Aymn27
Radical Reformationist
- Feb 12, 2005
- 2,820
- 165
- 51
- Faith
- Anabaptist
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Republican
I believe the first three points that a_ntv so eloquently stated here are the criteria of which you're looking for. In addition, some of the Anglican Church, have adopted the practice of permitting and ordaining women priests, counter to the all-male priesthood Christ established for his church, thus nullifying the validity of the priesthood for those parishes that accept it, being as they changed a doctrine that Christ himself founded, they've put themselves in error, or Heresy as one would say.
Brother Raven,
I understand quite well the "catholic" standard, and I would argue that all points were met under the Edwardian Ordinal. However, that still does not address the point of "sacredotal" priesthood - what does it mean? where is it in the NT and earliest church fathers? And is such an understanding necessary to remain "catholic" if it cannot be proven from Tradition that such an understanding has always been believed. What are the parameters for "sacredotal" ministry? The following is the ordination rite in question:
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.
¶ 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 serue, is his spouse and hys 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.
Then, forasmuche as your office is both of so greate excellencye, and of so great difficultie, ye se with howe greate care and study ye oughte to apply yourselves, as well that you maye shewe yourselves kinde to that Lorde, who hath placed you in so high a dignitie, as also to beware, that neyther you yourselves offende, neither be occasion that other offende. Howbeit, ye cannot have a mynde and a wyll thereto of yourselves, for that power and abilitie is geven of God alone. Therfore ye se how ye ought and have nede, earnestly to praye for hys holy spirit. And seyng that ye cannot by any other meanes compasse the doyng of so weightie a woorke perteining to the salvacion of man, but with doctryne and exhortacion, taken out of holy scripture and with a life agreable unto the same. Ye perceyve how studyous ye oughte to be in readyng and learnyng the holy scriptures, and in framyng the maners, both of yourselves, and of them that specially partein unto you, accordyng to the rule of the same scriptures. And for this selfesame cause, ye see how you oughte to forsake and set aside (as much as you maye) all worldly cares and studyes.
We have a good hope, that you have well weighed and pondred these thynges with yourselves, long before thys tyme, and that you have clerely determyned, by goddes grace, to geve yourselves wholy to this vocacyon, wherunto it hath pleased God to call you, so that (as muche as lieth in you) you apply youreselves wholy to this one thing, and drawe al your cares and studies this way, and to thys ende. And that you wyll continually praye for the heavenly assistaunce of the holy goste, from God the father, by the mediacion of our only mediatour and saviour Jesus Chryste, that by dayly readyng and weighing of the scriptures, ye may waxe riper and stronger in your ministerie. And that ye may so endevour yourselfes from time to time to sanctifie the lives of you and yours, and to fashion them after the rule and doctrine of Christ. And that ye maye be wholesome and godly examples and paternes, for the reste of the congregacyon to folowe. And that this present congregacion of Christ here assembled, may also understande youre myndes and wylles, in these thynges: And that this your promes, shall more move you to doe your dueties, ye shal answer plainly to these thinges, whiche we in the name of the congregacyon shal demaunde of you, touchyng the same.
Doe you thynke in your heart, that you be truly called accordyng to the will of our Lorde Jesus Chyrste, and the ordre of this Churche of Englande, to the ministerie of Priesthode?
Aunswere. I thinke it.
The Bishoppe. Be you perswaded that the holy Scriptures contein sufficiently al doctrine required of necessitie for eternal salvacion, throughe faith in Jesu Christe? And are you determined with the saied scriptures, to enstructe the people committed to your charge, and to teache nothyng, as required of necessitie, to eternal salvacion, but that you shalbe perswaded may be concluded, and proved by the scripture?
Aunswere. I am so perswaded, and have so determyned by Gods grace.
The Bishoppe. Will you then geve your faythfull dylygence alwayes, so to mynister the doctryne and Sacramentes, and the discipline of Christ, as the lord hath commaunded, and as thys realme hath received the same, accordyng to the commaundementes of God, so that you may teache the people committed to youre cure and charge, with al diligence to kepe and observe the same?
Aunswere. I wil so doe, by the helpe of the Lord.
The Bishoppe. Wil you be ready with al faithful diligence, to banishe and drive away al erronious and straunge doctrines, contrarye to gods worde, and to use both publyke and private monycyons [=warnings] and exhortacyons, as well to the sicke as to the whole, within youre cures, as nede shall require and occasion be geven?
Aunswere. I wyll, the Lorde beyng my helper.
The Bisshoppe. Wil you be diligent in praiers, and in reading of the holy scriptures, and in such studies as help to the knowledge of the same, laying aside the study of the world and the fleshe?
Aunswere. I wyll endevour myself so to doe, the Lord beyng my helper.
The Bisshoppe. Wil you be diligent to frame and fashion youre own selves, and your families, according to the doctrine of Christe, and to make bothe youreselves and them (as muche as in you lieth) wholsome examples and spectacles to the flocke of Chryst?
Aunswere. I wyll so apply myselfe, the lorde beyng my helper.
The Bisshoppe. Wil you maintein and set forwardes (as much as lieth in you) quietnes, peace, and love emonges al christian people, and specially emong them that are, or sha be committed to your charge?
Aunswere. I will so do, the Lorde being my helper.
The Bisshoppe. Will you reverentlye obeye your Ordinarie, and other chiefe ministers, unto whom the governement and charge is commytted over you, folowing with a glad mynde and will, their godly admonicion, and submyttyng youreselves to theyr godlye judgementes?
Aunswere. I wyll so doe, the Lorde beyng my helper.
¶ 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.
Aunswere. And with thy spirite.]*
* omitted in 1552.
¶ 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.
1549:
Upvote
0
