Spirit of salvation, through thy fear, O Lord, conceived in the womb of the Prophets, and born upon earth maketh pure the hearts of the Apostles, and in that it is righteous, is renewed in the faithful. For thy statutes are light and peace.

VI. Sailing on the stormy sea of earthly cares, drowning in the billows of the sins which compass me round about, and cast forth unto the soul-destroying monster, like Jonah I cry unto thee, O Christ : Lead thou me forth from the death-dealing abyss.

VII. When they were cast into the fiery furnace, the God-fearing Children transmuted the fire into dew, crying aloud, after this manner, in song : Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our Fathers.

VIII. The bush which could not be consumed, though surrounded by fire, on Sinai revealed God unto Moses, slow of tongue and halting of speech : and the zeal toward God of the Three Children showed the singers untouched of the fire. O all ye works of the Lord bless ye the Lord, and magnify him unto all the ages.

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IX. O Maiden Birth-giver of God, who in birth-giving suffered not defilement, and didst lend flesh unto the All-creating Word ; Mother Unwedded, Receptacle of Him who cannot be contained, Abode of thy Maker illimitable, we magnify thee.

Benediction. May he who sent down the Most Holy Spirit, in the form of fiery tongues, upon his holy disciples and apostles, Christ, our true God : and so forth, as usual. {See page 122.)

At the Liturgy. Antiphon /., Tone II.

Verse i : The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.

Refrain. Through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God, O Saviour, save us.

Verse 2 : Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge, ft

Verse 3 : Their voice is gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world, ft

Antiphon II., Tone II.

Verse 1 : The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble : the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee.

Refrain. Save, O blessed Comforter, us who sing unto thee, Alleluia.

Verse 2 : Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion. ft

Verse 3 : Grant thee thy heart’s desire, and fulfil all thy mind, ft

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Only-begotten Son and Word of God ! . . . {Seepage 170.)

Antiphon III, Tone VIII.

Verse 1 : The King shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord : exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation.

Refrain : The Hymn for the Day { Tropdr). Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed fishers most wise, sending down upon them thy Holy Spirit, and thereby catching the universe as in a net. Glory to thee, O thou who lovest mankind.

Verse 2 : Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not denied him the request of his lips, ft

Verse 3 : Thou shalt prevent him with the blessings of goodness, and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his head, ft

The Introit. Exalted be thou, O Lord, in thy power. We will praise and sing thy mighty acts, ft

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In place of; O Holy God, Holy Mighty, ... As many as have been baptized Into Christ nave put on Christ.

The Gradual (Prokimen), in the Eighth Tone. Their voice is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.

The Epistle. Acts ii 1- 1 2.

Alleluia. {Tone I.) By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the word of his mouth.

Verse (Stikh) : The Lord looked down from heaven, and beheld all the children of men.

The Gospel John vii. 37-52, viil 12.

In place of ; Meet is it : The Ninth Theme-Song of the Second Canon. Hail, O Queen, thou glory of motherhood and maidenhood ! For every mouth, however eloquent and sweet of speech, is incapable of worthily singing thy praise; and every mind reeleth when it would fain understand thy birth-giving. For which cause, with one accord, we glorify thee;

The Communion Hymn. Thy good Spirit shall guide me into the land of righteousness.

Vespers.

( Which followeth immediately after the Liturgy!)

After the customary beginning, and the Prefatory Psalm, the Litany :

In peace let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy.

And the rest. After the Petition :

For those who travel by sea or by land : IJc

For the people here present who await the grace of the Holy Spirit: IJc

For those who have bowed their knees and their hearts before the Lord : fy

That he will strengthen us in the performance of those things which are well pleasing in his sight : $

That he will send down upon us the riches of his grace : IJc

That he will accept this, the bending of our knees, as incense before him : IJc

For those who entreat from him his aid : IJc

That he will deliver us from all tribulation, wrath, peril and necessity : IJc

Succour us, save us, have mercy upon us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace

Calling to remembrance our most holy, undefiled, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Birth-giver of God and ever-virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.

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Choir, To thee, O Lord.

Exclamation. For unto thee are due all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Stoma {Sttkhira) for : Lord, I have cried : In Tone IV. Marvellous things have all the nations beheld this day in the city of David, when the Holy Spirit descended in tongues of fire, as Luke, preaching the word of God, doth relate; for he saith: The disciples of Christ being assembled in one place, there came a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And they all began to speak in strange tongues with strange doctrines, by the strange commands of the Holy Trinity.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O heavenly King, the Comforter, Spirit of Truth, who art in all places and fillest all things ; Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come, and take up thine abode in us, and cleanse us from every stain ; and save oar souls, O Good One.

The Entrance is made with the censer.

O gladsome radiance . . .

The Great Gradual (Proiinten), in the Seventh Tone. Who is so great a God as our God ? Thou art God who doest wonders.

Verse {Stikh) i : Thou hast declared thy power unto the nations.

Verse 2 : And I said ; Now have I made a beginning ; these are the charges of the right hand of the Most High.

Verse 3 : I have remembered the works of the Lord, as I have remembered thy marvels from the beginning.

Then the Priest exclaimeth {or the Deacon) : Again, yet again, on bended knees let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.)

The First Prayer. Priest O Lord most pure, spotless, who art from everlasting, invisible, ineffable, unsearchable, unchanging, unsurpassable, immeasurable, longsuffering ; who alone hast immortality ; who dwellest in light unapproachable ; who hast made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that therein is ; who grantest unto all men their petitions before they ask : We pray thee, and beseech thee, O Master who lovest mankind, the Father of our Lord, and God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of Mary the ever-virgin and exceeding-glorious Birth-giver of God ; who first did teach in words and afterwards did manifest himself in deeds, when he had suffered his redeeming Passion ; who hast given unto us, thy humble, and sinful, and unworthy servants, a command that we should offer supplications unto thee with bending of the neck

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and of the knees, both for our own iniquities and for the ignorances of the people: Do thou, the same all-merciful God who lovest mankind, hear us in that day when we shall call upon thee, and more especially upon this day of Pentecost, whereon, after that our Lord Jesus Christ had ascended up into heaven, and had sat down at the right hand of thee, who art both his God and his Father, he did send down the Holy Spirit upon his holy disciples and apostles : which also did rest upon each one of them, so that they were all filled with its inexhaustible grace, and did declare thy majesty in divers unknown tongues, and did prophesy. Wherefore we beseech thee to hear us, and to remember us, humble and condemned as we are, and to turn again the captivity of our souls, exercising thy loving-kindness toward us who now offer up our petitions unto thee. Accept us who fall down before thee, and who cry aloud unto thee, We have sinned ! For we have cloven unto thee even from our mother’s womb : thou art our God But because we have passed our days in vanity, we have stripped ourselves of thine aid, we have deprived ourselves of every valid defence. But confidently trusting in thy pity, we call unto thee : Remember not the sins of our youth and our ignorances ; and cleanse thou us from our secret sins ; and forsake us not in the days of our old age, when our strength faileth us. Even until we return again into the earth, abandon us not ; vouchsafe us grace to have recourse unto thee ; and receive us, because of thy favour and graciousness. Measure our wickedness according to the measure of thy bounties. Set over against the multitude of our transgressions the abyss of thy compassions. Look down from thy holiness on high, O Lord, upon thy people now present before thee, who await thy rich mercies. Visit us with thy loving-kindness : deliver us from the assaults of the Devil. Establish our life in thy holy and sacred commandments. Commit thy people unto an Angel, a faithful guardian. Gather us all into thy kingdom. Grant pardon unto those who put their trust in thee. Put away from them and from us all sins. Purify us by the operation of thy Holy Spirit ; bring to naught the machinations of the enemy against us.

And thereto is added the following Prayer:

Blessed art thou, O Lord, Master Almighty, who hast illumined the day with the light of the sun, and hast made bright the night with the brilliant flashes of the lightning; who hast graciously enabled us to pass through the long day, and to draw near to the beginning of the night. Hear our petitions, and the petitions of all thy people, and grant pardon unto us for all our sins, both voluntary and involuntary. Accept our evening prayers, and send down the multitude of thy mercy and thy bounties upon thine inheritance. Guard us with thy holy Angels. Arm us with the armour of thy righteousness. Encompass us round about with the ramparts of thy truth. Guard us by thy might. Deliver us from every assault, and from every treacherous plot of the adversary. And grant unto us that this present evening and the approaching night,

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and all the days of our life, may be perfect, holy, peaceful, sinless, without stumbling, untroubled of dreams ; through the prayers of the holy Birth-giver of God, and of all the Saints, who, in all the ages, have been acceptable in thy sight.

Then the Little Litany,

Deacon. Again, yet again, in peace let us pray to the Lord.

Choir. Lord, have mercy.

Succour us, save us, have mercy upon us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.

Choir. Lord, have mercy.

Choir. To thee, O Lord.

Then the Priest maketh the Exclamation :

For thine it is to show mercy upon us and to save us, O Lord our God, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the •Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

Then the Priest \ or the Deacon , saith this Litany ;

Let us all say, with all our soul and with all our mind let us say :

Choir. Lord, have mercy.

Deacon. O Almighty Lord, the God of our fathers, we beseech thee: hearken, and have mercy.

Choir Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy upon us, O God, according to thy great mercy we beseech thee : hearken, and have mercy.

Here follow petitions for the Ruler of the Land and for all the Authorities (Emperor, or King, and Reigning House, or President, according to the elements and national ties of which the Parish is constituted).

For our Holy Synod (or Patriarch) ; for our Bishop (or Archbishop, or Metropolitan) N. ; for the honourable Presbytery, the Diaconate in Christ ; for all the clergy and the laity : IJs

^urthermorewe pray for all their Christ-loving A r my and Navy: IJt

Furthermore we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable founders of this holy Temple : IJs

Furthermore we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and remission of the sins of the servants of God, the brethren of this holy Temple (or habitation : if it be a monastery) : Tfr

Furthermore we pray for those who bear fruit and do good works in this holy and all-honourable Temple; for those who labour in its service; for the singers; and for the people here present, who await the great and rich mercies which are from thee : IJs

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For thou art a merciful God, who lovest mankind, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

And immediately the Deacon saith :

Again, yet again, on bended knees let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.)

The Second Prayer.

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, who hast bestowed upon men thy peace and the gift of thy Holy Spirit; who, while thou wast yet with us in this present life, didst give unto thy faithful people an inheritance which shall not be taken away from them forever; who this day didst send down thy grace upon thy disciples and apostles, in manner most clear, and didst furnish their lips with fiery tongues ; by whom now, we also, together with all mankind, having received, through the hearing of our own ears divine knowledge in our own tongues, have been illumined with the light of the Spirit, and have put away the delusion of darkness by the distribution of the material and visible tongues of fire, as also by the marvellous operation of the same, whereby we have been inspired unto faith toward thee, and to glorify thee, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit in one Godhead and might ; and have been enlightened with power: Do thou, who art the Brightness of the Father, of his Essence and his Nature the Express and Immutable Image, the Fountain of Wisdom and of Grace, open the lips of me, a sinner, and teach me in what manner and for what needs I ought to pray; for thou knowest the great multitude of my sins, but thy lovingkindness shall overcome the enormity thereof. For lo ! I stand in awe before thee, and have cast into the great deep of thy mercy the despair of my soul. Govern my life, O thou who governest all creation by a word, with the unutterable might of thy wisdom, O tranquil Haven of the storm-tossed ; and make known unto me the way in which I should walk. Grant unto my understanding the spirit of thy wisdom, bestowing upon my ignorance the spirit of thy understanding. Overshadow my deeds with the spirit of thy fear, and renew a right spirit within me; and by thy sovereign Spirit make stable the instability of my thoughts. That being daily guided by thy good Spirit in that which is profitable for me, I may be enabled to keep thy statutes, and ever bear in mind thy glorious Coming-again, and those things worthy of torment which I have committed. And give me not over to be led astray by the corrupt pleasures of this present world, but strengthen in me the desire to strive for the treasures to come. For thou hast said, O Master: whatsoever a man shall ask in thy Name, that shall he freely receive from thy coeternal God and Father, who is from everlasting. Wherefore I, also, a sinner, at this descent of thy Holy Spirit, do entreat thy

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goodness, that thou wilt grant me whatsoever things I have asked which are unto salvation. Yea, O Lord, the bounteous Giver of every benefit, and the Distributor of blessings, — for it is thou who givest most bountifully unto those who ask of thee, — thou art pitiful and gracious, and also wast made a partaker of our flesh, yet without sin, and dost incline thine ear with infinite loving-kindness unto those who bow the knee before thee; who, also, wast made the Propitiation for our sins. Wherefore, O Lord, grant thy bounties unto thy people. Hearken unto us from thy holy heaven. Sanctify us by the saving might of thy right hand Cover us with the. shelter of thy wings; and despise thou not the work of thy hands. Unto thee alone have we sinned, but thee alone do we serve. We know not to adore a strange god, neither have we stretched out our hands, O Lord, unto any other god. Pardon our iniquities, and accept this our prayer, which we make unto thee on bended knees. Extend unto us all the hand of thine aid. Receive the petitions of all men, as it were incense well-pleasing, acceptable before thine all-blessed kingdom.

And thereto is added the following Prayer:

O Lord, Lord, who deliverest us from all the arrows that fly by day, deliver thou us, also, from all things that infest the darkness. Accept our evening sacrifice, even the lifting-up of our hands. Grant that we may pass through the course of the night without sin, untempted of evil things ; and deliver us from every alarm and cowardice that cometh to us from the Devil. Grant unto our souls contrition, and unto our minds anxiety concerning that strict searching out of the thoughts which shall come in the dread and just Day of Judgment. Nail our flesh to the fear of thee, and mortify our earthly members : that, in the quietness of sleep, we may be illuminated by the vision of thy judgments. Remove from us, also, every unseemly imagination and hurtful carnal passion. Raise us up again at the hour of prayer, fortified in the faith, and advancing in thy commandments.

And the Deacon saith :

Succour us, save us, have mercy upon us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.

Choir, Lord, have mercy.

Calling to remembrance our most holy, undefined, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Birth-giver of God and ever : virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God,

Choir. To thee, O Lord.

And the Priest maketh the Exclamation ; Through the Loving-kindness and goodness of thine Only-begotten

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Son, with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen,

Then; Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this night without sin. . . . {Page 10.)

Then the Deacon saith :

Again, yet again, on bended knees let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.)

And the Priest readeth the Third Prayer.

O Fountain, ever-flowing, living, illumining ; Power creative, coeternal with the Father, O Christ our God, who hast most excellently fulfilled all the plan for the salvation of mankind ; who didst shatter the bonds indestructible of Death, and the bolts of Hell, and didst trample under foot a host of evil spirits ; who didst offer thyself a blameless victim for us, giving thine all-holy body for a sacrifice inviolate, and unassailed of every sin, and who, through that terrible and ineffable act of sacrifice, didst bestow upon us life eternal ; who didst descend into Hell, and break the everlasting bars, and show a way up unto those who abode in the lower world ; and having enticed, by divinely wise allurements, the origin of mischief and the serpent of the abyss, and bound him with cords of nethermost gloom and fire unquenchable in Tartarus, and in outer darkness, through thine infinite and fettering might, O Wisdom greatly glorified of the Father, thou didst manifest thyself as a mighty helper of the abused; and didst enlighten those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death. O Lord of the everlasting glory and Son beloved of the Father most high, Light Eternal of Light Eternal, the Sun of Righteousness : Hear thou us, who now make our fervent supplications unto thee, and give rest to the souls of thy servants our fathers and brethren, and our other kinsmen after the flesh, and of all who %re of the household of faith, who have fallen asleep, and whom we now call to remembrance. For thou hast power over all things, and in thy hand thou upholdest all the ends of the earth. O Master Almighty, the God of our fathers and Lord of mercy, Creator of the race of mortals and immortals, and of every nature of man ; of that which is brought together and is again put asunder ; of life and of death ; of sojourn in the world that now is, and of translation to the world which is to come: thou metest out the years of life, and appointest the time of death ; thou bringest down to Hell, and again raisest up ; thou bindest unto im potency and loosest unto power, ordering things present according to their necessity, and appointing things to come as is expedient, quickening with the hope of Resurrection those who were smitten with the sting of death. For thou art, of a truth, the Master of all men, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of those who are afar off upon the sea ; Who, on this last, and great, and redeeming day of .the Pentecostal feast, didst reveal unto us the

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mystery of the Holy Trinity, one in Essence, coeternal, undivided and unmingled ; and didst pour out the inspiration and descent of the holy and life-giving Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, upon thy holy apostles ; and didst appoint the same to be the heralds of the glad tidings of our holy faith; and didst make them -confessors and teachers of the true divine knowledge; who, also, on this all-perfect and saving Feast, art graciously pleased to accept propitiatory prayers for those who are imprisoned in Hell, promising unto us who are held in bondage great hope of release from the vileness that doth hinder us and did hinder them ; and that thou wilt send down thy consolation. Hear us, thy humble ones, who make our supplications unto thee, and give rest to the souls of thy servants who have fallen asleep, in a place of light, a place of verdure, a place of refreshment whence all sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled away : And speedily establish thou their souls in the mansions of the Just; and graciously vouchsafe unto them peace and pardon ; for the dead shall not praise thee, neither shall they who are in Hell make bold to offer unto thee confession. But we who are living will bless thee, and will pray, and offer unto thee propitiatory prayers and sacrifices for their souls.

And thereto ts added the following Prayer:

O God great and eternal, who art holy and lovest mankind ; who hast vouchsafed unto us at this present hour to stand before thine ineffable glory, and to sing and to praise thy wonders : Purify us, thine unworthy servants, and grant us grace that, with a contrite heart, and without presumption, we may offer unto thee the Thrice-Holy hymn of praise and thanksgiving for thy great gifts, which thou hast bestowed and always dost bestow upon us. Remember, O Lord, our weakness, and destroy us not in our iniquity, DUt show great mercy upon our humility ; that, fleeing from the darkness of sin, we may walk in the daylight of righteousness ; and that, putting on the armour of ligfct, we may remain unassailed by any despiteful attack of the Evil One, and with boldness may glorify in all things thee, the only true God, who also lovest mankind. For thine, O Lord and Creator of all men, is that great and veritable mystery, the dissolution of thy creatures for a season, and thereafter their redintegration and their rest forever. We acknowledge thy grace in all things ; for our coming into this world and our going out of it ; for our hopes of resurrection and of the life immortal faithfully pledged unto us through thine unfailing promises, the which we shall receive hereafter in thy Second Coming. For thou art the Chieftain of our Resurrection, and the Judge impartial and benignant of the dead, and the Master and Lord of recompense, who didst become a partaker, on equal terms, of our flesh and blood, because of thine exceeding great condescension ; and when, of thine own will, that thou mightest .place thyself under temptation, thou didst accept our unavoidable passions, because of thy compassion, arid didst suffer through

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them, being thyself untempted thereby, thou didst become for us who are tempted the helper which thou thyself hadst promised ; and thereby hast thou led us to thy passion lessn ess. Wherefore, O Master, receive thou our prayers and supplications, and give rest unto the fathers, mothers, children, brothers and sisters, blood-relations and kinsfolk of each and all of us, and unto all souls which have fallen asleep before us; and establish their spirits in the hope of Resurrection unto life eternal; and inscribe their names in the Book of Life, in the bosom of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, and in the land of the living, in the kingdom of heaven, in the Paradise of sweetness ; by thy radiant Angels guiding all into thy holy mansions; raising up with thee, also, our bodies, in that day which thou hast appointed by thy holy and faithful promise. Because there is no death, O Lord, for thy servants when we depart from the body and come unto thee, our God, but a change from things very sorrowful unto things most benignant and most sweet, and unto repose and gladness. If, therefore, we have in aught transgressed against thee, be merciful unto us and unto them ; because there is no one pure from stain in thy sight, even for a single day of life, save thou alone, who didst manifest thyself sinless upon earth, O our Lord Jesus Christ ; through whom also we all trust to receive mercy and the remission of our sins. Wherefore, in that thou art a gracious God and lovest mankind, do thou, both to them and to us, pardon, remit, forgive our sins; both voluntary and involuntary, which we have committed whether wilfully or through ignorance; whether those which are manifest or those which have escaped our notice; whether of deed, or of thought, or of word, whatsoever they may be, in all our acts and lives. And unto the departed also grant thou release and pardon ; and bless us who are here present, granting unto us, and to all thy people, a good and peaceful ending, and opening unto us the tenderness of thy mercy and love toward mankind at thy dread and terrible Coming-again ; and make us worthy of thy kingdom.

And thereto is added the Seventh Evening Prayer. (See Vespers, Prayer G, page 4.) Then the Deacon saith ;

Succour us, save us, have mercy upon us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.

Choir. Lord, have mercy.

Calling to remembrance our most holy, undefined, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Birth-giver of God and ever-virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.

Choir, To thee, O Lord.

Priest For thou art the repose of our souls and bodies, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

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Deacon. Let us complete our evening prayer unto the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. And the rest, as usual (Seepage 10.)

The Priest then saith, secretly, the customary Prayer.

O Lord our God, who didst bow the heavens and come down . . . (See page 10.)

Exclamation.

For thou art a gracious God, who lovest mankind, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all nations ; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

The Hymn for the Day ( Tropdr). Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed fishers most wise, sending down upon them thy Holy Spirit, and thereby catching the universe as in a net. Glory to thee, thou who lovest mankind.

Then the Priest pronounceth the Benediction.

May he who emptied himself from the bosom of God and the Father, and descended from heaven upon the earth, and took upon himself all our nature, and rendered it divine ; and after that ascended again into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God and the Father; who also sent down upon his holy disciples and apostles the divine and holy Spirit, which is of one Essence, equal in power, and equal in glory with himself, and thereby enlightened them, and through them the whole universe — even Christ our true God ; through the prayers of his most pure and all-undefiled Mother, of the holy, glorious and all-laudable preachers of God and Spirit-bearing apostles, and of all the Saints, have mercy upon us and save us, forasmuch as he is good and loveth mankind