ORDER OF SERVICE FOR THE OPENING OF THE The Minister, Superintendent, or some other person, shall say, all standing, REMEMBER now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Eccles. xii. 1. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.-Matt. iv. 10. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.—John iii. 16. I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto Him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son.Luke xv. 18, 19. They brought young children to Him, that He should touch them; and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of God. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them.-Mark x. 13-16. Hear also what St. John saith : If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Wherefore, let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God, devoutly kneeling, and saying : CONFESSION. ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father: We have erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done : And there is no health in us. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare Thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore Thou those who are penitent; Ac 4 ORDER OF SERVICE. cording to Thy promises declared unto mankind, in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; To the glory of Thy holy name. Amen. GRANT to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve Thee with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Minister or Superintendent shall then say, the children repeating after him: OUR Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Then shall be said, Min.-O Lord, open Thou our lips : Chil. And our mouth shall show forth Thy praise. ¶ Here, all standing, the Minister or Superintendent shall say, 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. Min.-Praise ye the Lord. Then shall be said or sung one of the Selections from the Psal- THE APOSTLE'S CREED. I BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost: Born of the Virgin Mary Suffered under Pontius Pilate: Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell: The third day He rose from the dead: He ascended into Heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy Catholic Church, The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the Life everlasting. Amen. The Lord be with you. Ans. And with thy spirit. ¶Then shall be said the following Prayers, all kneeling : Min-O Lord, show Thy mercy upon us. ORDER OF SERVICE. Min.-Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, send down upon us the healthful spirit of Thy grace. Bless, we hum. bly beseech Thee, the means which are used to bring up these children in Thy fear and service. May they from the heart believe in Thee, the Lord their God, and worship and serve Thee their Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Grant them the continual aids of Thy grace, that they may renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh, and may keep Thy holy will and commandments all the days of their life. May they never be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under His banner, against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue His faithful soldiers and servants unto their life's end; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. O LORD GOD, our Heavenly Father, Giver of all goodness, we humbly beseech Thee to send Thy grace to us, and to all people, that we may worship Thee, serve Thee, and obey Thee as we ought to do. And we pray Thee to send us all things that are needful, both for our souls and bodies, to be merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins, and that it may please Thee to serve and defend us in all dangers, both of soul and body; and keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from our spiritual enemy, and from everlasting death. We ask it of Thy mercy and goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. these, Thy servants, the teachers in this school. Replenish them with the truth of Thy doctrine, and adorn them with innocency of life, that both by word and good example they may faithfully serve Thee in their office. Inspire them with a due sense of the solemn charge entrusted to their care. Guard them from the sins of idleness, irregularity and neglect. Save them from weariness and distrust. Give them faith to believe that in due season they shall reap if they faint not; and at last in the Church triumphant may they enjoy the blessedness which shall be given to those who turn many to righteousness. All which we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. O ALMIGHTY GOD, who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast ordained strength, and madest infants to glorify Thee by their deaths: Mortify and and kill all vices in us; and so strengthen us by Thy grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our faith even unto death, we may glorify Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. MAKE these children, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus, to flourish like pure lilies in the courts of Thine house, and to show forth the fragrance of good works and the example of a godly life, through Thy mercy, O blessed Jesus, Thou gracious Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, who art with the Father and the Holy Ghost one God, world without end. Amen. O GOD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so ALMIGHTY GOD, Giver of all good things, behold many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty |