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OF CERTAIN PROBERTIES OF THE PUBLICK WORSHIP OF THIS CHURCH.*

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Reading of the Scriptures. The Joining of the People.— Bodily worship.-End.

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THE properties alluded to, and what very much tend to give to our worship a distinctive charaċter among the various modes of Protestant Communion, are―The reading of considerable portions of the Scriptures-The joining of the people in certain parts of the service, and-Bodily worship. In each of these particulars, our practice is different from that of a great proportion of our fellow-Christians; either entirely, or in the degree in which we respect and require it. Our being tenacious of them, is sometimes ascribed to the laying of undue stress on what is of man's authority. Accordingly, it is but justice to our own Communion that we should be aware, under each of the heads, how far divine direction is implied in the practice.

SECTION I.

OF THE READING OF THE SCRIPTURES.

That this is bound on us as a Church by divine direction, and to be performed to a considerable extent, so as to be an essential property of social worship under the gospel, is designed to be proved by the following considerations.

See Lecture VIII.

It is difficult to discern in what extent, before the establishment of the synagogue worship among the Jews, provision was made under divine direction, for the habitual reading of the Scriptures among them, in their religious assemblies. At the time of the delivery of the law, there was a command for the periodical reading of it, in the year of release: when" All Israel, should come to appear before the Lord, in the place which he should choose."* There may be perceived in the Old Testament other periodical readings of the law, which need not to be here recited; because they could not have answered, the purpose of habitually presenting it to the popular attention. In what way this was done, is not evident; although that there must have been some provision for the purpose, we may infer from the circumstances of the dispersion of the Levites into their several cities, and the establishment of the seminaries of "The sons of the prophets." For these things there would seem to have been no occasion, but with a view to the instruction of the people. And as the foundation of the instruction would be the divine law, this would be read to them of course. Without some such way of keeping up their knowledge of it, there would be little likelihood of their obeying of that precept concerning the divine commands-"Thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."+

It must be confessed, that there is much obscurity on the present subject, until we come to the worship appointed for the synagogue. Even of this, we gather our information from the New Testament: yet it must be considered as applying to the times preceding the Christian æra, at least as far back as to the return from the captivity. Now the practice of reading the Scriptures in the synagogues, appearst from the offering of * Deut. xxxi. 10. + Deut. vi. 7. Luke xvi. 19.

the book to our Lord, on his being present in the synagogue of Nazareth, and his reading from it a passage prophetick of himself. To the same purpose we find, that St. Paul being at Thessalonica, "where was a synagogue of the Jews, as his manner was, went in unto them, and reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. So the same apostle and his company being present at the worship of the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia after the reading of the law and the prophets, there was offered to them an opportunity of giving a word of exhortation to the people.t

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From the incidental notices in the New Testament of the manner of performing publick worship, we can gather from circumstances only, that it was customary to read, in the congregations of Christian people, the writings of the Old Testament. These must have been the books of which St. Paul speaks, when he says to Timothy-"From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation:" and again-" All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness." The Scriptures here contemplated, were doubtless those of the Old Testament. These were absolutely neces sary for the proof and for the explanation of the doctrines of the gospel: and if it should appear, that it was a part of the Christian economy to read them on occasions of social worship; there can be no doubt, that the Scriptures of the New Testament, after their publication, were not neglected: as indeed is more directly manifested by the usage of the early ages of the Christian Church, at a time when it cannot be supposed to have departed from apostolical appointment.

Some time passed over from the beginning of Christian preaching, before either the gospels or the epistles were indited. But that on their appearance they were publickly read, may be presumed from St. Paul's directing in his epistle to the Colossians, that it should 2 iii. 15. § iv. 16.

*Acts xvii. 2. † Acts xiii. 15.

be read among them, and that they should cause it to be read in the Church of Laodicea; and from his enjoining in his epistle to the Thessalonians, that it should be "read to all the holy brethren."* There could have been no use in each of these readings in a single înstance, but such as applies at all times; because the instructions in those performances are always equally edifying.

When the same apostle enjoins Timothy-"Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (thát is teaching] the first of these exercises, being associated with others clearly belonging to publick ministratión, must relate to the same department.

But there is the less reason to be particular on this head; since whatever we read in the New Testament, concerning "preaching the word," "preaching the gospel of the kingdom," "preaching Christ," and the like, was the doing in the persons of Christ and his apostles, of what can now be done only by reading what they have recorded in the Scriptures. It is the only way, in which there can be preaching in the strictly scriptural sense of the word: for it is never applied in the Bible to human comments and reasonings, however correct and edifying; but is confined to the declaring of the essential truths of the gospel. Thus, during the stay of St. Paul for two years at Rome, he employed himself in "preaching the kingdom of God;" but when he went beyond this simple enunciation, the phraseology is varied; and it is added— "teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ." In like manner, when he is making a long discourse at midnight, it is not-"as Paul was long preaching," although so translated, but-"as Paul was long discoursing." If the distinction was observed in his person, much more is it to be regarded in the uninspired performances of later ages. This authoritative preaching of the gospel from the mouths of the apostles, comes of course the most fitly from succeeding ministers, when it is given as handed down on record.

* 1 v. 27. † 1 Tim, iv. 13. Acts, xxviii. 31. § Acts,

XX. 9.

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This is not said, to lessen the necessity of every minister's opening of the sense of scripture, by larger elucidations than could well have been comprehended in a book to be read and meditated on by all; nor of his applying of its instructions, according to the great variety of times, and circumstances, and dispositions. All insisted on is, that he preaches in the gospel sense of the word, when he delivers, not his own reasonings and applications, but the naked truths of holy writ. However pertinently he may associate these with his own thoughts, and clothe them in his own words; yet it is so far only that he preaches, in what are called sermons: and therefore, he may be said more strictly and authoritatively to preach, when he delivers the same truths, in the form in which the Holy Ghost has been pleased to indite them. Accordingly, that reading of the Scriptures in Churches is preaching, may be thered from what we find said by St. James, in his speech to the apostles and elders assembled in Jerusa lem-" Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day."* beat of viilids 190 2.

On this subject as on several others, it must in reason be supposed, that the practice of the primitive Church is explanatory of scripture. And the argument applies especially in the present instance; because during the gospel age, it must have been late and by degrees, that the books of the New Testament were introduced into assemblies of the faithful.

Justin Martyr, who must have been born before the decease of the last of the apostles, describes the manner of Christian worship, towards the end of his Larger Apology. And he does not omit to mention, that " on the day called Sunday, all that live either in the city or country, meet together in one place, where the writings of the apostles and the prophets are read, as much as time will permit."

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In like manner Tertulliant describing the same worship, says " Scriptures are read, psalms are

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