N00779:85
The order of the Gospel, professed and practised by the churches of Christ in…
The order of the Gospel, professed and practised by the churches of Christ in New England, justified, by the Scripture, and by the writings of many learned men, both ancient and modern divines; in answer to several questions, relating to church discipline / by Increase Mather, president of Harvard College in Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New England. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]The order of the Gospel, professed and practised by the churches of Christ in New England, justified, by the Scripture, and by the writings of many learned men, both ancient and modern divines; in answer to several questions, relating to church discipline / by Increase Mather, president of Harvard Colledge in Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New England. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Benjamin Eliot, 1700
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
QUESTION. VI. IS Public Reading of the Scriptures without any Explication or Exhortation therewith, part of the work incumbent on a Minister of […] Gospel
QUESTION. VI. IS Publick Reading of the Scriptures without any Explication or Exhortation therewith, part of the work incumbent on a Minister of 〈…〉 Gospel
Answ. The Question is not whether such Readings are Lawful, (for who doubts that) but whether the Minister that shall omit them does fail in that which is some part of his duty. To which the Answer must be Negative ▪ It cannot be proved that that which some call Dumb Reading, or public Reading of the Scriptures without any Explication or Exhortation is part of the Pastoral Office, or that which every Minister of the Gospel is bound unto. Some have thought (w)that when Paul says to Timothy, Till I come give attendance to Reading, that he means Public Reading of the Scriptures; but then he adds, and to Exhortation and Doctrine. 1 Tim 4 13. The Reading of one Chapter with a brief Explication, will Edify the Congregation more than the bare Reading of Twenty Chapters will do. And every Minister should attend that which will be most to the Edification of his People. If public Reading without Explication or Exhortation therewith is a duty, than those Ministers who when they Read publicly ⟨p. 48⟩do always Expound or Exhort therewith, but do not practice that which is called Dumb Reading, are guilty of Sin, as omitting that which is their duty. But such Minister are not guilty of Sin: And if not, it will the• follow that they who practice Reading without Explication under the notion of a duty are guilty of Superstition, in making that a duty which is none. As for Reading without Interpretation, there are many who can d• that as well as the Minister. We find in Neb 8.8. That they read in the Book of the La distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them […] understand the Reading. That the Jews wer wont to Read the Scriptures in their Synagogue every Sabbath day, we all know. The Peteteuch (or […] Books of Moses) was by then divided into fifty four Parashoth, or Sections which they read over on every year When Antiochus inhibited the Reading of th Law, the Jews instead thereof Read the Prophets; after which it became customary to Read both of them. The Jews called the Lections out of the Prophets, Haphtharot, which signifies Dismission, because they were wont to dismiss their Assemblies with those Readings But that Explications and Exhortations used to attend their Readings is certain It belonged to him that was the chief Ruler o the Synagogue to see this done, who did sometimes permit others to do it.