University of Virginia Library

THE LITANY. DE PROFUNDIS.

O God our Father in Heaven, Holy, Unseen, and Unknown,
Have mercy on us Thy children, who pray beneath Thy Throne!
O God our Father in Heaven, Holy, Unseen, and Unknown
Have mercy on us Thy children, who pray beneath Thy Throne.
O God the Maker of Mortals, Life of all lives that be,
Speak, that our ears may hear Thee, shine, that our eyes may see!
O God the Maker of Mortals, Life of all lives that be,
Speak, that our ears may hear Thee, shine, that our eyes may see.
O God the Unbegotten, Fountain whence all things flow,
Open the Rock of Thy Secret, that we may see Thee and know.
O God the Unbegotten, Fountain whence all things flow,
Open the Rock of Thy Secret, that we may see Thee and know.
Son that had never a Father, Father that never had Son,
Here on the Earth and yonder in Heaven, Thy will be done.
Son that had never a Father, Father that never had son,
Here on the Earth and yonder in Heaven, Thy will be done.
Remember not our offences, O Father and Lord Divine,
Pity and spare Thy children, whose sins and offences are Thine;
For if they are blind and see not, 'tis Thou who closest their eyes,
And if they are frail and foolish, 'tis Thou who shouldst make them wise!
And be not angry, O Father, but sheathe Thine avenging Sword,
Spare the things of Thy making, love them and spare them, O Lord
We are the things of Thy making, spare us and love us, O Lord.
From all things hateful and evil, which come, O Father, from Thee,
From Sin, the Flesh, and the Devil, whom Thou permittest to be,
From what through Thee we suffer, since Thou hast made men thus,
From lesser and greater damnation, O Lord, deliver us!
From lesser and greater damnation O Lord, deliver us.
From pride and from vain glory, from all hypocrisy,
From envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharity,
From filth, from fornication, from all things vile and abhorred
Which leaven the bread of Thy making, deliver us, O Lord.
From filth, from fornication, from all things vile and abhorred
Which leaven the bread of Thy making, deliver us, O Lord.
From thine avenging Lightning! from Fire and Famine and Pest!
From all the terrors and portents Thy Will makes manifest!
From War Thy witless Daughter, from Murder Thy maniac Son,
From Death that at Thy bidding betrays us, Almighty One,
From all Thy hand hath fashion'd to keep men mourning thus,
From all the woes of Creation, good Lord, deliver us.
From all the woes of Creation, good Lord, deliver us.
We are the things of Thy making, we are the clouds of Thy breath!
Life hast Thou made, O Father, to flee for ever from Death,
Flesh Thou hast wrapt around us, Flesh and the lusts of the same,
Out of Thy Word 'twas fashion'd, out of Thy mouth they came!
From all the doubt and the darkness Thy vials of wrath have poured
To blind the spirits that seek Thee, deliver us, good Lord.
From all the doubt and the darkness Thy vials of wrath have poured
To blind the spirits that seek Thee, deliver us, good Lord.
Thou hast set these Rulers above us, to bind us, to blind our eyes,
Thou hast sent these Priests to lure us with creeds and dogmas and lies,
Thou hast built Thy Church on the sands still shifting and tremulous:
From Churches, and Priests, and Liars, good Lord, deliver us.
From Churches, and Priests, and Liars, good Lord, deliver us.
By Thyself Incarnate within us, Thy Voice in our aching ears,
By Thy birth and Thy circumcision, Thy baptism of tears,
By fasting and by temptation, from all the passionate horde
Of Devils that seize and slay us, deliver us, good Lord.
By fasting and by temptation, from all the passionate horde
Of Devils that seize and slay us, deliver us, good Lord.
By the woe Thou hast never felt, by the Cross and the Crown of Thorn,
By the agony and the sweat on the brow of Thine Eldest Born,
By the cry that never was answer'd and ringeth ever aloud,
By the tomb that never was open'd, the dust therein, and the shroud,
By Him who sleepeth for ever, while we implore Thee thus,
From death and from tribulation, good Lord, deliver us.
From death and from tribulation, good Lord, deliver us.
Strengthen our hearts to know Thee, O God that cannot be known!
Make righteous the Kings who rule us, and sit on an earthly throne!
Set in their hands Thy sceptre, place in their hands Thy sword—
Help us to bear their yoke!
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.
Shine on the eyes of Thy Priests, illumine Thy Bishops, shed
Lightnings to quicken life in the creeds that are pulseless and dead.
When the Holy supper is set, and the Ghost of the Christ at the board
Sits, be Thou there in our midst!
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.
Instruct the Lords of the Council! endow the brain of the Fool!
Bless and preserve our Masters who sit in high places and rule!
But when in their granaries yonder the harvest of toil is stored,
Spare us some mouthfuls of bread!
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.
Father that dwellest in Heaven, so far from the sorrows of Earth,
Soften to us, Thy children, the travails of Death and of Birth,
Teach us to love Thee and dread Thee, to eat the bread of Thy Word,
Altho' it be hard as stone!
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord, when darkness and sorrow are near us,
When blindly we grope thro' the dark, good Lord, we beseech Thee to hear us,
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord, and send Thy Spirit to cheer us!
When Thy yoke is hardest to bear, good Lord, we beseech Thee to hear us.
Help us when we are falling, as we help others who fall!
By land and by sea preserve us, O Father, Maker of all!
Comfort the sick and the weary with tidings of hope and of peace,
All children, all women who labour that what Thou hast made may increase,
Open the gates to the captive, lift up the weak and forlorn,
Feed, too, the fatherless orphans, comfort the widows that mourn.
Have mercy, Father in Heaven, and send Thy spirit to cheer us,
We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord!
Good Lord, we beseech Thee to hear us.
O Father who canst not conquer our sorrow, since it is Thine!
Maker who cannot unmake us, since we, like Thee, are divine!
Light that dwellest within us, Light that art far away!
Nearest to, farthest from us, answer our prayers when we pray!
Lord, have mercy upon us! Send Thy Spirit to cheer us!
Have mercy and hear us, O Lord!
O Lord, have mercy and hear us.
Save us from all our enemies, Most High!
In our afflictions, Lord, be ever nigh!
Pity our sorrows, Fountain of all Light!
And when we pray be near us day and night.

Let us pray.