The Lords Day, Book 2 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
The manner of expounding Scriptures in uſe among the ancients. Treating begun with Prayer. Texts of the Treatiſes. Scriptures being read, were applied to the peoples uſe. The Treaters did ſometimes ſtand, and ſometimes ſit: after Treating followed Prayers: after thoſe were ended, a Pſalm was ſung to [praiſe] God.
THeſe are they to whom the expounding of Scripture was committed among the ancients: which things being declared, ſomewhat remains to be ſpoken of the manner which was obſerved by them in ther Expoſitions.
In the firſt place, when they were to treat out of Scripture, they ſaluted the people. So Optatus contra Parmenianum, libro vet. And what kind of ſalutation that was, is taught in Conſt. Ap. l. 8 c. 5. Chryſost. alſo in Hom. 3. in Coloſs. namely, the grace of our Lord Jeſus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghoſt, be with you all, &c. But afterwards it was uſual with the Biſhops to ſalute the people in another manner than the Presbyters; which was prohibited in Conc. Bracarenſi T. 2. Conc.1. Can. 21.
This ſalutation being premiſed, whether without further prayer to God, they ſet upon their Treating, is doubted by ſome. But if the Love-Feaſts in uſe among Chriſtians, were not performed without the office of Prayer; (for before they ſate down, they Tertull. adv. Gent. Apolic. 39.firſt took a taste of Prayer to God, and when the Supper was finiſhed, Prayer determined the Feaſt;) if, I ſay, their banquets were neverThe ſtudy both of Praying and teaching is commended to the Miniſters of the Word from the Apoſtle in Act. 6. 4. celebrated but with Prayer to God, much leſs durſt they ſet upon the expounding of the Holy Scriptures, without the invocation of Gods name being premiſed. But this I will advertiſe the Reader of, that the induſtry of Antiquity hath ſo careleſly touched this part of holy things, that there is but a very little which at this day we can find delivered in the Records of the ancients, about this matter. And neither is it to be wondred at, nor is it unuſual. There are in this age divers Sermons of very learned Divines, publiſhed, which are not uttered but with Prayer to God firſt made, and yet none of thoſe Prayers are prefixed to the printed Copies. We may conjecture the ſame of the Ancients Treatiſes, without any injury to the truth: which, doubtleſs, the pious Fathers never entred upon without Prayers to God firſt premiſed; which thing I will now manifeſt by ſome teſtimonies.
The godly Prayer of a certain holy man is extant in †Hom. 10. in Coloſſ.Chryſoſtom. I know, ſaith St. Chryſoſtom, a certain godly man that prayed thus; Before theſe words, he ſaid nothing, namely, We give thanks to thee for all thy benefits, which have been conferred on us unworthy wretches, from the firſt to this preſent day; for thoſe we know, and thoſe we know not: for thoſe that are manifeſt, and thoſe that are not manifeſt: for what have been done in work or word: for what have been done voluntarily, and unvoluntarily: for all things that have been made for us unworthy creatures, for afflictions, for recreations, for Hell, for puniſhment, for the Kingdom of Heaven. We pray thee preſerve our ſoul holy, having a pure conſcience, and to make our end worthy thy clemency. Thou that haſt ſo loved us, as to give us thy onelyonly begotten ſon; vouchſafe us to be worthy thy love. Give us wiſdom in thy word, and in thy fear. O onelyonly begotten Chriſt, inſpire us with thy fortitude. Then that haſt given for us thy onelyonly begotten, and ſent forth thy Holy Spirit for the remiſſion of our ſins; if we have willingly, or againſt our will ſinned, pardon it, and impute it not to us. Remember all them that call upon thy name in truth. Remember all that wiſh us well and ill. For we are all of us men. And then having added a Prayer of the faithful, as it were for a certain concluſion and winding up for all perſons, he having made this Prayer, here he ended. And thus he.
The aforeſaid Prayer was rehearſed in Chriſoſtom's preſence, but where, or when, it is not evident out of the fore-cited place. It ſeems to me, without prejudicing others, to have been recited by one that was entring upon a Treating out of the Word of God; eſpecially ſince he calls him, by whom it was uſed foreign, i. e. a holy man. And ſecondly, he uſed this Prayer when he begun to ſpeak: for before it he ſaid nothing. Thirdly, Chryſoſtom ſpeaks of his frequent uſing it, when he himſelf was alſo preſent: but Laicks had never liberty to pray frequently, when any of the Clergy were by; much leſs when St. Chryſoſtom was preſent: who yet confeſſes, that he heard him, foreign, i. ſo to pray. Fourthly, the whole form of the Prayer ſhews plain enough, that it was uſed publickly: for whetherfoever he give thanks, or petition God in it, he pleads not only his own cauſe, but others, and alwayes ſpeaks in the plural number. Fifthly, he ſeems to ſpeak it with reſpect had to the Word; for he begs for wiſdom in the word. Laſtly; he ſaid nothing before he uſed it, foreign. But it is not credible, that the men of that age did in their ordinary diſcourſes burn with ſuch an ardency of zeal towards God, as that they would not begin them without premiſing Prayer to God. Theſe things perſwade me to believe, that the aforeſaid Prayer was uſed publickly, at the Treating upon the Word: but let the wiſe judge.
Baſilius M. ſhews, that Prayers were wont to be ſaid by the whole aſſembly, after that the Preſident went up into the Pulpit to teach, or expound any thing out of the Scriptures; for he makes this the beginning of his Sermon: I need the Prayers of them that love the Lord, that by the grace of the good God and his Chriſt, the holy and good Spirit may admoniſh and teach us, thoſe things it hath heard from the Lord, and may direct our mind into the way of peace, and into found words to the edifying of faith. Baſil. de Baptiſm. Austin uſeth the ſame preface, when he begins his fifteenth Sermon, De verbis Apoſtoli. *De bono pudicitiae.Cyprian ſpoke not only the words which came from the fountains of the Scripture, but with the words he joyned Prayers, and requeſts to God, that both for himſelf and his auditors he might both open the treaſures of his Sacraments, and alſo that he would give ſtrength to ſupply them with what they ſhould know. Theſe things ſhew, that the Bleſſed Martyr at his Treating out of the Scripture, did pour out Prayers to God, that what he ſaid might be uſeful both to himſelf and his hearers; for without Gods mercy, all the watchfulneſs of a Paſtor is in vain. Therefore did Cyprian adjoyn Prayer to his Treatiſes, to implore the mercy of God, that what was heard might turn into deeds. Yea, Auſtin judges, that Prayer is ſo neceſſary to him that is to treat upon the Scripture, before he begin that work, *De doctrin. Chriſtiana l. 4. c. 15. &c. 30.that none, in his opinion, ought to teach them before he pray, and that at the ſame time, before he let looſe his tongue to preach, he lift up his thirſty ſoul to God, that he may caſt up that which he hath drunk in. And afterwards, cap. 30. Let him that is to ſpeak to the people, pray that God would give good words into his mouth, &c. And what Auguſtine required of other Doctors, with great devotion he performed himſelf, in that he earneſtly begged of God, when he ſpoke to the people, that he †De verbis Domini, Serm. 51.might utter what was true, and ſuitable in his Sermon, and what the hearers might underſtand, and what they might believe.
2. When the Prayer was ended, they entred upon the Treatiſe: and they were uſuallyTexts of their Treatiſes. wont to preach to the hearers out of the Leſſons of Scripture which were then read. Tertullian aAp c. 39.ſaith, that the Leſsons of Scripture were rehearſed in the aſſembly, as the quality of the times required, either to forewarn, or to call to remembrance: that is, they applied the Scriptures that were read, to the quality of the times. So ſayes Juſtin Martyr, the Preſident inſtructed the People with his oration, to imitate thoſe things which were read in the Records of the prophets and Apoſtles, ap. 2. Ambroſe applied the bL. 5. Ep. 33.Hiſtory of Job, and prophecy of Jonas, as he read them, to the uſe of his hearers. Auguſt. Tract. in Joh. c. 12. & 13. and the ſame appeareth every where from thoſe Treatiſes. Origen ſaith, that he intended briefly to admoniſh his hearers, of thoſe things that had been read, Hom. 8. in Levit. Athanaſius ſaith, in the beginning of his Oration De Semente, We have heard now how Jeſus went through the corn fields, and how he healed the withered hand; wherefore … think it convenient, if we diſcourſe a little upon the Leſſon in the Goſpel.
Sometimes they alſo did interpret that place of Scripture, which the people were greatly deſirous ſhould be explained unto them: which the words of Baſil M. whoDe Baptiſ. was about to make a Sermon to the People on Chriſts Baptiſme, do teſtifie. For he ſaith, that he entertained with a ready mind, their pious admonition in Chriſt, about the moſt glorious baptiſm of Chriſt: and acknowledgeth, that he will be very ready to ſpeak of it according to his ability.
Thirdly, in their Treatiſes they lookt toScripture was to be applied to the peoples uſe. this, that what was read ſhould be applied to the peoples uſe. So Tertull. ap. c. 39. Justin Martyr, Apol. 2. ſaith, that the Preſident did exhort the hearers to the imitation of what was read: and not without reaſon; for to preach, is, according to Iſychius, in Levit. lib. 2. c. 9. to exhort the people. Origen contra Celſum, lib. 3. affirms, that the Chriſtians expounded the Scriptures as they read them, that they might exhort the people to piety towards God, and unto other virtues. Ambroſe alſo accommodated the Scriptures, as they were read, to the preſent uſe and edification of the people, partly, by teaching, and partly, by reproving. See the beginning of Serm. 5. The ſame he does in lib. 5. Ep. 33. And Chryſoſtom confeſſes, that he fulfilled that charge, by convincing, rebuking, and admoniſhing.*Serm. ad eos qui in feſtis tantum conveniunt. t. 8. p. 8. Treaters ſometimes ſtood, and ſometimes ſate.
Moreover, theſe Treaters, as they expounded the Scriptures, did ſometimes ſtand, 1 Cor. 14. and ſometimes they ſate. For the Biſhops ſeat (whoſe office it was chiefly to treat out of Scripture) was ſet in the midſt of the Church, on either ſide whereof the Presbyters ſate. Conſtit. Ap. lib. 2. cap. 57. When Chryſoſtom preach'd unto the people, he ſate in the pulpit, or chair, as his manner was. Niceph. lib. 13. c. 4. Chryſostom himſelf confeſſes, that he ſate in the pulpit and taught. Hom. de non contemnenda Eccleſia, t. 7. p. 891. All ſate when they taught the people, in Optatus his time; although Hierom taxeth the ſuperciliouſneſs of ſomeHierom. in Gal. 4. Biſhops, ſmelling of the pride of this world, who, being ſet as in a watch-tower, will ſcarcely vouchſafe to look upon mortal men, and otherwiſe their fellow ſervants. And the Epiſtle of the Council of Antioch reckoneth this amongſt the portentous manners of Samoſatenus, that he, being not content with a mean one, as a Diſciple of Christ, hath erected himſelf an aſcent in the Church, and a chair of ſtate, like one of the Princes of this world. Euſeb. Hiſt. 7. c. 24. Gregory Nazianzen Or. 26. in plagam grandinis.alſo nippeth the pride of Miniſters, who fit upon high thrones, and that lift up their ſuperciliouſneſs higher than the Theatres themſelves.
Fourthly, As they begun their TreatiſesThey conclude the Treatiſe with prayer with Prayer, ſo when they were ended, they ſtirred up the people to call upon God. This did Athanaſius, when he ended his Sermon de Semente. But becauſe, ſaith he, our diſcourſe hath proceeded far enough, let us ariſe and ſtretch forth holy hands, that having called upon the God of all things, we may enjoy his aſſiſtance, through Chriſt our Lord. The ſame did Baſil, as appears from the end of Hom. 7. Hexaemer. When the Miniſter, ſaith Juſtin Martyr, hath finiſhed his Sermon, we all riſe up, and pour out our Prayers, Ap. 2. After expoſition, the Prieſts by appointment lift up their hands to Heaven. Iſychius in Levit. lib. 2. c. 9.
The Prayer of St. Auſtin, which he uſed after all his Sermons and Treatiſes, is extant in the end of his Commentaries upon the Pſalms, in theſe words; We, being converted to the Lord God, our omnipotent Father, let us with a pure heart give him, ſo far as our weakneſs is able, great and unfeigned thanks, praying with our whole mind, for his ſingular meekneſs, that in his good pleaſure he would vouchſafe to hear our Prayers: and that by his power he would expell the enemy from our actions and thoughts; multiply our faith, rule our mind, afford us ſpiritual cogitations, and bring us to his bleſſedneſs, Through Jeſus Chriſt his Son, and our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with him, being God, in the unity of the Holy Ghoſt, through all ages. Amen. This very ſame Prayer is extant alſo Serm. 30. de verbis Domini.
Laſtly, when Prayers were ended, theyAfter Treateng they ſung Pſalms. ſung Hymns [or pſalms] to God. It is ordained, Concil. Toletan. 4. Can. 11. circ. ann. 671. that not before, but after the Goſpel be preach't, Hymns be ſung. So Baſil▪ Ep. 63. ad Neo Caeſari.Neither did they begin to ſing Pſalms, before their having made confeſſion to God, they roſe up from Prayer. Chryſoſtom teaches the ſame from the example of Chriſt. Hom. 83. in Matth.