II I • II 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 ii ! ^! ill •j I j! l!i 1' Hi iji i :i il ! I iW \M U\i i'\ dCi-'U^ Stem i^t £i6tar^ of (pxofcBBox T3?iffidm J^cnt]^ (Breen (J$eciueaf0e^ 6^ ^im fo t^e feifirari? of (prtncefon C^eofogtcdf ^eminarj , B 94- y^^-fik^ RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS. m Ni- RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS; OR, 1»RACTISED BY THE SEVERAL NATIONS OF THE KNOWN WORLD, FROM THE EARLIEST RECORDS TO THE PRESENT TIME; ON THE BASIS OF THE CELEBRATED AND SPLENDID WORK OF BERNARD PIC ART. TO WHICH IS ADDED, A BRIEF VIEW OF MINOR SECTS, WHICH EXIST AT THE PRESENT DAY. THE WORK, DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES, WILL NOT ONLY BE FOUND INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE AS A VOLUME FOR GENERAL READING, BUT OP GREAT IMPORTANCE AS A BOOK OF REFERENCE. EMBELLISHED WITH NUMEROUS ELEGANT ENGRAVINGS. BY WILLIAM BURDER, B.A. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THOMAS TEGG, 73, CHEAPSIDE ; GRIFFIN AND CO , GLASGOW; TEGG AND CO., DUBLIN; AND J. AND S. A. TEGG, SYDNEY' AND HOB ART TOWN- MDCCCXLI. LOXDON : IIRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRTA R^^ PREFACE. The present volume has for its basis a work published some time since, commonly known by the title of " Picart's Religious Ceremonies and Customs ;" and so denominated from the circum- stance, that this distinguished artist prepared embellishments for the work, consisting of more than five hundred copper-plate engravings, which, for elegance of design, and for felicity of execution, have rarely, if ever, been excelled. The work was originally composed in French, and was com- prised in six volumes folio. Its celebrity obtained for it an English translation, in the same number of volumes. This work is an abridgment of the folio Edition. The embellishments have been taken from the English folio translation. Although the principal part of the volume has been derived from the foregoing work ; yet important additions and alterations have been made. These have resulted from a desire to conform the work to the present state of Nations and Tribes, in respect to several of which our knowledge has been greatly enlarged and corrected, since the work of Picart was compiled. It will be seen, that besides that portion of the volume, which is occupied by the Introduction and the History of the Jews, new articles have been VI PREFACE. prepared in respect to the Hindoos, and most of the Protestant Communities ; while important corrections and additions have been made illustrating the ceremonies and customs of the Maho- metans— Indian and African Tribes, &c. The article on the South Sea Islands is chiefly derived from the popular work, " Polynesian Researches," by Ellis, and from Williams's Narrative of Missionary Enterprises, and the article The Malagasy from Ellis's History of Madagascar. It was the original plan of the Editor to embrace within the volume proposed, an account of the religion of some nations and tribes, which he has felt himself obliged, in the sequel, to omit, that he might avoid a common and just objection to abridgments, viz. that in the multiplicity of subjects treated of, the interest of circum- stance and detail is lost. To the student of anatomy, a skeleton may be an object of pleasant contemplation ; but to secure the interests of the casual observer, it must have the usual accom- paniments of the living man-. The " Dictionary of Minor Sects," which it was intended should embrace a large number, has been necessarily confined to a " Brief View" of such only as may be deemed most important. The belief is entertained that the volume will be found to be replete with interest and instruction, growing out of the subjects upon which it treats. The reader will have presented to him a picture of the religious world. He will perceive upon that picture many dark and distressing shades ; — he will see in what varied and unhallowed forms mankind have worshipped the common Parent of all; he will be led to contemplate the delusions practised upon millions, by the cunning and craft of imposture ; the unholy devotion demanded of other millions, by an intolerant hierarchy ; and the PREFACE. ^11 debasing superstitions and cruel abominations inculcated upon still more millions of the human family, by an earth-born system of idolatry. From the pain of dwelHng upon these darker shades, he will find relief, by turning his eye to some bright spots in the picture. There are, blessed be God, some such spots, illumined by the shedding down of light from on high; and, although that heavenly light is in a degree obscured by the variety and contra- riety of opinions, which still prevail among Christian communities ; yet the reader will find it pleasant to reflect that the differences, which now divide the Christian world, are gradually diminishing. A day is coming, when, in respect to essential truths, and perhaps in respect to those which are less important, there will prevail a delightful harmony among the professed followers of a once cruci- fied Redeemer. Nay, more than this, the voice of prophecy has predicted a still more glorious triumph of the Son of God. Into the dark corners of the earth, the light of the Gospel will ultimately penetrate, and the habitations of cruelty will become the dwelHng places of righteousness. Even at this present time, the Christian Church is gathering in the first fruits of this golden age. The anti-christian systems and the idolatrous superstitions of the world are rapidly approaching their fall. What, if the Jew still clings to the dreams of a Messiah Ben David — what, if the Mussulman still pays his devotions at the tomb of the prophet — what, if the Hindoo yet points to a future avatar of Vishnoo the preserver, the tidings of a crucified Redeemer are spreading through every portion of the globe. " Idolatry has been overthrown in the islands of the Pacific ; and in India, that massive, gorgeous, venerable superstition, which has withstood not only the decay of time, but the sword of Maho- met, zealously protected, patronised, and endowed by a Christian government, has been undermined, and a breach has been made in the outworks. The Bramin has been converted, and the still PREFACE. prouder Moslem, the unimpassioned Chinese, the degraded negro, the wild CafFer, and the brutish Hottentot.'' These are antepasts of better days. Yet how much remains to be done before the warfare of Zion shall be accomplished ! — before that period shall arrive, when the earth shall be full of the know- ledge of God ! Let the reader inquire, while he hails that day as certain in its advent, what he may do to accelerate its arrival. CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 PART I. HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE JEWS 11 Chap. I.— HISTORY OF THE JEWS 11 Chap. XL— RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES OF THE JEWS .... 35 I. Fundamental Doctrines . . 35 I iii. Religions Rites 49 n. Customs and Laws of the ancient iv. Ecclesiastical Discipline— Worship- Jews 39 I Festivals, &c 56 PART II. HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS OF THE MAHOMETANS . . . . 71 Chap. L-LIFE OF MAHOMET 71 Chap. II.— RELIGIOUS TENETS, CEREMONIES, AND CUSTOxMS, OF THE MAHO- METANS 89 PART III. RELIGIOUS TENETS, CEREMONIES, AND CUSTOMS, OF THE GREEK AND RO- MAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES II7 Chap. L— GREEK CHURCH II7 I. Greek Church Proper . . .117 II. Religious Principles and Customs of the Russian-Greek Church . 14G in. Other Branches of the Greek Chiu-ch : 1 . Georgian and Mingrelian Churches 1 63 2. Nestorian Churches . . .166 3. Christians of St. Thomas . . . 1G9 4. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Jacobites 171 5. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Copts 173 6. Doctrines and Customs of the Abys- sinians or Ethiopians. . . .175 7. Religious Tenets and Customs of the Armenians ]7fl CONTENTS. PAGE CiiAP. II.— RELIGIOUS TENETS, CUSTOMS, CEPvEMONIES, &c. OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 183 I. Tenets, Customs, &c. . . .183 u. Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church 270 III. Holy Orders of the Roman Catholic Church 282 IV. Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church 292 PART IV. RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS AND CERE3I0NIES OF PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES VI. Arminians . VII. Congregationalists VIII, Baptists IX. Methodists X. Quakers Lutherans . . 302 Church of England . 312 Kirk of Scotland . 349 English and American Presbyte- rians . 353 Calvinists . . 354 361 3()3 372 383 392 PART V. RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND CUSTOZ.IS OF PAGAN NATIONS AND TRIBES r. Religious Belief and Ceremonies of the ancient Egyptians Ti. Religious Belief and Ceremonies of the Carthaginians and Tyrians . III. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Assj'rians IV. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Babylonians . . . . V. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Medes and Persians . VI. Religious Belief and Ceremonies of the Scythians, Scandinavians, and Celts, or Druids . . . . vii. Religious Belief, Ceremonies, and Customs, of the ancient Greeks and Romans nij. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Chinese . . . . 402 406 . 423 465 402 Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Japanese . . . • Religions Tenets, Ceremonies, and Customs of the Thibetians and Tar- tars . . . . . . • Religious Doctrines, Ceremonies, and Customs, of the Hindoos Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Laplanders .... Religious Ceremonies and Customs of Indian Tribes . . . . . Religious Ceremonies and Customs of African Tribes .... Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the IVIalagasy . . . . . Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Polynesians . . . • 551 553 569 A BRIEF VIEW OF MINOR SECTS 578 RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS. INTRODUCTION. It is a fact which we learn from history, that religion of some kind has existed^ in every period of time^ and among all nations. It can be traced Religion of some "P *» *^^® infancy of the world, and among the fathers of kind "has always the human race. The earliest account that has reached us, existed. which is that of our sacred scriptures, informs us of its existence even before the origin of nations, while as yet the inhabitants of the globe were one entire community. Some few notices appear in holy writ of the religious rites of the ante- diluvian world ; as the offerings of Cain and Abel, the practice of prayer, or the profession of religion ; mention is also made of tlie In the antcdi- .^^^ character of the descendants of Setli ; the brief Init luvian world. i i.n-i-- i l^ f •^ o touching story of Enoch s faith is given ; and the fomily of Noah is particularly introduced in connexion with the religion of this period. After the origin of nations, consequent on the dispersion at Babel, ^^ e learn something from the Bible of the fate of divine institutions among the separate portions of mankind, so for as these are brought ^ After the on- -^^^ ^-^^ j^ ^1^^ sacred narrative. In confirmation of the gin o na ions. j^-^|g^ ^^^ earliest fabulous accounts, as they are called, all refer to some kind of religion promulgated by the founders of nations, and lield and practised by the latter. Profane history abounds in repre- sentations of this nature ; and we learn from its pages how the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and other ancient nations, were accustomed to the observation of certain rehgious rites and ceremonies. Their notions and tenets also on this subject have been occasionally transmitted to us ; and although these, in most instances, are extremely vague and absurd, they evidently betray a common origin. Thus the universality of religion of some sort, in the earliest ages, is a matter of history : and the same im- partial guide introduces us to an acquaintance with the Through every y.,j.yj^j„ creeds, forms, and observances of nations since, age since. , , * . , . , • m- j ^'L' ah ^ whether in their rude or civihzed condition. All seem to ^ INTRODUCTION. have obeyed that law of the human mind, which bids it to seek repose in some sort of religion. Our knowledf^e of the different communities of men at the present time, which, by means of improvements in navigation and facilities in travelling, is nearly universal, confirms the same important truth. And at die pre- g^^^j. gjy ^ tribe, however unenlightened, is found, that sent time. •' ,.-.«i.. o ' ,^ -r-k ^ j.'xl 1 possesses no kmd of religious faith. Perhaps, strictly speak- ing, no one is found without the notion of God, and an invisible or future world ; for although some two or three savage communities may have been reported by travellers to be thus destitute, there is reason to believe that further inquiry would show the fact to be otlierwise. On tlie whole, it may be safely asserted to be a condition of mankind, which is essentially universal. If the representations above made are correct, religion may he supposed to he, in some sense, yiatural to the human species. This is an inference Hence religion ^^'^^^^^ ^^^^^^ readily suggest itself to every reflecting mind, is in some sense It could not rationally be accounted for, that in every period natural to man. ^f the world, and among all nations and tribes of men, some notion of God and human accountableness, and certain modes of worship should prevail, without referring religion to a settled law or principle of our common nature. A want surely exists in the human mind, whicli can be supplied only by some kind of religion. It is a confirmation of the rru- • view here taken, that a survey of man as a rational creature Ihis IS con- ' 1 !• 1 • T • firmed by a moi-al of God, must lead US to believe that, m some sense, religion survey of man. ig natural to him. ^' VYhoever," says a writer, " seriously reflects on the powers and capacities of the human mind, regarding them as the work of Him that doeth nothing in vain, and comparing them with those of the inferior creatures, will readily perceive that man alone was created to be religious. Of all the inhabitants of this eartli, none else are capable of attaining any knowledge of their Creator, or of rendering him any worship or praise. Man alone possesses the capacity of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, — between moral good and evil, — and of receiving instruction in social and relative duties, with the obligation under which he lies to perform them, and the advantages of doing it. He alone is capable of being governed by a law, and of being influenced by the proposal of rewards and punishments ; of acting as under the eye of an invisible Observer, and with reference to the future season of retri- bution." But although religion may be said to be thus natural to man, it does not follow that the truth will always be chosen. The want before But the right spoken of is a general want, and it may seem to be satisfied, religion is not though it should not be so in reality, with any and with every always chosen. form of religion. We say with everg form of religion ; for one people at least, viz. the Athenians, always imported the deities and superstitions of every nation with whom they became acquainted, and mingled them with their own creed. The tendencies of nature to some system of faith and worship are not a specific and unerring direction to INTRODUCTION. .3 any one system in particular. If tliey were such a direction, a perfect uniformity would have existed in the theology of all nations. But this, we now have occasion to remark, is not the case. Notwith- standing religion, in the ahove respect, is natural to man, a great dliiers'ity of religious opinions has prevailed in the icorld^ and different forms and W ti d cr ceremonies ham lee^i and still are observed. The religious variety of reli- notions and practices of mankind early diverged from one gions in the another, — the sons of men were soon distinguished from the ^^^"^*'' sons of God, the impious from the holy, — and, notwithstand- ing the purgation of the world by a flood, and the subsequent re-establish- ment of one common faith, no sooner did the earth begin to be peopled again, than a diversity of religions took place, each nation and tribe embrac- ing some peculiarity of its own. Such has been the fact, through all the intervening periods of history, to the present day. Each distinct portion of the human family, especially its larger divisions, has had its separate religious dogmas and practices, ranging from pure theism to the grossest idolatry. At the present time, there are at least four general forms or departments of religious belief among mankind : viz. the Christian, the Jewish, the Mahometan, and the Pagan, which, for the most part, are subdivided into many others. In regard to Paganism, it may be remarked, that it is as various as the separate portions of people that constitute the Gentile world. The causes of this diversity cannot hut form an i7iteresthig subject of inquiry. The inquisitive mind of man very naturally desires to know, ,. . . , .. how the same beincr, with the same essential wants, should It IS interesting »' . ■,•, i p i to know the have fallen upon religions so unlike, and otten so opposed causes of this di- to one another. What is there in the circumstances of ^^'®''^'* human nature that can afford a clue to this surprising fact? 1. Does the variance spoken of arise merely from chance ? We are not believers in this phantom, as furnishing a solution of any phenomenon. It does not ^^ ^^ ^^^ think that it is the cause of anything in exist - spring from ence, much less do we suppose that it can account for the chance. variety and difference in the religion of mankind. If acci- dent operated here, it might indeed give a diversity to this propensity of nature, or it might give to it a uniformity. It were just as likely to effect the one as the other, only it would not be apt to produce a uniformity in variety. It would be infinitely unapt to do this. Yet such seems to be literally the case in the religions of the human species. They uniformly differ from one another, and most of them essentially from the truth. It concerns those wlio believe in chance as the cause of anything, or the cause of such a moral phenomenon, to make out the proof. There seems to us to be something extremely absurd in referring to contingency merely, as the cause of an effect, when, by the nature of the word, it neither is, nor can be known as such a cause. 2. Does the above diversity arise from cii'cumstances foreign or external Nor from ex- *^ *^® mind, such as time, location, climate, or country ? ternal circum- It is not unnatural to suppose that such circumstances might stances. modify, in a small degree, the religions of mankind ; but b2 INTRODUCTION. they could not well produce such essential and irreconcilable differences as prevail. Religions exist in perfect diversity or contrariety in situations where we might suppose they would be the same, or nearly the same, so far as the operation of these extraneous causes is concerned. At the same period, in tlie same climate, under the same government, among a people speaking the same language, there are often found the most dissimilar religions, creeds, and practices. What one class esteems as divine, another abhors as sacrilegious. Where there is little diversity in other respects, such as the features of nature, the form of government, or the civil habits, there is often a wide difference in religion. A Mahometan, whether in Asia or Africa, invokes the impostor ; and his credulity flourishes equally well on the table-lands of the one as amid the deserts of the other. A Jew is found the same all the w^orld over, and, in religion, ow^ns no communion with his Christian neighbours. Creeds are believed and ceremonies are observed, both of the most opposite kinds, under the same physical and social circumstances. 3. Docs again the diversity spoken of proceed from any necessary tendencies of the human mind to difference or opposition ? It would be more than could be expected from human nature, as we now find it, that Nor from any ™^^^^^^^^^ should think and act exactly alike on this subject, necessity in the On no subject is there a perfect coincidence of views and mind for differ- practices. On this account some differences are to be looked ^"'^^^ for, at least, as mankind are at present situated. But in most things, especially those of a practical nature, those differences need not be essential. They are not so necessary as that mankind cannot act together, and realize the important ends of civil society. Certain advan- tages as to information seem to bring most men into a reasonable measure of conformity to one another. It cannot be thought, therefore, that there is any more necessity in the mind itself for diversity in religion, than there is as to the other great interests of life. The mind is not changed in its attributes when it acts in respect to religion : and the diversity is not, in fact, to be traced to such a source. There is no irreversible fate here. Besides, we can hardly suppose, from the nature of the case itself, that there could be a necessary tendency in the mind to difference or opposition in the affair of religion, or the intercourse of the soul with God. None could seriously maintain that in such a concern he would have made mankind with any invincible tendency to difference, or with so strong a tendency as that it would be next to miraculous that they should agree. On so vital a subject, he certainly would be apt to give them freedom of choice, either to agree or disagree. He would be most unapt to bind them to the dire necessity only of disagreeing. 4. Does the diversity in question spring from the want of a divine revelation ? As believers in such a revelation, we must answ^er in the Nor from the i^egative. Abundant proof could be presented, were it want of a revela- necessary, that mankind are in possession of a revelation t^'^"- from God. That revelation is found in the Bible ; but we shall here take for granted the authenticity and divine authority of that sacred book. Its claims to be considered as containing the revealed wall of God have been too often admitted, to be denied at this day — a day wOien its prophecies arc being so amply fulfilled, and its effects on the heart and INTRODUCTION. life, wherever received, are so decidedly excellent. Varying human faiths are not, then, owing to the want of a divine revelation — a revelation directing all men how they should believe, feel, and act in respect to God and invisible realities. Such is the nature of the revelation which is given to us in the Bible. Its truths are clearly announced ; the object, mode, and obligations of religious worship, are distinctly pointed out. The only true religion, in its dififerent dispensations, is communicated to us in full and satisfactory details. Had God left men without the light of his word, it might be expected that they would wander in darkness. If he had not informed them respecting the only divine system of rehgion, a reason might be found in that circumstance, for the almost endless diversity which exists in creeds, and in the objects and modes of worship. But, now, this cannot be the cause of that diversity, since a divine revelation is possessed, given to mankind in the first ages of the world, continued for a long period by tradition, and at length committed to writing, as its portions were completed from time to time. 5. Passing by the aforenamed, as inadequate causes of the variety of relio-ious professions among men, is not the proper explanation to be found But it arises i" ^^^^ radical depravity of the human heart ? Is not that from human de- the true cause ? It seems to us that it can be resolved into pravity. ^q other. Of the depravity of the human heart we are not permitted to doubt, in view of the decisions of the Bible, and the results of observation. This existing and reigning in all men by nature, would readily dispose them to a diversity of religious views and practices, or rather to irreligion under various names. It would readily dispose them to depart from the true belief, and to cast off the restraints of the divine authority. They would be prone to invent many schemes and devices with a view to appease an upbraiding conscience, and to gratify that ceaseless love of novelty, which characterizes the human mind. Except in those in whom the effects of depravity are counteracted by divine grace, there would exist a continual propensity to depart from God and his institutions— to lose sight of religious truth, and become involved in gross darkness and superstition. In such a state, the mind is prepared for every absurdity. " Nations ignorant of God, contrive A wooden one." Hence have arisen the altars and demons of heathen antiquity, their Hence liave extravagant fictions, and abominable orgies. Hence we arisen the abouii- find among the Babylonians and Arabians the adoration of nations of heathen the heavenly bodies, the earliest form of idolatry; among the Avorsliip. Canaanites and Syrians, the worship of Baal, Tammuz, Magog and Astarte ; among the Phoenicians, the immolation of children to Moloch ; among the Egyptians, divine honours bestowed on animals, birds, insects, leeks, and onions ; among the Persians, religious reverence offered to fire ; and among the polished Greeks, the recognition in their system of faith of thirty thousand gods. Hence, moreover, we find at the present time among most pagan tribes, the deadliest superstitions, the most cruel and bloody rites, and the most shocking licentiousness and vice practised under the name of religion. From the darkened views and evil imaginings inspired by the depraved heart proceed all those fatal mistakes 6 INTRODUCTION. about God, the way of acceptance with him, and the realities of the future world ; all those departures from a consistent belief and worship, which distinguish every nation, and every portion of the world, except where the Bible is strictly received as the rule of life. So obvious is it that the depravity of the heart has dictated the various false religions that prevail in the world, that even the infirmities remain- ing in pious persons have given rise to minor differences among the evan- The corrup- gelical sects of Christians. Every wrong and perverted feeling tions even of of the heart is likely to engender a degree of deviation from good nien have ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ jj^^^^^ ^j^^^^ Unhappy, though not fatal, separa- occasioned . i t J •> o j. i i i smaller differ- tions which take place among persons who, on the whole, ences. adhere to the same gTeat fundamental principles. Christian integrity secures a substantial, though not literal, agreement in the truths and observances of religion. If that integrity were perfect in this world, or more nearly perfect than it now is, there might literally be but one creed, and one mode of worship. An acquaintance icith these different systems of religion^ while it is calculated to furnish no small enter to/inment^ will convey several highly Tl dv 't ' of ^'^^V^^^'^^^^ reflections to the reader. We should not and religions teaches cannot Well contemplate such a scene, without learning some important some useful lessous from it, especially as it is con- lessons, nected with glorious purposes, which God evidently intends to subserve. 1. A view of these religions will present to ns a melancholy account of the apostacy of the human species. It will evince the nature and the Presents a me- effects of that apostacy, and thus confirm the scriptural lancholy account narrative on the subject. It will exemplify the great fact of of the apostacy. human degeneracy in a form and manner calculated to con- vince every candid reader, that original, deep, a^id wide-spread corruption, in which the fall of man consists, appears in dark lines, in the history of the various religions which mankind have embraced. Indeed, the most disgusting exhibitions of man'*s apostacy are found in many of the religions which he has contrived, with a view to supersede the religion derived from heaven. The awful consequences of the apostacy will here be presented in a medium, in which they will appear in their undisguised and most hateful character. The lust, impurity, pride, ambition, revenge, malignity, rebellion, unbelief, selfishness, in which this primitive defection is mani- fested, constitute the leading features of tliose superstitions, to which millions in every age have bowed. 2. A view of these religions, so far as they are departures from the truth, will furnish a sad detail of the extent and power of Satan's empire, Shows the ex- ^^ ^^^ World. Mankind having aj)Ostatized from God, have, tent an.l power in every nation, and in every period of time, been succes- of Satan's em- slvcly brought Under the dominion of Satan. They have ^"^* been subject to his influence, obeyed his laws, and in their religious rites often directly paid him homage. In fine, they have been his slaves, and he has claimed them as his property. The wickedness in which he delights they have, in innumerable instances, practised. AVe INTRODUCTION. 7 may form some idea of the extent and power of Satan's empire, from the fact, that all the nations of antiquity, except the Israelites, were idolaters by profession, and even the latter were, practically, idolaters, at times. That system of religion was called Polytheism, as acknowledging a plurality of gods, who, according to the poet, were no other than the chiefs of the fallen spirits, that "durst fix Their seats long after, next the seat of God, Their altars by his altar, gods adored, Among the nations round." All these nations worshipped divinities or devils by various representations, called idols. Forsaking the service of the only living and true God, they paid that homage which is due to him to those beings that are infinitely unlike him in character. 3. A view of the absurd religions which mankind have embraced shows the necessity of a divine revelation — that revelation with which the Evinces the ne- nations are favoured in the Holy Scriptures. This exhibits cessityofadivine to US the true system of religion, and is the umpire to which revelation. appeal must ever be made on this subject. " To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." The necessity of a divine revelation is apparent amidst diverse and opposing faiths, since nothing but such a revelation could enable men to know the truth. They would be lost in an endless labyrinth of conjectures. Reason alone could not be appealed to with a view to determine what is right and what is wrong in human belief. But a revelation from God, properly authenticated, as it must be, would prove an unerring guide. It would direct mankind to itself, and throw a clear light over all the field of moral and religious truth. Without such a revelation, so far as man on earth is concerned, it would be to him an endless scene of darkness, doubt, and perplexity. 4. A knowledge of the opposing religious systems among mankind will evince the necessity not only of a divine revelation, but also of the direct influences of the Supreme Agent, in causing mankind to cessUyTf dircci harmouise in their views. As it is apparent that their divine influence, disagreement, on points so vital, proceeds from depravity of in order to pro- i^gj^j-t, it would seem that light alone is not sufficient to duce harmony. p^.^^^^^^^^ union, though it is important as an auxiliary, or means to this result. That wrong state of the heart must be rectified, — that depravity must be subdued, and this cannot be done except by the Spirit of God. He only can directly influence the spirit that is in man, and form it to truth and to rectitude. His operations, by removing the grounds of opposition and error, will restore harmony of views, as a natural consequence. Accordingly, divine influences are promised, and have been imparted, in a degree, hitherto to the children of men. Hence is found that measure of agreement, on all essential points, which characterises all evanoelical Christians, or those who submit to the Bible, in its plain and si tuple communications. A view, then, of the various religions of the world will show the necessity of direct divine operations, in producing a uniformity of opinions on the subject of religion. f). An account of the clashing and absurd religions that have controlled 8 liNTRODLCTIOiN. sucli numbers of mankind, will impart an exalted idea of the mercy of Manifests the ^^^ ^^ ^^'^ promulgation of Christianity. As the only divine mercy ia true religion — the great centre of divine communications — tlie promulgation the point where all the rays of revelation meet, (the Jewish o instianity. gygtem being only preparatory to it, though very important in that view,) it will manifest God's benevolent desire to guide and influence mankind aright, in respect both to their present and future welfare. When we learn the spirit and the requirements of Christianity ; when we become acquainted with its practical tendencies ; how it pre- pares men in the temper of their minds, not only for a better world, but to enjoy greater happiness in this ; how it elevates their understanding, and improves their social condition, we cannot but be impressed with a sense of the divine mercy, in the invaluable gift. Indeed, no finite mind can fully conceive the importance of the gospel, as the instrument in God's hand of effecting the salvation of souls. But we might entertain some- thing like an adequate conception of the temporal blessings conferred by this system on a fallen race. There has been, however, even among those who have largely participated in these blessings, a remarkable failure duly to appreciate the benignant influence of Christianity in this world. Very incorrect ideas on this subject are entertained among the mass of mankind in Christian lands. The error, however, is inexcusable. We believe the time is coming, when a very different, and much higher estimate of the gospel will be formed, in its effects not only on the spiritual, but on the temporal and social condition of man. It will be felt how much we are indebted to it for all the real blessings we enjoy in this life. 6. A consideration of the kind we speak of, will furnish Christians with a powerful incentive to unite in diffusing a knowledge of Christianity. Aff (1 • tron Judging from their own experience of its power, they can incentive for unit- but view this religion as the only corrective of a false faith iiig to spread and a wickcd practice ; and such indeed is the fact. It is Christianity. ^^iq only religion which, by a moral influence, can displace others. It acknowdedges no true religion except its own, and never tolerates any other. Indeed, in its principles, it is hostile to every other religion, and makes a war of extermination against all superstition, idolatry, false worship, unbelief, and vice. In early times, it extinguished the religion of pagan Rome, because it would have no competitor — because it would own no associate. And it has since extended itself only ■ by displacing other religions, through a moral influence. The peaceful exertions of its friends and subjects have been the means of its triumphs hitherto, and will doubtless continue so to be, if those triumphs are continued. Christians reading the sad story of the debasing superstitions and idolatries that still spread over the world, must feel powerfully prompted to unite their energies in the wide and universal dissemination of their religion. And it is a pleasing reflection, constituting the great encouragement of their labours, that the divine light of Christianity will one day dispel all the deep moral darkness which still covers a large por- tion of the earth. That darkness will vanish, as fast as the Sun of righteousness shall arise upon the world, with healing in his wings. • Finally; it is delightful to go forward in our contemplations to the INTRODUCTION. 9 time when there shall be one religion among men, and but one. That There will at time is destined to arrive. The voice of prophecy has last, be but one declared it. " In tlie last days the mountain of the Lord's religion. liouse shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it." And he who founded this religion said, in the days of his humanity, " And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice : and there shall be one fold and one shej)- herd." After all the conflicting views of mankind on the subject of religion; after all the diversified forms of error, there shall come a period of blessed unanimity, and of the universal prevalence of the truth. There will be but one rehgion, and that one the glorious gospel of our salvation. It is not, however, to be inferred that there may not be different evan- gelical denominations of Christians ; since we are by no means permitted to believe that there will ever be sinless perfection on earth. The existence of these denominations, all " holding the head" — the same great distinguishing principles, and exercising a mutual liberality of feeling in respect to the less important parts of the system, is not inconsistent with unanimity in the sense here understood. In this case, one religion may be said to prevail, and only one, throughout the earth, and among all nations. It will be one in its essential peculiar features, and one in the spirit and in the practices which will characterize the human family. In different sections, in different divisions, supposing that all are not to coalesce in one particular denomination, will the church universal move on in her bright career, each harmonizing essentially with the other, and all conspiring to advance the common object of the believer's high calling in Christ Jesus. PART I. HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE JEWS. CHAPTER I. HISTORY OF THE JEWS. An account of the religion of tlie Jews may, with great propriety, be preceded by a snccinct history of that people. A recent interesting his- torian* has pronounced them, without reference to their religious belief, as " among the most remarkable people in the annals of mankind." Contemplated in connection leith their religion, and as a means of under- Tlie history of Standing it more fully, their history claims our attention the Jews peculi- more than that of any other nation. It instructs us in a arly instructive, (different manner from that of any other, because it brings directly into view the divine dealings with them. The Jews, in the early periods of their history, are known under the more general name of Hebrews or Israelites, who constituted a community of which the Jews, as tliey were afterwards denominated, were only a part. The origin of their name, and the circum- stances of their separation from the associated tribes, will appear in the course of our narrative. This distinguished race, commonly called the people of God, was derived from Abraham, lineally de- f *^Ab"*r sccnded in the tenth generation from Shem, the eldest son * of Noah. His calling of God, which took place 1921 years u. c, is a remarkable event in history, and deserves a brief notice. . In obedience to the command of God, Abraham, who was a son of Terah, the head of a pastoral family, left Ur in Chaldca, his native country, and dwelt witli his father in Ilaran. Ur was a ^^^7 rn"'i?^^''*^ district to the north-east of that reoiou which lies above the out oi Chuldea. i rrt- • t -n i confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates, and became after- wards the seat of the great Babylonian monarchy. Haran was a city situated in the north-west part of Mesopotamia. The former place, from the signification of the name, was supposed to be particularly infected witli idolatry, and hence the reason of the command, connected with the pur- pose of God to make Abraham the father of a great and peculiar nation. By the same command, after Terah's death, he went into the land of Canaan, which God promised to his posterity. Thet/ were to be included within the boundaries of that country. * Rev. H, II. Mihnan. 12 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. The divine design, in thus setting apart one family from the rest of mankind, was to preserve the true religion in the world, the existence of God's design ^^hich became endangered by the prevalence of polytheism, herein was to and to prepare the way for the great work of redemption preserve the true \yy Jcsus Clirist. God promised to protect, bless, and reigion,&c. niultiply his posterity in an extraordinary manner, and made the significant and cheering declaration, applicable to the Saviour, who according to the flesh descended in the line of Abraham, that in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. Abraham having acquired a name by his wealth and piety, and having passed through various scenes of prosperity and trial, died at an advanced Leaves Isaac ^ge, leaving behind him several sons, of whom Isaac only as the child of was the child of promise. Ishmael, by Hagar, the maid promise. ^£ Abraham's wife, became the progenitor of a distinct tribe or nation. The Arabs, to this day, claim to be descended from the The sons of son of Hagar. Two sons were the progeny of Isaac, viz. Isaac are Esau Esau and Jacob, the former of whom sold his birth-right to and Jacob. Jacob, who also, by artifice, obtained his father's blessing. Esau was the ancestor of the Edomites or Idumeans. In the line of Jacob, The Israelites whose iiame was changed to Israel, were the Israelites descended in the descended. His twelve sons gave the names to the twelve line of Jacob. tribes, of whicli the nation was composed. Jacob closed an eventful life, 3689 years b. c, in making a prophetic declaration of the future state of his descendants, and the period of the coming of the Messiah. He had previously been brought out of Canaan into Egypt, by means of his son Joseph, whom his brethren, through envy and malice, sold into that country. The different occurrences by which Joseph became minister to the king of Egypt speak the immediate interposition of divine providence, which was preparing for the accomplishment of the promises made to the patriarch Abraham". Of these occurrences, which carry on the history of the Hebrews for a period, the following summary is given. Josej^h, who was much loved by his father, and hated by his brethren, upon a certain occasion which was presented, fell into the power of the Occurrences latter, who Sought to slay him. This horrid design, how- in the life of ever, being providentially prevented, they availed them- P selves of the opportunity of selling him to a company of Ishmaelite slave-merchants, who carried him into Egypt, where he was bought by Potiphar, an officer of the court. Here, at length, he was wrongfully thrown into prison, by a false accusation of Potiphar's wife ; but being proved to be an interpreter of dreams, he was released from his confinement, and introduced to the notice of Pharaoh, the Egyptian king,^ who, on a certain occasion, wanted his services in this capacity. His success in interpreting the king's dreams, and his subsequent conduct, procured for him the highest distinction ; and he became the administrator of the government. During the famine which he had predicted in interpreting those dreams, and which reached the land of Canaan, all his brethren, except Benjamin, came to him to buy corn. Joseph knew t/ieni, although they did not know him ; and, by an innocent contrivance, having brought them into Kgypt the second time with their brother HISTORY OF THE JEWS. ]3 Benjamin, he declared to them that he was Josepli, whom they liad persecuted and sold. Their surprise, mortification, and terror, were at first overwhelming ; but their distressing apprehensions were, in duo The family of ^^"^^5 alleviated by his assurances of pardon and kindness ; Jacob or Israel and inviting his father and the whole family into Egypt, invited into J^e allotted them a portion of the territory. Here he pro- ^^ P*^' tected them ; and under his auspices they became flourishing and happy. Josepli continued to rule over Egypt after the death of Jacob, who had sojourned in that country seventeen years. His own decease, which occurred ]635 years b. c, left the Israelites without a protector. In less The Israelites ^^^^^^ forty years from this event, they found a cruel tyrant oppressed in and oppressor in another king who knew not Joseph. This %ypt- king, perceiving that the Hebrews had become numerous and mighty, resolved to enfeeble them ; and, therefore, condemned them to slavery, and ordered that every new-born son among them should be cast into the river. The object in view was defeated ; for the people increased in an unexampled manner. The history of the Israelites now assumed a very marked character. Oppressed by the Egyptian monarch, they cried unto God for deliverance, and a divine deliverance they experienced. Moses, a Hebrew by birth, whose life was preserved in an extraordinary manner, notwithstanding the edict of the king, was selected as the instrument of saving his countrymen, He was in due time called to his work, and after a series of miracles, Delivered from whicli he performed by the divine assistance, he led the their bondage in people out from before Pharaoh, into the region bordering that land. on the promised land. The consequence to many of the Egyptians was their destruction ; for Pharaoh and his army, pursuing tlie Israelites through the Red Sea, were overwhelmed with its waters. The people were no sooner delivered from the Egyptians, than they murmured against Moses, on account of the want of food ; to satisfy them They murmnr ^^^ ^^^^ ^^'^* ^ great quantity of quails, and the next after their deli- morning, manna, which fell regularly every day except on verance. Sabbath-days, during the time in which they remained in the wilderness. Again, the people murmured for water, and Moses, by the Lord's command, caused a supply to issue from a rock. At this junc- ture the Amalekites attacked Israel, and were defeated by Joshua, who afterwards became their leader. The people soon after They receive j^j.j.jyg(j r^^ Mount Sinai, from which God gave them his law. the law at Sinai. -r^ . , ,i i n -it • ,t , ,^ Dunng, however, the absence oi Moses m the mount, they were guilty of an act of idolatry, in consequence of which three thousand of them were put to death. In the course of the second year after the retreat from Egypt, Moses numbered the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upwards, and The neoole there were found six hundred and three thousand five hun- numbered the dred and fifty men, able to go to war, besides the Levites. 2nd year after About this time, twelve men were sent to spy the land of t eir retreat. Canaan, who, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, reported unfavourably; a circumstance which caused the people to murmur. Upon this ofix^nce, God condemned all those who were twenty years and 14 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. upwards when they came out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb. As a punishment for their murmurs, the Israelites They wander began to travel in the wilderness, 1489 years b. c. At this 40 years in the juncture, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, revolting against wilderness. Moses, were swallowed by the earth with two hundred and fifty of their associates. After wandering in the wilderness forty years, and frequently rebelling against God, this people were conducted by the hand of Moses in sight of Canaan, when he died, without Moses died on entering it himself. His death occurred on Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, after he had first taken a view of the promised resting-place of Israel. The successor of Moses was Joshua, who conducted the people at last into Canaan. Having led them to the banks of the Jordan, whose waters Joshua conduct- divided to afford them a passage, he brought them safely ed the Israelites Over it into their fair inheritance. He conquered thirty-one into Canaan. cities in the course of six years. The people, though they had been highly favoured, were perpetually inclined to forsake the worship of Jehovah, and to pollute themselves with the abominations of the heathen, who dwelt among and around them. For these sins they were repeatedly brought into bondage and consequent dis- tress. With a view to their deliverance at such times, certain leaders, called Judges^ w^ere divinely appointed, who directed the people, Judges raise ^^'^i^ go^ie intermission, during the space of three hundred up for them. r^ • ° -i-ii ii and fifty years. Occasions arose m which these leaders performed the most meritorious services. They defeated the enemies of their country, and contributed much to establish the nation in its pos- sessions. The people paid a high respect to these officers, and also to the priests, but they acknowledged no other king than God. As this state of things, so long continued, became irksome to the Israel- ites, and they desired a king, so as to be like the nations around them, a king was granted to them, but with the expressed disapprobation of their great spiritual Ruler. Saul, the son of Kish, was the nity of *th*^^Is- ^^st king of Israel. Having been privately anointed by raelites becomes Samuel, he was afterwards publicly proclaimed, 1079 years a monarchy. jj ^ ^j^g nomination of Saul took place by divine in- struction, but may be admired on the plainest principles of human policy. He was selected from a tribe which could not well be an Saul the first ^^^jg^.^ ^f jealousy, like the great rival tribes of Judah and Ephraim, and he belonged to a part of the country which was most exposed to enemies, and which of course felt most interested in re- pelling them. Besides, nature had marked him out as no common man. He possessed a tall and striking person — an eminent distinction in the East — and he proved himself, at times, capable of lofty aims. His reign was prosperous at first ; he gained important victories over his enemies, parti- cularly the Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalckites ; but his evil pro- pensities, at length, obtaining the mastery over him, he spent the last part of his iife in a most unhappy manner, and met with signal disasters and ill success in the management of his kingdom. He perished Perishes miser- jy^isQi-ably. Being at war with the Philistines, his army ^' was routed, three of his sons were slain, and he himself HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 15 havlno" received a wound, and fearing to fall into the hands of his enemies, took a sword and fell upon it. He was succeeded by David, who had been previously anointed king. This prince reigned at first only over the tribe of Judah : but after the death of Ishbosheth, a son of Saul, who had assumed the David succeeds government of the tribes, he reigned over the whole of ^^^^' Israel. He spent a very active and perilous life, and among the people whom he conquered were the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Syrians. By his wise and vigorous administration he raised his people to the highest pitch of national prosperity and happi- ness. He had, towards the latter part of his reign, some domestic troubles, and was in danger from an insurrection of his subjects, a portion of whom had attached themselves to his ambitious son Absalom ; but he lived to see his enemies destroyed, — and he left a rich and flourishing realm to his successor. David, though he greatly erred in some instances. His character. ^^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^ distinguished talents, bravery, and piety. As a composer of sacred poetry for the use of the church, he will be remem- bered and admired to the end of the world. The wise and rich Solomon was his son and successor. From the ac- cession of this prince to the throne of the Israelites, a period of profound peace and prosperity was enjoyed by that people through- Solomon king ^^^ jjjg reign. The most important undertaking of Solomon was the building and dedication of the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem. This temple was completed in seven years. It was a most magnificent, sumptuous, and costly edifice. The value of Builds the ^j^^ materials, and the perfection of the workmanship, rank ^^ ^* it among the most celebrated structures of antiquity. It was not very large, being Uttle more than ninety feet in length, thirty in breadth, and forty-five hi height ; but was finely proportioned, and, to- gether with a grand porch, was splendidly ornamented. As soon as Solomon had finished this noble structure, he employed his artificers upon three other buildings, two for himself, and a third for Pharaoh's daughter. He was occupied almost thirteen years And other ^^ erecting them ; so that he finished three famous edifices, with all their costly furniture, utensils, and ornaments, within the space of twenty years. To supply all these, and his other vast expenses, he built a navy upon the coast of the Red Sea, Sources of his ^^^^ p^j^ -^ under the care of some expert Tyrian sailors, who, with his own men, went with it to Ophir, which was pro- bably situated on some part of the eastern coast of Africa, and in about three years brought back an immense weight of gold and silver, besides several kinds of precious stones, spices, ebony, and other rarities. Besides these, there was the traffic of the Mediterranean, carried on through the Tyrian merchants, and the inland commerce of Egypt, Arabia, and Assyria, all of which were highly important. From these various sources it was, that the precious metals, and all other valuable commodities, were in such abundance that, in the figurative language of the sacred historian, " silver was in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees as sycamores." Besides the works already mentioned, Solomon built some fortresses in Lebanon, probably to secure a free communication between his kingdom IQ HISTORY OF THE JEAVS. and that of Syria. He built two cities, as stations, to protect liis inland tl ities commerce ; these were Tadmor and Baalath, the one the ofrLlniorand celebrated Palmyra, and the other Baalbec. These, and Baalath. many others, which time forbids us to particularize, were the works by which his peaceful reign was distinguished. No wars occurred, except in the instance of bringing under his yoke the remainder of the Canaanites, and making them tributary. Solomon exceeded in wisdom all who went before him ; but in his old aQ|-j-je ao'ain the centre of the national union, he set up two to Sin ^ golden calves, the one in Bethel and the other in Dan, which the people worshipped. Concerning these calves it has been observed, that they were not, strictly speaking, idols, but were speciously contrived as symbolical representations, probably preserving some resemblance to the cherubim, of which the ox was one of the four constituent parts. Still, they were set up in no less flagrant violation of the law, than if tliey had been the deities of Egypt, to which they bore a great likeness. For this HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 17 conduct God declared that his whole house should be cut off. lu a con- Defeated in war ^'^^ ^^^^^^ Abijali, the king of Judali, Jeroboam was totally by the king of defeated, with the loss of five hundred thousand men. The Ji'diih. disaster preyed on his mind, and he never after recovered his power or enterprise. He was succeeded by Nadab, his son, who had for his successors Baasha, Elah, and Zimri. The wickedness of these kings is the most remarkable c, , „ circumstance in their reifjns. Zimri enjoyed the crown only oeveral other ./. , . ny i • i • i i wicked kings sac- seven days. The beautiful city lirzah, in which he was cced ; as Nadab, besieged by Omri, being taken, he burned himself to death Baasha, Elab,&c. -^ j^j^ palace. Omri then occupied the throne; he built Samaria, or transferred the royal residence to that place, which thenceforth became the capital of his kingdom, and w^as so long the hated rival of Jerusalem. The apostacy of the ten tribes, and the wickedness of their kings, did not reach their height till the accession of Ahab, the son Isrt'l!^ ^''"° ""^ <>f 0»»^i' B- c. 919. This prince married Jezebel, the fierce and cruel daughter of the king of Sidon. Under her influence, the Sidonian worship of Baal, the sun, was introduced ; his temples were openly built and consecrated ; and this cruel and •] ^^^''^^'^^^^^^ persecuting idolatry threatened to exterminate the ancient " ^ '^ ^^ * religion. The prophets were put to death, one hundred only having escaped by lying concealed in a cave ; yet these intrepid defenders The prophets of the God of their fathers still arose to remonstrate against remonstrate these impious innovations ; till, at length, Elijah, the against the wick- ^^^est of the whole, took up the contest, and defied and edncss or Ahab o ,ii/.ii« ji-ii;i and Jezebel, his triumphed over the cruelty both of the king and his blooa- wife. thirsty consort. They each perished miserably; their death happening by God's avenging on them the blood of Naboth, whom they had killed, because he refused, as the law of Moses enjoined him, to sell them the fee of the inheritance of his father. Ahab was slain in battle by a random shot, as had been foretold by Micaiah the prophet ; Jezebel perished at Jehu's command, by being precipitated from a window, accord- ing to the prophecies of Elijah. Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash, were the successors, in turn, of Ahab ; but they heard and saw, unconcerned, the miracles of Elijah and Elisha, whom God made use of in endeavours to bring the Israelites to repentance. It is unnecessary to notice each of these kings in the separate acts of his reign. Of Jehu it may be observed, that he was a captain under Jehoram ; was anointed king by the prophet Elisha ; and, thouo-h a wicked man, was the instrument of executing the Lord's ven- o-eance upon his impious contemporaries. He killed Jehoram and the seventy sons of Ahab ; and after having slain all the priests of Baal, he destroyed the images and the house of their god. Concerning Jehoash it must be remarked that he was successful as a warrior. He defeated Benhadad, king of Syria, in three battles. In a war against Amaziah, king of Judali, he took him prisoner, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, plundered the temple and the king's palace, and carried away the spoil to Samaria. c Ahab is suc- Deeded by Aha- ziah, Jeho ram, Jehu, &c.. kings of a siraikr cha- racter. 18 HISTORY OF THE JEAVS. The kingdom of Israel now began to recover its strength, after having been brought low, under its latter kings, by the power of Syria. Jeroboam Israel recovers ■^^•' ^^^ ^^^^ prince, had Succeeded Jehoash, b. c. 822, and its strength un- pursuing his fathers successes, re-established the whole der Jeroboam. frontier, from Hamath to the Dead Sea ; even Damascus, the Syrian capital, surrendered to his forces. But the kingdom, which was to remain in the line of Jehu to the fourth generation, at the death of Jeroboam fell into a frightful state of anarchy. At length, state 0 an- j^f^^j. gigven vears of tumult, his son Zachariah obtained the archy tolJows. -^ ,., i i , oi n en i sceptre, but was speedily put to death by ohallum ; fehal- liim, in his turn, by Menahem ; Menahem, a sanguinary prince, reigned ten years, during which the fatal power of the great Assy- others '^'^^ d" ^^^^^ empire was rapidly advancing to universal conquest. Pul, the monarch who ruled at Nineveh, was now pushing his victories over Syria, and began to threaten the independence of Israel. Menahem only delayed the final servitude by submission and tribute, which he wrung from his people by heavy exactions. This prince was succeeded by his son, Pekahiah, who, in ten years after, was put to death by a new usurper, Pekah, the son of Remaliah. The dissensions between Israel and Judah, which had all along existed, Pekah the last ^^^^ arose to a great height. Pekah was the last able or able king of powerful king of the ten tribes. In conjunction with Rezin, Israel. king of Syria, he made war against Judah. In one of the engagements Judah lost one hundred and twenty thousand men, and many more were carried into captivity. These latter, however, were soon restored to their homes. The kingdom of Israel was now fast hastening to its end. Pekah was assassinated ; another period of anarchy lasted for several years, till at length the sceptre fell into the feeble hands of Hoshea, who had instigated the murder of Pekah. A new and still more ambitious monarch, Shalmaneser, now wielded the power of Assyria. Hoshea attempted to avert the final subjugation of his kingdom by the payment „ of a tribute, but being detected in a secret correspondence of Israel yields with the king of Egypt, called So, the Assyrian marched to the Assyrian into the kingdom, besieged Samaria, which, after an obsti- power, and exists j^j^^g resistance of three years, surrendered, — and thus terminated for ever the independent kingdom of Israel. Pul and Tiglath Pileser had already swept away a great part of the population from Syria, and the Transjordanic tribes : and Shalmaneser, after the capture of Samaria, carried off vast numbers of the remaining tribes to a mountainous region between Assyria and Media. Prom this period, history loses sight of the ten tribes as a distinct people. A few remained in their native country, and became intermixed with strangers. It is not known The descendants of these mingled races were afterwards what became of known by the name of Samaritans. What became of those the ten tribes, of i . i . , , „ . , , , i • i whom the most ^^ were carried away, is a matter of conjecture to this day. were carried Some suppose that they were totally lost and absorbed in '^^^y- the nations among whom they settled. The learned Prideaux is of this opinion. Others find reason to believe that they still exist in some unknown and inaccessible regions, where they await the final resto- ration of the twelve tribes to their native land. Others even trace the HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 19 Jewish features, language, and religion, in different tribes, such as the Afghans of India, or, with still more improbability, the aborigines of America. To return to the period when the nation of Israel was separated into two great communities, we have to observe, that Rehoboam, whose sceptre Rehoboam ^as confined to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, had king of Judah, Scarce continued three years in the service of the true God, fell into idolatry, before he fell into the idolatry of the bordering nations. For this enormity^ God stirred up a potent adversary against him, Shishak, king of Egypt, who took many of his fenced cities, and plundered the treasures of the temple and palace of Solomon. Concerning the kings of Judah after this time, it may be remarked in general, that several of them were good and pious men, and adhered to The people of ^^^^ worship of Jehovah. Others of them imitated the pro- Judah called fligate kings of Israel. The people whom they governed, and Jews. ^yliQ bf^ye survived to the present time, are called Jews^ in distinction from Israelites, the name once applied to the whole twelve tribes. The successor of Rehoboam was Abijah, who assumed the government B. c. 958, and reigned three years. His reign was signahzed by his Abiiili the victory over Jeroboam, as already related. Asa, his son, Biiccessor of Re- next ascended the throne, who proved to be a prudent and hoboara. religious prince. The first ten years of his reign were blessed with peace. At the expiration of that time, he saw his kingdom attacked by a prodigious number of Cushites, with Zerah, the Ethiopian, at their head. Asa, relying on the God of armies, repelled them Asa repelled ^-^j^ success. He pursued the wise policy of establishing the national religion in all its splendour and influence, and he had the pleasure of seeing multitudes flock to him from several of the revolted tribes, whom his zeal drew away from the king of Israel. After a reign of forty-one years, Asa w^as succeeded, b. c. 918, by his son, Jehoshaphat. Tiiis prince is honourably spoken of in Scripture, for his piety and justice. In the third year of his reign, he sent Jehoshaphat is g^j^^g ^f ^j^^ principal officers of his court, with a competent °* number of priests and Levites, with copies of the Pentateuch, to instruct his people, throughout his kingdom, in the true religion. At the same time, he fortified all the considerable places of the land, and put garrisons in them, as well as in those which his father had taken from the rr., . . kinoes of Israel. His kingdom, was in a high state of pros- The nation 13 p , , , -r^, .,. . ° i a 1 t i ^^i prospered. perity ; both the Phihstmes and Arabs were reduced to the Jehoram and necessity of paying tribute. Jehoshaphat was succeeded by Ahaziah kings, j^j^ g^^^ Jehoram, and his grandson Ahaziah, who had for his successor the princess Athaliah, in whose reign the affairs of Judah altered for the worse. Jehoram having married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, was seduced into the idolatry of that wicked family, which drew upon him the vengeance of heaven. Jehoram and Ahaziah, with the greater part of the royal family, were slain about the same time with those of Israel, by Jehu, who imagined them to be friends and allies of the house The kingdom ^^ Ahab. Athaliah showed herself a worthy descendant of suffers under that wicked stock, and the most bloody scenes defiled the Athaliah. royal palace of Jerusalem. She seized the vacant throne, c2 20 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. massacred all the seed-royal, excepting one child, Joash, who was secreted in the temple by his father's sister, the wife of the high-priest. Athaliah maintained her oppressive government for six years, during which the temple was plundered, and the worship of Baal established. She met with a deserved fate. Joash succeeded Athaliah. He reigned Vi^ith justice as long as Jehoiada the high-priest lived. After his death, having fallen into idolatry, Zechariah, the son of Jehoida, reproved him for this sin, and Joasli succeeded ^^,^q stoned bv the king's order. God then raised against Athaliah. . . him the king of Syria, who plundered Jerusalem. His own servants also conspired against him, and slew him in his bed, in the fortieth Amaziah year of his reign. The first act of Amaziah, the son and reigned at first successor of Joash, was to do justice on the murderers of his with success. father ; but with merciful conformity to the law, unusual in such times, he did not inA'olve the children in the treason of their fathers. This prince was prospered in the early part of his reign, but his success in war filled his heart with pride and vraiity. His ''^. ^ ' '^ subiects having become disaffected towards him, he fell a conspiracy. . •'. * . . . . ' victim to a conspiracy within the walls of his palace: he fled to Lachish, but was slain there. His son Azariah, or Uzziah, assumed the royal power, 809 b. c, and commenced a long, religious, and, successor" "^ therefore, prosperous reign of iifty-one years. He made suc- cessful wars against the Philistines and Ai'abians. Intoxicated, 1 . . . . how^ever, with prosperity, he went into the temple to burn incense upon the altar, and the Lord struck him with leprosy for his presumption. Jotham - . ^ took the reins of government, during the life-time of his °' father Uzziah, and proved to be a wise and pious prince. The son and successor of Jotham was Ahaz, whose impieties made his reign peculiarly unfortunate and inglorious. He was scarcely seated on his throne, when his kingdom was invaded by the joint forces of Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Syria. In his extremity he had recourse to the king of Assyria, whose assistance he purchased with all the gold and silver he could find in the temple and city, and v.itli the promise of a yearly tribute. Delivered by the assistance of Tiglath-pileser from Ahaz established his enemies, he forgot his danger, and instead of adoring the Syrian wor- Jehovah, shut up liis temple, whilst he reared others in ^ "^'' every corner of Jerusalem, and throughout the land offered sacrifices to the Syrian gods. In this manner he finished his impious Ilczekiah re- reign, and was succeeded by his son Hezekiah. The first act formed the na- of the new king was to restore all the branches of the ^"^"' worship of God, wliich were entirely neglected in the former reigu. AVliile thus employed, he was blessed with success equal to his piety. Finding himself strong enough to assert his independence, ho refused to pay the tribute which the Assyrians had exacted from his predecessor; and taking the field against the Philistines, his arms were attended with such success, that, in a short time, he regained all that had been lost during the unfortunate reign of Ahaz. Sennacherib, tlie king of Assyria, upon the refusal of Hezekiah to comply with the stipulation of Ahaz, invaded his country with a large army. They had just returned froiii Etliio])ia, flushed with victor}', and breathing destruction against the HISTORY OP THE JEWS. 21 wliole kingdom ; but Hezekiali trusted in God, and thus was released from Is delivered danger. Before Sennacherib had committed any act of from Sciinach- hostility against Judah, the best part of his army was ^"^- smitten by an angel in one night. This dreadful judgment alarmed the proud Assyrian monarch, and caused him to retire, w^ith the utmost confusion, into his capital, where he was soon after assassinated by his two sons, Hezekiah died in peace, in the twenty-ninth year of his reign. II(! was succeeded by his son Manasseh, a king to whose crimes and irreligion tlie Jews mainly attribute the dreadful evils which shortly after consigned them to ruin and slavery. Abandoned of God for ccc^d^s'HrzdiT' ^ ^'"^''' ^^^ ^'^^^ allowed to fall inlo the hands of Esar-liaddon, the new sovereign of Assyria. In the dungeons of Babylon he learned wisdom and piety. Upon his sincere repentance, he was per- mitted to regain not only his liberty, but his kingdom. His son Amon, who succeeded, following the early career of his father, fell a victim to a conspiracy among his own officers. His successor, Josiah, Josiah comes to pi'oved to be oue of the most pious of all the princes of the throne and Judah, and quite reformed the Jewish nation, a circumstance reforms the jvo- ^ylneh^ for a time, suspended the judgments of heaven ^ ^' against that people. He reigned thirty-one years in profound peace. lie afterwards engaged in battle with the king of Egypt, in the valley of Megiddo, where he received a w^ound which occasioned his death. The Egyptian king, who was Pharaoh Necho, on his return to Egypt took Jehoahaz, a son of Josiah, prisoner, whom the people had elected king of Judah, and placing his elder brother on the throne, whose name he changed from Eliakim into Jehoiakim, compelled him to pay a hundred Jehoiakim talents of silver, and one talent of gold, as an acknowledg- king, and does ment of vassalage. Jehoiakim, although warned by the Avickedly. Writings of several prophets to conduct himself uprightly^ added every wickedness which invention could suggest, to the horrible abominations of his ancestors. At last God gave him and his city into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, who was just returned from Nebnchadnez/ar ^j^^ conquest of Egypt. This event happened in the took Jerusalem. ^ „ t i . , . , • t i -h i fourth year of Jehoiakim s reign. Jerusalem was pillaged, and all the most beautiful youths of the palace were sent captives to Babylon. Jehoiakim was at first put into bonds, and intended to be sent away also, but upon his submission and promise to pay a yearly tribute, the victor left him as a kind of viceroy over his kingdom. But, whilst Nebuchadnezzar was employed in other conquests, the king of Judah renounced his subjection, and refused to pay the tribute. The Assyrian monarch, exasperated at this conduct, sent an army into Judca, wdiich laid" waste the whole kingdom. This army carried away three thousand and twenty prisoners, took, and murdered the king, and dragged his carcass out of the city gates, where they left it unburied. His son Jehoiachin was made king ; but, not gaining the approbation of the king of Babylon, was, after a reign of three months, with his wives, Jehoiachin is ""^other, and the chief officers of. the realm, led captive to king, and carried Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, who placed on the tiirone the into Babylon. nineteenth and last king of Judah, Zedekiah, another son 22 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. of Josiah. But this prince, contrary to the advice of the prophet Jeremiah, Zedekiah the ''^belling against his benefactor, was, in the eleventh year of his last king of reign, conquered by the king of Babylon. The king, in an Judah. attempt to break through the besieging forces, was seized, his children slain before his face, his eyes put out ; and thus tlie last of the royal house of David, blind and childless, was led away carried away cap- i^to a foreign prison. Jerusalem was destroyed, the tive, and remain- temple demolished, and the people were carried captive to ed m captivity Babylon, where they continued seventy years, in fulfilment 7U years. i» i " 01 prophecy. From the books of Ezekiel and Daniel, we learn what the captives endured on their way to Babylon ; and it seems from the event, that adversity had a favourable influence on numbers of this people. It brought them to repentance, and engaged them in the worship and ordi- nances of their religion. Having remained in captivity during the ap- pointed period, they were permitted by Cyrus, the Persian C rur*^^^ ^ king, who had conquered Babylon, to return to their native land, 536 years b. c. This was accomplished under the direction of Zerubbabel and Joshua, their leaders. They soon began the rebuilding of the temple, but their enemies prevented them from making any progress. Several years afterwards they commenced templV^^ * ^ *^^^ work anew, and completed it in the space of four years, 516 b. c. Upon this event they celebrated the first passover. The Jews, in their dependent state, continued to enjoy a degree of prosperity under the sovereigns of Persia, after the time of Cyrus. His successors, down to the era of Alexander, had, in general, treated them with much kindness. Darius, son of Cyrus, favoured the Jews during Favoured by ^"^ ^^"g reign. Xerxes confirmed their privileges. Under the successors of Artaxerxes they were still more favoured, through the ^y^^^' influence of his queen, Esther, a Jewess. From this prince, who is styled in Scripture Ahasuerus, Ezra, a man of priestly descent, obtained very liberal presents among the Jews remaining in Babylonia, to be applied to the service of the temple, and authority to re-establish the government according to the divine constitution, 480 b. c. Several years The walls of afterwards, under the same prince, Nehemiah, his cup- Jerusalem re- bearer, obtained leave to go to Jerusalem and rebuild its ^"^^^* walls. He and Joiada, tlie high-priest, reformed many abuses respecting tithes, the observation of the Sabbath, and the marrying of strange wives. The Jewish people being again settled by Nehemiah, were governed by their high-priests, and the council of the elders called the Sanhedrin. Under Alexander the Great they continued to enjoy these immunities and privileges, and he even exempted them from paying tribute every seventh year. His death proved a calamity to the Jews. From this time, 323 Judea invaded ^- ^-^ Judea was successively invaded and subdued by the by the Egyptians, Egyptians and Syrians, and tlie inhabitants were reduced ^' to bondage. Under the priesthood of Onias I., Ptolemy, governor of Egypt, taking advantage of the circumstance that the Jews would not fight on the Sabbath, captured Jerusalem on that HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 23 day, and carried off 100,000 persons, whom, however, he afterwards treated kindly. When Eleazar was higli-priest, he sent to Ptolemy Philadelphus six men of every tribe to translate the sacred Scriptures into Greek. This translation is the celebrated one called the SepUiagint^ 277 B. c. In 170 B. c, Jason, the brother of the high-priest, on false reports of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, who at this time held the Jews in subjection, raised great disturbances in Jerusalem, with a view to secure the high-priesthood. Antiochus, irritated by the frequent revolts of the Jews, marched to Jerusalem, slew 80,000 people, took held the Jews in 40,000 captives, and then entered the temple and plundered subjection, pun- the treasures. This prince having commanded the Jews to ishes their rebel- observe the rites of the heathen, and to eat of the sacrifices, some of the more conscientious among them chose rather to suffer death, among whom were a mother and her seven sons, who expired in dreadful tortures. The same year the king's commissioner, who had been intrusted with this iniquitous business, was killed by Matthias and his five sons, who thereupon fled into the wilderness. This was the commencement of that noble resistance which was made against the Syrian power, under the Maccabees, and which terminated in the independence of the nation. Judas Maccabseus, the bravest of the sons of Matthias, having been chosen by the Jews for their prince and governor, made war against The Maccabees Antiochus, and defeated several of his generals. The resist the Syrian monarch hearing of the defeat of his troops in Judea, took power. an oath that he would destroy the whole nation. As he hastened to Jerusalem, he fell from his chariot, and died miserably. In a battle with a general of one of his successors, Judas was killed. He was succeeded by his brother, Jonathan, who, after many signal services ren- dered to his country, was basely murdered by Tryphon, an officer of the young Antiochus, who aspired at the same time to the crown of Syria. Jonathan was succeeded by Simon his brother, who subdued the cities of Gaza and Joppa, and cleared Judea of many of the Syrians. He was murdered in the midst of his conquests by his son-in-law, Ptolemy Physcon. John Ilyrcanus, son of Simon Maccabaeus, uniting in his person the offices of high-priest and generalissimo of the army, subdued the enemies John Hyrca- ^^ ^"^ country, ceased to pay homage to the kings of Syria, nus liberates his firmly established his government, and is celebrated for his country. many valuable qualities. He not only delivered his nation from the oppression of Syria, but he made some conquests both in Arabia and Phoenicia, turned his victorious arms against the Samaritans, and subdued Idumea. At the time of his death he had raised the Jewish nation to a very considerable degree of wealth, prosperity, and happiness. He reigned twenty-eight years. His sons assumed the title, as well as the power of kings ; and the high-priesthood remained in his family, though not in the person of the monarch. His descendants are distinguished in the history of the Jewish nation by the appellation of the As7no7iean dynasty^ which continued about 120 years. His son Aristobulus was his immediate successor. This prince caused himself to be crowned king of 24 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. Judah, and was the first who assumed that title after the Babylonish . captivity. It is recorded that he caused his brother Anti- tobuhis the first goi^us to be killed on suspicion of disloyalty ; that his mother, that was called chiiminof a right to the sovereio;nty bv virtue of the will of king alter the Hyrcanus, was barbarously starved to death ; that his other cap iM }• brothers were kept in close confinement. He was fortunate in war ; but his successes were soon interrupted by sickness ; and the deep remorse he felt on account of the treatment of his mother, produced a vomiting of blood, which speedily closed his wicked life and reign. Alexander .Jannajus, brother to the late king, succeeded ; he considerably extended the kingdom of Judea, by the conquest of all Iturea and some Alexander parts of Syria ; but the many services which he rendered his Jannaeus his sue- country Were quite overlooked, in consequence of his cruelty ^^^^'^^' to his subjects. Although he left two sons, he was immediately succeeded by his wife, Alexandra, who gave the throne to his Alexandra eldest SOU, named Hyrcanus, a very weak and indolent prince, and others sue- Plis younger brother, Aristobulus, at first disturbed his suc- ceed lum. cession ; but he was finally established on his throne by Pompey, who carried Aristobulus and his family captives to Rome. Alexander, one of the sons of Aristobulus, escaping from that city, disturbed the peace of Judea, until he was surprised and slain by the Scipios, tw^o captains under Pompey. Antigonus, a son of Alexander, assisted by the Parthians, dethroned Hyrcanus, and cut off his ears ; but this cruelty was revenged, Antigonus being soon after slain by Mark Antony. His brother, Aristobulus, wdio was retained prisoner with the Parthians, returned to Palestine, where he lived contented under the government of Herod, who had been nominated as the successor of Antigonus by the Romans. Herod I. was an Ascalonite, and was surnamed the Great. Created king of Judea (37 b. c.) by Antony, he was afterwards confirmed in the Herod I. reigns. I'^gal possession by Augustus. His reign was splendid, but distinguished by a singular degree of profligacy. 8ome time HisAviclvedncss. after his establishment on the throne, in order to please Mariamne, the daughter of Hyrcanus, whom he had married, he appointed her brother, Aristobulus, high-priest ; but perceiving that he was much beloved by the Jews, he caused him to be drowned while bathing. After the battle of Actium, he went to Rhodes to meet Augustus, between wdiom there existed a peculiar friendship. U])on his return, he condemned to death his w^ife, Mariamne, and her mother, Alexandra. From this hour liis life was a continual scene of misery and ferocity. At the instigation of his third son, he sentenced to death Aristobulus and Alexander, his children by Mariamne, and the next year Antipater himself experienced the same fate. In his reign, the sceptre being, as prophesied, departed from Judah, Jesus Christ was born, according to the vulgar era, a. m. 4004, but really four years sooner. His birth greatly bonr"^ '^ ^"^^^^ troubled Herod and the principal Jews, who became appre- hensive of new wars. After ascertaining the place of his nativity, Herod determined on his death, and supposed he had effected it ; but, by the providence of God, the child was removed out of his reach. By this time, Judea was fast sinking into a Roman province, and Herod, instead of being head of the Hebrew rehgious public, became more and HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 25 more on a level with the other vassal kings of Rome. Tie died of a most loathsome and painful disease, or complication of diseases, which we are authorised to believe was the direct judgment of God upon him, for his enormous wickedness. Herod was succeeded by his eldest son, Archelaus, who had the title of king, but possessed only a tetrarchy, or fourth part of the kingdom of Archelius Judea. The rest of the country was divided into three more succeeds Herod tctrarchies, which were those of Galilee and Petrsea, that of the Great. Iturea, and that of Abilene. Archelaus governed with great injustice and cruelty, and on this account was condemned, after a solemn hearing before Augustus. He was banished to Vienne, in Gaul, his Jiulea reduced estates confiscated, and Judea reduced in form to a Roman to a Roman pro- province. His successor in the government of this country ^■i"^e. ^as Herod II., named Antipas, who married his brotlier Herod Antipas Phihp's wife. This was the incestuous marriage on account '■^^S"®- of which John the Baptist reproved Herod, as mentioned in the New Testament. It was in the time of this Herod that our Saviour's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, occurred. Herod II. enjoyed only the tetrarchy of Galilee and Perea. He was succeeded by Herod Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, grandson of Herod the Great. Herod Agnppa (^j^jjguir^^ ^\^q Roman emperor, invested him with the tetrarchy of his uncle Philip, and conferred on him the title of king. The other tetrarchies fell to his possession shortly afterwards. It was this Herod who caused the apostle James to be martyred, the apostle Peter to be imprisoned, and was himself smitten by an angel and devoured by worms. His son, Agrippa Minor, succeeded, and was the last king of the Jews. He, of course, received his title and authority from the Roman emperors. Suspicion attached to him of having lived in incest with his sister Berenice ; in other respects he bore a good character, being equitable in his administration, of a generous disposition, and paying a strict atten- tion to the externals of religion. It was before this Agrippa that Paul pleaded in defence of the gospel. All things, however, tended to a rupture between the Romans and the Jews, their subjects. From the time of Herod Agrippa, Judea had been the theatre of many cruelties, rapines, and oppressions, arising from con- tentions between the Jewish priests ; the robberies of numerous bands of banditti, which infested the country ; but more than all, from the rapacious and flagitious conduct of the Roman governors. The last of these gover- nors was Gessius Florus, whom history represents as a monster of cruelty and wickedness, and whom the Jews regarded rather as a bloody execu- tioner sent to torture, than as a magistrate to govern them. During the government of Felix, his predecessor, a dispute arising between the Jews The Jews arm ^^^ Syrians, about the city of Cesarea, their respective against the Ro- claims #'ere referred to the Emperor Nero, at Rome. The ny-ins. decision being made in favour of the Syrians, the Jews immediately took arms to avenge their cause. Florus, regarding the growing insurrection with inhuman pleasure, took only inefficient means Vespasian ^^ quell it. In this state of things, Nero gave orders to marches against Vespasian, his general, to march into Judea with a ^^^^^- powerful army. Accordingly, accompanied by his son Titus, 26 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. at the head of 60,000 well disciplined troops, he passed into Galilee, the conquest of which country was not long after achieved. While Vespasian was thus spreading the victories of the Roman arms, and was preparing more eflfectually to curb tlie still unbroken spirit of the Jews, the intelli- gence of his election to the imperial throne induced him to depart for Rome ; but he left the best of his troops with his son, ordering him to besiege Jerusalem, and utterly to destroy it. Titus prosecuted the enterprise with diligence, and besieging the city he took it within a few months, after the most obstinate resistance of which history perhaps gives an account. Twice during the the enterprise! ^^ ^^^g^ lie offered them very favourable terms, but they were so infatuated that they not only refused his offers, but in- sulted his messenger, Flavins Josephus, in the most wanton and virulent manner. After this conduct there remained no more mercy for the Jews. Titus caused the hands of those who had voluntarily sought shelter in the Roman camp to be cut off, and sent them back to the city, and others he crucified in the sight of their countrymen. Famine, in the meantime, was performing its dreadful work within the walls ; and pestilence, its attendant, raged beyond control. Thousands died daily, and were carried out of the gates to be buried at the public expense ; until, being unable to hurry the wretched victims to the grave so fast as tliey fell, they filled whole houses with them and shut them up. When Titus entered the city, he gave it up to be plundered by the soldiers, and most of the inhabitants were put to the sword. In pursuance of this general order, the city was . destroyed to its foundations, and even the ruins of the destro7ed.^'^ ^^ temple were demolished. Josephus says, that the number of the prisoners taken during the whole time of the war was ninety-seven thousand, and the number killed in the city during the same period amounted to one million. The Jews, who remained in the country, now paid tribute to the Romans, and were entirely subject to their laws. After this event Jerusalem was partially rebuilt, and in 118 a. c. the mhabitants again attempted to rebel, but were speedily overcome. J . Adrian, the emperor, incensed at the conduct of this buill.^^'^^^ ^^^' stubborn people, resolved to level the city with the earth, that is to say those new buildings which had been erected by the Jews, and to sow salt in the ground on which the place had stood. Thus was fulfilled a prophecy of our Saviour, who foretold that neither in the city nor in the temple should one stone be left upon another. This, therefore, may be called the final destruction of Jerusalem, which took place forty-seven years after that effected by Titus. Adrian, however, saw fit, from some cause, to build the city over anew, to which he gave the name JE\m Capitolina. It was a short-lived change, for when the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, visited the city, she found it in a forlorn and ruinous state. ^ The national existence of the Jews may be considered as having termi- The Jews ex- "^^^^ "^^^^^ ^^^^ destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. They ist no more as a ^^^re no longer one people, or in a situation to preserve their nation, but are institutions as a body. Though numbers remained in the^trth °^^' ^^^^^^ native land, yet vast multitudes were dispersed over the face of the earth, on which they have ever since been HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 27 wanderers. The reader of the Bible will see in these events a remarkable fulfilment of the predictions of the ancient prophets, and of our Saviour ; and he will also learn the evil and danger of despising divine admonitions, and abusing religious privileges. Wlien we meet with one of the descend- ants of Abraham (and in what place arc they not to be met with ?), we see a miracle — a living confirmation of the divine veracity — a proof that the Bible is true, and an indubitable testimony that there is a God who judgeth in the earth. It is not our design, neither is it compatible with the brevity of this sketch, to trace continuously the history of the Jews, in their wide dis- In the history persions, or in the various countries in which they have of the Jews, it existed, since the great event above recorded. All the remains on^'^ to p^j-pogg that remains to be answered, in regard to this condkioninmore division of our Subject, is to furnish the reader with a brief modern times. account of the condition of this remarkable people, in later times, chiefly within the last and present centuries. Their residences and numbers, as recently ascertained, will also be given. Abating the circum- stance, that the state of most nations has ameliorated since the era of their dispersion, it will be naturally inferred that such as their condition now is, such it has substantially been for centuries. They have, in most in- Th ^ have suf stances, reaped the fruits of the common improvement ; and fered'TessTom ' those persecutions to which they are known to have been persecution than exposed in past ages, have, in some measure at least, ceased formerly. ^^,^^1^ ^1^^ gpjj.jt which gave birth to these and other instances of bigoted and revengeful feelings. Still it is not to be denied that the Jews, from certain peculiarities in their character and manner of life, seem likely to be the last people who, throughout the world, will enjoy the happiness of perfect equality in rights and privileges with the rest of their fellow-men. The Jews, though widely scattered over the earth, and constituting a portion of almost every nation, present the singular phenomenon of a people subsisting for ages, without their civil and rehgious policy, and thus surviving even their political existence. Unlike otlier conquered nations, rru T 1, thev have never minoled with their conquerors, and lost The Jews have J », , , ^ , .^ • • ii survived their their separate name and character, but they invariably con- political exist- stitute a distinct people in every country in which they live. ^^^^' This fact enables us to point out their present state with a degree of accuracy, and affords a strong reason for doing it ; since, doubt- less, important designs are to be answered by the providence of God in preserving this people in so extraordinary a manner. In our brief account of their more modern history, we have to remark, that, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, Poland, and the adjacent pro- d th vinces,had,for some time, been the head-quarters of the Jews, bead-qu" rter^ of In that kingdom they formed the only middle order between the Jews in mo- the nobles and the serfs. Almost every branch of trafiic was dern ages. -^^ their hands. They were the corn-merchants, shop-keepers, and inn-keepers ; in some towns they formed the greater part of the population, and in some villages almost the whole. In the west of Europe, in the meantime, those great changes were slowly preparing, which, before the close of the century, were to disorganize the whole frame-work of society. 28 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. The new opinions not merely altered the political condition of the Jews, as well as that of almost all orders of men ; but they penetrated into the very sanctuary of Judaism, and threatened to shake the dominion of the rabbins, as they had that of .the Cliristian priesthood, to its basis. The Jews were hated as the religious ancestors of the Christians, and it became the accustomed mode of warfare to wound Christianity through the sides of Judaism. The legislation of Frederick tlie Great almost, as it were, throws us back into tlie middle ages. In 1750, appeared an edict for the general regulation of the Jews in the Prussian dominions. It limited the number of the Jews in the kingdom, divided them into those who held an The Jews in ordinary, or an extraordinary protection from the crown. Prussia subjected The Ordinary protection descended to one child, the extra- InJ SiliiK^' ordinary was limited to the life of the bearer. Foreign Jews were prohibited from settling in Prussia; exceptions were obtained only at an exorbitant price. Widows who married foreign Jews must leave the kingdom. Tlie protected Jews were liable to enor- mous and especial burdens. They paid, besides the coinmon taxes of the kingdom, for their patent of protection, for every election of an elder in their community, and for every marriage. But though thus heavily taxed, they were excluded from all civil functions, and from many of the most profitable branches of trade, from agriculture, from breweries and distil- leries, from manufactures, from inn- keeping, from victualling, from physic and surgery. Nor in more enlightened countries was the public mind prepared for any essential innovations in the relative condition of the Jews. In England, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, their cause was brought forward under the unpopular auspices of Toland the Freethinker. In 1753, a more important measure was attempted. A bill was intro- duced into parliament for the naturalization of all Jews who had resided In England, in three years in the kingdom, without being absent more than laws at'on'^'f?"'' ^^^'^^ months at a time. It excluded them from all civil passed to fiiYour o^^es, but in other respects bestowed all the privileges of the Jews were British subjects. The bill passed both houses, and received soon abolished, the royal assent. But the old jealousies only slumbered, they were not extinguished. So much clamour was raised by various classes of the people, that the ministry, and the houses of parliament, found it necessary to repeal the obnoxious statutes. Theirstateniore ^^ Italy, till the French revolution, the Jews enjoyed eligible in Italy, their quiet freedom. In Rome they were confined to their till the Ficijch Ghetto, and still constrained to listen to periodical sermons. revolution. t xi •^- ± ,^ ,• -i . In the maritnne towns they continued to prosper. In Germany, among the first measures which Joseph II., when he ascended the throne in 1780, saw fit to adopt, was apian for tlie amelior- ation of the condition of the Jews. In Vienna, they had been barely tolerated since their expulsion by Leopold the First. After a period they were permitted to return. Under ?.Iaria Theresa the Jews were suffered to reside in Vienna, and enjoyed a certain sort of protection. In the other provinces of the empire they had lived unmolested, unless, perhaps, by some vexatious local regulations, or popular commotions in the different cities. Joseph II. published his edict of toleration, by which he opened HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 29 to the Jews the schools, and the universities of the empire, and gave tliem the privilege of taldng degrees as doctors in medicine, philo- tl.cywerc''™'- sophy, and the civil law. He conferred upon them other ated by Joseph important privileges, which it is not necessary here to name. ^J- Still, though they were governed by the same laws with the Christians, they were liable to a toleration-tax, and certain other contributions. That terrible epoch, the .Revolution, found some Jews in France ; after their final expulsion, a few Portuguese fugitives had been permitted to take up their abode in Bordeaux and Bayonne. There were a certain number in the old papal dominions in Avignon. The conquest of the city of IMetz, and afterwards of Alsace, included some considerable communities under the dominion of France. The Jews of this latter province presented a remarkable petition in 1780 to the king in council. They complained of great oppressions, particularly of a capitation-tax, which, in addition to the royal patent of protection, the lords of the soil exacted, for the right of residence within their domains, from which not even the aged, nor T T- M . infirm, nor children, nor even the Rabbins and officers of In France their ' ' _., i - j.i -i. f giievanccs were the synagogue, were exempt. The appeal to the equity ot redressed in part Louis XVI. was not in vain — the capitation-tax was abo- by Louis XVI. ijg|j^>(j -j^ iyg4 . j^nd in 1788, a commission was appointed to devise means for remodelling, on principles of justice, all laws relating to the Jews. This plan, however, was anticipated or set aside by the revo- lutionary tribunals, who were more rapid in their movements than the cautious justice of the sovereign. In 1790, this class of people, who had watched their opportunity, sent in a petition, claiming equal vol^dontllly'^ rights as citizens. The\neasure was not passed without were acknow- considerable discussion ; but Mirabeau and Rabaut St. Etienne ledged as free declared themselves their advocates, and the Jews were citizens. recognized as free citizens of the great republic. In the year 1806, Napoleon summoned a grand Sanhedrln of tlie Jews to assemble at Paris. We are more inclined to look for motives of policy I 1806 Na ^" ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ *^"^ extraordinary man, than of vanity or phi- poleon sum- "" lanthropy ; nor does it seem unlikely that in this singular nioued a San- transaction he contemplated remotely, if not immediately, hcdrin. Ij^^I^ commercial and military objects. He might hope to turn to his own advantage, by a cheap sacrifice to the national vanity, the wide extended and rapid correspondence of the Jews throughout the world, which notoriously outstripped his own couriers, and the secret ramifications of their trade, which not only commanded the supply of the precious metals, but much of the internal traffic of Europe, and probably m , made sreat inroads on the Continental System. It must, lions submitted to however, be acknowledged, that the twelve questions sub- the Sanhcilrin, mitted to the Sanhedrin seem to refer to the Jews strictly as withtheanswers. g^j^j^.^ts and citizens of the empire. Tliey were briefly as follows : — I. Is polygamy allowed among the Jews ? II. Is divorce recognised by the Jewish Law ? III. Can Jews intermarry with Chris- tians ? lY. Will the French people be esteemed by the Jews as strangers or as brethren ? V. In what relation, according to the Jewish Law, would the Jews stand towards the French? YI. Do Jews born in 30 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. France consider it their native country ? Are they bound to obey the laws and customs of the land ? YII. Who elect the Rabbins ? VIII. What are the legal powers of the Rabbins ? IX. Is the election and authority of the Rabbins grounded on law or custom ? X. Is there any kind of business in which Jews may not be engaged ? XI. Is usury to their brethren forbidden by the Law ? XII. Is it permitted or forbidden to practise usury with strangers ? — The answers of the deputies were clear and precise : as they throw much light on the opinions of the more enlightened Jews, they are subjoined, with as much conciseness as possible, though we suspect that they are not universally recognised as the autho- ritative sentence of the nation. I. Polygamy is forbidden, according to a decree of the Synod of Worms, in 1030. II. Divorce is allowed, but in this respect the Jews recognise the authority of the civil law of the land in whicli they live. III. Intermarriages with Christians are not forbidden, though difficulties arise from the different forms of marriage. IV. The Jews of France recognise in the fullest sense the French people as their brethren. V. The relation of the Jew to the Frenchman is the same as of Jew to Jew. The only distinction is in their religion. VI. The Jews acknowledged France as their country, when oppressed, — how much more must they when admitted to civil rights ? VII. The election of the Rabbins is neither defined nor uniform. It usually rests with the heads of each family in the community. VIII. The Rabbins have no judicial power ; the Sanhedrin is the only legal tribunal. The Jews of France and Italy being subject to the equal laws of the land, whatever power they might otherwise exercise is annulled. IX. The election and powers of the Rabbins rest solely on usage. X. All business is permitted to the Jews. The Talmud enjoins that every Jew be taught some trade. XI. XII. The Mosaic institute forbids unlawful interest ; but this was the law of an agricultural people. The Talmud allows interest to be taken from brethren and strangers ; it forbids usury. Tlie laws of France relating to the Jews have remained unaltered : in Italy, excepting in the Tuscan dominions, they have become again subject The condition to the ancient regulations. In Germany, some hostility is of the Jews im- yet lurking in the popular feeling, not so much from reli- proving in Ger- ^'^^^g animosity as from commercial iealousy, in the great many at present, o ♦^ i x> t i i i • particularly in trading towns, Hamburgh, Bremen, ijubeck, and particu- Pnissia. larly Frankfort, where they are still liable to an oppressive tax for the right of residence. Nor did the ancient nobility behold, with- out sentiments of animosity, their proud patrimonial estates falling, during the great political changes, into the hands of the more prosperous Israelites. Nevertheless, their condition, both political and intellectual, has been rapidly improving. Before the fall of Napoleon, besides many of the smaller states, the grand-duke of Baden, in 1809, the king of Prussia, in 1812, the duke of Mecklenburgh-Schwcrin, in 1812, the king of Bavaria, in 1813, issued ordinances admitting the Jews to civil rights, exempting them from particular imposts, and opening to them all trades and profes- sions. The act for the federative constitution of Germany, passed at the cono-ress of Vienna, in 1815, pledges the diet to turn its attention to the amelioration of the civil state of the Jews throughout the empire. The king of Prussia had, before this, given security that he would nobly redeem HISTORY OF THE JEWS. 31 Ills pledge ; lie had long paid great attention to the encouragement of education among the Jews ; and in his rapidly improving domin- ions, the Jews are said to he hy no means the last in the career of advancement. Nor has his henevolence been wasted on an ungrateful race : they are reported to be attached with patriotic zeal to their native land ; many Jews are stated to have fallen in the Prussian ranks at Waterloo. The policy of the Russian government seems to have been to endeavour to overthrow the Rabbinical authority, and to relieve the crowded Polish They are re- proviuccs by transferring the Jews to less densely peopled strained in Rus- parts of their dominions, where it was hoped they might be sia. induced or compelled to become an agricultural race. A ukase of the emperor Alexander, in 1803-4, prohibited the practice of small trades to the Jews of Poland, and proposed to transport numbers of them to agricultural settlements. He transferred, likewise, the manage- ment of the revenue of the communities from tlie Rabbins, who were accused of malversation, to the elders. A recent decree of the emperor Nicholas appears to be aimed partly at the Rabbins, who are to be imme- diately excluded by the police from any town they may enter, and at the petty traffickers, who are entirely prohibited in the Russian dominions ; though the higher order of merchants, such as bill-brokers and contractors, are admitted, on receiving an express permission from government : artisans and handicraftsmen are encouraged, though they are subject to rigorous police regulations, and must be attached to some guild or fraternity. They cannot move without a passport. It only remains to give the best estimate we can afford of the number of the Jews now dispersed throughout the four quarters of the world. AT u f .u Such statements must of necessity be extremely loose and JNumbers or the . -.-, . i i i t/v t^ ^ Jews in various imperfect. Even m Europe it would be difficult to approxi- parts of the mate closely to the truth ; how much more so in Africa and world. ^g.^^^ where our data depend on no statistic returns, and where the habits of the people are probably less stationary ! It is calculated that there exist between four and five millions* of this people, descended in a direct line from, and maintaining the same laws with, their forefathers, who, above 3000 years ago, retreated from Egypt under the guidance of their inspired lawgiver. In Africa, we know little more of their numbers than that they are found along the whole coast, from Morocco to Egypt ; they travel with the caravans into the interior : nor is there probably a region undiscovered by Christian enterprise, which has not been visited by the^ Jewish trafficker. In Morocco they are said to be held in low estimation, and treated with great indignity by the Moors. In Egypt, 150 families alone inhabit that great city, Alexandria, which has so often flowed with torrents of Jewish blood, and where, in the splendid days of the Macedonian city, their still recruited wealth excited the rapacious jealousy of the hostile populace or oppressive government. * A statement has just been published in this country, from the Weimar Geographical Ephemerides, which gives the whole number of Jews at little more than three millions. We should conceive the Asiatic, and perhaps the Russian, stated too low ; but we subjoin their numbers. 32 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. In Cairo, the number of Jews is stated at 2000, including, it should seem, sixty Karaite families. The Falishas, or Jewish tribe named by Bruce, inhabit the borders of Abyssinia ; and it is probable that in that singular kingdom, many Jews either dwell or make their periodical visits*. In Asia, the Jews still, most likely, might be found in considerable numbers on the verge of the continent ; in China, where we are not aware that their communities have ceased to exist, and on the coast of jMahibar, in Cochin, where two distinct races, called black and white Jews, were visited by Dr. Buchanan. The traditions of the latter averred that they had found their way to that region after the fall of Jerusalem, but the date they assigned for their migration singularly coincided with that of a persecution in Persia, about a. c. 508, from whence, it is probable, they found their wav to India. The orioin of the black Jews is more obscure; it is not impossible that they may have been converts of the more civilised whites, or, perhaps, they are descendants of black slaves. The Malabar Jews were about 1000; they possessed a «opy of the Old Testament. Many are found in other parts of the East Indies. In Bokhara reside 2000 families of Jews ; in Balkh, 150. In Persia, they have deeply partaken of the desolation which has fallen on the fair provinces of that land ; their numbers were variously stated to Mr. Woolff at 2974 and 3590 families. Their chief communities are at Shiraz and Ispahan, Kashaan and Yazd. They are subject to the heaviest exactions, and to the capricious despotism of the governors. " I have travelled far," said a Jew to Mr. Woolif; "the Jews are everywhere princes in comparison with those in the land of Persia. Heavy is our captivity, heavy is our burthen, heavy is our slavery ; anxiously we wait for redemption." In Mesopotamia and Assyria, the ancient seats of the Babylonian Jews are still occupied by 5270 families, exclusive of those in Bagdad and Bas- bora. The latter are described as a fine race, both in form and intellect ; in the provinces they are broken in mind and body by the heavy exactions of the pashas, and by long ages of sluggish ignorance. At Bagdad the ancient title of Prince of the Captivity, so long, according to the accounts of the Jews, entirely suppressed, was borne by an ancient Jew named Isaac. He paid dear for his honour ; he was suddenly summoned to Constantinople and imprisoned. At Damascus there are seven synagogues and four colleges. In Arabia, whether not entirely expelled by Mahomet, or havino- re- turned to their ancient dwellings in later periods, the Beni-Khaibr still retain their Jewish descent and faith. In Yemen reside 2658 families, 18,000 souls. In Palestine, of late years, their numbers have greatly increased ; it is said, but we are inclined to doubt the numbers, that 10,000 inhabit Safet and Jerusalem. They are partly Karaites. Some very pathetic hymns of this interesting Israelitish race have been published in the Journals of Mr. Woolff, which must have a singularly affecting sound when heard * In the Weimar statement, the Jews of AtVica stand as follows : Morocco and Fez, 300,000; Tnris, 130,000; Algiers, 30,000; Gabes or Habesh, 20,000; Tripoli, 12,000; EgviH, 12,000. Total, 504,000. HISTORY OP THE JEWS. 33 from children of Israel, bewailing, upon the very ruins of Jerusalem, the fallen city, and the suffering people*. In the Turkish dominions, not including the Barbary States, the Israel- ites are calculated at 800,000. In Asia Minor they are numerous, in general unenlightened, rapacious, warred on, and at war with mankind. In Constantinople, they are described as the most fierce and fanatical race which inhabit the city. Hated by and hating the Greeks with the unmitigated animosity of ages, they lend themselves to every atrocity for which the government may demand unrelenting executioners. They were employed in the barbarous murder and maltreatment of the body of the Patriarch ; on the other hand, the old rumours of their crucifying Christian children are still revived: the body of a youth was found pierced ivith many wounds ; the murder was, with one voice, charged upon the Jews. Tlieir numbers are stated at 40,000. At Adrianople reside 800 families, with thirteen synagogues. In Salonichi, 30,000 possess thirty synagogues ; and in this city, the ancient Thessalonica, the most learned of the Eastern Rabbins are reported to teach in their schools, with great diligence, the old Talmudic learning. In the Crimea, the Karaites still possess their wild and picturesque mountain fortress, so beautifully described by Dr. Clarke, with its ceme- tery reposing under its ancient and peaceful grove, and the simple manners of its industrious and blameless people, who are proverbial elsewhere, as in this settlement, for their honesty. Their numbers amount to about 1200. In the Russian Asiatic dominions, about Caucasus and in Georgia, their numbers are considerable. In Georgia some of them are serfs attached to the soil ; some, among the wild tribes about Caucasus, are bold and marauding horsemen like their Tartar compatriots. But the ancient kingdom of Poland, with the adjacent provinces of Moravia, Moldavia, and Wallachia, is still the great seat of the modern Jewish population. Three millions have been stated to exist in these regions ; but probably this is a great exaggeration. In Poland, they form the intermediate class between the haughty nobles and the miserable agricultural villains of that kingdom t. The rapid increase of their popu- lation, beyond all possible maintenance by trade, embarrasses the govern- ment. They cannot ascend or descend ; they may not become possessors, they are averse to becoming cultivators of the soil ; they swarm in all the towns. In some districts, as in Volhynia, they are described by Bishop James as a fine race, with the lively, expressive eye of the Jew, and forms, though not robust, active and well-proportioned. Of late years much attention, under the sanction of the government, has been paid to their education, and a great institution established for this purpose at Warsaw. The number of Jews in the Austrian dominions is estimated, including GaUicia, at 650,000. In the Prussian dominions at 135,000. In the rest of Germany, 138,000. The emperor of Austria has afforded to Europe the novel sight of a Jew created a baron, and invested with a patent of nobility. * Asia :— Asiatic Turkey, 330,000 ; Arabia, 200,000 ; Hindostan, 100,000 ; China, 60,000 ; Tuikistan, 40,000 ; Trovince of Iran, 35,000 ; Russia in Asia, 3000. Total, 738.000.— TF^-imar Statement. f A Jewish free corps served under Kosciusko during the insurrection in Poland. D 34 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. In Denmark and Sweden tlie Jews are in considerable numbers ; those resident in Copenhagen were stated, in 1819, at 1,491. They enjoy freedom of trade and the protection of the government. The Netherlands contain 80,000. In France, now deprived of the German and Italian provinces of the empire, the Israelites are reckoned at about 40 or 50,000. In Spain, the iron edict of Ferdinand and Isabella still excludes the Israelite. At the extremity of the land, in Gibraltar, 3 or 4,000 are found under the equitable protection of Great Britain. In Portugal they have been tolerated since the time of the late king, John VI., who remunerated their services in introducing large cargoes of corn durino- a famine, by the recognition of their right to inhabit Lisbon*. In Italy their numbers are considerable. It is said that many have taken refuge in Tuscany from the sterner government of Sardinia ; where, under the French dominion, among a Jewish population of 5,543, there were 182 landed proprietors, 402 children attended the public schools : 7,000 is given as their number in the Austrian territories in Italy. In Great Britain, the number of Jews is variously stated from 12 to 25,000. They are entitled to every privilege of British subjects, except certain corporate offices and seats in parliament, from which they are excluded by the recent act, which requires an oath to be taken on the faith of a Christian, In the city of London they are prevented by municipal regulations from taking out their freedom ; a restriction which subjects them to great occasional embarrassment and vexation, as no one can legally follow a retail trade without having previously gone through this ceremony. In America the Jews are calculated at about 6,000 ; the few in the former dominions of Spain and Portugal, are descendants of those who, under the assumed name of Christians, fled from the Inquisition ; in Surinam a prosperous community is settled under the protection of the Dutch ; they were originally established at Cayenne : there are some in Jamaica. In the United States, tlieir principal settlements are at New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston f. Such, according to the best authorities to which we have access, is the number and distribution of the children of Israel ; they are still found in every quarter of the world, under every climate, in every region, under every form of government, wearing the indelible national stamp on their features, united by the close moral affinity of habits and feelings, and, at least the mass of the community, treasuring in their liearts the same reli- ance on their national privileges, the same trust in the promises of their God, and the same conscientious attachment to the institutions of their fathers. * Europe : — In I^ussia and Poland, 608,>]00 ; Austria, 453,524 ; European Turkey, 321,000; States of the German Confederation, 138,000; Prussia, 134,000; Netherlands, 80,000; France, 60,000; Italy, 36,000; Great Britain, 12,000; Cracow, 7300; Ionian Isles, 7000 ; Denmark, 6000 ; Switzerland, 1970; Sweden, 450. Total number of Jews in Europe, 1,918,053; or a proportion of about a 113th part of the population, calculated at 227 millions. — Weimar Statement. t America : — North America, 5000 ; Netherlandish Colonies, 500 ; Demerara and Esse- quibo, 200. Total, 5700. New-IIollaud, 50. — Weimar Statement. FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES. 35 CHAPTER II. RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES OF THE JEWS. The religious customs of the Jews of modern times are not all of equal authority ; neither are they observed by all alike ; for this reason they Three cl isses of ^^^ divided into three classes. The first contains the in- Customs among junctions of the written law, viz. those included in the the modern Jews. Pentateuch, or five first books of Moses. The second class relates to the oral law, or that which was delivered by word of mouth. It comprehends those comments which the rabbins and doctors made in their days upon the Pentateuch, and an infinite variety of ordinances. These were collected into one large volume, called the Talmud. The third class includes such things as custom has sanctioned in different times and places, or which have been lately introduced among them. These are pro- perly termed customs. Of these three classes the first and second are received by all Jews, wheresoever dispersed ; but in regard to the third, they differ greatly from each other ; because sojourning in various parts of the world, many of them have adopted the names, and fallen into the manners of the nations among whom they dwell. In this respect the greatest difference lies between the Eastern, German, and Italian Jews. SECTION I. — FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES. We shall here transcribe the thirteen articles of the Jewish creed, which contain all that they believe, according to what rabbi Moses, or Mai- monides, the Egyptian, has said of it, in his commentaries Articles of ^^ ^j^^ Misna, in the discourse Sanedrin, chap. Helec ; which the Jews have received without any opposition, and from which they are never permitted to swerve. I. I believe with a strong and lively faith, that there is one God, the Creator of all things, and first principle of all beings, who is self-sufficient and independent, and without whom no created being can subsist. II. I believe, &c., that God is one and indivisible, but of an unity peculiar to himself alone : that he has been, is, and shall for ever be, the only God, blessed for evermore. III. I believe, &c., that God is an incorporeal being; he has no bodily quality of any kind whatever, which either is possible, or can any ways be imagined. IV. I believe, &c., that God is eternal, and all beings, except himself, had once a beginning; for God is the beginning and end of all things. V. I believe, &c., that none but God is the object of divine adora- tion ; and no created being ought to be worshipped as a mediator or intercessor. VI. I believe, &c., that whatever is written in the books of the prophets is true ; for there have been, and still may be, prophets qualified to receive the inspirations of the Supreme Being. VII. I believe, &c., in the truth of the prophecies of our master D 2 36' FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES. Moses, (peace be with him ;) for Moses was a prophet superior to all others ; and God Almighty honoured liim with a peculiar gift of pro- phecy which was never granted to any of the rest. YIII. I believe, &c., that the law left by Moses (peace be with him) was the pure dictate of God himself; and consequently, the explication of those commandments, which were handed down by tradition, came entirely from the mouth of God, who delivered it to our master Moses, as we have it at the present day. IX. I believe, &c., that this law is unchangeable, and that God will never give another ; nor can there be the least addition to, or diminution from it. X. I believe, &c., that God perfectly knows the most secret thoughts, and governs all the actions of mankind. XI. I believe, &c., that God will reward those who observe this law, and will severely punish such as are guilty of the least violation of it. Eternal life is the best and greatest reward, and damnation of the soul the most severe punishment. XII. I believe, &c., that a Messiah shall come, more deserving than all the kings that have ever lived. Although he thinks proper to delay his coming, no one ought on that account to question the truth of it, or set an appointed time for it, much less produce Scripture for the proof of it ; since Israel will never have any king to rule over it but one that shall be of the line of David and Solomon. XIII. I believe, &c., that God will raise the dead, and though I know not when, yet it will be when he sees most convenient. — Hallowed be his name for ever and ever. Amen. There are other articles besides these fundamental ones, which, though not universally received, are not absolutely rejected. The Jews go to prayers three times every day in their synagogues, and when they enter, they bow towards the Hechal, or Ark, repeating some verses from the Psalms, in an humble tone. The first four thanlTsgivings.*" hours after sun-rise, are appointed for the morning service, which is called Sciacrid : the second service is in the after- noon, and called Mincha : the third, at the close of the evening, which they call Haruid. But in several places, on such days as are not festivals, the afternoon and evening prayers, for convenience sake, are said together, at sun-set. The prayers which they use at present may be called a supplement to their ancient sacrifices ; and for this reason they have given the title, or name, of small temples to their synagogues. And as two sacrifices were offered every day in the temple of Jerusalem, one in the morning, and the other in the evening, so they have morning and evening service in their synagogues, to correspond with those two sacrifices. Besides these, there was another sacrifice offered up on holidays, for the solemnity of the festival; and for this reason they add a new prayer on feast-days, called Musapii, that is, addition. They must not eat, drink, or do any kind of thing, or salute even a friend, till they have been at morning prayers : — they arc obliged, how- ever, to wash their hands before they enter the synagogue. At their first entrance into the synagogue, having put on a devout and FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES. 37 humble demeanour, they cover themselves with a white embroidered linen cloth, of an oblong figure, called the Taled, and then pro- Divine service. ^^^^^^ ^^^ benediction contained in Numbers, chapter x. " Blessed be thou," &c. Some Jews only cover their heads w ith the Taled, but others bring it close about their necks, that no object may divert their thoughts, and that their attention to the prayers -may in no ways be interrupted. In the next place they put on the armlets and fore-head-pieces, called Tephilim, or Phylacteries; — meaning that which is worn during the time of prayer. The Tephilim are made as follows :— they take two slips of parchment, and write on tliem with great accuracy, and with ink made for that particular purpose, these four passages, in square letters, from Exodus, chapter xiii. 1-3, 5-6, 8-10, 11-13. These two slips of parchment are rolled up together, and wTapped in a piece of black calf's-skin : — after which the latter is fixed upon a thick square piece of the same skin, leaving a slip thereof fastened to it, of about a finger's breadth, and nearly a cubit and a half long. One of these Tephilim is placed on the bending of the left arm ; and after they have made a small knot in the slip, they wind it round the arm in a spiral line, till the end thereof reaches the end of the middle finger : as for the head Tephila, they write the four passages before mentioned, upon four distinct pieces of vellum, which, when stitched together, make a square : upon this they write the letter Scin, and over it they put a square piece of hard calf's-skin, as thick as the other, from which proceed two slips of the same length and breadth as the former. They put this square piece upon the middle of their forehead. The slips going round their heads, form a knot, behind, in the shape of the letter Daleth, and then hang down before upon the breast. The forehead-pieces are usually put on in the morning only, with the Taled. Some, indeed, wear them at their noon prayers too ; but there are very few who wear even the Taled at those prayers, excepting the Reader. David Levi says, that " all Jews, every morning, during the reading of the Shema, and whilst saying the nineteen prayers, must have on the Phylacteries ; because it is a sign of their acknowledging the Almighty to be the Creator of all things, and that he has power to do as he pleases. On the Sabbath and other festivals, we do not put on the Phylacteries, because the due observation of these days is a sufi&cient sign of itself, as expressed in Exodus, chapter xxxi. verse 12." God is said to enter the synagogue as soon as the door is opened, and when ten are assembled together, and each of them thirteen years and a day old, at least, (for otherwise those prayers cannot be sung after a solemn manner,) then he is said to be in the midst of them, and the Chazan, or Reader, goes up to the table, or altar, or stands before the Ark, and begins to sing prayers aloud, in which the rest of the congregation join, but in a softer and less audible voice. The form and mode of prayer is not uniform amongst the Jewish nations. The Germans sing in a louder tone than the rest. The Eastern and Spanish Jews sing much after the same manner as the Turks ; and the Italians soft and slow. Their prayers are longer or shorter, according as the days are, 38 FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES. or are not, festival. In this particular, too, the several nations differ greatly. The Jews, in their prayers, rely on two things, viz., on the mercy and goodness of God, and on the innocence and piety of their forefathers. For which reason, they mention Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and some others, both patriarchs and prophets. " Do thou, O God," say they, " vouchsafe to hear us, and grant us such and such a favour, through the merits of all those just and holy men who have sprung up in every generation among the Israelites." In regard to their posture during divine service, they are to stand with- out leaning as much as possibly they can : their heads are to be covered, and their bodies girt with a belt, to separate the heart from the lower parts, which are impure. Their hands and faces are to be carefully washed before they presume to enter into the synagogue. They must not touch anything whilst they are at their prayers which is foul and nasty, and their minds must be prepared, at least an hour, for their prayers, before they repeat them. The person who prays must turn towards Jerusalem, join his feet straight, lay his hands on his heart, and fix his eyes on the ground. He must avoid gaping, spitting, blowing his nose, with the utmost precaution. They may pray aloud, when at home, for the edification and improve- ment of their servants and family ; but at the synagogue it is sufficient to say their prayers as softly as they please, if they do but move their lips ; for it is requisite that the congregation should be well satisfied that they do pray. AVhen they depart from the synagogue, they must never turn their backs upon the Hechal, which contains the sacred books of the law. They must go out slowly, in conformity to those words in Job, the 14th chapter, and 16th verse, " Thou hast counted my steps." They must refrain likewise from casting their eyes upon any beautiful objects that may raise their inordinate affections. Whenever they pass the gate of the synagogue, they are obliged to put up an ejaculatory prayer. Even when upon a journey, let a Jew be ever so far from the place where he set out, he must say a prayer with his face turned that way, and repeat some passages out of the Scriptures which relate to travellers. The rabbins have divided the five books of Moses mio fort i/ -eight or fifty- two lessons, called Parasciod, or dvmsions ; and one of them is read every The Pentateuch. ^^^^ ^^ *^^^^ synagogues : so that in the compass of a year, w^hether it consists of twelve or thirteen months, they read the whole book through. On Mondays and Thursdays, after having said their penitential prayers, they take the Sefar Tora, or hook of the laic, out of the Ark before mentioned, and whilst that verse of the 34th Psalm, " O praise the Lord with me," &c. and some others are repeating, they place it on the desk ; where being opened and unrolled, they desire three persons to read the beginning of the Parascia, which means section or chapter, in the same place with them. And the wliole congregation repeat some words of it, which are preceded and followed with a blessing. After this, the Reader gives them his benediction, and they all promise either to bestow something on the poor, or to contribute towards the necessities of the synagogue. Then the Sefar Tora is held up wide open, and the CUSTOMS AND LAWS. 39 Reader, showing the writing thereof, says to the congregation, according to Deuteronomy, chapter iv. verse 44, " This is the law which Moses set before," &c. The Levantine Jews perform this ceremony first of all. After this declaration, the book is rolled up and covered, and then shut up in the ark. Besides this, no day must pass without reading some portion of the law at home. This manner of reading the five books of Moses in the synagogue, and inviting a greater or smaller number of the congregation to read it with them, was ordered by Esdras, and is observed on all fasts and festivals. As some men, out of a zeal for religion, are fond of being employed in certain ceremonies, such as taking the book out of the ark, and laying it up again, &c., &c., that indulgence is generally granted to such as are most generous and free of their money. Whatever is so collected, is dis- tributed either amongst the poor, or employed towards furnishing the necessaries of the synagogue. An epitome of the tenets, ordinances, and traditions of all the rabbins up to the time of Rabbi Juda, about 120 years after the destruction of Jeru- salem, called the Mis/ma, was divided into six parts ; the or TalnuJd^""'''* first treats of agriculture ; the second of festivals ; the third of marriages, and everything relating to women ; the fovirth of law-suits, and of the disputes which arise from loss or interest, and of all manner of civil affairs ; the fifth, of sacrifices ; and the sixth, of things clean and unclean. This being very concise, occasioned various disputes ; a circumstance which prompted two rabbins of Babylon, to the compilation of all the interpretations, controversies, and additions which had been written upon the Mishna, together with other supplementary matter. Thus they placed the Mishna as the text, and the rest as an exposition ; the whole forming the book called the Talmud Babeli, the Talmud of Babylon, or Ghemara, which signifies the book of perfection. SEC. II. CUSTOMS AND LAWS OF THE ANCIENT JEWS. Soon after the Jews, or the children of Israel, were delivered from Egyptian slavery, Moses, their leader, delivered them a body of laws, Custom-, and which he declared to them he received from God, whom he kws^of'The an. had conversed with, face to face, on Mount Sinai. These cient .Tews. Javvs consisted of precepts which related both to the worship of God, and their duty to each other : but such was their attachment to their former customs and religion, that while Moses was absent in procur- ing the divine law, the people made a golden calf which they danced round, and worshipped as the true God. This was done in imitation of what they had seen in Egypt. The most distinguishing of all the Jewish ceremonies, before their re- ception of the Mosaic late, was that of circumcision. This, from the time of Abraham, was always performed on* the eie/hth day after Circumcision. ^^^^ ^.^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^.^^^^ .^ ^^^^^ ^^ distinguish them from the surroundinfr tribes, who made it a fixed rule to circumcise their children in the thirteenth year. By tho IMosaic law, the seventh day of the week was to be kept sacred; 40 CUSTOMS AND LAWS but this was no more than the revival of an ancient institution, as appears from Genesis, c. 2. Sacrifices were enjoined, and a dis- tinction was made between clean and unclean animals. This distinction seems to have been rather political than religious ; for had swine's flesh been eaten in the wilderness, or even in the land of Canaan, it might have been prejudicial to their health. Another reason has been assigned for this prohibition ; namely, to make a distinction between them and all other nations in the universe. At the celebration of their grand solemnities and sacrifices, persons were to bring the victim to the priest, who laid his hand upon its head, and then read over to the congregation aloud all the sins which the parties confessed. The victim was then slain, and when all the blood was extracted from the body, the fat was burned to ashes, and the other parts remained the property of the priests. During the time the children of Israel remained in the wilderness they had no temple, because they had no fixed place of residence; but, to supply that deficiency, Moses and Aaron made an Ark or Tabernacle, which was carried by the Levites from place to place. Of all the ceremonies imposed on the Jews, none serves more to point out the notion of an atonement for sin, than that of the " Scape-Goat." This ceremony was performed once in every year, and in the following manner : — The goat was taken to the Tabernacle, and, in the hearing of all the people, the priest read a list of the sins which had been confessed. The people acknowledged their guilt. Then taking the scroll, the priest fixed it upon the goat, which was immediately conducted to the wilderness, and never more heard of. This being over, the messengers returned, and then the people received absolution. The law delivered by Moses to the Jews contained not only directions for the manner in which sacrifices were to be offered, and, indeed, the whole service, first of the tabernacle and then of the temple, — but, likewise, a system of moral precepts. The distinctions of persons, according to the difterent ranks in life, were pointed out. "Women were not permitted to wear the same habit as the men. Young persons were commanded to stand up in a reverent manner before the aged, and to treat them with every mark of respect. The same justice was to be done to strangers as to free-born subjects. No stranger was to be chosen king over them ; for, as they were surrounded by heathen nations, a stranger, having the civil power in his hands, might have led them into idolatry. They were commanded not to abhor, nor treat with contempt, the Edomites ; because they were the descendants of Esau, the elder brother of Jacob : nor were they to treat the Egyptians with cruelty. Slavery was permitted by the law of Moses, but slaves or bondmen were not to be treated with cruelty ; and the reason assigned was, that the children of Israel had themselves been slaves in the land of Egypt. Every widow and orphan were to be considered as objects of compassion ; and those who treated them with cruelty were to be considered as objects of the Divine displeasure. Nay, it was further threatened in this law, that those who oppressed the widow and the fatherless should die an ignomin- ious death ; that their widows should be exposed to want, and their children subjected to hardships. OF THE ANCIENT JEWS. 41 The duty of charity was strongly inculcated by the Mosaic economy ; for whatever was left of the fruits of the earth in the field, they were not to go back to gather ; it was for the poor and needy ; the slaves were to enjoy it, and so were the widows and fatherless. The tribe of Levi, to whom the priesthood was confined by law, were not to have any local inheritance, but they were to dwell in the presence of their brethren, and one-tenth part of the fruits of the earth was to be set aside for their sub- sistence. These Levites, however, were commanded to relieve the widow and the fatherless. In every city, town, or village, some of the most respectable of the in- habitants, or elders of the people, were to be appointed judges ; and in the administration of justice they were strictly commanded to act impartially. No respect was to be paid to the characters or rank of per- " ^'^^' sons ; and a dreadful curse was pronounced against such as should take bribes. These judges sat in the gates of the cities ; which practice still prevails in many of the Eastern nations. The origin of this custom is of great antiquity ; but the end and design of it has never been properly accounted for, which is the more surprising, because the custom itself is very emblematical and expressive. There was, however, an appeal from these inferior courts, whether re- lating to matters of a civil or a criminal nature : and this appeal was very solemn. The party who thought himself injured, entered his appeal before the supreme judge or the king, who called to his assistance the whole body of priests and Levites ; and the majority of votes determined the affair. If either of the contending parties refused to abide by the final decision, he was condemned to suffer death ; for not to acknowledge such a solemn judgment, was to deny the authority of God himself, who had delegated his authority to the judges, priests, and Levites. The person who spoke disrespectfully of a judge, was considered as a blasphemer ; and if he was found guilty by the evidence of two or three witnesses, then he was to be put to death ; for to revile a judge was to revile God, he being considered as his representative on earth. The Jewish slavery was two-fold, and arose from a variety of circum- stances. When men were reduced to poverty, it was in the power of their creditors to, sell them : but they were not to be treated as Slavery. strangers ; they were to be treated in the same manner as we do hired servants ; and when the year of jubilee took place, they, and their wives, with their children, were to be set at liberty, and they were to return to the possessions of their ancestors. These persons who were purchased, or in other words, taken into a state of servitude, were not to be sold by their masters, nor were they to be treated with any sort of severity. When a servant was discharged, his master was to give him ns much corn, wine, oil, and other necessaries, as he and his wife and children could carry home to their houses. In the patriarchal age, the power of masters over their servants was unlimited, for they had a right to put them to death whenever they pleased ; but after the children of Israel had returned from Egypt, this power was confined within proper bounds. Such as engaged for a limited time were to have leave to go out at the expiration of it ; and if a man was married when he entered into servitude, his wife and children Avere to be set at 42 CUSTOMS AND LAWS liberty ; but if liis master gave him a wife, both she and the children were to remain the property of the master. This circumstance, however, seldom took place, for the law had provided a remedy. It frequently happened, tliat when the term of servitude expired the servant, having no prospect of procuring a subsistence, and, at the same time, unwilling to part with his wife and children, told his master tliat he would serve him during the remainder of his life. In such cases the mas- ter took him before the elders, or judges, and in their presence an awl was bored through his ear and fixed to a post in the gate of the city ; signify- ing that he and his wife and children were to serve the master till death. It was the same w^ith women servants, who were bound by the same obligations. "With respect to strangers, they were, at all times, permitted to redeem themselves, and this w'as to be done in an equitable manner before the judges. All the arrears due to tliem were to be paid ; and if the time of their servitude was not expired, then they were to make a proper de- duction, so that the master should not receive the least injury. When a master struck his servant, and the wound proved mortal, so that the servant died within a day or two, then the crime was to be con- sidered as capital, and the master w\as to suffer death for it ; but if he lived beyond that time, then the master was to be discharged, because the slave was his property. When a master struck out the eye or the tooth of his servant, then he was obliged to let him go free ; because, in such an instance, the master exceeded the bounds prescribed by the law. It was in the power of parents to sell tlieir daughters; a practice which has been followed in the Eastern nations from the most early ages. When a master seduced a female slave, he was not permitted to fath ^^^'^ *^ * ®^^^ ^^^^' ^6<^^^^se he had not acted towards her consistently with the nature of moral obligation. If the master be- trothed the young woman to his son, she was to be treated as a free-born subject ; but if the young man took another wife, then he was to deliver up everything belonging to the slave, and she was to be free to act in what manner she pleased. It is singular, that when a slave ran away from his master, he was not to be reclaimed by him, but was to remain with the person where he chose to settle. The power that fathers had over their children was great. If a son refused to obey his father or mother, or treated them with indignity, they were to chastise him ; and if no reformation took place in his conduct, then he was to be taken before the elders, or judges of the city, who, upon hearing such evidence as served to prove his guilt, he was delivered over to the common executioners, who immediately stoned him to death. None of the children of Israel were permitted to sell their daughters as common prostitutes, because purity was enjoined by the Mosaic law. It was the custom of the surrounding nations to boil kids in the milk of their dam ; but by the Mosaic law this was forbidden as an unnatural practice , so that it was utterly proliibitcd for any person to seethe a kid in its mother's milk. Many of the heathen nations lived in an incestuous manner ; but this practice was not tolerated under the law of Moses. The degrees of con- sanguinity were so strictly attended to, that no person waj iiianiage?^^*^ '"^ *^ break through them ; and a table of those degrees hai always been affixed to the English translation of the Bible^ OP THE ANCIENT JEWS. 43 A man was not to marry two sisters, lest it should create family dissen- sions. If a man died without having children, and if he had a brother alive unmarried, then the bachelor was to espouse the widow ; that by descen- dants the name of the family might be kept up ; but the first-born child was to succeed to the name and estate of the first husband. As nothing was more odious among the Jews, than for men or women to live unmarried, so if the brother-in-law refused to marry the sister-in- law, to preserve the name of his family, the widow was to go before the judges in the gate of the city, and there exhibit her complaint. This being done, the brother-in-law was called before the judges, and examined con- cerning the nature of his objections ; and wlien it was found that he absolutely refused to marry the woman, then she was called in, and the refusal intimated to her ; the judges then were to tell her to act according as the law of Moses directed ; and she, stooping down, unloosened the shoe from off his right foot, and, spitting in his face, declared her abhorrence of the man w^io refused to perpetuate the name of his family, and the name of his brother ; and from that time forward he was called " The man tchose shoe was loosed in Israel." A woman was not to marry into any tribe but that to which her father belonged : this seems to have been done to keep up the grand distinctions amono- the twelve tribes, especially that of Judah ; from whom the Messiah was to be descended. Moses permitted a man to put aw^ay his wife, and both parties were allowed to marry again. But if a husband divorced his wife, and she married a second husband, who afterwards died, then the first husband was not to take the woman again. This was done to discourage divorces. Every man was exempted from going to war, and from all public busi- ness, during the first year of his marriage ; and the reason was, that there might not be too many young widows or fatherless children among them. The law of Moses allowed a man to make a vow, and to give for the service of the tabernacle any part of his goods or money, but so as not to injure his family. It is evident, from several passages in the Old Testament, that women were permitted to make vows, on condition of obtaining the consent of their fatliers and husbands. If the fathers or husbands were present when the vow was made, and did not object to it, then the woman was bound to the performance. On the other hand, if either the father or husband objected to the vow, then it could not stand good, and the priests were commanded to see that it was not performed. But all the widows, and such women as had been divorced, and lived single, were obliged to per- form their vows, otherwise they were to be treated as persons guilty of sacrilege. In military affairs, the law of Moses was well calculated to promote the interests of the commonwealth, and was altogether suitable to the genius, times, and circumstances of the people. Every family was ' ' ^"^^ ■ obliged to return to the chiefs of the tribes a list of all the males upwards of twenty years of age, fit to carry arms. When the return was made, the males of each tribe were called together, and the following questions were asked them, one by one : " Has any man built a house, 44 CUSTOMS AND LAWS and has not had time to dedicate it ? Has any man planted a vineyard, and not yet eaten of the fruit of it ? Has any man betrothed a wife, and not yet married her ? Is any man fearful or faint-hearted to go against the enemy ? Then let all those return home, and attend to their domestic duties." According to the Jewish law, when they attacked a city they were to offer terms of peace to tlie inhabitants, upon condition of surrendering themselves up prisoners of war, and submitting to the will of the con- queror ; which was, that they should pay a certain tribute. But if the citizens refused to accept of the proffered terms, then the place was to be attacked, and if taken, all the males were to be put to the sword. The women and children were to be sold aS slaves ; the cattle, and all the goods were to be taken and distributed equally among the soldiers, after which the city was to be reduced to ashes. They were permitted to eat the fruits of the trees which they found in the land of an enemy ; and the trees were to be cut down in order to raise bulwarks against the next city which they should have occasion to besiege. All the lands taken by conquest were to be divided, by lot, among the soldiers, but each was to have his share, according to the rank he bore in the army. The Levites, also, had their share, although, being obliged to attend the service of the tabernacle, they were exempted from every duty of a civil or military nature. This exemption was appointed to exist throughout all generations ; although we meet with many deviations from it in the latter times of their history, particularly after they returned from the Babylonish captivity. If a man died without leaving a son, then the inheritance was to pass to his daughter ; and if there was no daughter, then it was to go to the brothers ; and if there were no brethren, then it was to ascend upwards to the brothers of the grandfather, and to all the collateral branches, according to their consanguinity. As polygamy was permitted among the Jews, great care was taken that no abuses should happen, in consequence of partiality in favour of the children of the second or third wife, in preference to those o J gamy. ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ j^ ^^^ ordered, that although the first wife should be despised, or even hated by her husband, yet her first-born son should succeed to the inheritance ; and the judges were under the most solemn obligations to see this part of the law properly executed. Provi- sion, however, was made for the rest of the children, and amongst them the personal estate was divided without any partial respect ; but if there was no personal estate, then two-thirds of the real estate were given to the first-born, and the third divided equally among the rest. The Jews were permitted to lend money upon usury^ to aws re atmg g^j-anwrs, but not to any of their own brethren, nor were to propeity. o ' ... , they to sleep one night with their brother's pledge. If an estate was mortgaged, the person who held it was obliged to restore it at the end of seven years, upon condition of receiving the money he had advanced, but he was not under the same obligation to strangers. And if a man borrowed a beast of his neighbour, and an accident happened to it, so that it received an injury, then he was to make good the loss, unless the owner happened to be present. If a man delivered anything to another to keep, and it was stolen, the OF THE ANCIENT JEWS. 45 thief, if fouiid,\vas to pay double ; but if the thief was not found, then tlie person to whom it was intrusted was to be brought before the judges, to declare upon oath, whether he had injured his neighbour by making away with his goods, or having been privy to any transaction of that nature. The oath of the suspected person was to be supported by such evidence as he could produce ; and that was to be opposed by what the prosecutor could advance. The matter having been heard with calmness, the judges were to con- sider on it in a deliberate manner ; and if it appeared that the accused person was innocent, then he was acquitted ; but, if through his own neglect the goods w^ere stolen, then he was to return double to the owner. If there was no evidence produced by the person accused, nor any to sup- port the accusation, then the judges were to decide, according to their own wisdom and discretion. Among the Jews, there were several things exempted from being pledged ; amongst which w^ere millstones ; for such things were necessary towards preserving the lives of men, because wheat would have been of little ute unless ground into flour. When a pledge was deposited, the person who advanced the money was not to go into the debtor''s house to demand it, but he was to stand without the door until it was brought to him. This was ordered to prevent family disputes,' and to keep peace among a body of people who were commanded to live together as brethren. The clothes of widows were not to be taken in pledge, and the same degree of humanity was to extend to strangers, to the fatherless, and to the slaves. Great regard was paid to the standard weights and measures ; so that, in their common dealings, justice should be equally distributed. Every sale, or bargain, relating to the conveyance of estates, was of a conditional nature ; and if any of the descendants or relations of those who assigned it away, produced the money advanced for it, at the end of forty- nine years, then it was to be restored ; for the possession of it during that time, v^^as considered as an ample recompense to the purchaser. On such occasions, trumpets were to be sounded in all the towns and villages, that the people might have proper notice that the jubilee was approaching. Then, during the fiftieth year, all servants or slaves were to be set at liberty ; and an opportunity was offered for persons to redeem such estates as had been sold. In the redemption of estates, an account was taken before the judges concerning the nature of the improved rent, during the time they had been in the possession of the purchaser, and the overplus was delivered up, either to the person who sold them, or to his relations who made the claim. All houses in walled cities, namely, such as were fortified, could be redeemed within the compass of one year, but they could never be re- deemed afterwards, not even in the year of jubilee; because the person in possession was under obligation to lay down his life in support of its riohts and privileges. It was different with respect to the villages which were not walled round, because they were considered as part of the country at large, so that they were permitted to be redeemed in the year of jubilee. However, the houses of the Levites were not to be sold with- out redemption, whether they were in cities or villages. When servants were hired by the day, they were to receive their wages 40 CUSTOMS AND LAWS before sunset ; and the reason assigned for it was, that because the poor man wanted his hire, hunger, and the regard he had for his wife and children, would make him unwilling to return home. By the Mosaic law, the ox, who contributed towards cultivating the fruits of the earth, and who assisted in treading out the corn, was not muzzled, but suffered to eat as much as he could, while he was employed. Covetousness was forbidden by the Mosaic law. Cattle being stolen and disposed of, so as to be irrecoverable, the thief, on conviction, was to make five-fold restitution ; but if the cattle were found alive with him, then he was to restore them, and pay double. Every person was empowered to kill a housebreaker, if he was found in the fact during the night ; but if in the day, then he was either to make restitution, or to be sold for a slave. In walking through a vineyard, every stranger was permitted to pull what fruit he chose to eat, but he was not to carry any away. It was the same with respect to fields of corn, where every man was permitted to pull as much as he could eat, but he was not to put in a sickle, or cut down as much as one of the stalks. It was ordained in their law, that nuisances, by which men's lives or properties could be injured, should be removed ; or if an accident hap- pened in consequence of neglect, a proper recompense was to be made to the loser. Thus, if a man left a pit uncovered, and his neighbour's beast fell into it, and was killed, or in any way disabled, then the person guilty of the neglect was to make up the loss. In the same manner, if any man killed the beast of his neighbour, he was either to restore another equal in value, or pay the price. All those who found cattle wandering astray were to take them to their own folds, and keep them till tliey were claimed by the owners. It was the same with respect to everything lost ; for whoever found it, and did not embrace the first opportunity of restoring it, was considered as a thief, and punished as such. If fire happened through negligence, the person who neglected to take proper care was to make restitution to the injured person ; and the same was to be done where a man suffered his beast to eat the corn in the field of his neighbour. If a man or woman happened to be killed by an ox, then the ox was to be stoned to death, and his flesh was not to be eaten ; but if sufficient evidence appeared to the judges, that the ox was a vicious animal, accustomed to push at every person who came in his way, and the owner did not take proper measures to restrain him, then the ox was to be stoned, and the owner was to be put to death. It was, however, per- mitted for the owner of the ox to redeem his own life, by paying a certain sum of money to the widower children of the deceased. When an ox killed a slave, his owner was to pay to the master of the slave thirty shekels of silver ; and if it happened that one ox hurt or killed another, the live ox was to be sold along with the dead one, and the money equally divided between the proprietors. ,, , Wilful murder was to be punished with death : for thus Alurdcr. * • . • it was written in the ]Mosaic law : — '' And if he smite him with an instrument of iron (so that he die), he is a murderer : the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone, (wherewith he may die,) and he die, he is a or THE ANCIENT JEWS. 47 murderer." In the same manner, if he smote him with an instrument of wood, so that he died, he was a murderer ; but still no crime could be called murder, unless there was mahce in the offending party. In all such cases, the nearest of kin had a right to put the murderer to death with his own hands. The difference between murder and manslaughter was pointed out, and a straight line of distinction drawn. Thus, if there had been no malice between the contending parties, and it happened that one of them killed the other suddenly, then the aggressor was to^t'^ to the city of refuge^ where he was kept in a state of safety, until the judges had inquired into the affair. This was done in a very solemn manner, and, what is remarkable, the evidence was delivered in the hearing of all those who lived in the district where the affair happened. When a solemn inquiry was made, and it was found that the aggressor entertained malice against the deceased, then he was delivered up to the avenger of blood to be put to death. But if it -was found that no malice had existed between the parties, then the judges were to see the offender safely conducted to the city of refuge, where he w\as to remain as an in- habitant till the death of the high-priest. During that time, if he ven- tured to go out of the city of refuge, the avenger of blood had a right to put him to death ; but when the high-priest died, he was restored to the peaceable enjoyment of his temporal possessions. When it happened that a pregnant woman was injured so as to occasion her miscarrying, then the husband was to demand a fine from the offending party, and the judges were to determine how much was equitable. It was common in the Eastern countries to steal children, and sell them to be brought up as slaves ; but the law of Moses absolutely prohibited this practice, and the offender was to be put to death. In some cases, offenders were permitted to take shelter on the horns of the altar, the place to which the victim was bound ; but if he was a mur- derer, and found guilty by the judges, then the executioners had a right to drag him from the altar and put him to death. As the Jewish state was that of a theocracy^ so every violation of the law, delivered by Moses, was punished as high-treason to God. The people were to be considered as guilty of high treason when ig reason, j^^^^^ worshipped any of the idols in the heathen nations. It was high-treason, likewise, to set up an image of God. In particular, they were strictly commanded not to worship the sun, moon, or stars. What the English law calls misprision of treason^ was punished capitally among the Jews. Thus, if one man saw another go to worship in a heathen temple, and did not reveal it to the judges, then he was to be put to death ; for, to conceal treason was considered as approving of it. In all cases the traitor was punished by sto7iiny, and the witnesses were . obliged to perform the execution. Nay, so strict was the ow punis le . j^^ ^.^^ respect to treason, that if one person advised an- other to idolatry, then the person advised had a right to kill him. If all the inhabitants of a city became idolaters, then that city was to be razed to the ground, the people were all to be put to death, and the place was to remain a heap of ruins for ever. It frequently happened that impostors rose up under the character of 48 CUSTOMS AND LAWS prophets ; but if such enticed the people to commit idohitiy, then they were to be stoned to death ; nor were their highest pretensions to inspira- tion to screen them from punishment. All those Avho pretended to be wizards, who had familiar spirits, and who could reveal the knowledge of future events, were considered as trai- tors, and were put to death. Every one, whether male or female, who spoke irreverently of the name of God, w^as also to be put to death. If a man and woman were taken in the act of adultery, both were to be stoned to death ; and the same punishment was inflicted on the man who seduced a betrothed virgin, previous to her marriage ; the virgin herself was to die along with the seducer ; but this was only done when the crime was committed in a city, for when it happened in the fields, then the man alone was to sufi'er, because it was presumed he had ravished her. When the punishment was such as permitted a power in the judge to order a criminal to be scourged, then he was to command him to lie down in open court, and forty stripes were to be given him, but he was not to exceed that number; but, according to the practice, they seldom exceeded the number of thirty-nine. If more than forty stripes had been inflicted on the offending party, he would have been considered as infamous ever after, and by only inflicting thirty-nine, it was done from motives of humanity, lest the party should be in danger of losing his life. If a man lay with a woman who was a slave and betrothed, the woman was to be scourged, and the man was to off'er a ram as a trespass-ofi^ering; neither of them were to be put to death, because the woman was not free. Bastards were not permitted to enjoy the same privileges as those who were born in wedlock; and, that incontinency might be discouraged as much as possible, this prohibition was to extend even to the tenth generation. This order or statute, however, did not prohibit bastards from worship- ping either in the tabernacle or temple ; for they were treated in the same manner as the heathens who renounced idolatry ; namely, as proselytes who worshipped God without the veil of the temple. In many civil respects, likewise, they were not considered as members of the Jewish community. That no injury should be done to young women, it was ordered, that if a man lay with a virgin who was not betrothed, then he was to pay to her father fifty shekels of silver as part of the composition for the injury, and at the same time he was obliged to marry her, nor could he, on any account whatever, obtain a divorce from her ; because in the act of seduc- tion he had first set her a bad example. With respect to a witness giving evidence in a court of justice, the law of Moses provided against perjury. It was absolutely necessary that there should be either two or three witnesses to prove the truth eijury. ^^ every criminal accusation, because two individuals can swear to a single fact. In case a man, who appeared as a witness against an accused person, should have been suspected of delivering false evidence, then both parties were to appear in the tabernacle before the judges and the priests, and they were to consider of the matter in the most deliberate manner. If it appeared to the judges that the witness had perjured him- self, then they were to order that the same punishment should be inflicted upon him, as would have been inflicted upon the accused person, had he been legally convicted. OP THE ANCIENT JEWS. 49 The practice of making witnesses the executioners of the criminal had something in it remarkably solemn ; for a man may swear falsely in a court of justice, from interested or sinister motives, but if he has the least spark of conscience remaining, he must shudder at the thoughts of becom- ing the executioner of the man, who, by his evidence, was illegally condemned. Retahation made a great part of the Jewish law : thus, he who put out the eye of another was to have his own put out ; he who struck out the tooth of another was to have his own tooth struck out ; he who disabled another was himself to be disabled ; and whoever burned down the house of liis neighbour was to have his own house reduced to ashes. To what has already been advanced, we may add, that all punishments among the Jews were considered as adequate to the crimes with which the offending prisoners were charged. If a man was found guilty of a capital offence, and condemned to be hanged, his body was not to remain after sun-set on the tree ; but (says the Mosaic law) " Thou slialt hury him that day^ that thy land he not defiled : for he that is hanged is accursed of God." SEC. III. RELIGIOUS RITES. Every Jew is under an indispensable obligation to marry, the time appointed for it by their rabbins being at eighteen years of age ; and he who lives single till he is twenty is reckoned to live in the actual commission of a known sin. This is grounded on the duty of procreation, in obedience to that command which God gave to Adam and Eve, as related in the first chapter of Genesis, " Be fruitful, and mul- tiply, and replenish the earth." On the other hand, as a single man is often subject to commit fornication, they think it a duty incumbent on him to marry, and remove the temptation. There are several passages in the Old Testament which might be adduced to justify a plurality of wives ; and the Eastern Jews frequently practise it ; but the Germans do not allow it at all ; nor do the Italians approve, though they sometimes comply with it, when, after many years of cohabitation, they have had no issue by a first wife. — The laws of the greater part of Europe are, however, quite averse to polygamy. They are allowed to marry their nieces, that is, their brother's or sister s daughters, and likewise their first cousins ; but a nephew must not inter- marry with his aunt, that the law of nature may nof be reversed : for when the uncle marries his niece, the same person remains as the head who was so before ; but when the nephew marries his aunt, he becomes, as it were, her head, and she must pay homage to him ; by which means the law is reversed. The other degrees of consanguinity which are forbidden, may be seen in the l^tli chapter of Leviticus. Some are very cautious how they marry a woman who has buried two or more husbands ; branding her with the ignominious title of a husband- killer : but this is not prohibited, and is less to be understood of a man who may have had two or more wives. A widow, or a woman divorced from her husband, cannot marry again till ninety days after the death of the one, or separation of the other, that 50 RELIGIOUS RITES. it may thereby be certainly known whether the first husband is father of the child which may afterwards be born. If a man dies, and leaves behind him an infant that sucks, the widow cannot marry again till the child be two years old; the rabbis having limited that time, for the better maintenance and education of the orphan. The Jews often marry their children very young, though the marriage is not consummated till they are of a proper age ; therefore, when a child who is under ten years of age (whether her father be alive or dead) becomes a widow, and afterwards marries with the consent of her mother, or brothers, a man whom she does not approve of, she may have a divorce at any time till she attains the age of twelve years and one day, at which period she is deemed a woman. If she declares that she will not have such a man, it is sufficient : and when she has taken two witnesses to set down her refusal in writing, she may obtain a divorce, and marry again with whom she pleases. A\^hen the Jews have settled the terms of accommodation, the marriage articles are signed by the husband, and the relations of the wife ; after which the former pays a formal visit to the latter, and, Tv-eddinas'"^' ^"'^ before Avitnesses, takes her by the hand, saying, " Be thou my spouse." In some countries the bridegroom presents the bride with a ring at the same time, and then marries her. But this is not the usual practice in England, Italy, or Germany. They are often solemnly engaged for six or twelve months, and sometimes two years, according to the convenience of the parties, or the agreement made between them ; during which time the young lover pays frequent visits to his mis- tress, and spends his time in her company with the utmost familiarity, but with a strict regard to decency and good manners. In a part of the marriage articles, the bridegroom covenants to give his wife, by way of jointure, the sum of fifty crowns ; all his efi"ects, even to his cloaJc, being engaged for the due performance of tliis agreement. The sum is moderate, to render the marriage of poor maidens easy : but the wife must deliver into her husband's hands all the effi3cts which she may afterwards inherit. Wlien the marriage-day is appointed (which is usually at the time tlic moon changes, and in case the bride be a maid, on a Wednesday or Friday, but if a widow, on a Thursday), the bride, if she be free from her terms, goes the first night into a bath, in the presence of other women, and there washes herself. But if she be not free from her terms, all carnal conversation with her is prohibited, till she can wash. However, the nuptial solemnities are seldom delayed upon that account. The eight days which precede the marriage are usually grand-days ; the betrothed couple and their friends, giving a loose to pleasure, laugh, sing, dance, and cast away care. Some insist that the young couple should fast on the wedding-day, till tlie blessing be over. % On the wedding-day, the bride and bridegroom dress in all the grandeur and magnificence tlieir circumstances will admit of, and the bride is con- ducted in pomp to the liouse intended for the celebration of the nuptials, by several married women and maidens, who arc her friends and ac- quaintance. She is first bare-headed, and her hair all loose and in , 4{^.^Pt6a^P^ ^f.^^.?':^^ ^^\'y:e't/ria*^ pt^v . RELIGIOUS RITES. 51 disorder. After this, slie is seated between two venerable matrons, and her friends flock round about her, comb her head, curl her hair, dress her, and put on her veil : for virgin modesty forbids her to look her intended husband in the face. In this she imitates the chaste Rebecca, who covered her face when Isaac cast his eyes upon her. At Venice, the bride wears a sort of wig, or bundle of curls, called favourites, wliich the Jews call Benetes; in imitation of those which God himself, according to the rabbins, adorned Eve's head with when he married her to Adam. For the solemnization of the marriage, the lovers who are betrothed meet, at an hour appointed for that purpose, in a kind of state-room. The bridegroom is conducted thither by the bridemen, friends, &c., and the bride by her train, — the whole company crying out, " Blessed he the man that Cometh." They now sit on a nuptial throne, under a canopy, whilst a select band of music plays before them ; or whilst children, as is the custom in some places, move in solemn order round them, having torches in their hands, and singing some appropriate epithalamium. All those who are of their synagogue being assembled (that is, ten men at least, — else the marriage is null and void), a Taled is put upon the heads of the bridegroom and bride ; it has the tufts hanging down at the corners, in imitation of Boaz, who threw the skirts of his robe over Ruth. In many cases, a velvet canopy, supported by four poles, is held over the bride and bridegroom. After this, the rabbins of the place, or the reader of the syna- gogue, or some near relation, takes a glass, or any other vessel filled with wine, and, having blessed God "/or the creation of man and icoman^ and the institution of matrimony " s^ij^ as follows : " Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God ! king of the universe, the creator of the fruit of the vine. Bles- sed art thou, O Lord, our God ! king of the universe, who hath sanctified us with his commandments, and hath forbid us fornication, and hath pro- hibited unto us the betrothed, but hath allowed unto us those that are married unto us by the means of the canopy and the wedding-ring : blessed art thou, O Lord ! the sanctifier of his people Israel, by the means of the canopy, and wedlock." Then the bridegroom and bride drink of the wine. The bride now walks three times round the bridegroom, and he does the same twice round her. This ceremony is said to be grounded on Jeremiah, chapter xxxi. verse 22, " A woman shall compass a man," &c. Then tlie bridegroom, putting a ring upon the finger of his bride, wdio stands on his right hand, before two, or more, credible witnesses, who are commonly rabbins, says, ." Thou art my wife, according to the ceremonies of Moses and Israel." In Germany, the guests throw some grains of corn at them, and say at the same time, " Increase and multiply." After this, the marriage articles are read, wherein the bridegroom acknowledges the receipt of the consi- deration money, the obligation he is under to make his wife a jointure, and to maintain, honour, and cherish her, and live peaceably v/ith her all the days of his life. For the due performance of all the articles above- mentioned, he gives a duplicate to his wife's relations. After this, more wine is brought in a new vessel, and havins: siinoj six more benedictions, the bride and bridegroom drink a second time, and the residue of the wine is thrown upon the ground as a declaration of their joy. Everything being mystical with the Jews, it is to be observed, that if the bride be a maid e2 52 RELIGIOUS RITES. the glass is narrow ; but if she be a widow, a wide-mouthed goblet is used. The glass or vessel being empty, the bridegroom throws it on the ground, and breaks it to pieces. This ceremony is performed, they say, that their mirth may give them an idea of death, who dashes them to pieces like brittle glass, and teaches them not to be proud or self- conceited. Others say, that the breaking of the glass indicates the im- possibility of the marriage ties being dissolved ; the signification being, that when the atoms of the glass shall be re-united, the bride and bridegroom may separate, — but not till then. In the mean time, all persons present cry out, Mazal tou, " May it prove propitious" and then withdraw. In the evening they make a grand entertainment for their friends and relations ; and in some places, all the guests who w^ere invited present the bride with a piece of plate — some before, and some after supper is over. Then follow the seven benedictions before mentioned, and after this they all rise from table. Fowls of some kind are always a part of the wedding-supper. The first dish presented to the bride is a hen with an egg^ and after she has been served the guests help themselves to the remainder. The hen is emblematical, and denotes the future fruitfulness of the bride. On the Sabbath-day morning, after the consummation of their marriage, the bridegroom and tlie bride go to the synagogue together. The bride is attended by all the women that were present at the wedding. At the lessons of the Pentateuch, the bridegroom is desired to read : he then promises to give liberally to the poor, and all who come with him follow his example. When prayers are over the men wait on the bridegroom home, and the M^omen on the bride ; after which they part, with abun- dance of courtesy and complaisance. The bridegroom, in some places, lives durino- the first week with his wife'^s relations, where he amuses himself, and entertains his friends and acquaintance. These are the general practices in all Jewish wxddings, though there are some little variations observed according to the various countries in which they live. If the wife dies, and has no issue, they are obliged to act according to the customs of the country they live in, which vary almost in every nation. Among the Jews, tlie father lies under an indispensable obligation to have his son circumcised on the eighth day, in obedience to the command in the 17th chapter of Genesis, 10th — 1 4th verses. This cannot be done till the expiration of the eight days ; but in case the child be sick or infirm, it may be deferred till he is perfectly recovered. Anciently, by the fulfilment of this rite, it was consecrated to the service of God. This, no doubt, was then the principal end of cir- cumcision, but there do not appear to have been wanting other subsidiary objects. Were it necessary, we might demonstrate, both by quotations from the ancients, and reasons drawn from the nature of the member on which circumcision is performed, that this operation is really conducive to cleanliness and health among those who practise it in southern climates. It was a preventive of the disease called the anthrax or carbuncle. It has also been considered as having a beneficial tendency in increasing the population in such a climate as that of Palestine. RELIGIOUS RITES. 53 The Jews look upon it as a very laudable action, and a bounden Sickness and duty, to visit the sick, and to assist them in the time of death. their distress. When any one is apprehensive that his life is in danger, he sends for about ten persons, more or less, as he thinks convenient ; one of whom, at least, must be a rabbi. Then, in a solemn manner, he repeats the general alphabetical confession, and utters a prayer, in which he " liumbly begs of God, if it be his blessed will, to restore him to his former state of health ;" or, if this may not be granted, he then recommends his soul to him, and prays that his death maybe accepted as an expiation for his sins. If his conscience is overcharged with any sin, or if he has any secret which he would reveal, he declares it to the rabbi. After all this he begs pardon of God, and of all such as he has at any time offended, and forgives, like- wise, all such as have offended him, and even his most inveterate enemies. In case he has any children, or domestics, he calls them to his bedside and gives them his benediction ; and if his own father or mother be present, he receives their blessing. If he has an inclination to make his will, and to dispose of his worldly estate, he has free liberty to execute it in such a manner as he thinks most convenient. There are some who take care to have a public prayer put up for them in the synagogue, and change their names, as an indication of their change of life; and, as it is said, to cheat the devil. At such times, they promise and bestow their charity on the synagogues, as well as on the poor. When the person who is ill is in danger of death, or just expiring, they never leave him alone, but watch with him day and night. They salute him, and take their last farewell, just at the moment when the soul is separating from the body. To be present at the separation of the soul from the body, especially if the person be a learned or pious man, in their opinion, is not only a laudable, but a meritorious action. The person who is present when the sick man gives up the ghost, according to ancient custom, tears some part of his own garments. This rent is generally made on the right side of the forepart of the clothes, and must be the eighth of a yard in length. When they mourn for a father or mother, all the clothes must be rent on the right side ; whereas the left side of the outward gar- ment only is torn, if it be for a distant relation. The rent is always from top to bottom ; whereas that of the ancient priests was, formerly, from bottom to top. In Holland the Jews make it on the top, near the buttons, and at the expiration of eeven oi eight days have it sewn up again. In some parts of Germany the Jewish women who lose their husbands usually tear their head-dress. It is said, that if the widow intends to marry again, she is only to pretend to do it ; for if she actually tears them, it is a certain sign that she intends to remain a widow. There are some who, at such a time, will throw into the street all the water which they have in the house, or can find in the neighbourhood. This, which is accounted an ancient custom, is intended to denote that somebody lies dead not far from the place. As soon as any one is dead, his eyes and mouth are closed, his body is laid upon the ground in a sheet, his face is covered, and a lighted taper is set by his head. A pair of linen drawers is immediately provided, and some women are 54 RELIGIOUS RITES. sent for to sew tliem ; who, for the most part, perform tliis friendly office out of charity and good-will. After this, the corpse is thoroughly washed with warm water, in which camomile and dried roses have been boiled. In the next place, a shirt and drawers are put on, and over them some put a kind of surplice of fine linen, a Taled, or square cloak, and a white cap on the head. They now bend his thmnb close to the palm of the hand, and tie it with the strings of his Taled ; for he goes to the other Avorld with his veil on. The thumb thus bent stands in the form of Siiaddat, which is one of God's attributes ; this is the reason which the Jews give for a custom that secures the body from the devil's clutches. The deceased, in all other respects, has his hand open, as a testimony that he relinquishes all his worldly goods. The washing of the body is intended to denote that the deceased purified himself from the pollutions of this life by a sincere re- pentance, and was ready and prepared to receive a better from the hands of the Almighty. Buxtorf says, that they burn wune and put an egg in it, and therewith anoint the head of the corpse. Some perform this unction at their own houses, and others at the house of the living; that is, in the Hebrew dialect, the church-yard. He adds, that after this ablution all the apertures of the body are stopped up. AVhen dressed, he is laid on his back in a coffin made on purpose, with one linen cloth under, and another over him. If the party deceased be a person of considerable note, his coffin is made in some places with a pointed top ; and if a rabbi, a considerable number of books is laid upon it. Then the coffin is covered with black, and a small bag of earth is deposited under the head of the defunct. The coffin is now nailed up, and conveyed to a grave as near the place as possible where the family of the deceased are interred. All the people now crowd round about it ; and since the attendance on a corpse, and the conveyance of it to the grave, is looked upon as a very meritorious action, they all carry it upon their shoulders by turns some part of the way. In some places the mourners follow the corpse with lighted flambeaux in their hands, singing some melancholy anthem as they march along. In others, this ceremony is omitted ; the relations, how- ever, who are in mourning, accompany the corpse in tears to the grave. In this solemn manner the dead are carried to the burial-place, which is most commonly a field set apart for that purpose, called Beth Hachaim, or " House of the living :" the dead being looked upon as living, on account of their immortal souls. When the deceased is laid in his grave, if he has been a person of any extraordinary merit, there is generally a proper person present, who makes his funeral oration. As soon as this eulogium is over, they repeat the prayer called Ridduc Addin, ^^ the justice of the judgment^" which begins with these words of Deuteronomy, chapter xxxii. verse 4, " He is the rock, his work is perfect ; for all his ways are judgment," &c. In some countries, when a coffin is brought within a short space of the grave, or before it is taken out of the house, ten men go in a solemn manner seven times round it, repeating a prayer for his soul ; this is the practice in Holland : but in other parts this ceremony is not observed. The nearest relation now rends some part of his garments, and then the RELIGIOUS RITES. 55 corpse is put into the grave, and covered with earth ; each friend thro win o- a handful or spadeful in, till the grave is filled up. The coffin must be so placed in the grave, as not to touch another coffin. The Jews account it a sin, either in man or woman, to tear their flesh, or their hair, on this melancholy occasion, either when they weep over the deceased, or at any time afterwards; for, in Deuteronomy, chapter xiv., it is written, '' Ye shall not cut yourselves," &c. But as soon as the coffin is conveyed out of the house for sepulture, a brick, or broken pot, is thrown out after it, to denote that all sorrow is driven away. Those who, durino- the life-time of the deceased, neglected to be reconciled with him, must touch his great toe, and beg his pardon, in order that the deceased may not accuse them at God's tribunal on the day of the resurrection. At their departure from the grave, every one tears up two or tliree handfuls of grass, and throws it behind him, repeating at the same time these words of the 72d Psalm, verse 6, '*They of the city shall flourisli like the grass of the earth." This they do by way of acknowledgment of the resurrection. Then they wash their hands, sit down, and rise again, nine times successively, repeating the 91st Psalm, " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High." After this, they return to their re- spective places of abode. When the nearest relations of the party deceased are returned homo from the burial, be they father, mother, child, husband, wife, brother, or Mournin<-. ^ister, they directly seat themselves on the ground; and °* having pulled off their shoes, refresh themselves with bread, wine, and hard eggs, which are placed before them ; according as it is written in the 31st chapter of Proverbs, verse 6, " Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that be heavy of heart," &c. He whose usual place it is to crave a blessing on their meals now introduces appropriate words of consolation. In the Levant, and in several other places, the friends of the deceased send in provisions for ten days successively, morning and night, to some of the nearest relatives, for the entertainment of such guests as they think proper to invite ; and on a day appointed, they themselves partake of the feast, and condole with them. When the dead body is conveyed from the house, his coverlet is folded double, his blankets are rolled up and laid upon a mat ; afterwards, a lamp is lighted up at the bed's head, which burns for a week without inter- mission. Such as are related to the deceased reside in the house for ten days together, and during all that time sit and eat upon the ground, except on the Sabbath day, on which they go with a select company of their friends and acquaintance to the synagogue, where they are more generally condoled with than at any other place. During these ten days, they are not allowed to do any manner of business ; neither can the husband lie with his wife. Ten persons, at least, go every night and morning to pray with them under their confinement. Some add to their devotions on this solemn occasion, the 49th Psalm, " Hear this all ye people," &c., and afterwards pray for the soul of their deceased friend. The Jews dress themselves in such mourning as is the fashion of the country in which they live, there being no divine direction relating there- 56 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. unto. For full thirty days the mourner is not permitted to bathe, perfume, or shave his beard. Indeed, tattered clothes, sprinkled with ashes, and a general slovenly appearance, point out the mourning Jew during this period. After the expiration of the ten days, they leave the house, and go to the synagogue, where several of them order lamps to be lighted on each side of the Heciial or Ark, procure prayers to be said, and offer charitaUe contributions for the soul of the deceased. This ceremony is repeated at the close of each month, and likewise of the year: and if ^the person who is dead be a rabbi, or a man of worth and distinction, they make his Esped upon those days ; that is, a funeral harangue in commendation of his virtues. A son goes daily to the synagogue, morning and night, and there repeats the prayer called Cadish, that is. Holy, for the soul of his mother or father, for eleven months successively ; in order to deliver him from purgatory ; and some of them fast annually on the day of the death of their respective relatives. In some places, they set a monument over the grave, and carve the name of the deceased upon it ; also the day, month, and year of his decease, and a line or two by way of encomium. — ;Some Jews go, from time to time, to the tombs of their acquaintances and relatives, to say their prayers. They seldom mourn for such as are suicides, or who die under excom- munication. So far, indeed, are they from regretting tlie loss of tliem that they set a stone over the coffin, to signify that they ought to be stoned to death, if they had had their deserts. SEC. IV. ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE— -'WORSHIP FESTIVALS, &C. • The Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial authority formerly existing among the Jews, was instituted in the time of the Maccabees, (some ascribe to it an . earlier origin,) and was composed of seventy-two members. The high-priest generally sustained the office of president in this tribunal. The next officers in authority were the first and second vice-presidents. The members who were admitted to a seat in the Sanhedrin were as follows : 1. Chief j?r tests, who are often mentioned in the New Testament and in Josephus, as if they were many in number. They consisted partly of priests who Iiad previously exercised the high-priest- hood, and partly of the heads of the twenty-four classes of priests, who were called, in an honorary way, high, or chief priests. 2. Elders, that is to say, the princes of the tribes, and the heads of family associations. 3. The Scribes, or learned men. Not all the scribes and elders were members, but only those who were chosen or nominated by the proper authority. The Talmudists assert that this tribunal had secretaries and apparitors, and the very nature of the case forbids us to doubt the truth of the asser- tion. The place of their sitting, however, is a question on which there is more difference of opinion. The Talmudists state that it was in the temple, but Josephus mentions the place of assembling, and also the archives, as being not far from the temple, on Mount Zion. But in the ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. 57 trial of Jesus, it appears they were assembled, and that very hastily, in the palace of the high-priest. When they met, they took their seats in such a way as to form a semi- circle, and the presidents and two vice-presidents occupied the centre. At each end was a secretary ; one registered the votes of acquittal — the other of condemnation. The proper period of sitting was all the time between the morning and evening service. The Sanhedrin was the great court of judicature : it judged of all capital offences against the law : it had the power of inflicting punishment by scourginfT and by death. Its power had been limited in the time of Christ, by the interference of the Romans, and the consistory itself terminated its functions upon the destruction of Jerusalem. They were never able to re-establish themselves since, — nor is anything related of them in the his- tory of our own times, except the council which the Jews held in Hungary in the 17th century, and the convocation held at Paris, under the auspices of Napoleon, in 1806. The worship of the synagogue, with its appendant school or law-court, where lectures were given, and knotty points of the law debated, became the great bond of national union, and has continued, though i\I\\7Jr7^ne°^ the monarchical centre of unity in Tiberias disappeared in e s^nago^i . ^ ^^^ centuries, to hold together the scattered nation in the closest uniformity. The worship of the synagogue is extremely simple. Wherever ten Jews were found, there a synagogue ought to be formed. The Divine Presence, the invisible Shechinah, descends not but where ten are met together ; if fewer, the Divine Visitant was supposed to say, " Wherefore come I, and no one is here ?" It was a custom, therefore, in some of the more numerous communities, to appoint ten " men of leisure," whose business it was to form a congregation*. The buildings were plain ; in their days of freedom it was thought right that the house of prayer to God, from its situation or its form, should overtop the common dwellings of man ; but in their days of humiliation, in strange countries, the lowly synagogue, the type of their condition, w\as content to lurk undisturbed in less conspicuous situations. Even in Palestine the syna- gogues must have been small, for Jerusalem was said to contain 460 or 480 ; the foreign Jews, from the different quarters of the world, seem each to have had their separate building, where they communicated in prayer with their neighbours and kindred. Such were the synagogues of the Alexandrians, the Cyrenians, and others. Besides the regular synagogues, which were roofed, in some places they" had chapels or oratories, open to the air, chiefly perhaps where their worship was not so secure of protec- tion from the authorities ; these were usually in retired and picturesque situations, in groves, or on the sea shore. In the distribution of the syna- gogue some remote resemblance to the fallen Temple was kept up. The entrance was from the east; and in the centre stood an elevated tribune or rostrum, from which prayer was constantly offered, and the book of the Law read. At the west end stood a chest, in which the book was laid up, making the place, as it. were, the humble Holy of Holies, though now no longer separated by a veil, nor protected by the Cherubim • Such seems to be the solution of a question on which learned volumes have been written. 58 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. and Mercy Seat. Particular seats, usually galleries, were railed off for the women. The chief religious functionary in the synagogue was called the angel, or bishop. He ascended the tribune, repeated or chaunted the prayers, his head during the ceremony being covered with a veil. He called the reader from his place, opened the book before him, pointed out the passage, and overlooked him that he read correctly. The readers, who were three in number on the ordinary days, seven on the morning of the Sabbath, five on festivals, were selected from the body of the people. The Law of, course was read, and the prayers likewise repeated, in the Hebrew lan- guage. The days of public service in the synagogue were the Sabbath, the second and fifth days of the week, Monday and Thursday. There was an officer in the synagogues out of Palestine, and probably ^ven within its borders, called an interpreter, who translated the Law into the verna- cular tongue, usually Greek in the first case, or Syro-Chaldaic in the latter. Besides the bishop, there were three elders, or rulers of the syna- gogue, who likewise formed a court or consistory for the judgment of all offences. They had the power of inflicting punishment by scourging ; from Origen's account, the Patriarch of Tiberias had assumed the power of life and death. But the great control over the public mind lay in the awful sentence of excommunication. The anathema of the synagogue cut off the offender from the Israel of God ; he became an outcast of society. At present the Jews select for the site of their synagogues some emi- nences, in those cities where the exercise of Judaism is allowed. The fabric must be higher than the common houses, for they say, " The house of our God must be magnificent." The Jews are obliged religiously to observe the respect due to the synagogue, and to forbear talking of business there, or even thinking on any worldly advantages. They must likewise avoid sleeping there ; and looking round about, &c. They must continue in a modest posture, and not suffer themselves to run into any indecency. The title or denomination of rabbi is very ancient ; for in the Jewish scriptures both the words rabbi and rabboni are to be found, which are synonymous terms. The Pharisees of old assumed this title doctors ^^^ ^^ ^^ themselves, with abundance of pride and arrogance, pre- tending to be the sole masters and doctors of the people ; and they carried this pretension to such a pitch, as to make the law subject to their traditions. Jesus Christ very severely reprimanded them for this their insolent deportment. The rabbins, besides the privilege of preaching, and instructing their 2^upils, have that of binding and loosing, that is, of determining whether a thing be forbidden or allowed. When this jDower is conferred upon them, they have the five books of Moses, and a ke^, put into their hands. They create new doctors, and ordain them by imposition of hands, as Moses, just before his death, laid his hands on Joshua, his successor, and gave him his benediction ; but they limit and restrain their power as they see most convenient : one being confined to interpret the law, or such questions only as relate thereunto; and another to j udge of controversies arising upon those questions. At present, according to Buxtorf,the rabbins are elected with very little B o6. .^^t^^z^M'^/^-^^^^ de^c^^^'^^'^- F J-it ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. 59 ceremony. He who is to ordain the new rabbi publishes aloud to all the congregation, either on the Sabbath, or some other solemn festival, that such a one deserves to be admitted amongst the rabbins, for his religious education, sound learning, and knowledge of the Oral Law ; and exhorts the people to own and reverence him as such, denouncing excommunication against all those who neglect his admonitions. He then gives the candi- date the certificate of his merit and ability, as a Doctor, or Hacliam ; and the ceremony is often concluded with an elegant entertainment given to the old rabbins, and to the rest of his friends and acquaintance. The Ha CHAM Rau, who are generally much respected, determine all manner of debates ', settle what things are lawful and unlawful ; and pass judgment upon religious and civil affairs. These men perform all nuptial ceremonies, and issue out divorces. They preach the practice of virtue and integrity, they interpret the laws when qualified, and are the princi- pals of the academies. They have the uppermost seats in the synagogues and assemblies ; and have a power to punish the disobedient, and to excommunicate them when they are obstinate or perverse. The privileges of this office are, to be free from all taxes and imposi- tions. If a rabbi has any goods, he has a right to sell them first, and before all others, that the time he spends in negotiating his affairs may be no impediment to his studies ; his business is the first, likewise, to be despatched in all proceedings at law ; and he is allowed to sit upon the bench with the judges, &c. Some of these privileges, however, are abolished ; the Jews having at present no sovereign authority. There is no festival which the Jew^s have so great a veneration for as the Sabbath day ; because they say it was instituted immediately after the creation of the world, and is mentioned in various places, and at sundry times in their sacred writings ; particularly in the decalogue, wherein the performance of the least thing upon that day is forbidden, and a general rest from all labours is commanded. They must not either kindle fire, nor extinguish it, upon this day; in compliance with what is written in the 35th chapter of Exodus, verse 3, — " Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day." Nay, they are not allowed to touch it ; not even to stir it up. They are not suffered even to light up or extinguish a lamp ; they may employ, however, any servant that is not a Jew to kindle their fire ; if they do not, they either dispose it so that it lights of itself, or else they sit in the cold. — This the Jews do, even in Russia, or any other cold country. They dress no meat upon the Sabbath.; neither are they allowed to taste anything that has been dressed, or that grew, or was gathered on that day. They are not allowed to carry any burden on that day ; so that they wear no more clothes than what is absolutely necessary to cover them. Their exactness extends even to the garb of their women, children, and servants, and to the loading of their beasts. They are forbidden on this day to talk of any w^orldly affairs ; to make any bargain with respect to buying and selling ; or, to give or take any- thing by way of payment. Neither must they handle or touch any of the tools of their trade, or any other things, the use whereof is prohibited on the Sabbath day. 60 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. Tliey are not allowed to walk above a mile, that is to say, two thousand cubits, out of any market-town or village. But they can walk as long as they please on the Sabbath day, provided they go not out of tlie suburbs of the town wherein they live. They always regard the suburbs as a part of the town ; and when they have a mind to go out of town upon this day, they invariably measure the distance allowed for walking, from the end of the suburb. They never engage in any work on the Friday, but w^hat they can accomplish with ease before the evening ; and whatever is necessary for the Sabbath is prepared beforehand. About an hour before sunset, they take the provision which is intended for the next day, and deposit it in a warm place ; after which all manner of work is over. In some towns, a man is appointed on purpose to give notice about half an hour before the Sabbath begins, that every one may cease from their labours in convenient and due time. The JewishSabbath begins half an hour before sunset ; and, consequently, from that instant all prohibitions are strictly observed. For this reason the women, even the most necessitous, are obliged, previously, to light up a lamp, which has seven lights, emblematical of the seven days of the week. This lamp burns the greatest part of the night. In order to begin the Sabbath w^ell, many of them put on clean linen, wash their hands and face, and go to the synagogue, where they say the 92d Psalm, " It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord," &c. with their common prayers. They also thank God that, by his separation of them from the rest of mankind, he has reserved and chosen their nation from all others, as his only favourites. To these prayers and thanks- givings, they add a commemoration of the Sabbath in these words, from the 2d of Genesis, " Thus the heavens were finished," &c. — " And God blessed the seventh day," &c. They go directly home from the synagogue ; and their usual salutation to each other afterwards, is, " a good Sabbath to you," and not " good night," or "good morrow." Moreover, the fathers bless their children, and the doctors their pupils, on that day ; others add to these benedictions several portions of their sacred writings, in commemoration of the Sabbath ; some before meat, and some after, according to the custom of the place where they sojourn. When the whole family is seated at supper, the master of the house holds a glass of wine in his hand, and pronounces these words, out of the 2d of Genesis, " Thus the heavens were finished," &c. He then returns God thanks for having instituted and appointed the strict observance of the Sabbath, and blesses the wine ; he now drinks some part of it himself, looking steadfastly on the Sabbath lamps, and then gives a small quantity to such as sit at the table with him. After this, he repeats the 23d Psalm, " The Lord is my shepherd," &c. Then he blesses the bread, holding it up on high with both his hands whilst he pronounces the name of the Lord. He now distributes it all round, and the family eat and amuse themselves that evening and the next day as agreeably as they can. Supper being over they wash their hands, and some Jews, after they have eaten, repeat the 104th Psalm, " Bless the Lord, O my soul," &c. They preach sometimes in the forenoon, and sometimes in the afternoon, ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. 6\ in their synagogues, or other places appointed for divine worship, and take their text from the Pentateuch, out of the lessons for the day. They preach in the vulgar tongue, and in their sermons they recommend virtue, and discourage vice, illustrating their notions with passages from the Pen- tateuch, and from their most celebrated rabbins. These quotations are always delivered in the Hebrew language. In the evening they go to the synagogue again, and join the remem- brance of the Sabbath with their common prayers ; and three persons read out of the Pentateuch the beginning of the section for the week following. They have likewise a commemoration of the dead, and sometimes a prayer for them on the Sabbath, after which, those who can afford it are very charitable and beneficent to the poor. They usually make three meals in the twenty-four hours of the Sabbath ; the first is on the Friday, after evening service ; the other two on the day following. The cloth is never removed during the whole time. As soon as night comes on, and they can discover three stars in the heavens of any considerable magnitude, the Sabbath is over, and they are allowed to go to work ; because the evening prayer, which they rather delay than hasten, is then begun. To the usual prayer for the evening, they add a remembrance of the Sabbath, which is distinguished from the other days of the week ; also the 91st Psalm, " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High," &c. To this, several portions of their scripture, and several benedictions and good Avishes, are likewise added. As before observed, they make the Sabbath last as long as they can, by prolonging their hymns and prayers; since it is a received opinion amongst them, that the souls of the damned, as well as those in purgatory, endure no torments upon that day. The new moon is a festival, because it is instituted and appointed in the book of Numbers ; and because there was a new and grand sacrifice offered on that day. This festival is sometimes part of two several days, that is, the end of one day and the beginning of another. They are not debarred from working or trading upon this day; the women only, who are exempted from all labour during the festival, lay aside their work, and they all indulge themselves a little more than usual in the way of living. The Jews say that the new moon is in a peculiar manner the women's festival, in commemoration of their liberality in parting with their most valuable jewels, to contribute to the magnificence of divine service. This action, so singular in a sex whose pride, principally, consists in dress and appearance, and to wliom nothing is more dear, was performed on the new moon of the month of March. In their prayers they make mention of the first day of the month, and repeat from the 113th to the I18th Psalm, on that day. They bring out the Pentateuch, and four persons read it, to which is added the prayer called JMussAF, or addition. They also read the institution of the sacrifice, which was formerly offered on this day. Some Jewish devotees fast on the vigil of this festival, and beg of God that the new moon may prove propitious to their wishes. Some few days after, the Jews, being assembled by night on a terrace, 62 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. or in an open court, consecrate this planet by praising God, " who hath been pleased to renew the moon, and who will, in the same manner, renew the Jews, his elect people," &c. — The prayer concludes with a blessing addressed to God, through the moon, the work of his hands. Three leaps, which are to be regarded as the transports of a holy joy, attend this bene- diction ; immediately after which, they say to the moon, " May it be as impossible for my enemies to hurt me, as it is for me to touch thee." — These words are succeeded by several imprecations against their enemies. They now join in a particular prayer to God, in which they style him the Creator of the planets, and the restorer of the new moon. Then, with their hands devoutly lifted up towards heaven, they beg of God to deliver them from all evil ; and having remembered King David, they salute each other, and depart. Eclipses of the sun and moon are looked on by some Jews as ill omens. The Talmudists do not agree in fixing the time when the world began. Some insist that it was in the spring, that is, in the month Nisan, which , is our March ; others, that it was in autumn, that is to say, ew-}eai s aj. .^ ^^^^ month TiSRi, which answers to our Sejjtemher. This last notion has so far prevailed, that they begin their year from that time. And notwithstanding it is written in the 12th chapter of Exodus, of the month Nisan, *' This month shall be unto you the beginning of months," yet afterwards they altered it, and began their year with the month Tisri, or Sepiemher. From thence came the feast Rosch Hasan a, or New-Years Day^ which is kept on the two first days of Tisri ; for, in Leviticus, chapter xxiii. verse 24, it is written, " In the seventh month, in the seventh day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath," &c. During this festival all manual operations and transactions in trade are entirely laid aside. They hold, from tradition, that on this day particularly God Almighty judges the actions of the year past, and orders all things that shall happen for the year to come. From the first day of the month Elul, or August^ therefore, they begin their penance ; which consists in plunging themselves into cold water, and in confessing themselves, scourging, and beating their breasts with their fists, w^hile in the water. In some places they wash themselves before it is day, say their prayers, and acknowledge their mani- fold sins and ini(|uities, and repeat some penitential psalms. There are many who give alms without ceasing until the day of absolution. This they continue forty days, and sound a horn on the beginning of the month Elul. On New-Ycar's-Eve they say all their prayers fasting. These religious ceremonies are generally observed a week, at least, before the feast ; and on the eve thereof they generally employ their time in washing, and procuring, by way of discipline, thirty-nine stripes to be given them ; as it is written in Deuteronomy, chapter xxv., " Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed," &c. This flagellation is called Maleutii. The ancient Jews formerly laid all their sins upon a he-goat, which afterwards they drove into the desert ; but the modern Jews, instead of a goat, now throw them upon the fish. iVfter dinner they repair to the brink of a pond, or river, and shake their clothes over it with all tlieir force. This practice is taken from a passage of the prophet Micah, chapter ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. 63 vii. verse 19, " He will have compassion on us ; he will subdue our iniquities, and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." After these two holy days are over, the Jews still continue to rise before day to say their prayers, fast, and do penance, until the lOtli of the month Tisri, which is the fast, or day of expiation, and called Jom niation ^^ ^ ^^' Hachipur ; for they consider that the Supreme Being is employed in examining the actions of mankind during the first nine days, and that he pronounces sentence on the tenth. In the 23d chapter of Leviticus it is said, " On the tenth of the seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement," &c., and during that day all manner of work is laid aside, as on the Sabbath. They observe this fast with such strict- ness, that they neither eat nor drink anything ; thinking, by this abstinence, that their names will be enrolled in the Book of Life, and blotted out of the Book of Death, wherein they would assuredly be found without due repentance. They indulge themselves in eating on the eve of this festival, because the next day is a fast. Many of them wash, and have thirty-nine stripes given them, called Maleuth ; and such as are possessed at that time of other people's effects, are commanded to make restitution. They likewise ask pardon of such as they have injured, and forgive those that have injured them. Nay, they seek them out, and sue for peace and recon- ciliation ; and if this be refused, they protest against such an implacable spirit before three witnesses, and thrice return to the charge ; after which the penitent's conscience is entirely discharged from all animosity and hatred. They likewise give alms, and show all the demonstrations of a sincere repentance. Two or three hours before the sun sets they go to prayers, and then to supper ; but all must be over before sun-set. They now dress themselves in new robes, or put on their funeral clothes, and thus attired, each with a taper in his hand, they go without their slioes to the synagogue, which, on this night, is splendidly illuminated with lamps and candles. There each man lights his taper, and repeats several prayers and confessions in a loud, but melancholy tone, as a demonstration of the sincerity of his repentance. The confession of each penitent is alphabetically digested, each sin having its proper letter, so as to be recollected with the greatest ease. The external signs of godly sorrow, at once conspicuous in a repentant Jew, who condemns himself before God, by a long account of his trans- gressions, is certainly very remarkable. These signs are dirty tattered clothes, mourning, or shrouds ; a melancholy and dejected countenance, a long beard ; down-cast eyes, made languid by penance, and disposed to weeping ; a holy eagerness determining the penitent to press through the crowd of devotees, and be foremost in the synagogue ; and so perfect a distraction as to deprive him of the use of his senses, whilst he is running over the alphabet of his shis. In short, he appears to have just strength enough to support his body during the meditation of the soul. This lasts three hours at least ; after which they go home to bed. Some, indeed, stay all night long, and all the next day in the synagogue, saying their prayers and repeating psalms. In the meantime, the women light up candles and lamps at home, and according as the light burns, prognosticate good or evil fortune. 64 . ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. It ought to be remarked, that those who have led a scandalous and dissolute life, are not only admitted, but i7ivited, into the congregation, on the first evening of the festival. Two rabbis, who stand on each side of the chaunter, perform this solemn invitation, and declare to the congrega- tion, " That they are allowed to pray with the wicked." — After which, the chaunter opens the Hecdal, and sings a prayer of moderate length, which the congregation repeat after him, but not so loud as to be heard. This cancels all rash vows, oaths, and resolutions, of the preceding year, in case they were made voluntarily, without any compulsion. The next morning, such as went home repair again by day-break to the synagogue, dressed as before, and there stay till night, standing all the time, saying their prayers without intermission, repeating psalms and confessions, and beseeching God to pardon all their transgressions. In the course of the service, various portions of Scripture are read, particularly part of Leviticus, chapter xxvi.. Numbers, chapter xxix., and Isaiah, chapter Ivii. They mention in their prayers the additional sacri- fice of the day, and entreat God to build their sanctuary, to gather their dispersions among the Gentiles, and conduct them to Jerusalem, where they may ofi*er the sacrifice of atonement, agreeably to the Mosaic law. In the afternoon service, besides portions of the law and prophets, the greatest part of the book of Jonah is read. Some Jews prepare their tents for the Feast of Tabernacles, immediately after the Expiation. On the fifteenth day of the same month, Tisri, is the Feast of Tents, Tabernacles, or Booths ; which is called Succoth, in commemora- tion of their encampment in the wilderness, when they Tabernacles ° departed out of Egypt ; and under which they were pre- served as a nation for forty years together, in the midst of frightful and barren deserts. In the 23d chapter of Leviticus, it is written, " In the 15th day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days ; on the first day shall be a Sabbatli, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and tlie boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook ; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days ; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths : that your generations may know that I made the cliildren of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt." Every one, therefore, makes a booth, or tent, in some place near his house, which he covers with loaves, and adorns in the best manner that he can. The rabbins have been very punctual as to the fashion and nature of these booths, as well as their dimensions. No tent must be more than twenty cubits high, nor less than ten spans. Such as are rich adorn them with tapestry, over which they hang boughs of trees laden with fruit, as oranges, lemons, and grapes. These tents must be neither set up under a house nor tree. They eat and drink in these tents, and some lie all night in them, or at least spend in them so much time of the night and day as they used to pass at home, during the eight days that the festival lasts. It continues nine days in reality, although the law instituted and com- manded seven ; but ancient custom has added one ; and another day was ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. G5 ordained over and above for the solemn assembly, in Numbers, chap. xxix. verse 35. Tlie two first and the two last days of this festival, like those of the Passover, are very solemn ; but the other five are not so strictly observed. This festival of Tents, or Tabernacles, begins at Iiome, with some par- ticular benedictions, and is succeeded by a supper. Private devotion now succeeds the public, and the fatlier of tlie family never begins to consecrate the festival till he has been first at prayers in the synagogue till night. They leave their tents at the end of the eighth day, as soon as night draws on. On the 14th of the month Adar, which is our March or February, the feast of Purim is observed, in commemoration of Esther, who upon that day preserved tlie people of Israel from a Cliances total extirpation by the conspiracy of Haman, who was hanged, with all his children. This feast was called Puri^i, because it was written in the 9tli cha]Her of Esther, "Therefore they called those days Purim,*" &c. ; the word signifying Lots or Chances ; for llaman, their enemy, had cast lots to destroy them on those two days. The first only, however, is strictly and solemnly observed. They fast on the eve, but during tliese two days they may traffic, or do any manner of work ; yet on the first day, though under no obligation, they voluntarily abstain from both. On the first night, they go to the synagogue, where, after tlieir ordi- nary prayers, they commemorate their happy deliverance from that fatal conspiracy, and the Chazan reads and explains the whole book of Esther, which is written on vellum, and rolled up like the Pentateuch. They also call it Meghilla, or volume. The Chazan, or Header, is allowed to sit at this lesson, whereas he must stand while he reads the law. After he has unrolled the volume, he pronounces three prayers, and returns thanks to Almighty God, for calling them together to share tins ceremony, and for delivering them out of tlie merciless hands of Ilaman. He then reads the history of Haman and Esther. The Jews observe similar ceremonies in the service of the next morning, and read on this day out of the Pentateuch, the 17th chapter of Exodus, verse 8, "Then came Amalek," &c. They have, likewise, particular prayers and blessings for this happy occasion. On this feast they bestow^ public alms upon the poor, and all relations and friends visit, and send each other presents of such things as are good to eat. Scholars make presents to their tutors, masters to their servants, and persons of distinction to their inferiors. In short, the whole day is spent in cheerfulness and gaiety, as it is written in the 9th chapter of Esther, " That they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor," &c. When the year consists of two Adars, the Jews call the 14th day of the first Adar the little Purim ; but it is merely nominal, for none of the above ceremonies are observed thereon. The 15th day of the month Nisan, which often answers to our Ajyril^ is the first day of the Passover, which is called Pesach, or Passover ^ '^ ^^'^ passage over, in commemoration of the departure of the Jews from Egypt. It continues a whole week ; but such as 66 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. live out of Jerusalem and its territories make it hold eight days, according to the ancient custom, when the new moon, by the Sanhedrin's order, was proclaimed, without any computation. This festival is ordained in the 12th chapter of Exodus, and in several other parts of the Bible. The Sabbath which precedes the Passover is called the Grand Sabbath; on which day the rabbins preach a sermon on the Paschal Lamb. The two first and two last days of the Passover are solemn festivals, on which no person is permitted either to work, or do any manner of business ; nay, they keep them as strictly as the Sabbath ; only that they make a fire, dress their meat, and carry what things they w\ant from place to place. On the four middle days they are only obliged to refrain from work, but are permitted to touch money. * During these eight days they must neither eat, nor have, any leavened bread, or any leaven in their houses, nor even in their custody ; so that they eat none but unleavened bread all that time : according to Exodus, chapter xii., verses 15, 16, 17- This bread they call Azyma. In order to obey this precept as punctually as possible, the master takes a wax candle, and searches the house over with the utmost care, to clear it of everything that is fermented, prying into every corner, and even into all the trunks and cupboards. He now beseeches God to make up the defects of his search, " that all the leavened bread which is in the house may become like the dust of the earth, and be reduced to nothing." When the house is well scoured, they whitewash it, and supply it with a new table and kitchen furniture, or with such as is reserved for the service of this day only. If they have been used before, and are of metal, they ;nust be first heated in a forge, and newly polished before they can be nsed ; because nothing which has touched leavened bread may be made use of during those eight days. About eleven o'clock on the next day they burn a bit of bread, to give notice that the prohibition against leavened bread is then begun ; and this ceremony is attended with a par- ticular declaration, that the head of the family has no leaven in his custody ; that if he has, it is unknown to him, and that he hath done to the utmost of his power to prevent it. They go to prayers in the evening ; and at their return home, the master, with his family and other domestics, after washing their hands, sit down to a table which is duly prepared for their entertainment in the day-time, and set off with all the elegance and grandeur that the circum- stances of each person will admit of. Instead of the ceremony which was formerly observed, in conformity to the 12th chapter of Exodus, viz., " To eat the lamb with unleavened bread, and bitter herbs," &c., they have some small pieces of lamb or kid, dressed with unleavened bread. Sonic- times they have a plate covered, in which there are three mysterious cakes, one for the high-priest, one for the Levites, and a third for the people ; also the blade-bone of a shoulder of lamb, or, at least, some pari of it. The Portuguese Jews have the bone on the table during the whole eight days of the Passover. When the shoulder is served up whole, a1 this ceremony, they have a hard egg with it. To this they add a disl representing tlie bricks which their ancestors were formerly forced t( make in Egypt. This meat is a thick paste, composed of apples, almonds nuts fio-s, &c., which they dress in wine, and season with cinnamon ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. (J7 broke only into pieces, to represent the straw that they made use of in the making of their bricks. In another dish they have celery, lettuce, chervil, cresses, v^^ild succory, and parsley. These are their Utter herbs. A cruet full of vinegar, and another of oil, are set on the table, near tlie salad. The Jews make a great difference between the ancient and modern way of celebrating the Passover. Formerly they used to eat the lamb roasted whole ; but ever since their sacrifices have been abolished, which could be offered nowhere but at Jerusalem, they roast one part of it, and boil another ; nay, sometimes cut it in pieces, which is enough to prevent its being sacrificed. The want of their sacrifices, likewise, obliges them at present to suppress several hymns, which relate to the Paschal Lamb ; and their dispersion obliges them, also, to beg of God to re-establish Jerusalem, the temple, and its sacrifices, and to deliver them at this day, as he formerly did their forefathers, from the tyranny of the Egyptians. The modern Jews conclude their meal with the unleavened bread, but in former times they ended it with the lamb ; and they now omit girdino- their loins, taking a staff in their hands, and pulling off their shoes when they eat the lamb ; all which was practised under the ancient law ; but they take care, however, to preserve that humility and attention which are due to this religious ceremony. They decline their heads all the time they are eating ; and such Jews as are eminent for their piety put nothing into their mouths without meditating on the several mysteries with the utmost respect and veneration. From the day after the Passover to the thirty-third day following, they spend their time in a kind of mourning ; they neither marry nor dress themselves in any new clothes, neither do they cut their hair, nor show any demonstrations of public joy ; because at that time, that is, from the day after the Passover until the thirty-third day after, there was once a great mortality amongst the pupils of Rabbi Hachiba, who was one of their most celebrated doctors. After the death of some thousands, the sickness ceased on the thirty-third day of the Homer. This day is therefore kept with general rejoicings, and puts an end to all appearance of sorrow or concern. The Jews call the fifty days which intervene between the Passover and the feast of Pentecost, Homer-days. On the fiftieth day of the Homer, Pentecost which is the sixth of Sivan, is celebrated the festival Shavuoth, or of Weeks ; which is so named, because it is kept at the end of the seven weeks, which they compute from the Pass- over. At present it is observed for two days together. These two days are observed almost as strictly as the Passover holi- days ; for no work is allowed to be done upon them, neither can the Jews transact any business, nor, in short, do anything more than on the Sabbath : excepting that they are allowed to kindle their fire, dress their victuals, and carry whatever they want from place to place. At the feast of Pentecost five persons read the sacrifice of the day, and likewise the history of Ruth, because frequent mention is made there of the harvest. At this time they regale themselves with all sorts of dainties made of milk, which, in their opinion, is a symbol of the law, both on account of its sweetness and its whiteness ; and as the Jews take f2 68 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE, ETC. a pride in having, as far as possible, the most express and lively images of the most remarkable circumstances that occurred at the birth of their religion, they never forget to serve up at table on this day a cake made moderately thick, which they call the Cake of Sinai. This is to remind them of Mount Sinai, on which God gave them the law. The Jews formerly called Pentecost the feast of the Harvest, and day of First Fruits, because the first of their corn and fruit was at that time ofi*ered in the temple, which was the close of this solemnity ; but this can never be in Europe, harvest falling always much later than Whitsuntide. It might, however, bear this name in the land of Canaan, Arabia, and in the neighbourhood of the Red Sea. Upon this day their tradition assures us that the law was given on Mount SiNAi ; for which reason they adorn their synagogues, the Hechal, or Ark, the reading-desk — also their lamps and candlesticks, and even their houses, with roses and other gay and odoriferous flowers and herbs, beautifully wreathed in the form of crowns and festoons. Of these decorations they are very profuse. Their prayers are adapted to the feast, and they read the account of the sacrifice made on that day out of the Pentateuch : also the Aftara, out of the Prophets, and the benediction for their prince. In the after- noon there is a sermon preached, in commemoration of the law. When the second day of the feast is over, the ceremony of the Habdalla is per- formed in the evening, as at the close of the Passover, to denote that the feast is concluded. A TABLE OF OFFICES AND CONDITIONS OF MEN. — ♦ — Patriarchs, or Fathers of Families — Such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his sons. Judges — Temporary Supreme Governors, immediately appointed by God over the children of Israel. Kings — And they either of the whole nation, or, after the falling off of the ten tribes, of Judah or Israel. Elders — Senators, the LXX., or Sanhedrin. Judges — Inferior Rulers, such as determine controversies in particular cities. Israelites — Hebrews, descendants from Jacob. An Hebrew of Hebreivs — An Israelite by original extraction. A Proselyte of the Covenant — Who was circumcised, and submitted to the whole law. A Proselyte of the Gate — Or stranger, who worshipped one God, but remained uncir- cumcised. OFFICERS UNDER THE ASSYRIAN OR PERSIAN MONARCHS. Tirshatha — Or Governor appointed by the kings of Assyria or Persia. Heads of the Captivity — The chief of each tribe or family, who exercised a precarious government during the Captivity. UNDER THE GRECIAN MONARCHS. SUPERIOR OFFICERS. Maccabees — The successors of Judas Maccabeus, high-priests, who presided with kingly power. A TABLE OF OFFICERS, ETC. 69 UNDER THE ROMAN EMPEROR. Presidents, or Governors — Sent from Rome with imperial power. Telrarchs — Who had kingly power in four provinces. Proconsuls — Or Deputies of Provinces. IXFERIOR OFFICERS. Publicans — Or tax-gatherers. Centurions — Captains of an'hundred men. ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICERS, OR SECTS OF MEN. High Priests — Who only might enter the Holy of Holies. Second Priests, or Sagan, who supplied the high-priest's office, in case he were disabled High Priests for the War — Set apart for the occasion of an expedition. Priests — Levites of the sons of Aaron, divided into twenty-four ranks, each rank serving weekly in the temple. Levites — Of the tribe of Levi, but not of Aarori's family : of these were three orders, — Gershonites, Koharthites, Merarites, several sons of Levi. Nethinims — Inferior servants to the priests and Levites, not of their tribe, to drav water and cleave wood, &c. Prophets — Anciently called Seers, who foretold future events, and denounced God'd judgments. Children of the Prophets — Their disciples or scholars. Wise Men — So called in imitation of the Eastern Magi, or Gentile Philosophers. Scribes — Writers and expounders of the law. Dispufers — That raised and determined questions out of the law. Rabbins or Doctors — Teachers of Israel. Libertines— Freedmen of Rome, who, being Jews or proselytes, had a synagogue or oratory for themselves. Gaulonites, or Galileans — Who pretended it unlawful to obey a heathen magistrate. Herodians — Who shaped their religion to the times, and particularly flattered Herod. Epicureans — Who placed all happiness in pleasure. Stoics— ^ho denied the liberty of the will, and pretended all events were determined by fatal necessity. Simon Magnus— kwihor of the heresy of the Gnosticks, who taught that men, however vicious their practice was, should be saved by their knowledge. Nicolaitans — The disciples of Nicolas, one of the first seven Deacons who taught the community of wives. Nazarites — Who, under a vow, abstained from wine, &c. Nazarenes — Jews professing Chi-istianity. Zelots, Sicarii, or murderers— Who, under pretence of the law, thought themselves authorised to commit any outrage. Pharisees — Separatists, who, upon the opinion of their own godliness, despised all others. Sadducees -Vfho denied the resurrection of the dead, angels, and spirits. Samaritans — Mongrel professors, partly heathen, and partly Jews, the offspring of the Assyrians sent to Samaria. Apostles — Missionaries, or persons sent ; they who were sent by our Saviour from their number were called The Twelve. Bishops — Successors of the Apostles in the government of the Church. Deacons — Officers chosen by the Apostles to take care of the poor. PART II. HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS OF THE MAHOMETANS. CHAPTER I. LIFE OF MAHOMET. It is an often-repeated, but just remark, that " Great effects frequently proceed from little causes." This is pre-eminently true when applied to . Mahometanism ; since there appears to be scarcely any ground of comparison between its author and the changes which his system has wrought in the world ; changes by far greater than any others introduced into the civilized world by a single cause, if we except those wrought by Christianity. Mahometanism has now existed for more than twelve hundred years. It has spread its delusions over some of the fairest portions of the globe. At the present time, it maybe found holding an almost undisputed MhereiVexists §^^7 throughout the Turkish dominions in Europe, Asia, and Africa; in theBarbary states, in the interior of Africa; the eastern coast of Africa, and the island of Madagascar ; in Arabia ; tlie Persian states ; the Russian states of Little Tartary, Astrachan, Kazan, Kirghis, Kazaks, &c. ; amongst the independent Tartars ; in a great part of Plindoostan ; many of the Eastern islands, as Malay, Su- matra, Java, 6ic. &c. ; and may be traced in different parts even of the vast empire of China. Its blinded and deluded votaries are estimated at from one hundred, to one hundred and twenty millions. That Mahomet was a remarkable man in many respects must be admitted. He had doubtless native talents of a superior order, and an ambition for power and authority which scarcely knew any The success of i^Q^j^^jg . ]^^^^ ^j^ggg ^re insufficient to account for the re- Mahometanisni . ' ,. . , i i • i i • j ±\ not to be aitii- hgious and political ascendency which he gamed, or the buted entirely to wide diffusion and enduring permanence of that system of atlhfr"' '^ °* '*® imposture which he palmed upon the world. The means employed by him were entirely disproportioncd to the success which crowned his efforts. How thcu shall the problem of his success be resolved ? The state of ^ ^ the Eastern world, where this imposture began, was indeed of ihe Cliiistian favourable to its spread. For several centuries following world, al though the apostolic age, the Cliristian religion subsisted in a that was favour- grgat degree in its original purity and simplicity. But a gradual decline of the spirit of Christianity took place. LIFE OF MAHOMET. 'Jl Ignorance, superstition, and corruption prevailed to an alarming extent ; and by the commencement of the seventh century, the state of the Christian world had become gloomy and appalling. In the eastern parts of the Roman empire, especially Syria and the countries bordering upon Arabia, as well as in some parts of Arabia itself, these evils were aggra- vated by the numerous sects and heresies that prevailed, and by the incessant controversial wars which they waged with each other. The church was torn to pieces by the furious disputes of the Arians, Sabelli- ans, Nestorians, Eutychians, and Collyridians, by whom the great doc- trines of Christianity w^ere so confounded with metaphysical subtleties and the jargon of schools, that they ceased, in great measure, to be regarded as a rule of life, or as pointing out the only way of salvation. The re- ligion of the Gospel, the blessed source of peace, love, and unity among men, became, by the perverseness of sectaries, a firebrand of burning contention. Council after council was called — canon after canon was enacted — prelates were traversing the country in every direction in the prosecution of party purposes, resorting to every base art, to obtain the authoritative establishment of their own peculiar tenets, and the con- demnation and suppression of those of their adversaries. The contests also for the episcopal office ran so high, particularly in the West, that the opposing parties repeatedly had recourse to violence, and, in one memor- able instance, the interior of a Christian church was stained by the blood of a number of the adherents of the rival bishops, who fell victims to their fierce contentions. Yet it is little to be wondered at, that these places of preferment should have been so greedily sought after by men of corrupt minds, when we learn that they opened the direct road to wealth, luxury, and priestly power. Ancient historians represent the bishops of that day as enriched by the presents of the opulent, as riding abroad in pompous state in chariots and sedans, and surpassing in the extravagance of their feasts the sumptuousness of princes ; while, at the same time, the most barbarous ignorance was fast overspreading the nations of Christendom, the ecclesiastical orders themselves not excepted. Among the bishops, the legitimate instructors and defenders of the church, num- bers were to be found incapable of composing the poor discourses which their office required them to deliver to the people, or of subscribing the decrees which they passed in their councils. The little learning in vogue was chiefly confined to the monks. But they, instead of cultivating science, or diffusing any kind of useful knowledge, squandered their time in the study of the fabulous legends of pretended saints and martyrs, or in composing histories equally fabulous. This woful corruption of doctrine and morals in the clergy was fol- lowed, as might be expected, by a very general depravity of the common people ; and though we cannot suppose that God left himself altogether without witnesses in this dark period, yet the number of the truly faith- ful had dwindled down to a mere remnant, and the wide-spreading defection seemed to call aloud for the judgments of heaven.* Although the state of the Christian world was thus favourable to the spread of the Mahometan imposture, this is by no means sufficient to account * Bush's Lift- of Mahomet. 72 LIFE OF MAHOMET. for its mighty results, and especially for its continuance, through such But to the spe- * h'lpse of time. We are forced^ therefore, to look for a cial provideuco more adequate cause, and that cause can be nothing less "^ ^^*^''- than the special providence of God. Indeed, the appearance of the Arabian prophet in the world, and the rise, progress, and results of his imposture, are clearly foretold in the sacred volume, as the reader may see, Daniel vii. 8 — 26. Revelation ix. 1 — 19. All progress of Ma- ^^^^ reasons wliich the Infinite Mind may have had in per- hometanisni fore- mitting this arcli-heresy to find a dwelling-place on earth — told in the scrip- ^q spread its branches so widely — to take such deep root tiires. . — to bear such deadly fruit for so long a period — all the moral ends in view may be unknown ; but the wisdom of God in this as well as every other dispensation of his providence, will ultimately stand forth as clearly as if the sunbeams shone upon it, and the now inscruta- ble mystery will be justified by all his children. We shall conclude these introductory remarks with the following quotation from Dr. Prideaux, on the moral ends of Providence, in suffer - The moral ^"& ^^^^^ desolating scourge to arise at that particular period ends of it, ac- of the World which gave it birth. " At length," says he, imdiug to Dr. " having wearied the patience and long-suffering of God, he raised up the Saracens to be the instruments of his wrath to punish them for it ; who, taking advantage of the weakness of their power, and the distraction of counsels which their divisions had caused among them, overran, with a terrible devastation, all the eastern pro- vinces of the Roman empire; and having fixed that tyranny over them which hath ever since afflicted those parts of the world, turned every- where their churches into mosques, and their worship into a horrid super- stition ; and instead of that holy religion which they had abused, forced on them the abominable imposture of Mahomet. Thus those once glorious and most flourishing churches, for a punishment of their wickedness, being given up to the insult, ravage, and scorn of the worst of enemies, were on a sudden overwhelmed with so terrible a destruction as hath reduced them to that low and miserable condition under which they have ever since groaned ; the all- wise providence of God seeming to continue them thus unto this day under the pride and persecution of Mahometan tyranny, for no other end but to be an example and warning unto others against the wickedness of separation and division." Mahomet, the founder of the Moslem* or Mahometan religion, was * The following list of names and titles, some of which it will he convenient for us to use in the present article, and all of which frequently occur in accounts relating to the East, together with their etymological import, is taken from a highly-celebrated work, ** Bush's Life of Mahomet." Mahomkt, ^ MoHA.vfMED, y From Hamed ; praised, highly celebrated, illustrious, glorious. Ahmkd. ) Moslem, ^ Mussulman, ^ All from the same root, Aslam \ signifying to ijicldup, dedicate, consecrate Islam, \ entirely to the service of religion. Islamism. ) Koran.— From Kaha, to read; therfading, legend, or that which ought to he read. CALjrn,- A successor ; from the Hebrew Chalaph ; to be changed] to succeed, to pass round in a re volution. LIFE OF MAHOMET. 73 born at Mecca, a city of Arabia, a. d. 569, or according to others, Birth of Ma- ^' ^' ^^^" ^^^^ parents were themselves poor, but his honiet, A. D. connexions were rich and respectable, belonging to the ^t*9- tribe of the Koreish, reckoned the most noble in all that part of Arabia. *' Tlie Moslem writers," says the author already quoted, " in order to represent the birth of their pretended prophet as equally marvellous with Pioflifrics said ^^^^^ "f Moses or of Christ, the ancient messengers of God to liave attended wlio preceded him, have reported a tissue of astonishing tins event. prodigies said to have occurred in connexion with that event. If the reader will receive their statements with the same implicit faith with which they seem to be delivered, he must acknowledge, that at the moment when the favoured infant was ushered into the world, a ilood of light burst forth with him and illuminated every part of Syria ; that tlie waters of the Lake Sawa were entirely dried up, so that a city was built upon its bottom; that an earthquake threw down, fourteen towers of the king of Persia''s palace ; that the sacred fire of the Persians Sultan. — Originally from the Chaldaic Soltan; signifying authority, dominion, prin- cipality/. Vizier. — An assislaJit. Hadj. — Pilgrimage ; Hadji ; one who makes the pilgrimage to Mecca. Saracen. — Etyraology donbtful ; supposed to be from Sarak, to steal ', a plunderer, a robber. IIejira, ^ or y The Flight ; applied emphatically to Mahomet's flight from Mecca to Medina. Hejra, J Mufti. — The principal head of the Mahometan religion, and the resolver of all doubtful points of the law. An office of great dignity in the Turkish empire. Iman. — A kind of priest attached to the mosques, whose duty it is occasionally to expound a passage of the Koran. They, at the same time, usually follow some more lucrative employment. Moollah. — The Moollahs form what is called the Uleraa, or body of doctors, in theology and jurisprudence, who are entrusted with the guardianship of the laws of the empire, and from whose number the Mufti is chosen. Emik. — Lineal descendants of the Prophet himself, distinguished by wearing turbans of deep sea-green, the colour peculiar to all the race of Mahomet. They have special im- munities on the score of their descent, and one of them carries the green standard of tlie Prophet when the Grand Seignior appears in any public solemnity. Pasha. — The title given to the provincial governors. A Pasha is to a province or pashalic, what the Sultan is to the empire, except that the judicial power is in the hands of the cadis, the provincial magistrates. The tails of a Pasha are the standards which he is allowed to carry ; one of three tails is one of three standards, which number gives the power of life and death. Reis Effendi. — This officer may be termed the High Chancellor of the Ottoman empire. He is at the head of a class of attorneys which at this time contains the best-informed men of the nation. Seraglio. — This word is derived from Serai, a term of Persian origin, signifying a phlace. It is therefore improperly used as synonymous with Harem, the apartments of the women. The Seraglio is, in strictness of speech, the place where the court of the Grand Seignior is held ; but it so happens that at Constantinople this building includes the imperial Harem within its walls. Crescent. — The national ensign of the Turks, surmounting the domes and minarets attached to their mosques, as the Cross does the churches of the Roman Catholics in Christian countries. This peculiar and universal use of the Crescent is said to have owed its origin to the fact, that at the time of Mahomet's flight from Mecca to Medina the moon was new. Hence the half-moon is commemorative of -that event. Sublime Porte. — This title, which is frequently applied to the court, cabinet, or executive department of the Ottoman empire, is derived, as the words import, from a lofty arched gateway of splendid construction, forming the principal entrance to the Seraglio or palace. It is a phrase equivalent to " Court of St. James," " Court of St. Cloud," &c. 74 LIFE OF MAHOMET. was extinguished, and all the evil spirits which had inhabited the moon and stars were expelled together from their celestial abodes, nor could they ever after animate idols or deliver oracles on earth. The child also, if we may trust to the same authorities, discovered the most wonderful presaores. He was no sooner born than he fell prostrate, in a posture of humble adoration, praying devoutly to his Creator, and saying, ' God is great ! There is no God but God, and I am his prophet !' By these and many other supernatural signs, equally astounding, is the prophet's nati- vity said to have been marked." At the early age of two years, Mahomet lost his father; and four years after, his mother. Being, now, a dependent orphan, he was received into Mahomet given *^^ family of his grandfather, under whose guardianship he in charge to his continued two years, when the venerable Abdol Motalleb uncle. himself was called to give up the ghost. On his dying bed, he summoned Abu Taleb, the eldest of his sons, whom he is said to have addressed as follows : " My dearest, best-beloved son, to thy charge I leave Mahomet, the son of thine own brother, strictly recommended, whose natural father the Lord hath been pleased to take to himself, with the intent that this dear child should become ours by adoption ; and much dearer ought he to be unto us than merely an adopted son. Receive him, therefore, at my dying hands, with the same sincere love and tender bowels with which I deliver him to thy care. Honour, love, and cherish him as much, or even more, than if he had sprung from thine own loins ; for all the honour thou showest unto him shall be trebled unto thee. Be more than ordinarily careful in thy treatment towards him, for it will be repaid thee with interest. Give him the preference before thine own children, for he exceedeth them and all mankind in excellency and per- fection. Take notice, that whensoever he calleth upon thee, thou answer him not as an infant, as his tender age may require, but as thou wouldst reply to the most aged and venerable person when he asketh thee any question. Sit not down to thy repasts of any sort soever, either alone or in company, till thy worthy nephew Mahomet is seated at the table before thee; neither do thou ever offer to taste of any kind of viands, or even to stretch forth thine hand towards the same, until he hath tasted thereof. If thou observest these my injunctions, thy goods shall always increase, and in nowise be diminished." '" Abu Taleb having received the above solemn charge, took the young prophet under his care, and instructed him in the business a merchan^t ^^ ^^ ^ merchant. When he was about twelve or thirteen years of age, in order to perfect him in his employment, Abu Taleb took him with him into Syria, whither he found himself obliged to go on commercial affairs. Arriving at Bosra, an ancient city of Syria Damacena, he visited a monastery, where he found a Nestorian monk, named Felix, and surnamed Boheira, who treated tliem with great marks of distinction, and owned him as God's apostle. Another monk, called by the Christians, Scrgius, entered into a confederacy with Boheira to propagate the new fanaticism, and lent a helping hand in composing the Koran. On Mahomet's first approach to Boheira, the monk observed. * Morgan's Malionictaiiisni Kxphiincd, vol. i. p. 50. LIFE OP MAHOMET. 75 or said he observed, a sort of luminous or transparent cloud round his head, which preserved him from the heat of the solar rays; also, that the dry trees under which he sat were everywhere instantly covered with green leaves, which served him for a shade — all certain signs that the prophetic dignity resided in him. He likewise discovered the seal of prophecy impressed between his shoulders, whilst he kissed the hinder part of his garment. Turning one day to the uncle, Abu Taleb, he said, " Depart with this child, and take great care that he does not fall into the hands of the Jews ; for your nephew will one day become a very extraordinary person ; he will perform great things by the appointment of God." Abu Taleb here- upon immediately returned to Mecca, and gave an account to the Koreish of the discoveries that had been made. In the mean time, Mahomet, as he advanced towards the years of puberty, grew extremely popular. He was the most handsome and the best-made man of all the Arabs of his time ; and he was not only famed for his beauty, but he likewise surpassed all his contemporaries in sagacity and good sense; so much so, indeed, as to acquire the name of Al-Amin, or the Faithful. This is the favourable portrait given us of him, at the age of fourteen, by some of the Moslem historians. Mahomet made his first campaign when he was about twenty years of age, under his uncle Abu Taleb, who commanded the Koreish against the tribes Kenan and Hawazan. Of the cause of this war no traditionary account is on record ; but, as it was carried on with great violence through the course of the four sacred months, it was termed the " impious war." During these months it was held unlawful to wage war ; the Arabs then taking off the heads of their spears, and ceasing from incursions and other hostilities. However, the Koreish w^ere victorious in this war, which could not fail of rendering the people of their tribe still more devoted to Abu Taleb and the young Mahomet. Mahomet continued in the employment of his uncle until he had attained his twenty-fifth year. About that time died one of the chief Enters the "^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^7' ^^^^ing a widow of the name of Cadijah ; service of Cadi- wlio, requiring a factor to manage her stock, Mahomet en- jah, whom he tered her service, and traded for her some years, to Damas- '^'^"'^^' cus and other places. In this service Mahomet conducted himself with so much propriety, that he not only merited the respect, but actually won the affections of his mistress, who was twelve years older than himself, he being then only twenty-eight years of age. Cadijah having married him, he became suddenly exalted to an equality with some of the richest men of the city. Whether this unlooked-for elevation had inspired Mahomet with an extraordinary ambition, or whatever other motive prompted him, he soon began to manifest symptoms of wishing to appear a man of no common character, and as one divinely commissioned to reform the world by the introduction of a new system of religion, which should embrace what- ever was excellent in the Pagan morality, and the Jewish and Christian dispensations. His commercial transactions in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, having brought him acquainted with the numerous Christians and Jews residing in those countries, he soon discovered that the task of creat- ing a new religion would not be very difficult. He proceeded, however, 76 LIFE OF MAHOMET. with much caution and care ; and it was not till he had attained hia Retires to the thirty -eighth year, that he retired from the business of cave of Hera, the World, repairing daily to a certain cave in the vicinity Avhere he matures of Mecca, called the cave of Hera, for the ostensible ^m^pan, A. d, pyj,pQgg ^^f spending his time in fasting, prayer, and meditation. Having, at length, matured his plan, he opened the subject of the supernatural visions, with whicli he had been fiivoured in the cave, to his Discloses it to ^^'^^^ Cadijah. At first she treated his visions as the dreams Cadijah, who be- of a disturbed imagination, or as the delusions of the devil. comes his con- Mahomet, however, persisted in assuring her of the rea- ^'^^^' lity of these communications, and rising still higher in his demands upon her credulity, at length repeated a passage which he affirmed to be a part of a divine revelation, recently conveyed to him by the ministry of the angel Gabriel. The memorable night on which this visit was made by the heavenly messenger is called the " night of Al Kadr," or the night of the divine decree, and is greatly celebrated, as it was the same night on which the entire Koran descended from the seventh to the lowest heaven, to be thence revealed by Gabriel in succes- sive portions as occasion might require. The Koran has a whole chapter devoted to the commemoration of this event, entitled Al Kadr. It is as follows : " In the name of the most merciful God. Verily, we sent down the Koran in the night of Al Kadr. And what shall make thee understand how excellent the night of Al Kadr is ? This night is better than a thousand months. Therein do the angels descend, and the spirit Gabriel also, by the permission of their Lord, with his decrees concerning every matter. It is peace until the rising of the morn." * On this favoured night, between the 23d and 24th oi Ramadan, according to the prophet, the angel appeared to him, in glorious form, to communicate the happy tidings of his mission. The light issuing from his body, if the apostle-elect may be believed, was too dazzling for mortal eyes to behold ; he fainted under the splendour; nor was it till Gabriel had assumed a human form, that he could venture to approach or look upon him. The angel then cried aloud, *' O, Mahomet, thou art the apostle of God, and I am the angel Gabriel ! " '' Read ! " continued the angel; the prophet declared that he was unable to read. " Read ! " Gabriel again exclaimed, " read, in the name of thy Lord, who hath created all things ; who hath created man of congealed blood. Read, by thy most beneficent Lord, who hath taught the use of the pen ; who teacheth man that which he knoweth not." f The prophet, who professed, hitherto, to have been illiterate, then read the joyful tidings respecting his ministry on earth ; when the angel, having accomplished his mission, majestically ascended to heaven, and disappeared from his view. When the story of this surprising interview with a celestial visitant was related to Cadijah in connexion with the passage repeated, her unbelief, as tradition avers, was wholly overcome, and not only so, but she was wrought by it into a kind of ecstacy, declaring, " By him in whose hands her soul was, that she trusted her husband would indeed one day become the prophet of his Koran, ch, xcvii. -f- Ch LIFE OF MAHOMET. 77 nation." In the height of her joy, she immediately imparted what she had heard to one Waraka, her cousin, who is supposed by some to have been in the secret, and who, being a Christian, had learned to write in the Hebrew character, and was tolerably well versed in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. He unhesitatingly assented to her opinion respect- ing the divine designation of her husband, and even affirmed, that Maho- met was no other than the great prophet foretold by Moses, the son of Amram. This belief that both the prophet and his spurious religion were subjects of inspired prediction in the Old Testament scriptures, is studi- ously inculcated in the Koran. " Thy Lord is the mighty, the merciful. This book is certainly a revelation from the Lord of all creatures, which the faithful spirit (Gabriel) hath caused to descend upon thy heart, that thou mightest be a preacher to thy people in tlie perspicuous Arabic tongue ; and it is borne witness to in the scriptures of former ao-es. Was it not a sign unto them that the wise men among the children of Israel knew it ?" * Having made a convert of his w^ife, his next object was to gain other proselytes. Among the first, who gave in his adhesion to the prophet. Gains other ^'^^ ^"^ servant Zeid Ebn Hareth, whom he rewarded for proselytes; but his belief and attachment, by granting him his freedom, at first with dif- Ali, the son of Abu Taleb, Mahomet's cousin, was his next ^' convert; but tlie impetuous youth, disregarding the other two as persons of comparatively little note, used to style himself the first of believers. His fourth and most important convert was Abubeker, a powerful citizen of Mecca, by whose influence a number of persons pos- sessed of rank and authority were induced to profess the religion of Islam. These were Othman, Zobair, Saad, Abdorrahman, and Abu Obeidah, who afterwards became the principal leaders in his armies, and his main instruments in the establishment both of his imposture and of his empire. Four years were spent in the arduous tayk of winning over these nine indi- viduals to the faith, some of whom were the principal men of the city, and who composed the whole party of his proselytes previously to his begin- ning to proclaim his mission in public. He was now forty-four years of age. Hitherto the efforts of Mahomet had been confined to the conversion of a few individuals ; but now the time having come for sprcadino- his doc- trines abroad, he directed Ali to prepare a generous entcr- doctriues "to his tainment, to which the sons and descendants of Abdol family, friends, Motalleb wcre invited. These having assembled, the pro- and connexions, -phet arose and addressed them as follows: — " I know- no intoriSle.'^™ man in the whole peninsula of the Arabs who can propose anything more excellent to his relations than w^hat I now do to you ; I offer you happiness both in this life and in that which is to come ; God Almighty hath commanded me to call you unto him ; who therefore among you will be my vizier (assistant) and will become my brother and vicegerent ?" General astonishment kept the assembly silent ; none offered to accept the proffered office, till the fiery Ali burst forth, and declared that he would be the brother and assistant of the prophet. " I," * Ch. xxiii. yg LIFE OF MAHOMET. said he, " 0 prophet of God, will be thy vizier ; I myself will beat out the teeth, pull out the eyes, rip open the bellies, and cut off the legs, of all those who shall dare to oppose thee." The prophet caught the young proselyte in his arms, exclaiming, " This is my brother, my deputy, my successor ; show yourselves obedient unto him." At this apparently ex- travagant command, the whole company burst into laughter, telling Abu Taleb that he must now pay obedience and submission to his own son ! As words were multiplied, surprise began to give way to indignation, the serious pretensions of the prophet were seriously resented, and in the issue the assembly broke up in confusion, affording the ardent apostle but slen- der prospects of success among his kinsmen. Notwithstanding his above ill success with his tribe, he was so far from • being discouraged, that he continued to preach to the people, who still heard him with some patience, till he came to upbraid them Preaches in with the idolatry, obstinacy, and perverseness, not only of public to the ci- themselves, but of their fathers. This so highly provoked them, that they openly declared themselves his enemies, some few only excepted, who were converted to Mahometanism. Nor could he have escaped their resentment, had he not been protected by Abu Taleb, his uncle, who was very active in his favour. However, the chief of the Koreish, and even many of his own relations, warmly solicited him to desert his nephew ; but all their endeavours proving ineffectual, they at length threatened Abu Taleb with an open rupture, if he did not prevail on Mahomet to desist. Abu Taleb was so far moved at this threat, that he earnestly dissuaded his nephew from pursuing the affair any further ; representino- the great danger he and his friends must otherwise run ; but Mahomet was not to be intimidated, teUing his uncle plainly, " that if they set the sun against him on his right hand, and the moon on his left, he would not relinquish his enterprise." Abu Taleb, therefore, finding him so firmly resolved to proceed, used no further arguments, but pro- mised to stand by him against all his enemies : so that notwithstanding the people of his tribe came to a determination to expel both him and his followers, he found a powerful support in his uncle against all their machi- nations. In the eighth year of his pretended mission, his party growing formid- able at Mecca, the city passed a decree, by which they forbade any more to re- *^ J^^" themselves with him. This, however, did not much tire fronf Me^'cca; affect him, while his uncle Abu Taleb lived to protect him ; but returns. but he dying two years after, and the government of the city then falling into the hands of his enemies, a fresh opposition was renewed against him, and a stop soon put to the further progress of his designs at Mecca. Mahomet, therefore, seeing all his hopes in a manner crushed here, began to think of settling elsewhere ; and as his uncle Abbas lived for the most part at Tayif, a town sixty miles distant from Mecca, towards the east, and was a man of power and interest, he took a journey thither, under his protection, in order to propagate his imposture there. But, after a month's stay, finding himself unable to gain even one prose- lyte, he retired to Mecca, with a resolution to wait for such further advan- tages as time and opportunity might offer. His wife Cadijah being now dead after living with him two-and-twenty years, he took two other LIFE OP MAHOMET. 79 wives in her stead, — Ayesba, the daughter of Abubeker, and Lewda, the daughter of Zama ; adding a while after to them a third, named Haphsa, the daughter of Omar ; and by thus making himself son-in-law to three of the principal men of his party, he strengthened his interest considerably. Ayesha is said to have been then only six years old ; on which account the completion of that marriage was deferred, though not for many years, the Eastern women being very early marriageable. In the twelfth year of his mission is placed the mesra, that is, his famous night-journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and thence to heaven, of Makes a fa- wliich he tells US, in the seventeenth chapter of the Koran : for mous iiiglit-joTir- the people calling on him for miracles to prove his mission, ney from Mcrca ^^(j findina himself Unable, or beinof unwillinof, to feiofn any, to Jerusalem, in , 1.1 i.^. i • i. i xi • j. ?i • • company with the *^ ^^^^^ ^"® matter, he mvented this story of his journey to angel Gahriel, on heaven. The story, as related in the Koran, and believed a beast called by the ^Mahometans, is this : At night, as he lay in his bed with his best-beloved wife Ayesha, he heard a knocking at his door ; upon which, arising, he found there the angel Gabriel, with seventy pairs of wings, expanded from his sides, whiter than snow, and clearer than crystal, and the beast Alborak standing by him ; which, they say, is the beast on which the prophets used to ride, when they were carried from one place to another, iipon the execution of any divine com- mand. Mahomet describes it to be a beast as white as milk, and of a mixed nature, between an ass and a mule, and also of a size between both ; but of such extraordinary swiftness as to equal even lightning itself. As soon as Mahomet appeared at the door, the angel Gabriel kindly embraced him, saluted him in the name of God, and told him, that he was sent to bring him unto God into heaven ; where he should see strange mys- teries, which were not lawful to be seen by any other man. He prayed him then to get upon Alborak ; but the beast having lain idle and unemployed from the time of Christ to Mahomet, was grown so mettlesome and skit- tish, that he would not stand still for Mahomet to mount him, till at length he was forced to bribe him to it, by promising him a place in Para- dise. When he was firmly seated on him, the angel Gabriel led the way with the bridle of the beast in his hand, and carried the prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem in the twinkling of an eye. On his comino- thither all the departed prophets and saints appeared at the gate of the temple to salute him ; and thence attending him into the chief oratory, desired him to pray for them, and then withdrew. After this Mahomet went out of the temple with the angel Gabriel, and found a ladder of lio-ht ready fixed for them, which they immediately ascended, leaving Alborak tied to a rock till their return. On their arrival at the first heaven, the angel knocked at the gate ; and informing the porter who he was, and that he had brought Mahomet, the friend of God, he was immediately admitted. This first heaven, he tells us, was all of pure silver ; from whence he saw the stars hanging from it by chains of gold, each as big as ]\[ount Noho, near Mecca, in Arabia. On his entrance he met a decrepit old man, who it seems was our first father Adam ; and, as he advanced, he saw a multitude of angels in all manner of shapes, — in the shape of birds, beasts, and men. We must not forget to observe, that Adam had the piety immediately to embrace the prophet, 80 LIFE OP MAHOMET. giving God thanks for so great a son ; and then recommended himself to his prayers. From this first heaven, he tells us, that he ascended into the second, which was at the distance of five hundred years' journey ahove it ; and this he makes to be the distance of every one of the seven heavens, each above the other. Here the gates being opened to him as before, at his entrance he met Noah, who, rejoicing much at the sight of him, re- commended himself to his prayers. Tliis heaven was all of pure gold, and there were twice as many angels in it as in the former ; for he tells us that the number of angels in every heaven increased as he advanced. From this second heaven he ascended into the third, which was made of precious stones, where he met Abraham, who also recommended himself to his prayers ; Joseph, the son of Jacob, did the same in the fourth heaven, which was all of emerald ; Moses in the fifth, which was all of adamant ; and John the Baptist in the sixth, which was all of carbuncle; whence he ascended into the seventh, which was all of divine light, and here he found Jesus Christ. However, it is observed, that here he alters his style ; for he does not say that Jesus Christ recommended himself to his prayers, but that he recommended himself to the prayers of Jesus Christ. The angel Gabriel, having brought him thus far, told him that he was not permitted to attend him any further ; and therefore directed him to ' ascend the rest of the way to the throne of God by himself. This he per- formed with great difficulty, passing through rough and dangerous places, till he came where he heard a voice, saying unto him, " O Mahomet, salute thy Creator;" whence ascending higher, he came into a place where he saw a vast expansion of light, so exceedingly bright, that his eyes could not bear it. This, it seems, was the habitation of the Almight}^ where his throne was placed ; on the right side of which, he says, God's name and his own were written in these Arabic words : " La ellah ellallah Mahomet reful ollah ;" that is, " There is no God but God, and Mahomet is HIS Prophet ;" which is at this day the creed of the Mahometans. Being- approached to the divine presence, he tells us, that God entered into a familiar converse with him, revealed to him many hidden mysteries, made him understand the whole of his law, gave him many things in charge, concerning his instructing men in the knowledge of it; and, in conclu- sion, bestowed on him several privileges above the rest of mankind. He then returned, and found the angel Gabriel w\aiting for him in the place where he left him. The angel led him back along the seven heavens, through which lie had brought him ; and set him again upon the beast Alborak, which stood tied to the rock near Jerusalem. Then he conducted him back to Mecca, in the same manner as he brought him thence ; and all this within the space of the tentli part of one night. On his relating this story to the people the next morning after he pretended the thing to have happened, it was received by them wdth a The storv not g^^^^ral outcry ; and the imposture was never in a greater credited by the danger of being totally blasted, than by this ridiculous fable. people, and the g,^^^ ]iq^v ridiculous soever the story may appear, Mahomet ,\!Tn.loV^ '^"" had a further desion in it than barely tellino- such a mira- in uuiiyCi • c^ ^ •mill culous adventure of himself to the people. Hitherto he had only given them tlic Koran, which was his written law ; and had pre- tended to be nothin'i: more tlian barely the messenger of God, in publish- LIFE OF MAHOMET. 81 ing it as it was delivered to him by the angel Gabriel. But now, learning from his friend Abdallah, that the Jews, besides the written law dictated by God himself, had also another law, called the oral law, given with it, as they pretend- to Moses himself, while in the mount ; and understanding that this law, which had its whole foundation in the sayings and dictates of Moses, was in as great veneration with them as the other ; he had a mind for the future to advance his authority to the same pitch, and to make all his sayings and dictates pass for oracles among the Mussulmans, as those which were pretended to proceed from IMoses did araong the Jews; and for this end cliiefly it was that he invented this story of his journey to heaven. Tlie story, however, whatever advantages he might and did gain by it when his religion became more firmly established, was deemed at first so grossly 'ridiculous, that it occasioned the revolt of many of Medina. ^ ^^^^ disciples, and made his stay at Mecca no longer practi- cable. But what he lost at Mecca he gained at Medina, then called Yathreb, a city lying 270 miles nortli-west from ]\Iecca ; which was inhabited, the one part by Jews, and the other by heretical Christians. These two j^arties did not agree at all, and feuds and factions rose at length so high among them, that one party, exasperated against the other, went over to Mahomet. Thus we are told, that in the thirteenth year of his mission, there came to him from thence seventy-three men and two women. Twelve of these he retained awhile with him at Mecca, to instruct them in his new religion ; then sent them back to Yathreb, as his twelve apostles, there to propagate it in that town. In this they laboured abundantly, and with such success, that in a short time they drew over the greatest part of the inhabitants ; of wjiicli Mahomet receivino- an account, resolved to go thither immediately, finding it unsafe to continue any longer at Mecca. On the 12th day of the month, which the Arabs call the Former Rabia, that is, on the 24th of our September, he came to Yathreb, and was re- Tlie Hejira, or ceived with great acclamations by the party which called liim E.a of Flig'.it, thither. He first lodged in the house of Chalid Abu Job, A. D. 622. ^jjg ^f ^i^g chief men of the party, till he had built a house for himself. This he immediately undertook, and erected a mosque at the same time for the exercise of his religion ; and having thus settled him- self in this town, he continued there ever after, to the time of his death. From this flight of Mahomet, the Hejira, which is the era of the Maho- metans, begins its com})utation : Hejira, in the Arabic language, sio^nify- ing " flight." It was first appointed by Omar, the third emperor of the Saracens, and takes its beginning from the J 6th of July, in the year 622. Indeed, the day that Mahomet left Mecca was on the first of the Former Rabia; and he came to IMedina on the 12th of the same month, that is, on the 24th of our September ; but the Hejira begins two months before, from the first of Moharram : for that being the first month of the Arabian year, Omar would make no alteration as to that, but anticipated the com- putation fifty-nine days, that he might commence his era from the beginning of that year, in which the flight of the impostor happened, from which it took its name*. * NigluingiK-'s "All Religions." 82 LIFE OF MAHOMET. From tlie time Mahomet entered Medina, lie found himself in reality a monarch, at the head of an army devoted to his person, obedient to his will, and blind believers in his holy office. Finding him- Beder ^ ° ^^'^^ ^^ ^ condition not only to defend himself against the insults of his enemies, but even to attack them, he began to send out parties to make reprisals on the Koreish. One of these, consisting of no more than nine men, intercepted and plundered a caravan belonging to that tribe. This small advantage animated the Moslems, and induced the Prophet to think he should gain as much reputation by his arms as by liis revelations ; but what mostly established his affairs at this juncture, and was the foundation on which he built all his succeeding greatness, was the gaining of the battle of Bcder, a well on the confines of Arabia, which was fought in the seconect ; at the same time withdrawing his thoughts and aftections from all worldly concerns, as becomes one who is in the presence of God and his a[)0stle," Sec. On the Friday following, he goes to a burying-ground, called Al-Baki^ where several of the companions of Mahomet lie interred, and visits the tombs of the chief ladies and others of his family, servants, and successors ; as well as of Fatima his daughter, Ibrahim his son, and the Mussulman martyrs, &c. Then he washes himself in and drinks some of the water of the well called Aris^ into which the Prophet had spitten ; and performs several prostrations at other mosques, oratories^ and wells in Medina, &c. Mahomet himself said, that one prayer in his own mosque is better than a thousand anyichere else ; and that he would intercede for all those who die at Medina. The Caaba is a stone edifice in tlie tem])le of Mecca, which has been revered with superior sanctity by the Arabians from the remotest anti- The Ciuiba, or quity, and to which every Mahometan is required by the Temple of Mecca. Koran to direct himself in prayer. Among tlie variety of fabulous traditions which have been propagated by the followers of Mahomet concerning the origin of this building, we find it asserted, that its existence is coeval with our first parents, and that it was built by Adam, after his expulsion from Paradise, from a represen- tation of the celestial temple, which the Almighty let down from heaven in curtains of light, and placed in Mecca, perpendicular under the original. To this the patriarch was commanded to turn his face when he prayed, and to compass it by way of devotion, as the angels did the heavenly one. After the destruction of this temple by the Deluge, it was rebuilt by Abra- ham and his son Ishmael on the same spot, and after the same model, according to directions which they received by revelation ; and since that time, it has continued to be the object of veneration to Ishmael's descend- ants. Whatever discredit we may give to these and other ravings of the IMoslem impostor concerning the Caaba, its high antiquity cannot be disputed ; and the most probable account is, that it was built and used for religious purposes by some of the early patriarchs, and after the introduc- tion of idols, it came to be appropriated to the reception of the Pagan divinities. Diodorus Siculus, in his description of the coast of the Red Sea, mentions this temple as being, in his time, held in great veneration by all the Arabians ; and Pococke informs us, that the linen or silken veil with which it is covered was first offered by a pious king of the Hamyar- ites, seven hundred years before the time of Maliomct. It had been fre- quently repaired, and was rebuilt a few years after the birth of this pro- phet by the tribe of Koreish, who had acquired the possession of it either by fraud or violence from the Khozaites. The Caaba then contained three hundred and sixty images of men, lions, eagles, &c., the objects of idola- trous worship, which were all destroyed by Mahomet after the taking of Mecca, when it was purified and adorned, and consecrated to tlie service of Islam. It received several reparations after his death, and was rebuilt by one of his successors, with some alterations, in the form in which it now stands. As no Euroi)Pan is permitted to visit Mecca, the only knowledge wo have of the present appearance of the Caaba is derived from the descrip- tion and draughts of the Mahometans, who indeed speak of it in terms OF THE MAHOMETANS. 91 of Iiigli adinirutioii. It would appear, however, even from their designs, that it is an awkward and shapeless building. It consists of a sort of square tower, 24 cubits by 23, and 27 high, covered on the top with rich black damask, bordered with an embroidery of gold, which was formerly renewed every year by the Mahometan Caliphs, afterwards by the Sul- tans of l^gypt, and which is now annually provided by the Ottoman Porte. The floor is raised six feet from the ground ; and a door and window admit the light. Its double roof is supported by three octagonal pillars of aloes wood, between which are suspended several silver lamps ; and the gutters on the top are made of pure gold. At a small distance from this tower, on the east side, is the station of Abraliam, where is a stone upon which the patriarch is supposed to have stood when he built the Caaba, and which, they pretend, still bears the traces of his footsteps. It is inclosed in an iron chest ; and here the sect of Al Shafei meet for religious purposes. On the north of the Caaba is the ^chhe st07ie, within a semicircular enclosure, 50 cubits long, which is said to be the sepulchre of Ishmael, and which receives the rain-water that falls from the Caaba by a golden spout. This stone is of considerable antiquity, and was even held in great veneration by the Pagan Arabs. Towards the south-east is the well Zem-Zem, remarkable for the excellence and medicinal quality of its waters, as well as its miraculous origin. It is affirmed to be the same spring which, miraculously bursting out of the ground, supplied Ishmael and his mother Hagar when overcome with thirst in the wilder- ness of Beersheba ; and is celebrated by the Mahometans not only for curing many bodily diseases, but also, if taken copiously, for healing all spiritual disorders, and procuring an absolute remission of sins. The well is protected by a dome or cupola ; and its water is drunk with much devotion by the pilgrims, and conveyed in bottles to the most distant quarters of the Mahometan dominions. But the most singular relic, regarded with extreme veneration, is the famous black stone, which the IVIahometans pretend was one of the precious stones of Paradise, brought down from heaven by the angel Gabriel. According to the received tradition, derived from Mahomet himself, it was originally of such a bright white colour as to dazzle the eyes at the distance of four days' journey ; but that it wept so long and so abundantly for the sins of mankind, that it became at length opaque, and at last absolutely black. When the Carmathians took Mecca, they pillaged the Caaba, and car- ried off the black stone in triumph to their capital. The Meccans made every effort to recover it, both by entreaties and the offer of 5000 pieces of gold, but without effect. The Carmathians, however, after having kept it 22 years, sent it back of their own accord. It is now set in silver, and fixed in the south-east corner of the Caaba, looking towards Basra, about three feet and a half from the ground. It is called by the Maho- metans " the right hand of God," and is kissed by the pilgrims with gr^at devotion. The Caaba is almost surrounded with a circular enclosure of pillars, con- nected at the top by bars of silver, and towards the bottom by a low balustrade. Without this enclosure, on the south, north, and west, are three oratories, where three of the Mahometan sects assemble to perform their devotion, The whole is enclosed at a considerable distance by a 92 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. square colonnade, or great piazza, covered with small cupolas, and consist- ing of 448 pillars, from which hang numerous lamps, and 38 gates ; and from each corner rises a minaret or steeple, adorned with a gilded spire and crescent. This enclosure was built by the Caliph Omar, to prevent the court of the Caaba from being encroached upon by private buildings. It was at first merely a low wall, but has since been raissd by the libera- lity of succeeding princes to its present magnificent state. The whole structure of the Caaba is in a peculiar manner styled Al Masjad Al Haram, " the sacred or inviolable place ;" wliich appellation, however, is sometimes extended to the wdiole territory of Mecca. According to the command of Mahomet, every Mussulman must, once in his life, visit the Caaba, and perform the customary acts of devotion in the sacred places. But could the Prophet have foreseen into what distant regions his religion was to be introduced by the arms of his followers, he would soon have perceived the absurdity of such an injunction. Few, in comparison with the immense numbers who have embraced the doctrines of Islam, can be supposed able to discharge this duty ; and we may pre- sume, that it is only such as are more than ordinarily devout that are ever induced to visit the Caaba from religious motives. Many pilgrims, how- ever, resort to the city of Mecca ; but commercial ideas mingle with those of devotion, and the arcades of the temple are often filled with the richest merchandise from every quarter of the world. This duty may be dis- charged by proxy ; but the pilgrim, in such a character, can act only for one person at a time ; and to prevent all imposture, he must carry back with him a certificate from the Iman of Mecca, of his having actually performed all the devotional exercises or ceremonies appointed by the law, in the name of his principal *. In connexion with the foregoing account of the temple of Mecca, ^Ye shall here give an account of the pilgrimage to Mecca, which, as stated . above, Mahomet enjoined upon all his faithful followers to Mccca^.'^""'^^*^ ^" perform at least once in his life. As soon as the devotees arrive at the consecrated district of jNfecca, they perform a general ablution with water and sand ; repeat a prayer, after stripping off their garments ; and put on the sacred habit of colourless woollen cloth, with sandals, which only defend the soles of their feet. They are now devoted to spiritual meditation, and must not even remove any vermin from their bodies. After reaching the city of Mecca, they encircle the Caaba seven times, like their pagan predecessors ; repeat certain prayers ; drink copiously of the well Zem-Zem ; and kiss with all their ardour the sacred black stone. On the first and second of the three days (the period for wiiicli the Caaba is open every six weeks), the men and women offer their devotions alternately ; and on the last day, the sheriff of Mecca, the chiefs of the tribes, and the illustrious strangers present in the city, pro- ceed to wash and sweep the temple. The foul water is caught and drunk by the multitude ; the besoms of palm-leaves are treasured up as precious relics ; and the black cloth which surrounds the door and bottom of the building is cut off and divided among the pilgrims. The next part of the duty is to visit the mountain of Arafal, for the offering up of various • New Edinburgh Encyclop., Art. Caaba. OF THE MAHOMETANS. 93 prayers at certain times and places ; and thence to Mina, where every individual must cast a few small stones (always an uneven number) at the devil's house there, to show their detestation of the owner. A sacrifice is finally made of a goat, camel, or cow, in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to offer up his son ; and after spending three days in this valley, the pilgrims return to Mecca,* previous to their departure to their respec- tive countries. As they are all allowed to trade on this pilgrimage, the holy city is crowded on these occasions with such merchandise of every country as is most easy of carriage and best adapted for sale ; and in former times, the fair of Mecca was accounted the greatest on the face of the earth. The word Koran comes from the Hebrew word cara^ to read : Al sig- nifies the^ and koran^ rcad'mg ; so the Jews call the Bible Micra. Other Arabian doctors say it is derived from camri, to gather ; Koian^" ^^ ' because having been given in portions, it was afterwards put into one. The Mahometans have as great a veneration for the Koran as Christians profess for the Bible. Both these words equally signify the Book, by way of preference to any other ; that is, the Book of Books. One hundred and fourteen chapters, some longer, some shorter, make up the whole book : these are called by the French surates, from the Ara- bic word sita, in the plural soicar, which signifies order, or a series, or a Jile; and answers to what the Jews call seder, of which they reckon fifty- three in the Pentateuch. Each chapter of the Koran has a particular denomination, taken from the subject of which it treats, or from some person mentioned in it ; but more frequently from the first word which those who have put it in order have thought worthy of notice, though it occurs sometimes only toward the end of the chapter. The Koran is also divided into sixty equal parts, each of which is sub- divided into four, in imitation of the Jews. " These sixty portions," says Herbelot, *' are a kind of public service performed in the mosques, on various occasions, by persons hired for that purpose." The JMussulmans know no bounds to the praises which they bestow iipott this book : — it is written with the greatest elegance of style, in the purest Arabic dialect used by the Kort-ish, but intermixed now and then with other dialects. This was not an effect of neglect, nor of a lazy disposition, but in order to give the discourse a greater and more lively strength of expression, or to make it more harmonious. Indeed, all those who are versed in the Arabic language unanimously agree, that the Koran cannot •be the production of an idle and lazy author. Although it be written in prose, tlie energy and harmony of its style must have cost the writer great labour and industry, and raises the work to the sublime character of poetry ; yet the difficulty of finding out certain witty turns often in- terrupts the thread of the discourse, and consequently renders it obscure, w-hich has obliged Maliomet not to be concise and short, but to use fre- quent repetitions. His figures are bold, in the oriental taste ; his expression strong and pithy ; the turn of his phrases, in imitation of the prophets of the Old Testament, is full of interruptions ; and it appears throughout the whole, that all the heart and eloquence of which Mahomet was master have been employed in the most proper places. The mention of God, and 94 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. the doscription of liis attributes, are always lofty and majestic : oracles are pronounced with a raised and elevated style, proportioned to the dignity of the subject. In short, the Arabians are so charmed with the beauties of the Koran, tliat in all their writings they endeavour to copy this perfect original ; and without a competent knowledge of this one book, all others become unintelligible. It is a remark of Sir William Jones, that the Koran shines with a bor- rowed light, since most of its beauties are taken from our Scriptures. Of the truth of this remark every reader would be satisfied who should compare the two. He would find, f(jr example, many of the historical details of the Christian scripture in the Koran ; such as the creation of the world, the fall of Adam, the Deluge, the deliverance of Noah and his family in the ark, the call of Abraham, the stories of Isaac and Ishmael, &c., &c. At the same time he would find these subjects interspersed with extravagant fables, and monstrous perversions of truth. He would also perceive that the Koran is indebted to the Scriptures for not a few of its sentiments, but that their very imagery and phraseology have in hundreds of instances been adopted. The following may serve as an example of the corres- pondence to which we have alluded : — The Koran greatly indebted to the Christian Scriptures. BIBLE. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Fatlier wliich is in heaven. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approv- ed of God among you by miracles and w^onders, and signs which God did by him. Thou shalt give life for life, tooth for tooth, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. But their minds were blinded : for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament. But even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. They said therefore unto him. What sign showest thou then, that we may see and believe thee ? In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God said. Let there be light, and there was liglit. And when he (^Nloses) was full KORAN. Make not your alms of none ef- fect, by reproaching or mischief; as he that layeth out what he hath, to appear unto men to give alms. We gave unto Jesus, the son of Mary, manifest signs, and strength- ened him with the Holy Spirit. We have therein commanded them that they should give life for life, and eye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth, and that wounds should be punish- ed by retaliation. There is of them who hearkenetli unto thee when thou readest the Koran ; but we have cast veils over their hearts, that they should not understand it, and deafness in their cars. The infidels say, Unless some sign be sent down unto him from his Lord, we will not believe. It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth : And when- ever he sayeth unto a thing, Be, it is. I have already dwelt among you OP THE MAIIOMETAXS. 95 BTni.i:. forty years old, it came into liis heart to visit liis brotliren, tlio cliil- dreii of Israel. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understand- ing dark sentences, shall stand up. I will open my mouth in parables ; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. And the seventh angel sounded ; and there were great voices in hea- ven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Oiirist. For behold, I created new hea- vens and a new earth. A^\^ look for new heavens and a new earth. I will cause you to come up out of your graves. And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. KORAN. to the age of forty years before I received it (the Koran). Do ye therefore not understand ? According to thy dream shall thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of dark sayings. AVe taught him the interpretation of dark sayings, but tlie greater part of men do not understand, O Lord, thou hast given me a part of the kingdom, and hast taught me the interpretation of dark sayings. And his will l)c tlie kingdom on the day whereon the trumpet shall be sounded. The day will come when the earth shall be clianged into another earth, and the heavens into other heavens; and men shall come forth from their graves to appear before the only, the mighty God. That God may reAvard every soul according to what it shall have deserved. Oiigin of the Koran. As to the true origin of the Koran, a difference of opinion has existed among writers. The majority, however, have agreed in supposing that in the construction of the Koran, Mahomet was indebted to the assistance of one or more accomplices. That this opinion prevailed in the time of the Prophet is certain, since in the Koran it is said, " We also know that they say, Yerily a certain man teacheth him to compose the Koran." " And the unbelievers say. This Koran is no other than a forgery, which he hath contrived: and other people have assisted him therein : but they utter an unjust thing and a falsehood." But notwithstanding this emphatic denial on the part of the Prophet of assistance, writers have still believed that he had aid, especially from a Nestorian monk named Sergius, supposed to be the same person as the Boheira, with whom he became acquainted at an early period of his life at Bosra, in Syria. Still, however, it must be admitted, that there is no certain evidence in the case, and it will probably remain an unsolved jiroblem to the end of time vv^hat was the precise origin of this remarkable book, although in respect to its human and uninspired composition there exists not a doubt. The articles of foith which every rrood Mussulman is bound JVlaliometan pro- xiv i • .,, P fession of faith. . believe and receive with an entire assurance are thirteen in number, of which the first and principal is as follows : To believe from the heart, to confess with the tongue, and with a 96 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. voluntary and steadfast mind to affirm, tliat there is but one only God, ^ ., . Lord and Governor of the universe, who produced all thinn^s Oou s existence. . ,. . , , ..,,. ^ from nothing, m whom there is neither image nor resem- blance, who never begot any person whatsoever, as he himself was begot- ten by none ; who, as he never was a son, so he never hath been a father. It is this Lord and Sovereign Arbiter of all things whom w^e ISIussulmans are bound to serve and adore ; so that none among us may deviate from this article, but every one must imprint it deeply in his heart; for it is unquestionable. We must believe from our hearts and confess with our mouths that the Most High God, after having revealed himself to mankind by his ancient Prophet Ma- P^opli^ts, sent US at length his Elected, the blessed Maho- homet and the met, witli the sacred and divine law, whicli through his ^ovan. grace he had created, the which is contained in the venerable Koran, that hath been from him remitted unto us. By this holy law it is that God hath abolished all the preceding ones, and hath withdrawn from their doubts and errors all nations and people, in order to guide them to a firm and lasting state of happiness. Wherefore we are obliged exactly to follow the precepts, rites, and ceremonies thereof, and to abandon every other sect or religion whatsoever, whether instituted before or since this final revelation. By this article we are distinguished and separated from all sorts of idolatry, lying rhapsodies, and false prophecies, and from all those sects, societies, and religions diiFerent from ours, which are either erroneous, abrogated, or exaggerated, void of faith, and without truth. We must firmly believe and hold as a certainty, that, except God him- self, who always was, and always shall be, everything shall one day be annihilated, and that the angel of death shall take to him- predest'ination!" ^^^^ *^^^ souls of mortals destined to a total and universal extinction,* by the command of God, our powerful Lord and Master, who was able and hath vouchsafed to produce out of nothing, and in fine to set in form this universal world, with all things therein contained, both good and evil, sweet and bitter ; and hath been pleased to appoint two angels, the one on the right, and the other on the left, to register the actions of every one of us, as well the good as the bad, to the end that judicial cognizance may be taken thereof, and sentence pro- nounced thereupon, at the great day of judgment. It is therefore neces- sary to believe predestination : but it is not permitted to discourse thereof to any whomsoever, till after being perfectly well versed in the study of our written law, viz. the Koran, and of our Sonnah, which is our oral law. Seeing then all things are to have an end, let us do good works, and deport ourselves so that we may live for ever. We must truly and firmly believe, and hold as certain and assured, the interrogation of the sepulchre, whicli will after death be administered to . every one of us by two angels upon these four important tion in ihe^giave' questions : — 1. Vf ho was our Lord and our God ? 2. Who was our prophet ? 3. Which was our religion ? 4. On what side was our Keblali ? He who shall be in a condition to make answer, that God was his only Lord, and Mahomet his prophet, shall find * Notwithstanding this annihihation, it is taught in the Koiim tliat all iiitelligont creatiuea will be riproduced again at the lesunection. OF THE MAHOMETANS. 97 a great illumination in liis tomb, and shall himself rest in glory. But he who shall not make a proper answer to these questions, shall be involved in darkness until the day of judgment. We must heartily believe and hold as certain, that not only shall all things one day perish and be annihilated, — viz., angels, men, and devils, — but likewise this shall come to pass at the end of the dissolution "'^ world, wlieu the angel Israfil shall blow the trumpet in such sort — that, except the sovereign God, none of the uni- versal creation shall remain alive immediately after the dreadful noise, which shall cause the mountains to tremble, the earth to sink, and the sea to be changed to the colour of blood. In this total extinction, the last who shall die will be Azrael, the angel of death ; and the power of the Most High God will be evidently manifested. We are obliged cordially to believe, and to hold for certain, that the first before all others whom God shall revive in heaven shall be the angel of death ; and that he will at that time recall all the souls resurrection ^^ general, and reunite them to the respective bodies to which each belonged ; some of which shall be destined to glory, and others to torment. But, upon earth, the first whom God will raise shall be our blessed prophet Mahomet. As for the earth itself, it shall open on all sides, and shall be changed in a moment ; and by God's command fire shall be kindled in every part thereof, which shall be ox- tended to its utmost extremities. God will then prepare a vast plain, perfectly level, and of sufficient extent to contain all creatures summoned to give an account of their past conduct. May this solemn, definite, and irrevocable judgment awaken us from our security ; for to nothing that hath been created shall favour be showed. Every soul shall be judged there by the same rule, and without exception of persons. ' We must believe from our hearts, and hold for certain, that there shall be a day of judgment, whereon God shall ordain all nations to appear in a place appointed for this great trial, of sufficient vastness of iud^^mem ^^^^^ ^^^^ Majesty may there be evident in splendour. It is in this magnificent and spacious station that the universal assembly of all creatures shall be made, about the middle of the day, and in the brightness of noon : and then it is that, accompanied by his pro- phet (Mahomet), and in the presence of all mankind, God shall with justice and equity judge all the nations of the earth in general, and every person in particular. To this effect, every one of us shall have a book or catalogue of our actions delivered to us ; that of the good in such wise that it shall be received and held in the right hand ; that of the wicked, so that it shall be received and held in the left hand. As to the duration of that day, it shall be as long as the continuance of the present age. This shall be a day of sighs and griefs, a day of tribulation and anguish, when the cup of sorrow and misery must be drunk up, even the very dregs thereof. But this is what shall be particularly experienced by the imgodly and the perverse : everything shall present to them ideas of sor- row and affliction. To them everything shall become aloes and bitterness. They shall not obtain one moment of repose. They shall behold nothing that is agreeable, nor hear one voice that shall delight them : their eyes shall see nothing but* the torments of hell ; their ears shall hear nothing u 98 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. but the cries and liowHngs of devils : and their terrified imaolnations shall represent unto them nothing but spectres and tortures. We are bound to believe, and hold as certain, that our venerable pro- phet IMabomet shall with success intercede for his people at the great day of examination. This will be the first intercession ; but tcrceiion '^ ^ "^' ^^ ^^^^ second, God will be entirely relented, and all the faithful JMussulmans shall be transported into a state of glory, while not one excuse or supplication in behalf of other nations shall be accepted. As to the greatness of pain which those among us are to undergo who have been offenders by transgressing the precepts of the Koran, it is known to God alone, as there is none but Him who exactly knoweth hovv long the same is to continue, whether its duration shall be more or less tlian that of the examination or judgment. But to us it belongeth to shorten its continuance by good works, by our charity, and by all the endeavours we are capable of. We must sincerely believe, and hold as a certainty, that we must every one of us give up our accounts before God, concerning the good and evil The future ^^'® have transacted in this world. All who have been compensation at followers of Alahomet shall be before all others summoned to thelastjudgment. this examination, because they it will be who shall bear witness against all other strange nations. It shall come to pass on that day, that God will take away out of the balance of him who has slandered his brother some of the good w^orks, and put them unto that of him who hath been slandered ; and if the slanderer is found to have no good works, he will then deduct from the punishment of the slandered, to include them in the list of those of the slanderer, insomuch that his great justice will be fully manifest. At least, tlien, that we may not run the hazard of this terrible compensation, let us not think of wronging others, or of diminishing their substance, their honour, or their good name. We must believe from the heart, and confess with the mouth, that all our actions, good and bad, shall one day be weighed in the balance, the one against tlie other, insomuch that those whose good Ot the Balance, ^y^j-j^g outweigh their bad shall enter into paradise : and and of Purgatory. o i i i i i • that, on the contrary, they whose bad works shall outweigh their good, shall be condemned to the flames of hell. And for those whose scales shall be equally poised, because the good they have done is equivalent to the evil, they shall be detained in a station situate in the middle, between paradise and hell, where consideration will be made both of their merits and of their demerits ; since, besides their being confined in that place, they shall have no punishment Inflicted on them, nor shall they enjoy any part of the glory ordained for the beatified rigliteous. It is true, that all those among that number who are Mussulmans shall be at length released from their captivity, and shall be Introduced into paradise at the second intercession of our blessed prophet Mahomet, whose great compassion will be signalised by his engaging, in" order to our redemption, to supplicate the power and the mercy of the Most High, as well as his justice, already satisfied by the long captivity of the criminals. Where- fore, let us from henceforward weigh our good works, to the end that we may assiduously strive to increase their weight, and that they may have the advantage over tlie bad. » OF THE MAHOMETANS. 99 AYe are obliged to believe from our heartf=i, and to hold as assured, tliat all mankind in the world must pass one day over the Sharp-edged Bridge, The Sharp- "^^'^^^^^ length shall be equal to that of tliis world, whose edged Bridge, and breadth shall not exceed that of one single thread of a the unavoidable spider's web, and Avhose height shall be proportionable t() passage t leico . j^^ extent. The righteous shall pass over it swifter than a flash of lightning ; but the impious and the ungodly shall not, in as much time as the present age shall endure, be able to surmount the difficulties thereof, and that tlirough the w\ant of good works. For w^hicli reason, they shall fall and precipitate themselves into hell-fire, in company with the infidels and blasphemers, with those of little faith and bad conscience, who have done few deeds of charity, because they were void of virtue. There shall be some among the good, notvvithstanding, whose passage shall be lighter and swifter than that of many others, who shall therein meet with temptations and obstructions from every precept which they shall have ill observed in this life. Good God ! how dreadful to our sight will this formidable bridge appear ! What virtue, what secret grace from the Most High, shall we not need to be enabled to pass over it ? We are to believe, and to hold for a certainty, that God did create a paradise, which he prepared for the blessed, from among the number of Pandise ^^^ faithful, by which are meant the followers of the true religion and of our holy prophet Mahomet ; where with him they shall be placed in perpetual light, and in the enjoyment of heavenly delights ; for ever beautiful in the vigour of their age, and brighter than the sun ; and where they shall be found worthy to contem- plate and adore the face of the jMost High God. As for those who shall be detained in the tortures of hell, — to wit, the sinners and transgressors, who have nevertheless believed in one only God, — they shall be released at the second intercession of the prophet, by whom they shall immediately be washed in the sacred laver, from wdience being come forth whiter than snow, and more refulgent than the sun, they shall, with the rest of the blessed, behold themselves seated in paradise, there to enjoy all the glory they can desire. Tliis is what shall befall the body composed of clay ; and what then shall be the state of our souls ? To the which it shall be granted eternally to behold the light and brightness of the divine ma- jesty. Let us, then, endeavour to do works of such a character, that we may have no cause to fear hell-fire. Let us, I say, chiefly apply ourselves to good works, — let us not refuse to exert our utmost strength in the exact observation thereof, and of the fast of our venerable month of Ramadan, wi|;h the prayers and ceremonies which are ordained; and let us not defraud the poor of a tenth of all our goods. We must sincerely believe, and hold for certain, that there is a hell prepared for tl^e unrighteous, the refractory transgressors of the divine j^^^^ law, accursed of God for their evil works, and for whom it would have been better had they never been born, and to have never seen the light of day. It is for such as those that a place of torment is appointed, or rather a fire which burneth without touching them, a fire of ice and north winds, where there shall be nothing but snakes and serpents, with other venomous and ravenous creatures, whicli shall bite them without destroying them, ami shall cause them to feel II 2 100 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. grievous pains. That place sliall be the abode of the impious and of the devils, where these shall, Avith all sorts of cruelty and rage, incessantly torture those ; and lest the sense of their pain should cause them to relent, a new skin shall continually succeed in the stead of that which has been burnt or mortified. It is for us Mussulmans to conceive and entertain a just horror of this detestable place ; such reflections are the duty of all God's servants. As for those others who have declared war against our religion, they shall one day feel the torments of hell. Let us all dread this punishment and these frightful terrors. Let us confirm our faith by the sentiments of our hearts and by the confession of our tongues, and let us ensfrave it in the bottom of our souls. o It belongs to this place to give some account of the IMahomotnn Mahometan Liturgy. The following abstract is from the Turkish Liturgy. Catechism. The religion of the Islamites contains six chief principles : — The first is the confession of the true God, and consists in believing that there is but one true and eternal God, and that Mahomet is his apostle. The second is the regular practice of ablution and purification. The third is a regular observation of the prayers, as prescribed. The fourth is giving alms. The fifth is the fast of the month of Ramadan. The sixth is the pilgrimage of Mecca, from which no INIussulman can be dispensed, if able to perform it. As to the purifications which are prescribed, seven different sorts of water may be used in them : viz. rain-water, sea, river. Ablutions. 11 • 1 1 M i well, sprmg, snow, and hau-water. There are three sorts of ablutions and purifications. The first, which is called Gasl, is a kind of immersion. The second, named Wodou, concerns particularly the hands and feet. The third is made with earth or gravel,^ instead of water. Three rules are to be observed in this ablution of the body : — First, those who do it must resolve to please God. Secondly, all the calM gIsl ^'^^^ ^^ *^^^ body must be washed off. Thirdly, the water must touch the whole skin, and all the hair of the body. The Sonna, which is the Oral Law of the Mahometans, requires five things more : — First, that the usual form, " In the name of God," &c.. be recited. Second, that we should wash the palms of our hands before the jugs be cm])tied into the washing-place. Third, that before the prayers, some expiatory lustration should be made, with peculiar ceremonies. Fourth, that to take off all dirt, the skin should be rubbed with the hand. Fifth, that all this be continued to the end of the ablution. Six things are to be considered in this kind of purification : — 1. It must . be performed with an intention to please God. 2. The cd WoDou. whole face is to be washed. 3. The hands and arms up to the elbow. 4. The head, or some parts, must be rubbed. 5. The feet and heels are to be made clean. 6. The ceremonies prescribed must be exactly complied with. Besides which, the ten institutions of the Sonna must be followed : — 1. The form, " In the name of God," ^c., must be UK'd. 2. The palms of the OF THE HIAIIOMETANS. 101 hands washed before the jugs be emptied into tlie washino-- place. 3. The face cleaned. 4. Some of the water drawn u]) the nostrils. 5. The whole head and ears nibbed. 6. Thick and long beards must be parted, to be better cleaned. 7- The toes washed one after the other, each singly. 8. The right hand and foot to be washed before the left. 9. All these things must be repeated thrice. 10. There must be no intermission in this performance. Four rules are prescribed in this purification : — 1. It must be performed Piiiificuion ^^^^^^ ^^ intention to please God. 2. The face ought to be vith Eartli or Well rubbed. 3. The same is to be done to the hands and Gravel. arms, and elbows, and to the feet. 4. The said order must be exactly kept. Add to this the precepts of the Son7ia : — 1. The form, " In the name of God," &c., must be recited. 2. The right han*must be rubbed before the left, and so of the feet. 3. There must be no intermission in this rite. I. Thirteen rules are prescribed concerning prayers : — 1. The intention. 2. The greatness of the names of God. 3. The form of the unity of Prayers ^^^' ^^^^ IS great, S^'c. 4. The right, or straight position of the body ; which is, the feet are close together, the hands raised up to the head, or joined and laid upon the breast, or each apart upon the knees, bending the body. The adoration is made with the face to the ground, sitting with their hands upon their thighs ; they say, Lord, accept of our standing, lending, adoring, and sitting. 5. Reading the first chapter of the Koran, which is as highly valued by Mussulmans as the Lord's Prayer by Christians. 6. Bowing the body towards the earth. 7- Raising from that first bowing. 8. A second adoration or prostrating with the face to the ground. 9. Sitting down. 10. A second sitting down. 11. The second form about Mahomet ; the first was about God himself. 12. The words of it, which are to be repeated. 13. The ob- serving punctually each of tliese in their order. II. The So7ina requires four things more: — 1. That the people be invited to prayers. 2. That this invitation be repeated with a form not much different. 3. The first confession about God. 4. The words or form of prayer of that confession. III. Five dispositions are necessary for prayer : — 1. The body must be entirely clean. 2. It must be decently clad. 3. In a clean place, so as to contract no uncleanncss. 4. At the exact time appointed. 5. Not forgetting the Kella, which is turned towards Mecca. lY. Tliere are also five sorts of prayers to be said daily. 1. At noon, with four inclinations of the body. 2. In the afternoon, with four also. 3. In the evening, with three. 4. In the night, with four. 5. In the morning, with two only. In all, seventeen for the whole day. Travellers may without sin reduce them to eleven. Some alms are left to the free choice of every individual ; others Alms. ^^® prescribed by the law. AVe shall now treat of the latter. I. Alms are given out of five sorts of goods : — 1. Of cattle, camels, oxen, sheep. 2. Of money. 3. Of corn. 4. Of other fruits of the earth. 5. Of goods in trade. 102 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. II. Six conditions are required in the giver : — ]. He must be a Mus- sulman, that is, a true believer. 2. A freeman. 3. The lawful possessor of what he is to give away ; for it is an injustice, and not charity, to give what does not belong to us. 4. His patrimony must be increased. As riches increase, alms should Increase at two and a half per cent. Those who have not twenty pieces of gold, nor two hundred in silver, nor five camels, nor thirty oxen, nor thirty sheep, are not obliged to give alms. 5. He must have been in possession about a year, at least eleven months, without pawning it. 6. He must not give hi^ working cattle, but one of those which are at grass, because alms are to be given from that which is not necessary. III. The same conditions are required for alms of money, corn, other fruits of the earth, &c. ; only about corn and fruits it is to be observed, 1. That they must grow i«om our labour, as sowing, &c. 2. They must have been laid up in our store-rooms or barns. 3. There must be a con- venient quantity left, so that the giver may not be reduced to want. IV. But we must chiefly take notice, that in the aforesaid alms given by those who are easy in their circumstances, and in other alms (if that name can be given to a tax annually levied by a capitation at the end of the fast of Ramadan), the first and best principle ought to be the inten- tion of giving this or that alms as a debt which we are obliged to pay. The chief fast of the Mahometans is that of Ramadan. After it, is kept the feast of the Great Beiram. The little Beiram is kept on the tenth of the month Dilhazja, in memory of Abraham's sacrifice. I. Three things are required in the person who fasts, to make it ac- ceptable to God : — I. He must be a Mussulman. 2. At the age of ripe- ness ; fourteen in men, twelve in women. 3. In his, or her, right senses. II. The conditions of the fast are five : — 1. An intention of the heart to please God. 2. To eat nothing in the day, from sunrise to sunset. 3. To drink nothing of any sort. 4. To have no commerce w^th women, not even by kisses. 5. Not to throw up what has been eaten ; which supposes both that the stomach is good, and that no excess is com.mitted, or at least nothing taken which may give a disgust. In performing this devout ceremony, five things are commanded by divine institution: — 1. The intention and religious vow of going to Mecca. 2. Spending a day on Mount Arafat, which is pfSa"''^^ done on the ninth day of the month. 3. Shaving the head in the Valley of Mina. They throw seven stones one after the other in the Valley of Mina ; after which the men (not the women) ofter sheep, goats, oxen, or camels, in sacrifice, — then shave and pare their nails. The hair and parings are buried in that valley. 4. To go seven times round the Caaba. 5. To run seven times between Safa and !Merva, two holy places, one hundred and eighty cubits distant from each otlior. At first they walk slow, then run faster between two pillars; then walk again, looking on all sides as if seeking something lost. This is to represent the anxiety of Ilagar, when she endeavoured to find water in the desert for her son Ishmael. All these ceremonies were in use long before INIahomet, who made them an essential part of his religion, both in order to draw in the superstitious inhabitants, and to make this law seem venerable for its antiquity. OV tup: MAHOMETANS. 103 We shall now enter upon the manners and customs of civil life, or ^vhich have some relation to the religion of Mahomet. We must in the Precepts Dii- ^^^^ place take notice, that the Koran contains some nega- tics, &c., enjoin- tivc ])recepts, concerning things that become evil or ed by the Koran, scandalous Only by the abuse of them : such as the forbid- ding of wine, and other intoxicating liquors, which seems enforced in several passages of the Koran ; for instance, in the second chapter, where Mahomet says expressly, " that the sin committed by drinking wine is much greater than the advantage reaped from the use of it ;" and in the fifth chapter, he reckons wine amongst the " abominations which are the works of Satan." Some have pretended that the excess only is forbidden ; but the general opinion is, that it is not lawful to drink any of those liquors, and that whoever drinks even the smallest quantity com- mits a sin. Those who have performed the pilgrimage of Mecca are the most scrupulous in this point, and will neither drink any wine nor make it, buy nor sell it, nor the implements to make it, in order to live by the profits of such a traffic. Yet all the Mahometans are not so exact in observing this law ; and when reproached with the breach of it by Christians, they have recourse to recrimination, and upbraid us with our violation of the Gospel precepts. Some Mussulmans have doubted wh«ther cofiPee be not comprehended under the general denomination of intoxicating liquors ; because, they say, it disturbs the imagination of those who use it. It is, however, un- doubted, that coffee, though now universally allowed in Mahometan countries, has been heretofore forbidden, and is now used by mere tolera- tion, not by religious permission ; nevertheless, very few abstain from the use of it. The scrupulous Mahometans are still more averse from tobacco, both because it has the same eff'ect as wine and brandy, and also on account of a pretended prophecy of Mahomet, that '' in the latter days some shall call themselves Mussulmans, without being really such, who . will suck in through a pipe, and blow out, the smoke of a plant called to- bacco." This qualification of false brethren could not but render tobacco odious to scrupulous j>eople ; yet the constant practice is to introduce coffee and tobacco, without which no entertainment is thought completely polite in the East ; and the Persians, in particular, say, that tobacco is to coffee what salt is to meat. The same rigourists condemn also the use of opium, or heng, or treacle, although nothing be more common. The Koran docs no.t mention tobacco, nor opiuni, nor heng ; but as they produce the same effects as wine, they are apt to cause quarrels, neglect of duty, several irregularities, and shameful disorders : all these reasons prove the necessity of abstaining from all such liquors or drugs. Upon the same account, the Jews, from whom, and from the ancient Arabians, the Magi, and the Christians, Mahomet has borrowed many of his religious precepts, did not allow the priests to drink wine when they were to officiate in their turn. The second and fifth chapters of the Koran forbid also games of hazard, under the general denomination of Al Maisair^ wdiich strictly means the Games of lia- art of divination by arrows. We must observe that this zard forbidden, kind of witchcraft is very like Hhahdomancf/^ that is, the art of divination by rods, and is mentioned in the Prophecy of Ezekiel, 1^4 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. chap, xxi., verse 26, which is an evident proof that both tlie Arabians and their neighbours undertook no affair of moment without consulting their arrows. Mahomet forbade all these customs, with an intent, as he said, to take away all superstition; but others have been substituted for them. The Mahometans were likewise prohibited from games of hazard, under the name of superstition, that all occasions of quarrels and cheating, which generally accompany such games, might be removed. However, in this instance, the civil law enforces the authority of Mahomet and of the Koran, insomuch that games of hazard are in disrepute, and the testi- mony of those who are addicted to them is of no force in courts of justice; at least, it is pretended that such w^itnesses may be rejected. The majority of the Mahometan doctors allow the game of chess, as depending wholly upon industry and skill ; but they forbid playing too Cliess allowed, ^^"o ^* ^^' ^^' ^^^ money, or laying wagers about it, or at the hours appointed for prayer. These restrictions are observed more exactly by the Turks than by the Persians or Moguls. Some are of opinion that Mahomet forbids chess, under the name of images, because amongst the Arabians, as with us, most of the pieces re- present men, elephants, horses, camels, &c. ; others think that Mahomet put that restraint only upon the pawns, which in Turkey are made quite plain. The Mahometans, however, generally abstain from gaming more easily than from wine, and chiefly in Persia, where drunkenness prevails as much as in some European countries. This subject naturally leads us to give an account of the diversions and exercises used by the Mahometans : but w^e shall only mention those Puppet- shows, wliich have some relation to religion, according to the Jugglers, &c. al- good or bad use made of them, or which even are admitted lowed. j^g ^ pr^,.^ Qf their religious ceremonies. Amongst these are puppet-shows, with which the Turks entertain their guests in private after their meals, notwithstanding Mahomet's prohibition of images. This diversion is publicly exhibited in the Ramadan when the hour of fasting is past ; for then they allow themselves as much ^ensual j^leasure as the Christians do in the Carnival, or tlie Heathens did during the solemnity of their Saturnalia, the two last days of which were spent in puppet- shows. They have also jugglers, quacks, and public dancers of both sexes, called Ickinr/uis ; and although the Turks, Persians, and Moguls look upon dancers by profession ^as people of loose lives and morals, yet it must be owned, that those disorders are not always the consequence of dancing, and several nations have made use of it in their religious worship. No- thing, therefore, but the abuse has rendered dancing contemptible amongst the Mahometans, wlio nevertheless admit it in their religion, as appears by the turnings of their dervises, which the majority of travellers re- present as a solemn act of worsliip performed every Tuesday and Friday. The superior of these dervises preaches a sermon on some text of the Koran, whicli is followed by some prayers out of the same book, sung by all of them together ; then, having made a low bow to the superior, they begin to dance, or turn about, whilst some play on the flute or other in- struments. This ceremony was invented by one Mewlana, whom the , ':^Z. % 'A or Till: MAHOMETANS. 105 dervises honour as a great saint ; and we are assured by Ricault, that this man, whom lie calls Mevelava^ by a miracle, turned fourteen days together without resting or taking any nourishment, whilst another dervise, named Hamze, his companion, played on the flute ; after which he fell into an ecstacy, and received wonderful revelations, and was very instrumental in founding the order of dervises. The flute is, they think, a sacred instru- ment of music, sanctified by Jacob and other holy shepherds of the Old Testament, who made use of it ; yet the rigourists condemn both the dance and instruments of music, as contrary to religion. As to the distinction of meats, we shall only add, that the Koran in several places forbids blood, and the flesh of beasts which have been either ofl"ered to idols, or which have died naturally ; and some Mussul- mans are so cautious in that point, that unless the butcher pronounces the prayer Bismill'ah^ or " In the name of God," &c., whilst he kills any beast, they do not think think it lawful to eat of it. Usury is also condemned in the second chapter of the Koran, and ranked amongst the most enormous sins. Mahomet does not allow it, as the Jews do, even towards infidels. Yet there are some condelnned. ^I^issulmans, who are usurers and extortioners, and give what interpretation they think fit, in order to elude the precepts of the Koran, as too many Christians do with respect to the Gospel. The same chapter which forbids usury, enjoins mercy and for- bearance with a debtor who is not able to pay without depriving himself of tho necessary means for the subsistence of himself and family ; in which case, Mahomet orders his followers not to begin any prosecutions for such debts, but to reckon them as an alms given to the debtor. He may have borrowed this from the law of iMoses and of Christ ; and the dictates of humanity may also have inspired him to make that law, both to avoid merciless and extortionate law- suits, and to prevent his subjects from being ruined. Thus we see the Romans, who lived before the Gospel, and were but little, if at all, acquainted with the law of Moses, had such an abhorrence of usury, that they obliged usurers to restore four times as much as they had thus unjustly gained ; whereas thieves were only con- demned to pay double what they had stolen. Prudence and equity convinced them that a usurer was more pernicious to society than a thief. The same sentiments of humanity, and the common good of society, prompted Mahomet to abolish the barbarous custom of the Koreishites and other Arabians, of burying girls alive ; which they pretended was in order to prevent the shame which they might cause to their parents by evil conduct, and the slavery and miseries to which they were exposed. IMorcover, they had no regard for women, but upon account of propagation and pleasure, and looked on their birth as a misfortune, their death a happiness ; therefore, when a woman was in labour, she was led to a grave, and if delivered of a female child, it was thrown in and buried. The ceremony of marriage is in high esteem amongst the Mahometans; yet it is not celebrated in the presence of the priests, nor is it considered an act of religion, as with the Jews and Christians, and Marriage formerly with the Romans and Grecians. The Cadi, or civil judge, gives it a sanction ; "as to an act purely relat- ing to society, which is not valid without his presence. The husband 106 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. acknowledges tliat he has obliged himself to many such a woman, to give her such a dowry, and to dispose of her at pleasure in case of divorce." The woman is not present at this acknowledgment ; but the father, or some of the relations, assist at it ; which being done, the husband takes possession of his wife, who is brought to liim veiled under a canopy, accompanied by friends, relations, slaves, and music. Ricault says, that " wives are not jealous of concubines, if they be not deprived of the right which they claim, and the law gives them, to be admitted once a week to their husbands' beds. On faihire of this, they may demand it on the Thursday night of the following week, and even go to law with their husbands if they do not grant it. If any be so bashful as to neglect this public way of obtaining justice, they endeavour to find out some other way of recompensing themselves for their loss." The majority of travellers affirm that the Turks liave a kind of half- marriage, called Cabin ; which consists in taking a w^ifc for a time limited. This agreement is made before the judge, who, in the presence of the contracting parties, writes it down, and the stipulated sum of money is paid to the woman when the time is elapsed. The Mahometans are allowed to make use of their female slaves : and here we must take notice, first, that Mussulmans may marry women of any relioion the tenets of which are written ; and secondly, tliat all the chil- dren, w^iether by wives or slaves, equally inherit their father s property, if by will or otherwise the father has declared them free ; in default of wiiich, the children of a slave still remain slaves to the eldest son of the family. Thevenot says, " that the Turks never marry their relations, unless tliey are more distant than eight generations ; and that the Mahometan w^omen study to embellish themselves by all tlie arts in use amongst our European ladies, — false hair, paint, rich clothes, often to the ruin of their husbands and families." The Koran inveighs strongly against adultery, and orders that a husband who accuses his wife of that crime, and does not prove it, shall be bastinadoed. "When there are no proofs nor witnesses, the husband swears five times that what he alleges is true, and to the last oath adds a curse, wishing he may be cursed by God and men if he lies : on the other side, the woman is believed if she also swears five times, and adds to the last oath a prayer, desiring God to destroy her if her husband speaks truth. However, if the adultery be fully proved, the husband has her life in his power, and, if revengeful, puts her in a sack full of stones and drowns her. But then, Tournefort adds, that " they are so cautious in their amours, that few die in the water : and if the husband spares their lives, they are happier than before, because she is obliged to marry her gallant, who, if a Christian, must embrace Mahomctanism or die." As to the adulterer, he is often condemned to ride an ass, ^vith his face towards the tail, whicli he holds as a bridle. He is crowned with tripe and guts, and has a neckcloth of the same, and at last is bastinadoed upon the reins and the soles of his feet. We must not omit the curious particularities related by Ricault, when the princesses of the Ottoman empire are married to some great and powerful man : this pretended honour is the eifect of the jealousy which OF THE MAHOMETANS. 10/ the emperors of Turkey conceive of their power, and is generally the forerunner of their ruin. " Wlicn the Grand Seignior is appreliensive of the great power of a bashaw, he makes him marry one of his sisters, or relations, imder pretence of conferring upon him a greater honour ; but instead of being greater, he becomes the most abject slave to the pride and tyranny of a woman, who treats him like a footman : yet he dares not refuse, nor seem to undervalue this token of his master's favour : he must resolve to devote himself wholly to her, and renounce all his other wives or slaves, who might lay claim to any part of his love : if he has already an amiable wife, and children by her, who engages his most tender affec- tion, he is obliged to turn her out of his house, and also every other person who might be displeasing to this Sultana, although unknown to him. If, before tlie wedding, she sends to ask of him money, jewels, or rich furs, he must send them to her with an expression of pleasure and thanks ; tliis is called AfjhirUc. lie is moreover obliged to settle upon her what dowry the match-makers are pleased to appoint. This dowry or calin being stipulated before a judge, he is led by a black eunuch to the Sultana's chamber, to give her thanks. When he enters the room, she draws her dagger, and haughtily demands, who made him so bold as to approach her ? He answers with a profound respect, and shows to her the Emmery/ Vachchah^ or the Grand Seignior's order for the wedding. She then rises, receives him with mildness, and allows him to entertain her with more famiharity ; then a eunuch takes his slippers, and places them at the door, as a token of his meeting with a kind reception. A few minutes after, the bashaw makes a low bow down to the ground, and drawing back, makes a speech, to testify how happy he thinks himself for the honour she intends to confer upon him. This being over, he stands silent, iii a humble posture, with his hands across his breast, till she orders him to bring her some water. He obeys readily, and kneeling, presents to her a water-cup pre- pared for that ceremony : she raises a red veil embroidered with gold and silver flowers, which covered her face, and drinks: her women immediately bring in a low table, on which are set two roasted pigeons, and some can- died sugar on a plate, or a plate of sweetmeats. The gallant desires her to eat, which she refuses till he has made her some rich present. This calms her anger, overcomes her modesty ; she sits down to the table, graciously receives from his hand the leg of a pigeon, and having eaten some, puts into his mouth a piece of sugar, then lises, and goes back to lier i^lace : all the company withdraw, and leave the newly-married couple alone for the space of an hour, that he may freely converse with her. Then his friends come with instruments of music playing ; they invite him to come to the ante-chamber, where he spends the night with them in drinking and diversion : the Sultana does the same in her room with lier ladies. At last, the prine(>ss being tired, goes at break of day to lie down in a bed exquisitely rich, well perfumed, and every way fit for the ceremony. A eunuch gives notice to her husband by a sign, and introduces him without noise into the bed-chamber. He puts off his upper garments, kneels for some time at the feet of the bed, then growing bolder, raises softly the covering, softly touches and kisses the feet of the princess, and slides into her arms. In the morning, his friends come again to conduct him to the bath, and his spouse presents him with all the linen requisite in that place. 108 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. After tliis, the}' live more familiarly within doors ; but in public, she is more reserved, and shows her superiority. She wears a changiar or dagger by her side, and requires of him so many presents, that sooner or later she empties his coffers." Mahomet, in order to hinder his followers from putting their wives away too often, expressly forbids the taking of them again, after a third jy.^ repudiation, unless they have been married and repudiated by another man. This, they say, has had so good an effect, that very few jMahometans are divorced from their wives, and the number of those who take them again is still less. The third divorce is called Ouch-talac ; which Bespier explains three, or the third separation ; of which the Turks have three different sorts made before the Cadi, and registered by him. By the first, the husband and wife are parted from bed and board ; she receiving from him a main- tenance. The second is a total separation of body and goods ; the husband must then give her the stipulated dowry ; after which, she has no claim to his person or goods, and may marry another, three lunar months after the divorce, for fear she should be with child ; in which case, she cannot marry, and may even remain in her husband's house, and be main- tained at his cost till she be delivered. The Ouch-talac is the most solemn divorce, but not practised by the Persians. The women do not enjoy the same privilege of parting with their liusbands, unless for want of necessaries, as rice, coffee, wood, money to go to the bagnio, flax to spin their clothes, which the law supposes they are industrious enough to make. Children come next under our consideration, as being the fruits of matrimony. They become members of Mahometanisni by circumcision, which they derive from the Ishmaelites, who, as well as the Jews, are descended from Abraham, to whom God gave a particular command for the performance of it. The Turks do not circumcise their children till they are full seven years old ; and when they are beyond that age, they do it when they think fit. Chardin assures us, that the Persians perform this ceremony when the boys are five or six years old ; but the Mahometan doctors say, it should be done according to the rules, at thirteen, because Ishmael was circum- cised at that age ; or at nine, because children begin then to discern good from evil. However, this is not performed in the same manner as by the Jews ; it is done by a surgeon, not by a priest : God ordained it as a sign or seal of the justice obtained by faith. The day of circumcision is a day of joy for all the relations of the child. He is carried on horseback, with kettle-drums and tabors sounding, dressed in his best attire, followed by his school-com])anions, who pronounce aloud some passages of the Koran. Being brought home, he is directed to re- peat the profession of faith, " There is no other God but God," &c., hold- ing up one finger, and then he is circumcised. When a grown-up person embraces Mahometanism, he is led on horse- back, carrying in his left hand a dart, with the point turned towards his heart, to testify that he will rather suffer himself to be pierced through the heart than renounce his new religion ; but Tournefort says, they only make their new converts lift uj) a finger, probably out of OF THE MAHOMETANS. }()9 contempt for those persons wlio leave tlie religion in which they were brought up. Boys have a name given them on the day of their circumcision, but this custom is also subject to some variations. Tournefort says, the father gives what name he pleases to his child as soon as it is bom, hold- ing him in his arms, and lifting him up to offer it to God ; after which, he puts salt into his mouth, and gives him a name with a blessing. Super- stition creeps in ; for in Persia, several names taken out of the Koran are huddled together, one of which, drawn by an infant, is given to the child. Some Mahometans do not look upon circumcision as an indispensable act of religion, nor is it necessary to salvation ; whilst others think that this ceremony confers inward faith, and that God will not hear the prayers of an uncircumcised man. Some Mussulmans are of opinion that the cir- cumcision of the father has an influence on his children, and that it con- tributes to their salvation. We shall conclude this subject with a few remarks on the birth and education of children. When the children of princes and great lords are born, the moment of their birth is kept very secret, in order to avoid all charms and witchcraft, and to prevent astrologers from casting their nati- vity, and foretelling sinistar events. The Mahometans, like other nations, admit of adopted children ; and it is very common amongst the Turks. The manner of doing it, is to make the adopted person put on and go through the shirt of the person who adopts him. This adoption is called Akhrat. Next to the chief points of religion, beauty and strength of body are in the greatest estimation with Mussulmans, who are persuaded a deformed body can but cover a base soul. The Indians even pretend that such bodies are prisons, into which souls are cast for great crimes com- mitted in a former life. The mourning for the dead begins with such loud cries and lamenta- tions made by the women, that the death soon becomes published to tlie most distant neighbours. The custom of making loud cries Funeral cere- ^ . lamentations for departed friends— of rolling in monies. , , -^ . , ,,» -ii i o • the dust, or covermg one s self with ashes, &c., is very an- cient in the East ; nor is it much altered amongst the modern inhabitants of those countries. Thevenot informs us, that these Turkish women give over crying when there are no witnesses of tlicir tears, being hired for that purpose, which lasts several days, and is renewed at the end of the year. Previously to the burial, the corpse is washed and shaved, frankincense is burnt about it, to expel the devil and other evil spirits, which, as the Mahometans and several other nations believe, rove about the dead, no less than about the living. This ceremony being over, the body is put into a burial-dress without a seam, that it may, as they pretend, kneel with less difiiculty w^licn it is to be examined in the grave. The coffin is covered with a pall, preceded by imans, who pray, and followed by the re- lations and friends of the deceased, with the women, wdio lament and shed tears. At the grave the corpse is taken out of the coffin, and put into the ground. The women stay there to cry. The difference betwixt the graves of the Turks and of the Christians in those countries consists in a board, which the Turks put over the corpse 110 KF.LIOIOUS TENETS, ETf. slanting, so that one end of it touches the bottom of the grave, and the other leans against the top of the grave. But neither the Turks nor the Christians of the East bury their dead in coiSins. Moreover, the Turks place a stone at tlie head of the corpse, for the convenience of the angels who are to examine the deceased. This civility which is paid to them will, as the Maliometans superstitiously believe, make them more indulgent. The palls are different, and the tombs variously adorned, according to the condition and state of life of the deceased, soldiers or churchmen, rich or poor. The buryino^-places of the Mahometans are by the high-road, " in order," as Thevcnot says, " to put travellers in mind to offer their prayers to God for the dead, and to obtain his blessing." For which reason, those who build a bridge, or some other public fabric, from an act of charity, are likewise buried in or near them. The large stones which are erected in the church-yards are so numerous, that a town might be built with them. After the funeral, the relations and friends of the deceased come several days sucessively to pray on his tomb, beseeching God to rescue him from the torments inflicted by the black angels ; and calling the deceased by his name, they say to him. Fear not^ hut answer them bravely. On the Friday following, victuals and drink are brought to the grave, of which whoever passes by may freely partake." The Persian Mahometans have a strange notion, that the angel who presides at the birth of children mixes some earth with the matter of which they are made, and introduces it into the mother's womb at the instant of the conception ; whence they conclude, that every one must endeavour to die in the same place from which the angel took that earth. They have a more rational custom, grounded on principles of humanity ; which is, that whoever meets a funeral must accompany the corpse, and even help to carry it, if their help be wanted. The same Persians have retained in their mournings the old ceremony of tearing their clothes to testify their grief ; and, what is much more commendable, they give alms during seven days. But, for the satisfaction of our readers, we shall present them with an abstract of the account which Cliardin gives of the customs of the Persian Mahometans from the death of the sick person to the end of the mourning for him. " At the first signs of an approaching death, small lamps are lighted on the terrace or flat roof of the house : this puts the neighbours and passengers in mind to pray for the sick person. Mol/as, or priests, are sent for ; they preach repentance to him, mentioning all the sins of which he may have been guilty. He answers Tube, that is, / repent, to each sin that is men- tioned ; and when he has lost his speech, the Koran is read by his bed- side, till he gives up the ghost. This is soon notified to the whole neigh- bourhood by excessive outcries and lamentations. The relations and other friends rend their clothes from the neck to the girdle, tear off their hair, scratch their faces, strike their breasts, and manifest every sign of sorrow and despair ; but the women exceed all bounds of moderation in their grief, not without a mixture of long complaints, tender and moving speeches, addressed to the deceased. " The cazy, or judge, is now acquainted with the death. They inform his porter, swr/^ a 07ie is dead; he answers, 'May your head be sound; and then goes to the judge to get from him a sealed piece of paper, ]>y OP THE MAHOMETANS. Ill wliich lie gives permission to have the body washed. The permission costs nothing ; bnt the porter who delivers it lias some perquisite, greater or smaller according to the rank and abilities of those who desire it. This paper is carried to the tnordichonr^ or body-washer, which is an office he alone, or tliose Avhom he appoints, can perform, in order that the nun^bcr of the dead may be known, and the particular distemper of which they died. The said mordichonr sends men to wash the corpses of men, and women to wash the corpses of women. The washer takes off the clothes from the corpse, they being his perquisites, for no one can touch a dead person without being deliled, and he carries it to the washing-place. There are such places in every town, situated in a retired and covered part of it. Ispahan, for instance, being divided into two parts, has two mordichours ; and, amongst other washing-places, there is a very large one in a back court of tlie Old Mosque, twenty steps under ground. Tliis is done only to the poor, for the rich are washed at home in a basin covered with a tent, lest any one should see the corpse. When it is washed, all the openings are stopped up closely with cotton, to keep in the foul humours, which might defile it. " This being over, the body is put into a new linen cloth, on which those who can afford it cause some passages of their holy books to be written. Some contain the Youcheti, a book concerning the attributes of Cod, to the number of a thousand and one ; which odd reckoning is to show the infinite peifections of God, which are not to be comprehended by a thousand ideas, more than by one. The linen about the corpse of Saroutaky, a eunuch grand vizier, who was murdered in the reign of Abas II., contained the whole Koran, written vrith holy earth steeped in water and gum. They call lioly earth, that of those places of Arabia which the Mahometans look upon as consecrated by the bodies of the saints who died there. " In this condition, the corpse is placed in a remote part of the houce ; and if it is to be carried to some distant burying-place, they put it in a wooden coffin, filled with salt, lime, and perfumes, to preserve it. No other embalming is used in the East. They do not take out the bowels, a practice apparently to them uncleanly and wicked. Persia being a hot, dry countrj^ the bodies are soon put into their coffins, otherwise it would not be possible to accomplish it, because they swell immoderately in eight or ten hours. The funerals are not accompanied in the East with much pomp. A tnolla comes with tlie coffin of the next mosque, an ill-contrived, rough, unhewn, and ill-jointed box, made up of three boards, with a cover which turns by a peg ; the corpse is put into it, and, if the deceased were poor, carried off without any further ceremony ; only the bearers go with it, very fast, and almost running, and pronouncing slowly the words AUa^ ^AUa ! that is, God, God. " At the funeral of a person of quality, or one who is rich, the ensigns or banners of the mosque are carried before the corpse : they are long pikes of different sorts ; some have at the end a hand of brass or copper, which is called the hand of Ali; others a half-moon ; others the names of Ma- homet, of his daughters, and of his twelve first lawful successors, done in cipliers ; the latter are called Tcharde MGi^.'ith a brown gown or one of a pale colour; in fasting for eight days, as if they were resolved to live no longer. Other friends send or come themselves to comfort the mourners. On the ninth day, the men go to the bagnio, have their head and beard shaved, put on new clothes, return their visits, and the mourning ceases abroad ; but at home the cries are renewed now and then, twice or thrice a week, chiefly at the hour of the death. These cries diminish gradually till the fortieth day ; after which, no further' mention is made of the deceased. The women are not so easily comforted, for the state of widowhood is generally for life in the East. " The motives of consolation alleged in Persia on the death of friends and relations are rational, and grounded on solid philosophy. They com- pare this life to a caravan, or a company of travellers ; all come at last to the caravansary or inn ; yet some arrive sooner, some later." Friday is kept holy by Mahometans, as the Saturday is by the Jews, and Sunday by the Christians ; either upon account of the entry of Ma- „ , homet into ]Medina, or because God completed the creation Festivals. . . • on that day, or rather out of policy ; this being the day on which the ancient Arabians held their public and solemn meetings. Whatever may have been the cause of the sanctification of that day, it is certain that Mahomet always kept it holy; for, as Abulpharage observes, the real motive of establishing festivals was in order, by public assemblies, to render the people more united, and to have some rest from their labours. The Mahometans are, however, very profuse in their praises on that day, which they call the " chief and most excellent of all days," for on it it is supposed that the last judgment will take place. Their months are twelve, alternately of thirty and twenty-nine days, in all 354 : according to which computation, their year is eleven days shorter than ours ; which inconvenience is remedied by adding a month I 114 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. at proper periods. We shall here observe, that by the most exact com- putation, the Mahometan Hejira began July the 16th, in the year of Christ 622. The names of the months are, 1. Moharram. 2. Saphar. 3. Rabia the First. 4. A Second Rabia. 5. Sjumada the First. 6. A Second Sjumada. 7- Resjeb. 8. Siaban. 9. Rhamadan. 10. Sjewal. 11. Dulkadha. 12. Dsulkassja, or Dulhaggia. Four of them, viz., Moharram, Resjeb, Dulkadha, and Dulhaggia, were looked upon as sacred by the ancient Arabians. No war nor hosti- lity w^as lawful, if begun or carried on in these months ; and the majority of the Arabian tribes observed this law so punctually, that even the murderer of their father or brother was not to be punished, nor any violence ofFered to him, at that time. Dulhaggia was sanctified by the pilgrimage of Mecca, Dulkadha as a preparation to it, and Moharram as coming from it ; Resjeb was held still in greater veneration, being kept as a fast by the Arabian idolaters, who, on the contrary, spent the month Rhamadan in debauchery and drunkenness. Mahomet seems to approve of this institution of the sacred months in his Koran, in which he blames those Arabians who, being tired with living so long without robbing, deferred of their own authority the sanctification of Moharram to the month following. To defeat the artful proceedings of these men, he enforces the keeping of the said three months, except in case of a war against infidels. The first Feast of which we shall take notice is the Moon, of the month Sjewal, because the Bairam celebrated in that month has some afiinity with our new year, by the good wishes and congratulations the^Moon*" then in use with the Mahometans. This Bairam follows the Rhamadan Fast, as Easter does that of Lent, and the Mussulmans begin it by a solemn and general reconciliation, as our Easter is remarkable by the Paschal Communion. They have two Bairams, the greater one, which we are now describing, and the less, which takes place seventy days afterwards, viz., on the 10th of Dulhaggia. The latter is called the Feast of Sacrifices, on account of tlie victims oiFered during the pilgrimage of Mecca. The Bairam is published at tlie first sight of the moon of Sjewal, or, if the weather be so cloudy that the moon cannot be seen, as expected, the feast begins on the following day ; for in that case, they suppose the moon is changed. Amongst the numerous diversions then in use, seats are set in the streets, and contrived in such a manner that those who sit in them may swing in the air, accordingly as they are pushed faster or slower. These seats are adorned with several festoons. They have also wheels, on which people are alternately at the top, middle, and* bottom. Tlie night betwixt tlie 4th and 5th day of Resjeb is solemnized, on account of the Rhamadan Fast, though it happens two whole months afterwards. The night from the 26th to the 27th of the second Rabia is sacred, because Mahomet went then to heaven upon the Borak, in the same manner as the birth of the Prophet has occasioned the keeping holy the night of the eleventh to the twelfth of Rabia the First. The Rhamadan is, according to travellers, a mixture of devotion and de- bauchery. It Ix^gins with a kind of carnival, which Thevenot, who was an eye-witness, describes in the following words : — " The 12th of June, 1657, was the Turks' carnival, or beginning of their fast. It is culled OP THE MAHOMETANS. 115 Laylet el Koumt, that is, the Ni^ht of Poteer, because the Mahometans believe that the Koran then came down from heaven. After sunset, lamps are lighted in all the streets, chiefly in that called Bazaar, a long, broad, and straight street, through which the procession marches. Ropes are hung every ten steps, to which are tied iron hoops and baskets, each liolding several lamps, thirty at the least. All these being in a direct line, furnish a fine prospect, and give a great light. Besides these several figures, the towers or minarets of the mosques are likewise illuminated. An infinite number of people crowd the streets, and with the Santons, &c., who make part of the ceremony, repair to the Cadilesquer, who informs them whether the Ramesan is to be kept that evening. Being informed that the moon has been seen, and that this is the night appointed for the solemnity, about two hours in the night, the Santons on foot, and armed with clubs, begin the march, each of them holding a taper in his hand, accompanied with other men carrying cresset-lights. They dance, sing, bawl, and howl ; in the midst of them Scheik-el-Arsat, that is, ' the Prince of the Cornutos,* rides upon a mule ; as he passes them, the people make loud acclamations. After him several men come upon camels, with drums, kettle-drums, &c., followed by others in masquerade-dress, on foot, carrying cresset-lights, or long poles, at the end of which are large iron hoops filled with squibs and fireworks, which are thrown amongst the mob. Next to these the men of the beys proceed on horseback, with their hand-guns, &c. ; and the procession is closed by other Santons, who celebrate by their songs the beginning of Ramesan. The whole assembly is composed of scoundrels met together, yet it is on the whole comical and diverting." Their fast continues the whole moon, and whilst it lasts, eat- ing, drinking, even smoking, and putting anything into their mouths, is absolutely forbidden from sunrise to sunset ; but in recompense, they are allowed, during the whole of the night, to eat and drink whatever they please without any restraint, with the exception of wine. Formerly, the law punished those who were convicted of drinking wine, by pouring melted lead into their throats. The Persians have three feasts peculiar to themselves, viz., the next day after their Lent, the sacrifice of Abraham, and the martyrdom of the children of their great prophet Ali. To these religious festivals, a fourth must be added, which is a civil ceremony, at the beginning of the new year, and usually lasts three days ; but at court it is kept eight days successively. On the first day of the month Zilaje (Dulhaggia), at the moment of the sun's entering into Aries, this festival is proclaimed. It is called the Royal or Imperial New Year, to distinguish it from the real new year, which the Persians begin on the day of Mahomet's flight from Mecca. Cliardin gives a full account of this feast ; but we shall merely notice, that it had grown into disuse for many years, but was re-established from a principle of policy or superstition, or from the interested views of some astronomers, who were very powerful at court, and who pretended that the beginning of a solar year was a better omen than that of a lunar year, especially considering that the first ten days of it, and of the month Moharram, are days of mourning, in memory of the martyrdom of Ali's children. This last-mentioned solemnity is better known by the name of Hussein, i2 J]6 RELIGIOUS TENETS, ETC. or Hossein's Feast. He was son of Ali and of Fatima, daughter to . Mahomet, and was killed in a battle, which he lost, disput- Hussem s Feast. .^^ ^^^^ ^^^ dignity of Khalif. Hassein, his brother, lost his life with him. The death of these Mahometan prophets, or heroes, is still mourned for, where some are seen half-naked, and daubed over with blood, in memory of their tragical end ; others black their faces and loll out their tongue, with convulsive motions of the body and rolling their eyes, because these two brothers, as the Persian legend relates, suffered so much by drought that they became black, and their tongues came out of their mouths. In the intervals of those pious contortions, they call aloud with all their might, Hussein ! Hassein ! Hassein ! Hussein ! The present state and extent of the Mahometan religion is most amply delineated by Mr. Mills, in the last chapter of his excellent book ; in which he traces it through the extensive regions of Tartary ; the vast empire of China ; the various districts of Hin- doostan ; from the southernmost point of which this religion is traced through the Eastern islands ; along the coasts of the Malayan peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Manillas, and the Celebezean islands. The little isle of Goram, one of the Spice islands (betvreen Coram and Papua), is the eastern boundary of the JVIahometan world. The sword of the Mahometans has for ages ceased to alarm the world, and the fire of their fanaticism has been spent ; but their religion has suffered no visible diminution of followers : for although the Christians liave triumphed over the Moors in Spain, and checked the advancement of Islamism in Siberia, yet in the middle and lower Asia, and also in Africa, the professors of the Moslems' creed have gradually increased. It is impossible to estimate, with any approach to accuracy, the number either of Mussulmans or of Christians ; but, considering for a moment the subject of religion in a geographical sense, it may be generally remarked, that as Christianity has unlimited influence in Europe, so Islamism is the dominant religion in Asia ; and that, as the Christian faith has considerable weight in America, Mahometanism has its proportionate sway in Africa. PART III. RELIGIOUS TENETS, CEREMONIES, AND CUSTOMS OF THE GREEK AND ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES. CHAPTER L— GREEK CHURCH. SECT. I. — GREEK CHURCH PROPER. The Greek Church may be considered, in regard to its antiquity, as coeval with the Roman or Latin Church ; and for the first eight centuries, the two churches were assimilated, not only in regard to coe^irt-Uh"the *^^® peculiar doctrines of their faith, but also to their Latin Church. acknowledgment of the supremacy of the Roman pontiff. The schism of these two churches is a most memorable epoch in ecclesiastical history, as it forms the most distinguishing picture of the two religions at the present day. The members of the Greek or eastern church, as contra-distinguished to the Roman or western church, are to be found in various parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and are again subdivided into three distinct classes : — 1st, those who agree on all points of worship and doctrine with the patriarch of Constantinople, and reject the supremacy of the Roman pontiff; 2d, those who adopt the doctrines and ceremonies of the Greek church, and are entirely independent of the patriarch of Constantinople ; and 3d, those who are still subject to the see of Rome, though not conforming in all points to the worship of that church. The Greek church is considered as a separation from the Latin. In the middle of the ninth century, the controversy relating to the procession of the Holy Ghost (which had been started in the sixth latioiror^ ^^^^" century) became a point of great importance, on account of the jealousy and ambition which at that time were blended with it. Photius, the patriarch of Jerusalem, having been advanced to that see in the room of Ignatius, whom he procured to be deposed, was solemnly excommunicated by Pope Nicholas, in a council held at Rome, and his ordination declared null and void. The Greek emperor resented this conduct of the pope, who defended himself with great spirit and resolution. Photius, in his turn, convened what he called an oecumenical council, in which he pronounced sentence of excommunication and depo- sition against the pope, and got it subscribed by twenty-one bishops and others, amounting in number to a tliousand. This occasioned a wide breach between tlie sees of Rome and Constantir.oplo. However, the death of the Emperor Michael, and the deposition of Photius subsequent ]18 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. thereupon, seem to have restored peace ; for the Emperor Basil held a council at Constantinople, in the year 869, in which entire satisfaction was given to Pope Adrian : but the schism was only smothered and sup- pressed for a while. The Greek church had several complaints against the Latin ; particularly it was thought a great hardship for the Greeks to subscribe to the definition of a council according to the Roman form, prescribed by the pope, since it made the church of Constantinople dependent on that of Rome, and set the pope above an oecumenical council : but, above all, the pride and haughtiness of the Roman court gave the Greeks a great distaste ; and, as their deportment seemed to insult his Imperial Majesty, it entirely alienated the affections of the Emperor Basil. Towards the middle of the eleventh century, Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople, opposed the Latins with respect to their making use of unleavened bread in the eucharist, their observation of the sabbath, and fasting on Saturdays, charging them with living in communion with the Jews. To tliis Pope Leo IX. replied ; and, in his apology for the Latins, declaimed very warmly against the false doctrine of the Greeks, and interposed, at the same time, the authority of his see. He likewise, by his legates, excommunicated the patriarch in the church of Santa Sophia, which gave the last shock to the reconciliation attempted a long time after, but to no purpose ; for from that time the hatred of the Greeks to the Latins, and of the Latins to the Greeks, became insuperable, insomuch that they have continued ever since separated from each other''s communion*. As the numerous sects which are now subsisting in the Levant are of Greek origin, and as their principles and ceremonies, except in some few particular points, are nearly the same, it will be necessary Greek church. *^ *^^^^ ^" ^^^^ religion of the Greeks (properly so called), before we descend to the different branches that have issued from it. The Greek church, which is now dependent on the patriarch of Con- stantinople, was not formerly so extensive as it has been since the emperors of the East thought proper to lessen or reduce the other patriarchates, in order to aggrandize that of Constantinople; a task which they accomplished with the greater ease, as they were much more power- ful than the emperors of the West, and had little or no regard to the consent of the patriarchs, in order to create new bishoprics, or to confer new titles and privileges. Whereas, in the western church, the popes, by slow degrees, made themselves the sole arbiters in all ecclesiastical concerns ; insomuch that princes themselves at length became obliged to have recourse to them, and were subservient to their directions, on every momentous occasion. There are several catalogues or lists now extant of the churches which are dependent on that of Constantinople ; but as most of them are very ancient, and do not sufficiently illustrate the vast extent of wdiich that church at present boasts, we shall not quote any of them in this place ; but merely state, that the number of metropolitans amounts to upwards of one hundred bishoprics. * Buck's Tbcolog. Die; art. Greek Church. GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 119 The Greek churches, at present, deserve not even the name of the shadow of what they were in their former flourishing state, when they were so re- markably distinguished for the learned and worthy pastors wlio presided over them ; but now nothing but wretchedness, ignorance, and poverty, are visible amongst them. " I have seen churches," says Ricaut, " which were more like caverns or sepulchres than places set apart for divine worship ; the tops thereof being almost level with the ground. They are erected after this humble manner for fear they should be suspected, if they raised them any considerable height, of an evil intention to rival the Turkish mosques." It is, indeed, very surprising that, in the abject state to which the Greeks at present are reduced, the Christian religion should maintain the least footing amongst them. Their notions of Christianity are principally confined to the traditions of their forefathers, and their own received customs ; and, among other things, they are much addicted to ex- ternal acts of piety and devotion, such as the observance of fiists, festivals, and penances : they revere and dread the censures of their clergy ; and are bigoted slaves to their religions customs, which have been irrefutably proved to be absurd and ridiculous ; and yet it must be acknowledged, that, although these errors reflect a considerable degree of scandal and re- proach upon the holy religion they profess, they nevertheless prevent it from being entirely lost and abolished amongst them. A fire which lies for a time concealed under a heap of embers, may revive and burn again as bright as ever ; and the same hope may be conceived of truth, when obscured by the dark clouds of ignorance and error." Tenets of the I- They rebaptize all those Latins who are admitted into Greek church. their communion. II. They do not baptize their children till they are three, four, five, six, ten, and even sometimes eighteen years of age. III. They exclude Confirmation and Extreme Unction out of the Seven Sacraments. lY. They deny there is any such place as Purgatory, notwithstanding they pray for the dead. V. They do not absolutely acknowledge the Pope's supremacy, nor that of the Church of Rome, which they look upon as fallen from her supremacy, because, as a Greek schismatic historian expresses himself, she had abandoned the doctrines of her- fathers. YI. They deny, by consequence, that the Church of Rome is the true Catholic ^Mother Church. They even prefer their own to that of Rome ; and on Holy Thursday excommunicate the pope and all the Latin prelates, as heretics and schismatics, praying that all those who offer up unleavened bread in the celebration of the Sacrament may be covered with confusion. YII. They deny that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. YIII. They refuse to worship the Host consecrated by Latin priests with unleavened bread, according to the ancient custom of the Church of Rome, confirmed by the Council of Florence. They likewise wash the altars on which the Latins have celebrated mass ; and will not suff'er a Latin priest to officiate at their altars, pretending that the sacrifice ought to be performed with leavened bread. IX. They assert that the usual form of words, wherein the Consecra- 120 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. tion, according to the Latins, -wholly consists, is not sufficient to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, without the use of some additional prayers and benedictions of the fathers. X. They insist that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ought to be administered in both kinds to infants, even before they are capable of dis- tinguishing this spiritual food from any other, because it is a divine insti- tution. For which reason they give the Sacrament to infants immediately after baptism, and look upon the Latins as heretics for not observing the same custom. XL They hold that the laity are under an indispensable obligation, by the law of God, to receive the Communion in both kinds, and look on the Latins as heretics who maintain the contrary. XII. They assert that no members of the Church, when they have attained to years of discretion, ought to be compelled to receive the Com- munion every Easter, but should have free liberty to act according to the dictates of their own conscience. XIII. They show no respect, no religious homage, nor veneration for the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, even at the celebration of their own priests ; and use no lighted tapers when they administer it to the sick. Moreover, they keep it in a little bag or box, without any farther cere- mony than fixing it to the wall, where they light up lamps before their images. XI Y. They are of opinion that such Hosts as are consecrated on Holy Thursday are much more efficacious than those consecrated at other times. XY. They maintain that the Sacrament of Matrimony is a union which may be dissolved. For which reason, they charge the Church of Rome with being guilty of an error, in asserting that the bonds of marriage can never be broken, even in case of adultery, and that no person upon any provocation whatsoever can lawfully marry again. But the Greeks preach up a wholly different doctrine, and practise it daily. XYI. They condemn all fourth marriages. XYII. They refuse to celebrate the solemnities instituted by the church and the primitive Fathers, in honour of the Yirgin Mary and the Apostles ; and, independently of their different manner of celebrating them, they wholly neglect and despise the observance of several Saints' days which are of ancient institution. They reject likewise the religious use of graven images and statues, although they admit of pictures in their churches. XYIII. They insist that the canon of the mass of the Latins ought to be abolished, as being fuH of errors. XIX. They deny that usury is a mortal sin. XX. They deny that the subdeaconry is at present a holy order. XXL Of all the general councils that have been held in the Catholic Church by the popes at different times, they pay no regard to any after the sixth, and reject not only the seventh, which was the second held at Nice, for the express purpose of condemning those who rejected the use of images in their divine worship, but all those which have succeeded it, by which they refuse to submit to any of their institutions. XXII. They deny auricular confession to be a divine precept, and pre- tend it is on)y a positive injunction of the Church. GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 121 XXIII. They insist that the confession of the hiity ought to be free and voluntary ; foi' which reason they are not compelled to confess them- selves annually, nor are they excommunicated for the neglect of it. XXIY. They insist that in confession there is no divine law which en- joins the acknowledgment of every individual sin, or a discovery of all the circumstances that attend it, which alter its nature and property. XXV. They administer the sacrament to their laity both in sickness and in health, though they have never applied themselves to their confessors ; and tlie reason of which is, that they are persuaded all confessions should be free and voluntary, and that a lively faith is all the preparation that is requisite for the worthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. XXVI. They look down witli an eye of disdain on the Latins for their observance of the vigils before the nativity of our Blessed Saviour, and the festivals of the Virgin Mary and the Apostles, as well as for their fasting in Ember- week. They even affect to eat meat more plentifully at those times than at any other, to testify their contempt of the Latin customs. They pro- hibit likewise all fasting on Saturdays, that preceding Eastef only excepted. XXVII. They condemn the Latins as heretics, for eating such things as have been strangled, and such other meats as are prohibited in the Old Testament. XXVIII. They deny that simple fornication is a mortal sin. XXIX. They insist that it is lawful to deceive an enemy, and that it is no sin to injure and oppress him. XXX. Tliey are of opinion that, in order to be saved, there is no neces- sity to make restitution of such goods as have been stolen or fraudulently obtained. XXXr. To conclude: they hold that such as have been admitted into holy orders may become laymen at pleasure. From whence it plainly ap- pears that they do not allow the character of the priesthood to be inde- lible. To which it may be added, that they approve of the marriage of their priests, provided they enter into that state before their admission into holy orders, though they are never indulged in that respect after their ordination. The Patriarch of Constantinople assumes the honourable title of Universal or (Ecumenical Patriarch. As he purchases his commission of the Grand Seignior, it may be easily supposed that Patriarch of j^^ makes a tyrannical and simoniacal use of a privilege inop e. ^^,jjj^,|^ i^Q holds himself by simony. The Patriarch and bishops are always single men ; but the priests are indulged in marriage before ordination ; and this custom, which is generally practised all over the Levant, is very ancient. Should a priest happen to marry after ordi- nation, he can officiate no longer as priest, which is conformable to the injunctions of the council of Neoccsarea ; the marriage, however, is not looked upon as invalid ; whereas, in the Latin church, such marriages are pronounced void and of no effect, because the priesthood is looked upon as a lawful bar or impediment. Their Pajypas^ or secular priests, not having any settled and competent livings, are obliged to subsist by simoniacal practices. " The clergy," says Ricaut, " are almost compelled to sell those divine mysteries Priests^^^^ ^^ which are intrusted to their care. No one, therefore, can procure absolution, be admitted to confession, have his chil- 122 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. dren baptized, be married or divorced, or obtain an excommnnication against his adversary, or the communion in time of sickness, vv^ithout first paying down a valuable consideration. The priests make the best market they can, and fix a price on their spiritual commodities in proportion to the devotion or abilities of their respective customers ;" added to which, they are so avaricious and rigid with their parishioners, that they will scarcely part with a single drop of holy water without being paid for it beforehand. The Greek church has no established fund for the maintenance of their clergy ; they subsist therefore by the levying of some certain duties, and by the charity and benevolence of well-disposed Christians. Each parish is obliged to maintain its own curate. Every house is assessed at a certain annual sum, which must be paid in money or efi'ects. Each diocese is likewise taxed for the more honourable support of its bishop, &c. ; but the avarice and illegal practices of the collectors countenance and encourage the petty shifts and evasions which are daily practised to elude them. Re- garding the charity of the people, it is so very cold and languid, that it seems almost a sufficient plea for the simoniacal practices of the clergy. A monastic life is held in great veneration among the Greeks ; and Monastic life ^^tliougli there are monks of different orders among them, held in great yet all of them ow^e their origin to St. Basil, who was the veneration. g^jg founder of the monastic state. The two principal are styled the Grand and Angelical Hahit^ and the Lesser Hahit. Those belonging to the former are persons of worth and distinction, and who prefer to lead a more righteous life Ordcrs^'^* than the rest. Monks of the Lesser Habit are inferior persons, wh^o do not pretend to lead such sanctified lives. The latter live uncontrolled, and are left to their own discretion ; for which reason, before they take up the habit, they deposit a certain sum of money for a cell or small apartment, and other accommodations, belonging to the convent. The procurator or steward, indeed, supplies them with bread and wine, in the same manner as the rest ; but in every other respect they provide for themselves ; and, being thus free from all the incumbrances of a convent, each one pursues his own particular afi'airs. There is a third order, who are known and distinguished by the name of Anchorets ; and, though they do not choose to work, nor to perform the other duties of the convent, they are still very desirous of passing their lives in solitude and retirement. They purchase, therefore, a cell, or a little commodious apartment exterior to the convent, with a small spot of ground contiguous to it, sufficient to maintain them ; and they never attend the convent but on solemn festivals, on which days they assist at the celebration of divine service. As soon as their public devotions are over, they return to their cells, and spend their time in the pursuit of their customary avocations, without being confined to any set time for their prayers, or other acts of private devotion. There are some of these anchorets, however, who retire altogether from the convent, with the licence and approbation of their abbot, in order to live still more retired, and to apply themselves more closely to prayer and contemplation. Having no grounds nor vineyards of their own to improve, the convent sends them, once at least, if not twice, a month, a stated allowance. Those, however, GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 123 who decline being dependent on, or pensioners to, the abbot, rent some small vineyards situate near their cells, and maintain themselves out of the profits and product of them. Some live upon figs, some upon cherries, and others upon sucli wholesome fruits of a similar nature which they can most commodiously procure. Some sow beans in their proper season ; and others earn their bread by transcribing books or manuscripts. Besides these monks, there are likewise nuns, who form themselves into communities. They are confined in convents, and live subject to the rule of St. Basil. They are in no degree inferior to the monks, with respect to their abstemious course of life, their penances, fasts, prayers, and other acts of devotion which are in general practised by recluses. These nuns in general wear the same habit, which is black, with a woollen gown of the same colour. Their arms and hands are covered to their very fingers' ends. Their heads are all shaved close ; and each of them has a separate residence, with a commodious room above and below. Those who are in good circumstances are allowed to keep a servant ; and sometimes they entertain young ladies in their society, and train tliem up in the practice of piety. After the customary duties are over, their leisure hours are advantageously spent in all manner of curious needlework. The fasts of the Greeks are quite different from those of the Latins ; for those of the latter are festival days when compared with the former ; inasmuch as they not only abstain from eating the flesh of animals, and their produce, such as butter and cheese ; but they eat no manner of fish, an,d content themselves with fruits and herbs, to which they put a drop or two of oil ; allowing themselves but a very small quantity of wine. The monks are still more rigorous ; for they never taste a drop of wine nor oil, except on Saturdays and Sundays. The Greek monks, according to Angelus, are obliged to fast three days, that is, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in every week. On which days, about two in the afternoon, they go to prayers ; after that, they take some small refreshment, which principally consists of a few beans, with a little broth, without either oil or butter, or some other relished roots, with a small quantity of vinegar. In the evening, they resume their prayers ; when service is over, they seat themselves round about the church, and the procurator distributes to each man a slice of bread and a glass of water. This indulgence, however, is shown only to the junior monks ; the seniors have no share in this distribution. After a short interval they return to their public devotions, which last about half an hour, and sometimes an hour. On going out of the church, they pass in review^ before their superior or principal, who stands at the church- door, and ask his blessing, which he gives to each of them in the following terms, God be propitious to thee^ my son ! After this benediction, each retires to his own cell, without speaking a single word upon any occasion. By their rule they are enjoined, after this, to spend a whole hour on their knees in private prayer. This exercise of devotion is followed by a very short repose ; for about midnight, or soon after, they rise again, and attend their public prayers, which are not over till break of day ; at which time every one withdraws to his particular avocations, till some short interval before dinner, which is spent again at church in public devotions. 124 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. As soon as dinner is served, tlie monks beg their abbot or superior's bless- ing, wlio stands at the upper end of the table. If any monk has had the misfortune to oversleep himself, and comes too late to church in the morning, as a penance for his indolence and neglect he is ordered to stand at the lower end of the table, and there repeat over and over, witli an audible voice, but M^ith a humble and contrite heart, these words. Have compassion, 0 Lord, on thj unicorthy servant, according to thy infinite goodness and mercy ! till the monks are risen from table, and are ready to go away. Then the penitent prostrates himself, with his face to the very gound, imploring forgiveness in this humble posture, and crying out. Oh ! holy fathers, pray for me, icho am a poor si? fid sluggard ! whereupon they vy'ith one voice reply, God forgive you, my brother ! After which they all depart, except the poor penitent, who stays behind and dines by him- self.^ None are exempted from this penance, from the highest to the lowest. The Moscovites, however, having neither wine nor oil, are indulged in eating flesh. They abstain from eating flesh, butter, and cheese, on Wed- nesdays and Fridays, but have the free use of fish. The Greeks and other Eastern nations censure the Latins very severely for fasting on Saturdays ; since that day, in their opinion, is a festival, as well as Sunday ; and this they endeavour to prove from their ancient canons, and the practice of the primitive Christians. In short, with respect to ceremonies, it may be said in general, that they observe a much greater number than any other Christian country whatsoever. The veneration which they pay to images is boundless and extravagant. Upon a solemn festival they plant the image of the saint to whom that day is devoted in the centre of the church ; which statue, or picture, is always an historical representation of some remarkable transaction which they then commemorate, as, for instance, the nativity, or resurrection of our Blessed Saviour : at which time every devotee then present salutes the image ; and this religious adoration is not performed by falling down on their knees, prostration, or any other particular gesticulations of the body ; but by barely kissing the image. If it happens to be a representation of our Blessed Lord, they kiss his feet, if of the Virgin Mary, they salute her hands ; and if it be only the image of some memorable saint, they approach him with more familiarity, and kiss his cheek. The supreme head of the Greek church is the Patriarch of Constanti- nople, whom they style the 13th Apostle ; and whose usual title, wdien he subscribes any letter or missive, is, " By the mercy of Head of til 0 Qofi Archhishop of Constantinople, the Neio Rome, and Greek church. /-r^ • i rT ■ 7 » r^.. • 1 « , . , ' Lbcumenicat Patriarch. The right of electing him is vested in the twelve bishops who reside nearest that famous capital ; but the right of confirming the election, and of enabling the new chosen patriarch to exercise his spiritual functions, belongs only to the Turkish emperor. A patriarch of Constantinople formerly paid but ten thousand crowns for his instalment; but subsequently the price was advanced to twenty-five thousand. Even fifty and sixty thousand have been given by diflPerent patriarchs. Independently of this charge, which is so exceedingly heavy, the ministers of state often exact other fees, so very enormous, that the patriarch becomes always encumbered with debts, and is forced to study incessantly new ways and means to satisfy the avarice of his creditors. If GREEK CHCRCn PROPER. 125 he once proves deficient in his payments, he is presently deposed. And these may be considered as the genuine causes of those revohitions which so frequently occur in the Greek church, and which tend to support the tyrannical power of the Turks in the election of the clergy. The revenues of the Patriarch of Constantinople are very precarious, and increase or decrease in value according to the degree of oppression which he suffers from the Turks, or to the character which he Revenues, j^.^^^^^j^ ^^^^^j,^^ ^^ ^^-^^^ ^ virtuous or a dishonest man. The following are the sources from which his revenues arise. As soon as the patriarcii is elected, he disposes of the vacant bishoprics and other bene- fices to the best purchaser ; and, independently of the advantage of these sales, each bishopric, benefice, living, and convent, within his jurisdiction, is assessed at a certain annual sum. Every priest in Constantinople pays him annually a crown. The bishops, following the laudable example of their patriarch, exact the utmost from those persons whom they admit into holy orders ; and the priests, again, obtain a supply for their pecu- niary necessities by the sale of the blessed Sacraments to the people. They likewise make them pay for their holy water, their consecrated bread, and the very seats in their churches. Several bishoprics are assessed after the rate of a thousand crowns per annum, and the convents in proportion. There are about one hundred and fifty bishops and archbishops who are dependent on the patriarcii ; and he receives a fee from every one whom he ordains in Constantinople, whether he be priest or deacon ; and those who are constituted bishops or archbishops make him a present in pro- portion to their quality. For every marriage that is solemnized in Con- stantinople, or within"^ the jurisdiction thereof, he has a crown. This per- quisite at one time amounted to a very considerable sum, on account of the vast number of Greeks who settled in Constantinople. The fee upon a second marriage is doubled ; and for the third and last he receives a triple gratuity, no fourth marriage being allowed, according to the tenets of the Greek church. One of the principal branches of the patriarch's revenues arises from particular patrimonies, or estates of inheritance. In case a priest dies without issue, the patriarch has a just claim to all his effects, as the spi- ritual father and common heir of the clergy ; and those Greeks ^yho die possessed of very large estates generally remember the patriarch in their wills, and leave him either lands, houses, or ready money. Once in three years he collects a penny per head of every parishioner in his patriarchate ; to which are added the contributions raised for him during Lent in the churches of Constantinople and Galata. Finally, the Czar of Muscovy himself makes him a very handsome present as a mark of his peculiar friendship and respect ; and, on the other hand, the Greeks testify an ex- traordinary regard for the Russian nation, on account of some particular prophecies, which intimate that the Russians will one day deliver the Greeks from the tyranny and oppression of the Turks. After the Patriarch of Constantinople, the richest is that of Jeru- salem, on account of the large sums of money arising from his profits ' Other Pa- by consecrated fires. The Patriarch of Antioch is the triarchs. poorest of them all. That of Alexandria is very power- ful, with respect to the ecclesiastical government ; and he makes him- 126 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. self formidable by the execution of his penal laws. He assumes the grand title of Jud^e of the whole World, as well as that of Pope. But what distinguishes him in a particular manner from the Patriarch of Constanti- nople is, the advantage which he enjoys of being less exposed to the avarice and resentments of the Turks. His election is carried on without those artifices and intrigues, which are practised in that of the former, and the votes of the electors are much more free. As to the revenues of the archbishops and bishops, they consist, in like manner, in the moneys arising from their respective ordinations. They Revenues ^^''^^e a fee of a crown upon all marriages ; and every house in of the other their particular diocese supplies them with a certain quantity Clergy. ^f com, fruits, wine, and oil. The priests live on the revenues of the churches, or on the voluntary bounty and benevolence of their parishioners, and their public collections on solemn festivals. Every time a priest says mass, either on a holyday or Sunday, each house pays him two-thirds of a farthing ; and, as a grateful acknowledgment, the priest on his part is obliged, before the sacrifice is ofi^ered up, to say a prayer, and beg of God to bless each of his benefactors for this small gratuity. It is, however, a custom amongst the Greeks to enjoy them- selves, and to have an elegant entertainment on all solemn festivals, at which the priests always attend, and give their blessing, as soon as the first course comes upon the table. This short religious service entitles them to some bread, meat, wine, and a small sum of money. As their whole main- tenance, however, depends upon the good circumstances and liberality of their parishioners, their income is very uncertain and precarious, which naturally tends to make them avaricious and anxious in mind, abject and submissive in their behaviour, and lukewarm in their devotion. If any religious services be required of them, wiiether it be absolution, confession, baptism, marriage, divorce, excommunication, or administration of the sacraments to the sick, the price of each individual service must be first settled and adjusted. The priests make the best bargain they possibly can, always proportioning their fees to the zeal and circumstances of the devotees wdth whom they hold this religious commerce. The patriarch is elected by the archbishops and bishops, by a majority of votes ; but this formality carries with it no weight nor importance, Election of without the consent and approbation of the Grand Seignior, the Patriarch. Before the election begins, it is customary to address the Grand Yizier for his licence and permission to proceed with it ; and this minister summons the archbishops, and inquires of them, whether they be fully determined to proceed to the election of a new patriarch. He repeats the question a second time, and grants his consent, together with the baratz. His highness then presents the patriarch w^ith a white horse, a black capuch, a crosier, and an embroidered caftan. In this ceremony, the Turk retains the ancient custom of the Grecian emperors. After this, the pa- triarch, attended by a long train of Turkish officers, his own clergy, and a great concourse of people, repairs to his patriarchal see with all imaginable pomp and solemnity. The principal archbishops, and the remainder of the clergy, with wax tapers in their hands, receive him at the church door; and tlie Bishop of Heraclea, as chief archbishop, having a right to conse- crate him, being dressed in his pontifical robes, takes the patriarch by the GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 127 hand, and conducts him to the throne. Previously to this ceremony, however, he makes a short harangue to the people, and informs them, that such a person has been elected patriarch by the general suffrage of the archbishops and bishops, according to the canons of the cliurch ; and then invites the patriarch to take possession of the important trust reposed in him, who with gravity professes to decline it, as not considering himself worthy of so great an honour : however, as it is conferred upon him by the will of Heaven, he submits at last to the decisions of the clergy. This ceremony being accomplished, he receives the cross, the mitre, and the other pontifical ornaments, from the hands of the Archbishop of Heraclea. He seats himself on his throne ; and the bishops, inferior clergy, and the populace, pay him the usual compliments, exclaiming. Ad multos annos, Domine. The celebration of the nuass, with the usual ceremonies observed on solemn festivals, immediately succeed, and close the ceremony. According to ancient custom, the patriarch, bishops, and other dignified clergy, ought to have none but monks for their ministers, and no secular Older of assistants. Before the conquest of Constantinople they were assistants. ecclesiastics, but at present they are all seculars, four only excepted ; and this arrangement augments, on the one hand, the revenues of the patriarch, and, on the other, gratifies the ambition of the seculars. The following are the several officers, ranged -in their proper order, in reo-ard to their respective functions, both ecclesiastical and civil : — At the patriarcirs right hand stands his grand ceconomist, or high steward, whose peculiar province it is to collect the revenues, and discharge the necessary disbursements, of the patriarchate. He delivers in his accounts twice a year, and assists at the patriarchal tribunal whenever the court sits. When a bishop dies, he likewise superintends the affairs of the vacant see, and has the first vote in every new election. The grand sacellarius, or high-master of the chapel, assists the patriarch in the administration of all his judicial affairs, and in the regular perform- ance of the several ceremonies enjoined by the clnirch. It is a part of his office, likewise, to present all candidates to be ordained ; and not only the monasteries of the monks, but the convents of the nuns, are subject to his inspection. The high treasurer, who is keeper of the sacred vessels and pontifical ornaments belonging to the church, stands at the door of the vestry, in which they are always deposited, and not only delivers out the proper habiliments to the officiating prelate, but takes care that every article be regularly placed upon the altar. When any bishopric is vacant, it is his province likewise to take care of the revenues belonging to it. The gra7ul official takes cognizance of all affairs relating to benefices, and the impediments which obstruct marriages: he likewise introduces all those priests who come to receive the Sacrament on solemn festivals. The grand logothetes^ or high chancellor. He is the speaker, has the patriarch's signet in his custody, and seals all his letters. The grand referendary despatches all the patriarch's orders, is his deputy to persons of distinction, and is one of the ecclesiastical judges. He was distinguished by the title of the Palatine in the time of the Greek emperors. T\\Q grand prothoHotary sits directly opposite to the patriarch, to tran- 128 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. scribe and deliver out all his briefs, mandamuses, orders, and decrees. It is his province, also, to examine, twice a year, all the professors of the canon law. All contracts, and last wills or testaments, are under his inspection. Finally, he attends tlie patriarch in the sanctuary, and brings him water to wash his hands during the celebration of divine service. All the above-named officers, as well as those who follow, though their office be inferior, still preserve their ancient dignity, and stand at the patriarclTs right hand at all public solemnities. The thuroferary^ or incense-bearer, independently of the duty implied in his name, covers the consecrated vessels or implements with a veil durino- the anthem to the sacred Trinity, and assists the celebrant in putting on his sacerdotal vestments. The next officer is employed in noting down the votes of the bishops, and receiving petitions and remonstrances. The protecdice^ or advocate, determines all petty causes, and his court is held in the church porch. The hieromnemon is intrusted with the care of the ritual, which is called contacium^ and other church books. It is his province likewise to conse- crate any new church in the bishop's absence, and to ordain the readers. There is another officer, who takes care of the supergenual of the patriarch, and one who has the title of doctor. On the left hand of the patriarch attend the protopapas, or high-priest, the deutereuon, or second visitor, the prefect of the churches, the ecdices, or lateral judges, the exarch, the two domestics, the two laosynactes, the two deans, the protopsaltes, or chief singer, the deputy, the grand arch- deacon, and the secondary deacon. The protopapas, whose dignity is entirely ecclesiastical, administers the Holy Sacrament to the patriarch at all high and solemn masses, and receives it from him. He is the head ecclesiastical dignitary, not only with respect to his peculiar j)rivilcges, but to his right and title to precedence. The deutereuon, when the proto- papas happens to be absent, officiates in his stead. The visitor, amongst several other prerogatives belonging to his office, enjoys the privilege of examining into all ecclesiastix^al debates, and all impediments in matri- monial cases. The sacred oil, and what the Greeks call the antimensium, which is a portable altar, are intrusted to the sole direction and manage- ment of the prefect, or superintendant. He has the honour to erect the cross on such spot of ground as is marked out, and set apart for a new- church, when the patriarch cannot perform this ceremony himself. The exarch revises all causes in which sentence has been already passed. The domestics, as also the two deans, who sit above the deacons, are ranged on each side of the protopsaltes, or master of the choir, and sing with him. The laosynactes assemble the deacons and people together. The deputy introduces strangers into the presence of the patriarch, and clears the way to and from his audience. He may be styled, with propriety, the master of the ceremonies. Those who stand on the left hand of the patriarch are the catechist, who instructs and prepares all those persons for the Sacra- ment of Baptism who renounce their heretical tenets, and desire to be admitted into the pale of the church. The periodeutes goes likewise from one place to another, to instruct those that are intended to be baptized : the prefect, or master of the ceremonies, an office distinct from that of the deputy, assigne every person his proper place. GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 129 Tlie protosi/ncellus is, properly speaking, inspector general of the patriarch himself. He has a right and title to an apartment in his palace, and resides there at night with several other syncelli, who arc under his direction. His apartment joins the patriarch's ; and, in line, he is not only the patriarch's vicar and uasistant, but his ghostly father. The service of the Greeks consists of nine parts ; viz, the nocturns, or night service ; the morning service, or matins ; the laudes, prime, tierce, sexte, none, vespers, and complin. After the nocturnal, they LimrT&c ^"V^ *'^^ trisagium, or Holy God, Holy and Omnipotent, Holy and Eternal ; and repeat the Gloria Patri three times succes- sively, &c. ; and, at all the hours, ])erform the same service. The Greeks have four distinct liturgies ; the first is that of St. James, which has met with a universal reception throughout th.e Greek church. As this particular service is very long, and requires five hours at least for the celebration of it, it is read but once a year, that is, on the 23d of October, which is St. James's- day. The second is that of St. Basil. This Father distinctly perceived, that the unmerciful length of St. James's liturgy tired the people, and damped their devotion ; and therefore determined to abridge it. The liturgy of Basil is read every Sunday in Lent, Palm Sunday excepted ; on Holy Saturday, on the vigils or eves of Christmas, the Epiphany, and the festival of St. Basil. The third liturgy is that of St. Chrysostom; who ascertained that the liturgy of St. Basil, though an abridgment, was still too tedious, and that he did not make sufficient allowance for the weakness and frailty of the fiiithful, who are unable to support a close attention to the duties of religion for several consecutive hours. St. Chrysostom, therefore, made a new reduction of this liturgy, or rather extracted the most essential parts from St. Basil's abridgment, and inserted them in his own. This liturgy of St. Chry- sostom is used during the whole year, except on the days above particu- larly specified. _ The fourth, which is that of ^S"^. Gregory, is called the preconsecrated liturgy, because it always follows that of St. Chrysostom or St. Basil. The last liturgy of St. Gregory is no more than a collection of f»rayers peculiarly adapted to inspire both the priest and the ])eople with that ardent zeal and devotion which are requisite for the Lord's Supper. During divine service the Greeks observe several distinct postures, which are considered as actually essential, and of the greatest moment in the performance of their religious duties ; in general, when they pray, they stand upright, and turn their faces to the east ; but they may lean, or even sit down to rest themselves, when they find it convenient. The laity sit, whilst the priest reads his exhortation to them ; but stand, Avhen they pray to God or sing an anthem. On reaching their respective places they uncover their heads, and make the sign of the cross, by join- ing the three first fingers of their right hand, by which it is implied, that there are three persons in the sacred Godhead. In this sign of the cross, the three fingers placed on the forehead denote, that the three per- sons in the sacred Godhead reside in the kingdom of heaven : when brought below the breast, they point out four great mysteries at once, viz., Clirist's incarnation, crucifixion, burial, and descent into hell. When placed on the right shoulder, they imply that Jesus Christ being risen, sits K 130 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. at the right hand of God. In short, as the left shoulder is a type, or figure of the reprobation of the wicked, the Greek devotee, by placing his three fingers there, begs of God that he may not be reckoned amongst the number of those abandoned wretches; but be delivered from the power of the devil. The whole devotion of the Greeks is comprised in the sign of the cross, and the collection of prayers, commonly called the Horologium, which are much the same as the Hours of the 'Latins. By this Horologium, it is manifest they pray to the saints and the Virgin Mary. The latter is therein called the Mother of God, the Queen of the Universe and the Glory of the Orthodox. In one particular prayer of the nocturnal service they implore the Blessed Virgin to frustrate the counsels of the ungodly, to fight for their rightful sovereign, and intercede for the peace and tran- quillity of the whole world, &c. It is remarkable, that tlieir women, in some certain cases, are not allowed to enter their churches ; but are obliged to stand at the door, as if their breath were infectious; and they never presume either to approach the communion table, or to kiss their images. The Greeks celebrate mass, which consists of a round of ceremonies, somewhat similar to those of the Catholic mass. The laity, as well as the clergy, however, among the Greeks, take the sacrament in ^^''^^" both kinds, and receive from the hands of the priest the con- secrated bread and wine in the same spoon, which the Greeks call Labis. The laity receive the sacrament standing at the door of the sanctuary ; the men first, and then the women. Those who presume to partake of this holy banquet must stand in a modest and reverential posture ; their eyes must be fixed on the ground, and their head bowed down, as persons in the act of adoration, and their arms must be laid across. The Greeks follow the example of the Catholics, carry the communion to the sick, but with less pomp or grandeur, it being contained in a little box, enclosed in a bao- which the priest bears under his arm. This is a small parcel or portion of the blessed bread, which they also carry to those whose business confines them at home. The Bishop of Vabres says, that they take a small portion of consecrated bread, about an inch square, cut in the form of a cross and sprinkled with a little blood (that is, transubstan- tiated wine), and administer it to the sick, after having moistened it with a little water, or a little wine, and this is their viaticum which they give to sick and dying persons. It is a custom amongst the Greeks, when the foundation of any church is to be laid, for the patriarch, or bishop, dressed in all his pontifical robes, to repair to the place, and to bless it in the following manner. Churches. j_j^ thurifies or incenses every individual part of the whole foundation ; during which ceremony, the clergy sing anthems in honour to the particular saint to whom the church is to be devoted. As soon as he arrives at the place appointed for the high altar, he says a prayer, in which he begs that the Lord will be pleased to bless and prosper the intended edifice. After that, the bishop who consecrates it takes a stone, makes across with it, and lays it on the foundation, saj'mg, The Lord hath laid the foundation of this house; it shall never he shaken. This office properly belonaniel and of Thamar. While the bride and bridegroom are crowned, the same priest accom- panies the ceremony with several benedictions, and other emphatical prayers, which being completed, the bridegroon and his spouse enter the church with their w^ax-tapers lighted in their hands ; the priest marches in procession before them, with his incense-pot, singing, as he proceeds, the 128th Psalm, which consists of a promise to the iaiihixA Jews of a prosperous and fruitful marriage. At the close of every verse the congre- gation repeat the Doxology or the Gloria Patri. The deacon, as soon as the psalms are over, resumes the prayers, and the choir makes the usual responses. These prayers being concluded, the priest places the crown on the bridegroom's head, saying. This man^ the servant of the Lord, is crowned, in order to he married to this woman, &c. After which, he crowns the bride, and repeats the same form, which is followed by a triple benedic- tion, the proper lessons, and prayers. The priest, in the next place, pre- sents the bridegroom and the bride with a goblet, or large glass, full of wine, ready blest for that purpose ; after Avhich, he takes off their crowns. Another prayer, accompanied with a proper benediction, and several com- pliments paid to the newly-married couple, conclude the solemnity. The observance of the following particular customs is looked upon amongst the Greeks as an indispensable obligation, and, in short, a funda- mental article of their religion. If a priest, after the decease of his first GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 137 wife, marries again, he forfeits his title to the priesthood, and is looked upon as a layman. If a layman marries a fourth wife, he is excluded from all communion with the Church. When a man has buried his third wife, there is no medium for him ; he must either continue a lay-widower, or enter himself a member of some convent. The general reason assigned for this severe prohibition, is, that fourth marriages are absolute poly- gamy. The Greeks do not entertain the same idea of three subsequent marriages, because, by a most refined subterfuge and evasion, which is scarcely intelligible, they insist that polygamy consists of two copulatives, and that three marriages consists but of one plurality and a unity. A much better reason for it is, however, assigned by Ricaut, which is, that this custom of the modern Greeks is grounded on tlie rigour of the ancient church, which checked and censured (in all probability too austerely) all those who indulged themselves in any sensual enjoyments. Some of the primitive fathers were so strict, as not to make allowance- for the natural constitution of man and the climate in which he lived, nor would they admit of any other circumstance as a sufficient plea for indulgence. The following are some preliminary marriage-ceremonies, observed by the Greeks at Athens. The young virgins never stir out of their houses before their wedding-day, and their gallants make love by proxy, or a third person, who has free access to them, and is some relation or particular acquaintance, in whose fidelity and friendship they can properly confide. The lover does not therefore so much as see his intended bride till the day appointed for the solemnization of their nuptials. On that day, the bride is handed about in public for a long time, moving in a very slow and solemn pace. The procession between the church and the bridegroom's house occupies at least two hours, and is preceded by a select band of hautboys, tabors, and other musical instruments. During this ceremony and the procession, the young virgins carry a large crown on their heads, composed of filagree-work, decked with costly pearls, which is so cum- brous and troublesome, that they are obliged to walk as upright as an arrow. This public wedding would be looked upon with an eye of con- tempt if the parties were not painted, or rather daubed over in a very rude and inelegant manner. A striking difference exists between the Greeks and the Latins, in ref^ard to the manner of administering the extreme unction^ and there are several ceremonies which belong peculiarly to the two unctions ^i'Jon"^^ of the Greeks. The archbishop, or, in his absence, the bishop, consecrates, on Wednesday in holy week, the oil of unction for the whole year ; and on Maundy-Thursday, the patriarch, or bishop, administers the unction publicly to all the faithful. The prelate is anointed first by the (Economist^ after which he himself anoints the whole congregation. The other circumstances relating to the unction and extreme unction of the Greeks, which are peculiar to themselves, are, that the priest, after he has dipped his cotton, which is fa-stencd to the end of a stick, into the sacred oils, anoints the penitent, or the sick person, in the form of a cross, upon the forehead, chin, cheeks, the upper side, and palms of the hands. After which he pronounces a short prayer. The seven assisting priests 138 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. anoint all the sick persons, one after another. The principal lays the gospel npon his head, whilst the others lay their hands upon him. The differences which have been observed between the unction of the Latins and that of the Greeks, may be thus explained. By the laws of the , Latin church one person alone may administer the Sacrament oi extreme unction ; whereas the administration of it, in the opinion of the Greeks, is irregular, unless three at least assist at the celebration of it. By the Latin ritual, the bishop only has authority to consecrate the oil ; but the Grecian priests, as well as their prelates, are invested w^ith that power. Independently of the parts of the body of their sick, which are differently anointed, it is customary with the Greeks to anoint their houses also, and to imprint upon them at the same time several signs of the cross. On the decease of any person, the whole family appear like so many actors at the representation of a deep tragedy ; all are in tears, and at the same time utter forth the most dismal groans. The body of Funeral ^^^ deceased, whether male or female, is dressed in its best apparel, and afterwards extended upon a bier, with one wax- taper at the head, and another at the feet. The wife, if the husband be the object of their sorrow, the children, servants, relations, and acquaint- ance, enter the apartment in which the deceased is thus laid out, with their clothes rent, tearing their hair, beating their breast, and disfiguring their faces with their nails. When the body of the deceased is completely dressed, and decently extended on the bier, for the regular performance of his last obsequies, and the hour is arrived for his interment, the crucifix is carried in procession at the head of the funeral train. The priests and deacons who accompany them reciting the prayers appointed by the church, burn incense, and implore the Divine Majesty to receive the soul of the deceased into his heavenly mansions. The wife follows his dear remains, drowned in a flood of tears, and so disconsolate, that, if we might form a judgment from her tears and the excess of her cries and lamentations, one would imagine that she would instantly set her soul at liberty to fly after, and overtake her husband's. There are some women, however, to be met with, who have no taste for these extravagant testi- monies of their grief and anguish, and yet their mourning is not less solemn than that of their neighbours. It is rather singular that the Greeks have women who are mourners by profession, who weep in the widow's stead for a certain sum, and by frequent practice of their art, can represent to the life all the violent emotions and gesticulations that naturally result from the most pungent and unfeigned sorrow. As soon as the funeral service is over, they kiss the crucifix, and afterwards salute the mouth and forehead of the deceased. After that, each of them eats a small bit of bread, and drinks a glass of wine in the church, wishing the soul of the deceased a good repose, and the afflicted family all the consolation they can wish for. A widow who has lost her husband, a child who has lost his father or mother — in short, all persons who are in deep mourning, dress no victuals at their own houses. The friends and relations of the deceased send them in provisions for the first eight days; at the end of which they pay the disconsolate family a charitable visit, in order to condole with and comfort them under their unhappy loss, and to wait on them to the church, where prayers are read for the repose GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 139 of the soul of the deceased. The men again eat and drink in the church, whilst the women renew their cries and lamentations. But those who can afford to hire professed mourners never undergo this second fatigue, but substitute proper persons in their stead, to weep over their husbands' tombs three days after their interment ; at which time prayers are always read for the repose of his soul. After the ninth day, masses and prayers are again read upon the same occasion, which are repeated at the expira- tion of forty days ; as, also, at the close of six months, and on the last day of the year. After the ceremony is concluded, they make their friends a present of some corn, boiled rice, wine, and some sweetmeats. This custom, which is generally called by the Greeks Ta Sperna^ is looked upon by them as verv ancient. They renew it with increased solemnity and devotion on the Friday immediately preceding their Lent, that before Christmas, on Good Friday, and the Friday before Whitsuntide; which days the Greek church have devoted to the service of the dead, not only of those who have departed this life according to the common course of nature, but those likewise who have unfortunately met with a sudden and untimely death. There is no mass said for the dead on the days of their interment ; but forty are said in every parish on the following day, at sevenpence per mass. As soon as they arrive in the church, the priests read aloud the service for the dead, whilst a young clerk repeats some particular psalms of David at the foot of the bier. When the service is concluded, twelve loaves, and as many bottles of wine, are distributed amongst the poor at the church door. Every priest has ten gazettas, or Venetian pence, and the bishop who accompanies the corpse three half-crowns. The grand vicar, treasurer, and keeper of the archives, who are next to the prelate in point of dignity, have three crowns, or a double fee. After this distri- bution, one of the priests lays a large piece of broken pot upon the breast of the deceased, on which a cross, and the usual characters I. N. R. I., being the initials of four Greek words, signifying Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, are engraved with the point of a penknife, or some other tool or instrument proper for that occasion. After that they withdraw and take their leave of the deceased. The relations kiss the lips ; and this is looked upon as a duty so very imperative, that the neglect of it cannot be dispensed with, although the person died with the most infectious distemper. Nine days afterwards, the colyva is sent to church ; which, according to the Greeks, is a large dish of boiled wheat garnished with blanched almonds, raisins, pomegranates, sesame, and strewed round with sweet basil, and other odoriferous herbs. The middle of the dish is raised in a pyramidical form, adorned at top with a large bunch of Venetian artificial flowers ; large lumps of sugar, or dried sweetmeats, are ranged, like Maltese crosses, all round the borders ; and this is what the Greeks call the oblation of the colyva^ w^hich is established amongst them, in order that the true believer may commemorate the resurrection of the dead, according to those words of our blessed Saviour, recorded in St. John — Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die^ it ahideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. It must be acknowledged that true piety and devotion have contributed very much towards the establishment of 140 GREEK CHURCH PROPER. this kind of ceremony ; but it must be also allowed, that by a kind of fatality, whicli too frequently attends the most pious institutions, this, as well as other ceremonies of a similar nature, has degenerated into supersti* tion. It is worthy of remark, that this ceremony of the Grecian colyva^ which is peculiar to their funeral solemnities, their ninth day's devotion, their quarantains, their anniversaries, and the days appointed for the commemoration of their dead, is also ol>served on their most solemn festivals. The comfits, or sweetmeats, and other fruits, are added merely to render their boiled wheat a little more palatable. The sexton, or grave-digger, carries this dish of colyna upon his head, preceded by an attendant with two large flambeaux made of wood, and gilt, embellished with several rows of large ribands, and edged with lace, six inches deep. This grave-digger is followed by three other attendants, or waiters, one with two large bottles of wine in his hands, another loaded with two baskets full of fruits, and the third carrying a Turkish carpet, which is to be spread over the tomb of the deceased, and made use of as a table- cloth for their colyva^ and tlieir funeral entertainment. Tl e priest reads the service of the dead, during the time that tliis customary oblation is carried to the church, and he is afterwards com- plimented with a large proportion of it : wine is abundantly served to every person of tolerable credit or repute, and the remainder is distributed amongst the poor. As soon as the oblation is carried out of doors, the liired mourners repeat their hideous outcries, the same as on the day of the interment, and the relations, friends, and acquaintance, likewise express their sorrow by a thousand ridiculous grimaces. The w^iole recompense which the hired mourners receive for their flood of tears, is five loaves, two quarts of wine, half a cheese, a quarter of mutton, and fifteen pence in money. The relations are obliged, consistently with the custom of some particular places, to pay several visits to the tomb of the deceased, to weep over it, and, as an incontestable testimony of their unfeigned sorrow, they never change their clothes during the time of their mourning ; the husbands never shave themselves, and the widows suffer themselves to be overrun with vermin. In some particular islands the natives mourn con- stantly at home, and the widowers and widows never go to church, nor frequent the sacraments, wdiilst they are in mourning. The bishops and priests are sometimes obliged to compel them to attend church, under pain of excommunication, of which the Greeks have a more awful appre- hension than of fire and sword. The idea which the Greeks entertain of purgatory is very dark and confused, and in general they leave the decision of eternal salvation or condemnation to the day of judgment. They are at a loss to fix and determine the place where the souls of the deceased reside till the final day of resurrection, and in this state of incertitude, they never omit to pray for them, hoping that God, in his infinite goodness, will incline his ear to their supplications. The first, or lowest order of their priesthood, is the lecturer, whose peculiar province is to read the Sacred Scriptures to the people on solemn Order and ffstivals : from this station he is gradually advanced, first, to Ordination of be a chorister or chanter, then subdeacon, whose office it is at their Priests, mass to sing the epistle ; and then he is ordained deacon, and GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 141 sings the gospel. The hist order is that of the priests, Avho are either seculars or regulars. Accordlno- to the orders in the pontifical, when a person is to be ordained a priest, two deacons accompany him to the sacred doors, and there deliver him into the hands of the priests- The protopapas, and he wdio is next in dignity to him, lead him three times round the altar, singing the hymn of the martyrs. The candidate for the priesthood then kneels down, and the ordinant makes three times over his head the sign of the cross, repeats the prayers adapted to that particular occasion, and lays his hands upon him. In one of the prayers in particular, the ordinant enumerates the principal functions of a priest, — viz., those of sacrificing, preaching the gospel, and administering the sacrament of baptism, &c. These prayers being concluded, he orders the new priest to rise, and puts the band of the horary, which hung down behind, over his right shoulder. He then presents him with the epitrachelium, or the stole ; and the phelfmiiim, or the surplice ; the choir singing during the whole of the time this ceremony is performing. A deacon afterwards pronounces the following exhortation. Let us love one another. Then the patriarch kisses the altar, and each priest approaches the sacred table in regular order, according to his rank and dignity, and not only kisses it, but also the patriarch's hand, which lies upon it, and then his cheek. The priests salute each other, and the deacons follow their example. The priests wear a white woollen fillet behind their hats or caps, wlsich , hangs down upon their shoulders, and is called " peristera," that is to say, a dove ; and is looked upon as an emblem or figure of the innocence and purity of the priesthood. The bishop moves this dove from any priest under his jurisdiction, who is proved guilty of any enormous of- fence ; and the majority of them are so notoriously vicious, that very few can boast of w^earing this badge of innocence for any long period of time. At the ordination of a bishop, the priests deliver him into the hands of two prelates, who oblige him to make a formal procession round the altar, as in the preceding ordinations. After these preliminary ceremonies, the chartophylax, or archivist, delivers the contacium, which is a small col- lection of degrees, forms, &c. relating to the election of a bishop, to the patriarch, who takes it in his left hand, and lays his right on the candidate for the bishopric, in order to read the form of his election ; after this lesson, he opens the book of the gospels, and lays it on the head of the candidate, all the assistant bishops laying their hands on the book at the same time : all these ceremonies are accompanied with several prayers which are suitable to the solemn occasion. The prayers being over, the ordinant takes the book from the head of the bishop elect, and having deposited it on the altar, presents him with the pallium : this ceremony is accompanied with singing and with holy kisses. The Greeks are, in general, an ignorant and superstitious people. Superstitious Amongst their superstitious customs, the following may be Customs. included as some of the most extraordinary : — They attach a particular sanctity to some fountains, which they look upon as miraculous waters, especially when they are devoted to the ser- vice of any celebrated saint. This superstitious notion appears to be a true copy of a pagan original. 142 ■ GREEK CHURCH PROPER. They think it a duty incumbent upon them to refrain from blood, and all meats that have been strangled ; but notwitlistanding this scruple of conscience, they are nut very nice in regard to the kind of provisions which are set before them. If they be strict, however, in the observance of this custom, they are in that respect very nearly allied to the Jews. They call the Nile the Monarch of the Floods ; and are of opinion, that the overflowino- of tins river is a peculiar blessing, and an indulgence of the Almio-hty to Egypt, on account of our Saviour and the Blessed Virgin havlno- been sheltered and protected in that country from the persecutions of Herod. Their art of physic, which is generally practised by empirics and igno- rant pretenders, is accompanied by innumerable superstitions. The fol- lowing may be adduced as a striking instance of the extent of their medical knowledge. When their patients' heads are so very much disor- dered as to cause delirium, they use the same means for their recovery as for a demoniac, or one possessed with the devil. The physician in this case ceases to prescribe for him ; but his friends make an immediate appli- cation to an exorcist; that is, to one of their papas, who approaches the patient's bed-side, and not only reads several prayers over him, but sprinkles him with holy water. He pours likewise a plentiful quantity of it into the bed in which the patient lies, and, in short, sprinkles the room all over. The exorcisms ensue, and the papas in the most solemn manner expel the imaginary demons. Conceit effects a cure which was supposed to be beyond the skill of the most able physician. The Greeks are extremely fond of visiting their churches and chapels, especially such as are on precipices, and places very difficult of access ; and, indeed, the principal part of their devotion consists in voluntary fatioue, which is, in their eyes, a kind of mortification of the flesh. On their first arrival at the church or chapel, they repeatedly cross them- selves, and make numerous genuflexions and profound bows. They kiss the image which is erected in it, and present it with three or four grains of the choicest frankincense ; recommending themselves to the protection of the Blessed Virgin, or to the saint whom the image represents ; but in case the saint does not incline his ear, and hearken to their vows, they soon make him sensible of their resentment. One of the greatest frauds engendered by superstition, is the urn of Amorgos, which is looked upon as the oracle of the Archipelago. It has this in common with the ancient oracles of Greece, that it is indebted to the artifice and roguery of the priests for the fame of its predictions. This urn, which stands near a chapel consecrated to St. George, fills and dis- embogues itself several times in the course of a day, and sometimes within so small a period as half an hour, which is looked upon as a miracle, and ascribed to the prevailing influence and power of St. George. This is the very same St. George who, at Scyros, flies at and seizes upon those impious persons who neglect to perform their vows. His image, according to tra- ditionary report, lays violent hands on the delinquents, jumps upon their shoulders, and gives them many severe blows on the head and back, till they have discharged the duty incumbent on them. They see him sailing in the air, and frisking about from one place to another, till at last he settles upon the back of a blind monk, who carries him he knows not GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 143 wliitlier. Those who consult the urn of Amorgos before they engage in any affiiir of the last importance, are sure to prove unsuccessful if, upon their first approach, they find the water lower than ordinary. Father Richard assures us, that the islanders annually, at Easter, consult tliis urn of Amorgos, which, from its fulness or emptiness, presages a plentiful or a bad harvest. There is a very particular custom observed in the island of Andros, the orioin of which, however, has hitherto baffled the most rigid inquiry. At'' the procession on the festival of Corpus Christi, the bishop of the Romish church, who carries the body of our blessed Saviour, tramples under foot all the Christians, of whatever sect they may be, who lie pros- trate before him in the streets. The same custom is observed at Naxos, and the missionary who relates the story adds, that such as have any sick persons in their family bring them out, in order to lie in the way of the blessed Sacrament ; and the more they are trodden, the nearer they ap- proach to convalescence. The inhabitants of some part of the island of Chios are of opinion that a corpse, which is not corrupted in forty days, is transformed into a fami- liar spirit, or hobgoblin, which is very troublesome and impertinent, knocks at people's doors, and even calls them distinctly by their names. If any person presumes to answer to his call, they think he will most assuredly die in two or three days at furthest. At Nicaria, near Samos, the inhabitants, who are all swimmers, will not marry their daughters to any but such young fellows who can dive eight fathoms deep at least. They are obliged to produce a certificate of their diving ability, and when a papa, or some substantial islander, is determined to dispose of his daughter in marriage, he appoints a day when the best swimmer is to bear away the prize. As soon as the candidates are all stripped naked, the young lady makes her personal appearance, and in they jump. He who continues longest under water is the for- tunate bridegroom. The Greeks of the Holy Land assert, and firmly believe it to be a real fact, that the birds which fly round about Jerusalem never sing during passion week ; but stand motionless and confounded almost all the time, testifying a sympathetic sorrow and compassion for the sufferings of our Saviour. The sacred fire of the Greeks is a ceremony more superstitious than religious; a whimsical, merry custom, which is very justly a stumbling- block and rock of offence to several serious Mahometans, instilling into their minds a most contemptible idea of the Eastern Christians. In short, it is nothing but a piece of priestcraft, to cheat the too credulous pilgrims out of their money, by making them believe that, on Easter-eve, a fire descends from heaven into the sacred sepulchre. The Turks are no stran- gers to this pious fraud, but connive at it, because it is very advantageous to them ; and the patriarchs on their part declare that they could never pay their taxes, nor their tributes, if this stratagem, however unbecoming the practice of a Christian, should be discovered and exposed. Thevenot has given us the following description of this religious farce. " About eight in the morning the Greeks extinguish all their lamps, and those in the sacred sepulchre. Then they run about, staring like persons distracted. 144 GREEK CIIURCU PROPER. bawling and making an hideous howling, without any regard or reverence to the sacred place. Every time they passed the Jioly sepulchre, they cried out Eleyson ! that is, ' Have mercy upon us ! ' It was very divert- inor to see them afterwards jump upon one another's backs, kicking one another's shins, and flogging each other on the shoulders with knotted cords. A w4iole crowd of them got together, and taking up some of their comrades in their arms, ran for some time with them round the sepulchre, until, at last, they threw them down in the dirt, and laughed till they hal- looed ao-ain at their own unlucky gambols. Those, on the other hand, who had thus been made the laugliing-stocks of the crowd, ran in their turn after the others, in order to be equally mischievous, and to revenge themselves for the affront which they had received ; in short, they all acted like a set of idle fools and merry-andrews. Every now and then they would lift up their eyes to heaven, and hold up their wax-tapers, with outstretched arms, as if they implored the Almighty to send down his celestial fire to light them. After this folly and extravagance had conti- nued till about three o'clock in the evening, two archbisliops and two Greek bishops, dressed in their patriarchal robes and coifs, marched out of the choir, attended by the clergy, and began their procession round the sepulchre : the Armenians likewise attended, with their clergy, fol- lowed by the Coptan bishop. After they had taken throe solemn tours around the sepulchre, a Greek bishop came out of the Chapel of the Angel, which is at the entrance of the sepulchre, and informed the individual who personated the Patriarch of Jerusalem, that the sacred fire had descended from heaven. He then entered the holy sepulchre with a large bundle of wax- tapers in each hand, and after him the prelate, who represented the Ar- menian patriarch, and the bishop of the Copti. Some short time after- wards, the Greek archbishop came out in a very whimsical posture, marching with his eyes cast upon the ground, and both his hands full of lighted wax-tapers. As soon as he appeared, the mob crowded upon one anotlicr's shoulders, kicking and boxing one another, to reach the prelate, for the purpose of lighting their tapers by that which he held in his hand ; because that fire which comes immediately from his, is looked upon to be the purest and most holy. In the mean time the Jani- zaries, who were the guards of the sepulchre, dealt their blows indiscrimi- nately about them, to make room for the archbishop, who used his utmost endeavours to get clear of the crowd. At last he came to a stone altar, which stood before the door of the choir, and opposite that of the holy sepulchre. Immediately the populace flocked round about him for some of his sacred fire ; but those who had lighted their tapers, in their endea- vours to i*etreat, were overpowered by others, who very devoutly struck them with their fists, and took away the fire that had cost them so much labour and fatigue to procure : in short, the gravest of them all threw down and trampled their neighbours under foot, to get close to the prelate. At last, the Greek archbishop withdrew ; the Armenian bishop retired to the church of the Armenians, and the Coptan bishop to that of the Copti. In the mean time, the Turks, who kept the door of the holy sepulchre, permitted none to enter but those who paid for lighting their wax-tapers at the lamps of that sanctuary, as those lamps are the first that are touched by the sacred fire. In a few minutes after, the church was illuminated GREEK CHURCH PROPER. 145 Vith above two thousand branches of blazing torches, whilst the numerous congregation, hooting like madmen, began to repeat their former frolics. A man, with a drum at his back, ran with all imaginable speed round the sacred sepulchre, and another ran after him, and drummed upon it with two sticks ; when he was tired, a third supplied his place. Devotion, or rather custom, enjoins the Greeks not to eat nor drink that day, till they have received the sacred fire." Some ascribe the origin of this superstition to a real miracle, which they pretend was formerly wrought in the presence of the whole congregation on Easter-eve, in the church belonging to the holy sepulchre. The Al- mighty sent down celestial flame into this divine monument, which kindled or lighted again all the lamps, which by the orders of the Church are extinguished in passion week, and thereby indulged them with new fire. Every one was an eye-witness of the descent of this new flame from hea- ven, which darted from one place to another, and kindled every lamp and taper that was extinguished. It is added, also, that the Almighty, being provoked at the irregularities and disorders of the Christian Crusades, refused to work this miracle one Easter-eve, when they were assembled together in the most solemn manner, to be spectators of the descent of his celestial fire ; but that, at last, he vouchsafed to have mercy on them, and incline his ear to their fervent prayers and repeated supplications. The descent of this holy fire continued for seven hundred and fifty years after the time of St. Jerome ; but since that period, it has, owing to some reason not easily defined, been wholly discontinued : the most probable conjec- ture is, that the whole fraud was discovered, and an end was consequently put to the enactment of this religious farce. This ceremony of the sacred fire, which is so whimsical and extravagant, and so unbecoming the practice of a Christian, has introduced another superstitious custom very conformable to its romantic original. In this same church of the holy sepulchre, there are some men and women who have several pieces of linen cloth lying before them, which they mark from one end to the other with a cross, made by the tapers kindled at the sa- cred fire. Thus marked, they serve for the shrouds or winding-sheets of these good devotees, and are reserved for that solemn purpose, as the most sacred relics. Amongst the superstitious customs of the Greeks, may be included the marks which the pilgrims imprint upon their arms, and which they take care to produce as a certificate of their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. These marks are made with some particular wooden moulds, filled with charcoal- dust, and afterwards pressed hard upon the arm. As soon as the part is thus stamped, it is pricked with an instrument full of needles ; it is then bound up, and a scurf or scab generally rises upon the place, which falls ofi" again in about two or three days ; but the blue impression remains ever after. There is a stone still to be seen not far from Bethlehem which is per- fectly Avhite, and which colour we are told is owing to the extraordinary virtue of the Blessed Virgin's milk. The Greeks assure us, that this stone will infallibly fill a woman's breast with milk ; and even the Turks themselves, and the Arabians, are so strongly riveted to the same belief, that they oblige their wives, who have sucking infants at their breasts, L 146 RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. to take a little of the powder of this stone infused in water, in order that the above-mentioned desirable effect may be produced. Mount Sinai, Mount Horeb, the frontiers of the Holy Land, the Holy Land itself, in short, all the countries from the Red Sea to Jerusalem, are, as it were, so many sources which have immemorially supplied the Greeks with fictions, and their bigots with superstition. Upon Mount Horeb the Greeks pretend to show the place in which the prophet Jeremiah con- cealed the tables of the law, and a particular stone, on which are several Hebrew characters, carved by the prophet himself. According to this idea, they pay to this stone a superstitious homage, which consists of a number of prayers and innumerable signs of the cross, performed with the utmost hurry and precipitation, and consequently with very little zeal or devotion. The Greeks ascribe to the waters of Jordan, and almost all the foun- tains of the Holy Land, the supernatural virtue of healing several dis- tempers. The plant generally known by the name of the Rose of Jericho, is, in their opinion, a sure defence against thunder and lightning, and a speedy relief for a woman in the time of her travail. A certain traveller, Morison, assures us, with an extraordinary air of piety and devotion, that this last quality is owing to the Blessed Virgin, of whom t/iat vegetable is the figure or representation. SEC. II. — RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES AND CUST03IS OF THE RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. It is impossible perhaps to settle with any certainty at what period, or \iy whom, Christianity was first introduced into Russia. What we learn Introduction with most appearance of probability is, that the Grand of Christianity Duchess Olga, or, as her name is pronounced, Olha, grand- niother to Wladimir, w\as the first person of distinction converted to Christianity in Russia, about the year 955, and that she assumed the name of Helena at her conversion ; under which name she still stands as a saint in the Russian calendar. Methodius, and Cyril the philosopher, travelled from Greece into Moravia, about the year 900, to plant the gospel; where they translated the service of the church, or some parts of it, from the Greek into the Sclavonian language, the common language at that time of Moravia and Russia ; and thus it is thought that this princess imbibed the first principles of Christianity. And, being herself fully persuaded of its truth, she was very earnest v/ith her son, the Grand Duke Sviatoslav, to embrace it also; but this, from political motives, he declined to do. In the course, however, of a few years, Christianity is said to have made considerable progress in that nation. It is fully ascertained that, about the end of the tenth century, the Christian religion was introduced into Russia, chiefly through their con- nexion with Greece ; and coming from this quarter, it was very natural that the doctrine and discipline of the church of Constantinople should be- come at first the pattern of the church of Russia, which it still continues to follow in the greatest part of its offices. Hence likewise the patriarch of Constantinople formerly enjoyed the privilege of a spiritual supremacy RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. J 47 over tlie Russians, to whom lie sent a Metropolitan whenever a vacancy happened. Little occiuTed in the ecclesiastical history of Russia, except, perhaps, the rise of the sect of the Raskolniki^ which excited considerable tumults and commotions in that kingdom, till Peter the Great ascended the throne of Russia ; who, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, made some remarkable chantres in the form and administration both of its civil and ecclesiastical government. This great prince made no change in the articles of faith received amono- his countrvmen, which contain the doctrine of the Greek church ; Oil ' but he took the utmost pains to have this doctrine explained in a manner conformable to the dictates of right reason, and the spirit of the gospel j and he used the most effectual methods to destroy, on the one hand, the influence of that hideous superstition that sat brooding over the whole nation ; and, on the other, to dispel the ignorance of the clergy, which was incredible, and that of the people, which would have surpassed it, had that been possible. To crown these noble attempts, he extinguished the spirit of persecu- tion, and renewed and confirmed to Christians, of all denominations, liberty of conscience, and the privilege of performing divine worship in the man- ner prescribed by their respective liturgies and institutions. This liberty, however, was modified in such a manner, as to restrain and defeat any attempts that might be made by the Jesuits and other members of the church of Rome, to promote the interests of Popery in Russia, or to extend the jurisdiction of the Roman pontiff beyond the chapels of that communion that were tolerated by law ; and particular charge was given to the council, to which belonged the cognizance of ecclesiastical afiairs, to use their utmost care and vigilance to prevent the propagation of Romish tenets among the people. All this caution had, no doubt, arisen from the repeated efforts of the designing pontiffs of Rome and their missionaries to extend the papal empire over the Greek churches, under the pretence of uniting • the two communions ; and, with this view, a negotiation was entered into in 1580, under John Bdsilides^ Grand Duke of Russia, who seems to have had political ends to answer in pretending to favour this union. But, although the professed object of this negotiation failed, the ministry of Possevin^ the learned and artful Jesuit, who was charged with the mission on the part of the Roman pontifi*, was not without fruit among the Russians, especially among those residing in the Polish dominions. Proposals for uniting the two communions have been made by different popes, as Honorius III., Gregory IX., Innocent lY., Gregory XIII., and last of all, by the Academy of Sorbonne in 1718 ; but the Russian sovereigns and the nation have always remained firm and true to their religion : at the same time, all religions, without exception, are tolerated in Russia. In the year 1581, in the reign of Czar John Vasilievitz^ Pope Gregory XIII. proposed to tliat sovereign that the Lutheran clergy should be banished from Russia ; but he was answered, that in that country all nations have a free exercise of their religions ; and now in Russia there are Lutherans, Calvinists, Hernhutters, Armenians, Jews, Mahometans, Pagans, Hindoos, &c. &c. Roman Catholics are to be met with in al- l2 148 RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. most every government, particularly in those conquered from the Polish dominions : their clergy are governed by their own rulers, and are totally independent of the Russian ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Peter likewise introduced a considerable change into the manner of governing the church. The splendid dignity of patriarch, which approached too near the lustre and prerogatives of majesty, not to be offensive to the emperor and burdensome to the people, was suppressed, in 1721, by this spirited monarch, who declared himself (and thus became like the British monarch) head of the national church. The functions of this high and important office were entrusted with a council assembled at St. Petersburg, which was called the Hol'(/ Synod ; and one of the archbishops, the most distinguished for integrity and prudence, was appointed as president of it. The other orders of the clergy continued in their respective rank and offices ; but both their revenues and their authority were considerably diminished. It was resolved at first, in this general reformation, to abolish all monasteries and convents, as prejudicial to the public, and unfriendly to population ; but this resolution was not put in execution ; on the conti'ary, the Emperor himself erected a magnificent monastery in honour of Alexan- der Newsky^ whom the Russians place in the list of their heroes and saints.* In her doctrines, the Russian Church agrees with the Greek Church ; Doctrines ^^^^ ^^^^' ^^® receives the seven sacraments or mysteries; allows no statues or graven images, but admits pictures and invo- cation of saints. During the celebration of the mass, the laity, not excepting the prince himself, are obliged either to stand or to kneel, and be uncovered ; and to T^. . „ . observe the same position during the performance of all Divine Service. ^, . - i . . • t^ • • i • f> the other parts of divme service. Bergius^ m his titate of the Russian Churchy assures us, however, that " The ancient Russians always pray either standing, or prostrate upon the ground ; carefully avoiding the posture of kneeling, for fear they should be thought to imitate those soldiers who mocked the Lord Jesus Christ." The Grand Duke, w^io sat on the throne in the time of Olearius, always prostrated himself to the ground when he attended public worship. For this reason there are no stools or benches made use of in the Russian Churches, except when there happens to be a homily read, or a sermon preached. No dogs are suffered to enter the church door ; and everything which has the least tendency to interrupt their devotions is prohibited. None but those who officiate at the altar are admitted into the sanctuary. The Czar, however, is allowed to enter it at the ceremony of his coronation, and when he receives the communion ; some others of the laity, who are persons of distinction, are likewise admitted into it, provided they take care to keep at a great distance from the altar. The Russian mass is always performed in the ancient Sclavonian lan- guage ; and a great part of it is said in a low voice. Like the Greeks, the Russians bow down before the host, and adore it. From the preface of the mass to the communion, the doors of the sanctuary are shut, and a curtain is drawn before it, which covers the altar : in Easter- week, how- ♦ All Religions, RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 149 ever, the sanctuary doors are always open, even during mass. To the other ceremonies observed at the communion, in conformity with those of the Greeks, we must add, according to Olearius, that the Muscovites administer the sacrament to those who are deprived of their reason, by touching their lips only with the bread dipped in the wine ; that they are not allowed to give the communion to a woman who lies in, in the room where she was brought to bed ; — those who have taken a false oath before a court of judicature, or have been guilty of any notorious crime, cannot receive this sacrament of the Eucharist till they are at the point of death ; and that it is customary to give those who are sick, some water or some brandy, in which several of their sacred relics have been first infused, before they give them the communion. Their Bible is translated into the Sclavonian language from the Greek Septuagint ; but they never suffer it to be carried into church, for fear of profaning it by the several immodest passages that are to be met with in the Old Testament. It is the New Testament only, and some parti- cular passages extracted from the Psalms and the Prophets, which are read in their churches ; they are, however, allowed to read the whole Scriptures at home in private. In Father Le Brun's Collection of Liturgies^ we find the contents of a small Muscovite ritual, in which directions are laid down for the observ- ance of the following customs : — 1. Several prayers to be read on the day tliat a woman is delivered of a male infant. 2. On the eighth day after the birth of such infant, being the day on which he is to receive his name. 3. On the fortieth day after her lying-in. 4. For a woman that has miscarried. 5. At an exorcism. 6. At a reconciliation in Church. 7. On a divorce. 8. When the communion is to be administered to the sick. 9. Prayers to Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Virgin, for a true believer at the point of death. 10. The order or method to be observed at the burial of such persons who die during the festival of Easter, or in Holy week. 11. For a priest after his decease. 12. For the burial of an infant. 13. Prayers for a blessing on the provisions made for Easter; for their cheese and eggs ; for their first fruits, and those who offer them ; for the consecration of a house, and the entering into possession of it ; for sinking a well, and the purification of it when any filth has fallen into it. 14. Prayers for those who have eaten any unclean meats. 15. Prayers for the purification of an unclean vessel. 16. For all sorts of grain ; for seed-time, &c. It is presumed that the foregoing will be sufficient to give the reader a tolerable idea of the several customs which are observed by the Russians on particular occasions, and the observance of which is especially enjoined by their ritual. One peculiar custom, however, we cannot omit : viz. that when they take possession of a house, they consecrate it at the same time with salt. Cornelius le Brun, in his Travels to Muscovy, gives us the following account of the consecration of the Czars palace in 1702 : — " The floor was strewed all over with hay, and on the right hand a table was placed, gar- nished out with abundance of large and little loaves ; over some of them was throw^n a handful of salt, and a silver salt-cellar, full of salt, set upon others." This custom of consecrating with salt, which is attended by all friends and relatives, is repeated for several days together, and is an 150 • RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. emblem or token of that prosperity and success which they wish may attend them, and of their friendly hope that they may never afterwards want any of the necessaries of life. When they quit their habitations, they leave some hay and bread upon the floor, which are symbols of those blessino-s which they wish may attend those who take the house after their departure. The constitution of the Russian monks, their fasts, and their profound ignorance, are much the same as those of the Greek monks. Peter the Great was the first who attempted to lay a duty or tax upon the con- vents ; he commanded that no persons should be admitted into them but those who were fifty years of age, or upwards, he having observed that a considerable number of able young fellows were shut up in them, and thereby rendered useless to the state. The Russians have a peculiar regard for relics, images, and pictures of saints ; — for the invocation of saints, the crucifix, and the sign of the cross ; for an infinite number of inclinations, genuflexions, ^e ics, mages, ^^^ prostrations, not only before those objects which are adorable, but those likewise which demand only a common reverence and esteem ; and also for numberless processions and pilgrim- ages. The cathedral church at Moscow is in possession of the garment of Jesus Christ, and a picture of the Blessed Virgin, drawn by St. Luke ! The Russians look upon this picture as the palladium of their state. Other churches boast of being possessed of the bodies of several Russian saints ; and thirty-six gold and silver shrines, full of very valuable relics, are to be seen in the church of the Annunciation. These shrines, or boxes, are said to contain, amongst other things, some of the precious blood of tlie Lord Jesus Christ, one of the hands of St. Mark, and some of the bones of the prophet Daniel, &c. Their images or pictures, which are generally painted in oil upon wood, must be made by some Muscovite, and are sold, or, according to their pre- varicating phraseology, exchanged or bartered for a certain sum of money. To sell them is looked upon as a sin ; but in the time of Olearius, the patriarch would not suffer any foreigners to have them in their houses for fear they should profane them. This precaution was carried to so high a pitch, that a Dutchman having purchased a house that was built with stone, the Russian who sold it scraped the wall on which the picture of a saint had been painted, and carried the rubbish off the premises. Every Russian, whether his condition be high or low, has his own titu- lar saint, to whom he offers up his morning and evening prayers, and whom he neglects not to consult on all occasions of a doubtful or hazardous nature. In the shops at St. Petersburg, an image of this titu- lar saint is always placed in a conspicuous position, and you cannot pos- sibly pay a higher compliment to a Russian when you enter his shop than to make your obeisance to hia favourite saint. A Russian sliopkeeper is a notorious cheat, but if you have paid a becoming respect to his saint, it is supposed that you are immediately admitted into his good graces ; and although the majority of tlie saints were themselves the most consummate cheats and impostors, yet it is believed that they do not sanction similar practices in others. For this reason, a familiar nod or a polite bow to a Russian image becomes, in many instances, a positive act of good policy, RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 151 for you thereby stand a good chance of escaping from the cheating and exorbitant demands of the Russian trader. Tlie walls of their churches are all covered with pictures, which are not only representations of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin, but of St. Nicholas and several other saints, whom the Russians have made choice of for their patrons and protectors. In all their houses, a picture of some favourite saint is hung near one of the windows, with a wax-taper before it : several are likewise hung up in the streets, as objects of public devotion ; but the majority of the latter, according to Carlisle, are secured in glass-cases, and exposed to public view, either on the city-gates or the church-doors ; or they are suspended on some cross-road. If a Russian be in the greatest haste, he must pay his respects to the pictures of these saints ; not in a transient, careless manner, but he must stop a minute or two, to put up a short ejaculation ; standing bare-headed, making half-a- dozen profound bows, and as many crosses. The first thing that must be done when any one enters a Russian's apartment, is to take notice of the picture of his saint, making the sign of the cross, at the same time repeating the Hos- podiy {Lord have mercy upon us^) and bowing before it ; after that he pays his compliments to the master of the house. Amongst the poorer sort, with whom the pictures of their saints are generally situated in some dark hole or corner, without any wax-taper, or the least outward appearance of dis- tinction or respect ; the devout Russian, for fear he should be in any way deficient in the discharge of his duty, never fails to ask where the God is, that is to say, the picture of the saint. This religious respect is grounded on that divinity, which the Russians ascribe to their images, and on the numberless miracles which they believe to have been wrought by them. However, this supernatural power does not hinder these images from falling to decay ; and in such cases they inter them in their church-yards, or in their gardens ; sometimes indeed they put them, with much care and reverence, into some rapid stream, that the current may carry them away ; for to throw them in would be looked upon as an act of disrespect. The invocation of saints constitutes a considerable part of the religious worship of the Russians ; but greater demonstrations of respect are shown to St. Nicholas than to any of the rest. It is customary, in Russia, to mention God and the Czar at the same time when they have any affair of importance to transact : thus- they frequently say, God is powerful as well as the Czar. With God and the Czaf-'s per?nission. But they often substitute St. Nicholas in the room of Providence ; as for instance, when any one asks them how long they intend to be on a journey, they will answer. As lo7ig as St. Nicholas shall think convenient. Their devotees go in pil- grimage, for the most part, to those places wliere their saints have espe- cially distinguished themselves. The Czars themselves are not excused or exempted from these religious peregrinations ; at least they were performed by the predecessors of Peter the Great. A number of ceremonies and superstitious customs among the Russians nearly equals that of the Romish Church. A few of these we shall notice; „ . . . and first we will describe a singular festival which the Waters. Russians call the Benediction of the Waters. This solemnity is celebrated at the beginning of the year at Petersburg, in the following manner: — on the river Neva., upon the ice, which is then 152 RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. strong in that country, there is erected for this ceremony a kind of temple of wood, usually of an octagonal figure, painted and richly gilt, having the inside decorated with various sacred pictures, representing the baptism of our Saviour, his transfiguration, and some other parts of his life, and on the top a picture of St. John the Baptist. This is called the Jordan^ which name used to signify the baptistry or font, or any basin in whicli holy Avater is consecrated. There the attention of the spectators is drawn to a large emblem of the Holy Ghost, appearing to descend from heaven, a decoration common to almost all Greek churches, in which a peristerio7z, or dove, as a symbol of the Holy Ghost, is usually suspended from four small columns which support a canopy over the Holy Table. The Jordan is surrounded by a temporary hedge of the boughs of fir-trees ; and, in the middle of the sanctuary or chancel is a square space, where the broken ice leaves a communication with the water running below, and the rest is ornamented with rich tapestry. Around this temple a kind of gallery is erected, and a platform of boards, covered with red cloth, is laid for the procession to go upon, guarded also by a fence of boughs. The gallery communicates with one of the windows of the imperial palace, at whicli the emperor and his family come out to attend the ceremony, which begins as soon as the liturgy is finished in the chapel of the imperial palace, and the regiments of guards have taken post on the river. Then, at the sound of the bells, and of the artillery of the fortress, the clerks, the deacons, the priests, the archimandrites, and the bishops, dressed in their richest robes, carrying in their hands lighted tapers, the censer, the Gospel, and the sacred pictures and banners, proceed from the chapel to the Jordan, singing the hymns appointed in the office, and followed by the emperor, the grand duke, the senators, and the whole court. When arrived at the place where the ice is broken, the archbishop of Moscow, or other officiating bishop, descends, by means of a ladder, to the side of the water. There he reads the prayers appointed in the office, — dips his cross three times, and ends the ceremony by an exhortation appropriate to it ; and the waters are then thought to be blessed. As soon as the service is finished, the artillery and soldiers fire ; after which the prelate sprinkles the water on the company around him, and on the colours of all the regiments that happen to be at Petersburg, which are planted round the Jordan. He then retires, when the people crowd towards the hole, and drink of the waters with a holy avidity. " Not- withstanding the cold, the mothers plunge their infants and the old men their heads into them. Everybody makes it a duty to carry away some for the purification of their houses, and curing certain distempers, against which the good Russians pretend this holy water is a powerful specific." No people observe Lent with more scrupulous and excessive rigour than the Russians. Travelling the road from Petersburg to Moscow, says _ Dr. Clarke, in his Travels, if at any time, in poor cottages, where the peasants appeared starving, I ofi'ered them a part of our dinner, they would shudder at the sight of it, and cast it to the dogs ; dashing out of their children's hands, as an abomination, any food given to them ; and removing every particle that might be left entirely from their sight. In drinking tea with a Cossack, he not only refused to have milk in his cup, but would not use a spoon that had been in the tea offered him RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. ' 153 with milk, although wiped carefully in a napkin, until it had passed through scalding water. The same privation prevails among the higher ranks ; but, in proportion as this rigour has been observed, so much the more excessive is the degree of gluttony and relaxation, when the impor- tant intelligence that " Christ is 7'isen " has issued from the mouth of the archbishop. During Easter, they run into every kind of excess, rolling about drunk the whole week ; as if rioting, debauchery, extravagance, gambling, drinking, and fornication, were as much a religious observance, as starving had been before ; and that the same superstition which kept them fasting during Lent, had afterwards instigated them to the most beastly excesses. Even their religious customs are perfectly adapted to their climate and manners. Nothing can be contrived with more ingenious policy to suit the habits of the Russians. When Lent fasting begins, their stock of frozen provisions is either exhausted, or unfit for use ; and the interval which takes place allows sufficient time for procuring, killing, and storing, the fresh provisions of the spring. The night before the famous ceremony of the resurrection, all the markets and shops of Moscow are seen filled with flesh, butter, eggs, poultry, pigs, and every kind of viand. The crowd of purchasers is immense. You hardly meet a foot passenger who has not his hands, nay his arms, filled with provisions ; or a single droski that is not ready to break down beneath their weight. The first ceremony which took place, previous to all this feasting, was that of the Pdque Jieuries, or Palm Sunday. On the eve of this day, all the inhabitants of Moscow resort, in carriages, on horseback, or on foot, to the Kremlin, for the purchase of palm-branches, to place before their boghs, and to decorate the sacred pictures in the streets, or elsewhere. It is one of the gayest promenades of the year. The governor, attended by the maitre de police^ the commandant, and a train of nobility, go in pro- cession mounted on fine horses. The streets are lined with spectators ; and cavalry are stationed on each side, to preserve order. Arriving in the Kremlin, a vast assembly, bearing artificial bouquets and boughs, are seen moving, here and there, forming the novel and striking spectacle of a gay and moving forest. The boughs consist of artificial flowers, with fruit. Beautiful representations of oranges and lemons in wax are sold for a few copeeks* each, and ofi'er a proof of the surprising ingenuity of this people in the arts of imitation. Upon this occasion, every person who visits the Kremlin, and would be thought a true Christian, pur- chases one or more of the boughs, called Palm-branches ; and in returning, the streets are crowded with droskis, and all kinds of vehicles, filled with devotees, holding in their hands one or more palm-branches, according to the degree of their piety, or the number of boghs in their houses. The description often given of the splendour of the equipages in Mos- cow, but ill agrees with their appearance during Lent. A stranger, who arrives, with his head full of notions of Asiatic pomp, and Eastern magni- ficence, would be surprised to find narrow streets, execrably paved, covered with mud or dust; wretched-looking houses on each side; carriages, drawn it is true by six horses, but such cattle ! blind, lame, old, out of * The copeek equals in value an English halfpenny. 154 RUSSIAN GREEK CHDRCH. condition, of all sizes and all colours, connected by rotten ropes and old cords, full of knots and splices : on the leaders and on the box, figures that seem to have escaped from the galleys ; behind, a lousy, ragged lackey, or perhaps two, with countenances exciting more pity than derision ; and the carriage itself like the worst of the night-coaches in London. But this external wretchedness, as far as it concerns the equipages of the nobles, admits of some explanation. The fact is, that a dirty, tattered livery, a rotten harness, bad horses, and a shabby vehicle, constitute one part of the privation of the season. On Easter Monday the most gaudy but fantastic buffoonery of splendour fills every street in the city. The emperor, it is true, in his high consideration for the welfare and happiness of his subjects, deemed it expedient to adapt the appearance to the reality of their wretchedness ; and in restraining the excessive extravagance of the people of Moscow, evinced more wisdom than the world have given him credit for possessing. The second grand ceremony of this season takes place on Thursday before Easter at noon, when the archbishop washes the feet of the apostles. This we also witnessed. The priests appeared in their most gorgeous apparel. Twelve monks, designed to represent the twelve apostles, were placed in a semicircle before the archbishop. The ceremony is performed in the cathedral, which is crowded with spectators. The archbishop, per- forming all, and much more than is related of our Saviour in the thirteenth chapter of St. John, takes off his robes, girds up his loins with a towel, and proceeds to wash the feet of them all, until he comes to the represen- tative of Peter, who rises ; and the same interlocution takes place between him and the archbishop, which is said to have taken place between our Saviour and that apostle. The third, and most magnificent ceremony of all, is celebrated two hours after midnight, in the morning of Easter Sunday. It is called the ceremony of the resurrection, and certainly exceeded everything of the kind celebrated at Rome^ or anywhere else. I have not seen so splendid a sight in any Roman Catholic country ; not even that of the benediction by the pope during the holy week. At midnight the great bell of the cathedral tolled. Its vibrations seemed the rolling of distant thunder ; and they were instantly accom- panied by the noise of all the bells in Moscow. Every inhabitant was stirring, and the rattling of carriages in the streets was greater than at noon-day. The whole city was in a blaze ; for lights were seen in all the windows, and innumerable torches in the streets. The tower of the cathedral was illuminated from its foundation to its cross. The same ceremony takes place in all the churches ; and, what is truly surprising, considering their number, it is said they are all equally crowded. We hastened to the cathedral, which was filled with a prodigious as- sembly of all ranks and sexes, bearing lighted wax-tapers, to be afterwards heaped as vows on the different shrines. The walls, ceilings, and every part of this building, are covered with the pictures of saints and martyrs. In the moment of our arrival the doors were shut ; and on the outside appeared Plato, the archbishop, preceded by banners and torches, and followed by all his train of priests with crucifixes and censers, who were making three times, in procession, the tour of the cathedral; chanting RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 155 with loud voices, and glittering in sumptuous vestments, covered with gold, silver, and precious stones. Tlie snow had not melted so rapidly in the Kremlin as in the streets of the city ; and this magnificent procession was therefore constrained to move upon planks over the deep mud which surrounded the cathedral. After completing the third circuit, they all halted opposite the great doors, which were shut ; and the archbishop, with a censer, scattered incense against the doors, and over the priests. Suddenly those doors were opened, and the effect was great beyond descrip- tion. The immense throng of spectators within, bearing innumerable tapers, formed two lines, through which the archbishop entered, advancing with his train to a throne near the centre. The profusion of lights in all parts of the cathedral, and, among others, of the enormous chandelier which hung from the centre, the richness of the dresses, and the vastness of the assembly, filled us with astonishment. Having joined the suite of the archbishop, we accompanied the procession, and passed even to the throne, on which the police-officers permitted us to stand, among the priests, near an embroidered stool of satin, placed for the archbishop. The loud chorus, which burst forth at the entrance to the church, con- tinued as the procession moved towards the throne, and after the arch- bishop had taken his seat ; when my attention was, for a moment, called off, by seeing one of the Russians earnestly crossing himself with his right hand, while his left was employed in picking my companion's pocket of his handkerchief. Soon after, the archbishop descended, and went all round the cathedral; first offering incense to the priests, and then to the people as he passed along. When he had returned to his seat, the priests, two by two, performed the same ceremony; beginning with the archbishop, who rose and made obeisance with a lighted taper in his hand. From the moment the church-doors were opened, the spectators had continued bowing their heads, and crossing themselves ; insomuch that some of the people seemed really exhausted, by the constant motion of the head and hands. I had now leisure to examine the dresses and figures of the priests, which were, certainly, the most striking I ever saw. Their long dark hair, without powder, fell down in ringlets, or straight and thick, far over their rich robes and shoulders. Their dark thick beards also entirely covered their breasts. On the heads of the archbishop and bishops were high caps, covered with gems, and adorned w^itli miniature paintings set in jewels, of the crucifixion, the virgin, and the saints. Their robes of various-coloured satin were of the most costly embroidery, and even on these were miniature pictures set with precious stones. Such, according to the consecrated legend of ancient days, was the appearance of the high-priests of old, Aaron and his sons, holy men standing by the temple of the congregation in fine raiments, the workman- ship of " Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah." It is said there is a convent in Moscow where the women are entirely employed in working dresses for the priests. After two hours had been spent in various ceremonies, the archbi-liop advanced, holding forth a cross, which all the people crowded to embrace, squeezing each other nearly to suffocation. As soon, however, as their 156 RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. eagerness had been somewhat satisfied, he retired to the sacristy ; whers putting on a plain purple robe, he again advanced, exclaiming three times, in a very loud voice — Christ is risen I The most remarkable part of the solemnity now followed. The arch- bishop, descending into the body of the church, concluded the whole ceremony by crawling round the pavement on his hands and knees, kiss- ing the consecrated pictures, whether on the pillars, the walls, the altars, or the tombs ; the priests and all the people imitating his example. Sepulchres were opened, and the mummied bodies of incorruptible saints exhibited, all of which underwent the same general kissing. Thus was Easter proclaimed ; and riot and debauchery instantly broke loose. The inn in which we lodged became a pandemonium. Drinking, dancing, and singing, continued through the night and day. But in the midst of all these excesses, quarrels hardly ever took place. The wild, rude riot of a Russian populace is full of humanity. Few disputes are heard ; no blows are given ; no lives endangered but by drinking. No meetings take place of any kind without repeating the expressions of peace and joy, Christos voscress ! Christ is risen ! — to which the answer is always the same, Vo isfmey voscress ! He is risen indeed ! On Easter Monday begins the presentation of the paschal eggs : lovers to their mistresses, relatives to each other, servants to their masters — all bring ornamented eggs. Every oifering, at this season, is called a paschal egg. The meanest pauper in the street, presenting an egg^ and repeating the words Christos voscress^ may demand a salute, even of the empress. All business is laid aside : the upper ranks are engaged in visiting, balls, dinners, suppers, and masquerades ; while boors fill the air with their songs, or roll drunk about the streets. Servants appear in new and tawdry liveries ; and carriages in the most sumptuous parade *. The form of baptism amongst the Russians is so singular, that we must give a particular description of it. As soon as an infant comes into the world, the parents send immediately for a priest to purify him. aptism. ^j^.^ purification extends to all those who are present at the ceremony. They baptize their infants, according to Olearius, as soon as they are born ; but according to other historians, those who are in good circumstances are not so strict, but defer the ceremony for some time. The godfathers and godmothers of the first child must stand sureties for all the other children in that family, however great may be the number. After entering the church, these godfathers deliver nine wax-tapers into the hands of the priest, who illumines them all, and sticks them in the form of a cross about the font or vessel in which the infant is to be baptized. The priest then thurifies the godfathers, and consecrates the water ; and after that, he and the godfathers go thrice in procession round it. The clerk, who marches in the front, carries the picture of St. John. After this, they all arrange themselves in such a manner, that their backs are turned towards the font, as a testimony, says Olearius, of their aversion to the three questions which the priest proposes to the godfathers ; that is to say, — 1st, " Whether the child renounces the devil ?" 2dly, " Whether he abjures his angels?" and 3dly, " Whether he abhors and detests their • Clarke's Travels, RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 157 impious works ?"— At each question, the godfathers answer yes^ and spit upon the ground. The exorcism follows, which is performed out of the church, lest the devil, as he comes out of the infant, should pollute or profane it. After the exorcism is over, the priest cuts some hair off the child's head in the form of a cross, and puts it into a book, or wraps it up in wax, and deposits it in some particular place belonging to the church appropriated for that purpose. The baptism which ensues is performed by a triple immersion, as we have before observed with respect to the Greeks. The priest having now put a grain of salt into the infant's mouth, anoints him several times in the form of a cross, which may properly enough be called his confirmation ; and as he puts on him a clean shirt, he says, Thou art now as clean as this shirty and purified from the stain of oinginal sin. To conclude this ceremony, a little gold or silver cross, or one of inferior value, according to the circumstances of the parent, is hung about the infant's neck, which is the badge or token of his baptism. He must wear this not only as long as he lives, but carry it with him to his grave. To this cross must be added some saint, ap- pointed by the priest to be his guardian and protector, the picture of whom he delivers into the godfathers' hands, and in express terms charges them to instruct the child in what manner he may pay a peculiar respect and veneration to his patron saint. After the baptism is over, the priest salutes the infant and his sponsors. It is to be observed, that all matrimonial alliances between godfathers and the children for whom they are thus solemnly engaged, are prohibited amongst the Russians ; also, that the water in the font or cistern is changed every new baptism ; because they are of opinion that it is defiled or tainted with the original sin of those who were previously baptized in it. Those who become proselytes to the Russian religion, are baptized in some rapid stream, or some adjacent river, in which they are plunged three times successively ; and if it happens in the winter season, there is a hole broken in the ice for the performance of that ordinance. If, how- ever, the person should be of too weak a constitution to undergo such a violent initiation^ a barrel-full of water is poured over his head three times successively. After the baptism is over, the priest takes the infant newly baptized, and with his head makes a cross upon the church-door, at which he knocks three times with a hammer; each stroke must be so loud that those who were eye-witnesses of the baptism shall hear the sound of it ; for other- wise they do not look upon the infant as duly baptized. In the evening of their wedding-day, the bridegroom, accompanied by a numerous train of his nearest relations and acquaintance, proceeds to wait on his mistress; the priest who is to solemnize their arnage. j^^p^j^jg rj^jing on horseback before them. After the con- gratulations, and other compliments, customary on such joyful occasions, in all countries, the company sit down to table. *' But notwithstanding there are three elegant dishes instantly served up," says Olearius, " no one takes the freedom to taste of them." At the upper end of the table is a vacant seat intended for the bridegroom. Whilst he is in earnest discourse with the bride's relations, some young gentleman takes possession 158 RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. of his chair, and does not resign it without some valuable consideration, As soon as the bridegroom has thus redeemed his seat, the bride is intro- duced into the room, dressed as gaily as possible, but covered with a veil. A curtain of crimson taffeta, supported by two young gentlemen, now parts the lovers, and prevents them from stealing any amorous glances from each other's eyes. In the next place, the bride's Suacha, or agent, wreathes her hair, and after she has turned up her tresses, puts a crown upon her head, which is either of gold or silver gilt, and lined with silk, and of greater or less value, in proportion to the quality or circumstances of the person for whom it is intended. The other Suacha is employed in setting the bridegroom off to the best advantage. During this interval, some women that are present sing a number of little merry catches to divert them, whilst the bridemaids strew hops upon the heads of the company. Two lads after this bring in a large cheese, and several rolls or little loaves, in a hand-basket, with curious sable tassels to it. Two of the bride's attendants bring in another cheese, and the same quantity of bread, upon her particular account. All these provisions, after the priest has blessed them, are carried to the church. At last there is a large silver basin set upon the table, full of small remnants of satin and taffeta, with several small square pieces of silver, hops, barley, and oats, all mingled together. The Suacha, after she has put the bride's veil over her face ao-ain, takes several handfuls of this medley out of the basin, and strews it over the heads of all the company. The next ceremony is the exchano-e of their respective rings, which is performed by the parents of the new-married couple. The Suacha now conducts the bride to church, and the bridegroom follows with the priest, who, for the most part, induloes himself in drinking to that excess, that he is obliged to have two attendants to support him, not only whilst he rides on horseback to tlie church, but all the time he is there performing the matrimonial service. One part of the pavement of the church, where the ceremony is per- formed, is covered with crimson taffeta, and another piece of the same silk is spread over it, where the bride and bridegroom are appointed to stand. The priest, before he enters upon his office, demands their obla- tions, which consists in fish, pastry, &c. Then he gives them his bene- diction, and holds over their heads the pictures of those saints who were made choice of to be tlieir patrons. After which, taking the right hand of the bridegroom and the left of the bride within his own hands, he asks them three times, " whether they sincerely consent to and approve of their marriage, and whether they will love each other for the future as is their bounden duty so to do?" When they have answered Yes, all the company in general take hands and join in a solemn dance, whilst the priest sings the 128th Psalm (according to the Hebrew computation), in which almost all the blessings that attend the married state are enume- rated. The priest, as soon as the psalm is finished, puts a garland of rue upon their heads ; but if the man be a widower, or the woman a widow, then he lays it upon their shoulders. The blessing attendant on this ceremony begins with these words, Increase and multij)l(/ ; and concludes with that other solemn direction, which the Russians never understand in a rigorous sense — Whom God hath joined, let no man put asunder. As RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 159 soon as this form of words is pronounced, all the company light their wax- tapers, and one of them presents the priest with a glass of wine, which he drinks, and the newly-married couple pledge him. This is done thrice, and then the bride and bridegroom dash their glasses down upon the floor, and tread the pieces under their feet, denouncing several maledictions on all those who shall hereafter endeavour to set them at variance. At the same time, several women strew linseed and hempseed upon their heads. After this ceremony is over, the usual congratulations are repeated, with such other demonstrations of gaiety and rejoicing as generally accompany the nuptial rites in other countries. We must not omit one circumstance, however, which is merry and innocent enough : the women before- mentioned take fast hold of the bride's gown, in order to compel her, as it were, to forsake her husband ; but the bride usually maintains so strong a hold of him, that all their endeavours prove ineffectual. Their nuptial ceremonies thus far concluded, the bride goes home in a Russian car or sledge, attended by six flambeaux, and the bridegroom on horseback. The company come after them. As soon as they are all within doors, the bridegroom sits down at the table with his friends ; but the women conduct the bride to her bed-chamber, and put her to bed. Afterwards some young gentlemen wait on the bridegroom with their wax-tapers in their hands, and conduct him to his lady's apartment. As soon as they are within the chamber, they deposit their lights upon the hogsheads that surround the nuptial bed. The bride, wrapped up in her night-gown, now jumps out of bed, approaches her husband with much respect, and makes him a very submissive and respectful obeisance. This is the first moment, according to Olearius, that the husband has any opportunity of seeing his wife unveiled. They then sit down to table, and sup together. Amongst other dishes, there is a roast fowl set before them, which the husband tears to pieces, throwing that part wliich he holds in his hands, whether it be the leg or the wing, over his shoulder, and eating the remainder. Here the ceremony ends. The spectators now withdraw, and the newly-married couple go to bed, after crossing themselves, and addressing a short prayer to the pic- tures of their patron saints. An 5ld domestic servant stands sentinel at the oh amber- door, while some of the company, who are more superstitious than the rest, spend the interval in using enchantments for a happy con- summation of this love adventure. The following days are spent in all imaginable demonstrations of joy and rejoicing. The men indulge them- selves in drinking to excess, whilst the husband carouses with his friends, and drowns his senses in intoxicating liquors. The Russian funeral solemnities are as remarkable in all respects as their nuptial ceremonies. As soon as a sick person has expired, they send for the relations and friends of the deceased, who place them- Solemnities. selves about the corpse, and weep over it if they can. There are women likewise who attend as mourners, and ask the deceased, " What was the cause of his death ? Were his circumstances narrow and perplexed ? Did he want either the necessaries or conveni- ences of life ?" «&c. The relatives of the deceased now make the priest a present of some strong beer, brandy, and metheglin, that he may pray for ]60 RUSSIAN GREEK CHDRCH. the repose of the soul of the deceased. In the next place, the corpse is well washed, dressed in clean linen, or wrapped in a shroud, and shod with Russia leather, and put into a coffin, the arms being laid over the stomach, in the form of a cross. The Russians make their coffins of the trunks of hollowed trees, and cover them with cloth, or at least with the great- coat of the deceased. The corpse is not carried, however, to church, till it has been kept eight or ten days at home, if the season or circumstances of the deceased will admit of such a delay ; for it is a received opinion, that the longer they stay in this world, the better reception they will meet with in the next. The priest thurifies the corpse, and sprinkles it with holy water, till the very day of its interment. The funeral prooession is ranged or disposed in the following manner : — A priest marches in the front, carrying the image of the particular saint who was made choice of as patron of the deceased at the time he was baptized. Four young virgins, who are the nearest relations to the deceased, and the chief mourners, follow him ; or, for want of such female friends, the same number of women are hired to attend, and to perform that melancholy office. After them comes the corpse, carried on the shoulders of six bearers. If the party deceased be a monk or a nun, the brothers or sisters of the convent to which they belonged perform this last friendly office for them. Several friends march on either side of the corpse, thurifying it, and singing as they go along, to drive away the evil spirits, and to prevent them from hovering round about it. The relations and friends bring up the rear, each having a wax-taper in his hand. As soon as they are arrived at the grave, the coffin is uncovered, and the image of the deceased's favourite saint is laid over him, whilst the priest repeats some prayers suitable to the solemn occasion, or reads some par- ticular passages out of the liturgy. After that, the relations and friends bid their last sad adieu, either by saluting the deceased himself, or the coffin in which he is interred. The priest, in the next place, comes close to his side, and puts his passport or certijicafe into his hand, which is signed by the archbishop, and likewise by his father confessor, who sell it at a dearer or cheaper rate, according to the circumstances or quality of those who purchase it. This billet is a testimonial of the virtue and good actions of the deceased, or, at least, of his sincere repentance of all his sins. When a person at the point of expiring is so happy as to have the benediction of his priest, and after his decease, his passport in his hand, his immediate reception into heaven is, in their opinion, infallibly secured. The priest always recommends the deceased to the favour and protection of St. Nicholas. To conclude, the coffin is nailed up and let down into the grave, the face of the deceased being turned towards the east. The friends and relations now take their last farewell in unfeigned tears, or at least in seeming sorrow and concern, which are expressed by mourners who are hired for that purpose. The Russians frequently distribute money and provisions amongst the poor who hover round the grave ; but it is a very common custom amongst them, according to Olearius, " to drown their sorrotc and affliction in me- theylin and in brandy ;" and it too often happens that they get drunk on these occasions, in commemoration of their deceased friends. During their mourning, which continues forty days, they make three RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. 161 funeral entertainments, that is to say, on the third, the ninth, and the twentieth day after the interment. A priest, who is contracted with for that purpose, must spend some time in prayer for the consolation and repose of the soul of the deceased every night and morning, for forty days successively in a tent, which is erected on that occasion over the grave of the deceased. They commemorate their dead, likewise, once a year : this ceremony consists, principally, in mourning over their tomhs, and in taking care that they he duly perfumed with incense by some of their mercenary priests, who, besides the fee or gratuity which they receive for their incense, (or more properly the small quantity of wax with which they thurify the tombs,) make an advantage likewise of the various provisions wliich arc frequently brought to such places, or of the alms which arc left there, and intended by the donors for the relief and maintenance of the poor ; for the Russian nobility and gentry hope to atone, by their charita- ble donations, for their manifold and inhuman acts of oppression. We sliall add in this place an interesting account of the burial of Prince Galitzin, in Moscow, taken from Dr. Clarke's Travels, who was an eye- Buriiil of witness of the ceremony. This ceremony was performed in Prince Galit- a Small church near the Mareschal bridge. The body was laid ^'■'^' in a superb crimson coffin, richly embossed with silver, and placed beneath the dome of the church. On a throne, raised at the head of the coffin, stood the archbishop, who read the service. On each side were ranged the inferior clergy, clothed, as usual, in the most costly robes, bearing in their hands wax-tapers, and burning incense. The ceremony began at ten in the niorning. Having obtained admission to the church, we placed ourselves among the spectators, immediately behind his grace. The chanting had a solemn and sublime effect. It seemed as if choristers were placed in the upper part of the dome, which, perhaps, was really the case. The words uttered were only a constant repetition of " Lord have mercy upon us J" or, in Russian, " Ghospodi pomilui !" When the arch- bishop turned to give his benediction to all the people, he observed us, and added in Latin, " Pax vohiscum !" to the astonishment of the Russians; who not comprehending the new words introduced into the service, mut- tered among themselves. Incense was then offered to the pictures and to the people; and that ceremony ended, the archbishop read aloud a declaration, purporting that the deceased died in the true faith ; that he had repented of his errors, and that his sins were absolved. Then turning to us, as the paper was placed in the coffin, he said again in Latin : " This is what all you foreigners call the passport ; and you relate, in books of travels, that we believe no soul can go to heaven without it. Now I wish you to under- stand what it really is ; and to explain to your countrymen upon my authority, that it is nothing more than a declaration, or certificate, con- cerning the death of the deceased." Then laughing, he added, " I sup- pose you commit all this to paper ; and one day I shall see an engraving of this ceremony, with an old archbishop giving a passport to St. Peter." The lid of the coffin being now removed, the body of the prince was exposed to view ; and all the relatives, servants, slaves, and other attend- ants, began their loud lamentations, as is the custom among the Russians ; and each person, walking round the corpse, made prostration before it, and kissed the lips of the deceased. The venerable figure of an old slave pre- Ig2 RUSSIAN GREEK CHURCH. sented a most affecting spectacle. He threw himself flat on the pavement, with a degree of yiolence which might have cost him his life, and quite stunned by the blow, remained a few seconds insensible; afterwards, his loud sobs were heard ; and we saw him tearing off and scattering his white hairs. He had, according to the custom of the country, received his liberty upon the death of the prince ; but choosing rather to consign himself for the remainder of his days to a convent, he retired for ever from the world, saying, "since his dear old master was dead, there was no one living who cared for him." A plate was handed about, containing boiled rice and raisins ; a cere- mony I am unable to explain. The face of the deceased was covered by linen, and the archbishop poured consecrated oil, and threw a white powd'er, probably lime, several times upon it, pronouncing some words in the Russian language ; which supposing us not to understand, he repeated aloud in Latin : " Dust thou art ; and unto dust thou art returned!" The lid of the coffin was then replaced ; and, after a requiem, ** sweet as from blest voices," a procession began from the church to a con- vent in the vicinity of the city, where the body was to be interred. There wms nothing solemn in this part of the ceremony. It began by the slaves of the deceased on foot, all of whom were in mourning. Next came the priests, bearing tapers ; then followed the body on a common droski ; the whip of the driver being bound with crape ; and afterwards a line of carriages, of the miserable description before observed. But, instead of that slow movement usually characteristic of funeral processions, the priest* and the people ran as fast as they could ; and the body was jolted along in an uncouth manner. Far behind the last rumbling vehicle were seen persons following, out of breath, unable to keep up with their companions. Sect of Raskobiiki, or Jbraniki. — This is the only sect that has separated from the established church in Russia. They are supposed to amount to about one million. The date of their separation was about the year 1666. They pretend to be ardent lovers of the Holy Scriptures, and dis- tinguished for their piety. Its members assume the name of Ihranih\ that is, the multitude of the elect ; or, according to others, Straoivertsi, that is, believers in the ancient faith : but the name given them by their adversaries, and that by which they are generally known, is Raskol- 7iiki, that is, schismatics, or the seditious faction. In defence of their sepa- ration, they allege the corruptions, in both doctrine and discipline, that have been introduced into the Russian church. They profess a rigorous zeal for the letter of the Holy Scripture, which they do not understand ; and the transposition of a single word in a new edition of the Russian Bible, though this transposition was intended to correct an uncouth phrase in the translation commonly received, threw them into the greatest tumult. They will not allow a priest to administer baptism after having tasted spirituous liquors ; and in this, perhaps, they act rightly, since it is said, " that the Russian priests seldom touch the flask without drinking deep." They hold, that there is no subordination of rank, no superior or inferior among the faithful; that a Christian may kill himself for the love of Christ; that Hallehijah must be only twice pronounced, that it is a great sin to repeat it thrice ; and that a priest must never give a blessing except with three fingers. They are regular, even to austerity, in their manners; but, as they have always refused to OTHER BRANCHES OP THE GREEK CHURCH. 163 admit Christians of other denominations into their religious assemblies, they have been suspected of committing in them various abominations ; this, however, ought not to be believed without the strongest demonstrative proof. They have suffered much persecution ; and various means have been used to bring them back into the bosom of the church, but in vain ; and arguments, promises, threatenings, dragoonings, the authority of synods and councils, seconded by racks and gibbets — in a word, all the methods that artifice or barbarity could suggest, have been practised ; but these, instead of lessening, have increased their numbers, and, instead of closing, have widened the breach. Some wealthy merchants and great lords are attached to this sect ; and it is widely diffused among the pea- sants. It ought to be added, that the members of this sect consider the worship of images as gross idolatry ; and, perhaps, this practice, real or sup- posed, in the Russian clmrch, was one reason of their separating from it. SEC. III. OTHER BRANCHES OF THE GREEK CHURCH. Besides the Greek Church Proper, of which the Russian Church may be considered an independent branch, there are several other branches of the same church, which are scattered over a great extent of country in the East, embracing an unknown, but large number of members. Those which we shall briefly notice are, the Georgian and Mingrelian Greek Churches^ the Nestorians, Christians of St. Thomas, Jacobites, Copts, Abyssinians, and Armenians. It may be remarked, however, of these several com- munions, that they are in a miserable state of ignorance, superstition, and wretchedness. The Holy Scriptures are but little known among them ; but tlie British and Foreign Bible Society has, within a few years, directed considerable attention to their necessities ; and has circulated nearly two hundred thousand copies of the Bible, for their use, in their several languages. Sec. 1. — Georgia)! and Mingrelian Churches. Georgia and Mingrelia are two countries of Asia. The former of which lies between the Black and Caspian seas ; and the latter between Situation of Circassia on the north, and Guriel on the south. The Georgia and former was the ancient Iberia, the latter in part the ancient Mingrelia. Colchis. The inhabitants of both these countries are sunk in poverty, ignorance, and semi- barbarism. Yet an interest attaches to them on account of their religion, which was once more flourishing than at present. They are a branch of the Greek Church. These two people are said to profess the same faith, with this difference, however, that the Mingrelians, residing in the mountains and woods, are more vicious and depraved in morals than the Georgians. Each of these nations has a pontiff at its head, whom they call Catholicos, or the Catholic — who is obliged to pay a certain tribute to the Patriarch of Constantinople — but is, in every other respect, Their independent of any foreign jurisdiction. They have bishops "°** ^' and priests, who are not only ignorant, but exceedingly dissolute and corrupt. Some of their bishops are able neither to read nor write, and in order to discharge their duty learn to say mass by heart ; which, how- m2 1()4 OTHER BRANCHES OF ever, they are never inclined to do without being very well paid for their trouble. The priests are allowed not only to marry, according to the custom of the Greek Church, before ordination, but also to enter into second mar- Theii Priests ^'^^S^^ ^^ *^*6 expense only of a dispensation from the bishop, which amounts to about a pistole. In short, they may marry a third or fourth time upon paying double fees for every new indulgence. The patriarch, likewise, never ordains a bishop without being first paid the sum of five hundred crowns. When any person is very much indisposed amongst them, he sends for a priest, who attends him rather in the capacity of a physician, than as a father-confessor ; for he never mentions one word of confession to his patient. Turning over the leaves of a particular book, which he carries about him for that purpose, with an extraordinary display of fictitious gravity and circumspection, he pretends to find therein the real cause of the distemper, which he usually ascribes to the high displeasure of some of their images ; for it is a received notion amongst them, that their images are capable of gratifying their resentments on those who have offended them. The cause of the disorder being thus decidedly ascertained, the priestly physician enjoins his patient to make atonement for his sins by some acceptable oblation to the incensed image, — that is to say, some valuable present in money or eff'ects, which he always takes care to apply to his own private advantage. In regard to their baptismal ceremonies, — as soon as an infant is born, the papas, or priest, makes the sign of the cross on his forehead, and eight days afterwards anoints him with the Myrone — that is, their Ceremonies.^ consecrated oil; but he never baptizes him till two years after ; and the following form is observed : — The child is brought to the church, and presented to the papas, who immediately asks his name, and lights a little wax-taper ; after which he reads a long lesson, and repeats several prayers suitable to the occasion. After that, the godfather undresses the infant, and plunges him naked into a kind of font or bathing-vessel, full of lukewarm water, mixed with walnut-oil, and washes his body all over, the papas taking no share in this part of the ceremony, nor pronouncing a single syllable during the whole of the time. After this general ablution, however, he advances towards the water- vessel, and gives the Myrone to the godfather, to anoint the infant. The godfather accordingly anoints his forehead, nose, eyes, ears, breast, navel, knees, soles of the feet, heels, hams, loins, shoulders, and the crown of his head. After this ceremony is over, he plunges him again into the font, or water-vessel, and offers him a bit of blessed bread to eat, and a small portion of sacred wine to drink. If the child swallows them, it is looked upon as a happy omen. In conclusion, the godfather returns the infant to its mother, saying three times, " You delivered him into my hands a Jew^ and I return him to you a Christian." We shall now proceed to the nuptial ceremonies of the Georgians, which are, in fact, nothing more than a mere contract, by way of bargain and sale. The parents bring their daughters to market, and Ccremonks •''o'^^^ yi\i\\ the purchasers for a particular sum, which is greater or smaller, according to the value of the living commodities. THE GREEK CHURCn. 165 A female who has never been married commands a much higher price tlian a widow, and a virgin in her bloom more than an antiquated maid. As soon as the purchase-money is raised and ready, the father of the bride- groom gives an entertainment, at which the son attends with his cash in hand, and deposits it on the table before he offers to sit down : at the same time, the relations of the bride provide an equivalent, which is generally as near the value of his money as possible, consisting of all manner of necessary household goods, cattle, clothes, slaves, &i;. This custom appears to be very ancient ; and after the entertainment is over, the bride repairs to the bridegroom's house, attended by her relations, friends, and acquaintance. The procession is enlivened by a concert of instrumental music ; the contractors going before, to inform the family that the newly-married couple will arrive soon at home. These messen- gers, on their first arrival, are presented with bread, wine, and meat ; without offering to enter the house, however, they take the flagon of wine, and pour it lavishly round about it. This libation is consecrated by their hearty wishes for the health, prosperity, and peace of the newly-married couple. After this they return to the bride, and conduct her home to her husband's apartment, in which the other relations and friends are all assembled. In the middle of the room a carpet is spread upon the floor ; and a pitcher of wine, with a kettle-full of dough, called Gom, with which they make their bread, are set upon it. Soon after her entrance, the bride kicks down the pitcher, and scatters the paste with both her hands all over the room. We are at a loss to determine the mystical design of this practice, unless it be emblematical of the plenty and fruitfulness of the marriage state. The ceremony is attended with the usual pastimes and demonstrations of joy which are customary on such public occasions. The essential part of the nuptial mystery, however, is not solemnized here, but in a private apartment, for fear the sorcerers should cast a spell upon the newly-married couple. The bridegroom and his bride stand with their godfather before a priest, who reads over the marriage words by the light of a wax-taper ; and two garlands of flowers, either natural or artificial, are set close to each other on an adjoining table, with tufts of various colours ; a tavaiole, that is, a veil ; a glass of wine, a piece of bread, and a needle and thread. The godfather now throws a veil over the bridegroom's head, and, whilst the priest is reading the ceremony, sews the garments of the bride and bridegroom together. This godfather likewise puts crowns upon their heads, changing them three or four times, successively, according to the tenor of the prayers repeated on the occasion. After this, he takes the glass and the pieces of bread into his hands, and gives the bridegroom one bit, and the bride another : this he repeats three times, and eats what is left himself. He now gives them the glass three times a-piece, and then drinks the remainder, which concludes the ceremony. The veil made use of on this occasion, is the emblem or image of the nuptial bed ; and the thread, with which the bridegroom and bride are sewed together, the symbol of the conjugal knot ; but as the Georgians and Mingrelians are addicted to divorce and to discard their wives, and as they are frequently guilty of fornication and polygamy, the fragility of the thread is looked upon as a lively representation of the precarious and 166 OTHER BRANCHES OF uncertain duration of this happy union. The bread and wine denote their community, or having things in common together. The godfather eats and drinks the remains, to intimate that he has contracted a kind of relationship with them, and that he ought to be an impartial judge, or to be the arbitrator, in any controversies that may afterwards arise between them. The mourning of the Mingrelians, according to the accounts of several travellers, is like that of persons in the very depth of despair, and consists not only in weeping, or rather howling, in honour of their CerlmoSel ^^^^^ ^"^ ^^^^ ^^ shaving their beards and eyebrows. More- over, when a wife loses her husband, or some other near rela- tion, she rends her clothes, strips herself naked to the waist, tears her hair, scarifies her body, and scratches her face all over. The men like- wise behave nearly in the same manner, and are more or less violent, as necessity, inclination, or the circumstances of their mourning prompt them. This continues forty days, with a gradual diminution of their sorrow, as that term draws near to its expiration. On the ten first days, the relations and intimate friends and acquaint- ance meet constantly to weep over the deceased. Their cries and bowl- ings, their transports of sorrow, and their silence and serenity of mind, alternately succeed each other. On the last day they inter the corpse, on which occasion the catholicos puts upon the breasts of those who die in the faith a letter or petition, in which he humbly beseeches St. Peter to open the gate of heaven for them, and to admit of their entrance. This ceremony is sometimes performed even before they put them in their shrouds. On the fortieth day of their mourning, the Georgians have a funeral entertainment for the relations, friends, and acquaintance of the deceased, at which the men sit at one table, and the women at another. The bishop now reads a mass for the dead, and takes, for his fee or gra- tuity, everything that was allotted to the service of the deceased. Sec. 2. — Nestorian Churches. There are several sects of Christians in the Levant, who are known and distinguished by the name of Chaldeans or Syrians : but the most considerable part of them are those who pass under the denomi- nation of Nestorians, and in reality revere Nestorius, who was Patriarch of Constantinople in the beginning of the fifth century, by invoking him in their prayers. The occasion of the fatal controversy in which Nestorius involved the church, was furnished by Anastasius, who was honoured with his friend- ship. This presbyter, in a public discourse, delivered in 424, declaimed warmly against the title of Mother of God^ which was then frequently attributed to the Virgin Mary in the controversy with the Arians, giving it as his opinion, that the Holy Virgin was rather to be called Mother of Christy since the Deity can neither be born nor die, and, of consequence, the Son of man alone could derive his birth from an earthly parent. Nes- torius applauded these sentiments, and explained and defended them in several discourses. In opposition to him, Eutyches, an abbot at Constantinople, declared THE GREEK CHURCH. 167 that these natures were so united in Christ, as to form but one nature, that of the Incarnate word. It was an age when men were fast losing sight of the Gospel, and contending about modes and forms ; and these opposite opinions threw the whole Eastern world into bitter contention, and gave rise to that great division which continues to this day among the miserable remnant of the Eastern churches. The followers of the former are called Nestorians ; the latter, Monophysites. The Nestorians early became the chief propagators of the Gospel in the East. They enjoyed the patronage of the Persian monych Pherazes, by whom their opponents were expelled from his kingdom, and their patriarch was established at Seleucia. They established a school at Nisibis under Barsumas, a disciple of Nestorius, from whence proceeded, in the fifth and sixth centuries, a band of missionaries, who spread abroad their tenets, through Egypt, Syria, Arabia, India, Tartary, and China. In the twelfth century, they won over to their faith the prince of Tartary, who was baptized John ; and because he exercised the office of presbyter, was, with his successors, called Prester John. They made converts, also, of the Christians on the coast of Malabar, who, it is supposed, received the Christian faith from the Syrian Mar Thomas, in the fourth or fifth century. They formed, at one time, an immense body, but dwindled away before the Saracen power, and the exasperated heathen priests and jealous Chinese emperors. They acknowledged but one patriarch until 1551, who resided first at Bagdad, and afterwards at Mousul. But at this period, the Papists succeeded in dividing them, and a new patriarch was consecrated by Pope Julius III., and established over the adherents to the pope, in the city of Ormus. The great patriarch at Mousul, called Elias, has continued, however, to be acknowledged to this day, by the greater part of the Nestorians, who are scattered over Asia. Throughout this long period, they have maintained considerable purity of doctrine and worship, and kept free from the ridiculous ceremonies of the Greek and Latin churches. Of their present number and religious charac- ter we know but little. Probably they are very ignorant, debased, and corrupt. * We shall now proceed to such religious customs among the Nestorians, as may be more properly thought an essential part of this history. Before the sixth century, the patriarch of the Nestorians was digni- the?/cier''v ^^^ ^"^ distinguished by the title of Catholic, which he has ergy. ^^^^-^^^ ^^^^ gjj^^^,^ j^jg clergy, as well as those of the Greeks in Constantinople, consist of married and monastic priests. The latter, in Syria and Mesopotamia, are dressed in black, with a capuche, or hood, which covers the crown of their head like a calot, and hangs down upon the shoulders like a veil. Over this they wear a turban, the cap and the linen cloth of which are of a deep blue. The patriarch and the bishops are not distinguished from the priests by any particular dress, but by their pastoral staff and a cross, which they carry in their hands, and hold out for the devotees to kiss. The head of the former is made either like a crutch, or a crosier. The vestments of their married priests are all black likewise, or at least dark grey ; but instead of wearing a capuche upon their heads, they have a round cap with a large button upon the top of it. ♦ Marsh's Etc. History. 168 OTHER BRANCHES OF Besides the regular monastic priests, there are several convents in Meso- potamia, the monks of which are not priests, but style themselves i~*)nks of the order of St. Anthony. The habit of these Nestorian monks is an open black cassock, which is girt round them with a leathern surcingle, and a gown over it, the sleeves of which are very large. They wear no capuche, but a purple turban instead of it. At midnight, morning, and evening, they repeat the church service, but spend the remainder of the day in tilling their grounds. The churches belonging to the Nestorians are divided by balustrades, or rails j and one part of them is always allotted for the peculiar service of Q, , the women. The font is erected on the south side. When they say their prayers and pay their adoration to the Supreme Being, they always turn their faces towards the east. Before the entrance into these churches, there is, generally, a large court, with a very small door. This court was originally the place appointed for the reception of penitents, and was made use of as a bar to t e profane, in order to pre- vent them hearing and seeing the different proceedings and ceremonies of the Christian assemblies. Independently of the fasts which are generally observed by the Chris- tians of the Greek Church, the Nestorians keep one in particular, which continues three days ; it is called the Fast of Nineveh, Nineveh ^ because they therein imitate the repenting Ninevites, who did penance for their sins for three days after the preaching of the prophet Jonas. This fast is the introduction to their Lent. '' The Christians of Syria and Mesopotamia have added to their calen- dar one festival in commemoration of the penitent thief, which is not observed by the Roman Catholic Church ; it is called by them Lass-al- JEMiN, that is, the Thief on the right hand. This falls upon the octave of Easter. The bathing of the Syrian Christians in the river Jordan must be reckoned amongst their religious customs, but the ceremony itself is very idle and ridiculous. These people, however, practise it as an BatWne!^"^ act of devotion, and Christians of all denominations, as Greeks, Nestorians, Copts, &c., wash themselves naked in the river with great solemnity, in commemoration of Jesus Christ and his baptism. In this instance, they concern themselves as little in regard to the differ- ence of the sexes, as of the sects ; for men and women jump promis- cuously into the river, and plunge down to the bottom. Some of the most zealous devotees dip their handkerchiefs in the sacred stream ; others carry a quantity of the water away with them in bottles ; and the very dirt, sand, and grass that grows upon the banks, are all looked upon as sacred relics. The nuptial ceremonies of the Syrians are very singular and remark- able. The bridegroom is conducted to the house of the bride on horse- back, between two drawn swords, which are carried by two ^, ";f„|''^- , men, one before and the other behind him. The relations, friends, and acquaintance of the bride receive him with their flambeaux lighted, and music preceding them, accompanied with songs, acclamations, and other testimonies of general joy. On the wedding-night the bridegroom gives his spouse an uncourteous kick, and commands her to pull off his shoes, as a token of her submission and obedience. THE GREEK CHURCK. 169 When a Christian dies at Bagdad, the neighbours assemble, in order to perform his funeral obsequies. At their return from the place of inter- ment, a handsome collation is always prepared for their re- Funeral fj.ggi^i^ent at the house of the deceased, where every one is sequies. ^^1^,^^^ without distinction, insomuch that sometimes a hundred and fifty, or more, appear at these funeral entertainments. The next day, the company meet in order to pray together over the grave of the deceased, which is likewise repeated on the third day ; when there is another public entertainment provided for them, and in general the same welcome is given to all as before. These ceremonies are repeated on the seventh day, the fifteenth, the tliirtieth, and the fortieth, after the decease. At Damas, the Christian women sing and weep over their dead. Thevenot saw a company of these female mourners, accompanied by two men with lighted candles in their hands, howling over the dead, and beating their breasts to express their sorrow. Every now and then they made a halt ; then fell into a ring, and snapping their fingers, as if they were playing with castanets, danced and sung to tlie sound, whilst others kept time in hideous bowlings. The ceremony concluded with mutual testimonies of respect ; after which they departed, dancing and snapping their fingers as before. Nearly the same ceremonies are observed at Rama on similar occasions. Father Le Brun says, "that they w^eep for about half an hour over the grave of their deceased friends ; then rise and fall into a ring, as if they were going to dance to the braids" — Two of them after this quit the ring, and planting themselves in the middle, ther« make a thousand grimaces, howling and clapping their hands. After this fright- ful noise, they sit down to drown their sorrow in tears. All the female mourners that Le Brun saw, relieved each other. Those who had finished went home, and others supplied their place. When these women stood up in order to form themselves into a ring, they covered their heads with a black veil. Sec. 3. — Christians of St. Thomas. With regard to the origin of the Christians of St. Thomas, who inhabit the coast of Malatyar and Travancore, there exists much difi'erence of opinion. The Portuguese, who first opened the navigation of "gin- \^^\^^ ii^ the fifteenth century, and found them seated there for acres, assert that St. Thomas, the apostle, preached the gospel in India, and that these are the descendants of his proselytes. The Christians of St. Thomas declare themselves descendants of one Mar Thomas or Thomas Cana, an Armenian merchant, who settled at ^ . . r X Congranor. Mar Thomas married two wives, and had Christians of St. issue by each. The children by the former were heirs to all Thomas. hls efi'ects and lands, which were situate in the southern ' part of the kingdom of Congranor ; and those of the latter, who was a negro-slave converted to the Christian faith, inherited the settlement of which their father died possessed in the north. In process of time, his descendants became very numerous, and constituted two consideraulo branches, whieh were never united nor allied to each other. The issue of his first wife, from whom the nobility are descended, look down with dis- dain on the Christians of the other branch, and carry their aversion to so 170 OTHER BRANCHES OF high a pitch, as to separate themselves from their communion, and to con- temn the ministry of their priests. Mar Thomas^ whom these Christians look upon as their common parent, flourished, according to the general notion, in the tenth century ; but M. la Croza thinks that he lived in the sixth. These Christians enjoyed so many valuable privileges under the sovereigns of the country, and grew so powerful, that they at length elected kings out of their own nation and religion. They continued in this state of independence till the death of one of their sovereigns, who leaving no heir to the throne, they adopted a young idolatrous prince who was his neighbour, and appointed him to be his successor. The Rev. Dr. Buchanan, vice-provost of the college of Fort-William, who visited these Christians in 1806, and counts fifty-five churches in Malayala* denies that they are Nestorians, and observes account"^ ^^°^° ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ doctrines " are contained in a very few articles, and are not at variance in essentials with the doctrines of the church of England. They are usually denominated JacobitcB^f but they differ in ceremonial from the church of that name in Syria, and in- deed from any existing church in the world. Their proper designation, and that which is sanctioned by their own use, is Syrian Christians or The Syrian Church of Malayala" Yet the Doctor remarks, that they acknowledge " the Patriarch of Antioch," and that they are connected with certain churches in Mesopotamia and Syria, 215 in number, and labouring under circumstances of discouragement and distress ; but he does not say whether it is to the Greek or the Jacobite Patriarch of Antioch that they are subject. J In respect to their religious ceremonies they observe at Easter a kind of public collation, which bears some affinity with the AgapcB of the primitive Christians. This feast or entertainment consists Customs?'^^ generally of nothing but a few herbs, fruits, and rice ; and is made in the fore-court before the church-porch. The priests at those times have a double, and the bishop a triple portion of what is provided. To these AgapcB^ we must add another ceremony, called by the Christians of St. Thomas their Casture, which is said to be an emblem, or symbol, of brotherly love. During the time they are in the church, they take hold of the hands of one of their most ancient Cacanares, or priests, and in that posture receive his benediction. These Christians have holy water placed at their church-doors, with which they make the sign of the cross, repeating at the same time a prayer in commemoration of Nestorius. It is merely a little common water mixed with a small quantity of mould, taken out of the road through which St. Thomas had travelled. In case they have no such mould, they throw a few grains of frankincense into it. We have before observed, that they have not only crosses, but pictures or representations of them, hung up in their churches; and the priests likewise carry a * Malayala comprehends the mountains and the whole region within them, from Cape Cormorin to Cape Illi : whereas the province of Ma/a^ar coinraouly so called, contains only the northern districts, not including the country of Travancore. t Their Liturgy, Dr. B. tells us, is derived from that of the early church of Antioch, called '* Liturgia Jacobi Apostolic — And, according to Mr. Gibbon, the " Jacobites them- eelves had rather deduce their name and pedigree from St. James the Apostle.'' X All religions. THE GREEK CHURCn. 171 crucifix in procession, obliging the devotees who assist to salute it. This act of devotion has been embraced even by the Pagans. There are also crosses erected not only in their streets and high roads, but in the most solitary places. They are erected on a pedestal, in which there is a hole or cavity, large enough to contain a burning lamp ; and the Indians fre- quently contribute towards the oil that is spent to support these lamps. The use of bells is prohibited amongst those Chaldeans who live under the authority and jurisdiction of the Indians ; because the sound of those instruments, in their opinion, is offensive and incommodious to their idols : the ancient Pagans were no strangers to this idle notion. It is a common practice among the Indian Christians, out of devotion, to lie all night in their churches ; and the same custom was frequently observed by the ancient idolaters. The posture of these Indians, when they say their prayers, is prostration with their faces to the ground. A description of their dances may be properly enough introduced in this place. The men dance by themselves, and the maidens and married women also by themselves, with all imaginable modesty and decorum. Before they begin, they not only make the sign of the cross, but sing the Lord's Prayer, with a hymn in commemoration of St. Thomas. The Indians, likewise, amongst whom these Christians Uve, make dancing a part of their divine worship ; and it is well known that it was a principal ornament, and an essential act of devotion, at the festivals of the ancient Pagans. With regard to their songs, the subject of them is always either the virtues of their saints, or the heroic actions of their ancestors. Sec. 4. — Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Jacobites. Were we to include under the denomination of Jacobites all the Mo- NOPHYsiTES of the Levant, — that is, all those who are charged with the heresy of acknowledging but one nature in Jesus Christ, — it a ^unt ^^^^ ^® acknowledged that their sect would be very extensive ; for then we must reckon the Armenians^ Cophti, and the Abyssi- nians, amongst the number. But there are very few who can strictly and justly be termed Jacobites, and they, for the most part, reside in Syria and Mesopotamia. There are not above 40 or 45,000 families of their per- suasion ; and even they themselves are divided in point of principle ; some of them being reconciled to the Church of Rome, and others continuing in a state of separation. The latter have two patriarchs, who generally act in direct opposition to each other : one of them resides at Caremit, and the other at Derzapharam ; independently of whom, there is another patriarch attached to the Church of Rome, who resides at Aleppo, and is dependant on, and absolutely under the jurisdiction of the court of Rome. As to the articles of their belief, the Monophy sites, in general, (whether Armenians, Cophti, or Abyssinians,) maintain the doctrine of Dioscorus, with respect to the unity of the nature and person of Jesus Christ, and to that degree of exactness, that, in order the more clearly to express their belief, they make the sign of the cross, according to Brerewood, with one finger only, whereas the other Easterns make use of two : for this reason, they are looked upon and treated as heretics, thouoh in reality there is no other difference but in point of terms between them and the divines of the Latin Church. This is readily acknowledged 172 OTHER BRANCHES OF by the most learned men amongst them at this very day ; and is evident from the conferences which Father Christopher Boderic, the pope's legate in Egypt, had with the Copliti, on the subject of reconciliation between the two churches. They ingenuously confessed, that the only reason of their making use of such terms, was purely to testify their abhorrence and detestation of the Nestorians ; for that, in reality, they were of the same opinion with the Latin Church, and freely owned the two natures of Jesus Christ. They further insisted that the mystery of the Incarnation was more clearly explained by their asserting the unity of Christ's nature ; because there is but one Jesus Christ, who is both God and man. On the contrary, the Latins speak of these two natures as if they were severed from one another, and did not constitute one real whole. It is in this sense, likewise, that Dioscorus, who softened some of the harsh terms which were made use of by Eutyches, declared his opinion that Jesus Christ was a compound of two natures ; although he was not in himself two distinct natures, "which," says Father Simon, *' appears an orthodox notion :" for they will not acknowledge that there were two distinct natures in Jesus Christ, for fear of establishing two Christs. The whole of this mighty disagreement arises, however, from the different construction which each party puts on those two terms, nature ^n^ person. To which may be added, the ambition of not swervinfj in the least from a position once laid down, and which was the principal reason why Eutyches maintained his opinion with so much obstinacy ; from which it appears, that the terms he uses ought not to be understood in their most strict and rigorous sense, but be construed and restrained to that idea which he entertained of admitting but one Christ, and consequently but one nature, after the union of the two natures, the divine and human, in such a man- ner as is incomprehensible to our weak understandings. In regard to all other points, relating either to the faith or ceremonies of the Jacobites, the accounts which Brerewood has given us of them are Ceremonies ^^^ always Strictly just. FoF instance, they neither deny a state of purgatory^ nor reject prayers for the dead, as he per- emptorily asserts upon the authority of Thomas the Jesuit ; but their notions in those particulars are the same as those of the Greeks and other oriental nations. Neither is it true that they consecrate the sacrament with unleavened bread ; the Armenians, and, according to Alvares, the Ethiopians, only excepted ; for the true Jacobites, of whom we are speak- ing, make use of /ray^n^t/ bread. Gregory XIII. who purposed to found a college at Kome for the Jacobites, there being one antecedently erected for the encouragement of the Maronites, would no doubt have indulged them, as well as the Greeks, with the administration of the sacrament with leavened bread ; but in regard to confession^ the assertion that it is not practised amongst them, is likewise a gross mistake ; for as it is not looked upon by them as of divine institution, it is consequently very much neg- lected. Brerewood says that they confess their sins to God alone, and not to a priest, except upon some extraordinary occasion. His assertion, however, about circumcision, must be false, unless he means to refer to a few amongst the Cophti and the Abyssinians ; and even they look on it rather as an ancient custom than a religious ceremony. A great distinction ought, however, to be made between the Jacobites, THE GJIEEK CHURCH. 173 wlieii the Cophti, Abyssinians, and Armenians are included under that denomination, and those who are strictly and properly so called ; for though they are all followers of that St. James, from whom they derive their title, yet they do not all observe the same ceremonies. James was the disciple of Severus, patriarch of Antioch, in the sixth century. He is revered as a saint by the Jacobites, as well as Dioscorus, who was his contemporary. Abrahamus Ecchellensis insists that the Jacobites, as well as the Latins, acknowledge that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son ; but Father Simon says that " he is very much mistaken in this particular, as well as in several others relating to the customs and tenets of the Eastern Cliristians." Before baptism the Jacobites imprint the sign of the cross, not only on the arm, but on the face of the infant to be baptized. It is likewise a received notion amongst them, that the souls of the righteous reside on earth till the day of judgment, waiting for the second coming of Jesls Christ ; also, that the angels consist of two substances, fire and light. The Jacobites, who are scattered throughout Syria and the parts adjacent, are computed to amount to more than fifty thousand families. Tliere is a quotation in Brerewood, in which the number was then said to be ad- vanced to a hundred and sixty thousand. Sec. 5. — Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Copts. The Copts^ according to Scaliger and Father Simon, derive their name from Coptos, once a celebrated town of Egypt, and the metropolis of Thebaid ; but Volney and others are of opinion, that the name accomir^^ Copts is only an abbreviation of the Greek word Aigouptios, an Egyptian. The Copts have a patriarch, whose jurisdiction extends over both Egypts, Nubia, and Abyssinia, who resides at Cairo, but who takes his title from Alexandria. He has under him eleven or twelve bishops, besides the abuna, or bishop of the Abyssinians, whom he appoints and consecrates. The rest of the clergy, whether secular or regular, are composed of the orders of St. Anthony, St. Paul, and St. Macarins, who liave each their monasteries. Their arch-priests are next in degree to bishops, and their deacons are said to be numerous ; and they often confer the order of dexicon even on children. Next to the patriarch is the bishop or titular patriarch of Jerusalem, who also resides at Cairo, because there are only few Copts at Jerusalem : he is, in reality, little more than bishop of Cairo, except that he goes to Jerusalem every Easter, and visits some other places in Palestine, within his own jurisdiction. To him belongs the government of the Coptic church, during the vacancy of the patriarchal see. The ecclesiastics are said to be in general of the lowest rank of the people ; and hence that great degree of ignorance which prevails among them. They have seven saciaments ; baptism, the eucharist, confirmation, ordination, faith, fasting, and prayer. They admit only three oecumenical councils ; those of Nice, Constantinople, and Ephesus. They Cefemon'ies'^ observe four Lents, as do the Greeks and most Eastern Christians ; but it is said by Brerewood and Ross, that they do not keep the Lord's-day. There are three Coptic liturgies ; one attributed to St. Basil, another to St. Gregory, and the third to St. Cyril. 174 * OTHER BRANCUES OP These are translated into Arabic for the use of the clergy and the people. The Copts are fond of rites and ceremonies. During the time of service, they are always in motion. In particular, the officiating priest is in con- tinual motion, incensing the saints, pictures, books, &c. every moment. They have many monasteries, in which the monks bury themselves from society in remote solitudes. Their nunneries are properly hospitals ; and few enter them, except widows reduced to beggary. During the first three aoes of the church, no country exhibited more sincere or greater Christian piety than Egypt, and the north of Africa in general. At present, however, little more than the mere shadow of Christianity can be seen in Eo-ypt ; and in point of numbers, not more than fifty thousand Christians in all can be found in this country. There are not more than three Christian churches at Cairo. In respect to this people, we shall only add a brief account of their nuptial ceremonies, which, however, do not essentially difi'er from those practised by the Greeks. After midnight service, or, as the C "^^if 8 1^0™ ^'^s would express it, after matins, the bridegroom in the first place, and then the bride, were conducted from their own apartments to church, accompanied by a long train of attendants with wax-tapers, and other lights. During the procession several hymns were sung in the Coptic language, and the performers beat time, or accompanied the vocal with instrumental music, by striking little wooden hammers upon small ebony rulers. The bridegroom was conducted into the inner choir of the church, and the bride to the place appointed for the women. Then the priests and the people began several prayers, inter- spersed with hymns, within the choir. This ceremony was very long. At the conclusion, the priest who solemnized the nuptials went up to the bridegroom, and read three or four prayers, making the sign of the cross both at the beginning and at the conclusion of each prayer. After that, he made him sit down upon the ground, with his face towards the Heikel. The priest who stood behind him held a silver cross over his head, and in that posture continued praying. Whilst this ceremony was performing in the inner choir, the sacristan had placed a form or bench at the door of the outer choir, for the bride to sit on with one of her relations. The priest having finished in the inner choir what the Copts call the Prayer of the Conjugal Knot, the other priest, who solemnized the nuptials, dressed the bridegroom in an alb, tied it with a surcingle about his waist, and threw a white napkin over his head. The bridegroom thus equipped was conducted to his spouse. The priest then made him sit down by her side, and laid the napkin, which before covered the bridegroom's head, over them both. After this, he anointed each of them on the forehead, and above the wrist. To conclude the ceremony, he read over to them, after their hands were joined, an exhortation, which principally turned on the duties incumbent on all those who enter into the holy state of matrimony. Then followed sundry prayers ; and after them the mass, at which the bridegroom and the bride received the blessed sacrament, and then departed. THE GREEK CHURCH. 175 Sec. 6. — Doctrines and Customs of the Ahyssinians or Ethiopians. Having treated of the religion of the Copts, and as there is little or no General diifeience between them and the Abyssinians in point of prin- account, ciple, we shall say but little on that topic. The country known to the ancients by the name of Ethiopia, is now called Abyssinia, and the natives thereof are distinguished by the name of Abyssinians. They are subservient only to the power and authority of one bishop, who is the metropolitan, or archbishop of all Ethiopia, and is dignified and distinguished by the title of Ahuna, that is to say, Our Father. This bishop is sent by the Patriarch of Alexandria to preside over them, and liis place of residence is at Cairo ; so that they resemble the Copts in all their ecclesiastical concerns, except in some few ceremo- nies which are peculiar to themselves. Tliey have likewise a language of their own, which they call the Chaldaic, because they are of opinion that it was originally spoken in Chaldea, though very different from the vulgar Chaldaic. For this reason, it is likewise called the Ethiopic tongue, and they always make use of it in their liturgies, and other religious offices. Such as are versed in the Hebrew language may easily attain a competent knowledge of the Ethiopic, because there are many words which are the same in both languages : they have characters, however, peculiar to them- selves ; and in the Hebrew language the points which supply the place of vowels are never joined to the consonants ; whilst on the other hand, in the Ethiopic language, there is no consonant, but what at the same time includes its own vowel. The Abyssinians are dependant on the Patriarch of Alexandria, who makes choice of, constitutes, and appoints that person to be Metropolitan of Abyssinia whom he thinks most able to fill the office ; Abv'stlnia** which ability is generally estimated according to the extent of the douceur which he is enabled to give. It is for this reason, that the Abyssinian priests mention in their prayers the Patriarch of Alexandria before their own metropolitan ; who, after his election, is always accountable to that patriarch for his conduct, and the due admi- nistration of his office. This metropolitan must not be a native of Abys- sinia, neitherhas he power to constitute or establish any other metropolitans; so that, although he has the honour to be called their patt^iarch, he has neither the authority nor the power belonging to that august character. He alone, however, issues out dispensations, and is possessed of very considerable revenues, which pay very little, if any, duty or contribution to the government. There are both canons, or prebendaries, and monks, in Abyssinia ; and amongst the latter there are two sorts of hermits. The canons are allowed to marry, and their canonships frequently descend to their Cleiffv^' ° children : this custom is the more remarkable, for there is no other religion, except that of the Jews, which can produce any instances of hereditary succession to any ecclesiastical dignities. The komos^ or hegumene^ is reputed the first dignitary, or principal person in the order of priesthood, after the archbishops and bisliops, both by the Copts and the Abyssinians. Their monks never marry. Of these there are two kinds ; one, that have a General^ and form a regular body ; the 176 CJHER BRANCHES OF other, who live under one common rule ; but their convents are independent of each other. ITiese monks are men of credit and reputation, and are frequently entrusted with the most important affairs of state. None but the priests and deacons have any right to enter into the sanctuary where the altar stands ; the emperor himself is denied that privilegey unless he has been before admitted into holy orders ; for this reason their monarcha are frequently ordained, and take either deacon's or priest's orders on the day of their coronation. The Ethiopian princes insist that they are descendants of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba ; and this royal extraction, whether true or false, is „ . . supported by several historical testimonies, interspersed with a thousand extravagant fictions. But if this really be so, it rea- dily accounts for that Judaism which is so universally blended with the Christianity of this empire, and which seems to be originally derived from this royal race of the Abyssinian monarchs. Indeed the Abyssinians are so confirmed, beyond all contradiction, in this belief, that their monarchs assume the title of K'mgs of Israel. The people axe divided' into tribes, as were the ancient Hebrews, and they preserve muny Jewish names ; indeed, their very singers boast that they are descended from the ancient Scribes. We shall next notice some of their rites and ceremonies ; and first, in respect to baptism : the mother, being dressed with great neatness and decency, attends with her infant in her arras at the church- Ceremonies, ^oor. There the priest who officiates, pronounces several long prayers for a blessing on them both, beginning with those peculiarly appropriated to the mother. Afterwards, he conducts them into the church, and anoints tlie infant six several times with the oil co^nsecrated for their exorcisms. These first unctions are accompanied with thirty-six others, administered with galilseimi, each on a distinct part of the infantV body. After this, he blesses the font, pouring con- secrated oil into it twice, and making, each time, three different signs of the cross with meiron ; all which ceremonies are accompanied with several long prayers. As soon as the benediction of the font is over, he plunges the infant into it three times successively. At the first, he dips one third part of the infant's body into the water, saying, / baptize thee in the name of the Father ; he then dips him lower, about two-thirds, adding, / hap- iize thee in the name of the Son ; at the third operation, he plunges him all over, saying, I baptize thee in the name of the Holy Ghcst. Tlie sacra- ments of Confirmation and of the blessed Eucharist are administered after this baptism, which is solemnized before mass ; and the Communion is administered to the infant towards the end. The confirmation of the Copts consists in several long prayers, and repeating the unctions on the infant, the same as after baptism. The Confirmation P^'i^^'^^s among the Abyssinians perform their unction with chrism, in the form of a cross, upon the forehead of the baptized infant, saying. May this be the unction of the grace of the Holy Ghost ; Amen. "When he anoints the infant's nose and lips, he sayc. This is tlie pledge of the kingdom of heaven. At the appHcation of the ointment to liis ears, he uses this form, The sacred unction of our Lord Jesus Christ: in anointing the arms, knees, and legs, / anoint ihee^ says he, icith this THE GREEK CHURCH. 177 sacred unction^ in the name of the Father^ <§r. To conclude, tlie priest repeats a prayer over the infants tliat Lave been baptized, and afterwards confirmed, in the form of a benediction, puts crowns upon their heads, and then gives them the communion. When the Abyssinians celebrate the eucharist, the sacramental bread is prepared in a convenient place, contiguous to the church, but no woman is permitted to touch the flour from which it is made. The uc laiis . 1^^^^^ -g }jj.ought from the vestry to the altar by proper officers, who go in solemn procession before it, with crosses, censers, and little bells. During the celebration of mass, a curtain is drawn, to conceal what is done at the altar from the eyes of the congregation. They administer the communion in both kinds ; but with these re- strictions, according to Father le Brun : — that in the Ethiopian, as well as in all other Eastern churches, the celebrant gives the hlood^ or wine, in the chalice to none but the priests ; he administers it to the deacons, in a small spoon ; and the laity receive only some particles of the body dipped in the blood ; the king excepted, who receives the communion in both kinds. The Abyssinian churches are all situated directly from west to east, that the people, when they pray, may turn their faces eastward. The altar stands by itself, within the sanctuary, under a kind of dome, supported by four pilasters ; and is called, by the Ethiopians, their ark, the form or figure of it being, according to their tradition, tho same as that of the Jews, which they pretend is actually in existence, and is to be seen at this very time in the church of Axuma. There are two curtains before the sanctuary, with little bells at the bottom of them, on which account nobody can go in, nor come out, without making them ring. As the congregation always stand during the performance of divine service, they have no seats in their churches ; they are allowed, how^ever, to rest themselves upon supporters or crutches, a great number of which are provided for that purpose, and deposited on the outside of the churches. The people always go into the church barefooted ; and for this reason the pavement is covered with tapestry. No person presumes to talk, blow his nose, nor so much as to turn his head aside, whilst at church. The men are separated from the women, and the latter are placed as far distant as possible from the sanctuary. They have lamps burning in their churches even in the day-time, and they frequently illumine a great number of wax- tapers. They are very strict and severe in the observance of their fasts. Dur- ing their Lent, they eat but once a day, and that after sunset. On Wed- Fasts nesdays and Fridays they sit down to table at three o'clock ; and, in order not to be in the least mistaken in point of time, they measure their shadows, which when they are just seven feet in length is the critical minute. The Abyssinian priests are so precise, that they defer the celebration of the mass until the evening, upon a fast-day, for fear of transgressing the injunction of fasting, by receiving even the elements. They do not think themselves obliged, however, to fast, till they have children of a marriageable age ; but as the heat of the climate soon brings the natives to maturity, there are but very few at twenty-five who are exempt from this penance. Among the Abyssinians, the particular person for whose spiritual com- J 78 OTHER BRANCHES OF fort this benediction of tlie lamp is pronounced, is obliged, according to the direction of the ritual, if his strength will permit him, of thrLam ''''' *^ ^^'^^^ ^^^^ *^ *^^^ celebrant, who places him in a con- amp, ^g^i^j^^ ^^^^^ ^,j^l^ jjjg face towards the east. The priests then hold the book of the Gospels, and a cross over his head, and lay their hands upon him. The senior priest then reads the prayers appointed for that particular occasion ; after which they raise the sick person up, give him a blessing with the Book of the Gospels, and rehearse the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, &c. Then they raise the cross above his head, and at the same time pronounce the general absolution over him which is inserted in their liturgy. If time will permit, there are several other prayers added, and a formal procession is made all round the church, with the sacred lamp, and several lighted wax-tapers, to beg of God that he would graciously vouchsafe to heal the person for whom their prayers are desired. If the patient happens to be so far indisposed as to be incapable of approaching the altar himself, some friend is substituted in his room. When the procession is over, the priests perform the usual unctions upon the sick person, and afterwards a single unction upon one another. A writer gives the following description of one of their weddings, at which he was personally present. The bridegroom and the bride attended at the church-door, where a kind of nuptial -bed, or couch, Nuptial Ce- erected for that purpose. The ahuna, or patriarch, seated remonies. . ■, , • • i ^i them both upon it, and then went m procession round them with the cross and censer. After that he laid his hands upon their heads, and said, As ye this day hecotne one fleshy ye must he both of one heart and otie icill. After a short harangue, suitable to the foregoing words, he proceeded to the celebration of the mass, at which the newly-married couple attended, and, after it was over, he pronounced the nuptial benediction. Gaia has furnished us with some other ceremonies observed by them in their nuptials, amongst which the following are the most remarkable : — " The celebrant, after he has cut a lock of hair from the heads of the bridegroom and the bride, and dipped them into w^ine mingled with lioney, exchanges the locks, and places that which belonged to the former on the head of the latter, and so vice versa, in the very same place from whence they were taken, sprinkling them at the same time with holy water. After this ceremony is over, the newly-married couple, attended by their friends, go home, and never stir abroad for a month. When the bride goes out, she wears a black veil over her face, which she never turns up till after the expiration of six months, except she proves with child." We have before taken particular notice of the nuptial crowns amongst the ceremonies of the Greeks ; and among the Abyssinians, these crowns are put upon the heads of the newly-married couple, and they wear them for the first eight days ; after which, the priest who put them on takes them off again, with much formality, and pronounces several prayers. Each monastery has two churches, one for the men and tlie other for women. Their musical instruments are little drums, which they hang- about their necks, and beat with both hands. The gravest ecclesiastic amongst them looks upon this drum as an ornament, and always wears one. They have, likewise, pilgrim's staffs, which they strike upon the ground, regulating the motion of their bodies to the cadence. They always begin ^t'^ - ,^ , rfy ?y^i, ') Vr?v'- /^?'iy o/ ^^cicluh THE GREEK CHURCH. 179 witli a beat of the foot, and, then, play gently on these drums ; after which, they lay them aside in order to clap hands, jump, dance, and bawl as loud as their power will permit them. These acclamations are intended as an act of devotion, the merit of which is grounded on a passage in the Psalms of David, in which he invites all nations to cry aloud, and clap their hands for joy ! To conclude, the Abyssinians commemorate their deceased friends, and have proper prayers for them. The collection of canons which they make use of, enjoins them to offer the sacrifice of the mass, and to pray for the dead, on the tliird and seventh day, at the month's end, and at the con- clusion of the year. They have prayers, likewise, for the invocation of the saints, as well as legends, relics, and miracles, tcithout number. Sec. 7- — Religious Tenets and Customs of the Armenimis. The Armenians^ from Armenia; a province of Asia, consisting of the modern Turcomania and part of Persia, were formerly a branch of the Greek Church. They professed the same faith, and acknow- accounr'^ ledged the same subjection to the see of Constantinople, till nearly the middle of the sixth century, when the supposed heresy of the Monophysites spread through Africa and Asia, and compre- hended the Armenians among its votaries. But, tliough the members of this church still agree with the other Monophysites in the principal doctrine of that sect, respecting the unity of the divine and human nature in Christ, they differ from them in so many points of faith, worship, and discipline, that they hold no communion with that branch of the Mono- physites who are Jacobites in the more limited sense of that term, nor with the Copts or the Abyssinians. The Armenians allow and accept the articles of faith according to the council of Nice, and use the Apostles' Creed. With respect to the Tri- T net ^^^y-) *^^^y agree with the Greeks in acknowledging three persons in one divine nature, and that the Holy Ghost proceeds only from the Father. They believe that Christ descended into hell, and liberated thence all the souls of the damned, by the grace and favour of his glorious presence ; that this liberation was not for ever, nor by a plenary pardon or remission, but only till the end of the world, when the souls of the damned shall again be returned into eternal flames. The Armenians believe, that neither the souls nor the bodies of any saints or prophets, departed this life, are in heaven, except the blessed "Virgin and the prophet Elias. Yet, notwithstanding their opinion, that the saints shall not be admitted into heaven till the day of judgment, by a certain imitation of the Greek and Latin churches, they invoke those saints with prayers, reverence and adore their pictures and images, and burn to them lamps and candles. The saints commonly invoked by them are all the prophets and apostles, and also St. Silvester, St. Savorich, &c. They w^orship after the Eastern manner, by prostrating their bodies, and kissing the ground three times. When they first enter the church, they uncover their heads, and cross themselves three times; °'^ '^* but afterw^ards they cover their heads, and sit cross-legged on carpets. The greatest part of their public divine service is performed in the morning, before it is light. They are very devout on vigils to feasts, n2 180 OTHER BRANCHES OF and on Saturday evenings, when tliey all go to churcli, and, after their return home, perfume their houses with incense, and adorn their little pictures with lamps. In their monasteries, the whole Psalter of David is read over every twenty-four hours ; but in the cities and parochial churches, the Psalter is divided into eight portions, and each portion into eight parts, at the end of each of which is said the Gloria Patri, &c. The rites and ceremonies of the Armenian church greatly resemble those of the Greeks. Their liturgies also are essentially the same, or at least ascribed to the same authors. The fasts, which they observe CeremonieT^ annually, are not only more numerous, but kept with greater rigour and mortification than is usual in any other Christian community. They mingle the whole course of the year with fasting ; and there is not a single day which is not appointed either for a fast or a fes- tival. They commemorate our Lord's nativity on the 6th of January, and thus celebrate in one festival his birth, epiphany, and baptism. The Armenians practise the trine immersion, which they consider as essential to baptism. After baptism, they apply the enyrop or clirisyn^ and anoint the forehead, eyes, ears, breast, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, with consecrated oil, in the form of a cross. Then they administer to the child the eucharist, with which they only rub its lips. The eucha- rist is celebrated only on Sundays and festivals. They do not mix the wine with water, nor put leaven into their bread, as do the Greeks. They steep the bread in the wine, and thus the communicant receives both kinds together, — a form different from that of the Latin, Greek, and Reformed churches. They differ from the Greeks in administering bread un- leavened, made like a wafer ; and from the Romans, in giving both kinds to the laity. Before any persons, whether men or women, presume to enter their churches, they pull their shoes off at the church-door, where there are chests to lock them up in, during the time of divine service. On enter- ing, they cross themselves three times, but after the same form, according to Father le Brun, as is observed in the Latin Church. The men are all uncovered. The clergy themselves are without shoes in the choir ; but those w^ho officiate in the sanctuary put on black slippers. During the celebration of the mass and other parts of divine service, all the commu- nicants either stand, or sit upon the ground, the men cross-legged, and the women upon their heels. Many of the people stay a long time in the church, and are often there by break of day. Father Monier relates, that he was very much affected with the modest deportment observed in the exercise of their devotion ; and Ricaut says, his heart was melted with the warmth and ardency of their piety, which is considerably augmented at certain seasons, particularly in the Holy Week. ' In their fasts they are much more rigorous than the Greeks, and no dispensation is allowed on any account. During the forty days of their p^^^^ Lent, which precedes their Easter, they must eat nothing but herbs, roots, beans, peas, and the like, and no greater quantity of them than is just sufficient to support nature. Tlie Armenians, liowcver, according to Tournefort, are allowed to eat fish on Sundays. To these acts of self-denial, we must add another, which is the natural result of an habitual practice of such long and severe fasts, viz. — their abstinence from THE GREEK CHURCH. 181 women. Their most rigid devotees look upon a breach of this mode of morti- fication as a crime of the most enormous nature. They have an established custom of having no mass on fast-days, and during their Lent ; but on Sun- days only, there is a kind of spiritual humihation. This mass is celebrated at noon, and is called low-i7iass ; because there is a curtain drawn before the altar, and the priest, who is unseen, pronounces nothing with an audible voice, but the gospel and the creed. All their fasts in general are observed with the same strictness and austerity as their grand I^ent. Their churches have the front towards the east, in order that the priest, who celebrates mass, and the whole congregation, may stand with their faces directly to that quarter. The church is divided generally Churches. . , ^ '' , ,, /• , ^i ^ j.i i • xi into four parts — that is to say, the sanctuary, the choir, the space peculiarly allotted for the laymen, and that appropriated to the service of the women, which is always the nearest to the door. The choir is divided from the place allotted for the men by rails about six feet high. The sanctuary is five or six steps higher than the choir. In the centre of the sanctuary stands the altar, which is small and insulated, in order that the priest may thurify and go round it. The majority of the churches have a dome, with several windows in it, to give liglit to the sanctuary. There are no seats in that part of the church, because both the celebrant and his assistants are obliged to stand all the time of divine service in that holy place. According to the directions, however, in their liturgy, the priest is ordered to sit down during the lesson out of the prophets and the epistle, and then, in case the celebrant should be a bishop, or a priest well stricken in years, he is indulged with a chair. Generally there are small rails between the two staircases leading from the sanctuary to the choir ; and those who serve at the altar are allowed to lean against or rest themselves upon them. The vestry stands on the left side of the sanctuary on entering the church ; and on the right side opposite to it there is, in all great churches, another vestry, which is made use of as a treasury. There is but one altar generally in each church. The choir is the place pecu- liarly appropriated to the service of the clergy ; and the laity are never admitted into that division. There is no seat but the bishop's, which is erected on the left-hand side of the door ; but when there are several bishops present, there are stools brought for them, and set on each side of the episcopal chair : — the others either stand all the time of divine service, or sit cross-legged on the ground, according to the custom of the country. The choristers have neither stool nor desk, but when the lessons are to be read, there is a folding-desk brought out, and set in the centre, which is covered with an embroidered veil. Neither is there any fixed pulpit erected for the preacher ; but when there is a sermon a moveable pulpit is generally placed at the door of the choir : the patriarch, however, preaches in the sanctuary. As to the third and fourth divisions of the church, there is nothing worthy of notice in either of them. Such churches as are poor have their pavements covered with matting, but those which are rich, with fine carpets ; and to prevent the people from soiling them, a sufiicient number of spitting-pots are provided. A similar reason may be assigned for pulling off their shoes at the church-door. In those cities where the Armenian merchants carry on a great trade, the churches are embellished with beautiful pictures and rich tapestry ; 182 OTHER BRANCHES OF THE GREEK CHURCH. particularly the sanctuary, which, at all times, when there is no celebration of the mass, is concealed by a fine curtain. The sacred vessels and vest- ments are equally grand and magnificent ; and whilst the Greeks have only two insip-nificant lights, scarcely sufficient to enable the priest to read mass, the Armenian churches are surrounded with illuminations in great abundance. The altar is uncovered at all times, when there is no divine service ; but always covered durino- the celebration of their mass. The altars are but small, and without relics : formerly the cross, and the book of the gospels only, were placed upon them. The Armenians, in imitation of the Latins, have for many years past placed their candlesticks there, and very frequently a great number of them ; and fill up the steps with crosses. A number of lamps are always burning during the celebration of mass ; and one particularly in the centre of the sanctuary, which is never extin- guished. The faithful ofior wax-tapers to be burnt in mass-time. Accord- ing to Father Monier, two masses are very seldom said in one day at the same church, or if there should, there is but one at each altar. Nothing but high mass is celebrated amongst them, and that at break of day, except on the vigil of the Epiphany and Easter-eve. when it is cele- brated in the evening. Children generally leave the choice of the person whom they are to marry, as well as the settlement of the marriage articles, to their parents ^ or nearest relations. Their marriages, according to Tournefort, Ceremonies. ^^^ ^^^^ result of the mother's choice, who very seldom advises with any persons upon the subject except her husband ; and even that deference is paid with no small reluctance. After the terms of accommodation are settled and adjusted, the mother of the young man pays a visit to the young lady, accompanied by a priest and two venerable matrons, and presents her with a ring, as the first tacit promise of her intended husband. He generally makes his appearance at the same time, with all the seriousness he is able to assume, or perhaps with all the perplexity of one who has not the liberty to make his own choice. Tournefort assures ns, that this serious deportment is carried to such a pitch, that at the first interview even a smile would be looked upon as indecent, and even the young virgin at that time conceals either her charms or defects under an impenetrable veil. The priest who at- tends on this occasion is always treated with a glass of good liquor. The Armenians never publish the banns of matrimony, as is customary with other Christian churches. The evening before the wedding, the bride- groom and the bride send each other some presents. On the wedding- day, there is a procession on horseback, and the bridegroom rides in the front, from his mistress's house, having on his head a gold or silver network, or a flesh-coloured gauze veil, according to his quality. This network hangs down to his waist. In his right hand he holds one end of a girdle, whilst the bride, who follows hhn on horseback, covered with a white veil, which rcaciies down to her horse's legs, has hold of the other. Tv/o attendants walk on each side of her horse, and hold the reins. The bride is sometimes conducted to cluirch between two matrons, and the bridegroom walks on foot acconipanied by a friend, who carries his sabre. The relations and friends, (generally young men and maids,) either on ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 183 horseback or on foot, accompany them to cliurch with great order and decorum in the procession, having wax-tapers in their hands, and a hand of music marching before them. They ahght at the church-door, and the bridegroom and bride walk up to the very steps of the sanctuary, still holding the ends of the girdle in their hands. They there stand side by side, and the priest having put the Bible upon their heads, pronounces the sacramental form ; he then performs the ceremony of the ring, and says mass. The nuptial benediction is expressed in the following terms. Bless, O Lord! this marriage with thy everlasting hencdiction ; grant that this man and this woman may live in the constant practice of faith, hope, and charity ; endow them icith sobriety ; inspire them, with holy thoughts, and secure their bed from all manner of pollution, S^c. When an infant dies under nine years of age, the father, or his nearest relation, provides prayers to Almighty God, eight days successively, for the soul of the deceased ; and during all that time pays the Funeral expenses of the priest to whose care that act of devotion is Ceremonies. i , ^ , . , , , , • <. ji i • entrusted. On the nmth day the solemn service tor the soul is performed. Those who are pious and in good circumstances have a par- ticular day set apart for the commemoration of their relations, and for the due celebration of all the requisite offices. Father Monier assures us also, that it is a received custom amongst them to visit the monuments of the dead upon Easter Monday; at which time the men sigh and groan, but the women actually howl ; and this they call the visible testimonies of their sorrow and concern. These sighs and groans of the men, and these bowl- ings of the women, however, are soon over ; and a more agreeable scene immediately succeeds ; they all withdraw under the refreshing shade of some luxuriant tree, where an elegant entertainment erases the idea of affliction : sorrow is now drowned in liquors, and the diversions of the afternoon are altogether as extravagant and excessive as their morning lamentations. CHAPTER II. RELIGIOUS TENETS, CUSTOMS, CEREMONIES, ETC., OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. SEC. I. TENETS, CUSTOMS, &C. The Roman Catholics hold all the fundamental tenets of the Christian religion. They worship one God in three persons ; viz., the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost : and they maintain that they are to put Catholic^, t^^^u* confidence in God alone^ through the merits of his incar- nate Son, tcho teas crucified and rose from the dead for our justification. They receive with the same certainty, all the other articles of the Apostles' creed. The Protestants do not differ with them in rela- tion to the fundamentals of this belief; but object that the Catholics have made a great number of additions, some of which are repugnant to the Apostles' creed, and tend very much to weaken the fundamental tenets. 184 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. They further affirm that the Roman Catholics are too indulgent in their toleration of an infinite number of customs, which deviate from the spirit of Christianity. The following is a summary of the tenets held by the Roman Catholic church, according to Mr. Bossuet's Exposition of the Ca- Rom^alfcatholics ^^^"^^^ Catechism, and which on good authority is alleged to be conformable to the decrees of the famous Council of Trent. " To begin," says he, " with the adoration which is due to God, the Catholic Church teaches, that it principally consists in believing that he is the Creator and Lord of all things ; and that it is the duty of God.^'^ of Catholics to adhere to him with all the faculties of their souls, through faith, hope, and charity, as being the sole object that can make them happy by the communication of that sovereign good, which is himself. " This internal adoration which they render unto God in spirit and in truth, is attended with its external signs, of which sacrifice is the prin- cipal, and can be offisred to God alone ; because sacrifice was ordained to make a public and solemn acknowledgment of God's sovereignty over us, and of our absolute dependence upon him. " The same Church teaches, that all religious worship ought to terminate . r , ^^ ^0^1 ^s ^^^ necessary end ; and that if the veneration Blessed Yu^in^ which is paid to the Blessed Virgin and the saints may be termed religious, it is because it relates of necessity to God. *' The Catholic Church, in telling us that it is beneficial to pray to the saints, teaches us to pray to them in that spirit of charity, and according ,. to that order of brotherly love, which inclines us to request the V cncrtition • •> -^ x *; of Saints, assistance of our brethren living upon earth; and the cate- chism of the Council of Trent concludes from this doctrine, that if the quality of Mediator, which the Holy Scriptures attribute to Jesus Christ, received the least prejudice from the intercession of the saints who dwell with God, it would receive no less an injury from the mediation of the faithful, who live with us upon earth. " This catechism demonstrates the great difference there is between the manner of imploring God's aid and assistance, and that of the saints: for it expressly declares, that the Catholics pray to God either to hestoio on them some Uessing^ or to delicer them from some misfortune ; hut since the saints are more acceptable in his sight than they are^ they hey of them to he their advocates only^ and to ijrocure for them such things as they icant. For which reason^ the Catholics make use of tic o forms of prayer widely different from each other ^ for when they make their applications to God himself they say, ' Have mercy on us, hear us ! ' But when they address themselves to the saints, they only say, ' Pray for us ! ' By which we are to understand, that in whatever terms those prayers which are directed to the saints are conceived, the intention of the church and of her faithful servants always reduces them to that form." Considering, however, that this honour which the Catholic Church pays Reverence for *^ ^^^^ saints principally appears before their images and Images and Sa- sacred relics, it will be proper to explain the belief of tho crcd Relics. church in both these particulars. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 185 In regcard to images, the Catholics are expressly forbidden by the Council of Trent to believe there is any virtue in them of so heavenly a nature as to prove an inducement to pay divine adoration to them : and they are enjoined to ask no favours of them ^ to put no trust nor confidence in them^ hut to reverence them only in honour of the originals which they represent. The respect which is paid to relics, in imitation of the primitive Church, must be miderstood in the same manner. They look npon the bodies of the saints as liaving been victims offered np to God by martyrdom or penance, without in any way diminishing that duty and respect which they owe to God himself, &c. As to the point of justification, they believe That their sins are freely remitted hy the divine mercy^ for the sake of Jesus Christ ; of SinneiT*^^"^^ «?26/ that they are freely justified^ because neither faith nor good icorks^ which precede their justification^ can merit that favour. As to the merit of good works, the Catholic Church teaches, that eter- nal life ought to he proposed to the children of God, both as a grace merci- Sanctif incr /^*% promised them hy the means and mercies of our Lord grace opposed Jesus Christ, and as a reioard faithfully bestowed on them to good works for their good loorks and merits., in consequence of that promise. and free will, rpj^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ express terms of the Council of Trent. But that the pride of mankind should not flatter itself with the idea of a pre- sumptuous merit, the same Council teaches, that the whole worth and value of Christian works arise from a sanctifying grace, which is freely granted us in the name of Jesus Christ, and is the result of that con- stant influence which this divine Head has upon his members. The Catholics openly declare, that they cannot be acceptable to God, but in and through Jesus Christ ; nor do they apprehend how any other Salvr.tion sense can be imputed to their belief. They place all the through Jesus hopes of their salvation so perfectly in him alone, that they Christ only. ^^^^j^ direct the following petition to God in the sacrifice : Vouchsafe, 0 God! to grant unto us sinners, thy servants who trust in the multitude of thy mercies, some share and society with thy blessed apostles and martyrs, into the number of whom ire beseech thee to receive us, having no regard to our otcn merit; but jyardoning us through thy grace in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Catholics, without exception, teach that Jesus Christ only, who was both God and man, was able, by the infinite dignity of his person, to offer up a sufficient satisfaction to God for our sins ; but Ato^iement*'^ *^^ having made an abundant recompense for them, he had power to apply that infinite satisfaction to us in two several ways ; either by an absolute remission, without the least reserve of any penalty; or by exchanging a greater for a less, that is to say, an eternal for a temporal punishment. As the first is the most perfect and conformable to his divine goodness, he makes use of that, first of all, in the sacrament of baptism ; and they believe that he uses the second in the forgiveness which he grants to those who after baptism relapse into sin, he being in some measure compelled thereto, through the ingratitude of those who have abused his first favours ; for which reason they are to suffer some temporal punishment, though the eternal be taken oft*. 186 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. In order to satisfy, the duties imposed upon tlieni by their religion, the Catholics are subject to certain penances, which ought to be performed on their parts with repentance and humiliation ; and it is the Inrul"ence«''"'^ necessity of these works of expiation, which obliged the "^ ^ * "^'^^* primitive Church to inflict those punishments upon penitents, that are termed canonical. When the Church, therefore, imposes those painful and laborious pen- ances upon sinners, and they undergo them with patience and humility, it is called satisfaction ; and when the Church shows any regard either to the ardent devotion of the penitents, or to other good works which she prescribes, and remits any part of the punishment due to them, it is termed indulgence. The Council of Trent proposes nothing more relating to indulgences, than that the Church had the poicer of granting them from Jesus Christ, and that the practice of them is icholesome; ichich custom^ that Council adds, ought still he preserved^ though icith moderation^ lest ecclesiastical disci^yline should be weakened hy too great a toleration : from whence it is manifest, that the articles of indulgences only regard discipline. Certain it is, how- ever, that indulgences have been, and still are, carried to a length of extravagance and sin in the Roman Catholic community. It is the belief of the CathoHcs, that those who depart this life in peace and charity, and are, notwithstanding, subject to those temporal punish- ments which divine justice has reserved for them, must suffer Purgatory. i\^qj^^ [^ ^|jg other world ; and for that reason the whole Christian Church in the earliest ages offered up both prayers, alms, and sacrifices for the faithful who have died in peace, and in the communion of the Church, with a lively hope and expectation of their being relieved by those acts of devotion. This is what the Council of Trent proposes that the Catholics should believe with respect to souls confined in purgatory, w^ithout determining either the nature of their punishments, or several other things of the like kind ; in regard to which that holy Council exacts considerable precaution, and particularly condemns those who say anything that is uncertain and precarious. The sacraments of the New Testament are not only in the creed of the Catholics sacred tokens of gra,ce, or seals by which it is confirmed to them, but they are also instruments of the Holy Ghost, which Sacramentr^" ^PP^J ^^^ confer it on them by virtue of the words pro- nounced, and the outward action performed, on their behalf, provided they do not prevent the effects of it by their own evil dispositions. When God annexes so high a prerogative to external signs, which in their nature bear no proportion to such excellent effects, he plainly signi- fies, say the Catholics, that, independently of all that the Catholics can do inwardly through their good inclinations, a special operation of the Holy Ghost, and a particular application of the merits of our blessed Saviour, represented to us by the sacraments, must still intervene to sanc- tify them. This doctrine, therefore, cannot be rejected without offering an indignity to the merit of Jesus Christ ; and to the influence of the divine power in their regeneration. They acknowledge seven signs or sacraments, ordained by Jesus Christ ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 187 as the ordinary means by wliich the new man is sanctified and made per- fect. Tl)eir divine institution, they say, appears from the sacred Scriptures, either by the express words of Jesus Christ himself, or by grace, which is accordingly annexed to them, and necessarily denotes an order from God. As infants cannot supply the defects of baptism, by acts of faith, hope, and charity, or by any vow hereafter to receive that sacrament, the Catho- lics believe, that if they do not actually receive it, they are in ap ism. ^jQY^igQ partakers of the grace of redemption ; and so dying in the guilt of Adam, have no share at all in Jesus Christ. The Catholics say that imposition of hands, practised by the blessed apostles for the confirmation of the faithful against persecutions, having its chief effect in the internal descent of the Holy Ghost, and the infusion of his gracious gifts, ought not to have been rejected by their adversaries on pretence that the Holy Ghost does not at present descend visibly upon them. Indeed, all Christian Churches, from the time of the apostles, have religiously preserved that j^ractice, making use likewise of the sacred ointment in baptism, to show the virtue of that sacrament by a more express representation of the miction of the Holy Ghost. They believe that it was the will of Jesus Christ, that those who have submitted themselves to the authority of the Church by baptism, and have afterwards violated the laws of the Gospel, shall be Absolutimi!" ^" subject to the decision of the same Church in the tribunal of penance, at which it exercises the full power granted to it of absolution and remission of sins. The terms of the commission which is given to the ministers of the Church to forgive sins are so general, that it would be presumptuous to reduce it only to public sins, and as, when they pronounce absolution in the name of Jesus Christ, they only observe the express terms of that commission, so the sentence is looked upon as passed by Jesus Christ himself, in whose name they are appointed judges. He is the invisible high priest, who absolves the penitent inwardly, whilst the priest per- forms the same ofiice externally. The Holy Ghost having annexed to extreme unction, an express pro- mise of remission of sins, and the relief of the sick, nothing more can be required to make this sacred ceremony a real sacrament. It Uncdo'^^"^^ is to be observed, however, that the sick person, according to the doctrine of the Council of Trent, receives more consola- tion and relief in soul than in body ; and as spiritual benefit is ever the principal object of the new law, it is that which the Catholics chiefly expect from this holy unction, in case they are duly prepared for it ; whereas corporeal relief in sickness is only granted unto them with respect to their eternal salvation, according to the secret designs of Divine Pro- vidence, and the different degrees of preparation and faith, which are to be met with in the faithful. Upon considering that Jesus Christ lias given a new turn to the holy state of marriage, {see Mattheio^ chap. xix. v. 5,) by reducing it to the Matrimony constant and indissoluble union of two persons only; and likewise reflecting that this inseparable union is a mark or 188 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. token of his eternal union with his church, it will be very easy to com- prehend that the marriage of the faithful is attended by the Holy Ghost and the Grace of God. The imposition of hands, which the Catholic spiritual ministers receive at their ordination, being attended, according to their belief, with so immediate an influence from the Holy Ghost, {see 1 Timothy^ of HambV^"^ chap. iv. ami '2 Tim. chap, i.) and with so perfect an infusion of grace, ought to be reckoned also among the number of sacraments. Catholics believe in the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, for they maintain that there is Tr\ -c V ■ , not any thing in the w^ords which Jesus Christ makes use The Euchaiist. _./.*. « , . -i . i 01 m the institution oi this mystery, that induces them to take them figuratively ; and this reason is sufficient, in their opinion, to determine them' in favour of the former. The ceremony of the Eucharist may be considered as one of the funda- mental pillars of the Catholic religion, and we shall therefore give the exposition of it, as laid down by the Romish ritual. " It is evident," say the Catholics, " that these words of our Saviour, Take, eat, this is my lodyichich isgive^i for you, show us, that as the ancient Jews were not only united in spirit at the sacrifice of the victims which were offered up for them, but were also partakers of the flesh which was sacrificed, and which was also a sign to them of the share they had in that oblation ; so Jesus Christ having offered up himself a sacrifice for us, it was his pleasure that we should, in reality, partake of the flesh of that adorable victim ; in order that the actual communication of it might be a lasting testimony to each of us in particular, that he had not only assumed his body, but made a sacrifice of it for us. " Thus the eating of the body, and drinking of the blood of the Son of God, is as real at the holy communion, as grace, expiation of sins, and par- ticipation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is actual and effectual under the new covenant. " As he was willing, however, to try our faith in this mystery, and free us at the same time from the horror of eatino; his flesh, and drinkinof his blood, under their proper species, it was necessary for him to give them to us disguised under a species of another nature ; and if these con- siderations induced him to let us eat the flesh of our sacrifice, in a manner different from the Jews, yet he was not for that reason obliged to subtract any thing from its reality and substance. " It appears, therefore, that for the accomplishment of the ancient types, and in order to put us in the actual possession of the sacrifice that was offered up for our sins, it was the intention of Jesus Christ to give us, in reality, his body and blood, and this does not admit of any denial. We can never agree that these words should be received only in a figurative sense, because the Son of God, who was so careful to explain every thing to his apostles which he taught them under parables and figures, said nothing of that kind to explain this matter ; and it is thence evident that he left these words in their natural signification. It is as easy for the Son of God to cause his body to be in the Eucharist, by ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCU. 189 saying, This is my hody^ as to cure a woman of licr disease by saying, Woman^ he thou free from thine infirmity ; or to preserve a young man's life by saying to his father, Thy son liveth ; or, in short, to pardon the sins of liim who was sick of the palsy, by saying to him. Thy sins are forgiven thee!' Having thus laid down the tenets of the Church relating to these words of Jesus Christ, This is my body^ the following is the opinion of the Catholics concerning those which he added to them, This do in remem- brance of me. " It is evident," tliey say, " that it was the design of the Son of God to oblige us thereby to commemorate the death which he suffered for our salvation ; and St. Paul concludes from this passage, that ice exhibit the death of the Lord in that mystery. Now we must not persuade ourselves that this commemoration of our Lord's death excludes the real presence of his body ; on the contrary, if we reflect on what we have just explained, it will evidently appear, that this remembrance is grounded upon the real presence ; for as the Jews, at the eating of their peace-offer- ings, remembered that they had been sacrificed for them ; so likewise when we eat the flesh of Jesus Christ, our victim, we ought to remember that he died for us. It is the same flesh, therefore, eaten by the faithful, which not only revives in us the memory of his being offered up for us, but con- firms us in the truth of it ; and from being able to say that this solemn confirmation which Jesus Christ enjoins us to make, excludes the real pre- sence of his flesh, we find, on the contrary, that this affectionate remem- brance of him, required of us at the holy table, as being offered up for us, is grounded upon that same flesh being really taken there ; since, in reality, we cannot possibly forget that he gave his body as a sacrifice for us, when we see that he still gives us daily the same to eat." On this head the Catholics say, " As it was. not meet and just that our senses should perceive anything in this mystery of faith, so neither was it convenient that anything should be changed, Transubstan- ^,-^j^ regard to them, in the bread and wine of the Eucha- tiation. . J^ , . 1 • ji rist. Upon which account, as we perceive the same species, and feel the same effects as before, in that sacrament, we ought not to be in any way surprised, if sometimes, and in some sense, it should go under the same denomination. Yet our faith acknowledges no other substances on this occasion, than that which is meant by those very words; that is to say, the very body and blood of Christ, into wliich the bread and wine are changed ; and this is what we call Transubstantiation. " It is to be observed, that there are two actions in this mysterious sacrament, really distinct, though relative to each other. The one is the consecration of the bread and wine, which are thereby changed into the body and blood ; and the other is the manducation, whereby we are made partakers of that heavenly food. " Thus, the Son of God is set on the sacred table, by virtue of those words, clothed in the signs which represent his death ; and this is wrought by the consecration. This religious action, moreover, carries with it an acknowledgment of the divine sovereignty, inasmuch as Jesus Christ, who is actually present, renews and perpetuates the memory of his obedience, even to his dying on the cross ; for which reason nothing can be wanting to make it a true sacrifice. 190 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. " When we consider what Jesus Christ performs in this mystery, and that we see him, through faith, actually present on the holy table under these signs of death, we unite ourselves to him in this condition ; we present him to God as our only oblation, and our only propitiator through his blood, protesting that we have nothing to offer up to him, but Jesus Christ and the infinite merit of his death. We consecrate all our prayers through that divine sacrifice, and when we offer up Jesus Christ to God, we are at the same time instructed to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices to the Divine Majesty, in and through him. " The Church being instituted by God to be the guardian of the Scrip- Authority of tures and of tradition, from her it is that we receive the the Church. canonical writings. " Being thus inseparably united to the sacred authority of the Church by means of the Scriptures, which we receive from her ; so from her like- wise we do receive our tradition, and by means thereof are taught the true sense of the Scriptures. "Whence it comes to pass that the church professes to teach nothing as coming from herself, nor to invent any new doctrine, but only follows and declares divine Revelation by the inward direction of the Holy Ghost, graciously given to her for her guide and instructor. " The dissension which arose, relating to the ceremonies of the law, in the Apostles' time, demonstrates that the Holy Ghost makes the Church his interpreter ; and their acts have taught all ages to come, by the manner of deciding that controversy, the authority by which all dissensions of that kind are to be concluded. So that, whenever there shall arise any disputes, which may create a division among the faithful, the Church shall always interpose her authority ; and her bishops being assembled, shall say after the Apostles, It seemed c/ood to the Holy Ghost, arid to us ; and when she hath once spoken, her children shall be taught not to make new inquiries into the articles she hath resolved, but humbly to submit to her decisions. In complying herewith, we shall imitate St. Paul and Silas, who delivered that first decree of the Apostles to the faithful, and who, far from suffering them to re-examine what had been determined upon, tcent/rom town to town, and charged them to keep the institutions of the Apostles. " This is the manner in which the children of God submit to the deci- sion of the Church, believing they hear the oracles of the Holy Ghost from her mouth ; for which reason in the creed, after we have repeated, I believe in the Holy Ghost, we immediately after add, the holy Catholic Church. By which article we oblige ourselves to acknowledge a perpe- tual and infallible truth in the universal Church, since that very Church, in which we believe at all times, would cease so to be, should she cease to teach that truth which God was pleased to reveal. Whoever, therefore, suspects that the Church makes an ill use of her authority, to establish the spirit of untruth, has no faith in him by whom the Church is governed." According to the Catechism of the Council of Trent, the Roman Catho- lic Church is one, visible, holy, and catholic, or universal, established by the hand of God, on a solid basis, who has bestowed on it of the Popc!^^ ^^^ power of opening the gates of heaven to all true be- lievers, and shutting them to all heretics and infidels. It ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 191 likewise has the power of pardoning and absolving sins, and excommuni- cating all those who are disobedient. This church is both triumphant and militant. The former portion is the illustrious society of those hlessed spirits and saints^ who, haviyig t7'iumj)hed over the iKorld^ the Jlesh^ and the devil, enjoy everlasting happiness i?i peace and security. The latter is the congre- gation of all true believers upon earth, who are constantly obliged, during their whole lives, to resist the world, the flesh, and the devil. Jesus Christ is the immediate governor of that part of the church which is tri- umphant in the heavens ; but, as the church militant required a visible head or director, he has substituted one in his room, who is accounted by all Catholics as the sole and sovereign depositary of the faith, and perpe- tual director of the belief of all true Christians. This visible head is called the pope ; but the Catholics are divided in their notions with regard to his power : some considering him to be Homacre paid i^f^^^ior to a general council. The pope takes place of all to him by Em- Christian princes, as the vicar of Jesus Christ here upon perors. earth. The emperors, who in former times were the first princes in the Christian world, went to Rome to receive the imperial dia- dem from tlie hands of his holiness, and there solemnly promised and bound themselves by the Trinity, by the wood of the cross, and by the relics of the saints, to exalt and support the church and its head to the utmost of their power. The emperors, before their entrance into the city of Rome, took the oath ; the form of which the ceremonial of the Roman church has preserved and transmitted to us. At length, after the church and its head had perfectly secured their own rights and privileges, the emperor was admitted ; upon which occasion the clergy went out to meet him in their ceremonial habits, and tendered him the cross to kiss. His holiness, sitting on a throne, received him before the first portico of the Church of the Apostles. There his imperial majesty uncovered himself, and knelt down as soon as he saw the pope, who styled himself the Vicar of Jesus Christ, Afterwards he approached him gradually, with one knee always on the ground ; and, lastly, he kissed the feet of his holiness in a very devout manner, as a testimony of his respect to the Saviour of the World. But before his imperial majesty could be crowned, he was obliged to take a new oath, in which nothing was omitted that could establish the pope's prerooative, and the security of the church's domains. After the corona- tion there w\as a solemn procession, in which his imperial majesty appeared, for the first time, with his crown on his head, his sceptre in one hand, and a globe in the other ; but as he went out of the hasilica, he put all his regalia into the hands of one of his officers, in order to hold the stirrup, whilst the pope mounted his horse ; he even took the bridle, and for some time led the horse of the servant of the servants of Jesus Christ ; who, to testify his humility, pretended he could not admit of so extraordinary a submission ; nor did he consent till after several compliments on both sides, to receive, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the honour which his imperial majesty conferred upon him. We may here observe, that after the emj^eror had taken the oath to his holiness, he was usually clothed in the amice and surplice. The canons of St. Peter did him the honour to admit him as a brother, and to look on him as a subject of the pope, to whom all preferments belonging to the 192 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. hierarchy of the church are subject. Whenever it pleased his holiness to be carried on his servants' shoulders, the emperor was to be one of the assistants ; he was to pour out water to wash the hands of his holiness before he sat down to table, and to give him his first plate, &c. The Holy Father, being, in the opinion of the Roman Catholics, far above all kings, is accounted the vicegerent of God, and regent of the Accounted ^iniverse. Under this denomination he divided the new world tbeVicegerent between Spain and Portugal ; he has a right to St. Paul's sword, of God. and with it to give apostolical chastisement to those who des- pise or disregard his decisions relating to the Christian faith. He never rises from his pontifical throne, nor uncovers himself to any person whom- soever ; nor does he ever condescend to honour any one with a salute, by the least inclination of his head. To his imperial majesty, however, he rises a little on his admittance to the kiss of peace, after he has paid his re- spects to the pope's feet. His holiness, however, sometimes salutes those princes who have the honour of an audience of him, with a slight inclina- tion of his head ; but then he is not in his pontifical robes ; and although he may condescend to be courteous and complaisant, yet he is under no obhgation to adopt that mode of conduct. The pope's nuncio and legates take place of the ambassadors of all crowned heads. An oecumenical council is an assembly which represents the whole body of the universal church. The name of council is given, likewise, to pro- vincial and national assemblies of the clergy, who, at such Council™^"^^^ times, however, represent only a part of the church. OEcu- menical councils are composed of ecclesiastical deputies from the sovereign powers of Christendom, who represent their respective nations, and also of otlier prelates, doctors, Szc. of particular churches, all assembled in a free place, where, without constraint, they may apply them- selves to the reformation not only of manners and of doctrine, but also to the regulation and establishment of church discipline, &c. Thus assembled, they have authority to censure bishops, cardinals, and even his holiness himself, if his conduct be blameworthy ; they also possess power to depose any of them, when the good of religion requires it. In short, they form an assembly, which by its superiority, being able to check the unjust pro- ceedings of popes, by subjecting them to the church in points of faith, and declaring them schismatics and heretics whenever they deviate from it, has more tlian once proved fatal to the see of Rome. The assemblies of Pisa, of Constance, and Basle, are incontestable instances of the truth of this assertion. In regard to the ceremonies observed at the calling of a council, as there has not been one since that of Trent, we shall describe them as they are Ceremonies ob- found in Father Paul's history of that council, who assures servedat the call- us that there was not less debate nor less embarrassment in ing of a council, ge^-tiij^g the rank and precedency of the bishops, than if they had been convened to arrange affairs of the last importance to the state. Sec. The fathers of the council also insisted upon having the assembly- room hung with tapestry, without which they were apprehensive that the council might be deemed a body of tradesmen and mechanics. Pope Paul III. issued out one bull for calling the council, and a second for opening it ; both of which were read and registered the first session. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 193 After a fast of three days, the legates and bishops, dressed in their ponti- fical robes, accompanied by their divines, the clergy of Trent, and all the people, went in solemn procession to the cathedral, where the first legate sung the mass of the Holy Ghost. Then the legates, in the pope's name, made an harangue, in which, after speaking of the occasion of that august assembly, they exhorted the fathers to lay aside all passion and prejudice, to judge righteously, to have no other view but the glory of God and the good of the church. After this exhortation they all knelt down, prayed awhile to themselves, and then the president recited the prayer M^hich begins with Adsumus Domine, Sancte Spiritus. By this comprehen- sive and devout prayer, immediate aid is asked of the Holy Ghost, that he would please to guide and direct the council, to inspire the fathers with just judgments, to banish the spirit of disorder and discord far from them, and not to suffer them through ignorance to fall into error, or to be biassed by bribes, or to be surprised by outward appearances. The litanies were now sung ; the deacon then read the gospel. Si peccaverit frater tuus ; and after this the Vent Creator was likewise sung, and then the fathers seated themselves according to their respective ranks. The president having read the decree with an audible voice, and asked them if it was their pleasure to order and direct that the General and Holy Council of Trent should be opened to the glory of God &;c., each of the fathers, in his turn, answered Placet ; the legates first, then the bishops, and the rest of the fathers ; of the whole of which the notaries drew up a public act. Lastly, the Te Deum was sung, and the legates returned home after the first session, the cross being carried before them, and attended by the fathers, who had laid aside their pontifical habits. The ceremonies were almost the same at all the other sessions. In case the pope appears in per- son at the council, he and the fathers of the council, with the clergy of the city, go in procession to the hall of the assembly in their pontifical robes. The pope, at the opening of the first session, sings the mass of the Holy Ghost ; after which, the cardinals, and the fathers of the council, clothed in their robes of ceremony, salute his holiness in their turns. High mass is seldom sung at the other sessions. His holiness for the most part hears a private mass, and afterwards goes to the council in his scarlet cope, and with the mitre on his head ; where, before the altar, he makes an harangue to the assembly, and then goes to his throne ; the cardinals after that put on his sandals, and quam dilecta^ a verse of one of the psalms is The pope's throne must be erected at the upper end of the assembly- room, and due care must be taken that there be two seats on the right and left side of the throne for the deacon's assistants. If the emperor appears in person at the council, he is to be seated next the pope, and at his right hand, but to be so situated as to acknowledge the superiority of his hoHness; for the emperor's seat reaches no higher than the pope's footstool, and even this honour is reserved only for his imperial majesty, for there is but very little difference between the seats of kings and those of cardinals. In this hall or assembly-room, there must be an altar for mass, with a cross upon it, also the Eucharist, and the relics of the saints. The Roman ceremonial exhibits the order and rank of those who have a deliberative vote in council :— 1. The pope, as head of the Christian 104 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Cliurcli. 2. The college of cardinals. 3. The patriarchs. 4. The pri- Order and rank mates. 5. The archbishops. 6. The bishops. 7- The of members of a abbots. 8. The generals of religious orders. These, properly Council. speaking, compose the council : tlie doctors, divines, &c., making their appearance only to assist or direct the fathers by their learn- ing and their advice. Four cardinals of several orders, who are the dean, or first cardinal- bishop, the first cardinal-priest, the first cardinal- deacon, and the cardinal camerlengo, or chamberLiin, conjointly share the administra- observed at the tion of affairs during the vacancy of the Holy See and the election of a holding of the conclave. The three former are intrusted P*^P^' with the administration of justice, and all afi'airs relating to civil government. The latter breaks the seal of the church, called the fisherman's ring, in the presence of three cardinals ; and the vice-chan- cellor breaks open the seal of the chancery, in the presence of the chief officers who belong to that court. The impression of the fisherman's ring is St. Peter holding a line Avith a bait to it in the water, and is made use of for those briefs which are sealed with red wax. The seal for bulls has the figure of St. Peter and St. Paul, with a cross on one side, and a bust with the name of the reigning pope on the other : when a pope dies, the bust and name are defaced, without damaging the rest of the seal ; this last is only used for bulls sealed with lead. The camerlengo now orders money to be coined in his own name, with the device of the vacant see, which is that of two keys in the form of a cross, under the flag of the church ; with this motto, Sede vacante. Policy exerts all her arts, and sets every spring in motion, at the elec- tion of a pope ; nor do the electors always wait for the death of the present chief or head of the church, to begin those cabals and intrigues which are proper for advancing him whom they esteem a fit person to succeed to the pontifical throne ; and although the college invariably and unanimously invoke the aid and assistance of the Holy Ghost, to direct them in the choice of a Yicar of Jesus Christ, yet their eminences use all the precau- tions imaginable to prevent him from being in any way concerned in the election. The cardinals are obliged to enter the conclave ten days after the death of the pope ; but before that time they hear the IMass of the Holy Ghost in the Gregorian Chapel, and some bishop makes a Latin harangue, exhorting them to make choice of a person who is worthy to fill the chair of the prince of the apostles. After this, their eminences march in pro- cession to the conclave, two by two, according to their rank, attended by the Swiss Guards and a vast crowd of people, the chorus all the while singing the " Veni Creator." Being arrived at the conclave, they take possession of their cells by lot, after which they all go to the Paulin Chapel, where the bulls for the election of the pope are read, and the dean of the sacred college exhorts the assembly to act in conformity to them. When this is over, the cardinals are allowed to go home to dine, but must return to the conclave before three at night ; at which time the master of the cere- monies acquaints them that they ought not to shut themselves up, unless they are determined to continue there as lono- as the conclave shall last, consistently with the order and direction of the bulls, in which it is regu- lated that those who go out shall not be permitted to return. The governor ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 195 attd marshal of the conclave now post their soldiers in such order and in such places as they judge most requisite for the safety of the election. The ambassadors of princes, and all those who have any interest in the election of a future pope, are allowed to continue in the conclave for the first twenty- four hours. When the clock strikes three, the master of the ceremonies rings a bell, after which all, except the electors, retire : the doors are then shut, the conclave is walled up, and guards are posted at all the avenues. The cardinal-dean, and cardinal-camerlengo, now visit the conclave, to see if it be well shut, and an act thereof is drawn up by an apostolical notary. None but the cardinals, and two conclavists for each, (one an ecclesias- tic, and the other a soldier,) remain in the conclave. Those cardinals who are princes, or who are old, or infirm, are sometimes allowed three. The other persons appointed for the service of the conclave are the sacristan, the under-sacristan, a secretary, an under-secretary, a confessor, who is always a Jesuit, two physicians, a surgeon, two barbers, an apothecary, and their apprentices, five masters of the ceremonies, a bricklayer, a car- penter, and sixteen porters or valets, for hard labour. Thouo-h the ofiice of a conclavist be incommodious and uneasy, yet on account of its privileges it is very much sought after ; for a conclavist is sometimes the secret agent of the ministers of crowned lieads. Every officer, however, of the conclave takes an oath not to reveal any of its secrets. He must be shut up in a little corner of his master's cell, and do every menial office for him. He must fetch his victuals and drink, which the cardinal's officers give him from without, twice every day,' through an inlet that communicates with his cell; he waits on his master at table; keeps everything very clean ; and when he has done, serves himself. According to the order of Innocent III., there are three several me- thods of electing a pope, viz., by scrutiny^ compro^nise, and inspiration. The election by scrutiny, which is the only way that has Diffei-ent modes ^^^^ ^g^^ f^j. ^ j^j^g while, contains all the formality that o e ec ing .ipop . g^ppgj^j.g most essential for making the election canonical. Still it is no more than a mere ceremony, as the several factions of the cardinals have united beforehand in the choice of the person. This har- mony is brought about by the most refined and delicate strokes of policy, and for the most part comes on after their eminences have found out, by several scrutinies, the disposition of the sacred college. Then, if the votes for any of the candidates come near the number required, it is a very common practice for the other factions to fall off and coalesce with the others, and thereby contribute to the pope's election, fearing to draw on them his hatred by a fruitless and unseasonable opposition. The scrutiny consists in collecting and examining votes, given in by printed billets, which the cardinals put into a chalice that stands on the altar of the chapel, at which they have met to choose the Election by p^pg^ These billets are prepared by the masters of the ceremonies, who put them into two golden basins, placed at each end of a long table, which stands on the side of the high altar. Each of these billets is a span or palm long, and half a span broad, and are divided into eight equal parts, by parallel lines taking up the whole length of each billet, as well on the inside as the out ; that is, the reverse o 2 196 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHUKCH. of the billet when rolled up. On the first space, rolled Inward, these two words, " Ego Cardinalis" stand at a small distance from each other to make room for the proper name. The second is a blank, in which the cardinal writes his surname and titles. The third has tw^o O's at each end, for the cardinal's seal, which is generally made on purpose ; for he never uses his coat of arms on this occasion. The fourth is filled up with " El'igo" &c. The fifth is for the surname and titles of the cardinal proposed to be pope. The sixth is as the third. The seventh continues a blank, and the eighth is filled up with a motto, which the cardinal, whose name the billet bears, makes choice of out of the sacred Scriptures. The reverse of each billet is divided likewise into eight equal parts, and almost all of them are filled up with flourishes, that the writing on the other side may not appear through. Before the scrutiny begins, little bills, having the names of all the cardinals on them, are put into a bag, with an intent to draw, thence, three scrutineers, three overseers of the sick, and three revisers. The cardinals use all the art imaginable to disguise their hands. They Avrite what we have just mentioned on the scrutiny billets ; or, if they have not skill enough to conceal their hands, they make use of an unknown hand, that it may not be known for whom they vote. These billets are wrapped up with all possible dexterity and address, that it may be a secret to whom they belong ; after which they close them in their hands and take their places ; and then the scrutiny begins in the following manner : — Each cardinal takes the billet, thus written and folded up, between the thumb and the forefinger of his right hand, and holding it up to the view of the other members of the sacred college, carries it to the high altar, kneel- ing down upon the first step, where he repeats an ejaculatory prayer. He then goes up to the altar, and takes the oath aloud ; after which he puts his billet upon the paten which covers the chalice, and from thence slides it into the chahce ; he then returns to his place. This office is performed by the overseers of the sick for those cardinals who are indisposed. They present the scrutiny billets to such cardinals, together with a box in the form of an urn, with a very small hole in it, at which the sick man puts in his billet. The billet cannot be got out again but by opening the box, which is carried to the chapel, opened before all the cardinals present, and then the billet is put into the chalice in the manner already described. Before the scrutiny begins, the sacristan, who is always an Augustine friar, says the mass of the Holy Ghost. The scrutineers then stand near the great altar, to mix and open the billets in the chalice, and to see that the scrutiny proceeds in due form. The last scrutineer takes these billets one after another, and first showing them to the cardinals, puts them into another chalice. If there be a greater or less number of billets than there are cardinals, the scrutineer burns all be finds in the two chalices, and each cardinal makes a new one, till the scrutiny comes right. When the billets are equal to the number of cardinals, the scrutiny is published in the following manner : — The heads of the three orders of cardinals go up to the high altar, take tlie chalice in which the billets are put, carry it to the table before-mentioned, and then retire, and the three scrutineers come and seat themselves at the table, with their faces towards the cardi- ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. ' 1D7 nals. The first scrutineer turns the chalice upside down upon the table, opens each billet in the place where the vote is written, and looks upon the name of the cardinal who is therein voted for ; and still, as he opens them, he puts them into the hands of the second scrutineer, who looks likewise on the name, and gives it to the third, who reads the name aloud. Meanwhile, the cardinals mark each name upon a sheet of paper, on which all their names are printed. Those who are named set down also the votes given them, to see if they have a sufficient number to be elected. This number must be at least tico thirds. The last scrutineer files all these billets, that none of them may be lost, and the file is kept in view till he has put it into a chalice set apart for that purpose. "When the scrutiny is over, the billets are again told over, and three revisers examine them. They are burned when the election has been approved as cano7iical. If the votes do not rise to a sufficient number, billets are taken in order to choose the pope by way oiaccessus ; and there is scarcely ever a scrutiny without this accessus. The accessus is intended to correct the scrutiny. In this, they give their votes by other billets, on which is written, " Accedo Domino" &c., when they join their vote to another's ; or, " Accedo Nemini," when they adhere to their first vote. The accessus is performed in the same manner as the scrutiny, only they do not take the oath again. The scrutineers examine the billets of tlie accessus, as they did those of the scrutiny, and the cardinals, after the same manner, set down the votes which are gained thereby to any of the candidates. After the revisers have very accurately examined the votes of the accessus, and find the election to be perfectly canonical, they send for three apostolical notaries into the chapel where the election was made, who, upon inspecting the billets and other pieces which the scrutineers and revisers lay before them, draw up a memorandum of the election. All the cardinals who have assisted at the conclave, sign and seal this record ; after which, the scrutineers burn all the billets, both of the scrutiny and the accessus, in presence of all the cardinals. The pope is elected by compro7nise, when the cardinals, disagreeing in their choice, engage by mutual compromise to refer the election to some particular cardinals of probity, and to acknowledge him Compromise &c ^^^^^^^ ^^^7 ^^^^^^ nominate as duly elected, by virtue of the power given to them for that purpose. The election by way of inspiration is in some measure riotous and tumultuary. A select number of cardinals of different factions, who have determined to put everything to the last push, begin to cry out, " such a one is pope," as it were by inspiration. Adoration is the same as inspiration^ which is, when two thirds of the conclave, being agreed in the person, go in a body and adore and acknowledge the pope they approve of, as head of the church. The elections by way of compromise^ inspiration^ and adoration^ but seldom happen. The scrutiny and accessus are the methods generally observed. As soon as the pope is elected, it is customary for his domestics and the populace to plunder his cell in the conclave, and the palace in which he resided. As soon as the pope is elected, the cardinals who are the heads of their respective orders, ask the consent of his holiness, and the name which he 198 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. is determined to assume, in this alteration of his state. This alteration of his name is perhaps the most singular act which takes Adoration paid place in the election of the supreme pontiff. Sergius the to the pope elect, po^^^i^^ ^lio ^as before called " Os Porci," that is, Swine's face, was the first pope who thought proper to change his name on his exaltation to the pontificate ; and this custom has been invariably fol- lowed by his successors. The elected pontiff's new appellation being made known, the fisherman's ring is immediately given him. After which, the masters of the ceremonies draw up a formal instrument of his declaration, and deliver in a duplicate of it to the college. The two first cardinal-deacons then conduct the new pope behind the altar, where, with the assistance of the masters of the ceremonies and the sacristan, (who is always an Augustine monk,) they take off his cardinal's habit to put on the pontifical, which is a white taffeta cassoc ; a linen rochet ; a camail, and a cap, both of red satin ; with shoes made of red cloth embroidered with gold, and a golden cross on the upper part. Thus pompously dressed, the pope is carried on his chair before the altar of the chapel ap- pointed for the election, and there the cardinal- dean, first, and after him, the remainder of the cardinals, adore his holiness upon their knees, kissing his foot, and his right hand ; after which the holy father takes them up, and gives them the salute of peace on the right cheek. After this, the first cardinal-deacon, preceded by the master of the ceremonies, who car- ries the cross, and by a choir of musicians who sing the anthem, Ecce sacerdos niagnus, ^c. — Behold the high priest so acceptable to God, and so just — goes to the great lodge of St. Peter, where the master mason takes care to have the door opened, that the cardinal may pass into the balcony, to acquaint the people with the pope's election, crying with an audible voice, Annuntio vohis gaudium magnum, hahemus papam, Sfc. — / Iringyou glad tidings^ we have a pope, ^-c. Then one of the large culverins of St. Peter's is discharged, to give the governor of the castle of St. Angelo notice to discharge all his artillery : all the bells of the city begin to ring at the same time, and the air resounds with the cheerful sound of drums, trumpets, and kettle-drums. During the roar of the artillery, the sound of the bells, and the melody both of vocal and instrumental music, the Romans incessantly break out into solemn vows and loud acclamations for the new pope. The same day, about two hours before night, the pope, having his cope and his mitre on, is carried and set upon the altar of Sixtus's chapel, where the cardinals, in their purple copes, come, and a second time adore the new pontiff, who is seated upon the relics of the altar stone. This adoration is celebrated in the same manner as the former, the musicians all the time singing anthems suitable to the solemn occasion. In the meantime, the enclosures of the conclave are broken, or taken down, and the cardinals, preceded by music, descend into the middle of St. Peter's church. The pope follows them, carried in his pontifical chair under a red canopy embellished with gold fringe. His bearers now seat him on the great altar of St. Peter, where the cardinals pay their adora- tion to him a third time, and the foreign ambassadors after them, before a prodigious number of spectators, with whom this spacious church is gener- ally crowded to the utmost extent of the very porch. Te Deum is then ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 199 sung, and tlie cardinal-dean, who is on the epistle side, reads the verses and prayers appointed for that purpose in the Roman ceremonial. After this, his holiness is set down on the highest step of the altar. A cardinal- dean takes off his mitre, and then he solemnly blesses the people. His 2)07itificalia are then taken off, and twelve chairmen, in long scarlet cloaks hanging down to the ground, place him in his chair, and convey him on their shoulders into his apartment. Stephen II. is said to be the first pope who was carried on men's shoulders after his election : but, as we know that the illustrious men of Rome were carried on litters by their slaves, we may conclude that this custom is merely a remnant of the habits of the ancient Romans. In regard to the kissing of the feet of his holiness, it is doubtless a very ancient custom. Baronius gives an instance of it in the year 204 ; and it appears that after that time, the Emperor Justin I., Pepin, king of France, Frederic Barbarossa, and others, all kissed the pope's feet. The time, however, when this custom became constantly practised is not exactly known ; although we may justly suspect, that it was only the same mark of respect which was formerly paid to the ancient Roman emperors, who were, at the same time, the supreme pontiffs of the religion of the Romans, and the sovereigns of the state. Though this ceremony be considered, in the opinion of the vulgar, as an instance of the veneration and esteem which Christians entertain for the pope, it will appear, upon the whole, that it is to Jesus Christ alone. For we are to observe, that the pope's slipper has a cross upon it, which is the emblem of Christ crucified. The successors of St. Peter have invariably ordered that their sandals should have this cross on the upper-leathers : so that it is not the feet of his holiness, but the cross of Jesus Christ crucified, that is kissed. Faithful Catholics affirm that the pontiff's feet ought to be kissed after the same manner, and with the same respect, as the cross and other holy images are kissed. The pope being the head of the Catholic or universal Church, wears the keys as a sign of the power with which he is invested, to open the gates of heaven to all true behevers ; and the triple crown to The pope's ijjgtr„ct and inform the Christian world, that he is both high- coronation. . ... ° priest, emperor, and kmg. The preparations for his coronation are in no degree inferior to those of the most august princes of the universe. If he be a deacon only, the cardinal-dean, after his election, constitutes him both priest and bishop in Sextus's chapel, to which, on the day of his coronation, he repairs in his cardinal's habit ; that is, the white cassoc, the rochet, the short mantle, or cope of red satin, and the red capuch, supported by two prelates, who are the gentlemen of his bed-chamber and his cup-bearer, who are dressed in a red cope, w^ith a capuch lined with red taffeta. The pages of the privy chamber, and the pages of honour, also the chaplains to the pope, who walk with his holiness, are preceded by those who are called the pages extra muros, (that is, without the walls,) and the squires of the deceased pope. The ambassadors, the general of the church, the princes of the throne, the governor of Rome, the captains of the light horse, of the Swiss, and the ancepesados, all make their appearance, and assist at this ceremony, as well as the cardinals, who are clothed in red, that is, in their cassocs, rochets, their copes of red satin, which the Romans 200 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH call mozette, and their red calottes on their heads. The procession having arrived at Sextns's chapel, the cardinals, at the entrance, put on their red copes. Two cardinal-deacons now give the pope his pontificaha; the cere- mony of which is as follows :— the first master of the ceremonies girds on thefalda of taffeta nnder the rochet, and puts upon his head the red satin herretta. His holiness then goes into the chapel ; where the cardinals rise up, and at his first appearance make him a most profound bow, the holy father receiving the submission of his spiritual children like an indulgent parent. The gentlemen who attend on their eminences, are at this time on their knees, and his holiness stands with his back against the altar. Afterwards, one of the two cardinal-deacons takes off his herretta^ and his companion puts on another of white taffeta : they hkewise take off his red mozette^ and dress him in the amict, the albe, the girdle, the stole, and the red chasuble, embroidered all over with gold. The first cardinal- deacon now puts the mitre upon his head, whilst the master of the cere- monies sings the extra with an audible voice. After this, one of the apostolic sub-deacons takes up the cross that is carried before the pope ; and the cardinals pull off their herrettas in honour of the sacred wood. The cross is carried in the following order : the pope's gentlemen go be- fore it, two by two, followed by the courtiers of the new successor of St. Peter, dressed in their ceremonial habits. The pages extra muros march next, and after them the consistorial advocates, the gentlemen of the privy chamber, the referendary prelates, the bishops, archbishops, and patri- archs, and then the pope's chaplains, who carry the triple crow^n and the mitre. The cross comes after these chaplains, and is followed by the cardinal-deacons, two and two abreast, and they are followed by the cardi- nals, priests, and bishops, in the same order. Their eminences are followed by the Roman conservators, the caporions, &c. The holy father is carried to church on a chair in the midst of this solemn pfocession, surrounded by his guards, and an infinite number of people. The knights of St. Peter and St. Paul support the canopy under which his holiness is carried ; and in this order, the procession proceeds to St. Peter's church. Under the portico of St. Peter, near the holy gate, a throne is erected for the pope, where he sits under a canopy ; around which benches are railed in for the cardinals. The canons, and all those who enjoy any benefice in St. Peter s, with their cardinal high-priest at the head of them, now come and kiss the feet of the holy father. After which, he is carried to the foot of the high altar, attended by a number of people making loud acclamations : he then kneels down and prays bareheaded before the holy sacrament ; and is immediately carried from thence to the Gregorian chapel. There he seats himself on a throne, surrounded by the foreign ambassadors, the princes of the throne, and other persons of rank and dis- tinction. The cardinals in their red copes, the prelates, &c., then pay their homage to him ; the former kissing his hand, and the others his knee. His holiness then gives the people his benediction ; and they return him their thanks by extraordinary acclamations, and other testimonies of general joy. This ceremony being concluded, the cardinals, bishops, and other pre- lates, put on their white robes, whilst the canons of St. Peter sing an anthem in the choir. The pope washes his hands four times. The first ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCir. 201 time, the water is presented him by the first Roman conservator ; the second in time of mass, by the general of the Church ; the third by the am- bassador of the Most Christian King; and the Last, by the ambassador of his Imperial Majesty. They are, if present at the solemnity, indispensably obliged' to the performance of this religious duty, as a proof of their submission to the holy See. The holy father in* the next place is undressed, in order to put on other robes, the colour of which is a type or symbol of his purity and innocence. The acolytes present these new vestments to the cardinal-deacon, who clothes his holiness in a white garment ; in order that, according to the language of scripture, he may be fitted to preside in the temple of the Lord. The dress of his holiness now consists of the cassoc, amict, albe, girdle, dalmatica, stole, gloves, and mitre, embroidered with gold, and set with jewels. The procession is tlien resumed, during which, the first master of the ceremonies carries a lighted wax taper in one hand, and a basin in the other, in which the pomps and vanities of this world are ex- hibited to the holy father, under the representation of castles and palaces made ofjlax, to which the master of the ceremonies sets fire three succes- sive times, saying to his holiness each time. Pater Sancte, sic transit gloria mundi ! Behold, holy father, how the glory of this world passes aicay !-^ This ceremony seems to owe its birth to that which was practised at the coronation of the Greek emperors ; for, in the midst of all the pomp and splendour of their coronation, they were on one hand presented with a vase filled with ashes and dead men's bones, and on the other with flax, which was set on fire ; by this double emblem reminding them of their mortality, and of the fate of their worldly honours. The whole procession having arrived at the foot of the altar, on which stand seven large silver gilt candlesticks with large lighted wax-tapers in them, similar to those which are carried by the seven acolytes before the cross, the pope makes a short prayer on a desk, and then rising, begins the Introiho of the mass, having the cardinal-dean on his right hand, as assistant-bishop in his cope ; and the cardinal-deacon of the gospel on his left, and behind him two cardinal-deacons assistants. After his holiness has made the solemn confession, the dean of the rota, who holds his mitre, gives it to the two cardinal-deacons assistants, to set it upon his head. His holiness, in the next place, sits down on his throne, before which each of the three first cardinal priests reads a prayer for his cororation. After which, the holy father descends from the throne, his mitre is taken ofi^ and the first cardinal- deacon, assisted by the second, dresses him in the pallium, saying to him. Receive the pallium which re- presents to you the duties and perfections of the ponti/cal function : may you discharge it to the glory of God, and of his most Holy Mother the blessed Virgin Mary ; of the blessed apostles St. Peter and St. Paul ; and of the holy Roman Church. The cardinal-deacon of the gospel having put three diamond buttons on the three crosses of the pallium, the holy father ascends the altar, with tlie pallium on his shoulders, but without his mitre, kisses the book of the holy evangelist, puts incense into the thurible, and thurifies or perfumes the altar. After tliis, the mitre is again set on his holiness's head, and the first cardinal-deacon thurifies him three times successively. The ceremony 202 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. closes with a salute, which that cardinal gives him on his left cheek and his stomach, which ceremony is also performed hy the other two cardinals. This ceremony heing over, the pope returns to his throne, whither all the cardinals repair, and after taking off their mitres, pay him their adora- tions. All the clergy come likewise, and adore him, each according to his quality, and all in their ceremonial habits. The patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops, kiss his foot and his knee ; the abbots and penitentiaries of St. Peter, his knee only. Afterwards, the pope rises, lays down his mitre, ascends the altar, sings or reads the Intt^oite and the Kyrie^ S^x. sings the Gloria in excelsis with an audible voice, and, as soon as the prayer of mass is said, resumes his place. Then the first cardinal-deacon descends into the confessional of St. Peter, which is a place under the altar, where the relics of the martyrs lie, attended by the apostolical sub-deacons, tlie auditors of the rota, the consistorial advocates, &c. who walk in two ranks, with their white copes, and their purple amices over them. The cardinal-deacon sings there with a low voice, the Exaudi Christe ! (Hear, 0 Christ!) to which the clergy who follow him answer, Doinino nostra a Deo decreto summo Pontijici et PapcB, 8^c. {Our lord, the Pope, sovereign Pontiff, instituted and ordaiyied hy God, S^c.) The Exaudi, Sfc. are three times repeated as well as the Sahator mimdi, which is afterwards added by the same cardinal, and to which the clergy answer, Tu illmn adjuva, — that is, 0 Saviour of the v^orld assist him ! Then follow the litanies of the saints. The Latin epistle follows those litanies, and the Greek after the Latin ; the one is sung by the Greek sub-deacon, and the other by the Latin. The musi- cians in the choir now sing the gradual : a cardinal-deacon sings the gospel in Latin, another the same in Greek, and the mass closes with some par- ticular ceremonies. As soon as mass is over, the holy father goes into his chair again, without pulling off those robes which he had worn during the celebration of it. Then the cardinal-arch-priest of St. Peter, attended by two canons, presents the pope with a white damask purse, in which are twenty-five Julios, old Roman money. The chapter and canons of St. Peter make him this present as a testimony that he has sung mass icell. This money the holy father gives to the cardinal-deacons, who sang the two gospels, and they bestow it on their train-bearers. To conclude, the pope is carried to the benediction-pew, accompanied by his cardinals and prelates. The canopy under which he is carried, is sup- ported by the Roman conservators and the caparions ; two of the grooms, in red liveries, carrying fans of peacocks* feathers on each side of the chair. The cardinals and prelates all stand, whilst the two first cardinal- deacons, in quality of assistants, help his holiness to ascend the throne, which is always set up by the sacred college, on the preceding day, in the middle of the pew. As soon as the pope is seated, the choir sing the anthem. Corona aurea super caput, 8^^c. — that is, A croicn of gold shall he on his head, Sfc. with tlie responses; after which the dean reads the coronation prayer. The second cardinal-deacon now takes off tlie mitre of his holiness, and the first puts the triple crown on his head, saying, Receive this tiara embellished loith three ct^owns, and never forget, ichen you have it on, that you are the father of princes and kings, the supreme judge of the universe, and on the earth Vicar of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 203 Immediately after being crowned, the pope blesses the people three times, and two cardinals piibhsh a plenary indulgence both in Latin and Italian. After this, his holiness withdraws to his apartment in the Vati- can, and on his way through Sixtus's chapel, the cardinal-deacons take off his pontificalia. The first cardinal-priest, in the name of the whole sacred college, now makes him the compliment ad multos annos, that is, wishes he may enjoy his pontificate for many years. The pope holds consistories when he receives princes, or their ambassa- dors ; when he canonizes any saint, or promotes cardinals ; or treats of any ^ . important affair, either civil or ecclesiastical. When a con- observed when a sistory IS to be held, the pope s throne is erected m the great pope holds a con. i^all of the apostolic palace. This throne is almost square, sistory. ^^^ about twelve palms, or six feet, wide, to which he ascends by three steps. His holiness sits down on a seat adorned with cloth of gold, under a canopy of the same ; both equal to each other in point of magnificence ; the foot of the throne is covered with red cloth. The cardinal-bishops and priests sit on his right hand, below the throne ; the deacons on his left ; but in such a position as to have their faces towards the holy father. Between the seats of the cardinal-bishops and priests, and those of the deacons, there is a considerable space left for the people to pass and repass. When his holiness goes to hold a public consistory, he walks with the mitre on his head, and is dressed in his amict, albe, stole, and red chasuble, the cross and cardinals preceding him. The procession having arrived at the consistory chamber, the holy father takes his place, and then the car- dinals, having first made him a profound obeisance, repair to their respect- ive seats. The archbishops, bishops, prothonotaries, and other prelates, sit on the steps of the throne ; the sub-deacons, auditors, clerks of the chamber, and acolytes, with their woollen copes, on the lowest step ; and the ecclesiastical officers of the pope's court on tlie ground, between the cardinal seats. The pages of the chamber, and the secretaries, sit also on the ground, between the prelates and ecclesiastical ofiicers. The nephews of the reigning pope, in case he has any, and some other Roman princes, sit on each side of the throne, and are for that reason called Princes of the Throne. Ambassadors, and other foreign ministers, are seated on the rio-ht-hand of the throne, between the steps and the wall, which is the place for the highest nobility ; the other gentlemen are on the left, among the pope's domestic officers : the consistorial advocates sit behind the cardinal-deacons, and the proctors of princes, with the fiscal proctor, who takes place of the other proctors, behind the cardinal-bishops. The entrance of the passage leading to the throne is filled up by the pope's guard. The master of the Scvcro Hospitio stands between the guard, and the bottom of the rank of cardinal-priests. The clerks of the ceremonies are at the head of the chief of the deacons, for the greater convenience of executing the pope's orders. When the pope holds a consistory for judi- cial causes, each advocate, who has any motion to make, stands behind the cardinal-priests, opposite to the pope ; and having opened his cause, he throws his petition to the ecclesiastical officers, who take and present it to the vice-chancellor. Lastly, when the consistory is concluded, the two eldest cardinal-deacons come forward to support the pope, and then the whole assembly return in the same order as they came. 204 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHUKCH. Private consistories have not so many ceremonies, and are held In some private apartment, at a distance from the sacred palace. There are no steps to the pontifical seat, only a kind of open bench, without Private ^^ alcove, and anotlier of a smaller size, which serves as a onsis ones, j^^^^^^^j ^^ ascend the largest one. Each of the cardinal- bishops and priests is seated according to his rank ; the eldest cardinal sits next the pope, on his right hand, and the eldest cardinal-deacon next him on his left. There are benches before their seats, on which their eminences set their feet ; and the assembly is so arranged or disposed, that the last cardinal-deacon is next the last cardinal-priest, who has a bell in his hand, to call the attendants in waiting to receive their orders. The pope's seat is covered with red cloth ; but those of the cardinals are only painted red, and have the pope's arms upon them. The space which lies between his holiness and their eminences, is covered with a large carpet. When this ecclesiastical senate has any state affairs, or any matters relating to the Church, under deliberation, everybody but the cardinals goes out, and when their eminences come to give their votes, they are obliged to do it standing and bareheaded. Tiie service of the Catholic Church consists of prayers and holy lessons, which the Church has appointed to be read every day by the clergy, at particular hours. This service is called the canonical hoiirs^ Canonical hours j^^cause It was ordained by the canons of the Church, which not only prescribed the hours in which it Is to be said, but likewise every particular circumstance which bears any relation to it. These circumstances, however, are not absolutely the same in all churches. This office, or order of divine service, is likewise called the hreviary^ by a modern term, which some are of opinion was not introduced till after its abridgment ; for it was much longer formerly than at present. There are instances of canonical hours to be met with In the Hebrew Scriptures. The matins in Psalm cxvIH., or according to the Hehreic, cxix. ; prime, in Psalm xcil. ; tierce, in Acts, chap. 11. ; sexte in chap. x. of the same book ; 7io7ie, in chap. ill. ; and vespers, in our Lord's last supper. The Heathens had likewise their onatins ; and the Egyptians saluted their gods every morning : they hud their jyrimes, seconds, and tierces, which the Catholics call piHtne, tierce, sexte, &c. The clergy being ordained and established for the edification of Christians, their first obligation Is constantly to repeat their breviary, that is, to pray to God for the Church, to sing the divine office with devotion, to maintain a taste for piety in Christian souls, and to administer ghostly comfort and consolation to the respective flocks Intrusted to their care. The divine service, or office, is to be said In a standing posture, pursuant to the ancient custom of the Church, and upon the knees on days of penance only. It is said, by those who treat on Church ceremonies, that genuflection is a mark of sorrow and contrition ; but standing is not only a type of joy, and of raising the mind with cheerfulness to God, but of the Resurrection, too, which Is the object of the Christian faith. The divine service consists of seven hours. If matins and lauds be reckoned as one service, but eight, in case they be divided. In the pri- mitive ages of the Church, it was composed but of six parts, which were tierce, sexte, and none, for the day; and for night, the evening, midnight. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 205 and morning prayers. At present they are divided into seven or eight : matins for night ; lauds for the morning ; prime, tierce, sexte, none, for the day ; vespers for the evening ; and complin for the beginning of the night. Certain writers on ceremonies likewise insist that matins repre- sent the occurrences of the passion-night ; that lauds are appointed to commemorate Christ's resurrection ; prime, to contemplate the ignomi- nious treatment which he met with at the house of Caiaphas, and to humble ourselves at the sight of those indignities and affronts : that tierce is principally designed to return God thanks for the sanctification of his Church by the Holy Ghost; sexte, to honour the crucifixion of our Lord; and none, to bring to our remembrance the mystery of his death, which happened at that hour ; that vespers were ordained to commemorate his coming, which, according to a hymn of the Church, was towards the Night of the World ; and the hour of complin, to implore the protection of the Almighty during the night, in the same manner as had been done at prime for the day. The proper hour for saying matins is the night ; but lauds, which are now, as it were, incorporated into matins, were formerly said at break of day. Both these offices being called without distinction matins, are now said towards the close of the night. The hour of saying prime, is directly after sun- rise, for which reason it is called prime, because the ancients began their day at that time, and divided it into twelve hours, which were unequal, as the days were longer or shorter; and by the same rule tierce is fixed at the third hour of the day, and answers to nine o'clock at the Equinoxes ; sexte at the sixth, which is always noon ; none, at the ninth hour, or about three o'clock in the after- noon ; vespers, towards the evening ; and complin, after sun-set. Due care is generally taken that these services are all carefully performed at, or very near, the appointed times here specified. During Lent, however, vespers are said before dinner, on account of those who cannot keep fast according to the prescription of the Church, till the usual hour of vespers. In winter, that is, from All-Saints to Easter, vespers are sung at two o'clock, and the rest of the year at three. After vespers, the curates or vicars ought to catechise youths, unless it has been already done at mass, after the prone, or sermon. The evening prayer follows. Not only those ecclesiastics who are in holy orders, but every nun and friar likewise, who has entered into solemn vows, and all who hold bene- fices, are under an obligation to perform this service ; insomuch, that whoever neglects this duty is reckoned to be guilty of a mortal sin, and is considered liable to restore the revenues of his benefice. The Catholics look upon the sacrifice of the mass as the most acceptable of all adorations, and the most effectual of all prayers. The Church not only prays herself at this sacrifice, which the priest offers up Ceremonies ^^ q^^ -^^ ^^le most solemn and majestic manner ; but Jesus Christ also, by the sacrifice of his own body, is said to offer up to his Father the most perfect adoration that can possibly be paid to him, since it is offered by a God. In short, it is Jesus Christ, who alone, and always, acts in this sacrifice. The priest is but his minister, his instrument, his terrestrial organ ; it is Christ who leads and directs him, and makes the action of the priest effectual, who offers him as propitiation 206 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. for the sins of men ; however corrupt, therefore, the priest may be in his morals, it is held that the sacrifice is equally salutary to the church — a tenet which redounds considerably to the immaculate character of the holy Roman CathoHc Church. The holy water is made on Sundays before high mass, after which follows a procession. The faithful (for by this term the Catholics gener- ally distinguish themselves,) ouglit to be present at mass with a conscience void of offence ; and in order to show them the necessity of such internal purity, they are sprinkled with a water sanctified for that purpose by a solemn benediction. The procession is a preparation of the hearts of the congregation, for the holy sacrifice of the mass ; and the priest and clergy make this preparation by their spiritual hymns and the elevation of the cross, which is carried before the clergy, whilst they move in a solemn manner round the church, or the places adjacent to it. The mass consists of two principal parts, viz. ihejlrst from the begin- ning to the offering, which was formerly called the Mass of the Catechu- mens; and the second^ from the offering to the conclusion, called the Ma^s of the Faithful. Every person, without any distinction, was required to be present at it, till the offering ; because, in tliis first part, the lessons from Scripture, and the preaching of the Gospel, were included, from which none were to be excluded. But after the sermon, none" were per- mitted to have a share in the sacrifice, but those of the faithful who were duly qualified to partake of it ; the catechumens were ordered to depart, and the penitents were not only shut out and kept from the communion, but even from the sight of the mysteries ; for which reason the deacon cried out. Holy things are for such as are holy : let the profane depart hence ! The various actions of the. priest at mass may be included under thirty- five distinct heads ; and devotion has discovered in all his actions a com- plete allegory of the passion of Jesus Christ. These Actions of the gg^gyj^j actions are briefly as follows : — 1. The priest goes priest at mass. . ,, . , t i. .11. to the altar, in allusion to our Lords retreat with his apostles to the Garden of Olives. 2. Before he begins mass, he says a preparatory prayer. The priest is then to look on himself as one abandoned of God, and driven out of Paradise for the sin of Adam. 3. The priest makes confession for himself, and for the people, in which it is required that he be free from mortal and from venial sin. 4. The priest kisses the altar, as a token of our reconciliation with God, and our Lord's being betrayed by a kiss. 5. The priest goes to the epistle-side of the altar, and thurifies or perfumes it. Jesus Christ is now supposed to be taken and bound. 6. The Introite, said or sung, i. e.^ a psalm or hymn, applicable to the circumstance of our Lord's being carried before Caiaphas the high- priest. 7- The priest says the Kyrie Eleison, which signifies. Lord have mercy upon us, three times, in allusion to Peter's denying our Lord thrice. 8. The priest, turning towards the altar, says, Dominus vohiscum^ i. e., The Lord be with you ; the people return this salutation, cum Sjnritu tuo^ and with thy Spirit, Jesus Christ looking at Peter. 9. The priest reads the epistle relating to Jesus being accused before Pilate. 10. The priest, bowing before the altar, says Munda cor, i. e., cleanse our hearts. The gradual is sung. This psalm is varied according as it is the time of Lent or not. The devotion is now directed to our Saviour's being accused ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 207 before Herod, and making no reply. 11. The priest reads the gospel wherein Jesus Christ is sent from Herod to Pilate. The gospel is carried from the right side of the altar to the left, to denote the tender of the gospel to the Gentiles, after refusal by the Jews. 12. The priest uncovers the chalice, hereby to represent our Lord was stripped in order to be scourged. 13. The oblation to the host, the creed is sung by the congre- gation. The priest then kisses the altar, then the priest offers up the host, which is to represent or import the scourging of Jesus Christ, which was introductory to his other sufferings. 14. The priest elevates the chalice, then covers it. Here Jesus being crowned with thorns, is supposed to be figured to the mind, showing that he was going to be elevated a victim ; and it is well known the victims of the Pagans were crowned before they were sacrificed to their idols. 15. The priest washes his fingers, as Pilate washed his hands, and declares Jesus innocent, blesses the bread and the wine, blesses the frankincense, and perfumes the bread and wine, praying that the smell of this sacrifice may be more acceptable to him than the smoke of victims. 16. The priest, turning to the people, says, Oremus Frafres^ i. e., let us pray. He then bows himself to the altar, addresses himself to the Trinity, and prays in a very low voice. This is one of the secretums of the mass, and the imagination of the devout Christian is to find out the conformity between this and Christ being clothed with a purple robe : but we shall be cautious of adding more on this head, that we may not lose ourselves in the boundless ocean of allusions. 17. The priest says the preface at the close of the Secretum. This part of the mass is in affinity to Jesus Christ being crucified. The priest uses a prayer to God the Father, which is followed by the Sanctus, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, &c., which the people sing. 18. The priest, joining his hands, prays for the faithful that are living. This is said to be in allusion to Jesus Christ bearing the cross to die upon, that we might live. 19. The priest covers with a cloth the host and chalice, St. Veronica offering her handkerchief to Jesus Christ. 20. The priest makes the sign of the cross upon the host and chalice, to signify that Jesus Christ is nailed to the cross. 21. The priest adores the host before elevated, and then he raises it up, in the best manner to represent our Saviour lifted up upon the cross. He repeats the Lord's prayer, with his arms extended, that his body might represent the figure of a cross, which is the ensign of Christianity. 22. The priest likewise consecrates the chalice, and elevates it, to represent the blood of Jesus Christ shed upon the cross. 23. The priest says the Memento for the faithful that are in purgatory. This prayer is in allusion to that which our Lord made for his enemies ; but this allusion would be forced and unnatural, unless the devotees looked upon themselves as his enemies. 24. The priest then raises his voice, smiting his breast, begs God's blessing on himself and congregation, for the sake of such saints as he enumerates, and implores the Divine Majesty for a place in paradise, to imitate the thief upon the cross. 2.5. The priest elevates the host and cup, and says the pe7^ omnia, then tlie Lord's prayer. The sign of the cross, which he makes on the host, the chalice, and the altar, is to represent to God that bleeding sacrifice which his son offered up to him of himself; then the devout Christian becomes the child of God ; and all this is an allusion to the Virgin Mary's being bid to look on St. John as her son. 26. After 208 nOMAN CATHOLIC CHUHCII. the Lord's prayer the priest says a private one to God, to procure his peace by the mediation of the Virgin Mary and the saints, then puts the Kacred host upon the paten, and breaks it, to represent Jesus Christ giving up the ghost. 27. The priest puts a little bit of the host into the chalice. The true Christian is now with an eye of faith to behold Jesus Christ descending into Limho, i.e., hell. 28. Then the priest says, and the people sing, Agnus Dei, &c., thrice over, and the priest smites his breast. This action is an allusion to those who, having seen our Lord's sufferings, returned home smiting their breasts. 29. After the Ag7ius Dei is sung, the priest says a private prayer for the peace of the church. He then kisses the altar, and the instrument of peace called the paxis, which being received at his hands by the deacon, it is handed about to the people to be kissed, and passed from each other with these words, pea<;e be with you ; and whilst the paxis is kissing, the priest prepares himself for the com- munion by two other prayers, when he adores the host, and then says, with a low voice, / will eat of the celestial bread ; and smiting his breast, says, I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter into my house, three times, after eating of the bread. He uncovers the chalice, repeating verse i. of 115th Psalm, according to the Vulgate. When the priest has received the communion, he administers it to the people. The application of these ceremonies is to the death and burial of Jesus Christ, and his descent into hell. 30. After this, the priest putting the wine into the chalice, in order to take what is called the ablution, repeats a short prayer ; then he causes wine and water to be poured out for the second ablution, accompanied with another short prayer, and then salutes the congregation. These ablutions allegorically represent the washing and embalming the body of Jesus Christ, &c. 31. The priest sings the post-communion, or prayer for a good effect of the sacrament then received, expressed by the glorious resurrection of the regenerate Christians, and is to be looked upon as the representation of our Lord's resurrection. 32. The priest, turning to the people, says, Dominus vobiscum, salutes the congregation, as the ambassa- dor of Christ, with the message of peace. 33. The priest reads the beginning of St. John's gospel, and particularly of Jesus's appearing to his mother and disciples, and uses some short prayers. 34. The priest dis- misses the people w^ith these words, Ite missa est, — Depart, the mass is concluded ; to which they answer, God be thanked. This, they say, points to the ascension of Jesus Christ, where he receives the eternal reward of that sacrifice, both as priest and victim. 35. The people receive the benediction of the priest or bishop, if he is present, to represent the blessings promised and poured down upon the apostles by the Holy Ghost. This benediction must be given after kissing, with eyes erected to hea- ven, and arms stretched out, and then gently brought back to the stomach, that the hands may join in an affectionate manner for the congregation of the faithful. The extension of the arms and the joining of the hands are both mys- terious, and show the charity with which the priest calls his spiritual brethren to God. When he pronounces the benediction, he must lean in an engaging pos- ture towards the altar. y ^ '"^^t ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 209 Masses among the Catliolics are exceedingly numerous ; but our limits High or admit of a description of but two — high or solemn mass, and solemn Mass. the mass for the dead. When there is to be a solemn mass, if it be a bishop who officiates, he is attended to church by the canons and other officers of the church, wdio go and wait upon him in state at his palace ; but if it happens to be too far distant from the church, the whole chapter, who wait at the church- gate, advance to meet him as soon as his lordship appears in sight ; and \vhen he draws near to the church, the bells are rung to give the people notice of it, and the moment he sets his foot within the church, tlie organ begins to play. Tlie master of the ceremonies now gives the sprinkler to the head canon, who presents it to the bishop, after he has kissed both that and his sacred hand. His lordship first sprinkles himself, and then the canons, with it, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and then proceeds to say a prayer at a desk prepared for that particular pur- pose, before the altar, on which stands the Holy Sacrament. He performs the same ceremony at the high altar ; and thence he vv-ithdraws into the vestry, and there puts on such ornaments as are suitable to the solemnity of the mass, in the following manner. The sub-deacon goes to a little closet contiguous to the altar, and takes from it the episcopal sandals and stockings, which he elevates and presents to the bishop. Then he kneels down, takes off his lordship's shoes and stockings ; the bishop, meanwhile, is in the midst of seven or eight aco- lytes, all upon their knees, and dressed in their robes, who, as well as the deacon, spread the prelate's robes, in order that nothing indelicate may be discerned in putting on his stockings. Two acolytes, after they have washed their hands, now take the sacred habiliments, hold them up, and give them to the two deacon-assistants, to put upon the bishop, as soon as he has washed his hands. The deacon salutes the bishop, takes off his npper garment, and puts on his amict, the cross of which he kisses ; then they give him the albe, the girdle, the cross for his breast, the stole, and the pluvial. He kisses the cross that is upon each of them, one after another, and thereby testifies the extraordinary veneration which he has, or ought to have, for the cross of Christ. The deacon-assistants likewise most devoutly kiss those sacred vestments. As soon as the bishop is seated, they put his mitre on, and a priest presents him with the pastoral rino'. The deacon then gives him his right glove, and the sub-deacon his left, which each of them kisses, as also the hand he has the honour to serve. Ejaculatory prayers have been adapted to each individual piece of the episcopal robes, and the devotion of this ceremony is supported and confirmed by singing the office of tierce. According to Casalius and others, there is some mystery in each of the bishop's ornaments ; the stole represents the yoke of the gospel ; the bishop's shoes are taken off by virtue of what God said to Moses, Put off thy shoes from off thy feet^ &c. ; the dalmatica, which is in the form of a cross, intimates to the deacon, that he must be crucified to the world ; the albe represents the purity of the priest's soul ; the pastoral ring points out the bishop's spiritual marriage with the church ; his gloves signify that he is to be insensible of his good works, or that he must direct them to a spiritual end ; the girdle, that he is to be girded with justice and virtue ; p 210 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. the sandals, that he ought from thenceforth to walk in the paths of the Lord ; the two horns of the mitre represent the Old and New Testament; the shepherd's crook, his correction and paternal authority. The pluvial, which, in former times, was a dress for travelling and fatigue, from whence it manifestly took its name, signifying a protection against rain and storms shows the miseries of this life, which is ever exposed to • temptations and human infirmities. ^ The bishop being dressed in all his habiUments, his clergy range them- selves round about him. Two deacons, who are canons, place themselves on each side of him, both in their dalmaticas ; and after them, a deacon and a sub-deacon. The incense-bearer appears with the censer, and a priest 'with the navet, out of which the bishop takes incense, puts it into the censer, and gives it his benediction. After this he kisses the cross, which is upon the vestry-altar, and goes in procession to the other altar, where he is to celebrate mass. The incense-bearer walks at the head of the pro- cession ; two wax-candle bearers, with lighted tapers in their hands, march next, on each side of him who bears the cross : all the clergy follow them. The sub-deacon who is to sing the epistle carries before his breast the book of the New Testament, which is shut, and in which is the bishop's maniple. A deacon and a priest, with their pluvials on, march before the bishop, who leans humbly on his two deacon-assistants, with the shepherd's crook in his left hand, and his right somewhat raised, ready to give his benediction to those Christians whom he meets with in his way. The bishop being now advanced to the altar, salutes his clergy with one sinole bow of the head. When he is on the low^est step, he delivers his crook to the sub-deacon, and the deacon takes off his mitre. Then the prelate and his officiating clergy make a profound bow to the cross on the altar ; after which the clergy all withdraw, except the sub-deacon, who has the charge of the episcopal crook, the incense-bearer, two deacon- assistants, one priest-assistant, who stands at the bishop's right hand, one deacon at his left, and one more behind him. The bishop says the Con- Jiteor, and the choir sing the Introite. At the end of the confession, the sub-deacon takes the maniple, which was in the book of the New Testament, kisses it, and presents it to the bishop for the same purpose ; then kisses his lordship's hand, and puts it on his left arm ; in the mean time the canons, dressed in their robes, repeat the confession. After this the bishop goes up to the altar, and continuing his prayer, he leans towards the altar, extending his arms upon the table ^f it, and kissing it with affection in the middle, whilst he makes mention of the sacred relics which are placed therein. The sub-deacon now presents him with the book of the New Testament, which he kisses. The incense-bearer then comes forward with the censer and navet, which he delivers to the deacon, and the bishop receives them from him, in order to bless the incense. The person who officiates then takes the censer, perfumes the altar, gives it back to the deacon, takes the mitre from another deacon, goes to the epistle side, and is thrice perfumed there by the deacon who holds the censer. After this ceremony is over, the bishop kisses the holy cross, takes the crosier in his left hand, and leaning upon his two deacon-assistants, whilst the deacon and sub- deacon continue at the altar, goes to his episcopal ROMAN CATHOLIC CnURClI. 211 throne. There, laying aside his mitre, and making the sign of the cross from the forehead down to the breast, he. reads the Introite out of a mass- book, which the assistant priest holds for him, whilst another has a wax- taper in his hand to light his lordship. The two deacon-assistants point with their finger to the place where he is to read ; then all sing the Kyrle together ; after which the bishop puts on his mitre and his gremial, whicli is a sort of sacerdotal apron, and sits down. The two deacon-assistants now seat themselves on each side of him, and the assistant-priest sits down on a stool. They all rise when the choir concludes the Kyrie : then the bishop, turning towards the altar, gives out the Gloria in excelsis with an audible voice, whicli he continues saying with his ministers. There is nothing very remarkable relating to the gradual^ the hallelu- jah^ and the gospel^ unless it be that the last is ushered in by a kind of procession. The master of the ceremonies Avalks first, after him the incense-bearer, and then the light-bearers, each with a burning taper. A sub-deacon follows, with his hands joined, as if he were saying his prayers. The deacon comes next, with the New Testament borne upon his breast. This devout assembly, passing in review before the altar, salute it with bended knees as they pass along ; and when they are arrived at the place for reading the gospel, the deacon, who then stands between the two taper-bearers, turns to the right of the altar, opens the book, and bco-ius the lesson out of the gospel. When the deacon says, Dotninus vohiscum, the bishop rises, and lays aside his mitre and his gremial. Wlien he comes to these words, Here heginneth the holy gospel^ he makes the sign of the cross ; and, to conclude, blesses himself by another cross ; after which the prelate resumes his crosier, then makes the sign of the cross again, and all his ministers follow his example. The gospel being read, he who officiates kisses the book, and all of them return in the same order as they came ; — the assistant-priest in- censing the bishop. In the next place, the bishop preaches, or some canon, who is a priest, performs that office for him. After the sermon, the deacon, who sings the gospel, goes to the left hand of the bishop, and leaning a little for- ward, says the Conjiteor before him. After this confession is over, the assistant-priest publishes the indul- gences, and the bishop gives the absolution. If there be no sermon, they go on from the gospel to the creed, which is repeated in form like all the rest. The offertory follows the creed. The bishop reads it standing and bare-headed. When he has done, he returns to his seat, and puts on his mitre. One deacon takes off his pastoral ring, another his gloves, and some substantial layman presents him the basin to wash his hands. The archdeacon, whom the ceremonial constantly calls the assistant-priest, gives him the napkin. His lordship goes up again to the altar, supported by his two assistants ; the sub-deacon goes to the credence-table, and by the help of two acolytes puts on his shoulders the veil which covered the sacred vessels, in such a manner that it hangs a little lower on the right side* than on the left. Then with his left hand he takes the chahce and paten, on which are two hosts, duly prepared, and covered with a pall. The right hand lies lightly over the veil, the longest side of whicli p2 212 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. is made use of to cover the chalice. An acolyte follows the sub-deacon to the altar with wine and water. The deacon presents the paten to the person who officiates ; all this part of the mass, w-hich is celebrated in a solemn manner by the bishop, is performed as in common masses. The assistant-priest must take care that the prelate who officiates follows exactly the rubric of the mass ; and some of the ministers must stand on each side the altar with lighted tapers, to honour the elevation of the sacrament. When the bishop elevates the host, the deacon vvdio kneels on his right side takes up the border of the celebrant's planet. He observes likewise the same ceremony at the elevation of the chalice. It must be observed, that an acolyte incenses the body and blood of our Lord, during the eleva- tion of both one and the other, three times successively. After that, the ministers wdio attended the mysteries of the sacrifice with their lighted tapers, withdraw to the outside of the pre^yterium to extinguish them, unless they assist in the administration of the sacrament. After the Agnus Dei, the assistant-priest places himself at the bishop's rioht hand, and a deacon on his left. The former kneels, wdiilst the cele- brant says a short prayer, then rises again immediately, and both of them kiss the altar. The celebrant gives the kiss of peace to the priest, w^ho turns his left cheek to receive it. After this mutual greeting, the assist- ant-priest distributes the kiss which he has received amongst the choir, beginning w^ith the clergy of the highest quality in all the congrega- tion. The laity kiss the paxis, or instrument of peace, wdiich, at less solemn masses, is constantly made use of instead of an immediate kiss. There is no variation in what follow^s, from the ceremonies observed at common masses. The most solemn mass for the dead is that which the bishop himself celebrates. The melancholy occasion of the ceremony does not admit of any pompous decorations on the altar. All the flowers, fes- theDead^'^ toous, relics, and images, are removed. Six yellow w^ax- lights, and a cross in the middle, are the only ornaments. Two other tapers of the same kind give light to the credence-table, which is covered with a very plain small table-cloth, and on which there is no other ornament than what is absolutely necessary for so mournful an occasion ; such as a mass-book, a holy water-pot, a sprinkler, a thurible, a navet, and a black cloth for absolution. The acolytes spread a black cloth upon the altar, and the bishop officiates, likewise, in black. As soon as mass is over, he puts on a pluvial of the same colour ; the dress of his ministers, the episcopal chair, and the pontifical books, are all black. The bishop who celebrates this melancholy mass has no crosier in his hand, no gloves on, nor his sandals upon his feet ; nor does he say the Judica, the Rcminiscaris, the Quam cUlecta, nor several prayers which are said at other masses. After the Conjileor, he kisses the altar, but not the book ; nor do the ministers kiss anything whatever during the celebration of it ; for kisses on such melancholy occasions are forbidden. They do not cross themselves at the IntroiU^ nor is the altar perfumed with frankincense at the beginning of this mass. In short, not to mention several other dif- ferences which are of less moment to the laity than the clergy, we shall only observe, tliat the person who officiates does not smite his breast at ROMAN CATHOLIC ClIURCU. 213 the Agnus; that he does not give the kiss of peace ; that he concludes the mass without the usual blessing ; that no indulgences are published ; and that the deacon, if it be a general mass for many, says the Requiescant in pacG^ in the plural number, for the repose of the dead. The homily follows, and the pulpit, for that purpose, is hung with black ; and if it be a particular mass for any private person, remarkable for his quality or virtues, his fortune and charitable endowments, the mass for the rest and tranquillity of his soul in the other world, is followed by a fune- ral panegyric. A ChapcUe Ardente, or a pompous representation of the deceased, is in the meantime erected, and adorned with branches, and illuminated with yellow wax-hghts, in the middle of, or some other part of the church, or round the monuments of persons of distinction. If the deceased be not buried in that church, this chapel may be placed in the nave, if he be a layman ; or, if a clergyman, in the choir, in case it be separated from the presbyterium, for it is never allowed to be placed there. The head of a priest and the feet of a layman are turned towards the altar. After the homily, they proceed to the absolution of the deceased, after the following manner : — The gospel of St. John being read, the person who officiates, with the deacon and sub-deacon, returns to the rriiddle of the altar, from whence, after one genuflection, or one profound bow, in case there be no tabernacle, they go to the e^^istle-side. The sub-deacon, when at the bottom of the steps, takes the cross, and after he and the deacon have laid aside their maniples, all of them proceed to the place where the Chapelle Arde7ite, or representation, is erected, in the same order as if to the inter- ment of the corpse. The incense-bearer, and he who carries the holy- water, walk first ; the sub-deacon follows, between the two light-bearers, with the cross ; after them come the choir, with yellow tapers in their hands. Tlie person who officiates, with the deacon on his left hand, walks last, and no one except himself is covered, unless they go out of the church, and then all are covered alike. Being arrived at the Chapelle Ardente, where the celebrant is to give absolution to the deceased, the incense-bearer, and the acolyte, who is the holy- water bearer, place themselves in that part of the chapel wjiich fronts the altar, but somewhat inclining to the epistle-side, and behind the person who officiates, wdio has the deacon on his right hand. The sub- deacon who carries the cross, and two light-bearers, stand at the other end, at the head of the corpse, a little towards the gospel-side. When they are all. placed, tlie person who officiates uncovers himself, and, taking the ritual out of the deacon's hands, begins the absolution of the deceased by a prayer, the first words of which are, Non intres in judicium, S)'c. Enter not into judgment, S^^c. We shall omit some of the responses that come afterwards, such as the Libera nos, Domine, <^c., to come to the benediction of the incense, after -which the celebrant walks round the representation, sprinkling it with holy-water, perfuming it on both sides, and making many bows and genuflections. When he has performed the great work of absolution, he says the Pater, and thereupon turns to tlie cross, repeating several verses and prayers, which are inserted in the rituals. Lastly, he makes the sign of the cross on the representation, and says the Requiem for the deceased, to which the choir answer, Requies- 214 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. cat in pace^ — Let him y^est in peace. After the absolution, the celebrant and his attendants return in the same order as they came. About the beginning of the fourth century, great attention began to be paid to the cross, on account of St. Helena's good fortune, who was the mother of the Emperor Constantino the Great. She is said to thTcross^^^ *^ ^^^^'^ found the true cross in her voyage to the Holy Land. The son, who was as religious as his mother, painted the cross on his standards ; or rather, ordered them to be made in that form. It is reported, however, that the cross was not introduced into churches till the beginning of the fifth century, notwithstanding it had appeared upon the coins, colours, shields, helmets, and crowns of the emperors, long before that time. The sixth Universal Council, held at Constantinople, about the close of the seventh century, decreed that Jesus Christ should be painted in a human form upon the cross, in order to represent in the most lively manner imaginable, to all Christians, the death and passion of our blessed Saviour; but emblematic figures of him had been in use for many preceding ages. Christ was frequently deli- neated in the form of a lamb, at the foot of the cross, and the Holy Ghost in that of a dove. Sometimes a crown w^as set over the cross, to intimate to the faithful that the crown of everlasting glory would be the reward of their sufferings for the cross of Christ. A stag likewise was sometimes painted at the foot of this sacred wood, because that beast, being an enemy to serpents, is the symbol of Christ, who is the enemy of the devil. But all these emblematical figures were laid aside, at the sight of Jesus Christ represented on the cross in the human form, by a decree of the sixth CEcumenical Council. This was the origin of crucifixes. The cross wdiich Christ suffered on, as some have affirmed, was made of oak. This was, it is said, fortunately found by St. Helena, together with the inscription written over it. Pope Sergius, about the year 690, found another large piece of the cross, which is carefully preserved at Rome ; and in 1492, the inscription was found again in a church that was repairing in the same city. It was said to have been concealed in a wall, and the troubles of the times had occasioned it to lie there forgotten. Upon this occasion. Pope Alexander YI. issued a bull, promising a yearly pardon of all their sins to all such devout Christians as should annually, on the last Sunday in January, visit the church where that inscription had been discovered. A large part of the same inscrij^tion upon the cross was likewise to be seen at Toulouse, amongst the I3enedictine monks, until the close of the eighteenth century. It was publicly exposed twice a year, viz., the third of May and the fourteenth of September ; and at such times it was steeped in a certain quantity of water, which was after- wards given to the sick, whose faith led them to believe that they derived great benefit from it. In order to reconcile this relic with that at Rome, the same arguments must be made use of as a certain monk does with respect to the nails of the cross. Two of those nails which fastened our Saviour to the cross were found in the time of Constantino, who adorned his helmet and horse's bridle with them. Rome, Milan, and Treves, boast of having one of those nails in their possession : that at Rome is to be seen in the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, and is annually exposed to tlie veneration of the people ; that at ^Milan has equal respect paid to ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 215 it, and as there is some reason to believe this to be the same with Con- stantino's, it is very happily applied to one of the prophecies of the Pro- phet Zacharias, viz., chap. xiv. verse 20. That of Treves is not quite so much regarded ; but, however, it deserves no less the adoration of the devout. These are the three remarkable nails which pierced Christ's hands and feet. The others, to which it has been thought proper to ascribe the melancholy honour of having been instrumental to our Saviour's sufferings, are either those which have been rubbed against the former, m order to receive the same divine and miraculous qualities ; or they are only little parts of the true and genuine ones, like that, for instance, at Aix-la-Chapelle, which is the point only of that shown at Rome ; or they are only such as have fastened the various pieces of the cross together. Some of them are likewise supposed to be nails of crosses to which seve- ral holy martyrs were formerly fixed ; and as martyrs are the members of Christ, there is some authority for maintaining them to be the nails of our Saviour's cross. Pope Innocent YI., in 1353, appointed a festival for these sacred nails. In regard to the genuineness of the cross found by St. Helena, we sus- pect some difficulty would present itself in establishing that important point, for there are a great number of Catholic churches which boast of being in possession of the genuine cross, and consequently declare St. Helena to be an impostor. It is, however, of no great moment, since all the crosses possess the same power of performing the most extraordinary mmicles. This is, however, positively denied by the true believers in the St. Helena cross, and in order to substantiate this faith, they affirm that she was puz- zled how to distinguish our Saviour s cross from two others which she found near it ; viz., the crosses of the two thieves ; but St. Macarius, however, very kindly and opportunely stepped in to solve the important problem : he directed the people to join with him in prayer, and begged of God that he would vouchsafe to discover to him which was the true cross : and God heard him. A woman at the point of death was brought to the crosses of the two thieves, and made to touch them one after another, but to no manner of purpose : after this, she was brought to our Saviours, and was immediately conscious that her distemper was removed ; whereas, till that time, the most artful medicines had proved ineffectual. The cross of the good thief was long after found, and carried to Rome. It is at the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem. ^ ^ Loretto is famous for the image of our Lady. There is likewise a Celebrated miraculous image made by St. Luke, in the Borough of Cirolo, Crucifixes. ou the road to that city. n t. t. The Santisshno Crocijlsso in the church of St. Dominic the C^eat, at Naples, is composed of wood; nor does the coarseness of the stuff in the least diminish its value ; the gratitude it showed to St. Thomas Aquinas, by thanking him, in an eloquent speech, for his beautiful and instructive writings, no doubt redoubles the zeal of all those devout Christians who visit the chapel. The Santo Volto at Lucca is made of cypress, and dressed in a very pompous vestment ; its shoes are silver, covered with plates of gold ; and its head is adorned with a crown, set all round with jewels. It is saia that Nicodemus was the artificer who made it ; but it is the general beliet. 2^^ ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. that the face is the only part for which we are indebted to the said Nlco- demus ; nor ought this belief to be questioned, except by those stubborn, stiif-necked heretics, who presume to impugn the veracity of tlie folio win o- narrative. The bold undertaking having drawn down certain anoels from heaven, out of curiosity, to see how Nicodemus could accomplish so im- portant^ a task, they were soon tired with the slow progress which he made; and, being moved with compassion for a man whose zeal had prompted him to undertake a more than human work, they, in a truly anoelic man- ner, ^ gave it the finishing stroke themselves ; and on that account the crucifix took the name of Santo Volto. How this wonderful crucifix came to Lucca we acknowledge ourselves at a loss to determine. At first it was carried, or rather went of itself, and took up its abode at St. Fre- dianus's Church ; but either finding itself there too much confined, or having particular reasons for removing its quarters, it fled to the cathedral of Lucca, and remained suspended in the air, until an altar was erected for it, on the spot where it was found. This charitable crucifix, ohe day, according to Curtius, was determined to bestow one of its shoes upon a poor man, who begged its charitable assistance. This gift was made known, the shoe was redeemed, and the poor man had the value of it given him in gold. The crucifix at Loretto is famous for divers miracles. The angels transported it with the Santa Casa from Palestine to Italy. A crucifix of St. Mary Transpontina at Rome, frequently conversed in the most famihar manner with St. Peter and St. Paul. ^ The sacred crucifix at Trent is remarkable for the approbation which it gave to the decrees of the council held in that city in the sixteenth century. In the church of the Beguine nuns at Ghent, there is a crucifix with its mouth always open. One of the Beguines, aftronted at being excluded trom a party of pleasure which had been made one day in the carnival, complained to the crucifix of it, which, at the same time that it exhorted her not to disturb herself, nor to be vexed at the disappointment, invited lier to be its wedded bride, and she died the next day ! Ever since that time, the crucifix has remained with its mouth open ! We must not omit the crucifix at Bavaria, which was discovered by a stag that was hunted by some dogs. The stag showed it to the huntsmen with his foot, and never attempted to make his escape, till he had dis- covered the crucifix to them. This miracle happened in the reign of i^liarlemagne, and gave the name to the Convent of Pollingen, the first syllable of which seems to express the barking of dogs. A fiiir was esta- Diishecl at Polhngen, by which means the crucifix, convent, and churcli, Avnicli fet. Boniface erected there, soon grew famous, and drew upon Pol- lingen the jealousy of Weilhaum, a small adjacent village. They procured the fair to be removed thither, which slackened the devotion of the Bava- rians, and soon occasioned tlie crucifix to be forgotten ; but it soon revenoed itselt, by becommg an incendiary, and laying the little town of AVeilhaum n ashes. Notwithstanding this public calamity, that town could not agree to part with the treasure which it had so unjustly obtained ; but a second hie, which once more destroyed it, obliged the unhappy town to restore What it had so sacrilegiously usurped. ROMAN CATHOLIC ClIUllCII. 217 III a cliurcli at Cologne there is a crucifix, the head of which is covered with a peruke. The date of this head-dress is not known ; but all that can he said of it is, that it cannot be of any long standing, since the nse of perukes is pretty modern. This peruke is very marvellous, for the hair is never diminished, although the devotees who visit it never take their leave without carrying away one or two locks of it. We shall not enter into the history of an infinite number of crucifixes, dispersed over various parts of the Catholic countries, some of which have shed tears, others sweated blood, and others, again, have discovered sacri- leges, and struck the malefactors either blind or lame. Some have even restored life to the dead, and others health to the diseased, and all have distinguished themselves by some miraculous event. Neither shall we mention any domestic crucifixes, since their favours seldom reach farther than the families which they protect; we cannot, however, in justice to the latter, omit to mention the crucifix which obliged F. Bencius with several nocturnal visits, and at last made him determine to assume the Jesuit's habit. From the adoration of wooden crosses, the Catholics proceed to that of metal objects, amongst which bells maintain a very exalted rank, at the Cu-^tomof ^^""^^ *^"^^ *^^^* ^^'^^y ^^^ iiivested with qualifications of which, having Ms for some particular reason, the Protestant bells are wholly in chmchcs. destitute. Amongst other incomparable properties of the Roman Catholic bells, they are said to represent the duration of the Gos- pel, whose glorious sound has been carried throughout the whole earth. They likewise represent the Church encouraging the faithful to praise the Lord, and ^le pastors of the Gospel preaching the word of God. They have, besides, several other mysterious significations, which are to be met with in the rituals. And as a further proof of the miraculous power of the Catholic bells, it is stated that in a church at Rome there was, formerly, preserved a part of the sound of the bells of Jerusalem. The ceremony of blessing bells is by the people called christening them, because the name of some of the saints is ascribed to them, by virtue of whose invocation they are presented to God, in order that they o/Bellf *''''' may obtain his favour and protection. The benediction devotes them to God's service, that he may confer on them the power, not of basely striking the ear, but of touching the heart by the influence of the Holy Ghost. When they are thus blessed and rung out, they con- tribute very much towards the priest's success in exorcisms, &c. It is the bishop's peculiar province to perform this ceremony, which consists, chiefly, in washing the bell inwardly and outwardly with salt and water, and anointing it with oil. It is, afterwards, in a manner baptized with holy chrism, upon which it is consecrated in the name of the sacred Trinity ; and the saint who stands its godfather is then nominated. The bell thus christened, or consecrated, is then perfumed. Pope John XIII. was the first who baptized bells, by giving his own name to that of St. John de Lateran in 965. As the consecration of bells represents, according to the rituals, the consecration of pastors, so the inward and outward ablution, succeeded by the anointing with oil, denotes the sanctification of their baptism ; the seven unctions in the form of a cross, show^ that pas lor s should excel all other Christians in the graces of the 218 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Holi/ Ghost, and possess the fulness thereof typified hy the seven gifts ; the anointing the inside with the chrism signifies a complete fulness of the Holy Ghost, with which the bishop finds himself endowed by his ordination. The perfuming includes mysteries of no less importance. As the smoke of the perfumes arises in the bell, and fills it, so a pastor who is adorned with the fulness of God's spirit receives the perfume of the solemn vows and supplications of the faithful. Durant, in his treatise De Ritibics, says, that " The metal of a bell denotes the strength of the preacher's understanding, and the clapper his tono-ue ; the stroke of the clapper, the censure of the latter against immorality and profaneness ; the part that holds the clapper signifies the moderation of the tongue. The wood on which the bell hangs represents the w^ood of the cross ; the pieces to which the wood is fixed, the oracles of the prophets. The cramp-iron, fixing the bell to the wood, expresses the preacher's attachment to the cross of Christ. The bell-rope likewise includes considerable mysteries ; the three cords, for instance, of which it is made, are the three senses of the Scripture, viz. the historical, the moral, and the allegorical : they are likewise emblematical of the three persons of the Holy Trinity." Images were early introduced into churches, and were designed to heighten the devotion of the people by such objects as strike the senses. God is painted in churches like a venerable old man, he having ^Hmt't^" &tyle^ himseli tlie " Ancient of Days ;" the Son is represented likewise as a man, he having put on a human form ; and the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, the hieroglyphic of simplicity and integrity. The angels are painted as young boys, with wings on their shoulders; their character and industry, as ministers of God, being described by nothing more aptly than the youth of man, and the agility of birds. Jesus Christ was formerly represented in the form of a lamb, with one foot before the cross ; and sometimes as a shepherd with a lamb on his shoulders. The manner of painting the Holy Ghost like a dove is very ancient, and even the Eucharist was formerly kept in a box, made in the shape of that bird. There are few Christians who are strangers to the pretended miracles and wondrous eflects of the images of the Catholic saints. We shall give Miracles *^^^ reader some instances. The image of Jesus Christ, wdiich wrought by an impious wretch had stabbed with his dagger, on feeling the Images. blow, laid its hand upon the wound : this image is famous at Naples. But that of " Our Lady," now at Rome, in the Pauline Chapel, made by St. Luke, the celebrated painter and evangelist, is no less re- markable. It is reported that the angels have frequently sung the litanies round her. The image of St. Catharine of Sienna has often driven away devils, and wrought several other extraordinary miracles. Our Lady of Lucca, being treated in a very insolent manner by a soldier, who threw stones at her, and had nearly broken the head of the young Jesus, whom she held in her right arm, placed the child in a moment on her left ! and the child liked that situation so well, that since that accident he has never changed it ! It would be tedious here to give the history of several other miraculous images, there being entire books written upon the subject, to which we must refer the curious reader. ROIVIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 219 By tlie sacred or holy shroud, is meant that in which the body of the Redeemer was wrapped in the sepulchre, while the soul descended into hell to triumph over death and the grave. There are two cele- The holy |3j.ated slirouds in Europe ; that of Besan9on, and that of Turin. Both of these were brought from Palestine in the time of the Crusades, about the beginning of the twelfth century. The shroud of Besangon is famous for the miracles it has wrought. It has even raised the dead ; and this resurrection, which happened in the fourteenth century, considerably increased its reputation. The Shroud of Qi^ujch of St. Stephen, where this sacred reHc was once J3cs3.11 Con kept, was soon found too small. The vast crowd of devotees, who flocked in from all quarters to see it, obliged them to erect a wooden theatre before the church, and afterwards a stone one, from whence it is exposed to public view twice a year, viz. on Easter-day, and on the Sunday after Ascension. Chifflet, in his Dissertation, has preserved the memory of the miracles which were performed by this relic. It has several times cured desperate distempers, restored the blind to sight, put a stop to the plague ; nay, the very images of this holy relic have wrought miraculous cures. The holy shroud of Turin falls nothing short of the other : this like- wise was brought from Jerusalem, and we are informed by Chifflet, that, after two or tliree times changing its situation, it fixed itself at Tud^a ''"'^ ""^ ^^^^ ^^ Turin, in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, which is within the cathedral. This relic is noted equally with the other for its surprising miracles. In 1534, its very presence only delivered some that were possessed of devils ; and if the father of a certain child, who saw his son drowning, had not invoked its aid and assistance, the youth would have been inevitably lost. It is exposed to public view on the fourth of May, being its festival, which was instituted by Julius II. in 1506. According to Chifflet, the shroud was then at Chamberg. The plague which raged in Italy, in 1578, was the cause of its being brought to Turin. Duke Emanuel Philibert, who had it translated, promised to restore it to the people of Chamberg ; but neither he, nor his successors, ever performed that promise ; and the Savoyards complain, that their country has been exposed to great calamities ever since it has been removed. The mule which carried the sacred relic, and would not stir one step beyond the gate of Chamberg, is a manifest proof of the right which the inhabitants possess to such an invaluable property. Pope Julius established a society in honour of this sacred relic, to comply with the devotion of Duke Charles and Claude his mother. He added indul- gences for those who visited its chapel and paid their devotions there on stated days. Besides these two shrouds, there is one deposited in the church of St. Cornelius at Compiegne. There are three others at Rome ; one at Milan ; one at Lisbon ; and one at Aix-la-Chapelle : most of them are known by the name of Veronica. There are likewise two others in the latter city ; one called the Holy Garment in which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Our Blessed Saviour, when he put him into the sepulchre ; the other, whicli they particularly call the Holy Handkerchief, is that with which the face of Christ was covered, and xchich St. Peter found in a 220 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCU. separate place from the other vestments^ as an infalliUe testimony that Christ was risen. Sacred Vessels '^^ layman is permitted to make use of any sacred &c., belonging to iitensils whatsoever. It is the privilege of the clergy alone the altar. ^q handle them : this custom is borrowed from the Jews. The Chalice must be made either of gold or silver : in the infancy of the Church, the chalices were all wood ; but in process of time they were made of glass or marble, and at last of silver or gold. The TheChaice. -j^y^^p ^^ obhged to consecrate the chalices, as well as the patens, both within and without. Small chalices, generally, are nine inches in height, and large ones eleven or twelve. The Paten must be made of the same metal as the chalice, and the use of it is to hold the consecrated host ; it must likewise be answerable to the size of the chalice, that is, about six or eight inches in The Paten. ,. , diameter. The P^>, in which the Holy Sacrament is deposited, must be, at least, of silver, gilt within, and its foot must be half a span high. The height of the cup must be proportioned to its breadth, and the bottom The Pix. ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^ gentle rising, in order the more commodiously to take out the wafers when there are but few in it, and to cleanse it when there is occasion. The wafers are not to lie above eight days at most in the pix, without the latter being cleansed, lest they should happen to grow mouldy. A veil in the form of a tent made of a rich white stuff, with a fringe round it, must cover this precious repository of the wafers. There must Hkewise be a box to carry the communion to the sick, made of silver, gilt within ; and it must be put into a white silk purse, and hung about the neck, in such places as are difhcult of access. The box and pix must be blessed.— There must be another box for large wafers, which are round, and rather larger than the others ; and this may be made of silver, tin, pasteboard, &c., lined with white taffeta within, and adorned with some rich silk without : a round leaden plate, covered with taffeta, must be put into the box, that the w^afers may be always ready. These wafers must neither be kept in too dry, nor too moist a place. Such as are too stale must never be made use of. The Sun for exposing the Holy Sacrament must be made of silver : the foot of the smallest must be a span in height. This sun must have two crystals, one third of a span in diameter, or more, that a large T e Sun. ^^,^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^.q more commodiously be put between ; and this must be set in a little half-moon made of silver, and gilt. One of the crystals must be fastened to the sun by a small chain, like the case of a watch : there must be a cross, likewise, over the sun. The Thurible may be made of silver or pewter, but there should be four chains to it. Two thuribles are used in processions of the Holy Sacra- ^, ^, ., , mcnt, but at no other times. The navet must be of the The Thurible. . . .,, ,, ,, ., , same metal with the tliunble. Germanus of Constantinople says, that the thurible represents the hu- man nature of Christ. The burning of the perfume is his divine nature; the perfume itself, the Holy Ghost : the incense is the emblem of penance, of preaching the gospel, and of the prayers of the faithful. It also re- presents the virtues and good works of the saints. The thurible, accordino- ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 221 to St. Austin, is likewise the image of Christ's body. St. Ambrose very gravely observes, that an angel appears at this ceremony. The"^ Incense^ which is made use of at church, must be of an odoriferous smell, and be a little broken before it is put into the navet, but not re- duced to powder. The Holi/-water-pot ought to be made of silver, pewter, or tin ; the sprinkler, of the same, or else of wood, with hog's bristles or wolf's hair twisted round about it; and at the end of it there must be a The Holy- i^^u^^^ ^„o|) ^.jth holcs, in which a small sponge is inclosed, vater ot. rpj^^^.^ ^^^g^ ^g ^^^ Ycssels of pewter, delf, or earthenware, for washing the corporals, pales, purificatories, and chalices. In the place where the w^afers are made, there must be another pewter or earthenware vessel, to be appropriated to this use, and no other. The Peace-utensil must be made of gold, silver, or embroidery, with some pious image of the crucifix, or other mystery, upon it. It must be half a span high, not quite an inch broad, and end in a semi- The Peace- ^^j,^|g ^^ ^^^^ There must be a small handle to hold it by, to which a veil must be fastened, of the colour of the service of the day, to wipe it with. The Corporals must be made of fine white linen ; not too thin, nor stitched, and without lace : but if there be any lace, it must be very narrow, and not more than two fingers broad at the pro- le oipora s. jg^^j^^g edge. In that part where the priest most commonly kisses the altar, a small cross must be placed, and made of wdiite silk, or thread, in this form >^. The corporals must be folded in such a manner, that all the ends may be in the inside, and not seen. The use of corporals is said to have been appointed by Pope Eusebius, or by Sylvester I. This represents the sheet in which our Saviour's body was wrapped after his death, and for that reason can be made of notliing but linen. The Pales must be made of the same linen as the corporals, and lined with stiffening pasteboard. Upon these there must be neither cmbroi- The Pales ^^^^5 ^^^ss, nor image, nor any lace round tliem ; but four * small tassels only at the four corners to hold them by. They must be blessed with the corporals, and y\o person under a sub-deacon may presume to touch them. The Purificatories are made of linen, and are two spans in length ; The Purifi- they are folded three times double, and there must be a small oatoiics. cross of blue thread in the middle of them. The outside of the Purses for the corporals is made of the same kind of stuff as the other decorations, but the inside is lined with fine white linen, m T> with a stronof pasteboard between. These purses are about a 1 he r^urses. o^ iiii span wide, are fastened by a button and loop, and have a cross embroidered on the outside, of about three quarters of a span in length. The Veil of the Chalice is made of silk, and of the same colour as the The Veil of I'est of the decorations ; it is three spans square, and has no the Chalice, cross, or any other figure whatever. In those churches in wliicli the solemn service is performed, the sub- deacon must have veils of ten spans long and as wide as the silk, of four colours, viz. white, red, green, and purple, wherewith to hold up the 222 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. jxaten at high mass. Black veils are never made use of, not even at masses for the dead, nor even on Good Friday. They must be made, therefore, of white silk, and be edged with lace. Alefs Ritual adds, " that in the most celebrated churches, there must be another white veil of the same size, but more costly, to throw over the shoulders of the cele- brant, when he carries the host in procession ; and in the parish-church there must be a canopy likewise of wdiite silk, for the holy viaticum^ when it is carried to the sick, of five or six spans long, and four wide, or rather more. The vallance, with the fringe, must be a span and a half deep, and both must be made of white silk. It must be carried with two poles of five or six spans long, which are covered with the same silk as the canopy, if they are neither painted nor gilt." He who carries the Holy Sacrament to the Sick, is inferior to him who carries it in procession. There must be veils, likewise, or covers, to the crosses and images in Passion-week, which must be made of camlet, or some other stuif of purple colour, but without any figure, image, cross, or other implements of the Passion. In every parish-church there ought to be a standard, about nine or ten spans high, and six long, of a colour suitable to its patron ; and in the middle of it the patron must be represented in embroidery. This standard must be of satin, damask, taffeta, or camlet, lined with linen, or a light stuff, and have a silk border and a fringe all round it. The pole of it must be about three yards long. The pope performs the ceremony of baptizing and giving his benediction to the Agnus Dei's in the first year of his pontificate, and repeats it on The Bene- ^^^^7 seventh year. These Agnuses are a sort of pastils, made diction of the of wax, in the form of an oval medal, upon v/hich Jesus Agnus Dei. Christ is represented under the appearance of a lamb, hold- ing a cross ; for which reason they are called Agnuses. The wax was formerly provided by one of the gentlemen of his holiness's chamber, who held his office from the master or chamberlain of the sacred palace. Those who were desirous to have any Agnuses^ laid some wax upon the altar of St. Peter ; and an apostolic sub-deacon fetched it thence, and carried it to an apartment in the pontiff's palace. The sub-deacon, and Ins col- leagues, assisted by some of the acolytes, moulded the w\ax, and with great devotion and neatness made it up into Agnuses, according to the directions of the Roman ceremonial. These sacred pastils are now pro- vided at the expense of the apostolic chamber. The wax, which is the ground- work or substance of them, is melted in a quantity of sacred oil and chrism of the preceding year. When the materials are completely prepared, the Agnuses are presented to the Pontiff in one or more basins, and he gives them his benediction. On Easter-Tuesday the sacristan performs the benediction over the water used for baptizing the Agnuses ; and the next day, as soon as the ponti- fical mass is ended, his holiness, dressed in his amict, his albe, his stole of white damask with a silver lace, and having a mitre of cloth of gold upon his head, consecrates the water which was blessed by the sacristan on the preceding day. Tliis water is put into a large silver basin ; the consecration consists of the usual blessings, to which the holy father adds a prayer to Almighty God, tliat he would vouchsafe to sanctify those ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 223 tliliios which wash away the sins of mankind, &c., after which he takes some bahn, and pours it into the water, adding thereto the holy chrism, which he likewise pours into it, in the form of a cross. He offers up several prayers to God during the performance of this ceremony ; then he turns to the Agnuscs^ blesses and incenses them, imploring God to shower down upon them all the virtues generally ascribed to them. A second and third prayer follow ; after which, his holiness, seated in an easy chair prepared purposely for him, having a napkin girt about him and his mitre on, takes the Agnuses^ which the gentlemen of the chamber present him in silver gilt basins, one after another, and throws them into the holy water. The cardinals, in their fine linen albes, take them out the next moment, with a spoon made use of for no other purpose. Their eminences after- wards lay them on a table covered with a clean white cloth, and there wipe them with a napkin, which they likewise w^ear in the form of an apron, and the assistant prelates range them upon the table, where they are left till they are thoroughly dry. After this baptism is over, the holy father rises, and in a prayer addresses himself to the Holy Ghost, beseech- ing him to bless them ; and then makes his application to Jesus Christ : after this, they are put into the basins again, and his holiness invites all the cardinals who have assisted him in this ofiice to dine with him. This work is resumed on the Thursday following, and continued till the Friday, when they are all blessed. This ceremony is performed in the presence of several ambassadors, and a multitude of strangers, whom curiosity brings thither to be spectators. On the following Saturday, being the day on which the Agnuses are distributed, a chapel is held, and mass is sung by a cardinal-priest, at which his holiness assists in pont'ificalihus. As soon as the Agnus Dei is sung, an apostolic sub-deacon, dressed in his robes, with a cross-bearer, two w\ax-taper bearers, and the thuriferary before him, goes to the pontiff's sacristan, and takes from him a basin-full of the Agnus Bel's, lately blessed, and wrapped up in parti-coloured China cotton. The sub- deacon is followed by a clerk of the ceremonies, and two chaplains in their sur- plices. When these arrive at the door of the chapel, they all kneel, and the sub-deacon, with an audible voice, sings these words in Latin : — *' Holy father, these are the new lambs, who have sung their hallelujahs to you. They drank not long ago at the fountain of holy ivafer. They are now very much enlightened. — Praise the Lord ! " To which the music in the choir answers, "God be praised: hallelujah!" — After this, the sub- deacon rises, and walks forwards. As soon as he gets to the entrance of the balustrade in the chapel, he repeats the words just before mentioned. When he approaches the pontifical throne, he repeats them a third time, and prostrates himself at the feet of his holiness, who receives him sitting, with his mitre on. When the cross enters, however, he and the whole congregation rise ; but the holy father sits down again immediately, though the sub-deacon remains kneeling at his feet, whilst he distributes the Agnuses in the following manner : — Two auditors take a fine white napkin, and present it to two cardinal- deacons assistants, who lay it, in a decent manner, on the knees of his holiness ; and the tw^o former hold the two ends of the napkin, whilst the 224 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. sacred college partake of the holy father's munificence. Their eminences, after their usual testimonies of respect and veneration, present their mitres, with the horns downwards, to his holiness, who puts as many Agnuses as he thinks proper into them. Formerly, he bestowed no more than three to eacli of the sacred college, two to the other prelates, and one to the clergy, &:c. Their eminences, in return, kiss his holiness's hand and knee. After they and the clergy have received their share, several ambassadors, and other persons of distinction, come forward with white napkins, to partake in their turn, but not so liberally, of these spiritual benefits. Tlie distribution thus made, the pope washes his hands, the sacred col- lege unrobe, the celebrant returns to the altar, mass concludes with a double hallelujah, and his holiness bestows his benediction on his children, with a great many indulgences, which are published by the. celebrant. The popes, as we find by the Roman Ceremonial^ had, formerly, a basin- full of Agnuses brought to the table after dinner, which they distributed among the apostolic court. All the Agnus Deis which remain out of the prodigious number that have been blessed, are left in the prelate's custody, who is master of the pope's wardrobe ; and he distributes them every day at certain hours among the pilgrims, and other foreigners, who go and ask for them. By one of the constitutions of Pope Gregory the Thirteenth, made in 1572, all those who were not in holy orders were forbidden to touch these Agnus Dei's, unless on some emergent occasion ; and as a still further precaution, all laymen were directed to have them set in glass, or crystal ; and that those who had the means of wrapping them up in some rich embroidery should so order it, that the Ag^ius might appear on one side as in a reli- quary. Painting them was likewise prohibited by the same constitution, upon pain of excommunication ; the whiteness of the wax, in which these figures in relievo were formed, being esteemed, by Pope Gregory, more suitable than any other colour whatsoever, to represent the immaculate Lamb of God ; which are the words made use of by all the popes, from Gregory the Thirteenth, to this day, in speaking of the miraculous effects of Agnuses. Before the person to be canonized is registered amongst theaiumber of • tlie saints, his holiness holds four consistories. The two first are private, the third public, and the fourth between both. In the first, of thTsaiuts?" ^^^ causes the petition of those who demand to have their saint universally acknowledged as such in the Catholic Church, to be examined by three auditors of the rota, and directs the cardinals to revise all the instruments relating thereunto. In the second the cardinals make their report. The third, being held in public, the cardinals pay their adoration to his holiness ; after which, one of the consistorial advocates makes the eulogium of the person who is to be proclaimed a saint, and gives a long and particular account of the life and miracles of this faithful servant of God. The fourth consistory is held in the ducal hall, where his holiness assists in his plain mitre and pluvial, at which no adoration is paid to him. Patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, prothonotarics, and audi- tors of the rota, are admitted at tliis consistory, and the train-bearers perform their office dressed in purple; but after the extra, everybody goes R03IAN CATHOLIC CnURCII. 225 out but the prelates before mentioned. This consistory is held for taking the votes of tliose prelates who are for and against the canonization, and, as soon as it is resolved upon by a plurality of voices, the pope intimates the day appointed for the ceremony. On the canonization-day the pope officiates in white, and the cardinals are dressed in the same colour. St. Peter's church is hurig with rich tapestry, upon vvliich appear the arms of his holiness, or of that prince or state which requires the canonization, embroidered with gold and silver, and the church is most pompously illuminated. Canonization is attended with immens"e expense to those princes who are desirous of the glory of procuring it for some favourite Christian. Beatification is in some measure the forerunner of it ; for beatitude natu- rally leads to sanctity, and to a supposition, that he that is accounted blessed here below, ought to be acknowledged as such in heaven. The surprising virtues which were discovered in the relics of saints, for the cure of those who were diseased, and for the salvation of men's souls, gave birth to their translation. It was likewise the received opinion, that the bodies of the saints were able to draw down the blessings of heaven on cities and states; accordingly nations put themselves under their protection. The numberless miracles which are related in the legends, as well ancient as modern, convinced the populace that the protection of saints was a cir- cumstance of the first importance. Their images were erected in their churches, and their names included in their litanies. To that time canon- izations were made by a tacit consent of the clergy, without the least for- mality ; but the use of registers, known by the name of DlpticSy had obtained long before that, in which were set down the names of martyrs, and those who died in a reputation for holiness, after having distinguished themselves by a virtuous life. There is no instance of a solemn canonization, before that of St. Sibert, whom Pope Leo III. canonized about the beginning of the ninth century ; though some attribute the first solemn canonization to Pope Adrian, and others are of opinion that St. Ulric, who was canonized by Pope John XIY. or XV. in 993, was the first saint canonized in form ; and some again ascribe the glory of this institution to Pope Alexander III. A magnificent theatre is always erected in St. Peter s church, for the ceremony of canonization. On the day the ceremony is to be performed, the entrance to the theatre is lined by the Swiss guards, who are likewise posted at the doors of the basilica ; a detachment of the horse-guards is drawn up in St. Peter's square, another of the cuirassiers in that of the Vatican, and a third in all the streets through which the procession passes. These guards, together with those which are posted in the other quarters of Rome, and the garrison of St. Angelo, make a general discharge of their artillery, when the signal is given that the ceremony is begun, and all the bells of the city are rung at the same time. Te Deum likewise is sung to instrumental music, &c. The following is a description of the honours which Pope Clement XI. paid in 1712, to those saints who were publicly acknowledged by his holiness as the mediators of all Christians with Jesus Christ. All the avenues of St. Peter's were lined with troops on the twenty- second of May, and the whole force was scarcely sufficient to withstand Q 226 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. the impetuous movements of the vast concourse of people, of all ages and sexes, whom devotion and curiosity had brought thither to see the cere- mony. This prodigious concourse of all ranks and degrees flocked from every part of Rome to St. Peter's by break of day ; whilst the clergy, both secular and regular, according to the order issued to them, assembled at the Vatican. The cardinal-deacons then robed the pope in his proper ornaments ; after which his holiness set out for Sixtus's chapel, with the cross before, and the clergy behind him. As soon as he arrived there, he made the sign of the cross over his devout retinue, took off his triple crown, and kneeling down, prayed before the altar. After- wards he gave out the hymn, which begins with these words, Ave Maria Stella, &c. and then kneeled down again, till the music of the chapel had conchided. The holy father now arose, put on his mitre, returned to his chair, and there received from Cardinal Albani, who was his nephew, and petitioner for the canonization, two large painted tapers, and a small one, with the arms of his holiness and the images of the candidate saints upon them. His eminence, at presenting them, kissed the liaud and knee of the pontiff. One of these large tapers was, by the directions of his holi- ness, given to the constable Colonna, in order to carry it in the procession before him, and to hold it in his hand during the ceremony of canoniza- tion. The other was not disposed of, there being no person present of suitable quality to walk abreast with the constable on tliis solemn occasion. The small taper was given to the cup-bearer, first chamberlain to his holi- ness, but a general distribution of tapers was first made among the clergy, each of them being distinguished according to his rank and dignity. It is related of St. Raymond of Pennaforte, that, after having long censured the dissolute deportment of a king of Spain, without being able to wean him from his criminal engagements, he determined Power of the ^^ leave him to his own wicked inclinations, and to embark modern saints. „ t^ x-» i • • i • Tin for Barcelona. But his majesty having charged all persons not to take him on board, St. Raymond revived the miracle of our Savi- our's walking upon the water ; he threw his cloak into the sea, and taking his staff in his hand, embarked in this new kind of boat, and arrived safe in Catalonia. The very gate of the convent to which he belonged, opened of itself at the saint's approach. St. Peter of Nola, who styled himself mi improjitahle servant, — t/iaf off- scouring of the earth, and mere nothing, — had very frequent and familiar discourses with God and the Blessed Virgin. The apostle St. Peter one day honoured him with a visit, in the same posture in which he was crucified, that is, with his heels upwards. St. Francis silenced the swallows who interrupted him in his sermon, so that they stood still and mute with awe and wonder, whilst he ex- pounded the truths of the gospel. St. Anthony of Padua likewise, being unable to gain the attention of the heretics, desired them to go to the sea-side, in order to convince them of the tractable disposition of the fishes, which immediately left their streams to hearken to his preaching, and stood erect on their tails, enraptured with his pious discourses. St. Francis of Paula was endowed with a supernatural strength. lie carried away, without any assistance, a prodigious large rock, which ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 227 obstructed the foundation of the dormitory of a monastery which he was building. He likewise hung up in the air a piece of rock, which broke from a mountain, and threatened to demohsh his new edifice, and to dash in pieces a great number of his workmen. He afterwards supported it with his stafi*, and left it for a long time in that position, exposed to public view, to tlie edification of a multitude of people, who resorted thither in crowds to see such a miracle. This rock was afterwards made use of in finishing his new monastery. Manna has been often seen to fall on St. Agnes of Monte Pulciano in the form of a cross. The blessed Virgin appeared to her on one of tlie festivals of the Assumption, with the child Jesus in her arms, whom she permitted to embrace and press to her hreast. At her departure, she left the saifit a cross, which the child Jesus imre about his neck. We shall take no notice of the rose that appeared in the middle of winter, in a little dish which this female saint served up to two hermits ; but w^e cannot forbear mentioning the advances, in point of complaisance, which she made after her decease to St. Catherine of Sienna, who went to pay her a visit at her sepulchre : whilst the living saint was stooping down to kiss the feet of the dead one, the latter, through an excess of humility, lifted up her foot, and touched the other's lips. St. Bonaventure, the celebrated author of the " Psalter of Our Lady," which was printed in 1665, not being able to take the sacrament in the usual way, through a violent indisposition in his stomach, had the holy pyx placed upon his breast, and the sacred wafer instantly penetrated that way into his very bowels, in order to become the life of his soul. St. Ignatius, who was given over by the physicians, was visited by St. Peter, who, by a touch with his hands, wrought on him a miraculous cure. After that the blessed Virgin paid him a visit, and made him a present at the same time of a celestial ointment, called the " Balm of Chastity." When he was upon his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he determined to visit the Mount of Olives, and Christ himself condescended to be his guide. He cured persons afflicted with the falling sickness, cast the devils out of such as were possessed, and recovered several by permitting them to touch the hem of his garment. To conclude, the number of miracles which are said to be wrought by him amount to two hundred, or thereabouts. St. Clare icas in such esteem with God, that icithout the least difficulty sJie obtained ichatever she asked. From her very infancy there appeared in her surprising signs of her future sanctity : instead of playing like other children, she did nothing but pray, fast, and give alms, in her early years. All the saints indeed, as appears by their lives, have begun with these general practices of devotion ; but from her very infancy St. Clare went farther, and wore a hair-cloth to mortify the flesh, and to put a stop to all irregular passions. She was very seldom alone in the heat of her pious exercises. A very beautiful child, with tvvo radiant wings, flevv^ into her lap one day, and clasping her with them, caressed her with many fond endearments. At another time, although she was indisposed and unable to go to matins, yet she heard distinctly the oftice, which was sung at a church some considerable distance from the monastery, and what is most surprising, she wa^ so happy as to see the young child Jesus lying in his manger. In her dying moments, Jesus was seen near her, accompanied q2 228 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. by several virgins crowned with flowers. One of them in particular, who wore a close cro%cn more radiant than the siin, drew near and embraced her; the rest sprqad a carpet of inestimable value over her body. The daughters of this holy mother, especially the nuns of the Ave Maria, inherited her austerities and virtues, though they did not attain the gift of miracles. St. Barbara, accompanied by two angels, gave the communion to the little blessed Stanislaus Kostca, who lay dangerously ill in a family who were heretics, and would not permit the holy sacrament to come into their house. He held many conversations with the Virgin Mary, " his lady, his mistress, and his good mother {" and a great number of miracles were wrouo-ht by his mediation after his death. "When he died, the Virgin Mary, accompanied by several other blessed virgins, came to conduct him to heaven. Devils quitted the bodies they had been tormenting at the very name of Stanislaus. He restored as many persons to life as he was years old, though he lived to the age of nineteen, and this extraordinary miracle was thought so easy for him to perform, that it grew into a proverb in Poland : " Let us go," said the people, " to the blessed Stanislaus, who raises the dead." The application of this young saint's image cured a young Jesuit of foui*teen years of age at Lima, in the year 1673, but upon this condition, that he should say a Pater Noster, and an Ave Maria, every day of his life, in honour of the little Polish saint ; and that, on the eve of his festival, he should live upon bread and water, and once per- form the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius, to the honour and glory of his blessed son Stanislaus. All such as were afflicted with palpitations, swellings, broken limbs, sore eyes, fevers, &c., were confidently assured that a little wine in which one of the saint's bones had been steeped, was an infallible remedy for such distempers and accidents. St. Roche, the patron and protector of such as are infected with the plague, distinguished himself by several remarkable cures. The dog that is usually painted lying by him, charitably fed the saint, at a time when the pestilence was outrageous. The blessed St. Clare of Montefalco had the figure of Christ upon the cross, and all the instruments of his passion, engraved upon her heart. Her repeated declarations of this miracle to the nuns of her convent made them curious to see if it were true, and after her death they divided her heart, and were convinced of the truth of her assertion. St. Bridget raised ten persons, that were dead, to life. St. Theresa appeared, after her death, (which was occasioned by an excess of divine love,) to several persons, to inform them of the high degree of glory to which she was exalted. We shall omit her wondrous visions, and the love-wound made in her heart by a seraph, with a golden arrow pointed with red-hot steel. St. Didacus cured several diseased persons with the oil of a lamp which burned before an image of " Our Lady." One day, having no provisions on a journey he was making with one of his companions to his convent, he prayed to God to support them in their distress, and instantly they found a table spread before them upon the grass, and the entertainment, " though not elegant, was very wholesome and refreshing ! " St. Xaverius raised several to life durins: his mission in the East Indies. Being in the neighbourhood of Amboyna, he calmed a raging tempest by ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 229 plunging his crucifix into the sea. In the eagerness of the action, his crucifix slipped out of his hand, but an officious fish miraculously restored it to him in a moment, and on giving it, took care to hold it upright, to denote the triumph of the cross over the infidels ! St. Thomas a Beckct, archbishop of Canterbury, was amply rewarded for the violent death he suffered, by the numerous miracles he wrought afterwards, and which, if we may believe Father Giry, he still continues to perform : no sooner was this saint buried, than he declared himself the physician of a multitude of sick persons. It is very remarkable that the saints of the latter ages go far beyond those of the apostles' days in raising the dead to life. The blessed St. Rosa was under five years old when she consecrated herself to God. Fatlier Oliva observes, in his eulogium on this saint, that mankind had an infinite loss in God's not creating Rosa in the terrestrial paradise instead of Eve ! — Her ambition to suffer made her ingenious in searching out the means of mortifying herself. This pious maid would frequently rub her cheeks and eyes with the bark and powder of Indian pepper, to prevent her from going to balls, or appearing in company ; for the sharpness of the pepper made her face all bloated and full of ulcers. Rosa had the glory, moreover, of finding out fresh methods of mortification every day, and of reproaching nature perpetually with the enormous crime of having made her so handsome. It is certain, that nothing is so shocking and insup- portable to saints of a mystical constitution as corporeal beauty, which they relinquish to the devil, together with all other sensual enjoyments. The blessed Rosa, like Jesus Christ, multiplied loaves, and she miracu- lously replenished an empty vessel to comfort her mother, who was sick, with celestial honey. Her vocation, or call, has no parallel instance in the history of the saints. As she was passing by the church of St. Dominic, for whom she ever had a particular esteem, she found herself inspired to go in, and pay her last respects to the image of Our Lady of the Rosary. No sooner was she on her knees, than she remained immoveable, and nailed, as it were, to the ground. Astonished at so extraordinary a pro- digy, she promised the Blessed A^irgin to become a nun of the third order of*St. Dominic ; and, as soon as she had finished her prayer, she, without the least difficulty, accomplished that in a moment, which she had not been able to do in several hours before with great and repeated efforts. Rosa, at her commencing a new life, thought it a duty incumbent upon her to invent new austerities. She tied a great chain thrice round her waist ; and having put a padlock upon it, she threw the key into a well. She long bore with patience the pains which this chain gave her, but at length was obliged to seek relief, and, human means failing, she made her application to the Blessed Virgin, who immediately opened the lock. The blessed Rosa, thinking her lodgings at her mother's too commodious, determined to build herself a sorry hut at the end of the garden. She was soon attacked by a whole army of gnats ; and, as they interrupted her contemplations, she thought proper to make a truce with them upon the following conditions : — The gnats were allowed to shelter themselves in the cell during excessive heat or cold ; and they stipulated on their side never to incommode her more, and even to withdraw, whenever she found them in any way offensive. We cannot forbear observing, that the largest 230 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. trees in the garden, when Rosa passed by them to her cell, bent down their branches, and their trunks also, as a testimony' of their profound veneration. The Church calls the Holy Virgin in her litanies, the Mother of God, the Queen of Angels, the Refuge of Sinners, the Mother of Mercy, the Devotion paid Gate of Heaven, the Mystic Rose, the Virgin of Virgins, &c. to the Blessed There is no title of honour, which some divines of the Church, "^^"" and particularly modern ones, have not bestowed on the Virgin Mary. Having robbed paganism of everything that was most magnificent and glaring, to bestow it on the mother of Jesus Christ, they have continued to invent such splendid names, as even the most fruitful imagination of the poets was never capable of devising. The heresies against her insensibly produced an excess of reverence and devotion to her. In the earliest ages of the Church, she was called Queen of Angels, and Mother of God ; afterwards, the controversies which arose on her account, made her advocates advance everything they could think of to make her considerable against heretics. She has been looked upon as the disposer and depository of God's favours, the Treasurer, and even Queen of Heaven, the Spring and Fountain of Salvation and Life, the Gate of Paradise, the Mother of Liglit, and Intercessor between God and Man ; the Hope of Mankind, and the Ocean of the Deity. Some authors have styled her " Goddess ;" and Father Salazar, about the end of the sixteenth century, declared her the Accomplishment of the Trinity. The Psalter, and indeed the whole Bible, had been applied to her long before that declaration ; and it has been proved, both by miracles and apparitions, that the Blessed Virgin appeases the wrath of Christ against sinners ; and that she has the power of absolving, binding, and loosening. Whoever hopes to draw down the blessings of the Virgin upon him, must salute her every day, both at his going out and coming in. The legends have transmitted to us several remarkable instances of the advan- tages arising from the Ave Maria ; not to mention the thousand days* indulgences granted by several popes, particularly Leo X. and Paul V., to all those who shall repeat it at the hour of the Angelus. Christians, however, are not so exact in the practice of this sort of devotion as to imitate St. Marguerite of Hungary, who said an Ave kneeling, before every image of the Virgin which she met with on lier way; nor St. Catherine of Sienna, who repeated as many Aves as slie went up steps to her liouse. Fasting oil Saturday, in honour of the Virgin Mary, is still looked upon, in Catholic countries, as a treasure of indulgences and delights, and as an excellent preservative against eternal damnation. The greatest part of the holy and immaculate Virgins hair has been I^reservcd ; and as to her Qiiilk, the good Catholics tell us that not one ^ , drop of it Vy-as ever lost : innumerable relics havino- been made Relics of the ^r •- • - i- , l Ci^ o. • y j- •; a Blessed Virgin. '^ nnmediatcly alter our Saviours nativity. A portion of it is to be seen in different parts of Christendom ; and that church or monastery which is in possession of such an invaluable relic, considers itself as peculiarly blessed. Our Lady's icedJing-ring is preserved with the utmost respect at Perouse ; the fate and miracles of which are all described in a book published in the beginning of the seven- teenth century, entitled, De Anmdo Projuiho Ddparai Virginis^ autore ROaiAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 231 J. Bapt. Lauro. Colon. 1626. The Blessed Virgin's clothes are to be seen at Rome, and several other places ; her shifts at Chartres and Aix-la- Chapelle; one of her handkerchiefs at Treves; her (/ir dies at Our Lady of Montserrat at Prato, &c. ; one of her combs at Rome, another at Besan9on; her shoes at Our Lady of Puy and St. Flour ; and one of her slippers in Brittany. The ineasure of her foot is in the custody of the Spaniards. To conclude, it is not to be questioned, but that all the various pieces of her goods, kitchen-furniture, toilette, and implements of household, have been carefully preserved ; her gloves, head-clothes, veils, bed, chair, and the stones on which she washed our Lord's swaddling-clothes — her candles, the oil for her lamp, and all her earthen-ware, are still exposed to public view. It is true, indeed, that these things were lost for several ages ; but the monks have had the good fortune to find them one after another. No relic of her sacred body has been left upon earth ; it having been taken up to heaven in its perfect form, without injury or mutilation. The jubilee, as to its origin, is half Jewish, half Pagan. That joyful season procured liberty among the Jews to those who were slaves ; an „ acquittance from their debts to those who were poor, and the recovery of their effects to those who, through necessity, had been obliged to pawn them. The ground itself was not cultivated during the year of the Jewish jubilee. The pope, by the Catholic jubilee, of whicli the former was but a type, grants the like privileges to Christians. It is a year of rest to them ; for his holiness absolves them from sin, relieves the spiritual poverty of the penitent, by opening the treasures of the divine mercy to him, remits his debts, and restores him to the posses- sion of his celestial effects. Pope Boniface YIII. upon his institution of the grand jubilee, expressly declared by his Bull, that " Those who should visit the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in the year 1300, and every hundred years afterwards, after a free confession and sincere repentance of their sins, should obtain a full remission, together with several indulgences, as extensive as it was possible to grant them to repenting sinners." " It does not appear," says M. Turtin, " that his holiness had any regard to the Jubilee of the Jews, since he not only declined the name of jubilee, but, on the contrary, doubled the time prescribed to them." But with Clement VI. the case Avas dif- ferent. This pope called that institution " the Jubilee," and ordered it to be celebrated every fifty years. Several Roman Catholic writers are of opinion, that the jubilee of the Christians bears a very near affinity to the secular games of the ancient Romans. Clement VI. ordered the jubilee to be celebrated twice in a hundred years. Urban VI. reduced the term to thirty-three years. Boniface IX. solemnized it in nine years after ; and in process of time, a bull of Sixtus IV. established it once in twenty-five years. His predecessor Paul II. had before fixed it, by a decree of the year 1470, to the same time. Sixtus IV., however, celebrated a jubilee in 1475 ; and Alexander VI. not con- tented with a solemnization of it in 1498, revived it in 1500. The decrees of Paul II. and Sixtus IV., however, do not hinder the popes from declaring a universal jubilee on their exaltation to the pontifi- cate, as well as on some other extraordinary occasions. The holy gates, 232 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. however, are never opened but for the twenty-fifth year's jubilee, which, if we may be allowed the expression, brings with it a universal indulgence; for " the hearts of the faithful are comforted thereby, and joy entereth into the house of the Lord." The jubilee grants to those confessors who are approved by their supe- riors, a power to absolve, in all reserved cases, also from all censures, and the greater excommunication ; to annul all suspensions relating both to benefices and ecclesiastical ofiices, and to take ofi* interdicts. It permits them likewise to alter vows, in case they have no relation to religion or to chastity ; or that tliey are not of the nature of those which engage to perform certain pilgrimages, such as those to Rome, Jerusalem, and St. James of Galicia. When liis holiness has appointed the Jubilee, he gives notice of it, by liis apostolic letters, to all the prelates throughout Christendom ; and these cause it to be published in their respective dioceses, with proper exhorta- tions, in order that the faithful may put themselves into a condition of obtaining those advantages which attend it. The intentions of the holy father are explained; those churches which are to be visited arenomiaated; certain acts of devotion, which are always attended with proper indulgences, are prescribed ; and proper litanies, and prayers peculiar to the solemn occasion of the jubilee, and to the subject which procures it, are caused to be printed. No society, no religious order, must absent itself from the processions which are ordered for celebrating this act of devotion. The people, with their magistrates, and the rest of their superiors, are invited to attend it with all the modesty required by an act of religion. On those days which are set apart for fasting and repentance, the bishop and his clergy are enjoined to appear overwhelmed with sorrow, and filled with sentiments of humiliation. They are to pray with heart and mouth to the Almighty, and to offer him the fruits of a sincere contrition, which consists in the renunciation of all those engagements by which men are in general devoted to the world, and in a strong resolution to instruct the people by their own pious example. The pope notifies the universal jubilee, by a bull which he causes to be published the preceding year, on Ascension day, at the time of his giving the solemn benediction. An apostolical sub-deacon begins the publication, in tlie presence of the whole Court of Rome, reading a bull in Latin ; and after him, another sub-deacon reads it with an audible voice to the people in Italian. As soon as he has finished, the pope's twelve trumpets in ordinary begin to sound, and, immediately after them, twelve huntsmen sound their silver horns, by way of concert, at the same time that the whole of the artillery of the castle of St. Angelo are discharged. On the fourth Sunday in Advent, the apostolical sub-deacons publish the bull for the jubilee a second time, and, on the three days which imme- diately precede Ciiristmas-day, the bells throughout the whole city proclaim the solemnity, which is to commence the next day. On the twenty-fourth day of December, of the holy year, all the secular and regular clergy assemble together at the apostohc palace, and thence march in procession to St. Peter's at the Vatican. When the clergy come into the great square before St. Peter's, they find the doors of the church shut, and all the entrances of the portico lined with guards, to hinder the 'i^^^ .^j_^'i^y-j..M^,^^ Cay7yUs, ■a>'/y9^^ B'^ZC>^c>&J(^M I' C33 , ^/^<3^/'dt ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 233 mob from getting in. The pope, the cardinals, and bishops, dressed in their white damask robes, having their mitres on, now meet in Sixtus'^s Chapel, at which place his holiness sings the P^eni Creator, with a lighted taper in his hand. All the cardinals, having each of them likewise a taper in their hands, come out, according to their respective rank, and repair to the Swiss portico, where the holy father nominates tliree of them as his legates a latere, to go and open the gates of St. John de Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul without the walls. Their eminences, having received the orders of his holiness on their knees, repair to the appointed churches, preceded by trumpets, hautboys, and a troop of men, half in warlike, and half in religious armour. Their march begins as soon as the pope has opened the holy gate at St. Peter's. The chief of the Roman soldiery has the charge of this holy gate, which is always opened by his holiness himself, unless the infirmities of age, or some other particular indisposition, renders him incapable ; in which case, the cardinal-dean officiates for him. The Vicar of Jesus Christ, being seated on a throne, which is raised before the great gate, and in the middle of the great portico of St. Peters, , rests himself for a short time there ; after which the prince SacrerOiUe! '^ ^^ *^^® throne presents him with a golden hammer, which the holy father takes into his right hand ; then, rising from his throne, he goes and knocks at the sacred gate. The sacred gates are repre- sentations of God's grace. The passage of the pilgrims through them denotes the Christian's passage from the state of sin to that of grace. All those who perform the duties appointed by his holiness, in the four basili- cas at Rome, must pass through these holy gates. It is likewise pretended, that the opening of these gates represents the opening of the Church unto all men, provided they go to it after a sincere conversion. The holy father opens the gate, which signifies his having the key of the celestial treasures. The three blows upon the gate represent the three quarters of the world, Europe, Africa, and Asia, to which his holiness ofi*ers the treasures which are in his disposal ; or it may be said, that the three strokes with the ham- mer are an excellent representation of that joy, which the jubilee gives to the faithful in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory. The pope is followed by his clergy with tapers in their hands, and knocking thrice against the gate, says with an audible voice, Aperite mihi portas justitice, — Op)e}i unto me these gates of justice ; to which the choir add, " This is the gate of the eternal, the just shall enter therein/' &c. In the mean time, the head masons break down the wall which closes up the sacred gate, and the rubbish of it is distributed amongst the devotees, who pick it up with all imaginable zeal and eagerness, in order to rank it amongst their precious relics. This wall is erected on purpose, in such a manner as to hold but very slightly by its four sides. The stones are not fastened with cement, on which account, as soon as the holy father knocks at the sacred gate, it falls without any resistance. When the wall is demolished, the penitentiaries of St. Peter take their brooms, clear the gate, and sw^eep the bricks and the lime that remain, out of the passage. The mouldings, as well as other decorations round the gate, are now washed with holy water. When this operation is over, his holiness descends from his throne, and begins this anthem, " Hcec dies 234 " ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. quavn fecit Doinmus^ — This is the day ichich the Lord hath tnade^'' ^x. which the choir repeats after him. Being arrived at the sacred gate, the holy father repeats several prayers, takes the cross, kneels down before the gate, begins the Te Deum, rises up, and passes through it, still singing as he goes along. His clergy follow him. Everybody now hurries into the church, either to witness the magnificent ceremony, or to assist at the vespers in the pope's chapel. After vespers, the cardinals pull off their white robes, put on their red copes, attend his holiness to the door of his apartment, and then withdraw. On Christmas- day, after the mass of the day, the holy father goes to the benediction-pew, and blesses the faithful by way of jubilee. The jubilee having lasted a year, concludes with shutting up the sacred gates, which is done on Christmas-Eve, twelve months after they were Shuttincrof ^^^* opened. On that day the pope, his cardinals, the the Sacred clergy, and the persons of the highest distinction in the court Gate. of Rome, go to St. Peter's in their robes of state. Vespers are said ; after which the clergy, having lighted tapers in their hands, offer their obeisance to the holy face, which is known by the name of Veronica. Then his holiness sings an anthem, which begins with these words. Cum jucunditate exihitis, — Ye shall go out with joy. As soon as it is beo-un. every one uses the utmost expedition to get through the holy gate. The holy father, when everybody has gone through it, goes up to it, and turn- ing towards it, says, Adjutorium, Sj-c, — Our help, Sj-c, together with some other prayers, in which he blesses the stones and mortar which are intended to shut the gate, which the jubilee had opened. The pope himself lays the first stone, under which several medals are concealed, which serve to trans- mit the memory of this pious ceremony to future times. The holy father having laid the stone, washes his hands, and returns to his throne; then Salvum fac populiun, — Lord save thy jyeoj^le, Sfc. is sung. In the mean time, the masons complete the walling up of the gate, in the midst of which they set a copper cross, whilst his holiness repeats some par- ticular prayers, which he continues till the breach is perfectly repaired. The benediction given by the Yicar of Jesus Christ from the pew (which thence takes its name of the JBenediction Peio) to the faithful assembled to receive it, concludes this piece of devotion. The cardinals and clergy then throw off their robes of state, return with the pope to his apartment, and his holiness entertains them with an elegant supper. Indulgences are the surest touchstones, of which his holiness can make use, to try the faith of true believers ; for a great number of devotees T , , imagine that they infallibly secure the attainment of Paradise. The origin of indulgences is hinted at in a passage of St. Cy- prian ; but the release from torments was not known by the name of indulgence, till a long time after. It was common enougl), however, in the seventh and eighth centuries. Pope Sergius, in the year 884, gave three indulgences of forty days each, to those who should visit the church of St. Martin on the Hills, on the festival peculiarly devoted to the service of that saint. Indulgences were originally no more than the softening of pains, imposed upon sinners condemned to penance, which in the primitive ages of Christianity were very severe. The Church had regard to the infirmities ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 235 of peniteTits,who could not undergo the rigour of them ; but they were at the same time to discover a real contrition, and with a perfect sincerity- endeavour to purify themselves from their crimes, according to their strength. A relaxation from ecclesiastical pains gradually introduced into devotion certain practices, seemingly difficult, but yet much easier than spiritual worship ; and nothing gave a greater scope to the abuse of indul- gences than the commutation of pains into pecuniary fines, which were greatly advantageous to the priests, and showed them the way of selling the remission of sins. St. Bernard, whilst preaching up the indulgences of Pope Eugenius III., at once inflamed the hearts of the believers of his age, with a spirit of war and contrition, and showed them that the atone- ment of their crimes, and the remission of their torments, were annexed to those crosses and swords, wdierewith he persuaded them to arm themselves against the infidels. St. Bridget declares, in her Revelations, that, in a vision which she had of the Lord Jesus Christ, he informed her, " That the most infallible way to atone for all her sins, was to procure indulgences ; that, with re- spect to himself, whenever he was inclined to treat any soul with tender- ness and affection, he would advise it to reside constantly at Rome, there being no place in the world where so many indulgences could be procured. Indeed, there is no city more commodious than Rome, for devotees who would turn their piety towards this object ; for its basilicas have indul- gences for every day in the year; and on festivals they are redoubled. Indulo-ences were at one time granted for all kinds of sins and crimes, the prices of which were rated, and the remission often set up to auc- tion. A malefactor in Italy might, for ninety livres, compound for a crime, for which, on the other side of the Alps, he would be hanged or burnt. The application for indulgences was either by the i:»ayment of ready money, or by saying, or causing to be said, certain masses ; by assist- ing at certain offices, and certain processions ; by confessing and receiving the Eucharist; by alms-giving, or wearing particular habits, crosses, chaplets, crowns, beads, &c. Pope Leo X. having undertaken to complete the magnificent edifice of the basilica of St. Peter, according to the example of Pope Julius, had re- course to indulgences, which he everywhere published ; and all those who should contribute what was demanded of them towards the erection of St. Peter's, w^re permitted to eat eggs and cheese in Lent, and to make choice of .their own confessor. In order to come into possession of ready money, the sums arising from these indulgences were farmed out to the highest bidders, who, not only for the purpose of reimbursing, but like- wise of enriching themselves, chose such preachers of indulgences, -and collectors, as they thought most proper. These were well paid to induce the people, in order to procure pardon, to contribute whatever such covet- ous and sacrilegious wretches insisted upon. Some of these preachers of indulgences raised the price and value of them to such an exorbitant pitch, as to induce the people to imagine that they were secure of salvation, and of delivering souls out of purgatory, as soon as they had paid the money demanded for the letters, tcstif}'ing they had procured the indulgence. The clerks of the farmers, likewise, who had purchased the profits of these indulgences, were seen daily in the taverns and brothels, carousing, and 236 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. spending part of that money in all manner of licentiousness, which the poor insisted was barbarously extorted from them. We shall now treat of beads, chaplets, rosaries, and other accessaries to devotion. The historians of the Crusade wars say that Peter the Hermit first tauoht the soldiers to count their prayers by the Various Instru- t i , ,i r i • i -r* i -n meats of piety ^haplet ; the use of which soon grew very common. But Fa- ther Giry gives some instances of prayers being said by tale or computation, long before the invention of the chaplet ; and Ryckle, in his life of Gertrude, gives us an account of a rosarv which this saint made use of at her devotions, in the seventh century. Saint Dominic, the founder of the order which bears his name, and of the holy office of the Inquisition, greatly advanced the credit of this instrument of devotion, by declaring, that the Blessed Virgin had brouglit him one from heaven, after a mira- culous manner, composed of a certain number of beads, which he called the rosary. It is still looked upon as one of the most valuable exercises of devotion by a great number of Catholics ; with regard to the chaplet, it is not to be questioned but that it came from the Mahometans. Peter the Hermit borrowed it from them, in favour of those soldiers of the Holy Wars who were not able to read, nor to make use of a prayer-book. These and other instruments, or assistants to devotion, were the foun- dation of four considerable societies. That of the rosary owes its birth to • the rosary of St. Dominic. The rosary is a large chaplet, con- sisting of one hundred and fifty beads, which make so many Aves. Every ten beads, divided by one something larger, make a Pater. The fifteen large beads are the symbols of fifteen mysteries, which are so many lively images, as it were, in which are to be discerned the intentions of " the Eternal Father in the temporal birth of his son, the casualties that befel him in his infancy, and not only in the private and unknown part of his life, but also in the glorious and immortal part of it." The common chaplets contain only fifty Ave Marias and five Paternosters. Before the person begins to repeat his rosary, he must take it, and cross himself. He must in the next place repeat the Apostles' Creed, to put himself into a proper disposition for prayer ; after which he must say a Pater and three Aves, on account of the three relations which the Blessed Virgin bears to the three Persons in the sacred Trinity. After these preliminaries, he passes on to the fifteen large beads, con- taining ten courses. The Christian devotee must observe to admit him- self into the mysteries of each ten courses, by a prayer, which is to be found in those books which treat of the method of devotion with the rosary. Tiie fifteen mysteries are divided into three classes : the first in- cludes the five mysteries of ^*oy y the five next are those of sori'o^^, as turning upon our Saviour's Passion ; and the five last, those oi glory ^ as being destined to his resurrection, ascension, &c. After the rosary, the brethren who have the honour to bear the name of it, must say the litanies and prayers for those who are afflicted in mind, body, or estate, &c. They must lift up their hearts to the Virgin, who is the Queen of the Rosari/^ Efnptrss of Heaven and Earth., High Treasurer of the Spiritual Finances and Celestial Riches : and as the true believers ought not only to pray for each other, but likewise for an increase of the worship of which they make profession, the brethren and sisters of the rosary must never omit this ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 237 last article, but use their utmost endeavours to make proselytes to the faith of St. Dominic. The leoendaries of the order of St. Dominic, and several others, assure us, that the society was appointed by an order from the Blessed Virgin, when St. Dominic was labouring to reduce the Albigenses, and extirpate heretics. After the saint's decease, the devotion of the rosary was totally neglected ; but Alanus de Rupe, in 1460, or thereabouts, revived it with great improvements, and for fourteen years together used his utmost en- deavours to procure devotees to it. The society is divided into two branches, one of the common, and the other of the perpetual rosary : the former are obliged, every week, to say the fifteen divisions of ten beads each, to confess, and receive the Sacrament every first Sunday in the month ; and moreover, to appear at all the processions of the society. The faithful of the latter are under very strong obligations. The first duty incumbent on them is, to repeat the rosary without intermission ; that is, there is always some one of them who is actually saluting the Blessed Virgin in the name of the whole society. The solemnity of the rosary is celebrated on the first Sunday in October. This festival is owing to the piety of Pope Gregory XIII. Several popes have confirmed the way of praying with the rosary by their bulls, and granted to those who shall devoutly repeat it, all suitable indulgences, not only plenary, but particular. The devotion of the scaimlary is, in every respect, as exact as that which we have already described. After divers prayers, and pious solici- tations, the Blessed Virgin granted the scapulary to Simon capu ary. g^^^j^^ commander of the Carmelites, in the same century, and much about the same time that she gave the rosary to St. Dominic. She assured the devotee of her protection, promised to be propitious to all those who should join in the devotion of the scapulary, and to look upon them as her children. She also engaged to save all those wdio at the hour of death should be found provided with so precious a badge. The scapulary of the Carmelites is a small woollen garment, of a dark brown, or tawny colour, which goes over the stomach, back, and shoulders. It consists likewise of two small pieces of cloth, three or four inches square, tied together with two ribands. This is wliat the brethren of the Order of the Scapulary wear. The devotees of the scapulary celebrate the sixteenth of July as their festival, which day is likewise devoted to the service of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. There is nothing which flatters the heart of man more than what is called good works^ since they are looked on by him as a formal contract, or, as it were, a truce between his passions and the duties of Religious i^ig reijoion. A certain satirist has observed, " that a devotee Founuation. => i • i , ^ i i i • ,-i , ^ refuses to pay his debts, though he says his prayers ; that he plunders his neighbour, though he gives the tenth to the poor ; that he ruins honest families, whilst he is building hospitals ; in short, that religion, with the devotee, is the counterpoise of justice." The clergy have always taken advantage of this vanity and self-love, under the specious pretence of showing Christians the road to heaven ; but, above all, they have attempted to pave the way to it by foundations, which 238 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. began in the fourth or fifth century, but the mode of which was not entirely estabUshed till the sixth. Nothing was at that time to be seen, but people of all ages, sexes, and conditions, renouncing their worldly possessions for tlie endowment of churches and convents. New practices of humility sprang up on all sides; for the devotees grew dissatisfied with vigils, which to them appeared too weak. The priests and monks had visions, which enabled tliem to enter into an immediate correspondence with the saints of Paradise. Measures of a more strong and strenuous kind were taken against the devil, who then began to grow formidable. Several crosses were dug up, and relics were found, which till that time had never been known or heard of; even some of the mouths of hell, and two or three of the doors of purgatory, were likewise discovered. The maps of the monks precisely pointed out their height and depth. Nor was this discovery the least valuable and important of the age ; a prodi- gious number of souls got out of purgatory, and some of the damned escaped out of hell. Those who had any regard for their relations imme- diately took care of them, and new methods were in consequence invented, for alleviating the sorrows of those deceased persons who had their friends to appear for them. Masses were multiplied, and one sacrifice being now insufficient, a necessity arose not only for ten, twenty, or thirty, but sometimes for thirty thousand. The sovereigns of the Church created new patrons. Altars and churches were founded witliout number. Swarms of monks and friars overspread the face of the whole earth ; and this, they asserted, was all the work of God. Habitations were assigned, and revenues appointed them, which were very largely augmented by the benefactions of pious individuals. We may easily conceive that convents increased with devotion, and that those who had devoted their patrimonies to the service of the Church found no other refuge than that of the cassock or the veil : in short, a strong persuasion at that time prevailed, that God could not be served with decorum and propriety but by priests and friars ; and nothing, indeed, was to be seen but cassocks, cowls, tonsures, crowns, vows of continence and chastity ; voluntary divorces between husband and wife, upon a motive of piety, and with the intent to retire from the world, that they might pray to God at their ease in the society of monks and hermits. Independently of the foundations of churches, convents, and masses, others were instituted for exposing or carrying the holy sacrament in pro- cession, on those days which are not set apart by the Church for such a purpose ; also, for making some particular day more famous than it origi- nally was, according to the institution of the Church. Such is the foiinda- tion on which the holy sacrament is exposed on the festival of the patron of a parish, or on the festival-day of the saint whose name any person bears, or for whom he has a peculiar respect and veneration. There are likewise other foundations for offices and prayers in honour of tlie saints, at such times as their devotees have received any extraordinary mercies and favours from them. Tlie faithful, throughout all the ages of the Church, have paid great veneration to the relics of saints, and are said frequently to have received Relics g^*^^* advantages from them. Ignorant devotees imagine that of Saints, they need only to be devout to some particular relics, to carry ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 239 them about with tliem, or to frequent places where they are deposited, in order to die free from sin. The antiquity of the respect for relics has been attempted to be proved from the translation of Joseph's bones, when tbe Jews went out of Egypt. It is certain, that under the Old Testament, it was thought, as it is now, that whatever has touched the body of a saint acquires extraordinary virtues. This was the opinion of the primitive Christians, and instances of it are to be met with in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles ; from whence we may infer, that the real body of any saint is capable of pro- ducino- much more miraculous effects. In process of time the consequences of this notion of virtue and holiness was carried to a greater extent. Some pretended that it was necessary to collect all those things whicli liad been made use of by the saints, to dig up their bodies, and to search after their bones and ashes. Then, temples, chapels, and altars were devoted to their service. The very angels concerned themselves in this important affair ; for they are said to have collected the bones of St. Catherine, and buried tliem upon Blount Sinai. Translations of the relics from one place to another began to be made in the fourth century with extraordinary solemnity, and the use of shrines for relics began at the same time. The Church always took care to have the shrines in which relics were deposited solemnly blessed. The purport of the prayer was, that God would grant his protection to those who reverenced the merits of the saints, and embraced their relics with humility, in order that these faithful supplicants might be guarded from the power of Satan, from thunder, plague, infectious air, wild beasts, and the maUcious devices of wicked men. Oaths were often taken on the relics of the saints ; and the oath of the king of the Romans on the blood of St. Stephen at Aix-la-Chapelle, upon his coronation-day, is an instance of this religious custom. The faithful, who visit relics out of devotion, must touch the sacred limbs of the saints with more than common faith. There is a stated time for the public exposition of them to the devout. The relics of the church of Notre-Dame at Aix-la-Chapelle are exposed once in seven years with proclamations, one of which we shall here transcribe, that the reader may have a more adequate idea of the ceremony. It is as follows : " The head and right arm of St. Cornelius are to be exposed ; by whose mediation may the Lord Jesus preserve you from the falling-sick- ness, and after this life bestow on you the kingdom of heaven. Atnen, Paternoster. Ave Maria. Credo" The blood of martyrs is preserved in various parts of Christendom. Italy and Rome, in particular, are grown famous for the vast quantity that is found in them ; nor is this to be wondered at, con- Relic^^^^" *^"^ sidering the persecutions of the primitive Christians under the Roman emperors. The earth at Rome is said to be stained with the blood of the faithful. His holiness makes presents of some of this sacred earth to foreigners, thereby endeavouring to gratify those good Christians who come to Rome upon a religious motive, and are unwilling to return home without some salutary testimonial of their travels. As to the miraculous manner in which the blood of martyrs, according to report, has been seen to melt and run, the devout flatter themselves 240 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. that God has been pleased to give this satisfaction to all pious persons for their consolation, and as a reward of tlieir virtue. There are now at the present clay several liquefactions of this nature, particularly in Italy. On tlie festival of St. Eustace, that saint's blood is seen to boil at Rome. The blood of St. John the Baptist does as much, if not more, at Naples, and extends to three different churches. It puts itself in this violent ferment in honour of Jesus Christ, and seemingly endeavours once more to pro- claim the coming of our blessed Saviour. At Naples, too, St. Bartholo- mew's blood is in as great a heat as that of St. John the Baptist ; and so likewise is the blood of St. Stephen, wdiich never fails running on the day on which the finding of his body is commemorated. On the eighteenth of September is celebrated the ceremony of exposing the head and blood of St. Januarius, patron of the city of Naples, to public view. A solemn procession is made, likewise, in honour of the saint, at which the martyr"'s head and blood are carried in all imaginable pomp and grandeur. It is so contrived, that these two relics meet to- gether ; and as soon as they are within reach of each other, the blood is seen to liquefy, to boil, and to rise to the very rim of the glass in which it is kept. This miracle is wrought every year, never deceiving the expecta- tions of the people, who are always ready to attest the truth of it. The liquefaction of St. Yitus's blood is to be seen in one of the abbeys of the diocese of Tarentum ; and that of the blood of St. Pantaleon, St. Ursula, St. Laurence, and others, in the several monasteries and churches throughout Italy. In I672, Rome raised a recruit of relics from the catacombs of four hundred and twenty-eight saints, most of them anonymous and unknown ; which, however, afforded abundance of new relics. Other recruits of the same sort had been made before that time. In regard to the manner of distinguishing the relics dug out of the catacombs to be genuine, — the apostolic chamber hires diggers to work in the catacombs, or subterraneous places, in wdiich sacred bodies, as they are called at Rome, are commonly found. This holy employment is car- ried on in spring and winter. As soon as the sepulchres are opened, an apostolic commissary examines the marks whereby the bodies of martyrs are to be known. If there be only the name of Christ (thus ^) over these sepulchres, or a single cross, a dove, a crown, an olive-branch, without a palm-branch, or without a vase of wood, or other vessel, in which the blood of the martyrs was usually put, they are looked upon merely as so many Christian sepulchres, and in such a case are never opened. The vessel for holding blood is, in a particular manner, an evident sign of mar- tyrdom, and consequently of holiness. When the necessary tokens, here mentioned, have been observed, they proceed to open the tombs with all the precaution which so religious an operation requires. As the bones are dug up, they are put into little cases, which are after- wards corded up, and sealed with the grand vicar's seal ; and then the dig- gers carry tlicm into the chambers appropriated for relics. The bones are laid upon tables at some distance one from the other, in order that, as they dry, the air may restore thom in some measure to their primitive hardness. After this, the cardinal-vicar and the chief sacristan of his holiness expose these relics to the veneration of the faithful, distributing them as they see ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 241 proper, and arming them with the necessary attestations : rehcs of the larger size are bestowed on none but crowned heads, and persons of the first distinction in the church. The custom of wearing holy relics by way of devotion, or in order to be preserved against casualties, diseases, calamities, &c., is very ancient in the church ; since St. Gregory Nyssens takes particular notice of a small piece of w^ood of the true cross, which his sister wore on her finger in a ring. It is to St. Helena, however, that relics owe the beginning of their high reputation ; and yet the cross was at that time the only relic really in fashion. That devout princess, foreseeing that the finding of the cross would inflame the devotion of all Christians, took but a part of it away with her, and left the remainder at Jerusalem to be an object of the pilgrims' devo- tion. This sacred wood would, by degrees, have been all lost, on account of the constant distributions which were made of it to devotees ; but St. Paulinus assures us, that in his time it remained in the same condition — that the faithful were taking away some of it without intermission, but yet they always found it whole and entire. In process of time, relics of all sorts w^ere worn, but more particularly about the neck and on the breast. St. Charles Borromeo wore about his neck a tooth of St. Satina. Gregory XII. wore one of St. Catharine of Sienna. Some ages before that, St. Dunstan, having broke his cane upon the devil, who appeared to him in the form of a bear, had another made much stronger, in which he set a tooth of the apostle St. Andrew. Relics were formerly carried in military expeditions, and this was an established custom in the time of Theodosius the Great. The knight- templars, and soldiers in the crusades, carried them a long time after in their expeditions against the enemy of the Christian name. Christian kings, when they went to war, armed themselves with St. Martin's cope, and caused the shrines of saints to be carried at the head of their armies. Du Yal de Cernay, the monk, assures us, that, on a dangerous expedition, a body of priests and friars, having the cross before them, and being supported by relics, after singing the Feni Creator, which was their signal, advanced against the Albigenses ; and that, at the third repetition of a particular verse of the hymn, the rebels of the church fled from the field of battle ! Nor did the Bishop of Cominges show less bravery and resolution ; for, notwithstanding the small number of the faithful who were facing above one hundred thousand Albigenses, he armed himself w^ith the wood of tlie cross, and, getting upon an eminence therewith, blessed the soldiers of the Catholic array, who becoming thereby enlivened and inspired, defeated the king of Arragon and his whole army. Catholic devotion ordains that recourse shall be had to holy relics in case of any public calamity. The blood of St. Januarius, set before the flames of Mount Vesuvius, has never failed to extinguish them. The miracles wrought by St. Genevieve, whenever it has been thought proper to carry her in procession, are well known at Paris ; and if we may credit the devotees at Rheims, St. Remi's handkerchief has had no less virtue, at those times when it has been found requisite to produce it in order to allay or remove public calamities. At Venice a leg of St. Lawrence extinguishes fires. In a church of that 242 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. city, holy water of great virtue is made with the bone of St. LiberaUs. In Sicily, St. Agatha's veil, carried in procession by the clergy of Catanea, puts a stop to the deluges of fire of Mount Gibel ; and a piece of cotton rubbed against this veil has the same effect The Carthusians at Cologne have the hem of Christ's garment, which the woman afflicted with the loss of blood touched in order to be cured. The ladies of that place send wine to the Carthusians, to have the relic steeped in it, and drink of it upon any emergent occasion. Festivals are holidays, or are certain days which the Catholic Church has set apart for the peculiar service of God, in commemoration Fcstivtils • 1 n • of some mystery, or m honour of some samt. In the Catholic Church there are moveable feasts, double feasts, half- double, and single : but the chief difference between the several classes, is the greater or less solemnity which is used in them. The churches are embellished, and the altars adorned, according to the solemnity of the day, and to the rank which each saint holds in the church. On solemn double feasts, the bishop, and even the pope himself, performs divine service in the cathedral ; and the abbot, the prior, or dean of the chapter, in colle- giate churches. According to the rituals of Italy, the churches, on these high festivals, must be hung with tapestry, and adorned w^th beautiful and holy images of those whom the church acknowledges as saints. The doors of the churches must be adorned with festoons ; and the image of the saint whose feast is solemnized must be decorated with flowers, and the church strewed with them. The church must, likewise, be open to all during the sacred days ; wax-tapers must burn on the altar ; the ornaments of the officiating priest must be as rich as possible ; and the tapers which stand on the high altar must be thicker than the rest. In short, each parish displays its zeal, in proportion to its riches. Whenever the feast of the titular saint or patron is celebrated, his standard and image must be fixed on the top of the church spire, and the bells set a ringing to his honour. In some places it is customary to have illuminations on the eve and feast of the saint, as a testimony of the love and reverence of the priests and people. All the high festivals have an octave. This custom was first boiTowed from the Jewish religion ; it being usual among the ancient Jews to allow eight days to their solemn festivals, in which they are imitated by the moderns to this day. The octave therefore consists of the feast itself and the seven days which succeed it, though the name of octave is particularly given to the last day of those eight, which answers to the solemn day of the feast. The rituals say, that when two octaves meet, the most dis- tinguished of them shall have the preference, not forgetting, at the same time, to commemorate the saint whose octave gave way to the other. In this manner the octave of St. John the Baptist gives precedence to that of the holy sacrament, whenever they happen to meet : but if the octave of a saint who is patron of a place should fall out at the same time with that of another saint, who had been either a bishop, an archbishop, or car- dinal, the patron would be obliged to yield to the prelate. Our limits forbid us attempting anything like a detailed account of the festivals prescribed by 77ie Roman Calendar of Feasts and Stations throughout the year. According to this calendar, it may be perceived that ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 243 the Holy City has not left even one day throughout the whole year uncon- secrated cither by festivals or stations ; indeed, that many days are there held sacred to the memory of more than half-a-dozen saints ; that the inexhaustible treasure of indulgences is always open to the faithful, and furnishes them continually with materials to repair the breaches which Satan may have made in their virtue ; and that the clergy of Rome are always in readiness to countermine his works. We shall select a few days which are sacred to distinguished saints, or on which remarkable festivals are observed ; and these will serve as ex- amples of numerous others, which might be mentioned. This day is sacred for several saints, among whom is St. Macarius, who died A. D. 394. Macarius was a confectioner of Alexandria, but spent upwards of sixty years in the deserts in labour, penance, and Jan. 2. St. contemplation. ''' Our saint," says Butler, "happened one acarius. ^^^ inadvertently to kill a gnat that was biting him in his cell ; reflecting that he had lost the opportunity of suffering that mortifi- cation, he hastened from his cell to the marshes of Scete, which abound with great flies, whose stings pierce even wild boars. There he continued six months, exposed to those ravaging insects ; and to such a degree was his whole body disfigured by them, with sores and swellings, that when he returned he was only to be known by his voice." The Golden Legend relates of him, that he took a dead Pagan out of his sepulchre, and put him under his head for a pillow ; whereupon cer- tain devils came to affright the saint, and called the dead Pagan to go with them ; but the body under the saint said he could not, because a pilgrim lay upon him, so that he could not move ; then Macarius, nothing afraid, beat the body with his fist, and told him to go if he would, which caused the devils to declare that Macarius had vanquished them. Another time the devil came with a great scythe on his shoulder, to smite the saint ; but he could not prevail against him, on account of his virtues. Macarius, at another time, being tempted, filled a sack with stones, and bore it many journeys through the desert. Seeing a devil before him in the shape of a man, dressed like "a herawde," with his clothing full of holes, and in every hole a vial, he demanded of this devil whither he went, and why he had so many vials ? The devil answered, to give drink to the hermits ; and that the vials contained a variety of liquors, that they might have a choice, and so fall into temptation. On the devil's return, the saint inquired how he had sped ; and the devil answered, " Very ill, for they were so holy that only one, Theodistus, would drink." On this information, Ma- carius found Theodistus under the influence of the vial, and recovered him. Macarius found the head of a Pagan, and asked " where the soul of its body was ?" " In hell," said the head. He asked the head " if hell was deep ?" the head said, " Deeper than from heaven to earth." He de- manded again, " if any were there lower than his own soul ?" the head said, " the Jews were lower than he was." The saint inquired " if there were any lower than the Jews ?" the head answered, " that false Christian ■ men were lower than the Jews, and more tormented." Macarius seems, by the Golden Legend, to have been much annoyed by the devil. In a nine days' journey through a desert, at the end of everj- mile he set up a reed in the eartli, to mark his track against he returned ; R 2 244 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCIT. but the devil pulled tliem all up, made a bundle of them, and placed them at Macarius's head while he lay asleep ; so that the saint with great difficulty found his way home ao-ain. This Macarius is the identical saint who so opportunely assisted St. Helena in the discovery of the genuine cross ; and for that one act he certainly deserves to be ranked amongst the most renowned worthies of the Roman Calendar. This day is devoted in Paris to the feast of St. Genevieve, virgin patroness of that city. The legendary writers inform us that w^e cannot Jmuar- 31 ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ homage to this saint, for the wonders she has St. GenevLve.* performed for upwards of twelve centuries; indeed, the angels returned thanks to Heaven for the birth of this blessed virgin. Father Giry, in the Lims of the Saints, assures us, that the blessed spirits kept " an extraordinary festival at her birth, and that all heaven was filled with joy." St. Germanus of Auxerre asserted the same to the inhabitants of Nanterre, the first time he saw St. Genevieve, who was born in their city. In the height of her piety, she was seized with so violent a fit of sickness, that she was thought to be dead ; but in the midst of the torments which her body suffered, " she was ravished in spirit among the angels, where she saw unutterable glories." The Golden Legend relates, that, by the Holy Ghost, she showed many people their secret thoughts ; and that from fifteen years to fifty she fasted every day except Sunday and Thursday, when she ate beans and barley bread of three weeks old. A woman once stole St. Genevieve's shoes, but as soon as she got home she lost her sight for the theft, and remained blind, till, having restored the shoes, St. Genevieve restored the woman's sight. Desiring the Hberation of certain prisoners condemned to death at Paris, she went thither, and found the city gates were shut against her, but they opened without any other key than her own presence. She prayed over twelve men in that city possessed with devils, till the men were sus- pended in the air, and the devils were expelled. A child of four years old fell into a pit, and was killed ; St. Genevieve only covered her with her mantle, and prayed over her, and the child came to life, and was baptized at Easter. On a voyage to Spain, she arrived at a port " where, as of custom, ships were wont to perish." Her own vessel was likely to strike on a tree in the water, Avhich seems to have caused the wrecks ; she com- manded the tree to be cut down, and began to pray ; when lo ! just as the tree began to fall, " two wild heads, gray and horrible, issued thereout, which stank so sore, that the people that were there w^ere envenomed by the space of two hours ; and never after perished ship there,. thanks be to God and this holy saint !" At Meaux, a master not forgiving his servant his faults, though St. Genevieve besought him, she prayed against him. He was immediately seized with a hot ague. "On the morrow he came to the holy virgin,' running with open mouth like a German boar, his tongue hanging out like a boar, and requiring pardon." She then blessed him, the fever left him, and the servant was pardoned. A girl going by with a bottle, St. Genevieve called to her, and asked what she carried ? She answered, oil, which she had bought; but St. Genevieve seeing the devil sitting on the bottle, blew upon it, and the bottle broke ; but the saint blessed the oil, and ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 245 caused her to bear it home safely notwithstanding. The Golden Legend says, that the people who saw this marvelled that the saint could see the devil, and were greatly edified. Her holiness now shone with greater lustre than ever in the eyes of the Parisians. " She penetrated into the most inward recesses of their consciences, spent all her time in prayer, and shed so great an abundance of tears, that the floor of her chamber was quite wet with them." Though she had led a life of extraordinary penance, she nevertheless lived to a very advanced age. A great number of miracles were wrought at her tomb, and would undoubtedly have been wrought to the end of the world, had her reHcs been still there ; now they are wrought only at her shrine. Her shrine of gold and silver, covered with precious stones, the presents of kings and queens, and with a cluster of diamonds on the top, presented by the intriguing Mary de Medicis, was, on calamitous occasions, carried about Paris in procession, accompa- nied by shrines equally miraculous, and by the canons of St. Genevieve, walking barefoot. This day is sacred to the memory of St. Simeon Stylites, who astonished all Christendom by his personal mortifications. Simeon went into the January 5th. monastery of HeHodorus, where the monks ate but once a St. Simeoii day ; but our saint carried this abstinence to such a pitch, as Stylites. ^q ^r^^ only once a week. Heliodorus required Simeon to be more private in his mortifications ; with this view, judging the rough rope of the well, made of twisted palm-tree leaves, a proper instrument of penance, Simeon tied it close about his naked body, where it remained unknown both to the community and his superior, till such time as it having ate into his flesh, what he had privately done was discovered by the effluvia proceeding from the wound. It took three days to disengage the saint's clothes ; and the incisions of the physician, to cut the cord out of his body, were attended with such anguish and pain, that he lay for some time as dead. After this he determined to pass the whole forty days of Lent in total abstinence, and retired to a hermitage for that purpose. Bassus, an abbot, left with him ten loaves and water, and coming to visit him at the end of the forty days, found both loaves and water untouched, and the saint stretched on the ground without signs of life. Bassus dipped a sponge in water, moistened his lips, gave him the Eucharist, and Simeon by degrees swallowed a few lettuce-leaves and other herbs. He passed twenty-six Lents in the same manner. In the first part of a Lent, he prayed standing ; growing weaker, he prayed sitting ; and towards the end, being almost exhausted, he prayed lying on the ground. At the end of three years he left his hermitage for the top of a mountain, made an inclosure of loose stones, without a roof, and having resolved to live exposed to the inclernencies of the weather, he fixed his resolution by fastenino- his right leg to a rock with a great iron chain. Multitudes flocked to the mountain to receive his benediction, and many of the sick recovered their health ; but as some were not satisfied unless they touched him in his inclosure, and Simeon desired retirement from the daily con- course, he projected a new and unprecedented manner of life. He erected a pillar six cubits high, (each cubit being eighteen inches,) and dwelt on it four years; on a second, of twelve cubits high, he lived three years ; on a third, of twenty-two cubits high, ten years ; and on a 246 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHUKCII. fourth, of forty cubits, or sixty feet high, which the people built for him, he spent the last twenty years of his life. He was imitated in this folly by several other fanatics ; but none of them had the perseverance, or hardness of constitution, to earn any degree of immortality to be compared with that of Simeon. This, however, occasioned them to be called stylites, from the Greek word sti/los, a pillar. Simeon s pillar did not exceed three feet in diameter at the top, so that he could not lie extended on it ; he had no seat with him ; he only stooped or leaned to take a little rest, and bowed his body in prayer so often, that a certain person who counted these positions found that he made one thousand two hundred and forty-four reverences in one day ; which, if he began at four o'clock in the mornino-, and finished at eight o'clock at night, gives a bow to every three-quarters of a minute ; besides which he exhorted the people twice a-day. His garments were the skins of beasts, he wore an iron collar round his neck, and had a horrible ulcer in his foot. During his forty days' abstinence throughout Lent, he tied himself to a pole. He treated himself as the outcast of the world, and the worst of sinners ; worked miracles; delivered prophecies ; had the sacrament delivered to him on the pillar ; and died bowing upon it, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, after having lived upon pillars for secen-and-thirty years! — His corpse was carried to Antioch, attended by the bishops and the whole country, and worked miracles on its way. Without mentioning several of the miracles in the Golden Legend, which are not fit to be related, it may be observed that it is there said of him, that after his residence on the pillars, one of his thighs rotted a whole year, during which time he stood on one leg only ! Near Simeon's pillar was the dwelling of a dragon, so very venomous that nothing grew near his cave. This dragon met with an accident ; he had a stake in his eye, and coming all blind to the saint's pillar, and placing his eye upon it for three days, without doing harm to any one, Simeon ordered earth and water to be placed on the dragon's eye, which being done, out came the stake, a cubit in length ; when the people saw this miracle, they glorified God, and ran away for fear of the dragon, which arose and adored for two hours, and returned to his cave ! A woman swallowed a little serpent, which tormented her for many years, till she came to Simeon, who causing earth and water to be laid on her mouth, the little serpent came out four feet and a half long. It is affirmed, that when Simeon died, Anthony smelt a precious odour pro- ceeding from his body ; that birds, men, and beasts cried ; that an angel came down in a cloud ; that the Patriarch of Antioch taking Simeon's beard to put among his relics, his hand withered, and remained so until a multitude of prayers were said for him, and it was healed ; and that more miracles were worked at and after Simeon's sepulture, than he had wrought during the whole of his life. On the day of the feast of this saint, the pope, cardinals, princes, and even private gentlemen, send their horses and their mules to be blessed by ' January 17th. ^^"^ ' *^^ Saddles and harnesses of these beasts are also carried St. Anthony the to him. They bless and sprinkle the beasts and their equi- \llt^^^ °*' page, in the name, and for the sake, of the saint, upon con- sideration for a certain sum, viz., two paoli for each beast. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. . 247 Auotlier ceremony in which St. Anthony is applied to, is that of exor- cisino-, conjuring, and dehvering up to the devil, mice, locusts or grass- hoppers, and all other noxious animals. According to St. Athanasius, Anthony was born in 251, at Coma, near Heraclea in Egypt, and in that neighbourhood commenced the life of a hermit : he was continually assailed by the devil. His only food was bread with a little salt; he drank nothing but water; never ate before sun- set, sometimes only once in two or four days; and lay on a rush mat or on the bare floor. For further solitude he left Coma, and hid himself in an old sepulchre, till, in 285, he withdrew into the deserts of the mountains, from whence, in 305, he descended, and founded his first monastery. His under garment was sackcloth, with a white sheepskin coat and girdle. He was taught to apply himself to manual labour by an angel, who appeared, plaiting mats of palm-tree leaves. Athanasius informs us that Anthony always prayed whilst he was at work ; and that he detested the Arians ; that he would not speak to a heretic unless to exhort him to the true faith ; and that he drove all such from his mountain, calling them venomous serpents. He was very anxious that after his decease he should not be embalmed, and being one hundred and fifty years old, he died in 356, having bequeathed one of his sheepskins, with the coat in which he lay, to his biographer. St. Athanasius is very particular in his account of St. Anthony's war- fare with the infernal powers. He says that hostilities commenced when the saint first determined on hermitizing ; " in short, the devil raised a great deal of dust in his thoughts, so that by bemudding and disordering his intellects, he might make St. Anthony let go his design." In his first conflict with the devil he was victorious, although Satan appeared to him in an alluring shape. — Next he came in the form of a black boy, and was again defeated. After that, Anthony got into a tomb, and shut down the top, but the devil found him out, and, with a great company of other devils, so beat and bruised him, that in the morning he was discovered by the person who brought his bread lying like a dead man on the ground ; whereupon he took him up and carried him to the town church, where many of his friends sat by him until midnight. Anthony then coming to himself, and seeing all asleep, caused the person who brought him thither to carry him back privately, and again got into the tomb, shutting down the tomb-top as before. Upon this, the devils being very much exasperated, one night made a noise so dreadful, that the walls shook. They transformed them- selves into the shapes of all sorts of beasts, lions, bears, leopards, bulls, ser- pents, asps, scorpions, and wolves ; every one of which moved and acted agreeably to the creatures which they represented — the lion roaring and seemino- to make towards him, the bull to butt, the serpent to creep, and the wolf to run at him, and so in short all the rest ; so that Anthony was tortured and mangled by them so grievously that his bodily pain was greater than before. But he taunted them, and the devils gnashed their teeth. This continued till the roof of his cell opened, a beam of light shot down, the devils became speechless, Anthony's pain ceased, and the roof closed again. At one time, the devil laid the semblance of a large piece of plate in hia 248 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. way, but Anthony, perceiving the devil in the dish, chid it, and the plate disappeared. At another time he saw a quantity of real gold on the ground, and, to show the devil " that he did not value money, he leaped over it as a man in a fright over a fire." Having secluded himself in an empty castle, some of his acquaintance came often to see him, but in vain ; he would not let them enter, and they remained whole days and nights listening to a tumultuous rout of devils bawling and wailing within. He lived in that state for twenty years, never seeing or being seen by any one, till his friends broke open the door; and the spectators were in amazement to see his body, that had been so be- laboured by devils, in the same shape in which it was before liis retirement. By way of a caution to others, he related the practices of the devils, and liow they appeared. He said that, "to scare us, they will represent themselves so tall as to touch the ceiling, and proportionably broad ; they often pretend to sing psalms and cite the scriptures, and sometimes while we are reading they echo what we read ; sometimes they stamp, sometimes they laugh, and sometimes they hiss ; but when one regards them not, then they weep and lament as vanquished. Once, when they came threatening and surrounding me like soldiers, accoutred and horsed, and again when they filled the place with wild beasts and creeping things, I sung Psalm xix. 8, and they were presently routed. Another time, when they appeared with a light in the dark, and said, " We are come, An- thony, to lend thee our light," I prayed, shutting my eyes, because I disdained to behold their light, and presently their light was put out. After this they came and hissed and danced ; but as I prayed, and lay along singing, they presently began to wail and weep as though they were spent. Once there came a devil very tall in appearance, that dared to say, " What wouldst thou have me bestow upon thee ?" but T spat upon him, and endeavoured to beat him, and, great as he was, he disappeared with the rest of the devils. Once one of them knocked at the door of my cell, and when I opened it I saw a tall figure, and when I asked liim, " Who art thou ?" he answered, " I am Satan ; why do the monks blame and curse me ? I have no longer a place or a city, and now the desert is filled with monks ; let them not curse one to no purpose." I said to him, " Thou art a liar," &c., and he disappeared. Much more than this he is related to have said by his biographer, who afiirms that " having been prevailed upon to go into a vessel and pray with the monks, he, and he only, perceived a wretched and terrible stink ; the company said there was some salt fish in the vessel ; but he perceived another kind of scent, and while he was speaking, a young man that had a devil, and who had entered before them and hid himself, cried out, and the devil was rebuked by St. Anthony and came out of him, and then they all knew that it was the devil that stunk." — " Wonderful as these things are, there are stranger things yet ; for once as he was going to pray, he was in a rapture, and (which is a paradox) as soon as he stood up, he saw himself without himself, as it were, in the air, and some bitter and terrible beings standing by him in the air too ; but the angels, his guardians, withstood them." *' He had also another particular favour, for as he was sitting "U the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 249 mount in a praying posture, and perhaps gravelled with some doubt relat- ing to himself, in the night-time, one called to him, and said, ' Anthony, arise, go forth and look!' so he went out and saw a certain terrible deformed personage, standing and reaching to the clouds, and winged creatures, and him stretching out his hands ; and some of them he saw were stopped by him, and others were flying beyond him ; whereupon the tall one gnashed his teeth, and Anthony perceived that it was the enemy of souls, who seizes on those who are accountable to him, but cannot reach those who are not persuadable by him." — His biographer declares that the devils fled at his word, as fast as from a whip. The Rev. Alban Butler says, '' there is extant a sermon of St. Anthony's, wherein he extols the efficacy of the sign of the cross for chasing tlic devil, and lays down rules for the discernment of spirits." There is reason to believe that he could not read : St. Austin thinks that he did not know the alphabet. lie wore his habit to his dying day, neither washing the dirt oft' his body, nor so much as his feet, unless they were wet by chance when he waded through water on a journey. The Jesuit Ribadcneira afiirms, that " all the world relented and bemoaned his death, for after- wards there fell no rain from heaven for three years." Though two centuries elapsed before Anthony's bones were looked for, his grave was not only discovered, but his body was found in the cus- tomary preservation. It was brought to Europe through a miracle. One Joceline, who had neglected a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, was, therefore, sorely wounded in battle, and carried for dead into a chapel dedicated to St. Anthony. When he began to revive, a multitude of devils appeared to drag Inm to hell, and one devil cast a halter about his neck to strangle him, wherefore St. Anthony appeared ; the devils flew from him of course, and he commanded Joceline to perform his pilgrimage, and to convey his body from the East ; whereupon Joceline obeyed, and carried it to France. The saint's beard afterwards was shown at Cologne, with a part of his hand, and another piece of him w^as shown at Tournay ; two of his relics were at Antwerp ; a church dedicated to him at Rome was famous for his sackcloth, and part of his palm coat ; the other part of it was exhibited at Vienna, and the rest of his body was multiplied about, so that there were limb-bones enough for the remains of half-a-dozcn uncanonized persons. St. Anthony's fire is an inflammatory disease, which, in the eleventh century, raged violently in various parts. According to the legend, the intercession of St. Anthony was prayed for, when it miraculously ceased ; and therefore, from that time, the complaint has been called St. Anthony's fire. St. David, or, in Welsh, Dewid, the patron of Wales, was son of Xantus, prince of Cardiganshire, and his birth was prophesied thirty years before it happened ; he was brought ujd a priest, became an St Davi/ ascetic in the Isle of Wight, afterwards preached to the Britons, founded twelve monasteries, ate only bread and vegetables, and drank milk and water. A synod being called at Brevy, in Cardigan- shire, A. D. 519, in order to suppress the heresy of Pelagius, " St. David confuted and silenced the infernal monster by his learning, eloquence, and miracles." After the synod, St. Dubritius, archbishop of Caerleon, resigned his see to St. David, which see is now called St. David's. He 250 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. died ill 544 ; St. Kentigern saw his soul borne by angels to heaven ; his body was in the church of St. Andrews. In 962, his relics were trans- lated to Glastonbury. One of the miracles alleged of St. David, by Cressy, is, that at the anti- Pelagian synod he restored a child to life, ordered it to spread a napkin iinder his feet, and made an oration ; that a snow-white dove descended from heaven and sat on his shoulders ; and that the ground whereon he stood rose under him till it became a hill ; " on the top of which hill a church was afterwards built, which remains to this day." He assembled a provincial synod to confirm the decrees of Brevy ; and wrote the pro- ceedings of both synods for preservation in his own church, and to be sent to other churches of the province ; but they were lost by age, negligence, and incursions of pirates, who almost every summer came in long boats from the Orkneys, and wasted the coast of Cambria. He invited St. Kined to this synod, who answered that he had grown crooked, distorted, and too weak for the journey; whereupon ensued " a double miracle," for " St. Kined having been restored to health and straightness by the prayers of St. David, by his own prayers he was reduced again to his former infirmity and crookedness." After this synod, he journeyed to the monastery of Glastonbury, which he had built and consecrated, with intent to repair it, and consecrated it again ; whereupon our Lord appearing to him in his sleep, and forbidding him to profane the sacred ceremony before performed, he in testimony with his finger pierced a hole in the bishop's hand, which remained open to the view of all men till the end of the next day's mass. Before his death " the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him. Prepare thyself." Again : " "When the hour of his departure was come, our Lord Jesus Christ vouchsafed his presence, to the infinite consolation of our holy father, who at the sight of him exulted." More to the same purpose is alleged by the Catholic writers respecting him, — such as, that at his death, " being associated to a troop of angels, he with them mounted up to heaven;" and that the event was known " by an angel divulging^'it." According to Porter, St. David was uncle to the famous Prince Arthur, or, strictly speaking, half-uncle, if St. David's illegitimacy be authentic. The same author relates of him, that on his way from building the church of Glastonbury he went to Bath, cured an infection of the waters, and by his prayers and benediction gave them the perpetual heat they still retain. On the same authority, St. David's posthumous virtue, in the reign of King Stephen, occasioned the brook above the churcliyard of St. David's church to run wine, by miracle : the well near it, called Pisteldewy, or the Conduit of David, sent forth milk instead of water. Also a boy, tliat endeavoured to take pigeons from a nest in St. David's church at Lhan- nons, had his fingers miraculously fastened to the stone, till by his friends' watching, fasting, and praying before the altar three days and nights, the stone fell from his hand. " Manie thousands of other miracles have been wrought by the meritts of this holy man, which for brevitie's sake we omitt. I only desire all true-hearted Welshmen allwaies to honour this their great patrone and protector, and supplicate the Divine Goodness to reduce his sometime beloved countrey out of the bhndncss of Frotedtancie^ groveling in which it languishcth. Not only in Wales, but all England ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 261 over, is most famous in the memorie of St. David. But in these our un- liappie daies the greatest part of his solemnitie consisteth in wearing of a greene leeke, and it is a sufficient theme for a zealous Welshman to ground a quarrell against him that doeth not honour his capp with the like orna- ment that day." The feast of this saint is celebrated in the church of Minerva, where the Much 7ili cardinals assist solemnly at mass ; and in St. Barbara s feast St. Thomas of the booksellers, who have taken St. Thomas Aquinas for Aquinas. their patron. It is related in the Golden Legend, that a man who was thought to be starved to death, and who by a rope cast about his neck, was drawn to the top of a tower, and thrown down from thence, when he came to the ground rose up upon his feet, and gave the following account to those who wondered at his being alive, since he had continued so long without suste- nance, and how it was possible for him to be preserved in his fall ; he assured them, that St. Barbara preserved him in all his dangers, and in his fall from the tower sustained him with her holy hands. It is also related, that St. Barbara's father, who was a heathen, and had shut her up in a tower for fear of being seduced, she being a very great beauty, perceiving by her discourses that she was a Christian, drew out his sword in great indignation, with design to kill her; but upon her prayers to God, a great stone opening itself, received her into its cavity, and rolled with her to a mountain full of caves, where she thought to have hid herself, but was discovered by a shepherd, who was punished for it in a miraculous manner ; he himself being changed into a marble statue, and all his sheep into locusts, others say beetles; which, as a perpetual accusation of the crime, continually hover about her grave. It is recorded by Surius, that in 1448, at a town called Gorcum in Holland, one Henry Knoch, by an accident of the candle's falling into the straw, had his house set on fire in the night, and he himself hardly escaped in his shirt, which began to burn in two places ; but remembering he had left some money in the house, he resolved to return to it, in order to save it ; but before he could come to the place where it lay, the house fell upon his naked body ; when apprehending present death, he was more tormented, because he had not been prepared against the terrors of death by the sacraments of the church, and in this distress he betook him- self to St. Barbara for the remedy of his soul, by addressing himself to her in prayer. The saint, being thus invoked, immediately presented herself before him, under sucli a shape as she is usually represented in churches. AVith her garments she quickly quenched the globes of fire, and with her white hand brought him through the straw-roof, and setting him in a safe place, told him that his Ufe would be prolonged till the next morning, &c., saying which, she vanished away. All was performed as she had said, though Henry was so burned, that scarcely any flesh was left on his bones unconsumed, and what remained of him was as black as a negro, his eyes, heart, and tongue excepted, which remained untouched. This day is sacred, likewise, to the memory of St. Paul the Anchorite. He was a man of profound ignorance. Butler says he was named " the simple." He journeyed eight days into the desert to become a disciple of St. Anthony, who told him he was too old, and bade him return home, 252 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. mind his business, and say his prayers : he shut the door upon. him. Paul fasted and prayed before the door till Anthony opened it, and out of com- passion made a monk of him. One day, after he had diligently worked at making mats and hurdles, and prayed without intermission, St. Anthony bid him undo his work, and do it all over again, which he did, without asking for a morsel of bread, though he had been seven days without eat- ing ; this was to try Paul's obedience. Another day, when some monks came to Anthony for advice, he bade Paul spill a vessel of honey and gather it up without any dust ; this was another trial of his obedience. At other times he ordered him to draw water a wdiole day and pour it out again ; to make baskets and pull them to pieces ; to sew and unsew garments, and the like : these were other trials of his obedience. When Anthony had thus exercised him, he placed him in a cell three miles from his own, proposed him as a model of obedience to his disciples, sent sick persons to him, and others possessed wath the devil, whom he could not cure himself. The feast of St. Gregory, surnamed the Great, is held in St. Peter's, where his body is deposited. He w^as praetor of Rome in 574, under the March 12th. Emperor Justin; next year he became a monk, and by fasting St. Gregory and study became so weak, that he swooned if he did not fre- the Pope. quently eat. What gave him the greatest affliction was, his not hemg able to fast on Easter- eve ; a day on which, says St. John the Deacon, every one, not even excepting little children, are used to fast ; whereupon, by praying that he might be enabled to fast, he not only fasted, but quite forgot his illness. He determined to proceed to Britain to propagate the faith ; but the whole city rose in an uproar to prevent his departure, and the pope constrained him to remain. Pope Pelagius II. afterwards sent him as nuncio to Constantinople, where Eutychius fell into an error, importing that, after the resurrec- tion, glorified bodies icould 7iot he palpable^ but of a more subtile texture than air. St. Gregory clearly demonstrated that such bodies would be the same which they had on earth, and Eutychius retracted his error. On his return to Rome, he took with him an arm of St. Andrew, and the head of St. Luke. Pelagius made him his secretary, after whose death he was elected pope himself. To escape from the danger of this elevation, Gregory got himself car- ried out of Rome in a wicker basket, and lay concealed in the woods and caverns for three days. He was afterwards consecrated with great pomp ; and on that occasion sent a synodal epistle to the other patriarchs, wherein he declared that " he received the four councils as the four gospels." Butler says, he extended his charity to the heretics, and " to the very Jews ;" yet he afterwards adds, that In Africa " he extirpated the Donatists." He subscribed himself in his letters. Servant of the Servants of God. He sent to the Empress Constantina a veil which had touched tlie relics of the apostles, and assured her that miracles had been wrought by such relics, and promised her some dust-filings of the chains of St. Paul. He likewise sent to St. Austin and other monks to convert the English. He died on the 25th of January, ()04. His devotion to tlie church was constant ; he was learned, enterprising, sincere, and credulous ; and, for ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 2:") 3 tlic times wherein he lived, charitable and merciful. lie was the author of the church-singing called the Gregorian chant. JNIany miracles are related of St. Gregory ; as, that going to bless a church in honour of St. Agnes, which had been used by the Arians, he caused the relics to be placed on the altar, whereon a hog went grunting out of the churcli with a fearful noise ; whence it was averred, that the devil, who had been served in it by the heretic Arians, was driven out by the relics. Sometimes the lamps were miraculously lighted. One day a briglit cloud descended on the altar, with a heavenly odour, so that from reverence no one dared to enter the church. At another time, when Gregory was transid:>stantiating the wafers, a woman laughed ; he asked her why she laughed ? to which at length she answered, '' because you call the bread wdiich I made with my own hands the body of our Lord ;" whereupon he prayed, and the consecrated bread appeared flesh to every one present ; and the woman was converted, and the rest were confirmed. At another time, some ambassadors coming to Rome for relics, Gregory took a linen cloth which had been applied to the body of a saint, and in- closing it in a box, gave it to them. While on their journey home, they were curious to see the contents of the box ; and finding nothing within it but the cloth, returned to St. Gregory, complaining that lie had de- ceived them. On this, he took the cloth, laid it on the altar, prayed, pricked it with a knife ; the cloth shed blood, and the astonished ambassa- dors reverently took back the box. A'nother time, one who had been excommunicated by St. Gregory for having put away his lawful wife, bargained with certain sorcerers and witches for revenge ; who, when the holy pope rode through the city, sent the devil into his horse, and made him caper, so that he could not be held : then, with the sign of the cross, the pope cast out the devil ; and the witches, by miracle, becoming blind, were converted, and St. Gregory baptized them ; yet he would not restore their sight, lest they should read their magical books again ; but he maintained them out of the churcli-rents. After his death there was a famine in Rome, and the people being falsely persuaded that St. Gregory had wasted the church property, gathered his writings to burn them ; wherefore Peter the Deacon, who liad been intimate with Gregory, affirmed that he had often seen the Holy Ghost in form of a dove upon St. Gregory's head whilst he was writing, and that it w^ould be an insufferable affront to burn those books, which had been written by his inspiration ; and to assure them of this, he offered to confirm it by oath, but stipulated that, if he died immediately after he had taken the oath, they should believe that he had told them the truth : this being assented to, he took the oath, and thereupon died, and the people believed ; and " hence," says Rabadineira, " the painters came to represent St. Gregory with a dove at his ear, to signify that the Holy Ghost inspired and dictated what he WTote." It is also related of St. Gregory, that, when he fled from Rome to avoid the dio-nity of popedom, and lay hidden, a bright pillar of fire, descending from heaven, glittered above his head, and angels appeared descending and ascending by the same fiery pillar upon him ; wherefore, he was miracu- lously betrayed. 254 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Lent is said to be an imitation of the fasting of Jesus Christ. It must be of great antiquity, since it is cited by several ancient fathers. In the primitive church the Christians did not always fast during Lent an ^j^^ precise term of forty days; for we have examples of Lent-seasons that were of shorter continuance, and of others that lasted longer. It was sometimes usual to begin Lent at Septuagesi- ma, other times at Sexagesima, and often at Quinquagesima. With some, it held six weeks, with others seven, and some again began it but three weeks before Easter. It was kept very strictly, for they used to abstain not only from wine, flesh, meats, and all kinds of luxury, but to fast till the evening. Lastly, all persons were prohibited from marrying during Lent, which custom is observed to this day. The fast of the ember weeks was borrowed originally from the Jews ; for they bear a relation to four fasts which the Jews denominated from the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months. The ember weeks are ob- served in March, June, September, and December. The humiliation of the ember weeks consists in three days'* strict fasting in each season of the year. By this fast, the faithful are taught that the four parts of the year are to be equally consecrated to God. Some pretend that these fasts were established as early as the first century of the church, but tliat they were not absolutely binding ; on the contrary, that a person might transgress them without scandal or ofionce. It is even said that this coldness and indifi*erence were not suppressed but in process of time by councils. Others say, that the ember weeks were not instituted till the year 460, by Pope St. Leo. Moreover, that Pope Gelasius commanded that priests and deacons should be ordained in those seasons. As it was customary in the apostolic age for fasting and public prayer to precede their ordina- tions, it was but reasonable that the present ember weeks should be dis- tinguished by the same pious exercises, and that the faithful should em- ploy fasting and prayer " to implore such officers of God as might be worthy to serve his church." The ceremony of giving ashes is one of the ancient methods of express- ing sorrow, of which mention is often made in the Old Testament. It is Ceremony ^^^^ ^ *^P^ ^^ *^^® public penance used among Christians i)f giving the anciently, during which the penitent was cut off from all Aslies. communication wuth the rest of the faithful, and stood at the church-door, covered with sackcloth and ashes. The ashes that are made use of on Ash-Wednesday must be made from the branches of olive, or some other trees that have been blessed the fore- going year on Palm-Sunday. The sacristan, or vestry-keeper, gets these ashes ready, and lays them in a small vessel on the altar, on the epistle- side ; after which, the officiating priest blesses them, for w^hich purpose the w^ax-tapers on the altar are lighted. The officiating priest, his clerks, and his acolytes, put on ornaments suitable to the solemnity of the cere- mony ; during which the choir chant none^ or the ninth hour ; after which, the officiating priest, preceded by the incense-bearer, and other assistants, goes up to the altar, kisses it, and says a prayer, with his face a little turned towards the ashes. He afterwards makes tlie sign of the cross upon the ashes, and incenses them. The incensing being ended, the priest, having on one side of him the deacon carrying the ashes, and his ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 255 sub-deacon on the other, goes forward towards the middle of the altar, and turns round to the congregation. Then the chief of the clergy, in whose church the ceremony of giving the ashes is performed, goes up to the altar, and lays the ashes on the head of the officiating priest in the form of a cross, repeating these words, Memento homo quia pulvis es, &c. ; i. e., Remember, man, that thou art dust. Sec. After the priest has received the ashes, he gives them to his assistants, to all the clergy then present, and at last to the whole congregation. The women, as well as the men, receive the ashes on their foreheads. A bishop, with his mitre off, receives the ashes sitting, from the officiating canon ; after which the prelate, putting on his mitre, and havino- a w^hite cloth before him, gives the ashes to the officiating canon, who stoops before him. It is the bishop's province to give the ashes to a churchman of superior dignity, such as an archbishop or patriarch. Princes, ambas- sadors, and other persons of distinction, receive the ashes after the canons. The canons and the superior clergy incline their bodies when they receive them, but all the inferior clergy and the laity take them kneeling. The pope receives them from the officiating cardinal, who does not repeat the Memento, &c., to him ; but the cardinal stoops a little when he takes them from the pope. If an emperor were to assist at this ceremony of humi- liation, he must take them after all the cardinals, for the princes of the church are superior to all temporal ones. Pope Urban Y. sent, on the fourth Sunday in Lent of the year 1366, a golden rose, to Joan, queen of Sicily, and made a decree, by which it ordained, that the popes should consecrate one at that season Goldeu"Rose! ^"^^^^ ^^^ar. This golden rose is enriched with precious stones, and is often sent by the pope to princesses, or to some church, as a mark of his peculiar affection. His holiness blesses the rose in the room in which the ornaments are kept, immediately before he goes to hear mass in his own chapel. This blessing is performed with frankincense, holy water, balm, and musk, mixed together. The benediction being ended, the pope goes out of the room, and one of his privy-chamberlains carries the rose before him, and lays it on a candlestick. Then a cardinal- deacon presents it to his holiness, who, taking it in his left hand, walks on to the chapel, and with his right hand blesses the faithful who Hne the w^ay. After this, the rose is returned to the cardinal-deacon, and he gives it to a clerk of the chamber, who lays it on the altar. Mass being ended, his holiness gives the rose to whomsoever he thinks proper. We must not omit that the Sunday of the golden rose is called Lcetare, from a lesson which is read on that day, beginning at verse 10 of the 66th chapter of Isaiah, and that the sacred college come into the chapel clothed in cassocks of the colour of dried roses. The rose is remarkable for three qualities, which are to be applied to the faithful of the Church, viz., for its colour, its fragrance, and taste. The substance of the golden rose, the musk and the balm with which it is blessed, are so many emblems of the divine, the spiritual, and human nature of Jesus Christ. On Palm-Sunday, palms are prepared at the pope's chapel ; and when Ceremonies of *^^^«® cannot be procured, olive branches are sometimes used, Palm-Sunday, adorned with the leaves of the palm-tree, tied up neatly 25(5 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. in the shape of a cross : these pahn, or olive-branches, are about five feet in length. The pope then goes in procession to the chapel ; and when the prayers and ceremonies which are used in all other benedic- tions are ended, his holiness sprinkles and incenses the branches. After their consecration the chief cardinal-bishop presents two of the largest of them to his holiness, who gives them to tivo persons of distinction, who, according to the Roman ceremonial, must stand on each side of the pope, with the branches in their hands. The above-mentioned cardinal then presents him a third branch, less than the former ; this the pope gives to a chamberlain, and presents the rest to the cardinals, prelates, ambassa- dors, and noblemen who assist at the ceremony. The branches, which the cardinal-bishop offers to his holiness, are beautifully adorned with flowers, and must be kissed by those to whom they are presented. When the chief cardinal-bishop receives them, he has the honour to kiss the hand and knee of his holiness ; the rest of the cardinals also kiss his knee, but the clergy of an inferior order only kiss his foot. The ceremony concludes with distributing the branches among the people ; and during the service of the Passion, all the congregation hold their branches in their hands. On Palm-Sunday, the altars, likewise, are adorned with palm or olive- branches. The branches designed to be distributed are laid upon a table near the altar, and remain there covered with a white cloth till the time of blessing them. One remarkable custom practised on Palm-Sunday, and which is still observed in several parts of Christendom, is the setting a prisoner at liberty : upon which occasion the bishop and clergy go in procession : the ceremony of this delivery is considered by the Catholics as a type of their spiritual freed(mi. This ceremony is borrowed from the Jews, who used anciently to set a prisoner at liberty on the day of their passover, in com- memoration of their deliverance from the Egyptian bondage. After the palms are disti'ibuted, the procession begins by the deacon presenting tlie officiating priest with one of the branches, which he kisses, as also the priest's hand : this being done, the sub-deacon takes the cross, and occupies a station between the two incense-bearers, at the entrance of the sanctuary, or chancel. Immediately after, the deacon, having knelt down, and turned himself towards the people, repeats to them, Proceda- mus in pace ^ i. e. Let us go in peace ; and the procession is then performed round the church. When it is ended, mass is said. During the singing of the Passion, the several members of the congregation hold their branches in their hands, not excepting the officiating priest and the ministers of the altar ; none being excepted but the deacons, who repeat the service of the passions, and the acolytes, and their attendants. After mass is ended, every member of the congregation carries home his branch which has been blessed ; and, according to the rituals, a branch thus blessed is a preservative from several diseases, and an instrument of in- numerable blessings. After various preliminary ceremonies, the procession sets out, each pcr- The Procession ^^^ y^'\i\\ his taper in his hand, in such order, that the of the Host to the youngcst walks first, and the oldest last. The superior Sepulclirc. clergy walk immediately after the priest, who marches ROMAN CATHOLIC CllUnCII. 257 under a canopy, and carries tlic host. Being come to the sepulclu-e, the youngest place themselves near the cross, which is set opposite to the grave, and the oldest place themselves behind them : this being done, they all fall down on their knees, the incense and cross bearers excepted ; and the choir sings and repeats the anthem Tantum ergo sacramentum^ till the conclusion of the ceremony. Tlie priest now incenses the host, and a deacon takes it up and holds it in his hands, till such time as the priest kneels down before it. This being done, the deacon puts it again in the tabernacle, where the priest incenses it thrice ; after which, the deacon locks up the tabernacle, and gives the key of it to the master of the ceremonies. At the return of the procession, all the tapers are i)ut out, with the exception of those of the acolytes, who walk before the cross-bearers. The officiating priest now puts off his white vestments, and puts on purple ones, in order to say the office of the vespers ; his at- tendants do the same ; and after the vespers are ended, they uncover tlie altars in the following manner : — The officiating priest takes from the high altar its coverings, its Pallia^ and other ornaments, but does not take off the cross and its lights. They even take away the little table on which the church plate, the carpets, and flowers, usually stand ; and they likewise uncover the pulpit and the churcli-walls, the covering of which the sacristan carries into the vestry. The cross is now covered with a black or purple-coloured veil ; the taber- nacle is veiled in the same manner, and is left open, being the house of the living God, who has absented himself from it for some time. The cross must now be placed before the tabernacle. In order to solemnize the passion of our Saviour \ a black canopy is then set over the high altar, and the walls of the church are hung with the same colour. The whole of this mournful ceremony is ushered in by certain anthems. It is stated that the uncovering of the altars represents the ignominious manner in which Jesus Christ was stripped of his garments. After the ceremonies above mentioned are ended, the pope is carried to the gallery, where the bull in Cwna Domini is read ; by which his holi- ness excommunicates, in a solemn manner, all heretics and unrepenting sinners ; after which, he gives his blessing to all the people there as- sembled. During the publication of tlie bull in Coena Domini^ which is given out from the gallery of the blessing, the pope is then clothed in a red chasu- ble, and a stole of the same colour, and stands in a kind of high pulpit, the better to be seen by the people. The sub-deacon, who stands at the left hand of his holiness, reads the bull, which is in Latin ; and the dea- con, who stands at his right, reads the same to them in Italian. In the mean time the candles are lighted, and each of them takes one in his hand. When the excommunicatioi^ is prorounced, the pope and cardinals put out their candles, and throw them among the crowd ; after which, the black cloth that covered the pulpit is taken away. Two cardinal-deacons' assistants now publish the plenary indulgence, — one in Latin, the other in Italian. After this, his holiness washes the feet of twelve priests in the ducal liall, and entertains them at dinner in another apartment, himself wait- ing upon them ; and presents to each of them two medals, the one of 258 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. gold, the otlier of silver, as also an apostolical garment, made of white serge. This ceremony is considered typical of Jesus Christ washing the feet Ceremony of ^f his disciples, and is held in high veneration by the rigid washing the feet Roman Catholic. A modern writer thus describes the cere- of the poor. n^ony . The pope and cardinals having come into the ducal hall, the cardinal- deacon's assistants clothe his holiness with his purple stole, his red cope, and plain mitre. Their eminences are clothed in purple copes. His holi- ness having put three spoonfuls of odoriferous spices into the thurible, gives his blessing to tlie cardinal-deacon, who is to sing the gospel, which he begins. Ante diem festum Paschce ; after this, one of the apostolical sub- dracons gives the pope a book of the New Testament to kiss, and the cardinal-deacon incenses him thrice ; immediately after whicli, a chorus of musicians sing the 34th verse of the 13th chapter of St. John, in which are these w^ords, Manclafum novum do whis : " A new commandment I give unto you." As soon as the pope hears these words sung, he takes off his cope, and putting on a white apron, washes the feet of thirteen poor priests, being- strangers, who sit on a high form or bench, clothed in white camelot, with a kind of capouch or cape, that reaches down to the middle of their arms. This, at the pope's court, is called an apostolical garment. The afore- mentioned priests have their right legs bare, and these are well washed over with soap and water, before they are presented to the pope to wash. When he has done, the treasurer, by his order, gives to each of them two medals, one of gold, the other of silver, weighing an ounce each. The major domo now presents a napkin to the dean of the cardinal college, or one of the most ancient bishops of the apostolic college, who dries their feet. Afterwards, the pope returns to his seat, takes off his apron, washes his • hands in water, which a layman of the highest quality, then present, pours out to him, and afterwards wipes them with a napkin, which is presented to him by the chief cardinal bishop. This being done, the pope again puts on his cope and mitre, and sings the Lord's prayer and several others in I^atin ; after which he goes into the vestry, wiiere he leaves his pontifical vestments, and withdraws to his apartment, accom- panied by the cardinals. The above ceremony is performed nearly after the same manner in the rest of the churches in Rome, as w^ell as in other places, by the bishops and curates of parishes. The place where the ceremony is performed, must be adorned and perfumed with flowers and odoriferous herbs ; and there must be at least one table in form of an altar, neatly covered. The cross must be veiled with white, to denote that purity of which the cere- mony of wasliing the feet is a type ; and a^ everything must have an alkision to that ceremony, the rituals observe, that the candles which are lighted at this solemn act must be made of the whitest wax. The credence- tables, and the basins into which the water is poured, must also be adorned with flowers. The thirteen priests wliose feet have been washed by the pope, and who are on that day called apostles, are, an hour afterwards, carried into a beautiful apartment in the Vatican, in which the tliirteen priests are enter- ROMAN CATIIOLTC CHURCH. 259 tained with a most splendid dinner. Tliey arc no sooner seated than the pope comes in, and presents to each of them the first dish, and afterwards ponrs out to each the first glass of wine ; during which he discourses to them with great familiarity, and grants them several privileges. When the pope has withdrawn, his preacher in ordinary begins a ser- mon in the above-mentioned apartment, while the thirteen priests are sitting at dinner, in lieu of the spiritual lecture usual at meals in all ecclesiastical societies. The preacher who officiates en this occasion, is the same that generally preaches once a week before the pope in his chamber during Lent and Advent. On this occasion the pope sits in a gallery, unseen by any person, and the cardinals sit round it, clothed in purple copes, as in the consistory. The ceremony ends with a sumptuous enter- tainment, which his holiness gives to the cardinals ; and the whole is heightened with a fine concert of music. It is thus that Rome beholds annually renewed the image of the Lord's Supper with his apostles. At Rome, the Holy Oils are blessed on Holy Thursday, at which time those of the preceding year are burnt. The ceremony is performed with oreat solemnity, after having first reconciled the penitents to the^Oib"^ ""^ ^^^^ Church. After nones, or the ninth hour, the officiating priest clothes himself in white, and puts on his sandals, &c. The canons, the several ministers of the altar, seven deacons, seven sub- deacons, and twelve priests, are likewise clothed in white, and all walk in procession to the altar. Omitting the various genuflexions, prayers, and anthems, which follow the procession, we shall only observe, that the officiating priest blesses, consecrates, and exorcises three sorts of oil. He first performs the ceremony on that of the infirm, or on that which is used in extreme unction, exorcisms, &c. ; afterwards on that of the chrism ; and, lastly, on that of the catechumens ; and the whole is closed with a salutation, which the officiating priest and the ministers who assist at the consecration make to these sanctified oils, saying, Ave sandum oleum., — Hail^ holy oil., &c. After this, the new-made oils are carried in procession into the sacristy, where the officiating priest washes his hands, then sings mass, and gives the blessing. Good Good Friday is distinguished in various places by ceremonies Friday, of great splendour, of which the following may serve as examples: At Courtray, there is a commemorative procession on Good Friday, of our Saviour to Mount Calvary. The city magistrates give five-and-twenty livres to a poor man, who represents the suffering Saviour ; and the monks assure him of certain salvation, in case he happen to die under the blows that are given him in this ceremony. The procession first assembles in the parish-church, and the mock Saviour is brought into the sacristy, where he is clothed with a purple robe, his loins girded with a thick rope, and his head crowned with thorns ; after wdiich he is made to walk bare- foot, with a kind of pack-saddle bound around his neck. On each side of this collar six ropes arc put, which are to be fastened to a wooden cross of great weight, which the voluntary martyr has now laid upon his shoulders ; and thus equipped, he rambles up and down the whole city. Six Capuchins, who walk at his right hand, draw the six ropes which are fixed on that side of the pack-saddle ; and the other six are drawn by as many Recollets, or Franciscans : so that the poor fellow is so dragged s 2 260 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. and hauled bv the twelve friars, that he is continnallv stiinibliiio- and is almost pulled to pieces. This poor mock Saviour would have a terrible ordeal to go through, were it not for a sham Simon the Cyrenean, who, very luckily, comes just in time to free him from his torments. The poor wretch, before he gets into the church, is half killed ; how^ever, notwith- ing the kicks and bufFetings which the people and the mimic Jew^s bestow upon him, he is so thoroughly persuaded of the merits of his sufferings, and that they will procure him an eternity of bliss, that he bears all big torments without the least murmur or complaint. The procession at Brussels, in which the crucifixion of our Saviour is represented, is no less extraordinary in its circumstances. Both the city and the court endeavour to do honour to this solemnity ; and ProcesMon ^^ jg performed in the church of the Austin-friars, at the foot at LJrusseJs. r ^ ^ r^^ i of the altar. Ihe persons who form the procession assemble in St. Gudula"'s, the cathedral church, by eight in the morning, and the Brotherhood of Merc?/ come thither in their proper habits, barefooted, and their faces masked ; some walking with drums covered with black cloth. After the brotherhood, a great number of prisoners come forward, each of whom drags after him an iron cannon ball, chained to his foot ; next come several Austin friars, dressed in Jewish habits, in the midst of whom is a man, who is always a criminal, (but pardoned for the part he then acts,) bound and fettered, crowned with tliorns, and dressed in a purple robe. Tlien several trumpets come forward, and after them the prebends, the priests, and a multitude of people. In this equipage they all crowd into the church, where the concourse is generally so great, that the multitudes are obliged to stand without. In the church a large scaffold is erected, and a cross, twenty feet in height, is set upon it : the person who represents the crucified Saviour ascends this scaffold, and is followed by those who represent the Jews, with hammers, nails, and ropes in their hands. The Brotherhood of Mercy crowd round the scaffold, and the ladies have high seats prepared for them; the common people standing below in the pit. Tlie mock Jews now strip the pretended Christ of his ornaments, lay him along the scaffold, and cast dice for his garments ; which being done, tliey strip him to his sliirt. Lastly, he is fixed on the cross, by tying his hands and feet with leathern thongs which are nailed to the cross ; and the better to imitate our Saviour's sufferings, they put little bladders, filled with blood, under the thongs, which being pierced by the nails, the blood is seen to trickle from his hands and feet ! This is the \Qvy pathos of this pious farce; for at the sight of the blood, the hearts of the people are moved, and the most devout beat their breasts, while the monks sin^r anthems suitable to the occasion. At Venice, on Good Friday, the Holy Sacrament is carried in proces- sion, about nine or ten at night, with the utmost solemnity : it is laid in . -^ . a coffin, covered with black velvet, and in this manner is carried round the square of St. Mark. St. Didier informs us, " that there cannot be a finer sight than this square then affords. Two large flambeaux of white wax are set at each window of the palace Delia Pro- curatia, which goes round the square. This double range of flambeaux, and those which are set over the church gate, are to light the several pro- ROMAN CATHOLIC CHUIICII. 2ul cessions of the fraternities, and the neighbouring parishes, who go into the square. Here the penitents appear in masquerade, and beat themselves till the blood follows the blows. For this purpose they have scourges made of a great number of little sharp cords, which they hold with both their hands, and dipped in a pot filled with vinegar. They strike them- selves on the back with so much order, and in such exact cadence, tliat they must necessarily have studied the art very much, to be so very expert in it. Here follows the order which is observed in this procession. There are three or four hundred men, all of them holding thick torches of wliite wax, six feet long, and weighing at least twelve or fifteen pounds each. These walk two and two, with a like number of persons, each holding a lantern, and w^alking between the torches in such a manner, that the spectator sees alternately a flambeau and a lantern. They are all clothed in black or white serge, according to their fraternities, having a large cowl, two feet in length, and terminating in a point, which hangs down on their backs. Their lanterns are very large, and are fixed to the end of sticks ; each has several tapers in it, which gives a great light, the lanterns being made of very clear glass. As there are a great number of glass houses in and about Venice, some of them are made in a very odd shape, and are so heavy that one man is hardly able to carry them. Some are made in the shape of stars, or like suns, with a great number of rays darting from them, and are six feet in diameter. The glasses are fixed in with pieces of iron and lead, gilt : others are made in the shape of roses, full and half moons, comets, pyramids, crosses, globes, eagles with ex- tended wings, &c. In the midst of these flambeaux and lanterns the standard is placed, and afterwards the cross, w-ith a crucifix four feet high, covered with crape ; and a nosegay at the foot of it, as broad as a half- bushel. The several fraternities strive to rival each other in the singula- rity and beauty of their flowers, as w^ell as in the form they give to their nosegays. The Battiiti walk before the cross, scourging themselves by starts, and walking backwards, having their eyes always fixed on the crucified Saviour. After the cross the relics follow, carried on litters covered with flowers and tapers. On both sides of the cross, several per- sons walk with long flambeaux in their hands, and large silver candlesticks, with several candles in them, fixed on a long pole. Afterwards, a chorus of voices is heard, and the clergy follow ; then come the guardian, the deputy-guardian, and all the brethren of the fraternity, each having a torch in his hand. The ceremony of the adoration of the cross is also performed on Good Friday. After nones, the ofiiciating priest goes up to the altar, preceded by the acolytes, without tapers, and the rest of the ministers of the°Cros9^ ^^ *^^^ altar : they first kneel before it, and bow to the cross, a duty at all times necessary, but particularly on this day. Im- mediately after the officiating priest and his ministers have repeated on their knees certain prayers in a low tone, the acolytes cover the table of the altar, and lay the mass-book on a black cushion, on the epistle-side. This done, the master of the ceremonies makes a signal to the officiating priest and his ministers to rise up ; then the acolytes take aw\ay the cushions that were knelt upon, and the black cloth, while the choir and 262 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHUKCH. the congregation say their prayers upon their knees. The minister who is to officiate now goes up to the altar, kisses it as usual, and afterwards either repeats, or sings with a low voice, the several lessons of the day, which his ministers repeat after him. Prayers being ended, the officiating priest goes to the epistle-side, the deacon takes the cross, which is veiled, from the altar, and presents it to the officiating priest, who, after he has uncovered the top of the cross, elevates it with both hands, at the same time singino- these words: Ecce lignum crucis^ — Behold the icood of the cross. Then all the congregation rise up with their heads bare, and the ministers of the altar sing as follows : In quo salus mimdl pej^endit, — Oti which the Saviour of the world was exteiuled. The choir answers, Venite et adoremus^ — Let us come and adore. Here, every one falls upon his knees, the officiating priest excepted. A moment after, they all rise up ; the officiating priest uncovers the right arm of the crucifix, and the head of Jesus; shows it, elevates it, and says, Ecce lignum^ c^t., but louder than before. Lastly, he goes up towards the middle of the altar, turns towards the congregation, and with a very loud voice repeats the same words, at the same time elevating the crucifix, and showing it quite uncovered. The acolytes now spread a purple piece of cloth, or carpet, in the midst of the chancel, and before the steps of the altar. A purple cushion, and a silken veil embroidered with gold, are laid upon the altar. The officiating priest carries the cross thither, and kneeling down, lays it on the cushion, and bows to it. Preceded by his ministers, who attend upon him at this august ceremony, he now returns to his place, where he puts off his sandals and his mitre. He afterwards advances towards the cross, in the midst of his ministers, who are likewise without shoes or sandals ; kneels down thrice, repeats thrice a short prayer, and at last kisses the holy wood, which the ministers do likewise. After this, having bowed to the cross, they all return and put on their sandals. The rest of the dignitaries of the church, each in his rank, now perform the same ceremony, and also the people. In those countries where the women do not sit with the men, a priest having a black stole over his surplice goes and presents them the crucifix to kiss and adore. The same ceremonies are performed at the pope's chapel. After his holiness has kissed the crucifix, he makes an offering of twenty-five ducats of gold at least, which he puts into a vessel of the same metal, laid near the left arm of the crucifix. After the cardinals, emperors and kings go and worship the cross. The ceremony of the adoration being ended, the deacon salutes the cross, elevates it, and in this j^osture carries it to the altar, where he places it, observing to bow the knee before it. As he walks along, the officiat- ing priest stands up while it passes before him ; but the rest of the ministers of the altar remain upon their knees. The ceremonies on Easter Eve are at St. John's de Lateran ; where, after the blessing of the fire and water, the catechumens who are of age Easter Ev ^^^ baptized in the Baptisterium of Constantino ; the Pope assists solemnly at the office in the Apostolical chapel, and a cardinal priest sings mass. On Easter Eve, the ornaments of the churches aiid altars are cliangcd ; ROMAN CATHOLIC CilLUCH. 263 the black, with which the Letter were covered, is taken off, and white put on ; the tabernacle is also uncovered, and covered with white, but so that the purple still appears on the outward side, till the Litanies are ended. In hke manner, after that part of the service has been celebrated, a carpet, or some rich covering, is laid on the steps of the altar, and the images are unveiled. Then six large tapers are got ready for solemn mass, and like- wise all the lights which are to burn before the altar. On the gospel-side of the altar, a great candlestick is placed, which must be mtde in the shape of an angel, if possible, and very neatly wrought. In this candlestick, the paschal candle is fixed ; it must be made of the whitest wax, and weigh about eight or ten pounds; five holes are made in it, in the shape of a cross, to be filled with five gTains of frankincense, gilt over, and made in the shape of a pine-apple. To con- clude, some edifying subject is painted on the taper, such as the patron of the place, or any other saint. As everything must correspond with the solemnity of the day, the ritual ordains, that the reed with which the tapers are lighted shall also be gilt and adorned with flowers. The three small candles which are fixed to the top of the reed represent the Trinity in Unity, and must therefore join together at the basis, i. e. at the end which touches the reed. It is ordained by the rituals, that baptism is not to be administered for a week before Easter-eve, unless a child's life be in danger. On this eve is likewise performed the ceremony of blessing the new fire. The church being strewed with flowers, at the ninth hour the old fire is put out, and at the same time an acolyte must light the new one on the outside of the church. The ofiiciating priest, dressed in his sacerdotal vestments, and attended by the ministers of the altar and the clergy, now walks out of the church in procession, and goes to the place where the blessing of the fire is to be performed. The holy-water pot is carried thither in great pomp, as also the frankincense, the sub-deacon's purple maniple, and the mass-book. The sub-deacon walks singly with the cross, and is followed by the clergy. When every one has taken his place, the ofiiciating priest uncovers him- self, and pronounces these words : Dominus vohiscum, — The Lord he with you, Sfc. as usual. He afterwards repeats the prayer, Beus qui Jilium tuum, c^T., in the midst of which he makes the sign of the cross over the fire ; he likewise blesses the five grains of frankincense, which are put on a plate, which an acolyte holds lifted up to his breast.. In the mean time, the thuriferary puts some coals, after being blessed, into the thurible, into which the officiating priest throws some frankincense and blesses it ; then the deacon gives him the sprinkler, kissing it at the same time. The offici- ating priest then sprinkles thrice with holy water the fire which he had justlbefore blessed, and as he is sprinkling says these words : Asperyes me Domine. He incenses the sacred fire thrice, in the manner above men- tioned. Then one of the acolytes, or a sacristan, takes a small candle, and lights it at the new fire. Having gone in procession to the place where the ceremony was per- formed, they return from it in the same order ; but the deacon first puts oft' his purple ornaments, and puts on white, whereas the sub-deacon takes a purple maniple. The only particular circumstance in the procession is, -0*4 1103IAN CATHOLIC CIlUliCH. that the deacon walks in it with the above-mentioned reed in his hand, and the sub-deacon has a small candle shut up in a lantern. The pro- cession having arrived at tlie church-door, makes a halt, when the deacon kisses the reed, and the acolyte lights one of the candles fixed upon the reed with that which is in the lantern. Then they fall all upon their knees, and the deacon elevates the reed, and sings the anthem, which begins as follows : Jmmen Christi, <^'C. ; i. e. The light of Christ. He lights a second candle in the middle of the church with the same solemnity; and the third is lighted on the steps of the altar. There they must per- form certain acts of devotion, or rather ceremonies, one of which is The Blessing of the Paschal Candle. The deacon having asked the officiating priest'^s blessing, goes to the desk, on which he lays the mass-book, and incenses it thrice, but neither signs himself nor the mass-book v»'ith the sign of the cross. The rest of the ministers range themselves round the mass-book in the manner following: — The cross-bearer stands with the cross turned towards the officiating priest ; the thuriferary is at the deacon's right hand ; the other acolyte, who has the reed in his hand, and he who bears the five grains of incense, are at his left. When the deacon begins to sing the lesson called the Prceconimn, which begins Exuitet^ Sj-c. the officiating priest and his ministers uncover themselves ; and in the midst of their chanting, at these words, Citrvat ImpeHa^ he puts the five grains of incense in the form of a cross into the taper. After- wards, at certain words, Rutilans ignis acccndit^ Sfc. adapted to the mysteries of the ceremony, he lights the paschal taper ; and whilst he is chanting, an acolyte lights all the rest of the candles with the new fire. This ceremony being ended, the deacon returns to the sacristy, where he puts off his white ornaments, and resumes the purple stole and the maniple of the same colour. After the blessing of the tapers, follow the lessons called Prophecies ; and after them a verse is sung by the choristers, called Tractiis. Singing of the prayers concludes this ceremony. It is considered that the blessing of the paschal candle is of great anti- quity in the Church, and that Pope Zozimus in the beginning of the fifth century commanded that one should be lighted in every parish. This candle must remain on the gosjjel-side from Easter-eve to Ascen- sion-day. The officiating priest and his ministers now go in procession to hless the laptismal font ; the cross and taper bearers go on one side of it, and the Blessinjr of niluister who officiates stands opposite to them, in such a the Baptismal manuer that tlie font stands between him and the cross. The lonts. other ecclesiastics range themselves on each side; an acolyte stands at a little distance behind the officiating priest, at his right hand, holding a napkin to wipe his hands, and a thuriferary stands next in order to him. The minister who officiates then uncovers hlmstlf, and falls on his knees, with all the others, the cross and taper bearers excepted. After an anthem is sung suitable to the solemnity, he rises uj), and turning towards the font, pronounces the blessing, making the sign of the cross that way. He afterwards exorcises the water, makes a cross in it with his hands, and pjurs sonic out of the vessel towards the four cardinal points of the horizon. nOiMAN CATUOLIC CllUKCir. 265 This done, he wipes his hands with the napkin given him by the acolyte, and repeats a player, at the conclusion of which he blows thrice on the water, and in three different places, always observing to do it crossways. lie also plunges a taper thrice into the same water, observing to sink it deeper the second time than the first, and the third more than the second, saying at each immersion the following words : Descendat in hancplenltit- dinem fontis virtus Spiritus Sa7icti ; i. e. May the Spirit of the Holy Ghost descend into this water. The assistants now sprinkle the people with a little of this water, and they also send a priest or a sacristan to sprinkle the houses therewith. After this ceremony, the ofiiciating minister perfumes the font thrice with frankincense ; after which he takes the oil of the catechumens, and pours it on the water crossways, and does the same with the chrisma. Being poured into the water in equal proportions, and always crossways, he afterwards mixes them with his right hand, in order that tliey may be diffused equally over every part of the font. The font being blessed, the celebrant goes and receives the catechumens at the church-gate ; and clothes himself in white, to perform the ceremony of their baptism. The litanies are now sung, and a solemn mass and vespers are said. "Whilst the litanies are chanting, the host, which till now was hidden, is taken out and brought to the altar ; all the tapers are then lighted, the altar is covered with several ornaments, the images are unveiled, and the seat of the officiating priest is covered. The latter, together with his priests, now resume their white ornaments, and prepare themselves for the celebration of a solemn mass. When the officiating minister begins the Gloria in excelsis^ all the bells fall a-ringing ; for which purpose a signal is given from the cathedral. This procession is singularly imposing, but a minute account of it will altogether exceed the limits of this work. Among others, the procession Procession iiicludes bishops, archbishops, consecrated patriarchs, ambas- of tiieBlessed sadors, cardinals, &c. &c. The pope, who comes next after the Sacrament. ambassadors, is carried in a vehicle, in which he seems to be on his knees, though he is really seated. He has on a rich cope, and over it a pall made of cloth of silver, which covers his shoulders and arms like a scarf. Before him is set a wooden stool gilt, with a cushion of red crimson velvet, embroidered with gold lace ; on which is laid the expositor, in which the host is contained, which he bears with his own hands. The canopy over the pope's head is carried by the patriarchs, arch- bishops, and bishops, at their first setting out from St. Peter's ; and after- wards, at their setting out from the portico of the Vatican, by the prime nobility of the neighbouring nations, such as the Florentines and the Siennese, who relieve one another till the procession is almost ended ; when the Roman conservators, and tlie prior of the captains of the several districts, take it and carry it into church. The Swiss, who go on each side of tlie pope, are cased in iron from head to foot, each man carrying a great two-handed sword unsheathed in his hand. After this guard of cuirassiers, the prelates advance in their several ranks, viz. the apostolical prothonotaries, the auditors, the clerks of the chamber, the generals of the orders, the referendaries, or officers m chan- ^QQ ROMAN CATHOLIC CHUKCU. eery, of the signature of grants, and of justice; and, lastly, the several companies of light-horse, four in rank, and the horses covered with very rich trappings. These close the march. Sometimes his holiness walks on foot in this procession, in order to set an example of greater respect and veneration for the holy sacrament, which he carries in his hands. Urban YIII., and some other popes, for- merly carried it on horseback. When the consecrated host is not carried by his holiness, tlie dean of tlie sacred college, or the eldest cardinal, bears it instead of him, but is on foot. And on these occasions, the princes and ambassadors do not assist at it. The procession generally lasts about four hours, although it has not above a mile to go ; but then they walk with the utmost gravity, and extremely slow. While the procession continues, the Castle of St. Angelo makes a triple discharge of all its artillery. The Jirst salvo is made wdien his holiness goes out of the chapel Paulina, and takes in his hand the expo- sitor, in which tlie host is contained. The great culverine of St. Peter's is then fired off to give the signal. The second salvo is made when the pope goes out from tli^ portico of the great .square, before the Apostolical Palace ; and the third, when he enters into that of St. James. The pope's guards are all under arms during the procession, and two of the light- horse are posted, with their lances couched, at the corner of every street through which the procession passes, to preserve order. During the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, the bells of the cathe- dral, and of the other churches before, which it passes, are rung. The streets must be swept, and strewed with flowers and green leaves, and the outsides of the houses and churches must be hung with tapestry. In some parts of Italy, triumphal arches are raised, adorned with emblems and mottoes, in honour of the blessed sacrament. The custom of laying car- pets in the streets through which the procession is to pass, was observed by the ancient Romans on these occasions. They likewise had repository altars, as is now the custom, erected in tlie streets, as halting-places for their processions. The officiating priest consecrates two large hosts, one of which is to be used in the procession. Mass being ended, the tapers are distributed, and a sub-deacon, clothed in vestments suitable to the festival, comes out of the sacristy, preceded by two incense-bearers in surplices, Avith the thuri- ble in one hand and the navicula in the other. The two incense-bearers join the sub-deacon, and stand by him on the outside of the chancel of the altar, till the march begins. Six clerks in surplices, with lighted torches in their hands, now range themselves on each side of the foot of the altar ; and those who are to carry the canopy set themselves at the entrance of the chancel. The last Gospel being read, the officiating priest makes his genuflexions, having the deacon and sub-deacon on each side of him, and afterwards goes to the epistle-side ; then descends to the bottom of the steps, takes off* his maniple and chasuble, and puts on a white cope. The deacon and sub-deacon also put off their maniples, and then they all three go and make a genuflexion on both knees, bending their bodies very low in the middle of the last step of the altar, where they continue a little time in ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 267 prayer ; after wliich the deacon rises up, and makes another genuflexion ; and this is in order to uncover the expositor, and phice it on the corporal, or piece of fine linen used at mass. Here follows a third genuflexion ; and then he comes back, and stands near the ofiiciating priest, who rises up and withdraws a little towards the gospel-side ; and after having thrice put incense into each thurible, he falls down upon his knees, with the deacon, who is at his right hand, and the sub-deacon at the left. The former gives the thurible to the officiating priest, who incenses the blessed sacrament thrice, making a low bow both before and after. This triple incensing being over, the sub-deacon spreads the veil over the shoulders of the officiating priest, while the deacon goes up to the altar, takes the expositor from thence, which he gives to the officiating priest, and after- wards covers his hands with the extremities of the veil that lies over his shoulders ; after which, the officiating priest having the pix, or expositor, in his hands, turns about to the right, and his ministers after him, Avhen they all three continue on one of the steps of the altar, till such time as the whole procession has wheeled off", and they begin the Payige Lingua.^ As the cross is carried before the pope whenever he appears in jjublic at Rome, so the host goes before him when he is upon a journey ; for the ,, ^ sovereign pontiffs have appropriated to themselves, alone, Manner of car- , .&., 1 ^ , . ,, S , • i i i- .i i rying the Host the privilege of havmg the host earned before them wiien- before the Pope ever they travel. Several instances of the host going before ou a journey. ^|^^ ^^^^ ^^,^ recorded, but nothing can enter into com- parison with the pomp with which it was carried into Ferrara, in 1598, when Clement YIII. went to take possession of that city after the death of Alphonso of Este. The host was borne in procession out of Rome, in a mao-nificent tabernacle, which was carried by eight canons of the Vatican, upon a kind of litter, and under a magnificent canopy, embroi- dered with gold, silk, &c. The Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament, with each a torch in his hand, walked before the host. The religious orders, the musicians of St. Peter's chapel, and the clergy, with our Saviour's cross carried before them, followed the brotherhood. After- wards, the host appeared under the canopy, carried by eight of the private chamberlains of his holiness, and guarded by a body of Swiss, and other soldiers. After t]ie host, his holiness appeared, with a torch in hand ; and next to him the sacred college, the prelates, and the Roman nobility, all of them holding tapers in their hands, and followed by a body of troops. In this manner the host was transported out of Rome. It was carried to Ferrara, on the back of a beautiful horse, wliich was adorned with the most gaudy trappings. His holiness, before he began the march, bent his knee before the host, and did not rise up till it was out of sight. The mules employed to carry the baggage, and the lacqueys of his holiness, carrying his arms, marched at the head ; these were reinforced by several companies of soldiers, with their trumpets sounding as they marched. After this, eight led-horses came forward ; and they were followed by the domestics of the cardinals and prelates, all of them on horseback. Next came two couriers belonging to the Apostolic See, the band of music of the pope's chapel, two esquires, two macebearers, followed by the master of the ceremonies and the two clerks of the pontifical chapel. 268 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Each of the latter carried a lantern, fixed at the end of a lance, in order to light the host, which followed immediately after. Two of the grooms of his holiness held the reins of the horse on which he rode, and the host was guarded by a body of armed Swiss. Afterwards came the sacri:stan, with his white stafi" in his hand, the badge of his office, and followed by a great number of Roman prelates. After these, another band of musicians, and a company of lacqueys belonging to the baggage, appeared, and five hundred horsemen, in very magnificent habits, divided likewise into companies. The barber, tailor, and shoemaker of liis holiness joined in the j^rocession, according to their rank. Four cliamberlains followed them, carrying four pontifical caps, made of purple, at the end of four pikes. All the nobiUty of Rome and of Ferrara assisted also in this procession, dressed in a very sumptuous manner ; and after tliese came the acolytes, the chiefs of the apostolical chamber, the auditors of the rota, the sub-deacons, the orators, the bishop of Ferrara with his clergy, his holiness's key-bearers, his chief master of the ceremonies, his cross-bearer, twenty clerks of tlie cathedral of Ferrara, each having a lighted torch in liis hand. The host, when the procession departed from Rome, and during the whole journey, was carried along with the baggage ; but at the entrance into Ferrara, it was placed in the centre of the procession. The pope''3 chief-treasurer had bags fixed on each side of his saddle, out of which he threw money to the people. After the treasurer came thirty youths of the highest quality in Ferrara, walking on foot, bare-headed, dressed in cloth of silver, witli little black cloaks, embroidered with silk, and caps in their hands, enriched with golden roses, pearls, and precious stones. After this shining troop came Pope Clement himself, clothed in a robe of very rich silk, and having on his head a crown enriched with jewels of immense value. He was carried on the shoulders of eight tall lacqueys, clothed in long scarlet robes, under a canopy of the finest crimson velvet, embroidered with gold, surrounded with a double range of guards, very richly dressed, and followed by his Swiss, and an auditor of the rota^ who carried his triple crown after him, having on each side of him the great chamberlain and the chief butler. A great number of coaches and horse- men followed. During the whole march, the faithful sung anthems and motets^ repeated prayers, made signs of the cross, and gave and received blessings. In a word, they practised all the exterior tokens of devotion. They marched very slowly, and the clergy both secular and regular, in all the places through which the procession passed in the night-tim.e, advanced to meet them, with a body of the militia at their head. After the clergy came the magistrates and other persons of distinction ; and at the entrance into the city, the trumpets sounded, and the air echoed with spiritual songs, whilst the people crowded from all parts, to come and adore the host. People of the highest rank, at the same time, strove who should first present his holiness with the canopy. On Christmas-eve, before the office of the ensuing festival begins, the sovereign pontifi* annually blesses a gold-hilted sword, inlaid with pre- cious stones, wrought in the f(n-m of a dove ; with the scabbard and belt enriched in like manner, and a Ducal Jiat fixed on the point of it. Tliis ROMAN CATHOLIC CnURCTT. 209 hat is made of pnrplc-coloiirccl silk, furred with ermine, and surrounded Tj, . f. with a hatband, made in the form of a crown adorned with Blessiiig of the ' i i • i t Suonland of the jewels : the hat and sword are both sent by his hohness to Ducal hat fixed some potentate for whom he has a peculiar affection, or to on Us point. ^ great general, who may have merited such a distinction for his bravery, exerted against the enemies of (Christianity. His holiness performs the ceremony of blessing them, clothed with the albo, the amict, and the stole, before he puts on the red cope, which he wears at the office of Christmas-night. A clerk of the chamber presents to him the sword, and the hat fixed on the point of it ; and after having pronounced the blessing, he sprinkles and incenses them both with holy-water. This being- done, the pope goes to his chapel, preceded by the same clerk of the cham- ber, who walks with the sword and the hat before the pontifical cross. If the person for w^hom these presents are designed happens to be at Rome, he must receive them from the pope's own hand, observing to kiss both that and his foot. His holiness declares to him that the sword denotes the power of our Saviour, and the victory which he has gained over the devil. "Whilst the sword is girding on, his holiness addresses the person so honoured as follovv^s : — " By this sword we declare you the defender of the Holy Apostolical See, and of the pontifical sovereignty ; the protector of the Holy See against the enemies of the faith, and the bulwark of the Church. May your arm, by the virtue of this sword, triumph over the enemies of the Holy See, and of the name of Christ Jesus : may the Holy Ghost, represented by the dove, descend on your head, and protect you against those for whom God prepares his judgments, before the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and the Holy See Apostohc," &c. »Such is the formula appointed by Sixtus IV. for this ceremony. Sometimes the person to whom the pope presents the consecrated sword is invited to read one of the lessons of the office ; in which case a clerk of the chamber girds him with the sword over the surplice, clothes him with a white chasuble, and puts the hat upon his head. After this the master of the ceremonies conducts him to the steps of the throne of his holiness, where he bows to the altar, and then to the pope ; and after having returned the consecrated hat to the master of the ceremonies, he draws the consecrated sword out of the scabbard, touches the ground with the point of it, waves it thrice aloft, and after having brought it back gently over the left arm, puts it again into the scabbard. This ceremony being concluded, he goes to the desk, and sings the fifth lesson of the office, having first received the pope's blessing. When the singing is finished, he goes and kisses the feet of his holiness ; which done, his sacerdotal vestments are taken off, and the hat is again fixed on the point of the sword, which a gentleman holds with the point upwards till the office is ended. If the person for whom the sword is consecrated should not be present at Rome, or is not able to read, the Romish ceremonial ordains that a clerk of the chamber must put on the surplice, and sing at the desk in his stead ; and that afterwards (if present) both of them shall go and kiss the feet of his holiness. The person to whom the sword has been presented is then conducted back to his house in pomp, by the nobility of the court of Rome. The sword is carried before him, held aloft, with the liat fixed on the point of it. 2/0 ROMAX CATnOLTC CKURCTI. SEC. II. SACRAMENTS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The Roman Catholic Clmrcli acknowledges seven sacraments, which number, according to the catechism of the Council of Trent, SiiciaraeutT" is established by the Scriptures, by the tradition of the fathers, and the authority of councils. These sacraments are accompanied with several solemn and public ceremonies, with which the Church has thought fit to heighten them, notwithstanding they are not essential, since they can subsist with- out them : however, they say that it would be a sin to omit them, unless in cases of necessity. Hence it is that the Council of Trent has pro- nounced anathema against those w^ho say that the ministers of the sacra- ments may, without sin, despise, or omit, at pleasure, the several ceremo- nies received in the Church. " We are assured," says the Catechism of the Council of Trent, " that these ceremonies give us a more strict idea of, and, as it were, set before our eyes the effects which result from these sacraments, and imprint the sanctity which attends them more strono-ly on the minds of the faithful They raise the minds of such as observe them religiously, to the contemplation of the most exalted things." In a word, we are assured that they excite and increase in us a true faith and spirit of charity. The sacrament of baptism is defined by the Church as one instituted by Jesus Christ, in order to wash away original sin, and all those actual g^ ^.^ ones which we may have committed ; to communicate to man- kind the spiritual regeneration and grace of Jesus Christ ; and to unite them as living members to their head. The most essential part of the ceremony of baptism in the Catholic Church is as follows: — At the church-door the priest first asks the god- father and godmother w^hat child they present to the Church ? whether or no they are its true godfather and godmother ? if they be resolved to live and die in the true Catholic and Apostolic faith ? and what name they intend to give it ? All profane names, as those of the heathens and their gods, must be rejected ; nevertheless, those of Hercules, Hannibal, Achil- les, Urania, Diana, &c., are common enough. A Catholic priest is authorised to change the name of a child who had been baptized Abra- ham, Isaac, or Jacob, by a Protestant minister. After the usual questions have been asked, the priest makes an exhortation to the godfather and godmother, with regard to the devotion which ought to accompany the whole performance. The exhortation being ended, the priest continues the ceremony ; and calhng the child by the name that is to be given it, asks it as follows : — What dost thou demand of the Church? To which the godfather answers, Faith. The priest adds. What is the fruit of faith? The godfather answers. Eternal life. The priest continues, Tf i/ou are de- sirous ofohfaining eternal life, keep God's com7nandments : Thou shalt love the Lord thy God irith all thy heart, S^^c. After which he breathes three times upon the child's face, but must observe not to let the child breathe upon him ; and at the same time says. Come out of this child, thou evil .y/irit, and make room for the Holy Ghost. This being done, with the thumb of his right hand he makes a cross on ROMAN CATHOLIC CIIURCII, 271 the cluld's forelicad, and afterwards another on its breast, pronouncing these words : Receive the sipi of the cross on thy forehead^ and in thine heart, S^x. Wliereupon he takes off his cap, repeats a short prayer, and hiying his hand gently on the chihi's }iead, prays for him a second time. This second prayer being ended, the priest blesses the salt in case it was not blessed before ; which being done, he takes a little of it, puts it into the child's mouth, pronouncing these words : Receive the salt of wisdom. He then repeats a third prayer ; after which he puts on his cap, and exorcises the Prince of Darkness, commanding him to come forth out of him who is going to be baptized, &c. At the end of the exorcism, he again makes the sign of the cross on the child's forehead, lays his hand on its head, and repeats another prayer. After this fourth prayer, the priest lays the end of the stole upon the child, and taking hold of his swaddling-clothes by one corner, he brings it into the church ; the godfather and godmother enter at the same time, and repeat with the priest the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, as they advance towards the font, which having reached, the priest exorcises the devil once again, and after the exorcism, takes the saliva from his mouth with the thumb of his right hand ; with this he rubs the child's ears and nostrils, and, as he touches his right ear, repeats a Hebrew word which sio-nifies Do thou open ; the same Avhich Jesus Christ said to the man who was born deaf and dumb. Lastly, the assistants pull off its swaddling-clothes, or at least strip it below the shoulders ; during which, the priest prepares the holy oils, &c. The godfather now takes the child, ready stripped, and holds it directly over the font ; the godmother then takes it by the feet, or the middle ; both observino- to turn it towards the east : the priest now asks the child, " Whether he renounces the devil and all his works, the pomps," &c. The godfather answers in the affirmative. This renunciation used formerly to be made on the outside of the church. The priest then anoints the child between the shoulders, in the form of a cross, and after that lays aside his purple stole, and puts on a white one ; when the child is again questioned with respect to his belief, to which the godfather makes suitable answers in his name. These preliminaries being ended, the priest takes some of the baptismal water, which he pours thrice on the child's head in the form of a cross, and, as he pours it, says, " I -baptize," &:c. taking care to mention one of the persons in the Trinity every time he pours it on. This being done, he anoints the top of the child's head with the chrisma, in form of a cross — lays a piece of white linen upon its head, to represent the white garment mentioned in Scripture, and puts a lighted taper into the child's hand, or rather into that of the godfather. Such are the cere- monies of baptism, which the priest concludes with an exhortation ; but if the child's life be in danger, these ceremonies are omitted, upon condition that they shall be observed in case he recovers his health ; but if he has all the symptoms of death upon him, the midwife baptizes the child with- out delay. Adult persons must, if possible, be baptized by the bishop himself; and the most proper time for this ceremony is Easter, or Whitsun-eve, which are the days appointed for baptism by the ancient church. The minister who baptizes, and the candidate for baptism, must botli be fasting; but 272 ROMAN CATnOLTC CHURCH. there is but very Uttle difference between the ceremony of the baptism of catechumens, and that of children. The priest signs the catechumen several times with the sign of the cross ; first on the forehead, which im- plies that he must take upon himself the cross of Christ ; on the ears, in order that he may open them to the divine precepts of the gospel ; on tlie eyes, that he may see the light of God : on the nostrils, that he may smell the fragrant odour of Christ; on the mouth, that he may utter the words of life r on the breast, that he may believe ; on the naked shoulders, to the end that he may bear the yoke of the Lord. These signs of the cross are concluded by three more, which the priest makes over the whole person of the catechumen. The candidates for confirmation must be fasting, and consequently re- ceive this sacrament in the morning, because it was at that time of the day the Holy Ghost descended on the apostles. The bishop, Confiimation. ^^:^^^^ ^^ begins the confirmation, proceeds to his private de- votions, washes his hands, and puts on the w^hite vestments ; after which he turns himself about to the candidates, who stand in the same order as at baptism, viz., the boys on the right, and the girls on the left. He next repeats a prayer ; which being done, he sits down, and the candidates kneel before him. If the candidates for confirmation are very numerous, the bishop stands up, and the candidates stand on the steps of the chancel of the altar; each being supported under the arm by their godfathers. The bishop now asks the name of each candidate, and has them registered, after which he dips the thumb of his right hand into the chrisma, and therewith makes the sign of the cross upon their foreheads ; at the same time giving a gentle blow on the cheek to the person confirmed, and say- ing " Peace be with you." Immediately after, the forehead of the person confirmed is bound with a slip of linen about the breadth of two fingers ; and the bishop says to him, " I confirm you by the chrisma of salvation, in the name of the Father," &c. The ceremony ends with the blessing of the persons confirmed, which is done by the bishop, who makes the sign of the cross upon them. The priest is the sole minister empowered to consecrate the host, and the rest of the ministers* of the church are allow^ed only to prepare the things necessary for this sacrament ; he also has the privilege The Euchanst. ^^ communicating under both kinds, that is, of eating the bread and drinking the wine ; whereas, the laity communicate only under one, viz., the bread ; and it is said that this custom was introduced in order to prevent certain accidents which degraded the dignity of the sacrament. One of these was, the overgi'own whiskers and beards of some who received it, which, as they sometimes reached into the cup in which the bjood of Jesus Christ was contained, might by that means- make some good Christians sick at the stomach ! Every Catholic ought to communicate at Christmas, Easter, Whitsun- tide, and Twelfth-tide ; but every (/ood one should, besides tlie seasons above mentioned, receive the sacrament on Corpus Christi day, All-Saints, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the festival of his patron, and the anniversary of his baptism. They ought to receive fasting, and be dressed in such a manner as best suits the Cliristian simplicity. Tlie priests who present themselves to the communion receive the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 273 sacrament immediately after the deacon and sub-deacon, before any otlier person ; and these must have a white stole over the surplice. The ministers, who serve at the altar, communicate in the habits of their re- spective orders ; but the acolytes, and other clerks, receive the Eucharist in their surplices. After this, the officiating priest goes down to the rails, in order to administer the sacrament to the laity ; observing to begin with the person who stands first on the epistle-side. He makes the sign of the cross with the liost on the person that is to receive, observing not to take his hand away till such time as tlie host is entirely in the mouth of the person receiving. We shall not take notice of the prayers, or other par- ticulars, mentioned in the rituals. If, in administering the host, or consecrated wafer, the smallest bit of it should happen to fall on the ground, it must be taken up in the most re- spectful manner, and the place on which it fell must be covered, for fear of treading upon the least particle of it : they must afterwards scrape the floor, and throw the shavings into the sacristy, and wash the place very clean : if it should happen to Ml upon the napkin, or the veil, &c., such part of it must be washed, and the water thrown into the sacristy; if it fall on the vestments of the officiating priest, the part must be observed, and afterwards washed. The blessed sacrament is administered as a Viaticum^ or provision for a journey, to those whose life is in danger. The sick person must receive it TheViaiicum ^^^*^"fe' provided he can do so with safety; and if he be not able to swallow the whole wafer, a piece of it may be given him, and afterwards some hquid ; but the host must not be dipped in any liquid beforehand, on pretence that the sick person will be the better able to swallow it. In case the sick person throws up the wafer, and that the particles of it plainly appear, they must be put into a clean vessel, and carried to the church, and there deposited in some holy and decent place, " till such time as they are corrupted, after which they shall be cast into the Sacrarium^ or Piscina ; but if the pieces are not to be distinguished, what he has vomited up must be wiped with pieces of tow, and these must afterwards be burned, and the ashes thrown into the sacrary." The priest must take care not to give those the viaticum who are troubled with a continual coughing, or are not able to swallow or consume the host, for fear of any accident unsuitable to the dignity of the sacrament. Whenever the viaticum is to be carried to any place, care must be taken to make the chamber, in which the sick person lies, very clean, and, also, all those parts of the house through which the host is to pass ; and they should, likewise, be strewed with flowers and odoriferous herbs. The host must be laid on a table very neatly covered, on which two candlesticks, wuth two lighted tapers in them, shall be set ; also a drinking-glass ; a vessel full of wine or water to purify or wash the fingers, and a white cloth to lay before the sick person. In case the viaticum be carried in public, as is the custom in Roman Catholic countries, the rector gives notice to his parishioners, by ringing a bell, to prepare themselves to accompany the blessed sacrament with tapers and torches ; to support the canopy, or give some otlier exterior marks of their devotion and respect. Being assembled, .the priest washes his hands, as is usual in the celebration of the divine T 274 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. mysteries, and of such ceremonies as are performed by liim in blessings, consecrations, &c. He then puts on the surplice, the stole, the chasuble, and goes up to the altar, accompanied or followed by other priests or clerks. Here he falls upon his knees, repeats a private prayer ; and after- wards rising up, puts a white scarf about his neck, spreads the corporal on the altar, opens the tabernacle ; kneels down a second time at taking out tlie ciborium or j^ix^ which he lays upon the corporal ; kneels a third time when he has opened it ; and after having viewed the host, covers it with its little oval lid, and takes it in both his hands, which are folded in the ends of the scarf that is about his neck. He then goes under the canopy, and a clerk, with a lighted lantern in his hand, walks foremost ; and two other clerks, the one holding the holy water, the corporals, and the purificatories, and the other the ritual and a little bell, march imme- diately after him. Next come those who carry the torches ; and lastly the priest, walking under the canopy, and carrying the host raised as high as his breast. If the priest carry the viaticum to a considerable distance, the host must be put in a little silver box, or pix, inclosed in a stuff purse, and hunof about his neck. The priest, on coming into the sick man's apartment, bids peace to the house, and goes towards the table, on which he spreads the corporal, in order to set the pix, or ciborium, upon it. This being done, he, and every person present, worship the host. He then sprinkles the sick person, and also the room ; during which, anthems are sung, and prayers are repeated suitable to the occasion. After this, he opens the ciborium, takes out a consecrated wafer with the thumb and fore-finger of his right hand, ob- serving to hold it a little aloft over the top of the ciborium, which he holds in his left hand, and, turning about, advances towards the sick man, in order to administer the sacrament to him. The communion being ended, tlie priest places the ciborium upon the table, observing to make a genuflexion at the same time ; and afterwards rubs his finger and thumb, with which he took up the host, upon the brim of the ciborium ; so that if any little piece of the wafer should happen to stick to it, he may shake it into it. He afterwards shuts the ciborium, and covers it with a little veil, kneeling at the same time ; then he washes the finger and thumb which touched the host with wine and water, presented him by those of the house. This act of devotion concludes with prayers and exhortations. If any consecrated wafers be left in the pix, or ciborium, the priest, after having blessed the sick person, returns to the church, attended by the same per- sons who accompanied him to the sick man s house. Being come into the church, he pronounces the indulgences granted by the sovereign pontiffs and the bishop of the diocese, and gives them his blessing ; but in case there are no more wafers in the pix, the priest returns without any formality, after having repeated the prayers used after the communion of the sick. If the sick person be just expiring, the priest omits all the prayers, &c., and, in giving him the viaticum, repeats two or three words only. When the viaticum is given to a priest, he ought to have a surplice on, and, over it, a white stole, disposed crosswise over his breast. If a priest be obliged to carry the viaticum to any person infected ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 275 with the plague, he must go within nine or ten paces of the house, taking care to stand in such a manner that the wind may be at his back. He now encloses the consecrated wafer between two common ones ; and, after having wrapped up the whole in a sheet of white paper, Lays it on the ground, at a reasonable distance from the place infected, and covers it with a stone, in order to secure it from the wind and rain. This being done, the priest draws back, and the sick person, or his attendant, being instructed by the priest, comes and takes up the wafer, which is the con- secrated host. The priest then says the prayers, and performs the cere- monies, which are usually repeated, both before and after the communion. The like precaution is observed in giving extreme unction to persons infected with the plague. They take a long wand, or rod, at the end of which a piece of tow, or cotton, dipped in the holy oil, is fixed, with which the sick person is anointed once, and with the usual words. After this, they run the end of the wand and the cotton into a fire purposely prepared in a chafing-dish. The bishops have power to absolve sinners throughout the whole ex- tent of their dioceses, and rectors in their parishes. Other priests and monks must have an express approbation from the bishop and PeuancT ^^^^^^ ^^^7 ^^® allowed to hear confession. However, there are certain cases reserved to the pope, the bishops, and their penitentiaries. Fasting, prayers, alms, abstinence from such pleasures and things as we chiefly deligh^ in, are the general conditions of penance. There are others of a more particular kind ; as, to repeat a certain number of Ave- Marias, Pater-nosters, and Credos ; to kneel, or salute the host a stated number of times ; to give one's-self a certain number of stripes ; to wear a hair-shirt, or a girdle made of horse-hair, &c., next to the skin. It would be endless, however, to enter into a farther detail of such particu- lars. Those who cannot hit upon austerities severe enough for their pur- pose will meet with sufficient instructions in the Lives of the Saints, and the Golden Legend. The confessor must have a surplice over his cassock, with a purple stole and square cap ; he must hear confession in the church, and at that part of it which is the most distant from the high altar, i. e. at the bot- tom of the nave, being the most exposed to the view of the people, in the confessional, or confession-chair, which is the tribunal of penance. The confessional must be open before, and have one or two lattice-windows in it. Opposite to the penitent is placed an image of the crucifix, or some mystery of the Passion. Confession must be made in the day-time, and, if possible, when there are people in the church. As soon as the penitent is come up *- the confessional, he must make the sign of the cross, and ask the confessor s blessing. The confessor must then be seated, his body upright, his cap on his head, his face covered, and his ear stooped towards the penitent. The peni- tent should be generally kneeling, and his or her hands clasped. Women and young maidens must not come to confession with their breasts bare, or their arms uncovered. Confession being ended, the confessor uncovers himself, in order to ab- solve the penitent ; and, accordingly, he recommends him to the divine t2 276 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. mercy, stretches out his right hand towards him, begging God to remit his sins ; after which, lie puts on his square cap, gives him the absolution in the name of Christ Jesus, and adds, holding his right hand always lifted up towards the penitent, that he absolves him, by Christ's autho- rity, in the name of the Father^ S^^c. He then takes off his cap a second time, and prays to God that " Our Saviour's passion, the merits of the Holy Virgin, and of all the saints, may conspire to remit the penitent"'s sins." When the penitent has completed the penance enjoined him, he returns to the bishop or his penitentiary, with a certificate signed by the rector, to prove that he has fulfilled it ; after which they proceed to his Absolution ^^conciliation with the Church. This reconciliation was for- merly performed on Holy Thursday. But whether it happen on this or any other day of pubhc worship, the penitent must come to the church-door, on the day appointed him for receiving absolution. The Roman pontifical enjoins that he shall be there upon his knees, with an unlighted taper in his hand. He must likewise be in a plain and ordinary dress, without his weapons, if he be a soldier, and bare-headed ; in an humble and contrite manner, and with a dejected countenance : women must be veiled. Immediately before the parochial mass, the priest, clothed in his albe, or surplice, and the purple stole, shall give the people notice that the penitent or penitents are going to be reconciled to the Church. He then shall exhort the congregation to pray for them ; shall fall prostrate before the altar, and pronounce some prayers, which are answered by the congregation. These prayers are composed of passages from the Scriptures, and selected by the Church. The prayers being ended, the priest goes to the church-door, and makes a pretty long exhortation to the penitents; which being done, he takes them by the hand and leads them into the church. But in case they have been excom- municated, he then, before he re-unites them to the body of the faithful, sits down, puts on his cap, and repeats the Miserere; the penitent being at his feet, the congregation upon their knees, and the clergy standing. At every verse of the Miserere^ the priest strikes the excommunicated penitent on the shoulder with a little stick, or whip made of cords. The Roman ritual and the pontifical ordain, that the penitent who is absolved in this manner shall be stripped to his shirt, as low as his shoulders. The priest then asks the penitent the occasion of his coming hither, and after that says to him. Receive the sign of the cross of Christ and Christianitf/^ which thou hadst home hfore^ hut renounced hy the error into which thou didst unhappily fall. This ceremony, as all the preceding, must be followed by some prayers ; and afterwards the litanies are to be sung, the people being upon their knees. The rituals define extreme unction to be a sacrament that gives all such Christians as are afilicted with any dangerous fit of sickness a final Extrem ^^"^^^^^^'^ ^^ \\\Qvc remaining sins, inspires them with grace to Unctioi^^ suffer with patience the pains and troubles of their infirmity, endues them with strength sufficient to die the death of the righteous, and restores them to health, provided it be for the good of their souls. Thus the Catholic Church makes extreme unction a sacrament, the indispensable necessity of which is apparent in the above definition. , The form of the sacrament of extreme unction consists in these ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 277 words : " May God, by his holy anointing, and his most pious mercy, grant you the pardon of all the sins you may have committed." The priest pronounces this form of words while he is anointing those parts of the body which are proper for it, because they have been the occasion, or served as so many instruments for sin, whereof^ to use the words of Alet s Ritual, this sacrament f urges the dregs^ i. e. those sins which ice have not been careful enough to repent of. This sacrament, therefore, compensates for the defects of past repentance. The priest is the only minister of this sacrament, which is administered to none but those who are afflicted with some mortal disease, or those who have arrived at a very advanced age, and are likewise extremely infirm. But extreme unction is not administered to criminals condemned to die ; and the reason given for this is, that the criminal is not in a state of • " 1 "1 death, either by disease or any other infirmity. Extreme unction is like- wise refused to those who are impenitent ; and in case a sick person dies while he is anointing, the ceremony must immediately be discontinued. As the dissolution of the sick person approaches, the priest must get ready seven balls of cotton, to wipe those parts which are to be anointed with the holy oil, some crumbs of bread to rub his fingers with, w\ater to wash them, a napkin to wipe them, and a taper to light him during the ceremony. Before he goes to the sick person, he must sanctify himself by prayer ; after which he must wash his hands, put on a surplice and the purple stole ; he must take the vessel in which the holy oils are contained, covered with a purple veil, or shut up in a bag of the same colour, and carry it in such a manner as not to let the oil run out. If he go a great distance oilf, he need not put on his surplice and his stole till he come to the door of the sick person, and in that case he must carry the vessel of oils in a purse, and hang it about his neck, in the same manner as the viaticum is sometimes carried to the sick. The priest must be attended by the clerk, who must carry the cross without a staff, the vessel of holy water, the sprinkler, and the ritual. They must not ring the little bell by the way, but the priest must offer up some prayers, with a low voice, ia. favour of the sick. On entering into the sick person's apartment, he repeats the ordinary form of words. Pax huic domui, et omnibus hahitantihus in m, — i. e. Peace he to this house, &c. After having taken off his cap, and set the vessels of the holy oils upon the table, he gives the sick person the cross to kiss ; afterwards takes the sprinkler, sprinkles the sick person, the apartment, and the assistants, with holy water in form of a cross, at the same time repeating the anthem, Asperges m^'^don you the sins you have committed by the eyes. If the priest be accompanied by a clergyman who is in holy orders, he must wipe the part which has been anointed, other- wise the priest must wipe it himself. The eyes being anointed, he pro- ceeds to the ears, observing to repeat the proper form of words. After the ears, he anoints the nostrils, but not the tip of the nose. He after- wards proceeds to the mouth, and anoints the lips, the mouth being shut. He anoints the hands in the manner above mentioned ; then he proceeds to the soles of the feet, and afterwards advances upwards to the reins, but this for men only ; nor are they anointed in this part, but when they can be easily turned in their beds, or be laid down in them without danger. The anointing being ended, the priest rubs those fingers which have touched the oil, and afterwards washes his hands. The crumbs of bread with which he rubbed his fingers, and the water with which he washed them, must be thrown into the fire. The pieces of cotton that have been employed in anointing are carried into the church, where they are burned, and the ashes are thrown into the sacrarium. The anointing being ended, the priest repeats some prayers, which are followed by an exhortation to the sick ; after which the priest goes away, leaving a crucifix with the sick person, in order that the representation of his dying Saviour may administer some consolation to him. When tlie sick person has expired, the priest, standing uncovered, says a response, in which the saints and angels are invoked to assist the soul of Ceremonies ^^^^ deceased : he afterwards repeats a prayer. At the same observed at time orders are sent to toll the bell, to give notice of the sick Funerals. person's death, by which every one is reminded to pray for his soul. Then the priest withdraws ; and the corpse is thus put in order. They wash some parts of it, close its eyes and mouth, according to the ancient practice ; and, wrapping it in a shroud, or leaving it with the clothes on, as in Italy, they lay it in a decent place, observing to put a little crucifix in its hands, which must lie upon its breast : sometimes the hands are laid crosswise. A vessel full of holy water, and a sprinkler, must be placed at its feet, in order that those who come to pay him their last respects may sprinkle both themselves and the corpse with holy water. In the mean time, some clergyman must stay by the corpse, and pray for the deceased, till such time as he is laid in tlie earth. If the deceased was a priest, or of any other order in the Church, he must have the tonsure according to his order, and his square cap with a little cross on his breast. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 279 It was anciently the custom, as soon as any person died, to send for some clergyman, who always spent the night with the relations of the deceased, and discoursed with them about the word of God, for their instruction. They used to sing psalms by anthems or verses, the one answering the other. They also recommended the soul of the deceased to God, and besought him to preserve it from hell, &c. Priests and ecclesiastics, after their decease, are all clothed in habits suitable to their respective ranks ; and the corpse of a clergyman is carried to the grave by the clergy only, in the same manner as tliat of a layman is carried by the laity. Ecclesiastics do not put on mourning for their relations, nor accompany them to the grave in the same order with lay relations, but walk with the rest of the clergy in their sacerdotal vest- ments. Churcli-yards being the places generally used for the interment of the dead, the bishop blesses them solemnly in the manner following : — The Ceremon ®^'^ before the day on which the blessing is to be performed, of blessing a wooden cross, of the height of a man, must be set up in the Church.yards. middle of the church-yard, and four smaller ones are to be set up at the corners. Before the cross a piece of wood must be placed, about sixteen inches high, on which wood three tapers are placed, when the blessing is performed. The next morning, before the ceremony begins, a carpet must be spread in the church-yard near the cross; and the several things necessary for the blessing of the place must be got ready ; viz. holy water, the thuribles, tapers, &c. Then the priest, being clothed in his sacerdotal vestments, comes out of the sacristy in procession, attended by an exorcist, or acolyte, carrying the holy water ; another with the thurible ; two clerks, carrying the ritual, and three tapers, made of white wax ; and the whole choir, walking two and two, with the officiating priest in the rear. Having arrived at the church-yard, they range themselves round the cross, or crosses, and the officiating priest makes a short discourse to the assistants, on the holiness, the privileges, and immunities of church-yards. After this, three tapers are lighted up before the cross which stands in the middle ; and if there be one at each angle of the church-yard, three are lighted up before these also. The officiating priest now rises, repeats a prayer, which is followed by the chanting of the litanies ; and at the repeating of these words. We beseech thee to purify and bless this church- yard^ he makes the sign of the cross. He does the same a second time, when he repeats them for the sanctification of the church-yard ; and a third, in repeating them for the consecration. The litanies being ended, the officiating priest sprinkles the middle cross with holy water ; and whilst an anthem and the Miserere are sung, he goes round the church- yard, and sprinkles it with holy water. He afterwards takes one of the lighted tapers, which stood at the foot of the cross, and sets it on the top of it, and then takes the other two, and sets them on the two arms of the cross. At last, the whole ceremony ends with incensing and sprinkling the crosses thrice with holy water. The common custom among Roman Catholics is to keep a corpse four- Funeral and-twenty hours above ground ; but in some countries, it is Ceremouiee. kept five or six days, particularly in Holland, where it is often 2i«U ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. kept seven. The ceremonies ordained by the rituals to those who are allowed Christian burial vary in certain circumstances ; but in general, "when the time is come for the corpse to be carried to church, notice thereof must be given by the tolling of a bell to the priests, and other clergymen, whose province it is to assist at the funeral, to assemble in proper order, clothed in tlieir sacerdotal vestments, in the church where they are to pray. After this, the rector puts his black stole and chasuble over his surplice, and they all set out to the house where the corpse lies : the exorcist, carrying the holy water, walks first ; next the cross-bearer ; after- wards the rest of the clergy ; and last of all, the officiating priest. The corpse of the deceased must be either laid out at the street-door, or in some apartment near it, with his feet turned towards the street ; the coffin being surrounded with four or six lighted tapers of yellow wax, in as many large candlesticks. When the clergy are come to the house where the corpse lies, the cross- bearer plants himself, if possible, at the head of it ; the officiating priest over-against him, at the feet ; the person who carries the holy water, a little behind the officiating priest, at his right hand; and the other persons of the choir range themselves on each side, observing to stand nearer or farther off from the officiating priest, in proportion to their rank or supe- riority in the Church. Everything must -be ordered in this manner, provided there be room for it; for it often happens, that the cross stands at the door on that side where the funeral is to go, and that the choir are obliged to range themselves on each side, in order to leave room for the officiating priest in the middle. During this interval, the tapers and torches of yellow wax are lighted, and given to those who are appointed to carry them. The officiating priest now standing before the cross, with his face turned towards the body, the assistant who carries the holy water presents him with the sprinkler, with which the priest sprinkles the corpse thrice, with- out saying a word. Then follow certain other ceremonies, after which the corpse is can*ied to the church, where the service for the dead is read, and also mass, if the time will permit. Prayers now follow ; the corpse is again sprinkled ; after which it is carried to the grave in the same manner in which it was carried to the church. Being come to the grave, the whole company pull off their hats, and draw up in much the same order as at church. The bearers lay the corpse near the grave, with its feet turned towards the east, it being affirmed that Jesus Christ was buried in that manner. If the corpse be buried in the church, its feet must be turned towards the altar ; but those of priests must have their heads turned in a contrary direction. After the body has been laid on the brink of the grave, the officiating priest blesses it by a prayer, in which he makes the general commemora- tion of the dead who have been interred therein. The prayer being ended, he again sprinkles and incenses the body, and also the grave thrice. He afterwards begins this anthem, Ego sum Resiirrecfio, &c., / am the resur- rection and the life^ &c., and concludes with the Eequiem. Then the officiating priest performs a third time the triple sprinkling of the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 281 corpse with holy water, but does not incense it ; wliich is followed by another prayer, with the anthem. Si iniquitates, and the De profundls. The body being laid in the grave, the relations and friends of the deceased come, before the earth is thrown into it, and sprinkle it with holy water, in their turns. When the grave has been filled up, the company condole with the relations of the deceased, and they all return to the church, where, after the mass for the deceased is ended, the funeral sermon is preached. Sometimes the funeral happens in a season when mass cannot be said ; in wliich case, the ceremony is performed with much greater simplicity ; for then the corpse is only sprinkled and incensed by a priest clothed in his black chasuble, and accompanied with two clerks, the one carrying the cross, and the other the sprinkler and the thurible. Independently of the age requisite for marriage, the liberty of contracting so solemn an engagement, and the publication of the bans, the rituals require further, "That the persons to be joined together in eremonies niatrimouv shall be sufficiently instructed in the Christian of Marriage. , . •', , ,,ii , f ^ doctrme ; that they should know the nature of the sacrament of marriage, its ends and obligations ; and that they should first confess themselves, and receive the sacrament, before they join themselves together for ever. When the priest in his proper vestments goes to the altar, he is preceded by one or two clerks in their surplices, carrying the holy-water pot, the sprinkler, the ritual, and a little basin, in which to put the ring when it is to be blessed. After he has said the usual prayer for the couple, he ad- vances towards them on the last step of the altar ; the man standing on the epistle and the w^oman on the gospel side, so that the man stands at the Avoman's right hand. The relations and witnesses stand behind them. Then the priest asks the couple their names and surnames ; which is only a formality, their names being already known to him, by the publication of the bans, and by a certificate confirming the same, which the couple are obliged to produce at the time. He afterwards addresses himself to the man and woman separately, in their mother-tongue, calling them both by their proper names, and asks the man whether he will have such a one for his wife ? and the woman whether she will have such a one for her hus- band ? Reciprocal consent is absolutely requisite in this case, and without it the marriage would be null. After mutual consent has been given, by expressly answering " Yes," the priest, who before was covered, uncovers himself, takes the couple by the hand, and making them join hands, says, Egojungo vos in matri7noniiwi, &c.; that is, I join you together in marriage^ in the name o^ the Father^ Sec. At the same time he makes the sign of the cross upon them, and then sprinkles them with holy w^ater. This being done, he blesses the wedding-ring, and sprinkles it also with holy water, in the form of a cross ; after which he gives it to the man, who puts it on the wedding-finger of the woman's left hand. This ring is the pledge of the conjugal chastity and fidelity which the wife owes the husband. To all this the priest adds some prayers ; after which follows an exhortation to the married couple and to the assembly, and afterwards mass. The married couple are blessed in the following manner, wdien the woman is a virgin, and has always had the reputation of chastity : — The priest, after the ofi*ertory, goes to the foot of the altar, and the married 282 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. couple make what oblation they think proper ; the liusband first, and the wife afterwards. The priest likewise repeats some prayers ; and the cere- mony ends with an exhortation to the married couple. The subject of this exhortation is on the duties of the conjugal life, the end and design of marriage, reciprocal love, &c. ; after which he sprinkles them with holy water. Young people are not to inhabit under the same roof, or be in company together, except in the presence of their parents or relations, till such time as they have received the blessing of the Church ; but when this is over, they are at liberty to consummate the marriage, which would be criminal if done without the formalities established by the Church. The married couple must now desire the priest to bless the marriage- bed ; and among the other blessings which are asked by the mediation of the priest Avhen he blesses the marriage-bed, one is, that those who are to lie in it may increase and multiply. The holy water completes the sanctification of the nuptial bed. SEC. III. HOLY ORDERS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The Seven Or- There are seven orders in the Catholic Church, viz. the ders in the Ca- sacristan or door-keeper, the reader, the exorcist, the acolyte^ tholic Church. ^^^ sub-deacon, the deacon, and the priest. The employment of the door-keeper, called sacristan, is to open and shut the church-doors, and also to take care that the bells be rung in due time; that of the reader, to read aloud the lessons and prophecies which are sung at matins and mass ; that of the exorcist, to cast out devils from the bodies of persons possessed ; that of the acolyte, to bring in the tapers to light them, to take care to put fire into the thurible and frankincense into the navicula, to prepare the wine and water for the sacrifice, and to attend upon the sub-deacon, the deacon, and the priest. The duty of the priest is to offer up the sacrifice of the mass, to admi- nister the sacraments (those of confirmation and orders excepted), to preach the word of God, to bless the people, and to watch over the souls com- mitted to his charge. Church-benefices or livings, being the appurtenances of holy orders and the ecclesiastical state, can belong to those only who have been ordained, Benefices and ^r who have received the tonsure. Ecclesiastical dignities Dignities of the are of mucli more ancient date than benefices, the latter tak- Church. ijjg their rise from the latter ages of the Clnirch. A person must be full fourteen years of age before lie can be entitled to possess a benefice, and must have received the tonsure beforehand. On all incumbents, especially those who have a cure of souls, residence is compulsory ; but tliey frequently leave that duty to their curates. How- ever, by the laws of the Church they are forbidden to receive any of the fruits of their benefices during the time they may have been absent from them. Bishops are considered as the fathers and pastors of the faithful, and the successors of the Apostles ; by virtue of which superiority they are allowed tiie chief places in the choir, in chapters, and processions. As and decdon^of successors to the Apostles, they claim respect and homage Bishops, from the laity ; and as fathers and pastors, they are obliged ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 283 to preach God's holy word to the faithful. This was the custom in the primitive Church ; and there can be no prescription on this head, since, in the consecration of bishops, they are commanded to preach the Gospel to those over whom they are appointed pastors. The ceremonial enjoins that bishops shall be clothed in purple, though the regular bishops may continue to wear the habit of their order. Dur- ing Lent and Advent they must be in black, and always clothed in their sutane ; but they are allowed to wear short clothes when on a journey. The pope only has the right of electing bighops. This is a prerogative which the partisans of the Court of Rome carry to a very great height, and to the prejudice of kings and other sovereign princes. Nevertheless, some of these have reserved to themselves the right of nominating to bishoprics; after which, the pope sends his approbation and the bulls to the new bishop. When a person hears that the pope has raised him to the episcopal dignity, he must enlarge his shaven crown, and dress himself in purple. If he be in Rome, he must go and salute his holiness, and receive the rochet from him. Three months after being confirmed in his election, he is con- secrated in a solemn manner. The archbishops are superior to bishops, and are distinguished by the pallium or pall, which the pope sends them. Anciently some bishops were honoured with the pallium, probably because of their lops. j^.^^^ quality. The bishop of Bamberg in Gennany, and those of Lucca and Pavia in Italy, enjoy the same privilege at this time. If the person nominated to an archbishop's see be at Rome, the chief cardinal-deacon performs the ceremony of putting the pall on his shoulders, although it was formerly done by the pope. After mass, the officiating prelate, clothed in his pontifical vestments, receives the oath of the arch- bishop elect ; who is clothed in siriiilar pomp, the gloves and mitre excepted. The officiating prelate then rises up, and putting the pall npon the shoulders of the archbishop elect, says these words to him : " To the glory of God, of the Blessed Virgin, of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, of our Lord the Pope, and of the holy Church of Rome, &c., receive this pall, which is taken from the body of St. Peter, and in which the plenitude or perfection of the function of pontiff, or patriarch, or archbishop, is found ; make use of it on certain days, noted in the privileges which are granted to you by the holy Apostolic See, in the name of the Father," &c. The archbishop is to wear the pall in the solemnities of the mass, and on high festivals, at the consecration of a church, at ordinations, at the consecration of a bishop, and at giving the veil to nuns. The pope alone has the privilege of always weaing the pall. After the archbishop has received the pall, he goes up to the altar and blesses the people. The pall consists of certain pieces of white woollen stuff, three fingers in breadth, and is embroidered with red crosses. Be- fore it be given to the archbishop, either at Rome or elsewhere, by proxy, it must be left for one whole night on the altar of St. Peter and St. Paul. The use of the pall is rather ancient in the Church, and some footsteps of that ornament are to be found among the Romans. The officers who served at feasts and sacrifices used to wear on the left shoulder a pretty broad 284 llOMAN CATHOLIC CHURCS. piece of woollen stuff, with plaits or folds hangino- down from it. This was the badge of tlieir ministerial function ; and after it had been conse- crated to the use of the Christian Church, it received an additional sacred character by being anointed. The pall being made of wqoI, and worn on the bishop's shoulders, is said to be the emblem of the lost sheejy, which the shepherd lays on his shoulders, and brings back into the sheepfold. Every particular pall serves for the use of that archbishop only to whom it was first given ; neither can he make any use of it in case he be translated from one archbishopric to another, nor leave it to his successors. When an archbishop dies, his pall is buried with him ; and if he be buried in his own diocese, it is laid upon his shoulders ; but if out of it, under his head. An archbishop who has been translated to several sees has all his palls buried with him ; that of his last archiepiscopal see being laid upon his shoulders, and the rest under his head. The principal functions of the master of the ceremonies are to take care that all those who have lately taken orders observe the ceremonies and practices of the Church, and that everything be done in the Ceremonies. ' choir conformably to discipline. He must likewise regulate the order and march in all processions, assist at all pontifical ceremonies, such as solemn masses, the entry and consecration of bishops, synods, the visitation of a diocese, &c. The master of the ceremonies must be in holy orders, and his vestments are of a purple colour; but he must be clothed in a surplice when in the choir, and at the divine offices of the church. On high festivals, he car- ries a wand, which is generally of a purple colour. The prebends, or canons, are considered the senators of the Church. When a person is promoted to a prebend, he must be presented in a very Prebend a d '^^^^"^^"^^'^^ manner to the chapter, who assemble in the Canons.*'" ^ ^^ cathedral to receive him. He is presented by a deputy of the chapter, accompanied by the bishop's notary and some witnesses. This deputy conducts the person elected to the altar, which the latter kisses thrice; after which, he goes and takes his seat in the choir, and stays there some time, during which the deputy gives the chapter an account of his promotion ; and afterwards he goes and takes him into the choir, and presenting him to the chapter, desires them to receive him as one of their brethren. The prebend elect then makes his confession of faith aloud, and swears to observe the ordinances of the Church, and of our Holy Father the Pope. Being thus solemnly installed, he is empowered to assist at the chapter, and to chant the office in the choir, &c. The arch-deacon is superior to deacons and sub-deacons ; his office is to examine the candidates for holy orders, and to present them to the bishop; Arch-deacon. ^"^^ ^^ virtue of this office, the arch-deacon is superior to a priest, notwithstanding that the order itself is inferior to that of the priesthood. ^ The arch-priest is superior to other priests. In the absence of his bishop, he celebrates the solemn masses. It is he who, on Ash-AVednes- Arch-priest ^^' ^^^^^ ^^'^ penitents out of the church, puts ashes on their heads, and presents them to the bishop on Holy Thursday. PeScara assures us, that the office of Prothonotary was instituted' by ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH* 285 St. Clement, and that at that time, and under the Popes, St. Anthems and St. Julius I., their office was to write the acts of the Prothonotaries.^^^^^^^^ and to look after the church-registers, &c. This office being of so great antiquity, greatly heightens the prerogatives of the pope. Prothonotaries are dignified with the title of prelates at Rome, and are empowered to create doctors, and to make bastards legitimate. The word Ahhot^ which is originally Hebrew, or Syriac, signifies father. An abbot is a prelate inferior to a bishop : he is the Lord's vicar over his monks, their father, and the mystical spouse of his convent ; which is said to be an epitome of the church of God. But it must be observed that we are here speaking of regular abbots. When an abbess-elect is to be blessed, she first takes the oath of fidelity to her ordinary, and to the church over which she presides ; then the prelate who receives her gives her his blessing. After having ""^' laid both his hands on her head, he gives her the rule ; and if she be not already a nun, blesses the white veil, and puts it on her head, in such a manner as to let it hang down over her breast and shoulders. The rest of the ceremony has nothing particular in it ; it consists only of kissing the pix, and introducing the newly-elected abbess among the nuns. Nuns or abbesses never receive the veil but on solemn days, such as Sundays or high festivals. In general, young women ought not to be allowed to take the veil till five- and-twenty, nor till after they have passed the strictest examination, and particularly till it has been strongly incul- cated to them that they must live in a state of virginity during the remainder of their days ; a vow that may indeed be sincere in the warmth of devotion, or from the effi^ct of pique ; but the execution thereof de- pending upon innumerable circumstances, it is exposed to many dreadful temptations, even in the most strict retirement. At the profession of a nun, the habit, the veil, and the ring of the can- didate are all carried to the altar, and she herself, dressed in magnificent apparel, and accompanied by her nearest relations, is conducted to the bishop. Two venerable matrons are her bride-women, when the bishop says mass. After the gradual is over, the candidate or candidates for the veil, attended by the same persons as before, and with their faces covered, enter the church, and present themselves before the bishop ; but before this be done, the arch-priest chants an anthem, the subject of which is, That they ought to have their lamps lighted^ because the hridegroom is coming to meet them ; and while he is singing, they light their lamps. The arch- priest now presents them to the bishop, who calls them thrice in a kind of chanting tone ; and they answer him in the same manner. The first time they advance to the entrance of the choir, the second to the middle, and the third to the chancel of the altar ; they kneel down before the bishop, with their faces to the ground, and afterwards rise up, singing this verse, Receive 7ne, O Lord ! according to thy holy u:ord. Being come before the prelate, and on their knees, they attend to the exhortation he makes them concerning the duties of a religious life. After this, they kiss his hand, and then lie prostrate before him while the choir chants the litanies. Then the bishop, having the crosier in his left hand, completes the benediction. After they have risen, he blesses the new habits, ichich denote the contempt 286 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. of the world ^ and the humility of their hearts. A sprinkle of holywater concludes the consecration, and then the candidates go and put on their re]jgious habits. The veil, the ring, and the crowns, are blessed after the same manner. All these benedictions being ended, they present themselves in the habit of nuns before the bishop, and sing the following words on their knees, Ancilla Christi sum^ &c. ; i. e. / am the handmaid or servant of Christy &c. " In this posture tliey receive the veil, and afterwards the ring ; on deliver- ing which the bishop declares he marries them to Jesus Christ. And lastly, the crown of virginity is given, to which they are called by the chanting of the anthem, Veni sponsa Christi^ &,c. ; " Come, O spouse of Christ, and receive the crown." In the first ages of the Church, it was usual to set a crown on the heads of those who died virgins, which custom is still observed in several parts of Christendom. Being thus crowned, an anathema is denounced against all who shall attempt to turn them from God, by endeavouring to make them break their vow in what manner soever, or on those who shall seize upon any part of their wealth. After the offertory, they present lighted tapers to the bishop, who afterwards gives them the communion ; and as it is the custom in several convents for the nuns to read the office and canonical hours, the bishop gives the breviary to those who are taken into such convents. These ceremonies being ended, the prelate gives them up to the conduct of the abbess, say- ing to her, Take care to preserve^ pure and spotless^ these young women ^ whom God has consecrated to himself^ &c. The custom of giving the veil to nuns is of great antiquity, and was practised before the age of St. Ambrose and Pope Liberius, as is manifest from the writers of the second and third centuries. The cardinals are senators of the Church, and counsellors of the suc- cessors of St. Peter. There are now three orders of cardinals, viz., Cardinals. ^^^^^°P^' priests, and deacons : six of these are bishops, fifty are priests, and fourteen deacons. Sixtus Y. fixed the number of cardinals to seventy, in order to imitate the ancient Sanhedrim of the Jews, which was composed of seventy elders, and it is this assembly which is now called the Sacred College. When his holiness makes a promotion of cardinals, he gives them the title of priest, or deacon, as he thinks proper ; they afterwards arrive at episcopacy by right of superiority, or by assuming the title of those who die ; and because all cardinals are equal by their dignity, they take place according to the date of their promotion and the quality of their title. As cardinals, with regard to spirituals, govern the Church of Rome in all parts of the Christian world, subjects of the different nations of it are allowed to aspire to this dignity, according to the decisions of the Council of Trent. For this reason the popes often create those persons cardinals who are nominated by crowned heads ; who, it is presumed, propose the most eminent among their subjects for that purpose. Formerly the pope, in promoting cardinals, used to advise with the ancient ones ; but now he creates them without consulting any person. Those cardinals who are in greatest credit with the reigning pope have Prerogatives certain kingdoms, states, republics, and religious orders of Cardinals. Under their protection. They have the privilege of conferring ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 287 the four orders called minor, viz. that of door-keeper^ reader^ exorcist^ and acolyte^ on their domestics, and on other persons. They are exempt from the reversion of their church-lands and effects to the Apostolical Chamher, as is customary in Italy, and may hequeath ecclesiastical wealth in the same manner as patrimonial. They have likewise some other very considerable privileges ; such as a power of resigning their pensions, by particular grants from popes ; to be exempt from the ex- amination of bishops, when they are put into Sees ; to be believed in a court of justice upon their bare words, without being obliged to take an oath ; and their single testimony is equal to that of two witnesses. They are considered as citizens of whatever city the pope resides in, and do not pay any taxes. They grant a hundred days' indulgence to whomsoever they please, and acknowledge no one but the pope for their judge or superior, particularly in criminal matters ; for as to civil causes, they are always heard before the auditors of the Apostolic Chamber. They have several other prerogatives ; such as that of wearing purple habits, a mantle royal with a train six ells long, a red hat, and an episco- pal mitre, though they be no more than priests, deacons, or clerks. Cardinals wore only the common vestment of priests, which was like a monastic habit, till the time of Innocent IV. The red hat was given them in 1243, in the Council of Lyons. Innocent lY. was desirous of gaining their friendship by this honourable badge, and to win them over to his interest, on account of the difference he had with the emperor. Under Boniface IX. they were clothed in scarlet, and even in purple, and their robes were the same then as at present. According to other writers, they were not clothed in scarlet till the pontificate of Paul II. ; others pretend that their robes were of that colour as early as Innocent III. ; and others again, that they wore the purple under Stephen IV. Paul II. distinguished them by the embroidered silk mitre, and the red cope and cap, red housings for their mules, and gilt stirrups. Gregory XIV. granted the red cap to the regulars, but ordered that their vestments should be of the colour of their order, and that they should have no rochet, nor wear a cloth cassock. Urban VIII., in order to add fresh splendour to the cardinalate, ordered that the title of Eminence should be given to them. When a cardinal goes to Rome to receive his hat from the pope, a variety of ceremonies are performed, which our limits will not allow us to notice. When the pope, by special favour, is pleased to send the hat to an absent cardinal, the following ceremonies are observed : — In the first place, Ceremonies ob- ^* ^^ *^ ^^ observed, that whenever any person out of Italy is served at the crea- created cardinal, he is not permitted to put on the scarlet tion of a Cardinal, vestments until his hohness has sent him his hat ; but he is nevertheless allowed to assume the title of cardinal. The hat is carried by an honorary chamberlain, together with a brief directed to the nuncio, or to the sovereign, or bishop of the place where the cardinal elect resides. As soon as the latter hears of the approach of the chamberlain who brings the hat, he sends his household to meet him, with as many of his friends as he can collect together for that purpose, to do him the greater honour ; and they all make their entry together in cavalcade, if allowed ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. by the custom of the place. In this procession, the pope's chamberlain holds the red hat aloft on the mace, in order that it may be seen by all the spectators. The pope's envoy, and the prelate who is to perform the ceremony, afterwards meet on a Sunday, or on some high festival, at the newly- elected cardinal's house, with their domestics, and as many friends as they can collect, and go in cavalcade to the 2:)rincipal church of the place, in the followinof order : — The march is opened by drums and trumpets ; then come the livery- servants. The soldiers upon guard, in case there be any, or the inhabit- ants of the town under arms, march before the gentlemen ; and afterwards the pope's chamberlain appears in a purple habit, holding the red hat aloft, and uncovered. Immediately after follows the newly-elected cardi- nal, with his cope on, his capuche on his head, and over all a black hat. On the right hand the prelate marches who is to perform the ceremony, and on his left some other person of quality, such as the king, prince, or chief nobleman of the place ; and behind him the coaches of the cardinal, and of all such persons as are proud of doing him honour, with a great train. When this ceremony is performed in any place where a king or prince resides, their guards always attend on the newly-elected cardinal. When the cavalcade is come to the church, mass is sung in it, and it is usual for the king or prince of the place, and likewise the chief lords and ladies of the court, to be present at it. Mass being ended, the prelate who is to perform the ceremony puts on his cope and mitre ; then, being seated on a sort of throne, which stands on the steps of the altar, with his back turned to it, the person who brought the hat lays it on the altar, and presents the pope's brief to the prelate, who gives it to his secretary, and the latter reads it with an audible voice, so as to be heard by the whole congregation. Immediately after, the prelate makes an oration in praise of the newly-elected cardinal, and at the conclusion declares that he is ready to deliver the hat to him, according to the order of his holiness. Then the cardinal-elect advances towards the altar, and, kneeling down, takes the same oath before the prelate which the newly-created cardinals take at Rome before the pope. Then the prelate arises from his seat, and, taking off his mitre, says some prayers over the new cardinal, whose head is covered with the capuche ; after which, the prelate puts his hat on, and at the same time repeats a prayer out of the Roman Pontifical. He afterguards gives him the kiss of peace, npon which the Te Deutn and some prayers are sung, which conclude the ceremony. The newly-created cardinal returns in cavalcade, with the red hat on his head. The newly-elected cardinal is obliged to make the legate, or messenger, a present of one hundred ducats at least, this being the fixed sum ; but it amounts frequently to one, three, five thousand, and sometimes more ducats. The hat is usually handed to the officiating prelate by the pope's nuncio ; but in case there be no such personage present, this office is per- formed by the emperor, king, archbishop, duke, or other highest person in authority. When a cardinal dies, he is immediately embalmed, and the following Interment "'§^'^ ^'^ carried into the church where his obsequies are to of Cardinals, be Solemnised. One of the largest churches is generally ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 289 made use of for this purpose, in order that the greater concourse of people may assemble in it. The inside is hung, throughout, with black velvet, and adorned with escutcheons, on which the arms of the deceased are represented ; and a great number of white tapers are lighted up on both sides of the nave. In the middle of the church a very high and large bed of state is set, covered with black brocade, with two pillows of the same colour, which, being put one above another, are laid under the head of tlie de- ceased cardinal, whose corpse lies in the middle of the bed in such a manner that his feet point towards the great gate, and his head towards the high altar. The corpse of the deceased cardinal is clothed in pontifical vestments, viz. the mitre; the cope, if he were a bishop ; the chasuble, if a priest; and the tunic, if a deacon. The six masters of the ceremonies assist in this church, clothed in cassocks of purple serge, and all the pope's couriers, in long robes of the same colour, with silver maces in their hands. There are, likewise, two of the deceased's tall lacqueys, each holding a wand, on which are fixed purple tafFety streamers, with the arms of the deceased car- dinal ; wuth these they continually fan his face, in order to keep off the flies. On the morrow, after vespers, the religious mendicants meet together in a chapel of the same church, where they sing the matins of the dead, each order repeating alternately a Nocturnum, and the pope"'s music the Lauds. In the mean time the cardinals arrive, clothed in purple, and at their coming into the church they put on a cope of the same colour. They then advance towards the high altar, where the host is kept, and there offer up their prayers, and adore it upon their knees. They afterwards go, one after another, to the feet of the deceased, and repeat the Pater Noster, S^c; to which they add certain verses out of the Scripture, and the prayer, Absolve., Sfc.., from the office of the dead. They, then, make the usual sprinkling with holy water, and go and seat themselves in the choir, where they hear the office of the dead sung by several monks and priests with great solemnity. Others repeat it to themselves, not stirring out of their places till it be ended ; the cardinals, priests, and bishops being on the epistle side, and the rest of the clergy in the lowest seats, which stand round the choir. The cardinals are always seated on the highest chairs or benches. This being done, the congregation return to their respective homes, without any "farther ceremony. At night, the corpse is stripped, and laid in a leaden coffin, which is put in another of cypress- wood covered with black cloth. The corpse is then carried in a coach, accompanied by the rector of the parish and the chaplains of the deceased, who go by torch- light to the church, where he is to be interred. The majority of the cardinals who die in Rome are buried in the church of their title, unless they were Romans of exalted condition, and had desired to be interred in the vaults of their ancestors ; or in the case of some foreign cardinal, who chooses to be buried in the church in Rome belonging to the clergy of his nation. Four of the cardinals are buried with greater pomp and magnificence than the rest, viz., the dean of the Apostolic College, the grand peniten- tiary, the vice-chancellor, and the camerlingo. u 290 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The Romish rituals enjoin that his holiness, finding himself on his death-bed, must recollect himself, examine his conscience, make his con- fession, desire his confessor to give him a plenary indulgence, Interment ^-^r^\^Q qq^q reparation to tliose whom he has offended in his of a Pope. ]-f^3^^uie ; afterwards receive the viaticum, assemble the sacred college, make a profession of faith before them, and beseech his eminences to forgive him for all those things in which he may have offended any of them during his pontificate. The Roman ceremonial, amono- other particulars, enjoins his holiness, when he finds his last hour approaching, to recommend to the cardinals the choice of a pastor worthy to be his successor. When the pope is at the last gasp, his nephew^s and domestics strip the palace of all its furniture ; for immediately after his holiness has expired, the ofl&cers of the Apostolic Chamber come to seize the goods ; but the pope's relations usually take care that they find nothing but bare w\alls, and the corpse lying on a strata bed with an old wooden candlestick, in u-hich there is only the snuff of a taper hurning. At the same time, the cardinal camerlingo comes, in purple vestments, accompanied by the clerks of the chamber in mourning, to inspect the pope's corpse. He calls him thrice by his Christian name ; and finding he gives no answer, nor discovers the least sign of life, he causes an instru- ment of his death to be drawn up by the apostolical prothonotaries. He then takes, from the master of the pope's chamber, the fisherman's ring, which is the pope's seal, (made of solid gold, and worth a hundred crowns,) and breaks it to pieces ; giving them to the masters of the cere- monies, w^hose perquisite they are. The datary and secretaries, w^ho have the rest of the seals of the deceased pope, are obliged to carry them to the cardinal camerlingo, who causes them to be broken in presence of the auditor of the chamber, the treasurer, and the apostolic clerks. After this, the cardinal-patron and the pope's nephews are obliged to leave the palace in which he died, which is generally the Vatican, or Monte Cavallo, unless he happens to die suddenly. The cardinal camer- lingo takes possession of these palaces in the name of the Apostolic Chamber ; and after having entered it w^ith the formality above mentioned, he takes a short inventory of the remaining moveables; but, as before observed, tliere is seldom anything left. In the mean time, the penitentiaries of St. Peter, and the almoner of the deceased pope, after having caused the corpse to be shaved and washed, have it immediately embalmed. The dead pontiff is then clothed in his pontifical vestments, having his mitre on his head, and the chalice in his hand. The camerlingo, in the mean time, sends a body of guards to secure the gates of the city, the castle of St. Angelo, and other posts. The caporioni, or captains of the districts, likewise, patrole night and day witli their guards, to prevent those who are caballing for the election of a new pope from raising any sedition. After the camerlingo has thus provided for the security of Rome, he comes out of the apostolical palace, and goes round the city in his coach, accompanied by the Swiss guards, and the captain of the guards, who usually attended upon the deceased pope. When this march begins, the great bell of the capitol is rung, which is never heard but at the death of the pontiff, to give notice of it to the citizens. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 29l At this signal, the rota and all the tribunals of justice are shut up, as likewise the datary, pursuant to the bull of Pius Y. in eligendis. No more bulls are now given out ; the ordinary congregations are likewise suspended, insomuch that none but the cardinal camerlingo and the cardinal grand penitentiary continue in their employments. As the popes have made choice of St. Peter's Church for the place of their interment, when they die at Mount Quirinal (now Monte Cavallo), or in some other of their palaces, they are carried to the Vatican in a large open litter, in the middle of which is a bed of state, on which the corpse of the pope is laid, clothed in his pontifical vestments. The litter is preceded by a van-guard of horsemen and trumpeters, who make a mournful sound, their instruments being furled with purple and black crape : these trumpeters march at the head of the first troop, mounted on dapple horses, the housings of which are of the same colour with the streamers fixed to the trumpets ; but those of the van-guard are black velvet, with gold and silver fringe. These horsemen have their lances reversed ; each squadron has a standard before it, surrounded with kettle-drums, mufiled, which are beaten in a mournful manner. Several battalions of the Swiss guards advance next ; one half having muskets, and the other halberds, reversed. These are followed by twenty- four grooms, each leading a horse covered with sable housings that trail upon the ground. Several of the deceased pope's tall lacqueys walk with- out order, between the led-horses, with lighted torches of yellow wax in their hands. Then the twelve penitentiaries of St. Peter's advance, with each a flam- beau in his hand, and surrounded with Swiss guards armed with back- swords and halberds, and having the pope's litter in the midst of them. Immediately before the litter comes the cross-bearer mounted on a tall horse, with a caparison of wire all in network, like a horse prepared for battle. Behind the bed of state, on which the pope's body lies, is seen the chief groom on a black horse, whose ears are cropped, and whose harness consists only of several stripes of linen cloth, a piece of white satin, and a grand plume of feathers, in three ranges, one above the other, on his head, and some gaudy tinsel. Afterwards, twenty-four more grooms come forward, leading black mules with white housings, and twelve tall lacqueys with white horses covered with black velvet. After these, a troop of light horse advance, the men being all clothed in purple. Then come a troop of cuirassiers ; and lastly, the remainder of the Swiss guards, whose march is closed by a troop of carabineers, who guard a few pieces of brass cannon gilt, drawn on their carriages. In the event of the pope dying in the Vatican, his body is immediately carried, by the back stairs, into Sextus V."'s Chapel. After it has lain there twenty-four hours, it is embalmed, and on the same day is carried to St. Peter's Church, attended only by the penitentiaries, the almoners, and other ecclesiastics, who follow^ the pontiff's corpse as far as the portico of the great church. The canons of the church come and receive it, sing- ing the usual prayers appointed for the dead ; and afterwards carry it into the chapel of the Blessed Trinity, where it is exposed for three days, on a bed of state raised pretty high, to the sight of the people, who crowd to u2 292 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. kiss the feet of his holiness through an iron rail, by which this chapel is inclosed. Three days after, tlie corpse, being again embalmed with fresh perfumes, is laid in a leaden coffin, at the bottom of which the cardinals, whom he had promoted, lay gold and silver medals, on one side of which is the head of the deceased pope, their benefactor, and on the reverse his most remarkable actions. This coffin is afterwards inclosed in another made of cypress wood, and is deposited within the wall of some chapel, till such time as a mausoleum can be erected to his honour in St. Peter s, or any other church, in case he himself had not given any orders for the erecting of one during his lifetime ; which is frequently the case. But when his holiness declares by his last will, or byword of mouth, that he chooses not to be buried in St. Peter's, but in some other church which he names, then his body must not be translated till after he has lain a whole year in some of the chapels of that church ; and in this case the corpse cannot be removed till a large sum of money has been paid to the chapter of St. Peter; it sometimes costs upwards of a million of livres, in case the pope, whose corpse they are desirous of removing, was famous for his piety, and that any grounds exist to presume that he will one day be canonised. The Apostolic Chamber defrays the expenses of the pope's burial, which are fixed at one hundred and fifty thousand livres ; in which sura, not only the expenses of the funeral are included, but also those to be paid for the erection of a mausoleum in St. Peter's, and illuminating a chapel of state, where a mass of Requiem is to be sung every morning for a week toge- ther, in presence of the sacred college, for the repose of the soul of the deceased pontiff^. The funeral obsequies end the ninth day by another solemn mass, which is sung by a cardinal bishop, assisted at the altar by four other cardinals with their mitres on, who, together with the officiat- ing priest, at the conclusion of the office, incense the representation of the coffin, and sprinkle it in the manner enjoined in the ritual in presence of four other cardinals, and all the prelates and officers of the late pope's court, who immediately retire as soon as the last JRequiescat in pace is pro- nounced, to which they answer, Amen. After the pope's decease, the office of the mass is said according to the circumstances of the times ; and one of the lessons is applied to the sacred college. On the first and last day of the nine days' devotion, two hundred masses are said for the soul of the deceased pontiff, the solemn mass is sung by a cardinal-bishop, and a hundred masses are sung on the other days. SEC. IV. HIERARCHY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The pope, considered as a bishop, has a diocese subordinate to him. In this quaUty he appoints for his vicar-general a bishop, who ever since Pius The Po ' ^^' ^^ ^^"^^y^ ^ cardinal. The office of vicar-general is for Vicar-GenTrd! ^^^^' ^^ ^^' ^^ '#<'«o, the proper judge of ecclesiastics both secular and regular of both sexes, and also of the Jews and courtesans at Rome, and in its dependencies. He confirms and confers all sacred orders. He is empowered to inspect and visit all churches, monas- teries, hospitals, and other pious houses, those of foreign nations excepted. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 293 which are all exempt. He has a vicegerent, who is always a bishop, to assist him in his episcopal functions. He has likewise a lieutenant, who is a prelate, but under the rank of bishop ; a referendary of both signatures, who takes cognizance of all civil causes at his court ; and a judge criminal, who is a layman, to judge all crimes committed by clerks and regulars. But that which makes the post of grand- vicar very considerable and pro- fitable, is the power he has of deciding all differences that arise relating to matriynony. The Apostolic Chamber pays him provisionally, exclusive of the profits arising from his courts, twelve hundred crowns of gold annually. He has, besides the above-mentioned officers, four notaries or registrars, a provost, and a company of bailiffs and sergeants. The chancellor w^-ote formerly, in the pope's name, all the rescripts, doubts, and scruples with respect to faith, which bishops and others pro- The Pope's posed to him ; insomuch that he executes the office of secretary Chancellor and of state, of the briefs, and that of chancellor. This dignity is Vice-chancellor, p^^^chased, and costs a hundred thousand crowns ; it yields about twelve thousand crowns per annum to the incumbent, and is for life. The jurisdiction of the cardinal vice-chancellor extends to the issuing out all apostolical letters and bulls, and also to all petitions signed by the pope. The regent of the apostolic chancery is estabhshed by the vice-chan- cellors patent, by which he is empowered to commit all appeals to the Pn^.nf nn^ referendaries and auditors of the rota ; and these he distributes Kegent and _ i j j i. Registrars of to them by order, that each of them may be employed, and get the Pope's money in their turns. There are twelve referendaries, who Chancery. ^^^ ^^ prelates, and are called registrars of the high court ; they are clothed in long purple robes. These employments are purchased, and the vice-chancellor has the nomination of six, the others being in the gift of the pope. The post of regent is purchased at 30,000 crowns, and the annual produce amounts to 3000. The posts of the prelates referen- daries, of both signatures, who arc registrars of the high court, sell for 13,000 crowns, and produce each 1200 crowns annually. These thirteen prelates have their seats when the pope assists solemnly at the office ; but the regent never appears there in that quality, to prevent any disputes about precedency. The registrars of the high court draw up the minutes of all bulls, from the petitions signed by the pope, and collate them after they are written on parchment ; they afterwards send them to the registrars of the lower court, who, with the registrars or apostolical writers, tax them. All these employments would not be worth so much, nor produce i^w per cent, profit, were the bulls which collate to rich benefices issued out gratis ; but nothing is ever purchased from the apostolical chancery,- without paying sums proportionately to the value of the benefices, or other grants. The cardinal-nephew, if the pope have any, or another cardinal, is always the pope's principal secretary of state ; for this post is never given to any person under the dignity of cardinal. There are ten lai^Tf St utT^" ^^'^^^ secretaries of state, between whom the provinces of the "^ ° ''*^' ecclesiastical state are divided; but they are in such subordi- nation to him, that they do nothing without his participation ; so that, properly speaking, they are no more than under-secretaries of state. 294 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The cardinal-secretary signs, by the pope's order, all letters directed to princes, nuncios, rice-legates, governors, and prefects ; and the patents of all those who are appointed for the government and administration of jus- tice, in the whole territory of the ecclesiastical state. But the provisions or patents of governors of cities, and large towns surrounded with walls, those of legates, vice-legates, and presidents, are drawn up by brief, under the fisherman's ring or seal; and all those who are raised to these employ- ments, cardinals excepted, take an oath before the cardinal camerlingo, in the presence of a notary of the chamber, and swear on their own briefs. The absent do the same by proxy. All the ambassadors of princes, after having had audience of the pope, come and visit the cardinal-secretary before they wait upon any of the magistrates of Rome ; because the post of superintendent of the ecclesi- astical state is annexed to this particular office. These two posts are for life, and the pope generally bestows them gratis ; but sometimes, in case he be in urgent necessity for money, he sells them : they produce 15,000 crowns annually. The under-secretaries of state are, by their office, obliged to draw up all the minutes which the cardinal-secretary may require, and to make a fair copy of all the letters and patents which he is to sign. The prefect of the briefs is always a cardinal, whose post is purchased, and is for life t it costs 20,000 crowns, and produces annually 2500 crowns, exclusive of the extraordinary perquisites which he the Briefs, receives from all those whose briefs he despatches. By his office he is obliged to review all the minutes, and sign all the copies of assessed briefs; but he is neither empowered nor commissioned to view the secret briefs. He is generally deputed by his holiness, with other prelates, to assist at the signature of grants, which is made in the pontifical palace. His post is very honourable and profitable, for he has a seat in the pope's palace, near the datary ; and when he revises the briefs, he may add or cut off any clauses : on which account, the secre- taries, who all in their several turns assess these briefs, rate them either higher or lower, accordingly as they are desirous of favouring those who are to have them despatched ; for which reason, all w^ho come on these occasions pay their court assiduously to this prefect, and endeavour to bribe him to their interest by some present, proportionable to the advan- tages granted by those briefs. The office of prefect of the signature of favour is never given to any person under the dignity of cardinal, who receives from the apostolical ^. chamber a yearly pension of 1200 crowns, so lonsr as, by the The Prefects of > v ^ • xi • x i i • v both Signatures P^P® '^ lavour, he enjoys this post, who removes him when- ever he pleases. The chief employment of the cardinal- prefect is to preside over all those prelates who assist at the signature of favour, made every Tuesday before the pope. He likewise signs all the petitions which are presented to this assembly, in which twelve cardinals, at least, always meet by the order of his holiness, one of whom is generally the cardinal-prefect of the signature of justice. There are likewise in this assembly twelve i)relates-referendaries, who have each their vote in the signature of justice. The jurisdiction of the prefect of the signature of justice extends to judge ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 295 the causes of those persons who think themselves injured by any sentence given by the ordinary judges. Every Thursday, twelve prelates assemble at his house, and these are the most ancient referendaries of the signature, and have an active voice. The college of the prelates referendaries is not limited as to the number, and the employments are not purchased, but are only titles of honour, which the pope bestows on persons of high birth and uZeud^lier l^^'^^^ing* ^s a step towards the most considerable employ- ments of the court of Rome. A person, before he can be thus promoted, must first have the nomination of the cardinal-patron, and the pope's consent. The cardinal-prefect of tlie signature of justice after- wards orders one of his officers to institute the proper inquiries, pursuant to the constitution of Sixtus V., by which it is enacted, that every candi- date must prove he is doctor of both laws, that he has been an inhabitant of Rome for two years, that he is twenty-five years of age, and that he has wealth sufficient to support the prelature with honour. The pope's datary and the chancery courts were formerly one and the same thing ; but the multitude of affiiirs to be transacted therein obliged , his holiness to divide it into two tribunals, which are so nearly DataiT ^^^ ^ related to one another, that the chancery does no more than despatch all that has passed through the datary court. The officer called datary is a prelate, and sometimes a cardinal, deputed by his holiness to receive all such petitions as are presented to him, touch- ing the provisions for benefices. By this post, the datary is empowered to grant all benefices that do not produce upwards of twenty-four ducats annually, without acquainting his holiness therewith ; but for those which amount to more, he is obliged to cause the provisions thereof to be signed by the pope, who admits him to an audience every day. In case there be several candidates for the same benefice, he is at liberty to bestow it on whomsoever of them he thinks proper, provided he has the requisite qualifications. The datary has a yearly salary of two thousand crowns, exclusive of the immense perquisites which he receives from those who address him for any benefice. A Dominican friar, of the order commonly called the Preaching Bro- thers, is always Master of the Popes Palace^ ever since the founder, who The Mnor- ^^^^ canonised by the name of St. Dominic, was raised to that Domo anT dignity by Honorius III. in 1216. He preaches once a month other officers in the public chapel of the palace, or appoints one of his H^^^^ V'lA^ brethren to perform the service for him. He has a seat in the pope's chapel, next to the deacon, or most ancient auditor of the rota. He has no fixed salary, because, by the statutes of his order, he is not allowed to have any money which he can call his own ; but he is allowed a table at court with his companions and servants, and a coach is kept for him. He is the judge in ordinary of all printers, engravers, and booksellers, who are not permitted to publish, or sell, any work without his permission being first obtained. All books that come to Rome are examined by him, or his officers, who confiscate all that are prohibited by the index of the Council of Trent. The other chief officers that reside in the pontifical palace, and near the 296 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. person of his holiness, are the major-domo^ or master of the household, which officers, in the courts of other princes, are called high-stewards. The pope's master of the household superintends all the domcbtics of the apostolical palace ; but his holiness employs the chief steward of the hos- pital of the Literate Orphans to furnish him with provisions, and the hospital has proper fees allowed to it. There are always two gentlemen near the pope's person, who have the title of masters of the chamber. The chief cup-hearer^ who is called copinere^ presents the glass to his holiness, with a salver which he holds before him, and kneels on both knees when the pope drinks. The officer whose business it is to see the dishes brought in order to the pope's table is called in Italian scalco. The carver^ who cuts up tlie meat before the sovereign pontiff — the chief harhin^er^ who regulates the apartments of the pope's household, and all the other officers above mentioned, are prelates, who wear purple vestments, and have each two deputies to officiate in their absence. There are, likewise, several jjrivy chamherlains^ all prelates, who are clothed in long purple cassocks with sleeves trailing to the ground, but have no cloak. Among these, eight are declared partakers., and divide among themselves whatever presents are made them ; and of these the pope chooses one to be his privy-treasurer, whose business it is to distribute such alms as his holiness bestows privately. Another of these privy-chamberlains is appointed master of the wardrobe. He is entrusted with all the plate, whether of gold or silver, all the jewels and shrines for relics, as also the Agnus Deis., which he distributes daily to pilgrims and strangers at a certain hour. The pope s p)hysic%an in ordinary is also a privy chamberlain, but not the other two, who are phy- sicians of his household. The fixed pension of each privy-chamberlain amounts to a thousand crowns annually : and the partakers have at least double that sum, arising from the presents made at the creation and death of every cardinal. The chamberlain who distributes the Agnus Deis receives more than all the rest, particularly when any extraordinary solemnity induces foreigners to visit Rome ; such as the years of the jubilee, an embassy, a holy canon- isation that makes a great noise, or any famous miracle. In such cases he has several thousand crowns given him for the little consecrated images of wax. The pope's privy chaplains have the same salary as the chamberlains. They assist in saying the office of the breviary, and wait upon him at mass, when he celebrates it in private. One of these carries the cross before his holiness when he goes abroad, and in case he goes on foot another of them supports his train. When the pope assists at solemn mass, and in processions, his chaplains carry the mitres and triple crowns, enriched with precious stones, which thoy display in a very pompous manner, holding them aloft with both their hands to show them to the people as his holiness walks along. There are also chaplains belonging to the guards and grooms, who say mass every morning in the guard-room, &c.; these arc called common chaplains ; their yearly salary amounts to no more than fifty crowns, but, then, they arc paid besides for whatever masses thoy celebrate. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 297 The pope's assistants and valets-de-chambre have five hundred crowns a year, and several other very considerable profits ; not to mention that as they have a more free access to his holiness than the rest of his domestics, they never fail of benefices. There are likewise honorary chamberlains, Avho are prelates of the first quality, among whom the pope generally makes choice of a Frenchman, a German, and a Spaniard. The chamberlains of the Boussole are so many ushers, because they always keep a guard at his holiness's chamber-door. The chamberlains without the walls are so called because they follow the pope without the Vatican, and attend upon him in all his public caval- cades, with the chamberlain's esquires, clothed in red cloth, and covered with a large cope of the same colour furred with ermine. Each of these do duty in the apostolical palace, and have their distinct office ; but the honorary chamberlains never mount guard, nor appear in the pope's ante- chamber but when they please. These are generally employed by the pope to carry the red cap or hat to any newly-elected cardinals who are not in Rome at the time of their being raised to that dignity. The pope has a master of the household and scalco, in the Vatican as well as on Monte Cavallo ; and another carver, whose office it is to pre- pare the banquet which he gives to the cardinals on certain extraordinary occasions, and on solemn festivals ; another scalco and carver for tlie am- bassadors, and other distinguished foreigners, whom the pope entertains in a splendid manner ; and another, who prepares the dinner given to the thirteen poor pilgrims, serves up the first dish at their table, and treats them in a magnificent manner every day, in imitation of Pope Clement VIII., who restored this custom, first introduced by Gregory the Great. These officers are clothed in purple. The pope always makes choice of a native of Rome for the master of his stables. This officer bears the name of cavallerizzo. The harbingers above mentioned assign the apartments to the pope's household, and have deputy harbingers and their assistants, who are en- trusted with the hangings, ornaments, and other furniture of the pontifi- cal palace. They are likewise employed to adorn the apartments when either consistory, signature of favour, or congregation is held. There are likewise footmen, called grooms, who keep guard in the halls of the pope's palace, and are very numerous, because the pope bestows this place on all those who were his grooms when he w\as cardinal ; and moreover, he likewise gives those places to all the chiefs of the grooms that are in the service of the cardinals and ambassadors who are present at Rome at the time of his creation. Their clothing is a red flowered satin ; and whenever they go out, they have a blue cloth cloak and a sword, the hilt of which is of silver gilt. The pope has twelve officers, who have each a red wand, and twelve others who carry silver maces, and walk before him in a ceremonial habit, every time he appears in public with his mitre and cope on. When the consistory is held, they guard the door, and wait upon his holiness when he is entering or departing. These twenty-four posts are all purchased for six hundred crowns each, and produce about fifty annually. The pope's sacristan, who takes the title of prefect, is always a friar of the order of the hermits of St. Austin. This prefect is entrusted with all 298 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. the ornaments, gold and silver vessels, crosses, cups, thuribles, shrines for Prefect of the inclosing relics, and other valuable things belonging to his Pope's Sacristy, holiness's sacristy. It is he that prepares the host, and inspects the bread and wine, when the pope celebrates mass pontifically, or in private. Whenever his holi- ness assists solemnly at mass, his sacristan places himself among the assist- ing bishops, above the dean, or the senior auditors of the rota ; and ob- serves to take off or put on the pope's mitre, as often as he is required by the rubric of the Roman Pontifical. He distributes the relics and signs the memorials of those indulgences which pilgrims desire for themselves and relations. We shall make two remarks on this head : — First, that indulgences are never granted to any pilgrims but to those who are actually upon a journey, and appear per- sonally before the pope's sacristan. Secondly, with regard to those indulgences which persons who go to Rome desire for their relations, they are not to be granted to them but when they are in their expiring moments : i. e. the pope grants by briefs, addressed to certain persons, for whose names llanks are left, a power of making choice of what confessor they shall think proper, when at the point of death ; and to be absolved by him from all sins in general, "and all reserved cases, of what nature soever ; with a full power to this con- fessor of remitting to the person to whom this brief is given all the punishments which God might otherwise have inflicted on him for his sins, whether in this life or after his death, in hell or in purgatory. Formerly, the chancellor superintended the pope's library; but in latter ages it is an oflice apart, yielding twelve hundred crowns in gold annually to the possessor. The pope never bestows it on any T u °^^ ^ person under the dio^nity of a cardinal, who assumes the title of librarian of the Vatican. He has two sub-librarians ; the first of whom is generally one of the pope's domestic prelates, and has six hundred crowns a year, with an allowance of bread and wine for the whole year. The second has four hundred crowns, and the same provi- sion as the former. These three places are always filled by persons of great learning, who to the knowledge of other tongues add the Oriental languages in particu- lar. The librarian has the direction of a noble printing-house, where nothing is printed without his permission. It abounds with types of all the known tongues in which the learned are conversant. His holiness has six masters of the ceremonies ; two of whom are called assistants, and the other four supernumeraries. The two assistants re- ceive of every newly-created cardinal 224 crowns of gold, Master of the ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ l^^-^.^ ^f ^j^^^^ ^l^^ ^^^ iqq crowns, which sums Ceremonies. ,n -i mi • i i • i . they equally sliare. Iheir employments brmg them m altogether about 1000 crowns yearly, besides a table in the Vatican. All the chamberlains have an equal authority to regulate pontifical functions, to acquaint the cardinals with their duty, and to issue orders to all per- sons belonging to the court. They all have admission into the conclave, and, likewise, in the congre- gation of rites, but one only goes to the ceremonial congregation. When- ever the pope sends any cardinal a latere out of Rome, he deputes one of ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 299 the supernumerary masters of the ceremonies to attend upon him. They are clothed in purple cassocks, with black buttons and facings, and sleeves trailing on the ground ; in the papal chapel they wear a red cassock, as the rest of the cardinals, and rochets like the prelates. The Ruota is one of the most august tribunals of Rome, and is composed of twelve prelates, one of whom must be a German, another a Frenchman, and two Spaniards. Each of the sovereigns of these three na- Tribunal of ^-^j^g names a prelate, who bears the name of his crown. The other eight are Italians, three of whom must be Romans, one Bolognese, a Ferraran, a Milanese, a Venetian, and a Tuscan. Each auditor has four notaries or registrars, and the senior auditor performs the function of president. They meet in the apostolical palace every Monday and Friday, except during vacations ; but when the pope resides in the palace of Mount Quirinal, the assemblies are held in the chancery. They take cognizance of all such suits in the territory of the church as are brought in by way of appeal, and also of matters beneficiary and patri- monial. This tribunal does not judge a cause at once, but pronounces as many sentences, called decisions, as there are points contested in a suit. After these sentences are given, the party may get his cause revised again by the pope himself, at the signature of favour, which is a kind of civil petition. The place of these auditors produces but 1000 crowns yearly to each, and they receive no fees ; but then they are generally created cardi- nals by way of reward for the pains they have taken. This council has the direction of all the pope's demesnes, the finances of which consist in what is called the revenues of the Apostolic Chamber. It consists of the cardinal great chamberlain, who is at the t li JchambT" ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ' ^^ ^^^® governor of the ruota, who is the vice- chamberlain ; of a treasurer-general, an auditor, a president, an advocate-general, a solicitor-general, a commissary, and twelve clerks of the chamber ; of whom four are, first, the prefect of the plenty of grain; a second the prefect of provision, and such like commodities ; the third, the prefect of the prisons ; and the fourth, the prefect of the streets. The remaining eight are deputed to take cognizance of various causes, each privately in his chamber. Formerly the pope used to depute six clerks of his household for the direction of his revenues, from which those who have the management of them receive their names. Sixtus Y. ordered that their employments should be purchased, and increased their number to twelve. They meet every Monday and Friday in the pope's palace, and their jurisdiction extends to all things relating to the pope's demesnes. Each clerk of the chamber takes immediate cognizance of all causes that are sent up from the ApostoHcal Chamber by appeal. None of the places of clerk of the chamber are purchased for less than 80,000 crowns, nor yield less than 8000 crowns annually. The posts of treasurer-general and auditor of the Apostolical Chamber are purchased for similar sums, and produce similar revenues. The temporal dominions of the pope are at present confined to a territory south of the river Po, in Italy, containing not more than fifteen thousand square miles, and two millions and five hundred thousand inhabitants. 300 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The ecclesiastical subjects of tlie pope are variously estimated from eighty Present state of *^ ^"® huudred and twenty millions, who are scattered over the Roman Ca- the whole World. The countries which are considered tholic Church. entirely papal, are the pope's dominions in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and South America ; France, Austria, Poland, Belgium, Ireland, and Canada, almost entirely. Switzerland has seven hundred thousand ; Eno-land more than half a million. Others are found in Russia, Sweden, Denmark, the West India Islands, and the United States. As a temporal prince, the political power of the pope is now regarded with absolute contempt by all the European governments ; but it is still supported by them as a matter of policy. France, more particularly, appears almost ready to throw off entirely the trammels of the papal yoke ; for, as the Catholic priesthood has been found uniformly to give its support to an arbitrary form of government, and to neglect the instruction of the people, the Bourbon dynasty has been overthrown by the revolution of 1830, and the Romish Church cut off from being the established religion, and free toleration granted. Still, as the Roman Catholic is the professed religion of the majority in the French nation, its clergy at present continue to receive their usual salaries from the new government. So grossly have the French been deluded with the popish ceremonies and superstitions, that the more intelligent liave become infidels. Such, indeed, is the case throughout the Roman Catholic countries, and especially in Italy ; the people, therefore, are ill prepared, at present, to embrace the pure Christianity of the New Testament, of which, indeed, they are almost universally ignorant. Nevertheless, the vioforous efforts of some devoted servants of Christ at Paris, with several agents from the Methodists, Continental, London, and Baptist Missionary Societies in England, and especially with the revival of religion among the Protestants of the South of France, all contributing to the circulation of the Scriptures, and the diffusion of divine knowledge, will, we trust, be blessed of God, to produce an evangelical reformation in that great country. Education being vigorously promoted through many parts of Germany, and the Holy Scriptures being extensively circulated, popery will not be able much longer to retain its hold on the millions in Austria and Hungary. Even the Italian States, and Rome itself, have received many copies of the blessed word of God ; and it is believed that not a few Catholics, and some of the priests, are sincerely studying the scriptures of truth for their internal salvation. Knowledge, by the British system of education, is increasing in South America; and, with it, the Holy Scriptures are circulated among the superstitious Catholics. In British India and the East, the Roman Catholic Church has an establishment of three archbishops and seventeen bishops, with many priests, besides Romish missionaries ; but scriptural knowledge, as we have seen, is advancing in those populous regions of the earth. Canada has the Roman Catholic system for the established religion ; and efforts are being made to extend the influence of popery in the United States of America, i)articularly in the wondrous valley of the Mississij^tpi ; but its antidote is provided in the Bible. Ireland is chiefly popish ; and in that injured, degraded, and distracted ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 301 country, there are nearly five thousand Roman Catholic priests. But scriptural light and knowledge are advancing among the people, notwith- standing their prejudices against the Protestants. England, at the commencement of this century, it is said, had not quite fifty Roman Catholic chapels : that the number should now exceed five hundred cannot be matter of wonder, when we consider the amazing increase of its population, the influx of Irish, and the ignorance of multitudes of the lower classes concerning the essentials of religion as taught in the New Testament. But a scriptural education of the people, with the diligent and faithful preaching of the gospel, will be the eflfectual means of subverting every false system of religion, and of converting the ignorant millions of mankind to the saving knowledge of God in Christ Jesus. PART IV. RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES OF PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Under the head of Protestant Communities it is proposed, for the sake of convenience, to treat of the principal denominations which, whether strict or lax, orthodox or otherwise, deny the supremacy of the pope of Rome, and the discipline of that Church ; adopting for their pro- fession of faith articles in their estimation more scriptural, and ceremonies and modes of worship varying according to their views of the require- ments of the gospel. SECTION I,— LUTHERANS. The Lutherans derive their name from Martin Luther, a celebrated reformer, who, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, opposed ^'^"^' the church of Rome with great zeal and success. The system of faith embraced by the Lutherans was drawn up by Luther and Melancthon, and presented to the Emperor Charles V., in 1530, at the diet of Augusta, or Augsburg, and hence called f F'^th *^^ Augustan or Augsburg Confession. It is divided into two parts, of which the former^ containing twenty-one articles, was designed to represent, with truth and perspicuity, the religious opinions of the reformers ; and the latter^ containing seven articles, is employed in pointing out and confuting the seven capital errors which occasioned their separation from the church of Rome : these were, communion in one kind, the forced celibacy of the clergy, private masses, auricular confession, legendary traditions, monastic vows, and the excessive power of the church. From the time of Luther to tlie present day, no change has been intro- duced into the doctrine and discipline received in this church. The method, however, of illustrating, enforcing, and d(^fending the doctrines of Chris- tianity, has undergone several changes in the Lutheran church ; and, though the confessions continue the same, yet some of the doctrines which were warmly maintained by Luther have been, of late, wholly abandoned by his followers. The Lutherans are far from allowing that good works arc in any wise meritorious with regard to salvation. They acknowledge, generally, that Christ died for all who were partakers of Adam's trans- gression ; but that those, only, who should believe in him, and persevere in that faith to their lives' end, should be saved. The foreknowledge of God from all eternity of this faith is made by them the basis, or foundation, LUTHERANS. 303 of the election or predestination of the faithful. They view election in the very same light as they do justification. If the instrumental cause of the latter be faith, God's foreknowledge of that faith of the faithful is their election. As to free-will, the Lutherans deny its power before the con- version of a sinner, and maintain that none are converted but by the prevailing efficacy of grace alone. The Lutherans acknowledge but two sacraments, that is to say, baptism and the Lord's supper. They deny transubstantiation, the mass, the elevation and adoration of the host, the ceremonies, and all that external worship wliicli the church of Rome observes with respect to the body and blood of Jesus Christ : but they believe, that the real presence of the humanity of Jesus Christ is with, in, and under the elements of bread and wine in the holy communion, and maintain in vindication of their ubiquity, that all the perfections of Christ's divinity were communicated to his humanity. They reject the adoration of saints and relics. Although it be our bounden duty, they say, to imitate the saints, and set them before our eyes as great examples, yet we ought not to invoke them, nor imagine that there are any latent virtues in their relics, &c. They condemn all acts of penance and human expiations, such as solemn vows, pilgrimages, nine days' devotions, macerations, and other works of supererogation; that is to say, such mortifications, as, by the laws of Christianity, are no ways imposed upon us, &c. They reject all dis- tinction of meats, and the observance of Lent, all monastic vows and convents, the celibacy of the clergy, and the performance of divine service in an unknown tongue ; and, in short, all the ceremonies practised in the Romish church. Their pastors, with their several congregations, either meet at the parsonage, or at some convenient place near the church intended to be consecrated, and afterwards march in procession two and Consecration of ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ least, and sometimes thrice, all round it, singing certam divine hymns or canticles all the way. As soon as this previous act of devotion is over, they enter the church, where the ser- vice is opened with singing again ; after which some portion of the sacred Scriptures is read to them, and a sermon preached on the solemnity of the day. If tlie income, or revenue, of the church will admit of it, or the con- gregation are able and willing to defray the expense, the superintendent of their metropolis is requested to assist at the ceremony, to give his benediction to the church, and consecrate it with some proper discourse of his own composing; which favour is acknowledged, not only by a handsome gratuity, but an elegant entertainment. Two divines are generally appointed for the purpose of ordination, who not only inquire into the real merit and natural qualifications of the candidates, such for instance as a proper stature, a musical voice, health Their Ministers. ^^^ strength, but also into their knowledge of the learned lan- guages, and their abilities to argue, on both sides, all controversial questions. Tliey inquire likewise into the religious principles and particular tenets of the respective candidates. It is highly requisite and just that they should be sound and orthodox, that is to say, be in all respects conformable to the doctrines which they are intended to maintain and teach, and which the church they are to serve professes ; and that they should be fixed and unalterable during their establishment in that sacred function. After such 304 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. due inquiries having been made, the candidate is ordered to preach before his examiners on some particular text of their own choosing. Upon the report of his being duly qualified, a church may be offered him; however, according to the Saxon discipline, he is obliged, before he is absolutely declared minister of any congregation, to preach several times before them ; and the opinion of the people must afterwards be consulted, and their approbation and consent procured. The day of ordination being fixed, the candidate repairs to the church, where he is to be ordained in the presence of several ministers, ecclesiasti- cal judges, and a numerous congregation of the faithful. He Orduiation ^\^qj.q makes a confession of his faith, either before or some of Ministers. . , • . i t i n ^ tmie durmg the sermon. In the prayer after the sermon, the candidate is particularly taken notice of, and prayed for by name. As soon as the minister withdraws from the pulpit, the Veiii Spiritits Sancte is immediately sung, and during the performance the superintendent, who is primate of the Lutheran clergy, repairs to the altar, accompanied by six colleagues, or coadjutors, and followed by the candidate, who falls down on his knees before him. Here the superintendent, addressing himself to his six colleagues, having first communicated the candidate'*s request, invites them to join with him in prayer on his behalf; in the next place he reads the formulary of election, which is accompanied with another prayer ; and after that, directs his discourse to his six coadjutors, saying, " Dearly beloved brethren in our Lord Jesus, I exhort you to lay your hands on this candidate, who presents himself here before us in order to be admitted a minister of the church of God, according to the ancient apos- tolical institution, and to concur with me in investing him with that sacred office." After this formal address, he lays his hands directly on the head of the candidate, and says to him, Sis maiieasque consecratiis Deo, which literally construed is, Be thou, and so remain to he, devoted to the service of God. The six colleagues repeat, after the superintendents, the ceremony of imposition of hands, and make use of the same form of words : after which, the superintendent addresses himself to the person thus ordained in the terms following : " Being assembled here with the aid and assist- ance of the Holy Ghost, we have made our humble supplications to God for you, and hope that he will vouchsafe to hear our prayers. Wherefore, I ordain, confirm, and establish you, in the name of the Lord, pastor and spiritual instructor of the saints belonging to the church, &c. ; govern it in the fear of the Lord, and have a watchful eye over it, as a faithful shep- herd over his flock," &c. These words are, properly speaking, the very essence of ordination. The superintendent, after he has pronounced this exhortation, withdraws from the altar, and the stated minister of the place approaches it, dressed in his sacerdotal vestments, to read the com- munion service, and to consecrate the bread and wine, which he adminis- ters to the new pastor, who receives it upon his knees. Some few hymns, or canticles, and the usual benediction, conclude the ceremony. At their first entrance into the church, both men and >vomen put up an ejaculatory prayer, the former holding their hats and the latter their fans before their faces. The same ceremony is observed as soon Worship. ^^ divine service is over. The prayer generally made use of on these occasions is the Lord's Prayer. When the congregation of LUTDERANS. 305 the faithful are met in order to apply themselves to any exercise of devo- tion, whether it be preaching, or r(\ading the Scriptures only, or praying, it is always introduced by the singing of some psalms or spiritual liymns suitable to the occasion. They have two sermons at least every Sunday, especially if it be a solemn festival, that is to say, one in the morning, and another in the after- noon. There is a catechetical lecture besides, at which their probationers are always examined. Their burials are frequently put off, likewise, till Sunday, for the benefit of a prayer, or, at least, a funeral sermon, which the Lutherans always preach upon the decease of any of their members, whether young or old, rich or poor. Their texts are very seldom taken out of those books which the Lutherans and the Protestants call apocryphal. The last thing which we shall take notice of in relation to their sermons, is, that of their circular jyredications, which is the term they make use of to dis- tinguish those sermons which their pastors are obliged to preach at parti- cular times in the metropolitan church, in presence of the superintendant, in order that he himself may form a just judgment of their method, and the progress they make in the ministerial office ; also that he may examine their principles, and prevent them deviating from the orthodox faith. After the sermon, the service concludes with some select prayers or supplications to Almighty God, thanksgivings, and publications. In the first, all sick persons, all women labouring of child, or in child-bed, all that travel by land or by water, all persons any way afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or estate, are recommended to God as proper objects of his succour, comfort, and assistance. In Denmark, all those who are draw- ing near to the time appointed for the consummation of their marri.ige are likewise recommended to God in the prayers of the church. In their thanksgivings, those particular persons who had received great mercies desire to return their grateful acknowledgments to Almighty God for the same. In their publications, timely notice was given of such matters as particularly related to the church ; that is to say, of some extraordinary acts of devotion, such as the observance of an ensuing solemn festival, or fast, or the like, &c. In some places, the public orders of the civil magistrate are read in the pulpit. The Lutherans retain the use of the altar for the celebration of the Holy Communion. They likewise make use of lighted tapers in their churches, of incense, and a crucifix on the altar, of the sign of the cross, and of images, &c. Several of tlieir doctors acknowledge that such mate- rials add a lustre and majesty to divine worship, and fix at the same time the attention of the people. The Lutherans retain the observance of several solemn festivals after their reformation. They keep three solemn days of festivity at Christ- mas. In some Lutheran countries, the people go to church on estiva s. ^j^^ night of the nativity of our blessed Saviour with lighted can- dles or wax- tapers in their hands; and the faithful, who meet in the church, spend the whole night there in singing, and saying their prayers by the light of them. Sometimes they burn such a large quantity of incense, that the smoke of it ascends like a whirlwind, and their devotees may properly enough be said to be wrapped up in it. It is customary likewise in Germany to give entertainments at such times to friends and relations, X 306 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. and to send presents to each other, especially to the young people, whom they amuse with very idle and romantic stories, telling them that our blessed Saviour descends from heaven on the night of his nativity, and brings with him all kinds of playthings. They have three holidays at Easter, and three at Whitsuntide, as well as those before-mentioned at Christmas. These festivals have nothing peculiar in them with respect to the ceremonies observed at those times ; but with reo-ard to some particular superstitions, they are remarkable enouo-h ; as, for instance, that of the Paschal water, which is looked on as a sovereign remedy for sore eyes, and very serviceable in uniting broken limbs. This Paschal water is nothing more than common river \N'ater, taken up on Easter-day, before the rising of the sun. They have another superstitious notion with respect to their horses : they imagine that the swimming them in the river on Easter-day, before the sun rises, preserves them from lameness. The other festivals observed by the Lutherans are. New- Year s day, or the Circumcision, a festival not near so ancient as the four above-men- tioned ; the festival of the Three Kings, or, otherwise, the Epiphany ; the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, or Candlemas ; and Lady-day, or the Annunciation. There is no public work nor service devoted to the Blessed Virgin, nor are there any processions, or other ceremonies, which are observed by the Roman Catholics on the two latter festivals. The festival of the Sacred Trinity is solemnised on the Sunday after Whit- Sunday ; that of St. John Baptist, on the 24th of June ; and that of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, on the 2d of July, as it is by the Roman Catholics. To conclude, the festival of St. Michael the Arch- angel, or rather the ceremonies observed by the Lutherans on that day, are the remains only of an ancient custom, which has been preserved amonost them, although somewhat extraordinary, as the members of their communion retain no manner of veneration for angels. In J 523, Luther drew up a formulary of the mass and communion for the particular service of the church of Wittemberg. Without attempting to particuharise the various parts of it, it may be observed that all ' "'^" ' the churches where Lutheranism prevailed were obliged entirely to conform to it. However, those orders were never punctually obeyed. Some Lutheran countries have one ritual, and some another. There is a difference, likewise, in their liturgies, though as to the fundamental arti- cles, they all agree. , On the Sunday when the communion is to be administered, the minister, immediately after the sermon, prays to Almighty God for all those in particular who purpose to receive the holy communion. onimunion. rpj^^^.^ -g ^^ form of prayer, however, for that purpose ; but the minister is at free liberty to say what he thinks most suitable to that solemn occasion. After the sermon, likewise, they sing a psalm, or some short hymn or hymns, adapted to that particular act of devotion. Whilst they are singing, those of the congregation who are duly prepared for the receiving of the sacrament advance towards the altar, and fall down on their knees ; at least, so many of them as can with convenience approach it at once. As soon as the hymn is over, the minister says, Let us pray ; and sings, at the same time, the Lord's Prayer ; and when the congrega- LUTHERANS. 307 tion have said Amen, he sings the words of the institution of the Lord's Supper. In some places the whole congregation sing, with an audible voice, both the prayer and the words of the institution along with the minister, which is a manifest error, since the voice of the whole church, in general, drowns that of the celebrant, or officiating pastor. They have another custom, which is not, however, looked on as absolutely essential, and that is, to make the sign of the cross on the host at the time of pro- nouncing these words. This is my hody ; and another on the cup, when those other words are repeated, viz.. This is my Hood, S^x. Though these signs, after all, are only made in commemoration of the cross of Christ, which neither add nor diminish, yet it has been observed that, should the minister neglect those signs, some feeble-minded persons would be offended at such omission, and imagine that the sacrament would thereby lose its sacred force and virtue. It is not only this sign of the cross made on the elements of bread and wine that the populace lay such a stress upon as a fundamental article ; but they very seldom cut a loaf which has not the sign of a cross first made upon it with a knife. In several parts of Saxony, and, indeed, in some of their principal cities, when the minister consecrates the elements, he rings a little bell twice, in a very solemn manner ; and in most Lutheran churches, the pastor, before he administers the sacrament, puts on his surplice, and over that a vest- ment with several crosses fastened on it, which, however, ought not to be confounded with the stole, worn by the Roman Catholic priests, as there is no manner of resemblance between them. In some places, the pastor, after he has read the gospel at the altar, throws the vestment before-men- tioned over his head, and lays it on the table. After the creed is sung, he goes into the pulpit, and preaches in his surplice. After the sermon is over, he returns to the altar, and resumes his vestment. We shall reckon amongst the number of the ceremonies still preserved amongst them, that of making use of wafers instead of bread at the com- munion, on each of which there is the figure or impression of a crucifix. When the communicant has received, he falls down on his knees before the altar, in order to return God thanks for his spiritual refreshment : in several places it is customary to congratulate each other on that joyful occasion. Two clerks, or two young choristers, who attend at the altar, generally hold a white linen napkin before the communicants, lest, either through the carelessness of the pastor, who administers the com- munion, or the communicant himself, some part of the host should acci- dently fall upon the ground, or any part of the wine be spilt. As soon as the communion is over, the pastor sings a verse or two of some psalm suit- able to the occasion, with an Hallelujah, to which the choir answers with another. The pastor afterwards continues to read some general thanks- givings, and the congregation, joining with the choir, answer. Amen. The Lutherans never administer the sacrament to infants ; but it is customary amongst them to carry it to those who are sick, or on a death- bed ; and this is the method observed by them on those par- te tTe^ick!'^ ticular occasions. In some places they make a kind of altar of the table which stands in the sick person's room, that is to say, they cover it \w\i\\ a piece of tapestry, or clean linen cloth, and set two lighted candles, or wax-tapers, upon it, and a crucifix between them x2 308 PROTESTANT COMMUxNITIES. with a paten and chalice, or utensils, or vessels appropriated to the like service. According to the discipline of the Lutherans, the communion ought to be administered in the presence of some of the party's relations and domestics ; but if the communicant should happen to have no such friends nor servants near him, then some neighbours ought to be invited to be witnesses to the celebration of it. The relations or friends of the sick person are permitted, if they think proper, to partake with him of that holy ordinance, and for that purpose, they must have notice on the previous night, or some few hours at least, that they may be duly prepared to join in that solemn act of devotion. The Lutherans do not only carry this their private communion to those who are sick or dying, but to those persons likewise who are far advanced in years, and incapable of attend- ino- the public worship. To these persons the minister who gives the communion to them makes a serious exhortation, which may, with pro- priety, be called a domestic sermon, adapted to such private or domestic communion. Confession is looked on as highly necessary and expedient in all places where Lutheranism prevails. And in the short Lutheran catechism, . there are several forms of confession for the peculiar assistance on ession. ^^^ direction of those, who have not capacity sufficient of them- selves, to reflect and contemplate, as they ought, on the nature of their sins; such, for example, are those forms of confession principally intended for the spiritual improvement of masters and servants. In the introduction to these formularies, there is a discourse by way of dialogue between the penitent and the minister who takes his confession, beginning with the following address : Reverend and dear Sir, I humbly beseech you to take my confession, and for the love of God to pronounce the pardon and remission of my sins. If the penitent be not conscious to himself of his being guilty of any of the sins particularly specified in the formularies, he must mention such others as his conscience shall at that time accuse him of. If he can think of none, which is morally impossible, let him, says the catechism, mention no one in particular, but receive the pardon and remission of his sins, on making a general confession only. The same catechism informs us, that the confessor asks the penitent the following question, which, beyond all doubt, is introduced between the confession and the absolution: Do not you firmly believe, that this absolution pro- nounced by me is an absolution from God himself ? After the penitent has answered in the affirmative, the minister adds, Amen, or, So be it. In Denmark and Sweden, their form of excommunication is accompanied with very severe penance. The Danish ritual informs us, that the party excommunicated, when he first appears at church, is turned Form of excom- ^^^ ^^j^j^ disgrace by the clerk of the parish, in the presence ummcation. ° "^ . ^^ t l^ of the whole congregation. However, it the excommuni- cation be of any long continuance, he is not excluded from the privilege of attending public worship, and joining with the congregation in their sermons, and other acts of devotion ; but he is obliged to sit in a place appointed, and at some distance from them : and when the minister comes down from the pulpit, the clerk before-mentioned, who admits him, conveys liim out of the church again. In regard to the Swedes, their form of excommunication is equally rigid and severe. Their discipline disclaims. LUTHERANS. 309 in the same manner as that of all the other states in which Lutheranism prevails, everything which has the least appearance of civil punishment. For, according to the doctrine of the Lutherans in general, no minister ought to confound ecclesiastical penalties, that is to say, the exclusion of any of their members out of the congregation, and their prohibition, or withholding from them the holy communion, with those punishments which none but the civil magistrates ought to inflict. The Lutherans baptize their children within a day or two after their birth. In case the infant should prove too weak to be carried to church, they baptize him at home, at which ceremony one or two god- fathers must always attend. The exorcism is a ceremony still practised in some countries. Where the infant is in apparent danger of death, a layman and a midwife together may baptize it. By the ecclesi- astical law of Saxony, a midwife is not permitted to baptize a dying child, till after she has found out some man to assist her. Infants who are illegi- timate are not baptized in Denmark at the same time as those who are born in wedlock. When a bastard is baptized, there is no oblation made on the altar. As to foundlings, their birth being only precarious and un- certain, they are baptized at church as other children ; and although, when they are taken up, there be a billet, or note, to intimate that they have been baptized, yet they are always baptized again, because a testimony of that nature is deemed at best but dubious. Where the infant is not in apparent danger of death, they never baptize it till it be entirely weaned from the mother's breast. To conclude, they never baptize adult fools, nor lunatics, at least, till they are restored to the free exercise of their rational faculties, and are capable of being instructed in the principles of the Chris- tian religion. In Sweden, a father is under no obligation to attend at the baptism of his child, at least, he is not always required to be present. All legitimate children are baptized before divine service begins, but bastards after it is over. There are baptismal fonts in some of the Lutheran churches, but not generally in all of them. In several of the Saxon churches, an angel, with a basin in his hand, descends from the ceiling by a private pulley, or some other secret spring, and presents the basin to the minister who is to baptize the child. In other places, a table is brought out of the vestry, and placed before the altar with a basin upon it. The preliminary questions over, which are merely formal, the minister makes a discourse, by way of exhortation, after which, he exorcises the devil in the form following : '' Get thee hence, thou unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Ghost." The minister, at the same time, makes the sign of the cross upon the infant, saying unto him. Receive the sign of the cross, &c., and laying his hand upon him, reads the prayers, and repeats the exorcism. At the very instant the child is baptized, the minister asks the sureties for him. If he renounces the devil and all his works, and if he believes in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, &c. After that, he baptizes him by a triple aspersion, in honour of the Sacred Trinity. The whole ceremony concludes with a prayer of thanksgiving, a benediction on the child, and an exhortation to the sureties. As to the form of confirmation observed by the Lutherans, a virgin of twelve years of age, or a youth of fourteen, is deemed duly qualified to 310 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. receive the Lord's Supper, provided they have had a liberal education. . The first time of their admission to the holy communion I ma ion. j^ either at Easter or Michaelmas. Their pious intention is published three weeks before from the pulpit, and they are accordingly instructed and examined twice a week during that interval, by way of preparation. Their ministers explain to them the duties incumbent on a communicant, and the spiritual benefits and advantages arising from the participation of that blessed sacrament. In short, they make their con- fession on Easter-Monday, and receive the communion the day following, sometimes in private, and sometimes in public with the whole congregation. Such young communicants range themselves in the form of a semicircle, by degrees, as they rise from the altar. After that act of devotion, the minister reads a prayer, and then addressing himself to the Vv^hole congre- gation, acquaints them, that those youths are ready, with an audible voice, to render a satisfactory account of the grounds and principles of the religion which they profess. He examines them accordingly ; and after they have fully answered all his queries, he spends some time in a suitable exhortation : the congregation sing a hymn, and then the ceremony concludes with a proper collect, and the general benediction. The Lutheran discipline, with respect to matrimony, is exceedingly uniform and regular. Luther composed a formulary at first for that ordinance, from which there has been afterwards no very material deviation. ceremonks! ^^ begins with their banns, and in order to the consummation of a marriage, where there is no lawful impediment, the parties present themselves at church before their pastor, who asks the bridegroom whether they be mutually agreed to enter that holy state, and thereupon they join their right hands, and make an exchange of their respective rings. Then the pastor proceeds in the words, or to the purport following : A and B being desirous to enter into the holy state of matrimony, before all this congregation here present, I do hereby declare them man and wife, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, &c. After that, he reads or pronounces extempore at the altar, several texts of scripture, which are serious exhortations to those who are married ; and the whole ceremony concludes with a prayer for the blessing of God on their future endeavours. This is the form according to Luther's direction, and which is still observed to this day, so far as relates to the jurisdiction of the church in tliat particular. In Saxony, the mechanics, and those who may be called the inferior tradesmen, go to church to be married, attended by a long train of their friends and acquaintance, with a band of musicians before them. The same custom is observed, more or less, in several other places; and a great degree of caprice and extravagance is everywhere blended with their nuptial ceremonies. In some of the northern provinces, as soon as the proper inquiries have been made with respect to the bridegroom, the father brings his daughter with an air of gravity to her suitor, saying to him at the same time, " I give you my daughter, that she may reverence and obey you, that she may be your wedded wife, that she may lie with you, be the keeper of your keys, and be put into possession of one third of your money and effects." In several states of Germany, notwithstanding it is customary for the parents of tlie new- married couple to defray the LUTHERANS. 31 1 whole charges of their nuptials, yet all the guests who are invited thereto make presents to the bride, which, for the most part, are so valuable that the bride's relations are so far from being at any expense, that they are considerable gainers in the end. Whenever the married couple have lived in that state for twenty-five years together, their nuptials (at least as to the external form) are revived; which second marriage is called their silver nuptials. If the parties have cohabited for fifty years, they then solemnise their golden nyptials. In the celebration both of the one and the other, the same gaiety and amuse- ments are observed as those at their first marriage. Persons of distinction, and those who are very rich, give medals to their friends at the celebration of the silver and golden nuptials. Their burials are always attended with singular testimonies of true piety and devotion ; and sometimes likewise with extraordinary pomp and magnificence. Moreover, it is customary amongst them to make Funera ^ funeral oration over the deceased without distinction, be the ceremonies. ,.11.1 •»<• party rich or poor, of the highest or the meanest extraction. Alter the sermon is over, an abstract of the life of the deceased is read in public. High encomiums are given of all those who have distinguished themselves by their exemplary piety ; and if any of them have led loose and profligate lives, they never fail to publish the misdemeanors of the dead, for the benefit and amendment of their surviving friends and relations. It is customary, likewise, to make funeral processions, and accompany the corpse to the grave, singing all the time some select hymns, or dirges, suitable to the solemn occasion. In some places, the principal magistrates, and other persons of respectability in the city, are invited to those processions, especially if the deceased were a person of distinction ; and those who accompany the corpse to the grave receive an acknowledgment in pro- portion to their quality and degree. On the day appointed for the interment of the corpse, the relations, friends, and acquaintance of the deceased, meet at his house. One or more Lutheran pastors resort likewise to the same place, attended by a train of young scholars, sometimes greater and sometimes less, with their masters at the head of them. These youth, in the first place, sing two or three hymns, or dirges, before the door of the deceased ; after which they march in the front of the procession ; having a large crucifix, or at least a cross, carried before them. An inferior clerk, or some young scholar appointed for that purpose, marches close by the side of tlie corpse with a small cross, which is afterwards fixed in that part of the church- yard where the body was interred. The relations and friends of the deceased follow the corpse ; the men first, and the women after them. During the procession, the bells are generally tolled, out of respect and complaisance to the deceased, and several hymns and other dirges are sung as they march along. It is customary likewise, to open the coflin at the grave, and to take a last farewell, a last melancholy view, of their departed friend, and afterwards to nail his coffin up, singing at the same time a short hymn suitable to the occasion. After which the minister reads a proper collect, and pronounces the benediction. In the next place, the procession enters the church, where there is generally a funeral sermon, either out of respect to the deceased, at the request of his friends, or by his own immediate direction. 312 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. As soon as the corpse is let down into tlie grave, the minister throws a small quantity of eartli upon it three times successively ; at the first he says, Of the dust of the ground wast thou born : at the second, To dust shalt thou return : and at the third, Out of the dust shalt thou rise again. After that, the bearers fill up the grave. The funeral oration is pronounced immediately after the interment, if the relations be willing to defray the expense of it, or if the deceased have left any legacy or devise in his will for that purpose. SEC. II.— CHURCH OF ENGLAND. The church of England dates its origin from the time of the Reforma- tion, when Henry VIII. shook off the pope's authority, and took upon Origin *^""^^^f ^^^^ *^^^® of " ^^«^ e ; and Henry, out of revenge, annulled his connexion with, and threw off his obedience to, the papal see. He became supreme head of the church himself, and he may, in a sense, be said to have been the founder of the Church of England. Its principles, however, are grounded on those of the Reformation, having, in many respects, a resemblance to the Lutheran tenets and practice. The religious tenets or doctrines of this church are to be found in the book of Homilies, consisting of short moral and doctrinal discourses, and Doctrine^. ^" *^^® Thirty-Nine Articles, which, with the three Creeds and Catechism, are inserted in the Book of Common Prayer. Having given the articles of the Jewish faith, and entered fully into the Creed of the Mahometans, the articles of the Christian faith, as held by the Church of England, cannot be omitted. To these, also, will be added a Table of the Constitutions and Canons ecclesiastic. The Royal Declaration will first be given. ROYAL DECLARATION. Being by God's ordinauce, according to our just title. Defender of the Faith, and Supreme Governor of the Church, tvithin these our Dominions, We hold it most agreeable to this our Kingly office, and our own Religious zeal, to conserve and maintain the Churcli committed to our charge in the unity of true Religion, and in the bond of peace ; and not to suffer unne- cessary disputations, altercations, or questions to be raised, which may nourish faction both in the Church and Commonwealth. We have therefore, upon mature deliberation, and with the advice of so many of our Bishops as might conveniently be called together, thought fit to make this Declaration following. That the Articles of the Church of England— v;\wh have been allowed and authorized heretofore, and which our Clergy generally have subscribed unto— do contain the true doctrine of the Church of England, agreeable to God's word : which we do therefore ratify and confirm ; requiring all our loving subjects to continue in the uniform profession thereof, and prohibiting the least difference from the said Articles ; wliich to that end we command to be new printed, and this Our Declaration to be published therewith. CHURCH OP ENGLAND. 313 That We are Supreme Governor of the Chnrch of England : and that if any difference arise about the external policy, concerning the Injunctions, Canons, and other Constitutions Avhatsoever thereunto belonging, the Clergy in their Convocation is to order and settle them having first obtained leave under our Broad Seal so to do : and We approving their said Ordi- nances and Constitutions ; providing that none be made contrary to the Laws and Customs of the land. That out of our Princely care that the Churchmen may do the work which is proper unto them, the Bishops and Clergy, from time to time in Convocation, upon their humble desire, shall have licence under our Broad Seal to deliberate of and to do all such things, as, being made plain by them, and assented unto by Us, shall concern Ihe settled continuance of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England, now established; from which we will not endure any varying or departing in the least degree. That for the present, though some differences have been ill-raised, yet We take comfort in this, that all Clergymen within our Realm have always most willingly subscribed to the Arti- cles established ; which is an argument to Us, that they all agree in the true, usual, literal meaning of the said Articles ; and that even in those curious points, in which the present differences lie, men of all sorts take the Articles of the Church of England to be for them ; which is an argument again, that none of them intend any desertion of the Articles established. That therefore in these both curious and unhappy differences which have for so many hun- dred years, in different times and places, exercised the church of Christ, We will that all further curious search be laid aside, and these disputes sliut up in God's promises, as they be generally set forth to us in the Holy Scriptures, and the general meaning of the Articles of the Church of Englayid according to them. And that no man hereafter shall either print or preach, to draw the Article aside any way, but sliall submit to it in the plain and full meaning thereof; and shall not put his own sense or comment to be the meaning of the Article, but shall take it in the literal and grammatical sense. That if any public Reader in either of our Universities, or any Head or Master of a College, or any other person respectively in either of them, shall affix any new sense to any Article, or shall publicly read, determine, or hold any public disputation, or suffer any such to be held either way, in either the Universities or Colleges respectively ; or if any Divine in the Univer- sities shall preach or print any thing either way, other than is already established in Convocation wiih our Royal assent ; he or the}', the offenders, shall be liable to Our displeasure, and the Church's censure in our Commission Ecclesiastical, as well as any other: and we will see there shall be due execution upon them. TABLE OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES, Agreed upon hy the Archbishops and Bishops, and the whole Clergy, in the Convocation holden at London, in the year 1562. 1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 2. Of Christ the Son of God. 3. Of his going down into Hell. 4. Of his Resurrection. 5. Of the Holy Ghost. 6. Of the Sufficiency of the Scripture. 7. Of the Old Testament. 8. Of the Three Creeds. 9. Of Original or Birth Sin. 10. Of Free Will. 11 . Of Justification. 1 2. Of Good Works. 13. Of Works before Justification. 1 4. Of Works of Supererogation . 15. Of Christ alone without Sin. 16. Of Sin after Baptism. 17. Of Predestination and Election. 18. Of obtaining Salvation by Christ. 19. Of the Church. 20. Of the Authority of the Church. 21 . Of the Authority of General Councils. 22. Of Purgatory. 23. Of Ministering in the Congregation, 24. Of Speaking in the Congregation. 25. Of the Sacraments. 26. Of the Unworthiness of Ministers. 27. Of Baptism. 28. Of the Lord's Supper, 29. Of the Wicked, which eat not the Body of Christ. 30. Of both Kinds. 31. Of Christ's One Oblation. 32. Of the Marriage of Priests. 33. Of excommunicate Persons. 34. Of the Traditions of the Church. 35. Of Homilies. 36. Of Consecration of Ministers. 37. Of Civil Magistrates. 38. Of Christian Men's Goods. 39. Of a Christian Man's Oath. The Ratification. 314 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. ARTICLES OF RELIGION. I. — Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions ; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness ; the Maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity ; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. II. Of the Word, or Son of God, which was made very Man. The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, of her substance : so that two whole and perfect natures — that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood — were joined together in one Person, never to be divided ; whereof is one Christ, very God and very Man ; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men. III. — Of the going down of Christ into Hell. As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into Hell. IV. — Of the Resurrection of Christ. Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's nature, wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all men at the last day. Y.— Of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Sou, is of one substance, majesty and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. VI. — Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation. Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation : So that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture, we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church. OF THE NAMES AND NUMBER OF THE CANONICAL BOOKS. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Joshua. Judges. Ruth. Tho First Bo'>k of Samuel. The Second Book of Samuel. The First Book of Kings. The Second Book of Kings. The First Book of Chronicles. The Second Book of Chronicles. The First Book of Esdras. The Second Book of Esdras. The Book of Esther. The Book of Job. The Psalms. The Proverbs. Ecclesiastcs, or Preacher. Cantica, or Songs of Solomon. Four Prophets the greater. Twelve Prophets the less. And the other Books, as Hierome saith, the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners, but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine : such are these following : — CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 315 The Third Book of Esdras. The Fourth Book of Esdras. The Book of Tobias. The Book of Judith. The rest of the Book of Esther. The Book of Wisdom. Jesus the Son of Sirach. Baruch the Prophet. The Song of the Three Children. The Story of Susanna. Of Bel and the Dragon. The Prayer of Manasses. The First Book of Maccabees. The Second Book of Maccabees. All the Books of the New Testament, as they are coranaonly received, we do receive, and account then) Canonical. Yll.— Of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New ; for both in the New and Old Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and Man, being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign that the old Fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the Law given from God to Moses, as touching cerecionies and rites, do not bind Christian men, nor the civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any Common- wealth : yet notwithstanding, no Christian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of the Commandments which are called Moral. VIII Of the Three Creeds. The three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius's Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed : for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture. IX. — Of Original, or Birth Sin. Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam— as the Pelagians do vainly talk — but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam ; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature incUned to evil, so that the Flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit ; and therefore, in every person, born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain — yea, in them that are regenerated ; whereby the lust of the flesh, called in Greek phroyiema sarkos, which some do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affection, some the desire of the flesh, is not subject to the Law of God. And although there is no con- demnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the Apostle doth confess that concupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of sin. X Of Free Will. The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and pre- pare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God : Wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God, by Christ, preventing u?, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will. Xl.-rOf the Justification of Man. We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort ; as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification. XU.— Of Good Works. Albeit that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's Judgment ; yet are they 316 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out, necessarily, of a true and lively faith ; insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known, as a tree discerned by the fruit. XIII. — Of Works before Justification. Works done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of the Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ ; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or, as the School Authors say, deserve grace of con- gruity : yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin. XIV. — Of Works of Supererogation. Voluntary works besides, over and above God's Commandments, which they call works of supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare, that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his sake, than of bounden duty is required : whereas Christ saith plainly. When ye have done all that are commanded to you, say, We are unprofitable servants. XV. — Of Christ alone loithout Sin. Christ, in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in all things, sin only except ; from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh and in his spirit. He came to be the Lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world : and sin, as St. John saith, was not in him. But all we the rest, although baptized and born again in Christ, yet offend in many things ; and, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. XVI.— 0/ Sin after Baptism. Not every deadly sin, willingly committed after Baptism, is sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after Baptism. After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin ; and by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned, which say, they can no more sin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent. XVII. — Of Predestination and Election. Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby, before the foun- dations of the world were laid, he hath constantly decreed by his counsel, secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of man- kind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God, be called, according to God's purpose, by his Spirit working in due season : They through grace obey the calling : They be justified freely : They be made sons of God by adoption : They be made like the image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ : They walk religiously in good works : and, at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity. As the godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things ; as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God : so, for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 317 sentence of God's Predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation. Furthermore, we must receive God's promises in such wise as they be generally set forth to us in Holy Scripture : And in our doings, that will of God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the word of God. XVIII. — Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ. They also are to be had accursed, that presume to say, that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law, and the light of nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved. XIX — Of the Church. The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same. As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred, so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith. XX. — Of the Authority of the Church. The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in controver- sies of faith : And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God's Word written ; neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a witness and a keeper of Holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree anything against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce anything to be believed for necessity of salvation. XXI. — Of the Authority of General Councils. General Councils may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of Princes ; and when they be gathered together — forasmuch as they be an assembly of men, whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God — they may err, and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God. Wherefore, things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture. XXll.— Of Purgatory. The Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory, Pardons, Worshipping, and Adoration, as well of Images as of Reliques, and also Invocation of Saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God. XXIII. — Of Ministering in the Congregation, It is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or minis- tering the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called and sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which be chosen and called to this work by men who have public authority given unto them in the Congregation, to call and send Ministers into the Lord's vineyard. XXIV Of Speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the People under standeth. It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the primitive Church, to have public prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments, in a tongue not understanded of the people. 318 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. XXV Of the Sacraments. Sacraments ordained of Christ, be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession ; but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good-will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him. There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord. Those five, commonly called Sacraments, that is to say. Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the cornipt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures ; but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptism and the Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or cere- mony ordained of God. The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about, but that we should duly use them. And in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation ; but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to themselves damnation, as St. Paul saith. XXVI. — Of the Unworthiness of the MinisterSf which hinders not the Effect of the Sacraments. Although in the visible Church the evil be ever mingled with the good, and some- times the evil have chief authority in the ministration of the Word and Sacraments ; yet forasmuch as they do not the same in their own name, but in Christ's, and do minister by his commission and authority, we may use their ministry, both in hearing the Word of God, and in the receiving of the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ's ordi- nance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God's gifts diminished from such as, by faith, and rightly, do receive the Sacraments ministered unto them ; which be effectual, because of Christ's institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men. Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that inquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences ; and finally, being found guilty, by just judgment be deposed. XXVIL— 0/ Baptism. Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened ; but it is also a sign of Regenera- tion, or New Birth ; whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive baptism rightly, are grafted into the Church ; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed ; faith is con- firmed, and grace increased, by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institu- tion of Christ. XXVIIL— 0/ the Lord's Supper. The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another ; but rather it is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ's death : insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ ; and likewise, the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ. Transubstantiation — or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord— cannot be proved by Holy Writ ; but is repugnant to the plain CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 319 words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions. The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after an hea- venly and spiritual manner. And the mean, whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper, is Faith. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped. XXIX. — Of the Wicked, which eat not the Body of Christ in the Use of the Lord's Supper. The wicked, and such as be void of a lively faith, although they do carnally and visibly press with their teeth, as St. Augustine saith, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ ; yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ, but rather, to their condemnation, do eat and drink the sign or sacrament of so great a thing. XX.X.—Ofboth Kinds. The Cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the Lay-people ; for both the parts of the Lord's Sacrament, by Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men alike. XXXL — Of the One Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross. The offering of Christ once made, is that perfect Redemption, Propitiation, and Satis- faction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual : and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits. XXXIL— O/ the Marriage of Priests. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, are not commanded by God's Law, either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage : Therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christian men, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness. XXXIIL — Of excommunicate Persons, how they are to be avoided. That person, which by open denunciation of the Church is rightly cut off from the unity of the Church, and excommunicated, ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the faithful, as an Heathen or Publican, until he be openly reconciled by penance, and received into the Church by a Judge that hath authority thereunto. XXXIV.— 0/ Me Traditions of the Church. It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one, or utterly like ; for at all times they have been diverse, and may be changed according to the diversity of Countries, Times, and Men's Manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word. Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely doth openly break the traditions and ceremonies of the Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly — that others may fear to do the like — as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church, and hurteth the authority of the Magistrate, and woundeth the consciences of the weak brethren. Every particular or national Church hath authority to ordain, change, and abolish ceremonies or rites of the Chuch, ordained only by man's authority, so that all things be done to edifying. 320 PROTESTANT COJIMUNITIES. XXXV.— 0/ Homilies. The Second Book of Homilies, the several titles whereof we have joined under this Article, doth contain a godly and wholesome doctrine, and necessary for these times 5 as doth the former Book of Homilies, which were set forth in the time of Edward the Sixth ; and therefore we judge them to be read in Churches by the Ministers diligently and distinctly, that they may be understanded of the people. OF THF NAMKS OF THE HOMILIES. 1. Of the right Use of the Church. 2. Against Peril of Idolatry. 3. Of Repairing and Keeping clean of Churches. 4. Of Good Works ; first of Fasting. 5. Against Gluttony and Drunkenness. 6. Against Excess of Apparel. 7. Of Prayer. 8. Of the Place and Time of Prayer. 9. That Common Prayer and Sacraments ought to be ministered in a known Tongue. 10. Of the reverent Estimation of God's Word. 11. Of Alms-doing. 12. Of the Nativity of Christ. 13. Of the Passion' of Christ. 14. Of the Resurrection of Christ. 15. Of the worthy Receiving of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. 16. Of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. 17. For the Rogation Days. 18. Of the State of Matrimony. 19. Of Repentance, 20. Against Idleness. 21. Against Rebellion. XXXVI.— 0/ Consecration of Bishops and Ministers. The book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops, and Ordering of Priests and Deacons, lately set forth in the time of Edward the Sixth, and confirmed at the same time by authority of Parliament, doth contain all things necessary to such consecra- tion and ordering ; neither hath it anything that of itself is superstitious and ungodly. And therefore, whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the rites of that book since the second year of the fore-named King Edward, unto this time, or hereafter shall be consecrated or ordered according to the same rites, we decree all such to be rightly, orderly, and lawfully consecrated and ordered. XXXVII.— O/ the Civil Magistrates. The King's Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England and other his dominions, unto whom the chief government of all estates of this Realm, whether they be ecclesiastical or civil, in all causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to be, subject" to any foreign jurisdiction. Where we attribute to the King's Majesty the chief government, by which titles we understand the minds of some slanderous folks to be offended, We give not to our Princes the ministering either of God's Word or of the Sacraments, the which thing the Injunc- tions also, lately set forth by Elizabeth our Queen, do most plainly testify ; but that only prerogative which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in Holy Scriptures by God himself ; that is, that they should rule all estates and degrees com- mitted to their charge by God, whether they be ecclesiastical or temporal, and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evil-doers. The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England. The laws of the Realm may punish Christian men with death for heinous and grievous offences. It is lawful for Christian men, at the commandment of the Magistrate, to wear wea- pons, and serve in the wars. XXXVIII. — Of Christian Meri's Goods, which are not common. The riches and goods of Christians are not common, as touching the right, title, and possession of the same, as certain Anabaptists do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 321 XXXIX.— O/" a Christian Mans Oath. As we confess that vain and rash swearing is forbidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ, and James his Apostle ; so we judge that Christian religion doth not pro- hibit but that a man may swear when the Magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith and charity ; so it be done, according to the Prophet's teaching, in justice, judgment, and truth. THE TABLE OF THE CONSTITUTIONS AND CANONS ECCLESIASTIC IS AS FOLLOWS : Of the Church of England. 1. The King's Supremacy over the Church of England, in causes Ecclesiastical, to be maintained. 2. Impugners of the King's Supremacy censured. 3. The Church of England a true and Apostolical Church. 4. Impugners of the Public Worship of God, established in the Church of England, censured. 5. Impugners of the Articles of Religion, established in the Church of England, censured. 6. Impugners of the Rites and Ceremonies, established in the Church of England, censured. 7. Impugners of the Government of the Church of England by Archbishops, Bishops, &c., censured. 8. Impugners of the Form of consecrating and ordering Archbishops, Bishops, &c,, in the Church of England, censured. 9. Authors of Schism in the Church of England, censured. 10. Maintainers of Schismatics in the Church of England, censured. 11. Maintainers of Conventicles, censured. 12. Maintainers of Constitutions made in Conventicles, censured. Of Divine Service and Administration of the Sacraments. 13. Due celebration of Sundays and Holy-days. 14. The prescript Form of Divine Service to be used on Sundays and Holy-days. 15. The Litany to be read on Wednesdays and Fridays. 16. Colleges to use the prescript Form of Divine Service. • 17. Students in Colleges to wear Surplices in time of Divine Service. 18. A reverence and attention to be used within the Church in time of Divine Service. 19. Loiterers not to be siifFered near the Church in time of Divine Service. 20. Bread and Wine to be provided against every Communion. 21. The Communion to be thrice a year received. 22. Warnings to be given beforehand for the Communion. 23. Students in Colleges to receive the Communion four times a year. 24. Copes to be worn in Cathedral Churches by those that administer the Communion. 25. Surphces and Hoods to be worn in Cathedral Churches, when there is no Com- munion, 26. Notorious Offenders not to be admitted to the Communion. 27. Schismatics not to be admitted to the Communion. 28. Strangers not to be admitted to the Communion. 29. Fathers not to be Godfathers in Baptism, and Children not Communicants. 30. The lawful use of the Cross in Baptism explained. Y 322 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Ministers, their Ordination, Function, and Charge 31. Four solemn times appointed for the making of Ministers. 32. None to be made Deacon and Minister both in one day. 33. The Titles of such as are to be made Ministers. 34. The Quality of such as are to be made Ministers. 35. The Examination of such as are to be made Mmisters. 36. Subscription required of such as are to be made Ministers. The Articles of Subscription. — The Form of SubseripHon. 37. Subscription before the Diocesan. 38. Revolters after Subscription, censured. 39. Cautions for Institution of Ministers into Benefices. 40. An Oath against Simony at Institution into Benefices. 41. Licences for Plurality of Benefices limited, and Residence enjoined. 42. Residence of Deans in their Churches. 43. Deans and Prebendaries to Preach during their Residence. 44. Prebendaries to be resident upon their Benefices. 45. Beneficed Preachers, being resident upon their Livings, to Preach every Sunday. 46. Beneficed Men, not Preachers, to procure Monthly Sermons. 47. Absence of Beneficed Men to be supplied by Curates that are allowed Preachers. 48. None to be Curates but allowed by the Bishop. 49. Ministers, not allowed Preachers, may not expound. 50. Strangers not admitted to Preach without showing their Licence. 51 . Strangers not admitted to Preach in Cathedral Churches without sufficient authority. 52. The Names of Strange Preachers to be noted in a book. 53. No Public Opposition between Preachers. 54. The Licences of Preachers refusing Conformity to be Void. 55. The Form of a Prayer to be used by all Preachers before their Sermons 56. Preachers and Lecturers to read Divine Service, and administer the Sacraments, twice a year at the least. 57. The Sacraments not to be refused at the hands of unpreaching Ministers. 58. Ministers reading Divine Service, and administering the Sacraments, to wear Surplices, and Graduates therewithal Hoods. 59. Ministers to Catechise every Sunday. 60. Confirmation to be performed once in three years. 61. Ministers to prepare Children for Confirmation. 62. Ministers not to Marry any Persons without Bans or Licence, 63. Ministers of exempt Churches not to marry without Bans or Licence. 64. Ministers solemnly to bid Holy-days. 65. Ministers solemnly to Denounce Recusants and Excommunicates. 66. Ministers to Confer with Recusants. 67. Ministers to Visit the Sick. 68. Ministers not to refuse to Christen or Bury. 69. Ministers not to defer Christening if the Child be in danger. 70. Ministers to keep a Register of Christenings, Weddings, and Burials. 71. Ministers not to Preach, or administer the Communion, in Private Houses. 72. Ministers not to appoint Public or Private Fasts, or Prophecies, or to Exorcise, but by authority. 73. Ministers not to hold Private Conventicles. 74. Decency in Apparel enjoined to Ministers. 75. Sober Conversation required in Ministers. 76. Ministers at no time to forsake their Calling. CHURCH OP ENGLAND. 323 Schoolmasters. n. None to teach School without Licence. 78. Curates desirous to Teach, to be licensed before others. 79. The Duty of Schoolmasters. Things appertaining to Churches. 80. The Great Bible, and Book of Common Prayer, to be had in every Church. 81. A Font of Stone for Baptism in every Church. 82. A decent Communion Table in every Church. 83. A Pulpit to be provided in every Church. 84. A Chest for Alms in every Church. 85. Churches to be kept in sufficient Reparations. 8G. Churches to be Surveyed, and the Decays certified to the High Commissioners. 87. A Terrier of Glebe-lands, and other Possessions belonging to Churches. 88. Churches not to be profaned. Church-wardens , or Quest-men ; aiid Side-men^ or Assistants. 89. The Choice of Church-wardens, and their Account. 90. The Choice of Side-men, and their joint office with Church-wardens. Parish-Clerks. 91. Parish-Clerks to be Chosen by the Minister. Ecclesiastical Courts belonging to the Archbishop's Jurisdiction. 92. None to be Cited into divem Courts for Probate of the same Will. 93. The Rate of Bona Notabilia liable to the Prerogative Court. 94. None to be cited into the Arches or Audience, but dwellers within the Arch- bishop's Diocese, or Peculiars. 95. The Restraint of double Quarrels. 96. Inhibitions not to be granted without the Subscription of an Advocate. 97. Inhibitions not to be granted until the Appeal be exhibited to the Judge. 98. Inhibitions not to be granted to factious Appellants, unless they first Subscribe. 99. None to marry within the Degrees prohibited. 100. None to marry under Twenty-one Years, without their Parents' Consent. 101. By whom Licences to marry without Bans shall be granted, and to what sort of persons. 102. Security to be taken at the granting of such Licences, and under what Conditions. 103. Oaths to be taken for the Conditions. 104. An exception for those that are in Widowhood. 105. No Sentence for Divorce to be given upon the sole confession of the parties. 106. No Sentence for Divorce to be given but in open Court. 107. In all Sentences for Divorce, Bond to be taken for not marrying during each other's life. 108. The Penalty for Judges offending in the Premises. Ecclesiastical Courts belonging to the Jurisdiction of Bishops and Archdeacons, and the Proceedings in them. 109. Notorious Crimes and Scandals to be certified into Ecclesiastical Courts by Presentment. 110. Schismatics to be presented. 111. Disturbers of Divine Service to be presented. y2 324 CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 112. Non-Communicants at Easter to be presented. 113. Ministers may present. 114. Ministers shall present Recusants. 115. Ministers and Church-wardens not to be sued for presenting. 116. Church-wardens not bound to present oftener than twice a year. 117. Church-wardens not to be troubled for not presenting oftener than twice a year. 118. The old Church-wardens to make their Presentments before the new be sworn. 119. Convenient time to be assigned for framing Presentments. 120. None to be cited into Ecclesiastical Courts by process of Quorum Nomina. 121. None to be cited into several Courts for one Crime. 122. No Sentence of Deprivation or Deposition to be pronounced against a Minister, but by the Bishop. 123. No Act to be sped but in open Court. 124. No Court to have more than one Seal. 125. Convenient Places to be chosen for the keeping of Courts. 126. Peculiar and inferior Courts to exhibit the original Copies of Wills into the Bishop's Registry. - Judges Ecclesiastical, and their Surrogates. 127. The Quality and Oath of Judges. 128. The Quality of Surrogates. Proctors. 129. Proctors not to retain Causes without the lawful Assignment of the Parties. 130. Proctors not to retain Causes without the counsel of an Advocate. 131. Proctors not to conclude in any Cause without tRe knowledge of an Advocate. 132. Proctors prohibited the Oath, In animam domini sui. 133. Proctors not to be clamorous in Court. Registrars. 134. Abuses to be reformed in Registrars. 135. A certain Rate of Fees due to all Ecclesiastical Officers. 136. A Table of the Rates and Fees to be set up in Courts and Registries. 137. The whole Fees for showing Letters of Orders, and other Licences, due but once in every Bishop's time. Apparitors. 138. The Number of Apparitors restrained. Authority of Synods. 139. A National Synod the Church Representative. 140. Synods conclude as well the absent as the present. 141. Depravers of the Synod, censured. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 325 AN ADMONITION, TO ALL SUCH AS SHALL INTEND HEREAFTER TO ENTER THE STATE OF MATRIMONY, GODLY AND AGREEABLE TO LAWS. First, — That they contract not with such persons as be hereafter expressed, nor with any of like degree, against the law of God, and the laws of the realm. Secondly, — That they make no secret contracts, without consent or counsel of their parents or elders, under whose authority they be, contrary to God's laws and man's ordinances. Thirdly, — That they contract not anew with any other upon divorce and separation made by the judge for a time, the laws yet standing to the contrary. I. It is to be noted. That those persons which be in the direct line ascendent and des- cendent, cannot marry together, although they be never so far asunder in degree. II. It is also to be noted, That Consanguinity and Affinity, (letting and dissolving Matrimony,) is contracted as well in them and by them which be of kindred by the one side, as in and by them which be of kindred by both sides. III. Item, That, by the laws. Consanguinity and Affinity, (letting and dissolving Ma- trimony,) is contracted as well by unlawful company of man and woman, as by lawful marriage. IV. Item, In contracting betwixt persons doubtful, which be not expressed in this Table, it is most sure first to consult with men learned in the laws, to understand what is lawful, what is honest and expedient, before the finishing of their contracts. "V. Item, That no Parson, Vicar or Curate, shall solemnize Matrimony out of his or their cure, or parish church or chapel, and shall not solemnize the same in private houses, nor lawless and exempt churches, under the pains of the law forbidding the same. And that the Curate have their certificates, when the parties dwell in divers parishes. VI. Item, The Bans of Matrimony ought to be openly denounced in the Church by the Minister three several Sundays or Festival-days, to the end that who will and can allege any impediment, may be heard, and that stay may be made till further trial, if any exception be made there against it, upon sufficient caution. VII. Item, Who shall maliciously object a frivolous impediment against a lawful matri- mony to disturb the same, is subject to the pains of the law. VIII. Item, Who shall presume to contract in the degrees prohibited, (though he do it ignorantly,) besides that the fruit of such copulation may be judged unlawful, is also punishable at the Ordinary's discretion; IX. If any Minister shall conjoin any such, or shall be present at such contracts making, he ought to be suspended from his ministry for three years, and otherwise to be punished according to the laws. X. Item, It is further ordained. That no Parson, Vicar, nor Curate, do preach, treat, or expound, of his own voluntary invention, any matter of controversy in the Scrip- tures, if he be under the degree of a Master of Arts, except he be licensed by his Ordinary thereunto, but only for the instruction of the people read the Homilies already set forth, and such other form of doctrine as shall be hereafter by authority published : and shall not innovate nor alter anything in the Church, or use any old rite or ceremony, which be not set forth by public authority. 326 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. " DEGREES OF MARRIAGE, SET FORTH BY THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, SIATTHEW CANTERBURY, PARKER, ARCHBISHOP OF PRIMATE OF ENGLAND AND METROPOLITAN. 1563. None shall come near to any of the kindred or his flesh to uncover their shame : I am the Lord.' — Levit. xviii. 6. " A Man may not Marry his Grandmother, Grandfather's Wife, Wife's Grandmother. Father's Sister, Mother's Sister, Father's Brother's Wife, Mother's Brother's Wife, Wife's Father's Sister, Wife's Mother's Sister. Mother, Step-Mother, Wife's Mother, Daughter, Wife's Daughter, Son's Wife's Sister, Wife's Sister, Brother's Wife, Son's Daughter, Daughter's Daughter, Son's Sou's Wife. Daughter's Son's Wife, Wife's Son's Daughter, Wife's Daughter's Daughter. Brother's Daughter, Sister's Daughter, Brother's Son's Wife, Sister's Son's Wife, Wife's Brother's Daughter, Wife's Sister's Daughter. " A Woman may not Marry with her Grandfather, Grandmother's Husband, Hus- band's Grandfather. Father's Brother, Mother's Brother, Father's Sister's Husband, Mother's Sister's Husband, Husband's Father's Brother, Husband's Mother's Brother, Father, Step-Father, Husband's Father, Son, Husband's Son, Daughter's Husband, Brother, Husband's Brother, Sister's Husband. Son's Son, Daughter's Son, Son's Daugh- ter's Husband, Daughter's Daughter's Husband, Husband's Son's Son, Hus- band's Daughter's Son. Brother's Son, Sister's Son, Brother's Daughter's Husband, Sister's Daughter's Husband, Husbanc^'s Brother's Son, Husband's Sister's Son." Concerning some of the doctrines professed by the church of England, her members are not agreed : a very great majority of the clergy insisting upon it that the church is not Calvinistic, in regard to the doctrine of predestination, irresistible grace, and the final perseverance of the saints ; whilst a very respectable and increasing portion of the clergy and laity maintain, with great confidence, that the 17th article roundly and plainly asserts the great and important doctrine of predestination, as taught by Calvin and the first reformers. The warm, not to say acrimonious, disputes which this difference of construction put upon the articles has occasioned, have tended to increase the number of dissenters. Two archbishops are at the head of the English hierarchy, those of Canterbury and of York both style themselves primates ; and in order to reconcile the difference, it was decided, that the archbishop of Hifrafch^' Canterbury should be called prhnate of all England, and the ' archbishop of York only primate of England. The oath of supremacy is taken by the king as head of the church, and as such on the day of his coronation, he puts on a surplice, a stole, and a dalmatic. When a bishopric becomes vacant, the canons of the cathedral give notice of it to the king, and desire his leave to choose another. His majesty, at the same time that he sends the conge-d'eiire, recommends the indivi- CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 327 dual whom it is his will they should elect ; and then the dean and chapter choose the person so named. The bishop so chosen is consecrated, installed, renders homage to the king, takes the oath, and pays the first-fruits. The other prerogatives which the king enjoys, as head of the church, are to make ordinances respecting ceremonies and exterior rites, with the advice of the ecclesiastical commissioners, or of the metropolitan ; to call or pro- rogue the convocation; and to enact the decrees of synods into laws. But all this still leaves him in the state and condition of a lay head, and the profession of faith says, that the supreme governing of all the states of the kingdom, whether ecclesiastical or spiritual, in all causes whatever, be- longs to him, yet so that he is not invested with a power to preach the word of God, or administer the sacraments. The bishop is superior to a priest, and a priest to a deacon. The essential office of a deacon is to see that the wants of the poor be supplied, to assist the priest (or minister) at the communion service, to ^^ a"onr^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ w^^o present themselves to be married, to baptize, to bury the dead, to preach, and to read to the people the Holy Scriptures, or the homilies. Their ordination consists first in a sermon or exhortation preached to them, which being concluded, the archdeacon, or whoever officiates in his stead, presents them to the bishop, who inquires of the said archdeacon, whether he has examined them and found them deserving ; he then directs his speech to the congregation present, both to know if there be any existing impediment to the election, and to recom- mend the candidates to the prayers of the congregation. After some prayers and litanies, the third chapter of St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy, from V. 8 to the end of that chapter, is read to the deacons, or chapter vi. of the Acts of the Apostles, from v. 2 to 8. Then they take the oath of supremacy, and amongst several questions put to them, the bishop asks them, whether they have in them an interior call from the Holy Ghost to take upon them the office of a deacon. The answer to this question being made in the affirmative, the bishop puts the New Testament into their hands, and gives them authority to read and preach the word of God to the faithful. He receives the communion himself, and gives it to all whom he has ordained. The whole ceremony is concluded with a prayer suitable to the occasion, and the blessing. The ordination of priests consists of prayers, exhortations, and imposi- tion of hands. By the constitutions of the year 1603, the time appointed for giving orders is on those Sundays which follow the Ember of Priestr^^" Weeks during the service, in the cathedral or parochial churches where the bishops reside, in the presence of the archdeacon, the dean, and two prebendaries, or at least of four grave persons, who must be masters of arts, and have lawful power to preach. They are only as witnesses to the ordination, which belongs solely to the bishop ; he alone has authority to say to those who are ordained, " receive the Holy Ghost ;" the otlier four only pray with the bishops, and lay their hands upon the ordained, with this diffi^rence, that, amongst the English as with the Catholics, the imposition of the bishop's hands denotes his power and authority to ordain, whereas that of the witnesses is only a mark of their approbation and consent to their being admitted to the brotherhood, it that expression may be used. To become a priest, it is necessary to be 328 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. made first a deacon ; but both orders may be received on one and the same day. After the examen, and the exhortation which is immediately before the communion service, the epistle is read, Acts, chap. xx. from V. 17 to 36, and if both orders be given on the same day, the 3d chap, of the first epistle to Timothy is added. The reading of the gospel follows, out of the last chapter of St. Matthew, from v. 11 to the end of that chapter ; or out of St. John, chap. xx. from v. 10 to 24. Then the Yeni Creator is sung or read. The rest differs but little from the deacon's ordination. The congregation is desired to join in mental prayer for the happy success of this ceremony ; silence is maintained for some short time ; then the bishop prays aloud, and immediately lays his hands, and the priests then present lay theirs upon those who are ordained, and who are kneeling. The bishop uses at the same time this form, so much found fault with by the puritans or dissenters : " Receive the Holy Ghost. Sins shall be forgiven to all those to whom you forgive them, &c. Be faithful dispensers of the word of God and of the sacraments," &c. This being said, he puts the Bible into their hands. The bishop is, under Christ, according to the doctrine of the church of Ordination of England, the first pastor of the church. Inferior ministers Bishops and are only his deputies ; when he is absent, the priest may bless Archbishops. tije people, but whenever he is present at the divine service, it belongs to him to pronounce the blessing. There are two arclibishops and twenty-four bishops in England ; they enjoy the dignity of barons, and take place before those of the laity; so the bishop of London, being the first bishop, is likewise the first baron ; all are peers of the realm, and sit in the House of Lords, except the bishop of the Isle of Man, who is named by and holds of a subject. The arch- bishops are called Your Grace, which title is also bestowed on dukes. The bishops are styled Right Reverend Fathers in God. At the consecration of bishops, or archbishops, the 3d chap, of St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy, from v. 1 to 8, is read ; then some verses out of chap. X. or xxi. of St. John s Gospel ; the creed is said ; the bishop elected is presented by two other bishops to the archbishop of the province, or to another bishop ofiiciating for him. " Right reverend father in Christ," they say, " we present to you this pious and learned man, to be consecrated bishop." The king's order for his consecration is produced and read openly. The bishop elect takes the oath of supremacy, and that of obedience to his metropohtan, which last is omitted at the consecration of an archbishop. Tlie consecrator moves the congregation to pray, saying to them, — Brethren, it is written in the gospel of St. Luke, that our Saviour Christ continued the whole night in prayer, before he did choose and send forth his twelve apostles. It is written also in the Acts of the Apostles, that the disciples did fast and pray before they laid hands on Paul and Barnabas and sent them forth. Let us, therefore, following the example of our Saviour Christ and his Apostles, first fall to prayer," &c. Then the litany is said ; and after this passage. That it may please thee to illuminate all bishops, &c. the following prayer is inserted : That it may please thee to bless this our brother elected, and to send thy grace upon him, that he may duly execute the office whereunto he is called, to the edifying of thy church, &c. The people answer. We beseech thee to hear us, ike. The litany CHURCH OP ENGLAND. 329 ends with a prayer, after which the archbishop, sitting in his chair, says to him that is to be consecrated, " Brother, forasmuch as the holy scripture and the ancient canons command, that we should not be hasty in laying on hands, and admitting any person to government in the church of Christ, which he has purchased with no less price than the effusion of his own blood ; before I admit you to this administration, 1 will examine you," &c. Tlic v^uestion ends with a prayer, which is followed by the hymn of the Holy Ghost, or the Veni Creator, said or sung, at the end of which the archbishop says another long prayer. Then the archbishop and bishops present lay their hands upon the head of the elected bishop, the archbishop saying : Receive the Holy Ghost ; and remember that thou stir up the grace of God which is given thee by this imposition of our hands, Sec. Still keeping one hand on the head of the bishop elect, with the other he dehvers him the Bible, saying, Give heed unto reading, exhortation, and doctrine, think upon the things contained in this book, &c. Be to the flock of Christ a shepherd, not a wolf; hold up the weak; be so merciful ; so minister discipline, &c. Then the archbishop and the new bishops, with others, receive the communion : and the whole ceremony concludes with a prayer by way of collect, to desire Almighty God to pour down his blessing on the new bishop. English bishops have their own vicars, and officials, in each diocess ; but the officials are more known in England by the name of chancellors. These are the true and chief officials, but there are some commissioners who" are often mistaken for them. Their archdeacons, who in ancient times were only the first among deacons, are now in the English church above priests. Bishops are called reverend, archbishops most reverend, archdeacons venerable : common priests have no title bestowed upon them. The arch- deacon's chief function is to visit the diocess by procuration in default of the bishop or vicar, at least once in three years. The chief ornament by which churchmen are distinguished from the laity is the surplice : the ministers of the church of England are to put it on whenever they administer any sacrament, and on several other occa- sions, the particulars of which we need not mention. Bishops, deans, canons in cathedral churches, wear a cope besides the surplice, and are to put it on at the communion service, administration of sacraments, or any other religious function which is to be performed with solemnity. No one can be made a deacon before twenty-three, nor a priest before twenty-four, nor a bishop before thirty. Some pastors, either priests or ministers, have the title of rectors, as belonging to such churches as at the Reformation were independent of any monastery. Others are only vicars, but for life. Lastly, some are barely curates, without any benefice, and receive their scanty salary from the rectors or bishops. The convocation of the clergy is a kind of parliament, the archbishops and bishops are the upper house ; the lower is composed of the inferior clergy, viz. twenty-six deans, sixty archdeacons, five hundred and seventy- six canons, besides curates and deacons. They meet upon the concerns of the church, tithes, raising taxes, ecclesiastical laws, which must afterwards be approved by the king and parliament. They hold likewise national synods, which keep an exact correspondence in their deHberations, and make no absolute definition, but with a unanimous consent. 330 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. The customs established in the performance of divine service, and appointed by the English liturgy, are ; that all priests and deacons are . . required to say daily the morning and evening prayers. The order of both is the same- They begin with several passages of scripture, which the minister says aloud. These passages are followed by an exhortation to prepare for the general confession of sins, which is said kneeling, by the minister and the whole congregation : this ceremony is as ancient as St. Basil, and was not then peculiar to his diocess, but universally practised in the whole church. The absolution is pronounced by the priest standing, the people still kneeling ; for receiving forgiveness requires a humble posture, but forgiving shows authority. The church of England uses three different forms of absolution ; one in the morning and evening prayer, another at the visitation of the sick, and a third at the communion service. After the absolution, the priest and congregation, all kneeling, say the Lord's prayer, which is followed by some responses, a psalm, some lessons out of the Old Testament, as set down in the calendar at the beginning of the liturgy, the singing or reciting the Te Deum or Benedicite omnia ; another lesson out of the New Testament, a hymn, or a psalm ; the creed said or sung, to which the people stand ; the Lord's prayer a second time ; several responses, three collects, a prayer for th« king and queen, another for the royal family, a third for the clergy, St. Chrysostom's prayer, and the blessing. The rubric says, that the minister must stand when he reads the lessons, and turn himself towards the con- gregation, that he may be heard the better: this is very rational, for those lessons, the decalogue, &c. are an instruction to the people : but when he addresses himself to God by prayer, by saying or singing a psalm, or by confession, he must then turn from the people and look towards the upper end of the chancel, which is the chief and most reverential part of the church. Hymns and psalms are sung or said in a standing posture, as an evident token that the hearts of the people are raised to God with joy : the same situation is kept at the singing or saying the creed, to show how ready they are to make an open profession of their faith, to give an account of it, to justify and defend it. Betwixt the creed and the Lord's prayer repeated a second time, the priest says. The Lord be with you. The peo- ple answer. And with your spirit. We shall not trouble our readers with the various expositions of the oremus, the short litany, and the responses : but we cannot omit, that the collects are said to be so named because the priest said them when the whole assembly was met, or because the devo- tion of all the faithful was collected or joined to offer that prayer to God, or because the priest unites several petitions into one, or lastly, because it is a collection of several short sentences of scripture. The prayers, collects, and lessons, often vary, on some days, as Christ- mas, Epiphany, &c. The Athanasian creed is said or sung instead of that of the Apostles or of Nice. Sunday morning, Wednesday, and Friday, the long litany is said or sung. Particular prayers are said likewise on special occasions, as for rain, for fair weatlier, for a time of famine, or great dearth, for success in war, against popular commotions, epidemic or contagious distempers ; every day also in Ember weeks, for those who are to be ordained, for the parliament whilst it sits ; which prayers are all either to obtain mercy from God, o)* to give him thanks for favours received. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 331 Sunday Is a day which all Christians keep with great solemnity ; but none more than the English ; the gravity, decency, regularity, and out- ward devotion, which are apparent throughout the kingdom on that day, are worthy of commendation. The communion is one of the principal sacraments of the church of England, for which purpose the altar, for this name is often given by the members of the church of England to the communion table, Administration ^^ |^^ ^^ ^iiiYe a clean white linen cloth upon it, and to stand or feacraments. * ii-i • ^ i i \ m the body of the church, or m the chancel, where mornmg and evening prayers are appointed to be said. At all other times the said table is covered with a silk carpet, and set in a decent place altar- wise. The priest, standing at the north side of the table, says the Lord's prayer, with a collect, then rehearses distinctly the ten commandments, after each, the people kneeling, say, " Lord have mercy on us, and incline our hearts to keep this law." This is followed by a collect for the king [or queen regnant], which the priest says standing ; the collect of the day, the epistle, and gospel, at which last the people stand, as they do likewise at the singing or reciting the Nicene or Constantinopolitan creed, which is done immediately after the gospel. Then the curate declares unto the people what holidays and fasting days are in the week following to be observed ; and, if occasion be, publishes the bans of matrimony, reads briefs, citations, and excommuni- cations, and nothing is proclaimed or published in the church during the time of divine service but by the minister ; nor by him, any thing but what is prescribed in the rules, or enjoined by the king, or by the ordinary of the place. Then follows the sermon, which being ended, alms are taken for the poor, or other purposes ; this is followed by prayers and exhortations ; after which, the priest stands up before the table, and having so ordered the bread and wine that he may with the more readiness and decency break the bread before the people, and take the cup into his hands, says the prayer of consecration, which begins the third part of the communion service ; the wording of it is very remarkable, and runs thus: — "Hear us, O merciful Father, and grant that we, receiving these thy creatures of bread and wine, according to Jesus Christ's holy institution, in remem- brance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood, who in the same night that he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me. Likewise, after supper, he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, for the remission of sins. Do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me." The priest first receives the communion in both kinds himself, then proceeds to deliver the same to the bishops, priests, and deacons (if any be present) ; and after that, to the people also in order into their hands, all meekly kneeling. They receive it in their hands, because the custom of receiving it in their mouths, from the priest's hand, savours too much of transubstantiation. The priest says a prayer when he gives the bread, and another when 332 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. the cup is given to any one. If the consecrated bread or wine be exhausted before all have communicated, the priest is to consecrate more. If, on the contrary, there remains any when all have communicated, the minister returns to the Lord's table, and reverently places upon it what remains of the consecrated elements, covering the same with a clean linen cloth. Here begins the fourth and last part of the communion service. The Lord's prayer is said by the minister, the people repeating after him every petition ; then follows another form of thanksgiving ; after which, " Glory be to God on high," a hymn to which antiquity has given the appellation of angelical. The whole service is concluded by the priest (or bishop, if he be present) dismissing the congregation with a blessing. The rubric says, that it is most convenient baptism should not be administered but upon Sundays, and other holydays, when the greatest number of people are assembled ; as well for that the congregation ap ism. ^j^^j.g present may testify the receiving of them that be newly bap- tized into the number of Christ's church ; as also because, in the baptism of infants, every man present may be put in remembrance of his own pro- fession made to God in his baptism, or that made for them by their god- fathers or godmothers. Nevertheless (if necessity so require), children may be baptized on any other day. Every male child must have two godfathers and one godmother ; and every female one godfather and two godmothers ; who, with the children, must be ready at the font imme- diately after the last lesson of the morning or evening prayer. The priest coming to the font, which is then to be filled with pure water, and stand- ing there, asks the usual question, exhorts the people to pray, says two prayers for the child, reads a gospel (Mark x. 13, and follo^ving), explains it, gives God thanks, tells the godfathers and godmothers their duty, receives their renouncing the devil, and repeats with them the pro- fession of faith ; after which, and a few more prayers, he takes the child into his hands, desires the godfathers and godmothers to name the child ; and then, naming it after them, he sprinkles it with the water, saying, N. I baptize thee, &c. The ceremony ends with the minister's signing the child with the cross, saying the Lord's prayer, giving thanks to God, and a second charge to the godfathers and godmothers. As to the ministration of baptism to those who are of riper years, and able to answer for themselves : first, they are examined whether they be sufficiently instructed in the principles of the Christian religion ; then, they are exhorted to prepare themselves with prayers and fastings for the receiving of his holy sacrament. If they be found fit, the godfathers and godmothers present them at the font on the day, and at the time appointed. The godfathers and godmothers are not to answer, as they did in infant baptism, for the persons christened, in quality of their spiritual fathers or mothers ; they rather are present as witnesses only. The priest directs his discourse and exhortations to the persons baptized, prays for them, and wnth them ; they themselves renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of this world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh. They make their profession of faith ; after which, and some few prayers said by the minister, he takes each person to be baptized by the right hand, and placing him conveniently by the font, he clips him in the water, or pours CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 333 water upon him, saying, N. I baptize tliee, &c. Then he receives them into the church, signs them with the cross, gives thanks to God, and ends with a short exhortation, first to the godfathers and godmothers, then to the person baptized, recommending it to him to be confirmed by the bishop so soon after his baptism as conveniently may be, that so he may be admitted to the holy communion. In the church of England, as amongst Catholics, the bishops are sole ministers of the religious ceremony of confirmation. The short catechism, . which every person is to learn before he is brought to be confirmed by the bishop, is to be seen in the book of common prayer. The Church of England orders, that, for the instruction of the faithful beginners, " The curate of every parish shall diligently upon Sun- days and holydays, after the second lesson at evening prayer, openly in the church instruct and examine so many children of his parish sent unto him in the catechism. All fathers, mothers, masters, or mistresses, shall cause their children, servants, and apprentices, who have not learned their catechism, to come to tlie church at the time appointed, and obediently to hear, and be ordered by the curate, until such time as they have learned all that is appointed for them to learn. The children who are sufiiciently instructed, shall be brought to the bishop, and every one shall have a godfather or a godmother, as a witness of their confirmation. All being placed and standing in order before the bishop, he or some other minister appointed by him shall read what is called the preface of confirmation, which briefly explains the nature and end of it; then he makes them renew and confirm the promises which were made for them by their godfathers and godmothers at baptism, and prays for them, that they may receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost ; then all of them kneeling in order before the bishop, he lays his hand upon the head of every one severally, says another prayer, the Lord's prayer, and two collects, and dismisses them by giving his blessing. According to the ritual of the church of England, the bans of all those who are to be married must be published in the church three several Sundays or holydays, in the time of divine service, immediately ' " ' before the sentence of the oftertory. The form of asking is too well known to require being set down. If the persons who are to be married dwell in divers parishes, the bans must be asked in both parishes ; and the curate of the one parish shall not solemnize matrimony, without a certificate of the bans being thrice asked from the curate of the other parish. At the day and time appointed for the solemnization of matrimony, the persons to be married shall come into the body of the church, with their friends and neighbours, and there standing together, the man on the right hand, and the woman on the left, the priest reads an exhortation on the duty, condition, and chastity of a married state ; then another, particu- larly directed to the persons who are to be married. At which day of marriage, if any man do allege or declare any impediment, why they may not be coupled together in matrimony, by God's law, or the laws of the realm, and will be bound, and sufficient sureties wdth him, to the parties, or else put in a caution (to the full value of such charges, as the persons to be married do hereby sustain) to prove his allegation; then the solem- nization must be deferred until such time as the truth be tried. If no 334 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. impediment be alleged, then the curate asks their mutual consent ; which being declared, they give their troth to each other, taking alternately each other by the right hand, and saying, "I, N. take thee N. to be my wedded wife, (or husband,) to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish (the wife says to love, cherish, and obey,) till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I plight thee my troth." Then they again loose their hands, and the man shall give unto the woman a ring, layino- the same upon the book, with the accustomed dues to the priest and clerk. And the priest taking the ring, shall deliver it unto the man to put upon the fourth finger of the woman's left hand, and the man, tauo-ht by the priest, shall say, " With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship," &c. Both kneel down, the minister says a prayer, joins their hands together, and adds a blessing, then going to the Lord's table, say or sing a psalm, w^iich being ended, the man and the woman kneeling before the Lord's table, the priest standing at the table, says a litany, followed by some prayers, and an instruction concerning the duties of man and wife, and so concludes. Only the rubric adds, that it is con- venient the new-married persons should receive the holy communion at the time of their marriage, or at the first opportunity after their marriage. But though the ritual of the church of England requires the publication of the bans of such persons who are about to marry; and though the lower classes always have their marriage bans published, yet it is the custom of the higher, and to a great degree of the middle classes also, to marry by licence, dispensing with the publication of bans. A licence may be had on application to a surrogate. In the year 1837 a new Marriage Act came into force, which made a very considerable change in the marriage ceremony, to those who were desirous to avail themselves of it, while it left at liberty all who preferred the former course to pursue it as before. Members of the church of England still marry in the churches by bans, or licence, while Dissenters more generally avail themselves of the pro- visions of the new act. By the new act, persons desirous to marry may be joined together, either in dissenting meeting-houses, licensed for the purpose ; or in the offices of the superintendent-registrars of the new Poor-Law Unions, in the districts of which the parties may live. The presence of the registrar of the district, and two witnesses, is indispensable to the lawfulness and validity of the ceremony. Before any marriage can be contracted under the new act, either a licence must be purchased of the registrar, on giving full seven days' notice beforehand ; or three several notices of such intended marriage must be read and published at the Union Workhouse, before the Poor-Law Guardians of the Union, at three of their successive weekly meetings, which may be held within the twenty-one days, which must pass between the day of giving notice to the registrar and the day of marriage. A certificate also must be obtained of the registrar, before the marriage can take place, stating that no one has forbidden the marriage. One of the provisions of the new Marriage Act sets forth that the parties contracting matrimony shall, in some part of the ceremony, declare, in the presence of the registrar and two witnesses, that they know not of CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 335 any lawful Impediment why they may not be joined together in matri- mony, and that each of the parties shall say to the other, " I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, A. B., do take thee, C. D., to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)." In cases where the marriage takes place at the office of the superin- tendant-registrar, he, the superintendant, as well as the registrar of the district, must be present, with the two witnesses, and the ceremony must take place, with open doors, between the hours of eight and twelve in the forenoon. A proj^er ofl&ce is appointed, called " The General Register Office," for keeping a register of all births, deaths, and marriages in England, as well as a register-general to discharge the important duties of the same. At the churching of women, and the visitation of the sick, thanksgiving and suitable prayers are offered up by the minister, attended with very little ceremony. THE FORM AND ORDER OF THE CORONATION OF A KING AND QUEEN. This Form and Order consists of — 1. The Entrance into the Church. 2. The Recognition. 3. The First Oblation. 4. The Litany. 5. The beginning of the Communion Service. 6. The Sermon. 7. The Oath. 8. The Anointing. 9. The Presenting of the Spurs and Sword, and the Oblation of the said Sword. 10. The investing with the Royal Robe, and the Delivery of the Orb. 11. The Investure per Annulum and Baculum. 12. The put- ting on of the Crown. 13. The presenting of the Holy Bible. 14. The Benediction, and Te Deum. 15. The Inthronization. 16. The Homage. 17. The Queen's Coronation. 18. The Communion. 19. The final Prayers. 20. The Recess. In the Morning upon the Day of the Coronation early, care is to be taken that the Ampulla be filled with Oil, and, together with the Spoon, be laid ready upon the Altar or Communion Table, in the Abbey-Church. Sect. I. — The Entrance into the Church. The King and Queen, as soon as They enter at the West Door of the Church, are to be received with the following Anthem, to be sung by the Choir of Westminster. Anthem. Psal. cxxii. 1. 5, 6, 7. I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the House of the Lord. For there is the Seat of Judgment, even the Seat of the House of David. O pray for the Peace of Jerusalem ; They shall prosper that love Thee. Peace be within thy walls, and Prosperity within thy Palaces. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen. The King and Queen in the mean time pass up through the Body of the Church, into and through the Choir, and so up the Stairs to the Theatre ; and having passed by Their Thrones, They make Their humble Adoration, and then kneeling at the Faldstools set for Them before Their Chairs, use some short private prayers; and, after sitting down (not in Their Thrones, but in Their Chairs before, and below, Their Thrones), there repose Themselves. 336 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Sect. II. — The Recognition. The King and Queen being so placed, the Archbishop turneth to the East part of the Theatre, and after, together with the Lord Chancellor, Lord Great Chamberlain, Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal (Garter King of Arms preceding them), goes to the other three sides of the Theatre in this Order, South, West, and North, and at every of the four sides, with a loud Voice, speaks to the People : And the King in the mean time standing up by His Chair, turns and shows Himself unto the People at every of the four sides of the Theatre, as the Archbishop is at every of them, and while He speaks thus to the People : Sirs, I here present unto you King , the Undoubted King of this Realm : Wherefore all you who are come this Day to do your Homage, Are you willing to do the same ? The People signify their Willingness and Joy, by loud and repeated Acclamations, all with one Voice crying out, God save King . Then the Trumpets sound. Sect. Ill The First Oblation. The Archbishop goeth down, and before the Altar puts on his Cope ; then goeth and standeth on the North Side of it : And the Bishops, who are to read the Litany, do also vest them- selves. And the Officers of the Wardrobe, &c. spread Carpets and Cushions on the Floor and Steps of the Altar. And here, first the Bible, Paten, and Cup, are to be brought and placed upon the Altar. Which being done, the King, supported by the two Bishops, of Durham, and Bath and Wells, and attended, as always, by the Dean of Westminster, the Lords that carry the Regalia going before Him, goes down to the Altar, and kneeling upon the Steps of it, makes his First Oblation, Uncovered ; Which is a Pall or Altar- Cloth of Gold, delivered by the First Obla- ]Vlaster of the Great Wardrobe to the Lord Great Chamberlain, and by Him, tion, a Pall, j^neeling, to His Majesty : and an Ingot or Wedge of Gold of a pound weight, ^f r ?7^^^^ which the Treasurer of the Household delivers to the Lord Great Chamberlain, of Gold. ^^^ jj^ ^^ jj.^ Majesty, kneeling : Who being Uncovered delivers them to the Archbishop, and the Archbishop standing (in which posture he is to receive all other Oblations) receives from Him, one after another, the Pall to be reverently laid upon the Altar, and the Gold to be received into the Basin, and with like Reverence put upon the Altar. Then the Queen ariseth from Her Chair, and being likewise supported by two Bishops, and the Lords which carry Her Regalia going before Her, goeth down lothe Altar, and kneeling upon The Queen's the Cushions there laid for Her, on the left Hand of the King's, niaketh Her Oblation a Pall Oblation, which is a Pall, to be received also by the Archbishop, and laid of Gold. upon the Altar. Then the Archbishop saith this Prayer, the King and Queen still kneeling. O God, who dwellest in the high and holy Place, with them also who are of an humble Spirit, Ldok down mercifully upon these Thy Servants, our King, and our Queen, here humbling Themselves before Thee at thy Footstool, and gra- ciously receive these Oblations, which in humble Acknowledgment of Thy Sovereignty over all, and of Thy great Bounty to Thein in particular. They have now offered up unto Thee, through Jesus Christ our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. The King and Queen having thus offered, and so fulfilled His Commandment, who said, Thou shall not appear before the Lord thy God empty ; go to Their Chairs set for Them on the South Side of the Altar, where they are to kneel at Their Faldstools when the Litany begins. In the mean time, the Lords who carry the Regalia, except those who carry the Swords, come in Order near to the Altar, and present Every One what He carries to the Archbishop, who delivers them to the Dean of Westminster, to be by Him placed upon the Altar, and then retire to the Places and Seats appointed for Them. CHURCH OP ENGLAND. 337 Sect. IV. — The Litany. Then followeth the Litany, to be read by two Bishops, vested in Copes, and kneeling at a Faldstool above the Steps of the Theatre, on the middle of the East side thereof, the Ciioir reading the Responses. O God the Father of heaven : have mercy upon us miserable sinners, &c. Sect. V. — The beginning of the Communion Service^ A Sanctus. Then the Archbishop beginneth the Communion Service with the Lord's Prayer, followed by a Collect. ^ Then shall the Archbishop, turning to the People, rehearse distinctly all the Ten Com- mandnients; and the People still kneeling, shall, after every Conmiandnient, ask of God Mercy for their transgression thereof for the time past, and Grace to keep the same for the time to come, as followeth. Archbishop. God spake these words, and said, &c. 5[ Then shall follow this Collect for the King, the Archbishop standing as before, and saying, Let us pray.^ Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting, and power infinite ; Have mercy upon the whole Church, and so rule the heart of thy chosen Servant our King and Governor, that he (knowing whose Minister he is) may above all things seek thy honour md glory ; and that we and all his subjects (duly considering whose Authority he hath) May faithfully serve, honour, and humbly obey him, in thee, and for thee, according to :hy blessed word and ordinance, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth ever one God world without end. Amen. The Ejnstle.—l Pet. ii. 13. To be read by one of the Bishops. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake : whether it be to ;he King as supreme ; or unto Governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men : As free, md not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King. The Gospel.— S. Matth. xxii. 15. To be read by another Bishop, the King and Queen with the People standing. Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. \nd they sent out unto him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying. Master, we inow that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for my man : for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore. What thinkest ;hou ? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Csesar, or not ? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said. Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? Shew me the tribute-money. \nd they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, "Whose is this image and superscription ? They say unto him, Csesar's. Then saith he unto them. Render there- fore unto Caesar, the things which are Caesar's : and unto God, the things that are God's. When they had heard these -words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. rhcn the Archbishop readeth the Nicetie Creed ; the King and Queen with the People standing, as before. 338 PROTESTANT COMiMUNITIES. Sect. VI. — The Sermon. At the end of the Creed one of the Bishops is ready in the Pulpit, placed against the Pillar at the North- East corner of the Theatre, and begins the Sermon, which is to be short, and suitable to the great Occasion ; which the King and Queen hear sitting in Their respective Chairs on the South side of the Altar, over against the Pulpit. And whereas the King was uncovered during the Offering and Service following; when the Sermon begins. He puts on His Cap of Crimson Velvet turned up with Ermins, and so con- tinues to the End of it. On His right hand stands the Bishop oi Durham, and beyond Him, on the same side, the Lords that carry the Swords : On His left hand the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the Lord Great Chamberlain. The two Bishops that support the Queen are to stand on either hand of Her. And the Lady that bears up the Train, and her Assistants, constantly attend Her Majesty during the whole Solemnity. On the North side of the Altar sits the Archbishop in a purple Velvet Chair; the Bishops being placed on Forms along the North side of the Wall, betwixt Him and the Pulpit. Near the Archbishop stands Garter King at Arms : On the South side, East of the King's Chair, nearer to the Altar, stand the Dean of Westminster, the rest of the Bishops who bear any part in the Church Service, and the Prebendaries of Westminster. ^ECT.YII.— The Oath. The Sermon being ended, and his Majesty having, in the presence of the Two Houses of Parliament, made and signed the Declaration, t!ie Archbishop goeth to the King, and stand- ing before Him, administers the Coronation Oath, first asking the King, Sir, Is Your Majesty willing to take the Oath ? And the King answering, I am willing. The Archbishop ministereth these Questions ; and the King, having a Copy of the printed Form and Order of the Coronation Service in His Hands, answers each Question severally, as follows. Archb. Will You solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Dominions thereto belonging, according to the Statutes in Parliament agreed on, and the respective Laws and Customs of the same ? King. I solemnly promise so to do. Archb. Will You to Y^our Power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all Your Judgments. King. I will. Archb. Will Y^ou to the utmost of Y''our Power maintain the Laws of God, the true Profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant Reformed Religion established by Law ? And will Y^ou maintain and preserve inviolably the Settlement of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the Doctrine, Worship, Discipline, and Government thereof, as by Law established within England and Irela?id, and the Territories thereunto belonging ? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England and Ireland, and to the Churches there committed to their Charge, all such Rights and Privileges, as by Law do, or shall appertain to Them, or any of Them ? King. All this I promise to do. Then the King arising out of His Chair, supported as before, and assisted by the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Sword of State being carried before Him, shall go to the Altar, and there being Uncovered, make His Solemn Oath in the sight of all the People, to observe the Tl B"bl Piemiscs : Laying His right hand upon the Holy Gospel in the Great Bible, which be brought ^ '^vas before carried in the Procession, and is now brought from the Altar by the Archbishop and tendered to Him as he kneels upon the steps, saying these Words : The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God. Stondish"^" Then the King kisseth the Book, and signeth the Oath. CHURCH OP ENGLAND. 339 Sect. VIII. — The Anointing. The king having thus taken His Oath, returns again to His Chair ; and both He and the Qreen kneeling at Their Faldstools, the Archbishop beginueth the Hymn, Veni, Creator Sui- ritus, and the Choir singe th it out. This being ended, the Archbishop saith this Prayer. O Lord, Holy Father, who by anointing with Oil didst of old make and consecrate Kings, Priests and Prophets, to teach and govern thy People Israel : Bless and Sanctify Here the Arch- thy Chosen Servant , who by our Office and Ministry is now to be hand^upon the anointed with this Oil, and consecrated King of this Realm : Strengthen Ampulla. Him, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter; Confirm and Stablish Him with thy free and Princely Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Government, the Spirit of Counsel and Ghostly Strength, the Spirit of Knowledge and true Godliness, and fill him, O Lord, with the Spirit of thy Holy Fear, now and for ever. J men. This Prayer being ended, the Choir sing : Anthem. 1 Kings i. 39, 40. Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon King ; and all the People rejoiced, and said ; God save the King, Long live the King, May the King live for ever. Amen. Hallelujah. In the mean time, the King rising from His Devotions, having been disrobed of his Crimson Robes, and having taken off his Cap of State, goes before the Altar, supported and attended as before. The King sits down in His Chair placed in the midst of the Area over against the Altar, with a Faldstool before it, wherein He is to be Anointed. Four Knights of the Garter hold over him a rich Pall of Silk, or Cloth of Gold ; the Dean of fVestminster taking the Ampulla and Spoon from off the Altar, holdeth them ready, pouring some of the Holy Oil into tl:e Spoon, and with it the Archbishop anointeth the King, in the Form of a Cross : On tlie Crown of the Head, and on the' Palms of both the Hands, saying, Be Thou anointed with Holy Oil, as Kings, Priests, and Prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed King by Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, so be you anointed, blessed, and consecrated King over this People, whom the Lord your God hath given you to rule and govern. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then the Dean of Westminster layeth the Ampulla and Sjwon upon the Altar, and the King kneeleth down at the Faldstool, and the Archbishop standing on the North side of the Altar, saith this Prayer or Blessing over Him ; Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who by his Father was anointed with the Oil of gladness above his fellows, by his Holy Anointing pour down upon your Head and Heart the Blessing of the Holy Ghost, and prosper the Works of your Hands : that by the Assistance of his Heavenly Grace you may preserve the People committed to your charge in Wealth, Peace, and Godliness ; and after a long and glorious Course of ruling this Temporal Kingdom Wisely, Justly, and Religiously, you may at last be made Par- taker of an Eternal Kingdom, through the Merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Tills Prayer being ended, the King arises, and sits doAvn aeain in his Chair, when the Dean of Westminster will invest His Majesty with the Siipertunica. Sect. IX. — The jiresenting of the Spurs and Sword, and the Oblation of the said Sivord. Tl e Sduts ^^'^ "^^"'"^ ^^^ brought from the Altar by the Dean of Westminster, and delivered ' P • to a Nobleman thereto appointed by the King, who, kneeling down, presents them The Sword to him, and forthwith sends them back to the Altar. Then the Lord, who carries tlie of State Sword of State, returning the said Sword to the Officers of the Jewel House, which is returned, thereupon deposited in the Traverse in King Edward's Chapel, He receiveth thence, Another in lieu thereof, another Sivord, in a Scabbard of Purple Velvet, provided for the Swoid King, which He delivereth to the Archbishop ; and the Archbishop laying it on brought : the Altar, saith the following Praver : z 2 340 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Hear our Prayers, O Lord, we beseech thee, and so direct and support thy Servant King , that he may not bear the Sword in vain ; but may use it as the Minister of God for the terror and punishment of Evil-doers, and for the protection and encourage- ment of those that do well, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Delivered to Then the Archbishop takes the Sword from off the Altar, and (the Bishops the King. assisting, and going along with him) delivers it into the King's Right Hand, and He holding it, the Archbishop saith : Receive this Kingly Sword, brought now from the Altar of God, and delivered to You by the hands of us the Bishops and Servants of God, though Unworthy. With this Sword do Justice, stop the Growth of Iniquity, protect the holy Church of God, help and defend Widows and Orphans, restore the things that are gone to decay, main- tain the things that are restored, punish and reform what is amiss, and contirra what is in good Order : that doing these things, You may be glorious in all virtue ; and so faith- fully serve our Lord Jesus Christ in this life, that You may reign for ever with him ia the Life which is to come. Amen. Then the King rising up, and going to the Altar, offers the Sword there in the Scabbard, and then returns and sits down in His Cliair : And the Cliief Peer, or He to whom redeemed^ His Majesty shall vouchsafe that Honour, offereth the Price of it, and having thus re eeme . redeemed it, receiveth it from off the Altar by the Dean of Westminster^ and draweth it out of the Scabbard, and carries it naked before His Majesty during the rest of the Solemnity. Sect. X — The Investing with the Royal Robe, and the Ddivery of the Orb. „,. T> . , Then the King arising, the Robe Royal or Purple Robe of State, of Cloth of Tissue, P^ j^ ^ lined or furred with Eiiuins, is by the Master of the Great Wardrobe delivered to the Dean of Westminstery and by him put upon the King, standing ; -the Ciimson Robe whicli He wore before being first taken off by the Lord Great Chamberlain : The The Orb ''^"^^ having received it, sits down, and then the (5ri with the Cross is brought from the Altar by the Dean of Westminster., and delivered into the King's Hand by the Archbisliop, pronouncing this Blessing and Exhortation : Receive this Imperial Robe, and Orb, and the Lord Your God endue You with Knowledge and Wisdom, with Majesty and with Power from on High ; The Lord clothe You with the Robe of Righteousness, and with the Garments of Salvation. And when You see this Orb set under the Cross, remember that the whole World is subject to the Power and Empire of Christ our Redeemer. For he is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth ; King of Kings, and Lord of Lords : So that no man can reign happily, who derives not his Authority from Him, and directs not all his Actions according to His Laws. The King delivers his Orb to the Dean of Westminster.^ to be by him laid on the Altar. Sect. XI. — The Investiture per Annulum ^ Baculum. TheR' "^^'^"^ '^^ iVIaster of the Jewel House delis'ers the King's Ring to the Archbishop, "^^' in wliich a Table Jewel is enchased ; the Archbishop puts it on the Fourth Finger of His Majesty's Right Hand, and saith ; Receive this Ring, the Ensign of Kingly Dignity, and of Defence of the Catholic Faith ; and as You are this day solemnly invested in the Government of this earthly Kingdom, so may You be sealed with that Spirit of Promise, which is the Earnest of aa heavenly Inheritance, and reign with Him who is the blessed and only Potentate, to whom be Glory for ever and ever. Amen. Then the Dean of Westminster brings the Sceptre and Rod to the Archbishop ; and the Lord of the Manour of Worksop (who claims to hold an Estate by the Service of present- The Sceptre ^"" *° ^^^ ^'"^ ^ Higlit Hand Glove on the Day of His Coronation, and sup- andKod porting the King's Right Arm whilst He holds the Sceptre Midi the Cross) delivers to tlie King a Pair of rich Gloves, and upon any Occasion happening afterwards, supports His ]Majesty's Right Arm, or holds His Sceptre by Iliui. Ti,« r'i^vr..c The Gloves being put on, the Archbishop delivers the Sceptre, Avith the Cross, into the kuig s Riglit Hand, saying, • Receive the Royal Sceptre, the Ensign of Kingly Power and Justice. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 341 And then he delivers tlie Rod, with the Dove, iuto the King's Left Hand, and saith, Receive the Rod of Equity and Mercy ; and God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed, direct and assist You in the Administration and Exercise of all those Powers which he hath given You. Be so merciful, that You be not too remiss ; so execute Justice, that You forget not Mercy. Judge with Righteousness, and reprove with Equity, and accept no Man's Person. Abase the Proud, and lift up the Lowly; punish the Wicked, protect and cherish the Just, and lead your People in the way wherein they should go : thus in all things following His great and holy Example, of whom the Prophet David said, " Thou lovest Righteousness, and hatest Iniquity; the Sceptre of thy Kingdom is a right Sceptre;" even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Sect. XIL — The Putting on of the Crown. K. Edivard's The Archbishop, standing hefore the Altar, taketh the Crown into his Hands, Crown. and laying it again before him upon the Altar, saith, O God, who crownest thy faithful Servants with Mercy and loving-kindness, Look down JleretheKing "P°" ^^^^ *^y Servant , our King, who now in lowly devotion boweth mustbeputin His Head to thy Divine Majesty; and as thou dost this day set a Crown mind to bow ^f pyj-g QqJ^ upon His Head, so enrich His Royal Heart with thy heavenly Grace ; and crown Him with all Princely Virtues, which may adorn the high Station wherein thou hast jjlaced Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be Honour and Glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Then the King, sitting down in KingEchvard's Chair, the Archbishop, assisted with other Bishons, comes from the Altar ; the Dean of Westminster brings the Crown, and the Archbishop taking it of him, reverently putteth it upon the King's Head. At the sight whereof The King ^j^^ People, with loud and repeated Shouts, cry God save the King ; and the crowned. j^^^^p^f^ sound, and, by a Signal given, the great guns at the Tower are shot off. The noise ceasing, the Archbishop goeth on, and saith, Be strong and of a good Courage : Observe the Commandments of God, and walk in His Holy ways : Fight the good Fight of Faith, and lay hold on Eternal life ; that in this World You may be crowned with Success and Honour, and when You have finished Your Course, receive a Crown of Righteousness, which God the Righteous Judge shall give You in that Day. Amen. Then the Choir singeth this short Anthem : Anthem. Psal. xxi. 1. 3. The King shall rejoice in Thy Strength, O Lord : exceeding glad shall He be of Thy Salvation. Thou hast prevented Him with the Blessings of Goodness, and hast set a Crown of pure Gold upon his Head. Hallelujah. Amen. As soon as the King is crowned, the Peers, &c., put on their Coronets and Caps. Sect. Xlll.— The Presenting of the Holg Bible. Then shall the Dean of Westminster take the Holy Bible, whiih was carried in the Proces- sion, from off the Altar, and deliver it to the Archbishop, who, with the rest of The Bible. ^^^^ Bishops going along with him, sliall present it to ilie King, first saying these Words to Him : Our Gracious King ; we present You with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom ; This is the Royal Law ; These are the lively Oracles of God. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the Words of this Book ; that keep, and do, the things contained in it. For these are the Words of Eternal Life, able to make you wise and happy in this world, nay wise unto salvation, and so happy Jbr evermore, through Faith which is in Christ Jesus ; to whom be Glory for ever. Amen. Then the King deli vers back the Bible to the Archbishop, who gives it to the Dean of West- minster^ to be reverently placed again upon the Holy Altar. '^■'^2 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Sect. XIV. — The Benediction, and Te Dcum. And now tlie King having been thue anointed and crowned, and having received all the Ensigns of Royalty, the Archbishop solemnly blesseth him : And all the Bishops standing about Him, with the rest of the Peers, follow every part of the Benediction with a loud and hearty Amen. The Lord bless and keep you : The Lord make the light of his Countenance to shine for ever upon you, and be gracious unto you : The Lord protect you in all The Benedic- ,. •, .1 • 1 .|y„ your ways, preserve you from every evil thing, and prosper you in every thing good. Amen. The Lord give you a faithful Senate, wise and upright Counsellors and Magistrates, a loyal Nobility, and a dutiful Gentry ; a pious and learned and useful Clergy ; an honest, industrious, and obedient Commonalty. Amen. In your days may Mercy and Truth meet together, and Righteousness and Peace kiss each other ; May Wisdom and Knowledge be the Stability of your Times, and the Fear of the Lord your Treasure. Amen. The Lord make your Days many, your Reign prosperous, your Fleets and Armies vic- torious ; and may you be reverenced and beloved by all your Subjects, and ever increase in Favour with God and man. Amen. The glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon you : may he bless you with all temporal and spiritual Happiness in this world, and crown you with Glory and Immor- tality in the world to come. Amen. Then the Archbishop turaeth to the People, and saith : And the same Lord God Almighty grant, that the Clergy and Nobles assembled here for this great and solemn Service, and together with them all the People of the Land, fearing God, and honouring the King, may by the merciful Superintendency of the Divine Providence, and the vigilant Care of our gracious Sovereign, continually enjoy* Peace, Plenty, and Prosperity, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with the Eternal Father, and God the Holy Ghost, be Glory in the Church world without end. Ame7i. Then the Choir begins to sing the Te Deiim, and the King goes up to the Theatre on which Te Deum. H"^ Throne is placed. All the Bishops, Great Officers, and other Peers, attending him, every one in his place, the Swords being carried before Him ; and then He sits down and reposes Himself in His Chair, below the Throne. Te Deum. We praise thee, O God, &c. Sect. XV. — The Inlhronization. The Te Deum being ended, the King is lifted up into His Throne by the Archbishop and Bishops, and other Peers of the Kingdom, and being Inthronized, or placed therein, all the Great Officers, Those that bear the Swords and the Sceptres, and the rest of the Nobles, stand round about the steps of the Throne ; and the Archbishop standing before the King, saith : ° Stand firm, and hold fast from henceforth the Seat and State of Royal and Imperial Dignity which is this day delivered unto you in the Name, and by the Authority of Almighty God, and by the Hands of Us the Bishops and Servants of God, though un- worthy : And as you see Us to approach nearer to God's Altar, so vouchsafe the more graciously to continue to Us your Royal Favour and Protection. And the Lord God Almighty, whose Ministers we are, and the Stewards of his Mysteries, establish your Throne in Righteousness, that it may stand fast for evermore, like as the Sun before Him, and as the faithful Witness in Heaven. Amen. Sect. XVI. — The Homage. The Exhortation being ended, all the Peers then present do their Homage publictlv and TheHomace ^'^^^'""^^ ""^^ ^''^^ ^^^"g "P"» the Theatre ; and in the mean time the Treasurer ' • of the Household throws among the People Medals of Gold and Silver, as the King's Princely Largess, or Donative. CHUKCH OF ENGLAND. 343 The Aiclibisliop first kneels down before His Majesty's Knees, and the rest of the Bishops kneel on either Hand, and about Him ; and they do their Homage together (Jf the Bishops, ^^^, ^j^^ shortening of the Ceremony, the Archbishop saying : I Archbishop of Canterbury [And so every one of the rest, I N. Bishop of N. repeating the rest audibly after the Archbishop] will be faithful and true, and Faitli and Truth will bear unto you our Sovereign Lord, and your Heirs, Kings of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. And I will do and truly acknowledge the Service of the Lands which I claim to hold of you, as in right of the Church. So help me God. Then the Archbishop kisseth the King's left Cheek, and so the rest of the Bishops present after him. After which the other Peers of the Realm do their Homage in like manner, the Dukes first by themselves, and so the Marquisscs, the Earls, the Viscounts, and the Barons, severally ; the first of each Order kneeling before His Majesty, and the rest with and other Peers ^^'^"^ ^^™ ^^^ putting off their Coronets, and the first of each Class beginning, and the rest saying after him : I N. Duke, or Earl, ^c. of N. do become your Liege man of Life and Limb, and of earthly worship, and Faith and Truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of Folks. So help me God. Note, That Copies of this Homage must be provided by the Heralds for every Class of the Nobility. The Peers having done their Homage, stand all together round about the King ; and each Class or Degree going by themselves, or (as it was at the Coronation of King Charles the First and Second) every Peer one by one, in Order, putting off their Coronets, singly ascend the Throne again, and stretching forth their hands, do touch the Crown on His Majesty's Head, as promising by that Ceremony to be ever ready to support it with all their power, and then every one of them kisseth the King's Clieek. While the Peers are thus doing their Homage, and the Medals thrown about, the King, if He thinks good, delivers His Sceptre vi\\.h the Cross to the Lord of the Manour of Worksop, to hold ; and the other Sceptre, or Jiod, with the Dove, to some one near to the Blood Royal, or to tlie Lord that carried it in the Procession, or to any other that He pleaseth to assign, to hold it by Him, And the Bishops that support the King in the Procession may also ease Him, by supporting the Crown, as there shall be occasion. At the same Time tlie Choir sing this Anthem. — Psal. Ixi. 6, 7. cxxxii. 19. O Lord, grant the King a long life : that his years may endure throughout all gene- rations. He shall dwell before God for ever : O prepare thy loving mercy and faithfulness, that they may preserve him. As for his enemies, clothe them with shame : but upon himself let his crown flourish. Amen. When the Homage of the Lords is ended, the Drums beat, and the Trumpets sound, and all the People shout, crying out, God save King Long live King May the King live for ever. The Solemnity of the King's Coronatio7i being thus ended, the Archbishop leaves the King in His Throne, goes down to the Altar, and begins. Sect. XVH. — The Queen's Coronation. The Queen having reposed Herself in Her Chair on the South side of the Altar, while the King was Crowned and Inthrotiized, as soon as the Anthem is ended, ariseth and goeth to the Steps of the Altar, supported by Two Bishops, and there knecleth down, whilst the Aitli- bishop saith the following Prayer, 344 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness ; Give ear, we beseech thee, to our prayers, and multiply thy blessings upon this thy Servant, whom in thy Name, with all humble devotion, we consecrate our Queen : Defend her evermore from all Dangers, ghostly and bodily ; Make her a great Example of Virtue and Piety, and a Blessing to this Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, O Father, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen. This Prayer being ended, the Queen ariseth, and cometh to the Place of Her Anointing : Which is to be at a Faldstool set for that purpose before the Altar, between tbe Steps Tl e A • f ^"'^ K'"g Edward' s Chair. And standing there, the Chief Lady that attends Her, takes off Her Circle of Gold, and She kneeleth down, and four Peeresses appointed for that Service, holding a rich Pall of Silk or Cloth of Gold over Her, the Archbishop poureth the Holy Oil upon the Crown of Her Head, saying these AVords : In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : Let the anoint- ing with this Oil increase your honour, and the grace of God's Holy Spirit establish you for ever and ever. Amen. After the Anointing the Archbishop saith this Prayer : O MOST merciful God, pour out abundantly thy grace and blessing upon this thy Servant Queen — , that as by our Office and Ministry she is this day anointed, and solemnly consecrated our Queeyi : so being sanctified by thy Holy Spirit, she may continue thy faithful and devout Servant unto her life's end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Rins Then the Archbishop receiveth from the Master of the Jewel Office the Queen's Ring, and putteth it upon the Fourth Finger of Her Right Hand, saying, Receive this Ring, the Seal of a sincere Faith ; and God, to whom belongeth all Power and Dignity, prosper you in this your honour, and grant you therein long to continue fearing him always, and always doing such things as shall please him, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Crown. -^^^^ *^*^ Archbishop taketb the Crown from off the Altar into his hands, and reverently setteth it upon tbe Queen's Head, saying, Receive the Crown of glory, honour, and joy ; and God the Crown of the faithful, who by our Episcopal hands (though unworthy) doth this day set a Crown of pure Gold upon your head, enrich your Royal heart with his abundant grace, and crown you with all princely virtues in this life, and with an everlasting Crown of glory in the life which is to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Queen being crowned, all the Peeresses put on their Coronets. The Sceptre and "^^^^ *^® Archbishop putteth the Sceptre into the Queen's Right Hand, and Ivory Rod. ^^® ^^^^^ ^^^ ^''"^^'i the Dove into Her Left Hand; and sayeth thi$ Prayer : O Lord, the giver of all perfection, Grant unto this thy Servant our Queen, that by the powerful and mild Influence of her Piety and Virtue, she may adorn the high Dignity which she hath obtained, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Queen being thus Anointed, and Crowned, and having received all Her Ornaments, the Choir sing this following Anthem : Anthem. Hallelujah ; For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this World, is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. And he shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah. As soon as this Anthem begins, the Queen ariseth and goeth from the Altar, supported by Her two Bishops, and so up to the Theatre. And as She passeth by the King on His Throne, She boweth Herself reverently to His Majesty, and then is conducted to Her OAvn Throne, and without any further Ceremony taketb Her place in it ; Reposing Herself till She comes down, with the King, to receive the Ilolg Communion. CHURCH OP ENGLAND. 345 Skct. XVIIT. — The Communion. Then the Offertory begins, the Arclibisliop reading these Sentences : Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, The Offertory. . \ ■. -p ^i i • u • • tr and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Charge them who are rich in this world, that they be ready to give and glad to distri- bute ; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may attain eternal life. The King and Queen descend from Their Thrones, supported and attended as before ; and go to the Steps of tlie Altar, and kneel down there. And first the King offers Bread and Wine ^ov the Communion, which being brouglit out of King Edward's Chapel, and delivered into His Hands, the Bread upon the J}]^^!^^, Paten by the Bishop that read the Epistle, and the Wine in tlie Chalice by and^W'^^^ the Bishop that read the Gospel, are by the Archbishop received from the King, and reverently placed upon the Altar, and decently covered with a fair linen Cloth, the Archbishop first saying this prayer : Bless, O Lord, we beseech thee, these thy Gifts, and sanctify them unto this holy use, that by them we may be made partakers of the Body and Blood of thine only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and fed unto everlasting life of Soul and Body : And that thy Servant King may be enabled to the discharge of his weighty Office, whereunto of thy great goodness thou hast called and appointed Him. Grant this, O Lord, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. Then the King kneeling, as before, makes His second oblation, offering a Mark weight of A M -k ^o^^y which the Treasurer of the Household delivers to the Lord Great of Gold. Chamberlai7i, and he to His Majesty. -And the Archbishop coming to Him, receives it into the Bason, and placeth it upon the Altar. The Queen The Queen also at the same time maketh Her second Oblation, in hke manner as offers. the King : After which the Archbishop says, O God, who dwellest in the high and holy place, with them also who are of an humble spirit, look down mercifully upon these thy Servants, our King, and ■ our Queen, here humbling Themselves before Thee at thy Footstool ; and graciously receive these Oblations, which in humble acknowledgement of thy Sovereignty over all, and of thy great Bounty to them in particular, they have now offered up unto thee, through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. Then the King and Queen return to Their Chairs, and kneeling doAvn at Their Faldstools, the Archbishop saith : Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here on earth. Almighty and everliving God, &c. The Exhortation.— The General Confession. — The Absolution. After which shall be said, Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him. Come unto me, &c. After which the Archbishop shall proceed, saying : Archb. Lift up your hearts. Answ. We lift them up unto the Lord. Archb. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. Answ. It is meet and right so to do. Then shall the Archbishop turn to the Lord's Table, and say : It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God : Who hast at this time given us thy Servant our Sovereign, King to be the 346 PKOTESTANT COMMUNITIES. Defender of thy Faith, and the Protector of thy People ; and together with Him hast raised up our Gracious Queen — — to be a great Example and Encourager of true religion and piety among us. Therefore with Angels and Archangels, &c. The Prayer of Address. We do not presume, &c. The Prayer of Consecration. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the Cross for our redemption, &c. When the Archbishop^ and Dean of Westminster, with the Bishops Assistants, namely, the Preacher, and those who read the Litany, and the Epistle and The King and Qospel, have communicated in both kinds, the Archbishop shall administer the Bread, and the Dean of Westminster the Cup, to the Queen communicate. King and Queen. At the Delivery of the Bread shall be said. The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. At the Delivery of the Cup, The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. Puat Cummunion. Theu the Archbishop goeth on to the Post-Communion, saving. Our Father, &c. Then this Prayer : O Lord and Heavenly Father, we thy humble servants, &c. Then shall be said, Glory be to God on high, &c. In the mean time the King and Queen return to their Thrones upon the Theatre, and afterwards the Archbishop reads the final Prayers. Sect. XIX. — The Final Prayers. Assist us mercifully, O Lord, iu these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation ; that among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by thy most gracious and ready help, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. O Lord our God, who upholdest and governest all things in Heaven and Earth, receive our humble prayers, with our thanksgivings, for our Sovereign Lord — — , set over us by thy good providence to be our King : And so together with him bless our gracious Queen , and the rest of the Royal Family, that they ever trusting iu thy goodness, protected by thy power, and crowned with thy favour, may continue before thee in health and peace, in joy and honour, a long and happy life upon earth, and after death may obtain everlasting life and glory, in the kingdom of Heaven, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour ; who, with thee, O Father and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen. Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of them that ask in thy Son's Name ; We beseech thee mercifully to incline thine ears to us that have made now our prayers and supplications unto thee, and grant that those things which we have faithfully asked according to thy will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy Glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his son Jesus Christ our Lord : And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen. CHUKCII OF ENGLAND. 347 Sect. XX, — The Recess. The whole Coronation Office being tlius performed, tlie King, attended and accompanied as before, the four Swords being carried before Him, descends from His Throne Crowned, and The Proceeding carrying His Sceptre and Rod in His Hands, goes into the Area Eastward into King Ed- of the Theatre, and passes on through the Door on the South side of the «'rtr(iV Chapel : Altar into King Edward'' s Chapel ; and as tliey pass by the Altar, the rest Of the King : of the Regalia lying upon it, are to be delivered by the Dean of West- minster to the Lords that carried them in the Procession, and so they proceed in State into , .. the Chapel, the Organs all the while playing. The Queen z.\, the same time descending, goes in like manner into the same Chapel at the Door on the North-side of the Altar ; bearing Her Sceptre in Her Right Hand, and Her Ivory Rod in Her Left. The King and Queen being come into the Chapel, the King standing before the Altar, will deliver the Sceptre with the Dove to the Archbishop, who will lay it upon the Altar there. And the Gold Spurs and St. Edivard's Staff" are given into the hands of the Dean of Westminster, and by him laid there also. The Archbishop being still vested in his Cope, will then place the Orb in His Majesty's Left Hand. Which being done, the Archbishop and Bishops will divest themselves of their Copes, and leave them there, proceeding in their usual Habits. Then Their Majesties will proceed through the Choir to the West Door of the Abbey, in the same manner as They came, wearing Their Crowns. The King bearing in his Right Hand the Sceptre with the Cross, and in His Left the Orb; the Queen bearing in Her Right Hand Her Sceptre with the Cross, and in Her Left the Ivory Rod with the Dove ; all Peers wearing their Coronets, and the Archbishops and Bishops their Caps. The last religious ceremony of the English Liturgy is the burial of the dead. In the order for that service, it is noted, first, " That it is not for any that die unbaptized, or excommunicated, or have laid violent th^d^ad^*^^ hands upon themselves." The priest and clerk, meeting the corpse at the entrance of the church-yard, and going before it either into the church or towards the grave, say, " I am the resurrection and the life,'''' &c. (John, chap. xi. ver. 25), with some other sentences of scripture. In the church some suitable psalms are read or sung, with a lesson adapted to that ceremony. When they are come to the grave, and are preparing everything to put the body into the earth, the priest and his clerk say or sing, " Man that is born of a woman," &c. Earth is then cast upon the body, and some prayers are said, in one of which God is desired to grant " that we, with all those that are departed in the true faith, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in glory." As soon as any one has breathed his last, the minister of the parish, and those who have in charge to visit dead bodies, must have notice given them ; this was ordered to be done immediately after the great Civil rites pijjg^g which raged in London in the year 1665, that it might be found out if any distemper proved contagious, and proper precautions taken to prevent its spreading. This visit is commonly per- formed by two women ; the clerk of the parish receives their attestation, and an abstract of it is printed every week, by which the public arc informed how many died in the week, of what distemper or by what acci- dent. An act of parliament, made for the encouragement of the woollen manufactory, ordains that all corpses shall be buried in flannel, without 348 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. any allowance for linen, but the flannel may be as fine as they think fit. Those shrouds are either bespoken or bought ready made, and most linen- drapers have some by them of all sizes and prices. The corpse being washed very clean, and shaved if it be that of a man, they put on it a flannel shirt, the sleeves of which are ruffled and plaited, with another tufted piece of the same stuff' which covers the opening of the shirt upon the breast. The shirt must be above half-a-foot longer than the corpse when extended at full length, that the feet of the deceased may be put into it as in a bao-, which when performed it is tied with woollen, so as to look like a tuft. They add to this a cap, with a large chin-cloth tied to the cap, a cravat and gloves, all woollen. Some put a large quantity of bran at the bottom of the coffin. Instead of a cap, the women have head- clothes with a forehead-cloth. Some coffins are exceedingly fine. When tlie corpse is in it, they make a second visit, to see whether it be all in flannel, and no linen or even thread, except woollen, employed about it. The body lies so three or four days, and all that time is allowed to pro- vide mourning and prepare for the funeral. The palls are provided by the undertakers ; some of black velvet, some of black cloth, bordered either with white satin, or linen, or taftety, about a foot long. It is so large, that it covers not only the coffin, but likewise the men who carry it upon their shoulders, and still hangs low enough to be supported by the pall-bearers, either men or women, according to the sex of the person who is to be buried, and they have gloves, hat-bands, and sometimes scarfs, black or white, given them. When everything is ready, two men called mutes go first, and they are immediately followed by the corpse and pall -bearers ; the chief mourners and other persons invited, tw^o and two, close the procession. Generally they go into the church, in the middle of which, the body being placed upon two tressels, the service for the dead appointed for that occasion is said. If the body be not buried in the church, they carry it to the church-yard belonging to it, and put it into the ground before the whole company, who seldom depart till the earth be again thrown in. In respect to the Episcopal Church in the United States, it may be briefly stated in this place, that in her rites and ceremonies she copies F isco al those of the mother church in England, with those necessary Church in the Variations, which arise from a different form of civil govern- United States, ment, under which its members live, &c. The English common prayer book is adopted, with the omission of the Athanasian creed, and some other alterations, to conform it to the peculiar state of the cluirch. Subscription to the articles is not required by candidates for holy orders. The number of bishops is fifteen ; the number of their clergymen is estimated at five thousand and ninety-six ; and their churches at nine hundred and twenty-two. The episcopal establishment in the United States has no archbishops, nor lord bishops, archdeacons, deans, prebends, canons, nor vicars. The bishops are elected by the convention of the diocess. Their bishops have no episcopal palaces, but dwell in their own hired houses ; nor episcopal revenues, being pastors of congregations as are the other clergy, and, like them, supported by the contributions of those who enjoy their instructions. When they travel through their diocess, the churches they visit pay their expenses. The bishops have no patron- KIRK OF SCOTLAND. 349 age, nor can they, by individual authority, appoint or remove any minister. No person has the gift of " parish" or " living ; " it depends on the choice of the people. Some churches leave the appointment of the minister to the vestrymen, who are annually selected by the pew^-holders ; others select him by the ballot of the vs^hole congregation. It is entirely left to the clergymen who shall be admitted to the ordinances : but their discipline varies in the diflferent states. This church is governed by a general con- vention, which sits once in three years, divided into an upper and lower house ; the former is composed of the bishops of the different states, and the latter of a portion of the clergy and laity from the several diocesses. All motions may originate in either house ; although the concurrence of the majority of both must be obtained before they pass into a law. SEC. Ill KIRK OF SCOTLAND*. The conversion of the Scots to the Christian faith began through the ministry of Paladins, about the year 430, and from the first establishment of Christianity in that country till the Reformation in the reign Inddertf '^ of Mary, mother of James I. and of Mary I. of England, their church government was episcopacy ; but the Presbyte- rian discipline was not finally established in Scotland, until the reign of King William and Mary, a. d. 1689, when episcopacy was totally abohshed. The Westminster Confession of Faith was then received as the standard of the national creed ; which all ministers, and principals and professors in universities, are obliged to subscribe as the confession of their faith, before receiving induction into office. The church of Scotland is remarkable for its uncommon simplicity of worship ; it possesses no hturgy, no altar, no instrumental music, no sur- w . 1 • _ plice, no fixed canonical vestment of any kind. It condemns MinisVediil the worship paid to saints, and observes no festival days. Its parity, &c. ministers enjoy a parity of rank and of authority ; it enforces that all ministers, being ambassadors of Christ, are equal in commission ; that there is no order in the church, as established by the Saviour, superior to presbyters ; and that bishop and presbyter, though difi*erent words, arc of the same import. It acknowledges no earthly head : its judicatories are quite distinct from, and independent of, any civil judicatory ; inso- much, indeed, that the decisions of the one are often contrary to those of the other, yet both remain unaffected and unaltered. When, for example, a clergyman has been presented to a parish by a patron, and induction and ordination have followed on that presentation, if afterwards it be found that the patron, who had given the presentation, has not that right, and that it belongs to another, the clergyman may be ejected as to all the temporalities of the office ; but quoad sacra, he may continue minister of the parish, and exercise all the sacred functions : and though a new pre- sentee may obtain a right to the civil endowments of the benefice, he can perform none of the sacred duties, while the other chooses to avail him- self of his privilege. There are four ecclesiastical judicatories, — namely, the Kirk Session, * The word Kirk is of Saxon origin, and signifies Church; or according to others, it is a ioiitraction of the Greek word, meaning the House of God. 350 PRaXESTANT COMMUNITIES. the Presbytery, the Synod, and the General Assembly, from each of which there is a power of appeal to the other ; but the decision of the Judicatories. ^ , . i i • General Assembly is supreme. The lowest court is the Kirk Session, which is composed of the minister of the parish, who is the moderator or president of it, and a number of the most grave and respectable laymen, members of the con- Kirk Session. ^^.^g^^-Q^^^ Their number varies in different parishes, five or six beino- about the average number ; and their services are entirely gratuitous. They are sometliing like churchwardens in England, only they have a spiritual jurisdiction, as it is a part of their duty to visit the sick &c. The Kirk Session takes cognizance of cases of scandal, such as fornication, sabbath breaking, profane swearing. It also manages the funds of the poor, a duty in which it formerly was assisted by deacons, a class of men inferior to elders, as they had no spiritual jurisdiction; but not being found necessary, they are consequently disused. The Presbytery, which is the court next in dignity, is composed of the ministers of a certain district, with an elder from each parish. The number of presbyteries is seventy-eight. Their chief duty consists in 'es y e J. ^^^^ manaoement of such matters as concern the church within o their respective bounds. But they may originate any matter, and bring it under the view of the Synod or General Assembly. They have also the superintendence of education within tlieir bounds, such as the induction of teachers, and the examination of schools. The Synod is the next intermediate court. There are fifteen synods, each consisting of the clergymen of a certain number of presbyteries, with elders, as in presbyteries. Presbyteries meet generally once • "*"^^' a month ; synods twice a year, though some remote synods, such as that of Argyle, only once. The General Assembly is the last and supreme court, and meets yearly in the month of May, in Edinburgh, and continues its sitting for twelve days. The king presides by his representative, who is always a General nobleman, and is denominated the hord High Commissioner. y\ssembly. rr,. ^ -, . i i • . . . ihe General Assembly is a representative court, consisting of 200 members representing presbyteries, and 156 elders representing burghs or presbyteries, and five ministers or elders representing universities, — making altogether 361 members. They choose a moderator or presi-. dent, out of their own number, distinct from the Royal Commissioner, the duty of the latter consisting merely in convening and dissolving the court, and in forming the medium of communication betweeen it and the throne. The moderator is now always a clergyman, though, previously to 1688, laymen sometimes held that office. The duties of the Scotch clergy are numerous and laborious. They officiate regularly in the public icorshipof God ; and in general, they must go through this duty twice every Sunday, (exclusively of Scotch cVrgy ^^ «ther occasional appearances,) delivering every Sunday a lecture and a sermon, with prat/ers. It is also expected, throughout Scotland, that the prayers and discourses shall be of the minister's own composition; and the prayers, in all cases, and the dis- courses, in most instances, are delivered without tlie use of papers. They are expected to perform the alternate duties of examiniMg their people KIRK OF SCOTLAND. 351 Tom the Scriptures and catechisms of the church, and of visiting them Tom house to house, with prayers and exhortations. This is done com- [nonly once in the year, being ommitted only in those cases in which the ministers deem it impracticable, or not acceptable, or at least not neces- sary.—The charge of the poor devolves, in a very particular manner, on the clergy, and in them also is vested the superintendence of all schools within their bounds. Baptism in this church is practised by none but ministers, who do it by sprinkling ; and whether performed in private or in public, it is Baptism. j^ijjjQg^ always preceded by a sermon. The Lord's Supper is not administered so frequently in Scotland as in some other places. Some time before this sacrament is dispensed, it is announced from the pulpit. The week before the Kirk Session ^ ^''* ^ meets, and draws up a list of all the communicants in the parish, 5>iipper. ' , r . , . . , . r ■» according to the mmisters examination-book, and the testimony of the ciders and deacons. According to this list, tickets are delivered to each communicant, if desired, and the ministers and elders also give tickets to strangers who bring sufficient testimonials. None are allowed to com- municate without such tickets, which are produced at the table. Those who never received are instructed by the minister, and by themselves in the nature of the sacraments, and taught what is the proper preparation thereunto. The Wednesday or Thursday before, there is a solemn fast, and on the Saturday there are two preparatory sermons. On Sunday morning, after singing and prayer as usual, the minister of the parish preaches a suitable sermon ; and when the ordinary worship is ended, he in the name of Jesus Christ forbids the unworthy to approach, and invites the penitent to come and receive the sacrament. Then he goes into the the body of the church, where one or two tables, according to its width, are placed, reaching from one end to the other, covered with a white linen cloth, and seats on both sides for the communicants. The minister places himself at the end or middle of the table. After a short discourse, he reads the institution, and blesses the elements ; then he breaks the bread, and distributes it and the wine to those that are next him, who transmit them to their neighbours ; the elders and deacons attending to serve, and see that the whole is performed with decency and order. Whilst these com- municate, the minister discourses on the nature of the sacrament ; and the whole is concluded with singing and prayer. The minister then returns io the pulpit, and preaches a sermon. The morning-service ended, the con- gregation are dismissed for an hour ; after which the usual afternoon worship is performed. On the Monday morning, there is public worship, with two sermons ; and these, properly speaking, close the communion- service. No private communions are allowed in Scotland. Marriage is solemnised nearly after the manner of the Church of England, with the exception of the ring, which is deemed a great relic of " popery." Marriage ^^ *^^^ ^''^^^'^ ^^ Scotland, the marriage-knot may be tied without any ceremony of a religious nature : a simple promise in the pre- sence of w^itnesses, or a known previous cohabitation, being sufficient to bind the obligation. That most ridiculous, often immoral, and almost always injurious practice, of marrying at Gretiia- Green, was, till lately, in use ; a person said to have been a blacksmitli performed the ceremony at Gretna according to the rites of the church ! 352 PROTESTANT COlNtMUNITIES. The I^uneral ceremony is performed in total silence. The corpse is carried to the grave, and there interred without a word being spoken on the occasion. Dr. Evans, in his usual liberal strain, gives the following account of the Seceders : — " Dissenters from the kirk, or church of Scotland, call themselves Seceders ; for, as the term Dissenter comes from the Latin word dissentio, to differ, so the appellation Seceder is derived from another Latin word, secedo, to separate or to withdraw from any body of men with which we may have been united. The secession arose from various circumstances, w^hich were conceived to be great defections from the established church of Scotland. The Seceders are rigid Calvinists, rather austere in their manners, and severe in their discipline. Through a difference as to civil matters, they are broken down into Burghers and Anti-hurghers. Of these two classes the latter are the most confined in their sentiments, and associate therefore the least with any other body of Christians. The Seceders originated under two brothers, Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, of Stirling, about the year 1730. It is worthy of observation, that the Rev. George Whitfield, in one of his visits to Scot- land, was solemnly reprobated by the Seceders, becajuse he refused to con- fine his itinerant labours wholly to them. The reason assigned for this monopolisation was, that they were exclusively God's people ! Mr. AV^hitfield smartly replied, that they had, therefore, the less need of his services ; for his aim was to turn sinners from the error and wickedness of their ways, by preaching among them glad tidings of great joy ! " The Burgess"* oath, concerning which the Seceders differed, is admi- nistered in several of the royal boroughs of Scotland, and runs thus : ' I protest before God and your lordships, that I profess and allow with my heart the true religion presently professed within this realm, and authorised by the laws thereof ; I shall abide thereat, and defend the same to my life's end, renouncing the Roman religion called papistry.' The Messrs. Erskine and others maintained there was no inconsistency in Seceders taking this oath, because the established religion was still the true religion, in spite of the faults attaching to it, and hence were called Burghers. Messrs. Moncrieff and others, thouglit the swearing to the religion, as professed and authorised, was approving the corruptions, therefore the oath w\as inconsistent and not to be taken ; hence Anti-burghers. The kirk of Scotland, both parties say, still perseveres in a course of defection from her professed principles, and therefore the secession continues, and is increasing to the present day. (See an Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Secession, by the late Rev. John Brown, of Haddington.) The Seceders are strict Presbyterians, having their respective associate synods, and are to be found not only in Scotland, but also in Ireland and in the United States of America. Both classes have had amongst them ministers of considerable learning and piety. " There is also a species of Dissenters from the church of Scotland called Reliefs whose only difference from the Kirk is, the choosing of their own pastors. They arose in 1752, and are respectable as to numbers and ability. (See a Compendious View of tlic Religious System maintained by the Synod of Relief, by P. Hutchinson ; and also Historical Sketches PRESBYTERIANS. 353 of the Relief Cliurch, &c. by J. Smith.) The Relief are Calvinists as well as Presbyterians, but liberal in their views, admitting to their com- munion pious Christians of every denomination. They revere the union of faith and charity."* SEC. IV.— ENGLISH AND AMERICAN PRESBYTERIANS. The appellation Preshyterian is in England appropriated to a large denomination of dissenters, who have no attachment to the Scotch mode Di tino- ■■ \ "no- ^^ cliurch government any more than to episcopacy amongst characteristics of i^s, and therefore to this body of Christians the term Pres- the English Pres- hj/terlau, in its original sense, is improperly applied. This byterians. misapplication has occasioned many wrong notions, and should be rectified. English Presbyterians, as they are called, adopt nearly the same mode of church government with the Independents. Their chief difference from the Independents is, that they are less attached to Calvinism, and consequently admit a greater latitude of religious senti- ment. It may be added, that their mode of admitting members into communion differs from that commonly practised among the Presby- terians. Dr. Doddridge, in his " Lectures," has this paragraph on the subject : " Those who hold every pastor to be as a bishop or overseer of his own congregation, so that no other person or body of men have by divine institution a power to exercise any superior or pastoral office in it, may, properly speaking, be called (so far, at least) congregational ; and it is by a vulgar mistake that any such are called Presbyterians ; for the Presby- terian discipline is exercised by synods and assemblies, subordinate to each other, and all of them subject to the authority of what is commonly called a General Assembly" The Presbyterian Church in the United States was originally made up of emigrants from Scotland and the north of Ireland. They settled prin- cipally in Pennsylvania, West Jersey, Delaware, and Mary- Presbyterians ^^^^- III 1704, the first Presbyterian judicatory in the United States was constituted under the name of the " Pres- bytery of Philadelphia." In 1716 the members of this community had so much increased, chiefly, however, by emigration from Europe, that they distributed themselves into four Presbyteries, bearing the names of Phila- delphia, Newcastle, Snow Hill, and Long Island, and erected a synod under the name of the " Synod of Philadelphia." But the body was far from proving harmonious, by reason of the different views entertained on the subject of the discipline of the churches. The controversies in this connexion continued to increase until 1758, when all difficulties were healed, from which time harmony, with some few exceptions, has pre- vailed, and their cause rapidly gains strength. In 1 789, the first General Assembly, which is now the highest judica- tory of the Presbyterian church in the United States, was convened at Philadelphia, which has continued to be the place of its annual A "f[^ meeting to the present time. Great prosperity has attended ' ' the cause of Presbyterianism in the United States. Within a See Dr. Evans's Sketches. A A 354 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. few years, however, differences have, to some extent, prevailed among tlic ministers of this connexion ; but as among so able and pious a body of men, the principles of the gospel are justly expected to exert their legiti- mate influence, it can subserve no benefit to record the grounds of a dis- sension, which it is hoped will be only temporary. The advocates of Presbyterianism reside chiefly in the middle, southern, and western states. The clergy attached to the order, are an able, enlightened, evangelical, and pious body, and their labours have been signally blessed. The number of synods, in 1832, was twenty-one ; that of presbyteries, one hundred and ten : the clergy are estimated at one thousand nine hundred and thirty-five ; the churches under the care of the General Assembly arc two thousand two hundred and eighty-one, comprising more than two hundred and seventeen thousand three hundred and forty-eight members. The doctrines of the Presbyterian church of the United States are Calvinistic, as may be seen in the confession of faith as revised by the P General Assembly at their session in Philadelphia, in 1821 ; though the clergy, when composing instructions either for their respective parishes, or the public at large, are no more fettered by the confession, than are the clergy of the church of England by the thirty- nine articles. In respect to their religious services, it is necessary only to say, that in Great Britain, Ireland, and America, they have laid aside the use of certain forms of prayer, and use extemporary prayer in the ServifeT" '^^^^^'ship of God. They also differ from Episcopalians in this, that while the latter kneel in time of prayer, the former stand ; and in singing the praise of God they all sit, while all Episcopalians stand. SEC. v.— CALVINISTS. Calvinists are those professing Cln-istlans, who adopt, without a strict uniformity however, the doctrine and discipline of tlic scriptures, as ex- plained by Calvin. John Calvin was born at Noyon, in caller France, in the year 1509. In early life, he applied himself to the study of the civil law, and becoming impressed with the importance of religion, and the necessity of a reformation in respect to errors prevalent at that time, especially in the Church of Rome, he devoted himself to divinity, and, at length, became professor of divinity in the year 1536. The general doctrines taught by the Calvinists of the present day, are embraced by such a multiplicity of sects, going under that and other names, that a summary only can be given of them in this chapter. At first, the name of Calvinists was given to those who embraced not merely the doctrine, but the church government and discipline estabhshed at Geneva, where Calvin was minister and professor of divinity, and was intended to distinguish them from the Lutherans. But since the meeting of the synod of Dort, this appellation has been applied chiefly to those who embrace his leading views of the gospel, and is intended to dis- tinguish them from the Arminians. The leading principles of Calvin were the same as those of Augustin. * Evans's Sketches. CALVINISTS. 355 The principal doctrines, by which those called Calvinists are distinguished from the Arminians, are reduced to live articles, which, from their being tlic chief points discussed at the synod of Dort, have since been denominated the five points. These are predestination, particular redemption, total depravity, effectual calling, and the certain perseverance of the saints. 1. The Calvinists maintain, that God hath chosen unto eternal glory a certain number of the fallen race of Adam in Christ, before the founda- tion of the world, according to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love, without the least foresight of faith, good works, or any conditions performed by the creature ; and that he was pleased to pass by, and ordain to dishonour and wrath, the rest of mankind, for their sins, to vindicate his justice. A few passages usually adduced in support of the above doctrine may with propriety be introduced in this place : — According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So, then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Thou wilt say, then, why doth he yet find fault ; for who hath resisted his will ? Nay, but O man ! who art thou that repliest against God ? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour ? Hath God cast away his people whom he foreknew ? Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias ? Even so at this present time, also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of works. "What then ? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained if, and the rest are blinded. Whom he did ^predestinate, them he also called. We give thanks to God alw^ays for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Eph. i. 4. Rom. ix. 15 — 22 ; xi. 1—5 ; viii. 29, 30. 2 Thes. ii. 13. Acts xii. The Calvinists, however, do not consider predestination as affecting the agency or accountableness of the creature, or as being to him any rule of conduct. On the contrary, they suppose him to act as freely, and to be as much the proper subject of calls, warnings, exhortations, promises, and threatenings, as if no decree existed. 2. They maintain, that though the death of Christ be a most perfect sacrifice, and satisfaction for sins, of infinite value, and abundantly sufiicient to expiate the sins of the whole world, and though on this ground the gospel is to be preached to all mankind indiscriminately ; yet it was the will of God that Christ, by the blood of the cross, should efiicaciously redeem all those, and those only, who, from eternity, were ekcted to salvation, and given to him by the Father. The following passages, among others, are alleged in proof of the above doctrine : — Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 1 lay down my life for the sheep. He died not for aa2 356 PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES. that nation only, but that he might gather together in one the children of God that are scattered abroad. lie gave himself for ns, that he might redeem fis from all iniquifg, and jnirify unto himself a pecidiar people, zealous of good works. He loved the church., arid gave himself for it., that he miglit sanctify and cleanse it, and present it to himself, &c. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy ; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God hy thy hlood^ out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. John xvii. 2; x. 11, 15; xi. 52. Tit. ii. 14. Eph. V. 25—27. Rev. v. 9. 3. The Calvinists maintain that mankind are totally depraved, in conse- quence of the fall of the first man, the sin of whom, as their public head, involved the corruption of all his posterity ; and that this corruption extends over the whole soul, and renders it unable to turn to God, or do anything truly good, and exposes it to his righteous displeasure, both in this world and in that which is to come. This is supported as follows : — By one man sin entered into the worlds and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. By one man's disobedience many were made sinners. I was born in sin and shapen in iniquity. God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil continually. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back ; they are altogether become filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and si?is. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, among wdiom, also, tve all had our conversation in times past, in the lust of our fleshy fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind ; and were by nature tlie children of wrath even as others. Rom. v. 12—19. Ps. li. 5. Gen. vi. 5. Ps. liii. 2, 3. Eom. iii. Eph. ii. 1-3. 4. The Calvinists maintain, that all whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased, in his appointed time, effectually to call by his word and spirit out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. They admit that the Holy Spirit, as calling men by the ministry of the gospel, may be resisted, and that where this is the case, the fault is not in the gospel, nor in Christ offered by the gospel, nor in God calling by the gospel, and also conferring various gifts upon them, but in those who are called. Yet, they contend, that when men are converted, it is not to be ascribed to themselves, as though by their own free-will they made them- selves to difi'er, but merely to him who delivers them from the power of darkness, and translates them into the kingdom of his dear Son, and whose regenerating influence is certain and efficacious. The following passages are supposed to support this doctrine : Whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them he also glorified. That ye may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship., created in Christ Jesus unto good works. God, that commanded the liglit CALVINISTS. 357 to sliine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, &c. I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them hearts of flesh. Rom. viii. 29. Eph. i. 19, 20 ; ii. 9, 10. 2 Cor. iv. 6. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 5. Lastly, tlie Calvinists maintain, that those whom God has effectually called and sanctified by his spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of grace. They admit that true believers may fall partially, and would fall totally and finally, unless it were for the mercy and faithfulness of God, who keepeth the feet of his saints; that he who bestowcth the grace of perseverance, bcstoweth it by means of reading and hearing the word, of meditations, exhortations, threatenings, and promises ; but that none of these things imply the possibility of a believer's falling from a state of justification. Among other passages, the following are urged in proof of the preceding sentiments : — I will put my fear in their hearts, (md they shall not depart from me. He that believeth and is baptized, shall he saved. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into