Spirit of all holiness may come upon him. Let us pray the Lord.

OD, without cause and without end, who art incomparably the Eldest of all; who hast, however, honoured with the name of Elders those who are deemed worthy to dispense, in this rank and order, the holy things which belong to thy word of truth; Thou, O Lord of all, grant to this our brother, whom thou hast been pleased to promote through me, that in blameless life and incorruptible faith he may hold this great grace of thy holy Spirit. Show in him a perfect servant of thine, pleasing thee in all things; and make his conversation worthy of this great and most sacred dignity, to which he was foreordained by thy counsel and is raised by thy power. For thine is the dominion, and to thee belongeth the kingdom, the power, and the glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, world without end. Amen.

Then every one of the presbyters present gives the newly ordained presbyter the kiss of brotherhood, saying:

Welcome!

THE ORDINATION

OF

BISHOPS OR OVERSEERS.

It is the ancient custom in all the Churches, that the ordination of a bishop, being a matter of so great importance, should not be performed by one bishop only, except in cases of necessity. Two elders or deacons having proceeded, with the person to be ordained a bishop, towards the bishops assembled to ordain him, one of those elders or deacons says:

REVEREND Fathers, the Church of God (N), our holy mother, requests you to promote the servant of God (N) to the order of bishop.

One of the bishops says:

BISHOP ought to teach; to baptise; to administer the Lord's Supper; to lead the public prayers; to bless; to govern; to bind and to loose; to ordain deacons, elders, and bishops. Do you therefore testify that the servant of God (N) is worthy of this great office?

All persons present answer:

We do.

The bishop says:

In prayerful reverence let us give heed.

Then the person to be ordained kneels, and the bishops lay their hands upon his head, one of the bishops saying:

HF divine grace, ever healing that which is infirm, and supplying the defects of that which is imperfect, promotes the servant of God (N) to the office of a bishop. Let us therefore pray for him, that the grace of the AllHoly Spirit may come upon him. Let us pray the Lord.

LORD our God, who through thy honoured servant the Apostle Paul hast taught us to acknowledge orders and degrees which thou hast established for the ministering and dispensation of thy sacred and pure mysteries before thy holy altar; thou who gavest some to be Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all meet in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, in the fulness of manhood, in the full-grown measure of the plenitude of Christ; Thou, O Lord of all, look upon this thy servant, whom the suffrage of thy Church has deemed worthy to receive from the hands of me, a sinner, and from those of my colleagues and fellowbishops here present, the dignity of an overseer of

holy things, the heavy yoke of the responsibility of an evangelist. Strengthen him as thou didst strengthen thy holy Apostles and Prophets. Anoint him as thou didst anoint the kings. Sanctify him as thou didst sanctify high-priests. Make his ministry blameless. Adorn him with all honesty. May we see in him a guide of the blind; a light of those who are in darkness; a teacher of the ignorant; a luminary to lighten the world. Grant him to become an imitator of the true Shepherd, giving his life for his sheep. So that, having done his duty to the souls intrusted to him during the present life, he may stand before thy tribunal without confusion, and receive the great reward which thou hast prepared for those who have contended earnestly for thy Gospel. thine it is to have mercy and to save, O God, and to thee we render the glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, world without end. Amen.

For

Then every one of the bishops present gives the newly ordained bishop the kiss of brotherly fellowship, saying:

Welcome!

THE SOLEMNISATION OF

MATRIMONY.

The persons to be married present themselves before the bishop, the bridegroom standing by the right band of the bride. The bishop says:

WHAT do you desire?

The bridegroom and the bride answer: The blessing of God, and the prayers of his Church.

The bishop says:

Let us pray the Lord.

LORD our God, who hast betrothed unto thyself from among the nations thy Church as a chaste virgin, bless these thy servants, and direct them into every work that is best. For thou art merciful, and a lover of mankind, O God, and to thee we render the glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, world without end. Amen.

The bishop then asks the bridegroom and bride: Is it your wish to be joined together in matrimony?

The bridegroom answers:

In holy matrimony.