| AT THE BURIAL OF BAPTIZED CHILDREN | | OF TENDER YEARS | | It is permitted: | | To add to the opening sentences, this: | | Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and | forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. St Mark | x. 14. | | To substitute for the appointed psalms: | | Dominus regit me. Ps. xxiii. | | The Lord is my shepherd: therefore can I lack nothing. | | He shall feed me in a green pasture: and lead me forth beside | the waters of comfort. | | He shall convert my soul: and bring me forth in the paths of | righteousness, for his Name's sake. | | Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, | I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy | staff comfort me. | | Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble | me: thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be | full. But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the | days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for | ever. | | Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; | | As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world | without end. Amen. | | To substitute for the appointed Lesson: | | St Matth. xviii. 1. | | At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is | the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little | child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, | Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as | little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. | Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, | the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall | receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso | shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it | were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, | and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the | world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences | come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore | if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast | them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt | or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast | into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it | out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into | life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into | hell fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little | ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always | behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. | | To use the prayers that follow: | | O heavenly Father, whose face the angels of the little ones do | always behold in heaven: Grant us stedfastly to believe that | this little child hath been taken into the safe keeping of thine | eternal love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. | | O Lord Jesu Christ, who didst take little children into thine | arms and bless them: Open thou our eyes, we beseech thee, that | we may perceive that thou hast now taken this child into the | arms of thy love, and hast bestowed upon him the blessings of | thy gracious favour; who livest and reignest with the Father and | the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. | | We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath | pleased thee to regenerate this child with thy Holy Spirit, to | receive him for thine own by adoption, and to incorporate him | into thy holy Church. And humbly we beseech thee to grant that, | as he is made partaker of the death of thy Son, he may also | be partaker of his resurrection; so that finally, with the | residue of thy holy Church, he may be an inheritor of thine | everlasting kingdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen. | | BENEDICTION OF A GRAVE IN UNCONSECRATED GROUND | | When the Priest and people shall have come to the place, | the Priest shall say, | | Let us pray. | | O Lord Jesu Christ, who wast laid in the new tomb of Joseph, | and didst thereby sanctify the grave to be a bed of hope to thy | people: Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to bless, hallow, and | consecrate this grave, that it may be a resting-place, peaceful | and secure, for the body of thy servant which we are about to | commit to thy gracious keeping, who art the Resurrection and | the Life, and who livest and reignest with the Father and the | Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
THE THANKSGIVING OF WOMEN AFTER CHILD-BIRTH,
COMMONLY CALLED THE CHURCHING OF WOMEN
The woman, at the usual time after her delivery, shall come into the Church decently apparelled, and there shall kneel down in some convenient place, as hath been accustomed, or as the Ordinary shall direct: And then the Priest shall say unto her,
Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodness to give you safe deliverance, and hath preserved you in the great danger of child-birth: You shall therefore give hearty thanks unto God, and say,
Then shall the Priest say the cxvi. Psalm.
Dilexi quoniam.
I am well pleased: that the Lord hath heard the voice of my prayer;
That he hath inclined his ear unto me: therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
The snares of death compassed me round about: and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.