Qualifications for Overseers
(Titus 1:5–9; 1 Peter 5:1–4)

1This is a true sayinge. Yf a ma covet ye office of a bysshope he desyreth a good worke. 2Ye and a bisshope must be fautlesse the husband of one wyfe sober discrete honestly aparelled harberous apt to teache 3not dronke no fighter not geve to filthy lucre: but gentle abhorrynge fightynge abhorrynge coveteousnes 4and one that rueleth his awne housse honestly havynge chyldren vnder obedience with all honeste. 5For yf a man cannot rule his owne housse how shall he care for the congregacion of God. 6He maye not be a yonge skoler lest he swell and faule into the iudgement of the evyll 7speaker. He must also be well reported of amonge them which are with out forth lest he fall into rebuke and snare of the evyll speaker.

Qualifications for Deacons
(Acts 6:1–7)

8Lykwyse must the deacons be honest not double tonged not geve vnto moche drynkinge nether vnto filthy lucre: 9but havynge the mistery of the fayth in pure consciece. 10And let them fyrst be proved and then let them minister yf they be founde fautlesse. 11Even so must their wynes be honest not evyll speakers: but sober and faythfull in all thinges. 12Let the deacons be the husbandes of one wyfe and suche as rule their chyldren well and their awne housholdes. 13For they that minister well get them selves good degre and greate libertie in the fayth which is in Christ Iesu.

The Mystery of Godliness

14These thinges write I vnto the trustinge to come shortly vnto the: 15but and yf I tarie longe yt then thou mayst yet have knowledge how thou oughtest to behave thy silfe in the housse of God which is the congregacion of the livinge God the pillar and grounde of trueth.

16And with out naye great is that mistery of godlines: God was shewed in the flesshe was iustified in the sprete was sene of angels was preached vnto the gentyls was beleved on in erth and receaved vp in glory.