INSTRUCTIONS

GIVEN TO

CANDIDATES

FOR

ORDERS,

After their fubfcribing the ARTICLES.

Yo

Gentlemen,

OU have now made the fubfcription by law required. And as, in fo doing, you have acknowledged the liturgy and articles of the church of England to be agreeable to the word of God; I hope you will think yourselves bound, as you are, to be careful, that the inftructions which you give, and the doctrines which you maintain, in public and in private, be agreeable to that liturgy and thofe articles that you neither contradict, nor omit to inculcate and defend, on proper occafions, the truths which they contain.

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In the next place I exhort you to spend a due fhare of the remainder of this day in what I truft, hath employed not a little of your time already; weighing diligently the nature and importance of the undertaking, in which you are about to engage; forming fuitable refolutions; and ear

neftly

neftly begging that grace of God, which alone can make you able ministers of the New Teftament (a).

Nothing is better fitted to affift you in this good work, than the office of ordination, of deacons or priests, as you are respectively concerned. You must certainly have read it over, before you offered yourselves. Since that you have been directed to read it again. But I defire you to perufe it once more this afternoon with your best attention, that you may join in it to-morrow with a greater degree of rational seriousness; and particularly, that you may anfwer, on more deliberate confideration, the questions, which will then be put to you. For there can hardly be a cafe, in which either infincerity, or even thoughtlessness, would carry in it heavier guilt.

And that you may be in no perplexity concerning the meaning or fitnefs of any part of the office, it may be useful to go through fome parts of it along with you beforehand, proceeding as they lie in the book.

The first thing, which candidates, both for deacons and priefts orders, after they are prefented, are required to do, as diftinct from the rest of the congregation, is to take the oaths of allegiance and fupremacy. For, as you are to be minifters of the church established by law in this nation, it is evidently reasonable, that the civil government, established by law, fhould be affured of the fidelity and affection of perfons to whom it gives and fecures privileges and profits; and who are intrusted with the care, amongst other matters, of making men good fubjects. Now thefe oaths bind every person, who takes them, to honour the king (b), and by confequence all that are put in authority under him, both in word and deed; and to lead, in subjection to them, quiet and peaceable lives (c). That these things may with a good confcience be promised and performed there is no just cause of doubt. But if any one thinks there is, he ought to apply for fatisfaction: and till he receives it, he ought to abftain from taking the oaths. For whatever is not of faith, is fin (d): and in this cafe it would be no lefs, than perjury. Nothing is a plea fufficient for committing any fin, much lefs one fo heinous: not even all the force, that can be used. But here is no fhadow of force. You are come voluntarily to offer yourselves, well knowing that the oaths must be tendered to you: that is, you have made it your choice to take

them.

But by your fubfcription you have entered into a further obligation: to use the liturgy in all your public miniftrations (e): and therefore, to pray for the king by name, for his long life and profperity, for his obtain ing victory over all his enemies. God forbid, that any one, who doth this, fhould be difaffected to the government, under which we live. And if we are friends, it is both our duty and our wifdom to fhew that we For thus we fhall ftrengthen an establishment, on which, under God, the fafe enjoyment of our religion entirely depends; we fhall procure the fupport, which we cannot but be fenfible, that we want; and we fhall filence, or at leaft confute thofe, who love to fpeak defpitefully againft us on this head.

are.

After the oaths, Candidates for deacons orders are afked: Do you truf that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghoft to take upon you this office and miniftration? A folemn question: and which ought to be well confidered, before it is anfwered. Obferve then it is not faid, Do you feel; have you an immediate perception of fuch an impulfe from the Holy Ghost, as you can diftinguith from all other inward movements by its manner of impreffing you: but, Do you trust; are you on good grounds perfuaded? What then are the proper grounds of fuch perfuafion?

In the first place, if he hath not moved you effectually to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly (f), you may be fure he hath not moved you to affume the office of a minifter in God's church. Examine yourselves therefore strictly on this point: a most important one to all men; but to you, if poffible, above all: and before you prefume to officiate in his houfe, afk your hearts, Do you tranfgrefs, do you omit, no duty, wilfully or knowingly? Have you a genuine practical faith in Chrift? Are you, on the terms of the Gofpel covenant, intitled to everlasting life? But fuppofing that you are, more is requifite in the prefent cafe: and what more, the latter part of the queftion points out. To ferve God, for the promoting of his glory, and the edifying of his church. This then being the defign of the office; if, fo far as you know your own hearts, this is your motive to defire it; and if, fo far as you can judge of your own abilities and attainments, they are equal to it in fome competent degree; then you may fafely answer, that you trust you are moved by the Holy Ghoft to take it upon you. For we can have fuch truft to Godward only through Chrift, who hath fent us the Spirit: we are not fufficient to do or think any thing as of ourselves: but our fufficiency is of God (g). Together with this principal motive, of serving God by edifying his people, you may allowably have the fubordinate one, of providing a decent maintenance for your own fupport, and for those who may belong to you: but if you are indifferent or cool about the former, and attentive only or chiefly to the latter: fince you cannot think that such dispositions are approved by the Holy Spirit, as proper for the miniftry, you will be guilty of lying to him (h), if you affirm, that he hath moved you to enter on it with them. Therefore inspect your foul thoroughly; and form them, by the help of Divine grace, to be duly influenced by the right principle, before you venture to answer this question: which is very wifely made the leading one; because your inducement will be the rule of your behaviour, and probably alfo the measure of your fuccefs.

The next question, put to those who apply for deacons orders, and the firft to fuch as have received them, and defire to be admitted priests, is, Do you think, that you are truly called according to the will of Chrift, and the due order of this realm, to the miniftry of the church? That is, are you conscious neither of any defect in body or mind, nor of any other impediment, which may, for the prefent, if not for ever, be, according to the laws of God or man, a juft obftacle in your way? Such things may escape our knowledge or memory. Therefore we call upon you to inform us. And you are bound to answer with fincerity.

It

It is not requifite, that I fhould enlarge on every queftion; though it is, that you should weigh every one seriously. That, which recites the duties of deacons, may feem to have fome difficulty in it: as it affigns to them occupations, which the Acts of the Apoftles do not, in the hiftory of their appointment (i); and as they are but little employed now in the fingle bufinefs, there allotted to them. But that paffage of Scripture plainly was intended to fet forth, only the immediate and urgent reafon of ordaining them, not the whole of what was, then or foon after, given them in charge. For we find in the fame book, that Philip the deacon both preached and baptized (k). And the qualifications, required in deacons by St. Paul (1), intimate very clearly, that more things muft, even then, have been incumbent upon them, than adminiftring to the relief of the poor. Accordingly, from the primitive ages downwards, they are described as performing occafionally most of the fame offices, which they do now; and being, what their name denotes, affiftant and fubfervient to priefts in all proper employments (m). And the lefs they are engaged in their chief original one, the more opportunity and the more need they have, to fhew diligence in the other good works, belonging or fuited peculiarly to their station.

The next queftion is common to Candidates for each order: Will you fafbion your own lives, and those of your families, fo far as in you lieth, to be wholesome examples to the flock of Chrift? This extends to avoiding in your own behaviour, and restraining in theirs, follies, levities, mean and difreputable actions, as well as crimes and vices. The Apostle enjoins deacons, and their wives, to be grave (n): much more then ought priests. He enjoins every Christian to abstain from all appearance of evil (o). And our bleffed Lord enjoins all his Difciples to be wife, as well as harmless (p). Therefore govern yourselves and yours by thefe rules: and confider frequently, whether you observe them well. For without it you will neither gain esteem, nor do good.

The laft queftion, put alike to the whole number of Candidates, is, Will you reverently obey your ordinary, and them to whom the government over you is committed? You would be bound to this, though you were not to promise it for both reafon and Scripture demand it. Still more firmly you will be bound, when you have promifed it, though it were of fmall importance. But it is of very great, not only to the dignity and ease of your fuperiors, but to your own intereft, and the benefit of the whole church. Our Saviour both commands, and prayed for unity amongst his followers in the most expreffive terms (q). Without union there cannot be a fufficient degree either of ftrength or beauty: and without fubordination there cannot long be union. Therefore obey, as the Apostle directs, them that have the rule over you (r); and promote their honour, their credit, their influence. This will make us abler to ferve

the caufe of religion, and protect you. And God forbid that, fo far as we are able, we should ever fail to be willing and zealous.

In the office for the ordination of priests, after a pious and awful charge, which I recommend to your most serious attention, follow feveral queftions of the greatest moment, your anfwers to which, I hope, you will remember to the laft day of your lives. In these answers, befides what hath been already mentioned, you promife, that the doctrine and difcipline of Chrift, as contained in Scripture, and received in this church and realm, fhall be the standard of your teaching and acting; and every thing contrary to them be faithfully oppofed by you: that you will use both public and private monitions and exhortations, as well to the fick as to the whole, within your cures; and that, as frequently and fully as need fhall require, and occafion be given. You promise also, that you will be diligent in prayers and reading the Holy Scriptures; which by the preceding exhortation evidently appears to mean, private prayer and reading; and in fuch Studies as help to the knowledge of Scripture; laying afide the study of the world and the flefb: that is, not making, either grofs pleasures, or more refined amusements, even literary ones unconnected with your profeffion, or power, or profit, or advancement, or applaufe, your great aim in life; but labouring chiefly to qualify yourselves for doing good to the fouls of men, and applying carefully to that purpose whatever qualifications you attain. Further yet, you promife, that you will maintain and fet forwards, as much as lieth in you, quietness, peace and love among all Chriftian people; and efpecially among them, that are or shall be committed to your charge. By this you oblige yourselves, never to raise or promote perfonal, family, parochial, ecclefiaftical, political, or any other, animofities; but to dif courage, and, if poffible, compose and extinguish them; than which you cannot perform a more Chriftian part, or one more conducive to your honour and your usefulness.

But, befides pondering well beforehand these anfwers, which you are to make, I earneftly beg you, to read and think them over often afterwards and particularly, at each return of the ember weeks to examine yourselves, as in the prefence of God, whether you have made good the engagement, into which you entered at your ordination. So far as you have, this practice will afford you the greatest poffible comfort: fo far as you may have failed, it will fuggeft to you the most useful admonition. After these questions, a fhort filence is appointed to be kept for the fecret prayers of the congregation, that God would enable and incline you to do what you have undertaken: which bleffing, I hope, you will afk at the fame time for yourselves very earnestly. Then follows a hymn of confiderable antiquity: and to be repeated with much reverence, on account of the important petitions and doctrines comprized in it, though it be altogether void of ornament in that old tranflation, which we still retain. Next to this, follows a very proper addrefs to the Throne of Grace, pronounced by the Bifhop alone, in the name of the whole af fembly which is inftantly fucceeded by the act of ordination.

The first words of that, Receive the Holy Ghoft, were used by our Sa viour to his Apoftles, immediately after he had faid, As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you (s). God gave not the Spirit by measure unto bim (t);

(s) John xx. 21, 22.

(t) John iii. 34.

and