Service Book of the Orthodox Church, Part 1

Service Book of the Orthodox Church, Part 1

continued

Pentecost

1 [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. 10-17; Num. xxviii. 16). The trees and flowers, the tokens of the renewal of Nature in the Spring, 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 in the Litany; and of Prayers recited kneeling at Vespers, which, as a rule, immediately followeth the Liturgy.]

At the All-Night Vigil.

2 The Stanza (Stikhira) for: Lord, I have cried: In Tone I. 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 coöperation 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.

3 [The Gradual (Prokimen) for the Day.] The Parables (Paremii). Num. xi. 16, 17, 24-29; Joel ii. 23-32; Ezek. xxxvi. 24-28. The Stanza at the Litiyá, 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 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 (Tropár), 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.

4 The Collect-Hymn (Kondák). 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 (Velitchánie). 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 (Prokímen), in the Fourth Tone. Thy good spirit shall lead me into the land of righteousness. Verse (Stikh): O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my petition. The Gospel. John xx. 19–23.

The Canon. — Tone IV. (St. Cosmas of Maium.)

5 Theme-Songs (Irmosí). 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. 111. 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, my 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.

6 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. 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.

7 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 I., Tone II.

8 Verse 1: 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. ℟ Verse 3: Their voice is gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world. ℟

Antiphon II., Tone II.

9 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. ℟ Verse 3: Grant thee thy heart's desire, and fulfil all thy mind. ℟ 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! . . . (See page 170.)

Antiphon III., Tone VIII.

10 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 (Tropár). 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. ℟ Verse 3: Thou shalt prevent him with the blessings of goodness, and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his head. ℟ The Introit. Exalted be thou, O Lord, in thy power. We will praise and sing thy mighty acts. ℟ In place of: O Holy God, Holy Mighty, . . . As many as have been baptized into Christ have 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.

11 Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. The Epistle. Acts ii. 1-12. 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, viii. 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:]

12 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: ℟ For the people here present who await the grace of the Holy Spirit: ℟ For those who have bowed their knees and their hearts before the Lord: ℟ 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: ℟ That he will accept this, the bending of our knees, as incense before him: ℟ For those who entreat from him his aid: ℟ That he will deliver us from all tribulation, wrath, peril and necessity: ℟ 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.

13 Let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. 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 Stanza (Stikhira) for: Lord, I have cried: In Tone IV. Marvelous 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.

14 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 our souls, O Good One. [The Entrance is made with the censer.] O gladsome radiance . . . The Great Gradual (Prokimen), in the Seventh Tone. Who is so great a God as our God? Thou art God who doest wonders. Verse (Stikh) 1: 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.

15 Choir. Lord, have mercy. (Thrice.) [The First Prayer.] 16 Priest. O Lord most pure, spotless, who art from everlasting, invisible, ineffable, unsearchable, unchanging, unsurpassable, immeasurable, long-suffering; 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 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:

17 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.

18 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. 19 [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, 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.

20 [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. 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. 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:

21 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 nationalities 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: ℟ Furthermore we pray for all their Christ-loving Army and Navy: ℟ Furthermore we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable founders of this holy Temple: ℟ 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): ℟

22 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: ℟ Choir. Lord, have mercy. (Thrice.) 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.] 23 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 loving-kindness 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.

24 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 goodness, that thou wilt grant me whatsoever things I have asked which are unto salvation.

25 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.

26 [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.

27 [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, 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. Choir. To thee, O Lord. [And the Priest maketh the Exclamation :] Through the loving-kindness and goodness of thine Only-begotten 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. . . . [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.]

28 O Fountain, ever-flowing, living, illuminating; 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 are of the household of faith, who have fallen asleep, and whom we now call to remembrance.

29 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 impotency 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 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 ;

30 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.

31 [And thereto is added the following Prayer :] 32 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, but 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 light, 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.

33 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, and didst suffer through 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 passionlessness. 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.

34 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.

35 [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, 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. 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. Deacon. Let us complete our evening prayer unto the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. And the rest, as usual. (See page 10.) [The Priest then saith, secretly, the customary Prayer.]

36 O Lord our God, who didst bow the heavens and come down . . .

Exclamation.

37 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 (Tropár). 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.

Then the Priest pronounceth the BENEDICTION.

38 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.

The Transfiguration

1 [At Vespers, on the Eve.] The Stanzas (Stikhiri) for: Lord, I have cried: In Tone IV. Before thy Crucifixion, O Christ, the Mount became like unto the heavens, and a cloud was outspread like a canopy, while thou wast transfigured, and while the Father bare witness unto thee. There was Peter, together with James and John, inasmuch as they desired to be with thee at the time of thy betrayal also; that, having beheld thy marvels, they might not be affrighted at thy sufferings. Make us also worthy to adore the same in peace, for the sake of thy great mercy. Before thy Crucifixion, O Lord, having taken thy disciples into a high mountain, thou wast transfigured before them, dazzling them with rays of might; being desirous to show unto them the radiance of the Resurrection, both because of thy love toward mankind and for the sake of thy power. Make us also worthy of the same, O God, inasmuch as thou art merciful and lovest mankind.

2 The mountain that of old was gloomy and smoking is now honourable and holy, for thereon thy feet have stood, O Lord; for the mystery which was hidden from eternity, even thy dread Transfiguration, was made manifest in these last days unto Peter and John and James, who, unable to endure such splendour of thy countenance and radiance of thy garments, fell with their faces to the earth, and covered themselves: and overcome with dread, they beheld Moses and Elijah talking with thee, touching those things which should happen unto thee. And there came, also, a voice from the Father, bearing witness unto thee, and saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him, who also giveth unto the world great mercy. When the Saviour was transfigured on the high mountain, having with him the chief disciples, he made them most gloriously radiant, showing that inasmuch as they were radiant with the height of virtues, they shall be accounted worthy also of divine glory. Moses and Elijah, who talked with Christ, made manifest that he ruleth both the quick and the dead, and that he is the God who spake of old through the Law and the Prophets. And unto him also did the voice of the Father from the cloud bear witness, saying: Hear ye him, who hath taken Hell captive by his Cross, and giveth life everlasting unto the dead.

3 Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. (By Anatolius.) Tone VI. Thou didst prefigure thy Resurrection, O Christ our God, when thou didst take three of thy disciples, Peter and James and John, and didst ascend Mount Tabor. And when thou wast transfigured, O Saviour, Mount Tabor was covered with light, and thy disciples, O Word, did throw themselves prone upon the earth, being unable to bear the sight of the form which may not be looked upon. Angels ministered with fear and trembling; the heavens were affrighted, and the earth did quake, when they beheld on earth the Lord of glory. [The Gradual (Prokimen) for the Day.] The Parables (Paremii). Exodus xxiv. 12–18, xxxiii. 11–23, xxxiv. 4–6, 8; 1 Kings xix. 3–9, 11–13, 15–16. The Stanza at the Litiyá, in Tone II. Thou who didst illumine the whole universe with thy light, wast transfigured on a high mountain, O Good One, manifesting unto thy disciples thy power, inasmuch as thou deliverest the world from transgression: For which cause we cry aloud unto thee: O merciful Lord, save thou our souls.

4 The Hymn (Tropár), in Tone VII. Thou wast transfigured upon the Mount, O Christ-God, revealing unto thy disciples thy glory in so far as they were able to bear it. Let thy light everlasting illumine us sinners also; through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God. O Light-giver, glory to thee! The Collect-Hymn (Kondák), in Tone VII. Upon the Mount wast thou transfigured, and thy disciples, in so far as they were qualified, beheld thy glory, O Christ-God; that when they should see thee crucified they might comprehend that thy suffering was voluntary, and proclaim it unto the world: For thou art, of a truth, the effulgence of the Father. The Exaltation. We magnify thee, O life-giving Christ, and we do homage to the exceedingly glorious Transfiguration of thy Body most pure. The Gradual (Prokimen), in the Fourth Tone. Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name. Verse (Stikh): Thine are the heavens, and the earth is thine.

5 The Gospel. Luke ix. 28–36.

The Canon.

6 [The First Canon. Tone IV. (St. Cosmas of Maium.)] Theme-Songs (Irmosí). I. The hosts of Israel, when they had passed with foot unwet through the watery abyss of the Red Sea, and beheld the warriors and the horsemen of the enemy drowned therein, sang aloud with joy: Let us sing praises unto our God, for gloriously hath he been glorified! 111. The bow of the mighty is become feeble, and those who had no strength have girded themselves with might. For which cause my heart is become steadfast in the Lord. IV. I have given heed to thy glorious providence, O Christ our God, how that thou wast born of a Virgin, to the end that thou mightest deliver from error all those who cry unto thee: Glory to thy might, O Lord. V. O thou who didst divide primeval chaos from the light, that thy works might sing thee in the light, O Christ their Creator : Guide thou our paths in thy light:

7 VI. I cried unto the Lord in my trouble, and the God of my salvation heard me. VII. The Children of Abraham in Babylon of old trampled upon the flame of the furnace, and raised the song of praise : Blessed be thou, O God of our fathers ! VIII. The Children in Babylon, flaming with zeal divine, valiantly trampled under foot the threat of their tormentor, and the flame ; and when they were cast into the midst of the fire, being watered with dew, they cried : O all ye works of the Lord bless ye the Lord ! In place of : My soul doth magnify the Lord : The Refrain : Magnify, O my soul, the Lord who was transfigured on Tabor. IX. Thy birth-giving was shown to be without defilement ; God came forth from thy loins, manifested himself as a bearer of the flesh upon earth, and dwelt among men : Wherefore we all do magnify thee, O Birth-giver of God.

8 The Benediction. May he who on Mount Tabor was transfigured in glory in the presence of his holy disciples and apostles, Christ, our true God, through the prayers of his most holy Mother : and the rest, as usual. (See page 122.)

At the Liturgy. — Antiphon I., Tone II.

9 Verse 1 : O be joyful in the Lord all ye lands : sing praises unto the honour of his Name ; make his praise to be glorious. Refrain. Through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God, O Saviour, save us. Verse 2 : The voice of thy thunder was heard round about, thy lightnings illumined the universe ; the earth was moved and shook withal. ℟ Verse 3 : Thou art clothed with majesty and confession : thou deckest thyself with light as it were a garment. ℟

Antiphon II., Tone II.

10 Verse 1 : On the north side of Mount Zion lieth the city of the great King. Refrain. O Son of God who wast transfigured upon the Mount, save us who sing unto thee, Alleluia. Verse 2 : And he brought them unto the mount of his sanctuary, even the mountain which he had purchased with his right hand. ℟ Verse 3 : The hill of Zion which he loved, and built there like the unicorn his sanctuary. ℟ 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! . . . (See page 170.)

Antiphon III., Tone VII.

11 Verse 1: They that put their trust in the Lord shall be even as the Mount Zion, which may not be removed forever. Refrain: The Hymn (Tropár), in Tone II. Thou wast transfigured upon the Mount, O Christ-God, revealing unto thy disciples thy glory in so far as they were able to bear it. Let thy light everlasting illumine us sinners also; through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God. O Light-giver, glory to thee! Verse 2: The hills stand about it, and the Lord about his people, forevermore. ℟ Verse 3: Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle, or who shall rest upon thy holy hill? ℟ Verse 4: Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall rise up in his holy place? ℟ The Introit. O Lord, send forth thy light and thy truth, and they shall instruct me and shall lead me unto thy holy hill.

12 The Gradual (Prokímen), in the Fourth Tone. O Lord, how marvellous are thy works: in wisdom hast thou made them all. Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art greatly exalted. The Epistle. 2 Peter i. 10–19. Alleluia. (Tone VIII.) The heavens are thine, and the earth is thine. Verse: Blessed are the people who understand the shout of joy. The Gospel. Matt. xvii. 1–9. In place of: Meet is it: The Ninth Theme-Song of the Canon. Thy birth-giving was shown to be without defilement; . . . (See page 261.) The Communion Hymn (Pritchásten). O Lord, in the light of thy countenance will we walk, and in thy Name will we rejoice forevermore. [After the Liturgy on this day it is customary to bless the fruits.] [The Prayer at the Partaking of Grapes, on August 6th.] Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

13 Bless, O Lord, this new fruit of the vine, which thou hast graciously been pleased to permit to come to maturity, through salubrious seasons, and drops of rain, and peaceful times: and let it be unto joy for those of us who shall partake of this offspring of the vine; and may we offer it as a gift to thee unto the purification of our sins, through the sacred and holy Body of thy Christ: with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. [This Prayer is said over grapes which are brought into the Temple to be blessed on the sixth day of August, at places where there are vineyards. But in Great Russia, where there are no vineyards, apples are brought into the Temple on that day, and the Prayer for those who bring the first-fruits of vegetables is said.]

14 [Each vegetable is brought to the Temple in its season, and the Prayer is said over it also.] [The Prayer for those who bring the first-fruits of vegetables.] O Lord our God, who hast commanded that we should bring unto thee an offering of each of thine own things, and who requitest the same with the gift of thine eternal good things; who didst graciously accept the offering of the widow, according to her ability: Accept thou now also these things which are offered unto thee by thy servant, N., and vouchsafe to place the same among thine eternal treasures; granting unto him (her) an abundant harvest of thy worldly benefits, together with all things profitable unto him (her). For blessed is thy Name, and glorified is thy kingdom, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Falling-asleep of the Birth-giver of God

1 [(This Feast is preceded by a Fast of two weeks' duration.)] [At Vespers.] The Stanza (Stikhíra) for: Lord, I have cried: In Tone I. O marvel wonderful! The Source of life is laid in the grave, and the tomb becometh the ladder unto heaven. Rejoice, O Gethsemane, thou holy abode of the Birth-giver of God! In that we have Gabriel for our chieftain, let us cry aloud, ye faithful: Hail, thou that art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, through thee granting unto the world great mercy. (Twice.) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. At the sovereign command of God were the God-bearing apostles caught up on high in the clouds from every place; and when they were come to thine all-holy and life-originating body, they kissed the same with love. The heavenly powers most high also, when they were come with their Master, were seized with dread as they escorted the all-pure body which had received God; with stately mien, also, they went before, and invisibly cried aloud unto the Powers most high: Lo, the Queen over all, and the Maiden of God cometh. Be ye lifted up, O gates, and lift ye up, in more than earthly wise, Her who is the Mother of the Everlasting Light. For through her was salvation universal brought to pass for men: and we cannot gaze upon her, and it is not possible to render unto her the honour that is meet: for her surpassing merit exceedeth all understanding. Wherefore, O Birth-giver of God most pure, who abidest ever with the life-bearing King, who also is thy Son, entreat thou him that he will ever preserve thy new people, and save them from every hostile assault; for we have acquired thine intercession, blessing thee both in light and darkness forever.

2 [The Gradual (Prokímen) for the Day.] [The Parables (Paremít), the same as for the NATIVITY OF THE BIRTH-GIVER OF GOD.] The Stanza at the Litiyá, in Tone V. Sing, O ye people, sing the Mother of our God; for to-day she doth yield up her all-radiant soul into the palms most pure of Him who, without seed, was incarnate of her: Whom, also, she doth unceasingly entreat that he will give unto the world peace and great mercy. The Hymn for the Day (Tropár), in Tone I. In Birth-giving thou didst preserve thy virginity; in thy Falling-asleep thou hast not forsaken the world, O Birth-giver of God. Thou hast passed over into life, thou who art the Mother of Life, and through thine intercessions dost deliver our souls from death. The Exaltation (Velitchánie). We magnify thee, O Mother all-underfiled of Christ our God, and we glorify thine all-glorious Falling-asleep. The Gradual (Prokímen), in the Fourth Tone. I will call to mind thy name from generation to generation.

3 Verse (Stikh): Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline thine ear. The Gospel. Luke i. 39–49, 56.

The Canon.

4 [The First Canon. Tone I. (St. Cosmas of Maium.)] Theme-Songs (Irmosí). I. Adorned with glory divine thy holy and illustrious memory, O Virgin, hath gathered together all the faithful unto joy; that under the leadership of Miriam, with choirs and cymbals, they may sing thine Only-born: For gloriously hath he been glorified. 111. O Christ, the Wisdom and the Power of God, who createth and maintaineth all things, establish thou the Church steadfast and immovable. For thou only art holy who restest in the Saints. IV. The predictions and dark sayings of the Prophets proclaimed beforehand thine incarnation of a Virgin, O Christ: The splendour of thy flashing forth shall come for the enlightenment of the nations; and the deep with joy shall cry unto thee: Glory to thy might, O thou who lovest mankind. V. The beauty divine and ineffable of thy perfection will I declare, O Christ; for thou who didst shine forth from the Glory eternal, as an effulgence coeternal and one in Essence, when thou didst become incarnate of a Virgin's womb, didst shine as the sun upon those who sat in darkness and the shadow.

5 VI. The fire within the whale of the sea, the denizen of the deep, in which the Prophet Jonah was found, was the prototype of thy three days' burial; for remaining unscathed, as before the swallowing, he cried aloud: With the voice of praise will I sacrifice unto thee, O Lord. VII. Love divine, resisting the wrath audacious and the fire, did sprinkle the fire with dew, but laughed to scorn the wrath, resounding above the instruments of music upon the God-inspired, supersensual and triple-stringed lyre of the Righteous Ones amid the flame: Blessed be thou, O God of our fathers, and our God, exceeding glorious! VIII. As dew-dropping for the Godly Ones, but as consuming to the impious, did the all-powerful Angel of God manifest forth the flame to the Children. And the Birth-giver of God did he make a life-originating Fountain, pouring forth destruction to Death and life to those who sing : The only Creator do we, who have been delivered, praise in song and magnify unto all the ages.

6 In place of : My soul doth magnify the Lord : The Refrain : We, even all the nations, do bless thee, the only Birth-giver of God. Or : When the all-holy Angels beheld thine Assumption they marvelled how a Virgin should ascend from earth into heaven. IX. The laws of Nature were conquered in thee, O Virgin pure ; for in birth-giving was virginity preserved, and with death is life conjoined. Thou who, after birth-giving, a Virgin didst remain, though dead, art yet alive, O Birth-giver of God, and savest always thine inheritance.

At the Liturgy.

7 The Gradual (Prokimen), in the Third Tone. My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Verse : For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden ; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. The Epistle. Phil. ii. 5–11. Alleluia. (Tone II.) Arise, O Lord, in thy rest, thou, and the tabernacle of thy holiness. Verse : The Lord sware truth unto David, and he shall not abjure it. The Gospel. Luke x. 38–42, xi. 27, 28. The Hymn in place of : Meet is it : The Ninth Theme-Song of the Canon : The laws of Nature were conquered in thee, . . . (See above.) The Communion Hymn. I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord.

Prayers for a Mother and Child

1 Priest. Let us pray to the Lord. O Master, Lord Almighty, who healest every infirmity and every weakness: Heal thou also this thy servant, N., who this day hath given birth to a child, and raise her up from the bed whereon she lieth. For, according to the words of the Prophet David, in sin are we conceived, and we are all vile in thy sight. Preserve her and this child which she hath borne. Cover her with the shadow of thy wings, from the day that now is even unto her last end; through the prayers of the all-pure Birth-giver of God, and of all the Saints. For blessed art thou unto ages of ages. Amen. Let us pray to the Lord. 2 O Master, Lord our God, who wast born of our all-pure Lady, the Birth-giver of God, and as a babe didst lie in a manger, and as a little child wast held in arms: Show mercy also upon this thy servant, who to-day hath borne a child; and forgive her sins, both voluntary and involuntary; and preserve her from every oppression of the Devil; and preserve the child which hath been born of her from every poison and perplexity, from every storm of adversity, and from evil spirits, whether of the day or of the night. Keep her under thy mighty hand, and grant that she may speedily arise, and purify her from uncleanness, and heal her sickness; and vouchsafe unto her health and strength both of soul and body; and hedge her round about with bright and shining Angels; and preserve her from every invasion of invisible spirits. Yea, Lord, and from infirmity and weakness, from jealousy and envy, and from the evil eye; and have mercy upon her and upon the child, according to thy great mercy; and purify her from bodily uncleanness, and from the divers inward troubles which assail her. And lead her forth by thy speedy mercy, in submissiveness of her body, unto recovery. And grant that the child that hath been born of her may do reverence to the earthly temple which thou hast prepared to glorify thy holy Name.

3 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. Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord our God, who wast graciously pleased to come down from heaven, and to be born of the holy Birth-giver of God and ever-virgin Mary, for the salvation of us sinners, and who knowest the frailty of man's nature: Forgive thy servant, N., who to-day hath given birth, according to the multitude of thy bounties. For thou hast said, O Lord: Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth, and possess it. For which cause also do we, thy servants, pray, and emboldened by thy long-suffering love towards mankind, with awe do cry aloud to the kingdom of thy holy Name: Look down from heaven and behold the weakness of us who are condemned; and pardon this thy servant, and all the house wherein the child hath been born, and those who have touched her, and all those who are here present; inasmuch as thou art a good God and lovest mankind; for thou only hast power to remit sins. Through the prayers of the all-holy Birth-giver of God and of all the Saints.

At the Naming of a Child, When He Receiveth his Name, on the Eighth Day After his Birth

4 [The Priest maketh the sign of the cross upon the forehead, lips and breast of the Infant, and saith this Prayer:] Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord our God, we pray unto thee, and we beseech thee, and implore thee, that the light of thy countenance may be shown upon this thy servant, N.; and that the cross of thine Only-begotten Son may be graven in his (her) heart, and in his (her) thoughts: that he (she) may flee from the vanity of the world and from every evil snare of the enemy, and may follow after thy commandments. And grant, O Lord, that thy holy Name may remain unrejected by him (her); and that he (she) may be united, in due time, to thy holy Church; and that the dread Sacraments of thy Christ may be administered unto him (her): That, having lived according to thy commandments, and preserved without flaw the seal, he (she) may receive the bliss of the elect in thy kingdom; through the grace and love towards mankind of thine Only-begotten Son, with whom also thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

5 [Then, taking the Infant in his arms, he standeth before the door of the Temple, or before the holy image of the most holy Birth-giver of God, and maketh the sign of the cross, saying:] Hail, O blessed Virgin Birth-giver of God! For from thee hath shone forth the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, who giveth light to them that are in darkness. And rejoice, thou aged, righteous man, that didst receive in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls, who giveth unto us resurrection! [Then the BENEDICTION.] [On the fortieth day the Infant is brought to the Temple to be churched; that is, to make a beginning of being taken into the Church. And it is brought by the Mother, who, being already cleansed and washed, standeth there at the Entrance, and desireth to receive the Rite, after Baptism.] [Bending down his head to the Mother, as she standeth with the Infant, the Priest maketh the sign of the cross over the Infant; and touching its head, he saith the Prayer:]

6 Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord God Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy word hast created all things, both men endowed with speech and dumb animals, and hast brought all things from nothingness into being, we pray and implore thee: Thou hast saved this thy servant, N., by thy will. Purify her, therefore, from all sin and from every uncleanness, as she now draweth near unto thy holy Church; and make her worthy to partake, uncondemned, of thy Holy Mysteries. [(And if the Child be not living, the Prayer is read only thus far. Then the Exclamation.] For thou art a good 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. Amen. [But if the Child be alive, the following is added, to the end :)]

7 And bless thou the child which hath been born of her. Increase him (her); sanctify him (her); enlighten him (her); render him (her) chaste, and endow him (her) with good understanding. For thou hast brought him (her) into being, and hast shown him (her) the physical light, and hast appointed him (her) to be vouchsafed in due time spiritual light, and that he (she) may be numbered among thy chosen flock. Through thine Only-begotten Son, with whom, also, thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Peace be unto all. Bow your heads unto the Lord. [The Prayer for the Mother of the Child.] O Lord our God, who didst come for the redemption of the human race, come thou also upon thy servant, N., and grant unto her, through the prayers of thine honourable Priest, entrance into the temple of thy glory. Wash away her bodily uncleanness, and the stains of her soul, in the fulfilling of the forty days. Make her worthy of the communion of thy holy Body and of thy Blood.

8 For sanctified and glorified is thine all-honourable and majestic Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. [The Prayer for the Child. The Priest, making over the Child the sign of the cross, prayeth:] Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord our God, who wast brought, on the fortieth day, as an infant into the Temple according to the Law, by Mary the Bride Unwedded, who also was thy holy Mother; and wast borne in the arms of Simeon the Just: Do thou, O Master all-powerful, bless also unto every good deed this infant which hath been brought hither, that he (she) may present himself (herself) unto thee, the Creator of all men, and may grow up well-pleasing unto thee in all things; and drive far from him (her) every adverse power, through sealing with the sign of thy cross; for thou art he who preserveth infants, O Lord. And grant that having been vouchsafed holy Baptism, he (she) may receive the portion of the elect ones of thy kingdom, and be preserved, together with us, through the grace of the holy, and consubstantial, and undivided Trinity.

9 For unto thee are due all glory, thanksgiving and worship, together with thy Father who is from everlasting, and thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Peace be with you all. Bow your heads unto the Lord. O God the Father Almighty, who by thy trumpet-voiced Prophet Isaiah didst foretell unto us the incarnation through a Virgin of thine Only-begotten Son and our God; who in these latter days, by thy good pleasure and the coöperation of the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of us men, and because of thy boundless compassion, didst graciously deign to become a babe by her; and according to the custom of the holy Law didst suffer thyself to be brought into thy holy Sanctuary, after that the days of purification were fulfilled, being thyself the true law-giver; and didst condescend to be borne in the arms of the righteous Simeon, of which mystery we have recognized the prototype, revealed by the coal in the tongs to the prophet aforesaid; which thing, also, we faithful, by grace do imitate: Do thou now also, O Lord, who preservest children, bless this Infant, together with his (her) parents and his (her) sponsors; and grant that, in due season, he (she) may be united, through water and the Spirit of the new birth, unto thy holy flock of reason-endowed sheep, which is called by the name of thy Christ. For thou art he who dwelleth on high, and looketh down upon the humble of heart; 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. Amen.

10 [And if the Child be already baptized, the Priest performeth the churching. But if not, he doth this after the Baptism. And the Benediction to the Prayers is made here.] May Christ our true God, through the prayers of his most pure Mother, of the holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostles (and of the Patron Saint of the Temple; and of the Saint of the day); of the holy and righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, and of all the Saints, have mercy upon us, and save us, in that he is good and loveth mankind. [Then the Priest taketh the Infant, and maketh with it the sign of the cross in front of the door of the Temple, saying:] The servant of God, N., is churched: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. [Then he beareth him into the Temple, saying:]

11 He (she) entereth into thy house, to worship towards thy holy Temple. [And going to the middle of the Temple, he saith.] The servant of God is churched: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. [Then he saith.] In the midst of the church shall he (she) sing praises unto thee. [Then he beareth him before the door of the Sanctuary, saying:] The servant of God is churched: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. [And he beareth it into the holy Sanctuary, if it be a male child; but if it be a female child, to the Holy Door only, saying:] 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 people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

12 [And after this, at the door of the Sanctuary, he giveth the Child to the Sponsor, who maketh three lowly reverences, and taketh the Child.] [And the Priest pronounceth the customary Benediction. (See above.)]

The Office of Holy Baptism

1 [The Priest looseth the girdle of the Person who desireth Illumination, and removeth it, and putteth it off from him; and placeth him with his face towards the east, clothed in one garment only, unshod, and with head uncovered, and with his arms hanging by his sides; and he breatheth thrice in his face; and signeth his brow and his breast thrice with the sign of the cross; and layeth his hand upon his head, saying:] Let us pray to the Lord. (I) Choir. Lord, have mercy. 2 In thy Name, O Lord God of truth, and in the Name of thine Only-begotten Son, and of thy Holy Spirit, I lay my hand upon thy servant, N., who hath been found worthy to flee unto thy holy Name, and to take refuge under the shelter of thy wings. Remove far from him (her) his (her) former delusion, and fill him (her) with the faith, hope and love which are in thee; that he (she) may know that thou art the only true God, with thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and thy Holy Spirit. Enable him (her) to walk in all thy commandments, and to fulfil those things which are well-pleasing unto thee; for if a man do those things, he shall find life in them. Inscribe him (her) in thy Book of Life, and unite him (her) to the flock of thine inheritance. And may thy holy Name be glorified in him (her), together with that of thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and of thy life-giving Spirit. Let thine eyes ever regard him (her) with mercy, and let thine ears attend unto the voice of his (her) supplication. Make him (her) to rejoice in the works of his (her) hands, and in all his (her) generation; that he (she) may render praise unto thee, may sing, worship and glorify thy great and exalted Name always, all the days of his (her) life.

Exclamation.

3 For all the Powers of Heaven sing praises unto thee, and thine is the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The First Exorcism.

4 Let us pray to the Lord. The Lord layeth thee under ban, O Devil: He who came into the world, and made his abode among men, that he might overthrow thy tyranny and deliver men; who also upon the Tree did triumph over the adverse powers, when the sun was darkened, and the earth did quake, and the graves were opened, and the bodies of the Saints arose; who also by * For explanations, indicated by numbers in text, see Appendix B, VI. 5 death annihilated Death, and overthrew him who exercised the dominion of Death, that is thee, the Devil. I adjure thee by God, who hath revealed the Tree of Life, and hath arrayed in ranks the Cherubim and the flaming sword which turneth all ways to guard it: Be thou under ban. For I adjure thee by him who walketh upon the surface of the sea as it were dry land, and layeth under his ban the tempests of the winds; whose glance drieth up the deep, and whose interdict maketh the mountains to melt away. The same now, through us, doth lay thee under ban. Fear, begone and depart from this creature, and return not again, neither hide thyself in him (her), neither seek thou to meet him (her), nor to influence him (her), either by night or by day; either in the morning, or at noonday: but depart hence to thine own Tartarus, until the great Day of Judgment which is ordained. Fear thou God who sitteth upon the Cherubim and looketh upon the deeps; before whom tremble Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, Powers, the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim; before whom, likewise, heaven and earth do quake, the sea and all that therein is. Begone, and depart from this sealed, newly-enlisted warrior of Christ our God. For I adjure thee by him who rideth upon the wings of the wind, and maketh his Angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire: Begone, and depart from this creature, with all thy powers and thine angels.

Exclamation.

6 For glorified is the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Second Exorcism.

7 Let us pray to the Lord. 8 God, holy, terrible and glorious, who is unsearchable and inscrutable in all his works and might, hath foreordained for thee the penalty of eternal punishment, O Devil: the same, through us, his unworthy servants, doth command thee, with all thy confederate hosts, to depart hence, from him (her) who hath been newly sealed in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our true God. Wherefore I adjure thee, O most crafty, impure, vile, loathsome and alien spirit, by the might of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath all power, both in heaven and on earth, and who said unto the deaf and dumb demon, Come out of the man, and in nowise enter thou a second time into him: Depart! Acknowledge the vainness of thy might, which hath not power even over swine. Call to mind him who, at thy request, commanded thee to enter into the herd of swine. Fear God, by whose decree the earth is established upon the waters; who hath made the heavens, and hath set the mountains with a line, and the valleys with a measure; and hath fixed bounds to the sands of the sea, and a firm path upon the stormy waters; who toucheth the mountains and they smoke; who clotheth himself with light as with a garment; who spreadeth out the heavens as it were a curtain; who covereth his exceeding high places with the waters; who hath made fast the earth upon its foundations, so that it shall not be removed unto ages of ages;

9 who collecteth the water of the sea and poureth it out upon the face of the whole earth: Begone, and depart from him (her) who hath made himself (herself) ready for holy Illumination. I adjure thee by the redeeming Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by his precious Body and Blood, and by his terrible Coming-again; for he shall come, and shall not tarry, to judge the whole earth; and he shall chastise thee and thy confederate host with burning Gehenna, committing thee to outer darkness, where the worm ceaseth not, and the fire is not quenched. For of Christ our God is the dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Third Exorcism.

10 Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord of Sabaoth, the God of Israel, who healest every malady and every infirmity: Look upon thy servant; prove him (her) and search him (her), and root out of him (her) every operation of the Devil. Rebuke the unclean spirits and expel them, and purify the works of thy hands; and exerting thy trenchant might, speedily crush down Satan under his (her) feet; and give him (her) victory over the same, and over his foul spirits; that, having obtained mercy from thee, he (she) may be made worthy to partake of thy heavenly Mysteries; and may ascribe unto thee glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

A Fourth Prayer.

11 Let us pray to the Lord. Thou who in verity existest, O Lord the Master; who hast created man in thine own likeness, and hast bestowed upon him the power of life eternal; who also despisest not those who have fallen away through sin, but hast provided salvation for the world through the incarnation of thy Christ: Do thou, the same Lord, delivering also this thy creature from the bondage of the enemy, receive him (her) into thy heavenly kingdom. Open the eyes of his (her) understanding, that the light of thy Gospel may shine brightly in him (her). Yoke unto his (her) life a radiant Angel, who shall deliver him (her) from every snare of the adversary, from encounter with evil, from the demon of the noonday, and from evil visions. [Then the Priest breatheth upon his mouth, his brow, and his breast, saying:] Expel from him (her) every evil and impure spirit which hideth and maketh its lair in his (her) heart. (And this he saith thrice.)

12 The spirit of error, the spirit of guile, the spirit of idolatry and of every concupiscence; the spirit of deceit and of every uncleanness which operateth through the prompting of the Devil. And make him (her) a reason-endowed sheep in the holy flock of thy Christ, an honourable member of thy Church, a consecrated vessel, a child of the light, and an heir of thy kingdom; that having lived in accordance with thy commandments, and preserved inviolate the seal, and kept his (her) garment undefiled, he (she) may receive the blessedness of the Saints in thy kingdom. [In a loud voice.] Through the grace, and bounties, and love towards mankind of thine Only-begotten Son, with whom thou art blessed, together with thy most holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. [Then the Priest turneth the person who is come to Baptism to face the west, unclad, unshod, and having his hands uplifted. And he saith:]

13 Dost thou renounce Satan, and all his Angels, and all his works, and all his service, and all his pride? [And the Catechumen maketh answer, or his Sponsor for him, and saith:] I do. (And this question and answer are thrice repeated.) [Again the Priest questioneth the Catechumen.] Hast thou renounced Satan? [And the Catechumen, or his Sponsor for him, maketh answer:] I have. (And this question and answer, likewise, are thrice repeated.) [Then saith the Priest:] Breathe and spit upon him. [And when he hath done this, the Priest turneth him to the east, with his hands lowered, and saith:] Dost thou unite thyself unto Christ? [And the Catechumen, or his Sponsor for him, maketh answer:] I do. (And this question and answer are thrice repeated.) [Then the Priest saith to him:] Hast thou united thyself unto Christ? [And he replieth:] I have. Dost thou believe in him? I believe in him as King and as God.

14 I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of his Father before all worlds; Light of Light, Very God of very God, Begotten, not made; Being of one Essence with the Father; By whom all things were made; Who, for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man. And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, And the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets. In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

15 [And when he hath finished the Holy Symbol of the Faith the Priest inquireth of him:] Hast thou united thyself unto Christ? I have. (This question and answer are thrice repeated.) Bow down also before him. [And the Catechumen boweth himself, saying:] I bow down before the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in Essence and undivided. Priest. Blessed is God, who willeth that all men should be saved, and should come to the knowledge of the truth, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. [Then he reciteth this Prayer:] Let us pray to the Lord. O Master, Lord our God, call thy servant, N., to holy Illumination, and grant unto him (her) that great grace of thy holy Baptism. Put off from him (her) the old man, and renew him (her) unto life everlasting; and fill him (her) with the power of thy Holy Spirit, in the unity of thy Christ: that he (she) may be no more a child of the body, but a child of thy kingdom. Through the good will and grace of thine Only-begotten Son, with whom thou art blessed, together with thy most holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

16 The Priest entereth the Sanctuary and putteth on white vestments, and his gauntlets. And when he hath lighted all the tapers, he taketh the censer, and goeth to the Font, and censeth round about it; and having given the censer to be held, he maketh a reverence. Then the Deacon saith: Bless, Master. And the Priest saith, aloud: Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Choir. Amen! And straightway the Deacon saith the LITANY. In peace let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. That this water may be sanctified with the power, and effectual operation, and indwelling of the Holy Spirit: ℟ That there may be sent down into it the grace of redemption, the blessing of Jordan: ℟ That there may come upon this water the purifying operation of the supersubstantial Trinity: ℟

17 That we may be illumined by the light of understanding and piety, and by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: ℟ That this water may prove effectual unto the averting of every snare of enemies, both visible and invisible: ℟ That he (she) who is baptized therein may be made worthy of the kingdom incorruptible: ℟ For him (her) who is now come unto holy Baptism, and for his (her) salvation: ℟ That he (she) may prove let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. And the Priest prayeth, secretly. O compassionate and merciful God, who triest the heart and the reins, and who alone knowest the secret thoughts of men (for no deeds are hidden before thee, but all things are naked and manifest before thine eyes); Thou who knowest all things concerning me, regard me not with loathing, neither turn thou thy face from me; but consider not mine iniquities at this present hour, O thou who disregardest man's sins unto his repentance. And wash away the vileness of my body, and the pollution of my soul. And sanctify me wholly by thine all-perfect, invisible might, and by thy spiritual right hand; lest, while I proclaim liberty unto others, and administer this rite with perfect faith in thine unutterable love toward mankind, I myself may become the base slave of sin. Yea, O Master, who alone art good and full of love toward mankind, let not thy humble servant be led astray; but send thou down upon me power

18 Secretly. himself (herself) a child of the light, and an heir of eternal good things: ℟ That he (she) may be a member and partaker of the death and resurrection of Christ our God: ℟ That he (she) may preserve his baptismal garment and the earnest of the Spirit pure and undefiled unto the dread Day of Christ our God: ℟ That this water may be to him (her) a laver of regeneration, unto the remission of sins, and a garment of incorruption: ℟ That the Lord God will hearken unto the voice of our petition: ℟ That he will deliver him (her) and us from all tribulation, wrath, peril and necessity: ℟ 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, 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.

19 Choir. To thee, O Lord. [The Priest saith also the following Prayer, but aloud:] Great art thou, O Lord, and marvellous are thy works, and there is no word which sufficeth to hymn thy wonders. (Thrice.) For thou, of thine own good will, hast brought into being all things which before were not, and by thy might thou upholdest creation, and by thy providence thou orderest the world. When thou hadst joined together the universe out of four elements, thou didst crown the circle of the year with four seasons. Before thee tremble all the Powers endowed with intelligence. The sun singeth unto thee. The moon glorifieth thee. The stars meet together before thy presence. The light obeyeth thee. The deeps tremble before thee. The water-springs are subject unto thee. Thou hast spread out the heavens as it were a curtain. Thou hast established the earth upon the waters. Thou hast set round about the sea barriers of sand. Thou hast shed abroad the air

20 let us pray to the Lord. Choir. Lord, have mercy. from on high, and strengthen thou me in the administration of thine impending Mystery, which is both great and most heavenly: and create the image of thy Christ in him (her) who now desireth to be born again through my unworthy ministry. And build him (her) up upon the foundation of thine Apostles and Prophets, that he (she) may not be overthrown; but implant him (her) firmly as a plant of truth, in thy Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, that he (she) be not plucked out. That, as he (she) increaseth in godliness, through him (her) may be glorified thine all-holy Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. [Secretly.] for breathing. The Angelic Powers serve thee. The Choirs of the Archangels fall down in adoration before thee. The many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim, as they stand and fly, do veil their faces in awe before thine ineffable glory. For thou, who art God inexpressible, existing uncreated before the ages, and ineffable, didst descend upon earth, and didst take on the semblance of a servant, and wast made in the likeness of man: for, because of the tender compassion of thy mercy, O Master, thou couldest not endure to behold mankind oppressed by the Devil; but thou didst come, and didst save us. We confess thy grace. We proclaim thy mercy. We conceal not thy gracious acts. Thou hast delivered the generation of our mortal nature. By thy birth thou didst sanctify a Virgin's womb. All creation magnifieth thee, who hast manifested thyself. For thou, O our God hast revealed thyself upon earth, and hast dwelt among men. Thou didst hallow the streams of Jordan, sending down upon them from heaven thy Holy Spirit, and didst crush the heads of the dragons who lurked there.

21 Wherefore, O King who lovest mankind, come thou now and sanctify this water, by the indwelling of thy Holy Spirit. (Thrice.) And grant unto it the grace of redemption, the blessing of Jordan. Make it the fountain of incorruption, the gift of sanctification, the remission of sins, the remedy of infirmities; the final destruction of demons, unassailable by hostile powers, filled with angelic might. Let those who would ensnare thy creature flee far from it. For we have called upon thy Name, O Lord, and it is wonderful, and glorious, and terrible unto adversaries. [Then he signeth the water thrice with the sign of the cross, dipping his fingers therein. And breathing upon it, he saith:] Let all adverse powers be crushed beneath the sign of the image of thy cross. (Thrice.) We pray thee, O God, that every aerial and obscure phantom may withdraw itself from us; and that no demon of darkness may conceal himself in this water; and that no evil spirit which instilleth darkening of intentions and rebelliousness of thought may descend into it with him (her) who is about to be baptized.

22 But do thou, O Master of all, show this water to be the water of redemption, the water of sanctification, the purification of flesh and spirit, the loosing of bonds, the remission of sins, the illumination of the soul, the laver of regeneration, the renewal of the Spirit, the gift of adoption to sonship, the garment of incorruption, the fountain of life. For thou hast said, O Lord: Wash ye, be ye clean; put away evil things from your souls. Thou hast bestowed upon us from on high a new birth through water and the Spirit. Wherefore, O Lord, manifest thyself in this water, and grant that he (she) who is baptized therein may be transformed; that he (she) may put away from him (her) the old man, which is corrupt through the lusts of the flesh, and that he (she) may be clothed upon with the new man, and renewed after the image of him who created him (her): that being buried, after the pattern of thy death, in baptism, he (she) may, in like manner, be a partaker of thy Resurrection; and having preserved the gift of thy Holy Spirit, and increased the measure of grace committed unto him (her), he (she) may receive the prize of his (her) high calling, and be numbered with the first-born whose names are written in heaven, in thee, our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. For unto thee are due glory, dominion, honour and worship, together with thy Father, who is from everlasting, and thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen.

23 Peace be with you all. Bow your heads unto the Lord. [And he breatheth thrice upon the vessel containing the oil, and maketh thrice over it the sign of the cross, as it is held by the Deacon. And when the Deacon hath said:] Let us pray to the Lord. [The Priest saith the following Prayer:] O Lord and Master, the God of our fathers, who didst send unto them that were in the ark of Noah thy dove, bearing in its beak a twig of olive, the token of reconciliation and of salvation from the flood, the foreshadowing of the mystery of grace; and didst provide the fruit of the olive for the fulfilling of thy Holy Mysteries; who thereby fillest them that were under the Law with thy Holy Spirit, and perfectest them that are under grace: Bless also this holy oil with the power, and operation and indwelling of thy Holy Spirit, that it may be an anointing unto incorruption, an armour of righteousness, to the renewing of soul and body, to the averting of every assault of the devil, to deliverance from all evil of those who shall be anointed therewith in faith, or who are partakers thereof; unto thy glory and the glory of thine Only-begotten Son, and of thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

24 Choir. Amen. Deacon. Let us attend. [Then the Priest, singing Alleluia (thrice), with the People, maketh three signs of the cross in the water with the oil. And he saith:] Blessed is God, who illumineth and sanctifieth every man that cometh into the world, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Choir. Amen. [Then the Person who hath been baptized is presented. The Priest taketh of the oil with two fingers, and maketh the sign of the cross upon his brow, his breast, and between his shoulders, saying:] The servant of God, N., is anointed with the oil of gladness; in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. [And he anointeth his breast and shoulders. On the breast, saying :] Unto the healing of soul and body. [On the ears.] Unto the hearing of faith. [On the hands.] Thy hands have made me and fashioned me.

25 [On the feet.] That he may walk in the way of thy commandments. [And when his whole body is thus anointed, the Priest baptizeth him, holding him upright, and looking toward the east, as he saith :] The servant of God, N., is baptized, in the name of the Father, Amen. And of the Son, Amen. And of the Holy Spirit, Amen. [At each invocation he immerseth him, and raiseth him again. And after the Baptism the Priest washeth his hands, singing with the People Psalm xxxii.] 26 Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth no sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile. For whilst I held my tongue, my bones consumed away through my daily complaining. For thy hand is heavy upon me day and night, and my moisture is like the drought in summer. I will acknowledge my sin unto thee; and mine unrighteousness have I not hid. I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord; and so thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto thee, in a time when thou mayest be found; but in the great water-floods they shall not come nigh him. Thou art a place to hide me in; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding; whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, lest they fall upon thee. Great plagues remain for the ungodly; but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord, mercy embraceth him on every side. Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; and be joyful, all ye that are true of heart.

27 [Then, as he putteth his garment upon him, the Priest saith :] The servant of God, N., is clothed with the robe of righteousness; in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. [Then shall be sung the following Hymn (Tropár), in Tone VIII.] Vouchsafe unto me the robe of light, O thou who clothest thyself with light as with a garment, O Christ our God, plenteous in mercy.