1789 Book of Common Prayer: Institution · 1789 Book of Common Prayer: Front Matter & Lectionary

The Book of Common Prayer

	1789 U. S. Book of Common Prayer

AN
OFFICE OF
INSTITUTION	"INDUCTION
OF MINISTERS	OF MINISTERS" until 1808
INTO
PARISHES OR CHURCHES.
PRESCRIBED BY THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA: ESTABLISHED IN GENERAL CONVENTION OF THE BISHOPS. THE CLERGY,
AND LAITY, 1804 AND SET FORTH WITH ALTERATIONS, IN GENERAL CONVENTION,
1808.
Until	From	*
1808:	1808:	omitted after 1844
¶	¶
The Bishop having received the Notice of the Election of a Minister	The Bishop having received the Notice of the Election of a Minister
into a Parish or Church, as prescribed by the first Canon of 1804, and	into a Parish or Church, as prescribed by the Canon, concerning
being satisfied that the "person chosen is a qualified Minister of	"the Election and Institution of Ministers" and being
this Church," shall transmit the following Letter of Induction, for	satisfied that the "person chosen is a qualified Minister of this
the proposed Rector, or Assistant Minister, to one of his Presbyters,	Church," may transmit the following Letter of Institution, for the
whom he may appoint as the Inductor.	proposed Rector, or Assistant Minister, to one of his Presbyters, whom
	he may appoint as the Institutor.
	¶
	In any [State or]*
	Diocese, the concluding Paragraph in the Letter of Institution may be
	omitted, where it interferes with the Usages, Laws, or Charters of the
	Church in the same.
To our well-beloved in Christ, A. B., Presbyter, Greeting.
WE do by these Presents give and grant unto
you, in whose Learning, Diligence, sound doctrine, and Prudence, we do
fully Confide, our License and authority to perform the Office of a Priest,
in the Parish [or Church] of E. And also hereby do institute
you into said Parish, [or Church,] possessed of full power to perform every
Act of sacerdotal Function among the People in the same; you continuing
in communion with us, and complying with the rubrics and canons of the
Church, and with such lawful directions as you shall at any time receive
from us.
And as a canonically instituted Priest into the Office
of Rector [or Associated Rector* or Assistant Minister,	*
as the case may be] of ____________ Parish [or Church,] you are	"Associated Rector" omitted after 1832
faithfully to feed that portion of the flock of Christ which is now intrusted
to you; not as a man-pleaser, but as continually bearing in mind that
you are accountable to us here, and to the Chief Bishop and Sovereign
Judge of all, hereafter.
And as the Lord hath ordained that they who serve at
the altar should live of the things belonging to the altar; so we authorize
you to claim and enjoy all the accustomed temporalities appertaining to
your cure, until some urgent reason or reasons occasion a wish in you,
or in the congregation committed to your charge, to bring about a separation,
and dissolution of all sacerdotal relation, between you and them: of all
which you will give us due notice: and in case of any difference between
you and your congregation, as to a separation and dissolution of all sacerdotal
connection between you and them, we, your Bishop, with the advice of our
Presbyters, are to be the ultimate arbiter and judge.
In witness thereof, we have hereunto affixed our episcopal
seal and signature, at _____, this ____ day of ___, A. D. ___, and in
the ____ year of our consecration.
¶
In the case of a Minister to be instituted in a State or Diocese in
which there is no Bishop, the Clerical Members of the Standing Committee
shall read the following Letter of Institution, for the proposed Minister,
to the Presbyter whom they may appoint as Institutor.
To
our well-beloved in Christ, A. B., Presbyter, Greeting.
WE do by these Presents authorize and empower
you to exercise the Office of a Priest, in the Parish [or Church] of E.
And by virtue of the power vested in us, do institute you into said Parish
[or Church] possessed of full power to perform every Act of sacerdotal
Function among the People in the same; you complying with the rubrics
and canons of the Church.
And as a canonically instituted Priest into the Office of Rector [ or
Associated Rector* or Assistant Minister, as the case	*
may be] of ____________ Parish [or Church,] you are faithfully to feed	"Associated Rector" omitted after 1832.
that portion of the flock of Christ which is now intrusted to you; not as
a man-pleaser, but as continually bearing in mind that you are accountable
to the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Church here, and to the Chief Bishop
and Sovereign Judge of all, hereafter.
And as the Lord hath ordained that they who serve at
the altar should live of the things belonging to the altar; so you have
our authority to claim and enjoy all the accustomed temporalities appertaining
to your cure, until some urgent reason or reasons occasion a wish in you,
or in the congregation committed to your charge, to bring about a separation,
and dissolution of all sacerdotal relation, between you and them: of all
which you will give us due notice: and in case of any difference between
you and your congregation, as to a separation and dissolution of all sacerdotal
connection between you and them, the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Church
in this Diocese (taking the advice and aid of a Bishop), shall be the ultimate
arbiter and judge.
In witness thereof, we have hereunto set our hands and
seal, at _____, this ____ day of ___, in the year ____.
¶
The day being appointed for the new Incumbent's Institution, at the
usual hour of Morning Prayer, the Institutor*, attended by the new Incumbent,	*
and one or more Presbyters appointed by the Bishop (or, where there is	"Inductor" until 1808.
no Bishop the Clerical members of the Standing Committee) for that purpose,
shall enter the Church. Then, all the Clergy present standing without
the rails of the Altar, except the officiating Priest, who shall go into
the Desk; the Wardens (or, in the case of their necessary absence, two
members of the Vestry) standing on the right and left of the Altar, without
the rails; the Senior Warden (or the Member of the Vestry holding his
place) holding the keys of the Church in his hand, in open view, the officiating
Priest shall read Morning Prayer.
PROPER	*
PSALMS [ARE]*,	omitted after 1832
Psalm
cxxii. Psalm cxxxii.
Psalm cxxxiii.
PROPER
LESSONS.
FIRST.
Ezek. Chap. xxxiii. verse 1 to verse 10.
SECOND. St. John chap. x. verse 1 to verse 19.
¶	*
Morning Prayer being ended, the Priest, who acts as the Institutor*,	"Inductor" until 1808.
standing within the rails of the Altar, shall say,
DEARLY
beloved in the Lord, we have assembled for the purpose of instituting the
Rev. A. B. into this Parish, [or Church,] as Priest and	*"Associated
Rector [or Associated Rector * or Assistant Minister]	Rector" omitted after 1832.
of the same; and we are possessed of your vote that he has been so elected;
as also of the prescribed Letter of Institution. But if any of you can show
just cause why he may not be instituted, we proceed no further, because
we would not that an unworthy person should minister among you.
¶
If any objection be offered, the Priest who acts as the Institutor*	*
shall judge whether it afford just cause to suspend the Service.	"Inductor", "Induction" until
¶	1808.
No objection being offered, or the Priest who acts as Institutor choosing	These
to go on with the Service, he shall next read the Letter of Institution.*	three rubrics were written as one until 1838.
¶
And then shall the Senior Warden (or the member of the Vestry supplying
his place) present the keys of the Church to the new Incumbent, saying,
	*
	"Associated Rector" omitted after 1832.
IN
the name and behalf of ____ Parish [or Church] I do receive and acknowledge
you, the Rev. A. B., as Priest and Rector, [or Associated
Rector* or Assistant Minister] of the same; and in token thereof,
give into your hands the keys of this Church.
¶	*
Then the new Incumbent shall say,	"Inducting" until 1808.
I,
A. B., receive these keys of the house of God at your hands,
as the pledges of my Institution, and of your parochial recognition, and
promise to be a faithful Shepherd over you, In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
¶
Here the Instituting* Minister shall begin the Office.
	*
	"Inductor" until 1808.
Minister. The Lord be with you.
Answer. And with thy spirit.
Let
us pray.
DIRECT
us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further
us with thy continual help, that in all our works begun, continued, and
ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy
obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who hath taught
us to pray unto thee, O Mighty Father, in his prevailing Name and words,
OUR
Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass
against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
¶
Then shall the Priest who acts as the Institutor* receive the Incumbent
within the rails of the Altar, and present him the Bible, Book of Common
Prayer, and of Canons of the General and State Convention, saying as follows.
	"Amen" added in 1871.
RECEIVE these Books; and let them be the
rule of thy conduct in dispensing the divine Word, in leading the Devotions
of the people, and in exercising the Discipline of the Church; and be
thou in all things a pattern to the flock committed to thy care.
¶
Then shall be said or sung the following Anthem.
Laudate
Nomen.
O
PRAISE the Lord; laud ye the name of the Lord: praise it, O ye servants
of the Lord. Psalm cxxxv. verse 1.
2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts
of the house of our God. Verse 2.
3 O praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious; O sing
praises unto his Name, for it is lovely. Verse 3.
4 The Lord is gracious and merciful; long-suffering,
and of great goodness. Psalm cxlv. verse 8.
5 The Lord is loving unto every man; and his mercy is
over all his works. Verse 9.
6 All thy works praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints
give thanks unto thee. Verse 10.
7 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem, and gather together
the outcasts of Israel. Psalm cxlvii. verse 2.
8 He healeth those that are broken in heart, and giveth
medicine to heal their sickness. Verse 3.
9 The Lord's delight is in them that fear him, and put
their trust in his mercy. Verse 11.
10 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
Verse 12.
11 For he hath made fast the bars of thy gates, and
hath blessed thy children within thee. Verse 13.
12 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee
with the flour of wheat. Verse 14.
13 He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation:
God is the Lord, by whom we escape death, Psalm lxviii verse
20.
14 O God, wonderful art thou in thy holy places: even
the God of Israel, he will give strength and power unto his people. Blessed
be God. Verse 35.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Minister.	*
The Law was given by Moses;	"Inducted" until 1808.
People. But Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ:
Minister and People. Who is God over all, blessed
for evermore. Amen.
Let
us pray.
MOST
gracious God, the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, who of thy wise
providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church; Give thy grace,
we beseech thee, to thy servant, to whom the charge of this Congregation
is now committed; and so replenish him with the truth of thy doctrine
and endue him with innocency of life, that he may faithfully serve before
thee, to the glory of thy great Name and the benefit of thy holy Church;
through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.
O
HOLY Jesus, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church, and hast
promised to be with the Ministers of Apostolic Succession to the end of
the world; Be graciously pleased to bless the ministry and service of
him who is now appointed to offer the sacrifices of prayer and praise
to thee in this house, which is called by thy Name. May the words of his
mouth, and the meditation of his heart, be always acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
O
GOD, Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the Faithful, visit, we pray thee, this
Congregation with thy love and favour; enlighten their minds more and
more with the light of thy everlasting Gospel; graft in their hearts a
love of the truth; increase in them true religion; nourish them with all
goodness; and of thy great mercy keep them in the same, O blessed Spirit,
whom, with the Father and the Son together, we worship and glorify as
one God, world without end. Amen.
Benediction.
THE
God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the
great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant;
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that
which is well pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
¶
Then shall the Instituted* Minister kneel at the Altar, to present
his supplication for himself, in this form.
	*
	"Inducted" until 1808.
O LORD my God! I am not worthy that
thou shouldest come under my roof; yet thou hast honoured thy servant
with appointing him to stand in thy House, and to serve at thy holy Altar.
To thee and to thy service I devote myself, mind, body, and spirit, with
all their powers and faculties. Fill my memory with the words of thy Law;
enlighten my understanding with the illumination of the Holy Ghost; and
may all the wishes and desires of my will centre in what thou hast commanded
And, to make me instrumental in promoting the salvation of the people
now committed to my charge, grant that I may faithfully administer thy
holy Sacraments, and by my life and doctrine set forth thy true and lively
Word. Be ever with me in the performance of all the duties of my ministry;
in prayer, to quicken my devotion; in praises; to heighten my love and
gratitude; and in preaching, to give a readiness of thought and expression
suitable to the Clearness and excellency of thy holy Word. Grant this
for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Saviour.
¶
The Instituted* Minister, standing up, shall say,
The
Lord be with you.
Answer. And with thy Spirit.
Let
us pray.
O
ALMIGHTY God, who hast built thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles
and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-Stone; Grant
that, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, all Christians may be so joined
together in unity of spirit, and in the bond of peace, that they may be
an holy temple acceptable unto thee. And especially to this congregation
present, give the abundance of thy grace; that with one heart they may
desire the prosperity of thy Holy Apostolic Church, and with one mouth
may profess the faith once delivered to the Saints. Defend them from the
sins of heresy and schism: let not the foot of pride come nigh to hurt
them, nor the hand of the ungodly to cast them down. And grant that the
course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that
thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; that so they
may walk in the ways of truth and peace, and at last be numbered with
thy Saints in glory everlasting; through thy merits, O blessed Jesus,
thou gracious Bishop and Shepherd of our souls, who art with the Father
and the Holy Ghost one God, world without end. Amen.
¶
Then shall follow the Sermon, and after that the Instituted Minister
shall proceed to the Communion Service, and to administer the holy Eucharist
to his Congregation; and after the Benediction, (which he shall always
pronounce,) the Wardens, Vestry, and others shall salute and welcome him,
bidding him God-speed.
¶
When the Bishop of the Diocese is present at the Institution of a
Minister, he shall make to him the address prescribed in this Office in
the form of a letter; and may perform such other duties herein assigned
the Instituting Minister as he may choose.

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