The Lords Day, Book 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Whether the bare reading of Scriptures in the Church-aſſembly be properly preaching? and how the reading of Scripture may be called preaching?
THeſe are the things which are chiefly to be obſerved touching the great labours which the Fathers took in their continual Treatiſes upon the Holy Scriptures: whom, he that ſhall ſeriouſly obſerve, will evidently find, with a ſmall ado, that the pious and laborious Fathers in inſtructing the people, were not of that mind, as if the naked reading of Scripture were ſufficient to inſtruct the Chriſtian people in the underſtanding of them, without undertaking any farther explication of them to the peoples uſe: which divers Treaters of this age are not aſhamed to urge. They that aſſert this, do either not excell in any faculty to interpret the Scriptures, or the Holy Ghoſt hath indued them with no meet gifts to undergo that office, (to which they are wanting, through their careleſneſs) with dexterity, and to the Churches great profit. And that ſuch ſhould ſtand for the bare reading of Scripture, and decline painful treating out of the ſame, I no more wonder at them, than at the Fox, (as it is in the fable) that had his own tayl cut off, the want of which he thought himſelf truly diſgraced by) who perſwaded the other Foxes alſo to cut off their …ayles, (as if they were both a burden and blemiſh to them:) So theſe men, being unfit to expound Scripture themſelves, could not envy others this ability. If theſe mens eye (Mat. 20. 15.) be not evil, out of which in due time it would be convenient to pluck their beam, let them conſider.
As for thoſe that judge they may ſafely forbear labour in expounding the Scriptures, although they be of God endued with a tolerable ability to undergo that burden▪ I cannot without grief of mind conſider, and admire their ſlothfulneſs, and yet they contend for the Scriptures, as if to them nothing was more dear than reading of the Scriptures, which they glory of before others, that they highly value. When the learned Divine. Mr. S. A. ſeriouſly weighed the temper of theſe men with himſelf, it came into his mind, how Aurelius Fuſcus blamed Livy, for commending Thucydides writings: for he praiſed Thucydides writings; not for Thucydides ſake, but becauſe he thought that he could the more eaſily overcome Salluſtius, if he preferred Thucydides firſt: ſo any man, though of no fine judgment, may here ſmell out theſe mens diſpoſition: they commend the bare reading of the Scriptures to the Church, not becauſe they are delighted therein, but that under this pretence they may oppoſe their neceſſary explication; in which, while they give up themſelves to idleneſs, they obſerve others, not without ſome ſtomaching, carneſtly to beſtow their pains.
There is no body ſo ſhameleſs, as to deny,How reading may be called preaching. that the reading of Scripture in the Churchaſſembly, is neceſſary for increaſing both the faith, and knowledge of the people: and he that readeth Scripture, doth after a manner preach them, I deny not: ſince any may either by hand or writing, evangelize. i. e. declare abroad. But this word Preaching is here more ſtrictly to be taken: under which, after reading of the Scriptures, (alwayes in uſe and eſteem in the Church of God, as formerly hath been ſhown) both their interpretation, and application to the Hearers, are comprehended, which the Fathers uſed, when the reading of Scripture was ended, as the teſtimonies cited in the fore-going Chapter do manifeſt. Nor do the Scriptures ſay otherwiſe: for it's ſaid, Act. 15. 21. that Moſes was preached, Act. 15. 21.when he was read every Sabbath day: becauſe it was a cuſtome of the Jews to interpret the Scriptures as they were read, Neh. 8. 4, 7, 8. The Elders of the Levites interpreted the Law, when it was read unto the people. Philo Judaeus makes mention of this cuſtome, who was coetaneous to the Apoſtles, in Euſeb. de praeparat. Evang. lib. 8. c. 2. When the Prieſt, ſaith he, or one of the Elders reads the Law, foreign, he expounds it ſeverally, (we uſe that word, when we bring a more full expoſition, and rehearſal of a thing) and that through the whole ſeventh day. And if no more than a naked reading of Scripture had been required to conſtitute a fit Miniſter of the New Teſtament, St. Paul having obtained an Embaſſy from the Lord to preach the Goſpel, had not dealt ſeriouſly with God, when he would have an open mouth, and free to preach the ſame granted, which yet he did with all his heart, Col. 4. 3. where he is to be thought to ask for ſomething more than a faculty to read the Scriptures. And when the Lord taxeth the watchmens blindneſs in Iſaiah, Iſ. 56. 10. whom he calls greedy dogs, feeding themſelves, that are ignorant, doth he only brand them for being ignorant of reading Scripture? Moreover, if nothing were required by a Miniſter of the Goſpel than reading of the Scripture, then he that once ſhall read them in the ſacred Churchaſſembly, muſt ſtraightway be ſaid to preach them, as though he had abundantly fulfilled the part of a gallant Treater; and ſo at length he that being called before a tribunal into judgment, for being guilty of ſome ſmaller crime, and ſhall, according to the cuſtome of ſome Kingdomes bottomed upon obſolete Canons, diſtinctly read ſome part of the Holy Scripture, which the Judge offers him, that he, having ſome milder puniſhment inflicted, may eſcape with his life, for his skill in reading; I ſee not why ſuch a watchman ſhould not be judged acute, and fit enough, becauſe he readeth as a Clergyman: and foreign, i. e. to divide the Word of truth aright (to undergo which task, if we ask Paul, he will anſwer, foreign, i. who is ſufficient? 2 Cor. 2. 16.) will according to them be nothing elſe but to read the word of truth diſtinctly: and at laſt it will come to this, that the religious education of youth in the Univerſities, that they may make themſelves better furniſhed to undergo the charge of preaching the Goſpel, will be in vain.
How little the defenders of this opinion do differ from the Gnoſimachi, let them look to it. Damaſcen witneſſeth, that they wereDe Hereſ. ſuch adverſaries to the knowledge of Chriſtians, that they ſaid, that it was a vain, and leſs neceſſary labour in them, who ſought for any knowledge in the Divine Scriptures.
But who will there be found deſirous of Divine knowledge, that will not be weary of theſe fooleries? and what to judge of the premiſes, viz. Whether a Reader of Scripture may deſervedly, and properly in the Church of God be called a Preacher of them? let the wiſe judge of it. Since Preaching cannot univocally be predicated of ſimple reading of the Scriptures, and their interpretation and application. For Preaching hath reading previous to it, but reading of Scriptures doth not contain in it their explication. I will add nothing of the difference in the words, foreign.