What was Merchant's Lecture in Broad Street, London

Hello,

Happy new year Smile

I don't know where else to ask. Does anybody know what was Merchant's Lecture in Broad Street, London?

Was it a lecture hall? Was it an amphitheater?, Was it a series of conferences?

I'm reading many puritan books from the 17th, that are transcripts of sermons preached at that - place?, meeting?, conference?, gathering? - by puritan preachers.

This is all what I have been able to find on the internet:

Merchants Lecture

A lecture originally set up at Pinner's Hall in 1672 by the Presbyterians and Independents to defend the doctrines of the Reformation against popery and Socinianism. Some misunderstanding occurring, the Presbyterians removed to Salter's Hall.

Any idea?

Best regards.

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HJ. van der Wal

Shalom Edil,

May the Lord bless you in 2020.

A lecture originally set up at Pinner's Hall in 1672 by the Presbyterians and Independents to defend the doctrines of the Reformation against popery and Socinianism. Some misunderstanding occurring, the Presbyterians removed to Salter's Hall.

The information you found on the internet is from the Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. In the Logos edition of this work the lemma on "Merchant's Lecture" contains a link to the lemma "Lecture":

[quote]

Lecturers, an order of preachers in the Church of England, distinct from the incumbent or curate, usually chosen by the vestry or chief inhabitants of the parish, and supported either by voluntary contributions or legacies. They preach on the Sunday afternoon or evening, and in some instances on a stated day in the week. The lecturers are generally appointed without any interposition of the incumbent, though his consent, as possessor of the freehold of the Church, is necessary before any lecturer can officiate: when such consent has been obtained (but not before), the bishop, if he approve of the nominee, licenses him to the lecture. Where there are lectures founded by the donations of pious persons, the lecturers are appointed by the founders, without any interposition or consent of the rectors of the churches, though with the leave and approbation of the bishop, and after the candidate’s subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles and the Act of Uniformity, such as that of lady Moyer at St. Paul’s, etc. When the office of lecturer first originated in the English Church it is difficult to determine. It is manifest from the statute (13 and 14 Car. II, c. 4, § 19), commonly known as the Act of Uniformity (1662), that the office was generally recognised in the second half of the 17th century. Even as early as 1589, however, an evening lecture on Fridays was endowed in the London parish of St. Michael Royal, and at about the same time three lecture-sermons were established in St. Michael’s, Cornhill—two on Sundays after evening prayers, and a third at the same time on Christmas day. During the Great Rebellion lecturers used their influence and opportunities for the overthrow of the State Church and the monarchy.—Eden, Theol. Dict. s. v.; Buck, Theol. Dict. s. v.; Eadie, Eccles. Dict. p. 371.

John M’Clintock and James Strong, “Lecturers,” Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1882), 318.

Edit: Links added to open the resource in Logos.

Edil

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1082523#Comment_1082523

HJ. Thank you very much for your message.

Sadly I don't have that resource and, yikes, it's too expensive for my budget, as usual.

So... then... Merchant's Lecture was a... place where members of an order of preachers called "Lecturers" gave lectures but it was not a church, is that right? It was what? A building with an amphitheater? A square?

I still don't understand [:(]

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MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1082544#Comment_1082544

The location is not what mattered as it changed at least once. Merchant's Lecture was a regular giving of sermons sponsored by merchants. Think of the named lecture series given annually at universities except this went year around.

Scott E. Mahle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1082544#Comment_1082544

So... then... Merchant's Lecture was a... place where members of an order of preachers called "Lecturers" gave lectures but it was not a church, is that right? It was what? A building with an amphitheater? A square?

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Hello, Edil!

Pinners' Hall, where the Lectures originally occurred, was a Hall:

hall (hɔːl) n 1 a room serving as an entry area within a house or building 2 sometimes capital a building for public meetings 3 often capital the great house of an estate; manor 4 a large building or room used for assemblies, worship, concerts, dances, etc

(2006). Collins English dictionary. (8th ed., Complete & unabridged ed.). Glasgow: HarperCollins.

The chapel in Mark Lane having become dilapidated, Watts’s congregation removed in June, 1704, to Pinners’ Hall, Old Broad Street. Pinners’ Hall, which adjoined Winchester House, the mansion of the Paulets, Marquises of Winchester, was erected by the Pinmakers’ or Pinners’ Company in 1636, upon land obtained on lease from Sir Christopher Clitherow, who the previous year had been Lord Mayor of London. The guild having languished, they about 1662 let the building to a Society of Independents. In 1672 was founded the famous Merchants’ Lecture, preached on a Tuesday morning by prominent Independent and Presbyterian divines, but in 1694 the Presbyterians who had discontinued taking part in it, established a lecture elsewhere. Pinners’ Hall was remodelled by the Independents in 1677, just before the pastorate of the Rev. Richard Wavel, and furnished with a peculiarly shaped roof and six galleries “or two tiers, one raised above the other.” As Mr. Wavel’s congregation occupied the chapel only on a Sunday morning, the building was let out for the afternoon to various other congregations. Dr. John Singleton’s people had it for some time, and at Midsummer, 1704, when Singleton’s church removed to Lorimers’ Hall, Watts’s congregation took their place.

Wright, T. (1914). Isaac Watts and Contemporary Hymn-Writers (Vol. 3, pp. 65–66). London: C. J. Farncombe & Sons.

PINNERS’ HALL, LONDON.

From a photograph supplied by Mr. W. A. Cater, F.R.Hist.S.

Here Isaac Watts preached from June, 1704, to October, 1708

Wright, T. (1914). Isaac Watts and Contemporary Hymn-Writers (Vol. 3, p. 80). London: C. J. Farncombe & Sons.

Edil

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1082596#Comment_1082596

MJ, Scott, That was awsome!!! Thanks!!!

I'm translating two books, and I needed to get the correct idea/concept to put it in my language.

You too Mr. HJ

Now I know what to do.

Excellent!!!