Chapter XII · THE ORDER FOR A SECOND MARRIAGE.

The priest beginneth, Blessed be our God.... Then, Trisagion. After Our Father.... the troparion of the day.

Then, ectenia.

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

For the peace that is from above....

For the peace of the whole world....

For this holy temple....

For the servants of God, name, and, name, and for their protection by God and mutual life, let us pray to the Lord.

That they may live together virtuously in unanimity, let us pray to the Lord.

Help us, save us, have mercy....

Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed....

For to thee is due....

Then, Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest, the prayer.

O God eternal, who bringest things that are divided unto unity, and imposest upon these two an indissoluble bond of love, who didst bless Isaac and Rebecca, and declare them to be the inheritors of thy promise; do thou thyself also bless these thy servants, name, and, name, directing them in every good work.

For a merciful and man-loving God thou art, and to thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

Priest. Peace to all.

Deacon. Bow your heads to the Lord.

Priest, the prayer.

O Lord our God, who hast espoused the church as a pure virgin from among the gentiles; do thou bless these espousals, and unite and keep these thy servants in peace and unanimity.

For to thee is due all glory, honour, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages.

Then the priest, taking the rings, giveth first the golden one to the man, and the silver one to the woman, and saith to the man,

The servant of God, name, is betrothed to the handmaid of God, name, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

And in like manner to the woman, The handmaid of God, name, is betrothed to the servant of God, name, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

And he maketh a cross with the rings upon their heads, and placeth them on the fingers of their right hands. Then the sponsor changeth the rings of the bridal pair.

After this, the deacon. Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest, the prayer.

Master, Lord our God, who sparest all, and providest for all, who knowest the secrets of men, having knowledge of all things; do thou cleanse our sins, and pardon the transgression of thy servants, calling them to repentance: vouchsafe unto them remission of iniquities, cleansing of sins, pardon of voluntary and involuntary transgressions, O thou that knowest the weakness of human nature, thou Fashioner and Creator. O thou who didst forgive Raab the harlot, and accept the repentance of the publican, remember not our sins of ignorance from our youth up. For if thou, O Lord, shouldest mark transgressions, who should stand before thee, O Lord? or what flesh should be justified in thy sight? For thou only art just, sinless, holy, of abundant mercy, plenteous beneficence, and repentest thee concerning the evils of men. Do thou thyself, O Master, who claimest thy servants, name, name, unite them to one another in love; give unto them the conversion of the publican, the tears of the harlot, and the confession of the thief, that, through repentance from all their heart, performing thy commandments in unanimity and peace, they may be counted worthy of thy heavenly kingdom.

For thou art the provider for all, and to thee we ascribe glory....

Priest. Peace to all.

Deacon. Bow your heads to the Lord.

And this prayer.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Word of God, who wast lifted up upon the precious and life-effecting cross, and didst tear up the handwriting that was against us, and deliver us from the power of the devil; do thou cleanse the transgressions of thy servants, for, unable to bear the burden and the heat of the day, and the burning of the flesh, they are come to a second community of marriage, in accordance with that which thou hast lawfully appointed by thy chosen vessel, Paul, the apostle, saying, because of our low estate, It is better to marry in the Lord than to burn. Do thou thyself, as being good and man-loving, have mercy and pardon, cleanse, remit, and forgive our debts; for thou art he that took our weaknesses on thy shoulders: for there is none sinless, or without defilement for even one day of his life: thou only art the one who didst bear flesh sinlessly, and thou bestowest upon us eternal passionlessness.

For thou art God, the God of the penitent, and to thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages.

People. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest, the prayer.

O holy God, who didst form man from the dust, and from his rib didst fashion woman, and yoke her unto him a helpmeet for him, because so it was seemly unto thy majesty for man not to be alone upon the earth; do thou thyself, now, O Master, stretch forth thy hand from thy holy dwelling-place, and conjoin this thy servant, name, and this thine handmaid, name; for by thee a woman is conjoined to a husband. Yoke them together in unanimity, crown them in one flesh, bestow on them fruit of the womb, and the gain of well-favoured children.

For thine is the might, and thine is the kingdom, and the power....

And, taking the crowns, he crowneth the bridegroom, saying,

The servant of God, name, is crowned for the handmaid of God, name, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

In like manner he crowneth also the bride, saying,

The handmaid of God, name, is crowned for the servant of God, name, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Then he blesseth them, saying thrice,

O Lord our God, crown them with glory and honour.

Then he saith the epistle and gospel, as they are written in the first coronation. Vide page 67.

Then the deacon.

Let us all say with our whole soul....

O Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers....

Have mercy upon us, O God....

Furthermore let us pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, and visitation for the servants of God, names, and he commemorateth whom he wisheth.

Exclamation. For a merciful....

Deacon. Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest, this prayer.

O Lord our God, who, in thy saving providence, didst vouchsafe in Cana of Galilee to declare marriage honourable by thy presence; do thou now thyself preserve in peace and unanimity thy servants, name, and, name, whom thou art well-pleased should be conjoined to one another: declare their marriage honourable: preserve their bed undefiled: be pleased that their mutual life may be unblamable, and count them worthy to attain unto a ripe old age, keeping thy commandments in a pure heart.

For thou art our God, the God to have mercy and to save, and to thee we ascribe glory, with thine unbeginning Father, and with thine all-holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

Deacon.

Help us, save us, have mercy....

That the whole day may be perfect, holy....

An angel of peace, a faithful....

Pardon and forgiveness of our sins....

What is good and profitable for our souls....

That the remaining time of our life....

A christian end of our life....

Having prayed for the unity of the faith, and the communion....

The priest exclaimeth,

And count us worthy, O Master....

People. Our Father....

Priest, For thine is the kingdom....

Amen.

Priest. Peace to all.

Bow your heads to the Lord.

Then the common cup is brought, and the priest blesseth it, and saith this prayer.

O God, who by thy might createst all things, and confirmest the universe, and adornest the crown of all things created by thee; do thou, with thy spiritual blessing, bless also this common cup given for the community of marriage unto them that are conjoined.

With a loud voice,

For blessed is thy name, and glorified thy kingdom....

Then the priest, taking in his hand the common cup, giveth them to drink thrice, first to the man, and then to the woman. And straightway the priest, taking them, leadeth them in the form of a circle, and singeth in tone v,

Rejoice, O Esaias, the virgin is with child, and bringeth forth a son, Emmanuel, God and man: the orient is his name, whom magnifying, we call the virgin blessed.

Another, tone vii.

O holy martyrs, who valiantly contended and are crown’d; pray ye the Lord for mercy on our souls.

Glory to thee, Christ God, apostles’ boast and martyrs’ joy, whose preaching was the consubstantial Trinity.

And, taking the crown from the bridegroom, he saith,

Be thou magnified, O bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased as Jacob, walking in peace, and performing in righteousness the commandments of God.

And, taking the crown from the bride, he saith,

And thou, O bride, be thou magnified as Sara, and rejoiced as Rebecca, and increased as Rachel, being glad in thy husband, and keeping the paths of the law, for so God is well pleased.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Then the prayer.

O God, our God, who wast present in Cana of Galilee, and didst bless the marriage there; do thou bless also these thy servants, who, by thy providence, are conjoined in the community of marriage. Bless their incomings and outgoings, replenish their life with good things, accept their crowns in thy kingdom unsullied and undefiled, and preserve them without offence to ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

Priest. Peace to all.

Bow your heads to the Lord.

And he prayeth.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the all-holy, and consubstantial, and life-originating Trinity, one Godhead and sovereignty, bless you, and vouchsafe unto you long life, well-favoured children, progress in life and faith, and replenish you with all the good things of the earth, and count you worthy of the obtaining of promised blessings, through the prayers of the holy God-bearing one, and of all the Saints. Amen.

Then they come and congratulate them, and they kiss one another. And the dismissal is made.

He that by his presence in Cana of Galilee declared marriage to be honourable, Christ our true God, through the prayers of his most pure Mother; of the holy, glorious, and all-praised apostles; of the holy god-crowned sovereigns and equals of the apostles, Constantine and Helen; of the holy great-martyr Procopius, and of all the Saints, have mercy upon us and save us, as being good and the lover of mankind.