4. Then the bishop, laying his hands feverally upon the head of every one of them, humbly kneeling before him, fhall fay, "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 Ghoft. Amen."

Then fhall the bishop deliver to every one of them the new teftament, faying, "Take thou authority to read the ἐσ gospel in the church of God, and to preach the fame, if thou be thereto licenfed 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 caufes it fhall otherwife feem good unto the bishop), to the intent he may be perfect, and well expert in the things apper taining to the ecclefiaftical adminiftration; in executing whereof, if he be found faithful and diligent, he may be admitted by his diocefan to the order of priesthood, Form of ordin.

VII. Form and manner of ordaining priests.

1. Can. 32. The office of a deacon being a ftep-or degree to the miniftry, according to the judgment of the ancient fathers and the practice of the primitive church, we do ordain and appoint, that hereafter no bishop fhall make any perfon, of what qualities or gifts foever, a deacon and a minifter both together upon one day; but the order in that behalf prefcribed in the book of making and confecrating bifhops, priests and deacons, be strictly obferved. Not that always every deacon fhould be kept from the miniftry for a whole year, when the bishop shall find good caufe 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 fome time of

other bifhop to be by him appointed, to admit to the order of deacon or priest, for the purposes aforefaid, perfons fubjects or citizens of countries out of his majefty's dominions, without requiring them to take the faid oath of allegiance. But they are not to exercife their office within his majesty's dominions; and this exemption from taking the above oath is to be mentioned in their teftimonial. For the confecration of bishops under fimilar circumftances, fee tit. Withops, 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 fhall fay unto the people: Good people, thefe are they whom we pur pofe, God willing, to receive this day unto the holy of fice of priesthood: for after due examination, we find not to the contrary but that they be lawfully called to their function and miniftry, and that they be perfons mect 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 miniftry, let him come forth in the name of God, and fhew what the crime or impediment is.

And if any great crime or impediment be objected, the bishop fhall furceafe from ordering that perfon, until fuch time as the party accuted fhall be found clear of that crime. Form of ordin.

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

4. Then the bishop, with the priests prefent, fhall lay their hands feverally upon the head of every one that receiveth the order of priesthood; the receivers humbly kneeling upon their knees, and the bifhop faying, "Re"ceive the Holy Ghoit for the office and work of a prieft "in the church of God, now committed unto thee by "the impofition of our hands: Whofe fins thou doft for

give, they are forgiven; and whole fins thou dost re"tain, they are retained. And be thou a faithful difpenfer 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 Ghoff."

Then the bishop fhall 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 "fhalt be lawfully appointed thereunto."

With the priests prefent] By Can. 35. They who affist the bishop in laying on of hands, fhall be of the cathedral church, if they may be conveniently had, or other fufficient preachers of the fame diocefe, to the number of three at the least.

(k) Vid. fupra, 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 fhall not receive above 6 d; and for the fealing of fuch letters, or to the marshals of the bishop's boufe for admittance, to porters, hoftiaries, or havers, nothing fhall be paid: on pain of rendring double within a month; and for default thereof, the offender, if he is a clerk beneficed, fhall be fufpended from his office and benefice; if he is not beneficed, or a lay perfon, he fhall 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 fignify the fame as ofiaries, or perfons appointed to keep the doors, and the word janitores (porters) next aforegoing to fignify thofe who keep the gates; whereas more properly, it feemeth that janitores (or porters) doth exprefs both of these and that the word hoftiarij (as Dr. Gibfin obferveth) doth denote those perfons who prepared the b: for there is in the Roman pontifical a rubrick in the ordination of priests, that the bishop fhall deliver to the perfon to be ordained, the cup with wine and water, and the paten laid upon it with the hoft, the bishop faying unto him, Take thou authority to offer facrifice to God, and to celebrate mafs as well for the living as for the dead, in the name of God. Gibf. 153.

Shavers] Whofe office was to fhave the crowns of perfons to be ordained.

Lind. 222.

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

above

Or any other refpect thereunto appertaining 10 b.] 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 fays, it is otherwise as to that notary or regifter who writes letters teftimonial for those that are ordained, for his juft falary, or fomewhat more for his extraordinary trouble; altho'

this may more fecurely be given voluntarily, without a preceding compact. Otho. De fcrutin. ordin. v. Scriptura. Athon. 16.

And fome of the modern conftitutions abroad agreeing to the reasonableness of this, have by way of restraint 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 teftimonial 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 feal, containing the names of the person 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 perfon fhall receive or take any money fee reward or any other profit directly or indirectly, or fball take any promife 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 minifter, or giving of any orders, or licence to preach; he fall forfeit 401. and the perfon fo corruptly ordained 101.; and if at any time within Seven years next after fuch corrupt entering into the miniftry or receiving of orders, he shall accept any benefice or promotion ecclefiaftical, the fame shall be void immediately upon his induction inveftiture or installation, and the patron shall present or collate or difpofe of the fame 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 he fhall be appointed to ferve, to affift the priest in divine ferpice, and fpecially when he miniftreth the holy communion, and to help him in the distribution thereof, and to read the holy fcrip

tures

tures, and homilies in the church; and to inftruct the youth in. the catechifm; in the abfence 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 provifion is fo made, to Search for the fuck poor and impotent people of the parish, and to intimate their eftates 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 affift the priest in divine fervice] Anciently, he officiated under the prefbyter, in faying refponfes, and repeating. the confeffion, the creed, and the Lord's prayer after him, and in fuch 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 fpecially when he miniftreth the holy communion] But by the 13 & 14 C. 2. c. 4. No perfon fhall presume to confecrate the facrament of the Lord's fupper, before fuch time as he fhall be ordained priest; on pain of 100 l. balf to the king, and half to be equally divided between the poor of the parish where the offence fhall be committed, and him who fhall fue in any of his majesty's courts of record; and to be difabled 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. f. 15.

Alfo, by the act of toleration this fhall not extend to qualified proteftant diffenting minifters.

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

To fearch for the fick, poor, and impotent] This is the moft ancient duty of a deacon, and the immediate cause of the inftitution of the order. This rule was made in England while the poor fubfifted chiefly by voluntary charities, and before the fettlement of rates or other fixed and certain provifions; pursuant to which provifion, our laws have devolved that care upon the churchwardens and overfeers of the poor; which laft office was created on purpose for that end. Gibf. 159.

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

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

sometimes