2. "No curate shall be admitted to officiate in another diocese, unless he bring with him his letters of orders (q).”

3. Can. 39. "No bishop shall institute any to a benefice who hath been ordained by any other bishop, except he first show unto him his letters of orders."

4. By the 4 Hen. 7, c. 13, " If any person, at the second time of asking his clergy, because he is within orders, hath not there ready his letters of orders, or a certificate of his ordinary witnessing the same; the justices afore whom he is arraigned shall give him a day to bring in his said letters or certificate; and if he fail in so doing, he shall lose the benefit of his clergy, as he shall do that is without orders."

XIII. Archbishop Wake's Directions to the Bishops of his Province in relation to Orders.

It is judged proper here to subjoin Archbishop Wake's letter to the bishops of the province of Canterbury, dated June 5, 1716, which, although it concerneth other matters besides those of ordination, yet since the due conferring of orders appeareth to be the principal regard thereof, it seemeth best to insert the same entire in this place; and to refer to it here at large from those other titles, unto which it hath some relation.

As to its authority, it is certain (as hath been observed before) that in itself it hath not the force of law, nor is it so intended, or to be of any binding obligation to the Church, further than the archbishops and bishops from time to time shall judge expedient; I mean, as to those parts of it which only concern matters that the law hath left indefinite, and discretionary in the archbishops and bishops. Other parts thereof are only inforcements of what was the law of the Church before; and those, without doubt, are of perpetual obligation: not by the authority of these injunctions, but by virtue of the laws upon which they are founded.

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My very good lord,

Being by the providence of God called to the metropolitical see of this province, I thought it incumbent upon me to consult as many of my brethren, the bishops of the same province, as were here met together during this session of parliament, in what manner we might best employ that authority which the ecclesiastical laws now in force, and the custom and laws of this realm, have vested in us, for the honour of God, and for the edification of his Church, committed to our charge: And upon serious consideration of this matter, we all of us agreed in the same opinion that we should, by the blessing of God upon our honest endeavours, in some measure promote these good ends, by taking care (as much as in us lieth) that no (9) Arund., Lindw. 48.

unworthy persons might hereafter be admitted into the sacred ministry of the Church: nor any be allowed to serve as curates but such as should appear to be duly qualified for such an employ; and that all who officiated in the room of any absent ministers, should reside upon the cures which they undertook to supply, and be ascertained of a suitable recompence for their labours.

"In pursuance of those resolutions, to which we unanimously agreed, I do now very earnestly recommend to you;

"(I.) That you require of every person who desires to be admitted to holy orders, that he signify to you his name and place of abode, and transmit to you his testimonial, and a certificate of his age duly attested, with the title upon which he is to be ordained, at least twenty days before the time of ordination; and that he appear on Wednesday, or at farthest on Thursday in ember week, in order to his examination.

"(II.) That if you shall reject any person, who applies for holy orders upon the account of immorality proved against him, you signify the name of the person so rejected, with the reason of your rejecting him, to me, within one month; that so I may acquaint the rest of my suffragans with the case of such rejected person before the next ordination.

"(III.) That you admit not any person to holy orders, who having resided any considerable time out of the university, does not send to you, with his testimonial, a certificate signed by the minister, and other credible inhabitants of the parish where he so resided, expressing that notice was given in the church, in time of divine service, on some Sunday, at least a month before the day of ordination, of his intention to offer himself to be ordained at such a time; to the end that any person who knows any impediment, or notable crime, for which he ought not to be ordained, may have opportunity to make his objections against him.

"(IV.) That you admit not letters testimonial, on any occasion whatsoever, unless it be therein expressed, for what particular end and design such letters are granted; nor unless it be declared by those who shall sign them, that they have personally known the life and behaviour of the person for the time by them certified; and do believe in their conscience, that he is qualified for that order, office, or employment, to which he desires to be admitted.

"(V.) That in all testimonials sent from any college or hall, in either of the universities, you expect that they be signed, as well as sealed; and that among the persons signing, the governor of such college or hall, or in his absence, the next person under such governor, with the dean, or reader of divinity, and the tutor of the person to whom the testimonial is granted, (such tutor being in the college, and such person being under the degree of master of arts,) do subscribe their names.

"(VI.) That you admit not any person to holy orders upon letters dimissory, unless they are granted by the bishop himself, or guardian of the spiritualties sede vacante; nor unless it be expressed in such letters, that he who grants them, has fully satisfied himself of the title and conversation of the person to whom the letter is granted.

(VII.) That you make diligent inquiry concerning curates in your diocese, and proceed to ecclesiastical censures against those who shall presume to serve cures without being first duly licensed thereunto; as also against all such incumbents who shall receive and employ them, without first obtaining such licence.

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(VIII.) That you do not by any means admit of any minister, who removes from any other diocese, to serve as a curate in yours, without testimony of the bishop of that diocese, or ordinary of the peculiar jurisdiction from whence he comes, in writing, of his honesty, ability, and conformity to the ecclesiastical laws of the Church of England.

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(IX.) That you do not allow any minister to serve more than one church or chapel in one day, except that chapel be a member of the parish church, or united thereunto; and unless the said church or chapel where such a minister shall serve in two places, be not able in your judgment to maintain a curate.

"(X.) That in the instrument of licence granted to any curate, you appoint him a sufficient salary, according to the power vested in you by the laws of the church, and the particular direction of a late act of parliament for the better maintenance of curates.

"(XI.) That in licences to be granted to persons to serve any cure, you cause to be inserted, after the mention of the particular cure provided for by such licences, a clause to this effect (or in any other parish within the diocese, to which such curate shall remove with the consent of the bishop.)

"(XII.) That you take care, as much as possible, that whosoever is admitted to serve any cure, do reside in the parish where he is to serve; especially in livings that are able to support a resident curate: and where that cannot be done, that they do at least reside so near to the place that they may conveniently perform all their duties both in the church and parish.

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“ These, my lord, were the orders and resolutions, to which we all agreed; and which I do hereby transmit to you; desiring you to communicate them to the clergy of your diocese, with an assurance that you are resolved, by the grace of God, to direct your practice in these particulars agreeably thereunto. And so commending you to the blessing of God in these, and all your other pious endeavours for the service of his Church, I heartily remain, My very good lord,

your truly affectionate brother, W. CANT."

(I.) That you require of every Person, &c.]-By this first article six things are required, viz.

(1.) That he signify to you his Name and Place of Abode.] -It may be so ordered, that this shall be set forth in the testimonial, or title, or both; but it seemeth rather, that by this article a distinct instrument is required for the signification. thereof.

(2.) And transmit to you his Testimonial.]—According to the 34th canon, and the fourth and fifth articles of these directions.

(3.) And a Certificate of his Age duly attested.]—That is, from the register book, under the hands of the minister and churchwardens of the parish where he was baptized; or, where that cannot be had, by other sufficient testimony.

(4.) With the Title upon which he is to be ordained.]—According to the tenor of the thirty-third canon before mentioned.

(5.) At least twenty Days before the Time of Ordination.] -By the canons aforesaid, the title and testimonial are required to be exhibited at the time of ordination: but by these directions, they are to be transmitted for so long time before, as that there may be an opportunity to make inquiry, if needful, into any of the particulars therein contained.

(6.) And that he appear on Wednesday, or at farthest on Thursday, in Ember Week.]—This is agreeable to the canon law before mentioned out of Lindwood, that he shall appear on the fourth day before the ordination.

(II.) That if you shall reject &c.]—This second article, of signifying the names of persons rejected for immorality to the archbishop, is a prudent caution; and was not provided for before by any law.

(III.) That you admit not any Person &c.]-This article, concerning notice to be given in the church, is also a reasonable provision, and agreeable to foreign practice (as hath been observed) although not particularly enjoined by any law in our church.

In the present directions, as delivered by the archbishops of late years, there is an alteration in this article: instead of the expression, that the minister and others shall certify "that notice was given in the church of his intention to offer himself to be ordained at such a time, to the end that any person who knows any impediment or notable crime, for the which he ought not to be ordained, may have opportunity to make his objections against him," (that is, to the bishop, as it seemeth); -it - it now runs, that they shall certify, "that such notice was given, and that upon such notice given no objections have come to their knowledge, for the which he ought not to be ordained," (which implies the objections to be notified to the persons signing the certificate.)

VOL. III.

F

(IV.) That you admit not Letters testimonial &c.]-This and the next article concerning testimonials, are supplementary to the thirty-fourth canon; and for their obligation do depend on these injunctions, and not on any fixed law; and therefore may be varied from time to time, as the archbishops and bishops shall see cause.

(V.) That in all Testimonials sent from any College &c.]— By the canon, the common seal only of the college was required, which indeed of itself (as in all other bodies corporate) doth imply a consent of the major part of the society: this article doth farther require a quorum (as it were); namely, that of the said major part, the head of the college, the dean, and the tutor, be three; and the same to appear by the subscription of their names. So that ordinarily it seemeth to be in the power of any one of those three, to prohibit any person of their college from being ordained; which thing perhaps may require some farther consideration. And it is much to the honour of the universities, that for so long a time there have been no instances of the abuse of this power.

(VI.) That you admit not any Person into Holy Orders upon Letters dimissory &c.]— The article concerning letters dimissory is only an admonition to put in due execution, what was the law of the church before.

(VII.) That you make diligent inquiry concerning Curates in your Diocese who shall presume to serve Cures without being first duly licensed.]-The substance of this article, concerning the licensing of curates, was enjoined before by several canons of the church.

(VIII.) That you do not by any means admit of any Minister, who removes from another Diocese, to serve as a Curate in yours, without Testimony of the Bishop of that Diocese, of his honesty, ability, &c.]-This article, concerning curates bringing testimonials from other dioceses, is nearly in the words of the forty-eighth canon.

In the present rules, instead of the word honesty (which is taken from the canon), are inserted the words good life.

(IX.) That you do not allow any Minister to serve more than one Church or Chapel in one Day.]-This article also is in the words of the forty-eighth canon.

(X.) That in the Instrument of Licence granted to any Curate, you appoint him a sufficient Salary, according to the Power vested in you by the Laws of the Church.]—There seemeth to be no particular law of the church, by which any certain sum is limited for the stipend of curates in general, but such as are obsolete and ineffectual by reason of the great alteration in the value of money. But the ordinary may refuse to license the curate, unless the incumbent shall in his nomination and appointment promise to pay unto the curate such a certain annual sum.

And the particular direction of a late Act of Parlia