ART. XXIV. ARTICLE XXIV. Of speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the This Article, though upon the matter very near the same, yet It is most fit, and most agreeable to the Word of God, that nothing be read or rehearsed in the Congregation in a Tongue not known unto the People; which St. Paul hath forbidden to be done, unless some be present to interpret. In king Edward's Articles they took in preaching with prayer, but in the present Article this is restrained to prayer. The former only affirms the use of a known tongue to be most fit and agreeable to the word of God; the latter denies the worship in an unknown tongue to be lawful, and affirms it to be repugnant to the word of God; to which it adds, and the custom of the primitive church. THIS Article seems to be founded on the law of nature. The worship of God is a chain of acts by which we acknowledge God's attributes, rejoice in his goodness, and lay claim to his mercies. In all which the more we raise our thoughts, the more seriousness, earnestness, and affection that animates our mind, so much the more acceptably do we serve God, who is a spirit, and will be worshipped in 'spirit and in truth.' John iv. All the words used in devotion are intended to raise in us 23, 24. the thoughts that naturally belong to such words. And the various acts, which are as it were the breaks in the service, are intended as rests to our minds, to keep us the longer without weariness and wandering in those exercises. One great end of continuance in worship is, that, by the frequent repeating and often going over of the same things, they may come to be deeply rooted in our thoughts. The chief effect that the worship of God has by its own efficiency, is the infixing those things, about which the branches of it are employed, the deeper on our minds; upon which God gives his blessing as we grow to be prepared for it, or capable of it. Now all this is lost, if the worship of God is a thread of such 8. ART. sounds, as makes the person who officiates a barbarian to the XXIV. rest. They have nothing but noise and show to amuse them, which how much soever they may strike upon and entertain the senses, yet they cannot affect the heart, nor excite the mind: so that the natural effect of such a way of worship is to make religion a pageantry, and the public service of God an opera. 6 If from plain sense, and the natural consequences of things, we carry on this argument to the scriptures, we find the whole practice of the Old Testament was to worship God, not only in a tongue that was understood, for it may be said there was no occasion then to use any other; but that the expressions used in the prayers and psalms that we find in the Old Testament, shew they were intended to affect those who were to use them; and if that is acknowledged, then it will clearly follow that all ought to understand them; for who can be affected with that which he does not understand? So this shews that the end of public devotion is the exciting and inflaming those who bear a share in it. When Ezra and Nehemiah were instructing the people out of the law, they took care to Neh. viii. have it read distinctly, one giving the sense of it.' After they were long in captivity, though it had not worn out quite the knowledge of the Hebrew, yet the Chaldee was more familiar to them, so a paraphrase was made of the Hebrew into that language, though it was rather a different dialect than another language; and by the forms of their prayers, we see Neh. ix.5. that one cried with a loud voice, 'Stand up, and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever;' which shews that all did understand the service. When the Syriac tongue became more familiar to them, the Jews had their prayers in Syriac; and they did read the law in their synagogues in Greek, when that language was more familiar to them; when they read the law in Greek, we have reason to believe that they prayed likewise in it. In the New Testament, we see the gift of tongues was granted to enable the apostles, and others, to go every where preaching the gospel, and performing holy functions in such a language as might be understood: the world was amazed when every man heard them speak in his own language. One of the general rules given by St. Paul, with relation to the worship of God, is, 'Let every thing be done to edification.' Since then the speaking either to God in the name of the people, or to the people in the name of God, in an unknown tongue, can edify no person; then by this rule it is to be understood to be forbidden. When some who had the gift of tongues did indiscreetly shew it in the church of Corinth, St. Paul was so offended at that, and thought it would appear to the world so undecent, as well as unfruitful, that he bestows a whole chapter upon it; and though a great part of the discourse is against the pretending to teach the XXIV. people in an unknown tongue, which yet is not near so bad ART. as the reading the word of God to them in a tongue not understood by them, it being much more important that the people should understand the words of the living God than the expositions of men; yet there are many passages in that chapter that belong to prayer: the reason of the thing is common to both, since, unless the words were understood, they who uttered them spoke only to the air; and how should it be known what was spoken? For if the meaning of the voice was not know, they would be barbarians to one another. As to prayer, he says, 'If I pray in an unknown tongue, my 1 Cor. xiv. spirit (that is, the inspiration or gift that is in me) prayeth; 14. but my understanding (that is, my rational powers) is unfruitful; and therefore he concludes that he will both pray Ver. 15. and give thanks with the spirit, and with the understanding also; he will do it in such a manner, that the inspiration with which he was acted and his rational powers should join together. The reason given for this seems evident enough to determine the whole matter: Else when thou shalt bless Ver. 16, with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.' In which words it is plain that the people, even the most unlearned among them, were to join in the prayers and praises, and to testify that by saying Amen at the conclusion of them; and in order to their doing this as became reasonable creatures, it was necessary that they should understand what that was which they were to confirm by their Amen. It is also evident that St. Paul judged, that the people ought to be edified by all that was said in the church; and so he says a little after this, 'Let all things be done to edifying.' After such plain authorities from scripture, supporting that which seems to be founded on the light of nature, we need go no further to prove that which is mainly designed by this Article. 17. The custom of the primitive church is no less clear in this point. As the Christian religion was spread to different nations, so they all worshipped God in their own tongue. The Syriac, the Greek, and the Latin, were indeed of that extent, that we have no particular history of any churches that lay beyond the compass of those languages; but there was the same reason for putting the worship of God in other languages, that there was for these: that which is drawn from the three languages, in which the title on our Saviour's cross was written, is too trifling a thing to deserve an answer; as if a humour of Pilate's were to be considered as a prophetical warrant, what he did being only designed to make that title to be understood by all who were then at Jerusalem. There are very Cont. Cel large passages both in Origen and St. Basil, which mention sum, l. 8. every tongue's praising of God; and that the gospel being P. 402. XXIV. epist. ad clericos rien. Johan. 8. Ep. 247. Concil. tom.9. ART. spread to many nations, he was in every nation praised in the language of that nation. This continued so long to be the practice even of the Latin church,* that in the ninth century, when the Slavons were converted, it was considered at Rome Næocesa- by pope John VIII. in what language they should be allowed to worship God. And, as it is pretended, a voice was heard, Let every tongue confess to God; upon which that pope wrote both to the prince and to the bishop of the Slavons, allowing them to have their public service in their own tongue. But in the other parts of the western church, the Latin tongue continued to be so universally understood by almost all sorts of people, till the tenth or eleventh century, that there was no occasion for changing it; and by that time the clergy were affecting to keep the people in ignorance, and in a blind dependance upon themselves; and so were willing to make them think that the whole business of reconciling the people to God lay upon them, and that they were to do it for them. A great part of the service of the mass was said so low, that even they who understood some Latin could not be the better for it, in an age in which there was no printing, and so few copies were to be had of the public offices. The scriptures were likewise kept from the people, and the service of God was filled with many rites, in all which the clergy seemed to design to make the people believe that these were sacred charms, of which they only had the secret. So that all the edification which was to be had in the public worship was turned to pomp and show, for the diversion and entertainment of the spectators. Con. Trid. In defence of this worship in an unknown tongue, the main argument that is brought is the authority and infallibility of the church, which has appointed it; and since she ought to be supposed not to have erred, therefore this must be believed to be lawful. We are not much moved with this, especially with the authority of the later ages; so the other arguments must be considered, which indeed can scarce be called arguments. The modern tongues change so fast, that they say, if the worship were in them, it must either be often changed, or * That such was the practice of the Latin church even in the thirteenth century appears from the following decree of the fourth Lateran council, held under pope Innocent III., A.D. 1215. '4th Lateran, Innocent III., 1215. Can. ix. p. 161, Labb. vol. xI. 'Quoniam in plerisque partibus intra eandem civitatem atque diœcesim permixti sunt populi diversarum linguarum, habentes sub una fide varios ritus et mores: districte præcipimus, ut pontifices hujusmodi civitatum sive dioecesim provideant viros idoneos, qui secundum diversitates rituum et linguarum Divina officia illis celebrent, et ecclesiastica sacramenta ministrent, instruendo eis verbo pariter et exemplo.'-De diversis ritibus in eadem fide. With this the following canon of the council of Trent affords a curious contrast: 'Si quis dixerit ecclesiæ Romanæ ritum, quo summissa voce pars canonis, et verba consecrationis proferuntur, damnandum esse; aut lingua tantum vulgari missarn celebrari debere: aut aquam non miscendam esse vino in calice offerendo, eo quod sit contra Christi institutionem: anathema sit.'-[ Ed.] the phrases would grow old, and sound harshly. A few alter- ART. ations once in an age will set this matter right; besides, that XXIV. the use of such forms does fix a language, at least as to those phrases that are used in it, which grow to be so familiar to our ears by constant use, that they do not so easily wear out. It is above eighty years since the present translation of the Bible was made, and above one hundred and forty since our Liturgy was compiled, and yet we perceive no uncouthness. in the phrases. The simplicity, in which such forms must be drawn, makes them not so subject to alteration as other composures, of rhetoric or poetry; but can it be thought any inconveniency now and then to alter a little the words or phrases of our service? Much less can that be thought of weight enough to balance the vaster prejudice of keeping whole nations in ignorance, and of extinguishing devotion by entertaining it with a form of worship that is not understood. Nor can this be avoided by saying, that the people are furnished with forms in their own language, into which the greatest part of the public offices are translated: for as this is not done but since the Reformation began, and in those nations only where the scandal that is given by an unknown language might have, as they apprehend, ill effects; so it is only an artifice to keep those still in their communion, whom such a gross practice, if not thus disguised, might otherwise drive from them. But still the public worship has no edification in it; nor can those who do not understand it say Amen, according to St. Paul. Finally, they urge the communion of saints, in order to which they think it is necessary that priests, wheresoever they go, may be able to officiate, which they cannot do if every nation worships God in its own language. And this was indeed very necessary in those ages in which the see of Rome did by provisions, and the other inventions of the canonists, dispose of the best benefices to their own creatures and servants. That trade would have been spoiled, if strangers might not have been admitted till they had learned the language of the country; and thus, instead of taking care of the people that ought to be edified by the public worship, provision was made at their cost for such vagrant priests as have been in all ages the scandals of the church, and the reproaches of religion. |