a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my paths." I know no other author beside St. Jerom, that mentions this, and as far as his authority will prevail, it may be credited, and no further. Dr. Cave judges,' it might not be much elder than his time; how ever it was, it is no argument to patronise the burning of lamps and wax candles, without the same reason, in churches at noon-day.

SECT. 12. Three or four Lessons sometimes read out of the Gospels on the same Day.

It is further observable, that in some Churches, upon some solemn occasions, they had three or four lessons read out of the Gospels on the same day. St. Austin says, he would have had four lessons read out of the four Gospels on the day of our Saviour's passion; but the people were disturbed at it, as what they had not been accustomed to, so he was forced to wave it. But the custom prevailed in the French Churches. For in the old Lectionarium Gallicanum, published by Mabillon, the lessons of several festivals are thus appointed: on the feast of Epiphany, there is one lesson out of St. Matthew ii. for morning service, and three more out of Matthew, Luke, and John, for the communion-service. So on the Parasceve, or day of our Saviour's passion, there is one lesson of the Gospel for morning service, another for the second, another for the third, another for the sixth, another for the ninth hours of prayer, collected out of the four. Gospels by way of harmony or catena. Whence we may observe, that the old Gallican Liturgy, from whence our English service is thought chiefly to be derived, and not from the Roman, by learned men,* had distinct offices for morning and communion-service, and distinct Gospels for each service on solemn days, as our's now has for all the festivals, which probably were designed at first for distinct offices, though they are now commonly read together in the greatest part of our Churches.

1 Cave Prim. Christ. lib. i. c. vii. p. 203. de Tempore. p. 320. 116, et 134.

2 Aug. Serm. 144.

3 Vid. Mabillon. de Liturg. Gallic. p. 4 Vid. Stillingfleet. Orig. Britan. chap. iv.

SECT. 13. Of longer and shorter Lessons, and their distinct Use,
according to Durantus.

There is another distinction made by some between the longer and shorter lessons. The longer lessons are said by Durantus to be used at the long nocturnal or Antelucan service,' and the lesser at the other canonical hours of prayer. So that this distinction could have no place till the canonical hours were settled in the Church. Which was not till the fourth or fifth century, as has been shewn in another place. Radulphus Tungrensis, whom Durantus cites, speaks somewhat of this distinction in his time, and says, the lesser sort of lessons were called vulgarly, Capitula, chapters, and designed for the praise of God. Which makes it more probable, that these lesser lessons were no other than the psalms, or antiphonal hymns collected out of the Psalms, for the service of the several hours of devotion. Which are expressly called" Capitella de Psalmis, chapters out of the Psalms," by the Council of Agde, and were the same as antiphonal hymns, collected out of the Psalms, and to be said alternately by way of responses. So that whatever may be said of the middle ages, there seems to be no ground for this distinction of greater and lesser lessons in the ancient service, save only as we take the reading of the Psalms for lessons of Scripture.

SECT. 14.-What might or might not be read by Way of Lessons in the Church.

It is true, indeed, St. Austin in one of his Homilies, which Mabillon and the Benedictins in their late edition ascribe to Cæsarius, bishop of Arles, speaks of longer and shorter lessons; but it is not in relation to the long morning service, and the shorter service of the canonical hours, but upon a

i

Durant. de Ritib. lib. iii. cap. xviii. n. 4, et 5. chap. ix. sect. 8.

and xiii.

? Book. xiii.

Radulph. de Canon. Observant. Propos. viii. Con. Agathen. can. xxx. In conclusione matutinarum vel vespertinarum et missarum, post hymnos capitella de Psalmis dici, &c. Aug. Hom. xxvi. ex 50. quæ est Hom. 300. in Appendice Edit. Benedictin.

ad

quite different occasion. For there it is supposed, that beside the lessons of Scripture, sometimes other lessons were out of the Homilies of the Fathers, or the Acts of the Martyrs, which because they were sometimes very prolix, an indulgence was therefore granted to infirm persons to sit dov to hear them read. And this leads us to a new observatio and further remark upon the ancient practice, that in some Churches at least other things were allowed to be read by way of lesson and instruction beside the canonical Scriptures, such as the Passions of the Martyrs on their proper festivals, and the Homilies of the Fathers, and the Epistles and Tracts of pious men, and the letters communicatory of one Church to another, with other things of the like nature. That the Passions of the Martyrs were sometimes read among the lessons in the Church, appears not only from the foresaid Homily of Cæsarius or St. Austin, but from a rule made in the third Council of Carthage,' which forbids all other books to be read in the Church, besides the canonical Scrip ́ture, except the Passions of the Martyrs on their anniversary-days of commemoration. Eusebius probably collected the Passions of the Martyrs for this very purpose; as Paulinus, bishop of Nola, did after him, which Johannes Diaconus says, were used to be read in the Churches. Thus Gelasius says,* the Acts of Pope Sylvester were read in many of the Roman Churches, though not in the Lateran, because they were apocryphal and written by an unknown author. And Mabillon' gives several other such instances out of Avitus and Ferreolus; and in the old Lectionarium Gallicanum, which he published, there are frequently lessons appointed out of St. Austin and others upon the festivals of St. Stephen and the Holy Innocents, and Julian the martyr, on Epiphany, and the festivals of St. Peter and St. Paul. Whence some learned men conjecture not improbably, that such sort of histories and Passions of the Martyrs had particularly the

Con. Carth. iii. can. 47. Liceat legi Passiones Martyrum cum anniversarii eorum dies celebrantur. 2 Euseb. lib. v. cap. 4. speaks of these Cellections. 8 Joan. Diac. Præfat. ad Vit. Gregor. Magui. 5 Mabil. de

* Gelas. Decret. ap. Crab. Con. tom. i. p. 992. Cursu Gallicano. p. 403, et 407.

tom. i. de Canon. Script. lib. i. cap. iv. n. i. p.

6 Vid. Chamier. Panstratia. 101.

name of Legenda, Legends: for though now that name be งา mmonly taken in a worse sense, for a fabulous history, 'because many lives of saints and martyrs were written by the monks of later ages in a mere fabulous and romantic way, yet anciently it had a good signification, and in its original use denoted only such acts and monuments of the martyrs as were allowed by authority to be read in the Church. The curious reader may find frequent references made by St, Austin in his Homilies' to such lessons read out of the Passions of the Martyrs on their anniversary-days in the Church, as also in the Homilies of Pope Leo and others, which it is needless to recite in this place.

But besides the Passions of the Martyrs and Homilies relating to them, there were also many other pious books read by way of moral exhortation in many Churches. Thus Eusebius says, the book called Hermes Pastor, was anciently read in the Church. He says the same of Clemens Romanus's first Epistle to the Corinthians, that it was read in many churches, both in his own time, and the ages before him. And Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, says, they read not only that Epistle of Clemens, but another written by Soter, bishop of Rome, which they would always continue to read. Sozomen says, the book called the Revelations of Peter, was read once a year on Good Friday, in many of the Churches of Palestine. Athanasius testifies the same of the book called Διδαχὴ Αποτόλων, the doctrine of the Apostles. And St. Jerom says, the Homilies of Ephrem Syrus were in such honour as to be read in the Church after the reading of the Scriptures. St. Austin assures us," that the Acts of the Collation of Carthage, were read always in the Church in Lent. And in one of his Epistles1o he desires of Marcel

8

1 Vid. Aug. Serm. xii. de Sanctis. p. 408. Serm. 45. de Diversis. p. 508. Item. Serm. 63. p. 553. Serm. 93. p. 564. Serm. 101, 103. 105, 109. de Diversis. 2 Leo. Serm. de Maccabæis. cap. 3. Hieron. de Scriptor. cap. x.

Ap. Euseb. lib. `iv. cap. 23. Athan. Ep. ad Ruffin. tom. ii. p. 39. cap. 115.

8Euseb. lib. iii. Euseb. lib. iii. cap. 16.

6 Sozom. lib. vii. cap. 19.

8 Hieron. de Scriptor.

9 Aug. de Gestis cum Emerito. tom. vii. p. 215. 10 Aug. Ep. 158. Gesta, quæ promisit præstantia tua, vehementer expecto, et in Ecclesia Bipponensi jam jam cupio recitari, ac si fieri potest. per omnes Ecclesias etiam in nostrâ diocesi constitutas.

VOL. V.

F

linus Comes," that the Acts of the Trial of the Donatists, who were convict of the murder of the Catholics, might be sent him, to be read in all the Churches of his diocese." And it is remarkable, that in the accounts we have of the burning of the Bible in the Diocletian persecution, there is sometimes mention' made of burning the salutary or communicatory letters, which were sent from one Church to another. St. Austin adds further," that when any one received a signal mercy from God, the relation of it was many times read publicly in the Church." Of which he gives several instances in his own and other Churches of Afric. And St. Chrysostom says, sometimes the Emperor's letters were read in the Church, and heard with great attention, which he urges as an argument, why men should hear with reverence the writings of the Prophets, because they come from God, and their epistles are from heaven. Such circular epistles also as were sent from one Church to another, to notify the time of keeping Easter, which were called Heortastical or Festival Epistles, were generally published in their Churches. But these I mention not as lessons, but only hint the custom incidentally, corresponding to that of our reading briefs for charity, or the circular letters of bishops, or notifying holidays or banns of marriage, or things of the like kind relating to the public.

SECT. 15.-Those, which we now call Apocryphal Books, were anciently read in some Churches, but not in all.

As to those Books, which we now call Apocryphal, they were read in some Churches, but not in all. For in the Church of Jerusalem they were utterly forbidden, as appears plainly from Cyril's Catechisms, where he directs the catechumens to read no apocryphal books, but only such books, as were securely read in the Church: and then he specifies

'Gesta Purgationis Felicis et Cæciliani. ad calcem Optati. p. 276. Inde cathedram tulimus, et epistolas salutatorias, et ostia omnia conburimus secundùm sacrum præceptum. 2 Aug. de Civ. Dei. lib. xxii. cap. viii. p. 1489. Libelli eorum, qui beneficia percipiunt, recitantur in populo, &c. Chrys. Hom. iii. in Thes. p. 1501. • Vid. Cyril. Catech. iv. n. xxii. p. 66, et 67.

Cassian. Collat. x. cap. 2.