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the latter were only employed in forming themselves to the life and manners of ecclesiastics. And this was the true spirit of this congregation, in which they taught neither human learning nor theology, but only the virtues of the ecclesiastical life.

of St. Saviour, in campo, every first Sunday in the month, to practise the exercises of piety described by the holy founder. Afterwards, their number increasing by the addition of several persons of distinction to the society, St. Philip proceeded to establish an hospital for the reception of poor pilgrims, ORDER, method; the estab who, coming to Rome to visit the lished manner of performing a tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, thing. Nothing can be more beauwere obliged, for want of a lodg-tiful in religion and morals than ing, to lie in the streets and at order. The neglect of it exposes the doors of churches. For this us to the inroads of vice, and charitable purpose, pope Paul IV often brings upon us the most gave to the society the parochial perplexing events. Whether we church of St. Benedict, close by consider it in reference to ourwhich was built an hospital, so selves, our families, or the church, large, that, in the Jubilee year it is of the greatest importance. 1600, it received 444,500 men, As to the first, order should be atand 25,500 women, who came in tended to as it respects our principilgrimage to Rome. ples, Heb. xiii, 9. James i, 8; our tempers, Prov. xvii, 14. Eph, iv, 31; our conversation, Col. iv, 6; our business, Prov. xxii, 29; our time, Ps. xc, 12. Eccl. iii, 1; our

The Priests of the Oratory in France were established upon the model of those in Italy, and owe their rise to cardinal Berulle, a native of Champagne, who re-recreations; and our general consolved upon this foundation in or- duct, Phil. i, 27. 2d Pet. i, 5, &c. der to revive the splendor of the -2. As it regards our families, ecclesiastical state, which was there should be order; as to the greatly sunk through the miseries economy or management of its of the civil wars, the increase of concerns, Matt. xii, 25; as to deheresies, and a general corruption votion, and the time of it, Jos. of manners. To this end he as- xxiv, 15; as to the instruction sembled a community of ecclesi- thereof, Eph. vi, 1. Gen. xviii, astics, in 1611, in the suburb of 19. 2d Tim. i, 5.-3. In respect to St. James. They obtained the the church, order should be obking's letters patent for their esta-served as to the admission of memblishment; and, in 1613, pope bers, 2d Cor. vi, 15; as to the Paul V approved this congrega-administration of its ordinances, tion, under the title of the Oratory 1st Cor. xiv, 33, 40; as to the atof Jesus.

This congregation consisted of two sorts of persons; the one, as it were, incorporated; the other only associates: the former governed the houses of this institute;

tendance on its worship, Ps. xxvii, 4; as to our behaviour therein, Col. i, 10. Matt. v, 16. To excite us to the practice of this duty, we should consider that God is a God of order, 1st Cor. xiv, 33;

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his works are all in the exactest || which we give the name of caorder, Eph. i, 11. Psalm civ, 25. price, and which are distinguishEccl. iii, 11; heaven is a place of ing characteristics of a disorderly. order, Rev. vii, 9. Jesus Christ mind. It is the parent of steadiwas a most beautiful example of ness of conduct. It forms conregularity. The advantages of or-sistency of character. It is the der are numerous. "The ob-ground of all the confidence we servance of it," says Dr. Blair repose in one another; for the (Ser., vol. ii, p. 23), serves to disorderly we know not where to correct that negligence which find. In him only can we place makes us omit some duties, and any trust who is uniform and rethat hurry and precipitancy which gular; who lives by principle, not makes us perform others imper- by humour; who acts upon a fectly. Our attention is thereby plan, and not by desultory modirected to its proper objects. We tions. follow the straight path which Providence has pointed out to us; in the course of which all the different business of life presents itself regularly to us on every side.

"By attending to order we avoid idleness, that most fruitful source of crimes and evils. ing upon a plan, meeting every thing in its own place, we constantly find innocent and useful employment for time. We are never at a loss how to dispose of our hours, or to fill up life agreeably.

"Order, too, it must be remembered, is the source of peace, and peace is the highest of all temporal blessings. Order is, indeed, the only region in which tranquillity dwells. Such as live ac-) cording to order may be compared to the celestial bodies which move Act-in regular courses and by stated laws; whose influence is beneficent; whose operations are quiet and tranquil. But the disorderly resemble those tumultuous elements on earth, which, by sudden and violent irruptions, disturb the course of nature. By mismanagement of affairs, by excess in expence, by irregularity in the indulgence of company and amusement, they are perpetually creating molestation both to themselves and others.

"Farther; by the preservation of order we check inconstancy and levity. Fickle by nature is the human heart. It is fond of change, and perpetually tends to start aside from the straight line of conduct. Hence arises the propriety of "In fine, the man of order is bringing ourselves under subjec- connected with all the higher tion to method and rule; which powers and principles in the unithough, at first, it may prove converse. He is the follower of God; straining, yet by degrees, and from he walks with him, and acts upthe experience of its happy ef- on his plan. His character is fects, becomes natural and agree- formed on the spirit which reliable. It rectifies those irregula-gion breathes; for religion in gerities of temper and manners to neral, and the religion of Christ

in particular, may be called the great discipline of order. To walk sinfully, and to walk disorderly, are synonymous terms in scripture. From such as walk disorderly, we are commanded, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw ourselves."

are the knights of Malta, or of St. John of Jerusalem. Such also were the knights templars, the knights of Calatrave, of St. Lazarus, Teutonic knights, &c.

ORDINANCES OF THE GOSPEL, are institutions of Divine authority relating to the worship of God; such as baptism, Matt. xxviii, 19.-2. The Lord's supper, 1st Cor. xi, 24, &c.-3. Public ministry, or preaching and reading the word, Rom. x, 15. Eph. iv, 13. Mark xvi, 15.-4. Hearing the Gospel, Mark iv, 24. Rom. x, 17.-5. Public prayer, 1st Cor. xiv, 15, 19. Matt. vi, 6. Psal. v, 1, 7.--6. Singing of psalms, Col. iii, 16. Eph. v, 19.

1st

ORDERS, by way of eminency, or holy orders, denote a character peculiar to ecclesiastics, whereby they are set apart for the ministry. This the Romanists make their sixth sacrament. In no reformed church are there more than three orders, viz. bishops, priests, and deacons. In the Romish church there are seven, exclusive of the episcopate; all which the council of Trent en--7. Fasting, James iv, 9. Matt. joins to be received and believed ix, 15. Joel ii, 12.-8. Solemn on pain of anathema. They are thanksgiving, Psal. 1, 14. distinguished into petty or secular Thess. v, 18.-See these different orders, and major or sacred or- articles; also MEANS OF GRACE. ders. Orders, the petty or mi- ORDINATION, the act of connor, are four, viz. those of door- ferring holy orders, or of initiatkeepers, exorcist, reader, and ing a person into the priesthood acolyth. Sacred, or major, are by prayer and the laying on of deacon, priest, and bishop. hands. Among the Dissenters, ordination is the public setting apart of a minister to his work, or over the people whose call he has accepted. In the church of England, ordination has always been esteemed the principal prerogative of bishops, and they still retain the function as a mark of their spiritual sovereignty in their diocese. Without ordination no person can receive any benefice, parsonage, vicarage, &c. A person must be twenty-three years of age, or near it, before he can be ordained deacon, or have any share in the ministry; and full

ORDERS RELIGIOUS, are congregations or societies of monasteries living under the same superior in the same manner, and wearing the same habit. Religious orders may be reduced to five kinds, viz. monks, canons, knights, mendicants, and regular clerks. White order denotes the order of regular canons of St. Augustine. Black order denoted the order of St. Benedictine. Orders religious military are those instituted in defence of the faith, and privileged to say mass, and who are prohibited marriage, &c. Of this kind

twenty-four before he can be or- take place at any other time, atdained priest, and by that means cording to the discretion of the be permitted to administer the bishop or circumstances of the holy communion. A bishop, on case. Among Seceders or Dissentthe ordination of clergymen, is ers, ordinations vary. In the to examine them in the pre-establishment of Scotland, where sence of the ministers, who in there are no bishops, the power the ordination of priests, but not of ordination is lodged in the of deacons, assist him at the im- presbytery. Among the Calvinposition of hands; but this is only istic Methodists, ordination is done as a mark of assent, not be- performed by the sanction and cause it is thought necessary. In assistance of their own ministers. case any crime, as drunkenness, Among the Independents and perjury, forgery, &c., is alleg- Baptists, the power of ordination ed against any one that is to lies in the suffrage of the people. be ordained either priest or dea- The qualifications of the candicon, the bishop ought to desist date are first known, tried, and from ordaining him. The person approved by the church. After to be ordained is to bring a tes- which trial, the church proceeds timonial of his life and doctrine to give him a call to be their mito the bishop, and to give account nister; which he accepting, the of his faith in Latin; and both public acknowledgement thereof is priests and deacons are obliged signified by ordination, the mode to subscribe the thirty-nine arti- of which is so well known, as not cles. In the ancient discipline to need recital here. there was no such thing as a vague and absolute ordination; but every one was to have a church, whereof he was to be ordained clerk or priest. In the twelfth century they grew more remiss, and ordained without any title or benefice. The council of Trent, however, restored the ancient discipline, and appointed that none should be ordained but those who were provided with a benefice; which practice still obtains in England. The times of ordination are the four Sundays immediately following the Ember weeks; being the second Sunday in Lent, Trinity Sunday, and the Sundays following the first Wednesday after September 14 and December 13. These are the stated times; but ordination may VOL. II.

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Though the Dissenters practise ordination, we find they are not agreed respecting it. Some contend for the power of ordination as belonging to the people; the exercise of which right by them constitutes a minister, and confers validity on his public ministrations. Others suppose it belongs to those who are already in office. Without pretending to determine the question, we shall here give an outline of the arguments on both sides.

According to the former opinion, it is argued that the word ordain was originally equal to choose or appoint; so so that if twenty Christians nominated a man to instruct them once, the man was appointed or ordained a. preacher for the time. The cs

apostle in the room of Judas by casting lots; that being an extra

xgoromoartes, by taking the suffrages and votes of the members of the churches, shewn by the stretching out of their hands, as the word signifies; and which they directed them to, and upon it declared the elders duly elected and ordained.

sence of ordination lies in the voluntary choice and call of the people, and in the voluntary ac-ordinary office, required an imceptance of that call by the person mediate interposition of the Dichosen and called; for this affair vine Being, a lot being nothing must be by mutual consent and more nor less than an appeal to agreement, which joins them to- God for the decision of an affair. gether as pastor and people. And But ordinary officers, as elders this is to be done among them- and pastors of churches, were selves; and public ordination, so chosen and ordained by the votes called, is no other than a decla- of the people, expressed by ration of that. Election and or-stretching out their hands; thus dination are spoken of as the it is said of the apostles, Acts xiv, same; the latter is expressed and 23. When they had ordained explained by the former. It is them elders in every church, said of Christ, that he ordained twelve, Mark iii, 14. that is, he chose them to the office of apostleship, as he himself explains it, John vi, 70. Paul and Barnabas are said to ordain elders in every church, Acts xiv, 23. or to choose them; that is, they gave orders and directions to every church as to the choice of elders over them: for sometimes persons are said to do that which they give orders and directions for doing; as Mo-ple, but in the solemn and pubses and Solomon, with respect to building the tabernacle and temple, though done by others; and Moses particularly is said to choose the judges, Exod. xviii, 25. the choice being made under his direction and guidance. The word that is used in Acts xiv, 23. is translated chosen in Cor. ii, 8, 19. where the apostle speaks of a bro-churches, or the efficacy of his ther, xgorovnas, who was chosen word and sacraments, to depend of the churches to travel with us, on the uninterrupted succession of and is so rendered when ascribed any office or officer; for then it to God, Acts x, 41. This choice would be impossible for any and ordination, in primitive times, church to know whether they was made two ways; by casting ever have had any authentic milots and giving votes, signified by nister; for we could never be asstretching out of hands. Matthiassured that such ordinations had was chosen and ordained to be an been rightly transmitted through

Some, however, on this side of the question, do not go so far as to say that the essence of ordination lies in the choice of the peo

lic separation to office by prayer: still, however, they think that ordination by either bishops, presbyters, or any superior character, cannot be necessary to make a minister or ordain a pastor in any particular church; for Jesus Christ, say they, would never leave the subsistence of his

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