O loving-kind and merciful God, who triest the hearts and reins, and who alone knowest the secrets of men, for nothing is unmanifest before thee, but all things are naked and exposed in thine eyesight; do thou thyself, who perceivest that which concerneth me, loathe me not, neither turn away thy face from me; but overlook mine offences in this hour, O thou that overlookest the sins of men that they may repent. And wash me from the defilement of my body and from the stain of my soul, and sanctify me wholly by thine all-effectual invisible might, and by thy spiritual right hand, lest, preaching liberty to others, and offering this in the perfect faith of thine unspeakable love to man, I myself may be condemned as a servant of sin. Nay, O Master, who alone art good and man-loving, let me not be turned back humbled; but send unto me power from on high, and strengthen me for the ministration of this thy present great and most heavenly mystery; and form the image of thy Christ in him who is about to be born again through my humility; and build him upon the foundation of thine apostles and prophets; and cast him not down, but plant him as a plant of truth in thy holy, catholic, and apostolic church; and pluck him not up, that, by his advancing in piety, by the same may be glorified thy most holy name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.
It behoveth to know that he maketh no exclamation, but saith even the Amen to himself.
Then he saith this prayer with a loud voice,
Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works, and no word shall be sufficient for the praise of thy wonders.
Thrice.
For thou by thy will hast from nothingness brought all things into being, and by thy power thou sustainest creation, and by thy foreknowledge, directest the world. Thou from four elements hast formed creation, and hast crowned the circle of the year with four seasons. All the spiritual powers tremble before thee, the sun praiseth thee, the moon glorifieth thee, the stars make intercession with thee, the light hearkeneth unto thee, the depths shudder at thy presence, the springs of water serve thee. Thou hast stretched out the heaven as a curtain, thou hast founded the earth upon the waters, thou hast bounded the sea with sand, thou hast diffused the air for breathing. The angelic powers minister unto thee, the choirs of archangels worship thee, the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim, standing and flying around, cover themselves with fear of thine unapproachable glory. For thou, being the uninscribable, unbeginning, and unspeakable God, didst come down upon earth, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; for thou, O Master, through the tenderness of thy mercy, didst not endure to behold the race of men tormented by the devil, but thou didst come and save us. We confess thy grace, we proclaim thy mercy, we conceal not thy beneficence. Thou hast set at liberty the generations of our nature, thou didst hallow the virginal womb by thy birth. All creation praiseth thee who didst manifest thyself; for thou, O our God, wast seen upon earth, and didst dwell together with men. Thou didst hallow the streams of Jordan, sending down from heaven thy Holy Ghost, and didst crush the heads of the dragons that lurked therein.
Do thou thyself therefore, O man-loving King, be present now also through the descent of thy Holy Ghost, and sanctify this water.