Gentlemen,

YOU have now made the Subfcription,

YOU

by Law required.

And as, in fo do

ing, 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 those Articles; that you neither

contradict, nor omit to inculcate and defend, on proper Occafions, the Truths, which they

contain.

In the next Place I exhort you to spend a due Share of the Remainder of this Day in what, I trust, hath employed not a little of your Time already; weighing diligently the Nature

X 4

Nature and Importance of the Undertaking, in which you are about to engage; forming fuitable Resolutions; and earneftly begging that Grace of God, which alone can make you able Minifters of the New Teftament".

Nothing is better fitted to affift you in this good Work, than the Office of Ordination, of Deacons or Priefts, as you are refpectively concerned. You must certainly have read it over, before you offered yourfelves. Since that, you have been directed to read it again. But I defire you to peruse it once more this Afternoon with your best Attention, that you may join in it tomorrow with a greater degree of rational Seriousness; and particularly, that you may anfwer, on more deliberate Confideration, the Queftions, which will then be put to you. For there can hardly be a Cafe, in which either Infincerity, or even Thoughtleffness, would carry in it heavier Guilt.

2

And that you may be in no Perplexity concerning the Meaning or Fitness of any Part of the Office, it may be useful to go through fome Parts of it along with you

* 2 Cor. ii. 6.

beforehand,

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 reft of the Congregation, is to take the Oaths of Allegiance, and Supremacy. For as you are to be Minifters of the Church established by Law in this Nation, it is evidently reasonable, that the civil Goyernment, 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 intrufted with the Çare, amongst other Matters, of making Men good Subjects. Now thefe Oaths bind every Perfon, who takes them, to honour the King, 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. That these Things may with a good Confcience be promised and performed, there is no just Caufe of Doubt.

But if any one thinks

there is, he ought to apply for Satisfaction:

1 Pet. ii. 17.

1 Tim. ii. 2.

and

and till he receives it, he ought to abstain from taking the Oaths. For whatever is not of Faith, is Sin: and in this Cafe it would be no less, than Perjury. Nothing is a Plea fufficient for committing any Sin, much less one so heinous: not even all the Force, that can be used. But here is no Shadow 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.

and

But by your Subscription you have entered into a further Obligation to use the Liturgy in all your public Ministrations therefore, to pray for the King by Name, for his long Life and Profperity, for his obtaining Victory over all his Enemies. God forbid, that any one, who doth this, fhould be dif affected to the Government, under which we live. And if we are Friends, it is both our Duty and our Wisdom to fhew that we

For thus we shall ftrengthen an Establishment, on which, under God, the safe Enjoyment of our Religion intirely depends; we shall procure the Support, which we

Rom. xiv, 23.

3

⚫ Can, 36.

cannot

cannot but be fenfible, that we want; and we shall filence, or at least confute those, who love to speak despitefully against us on this Head.

After the Oaths, Candidates for Deacons

Orders are afked: Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghoft to take upan you this Office and Miniftration? A folemn Question and which ought to be well confidered, before it is answered, Obferve then: it is not faid, Do you feel; have you an immediate Perception of fuch an Impulse from the Holy Ghoft, as you can distinguish 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, righteously, and godly, 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 moft important one to all Men; but to you, if poffible,

- Tit. ii, 12.

A