280, 281, 284

& c. 13. p.152.

Bellarmine would have it; and the Prayer following plainly diftinguishes these T. p. 196. two feveral Senses; or ufóxnoas exagi davay πaß eμ8, whom thou hast been pleafed, or by thy good Will permitted, to be promoted by me; and xara toÒ GÓI EUágegov, according to thy good pleasure; and in the next Prayer, xariwoas, whom thou haft vouchfafed; there is the firft Grace, that is, Favour. Then Preferve him, don σeμróτnti, in all Honefty, (Gravity or Reverence) in a pure Confcience; bestow upon him the Grace (the affiftance) given to Stephen; and in the next Prayer, by the defcent of thy Holy Spirit fill him with all Faith, Charity, Virtue, &c. There is the fpecial Grace or divine Affiftance pray'd for. But now whether the Greeks (like the Schoolmen) will make thefe folemn Words, the divine Favour, &c. or the Prayers, (or both) with Impofition of Hands, the very Effentials, which make their Ordination compleat; either way they must needs make many more Degrees or Species, (or Sorts) of this Sacrament, then the three Superior Orders. For many of the Patriarch's chief Officers, (as o μéyas 'Oxovou, the high Steward, o xagropiλay, the Chancellor and others) though they were in Orders before, as Deacons at least, and in like manner the protopresbyter or first Prieft; the Archdeacon; the Abbot or T. p. 197. Prior of a Monaftery; a Deaconess (when used) and others, were all Confecrated, Ordain'd, or put into their Pofts and Stations, by Impofition of Hands, and Prayer, and thefe very fame folemn Words, the Divine Favour, &c. and hands were fometimes laid on with thefe Words; fometimes only with the Prayers; as you may fee in Morinus, and Goar, and therefore I must think part 2.93, 94, that they are all Sacraments alike, or none at all. Symeon Theffalonic, was a- 26. &c. ware of this; for though by him they are all called alike by the fame name &c. Xugotovi, Ordinations, by ftretching out, or laying on, of the Hands, yet he Offers at a Reason or two, which Morinus would have pass for a fufficient c. 1. p. 166. diftinction between them; fo as to make the three fuperior Orders Sacraments, but the rest only Minifterial Functions. Only these three Orders, faith he, are confer'd, v To Bhuan, in the Chancel, but all the others without; which may indeed fignify a greater Refpect paid to these three, then to the rest, but furely a place (as the Chancel, or by the Altar) cannot be counted any ways Effential, but must be purely Accidental to Orders; for they were undoubtedly given by the Apoftles before fuch holy places were contrived or fettled. But then he adds a fecond reason, in these three Orders, the ordaining Prelate pronounced, n Jua xágs, the Divine Favour, &c. but in the other he faid only, ἡ χάρις τῷ ἁγίο πνευματα προχειρίζεται σε Ν. εἰς Οικονόμον, εἰς хается Qurana, the favour of the Holy Spirit promotes thee N. to be a Steward, to be a Chancellor, and the like. Goar takes notice indeed that this was a ufual Form of old, and perhaps it was then Practifed in Symeon's Church at Theffalonica, and it may be alfo at Conftantinople, (though I could easily prove that even they differ'd in many Rites and Obfervances,) but it is plain by Leo Allatius's Manufcript Euchologion in Goar and Morinus, that the Of ficers were Ordain'd in other places with Dua xágis, the divine Favour, &c. But the ufing or not ufing of thofe folemn Words, cannot make any thing for his purpose, fince as I have faid before, they were Originally only a Teftimonial and no Formal or conflituent Part of the Ordination; and fo Morinus alfo himself hath at large evinced the fame; and therefore that Form, the Favour of the Holy Spirit, &c. muft fignify altogether as much, (as 2. c. 3. to Ordination) to all intents and purposes as that other, the divine Favour, &c. So that this fecond note of Diftinction feems as infignificant as the first. However give me leave bye the bye, here to Note the various and different Obfervances of Churches; for to me they feem no fmall proof, that only the Church, or rather feveral Churches (having no particular Conftitution or Prescription for Ordinations from Chrift) contrived and made and altered, and fometimes quite changed all their Forms of Ordination, as they did all other Rites and Ceremonies. Take one Inftance of this from Goar, even in this Form which Sym. Theffalonic. tells us above, was used to p. 285. 16. diftin

Сс

Vid. fupra. P.

186.

P. 240. §. 2.

part 3. Exerc

T. p. 197. distinguish the Orders from the Offices. If the Bishop, faith he, hath not the Prayers ready at Hand to Create the Officers, they use this Form, nuETRIÓTHIS po, our Meanness, (not xágis To ȧyis TrévμAT, the Grace of the Holy Spirit) προχειρίζεται τον ευλαβέςατον, promotes the moft religious Deacon N. Chancellor, or Steward, of the Church N. in the name of the Father and of &c. First it is plain that there were Prayers appointed for thefe Offices; next that the Bishop might use them, or this or another Form, as he pleased. part 2. p. 85. And though Morinus took Allatius's MS. to be, the manner of the Syrians p.3.196.5,6. Ordination, or of the Church of Antioch, and hints alfo that the Maronites

T. p. 198.

p. 266. 3, 4, 5.

ufed the fame; yet he allows it to be as Authentick as that of Conftantinople or any other Church from which it differs; and at last owns that Symeon might be mistaken and very much deceived in framing fuch a diftinction; and joins with me in my last Reflection, ejufmodi Ritus vim habere ex Ecclefiæ Inftituto, that thefe Rites or Forms of Ordination derive their Force, or Authority, from the Inftitution or meer Appointment of the Church. Symeon's last reafon is, that the three high Orders are Univerfal, but the others particular, or limited; I fuppofe he means, a Deacon, is a Deacon; a Prieft, a Priest, a Bishop, a Bishop; all the Chriftian World over; whereas the reft are tied to particular Offices or Places; If this be his meaning, furely a Deaconnefs at least (not to mention an Archdeacon, or a First-prieft, an Abbot, &c.) was every whit as Univerfal as any of the other three. See how Goar fhuffles to diftinguish those two Orders; but all will not make one a Sacrament, part 3. Exerc. and the other nothing. Morinus feems to equal a Deaconnefs her Ordination in 10. C. 1. § 1.&c. every Point to that of a Deacon; And then he adds to this Distinction, that a Deacon or a Prieft can have a Dignity or Office join'd to his Orders, but one Dignity cannot be join'd to another at the fame time; as a Deacon or Priest may at the fame time be a Deacon and high Steward, or a Priest and Chancellor; a Bishop an Exarch or (as with us) a Lord; but none can at the fame time be Steward and Chancellor. Surely to me this feems as forry a reafon of Distinction as any of the reft; this fhews indeed fome difference of Honour or Preferment between the Orders and Offices, but as to the making those three, real Sacraments, and quite excluding those in their Ordination from that Privilege, I cannot fee any force at all in it. For first these Offices are all called by Symeon gà λutogynμaтa, Sacred Functions, and none but Perfons already in Orders, Deacons or Presbyters, ought to have them p. 152. D. E. and a little before he faith, thefe Perfons execute their Functions, in áæλWG x w's "TUXEV, not as ordinary Men do, or as it happens; but receiving the Grace, or Favour, of the Spirit, that they might have from the Prelate (that Ordains them) Bleffing and Sanctification and Permission (or Leave) Exerc. 1. c. 1. and Power to Act through Grace; And Morinus (to reconcile the Latins and §. 2. p. 4. Greeks indeed all Ordinations) lays down this as a Maxim, that the true Matter and Form of Ordination are most properly contain'd in thofe Rites and Words which are Common and generally used by all Churches; and therefore concludes only Impofition of Hands and Prayer (as being thus Universally ufed by all) to be the only true Subftantials, and necessary Ingredients or Conftituents of Ordination. Now then fince all the above named Ordinations are called alike, facred Offices; all alike are own'd to have the Favour of God; to receive from the Prelate, Blessing, Sanctification, Licence, and Power to Act through Grace, (which is at all these Ordinations Respectively and conftantly pray'd for) and feeing all this is confer'd upon them after the fame manner, by prayer and the Impofition of Hands, (the two only neceffary and fubftantial Rites,) I cannot apprehend how Greeks or Latins can make out this pretended Difference between them. Morinus to folve this Difficulty is §. 3. p. 195. forced to make use of that piece of Scholaftick Sophiftry, only the Orders are truly Sacramentals, the Offices or Dignities are only Sacraments; Indeed if thofe be Sacraments, thefe, I confels, look very Sacramentalifh; for I think the fame Schoolmen tell us, that where there is the very fame Matter and

c. 13. p. 153.E.

Exerc. 14. C. 3.

Form,

Form, the very fame Effentials, those things must needs be the very same; T. p. 198.; fo that all thefe Ordinations must either be Sacraments alike, or rather (as I have and shall further prove them) none at all.

For God's fake whence came all these contrary ways and far different Manners of Ordinations amongst Greeks and Latins, Eastern and Western Churches? And every one of these according to different Ages, are in their Forms of Ordination different from themselves? If Ordination had been lookt upon by the Primitive Church as a Sacrament, (though neither the Matter nor Form (as they call them) had been either commanded or prefcribed by Christ or in Scripture, but only taken up by themselves) methinks they would have fettled one standing univerfal unalterable Rubrick or Prescription, to be used all over the whole Chriftian Church, for fo Sacred and fo Solemn a Performance; at least in Imitation of Christ's own Rites, in the two undoubted Sacraments or Covenants of Baptifm, T. p. 199 (in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost) and of the Lord's Supper, (this is my Body, this is my Blood.) If Clemens Constitutions were fuch fettled Prescriptions, (efpecially if, as they are pretended, they were Apoftolical,) how dare Greeks or Latins or any Christian Governor of the Church in the least vary from them? But the naked and plain Truth of the whole Matter is this; Chrift appointed the Twelve and the Seventy, and their Succeffors, Bishops and Priests, to Preach the Gospel; to Publish and Propagate his Law; and to Execute and Maintain it, to the end of the World; as indeed when He himself left the World it was abfolutely neceffary for him fo to do. The Apostles upon a new, but weighty Emergency, added Deacons to the Ministry. All thefe I call Evangelical and Apoftolical Orders; but as the Church increased there were without doubt still fome new Officers daily required in the Church; as for Example all those about the five great Patriarchs; about the Metropolites and Archbishops and Bishops; and in many particular Churches, particular ones; and thus at last came into our common Churches, Churchwardens, Overfeers of the Poor, Parish Clerks, Sextons and the like; All these I call Ecclefiaftical Officers, or Church Attendents, whofe very Inftitution is only from the Church in general, or from several Churches in particular. But the Methods and Rules, or Manners and Forms, of Confecrating and Creating thofe Evangelical Orders, as well as the ways of making of these Ecclefiaftical Officers, are plainly left to be devifed, contrived, and prefcribed and ufed by the particular Governors of the Church in feveral Ages and in their feveral Provinces. And hence the greater Churches, both in the East and West, have taken up their own Forms and Fashions; their Governors partly transcribing, or borrowing from one another; partly by following their own Conceit and valuing their own Authority. And although the three Evangelical Orders are far of a higher nature than the reft, being appointed by Chrift himself and his Apostles, and being wholly employ'd about purely fpiritual Matters, and therefore truly and by way of Excellency called, Holy Orders; yet there are in them no more folemn Compacts, Federal Rites, Covenants, or Stipulati ons between God and Man prefcribed or commanded by God, or any thing particularly promised on God's part, then in the others; and therefore thofe Orders are no more true Sacraments then thefe. And although we allow Impofition of Hands and Prayer, in the Holy Ordinations to have been very Primitive, yet we cannot fay they were conftantly used, fince,, as I have faid we find no mention of the first in Clemens, and feveral of the Schoolmen have Morin. Comm. exploded it as Accidental and unneceffary; and if with Morinus (to recon- part 3 108. §. 6. p. 103.5cile the Practice of all Churches,) I fhould allow thefe two to be (in the School Notion) the very Matter and Form of holy Orders; yet as hath often been faid, they being no where in Scripture either particularly commanded or prescribed, nor having any particular Promife or Covenant from God; that Learned Man must with me Abdicate that fond Doctrine of Orders being a Sacrament, as well as he hath generously done many more of the Frantick Notions of the Schools.

T. p. 199.

From this liberty of Churches and their Governors in contriving and appointing their Rites of Ordinations, come those various Lections and different Copies of them in Morinus and Goar, and in fome MSS. of my own. It would be too tedious and troublesome, as well as needlefs here to compare them all, they being at large fet down in those two Authors; yet for one fingle Instance I will here make a short abstract out of the Form of Ordination for a Morin. part 2. Bishop, in Allatius MS. Euchologion, which you may compare with those p. 97. Goar Forms which I have given you above.

T. p. 200.

305.

66

46

One of the most honourable Clerks prefents the Candidate Bishop in these words; The most Beloved of God, N. Presbyter, confirmed by Suffrage, is "presented to be Ordained Bishop and Prelate of the City .N. Then the Ordaining Bishop asks him what he comes for. Answers, That I may have Or"dination and évégyaar Tйs àgxigans xάgir, the Faculty (or Power) of Epifcopal Favour, or Grace, the Clergy of the most Holy Bishoprick .N. having by their Suffrages pitcht upon me.

66

The

Here Note who were of old the proper Electors of the Candidate Bishop. The Ordaining Bishop asks, "What do you believe? The Candidate repeats aloud the Nicene Creed; which he brought in his Hand defcribed with other Forms of his Faith. The Prelate then bleffing him Croffwife, faith, "Grace of the Allholy Spirit be with you. Then the Candidate (moving farther) is prefented again in the fame manner and words; and at the Prelate's command makes another large Confeffion of his Faith concerning the Trinity. Then the Bishop blessing him again Croffwife, faith, "The Grace of the Allholy Spirit be with thee, Illuminating, Confirming thee, and giving "thee Understanding all the days of thy Life. Then the Candidate is prefented (farther on) a third time as before; and at the Prelate's command makes another long Confeffion of his Faith about Chrift's Incarnation, &c. Then the Prelate blesseth him again Croffways, faying, "The Grace of the Allholy Spirit by my meannefs, godery, promotes the .N. Presbyter most beloved of God and Elect Bishop of the City .N.

P. 101. Goar.
P. 310.

66

Now one would think this his real Ordination or full Commiffion to be a Bishop; though indeed there is no Impofition of Hands as yet, but only the Prelate hath moved his hand Croffways towards him in the Air, and it seems Morin, part 3 that alone without touching the Perfon, is fometimes as fufficient as real Imp. 110. §. 3. "pofition. And though Morinus feems to make all this Form, (of Allatius, his MS. Euchologium,) not to have been that of Conftantinople, yet Sym. Theffalonic. feems to follow fome fuch one, or at least one different from the c. 7. p. 128. common Form; and though he there is pleased to call the Candidare after all this Ceremony only, a usp, compleatly espoused or contracted to the Church, yet what immediately follows feems to justify that foregoing conMorin. part 2. jecture that he is compleat Bishop. For immediately in this Form the Candidate receives to yordτion, the peculiar badge of a Bishop (which is a piece of quilted or ftitch'd Silk stuff, made in a long fquare, Lozengewife; which is hanged from his girdle down to his right knee, as you may fee in Goar.) Next the Prelate gives him a Prelatical, or Paftoral, Staff, faying, Take this "Staff that thou may'st feed the Flock of Chrift entrusted to you, and be thou "a Staff and a Support to thofe under you which are Obedient; but to those "who are Difobedient and Extravagant, ufe the fame as a restraining Rod of "Correction Surely this must give him full Epifcopal Authority if the other Form did not. Yet then he is brought up to the Holy Table and kneels before all the Bishops; one of which takes the Gospel and lays it open upon his Head and the other Bishops hold it there. Then the (Ordaining) Prelate (whithout laying on any Hand) faith aloud, By the Suffrage and approba"tion of the Priests moft beloved of God, and of the Clergy of the City of .N. Jua xagis, the Divine Favour &c. AgоxugiεTα σ. Promotes you, or, gXugiero Tor, Promotes, N. Prieft most beloved of God and Elect Bishop of the City N. and Prefident of the City .N. guarded by God. Let us pray for him

p. 114.

I.

Goar. Morin.

P.

201.

66

66

that

part 2. p.60.61.

"that the Grace of the Allholy Spirit may come upon him. Then all the T. p 201. Priefts fay, "Lord have Mercy upon us three times, and the Bishops hold the Gospel fill, whilst the Ordaining Prelate makes three Croffes upon the Candidate's head blessing him, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, "and of the Holy Ghoft, now and always, and unto Ages of Ages. Then laying his Hand upon his Head he prays, the two Prayers in the Common Form; Goar p. 302, and if the Schoolmen will make the Impofition here the Matter, what will 303. Morin. they make the Form. If they fay the Prayers are it, I ask which of the two is it? For they are disjoin'd by the, ovaтh, or daxonxà, the Suffrages, interpofed by one of the Bishops there prefent; However, Dua xágis, the Divine Favour, &c. cannot here be the Form, for their Matter (Impofition) is not join'd with it; And Morinus hath proved the fame at large. part 3. Exerc. Now therefore to me, by this MS. of Allatius, it is plain that the Can- 2. c. 3. §. 4. 5. didate is made a compleat Bishop, and invested with all Prelatical Authori ty, by the Forms before going (especially at the receiving of the Paftoral Staff) without either Impofition or Prayer; but in all this whole large Prescription of the Ordination of a Bishop, or in any of the foregoing Ordinations of a Bishop, or in any of the foregoing Ordinations of Priests and Deacons, in the East or Weft, I cannot see any standing, folid, Rite or Circumstance, that can in the least prove Orders a Sacrament. And the Impofi tion and Prayers, that afterwards follow (in Allatius his Form) are plainly made only by way of Benediction, and recommending of the Ordained to the Grace and Guidance of God's Holy Spirit; according to his Suffrage, Oremus pro eo, let us Pray for him, &c. and his Bleffing him, &c. as above; And to conclude; all facred Ordinations are really no more then fettling the Candidates in their respective functions, by the Ordaining Bishops, Bleffing them and Recommending them to the Divine Protection and Affiftance.

14.

22,

Morin. part 2.

3. p. 107. 9.

This way of Bleffing being done of old by the Jewish Patriarchs themfelves, Gen. 27. by laying on of Hands, Kiffing, and Prayer; our Spiritual Patriarchs 26. & c. 48. and Evangelical Fathers in the Primitive Church, only in Imitation of them, (not by any pofitive command) did Admit and Blefs all their Spiritual Sons in the fame manner. And in many old Rituals and Canons, Ordination is therefore called, Confecratio, Benedictio, a Dedicating or Confecrating to p. 212. 217. God (of this or that fort of Minifter) a Blessing of him in his Office by 225. &c. part Supplication and Prayer; and of old, Confecration, Ordination, folemn Be- 108. 6, 7, 8. nediction of facred Perfons fignified one and the fame thing. But why Confecrating, or Dedicating of a Perfon to God by Benediction and Prayer (without any particular direction or Method prescribed by God) fhould be a Sacrament, more then the Confecrating or Dedicating of any other thing else (as Churches, Altars, Grounds, Vessels, or the like) by meer human Inventions and Prescriptions (and the others are no more,) I must confefs my self not able to understand; fuppofing Orders to be Sacraments it is amazing to fee what special work the Schoolmen and learned Doctors of the Latin Church have made about the Orders of Pope Farmafus, and the Practice of Stephanus his Succeffor.

Infinite more inftances of various Readings and Forms of Ordination amongst T. p. 201. the Greeks, Maronites, Neftorians, Jacobites, Eutychians, Coptics, and Latins you may gather from feveral Authors, especially from Morinus; where you may also see how Schoolmen and Others (whom he justly taxes as abfopart 1. Pref. lurely ingnorant of the matter,) have blunder'd and laboured in vain to recon- * 4. cile them to one another; and his own expedient (that only Impofition of part 3. p. 5. Hands and Prayer in general were Subftantial and Neceffary) will not be fufficient, it being by no means clear that Impofition was every where and at P. 215. 219, all times ufed, as hath been above faid. However he can never by them prove Ordination to be a Sacrament, for he approves of Isembertus his Opinion, that Chrift did no where appoint, this or that particular Matter of Orders, but only gave a general Commission or Authority to the Church to chufe what 2.6 part 2. Pr.

§. 9.

Morin, part 2.

235. Clem. conft. 1. 8. c. 4. 13.18.

part p. 7.§. 15.19. p.118.

Sensible. 157.