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to men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended, is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ; till we all come, in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

After this shall be read for the Gospel, part of the ninth Chapter of Saint Matthew, as fol

loweth.

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ter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Í am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers;

but the sheep did not hear them.

I am the door; by me if any and shall go in and out, and find man enter in, he shall be saved, pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly: I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the Shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth ; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth because he is an hiresheep. I am the good Shepling, and careth not for the herd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.

Then the Bishop shall say unto them as followeth. E have heard, brethren, as well in your private examination, as in the exhortation which was now made to you, and in the holy lessons taken out of the Gospel, and the writings of the Apostles, of what dignity, and of how great importance this Office is, whereunto ye are called. And now again we exhort you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye have in remembrance, into how high a dignity, and to how weighty an office and charge ye are called: That is to say, to be Messengers, Watchmen, and Stewards of the Lord; to teach, and to premonish, to feed and provide for the Lord's Family; to seek for Christ's sheep that are dispersed abroad, and for his children who are in the midst of this naughty world, that they may be saved through Christ for ever.

Have always therefore printed in your remembrance, how great a treasure is committed to your charge. For they are the sheep of Christ, which he bought with his death, and for whom he shed his blood. The Church and Congregation whom you must serve, is his Spouse, and his Body. And if it shall happen that the same Church, or any member thereof, do take any hurt or hinderance by reason of your negligence, ye know the greatness of the fault, and also the horrible punishment that will ensue. Wherefore consider with yourselves the end of the Ministry towards the Children of God, towards the Spouse and Body of Christ; and see that ye never cease

your labour, your care and diligence, until ye have done all that lieth in you, according to your bounden duty, to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your charge, unto that agreement in the faith and knowledge of God, and to that ripeness and perfectness of age in Christ, that there be no place left among you, either for error in religion, or for viciousness in life.

Forasmuch then as your Office is both of so great excellency, and of so great difficulty, ye see with how great care and study ye ought to apply yourselves, as well to show yourselves dutiful and thankful unto that Lord who hath placed you in so high a dignity; as also to beware that neither you yourselves offend, nor be occasion that others offend. Howbeit ye cannot have a mind and will thereto of yourselves; for that will and ability is given of God alone: therefore ye ought, and have need to pray earnestly for his Holy Spirit. And seeing that ye cannot by any other means compass the doing of so weighty a work, pertaining to the salvation of man, but with doctrine and exhortation taken out of the holy Scriptures, and with a life agreeable to the same: consider how studious ye ought to be in reading and learning the Scriptures, and in framing the manners both of yourselves, and of them that specially pertain unto you, according to the rule of the same Scriptures: and for this selfsame cause, how ye ought to forsake and set aside, as much as ye may, all worldly cares and studies.

We have good hope that ye

have well weighed these things with yourselves long before this time; and that ye have clearly determined, by God's grace, to give yourselves wholly to this Office, whereunto it hath pleased God to call you: so that, as much as lieth in you, ye will apply yourselves wholly to this one thing, and draw all your cares and studies this way; and that ye will continually pray to God the Father, by the mediation of our only Saviour Jesus Christ, for the heavenly assistance of the Holy Ghost; that by daily reading and weighing the Scriptures, ye may wax riper and stronger in your Ministry; and that ye may so endeavour yourselves from time to time to sanctify the lives of you and yours, and to fashion them after the rule and doctrine of Christ, that ye may be wholesome and godly examples and patterns for the people to follow. And now, that this present Congregation of Christ may may also understand your minds and wills in these things, and that this

your promise may the more move you to do your duties; ye shall answer plainly to these things, which we, in the name of God, and of his Church, shall demand of you touching

the same.

Do you think in your heart, that you are truly called, according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, and according to the Canons of this Church, to the Order and Ministry of Priesthood?

Answer. I think it.

The Bishop.

ARE you persuaded that the holy Scriptures contain all Doctrine required as necessary

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WILL you be diligent in

prayers, and in reading the holy Scriptures, and in such

studies as help to the knowledge of the same, laying aside the study of the world and the flesh?

Answer. I will endeavour so¶ to do, the Lord being my helper.

The Bishop.

After this, the Congregation shall be de sired, secretly in their prayers, to make their humble supplications to God for all these things: for the which prayers there shall be silence kept for a space.

WILL you be diligent to ¶ After which, shall be sung or said by the

frame and fashion your own selves, and your families, according to the Doctrine of Christ; and to make both yourselves and them, as much as in you lieth, wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Christ?

Answer. I will apply myself thereto, the Lord being my helper.

WILL

The Bishop.

you maintain and set forwards, as much as lieth in you, quietness, peace, and love among all Christian people, and especially among them that are or shall be committed to your charge?

Bishop, the persons to be ordained Priests all kneeling, Veni, Creator Spiritus; the Bishop beginning, and the Priests and others that are present answering by ver ses, as followeth.

COME, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,

And lighten with celestial fire: :
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart:
Thy blessed Unction from above,
Is comfort, life, and fire of love:
Enable with perpetual light

Anoint and cheer our soiled face
The dulness of our blinded sight:

With the abundance of thy grace:
Keep far our foes, keep peace at home;
Where thou art Guide, no ill can come.
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
That through the ages all along,
And Thee, of both to be but Ones
This may be our endless song;
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Praise to thy eternal merit,

TOr this:

COME, Holy Ghost, eternal God,

Proceeding from above,

Answer. I will so do, the Both from the Father and the Son, Lord being my helper.

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The God of peace and love;
Visit our minds, into our hearts
Thy heavenly grace inspire;
That truth and godliness we may
Pursue with full desire.
Thou art the very Comforter

In grief and all distress;
The heav'nly gift of God most High;
No tongue can it express;
The fountain and the living spring
The fire so bright, the love so sweet,
Of joy celestial;
The Unction spiritual.
Thou in thy gifts art manifold,

In

By them Christ's Church doth stand':

faithful hearts thou writ'st thy law, The finger of God's hand. According to thy promise, Lord,

Thou givest speech with grace; That, through thy help, God's praises may Resound in ev'ry place. O Holy Ghost, into our minds

Send down thy heav'nly light;

Kindle our hearts with fervent zeal,

To serve God day and night:
Our weakness strengthen and confirm,

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Lord, thou know'st us frail;

Put back our enemies far from us,
Against us may prevail.

And help us to obtain
Peace in our hearts with God and man,
The best, the truest gain;
And grant that thou being, O Lord,

Our leader and our guide,
We may escape the snares of sin,
And never from thee slide.

Such measures of thy pow'rful grace

Grant, Lord, to us, we pray;
That thou may'st be our Comforter
At the last dreadful day.
Of strife and of dissension

Dissolve, O Lord, the bands,
And knit the knots of peace and love
Throughout all Christian lands.
Grant us the grace that we may know
The Father of all might,
That we of his beloved Son,

May gain the blissful sight;
And that we may with perfect faith
Ever acknowledge thee;
The Spirit of Father, and of Son,
One God in Persons Three.
To God the Father laud and praise,
And to his blessed Son,
And to the Holy Spirit of grace,
Co-equal Three in One.
And pray we, that our only Lord
Would please his Spirit to send
On all that shall profess his name,
From hence to the world's end. Amen.

That done, the Bishop shall pray in this wise, and say,

Let us pray.

unto all, which either here or elsewhere call upon thy holy. name, that we may continue to show ourselves thankful unto thee for these and all thy other benefits; and that we may daily increase and go forwards in the knowledge and faith of thee and thy Son, by the Holy Spirit: So that as well by these thy Ministers, as by them over whom' they shall be appointed thy Ministers, thy holy name may be for ever glorified, and thy blessed kingdom enlarged, through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

LMIGHTY God and hea-¶When this prayer is done, the

God and hea

venly Father, who, of thine infinite love and goodness towards us, hast given to us thy only and most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, to be our Redeemer, and the author of everlasting life; who, after he had made perfect our redemption

by his death, and was ascended

into heaven, sent abroad into the world his Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Doctors, and Pastors; by whose labour and ministry he gathered together a great Flock in all the parts of the world, to set forth the eternal praise of thy holy name: For these so great benefits of thy eternal goodness, and for that thou hast vouchsafed to call these thy servants here present to the same Office and Ministry appointed for the salvation of mankind, we render unto thee most hearty, thanks, we praise and worship thee; and we humbly beseech thee by the same thy blessed Son, to grant

Bishop with the Priests pre-
sent, shall lay their hands seve-
rally upon the head of every
one that receiveth the Order
of Priesthood; the Receivers
humbly kneeling, and the Bi-
shop saying,

R for the office and work of
RECEIVE the Holy Ghost

a Priest in the Church of God,
now committed unto thee by
the imposition of our hands:
whose sins thou dost forgive,
they are forgiven: and whose
sins thou dost retain, they are
retained: And be thou a faithful
and of his holy Sacraments: In
Dispenser of the word of God,
the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.

¶ Or this:

TAKE thou authority to exe.

cute the office of a Priest in the Church of God now committed to thee by he imposition

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