to signify the election or appointment of a messenger to go upon an errand of the Church. Which I note to caution the reader against mistakes committed by some authors, who confound ordinations with elections, for want of distinguishing the critical senses of words, as the subject matter requires. SECT. 12.-The Sign of the Cross used in Ordination. I must further observe, that as the sign of the cross was used upon many occasions by the primitive Christians, so particularly in their ordinations; which we learn from Chrysostom, who more than once mentions it upon this occasion. "If," says he, "we are to be regenerated, the cross is used, viz. in baptism; or if we are to eat the mystical food, the eucharist;-or to receive an ordination, we are signed with the sign of the cross." Upon this account, Suicerus notes, out of the author under the name of Dionysius, that the imposition of hands in ordination was called Σφραγίς, consignation, and Σταυροειδής σφραγὶς, consignation in form of a cross, because the sign of the cross was made on the head of him that was ordained. SECT. 13.-But no Unction, nor the Ceremony of delivering Vessels into the Hands of Presbyters and Deacons. As to the ceremony of unction, I have already had occasion to show its novelty in another place; together with the custom of delivering some of the holy vessels into the hands of the person ordained; which, Habertus says, was never used in giving any of the superior orders, but only the inferior, by the rule of the fourth council of Carthage, which makes that the chief part of their ordination. Though Habertus and some others question the authority of that very council, and reckon all its canons spurious. But that only by the way. 5 1 Chrys. Hom. 55. in Matth. Καν ἀναγεννηθῆναι δέη, ταυρὸς παραγίνεται κἂν τραφῆναι τὴν μυτικὴν ἐκείνην τροφήν καν χειροτονηθῆναι, &c. 2 Suicer. Thesaur. Voce Eppayiç, tom. ii. p. 1199. Eccl. c. 5. p. 312 et 314. Archieratic. p. 323. 8 Dionys, de Hierarch 5 Habert. Book ii. chap. xix. sect. 17. SECT. 14.-Ordinations concluded with the Kiss of Peace. When the ceremony of consecration was ended, it was usual for the clergy then present to salute the person, newly ordained, with the kiss of peace.' And so being conducted to his proper station belonging to his office, if he was a bishop or a presbyter, he made his first sermon to the people. But of this, as it relates to bishops, I have given an account before. As it relates to presbyters in the Greek Church, where it was more usual for presbyters to preach, the reader may find examples of such sermons among those of Chrysostom and Gregory Nyssen, which they preached upon the day of their ordination. SECT. 15.-The Anniversary Day of a Bishop's Ordination kept a Festival. I cannot omit to mention one thing more, which should have been mentioned in another place, because it was an honour peculiarly paid to the order of bishops; which was, that in many places the day of their ordination was solemnly kept among the anniversary festivals of the Church. On these days they had church-assemblies, and sermons, and all the other solemnities of a festival. Which appears from St. Austin's sermons, two of which were preached upon the anniversary of his own ordination; and in another, published by Sirmondus, he also mentions the day under the same title of his own anniversary. In a fourth he speaks also of the anniversary of Aurelius, bishop of Carthage, inviting the people to come and keep the festival in Basilica Fausti, which was a noted church in Carthage. Among the Homilies also of Leo, bishop of Rome, the three first are upon the anniversary day of his assumption to the pontificate. And a late learned critic has observed, that in St. Jerom's, and some other ancient 'Dionys. Hierarch. Eccl. c. 5. p. 367. Constit. Apost. lib. viii. c. 5. Chrys. Hom. cùm Presbyter esset designatus. tom. iv. p. 953. 3 Nyssen. Hom. in suam Ordinat. tom. ii. * Aug. Hom. 24 et 25. ex quinquaginta. Hom. 39. edit. à Sirmond. tom. x. p. 841. Hom. 32. de Verb. Dni. Dies anniversarius ordinationis Domini Senis Aurelii crastinus illucescit. Rogat et admonet per humilitatem meam charitatem vestram, ut ad Basilicam Fausti devotissimè venire dignemini. Baron, an. 67. n. 14. 'Pagi Critic. in martyrologies, there sometimes occur such festivals under the titles of, Ordinatio Episcopi, et Natale Episcopatus, that is, the ordination or birth-day of such or such a bishop. Which, doubtless, at first were the anniversaries of their ordination, which they themselves kept in their life-time; and which were continued in memory of them after death; by which means they came to be inserted into the martyrologies as standiug festivals, denoting there neither the day of their natural birth, nor their death (as some mistake,) but the day of their ordination, or advancement to the episcopal throne. But of this more when we come to speak of the festivals of the Church. CHAP. VII. The Case of Forced Ordinations and Re-ordinations considered. SECT. 1.-Forced Ordinations very frequent in the Primitive Church. FOR the close of this book I shall add something concerning forced ordinations, and re-ordinations, which were things that very often happened in the primitive Church. For anciently, while popular elections were indulged, there was nothing more common than for the people to take men by force, and have them ordained even against their wills. For though, as Sulpicius Severus complains, many men were too ambitious in courting the preferments of the Church; yet there were some, who ran as eagerly from them as others ran to them; and nothing but force could bring such men to submit to an ordination. We have seen an instance or two of this already, in the cases of St. Austin' and Paulinus: and ecclesiastical history affords us many others. For, not to mention such as only fled or absconded to avoid ordination; such as Cyprian, and Gregory Thaumaturgus, and Athanasius, and Evagrius, and St. Ambrose; there were some, who were plainly ordained 1 See before chap. ii. sect. 8. Nyssen. Vit. Greg. Thaumaturg. Socrat. lib. iv. c. 23. 2 2 Pontius Vit. Cypr. 6 Paulin. Vit. Ambros. 3 Greg. against their wills; as Nepotian, of whom St. Jerom says, "that, when his uncle Heliodore ordained him presbyter, he wept and lamented his condition, aud could not forbear expressing his anger against his ordainer, though that was the only time he ever had occasion to do it." St. Martin, bishop of Tours, was so averse from taking the bishopric, that he was forced to be drawn out of his cell by craft, and carried under a guard to his ordination, as the sacred historian informs us. And the ordination of Macedonius, the anchoret, by Flavian, bishop of Antioch, was so much against his will, that they durst not let him know what they were about, till the ceremony was over; and when he came to understand that he was ordained presbyter, he broke forth into a rage against Flavian, and all that were concerned in the action, as thinking that his ordination would have obliged him to another sort of life, and deprived him of his retirement and return to the mountains. So Theodoret, in his lives of the eastern anchorets, relates the story. And that this was a very common practice in those times, appears from what Epiphanius says of the custom in Cyprus, That it was usual, in that province, for persons that fled to avoid ordination by their own bishop, to be seized by any other bishop, and to be ordained by them, and then be returned to the bishop, from whom they were fled." Which argues, that forced ordinations in those times were both practised and allowed. SECT. 2.-No Excuse admitted in that Case, except a Man protested upon Oath that he would not be ordained. Nor was it any kind of remonstrance or solicitation whatsoever, which the party could make, that would prevent his ordination in such cases, except he chanced to protest 'Hieron. Ep. 3. Epitaph. Nepotian, presbyter ordinatur, Jesu bone, qui gemitus, qui ejulatus, quæ cibi interdictio, quæ fuga oculorum omnium? tunc primum et solum avunculo iratus est, 2 Sulp. Sever. Vit, St. Martin. lib. i. p. 224. Dispositis in itinere civium turbis, sub quâdam custodiâ ad civitatem usque deducitur, &c. 8 Theod. Hist. Relig. c. 13. Epiph. Ep. ad Johan, Hierosol. Multi Episcoporum communionis nostræ et Presbyteros in nostrâ ordinaverunt provinciâ, quos nos comprehendere non poteramus, et miserunt ad nos Diaconos et Hypodiaconos, quos suscepimus cum gratiâ. 66 66 was one solemnly upon oath against ordination. For in that case he was to be set at liberty, and not to be ordained against so solemn a protestation. This is evident from one of the canons of St. Basil, which says, " that they, who swear they will not be ordained, are not to be compelled to forswear themselves by being ordained." And this, I think, also may be collected from the account, which Epiphanius gives of his own transaction with Paulinianus, St. Jerom's brother, upon such an occasion. Paulinianus," he says, of those, who fled from their bishop for fear of ordination; but providentially coming, where Epiphanius was, he caused him to be seized by his deacons, not dreaming or suspecting any thing of ordination; and when he came to it, he caused them to hold his mouth, for fear he should have adjured him by the name of Christ to set him free." Thus he ordained him deacon first, and presbyter sometime after in the very same manner. Which seems to imply, that, if he had suffered him to have made his protestation in the name of Christ, he could not have proceeded to his ordination. But, it seems, nothing else but such an adjuration was available to set him free: and that is a further argument, that in those times men might be ordained against their wills, and yet their ordinations stand good, and be accounted as valid as any others. SECT. 3.-This Practice afterward prohibited by the Imperial Laws, and Canons of the Church. But in the next age this practice was prohibited, because of several inconveniences that were found to attend it. The emperors Leo and Majorian made a law with sanctions and penalties to prevent it; for they decreed, “that no one should be ordained against his will." And, whereas Basil. Ep. Canon. ad Ampbiloch. c. 10. 'O ourúovтes μý karadéɣeodai τὴν χειροτονίαν, ἐξομνύμενοι μὴ ἀναγκαζέσθωσαν ἐπιορκεῖν. 2 Epiphan. Ibid. Ignorantem eum, et nullam penitùs habentem suspicionem, per multos Diaconos apprehendi jussimus, et teneri os ejus, ne fortè liberari se cupiens, adjuraret nos per nomen Christi, &c. 3 Leo. Novel. 2. in Append. Cod. Theod. Non nullorum persuasio Sacerdotum reluctantibus onus istud imponit, &c. Eo ergò licentiam hujus præsumptionis excludimus, ut si quispiam probatus fuerit vi coactus sub contumeliâ publicâ clericatûs officiis successisse, spontaneis accusatoribus, vel si ipse voluerit allegare perpessam |