and his Apofties, preach in thefe affemblies of theirs, for fear of provoking the people, who had a great relpect and veneration for them, and to reft fatisfied with hindering them, as much as poflible, from fpreading and publifhing their doctrine in other places. It is evident. from the New Teftament and ecclefiaftical biftory, that the fermons and difcourfes fpoken by the primitive Chriftians in their affemblies, were regulated much after the fame manner, as thofe that were delivered in the ancient fynagogue of the Jews. There were alto in every fynagogue feveral minifters, who had different employments affigned them: 1. One called fheliach zibbor, or the meffenger or angel of the fynagogue, standing before the ark or cheft wherein the fcriptures were kept, repeated the prayer cadifch before and after the reading of the law. This was to be a perfon very eminent for his learning and virtue. Sometimes indeed the chief ruler, or one of the elders of the fynagogue, repeated this prayer, but most commonly the heliach zibbor did it. And hence it is, that the bishops of the feven churches of Afia, are in the Revelations called the angels of thofe churches, because what the fheliach zibbor did in the fynagogue, that the bifhop did in the church of Christ. 2. Another officer, who was called the minifler of the fynagogue, from the pulpit gave the Levites notice when they were to found the trumpet (b). This minifter read fometimes the law; though at firit there was no particular person set apart for the doing it; for, excepting women, any one that was but qualified for it, and pitched upon by the ruler of the fynagogue, might do it. It is commonly fuppofed that the deacons, appointed among the primitive Chriflians, of whom mention is made in the epiftles of St. Paul, were in imitation of thefe minifters of the fynagogue. But it is to be obferved, that thefe deacons are very different from those of whom we have an account in the 6th chapter of the Acts, and which answered to the collectors of the alms, fpoken of before. Befides thefe two minifters, there was another of an inferior degree, called Chafan, that is, the guardian, or keeper. His bufinefs was to take the book of the law out of the cheft wherein it was kept; to give it the perfon that was appointed to read; to take it of him after he had done, and to lay it up in the cheft again. He was likewife to call out him that was pitched upon by the ruler of the fynagogue to read the lefon out of the law, or the prophets, to ftand by and overlook him whilst he did it, and to fet him right, when he read amifs. He blowed alfo the trumpet upon fome particular occafions, as to give notice of the fabbath, of the beginning of the new year, to publith an excommunication, and the like. minifter was moreover to let the people know when they fhould fay amen, after the prayer which the angel of the fynagogue repeated before and after the reading of the law. Laftly, his bulinefs was to take care of the fynagogue, to thut and open the doors of it, to fweep and keep it clean: he had the charge of the utenfils belonging to it, faflened the vail before the ark or cheft wherein the law was kept, and took it off, when there was occafion. This office was very much like that of a church-warden (or rather church-clerk) among us. (b) See above, p. 160, note (o). This Several Several learned men are of opinion, and it is indeed very probable, that the government and fervice in the Chriftian church were firft taken from thofe of the fynagogue. Several inftances of this agreement between them are to be met with in the New Teftament. But we must not expect to find an exact refemblance between them, either for want of ancient monuments, or because the fame officers both of the church and fynagogue, had more than one name, which often occafions a great deal of perplexity and obfcurity in these matters; or elfe, because they were confounded, when their offices or employments had any relation one to another. The times of the fynagogue fervice were three times a day; viz. in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night (c). But though this fervice was performed every day, yet there were three days in the week that were more folemn than the reft, and on which they thought themselves more indifpenfably obliged to appear in the fynagogue; namely, Mondays, Thurfdays, and Saturdays, the moft folemn of all. As more facrifices than ordinary were offered on the fabbath day, and other feftivals, they were wont to have prayers four times upon thofe days. We shall give an account only of the morning fervice of the fynagogue, without entering into the particulars of that which was performed in the evening; because they were both pretty much alike, and befides, the latter was attended with lefs folemnity than the former. Before the beginning of the public prayers by the angel of the fynagogue, the people repeated feveral private ones which were of a confiderable length. Thefe confifted of 19 prayers; the firft of which contained praifes to God; in the fecond, they confeffed their fins, and begged pardon for them; the third contained thanksgivings and petitions, for all the wants and neceflities of this life, as well fpiritual as temporal, &c. (d). Thefe nineteen prayers were not however faid all at length on the fabbath day, and other feftivals; and even on common days, feveral repeated only a fummary of them. When thefe prayers were ended, the minifter ftanding up, began the public prayers, the people likewife Standing and bowing the knee and body, (as did alfo the minifter,) from time to time, at the rehcarfing of fome particular paflages. They had alfo then their heads covered with a vail. Their fervice began and ended with the prayer Cadifch, which the Jews generally joined at the end of all their prayers; it was compefed in thefe terms, which come very near thofe of the Lord's Prayer: Hallowed be his great Name in the world, which he has created according to his good picafure, and may his Kingdom be established. May we behold his redemption fpring up and flourish. May his Meffiah fuddenly appear in our days, and in the days of all the house of Ifrael, to deliver his people. Prayers being ended, the minifter cr Chafun, before mentioned, took out of the cheft the book of the law; whereupon (c) In the morning, at the time of the morning facrifice, in the evening, at the time of the evening facrifice, and at the beginning of the night, because till then the evening facrifice was till left burning upon the altar. Dr. Prideaux Conn. P. I. B. VI. under the year 444. Sect. 3. concerning the time of the fynagogue fervice. (d) You may fee all thefe prayers at length in Dr. Prideaux, ubi fupra. whereupon the whole congregation fhouted, and expreffed a great deal of joy and fatisfaction. This book confifted of feveral large volumes, or rolls of velluin, ftitched or glued very neatly together, and faftened at one end to flicks very nicely turned (e). As the whole Pentateuch, that is, the five books of Mofes, could not poffibly be read over at once in one of their affemblies, the Jews divided it into feveral large fections, which they called Parafchahs; one of which being read every fabbath day, the whole Pentateuch was by this means read over once every year (ƒ), They began it on the fabbath next after the feast of tabernacles. It was divided into fifty-three or fifty-four fections (g), and each section was again fubdivided into feven parts for fo many readers. The book being opened, or rather unfolded, he that was to read, rehearsed some fhort prayers over it, which the people joined in, by way of refponfes. After which he that was appointed to read first, began the fection for that day. There were commonly feven readers each fabbath. Every Ifraelite had the privilege of reading, except women, flaves, and others that were deemed unfit for it. They commonly however pitched upon a Prieft, a Levite, a Doctor, or perfon of diftinction among the people, fooner than on any of the vulgar, who were not permitted to read till the others had done (b). When the laft reader had made an end of reading, he folded the book, and gave it the Chafan, or Minifter, who put it again into the cheft. After which followed fome thanksgiving or doxologies, which ended with the prayer Cadifch. The perfon that read, did it ftanding; but the audience either ftood up, or fat down, as they thought fit. After the reading of the law, followed that of the prophets, before (e) As all books formerly were. which "The whole (f) Their manner of reading the law, was as followeth. "law, or five books of Mofes, being divided into as many fections, or leffons, "as there are weeks in the year, (as hath been fhewn) on Monday they began "with that which was proper for that week, and read it half way through, "and on Thurfday proceeded to read the remainder; and on Saturday, which "was their folemn fabbath, they did read all over again, from the beginning "to the end of the faid leffon or fection; and this both morning and even"ing. On the week days they did read it only in the morning, but on the "fabbath they did read it in the evening, as well as in the morning, for the "fake of labourers and artificers, who could not leave their work to attend "the fynagogues on the weck days, that fo all might hear, twice every week, "the whole fection or leflon of that week read unto them. Dr. Prideaux, "Connect. P. I. B. VI. under the year 444. (g) The Jewifh year being lunar, they had near 54 weeks in it. Leuiden's Preface to his Hebrew Bible. Sect. 1. See (b) A Prieft was called out firit, and next a Levitz, if any of thefe orders were prefent in the congregation, and after that any other Ifraelite, till they made up in all the number of even. And hence it was anciently, that every fection of the law was divided into seven letter fections, for the fake of thefe feven readers. And in fome Hebrew bibles thefe leffer sections are marked in the margin; the first with the word Cheen, i. e. the Prieft; the fecond with the word Levi, i. e. the Levite; the third with the word Shelishi, i, e, the third, &c. Dr. Prideaux, ubi fupra. which they rehearfed fome paffage out of the writings of Mofes. On Mondays and Thursdays they read only the law, but on the fabbath, as alfo on faft days and feftivals, they read the prophets, and that in the morning only; for in the afternoon they conftantly read nothing else but the law. The Jews did not reckon among the prophetical writings the moral books of the holy fcripture, otherwife called the Hagiographa, as the book of Job, the Pfalms, Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, and the Song of Solomon; which were read in their fynagogues only upon particular occafions. Neither did they rank among the prophets, the books of Ruth, Hefter, Ezra, Nehemiah, nor even that of Daniel (i), though they read fome portions out of the four first on their folemn days. As for the Pfalms of David, the greatest part of the prayers and thankfgivings that were ufed in the fynagogue being taken from thence, they difpenfed with reading fome paflages extracted out of them. What they meant therefore by the prophets, was, the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles: Thefe they fuppofed to have been written by prophets, and gave them the name of the former prophets. 2. In the fecond clafs they placed Ifaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, with the twelve leffer prophets; all thefe they called the latter prophets. It is indeed amazing how Daniel came to be excluded from among the prophets, fince there is no one book more prophetical in the whole Bible. Perhaps because it was not read in the fynagogue, as being too hard to be underftood by the people, it came by that means infenfibly not to be placed among the prophets. However it be, by the law and the prophets, mentioned in the New Teftament (k), we are to understand the five books of Mofes, and the prophetical writings as here fet down, though the Pfalms feemed to be included in that divifion (/). The fame ceremonies before and after the reading of the prophets were ufed, as at the reading of the law, except that there were fome additional thanksgivings then repeated. The prophetical writings were not read over from one end to another; but fuch parts of them were picked out, as had a relation to what was read before out of the law. To read the prophets, there was a particular perfon appointed different from him that had read the law; and fometimes young men that were under age, were admitted to do it. After the Hebrew language ceafed to be the mother tongue of the Jews, the holy fcriptures were from that time forward interpreted in their fynagogues either in Greek or Chaldee; which afterwards gave rife to the Chaldee () And that for this reafon; becaufe, fays Maimonides, every thing that Daniel wrote, was not revealed to him when he was awake, and had the use of his reafon, but in the night only, and in obfcure dreams. Or, according to others, because he lived more like a courtier than a prophet. All thefe are certainly very infignificant arguments. (ẻ) Matth. v. 17. vii. 12. xi. 13. xxii. 49. Acts xxvi. 22. (1) Luke xxiv. 25, 27, 44. This laft verfe runs according to the Jewish divifion of the holy fcripture into three parts: All things must be fulfilled which are written in the law, and in the prophets, and in the pfalms, &c. Where by the pfalms is meant the third part called Hagiographa. Chaldee paraphrafes now extant (m). Some are of opinion, that this custom was established by Ezra; others, on the contrary, fix the beginning of it to the time of the Maccabees; which laft is the most probable This way of interpreting fcripture was performed in the following manner: The minifter, (or any other perfon that was appointed to read) read one verse in the original Hebrew, if it was out of the law; and three verfes together, when it was out of the prophets; then ftopt to let the interpreter fpeak; who standing near him, rendered the whole in the vulgar tongue (n). This interpreter was reckoned by the Jews lefs honourable than the reader, undoubtedly out of refpect to the original text. And even very young perfons were admitted to this office, where nothing was wanting but a good memory (o). Here we must obferve, that there were several places of fcripture which it was not lawful to interpret; as the inceft of Reuben (p), of Thamar (9), and Ammon, the bleffing which used to be given by the Priest (r); and the latter part of the history of the golden calf (s); which laft was omitted for fear of creating in the people an ill opinion of Aaron. And this no doubt was the reafon why Jofephus hath made no mention at all of the golden calf. St. Paul in his first epifle to the Corinthians (t), alludes to this cuftom of interpreting the feriptures in the fynagogue, as we have obferved on that place. The reading of the prophets, according to the Rabbins, was clofed with the Prieft's blefling; after which the congregation was dif mifled, unless fome body was to preach. The afternoon fervice confifted, 1. in finging the eighty-fourth pfalm from the fifth verfe to the end, and all the hundred and forty-fifth. During which the Sheliach Zibbor, or angel of the fynagogue, ftood up, while all the people fat down. 2. In rehearsing the prayer Cadifch. 3. In faying fit in a low voice, and afterwards aloud, one of the prayers that had been faid in the morning, with feveral other prayers and thanksgivings. 4. They concluded the fervice with the prayer Cadifch. The evening fervice was almost the fame. One of the principal ceremonies performed in the fynagogue was circumcifion; though it was alfo done fometimes in private houses. (m) Such are thofe of Onkelos, Jonathan, &c. (n) Dr. Prideaux gives us the lane account of this matter, ubi fupra. But according to Lamy, the reader foftly whifpered in the interpreter's ears, what he faid, and this interpreter repeated aloud what had been thus whispered to him. (e) Dr. Prideaux is not of the fame opinion,for, faith he, "learning "and fkill in both languages (Heb. and Chald.) being requifite, when they "found a man fit for that office, they retained him by a falary, and admitted "him as a standing minifter of the tynagogue." Ibid. (p) Gen. xxxv. 22. (2) xxxviii. 16 (7) Num. vi. 23 – 26. (t) 1 Cor. xiv. Of |