SECT. 2.-First, the 'Egwuevo, or Catechumens instructed privately without the Church.

That there was such an order or degree of catechumens as this, is evidently deduced from one of the canons of the council of Neocæsarea, which speaks of several sorts of catechumens, and this among the rest in these words; "If any catechumen, who enters the Church, and stands amongst any order of catechumens there, be found guilty of sin; if he be a kneeler, let him become a hearer, provided he sin no more: but if he sin while he is a hearer, let him be cast out of the Church." Here it seems pretty evident, that there was an order of catechumens not allowed to enter the Church, to which such of the superior orders as had offended were to be degraded by way of punishment, which the canon calls expulsion from the Church. Which does not mean utterly casting them off as heathens again, but only reducing them to that state in which they were before, when they first received imposition of hands to make them catechu→ mens; which was a state of private instruction, before they were allowed to enter the Church. Maldonate calls these, the order of penitents among the catechumens; and Balzamon and Zonaras, on this canon, style them mourners; which expresses something of this order but not the whole: for there were catechumens privately instructed out of the Church, who were not properly mourners or penitents, as persons cast out of the Church by any censure, but they were such as never had yet been in the Church, but were kept at a distance for some time from that privilege, to make them the more eager and desirous of it. And till we can find a better name for these I call them from this canon, the 'Ew0guevo, which is a general name, that will comprehend both this lowest order of catechumens privately instructed out of the Church, and also such delinquents of the superior orders as were reduced back again to it by way of punishment for their faults.

1 Con. Neocas. c. 5. Κατηχέμενος, ἐὰν εἰσερχόμενος εἰς κυριακὸν ἐν τῆ τῶν κατηχεμένων τάξει τήκη, ὗτος δὲ ἁμαρτάνων, ἐὰν μὲν γόνυ κλίνων, ἀκροάσθω, μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνων, ἐὰν δὲ ἀκροώμενος ἔτι ἁμαρτάνῃ, ἐξωθείσθω.

SECT. 3.-Secondly, the: Akpowμevoi, Audientes, or Hearers. The next degree above these, were the hearers, which the Greeks call 'Aкpowμεvoι, and the Latins Audientes. Who were so called from their being admitted to hear sermons and the Scriptures read in the Church, but they were not allowed to stay any of the prayers, no, not so much as those that were made over the rest of the catechumens, or energumens, or penitents; but before those began, immediately after sermon, at the word of command then solemnly used, "Ne quis Audientium, let none of the hearers be present!" they were to depart the Church. As appears from the author of the Apostolical Constitutions' who orders the deacon to dismiss the hearers and unbelievers with that solemn form of words, before the liturgy or prayers of the Church began. Upon which account the council of Nice calls them “ȧkpowμéves μóvov, hearers only," to distinguish them from such catechumens as might not only hear sermons, but also attend some particular prayers of the Church, that were especially offered up for them, whilst they were kneeling upon their knees, and waiting for imposition of hands, and the minister's benediction.

SECT. 4.-Thirdly, the Fovuкλívovres, or Genuflectentes, the Kneelers.; Hence arose a third sort of catechumens, which the Greeks call FovUKλívovres, and the Latins, Genuflectentes and Prostrati, that is, kneelers or prostrators. These sometimes have the name of catechumens more espicially appropriated to them, as in the forementioned canon of the council of Nice, which runs in these terms, "It is decreed by the great and holy synod concerning the catechumens that have lapsed, that they for three years shall be hearers only, and after that, pray with the catechumens again." Hence that part of the liturgy which respected them, was particularly called Κατηχεμένων Εὐχὴ, the prayer of the catechumens, which came immediately after the bishop's sermon, together with the prayers of the energumens and penitents, as we learn from the council of Laodicea, which

1 Constit. Apost. lib. viii. c. 5. Laod. c. 19.

2 Con. Nicen, can. 14.

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orders the method of them. And the forms of these prayers are recited both in the Apostolical Constitutions' and St. Chrysostom, which I do not here insert, because they will have a more proper place in the liturgy of the Church. Together with these prayers they always received imposition of hands, kneeling upon their knees: whence the council of Neocæsarea and others, distinguish them by the name of Tovuкλívovres, the kneelers; the prayer is called Oratio Impositionis Manús, the prayer of imposition of hands, which was frequently repeated both in the public and private exercises of the catechumens.

SECT. 5.-Fourthly, the Competentes and Electi, the immediate Candidates of Baptism.

Above these was a fourth order, which the Greeks call Βαπτιζόμενοι and Φωτιζόμενοι ; and the Latins, Competentes and Electi: all which words are used among the Ancients to denote the immediate candidates of baptism, or such as gave in their names to the bishop, signifying their desire to be baptized the next approaching festival. Their petitioning for this favour, gave them the name of Competentes; and from the bishop's examination and approbation, or choice of them, they were styled Electi. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his Catechetic Discourses, always terms them Φωτιζόμενοι, which though it frequently signifes persons already baptized, or illuminated by the sacrament of baptism, yet in his style, it denotes persons yet to be baptized, or such as had only the illumination of catechetical instruction antecedent to baptism: and so the name, Banrilóμevoi, in the author of the Apostolical Constitutions, is taken, not for persons actually baptized, but for those catechumens who were desirous to be baptized; whence, in the same author, the prayer that is said over these catechumens in the Church, is called Βαπτιζομενων and Φωτιζομενων Εὐχὴ, the prayer or those that went about to be illuminated and baptized: which also shows, that the Substrati and Com

1 Con. Laod. lib. viii. c.6. Con. Neocæs. c. 5.

Apost. lib. viii. c. 8.

2 Chrysost. Hom. ii. in 2 Cor. 5 Constit.

Cyril. Catech. 1, 2, &c.

petentes were different orders or degrees of the catechumens, contrary to what Mr. Basnage and some others have asserted, since different prayers, at different times in the Church, were offered up for them.

SECT. 6.-How this last Order were particularly disciplined and prepared for Baptism.

These Competentes, as I said, were so called from their petitioning for the sacrament of baptism, as we learn from St. Austin, who often gives this reason for it,' telling us, "that upon the approach of the Easter festival, it was usual for the catechumens to give in their names in order to be baptized, whence they were called Competentes, petitioners or candidates for baptism." When their names were given in, and their petition accepted, then both they and their sponsors were registered in the books of the Church; as is noted by the author, under the name of Dionysius, the Areopagite, who brings in the bishop commanding the priests to register both the catechumen and his sponsor, or susceptor, together: and in the council of Constantinople, under Mennas, there is mention made of an officer in the Church, particularly appointed to this business, one whose appropriated office it was to register the names of those, who offered and presented themselves to baptism. These registers were called their diptychs; but as they had several sorts of diptychs, some for the dead and some for the living, these were particularly called Δίπτυχα Ζώντων, the diptychs, or books of the living, as is observed by Pachymeres, in his comment upon the foresaid place of Dionysius.

SECT. 7.-Partly by frequent Examinations, in which such as approved themselves had the Name of Electi. •

When their names were thus registered, then followed a

Aug. de Fide et Oper. c. 6. Cùm fontis illius sacramenta peteremus, atque ab hoc competentes etiam vocaremur, &c. Id. de Curâ pro Mortuis, c. 12. Paschâ appropinquante, dedit nomen inter alios competentes. 2 Dionys. Hierarch. Eccles. c. 2. n. 4. p.216. κελευει τοῖς ἱερευσι τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ἀνάδοχον.

Menna. Act. v. tom. v. p.224. Ὁ τῆς προσηγορίας τῶν εἰς τὸ βάπτισμα προσιόντων ἐγγράφην τεταγμένος. * Pachymer. in Dionys. p. 234.

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scrutiny or examination of their proficiency under the preceding stages of the catechetical exercises; and this was often repeated before baptism, according to the direction given in this case by the fourth council of Carthage.1 They that were approved upon such examination, were sometimes called Electi, the chosen, as we find in the decrees of Pope Leo Magnus, who speaks of them under this appellation, because they were now accepted and chosen as persons qualified for baptism at the next approaching festivals of Easter or Whitsuntide, which were the usual times of baptizing. Cardinal Bona makes these Electi a distinct order from the Competentes: but there seems to be no ground for such a distinction, because their exercises were all the same henceforward till they arrived at baptism.

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SECT. 8.-Partly by Exorcism, accompanied with Imposition of Hands, and the Sign of the Cross, and Insufflation.

For as they were all examined, so they were all exorcized alike for twenty days before baptism. This custom is often mentioned by the ancient writers, both of the Greek and Latin Church. St. Austin more than once speaks of it as the common practice of the African Church; joining examination, catechizing, and exorcism together, and telling us that the fire of exorcism, as his phrase is, always preceded baptism. We learn the same from Cyprian and the council of Carthage, held under him about the validity of heretical baptism; for there it is often said, that heretics and schismatics were first to be exorcized with imposition of hands, and then baptized, before they could be admitted as true members of the Catholic Church. And we learn from thence

Con. Carth. iv. can. 84. Crebrâ examinatione baptismum percipiant. Leo Ep. 4. ad Episc. Siculos, c. 5. In baptizandis in ecclesiâ efectis, hæc duo tempora, de quibus locuti sumus esse legitima, &c. 8 Aug. in Psal. 65. Post ignem exorcismi venitur ad baptismum. Id. de Fide et Oper. e. 6. Suis nominibus datis, abstinentiâ, jejuniis, exorcismisque purgantur. Ipsis diebus quibus catechizantur, exorcizantur, scrutantur. 4 Con. Carth. ap. Cyprian. p. 232. Censeo omnes hæreticos et schismaticos, qui ad catholicam ecclesiam voluerint venire, non ante ingredi, nisi exorcizati et baptizati prius fuerint. Ibid. p. 237. Primo per manûs impositionem in exorcismo, secundo per baptismi regenerationem, tune possunt ad Christi pollicitationem venire.