Practical Instructions

AND

FORMS.

FOR DEACON'S ORDERS.

THE testimonials, certificates, documents, and papers required to be transmitted and sent to the bishop free of expence, not less than twenty days before the day of ordination, by a candidate for deacon's orders, together with his name, academical degree, place of abode, and actual occupation, are as follows, videlicet. ·

Testimonial from his college. But if he come not immediately from a college, then there must be also a testimonial in writing from the time he left college, subscribed by three beneficed clergymen, and countersigned by the respective bishops of the dioceses in which each of the subscribers is beneficed, if they are not beneficed in the diocese of the bishop to whom it is addressed, in the following form:

To the Right Reverend Father in God,
by divine permission, Lord Bishop of

B

Whereas our well beloved in Christ, C. D., of college, Oxford, B. A., hath declared to us his intention of offering himself a candidate for the sacred office of a deacon, and for that end hath requested of us letters testimonial of his learning and good behaviour. We, therefore, whose names are hereunto subscribed, do testify, that the said C. D. having been personally known to us for the space of [from the time he left college] last past, hath during that time lived piously, soberly, and honestly, and diligently applied himself to his studies; nor hath he at any time, as far as we know or have heard, maintained or written any thing contrary to the doctrine or discipline of the united church of England and Ireland, as by law established. And moreover, we believe him, in our consciences, a person worthy to be admitted to the sacred order of a deacon.'

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our

hands, this

day of

in the

year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and

E. F., Rector of

G. H., Vicar of

J. K., Perpetual Curate of

Notice, or "si quis," and a certificate of such notice having been published in the church not less than a month before the day of ordination, under the hands of the officiating minister and church

warden of the parish where he resides, except he come immediately from a college, in the following form :

Notice is hereby given, that C. D., of

college, Oxford, B. A., and now resident in this parish, intends to offer himself a candidate for the holy office of a deacon at the ensuing ordination of the lord bishop of and if any person knows any cause or just impediment why the said C. D. ought not to be admitted to the holy order of a deacon, he is now to declare the same, or to signify the same forthwith to the lord bishop of

We do hereby certify, that on Sunday, the day of

instant, the above notice was publicly read by the undersigned L. M.,, in the parish

in the county of

in the time

church of of divine service, and that no cause or just impedi

ment was then and there alleged♫ 1.1.3

Witness our hands, this

day of

-, in

the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and

Certificate under the hand of the university professor of divinity, that he attended his lectures.

Certificate of his baptism extracted from the baptism register; under the hand of the officiating minister of the parish where he was baptized, to

prove that he is of the age of * three and twenty years complete.

If he be of the age aforesaid, and cannot produce such certificate, or where his age is greater than appears from the baptism register, as where time elapsed between his birth and baptism, then there must be in either case an affidavit made by soine competent person, of the time of his birth, to accompany the baptismal certificate, sworn before a justice of the peace, in the following form :—

I. D., of, in the county of, Esquire, maketh oath that his son, C. D., of college, Oxford, B.A., now a candidate for the sacred office of a deacon at the ensuing ordination of the lord bishop of

the county of

-, was born in the parish of:

on the

in

day of, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and and that he therefore attained his age of

three and twenty years on the

day of

last past, [but was not baptized until the day

* The age of twenty-three is completed on the day preced

ing the anniversary of a person's birth.

The title upon which he is to be ordained deacon, in the following form :

To the Right Reverend Father in God,

by divine permission Lord Bishop of―.

These are to certify your lordship, that I, A. B.,

clerk, M.A., rector of and in your lordship's nominate C. D., of

in the county of

diocese of ——, do hereby college, Oxford, B. A., to

perform the office of a curate, in my church of aforesaid, and do promise to allow him the yearly stipend of pounds for his maintenance in the same, with the surplice fees, amounting on an average to pounds per annum, and the use of the rectory house and the garden and offices thereunto belonging, and to continue him to officiate as curate in my said church until he shall be otherwise provided with some ecclesiastical preferment, unless for any fault by him committed he shall be lawfully removed from the same. And I hereby solemnly declare, that I do not fraudulently give this certificate to entitle the said C. D. to receive holy orders, but with a real intention to employ him in my said church, according to what is before expressed. And pursuant to the direction of the Act of Parliament (57th Geo. III., ch. 99), I do hereby state, that the said C. D. purposes to reside in the said rectory house and that the gross annual value of the said rectory is

;

pounds.

Witness my hand, this

day of

in the