The Lords Day, Book 2 · Chapter 14 – Chapter 15
CHAP. XIV.
Who was to be preſent at all the offices of the Liturgy, and who not. The Catechumeni, Audientes, Competentes, Poenitentes, and their ſundry degrees: namely, ſome Lugentes, others Audientes, others Subſtrati, others Conſiſtentes, others Euchariſtiae participantes. At what offices theſe were to be preſent, and what not.
HAving recited the offices which were performed in the Churches publick aſſemblies, it will be a thing worth the labour, to advertiſe the Reader, that all the members of the Church were not all at once to be preſent alwayes at all theſe offices: which we will now ſhew from a more narrow obſervation of the perſons, of which the Church conſiſted; the obſervation of which thing, becauſe it is not obvious to all mens eyes, we think it not altogether good to paſs by in ſilence.
The whole Chriſtian people in the Church were anciently diſtinguiſhed into thr… degrees. For there were the foreign, the Catechumens, Faithful, and Penitents; and to men as they were conſtituted in all thoſe degrees, there were certain offices of the Liturgy appropriated, to which they being admitted, were excluded from the reſt: while, in the mean time, the faithful were preſent at all the reſt.
The Catechumeni were they who firſt deſired to become Chriſtians; whom Origen Contra Celſum, l. 3.calls, them that lately were admitted, but had not obtained the Symbol of luſtration. They are called Catechumeni, becauſe, while they were in this Claſs, they were by the voice inſtructed of others in the principles of the Chriſtian Faith. foreign. i. no believing without catechiſing, ſaith Clemens Alexand. Even thoſe thatp. 576. were to be brought to the Faith, were firſt to be inſtructed in the Doctrine of the Catechiſm: foreign i. †Clem. Al. paed. t. 1.Catechizing leads to the faith. Now the points wherein the Catechumeni were inſtructed, are extant in Conſt. Ap. lib. 7▪ c. 40. They were inſtructed, namely, in the tremendous myſtery of the Holy Trinity, in the ſtupendous work of Creation, and Gods provid…e, and eſpecially that about mankind, and … the general judgment to come, &c. all which are compendiouſly recited by Auguſtine, lib. de Fide & Operibus, cap. 6. where he exhorteth the Catechumeni, to hear how they ought to become, and live as the Faithful. Afterwards, that they hear what Faith is, and what the life of a Christian ought to be. Thoſe that were to be baptized therefore, were to be inſtructed in theſe before they deſired Baptiſme.
They that taught the perſons of this orderIn Catal. Eccl. Scr. in Clem. in the principles of the Chriſtian Faith, were called by St. Hierom, the Maſters of Catechiſing, among whom were numbred Origen, Euſeb. Hiſt. l 6. c. 8. Hierom, in Catal. Eccleſ. ſcript. in Origine. Alſo Pantaenus, Euſ. l. 5. c. 10. Hierom confeſſes, that he hadApol. ad Damien▪ Greg. Nazianz. and Didymus for his Catechiſts in the Holy Scripture.
Now if any deſire to know to what offices of the publick Liturgy the Catechumeni were admitted, this cannot be obſerved with a diſtinction of them, of which mention is made amongſt the ancients in divers places. Of the Catechumeni, ſome were called Audientes, and ſome Competentes. Thoſe had their name from hearing the Word; becauſe they were newly admitted only, as tiroes, or candidates of the Chriſtian Faith: and therefore they were reckoned inter auditorum Lib. d… Poenit. c. 6.tyrocinia, as Tertnllian ſpeaks, while being not admitted into the auditory, they ſtood foreign, i. without the compaſs of the Temple, as Dionyſ. Areop. de Hierarch. libro, c. 3. that is, as Zonaras interprets it, foreign i. without the Temple, in the Porch; where the Conſiſtentes, according to the cuſtome of the Church, onelyonly heard the tune of the Pſalms, and reading of Scripture in the Church (for Conc. …4: Carthag: Can. 84.none, whether he were Gentile, or Jew, or Heretick, was excluded from hearing of the Word) or the Biſhops Sermon to the people, for inſtructing them. (Zonar. in Can. 19. Laodic.) Neither were they admitted to the holy things, which afterwards followed in the Church-aſſembly. So Dyonyſ. Areop. Eccleſ. Hierarch. lib. p. 94. & 96. Behold, ſaith Auguſtine, after Sermon, miſſa fit Catechumenis Serm. de Temp. 137.(i. e. the Catechumeni were diſmiſſed) and the Faithful remained.
The Audientes then were to come at no holy office, but the reading of the Scriptures: which being ended, before the Church went to prayer, or adminiſtring the Euchariſt, they were diſmiſſed. And becauſe they had liberty granted to be preſent at reading the Scripture in the publick aſſembly of the Church, therefore the Readers were called their Doctors [or Teachers.] So Optatus, in Cyprian, is called Doctor Audientium; becauſe,Ep. 24. that after he was an ordained Reader, he was to read the Scripture in the Churchaſſemblies.
The Catechumeni, who were Competentes, being well inſtructed in the Chriſtian ſaith, ſued for Baptiſme, *Aug. Retr. lib. 1. c. 17.and were ſometimes diſtinguiſhed from the Catechumeni, in Ambroſe, lib. 5. ep. 33. Having diſmiſſed, ſaith he, the Catechumeni, (that is, thoſe whom they call Audientes) to ſome I gave the Symbole in the Fonts. Becauſe, as I ſaid, they being well inſtructed in the Chriſtian faith, as firm therein, they ſued for Baptiſm. Aug. Serm. de tempore 116.
When the Audientes were admitted, a Prayer was rehearſed by a Deacon, to the Catechumi Competentes, who were fallen on their knees, Conc. Neocaeſ. Can. 5. and then when that (foreign, i. let the Catechumeni go out) was pronounced, they went forth, the Faithful preparing themſelves to the Holy Euchariſt, as Zonar. in Can. Conc. Neocaeſar.
The words of an excellent Oration, utteredAn Oration over the Catechumeni. to the Competentes, together with a perſpicuous explication of them, by St. Chryſoſtom, are extant in Chryſoſtom, Hom. 2. in 2 ad Cor. where the Deacon admoniſheth all to pray for the Catechumeni, while he ſaith, Let us ſtand honeſtly, let us pray earneſtly, that the moſt merciful and compaſſionate God would hear their Prayers, would open the eares of their hearts: that they may hear what the eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man, and that he would inſtill into them the word of truth; that he would ſow his fear in them, and confirm his faith in their minds; that he would reveal to them the Goſpel of righteouſneſs, that he would give them a divine mind, chaſte thoughts, a life joyned with truth: continually to think of his things, to reliſh his things, to meditate of his things, to delight themſelves in his Law day and night. Let us moreover pray for them more intenſly, that he would deliver them from all evil, and diſhoneſt matter, from every ſin of the Devil, and all ſnares of the adverſary: that he would vouchſafe them in due time the laver of regeneration, and remiſſion of ſins: that he would bleſs their comings in, and going out, all their life, their houſes and habitations. Let us pray, that thou wouldeſt increaſe and bleſs their children, and inſtruct them, when they are come to age, with wiſdom: that thou wouldſt direct all their purpoſes to profit. Pray ye Catechumeni, to the Angel of peace, that all your purpoſes may be peaceable to you, beg, that this may be a peaceable day, and all the dayes of your life. Commend Chriſtians, your purpoſes, what is honeſt, and profitable, your ſelves to the living God, and his Chriſt, &c. Which being pronounced, the Deacon bids them riſe up, and diſmiſſes them, having inſtructed them with ſundry Precepts.
And theſe are the offices of the Liturgy, at which the Catechumeni were allowed to be preſent. The ſecond degree of them that were in the Church, followeth, namely, the Faithful; who were preſent at all the parts of the Liturgy performed in that order they were recited in the precedent Chapters. Neither could any one of this degree depart out of the Church-aſſembly, before all thoſe offices were finiſhed, as we have obſerved formerly, chap. 6. of this Book, and therefore I need to add no more of them.
The third degree of them, was thoſe who were called foreign, or Penitents. Theſe being inſtructed in the Doctrine of Chriſtian Religion, and once baptized in the holy laver of baptiſm, they recorded their names in the Church catalogue. But falling into ſome manifeſt ſin (by which they loſt the common priviledges of the Faithful) they were bound of the Church with ſpiritual bonds, till they had declared ſufficient ſigns of their repentance.
There were ſundry claſſes of theſe, during the time (which was defined by the Biſhops judgment: Can. 7. Concil. Ancyran.) of their publick repentance, and ſundry places were aſſigned to them in the Church. Without whoſe obſervation, it will not be eaſie to ſhew what offices of the Church-Liturgy they had liberty to be at, and what not. For, during the repentance which was preſcribed them by the Biſhops, they had not the liberty of all offices with the body of the Church.
We meet with five kinds, or claſſes ofThe degrees of Penitents. Penitents, in the ancients. Some were Lugentes, ſome Audientes, ſome Subſtrati, ſome Subſiſtentes, and then ſome that were perfectly admitted to partake of the Lords Body and Blood. Zonaras reckons three degrees of theſe, in Can. 8. Conc. Ancyran. And the ſame Author adds a fourth, in Can. 4. of the ſame Council. But all the degrees of Penitents, are extant together in Baronius, an. 263. num. 29. with the Centur. Magdeb. 2. c. 6. alſo. Theſe degrees are reckoned up by the fore-mentioned Hiſtorians, out of the Canon, or the canonical Epiſtle, as the Greeks call it, of Gregorius Neocaeſarienſis, ſirnamed Thaumaturgus (if it be that Gregory, as ſome think not.)
The firſt degree of theſe was foreign, or Weepers, in which the Lugentes [or Weepers] having committed a ſin, ſtood without the Church, Zonar. in Can. 5. Conc. Neocaeſar. Where they asked them that entred in, with ſorrow and tears, that they would draw out the bountiful mercy of God for them. Weeping, ſaith Thaumaturgus in Baronius, or ſorrow, is without the gate of the Oratory, where the offender, as he ſtands, muſt ask the Faithful as they enter in, to pray for them. Let the offender, ſaith St. Ambroſe, De Paenit. lib. 1. c. 16.beg pardon with teares, beg with ſighs, beg that he may be pardoned at the weeping of all the people. Theſe are ſaid by Tertullian, libro de Poenitentia, cap. 9. to kneel to the Presbyters, and charis Dei, [i. the dear ſervants of God.]
But here I will give the Reader this advertiſement, that it's well obſerved by Pamelius, in his notes upon this place of Tertullian, that this place in ſome editions is faulty. For, ſome have it, Presbyteris & aris Dei adgeniculari. i. they kneeled to the Presbyters and altars of God. Which reading ſome catching at, as agreeing to their dotage, are buſily diligent to deſend bowing to altars, upon this teſtimony. So †Bell. d… Miſſa. l. 2. c. 10.Bellarmine, and others of his opinion. Now their expoſition, how likely ſoever, is not worth a ruſh. For it's clearer than the noon-day, that in this they are deceived, through ignorance of the Church cuſtome. For how could the Penitents kneel at Gods altars, when at that time they were not permitted to come within the rails of the Clergy, as is well enough known to all that are any whit ſeen in Church antiquity) much leſs to the altar: but being placed without the auditory, as formerly we have heard out of Thaumaturgus and Ambroſe, and falling down at the feet of them that entred in, they ſeriouſly intreated them with tears, that they would beſeech God for them. The Lugentes therefore were wont to kneel down to the dear ſervants of God, both Presbyters and others, that went into the Church; for *Ambroſ. de Poenit. l. 2. c. 10.they ſued to them, beſought them, fell on their knees, kiſſed their footsteps. Afterwards, they required the patronage of the holy people to God for them. For in this buſineſs Fabiola Epitaphi Fabiolae▪will be to us an example: who is by Hierom recorded to have opened her wound to all, while ſhe had her ſides ripped open, her head bare, her mouth ſhut, neither did ſhe enter into the Church of the Lord, but ſate ſaparate without the tents, with Myriam, Moſes's ſiſter. This ſhe did, while ſhe ſtood in the order of Penitents before Eaſter, in the Lateran Cathedral, all the City of Rome beholding her, the Biſhops, Presbyters, and all the people weeping for her, as Hierom, ibid.
Dionyſius Areopagita reproves Demophilus, Epiſt. ad Demoph.(becauſe he had kicked with his foot a Presbyter, for gently receiving a man that had fallen at a Prieſts feet.) Eu…ebius alſo relates, lib. 5. cap. ult. That Natalius, a confeſſor of the truth, being ſometime …educed, but at length returned to the Church, did in hair cloth, and ſackcloth, caſt himſelf down at the feet of Pope Zephirinas, with great ſorrow, and tears, and fell not onelyonly at the feet of the Clergy, but Laity; ſo that the Church of our merciful Chriſt having mercy on him, lamented with him.
From which it appears, that the Penitents of this degree did communicate with the body of the Church in no offices of the Liturgy; and much leſs went up to the altar (forſooth) to bow. But this by the bye.
Moreover, ſome make a doubt, whether this degree of repentance was preſcribed the Penitents by the Primitive Church, or was taken up by them of their own accord; in whoſe judgment that degree of repentance, which was voluntary in the firſt age, was in the third age after enjoyned the Penitents by the Church. Howbeit, every one of theſe degrees was a certain diſpoſition to prepare the Penitent for a farther. But in explaining of theſe degrees, we will follow Thaumaturgus.
The ſecond degree of Penitents wasThe Penitents called Audientes. foreign, or Hearers. Theſe ſtood within the gate, in a place which they call foreign, or the porch of the Temple; hearing the Scripture, (that is, the reading of the Law, Prophets, and Goſpel, Conſtit. Apoſt. l. 2. c. 39.) and the doctrines that were raiſed out of the Scriptures: yet were they judged unworthy to be preſent at the Prayers of the Church. Baron. ubi prius. So Zonaras in Can. 11. Conc. Nic.
The third degree of theſe was foreign;Subſtrati. or the Proſtrate: when they that had repented ſtood within the compaſs of the Church, behind the Pulpit (ſeparate from the place of the Faithful, yet within their …ight) where they were preſent at none of the holy offices, ſave the reading of the Holy Scripture, expounding of the Goſpel, and prayer, that was rehearſed for them, and the perfect Catechumeni, that is, the Competentes, and a little while after the going out of the Catechumeni, having made Prayers for them▪ they went out. Can. 19. Conc. Laodic. Baron. ibid. Zonar. in Can. 4. & 5. Conc. Anoyrani.
Here the Penitents ſtood ſorrowful, and being not yet made partakers of the Euchariſt, ſince the commiſſion of their ſin, for which they were bound of the Church with ſpiritual bonds, they threw themſelves down on the earth with weeping and lamentation: and for this proſtration, the word foreign was aſſigned to this degree. Then on the other ſide, the Biſhop running to him lamenting, falls likewiſe upon the ground with pitiful lamentation; and laſt of all, the whole multitude of the Church falls a weeping too. After this, the Biſhop riſes … firſt, and raiſes them that were fallen down, and having for a convenient time prayed for ſinners that repented, he diſmiſſes them. Thus Sozomen, de Eccleſiae Romanae conſuetudine, lib. 7. cap. 16. where it's manifeſt he ſpeaks of the Penitents called …ubstrati. The form of prayer uſed for them (after the Deacon had admoniſhed the Church to pray for them) by the Biſhop, is extant Conſtit. Apoſt. l. 8. c. 8, & 9. which being ended, they went out of the Church-aſſembly.
The fourth degree was foreign, when…ubſiſt… tes. they that had repented were called foreign; becauſe they ſtood with the Faithful, and went not out with the Catechumeni, or the Penitents called Subſtrati, Baron. ibid. Theſe were with the Faithful preſent at Prayers, but were not admitted to the Holy Euchariſt, Conc. 1. Nic. Can. 11. they are ſaid to partake of Prayers with the people, but without oblation. So Can. 12. ibid. Zonaras in Can. 4. & 5. Concil. Ancyr. for which cauſe, St. Ambroſe ſaid he could not offer, if Theodoſius would ſtand by. Ambr. Ep. 28.
The laſt degree of Penitents, was of them, who, having fulfilled the time of repentance preſcribed them by the Church, were by her perfectly received; and after the aforeſaid offices of the Liturgy, at which the Subſiſtentes were preſent, they were admitted alſo to participate of the Lords Body and Bloud, with the body of the Faithful. Of which Zonaras Can. 4. & 8. Concil. Ancyran. There are ſome that diſtinguiſh not the fourth degree of Penitents from the fifth. But the Subſistentes are diſtinguiſhed from theſe, Can. 11. 1. Conc. Nic. where, foreign: …. they, were partakers of Prayer with the people, without offering. And ſo thoſe that were placed in the laſt degree, were ſuperiour to thoſe Penitents of the fourth degree, becauſe they were admitted together with the Faithful, to partake of the myſteries. Yet, that I may ingeniouſly confeſs the truth, the finiſhing of the repentance, rather than the degree of Penitents, is in this to be attended.
Now he that will apply his mind to weigh the aforeſaid records of antiquity more narrowly, ſhall eaſily obſerve, who were to be preſent at all the exerciſes of Religion, and who were excluded from the ſame, or ſome of them by the cuſtom of the Church, while in the mean time, the aſſembly of the Faithful, after they were gathered into one, performed all the aforeſaid offices piouſly, and with great devotion of mind. But to ſpeak of theſe a little in tranſitu is enough.
CHAP. XV.
Of places in which the Churches publick aſſemblies were held.
WE have obſerved, that meetings were gathered by the Church, to perform the duties of Religion: and we have ſeen what was done in them. In the third place, ſomething remains to be added of the places in which theſe meetings were kept. For a place is required where the people of God being gathered together, may exerciſe themſelves in the things that pertain to his publick worſhip. And that ſome places deſigned to Divine Worſhip, are neceſſary, I truſt no body will doubt: for without them, the publick aſſemblies of the Faithful (the uſe of which is formerly ſhewn) to worſhip God, could not without inconvenience be held. Therefore this place requireth, that ſomething be added of their names, ſituation, and uſe, and other circumſtances that declare theſe places. But I will ſpare the labour of putting theſe things in writing, leſt I, gaggling like a Gooſe amongſt the Swans, ſeem to ſtammer upon a ſubject which hath been happily treated on by other judicious men. Others have managed the charge of deſcribing this argument with great commendation. Eſpecially the Learned Hoſpinian, a man of profound Learning, and various Reading, in his learned Treatiſe De Templis. In which is deſcribed what is neceſſary to be known of places that are deſtined to the publick meetings of the Church, which to me at this time is enough to point at.
And thus much for the publick exerciſes of Religion, that were obſerved by the Church on the Lords Day.