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4. Then the bishop, laying his hands severally upon the head of every one of them, humbly kneeling before him, shall say, "Take thou authority to execute the of"fice of a deacon in the church of God committed unto "thee; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and " of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

Then shall the bishop deliver to every one of them the new testament, saying, "Take thou authority to read the " gospel in the church of God, and to preach the fame, " if thou be thereto licensed by the bishop himself." Form of ordin.

5. Finally, it must be declared unto the deacon, that he must continue in that office of a deacon the space of a whole year (except for reasonable causes it shall otherwise seem good unto the bishop), to the intent he may be perfect, and well expert in the things apper taining to the ecclefiaftical administration; in executing whereof, if he be found faithful and diligent, he may be admitted by his diocesan to the order of priesthood, Form of ordin.

VII. Form and manner of ordaining priests.

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1. Can. 32. The office of a deacon being a step-or degree to the ministry, according to the judgment of the ancient fathers and the practice of the primitive church, we do ordain and appoint, that hereafter no bishop shall make any person, of what qualities or gifts soever, a deacon and a minister both together upon one day; but the order in that behalf prescribed in the book of making and confecrating bishops, priests and deacons, be strictly observed. Not that always every deacon should be kept from the ministry for a whole year, when the bishop ball find good cause to the contrary; but that there being now four times appointed in every year for the ordination of deacons and minifters, there may ever be some time of

other bishop to be by him appointed, to admit to the order of deacon or priest, for the purposes aforesaid, persons subjects or citizens of countries out of his majesty's dominions, without requiring them to take the said oath of allegiance. But they are not to exercise their office within his majesty's dominions; and this exemption from taking the above oath is to be mentioned in their testimonial. For the confecration of bishops under fimilar circumftances, see tit. Bishops, II. 17.

trial of their behaviour in the office of deacon, before they be admitted to the order of priesthood.

2. At the time of ordination, the bishop shall say unto the people: Good people, these are they whom we purpose, God willing, to receive this day unto the holy office of priesthood: for atter due examination, we find not to the contrary but that they be lawfully called to their function and ministry, and that they be persons meet for the fame. But yet if there be any of you, who knoweth any impediment, or notable crime in any of them, for the which he ought not to be received into this holy ministry, let him come forth in the name of God, and shew what the crime or impediment is.

And if any great crime or impediment be objected, the bishop shall furcease from ordering that person, until such time as the party accused shall be found clear of that crime. Form of ordin.

3. Then the bishop, fitting in his chair, shall minifter to every one of them the oaths aforesaid of allegiance and fupremacy. Id. 1 W. c. 8 (k)

4. Then the bishop, with the priests present, shall lay their hands severally upon the head of every one that receiveth the order of priesthood; the receivers humbly kneeling upon their knees, and the bishop saying, "Re"ceive the Holy Ghost for the office and work of a priest " in the church of God, now committed unto thee by "the imposition of our hands: Whose fins thou doft for

give, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost re"tain, they are retained. And be thou a faithful dif"penfer of the word of God, and of his holy facra"ments: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, " and of the Holy Ghoft."

Then the bishop shall deliver to every one of them kneeling, the Bible into his hand, faying, "Take thou "authority to preach the word of God, and to minister "the holy facraments in the congregation, where thou " shalt be lawfully appointed thereunto."

With the priests present) By Can. 35. They who assist the bishop in laying on of hands, shall be of the cathedral church, if they may be conveniently had, or other fufficient preachers of the same diocese, to the number of three at the leaft.

(k) Vid. Supra, VI. 3.

VIII. Fus

VIII. Fees for ordination.

1. By a conftitution of archbishop Stratford: For any letters of orders, the bishops clerks or fecretaries shall not receive above 6d; and for the fealing of fuch letters, or to the marshals of the bishop's house for admittance, to porters, hoftiaries, or shavers, nothing shall be paid: on pain of rendring double within a month; and for default thereof, the offender, if he is a clerk beneficed, shall be fufpended from his office and benefice; if he is not beneficed, or a lay perfon, he shall be prohibited from the entrance of the church till he comply. Lind. 222.

Marshals] They who govern the hall and inner parts of the house. Lind. 222.

Hoftiaries] Lindwood understandeth this word to signify the same as oftiaries, or persons appointed to keep the doors, and the word janitores (porters) next aforegoing to fignify those who keep the gates; whereas more properly, it feemeth that janitores (or porters) doth express both of these; and that the word hoftiarij (as Dr. Gibson obferveth) doth denote those persons who prepared the best for there is in the Roman pontifical a rubrick in the ordination of priests, that the bishop shall deliver to the person to be ordained, the cup with wine and water, and the paten laid upon it with the hoft, the bishop saying unto him, Take thou authority to offer sacrifice to God, and to celebrate mass as well for the living as for the dead, in the name of God. Gibf. 153.

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Shavers] Whose office was to shave the crowns of perfons to be ordained. Lind. 222.

2. And by Gan. 35. No fee or money shall be received either by the archbishop or any bashop or fuffragan, either directly or indirectly, for admitting any person into facred orders; nor shall any other person or persons under the faid archbishop, bishop or fuffragan, for parchment, writing, wax, fealing, or any other respect thereunto appertaining, take above 10 h.: under fuch pains as are already by law prescribed.

Or any other respect thereunto appertaining above 10.] It is not lawful, faith John de Athon, to give any thing to the notary performing the duty of his office in the act of ordination; nevertheless, he says, it is otherwise as to that notary or register who writes letters teftimonial for those that are ordained, for his just salary, or fomewhat more for his extraordinary trouble; altho' this may more securely be given voluntarily, without a preceding compact. Otho. De fcrutin. ordin. v. Scriptura. Athon. 16.

And fome of the modern constitutions abroad agreeing to the reasonableness of this, have by way of reftraint upon the officer, fixed the fee of writing and the other particulars, in like manner as this canon and the foregoing conftitution of archbishop Stratford have done in our church, For the letters testimonial of ordination are no part of the ordination, but only taken afterwards for the fecurity of the perfon ordained; and therefore the fame John de Athon, in the place abovementioned fays, It is fafe (not, neceffary) for the perfons ordained, to have with them the faid writing or letters teftimonial of ordination, under the bishop's seal, containing the names of the perfon ordaining and of the perfon ordained, and the taking of fuch orders, and the time and place of ordination, and the like. Gibf. 154.

IX. Simoniacal promotion to orders.

By the 31 El. c. 6. If any person shall receive or take any money fee reward or any other profit directly or indirectly, or Shall take any promise agreement covenant bond or other affurance to receive or have any money fee reward or any other profit directly or indirectly, either to himself or to any other of his friends, (all ordinary and lawful fees only excepted,) for or to procure the ordaining or making of any minister, or giving of any orders, or licence to preach; he shall forfeit 401. and the person so corruptly ordained 101.; and if at any time within seven years next after fuch corrupt entering into the ministry or receiving of orders, he shall accept any benefice or promotion ecclefiaftical, the fame shall be void immediately upon bis induction investiture or installation, and the patron shall present or collate or dispose of the same as if he were dead: one moiety of which forfeitures to be to the king, and the other to him that shall jue. f. 10.

X. General office of deacons.

It appertaineth to the office of a deacon, in the church where be shall be appointed to serve, to assist the priest in divine fervice, and specially when he ministreth the holy communion, and to help him in the diftribution thereof, and to read the holy fcriptures, tures, and homilies in the church; and to inftruct the youth in the catechism; in the absence of the priest to baptize infants; and to preach if he be licensed thereto by the bishop himself: And furthermore it is his office, where provision is so made, to Search for the fick poor and impotent people of the parish, and to intimate their estates names and places where they dwell, unto the curate; that by his exhortation they may be relieved with the alms of the parishioners or others. Rubr. in the form of ordin.

To affist the priest in divine service] Anciently, he officiated under the prefbyter, in saying responses, and repeating, the confeffion, the creed, and the Lord's prayer after him, and in such other duties of the church as now properly belong to our parish clerks; who were heretofore real clerks, attending the parish priest in those inferior offices. Gibf. 150.

And specially when he ministreth the holy communion] But by the 13 & 14 C. 2. c. 4. No person shall presume to confecrate the facrament of the Lord's supper, before such time as he shall be ordained priest; on pain of 100 1. half to the king, and half to be equally divided between the poor of the parish where the offence shall be committed, and him who shall fue in any of his majesty's courts of record; and to be disabled from being admitted to the order of prieft for one whole year then next following. f. 14.

But this not to extend to foreigners or aliens of the foreign reformed churches allowed by the king. 15. Also, by the act of toleration this shall not extend to qualified proteftant dissenting ministers.

And to read the holy fcriptures] This power is expressly given to him in the act of ordination before mentioned.

To search for the fick, poor, and impotent) This is the most ancient duty of a deacon, and the immediate cause of the institution of the order. This rule was made in England while the poor subsisted chiefly by voluntary charities, and before the fettlement of rates or other fixed and certain provifions; pursuant to which provision, our laws have devolved that care upon the churchwardens and overseers of the poor; which last office was created on purpose for that end. Gibf. 159.

And to intimate their estates, names and places where they dwell, unto the curate] That is, to the rector or vicar, who hath the cure of foulis.

And here it is obvious to remark the ambiguity of the word curate, as was before observed of the word minister: fometimes

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