Imatges de pàgina
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and never relates to more places than one, except the fubftantive to which it is joined be in the plural number, as Luke xiii. 22. Acts v. 15. viii. 1, 3. and xx. 20. or be connected with an adjective denoting univerfality, as Acts xv. 36. Accordingly Scaliger obferves, that in an old Roman infcription, ταμίαν τον κατα πολιν, does not fignify the treasurer of every town, or the treafurer from town to town, but the treasurer of the town, viz. Rome. To confirm these remarks, I might obferve, that neither the Arabic nor Syriac verfion renders xar'oixov from houfe to houfe, but only at home, or in a houfe.

The temple being a house of prayer for all nations, that part of worship the difciples were at liberty to perform there, and accordingly they continued daily with one accord in the temple. But they could not difpenfe the facrament there, without drawing upon themselves certain deftruction. They were therefore under a neceffity of holding private conventicles for that purpofe, in places where they might be in lefs danger of difturbance.

Both Jews and Profelytes were careful to provide a large upper room in their houses for religious exercises. What more probable, than that the primitive chriftians having performed their daily devotions in the temple, at the hour of prayer, fhould then repair to a large upper room to partake of the Lord's fupper, perhaps that very upper room in which our Lord inftituted the facrament, Mark xiv. 15, 22. and where the eleven continued, with Mary, in prayer and fupplication, Acts i. 13, 14 (t). This is the more likely

(t) Vide Jof. Mede, in Operibus, p. 322 Gregor. in Obfer. Sacr. cap. iii. & Perfonium in Lectionibus ad Actus Apoftolicos, p. 31.

from

from what we are told, Acts v. 42. Daily in the temple and in a house, (for so it should be rendered) they ceafed not to teach and preach Jefus Chrift. In the temple, to convert infidels; in the private house, to ftrengthen and confirm believers.

From this paffage, it is probable, that the church at Jerufalem received the Lord's Supper every Day.

10. The next paffage, to our purpose, is Acs xx. 7. And upon the firft day of the week, when the difciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, &c.

From this paffage it is plain, (1.) That it was the custom of the first chriftians to keep the Lord's day holy, or as a day appointed for religious worfhip, and accordingly to hold their public folemn affemblies on that day. St. Paul did not call them together as he did the elders of the church, ver. 17. but the difciples were themfelves ouvny evor, met in their affembly. The context informs, that Paul tarried at Troas feven days. Tho' he was hafting to Jerufalem, he did not, as he eafily might have done, fummon an extraordinary affembly on any of thefe days, but contented himfelf with more private labours; and chose rather to delay his journey till the return of the first day of the week, when he was fure of a full affembly of chriftians. (2.) The great defign of their meeting was to break bread, i. e. to celebrate the Lord's Supper. This was with them a conftant branch of the fanctification of the fabbath and perhaps their thus remembering the death of Chrift on that day, is none of the leaft causes of its being termed the Lord's day. It adds probability to this, that Chryfoftom (u) terms

:

(u) Chryfoft. Hom. v. de Refur.

the

the Sabbath the day of bread. Shall we then, on the Lord's day, omit an exercife from which it principally derives fo honourable a name?

§ 11. That in all church meetings the Lord's Supper was difpenfed, is further evident from I Cor. xi. 20, 21. The apoftle had faid a little before, that their meeting together was not for the better, but for the worse this he proves from their behaving themselves fo in these meetings, that they neither did nor could eat the Lord's Supper as became that holy inftitution. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper, i. e. it is not fo to do it as that facred action ought to be performed. Now, this argument evidently fuppofes, that whenever they affembled together, they came to eat the Lord's Supper; for otherwife their coming together, fo as not to eat the Lord's Supper, would be no proof that their coming together was for the worfe. Had the apoftle charged the Corinthians, as guilty in fome particular meetings in which the Lord's Supper was immediately concerned, we had then understood, that it was not a conftant exercife in their worshipping affemblies but on the contrary he charges them with profaning the Lord's fupper in all their meetings and what is termed coming together, ver. 17. coming to the church, ver. 18. coming to one place, ver. 19. is termed coming together to eat, ver. 33 (w.) Which fhews, that whenever the chri

(w) Coming together to eat is an expreffion as liable to be perverted by the Papifts, for excluding the laity from the cup, as Luke xxiv. 30. and A&ts ii. 42.

But none,

to ward off that filly argument, have ever faid that the paffage has no relation to the facrament. Why then need they fay fo in these other inftances?

ftians met together in one place for religious exercises, eating of bread was a part of their employment.

SECTION II.

WE have, in the preceding fection, demon

ftrated, from the facred oracles, that, in the days of the apostles, difpenfing the facrament was as ftated an exercise in the meetings of the faithful, as Prayer, hearing the word, or collecting for the supply of their needy brethren; and that accordingly in the church at Jerufalem, they had daily communions, and in every church communions at least once a week. Let us next view how this pattern has been regarded or flighted in after-ages, and with what fuccefs.

How the first ages of the church conducted themselves in this matter, is well known to all in the leaft converfant with church hiftory: fo that I need only refer fuch to a few of the many who have writ on this fubject (x), and fave myfelf the trouble of faying any thing about it. But, for the fake of my unlearned readers, I fhall give a fhort abridgment of what may be found more at large in these writers:

The practice of those who lived in the very infancy of the church, muft deserve peculiar regard. Their thorough acquaintance with the tile in which the New Teftament was writ, the

(x) Calvini Inft. lib. iv. cap. 17. § 44.-46. Buddei Init. Theol. Dogm. lib. v. cap. 1. § 19. Dr. Cave's primitive Christianity, Part I. cap. 11. Sir Peter King on the church, Part II. chap. 7. § 6. Waterland on the eucharist, chap. xiv.

customs

customs to which it alludes, and with many other pecularities which are now almoft buried in obfcurity; but especially their converfing with the apoftles, or their immediate difciples, must give them great advantages for understanding the religion of Jefus. And as many of them fealed their doctrine with their blood, we cannot reafonably entertain the least fufpicion, that they would dare knowingly to alter the leaft circumftance in the laft, the dying command of their dear master.

§ 2. Pliny, in his epiftle to the emperor Trajan (b), wrote about the year of Chrift 110, which was only fix years after the death of the evangelift St. John, acquaints the emperor, that he had found nothing to alledge against the chriftians, but their obftinacy in their fuperftition : and that it was their cuftom to meet together on a fet day before it was light, and to fing a hymn to Chrift as God, and to bind themselves by the facrament, that they would commit no wickednefs.

Juftin Martyr, who wrote, A. D. 155. is another witnefs (). On the day, fays he, that is called Sunday, all the chriftians meet together, because that is the day of our Saviour's refurrection, and then we have read to us the writings of the prophets and apoftles. This done, the prefident makes a speech, exhorting the people to practise what they have heard. Then we all join in prayer: then bread, wine, and water are brought forth, and the prefident having again

(b) Plin. ep. lib. 10. Ep. 97. Seque facramento obftringere, &c. (c) Juftin Martyr, Apol. ii. p. 98. τη δε του ήλιου λεγομενη ημέρα, δε

poured

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