land, and Ireland: and herein I require you most especially to for the king's most excellent majesty, our sovereign lord JAMES, king of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, and supreme governor in these his realms, and all other his dominions and countries, over all persons, in all causes, as well ecclesiastical as temporal: ye shall also pray for our gracious queen ANNE, the noble prince Henry, and the rest of the king and queen's royal issue: ye shall also pray for the ministers of God's holy word and sacraments, as well archbishops and bishops, as other pastors and curates: ye shall also pray for the king's most honorable council, and for all the nobility and magistrates of this realm; that all and ever of these, in their several callings, may serve truly and painfully to the glory of God, and the edifying and well governing of his people, remembering the account that they must make: also ye shall pray for the whole commons of this realm, that they may live in the true faith and fear of God, in humble obedience to the king, and brotherly charity one to another. Finally, let us praise God for all those which are departed out of this life in the faith of Christ, and pray unto God, that we may have grace to direct our lives after their good example; that, this life ended, we may be made partakers with them of the glorious resurrection in the life everlasting; always concluding with the Lord's Prayer.

LVI. Preachers and Lecturers to read Divine Service, and administer the Sacraments twice a year at the least. Every minister, being possessed of a benefice that hath cure and charge of souls, although he chiefly attend to preaching, and hath a curate under him to execute the other duties which are to be performed for him in the church, and likewise every other stipendiary preacher that readeth any lecture, or catechizeth, or preacheth in any church or chapel, shall twice at the least every year read himself the divine service upon two several Sundays publicly, and at the usual times, both in the forenoon and afternoon, in the church which he so possesseth, or where he readeth, catechizeth, or preacheth, as is aforesaid; and shall likewise as often in every year administer the sacraments of baptism, if there be any to be baptized, and of the Lord's supper, in such manner and form, and with the observation of all such rites and ceremonies as are prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer in that behalf; which if he do not accordingly perform, then shall he that is possessed of a benefice (as before) be suspended; and he that is but a reader, preacher, or catechizer, be removed from his place by the bishop of the diocese, until he or they shall submit them

selves to perform all the said duties, in such manner and sort as before is prescribed.

LVII. The Sacraments not to be refused at the Hands of unpreaching Ministers.

Whereas divers persons, seduced by false teachers, do refuse to have their children baptized by a minister that is no preacher, and to receive the holy communion at his hands in the same respect, as though the virtue of those sacraments did depend upon his ability to preach; forasmuch as the doctrine both of baptism and of the Lord's supper is so sufficiently set down in the Book of Common Prayer to be used at the administration of the said sacraments, as nothing can be added unto it that is material and necessary; we do require and charge every such person, seduced as aforesaid, to reform that their wilfulness, and to submit himself to the order of the Church in that behalf; both the said sacraments being equally effectual, whether they be ministered by a minister that is no preacher, or by one that is a preacher. And if any hereafter shall offend herein, or leave their own parish-churches in that respect, and communicate, or cause their children to be baptized, in other parishes abroad, and will not be moved thereby to reform that their error and unlawful course; let them be presented to the ordinary of the place by the minister, church-wardens, and side-men, or quest-men of the parishes where they dwell, and there receive such punishment by ecclesiastical censures, as such obstinacy doth worthily deserve; that is, let them (persisting in their wilfulness) be suspended, and then, after a month's further obstinacy, excommunicated. And likewise if any parson, vicar, or curate, shall, after the publishing hereof, either receive to the communion any such persons which are not of his own church and parish, or shall baptize any of their children, thereby strengthening them in their said errors; let him be suspended, and not released thereof, until he do faithfully promise that he will not afterwards offend therein.

LVIII. Ministers reading Divine Service, and administering the Sacraments, to wear Surplices, and Graduates therewithal Hoods.

Every minister saying the public prayers, or ministering the sacraments, or other rites of the church, shall wear a decent and comely surplice with sleeves, to be provided at the charge of the parish. And if any question arise touching the matter, decency, or comeliness thereof, the same shall be decided by the discretion

of the ordinary. Furthermore, such ministers as are graduate shall wear upon their surplices, at such times, such hoods as by the order of the universities are agreeable to their degrees, which no minister shall wear (being no graduate) under pain of suspension. Notwithstanding it shall be lawful for such ministers as are not graduates to wear upon their surplices, instead of hoods some decent tippet of black, so it be not silk.

LIX. Ministers to catechize every Sunday.

Every parson, vicar, or curate, upon every Sunday and holiday, before evening prayer, shall, for half an hour or more, examine and instruct the youth and ignorant persons of his parish, in the Ten Commandments, the Articles of the Belief, and in the Lord's Prayer; and shall diligently hear, instruct, and teach them the Catechism set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. And all fathers, mothers, masters, and mistresses, shall cause their children, servants, and apprentices, which have not learned the Catechism to come to the Church at the time appointed, obediently to hear, and to be ordered by the minister, until they have learned the same. And if any minister neglect his duty herein, let him be sharply reproved upon the first complaint, and true notice thereof given to the bishop or ordinary of the place. If, after submitting himself, he shall willingly offend therein again, let him be suspended; if so the third time, there being little hope that he will be therein reformed, then excommunicated, and so remain until he will be reformed. And likewise if any of the said fathers, mothers, masters, or mistresses, children, servants, or apprentices, shall neglect their duties, as the one sort in not causing them to come, and the other in refusing to learn, as aforesaid, let them be suspended by their ordinaries (if they be not children), and if they so persist by the space of a month, then let them be excommunicated.

LX Confirmation to be performed once in three Years. Forasmuch as it hath been a solemn, ancient, and laudable custom in the Church of God, continued from the apostles' times, that all bishops should lay their hands upon children baptized and instructed in the Catechism of Christian Religion, praying over them and blessing them, which we commonly call Confirmation; and that this holy action hath been accustomed in the Church, in former ages, to be performed in the bishop's visitation every third year; we will and appoint, That every bishop or his suffragan, in his accustomed visitation, do, in his own person, carefully observe the said custom. And if in that year, by reason

of some infirmity, he be not able personally to visit, then he shall not omit the execution of that duty of confirmation the next year after, as he may conveniently.

LXI. Ministers to prepare Children for Confirmation.

Every minister that hath cure and charge of souls, for the better accomplishing of the orders prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer concerning confirmation, shall take especial care that none shall be presented to the bishop for him to lay his hands upon, but such as can render an account of their faith, according to the Catechism in the said book contained. And when the bishop shall assign any time for the performance of that part of his duty, every such minister shall use his best endeavor to prepare and make able, and likewise to procure as many as he can to be then brought, and by the bishop to be confirmed.

LXII. Ministers not to marry any persons without Banns, or License.

No minister, upon pain of suspension per triennium ipso facto, shall celebrate matrimony between any persons, without a faculty or license granted by some of the persons in these our Constitutions expressed, except the banns of matrimony have been first published three several Sundays, or holy-days, in the time of divine service, in the parish-churches and chapels where the said parties dwell, according to the Book of Common Prayer. Neither shall any minister, upon the like pain, under any pretence whatsoever, join any persons so licensed, in marriage, at any unseasonable times, but only between the hours of eight and twelve in the forenoon; nor in any private place, but either in the said churches or chapels where one of them dwelleth, and likewise in time of divine service; nor when banns are thrice asked, and no license in that respect necessary, before the parents or governors of the parties to be married, being under the age of twenty and one years, shall either personally, or by sufficient testimony, signify to him their consents given to the said marriages.

LXIII. Ministers of exempt Churches not to marry without Banns, or License.

Every minister who shall hereafter celebrate marriage between any persons, contrary to our said Constitutions, or any part of them, under color of any peculiar liberty or privilege claimed to appertain to certain churches and chapels, shall be suspended per triennium, by the ordinary of the place where the offence shall

be committed. And if any such minister shall afterwards remove from the place where he hath committed that fault, before he be suspended, as is aforesaid, then shall the bishop of the diocese, or ordinary of the place where he remaineth, upon certificate under the hand and seal of the other ordinary, from whose jurisdiction he removed, execute that censure upon him.

LXIV. Ministers solemnly to bid Holy-days.

Every parson, vicar, or curate, shall, in his several charge, declare to the people, every Sunday, at the time appointed in the Communion-book, whether there be any holy-days or fasting-days the week following. And if any do hereafter wittingly offend herein, and being once admonished hereof by his ordinary, shall again omit that duty, let him be censured according to law, until he submit himself to the due performance of it.

LXV. Ministers solemnly to denounce Recusants and Excommunicates.

All ordinaries shall, in their several jurisdictions, carefully see and give order, that as well those who for obstinate refusing to frequent divine service established by public authority within this realm of England, as those also (especially of the better sort and condition) who for notorious contumacy, or other notable crimes, stand lawfully excommunicate (unless within three months immediately after the said sentence of excommunication pronounced against them, they reform themselves, and obtain the benefit of absolution), be every six months ensuing, as well in the parish-church, as in the cathedral church of the diocese in which they remain, by the minister openly in time of divine service, upon some Sunday, denounced and declared excommunicate, that others may be thereby both admonished to refrain their company and society, and excited the rather to procure out a writ De excommunicato capiendo, thereby to bring and reduce them into due order and obedience. Likewise the registrar of every ecclesiastical court shall yearly between Michaelmas and Christmas duly certify the archbishop of the province of all and singular the premises aforesaid.

LXVI. Ministers to confer with Recusants.

Every minister being a preacher, and having any popish recusant or recusants in his parish, and thought fit by the bishop of the diocese, shall labor diligently with them from time to time, thereby to reclaim them from their errors.

And