The Lords Day, Book 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
What was done in the publick Church-meetings. Reading of Scriptures: What Scriptures were went to be read: Humane writings were read in the Church-aſſembly. The order of reading the Scriptures. The readers of the Scriptures were ordinarily Deacons. Who they were that were anciently called Audientes. The readers of the Scriptures ſtood in the ſight of the whole people.
HAving obſerved the publick meetings of the Church, let us in the ſecond place ſee what was done in them. In them the Church was only intent upon the exerciſes of piety, divers whereof are …ound in Tertull. lib. de anima, cap. 9. *Ap. 2.Juſtin Martyr, and others. †Serm. in …es qui in feris tantum con…Chryſostom ſaith, there was in thoſe holy meetings, a convention of the Brethren, holy Doctrine, Prayers, an hearing of the Divine Law, or a Communication with God, and diſcourſe with men. Heſychius ſaith, a… in L…. c. ….There was devout Prayer, devout reading of Gods Word, and hearing of the interpretation All things, that I may ſpeak briefly, were devout, which are ſaid or done in the Churches of God according to his Law. And all theſe things may be referred to the Miniſtry of the Word, publick invocation of Gods name, and adminiſtration of the Sacraments. So it is evident to us, out of the Holy Scripture, and more pure Chriſtianity, in what things the offices of almoſt all the worſhip of God were performed. Theſe are reckoned up, Act. 2. 40. although the order in which they were performed be not declared. St. Paul being brought to Troas, ſome peculiar things fell out, in the deſcription whereof, St. Luke is very diligently converſant; and above all, amongſt the reſt, an example of a Church-meeting, with all its circumſtances, is recorded, Act. 20. In which convention, Paul firſt preached, which exerciſe he continued till mid-night, and when that was ended, then the Lords Supper was performed. And we muſt ſuppoſe, that the Apoſtles never preached the Word, or adminiſtred the Sacraments, without ſolemn invocation of God.
When the Apoſtles were dead, theſe ſame things were obſerved by the following Church, on the Lords day, which, by and by, I will in brief ſhew. Therefore, not without reaſon, have I concluded the publick offices of piety on that day to be performed under theſe three.
In deſcribing whereof, firſt, that Divine office of piety doth occurr, The Miniſtry of the Word (a word familiar enough to our age) without which, the things of Religion cannot happily be diſpatched. Neither were other duties which tended to piety, done without it in the ancient Church. Therefore, in delineating the publick offices of piety, we will firſt ſpeak of it. Now under the Miniſtry of the Word to be had on the Lords Day, are underſtood both the reading of the Word, and the explaining thereof.
Firſt, as often as the Church was gatheredReading of Scripture. together, the Holy Scriptures were read. In deſcribing of which argument, I will point at three things; namely, firſt, I will ſhew what Scriptures were read in the Church-aſſembly; ſecondly, whoſe office it was to do this; thirdly, I will add ſomething of the place out of which the Scriptures were read in the Church-aſſembly.
It is evident out of divers authors, that thoſe Scriptures were read, *Tert. ad ux. l. 2. c. 6.by whoſe reading faith was nouriſhed. And that is thought by divers men of great name, in imitation of the Jews: by whom, it was an ordinary thing to read Moſes and the Prophets in theWhat Scripture was read in the Apoſtles age. Synagogues, every Sabbath day, Acts 13. 15. and 15. 21. This cuſtome of the Jews, omitting ceremonials, was not onelyonly profitable to the Apoſtles, who upon that occaſion every where preached Chriſt in the Synagogues, out of Moſes and the Prophets, Act. 13. 15. and 17. 2, 3. but alſo was commended by the Apoſtles to Chriſtians, as often as the Church met: namely, that the writings of the old Prophets ſhould be read and expounded by the modern Prophets▪ 1 Cor. 14. 29. Origen alſo witneſſeth (although he be deceived in giving the cauſe, for which this was enjoyned the Church, of the Apoſtles) that the Apoſtles ordained, that the books of Jewiſh Hiſtories ſhould be read in Churches by the Diſciples of Chriſt. So he, initio Hom. 15. in Joſh.
Moreover, there be ſome that gather out of 2 Cor. 8. 18. where the Apoſtle ſaith of Luke, With Titus we have ſent our brother, whoſe praiſe is in the Goſpel, throughout all the Churches▪ that not only the Scriptures of the Old Teſtament, were wont to be read, while the Apoſtles were alive, but alſo of the Evangeliſts, about the Hiſtory and Sermons of Chriſt. Where, according to them, we may not unfitly obſerve, that even at that time the Goſpel of Luke was wont to be read in Churches. Paul is not afraid to adjure the Theſſalonians, that when that Epiſtle to them was finiſhed, it ſhould be read to all the holy brethren, 1 Theſ. 5. 27. and he requires the Coloſſians, that they read the Epiſtle written from Laodicea: and that they ſhould cauſe that which he ſent unto them, to be read in the Church of the Laodiceans, Col. 4. 16. And Euſebius, out of Clement, relates, that Peter ordained, that the Goſpel of Mark was to be read in Churches. So Euſeb. Hiſt. l. 2. c. 4. and the ſame author our *Euſeb. Hiſt. 5. c. 8.of Irenaeus, aſſerteth, that Matthew ſet forth his Goſpel for the Hebrews, in their own tongue, while Paul and Peter preached the Word at Rome.
After the Apoſtles death, the writings, not only of the Prophets and Evangeliſts, but of the Apoſtles themſelves, were read in the Church-aſſemblies, as I have ſaid from 1 Theſ. 5. and Col. 4.
Justin Martyr *Cap. 2.ſaith, that the writings of the Prophets and Apoſtles were read on Sunday in their aſſemblies. Others afterwards confeſs the ſame thing. †Hom. 23. in Num.Origen, when he reckons up the works to be performed on the Chriſtian Sabbath, he mentions the ſacred reading in their aſſemblies; where alſo he ſpeaks of Reading and Treatiſes: and in Ex. Hom. 7. he ſaith, The Lord alwayes rains down from Heaven (namely, when the holy Oracles were read, as he afterwards explains it) Manna on our Lords day; whence he concludeth, that the Chriſtians Lords day is to be preferred to the Jewiſh Sabbath. Tertullian *Ap. adv. gent. c. 39.confeſſes, that the Church aſſembled for to remember thoſe Divine things that were read. And elſewhere, amongſt the Lords day ſolemnities, he affirms, that the ſacred Scriptures were read; de Anima, c. 9. Cyprian mentions this reading, Ep. 33. in which he writes to the Clergy and people, of one Aurelius, that was ordained a Reader of him, to read the Goſpel in the Church, &c. †De praep. Evangel. l. 4. c. 1.Euſebius acknowledges, that both the Old and New Teſtament was read in Churches, Ambroſ. in Epiſt. ad Soror. Ep. 33. Aug. de Civitate Dei, lib. 22. cap. 8.
Theſe things ſhew, that the Scriptures both of the Old and New Teſtaments were read, and in the fifty ninth Canon of the Council of Laodicea, it is ordained, that only the Canonical books ſhould be read; and in the ſixtieth Canon, they reckon up the names and order of Canonical Books of both Teſtaments. The ſame proviſion is made in the 27th Canon of the Council of Carthage, apud Zonar. That beſide the Canonical Scriptures, nothing be read in the Church under the name of Divine Scripture. Only they add the Books of Tobit, Judith, and Eſther.
Yet this muſt not be concealed, not onlyHumane writings read in the Church. the writings of the Apoſtles, and Prophets, but of divers others, (who were famous for piety, and of great authority in the Church) were anciently read in the Church-aſſemblies. Dionyſius Corinthiacus apud Euſeb. l. 4. c. 23.reports, that Clements Epiſtle ad Corinth. was read on the Lords day. Hierom. in Cat. Script. Eccleſiaſt. witneſſeth, that Effraemus Deacon of the Church at Ediſſa, came to ſuch renown, that after the reading of the Scriptures, his writings were publickly read in ſome Churches. The ſufferings of the Martyrs were alſo read upon their Feaſts. Concil. Carthag. Can. 50. But the Commentaries, in which the Martyrs conflicts were deſcribed, were only read over on thoſe dayes, whereon their memory was annually celebrated; witneſs Zonaras in Concil. Carthag. Can. 50. And ſuch humane writings as were read in the Church, are to be underſtood chiefly of the Pſalms and Songs which were deviſed of them, to praiſe God by. Euſebius mentions theſe, lib. 5. cap. 28. and lib. 2. 17. Afterwards, through the Devils ſubtilty, tares ſprung up in the Church, and under pretence of theſe writings, Hereticks ſowed their falſe Doctrines, which the Fathers in Trull. Can. 2. obſerve, in the Conſtitutions aſcribed to Clement, to which, ſome things ſorged, and ſome things repugnant to Faith, are annexed: which evil, that the Fathers might feaſonably prevent, they frequently ordained, that no Books ſhould be read in the publick Church-aſſembly, but the Holy Scriptures: much leſs, that it ever ſhould be ſafe through them, that many dreams which they babled out with a raſh attempt, like old wife's dotages) of vaintalking men, ſhould be read among the Holy Scriptures, as afterwards, by uſe, it fell out; becauſe, as we have ſeen, they ordained, that nothing but the Scriptures ſhould be read in Churches.
Now for the order, according to whoſe rule, all reading of the Scriptures among the ancients was diſpoſed, we meet with a few things to be obſerved out of their Records. Whether, namely, in the primitive Church, there were ſelected parts of the Scriptures which they read; or (as it was familiar with the Jews on their Sabbathdayes) they read the Scripture in order, as the Lords dayes returned, till they had finiſhed that work; this, I ſay, is not certainly known: onelyonly what parts of Scripture they read, they explained the ſame for the peoples uſe, as the neceſſity of the preſent times did require. Tertul. apo. c. 39. Ambr. l. 5. ep. 33.
But afterwards it doth appear, that there was an order obſerved in reading the Scriptures. St. Auſtin mentions the order obſerved by himſelf, in handling his Lectures upon Scripture, in prooemio Epiſtolae Johannis. And he addeth, aTract. 6. in Joh.that the book of the Acts of the Apoſtles was every year read at an anniverſary ſolemnity, after the Lords Paſſion. He reports alſo, that Pſ. 21. was wont to be read every year, in the laſt week before the Paſſion-day of Christ, all the people being attentive. Tract. 13. in Joh. Moreover alſo, when there were divers Feaſts conſtituted in the Church, ſome certain and peculiar leſſons of Scripture were read every Feaſt-day, which were annually ſo carefully obſerved, that no others could be more. Aug. in prooem. Epiſt. Jo. The ſame appears from a Sermon of Chryſoſtom, againſt thoſe that only met upon Feaſt-dayes: who thinks it unſeaſonable at the ſolemnity of Pentecoſt, to continue the Text formerly begun on, and omit the commemoration of the benefits conſerred on the Church at that time; and after Pentecost he proſecutes the Text he was on before.
I will add no more teſtimonies for reading leſſons out of the Holy Scripture, in the Church-aſſembly, in a caſe that is plain enough, leſt by repeating many things, I cauſe wearineſs in the Reader. I will now relate the ſecond thing which I intended, for the candid Readers ſake; namely, foraſmuch as the ancients judged the H. Scripture ſhould be read in their conventions, therefore they deſigned certain perſons for to do that particular office, whom they called Readers. Cyprian ordained one aEp. 24.Saturus a Reader in the Church. He tells the Clergy and people, that Aurelius a Confeſſor, was ordained a Reader by him, Ep. 34. and he deſigned the office of a Reader to Celerinus. Ep. ead.
Now although this office was offered toDeacons read the Scriptures. ſome, yet uſually it was the Deacons work to read the Scripture in the holy Church-aſſembly. Hierom reproved Sabinianus, becauſe, after he had ſollicited a Virgin to whoredome, bEp. ad Sabin.he, as a Deacon read the Goſpel. Sozomen, l. 7. c. 19. and Niceph. l. 12. c. 34. do witneſs, that this office amongſt divers, was tranſlated to the Deacons: and the DeaconsAn. 529. are judged worthy to read what Chriſt ſpoke in the Goſpel. Conc. Vaſenſ. 2. c. 2. And thereupon Optatus, a Sub-deacon, in Cyprian, Ep. 24. is called, Doctor audientium, i. e. the teacher of them that hear. The Audientes, of whom more afterwards, were called thoſeWho the Audientes were. that were lately admitted, as if one ſhould ſay, the tyro's [or new beginners] in the Chriſtian faith, ſo called, ab audiendo, from hearing; who, though they were not admitted to the holy Euchariſt, yet might be preſent at the reading of the Scriptures; and therefore the Readers to them were called Doctors, [or teachers.]
In divers Churches alſo, only the Prieſts, and upon ſolemn dayes, the Biſhops performed this office, as Sozomen Hiſt. l. 7. c. 19.
Laſtly, they that read the Scripture, ſtood Readers ſtood in ſight of the people.in a pulpit, or tribunal of the Church, as Cyprian, Ep. 34. i. e. in ſome higher place than the reſt, from whence the leſſons were read; and Cypr. calls that place a tribunal metaphorically; for the tribunal was an high place, out of which Judgment was given to the tribes [or wards.] So that he who performed publickly the offices of Religion in the Church-aſſembly, was not ſevered from the preſence of the people, into an angle of the Church, there ſecretly to celebrate the offices of Divine Worſhip, like ſome Conjurer, that mutters to himſelf what he ſayes, (as now it is the practice in Popiſh Churches:) but in the ſight of all he uttered what he had to ſay, or read with a loud voice, which all that were preſent might underſtand: as once the holy man Ezra stood in a pulpit of wood, which he had made for the purpoſe, that he might ſpeak freely in the face of the congregation. Neh. 8. So in Cyprian's age, he that read the Law, and the Goſpel of our Lord, being raiſed up with the advantage of an higher Cyp▪ Ep. 34.place, was ſeen of all the people; that the reading of the Scriptures might better be obſerved of the hearers, and the reader being ſet on high, might be ſeen of the people that stood about him. Euſebius confeſſes, that the Scriptures were ſo publickly read in the Temples, that through the world were erected to God, that they might be heard of all. De praepar. Evang. l. 5. c. 1. & Const. Ap. l. 2. c. 57. it is appointed, that the Reader ſhould read out of an high place.
That was alſo a token of reverence to the Scriptures, as once it was amongſt the Jews, Neh. 8. 5. and therefore, becauſe a Biſhop at Alexandria roſe not up when the Goſpel was read, it is recited as an unuſual fact in the Church. Sozom. 7. 19.
And thus much for the publick reading of the Scriptures every day, eſpecially on the Lords dayes, in uſe among the ancients.