ORDER OF
EVENING PRAYER1

MEDITATION

'HE day is gone,

THE

and I give Thee thanks, O Lord.
Evening is at hand,

make it bright unto us.
As day has its evening
so also has life ;
the even of life is age;

age has overtaken me,
make it bright unto us.

Cast me not away in the time of age; forsake me not when my strength faileth me.

Even to my old age be Thou He,
and even to hoar hairs carry me ;
do Thou make, do Thou bear,
do Thou carry and deliver me.
Abide with me, Lord,
for it is toward evening,

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and the day is far spent
of this fretful life.

Let Thy strength be made perfect in my weakness.

Day is fled and gone,
life too is going,
this lifeless life.
Night cometh,
and cometh death,

the deathless death.
Near as is the end of day,
so too the end of life :
We then, also remembering it,
beseech of Thee

for the close of our life, that Thou wouldest direct it in

peace,

Christian, acceptable,
sinless, shameless,

and, if it please Thee, painless,
Lord, O Lord,

gathering us together

under the feet of Thine Elect, when Thou wilt, and as Thou wilt, only without shame and sins.

Remember we the days of darkness, for they shall be many,

lest we be cast into outer darkness. Remember we to outstrip the night doing some good thing. Near is judgment ;

a good and acceptable answer at the dreadful and fearful judgment-seat of Jesus Christ,

vouchsafe to us, O Lord.

By night I lift up my hands in the sanctuary,

and praise the Lord.

The Lord hath granted

His loving-kindness in the day time; and in the night season did I sing of

Him,

and made my prayer unto the God of my life.

As long as I live will I magnify Thee on this manner,

and lift up my hands in Thy Name. Let my prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense,

and let the lifting up of my hands

be an evening sacrifice.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, the God of our fathers,

who hast created the changes of days and nights,

who givest songs in the night, who hast delivered us from the evil of this day,

who hast not cut off like a weaver my

life,

nor from day even to night made an end of me.

CONFESSION

Lord,

as we add day to day
so sin to sin.

The just falleth seven times a day;
and I, an exceeding sinner,
seventy times seven ;

wonderful, a horrible thing, O Lord. But I turn with groans

from my evil ways,

and I return into my heart,

and with all my heart I turn to Thee,

O God of penitents and Saviour of
sinners;

and evening by evening I will return in the innermost marrow of my soul; and my soul out of the deep crieth unto Thee.

I have sinned, O Lord, against Thee, heavily against Thee ;

alas, alas, woe is me! for my misery. I repent, O me! I repent, spare me, O Lord,

I repent, O me, I repent, help Thou my impenitence. Be appeased, spare me, O Lord; be appeased, have mercy on me ; I said, Lord, have mercy upon me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord, after Thy great goodness, according to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences. Remit the guilt,

heal the wound, blot out the stains,