OAK ST. HDSF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY From the collection of Julius Doerner, Chicago Purchased, 1918. \ (ttu tm Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. University of Illinois Library ■* / ' f *r&> PRAYERS FOR MARRIED PERSONS; FROM VARIOUS SOURCES, CHIEFLY FROM 2Tfje Ancient 3L tansies. SELECTED AND EDITED BY CHARLES WARD, A.M., RECTOR OF MAULDEN; RURAL DEAN OF EAST FLEETE. “ Take with you words, and turn to the Lord; say unto Him, — take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously ; so will we render the calves of our lips.” — Hosea xiv. 2. Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. ©iforti anti ILonton: JAMES PARKER AND CO. 1868. WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING. IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YE SHALL ASK WHAT YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU. 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. Communion Service . TO BE CARNALLY MINDED is death; BUT TO BE SPIRITUALLY MINDED IS LIFE AND PEACE. i c. >] 3 , GO \J ZL I TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER, EDWARD HAROLD, Lord Bishop of Ely, STfjia JHanual IS, WITH HIS LORDSHIP’S PERMISSION, DUTIFULLY AND REVERENTLY INSCRIBED. 701970 PREFACE. OINCE holy matrimony was ordained ^ in great part “ for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity,” it would not seem that many words were necessary to persuade all married persons who desire “to live to- gether in godly love and honesty,” and to “see their children christianly and vir- tuously brought up,” how greatly the practice of praying together alone, once in the day at least, would conduce to their mutual help, comfort, and encour- agement in holy living. Such persons should be well aware of the numerous daily causes, which would render confes- sion, and prayers in common for pardon, Vi PREFACE. and for aid, as well in the regulation of their behaviour towards each other, as in the Christian government and training of their children and households, an exer- cise most comfortable and refreshing to the soul. To these, and to all who may be disposed to commence so desirable a practice, the following manual is offered, not without a hope that it may be found to assist their devotions : for which in- deed some form seems absolutely indis- pensable. The little book now presented to the reader was formed in the first edition out of a much larger collection of prayers, the result of several years’ gradual accumu- lation, entirely for private use; collects having been added from time to time from various sources, as they were found suitable for the immediate purpose, while a few were compiled or written for special requirement It was not till it became necessary for the convenience of use to PREFACE. vii re-arrange the whole, that in the progress of this employment the thought occurred that these prayers might be useful to others ; and with this object in view, they were subsequently the more carefully se- lected and prepared. And here the valu- able suggestions of a judicious and ex- perienced friend, now Archdeacon of Bedford, who most kindly consented to revise the press, are again, after a lapse of seventeen years, thankfully acknow- ledged. To those who are acquainted with the ancient Liturgies, it will not appear sur- prising that all the prayers of a general na- ture, as Confession, Intercession, Thanks- giving, were taken exclusively from those rich treasuries of Catholic devotion ; to which indeed our own incomparable Li- turgy is so much indebted, as to have led the learned Dean Comber to say, in his excellent and just encomium of it, that “most of the words and phrases PREFACE. viii being taken out of the Holy Scriptures, the rest are the expressions of the first and purest ages ; and in the opinion of the most impartial and learned Grotius, (who was no member of, nor had any obliga- tion to this Church,) the English Liturgy comes so near to the primitive pattern, that none of the reformed churches can compare with it a .” The collects in this book which are suited exclusively for the use of mar- ried persons and parents, were selected chiefly from English Authors, among whose works however they are but spa- ringly to be found. The use of separate collects, each con- fined to its own, or to very kindred sub- jects, was deemed preferable to one prayer of greater length, necessarily embracing a variety of distinct subjects, whether a Quoted by Wheatly in his ‘ 4 Original of the Book of Common Prayer.” Ed. 1819, p. 34. PREFACE. ix more or less mixed together, or in suc- cession. And it need scarcely be said that for this form an unimpeachable authority, as well as an admirable model, presented itself in the Book of Common Prayer, suggesting at once the most ob- vious and necessary subjects, and the succession in which they should stand : Confession, the Lord’s Prayer, Petitions for Divine Guidance and Protection, a Prayer for each other, Intercession for children and others, Thanksgiving, and a Prayer of Benediction. It will be obvious, since the principal Course of prayer in this book is adapted for one part of the day only, (the evening having been selected as the period least liable to interruption,) that it is by no means intended or calculated to super- sede the obligation under which every Christian father or master of a family is laid, of practising daily family devotion, as well by the reading (and exposition if PREFACE. X it may be) of a portion of Holy Scripture, as by the offering of prayer with his household — (“ as for me and my house we will serve the Lord b ;”) far less the still more imperative duty and privilege of strictly private prayer, and daily self-ex- amination, — that searching of heart, that inward discipline of the will, that earnest and sincere oblation and abandonment of the soul to God, with which no intercom- munion of thought and feeling between two natures, however close and near, not even the oneness of aim, and hope, and faith, with which the marriage bond is often blessed and strengthened, must be allowed to interfere. Although, however, the principal aim of this publication is to assist the joint devotions of husbands and wives, it was thought that it would add to its conve- nience to insert a course of morning b Josh. xxiv. 15. PREFACE. Xi Prayers for a week, which might be used by either of them in private. In the present edition, these prayers for private use have been re-arranged and enlarged, so as to serve for a fortnight. And these again have been followed by some collects for Church Seasons, and for Sundays; and by other prayers, for the use of both together or separately, suited to some of the various special oc- casions incident to the married state. I have to return my best thanks to the few living Authors from whose works I have made selections ; and particularly to the editors of “ Euchologion,” published by Messrs. W. Blackwood and Son, for their obliging permission to introduce in this edition some prayers and collects from that valuable work. It only remains again to commend this feeble work and labour of love, for such it has truly been to the writer, to the bles- sing of the All-mighty and All-gracious ADVERTISEMENT. *^0 avoid distraction of thought in the use of these prayers, it has been thought advisable not to indicate at full length after each collect the source from whence it was taken ; but rather to adopt initials only, and to explain those signa- tures at the commencement of the book. All those which are simply signed are taken without alteration from the works of their respective authors : but, as the editor has not scrupled to take great liberties with the materials afforded by such ancient and modern works as he had the opportunity of consulting, in adapting to his immediate purpose what- ever he found suitable to the design in ADVERTISEMENT. xiv hand ; he has prefixed in such instances the words From, or Partly from, to the initials, that the authors, while he desires to acknowledge his obligations to them, may not be held responsible for his alter- ations, though in some cases they may be inconsiderable. This rule however has not been fol- lowed with respect to those signed in old English letters, which have been taken from the Ancient Liturgies. In the trans- lation of these he found it convenient to use such freedom of alteration, omission, or general adaptation, that scarcely any one can be said to be a literal translation throughout. And this being understood, it was thought sufficient and preferable to attach to each such prayers one or more letters in old English type to shew the exact Liturgy from which each collect was obtained. A few of these Ancient Liturgies appear in an English translation by several hands ADVERTISEMENT. XV in the well-known collection by Dr. Brett, 1720; but most of these, and many others, had been collected in two vols. 4to. by Renaudot, Paris, 1716. An alphabetical list follows of those which have been used in this work. ftt. Liturgia communis A£thiopum. ^ r Liturgia Grseca Sti. Basilii Alexandrina. (Liturgia Sancti Basilii Coptica. 13 ; %. JUt. Liturgia Basilii, ex versione Andrese Masii. 13. '£. Lit. Beattm. Appm. comp, a Sto. Adaeo et Sto. Mari. <£. Liturgia Sancti Cyrilli. 3. (3X Liturgia Sti. Johannis Chrysostomi. €D. 1ft. Liturgia Sti. Clementis Romani. IB. Liturgia Dioscori, Patriarchs Alexandrini. S5. IB. Liturgia S. Dionysii, Athenarum Epi- scopi. fh. IB. &nt. Lit. S. Dioscori, Episcopi Insulae Cardon, sive Gordyaeorum, Antioch. 15. Liturgia Sti. Eustathii, Patr. Antiocheni. ^ j Divina Liturgia Alex. Sti. Gregorii. I Liturgia Coptica Sancti Gregorii. E. Liturgia Sti. Ignatii, Patr. Antiocheni. i XVI ADVERTISEMENT. 3J. Lit. Sti. Jacobi, Ap. ; Fratris Domini. 31. 13. Lit. Sti. Jacobi, Episc. Botnanensis. S. 3f,3Eb. Liturgia Sti. Johannis, Evangelist®. 31. 3ft. Liturgia Sti. Julii, Romani. Divina Liturgia Sti. Apostoli et Evangelist® Marci. The Mozarabic Liturgy a . S. J£t., St)r. Liturgia Syriaca Sti. Marci, Pr®- dicatoris et Evangelist®. JfEtar. ;