always usual in God's Church. For the first introduction of youth to the knowledge of God, the Jews even till this day have their Catechisms. With religion it fareth as with other sciences; the first delivery of the elements thereof must, for like consideration, be framed according to the weak and slender capacity of young beginners: unto which manner of teaching principles in Christianity, the Apostle in the sixth to the Hebrews is himself understood to allude. For this cause therefore, as the Decalogue of Moses summarily declareth those things which we ought to do, the prayer of our Lord whatsoever we should request or desire: so either by the Apostles, or at the least wise, out of their writings, we have the substance of Christian belief compendiously drawn, into few and short articles, to the end that the weakness of no man's wit might either hinder altogether the knowledge, or excuse the utter ignorance of needful things.

Such as were trained up in these rudiments, and were so made fit to be afterwards by bap

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tism, received into the Church, the Fathers do term hearers, as having no further communion or fellowship with the Church, than only this, that they were admitted to hear the principles of Christian faith made plain unto them.

Catechising may be in schools, it may be in private families; but when we make it a kind of preaching, we mean always the public performance thereof, in the open hearing of men : because things are preached, not in that they are taught, but in that they are published.

SECTION XI.

OF THE SECOND KIND OF PREACHING: i. e. PUBLIC READING OF SCRIPTURE.

MOSES and the Prophets, CHRIST and His Apostles, were in their times all preachers of God's truth; some by word, some by writing, some by both. This they did partly as faithful witnesses, making mere relation of what God Himself had revealed unto them; and partly,

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as careful expounders, teachers, persuaders thereof. The Church in like case preacheth still, first publishing by way of testimony or relation the truth which from them she hath received, even in such sort as it was received, written in the sacred volumes of Scripture; secondly, by way of explication, discovering the mysteries which lie hid therein. The Church as a witness preacheth His mere revealed truth by reading publicly the sacred Scripture ; so that a second kind of preaching is the reading of Holy Writ.

With us the reading of Scripture in the church is a part of our Church Liturgy, a special portion of the service which we do to God. Wherefore as the form of our public service is not voluntary, so neither are the parts thereof left uncertain, but they are all set down in such order, and with such choice, as hath in the wisdom of the Church seemed best to concur as well with the special occasions, as with the general purpose which we have to glorify God. With us there is never any time bestowed in Divine service without

the reading of a great part of the Holy Scripture, which we account a thing most necessary. We dare not admit any such form of Liturgy, as either appointeth no Scripture at all, or very little to be read in the Church.

But let us here consider, what the practice of our Fathers before us hath been, and how far forth the same may be followed. We find that in ancient times there was publicly read first the Scripture, as namely something out of the books of the Prophets of God which were of old; something out of the Apostles' writings, and lastly out of the holy Evangelists, some things which touched of the person of our LORD JESUS CHRIST Himself, The cause of their reading first the Old Testament, then the New, and always somewhat out of both, is most likely to have been that which Justin Martyr and St. Augustine observe in comparing the two Testaments. "The Apostles," saith the one," have taught us as themselves did learn, first the precepts of the law, and then the Gospel's. For what else is the Law, but the Gospel foreshewed? What other the

Gospel, than the Law fulfilled?" In like sort the other; "What the Old Testament hath the very same the New containeth; but that which lieth there as under a shadow, is here brought forth into the open sun. Things there prefigured are here performed." Again,

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In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New an open discovery of the Old." To be short, the method of their public readings either purposely did tend, or at the leastwise doth fitly serve. "That from smaller things, the minds of the hearers may go forward to the knowledge of greater, and by degrees climb up from the lowest to the highest things."

SECTION XII.

OF READING THE APOCRYPHA.

BESIDES the Scripture, the books which they called ecclesiastical, were thought not unworthy sometime to be brought into public