by way of eminency, or holy Orders, denote a character peculiar to ecclesiastics, whereby they are set apart for the ministry. See Ordination.

This the Romanists make their fifth sacrament.

In no reformed church are there more than three orders; viz., bishops, priests, and deacons. In the Roman church there are seven, exclusive of the episcopate: all which the council of Trent enjoins to be received, and believed, on pain of anathema.

They are distinguished into petty, or secular orders; and major, or sacred orders.

Orders, the petty, or minor, are four; viz., those of doorkeeper, exorcist, reader, and acolyth.

Those in petty orders may marry without any dispensation; in effect, the petty orders are looked on as little other than formalities, and as degrees necessary to arrive at the higher orders. Yet the council of Trent is very serious about them: enjoins that none be admitted into them without understanding Latin; and recommends it to the bishops, to observe the intervals of conferring them, that the persons may have a sufficient time to exercise the function of each order: but it leaves the bishops a power of dispensing with those rules; so that the four orders are usually conferred the same day, and only make the first part of the ceremony of ordination.

The Greeks disavow these petty orders, and pass immediately to the subdiaconate; and the reformed to the diaconate.

Their first rise Fleury dates in the time of the emperor Justinian. There is no call nor benefice required for the four petty orders; and even a bastard may enjoy them without any dispensation; nor does a second marriage disqualify.

Orders, sacred, or major, we have already observed, are three; viz., those of deacon, priest, and bishop.

The council of Trent retrieving the ancient discipline, forbids any person being admitted to the major order, unless he be in peaceable possession of a benefice sufficient for a decent subsistence; allowing no ordinations on patronages or pensions; except where the bishop judges it for the service of the church.

A person is said to be promoted to orders per salutum, when he has not before passed the inferior orders. The council of Constantinople forbids any bishop being ordained without passing all the degrees; yet church-history furnishes us with instances of bishops consecrated, without having passed the order of priesthood; and Panormus still thinks such an ordination valid.

Military Orders, are companies of knights, instituted by kings and princes, either for defence of the faith, or to confer marks of honour, and make distinctions among their subjects.

Religious Orders, are congregations or societies of monastics, living under the same superior, in the same manner, and wearing the same habit.—Religious orders may be reduced to five kinds; viz., monks, canons, knights, mendicants, and regular clerks. See Monk, Canon, &c.

Father Mabillon proves, that till the ninth century, almost all the monasteries in Europe followed the rule of St Benedict; and that the distinction of orders did not commence till upon the reunion of several monasteries into one congregation: that St Odo, abbot of Cluny, first began this reunion, bringing several houses under the dependence of Cluny: that, a little afterwards, in the 11th century, the Cistercians arose; then, by degrees, the congregation of Vallombrosa; the Cistercians, Carthusians, Augustines; and at last, in the 13th century, the Mendicants. He adds, that Lupus Servatus, abbot of Ferrieres, in the ninth century, is the first that seems to differ from the order of St Benedict from the rest, and to speak of it as a particular order.

White Order denotes the order of regular canons of St Augustine. See Augustines.

Black Order denoted the order of Benedictins.

These names were first given these two orders from the colour of their habit; but are called since the institution of several other orders, who wear the same colours.

Grey Order was the ancient name of the Cistercians; but since the change of the habit, the name suits them no more.

Orders, religious military, are those instituted in defence of the faith, and privileged to say mass; and who are prohibited marriage, &c.

Of this kind are the knights of Malta, or of St John of Jerusalem. Such also were the knights Templars, the knights of Calatrava, knights of St Lazarus, Teutonic knights, &c. See Malta, Templar, &c.

Father Putignani accounts those military orders where marriage is not allowed, real religious orders. Papebroch says, it is in vain to search for military orders before the 12th century.

Orders, in a military sense, all that is lawfully commanded by superior officers. Orders are given out every day, whether in camp, garrison, or on a march, by the commanding officer; which orders are afterwards given to every officer in writing by their respective sergeants.