Puritans Using Rods in Worship

[Reformed Roman]

I had a hard time staying awake for awhile. I take muscle relaxers for headaches. When I have an awful headache I take one, and if I haven't taken a muscle relaxer in awhile it really knocks me out all day.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

So a common story you hear is that Puritans used to have deacons with rods going around poking/thwacking people to keep them awake during their services. Any truth to this story?

You should hear the stories I have heard about Puritan couples courting each other. Sown nap sacks, Listen tubes, and all.

 

[Don Kistler]

It is true that they did this, and they saw it as evangelistic. If faith comes by hearing, and a person is asleep, they can't be hearing. So there were men with long poles and a small ball at the end so that they could reach people in the middle of the pews and tap them on the head to wake them up.

 

[earl40]

I think we've lost a lot as a society in general when we got rid of corporal methods to get people's attention.

That sorta scares me a bit when an ex-marine says that

My uncle says if one of our kids wants to join the marines we are to beat their head agaist a brick wall till they change their mind. He was at Iwo Jima and said he would never exchange his experience but that he never would want any of his children to experience such.

Salute to Rich.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

Former Marine.

 

[Unoriginalname]

I work nights so when I am coming off a night shift and going into service I usually tell the person next to me to give me an elbow to the ribs if I nod off. I sometimes find it hard going from being on my feet all night in the emergency department to sitting for the sermon

 

[Pergamum]

Sometimes if sleeping is a problem in church just the preacher needs to be beaten.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Sometimes if sleeping is a problem in church just the preacher needs to be beaten.

And other times perhaps the entire session.

 

[One Little Nail]

Sometimes if sleeping is a problem in church just the preacher needs to be beaten.

So your saying it's better to deal with the root rather than the fruit!

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

BTW, one of the most most funniest things that my kids speak about is when we visited Ruben's Zwartman's Church. Their pews are all wood and stretch the whole row. Samuel Rutherford fell asleep so hard the back of his head bounced off the back of the pew and made a loud bonk sound. His head had been bobbing a few before as I was watching. He was trying to stay awake. The sound was so loud everyone heard it. We just snickered inside at that moment and out loudly afterwards for years since. We still laugh about it. He was just a wee boy.

Randy, since you are Samuel Rutherford's father does that make you about 450 years old? I hope that I am as fresh when I reach your age. BTW, I hope Samuel was not reading Lex, Rex at the time.

 

[kvanlaan]

I have read this as well, but that it was the young bucks in the back row beaten by a deacon at the back of the church for sleeping and/or inattention, not that he was ranging about with snath and scythe like some sort of grim reaper...