The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-04
 ORDINATION
 AT ST. JOHNS Two to Diaconate, One Advanced to Priesthood BISHOP BEcKwIH oFFIcIATED Rev. Bertram E. Brown Preached
 the Sermon. A Large Congregation Witnessed the Solemn and Unususi scenes--Two of the Young Men Will Serve
 In Montgomery.
BISHOP BEcKwITH oFFIcIATED

The ordination of two candidates for the Diaconate and one for the priest hood took place yesterday morning at St. Johns Episcopal Church. The att tendance was very large and the ser- vices though lengthy were interesting and impressive. Under the order of ordination morning prayer is part of the service. This part of the service was held at 10 o'clock and to this ex- tent shortened the longer service.
 At II o'clock the vested choir sang the professional and filed into their places in the chancel. Following were the candidates for the dlaconate, Nor rison E.Bethea and Wyatt Hunter Brown of Eufaula and for the priesthood, Rev. Willis c. Clark of Mont gomery, the Rev. E. E. Cobbs. rector of St. Of St. James of Eufaula, who preach . ed the ordination sermon, and the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Rev. c. NJ. Beckwith, D. D.
 Rev. Mir. Brown ascended the pulpit and preached the following ordination sermon:
 When the day appointed by the Bishop is come. after Morning Prayer Is ended, there shall be a sermon, or exhortation. declaring the duty and of- flee of such as come to be admitted Deacons Cor Priests) how necessary that office is in the church of Christ, and also, how the people ought to es- teem them in their office.' Rubric at beginning of ordering of Deacons and Priests.
 The form and matter of an ordina ; tion sermon, you observe is definitely fixed by this rubric. According to its terms I must set before you three ideas --the necessity of the office of Priest and Deacon in the church of Christ conferred as you will this morning see; the duty undertaken by tn ose who hold that offlce and the estimation in which you, the people should hold them.
 l. Our church teaches and practices that it Is the will of Christ that His church sh ould be served by three or- ders of ministers. now called Bishops, Priests and Deacoos
 a. Of these, the order of Deacons Is most limited in its functions, having ual acts of preaching, conducting wor- ship, administering baptism and ceie- brating the rite of matrimony.
 b. The order of Priests may do all that the Deacon may do, and besides do what he cannot do. celebrate the Holy Communion, pronounce the Dec laration of AbsolutIon of sins and bless
 
 c. The order of Bishops may do all that the Deacon and Priest may do, and besides do what they may not do. administer the rite of confirmation and ordain others to the ofice of Deacon, Priest and Bishop by the laying on of hands.
 And our church furthermore teaches and practices that there is no other way acceptable to Christ of making any man rightful Deacon, Priest or Bishop save by laying on of hand of a rightfully ordained Bishop.
 This doctrine of our Church based partly on the revelation of Christ's will in the Holy Scripture. and partly on the practice of the Church as time.
 The eleven Apostles were evidently according to Scriptures given exclusive power to impart grace and authority by the laying on of their hands.
 St. Peter and St. John were sent for to lay their hands on the heads of cer- tain Baptisted Christians before they were considered in full communion with the Church. The seven Deacons first selected for that office were fully inducted into 1t by having the Apostles hands laid upon their heads That this act was exercised by the Apostles only Is evident. and yet that they did not intend that it should cease with this is also evident from flee and power by ordaining Matthias an Apostle in Judas place, and that St. Paul counted himself, without con- tfadiction as also an Apostle, with an Apostles peculiar powers.
 The origin of the order of Deacons with the method of their ordination is likewise found in the Scriptures.
 a~k Na-a- as distinct from that of Apostle, or Bishop, is not so evident from Scrip ture, but its necessity is justified by the fact that when the Christian Church emerges into the clear light of history within a few years after the Apostles time. 1t was everywhere equipped with three orders, separate and distinct.
 This then is what our Church holds concerning /(he ministry of the Church of Christ / It must consist of these three O /ers, and these orders must have I@n perpetuated by a succession of o|dnations conferred by the laying on/of Bishops hands in a contin- y5uA unbroken series from the Apos- /des ntil now
 may say in passing that this doc Urine Is believed and practiced by Christian Churches embracing nine tenths of all the Christians in the world
 If any should think it petty that the rightful ministry of the Christian church should depend upon so slight A thing-so merely material a thing as the laying on of hands in un- ,.-aken series, 1t may be said in reply that au% east such was Gods plan be- fore in h gards to his old Jewish Church. n gre no one could be a Priest excep V the descendants of Aaron, and all male descendants of Aaron were Priests. A man might be an inspired Prophet. he might be a learned Rabbi, he might be a holy Saint-but d Priest he could not be unless he was born of a family de- cended from Aaron. So In Christs' Church. 1t was but reasonable to ex- pect that God should likewise have ordered an outward. physical require ment kept in unbroken line as neces- sary for service at the altar.
 That unbroken line, that continuous succession. that long chain of success sive ordinations. dear friends. has heen safely kept by us. You are to witness today the extension one link further of that wondrous chain. The rite you will see today connects us with all the ages of the Churches past not only in spirit. but by palpa- b1A visible contact of man to man. Nothing you could witness on earth today bears any such majestic Import; m title borne by any man today car ries with it any such dazzling trains of ancestors who have passed 1t down. ,r extends so far into ths distant 0es ar had its origin =. any such