General
Church of the New Jerusalem
Liturgyfor the General Church of the New Jerusalem
ORDINATION
All kneeling, the Bishop shall
repeat one of the following, or other suitable Prayer:
O Lord, our Redeemer and Savior; we beseech Thee to bless
Thy servant now about to enter (more fully) among those who teach Thy
Word and lead in the way of heaven; enlighten him by Thy Holy Spirit; warm his heart;
strengthen his hands; give him knowledge and understanding, that he may see Thy
truth and follow Thee, seeking to know only Thy Divine will and Thy Divine law,
in Thy presence evermore. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who art our King and High Priest forever;
we pray Thee for the fulness of Thy presence in this act and ordinance of Thy Church;
come Thou, O Lord, with light and power, to give enlightenment and strength to this
Thy servant now entering (more fully) upon the duties of the priestly
office; be Thou with him in the work that is before him; bless his ministrations
for the good of Thy Church; lead him in the way of truth and order in the promotion
of Thy Divine work of leading souls to Thy kingdom; as he works so may he grow in
knowledge and intelligence, and in all good, that he may fulfill the measure of
his use, to the honor and glory of Thy holy name. Amen.
The
Minister and People shall say together:
Our Father, who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
THE
FIRST DEGREE.
The Candidate still kneeling,
the Bishop standing shall lay on his hands, and shall say:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I do
hereby ordain thee a Priest of the New Church, in the first degree of the office
of the Priesthood.
The
Bishop shall then say:
The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord
make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His
countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Amen.
The
Minister rising, the Bishop shall say to him:
By this act of ordination thou art authorized
to preach the Doctrines of the New Church, to lead in public worship, and to administer
the sacrament of Baptism; and so to teach men the way to heaven, and lead them therein.
The
Bishop placing the stole shall say:
By this sign it shall be known that you are
furnished and prepared to perform the duties pertaining to the first degree of the
priestly office.
The
Bishop may then say:
You have been introduced into the first degree
of the Priesthood of the New Church, and I now recognize you as a Minister in the
General Church of the New Jerusalem.
THE
SECOND DEGREE.
The
Minister still kneeling, the Bishop standing shall lay on his hands, and shall say:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I do
hereby ordain thee a Priest of the New Church, in the second degree of the office
of the Priesthood.
The
Bishop shall then administer the Blessing as above.
The
Minister rising, the Bishop shall say to him:
In addition to the duties already conferred,
thou art by this act of ordination authorized to administer the Holy Supper, to
consecrate marriages, to preside over a Society of the Church; and so to enter
more fully into the use of teaching men the way to heaven, and of leading them therein.
The
Bishop placing the stole shall say;
By this sign it shall be known that you are
furnished and prepared to perform the duties pertaining to the second degree of
the priestly office.
The
Bishop may then say:
You have been introduced into the second
degree of the Priesthood of the New Church, and I now recognize you as a Pastor
in the General Church of the New Jerusalem.
THE
THIRD DEGREE.
The Minister still kneeling,
the Bishop standing shall lay on his hands, and shall say :
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I do hereby ordain
thee a Priest of the New Church, in the third degree of the office of the
Priesthood.
The
Bishop shall then administer the Blessing as above.
The
Minister rising, the Bishop shall say to him:
In addition to the duties already conferred, thou art by
this act of ordination authorized to ordain ministers, and to preside over a general
body of the Church; and so to enter still more fully into the use of teaching men
the way to heaven, and of leading them therein.
The
Bishop placing the stole shall say:
By this sign it shall be known that you are furnished and
prepared to perform the duties pertaining to the third degree of the priestly
office.
The
Bishop may then say:
You have been introduced into the third degree of the priesthood
of the New Church, and I now recognize you as a Bishop in the General Church of
the New Jerusalem.
The
Bishop may then say to the Minister, Pastor or Bishop, newly ordained:
By this act of inauguration you are introduced (more fully) into our use of charity among
men ; and as a man is regenerated by his use of charity, when he shuns evils as
sins, so the priest by the faithful performance of the duties of his function, and
by a loyal obedience to the laws of order as applied to his use, is led in the path
of heaven and eternal life; even as we read in the Heavenly Doctrine concerning
charity in the priest: — If he looks to the Lord and shuns evils as sins, and performs
sincerely, justly, and faithfully, the work of the Ministry, he does the good of
use continually, and becomes charity in form. And he does the good of use, or the
work of the Ministry, sincerely, justly, and faithfully, when the salvation of souls
affects him; and as this affects him, so truths affect him, because by them he leads
souls to heaven; and he leads souls by truths to heaven when he leads them to
the Lord. His love then is to teach truths diligently from the Word, because when
he teaches them from the Word, he teaches them from the Lord. For the Lord is not
only the Word, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and also the Door; wherefore
he who enters by the Lord as the Door into the sheepfold is a good shepherd; but
he who does not enter by the Lord as the Door into the sheepfold is an evil
shepherd, who is called a thief and a robber.
In this teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine concerning charity
in the priest, we learn that he is to look to the Lord, and he is to shun evils
as sins. This is the sum of the law and the prophets, the sum of all Divine Truth,
the two universals of salvation and eternal life. When this is done by a priest
in his use, he then performs his use sincerely, justly, and faithfully, and is a
good shepherd providing for the welfare of the sheep; and he is affected by the
love of the salvation of souls, which is from the Divine Love, and the Divine End,
of the salvation of the human race, and the formation of an angelic heaven; and
he is affected by the love of the salvation of souls when he is affected by truths,
for truths are what save souls. He therefore looks to the Lord when he looks to
the truths of His Word, and follows those truths, without regard to the allurements
of the world, and with- out fear of any consequences to himself; for he knows that
the Lord will protect and provide for everyone who faithfully performs the work
of his use, and the duty of his calling.
The duty of the priest then, as the duty of all men, is
given in sum in the Divine injunction to look to the Lord, and to shun evils as
sins; the application of which is left to every ne, according to the illustration
that is given him, and the spiritual discernment in the duties of his use.
And now may the Lord go with you in all your walks, and
by the Spirit of truth lead you into all truth. Amen.
A Hymn or Psalm of Praise may
be sung, and the Benediction may follow.
