MORNING PRAYER.

God our heavenly Father; And there is no health in us. but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgive­ness of the same, by his in­finite goodness and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly to acknow­ledge our sins before God; yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are re­quisite and necessary, as

But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; Accord­ing to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

well for the body as the ALMIGHTY God, the

soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accom­pany me with a pure heart, and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me;

Father of our Lord Je­sus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and and commandment, to his live; and hath given power, Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolu­

tion and Remission of their

sins: He

solveth all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly be­lieve his holy Gospel. Where­fore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his holy Spirit, that those things may please him, which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life here­after may be pure, and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; 3151

A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation after

the Minister, all kneeling,

merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have of­fended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done;

The Absolution, or Remission of sins, to be pronounced by the Priest alone, standing; the people still kneeling.

Giessen