64 CENTENNIAL HISTORY
the clergy. It often became the sexton's duty to step up to the sacred desk and turn the hour-glass, while the discourse still dragged its slow length along. A sermon of two hours' endurance was no rare thing, and the congregation-even the sleepy ones-looked upon it not as a trial, but as a privilege. It was customary, from the earliest times, to hold two public services, and to hear two sermons, each Lord's day. This custom seems to have been connected-in some places at least-with the fact that the early New England churches had as a rule two officers who preached-the "pastor" and the "teacher." In a book published in London in 1641-Lechford's "Plain Dealing"-we have a detailed account of the order of divine services in the Boston church at that early day, and we know that in New Haven and elsewhere a similar order was pursued. "Every Sabbath, or Lord's day, they came together by ringing of a bell, about nine of the clock or before." At Plymouth, New Haven and many other places, especially in times of war, it was at the beat of a drum. "Their pastor begins," says Lechford, "with solemn prayer, continuing about a quarter of an hour. The teacher then readeth and expoundeth a chapter. Then a psalm is sung, whichever one of the ruling elders dictates. After that the pastor preacheth a sermon, and sometimes ex tempore exhorts. Then the teacher concludes with prayer and a blessing. Once a month is a sacrament of the Lord's supper (whereof notice is usually given a fortnight before), and then all others departing except the church (which is a great deal less in number than those that go away), they receive the sacrament, the minister and ruling elders sitting at the table, the rest in their seats or upon forms." "About two in the afternoon," Lechford continues, "they repair to the meeting-house again, where the services are much the same as in the morning. After that ensues baptism (one of the parents being of the church, no sureties are required) ; which ended, the contribution follows." We read in Dr. Leonard Bacon's "Historical Discourses," that "after the contribution, if there were any