New Britain herald., 1922-05-16

Bible here in public, Dr. smalley may have done so from the first. but if not, he undoubtedly did at n later late, Bible reading in our now litur- | gical churches, without comment is n much more modern exercise than has generally been supposed, It Is true that for several years after the set t'ement of the colonies the Bible was read in the New England churches, but always With exposition, sometimes short and sorn etimes long, This "ex- ercise of the word" as it was called, sometimes occupied n full hour. They considered their comments as redeem ing the exercisf from the stiff ,nd
 heartless formalitrs of n said scrv-
 ce and rescued them from the offense If vHin "babbling" end dumb read
 ng." The pastor began the service with solemn prayer. The teacher
 hen read and eypounded chapter.
 This was not new with them; it was
 he way in which their fathers had
 gorshipped in the dreary years of cx-
 ''usion on the other side of the ocean,
 Isut after, about twenty years there
 'xpository readings were discontinued
 md for three quarters of century
 he Bible was not read in our church.
 Tn the early years of the eighteenth
 'entury a few Of the churches return
 d to the ancient practice Of Bible
 eading. often times without comment.
 Tho Hattie street church Of Boston,
 racticed reading in 1899 and vas
 aid to have stood alone in this re-
 pect. So far as con learn. the next
 'hurch to resume Bible reading was
 he Congregational church at Ches- lire, Conn. In January, 1724, it 'vot- d ye Holy Scriptures should be pub
 ickly read on ye Sabbath in Gods house as part of the publick wor- ihip." And then five persons dissent d them from that purpose. Rocky's History Of New Haven County, Vol. 1. ,03.) It Is stated in the reports of the Society for the Propagation Of he Gospel in foreign parts, that dur
 ng Solomon Palmer's Mission, 1754 to 1771, one of the dissenting 1 churches in Litchfeld County passed | ! similar vote. In Massa chusetta. the | church at Framingham passed such | l vote in 1792. Northf1eld in 1799D | while two of the churches at Salem | did not adopt the exercise until 1906. ]
 As for Mir. Crow. he gave foarse cry of rage, before he Tapped himself | away.
 The General Association of Con oecticut in 1765 earnestly recom mended the public reading of the scripture as part of the public wor ship in the churches l presume that Dr. Smalley complied with this and read the Bible in New Britain after that date. But The practice did not become universal lere for many years after l765. The I.itchfied County Consociation met on May. 10. 1S10, for the installation of Lyman Beecher and on the following |! day resolved That it is cxpedient that Il portion of the Holy Scriptures should be read every Sabbath in our practice of Bible reading was go grad lal that it extended over full cen- .ury and less than q century ago the Bible was not universally read in the churches of Connecticut.
 Those who may desire further in on the subject of Scrip .ure reading in the worship of the New England Churches" are referred o the excellent and exhaustive article oy A. H. Coolidge, in the New Eng and Magazine, Vol. XIX 677. l am to this article for many of he facts hereinbefore stated.