4?6 ORbBaS. tars, to which must he added as many more as they have ri� and ceremonies in their church, which is truly absurd. �acraments, as they allow, must have their institution from Christ. But this is not true of many of their orders. In the old law there were priests and Levites only. Our Lord instituted only ? and ? c/]des. Presbyters or bishops, and deacons only were founded by the apostles, who had no power to constitute new sacramento. The apostles acknowledge only two ministerial offices, one of the word, and another of tables; therefore there are only two orders of ministers, viz., the pastors and deacons. There is no sacrament of the New Testa- ment which is not grounded on some precept or example of Christ. 6. Their sacrament hath neither outward element nor words of insfi* tution. Impo8ition of hands is not an outward sign; because the out- ward sign in a sacrament must not only be an external action, �s material element, as water in baptism, and bread and wine in the Lord's supper. 7. Our Saviottr, when he ordaJned apostles, used no imposition of hands, therefore orders given by imposition of hands is no sacrament, because it has no institution of Christ. The ministry of the word is his ordinance, but it is no sacrameni. 8. Many Roman Catholics deny altogether that the inferior degrees are orders of clergy'. IX. T/? matter and form. 1. We have already seen, when treating on the presbyterate, that there were four opinions concerning its matter and form. But respect- ing the matter and form, as applied to the seven orders, the jarring opinions multiply. The following seven are enumerated by Bailly, a celebrated Roman Catholic theologian.* In a preliminary remark he says, "The question here is not concerning the matter and form of each separate order, but of the sacrament of 6rder, or as far as it re- spects the three hierarchical orders, instituted by Christ, viz., the epis- copate, presbyterate, and deaconship. But the dispute is especially concerning the imposition of hands, the reaching of the instruments, and concerning the words which correspond to the rites." "The first is the opinion of certain doctors of the canon law, who, considering ordination as confined to no fixed rite, or formula of words, believe that a bishop, or presbyter, can be made by the following words of t?e pope alone: Be thou a bishop, Be tlunt a presbyter." "Fhe second is the opinion of those who contend that Christ did not institute the matter and form of orders, or of the other sacraments especially, but that he granted to the church the power of determining, according to her judgment, those rites that were proper for sacramental effect." According to this opinion it is obvious, that the matter of orders may vary to suit different times and places; and that the impo- sition of hands, which alone is of use' in the oriental churches, would be sufficient to consecrate presbyters among them, but that the reach- ing or handing of the instruments is necessarily to be joined to impo- sition of hands among the Latins. And when the church, according to this sentiment, hath the power of determining the matter of the sacrs- ments, the oriental church without the consent of the Latin, and the
- Bailly de Ordine, c. 4, tom. v, pp. 3(r7.-,q69.
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