The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Treatise · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. That in the Antient Church every one prayed in his own Tongue.
WEE have already alledged in the firſt Chapter, many Antients that deride the Superſtition of thoſe, who think that prayers in a Barbarous tongue have more virtue.
Origen in the 1 Book againſt Celſus (a)foreign.The Grecians in their prayers uſe Greek words, and the Romans Roman words, and ſo every one prayeth to God according to his own Language, and praiſeth him as he can. Obſerve, that he ſaith, not only his own opinion, but repreſents the cuſtom of the Chriſtian Church.
Chryſoſtome Hom. 35. upon the firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians (b)foreign.If one speak only in the Perſian Language, or ſome other ſtrange Language, not knowing what he ſaith, he ſhall be barbarous unto himſelf, and not to another only.
Hierom in the 18 Epiſtle to Marcella (c)In tota Chriſti villa tota ruſticitas eſt, extra Pſalmos ſilentium eſt. Quocunque te verteris, arator ſtivam tenens alleluja decantat. Sudans meſſor Pſalmis ſe avocat; et curvi attendens vites falce vinitor aliquid Davidicum canit.In the whole village of Chriſt there is none but country people. But for Pſalms there is a ſilence among them. Which way ſoever thou turn thy ſelf, the Labourer holding the plow ſings Praiſe ye the Lord; and the Reaper ſweating caſeth his labour with Pſalms; and the Husbandman with his crooked pruning hook pruning his Vine, ſings ſomething of David.
That neither is done nor can be done among the common people of the Roman Church. As for ſinging Latin Pſalms at their Plough or in their Shop, how can they ſince they underſtand them not? And to ſing them in French or another common Language, is in their Church a mark of Hereſie.
The ſame Father in the Epitaph of Paula ſaith, that in the Funeral of Paula, Hebraeo, Graeco, Latino, Syroque ſermone Pſalmi in ordine perſonabant; One might hear Pſalms ſung in order in Hebrew, in Greek, in Latin and in Syriack; each ſinging according to the tongue of his Countrey.
And that I may not tire the Reader about ſuch an evident thing, Thomas himſelf the Angelick Doctor, whom the Pope hath Sainted, in his Comment upon 1. Cor. 14. in the fourth Leſſon hath theſe words,(d)Conſtat quod plus lucratur qui orat et intelligit quam qui tantum lingua orat, ſcilicet qui non intelligit quae dicit. Nam ille qui intelligit reſicitur, et quantum ad intellectum, et quantum ad affectum; ſed mens ejus qui non intelligit, eſt ſine fructu refectionis. It is certain, that he that prayeth and underſtands what he ſaith, profits more then he that prayeth only with his tongue, that is, he that underſtands not what he ſaith. For he that underſtands is fed both in his mind and affection; but the mind of him that underſtands not, is without fruit of refection. In the ſame Leſſon he acknowledgeth that the antient Church prayed in the vulgar Tongue, but that it was altered ſince.
It would be a recreative conceit to imagine the Virgin Mary or her Coſen Elizabeth, ſaying their houres in a Barbarous and unknown Language, turning their beads or Roſary, according to the cuſtom of the Roman Church, where the people ſay their hours, turning the grains of conſecrated beads. Good wives will rub theſe beads againſt the feet of an Image. Cheſt-fulls of bleſſed grains, conſecrated by the Pope are brought from Rome, and they are ſold dearer, as having more vertue. Cardinal du Perron returning from Rome, brought a cloak-bag full of ſuch ſuperlative bleſſed grains, that one of them being put among beads got a hundred years of pardon every time it was kiſſed. But that priviledge was for the French only. It is ordinary to ſee women ſay their Pater Noſter in Latin going to market. The Spaniards ſpeaking of buſineſſes, turn the grains of their beads gently, ſaying upon every grain a Latine Prayer, which is fifty times repeated, mingling Pater's with Ave's, and ſaying five Ave's for one Pater. For in our daies the vertue of the Prayer conſiſteth in an iterated number of the ſame words not underſtood; And the ſimple people ſaying the Ave, think that they pray to the Virgin Mary, whereas they pray for her. All this practice is defended with ſaying It is the Church, and It is an Apoſtolical Tradition. For this word Church is become a cloak to cover a multitude of errors.