Ratio disciplinae fratrum Nov-Anglorum. A faithful account of the discipline professed and practised; in…

§. 9. These are the more stated Exercises of every Lord's Day, (and the Lectures on the Week Days imitate them) in the Churches of New-England. When these are dispatched, the Pastor dismisses the Congregation with pronouncing a Benediction; wishing, The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of GOD, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit to be with them all. 'Tis often prefixed with a, Blessed are all they that hear the Word of GOD and keep it. Sometimes there is also specified the Obedience of Faith, unto the main Doctrine insisted on in the foregoing Sermon.

§. 9. These are the more stated Exercises of every Lord's Day, (and the Lectures on the Week Days imitate them) in the Churches of New-England. When these are dispatched, the Pastor dismisses the Congregation with pronouncing a Benediction; wishing, The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of GOD, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit to be with them all. 'Tis often praefixed with a, Blessed are all they that hear the Word of GOD and keep it. Sometimes there is also specified the Obedience of Faith, unto the main Doctrine insisted on in the foregoing Sermon.

§. 10. It has been enquired by many excellent Persons; Whether the public Reading of the whole Scripture in order, to our Congregations without preaching ⟨p. 64⟩thereon, be not an Ordinance, the Omission whereof is culpable among us? It must be confessed, That the Practice has not been so generally taken up, as many have wished for. And that the thing may be fairly represented, Those who have hitherto continued in the Omission have pleaded; That they could not at present see either Precept or Pattern for the Reading of the Scriptures in our Churches, without Exposition upon it; nor does it seem to belong unto the Work of a Pastor: That, in every Sermon duly composed, a considerable Portion of the Scripture is read, with the Advantage of its being referred unto its Place and Use in Divinity: That, for those who are Gifted that way to go over greater or lesser Paragraphs of Scripture, with Expository Lectures upon them, is a thing much to be desired: but the Gifts of some Persons may be more profitably employed in another Way handling the Word of GOD: That, there are some Chapters of the Scripture, which perhaps may not be so proper to be read publicly in our Congregations; And finally, That we should be wary, how we introduce into the Congregations an Exercise which may at all invite private Christians, to neglect any of their Duties in their private Families; whereof that of Reading the Scriptures is one.