mothy bishop of Ephesus, with the like ceremony, as his own words bear witness: Neglect not the grace which is in you by prophecy, with the imposition of hands of the priesthood. I admonish thee to revive the grace which is in thee by the imposition of our hands, 2 Tim. vi.

In holy order there are seven degrees, by which we ascend to the priesthood; four less, and three greater. Con. Carthag. 4. c. 6. Of the less, the first is that of Porter, whose office is to keep the keys of the church, sacristy, treasury, and to keep all out of the church and sanctuary who ought not to enter: to him the bishop says in his ordination, So behave yourself, as to give an account to God of what is kept under your charge. 2. That of Lector; his office is to read aloud the lessons of the Old and New Testament, which belong to the divine office, and to instruct the ignorant in the rudiments of the Christian religion: the bishop gives him a book, containing those things, and charges him faithfully and profitably to fulfil his office. 3. That of Exorcist; to him is given power to exorcise possessed persons: the bishop gives a book of exorcisms, and bids him receive it with power to lay his hands on such as are possessed, whether baptized or catechumens. 4. That of Acolyte; his office is to assist the deacon and subdeacon at the altar; to carry the lights, to prepare the wine and water for consecration, and attend on the divine mysteries: the bishop gives him a wax candle with two little cruets, bidding him light the candle, and serve wine and water in the cruets. By these less we ascend to the greater. The first of these is the order of Subdeacon; he serves the deacon at the altar, prepares the altar, the chalice, the bread, and the wine; he reads the epistle aloud at high Mass: the bishop before he ordains. him, declares that none are to receive this order, but those who will observe perpetual continency from marriage: he then gives him a chalice, and patten, bason and towel, two little cruets, the book of epistles; bids him Consider his ministry and behave so as to please God. The second of the greater orders is that of Deacon; his office is immediately to assist the bishop or priest at high Mass, and the administration of

the sacraments. He reads the gospel aloud at Mass, he gives the cup, when the sacrament of the Eucharist is given in both kinds; he may give baptism, and preach the gospel by commission. To him the bishop gives a book of the gospels, with power to read it in the church of God. The third is that of Priesthood, which has two degrees of power and dignity; that of bishops, and that of priests. The office of a priest is to consecrate and offer the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, under the forms of bread and wine; to administer all the sacraments, except confirmation and holy order; to preach the gospel, to bless the people, and to conduct them in the way to life eternal; as also to bless such things as are not reserved to the benediction of the bishop. The bishop, when he ordains a priest, anoints his hands with oil, which signifies the grace that is conferred upon him; he gives him the patten with bread upon it, and a chalice with wine; with power to offer sacrifice for the living and the dead; then he lays his hands upon him, and says, Receive the Holy Ghost, &c. with several other ceremonies. The office of a bishop is to govern the church both clergy and laity, in his respective diocese; to inflict censures, excommunication, suspension, &c. to offer sacrifice, to preach the gospel, to give confirmation, and holy order; none but bishops receive this sacrament in full, so as to have power to administer all the sacraments. Of these degrees of holy order, only bishops, priests, and deacons, constitute the hierarchy of the church, which is of divine institution. Count. Trent. Sess. 23. c. 6. But as there are several degrees in order, so there are higher and lower degress of dignity and spiritual jurisdiction in the episcopacy itself: 1. That of ordinaries. 2. That of arch-bishops. 3. That of primates. 4. That of patriarchs. 5. That of the supreme head, and common father of all, the Pope; who holds his supremacy as successor to St. Peter, by right divine.

EXHOR.-You are now called upon, O christian, to praise the divine bounty of God in the institution of a sacrament so necessary for the good government of the church, and promoting the salvation of his people in placing over us bishops, priests, and pastors, to supply

his place, and administer all things to us, necessary for our spiritual good. Learn now your duty to them, 1. To honor and respect them; if their lives sometimes do not, their character always does command respect; they bear the person of Christ; For Christ we are ambassadors, 2. Cor. v. 20. sent by him to declare his will to mankind, and to put them in mind of their supreme head in heaven. You have then reason to honour them, from the dignity of the office they perform, in offering the sacrifice of the altar, in preaching the gospel, in absolving from sin; they are as mediators, under Christ, between God and the people. To them, through God, you owe your spiritual life and being, which will last for all eternity. It is by them we are taken into the church, and made the children of God by baptism; by them we are strengthened in our faith by confirmation; from their hands we receive the sacrament of holy eucharist, which preserves our souls to life eternal; by them our souls are healed through penance; by them we are comforted and prepared for death, through extreme unction; by them we learn the first rudiments of religion; from them we learn all that conduces to the service of God here, and to his blessed enjoyment hereafter in a word, we cannot come at the helps and means of our salvation otherwise than through them. 2. To obey them, because they have power from God to instruct, direct and correct you; He that heareth you, heareth me. O! did we but remember this, we should be more ready to hear, and quick to practise; we should not make so slight as many do of their admonitions, counsels, exhortations: think how often you have been told, Love God,and keep his commandments, decline from evil and do good: there is no virtue, no duty, either with regard to God or man, but what you have been admonished of by them; but how little you have regarded their words, I leave you to consider. Think often on these words of God, Obey those who are placed over you, and be subject to them, for they watch, as being to give an account of your souls, Heb. xi. The honour and obedience you pay to them is for your own good, that they may do their

office with joy, and not with sorrow; for this is not good for you, as the apostle says, Heb. xiii. 17. If through your disobedience and contempt they are always in mourning, it is impossible they should do their office so well for you; you make their employments more difficult, and stop the cure of your own soul. St. Paul commands that priests who govern well, should be honoured with a double honour. 1. Tim. v. 17. and by many they are treated with a double contempt; yet they undergo the hardest of all labour for you, and are exposed to the greatest of dangers. There is no ingratitude like theirs, who return evil for good. 3. To assist them with your prayers, as their charge is great and weighty if St. Paul who was a chosen vessel, requested this of his flock, and thought it necessary help to him, how much more need have other pastors to request the same? How much more reason have you to comply with their request? Think of your own infirmities, and pray that God would help and strengthen them against theirs Alas! they are as yourselves, but men.

Of the sacrament of Matrimony.

૨. Q. W WHAT is the sacrament of matrimony? A. It is a new dignity added to the contract of marriage, by which it is made a sacrament of the new law, and gives grace to those that worthily receive it? Q. What is the matter and form of it? A. The mutual consent of the parties, expressed in words or signs, by which they deliver and accept of each other's bodies. Q. What are the effects of it? A. It gives grace to the married couple, to love and bear with each other, and to train up their children in the fear of God. Q. How strict is the bond of marriage? A. So strict, that it can never be broken but by death.

INSTRUC.-Marriage was first instituted in paradise, when God gave to man the woman, he had made of a rib, taken from his side, and blessing them, said, Increase and multiply. But men in time having very mu h deviated from this first institution of marriage, to have plurality of wives, and divorce themselves from

those they had married, our Saviour reduced it to what it was first, an indissoluble union of one to one; he also made it a sacrament, that gives grace to those who worthily receive it. The end of marriage, as a natural contract, was to fill the world with inhabitants, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth. The end of marriage, as a sacrament, is to fill the church and complete the number of the elect in heaven.

Marriage, according to St. Paul, is a great sacrament, inasmuch as the conjunction of the married couple resembles and represents the blessed union or espousals of Christ with the church, which is indissolvable; and upon this ground the apostle recommends reciprocal love and union between man and wife, like to that between Christ and his church, which can never be without grace and this is the grace which the sacrament of marriage gives. The holy fathers all taught that marriage between christians is a sacrament: council and tradition ever taught it: the council of Trent pronounces anathema against those who deny it; St. Augustin defended the sanctity of it, and says, "The "sanctity of the sacrament is of greater value than the "fruit of the womb." The marriage of christians then is a spiritual and holy thing; according to that of St. Paul, Marriage is honourable in all things, and the bed undefiled; that is, it is holy; and this, 1. On account of the sacrament. 2. On account of the fidelity of the parties, which they engage to each other. 3. On account of their having and educating children in order to eternal salvation.

1. On account of the sacrament, which is holy, the bond of marriage being by our Saviour made indissolvable, not to be broken, but by the death of one of the parties, that it might more perfectly represent the marriage of Christ with the church, which is so inseparable that not even all the powers of hell shall ever make a division between them. This sacrament also gives the grace which it signifies; an union between man and wife, like to that between Christ and the church, which is spiritual and holy. 2. On account of the fidelity of the parties, who engage themselves to each other for