but, Whether they fell gradually || several sorts of real oracles. They had, first, oracles that were delivered viva voce; as when God spake to Moses face to face, and as one friend speaks to another, Numb. xii, 8. Secondly, Prophetical dreams sent by God; as the dreams which God sent to Jo

into disesteem, and ceased as Christ and his Gospel became known to mankind? And that they did so is most certain from the concurrent testimonies of the fathers, which, whoever would endeavour to invalidate, may equally give up the most respectable tra-seph, and which foretold his fuditions and relations of every kind. ture greatness, Gen. xxvii, 5, 6, 2dly, But did not Julian the Thirdly, Visions; as when a proapostate consult these oracles? phet in an ecstacy, being neither We answer in the negative: he properly asleep nor awake, had suhad, indeed, recourse to magical pernatural revelations, Gen. xv, 1. operations, but it was because ora- Gen. xlvi, 2. Fourthly, The oracles had already ceased; for he cle of Urim and Thummim, which bewailed the loss of them, and was accompanied with the ephod assigned pitiful reasons for it; or the pectoral, worn by the high which St. Cyril has vigorously re- | priest, and which God had endufuted, adding, that he never could ed with the gift of foretelling have offered such, but from an un- things to come, Numb. xii, 6. willingness to acknowledge that Joel ii, 28. This manner of enwhen the world had received the quiring of the Lord was often light of Christ, the dominion of the made use of, from Joshua's time devil was at an end. to the erection of the temple at Jerusalem. Fifthly, After the building of the temple, they ge nerally consulted the prophets, who were frequent in the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. From Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who are the last of the prophets that have any of their writings remaining, the Jews pretend that God gave them what they call Bathkol, the Daughter of the Voice, which was a supernatural manifestation of the will of God, which was performed either by a strong inspiration or internal voice, or else by a sensible and external voice, which was heard by a number of persons sufficient to bear testimony of it. For ex ample, such was the voice that was heard at the baptism of Jesus

3dly, The Christian emperors do, indeed, seem to condemn the superstition and idolatry of those who were still for consulting oracles; but the edicts of those princes do not prove that oracles actually existed in their times any more than that they ceased in consequence of their laws. It is certain that they were for the most part extinct before the conversion of Constantine.

4thly, Some Epicureans might make a jest of this superstition; however, the Epicurean philosopher Celsus, in the second century of the church, was for crying up the excellency of several oracles, as appears at large from Origen's seventh book against him.

Among the Jews there were

Son, &c., Matt. iii, 17.

Christ, saying, This is my beloved || ties, vol. i, b. 2, ch. 7; Edwards's Hist. of Red., p. 408; Farmer on Mir., p. 281, 285; Enc. Brit., article ORACLE.

ORAL, delivered by the mouth, not written. See TRADITION. ORATORY, a name given by Christians to certain places of re

The scripture affords us examples likewise of profane oracles. Balaam, at the instigation of his own spirit, and urged on by his avarice, fearing to lose the recompense that he was promised by Balak, king of the Moabites, sug-ligious worship. gests a diabolical expedient to this prince of making the Israelites fall into idolatry and fornication (Numb. xxiv, 14. Numb. xxxi, 16), by which he assures him of a certain victory, or at least of considerable advantage against the people of God.

In ecclesiastical antiquity, the term oixo suxTpio, houses of prayer, or oratories, is frequently given to churches in general, of which there are innumerable instances in ancient Christian writers. But in some canons the name oratory seems confined to private chapels, or places of worship set up for the convenience of private families, yet still depending on the parochial churches, and differing from them in this, that they were only places of prayer, but not for celebrating the communion; for if that were at any time allowed to private families, yet, at least, upon the great and solemn festivals, they were to resort for communion to the parish churches.

Oratory is used among the Romanists for a closet or little apart

Micaiah, the son of Imlah, a prophet of the Lord, says (1st Kings xxii, 21, &c.), that he saw the Almighty sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven round about him; and the Lord said, Who shall tempt Ahab, king|| of Israel, that he may go to war with Ramoth-Gilead, and fall in the battle? One answered after one manner, and another in another. At the same time an evil spirit presented himself before the Lord, and said, I will seduce him. And the Lord asked him, How?ment near a bed-chamber, furnishTo which Satan answered, I will ed with a little altar, crucifix, &c., go and be a lying spirit in the for private devotion. mouth of his prophets. And the Lord said, Go, and thou shalt prevail. This dialogue clearly proves these two things: first, that the devil could do nothing by his own power; and, secondly, that The Priests of the Oratory in with the permission of God, he Italy had for their founder St. could inspire the false prophets, Philip de Neri, a native of Flosorcerers, and magicians, and rence, who, in the year 1548 founmake them deliver false oracles.ded at Rome the Confraternity of See Vandale and Fontenell's Hist. the Holy Trinity. This society de Orac.; Potter's Greek Antiqui- originally consisted of but fifteen

Oratory, Priests of the. There were two congregations of religious, one in Italy, the other in France, which were called by this name.

ORDER, method; the estab lished manner of performing a thing. Nothing can be more beau

poor persons, who assembled in it were, incorporated; the other the church of St. Saviour, in cam- only associates: the former gopo, every first Sunday in the verned the houses of this instimonth, to practise the exercises tute; the latter were only employof piety described by the holyed in forming themselves to the founder. Afterwards, their num-life and manners of ecclesiastics. ber increasing by the addition of And this was the true spirit of several persons of distinction to this congregation, in which they the society, St. Philip proceeded taught neither human learning nor to establish an hospital for the re-theology, but only the virtues of ception of poor pilgrims, who, the ecclesiastical life. coming to Rome to visit the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, were obliged, for want of a lodging, to lie in the streets and at the doors|tiful in religion and morals than of churches. For this charitable order. The neglect of it exposes purpose, pope Paul IV gave to the us to the inroads of vice, and ofthe society the parochial church ten brings upon us the most perof St. Benedict, close by which plexing events. Whether we conwas built an hospital, so large, || sider it in reference to ourselves, that in the Jubilee year 1600 it re- our families, or the church, it is of ceived 444,500 men, and 25,500 the greatest importance. As to the women who came in pilgrimage first, order should be attended to to Rome. as it respects our principles, Heb. The Priests of the Oratory in xiii, 9. James i, 8; our tempers, France were established upon the Prov. xvii, 14. Eph. iv, 31; our model of those in Italy, and owe conversation, Col. iv, 6; our bu their rise to cardinal Berulle, asiness, Prov. xxii, 29; our time, native of Champagne, who re- Ps. xc, 12. Eccl. iii, 1; our recresolved upon this foundation inations; and our general conduct, order to revive the splendor of Phil. i, 27. 2d Pet. i, 5, &c.-2. the ecclesiastical state, which was As it regards our families, there greatly sunk through the miseries should be order; as to the econoof the civil wars, the increase of my or management of its concerns, heresies, and a general corruption Matt. xii, 25; as to devotion, and of manners. To this end he as- the time of it, Jos. xxiv, 15; as to sembled a community of ecclesi- the instruction thereof, Eph. vi, 1. astics, in 1611, in the suburb of Gen. xviii, 19. 2d Tim. i, 5.-3. St. James. They obtained the In respect to the church, order king's letters patent for their es- should be observed as to the adtablishment; and, in 1613, pope mission of members, 2d Cor. vi, Paul V approved this congrega-15; as to the administration of its tion, under the title of the Orato- ordinances, 1st Cor. xiv, 33, 40; ry of Jesus. as to the attendance on its worship, Ps. xxvii, 4; as to our be haviour therein, Col. i, 10. Ma

This congregation consisted of two sorts of persons; the one, as

16. To excite us to the prac-able. It rectifies those irregularitice of this duty, we should consi-ties of temper and manners to der that God is a God of order, which we give the name of ca1st Cor. xiv, 33; his works are price, and which are distinguishall in the exactest order, Eph. i,ing characteristics of a disorderly 11. Psalm civ, 25. Eccl. iii, 11; mind. It is the parent of steadiheaven is a place of order, Rev. ness of conduct. It forms consisvii, 9. Jesus Christ was a most tency of character. It is the ground beautiful example of regularity.of all the confidence we repose in

one another; for the disorderly we know not where to find. In him only can we place any trust who is uniform and regular; who lives by principle, not by humour; who acts upon a plan, and not by desultory motions.

The advantages of order are numerous. "The observance of it," says Dr. Blair (Ser., vol. ii, p. 23,) "serves to correct that negligence which makes us omit some duties, and that hurry and precipitancy which makes us perform others imperfectly. Our attention is thereby "Order, too, it must be rememdirected to its proper objects. Webered, is the source of peace, and follow the straight path which Providence has pointed out to us; in the course of which all the different business of life presents itself regularly to us on every side. "By attending to order we avoid idleness, that most fruitful source of crimes and evils. Acting upon a plan, meeting every thing in its own place, we constantly find innocent and useful employment for time. We are never at a loss how to dispose of our hours, or to fill up life agree-course of nature. By mismanageably.

peace is the highest of all temporal blessings. Order, is indeed, the only region in which tranquillity dwells. Such as live according to order may be compared to the celestial bodies which move in regular courses and by stated laws; whose influence is beneficent; whose operations are quiet and tranquil. But the disorderly resemble those tumultuous elements on earth, which, by sudden and violent irruptions, disturb the

ment of affairs, by excess in expence, by irregularity in the indulgence of company and amusement, they are perpetually creating molestation both to themselves and others.

"Farther; by the preservation of order we check inconstancy and levity. Fickle by nature is the human heart. It is fond of change, and perpetually tends to start aside from the straight line of con- "In fine, the man of order is duct. Hence arises the propriety connected with all the higher of bringing ourselves under sub-powers and principles in the unijection to method and rule; which verse. He is the follower of God; though, at first, it may prove con- he walks with him, and acts upstraining, yet by degrees, and from on his plan. His character is formthe experience of its happy ef-ed on the spirit which religion fects, becomes natural and agree-breathes; for religion in general,

and the religion of Christ in par- || are the knights of Malta, or of St. John of Jerusalem. Such also were the knights templars, the knights of Calatrave, of St. Lazarus, Teutonic knights, &c.

ticular, may be called the great discipline of order. To walk sinfully, and to walk disorderly, are synonymous terms in scripture. From such as walk disorderly, we are commanded, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to with-vine authority relating to the wordraw ourselves."

ORDINANCES OF THE GOSPEL, are institutions of Di

ship of God; such as baptism, ORDERS, by way of eminency, Matt. xxviii, 19.-2. The Lord's or holy orders, denote a character supper, 1st Cor. xi, 24, &c.—3. peculiar to ecclesiastics, whereby Public ministry, or preaching and they are set apart for the minis- reading the word, Rom. x, 15. try. This the Romanists make Eph. iv, 13. Mark, xvi, 15.-4. their sixth sacrament. In no re- Hearing the Gospel, Mark iv, 24. formed church are there more Rom. x, 17.-5. Public prayer, than three orders, viz. bishops, 1st Cor. xiv, 15, 19. Matt. vi, 6. priests, and deacons. In the Ro- Psal. v, 1, 7.-6. Singing of mish church there are seven, ex-psalms, Col. iii, 16. Eph. v, 19. clusive of the episcopate; all-7. Fasting, James iv, 9. Matt. which the council of Trent en- ix, 15. Joel ii, 12.-8. Solemn joins to be received and believed thanksgiving, Psal. 1, 14. 1st on pain of anathema. They are Thess. v, 18.-See these different distinguished into petty or secular articles; also MEANS OF GRACE. orders, and major or sacred or- ORDINATION, the act of ders. Orders, the petty or minor, conferring holy orders, or of iniare four, viz. those of doorkeep-tiating a person into the priest ers, exorcist, reader, and acolyth.hood by prayer and the laying on of Sacred, or major, are deacon, priest, and bishop.

hands. Among the Dissenters, ordination is the public setting apart ORDERS RELIGIOUS, are of a minister to his work, or over congregations or societies of mon- the people whose call he has acasteries living under the same su- cepted. In the church of Engperior in the same manner, and land, ordination has always been wearing the same habit. Religi- esteemed the principal prerogative ous orders may be reduced to five of bishops, and they still retain kinds, viz. monks, canons, knights, the function as a mark of their mendicants, and regular clerks. spiritual sovereignty in their dioWhite order denotes the order of cese. Without ordination no perregular canons of St. Augustine. son can receive any benefice, parBlack order denoted the order of sonage, vicarage, &c. A person St. Benedictine. Orders religious must be twenty-three years of military are those instituted in de-age, or near it, before he can be fence of the faith, and privileged ordained deacon, or have any to say mass, and who are prohi-share in the ministry; and full bited marriage, &c. Of this kind twenty-four before he can be or