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    The Book of Common Prayer | ||||||
 
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THE FOURME OF ORDERING PRIESTES. 
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|   1550: Then 
          shalbe reed for the Epistle this out of the twentieth Chapter of the 
          Actes of the Apostles.   | 
      1552, 
          59: When the exhortacion is ended, then shal folowe the Communion. And for the Epistle shalbe red out of the twentieth Chapter of the Actes of the Apostles as foloweth.  | 
      In the 1550 Ordinal, the Psalms are printed out at length. | 
|   FROM 
          Mileto Paule sent messengers to Ephesus, and called the Elders of the 
          congregacion; which when they were come to him, he sayde unto them. 
          Ye know, that from the first day that I came into Asia, after what maner 
          I have been wyth you at al seasons, servynge the Lord wyth al humblenes 
          of mynde, and wyth many teares and temptacions which happened unto me 
          by the layinges awayte of the Jewes, because I would kepe backe nothinge 
          that was profitable unto you, but to shewe you and teache you openly 
          throughout every house: witnessing bothe to the Jewes, and also to the 
          Grekes, the repentaunce that is towarde God, and the fayth whiche is 
          towarde oure Lorde Jesus. And now behold, I goe bound in the spyryte 
          unto Jerusalem, not knowing the thinges that shall come on me there; 
          but that the holy ghost witnesseth in every citie, saying that bandes 
          [=imprisonment] 
          and trouble abyde me. But none of these thynges move me, nether is my 
          lyfe deare unto myselfe, that I might fulfyll my course with joye and 
          the ministracion of the worde whiche I have receyved of the Lord Jesu 
          to testifye the Gospell of the grace of God. And now behold, I am sure 
          that henceforth ye al (through whom I have gone preaching the kingdom 
          of God) shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to recorde thys 
          daye, that I am pure from the bloud of all men. For I have spared no 
          labor, but have shewed you all the counsayle of God. Take hede therefore 
          unto yourselves, and to all the flocke amonge whom the holy ghost hath 
          made you overseers to rule the congregacion of God, whiche he hathe 
          purchased wyth hys bloud. For I am sure of this, that after my departing, 
          shal grevous wolves entre in among you, not sparing the flocke. Moreover, 
          of your owne selves shall men aryse, speaking perverse thinges, to drawe 
          disciples after them. Therefore awake, and remembre that by the space 
          of three yeares I ceassed not to warne every one of you nyght and daye, 
          wyth teares.  | 
         [Acts 20:17-35]  | 
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|     Or els thys thyrde Chapter, of the fyrst Epistle to Timothe. THYS 
          is a true sayinge; yf any man desyre the offyce of a Bisshoppe, he desyreth 
          an honeste worke. A Bisshop therfore must be blamelesse, the husband 
          of one wyfe, vigilant, sobre, discrete, a keper of hospitalitie, apte 
          to teache, not geven to over much wyne, no fyghter, nor gredye of filthye 
          lucre; but gentle, abhorring fyghting, abhorringe covetousnes; one that 
          ruleth wel his owne house, one that hath children in subjection with 
          al reverence. For yf a man cannot rule hys owne house, how shall he 
          care for the congregacion of God? He may not be a yong scholer, leste 
          he swell, and fall into the Judgement of the evyl speaker. He must also 
          have a good reporte of them whiche are without; leste he fall into rebuke, 
          and snare of the evyll speaker.  | 
        
 
 1. Tim. 
          3. [1 Tim. 3:1-16]  | 
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|   After thys shalbe read for the Gospel a pece of the laste Chapter of Mathew, as foloweth. JESUS 
          came and spake unto them, saying: All power is geven unto me in heaven 
          and in earth. Goe ye therefore and teache all nacions, baptising them 
          in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holy gost. Teachyng 
          them to observe all thinges, whatsoever I have commaunded you. And lo, 
          I am with you alway, even untill the end of the worlde.   | 
         
 
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         Or els this that foloweth, of the tenth Chapter of John. VERELY, verely, 
          I saye unto you; He that entreth not in by the dore into the sheepe 
          folde, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thefe and a murtherer. 
          But he that entereth in by the doore, is the shepeheard of the shepe, 
          to hym the Porter openeth, and the Shepe heareth hys voyce, and he calleth 
          hys owne shepe by name, and leadeth them out. And when he hath sente 
          forth his owne shepe, he goeth before them, and the shepe folowe hym, 
          for they knowe his voyce. A straunger wyll they not folow, but wyll 
          flee from hym, for they knowe not the voyce of straungers. Thys Proverbe 
          spake Jesus unto them, but they understoode not what thynges they were, 
          whyche he spake unto them. Then sayde Jesus unto them agayne: verely, 
          verely, I saye unto you, I am the doore of the shepe. All (even as manye 
          as come before me) are theves and murtherers: but the shepe dyd not 
          heare them. I am the doore, by me yf any man entre in, he shall be safe, 
          and goe in and out, and fynde pasture. A thefe cometh not but for to 
          steale, kyll and to destroye. I am come that they myght have lyfe, and 
          that they myghte have it more aboundauntlye. I am the good shepeheard: 
          a good shepehearde geveth his lyfe for the shepe. An hired servaunt, 
          and he whiche is not the shepeheard (neyther the shepe are hys owne) 
          seeth the wolfe comming, and leaveth the shepe and fleeth, and the wolfe 
          catcheth and scattereth the shepe. The hyred servaunt fleeth, because 
          he is an hyred servaunte, and careth not for the shepe. I am the good 
          shepeherd and knowe my shepe, and am knowen of myne. As my father knoweth 
          me, even so know I also my father. And I geve my lyfe for the shepe, 
          and other shepe I have, which are not of this folde. Them also must 
          I bring, and they shall heare my voyce, and there shall be one folde 
          and one shepehearde.   | 
         
 
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         Or els thys, of the xx. Chapter of John. THE same daye 
          at night, which was the fyrst daye of the Sabbothes, when the doores 
          were shutte (where the Disciples were assembled together, for feare 
          of the Jewes) came Jesus and stode in the middes [midst], and sayde unto them; peace 
          be unto you. And when he had so sayd, he shewed unto them hys handes 
          and his syde. Then were the disciples glad, when they sawe the Lord. 
          Then sayd Jesus unto them agayne, peace bee unto you. As my father sent 
          me, even so send I you also. And when he had sayd those wordes, he breathed 
          on them and said unto them, receyve ye the holy ghost: whosoevers synnes 
          ye remytte, they are remytted unto them: and whosoevers synnes ye retayne, 
          they are retayned.   | 
         
 [John 20:19-23]  | 
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         When the Gospel is ended, then shalbe sayd or songe. COME holy ghost 
          eternall God procedinge from above,  | 
         
 
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      * 
        1550 only. | 
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|   REVERENDE Father in GOD, I presente unto you, these persones presente, to bee admitted to the ordre of Priesthode, Cum interrogatione et responsione, ut in ordine Diaconatus. And then the Bisshop shal saye to the people. GOOD people, these bee they whome we purpose God wyllyng, to receyve this daye, unto the holye offyce of Priesthode. For after due examinacion, we fynd not the contrary but that they be lawfully called to theyr function and ministery, and that they be persones mete for the same: but yet yf there be any of you whyche knoweth any impediment, or notable cryme in any of them, for the whyche he oughte not to bee receyved into this holy ministery, nowe in the name of God declare the same. ¶ And yf any great cryme or impediment be objected, &c. Ut supra in Ordine Diaconatus usque ad finem Litanie cum hac Collecta. ALMYGHTIE 
          GOD, gever of all good thinges, which by thy holy spirit has appoynted 
          dyverse orders of Ministers in thy church, mercifully behold these thy 
          servantes, now called to the Office of Priesthode, and replenish them 
          so wyth the trueth of thy doctryne, and innocencie of lyfe, that both 
          by worde and good example, they may faythfully serve thee in thys office, 
          to the glorye of thy name, and profyte of the congregacion, through 
          the merites of oure saviour Jesu Christ, who lyveth and reygneth, wyth 
          thee and the holy Ghoste, worlde wythout ende. Amen.   | 
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¶ Then the Bisshop shal minister unto every of them the othe, concerning the Kinges Supremacie, as it is set oute in the ordre of Deacons. And that done, he shall saye unto them, which are appoynted to receyve the sayde Office, as hereafter fotoweth. YOU 
          have hearde brethren, as well in youre private examinacion, as in the 
          exhortacion, and in the holy lessons taken out of the Gospel, and of 
          the writinges of the Apostles, of what dignitie, and of how great importaunce 
          thys offyce is, (whereunto ye be called). And nowe we exhorte you, in 
          the name of oure LORDE Jesus Christe, to have in remembraunce, into 
          howe hyghe a dignitie, and to howe chargeable an offyce ye bee called, 
          that is to saye, to be the messengers, the watchemen, the Pastours, 
          and the stewardes of the LORDE to teache, to premonisshe 
          [=warn], 
          to feede, and provyde for the Lordes famylye: to seeke for Christes 
          shepe that be dispersed abrode, and for hys children whiche bee in the 
          myddest of thys naughtye worlde, to be saved through Christe for ever. 
          Have alwayes therfore printed in your remembraunce, howe great a treasure 
          is committed to your charge, for they be the shepe of Chryste, whiche 
          he boughte with hys death, and for whom he shed his bloud. The churche 
          and congregacion whom you must some, is his spouse and his body. And 
          if it shall chaunce the same churche, or any membre therof, to take 
          any hurt or hinderaunce, by reason of youre negligence, ye knowe the 
          greatnesse of the faulte, and also of the horrible punishment which 
          will ensue. Wherfore, consider with yourselves the end of your ministery, 
          towardes the chyldren of God, towarde the spouse and body of Christ, 
          and see that ye never cease your laboure, your care and dilygence, untill 
          you have doen all that lieth in you, accordynge to your bounden dutie, 
          to bryng all suche as are, or shalbe commytted to youre charge, unto 
          that agremente in faith, and knowledge of God, and to that ripenes, 
          and perfectnesse of age in Christe, that there be no place left emong 
          them, either for errour in Religion, or for viciousnesse in lyfe.  | 
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          ¶ Then shal the Bisshoppe saye. ALMIGHTIE god, who hath geven you this wyl to doe al these thynges, graunt also unto you strength and power to performe the same, that he may accomplishe his worke which he hath begon in you, until the tyme he shal come at the latter day, to judge the quicke and the dead. ¶ After this, the congregacion shalbe desired, secretly in their praiers, to make humble supplicacions to God for the foresaied thinges ; for the whiche praiers, there shalbe a certaine space kept in silence. That doen, the Bisihoppe shall praye in this wyse. [THE 
          Lorde be with you.  | 
      * omitted in 1552, 59. | |
|   ¶ Let us praye. ALMIGHTIE god and heavenly father, which of thy infinite love and goodnes towardes us, hast geven to us thy onely and moste deare beloved sonne Jesus Christe, to be our redemer and aucthour of everlasting life: who after he had made perfecte our redempcion by hys death, and was ascended into heaven, sent abrode into the worlde hys Apostles, Prophetes, Evangelistes, Doctours and Pastours, by whose labour and ministere [ministry], he gathered together a greate flocke in al the partes of the worlde, to set furth the eternal praise of thy holy name. For these so greate benefites of thy eternal goodnes, and for that thou hast vouchsafed to cal these thy servauntes here present, to the same office and ministerie of the salvacion of mankynde; we render unto thee moste hartie thankes, we worship and praise thee, and we humbly beseche thee by the same thy sonne, to graunt unto al us which either here, or elswhere cal upon thy name, that we maye shewe ourselves thankefull to thee for these and all other thy benefites, and that we maye daily encrease and goe forwardes, in the knowledge and faith of thee, and thy sonne, by the holy spirite. So that as well by these thy ministers, as by them to whom thei shalbe appointed ministers, thy holy name may be alwaies glorified, and thy blessed kyngdom enlarged, throughe the same thy sonne our Lorde Jesus Christe; which liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unitie of the same holy spirite, world without ende. Amen. ¶ When this praier is done, the Bisshoppe with the priestes present, shal lay theyr handes severally upon the head of every one that receiveth orders. The receivers humbly knelyng upon their knees, and the Bisshop saying. RECEIVE the holy goste, whose synnes thou doest forgeve, they are forgeven: and whose sinnes thou doest retaine, thei are retained: and be thou a faithful despensor of the word of god, and of his holy Sacramentes. In the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holy gost. Amen.  | 
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|   1550:  | 
        1552:, 
          59  | 
      Corresponding pages from this section of the the 1550 and 1552 Ordinals are shown at left. Click on the images to see larger (100K) readable versions of these images. | 
|   TAKE 
          thou aucthoritie to preache the word of god, and to minister the holy 
          Sacramentes in thys congregacion[, where thou shalt be so appointed]*. 
         
        ¶ When thys is doen, the Congregacyon shall syng the Crede, and also they shal goe to the Communion which at they that receive orders shal take together, and remaine in the same place where the handes were layd upon them, untyl suche time as thei have received the Communion. ¶ The Communion beyng doen, after the last Collecte, and immediatly before the benediccion, shalbe sayed thys Collecte. MOST mercifull father, we beseche thee so to sende upon these thy servauntes thy heavenly blessyng, that they maye be cladde about with all justice, and that thy worde spoken by theyr mouthes may have such successe, that it may never be spoken in vain. Graunt also that we may have grace to heare, and receive the same as thy moste holy worde and the meane of our salvacion, that in all our wordes and dedes we may seke thy glory, and the encrease of thy kingdom, thorow Jesus Christ our lord. Amen. ¶ If the orders of Deacon and Priesthood, be geven both upon one day, then shal [the Psalme for the Introyte and other]* thinges at the holy Communion, be used as they are appointed at the orderyng of Priestes. Saving that for the Epistle, the whole thirde Chapiter of the first to Timothe shalbe read, as it is sette out before in the order of Priestes. And immediatly after the Epistle, the Deacons shalbe ordered. And it shall suffice, the Letany to be sayed once.  | 
      
 * added 1552.  | 
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* Replaced by "al" in 1552. 
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| Web author: Charles Wohlers | U. S.  England  Scotland  Ireland  Wales  Canada  World |