An ecclesiastical dictionary : containing definitions of terms and explanations and illustrations of subjects pertaining to the history, ritual, discipline, worship, ceremonies, and usages of the Christian church : with brief notices of ancient and modern sects, and biographical sketches of the early fathers and writers of the church / by William Staunton.

  • William Staunton
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An ecclesiastical dictionary : containing definitions of terms and explanations and illustrations of subjects pertaining to the history, ritual, discipline, worship, ceremonies, and usages of the Christian church : with brief notices of ancient and modern sects, and biographical sketches of the early fathers and writers of the church / by William Staunton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    elevated morality, their valuable historic matter, and their eegance of style, are little known to the general reader; and instead of their being mistaken for the word of God, the mass of Christians are generally more ignorant of them than of the writings of heathen antiquity. But there is a still graver charge against the Church, viz., the appointing of portions of these books to be read in her public services. In the Church of England a much larger part of the Apocrypha is read than in the Amer- ican Church. In the table of Sunday Lessons, the inspired books alone are set forth. In the Oflertory, three verses from Tobit are introduced, but even these are not obligatory, though containing nothing but sound exhor- tation and doctrine. The Benedicite (after the Te Deum) is also left to the discretion of the minister. On several of the holydays, lessons are appointed to be read from Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus. These are selected with great judgment, and contain nothing repugnant to the word of God, but very much to illustrate and enforce it. The ground on which the Church rests this practice, is that of primitive and universal custom. The place she assigns the Apocrypha, and all the benefits she expects from its use, may be learned from her 6th Article. ‘ The other books (as Hierome saith), the Church doth read for example of life, and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to estab- lish any doctrine.’ This is certainly a very moderate statement, scarcely amounting to the claim the Church makes for her own Homilies. In the introduction to the English Prayer-book, it is also said, ‘ Nothing is ordained to be read [in public service] but the very pure word of God, the Holy Scripture, or that which is agreeable to the same,' evidently alluding to the selections from the Apocrypha. After this plain expression of the opinion of the Church, we have only to remark: 1. That these readings do not operate to exclude the use of the pure word of God. The second lesson on holydays is invariably from the Canonical Scriptures; and even if it were not so, the Church service is so abundantly furnished with Scripture and scriptural instruction, that the depriving of the people of the bread of life must ever be among the last things a Church- man need fear. 2. The bare announcing of a lesson from the Apocrypha is sufficient to guard every man from the danger of mistaking it for the Holy Scripture. No one ever mistakes the Te Deum or the Benedicite for the word of God; neither is there a greater liability to err in respect to the Apocryphal lessons. 3. It is lawful and customary to introduce human compositions into the worship of God. The appointed portions of the Apocrypha stand on much the same authority with the Confessions, Exhortations, Collects, Hymns, etc., which make up a large part of the public service. Ail these are set