2 guilty of sin,that fasts on the Lord's day,as being the day of his resurrection; or whoever makes Pentecost or the Lord's day a day of sorrow. For in these days we ought to rejoice, and not to mourn. So again,' keep the Sabbath and the Lord's day festival: because the one is the commemoration of the creation, and the other of the resurrection. In like manner, Peter, bishop of Alexandria, we keep the Lord's day as a day of joy, because of him who rose upon it. And Cotelerius cites a fragment of Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, to the same purpose: both custom and decency require us to keep the Lord's day a festival, and to give honour to it, because on this day our Lord Jesus Christ procured for us the resurrection from the dead. Yet this rule was not so strictly binding, but that when a necessary occasion required, and there was no suspicion of heretical perverseness or contempt, men might fast upon this day: as St. Jerom observes, that the Apostle Paul sometimes did; and that famous monk, who for the space of forty years never eat till the sun was set; and Celerinus, the Confessor in Cyprian, speaking of his sisters lapsing into idolatry in -time of the persecution," says, "for this fact I wept day and night in the midst of the joyful festival of Easter, and spent many days sorrowing in sackcloth and ashes." But such exceptions as these were no derogation to the general practice, which prevailed universally over the whole Church, and was observed with great exactness. SECT. 6. And all Prayers offered in the standing Posture on the Lord's Day in Memory of our Saviour's Resurrection. Another custom, as generally prevailing, was always to pray standing, and never kneeling, on the memory also of our Saviour's resurrection. 1 Constit. lib. vii. cap. 23. Lord's day, in 2 Pet. Alexand. can. xv. 4 Hieron. Ep. Coteler. Not. in Constitut. lib. v. cap. 20. p. 328. xxviii. ad Lucinium Bæticum. Utinam omni tempore jejunare possimus, quod in actibus apostolorum, diebus pentecostes et die dominico apostolum paulum et cum eo credentes fecisse legimus, 5 Celerin. Ep. xxi. ad Lucian. ap. Cypr. p. 45. Pro cujus factis ego in lætitiâ Paschæ flens die et nocte, in cilicio et cinere lachrymabundus dies exegi. meet with any exception to this, except it were in the case of penitents under public discipline,' whom the Canons oblige to pray kneeling even upon days of relaxation. But setting aside this case, which only respected the penitents in their own particular prayers, the general custom was for all the faithful or communicants to pray standing. For which we have the concurrent testimony of Irenæus, Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Cyprian, the Council of Nice, Hilary, Basil, Epiphanius, St. Jerom, St. Austin, Cassian, the Author of the Questions under the name of Justin Martyr, Martin Bracarensis, the Council of Trullo, and the Council of Tours in the time of Charles the Great. All which testimonies I have had occasion to recite at large once before, and therefore spare the repetition of them in this place; only observing from the two last of them, that this custom was not only general, but of long continuance in the Church; and when, or how it came to be altered or laid aside, I think is not very easy to determine. SECT. 7.-The great Care and Concern of the primitive Christians in the religious Observation of the Lord's day. This demonstrated, first, from their constant Attendance upon all the Solemnities of public Worship. The last thing to be noted in this matter, is the great care and concern of the primitive Christians for the religious observation of the Lord's day: of which they have left us several demonstrations: first, in that they paid a ready and constant attendance upon all the offices and solemnities of public divine worship. They did not only rest from bodily labour, and secular business, but spent the day in such employments as were proper to set forth the glory of the Lord, to whose honour the day was devoted: that is, in holding religious assemblies for the celebration of the several parts of divine service, psalmody, reading of the Scriptures, preaching, praying and receiving the communion, all which were the constant service of this day: and such was the flaming zeal of those pious votaries, that nothing but sickness, or 1 Con. Carthag. iv. can. 82. Pœnitentes etiam diebus remissionis genua flectant. 2 Book XIII. Chap. viii. Sect. 3. VOL. VII. D a great necessity, or imprisonment, or banishment could detain them from it; and then also care was taken, that the chief part of it, the communion, was administered to them by the hands of the deacons, who carried it to those that were sick or in prison, that as far as was possible they might communicate still with the public congregation. This is plain from the account, which Justin Martyr gives of their worship:1" on the day called Sunday all that live in city or country meet together, and the writings of the apostles and prophets are read to them, after which the bishop or president of the assembly makes a discourse to the people, exhorting them to follow the good things they have heard: then we all rise, and make common prayer; and when prayers are ended, bread and wine and water are brought to the president, who prays and gives thanks with all possible fervency over them, the people answering, Amen! After which, distribution of the elements is made to all that are present, and they are sent to the absent by the hands of the deacons." By this account it appears, that all Christians joined, as far as was possible, in the public service of the Lord's day, and particularly in receiving the communion, from which the absent were not exempt, if there was any possibility of their receiving it. SECT. 8.-Secondly, from their Zeal in frequenting religious Assemblies even in Times of Persecution. Neither was it any pretence of danger in times of difficulty and persecution, that could abate their zeal for the public worship on the Lord's day. For when they could not meet by day to serve God without hazard of their lives, they kept their nocturnal convocations, or morning assemblies for this purpose. Which is evident from the account, which Pliny gives of them, that they were used to meet before it was light on this solemn day, and sing their morning hymns to Christ. So Tertullian in answer to one asking,3 2 Plin. lib. x. Ep. 97. 1 Justin. Apol. ii. p. 98. 8 Tertul. De Fuga. cap. xiv. Quomodo Dominica solemnia celebrabimus? utique quomodo et apostoli, fide, non pecuniâ tuti. Quæ fides si montem transferre potest, multo magis militem. Postremo si colligere interdiu non potes, habes noctem luce Christi luminosi adversus eam. how they should celebrate the Lord's day solemnities for fear of the soldiers coming in to discover them? replies, first, that they should do it as the Apostles did, by faith, and not by bribing them. For if faith could remove mountains, it would much more easily remove a soldier out of the way. But if they could not meet by day, they had the night sufficiently clear with the light of Christ to protect them. The same author tells the Heathen,' who maliciously objected to them the murdering of an infant in their assemblies, that they were often beset, they were often betrayed, they were daily seized in their meetings and congregations: but no one ever found them acting such a tragedy, no one ever made evidence of their being such bloody cyclops and sirens before a judge. Nay, they were sometimes barbarously murdered in their assemblies, whilst the laws forbad their meetings under the name of Hetæriæ, and denied them their Areæ, or places of worship, as unlawful cabals, where they met only to plot treason and rebellion against the government. Under which pretence, Lactantiuse and Eusebius* tell us, one of the heathen judges burnt a whole city of people in Phrygia, together with their church, where they were met together to worship God. And the laws forbidding their assemblies are mentioned both by Pliny and the Christian writers. So that in these times of difficulty the Christians could not meet for divine worship, but at the hazard of their lives: and yet they did not think this a sufficient excuse to forsake the assembling of themselves together, but met continually to solemnize the Lord's day in spite of all danger and opposition to the contrary. 1 Tertul. Apol. cap. vii. Quotidie obsidemur, quotidie prodimur, in ipsis plurimum cœtibus et congregationibus nostris opprimimur. Quis unquam taliter vagienti infanti supervenit? quis cruenta, ut invenerat, cyclopum et sirenum ora judici reseravit? 2 Lact. lib. v. cap. 11. Aliqui ad occidendum præcipites extiterunt, sicut unus in Phrygia, qui universum populum cum ipso pariter conventiculo concremavit. 8 Euseb. lib. viii. cap. Plin. Ep. xcvii. lib. 10. Tertul. ad Scapul. cap. iii. Euseb. 11. lib. ix. cap. 2. D2 SECT. 9.-Thirdly, from their studious Observation of the Vigils or nocturnal Assemblies preceding the Lord's day. A further instance of their zeal was shewn in the studious observation of the long vigils or nocturnal assemblies preceding the Lord's day. For though these were first begun in times of persecution, yet they continued them as an useful exercise of piety, when the persecutions were over: and the greatest personages did not refuse to frequent and encourage them, as Sidonius Apollinarius particularly notes of Theodorick king of theGoths,' that he usually came with a small guard to the morning or antelucan assemblies of his party (for he was by sect an Arian:) which he did to promote the cause of the Arians, who commonly vied in zeal with the Catholics in this service. And this made the Catholics, both clergy and laity, princes and people, express a more earnest concern for this particular way of introducing the great service of the Lord's day, as I have had occasion more fully to demonstrate in a former book. All that I shall remark further here is, that though this morning service was very long, (for it commonly continued in psalmody, hymns and prayers from midnight till break of day), yet it was generally attended with great alacrity and assiduity by men of all ranks, who voluntarily resorted to it without any necessity or compulsion laid upon them. And this was another instance of their great zeal in the religious observation of the Lord's day. SECT. 10.-Fourthly, From their Attendance upon Sermons in many Places twice on this Day. It is worth our remarking also, that in many places, especially in cities and churches of greater note, they had usually sermons twice on this day, and men resorted with diligence to the evening as well the morning sermon. St.3 Chrysostom sometimes commends the people of Antioch Sidon. lib. i. Ep. ii. Book xiii. chap. ix. sect. 4. and chap. x. sect. 12, &c. 8 Chrys. Hom. x. ad Pop. Antioch. tit. i. p. 132. |