was at the _ninth_ hour that "Peter and John went up together into the
temple", being "the hour of prayer". But though these were the more
remarkable seasons of devotion, there certainly were others besides
them in the first age of the church. After our Saviour's departure,
the Apostles, we are informed, "all _continued_ with one accord in
prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with His brethren": and with this accords the repealed exhortation
to pray together without ceasing, which occurs in St. Paul's epistles.
It will be observed that he insists in one passage on prayer to the
abridgment of sleep (Eph. VI, 18); and one recorded passage of his
life exemplifies his precept: "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed,
and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them".

In subsequent times the Hours of prayer were gradually developed from
the three, or (with midnight) the four seasons above enumerated, to
seven, viz. by the addition of Prime (the first hour), Vespers (the
evening), and Compline (bedtime); according to the words of the
Psalm, "Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous
judgment. Other pious and instructive reasons existed, or have since
been perceived for this number".[46] Thus far our Protestant author,
with whose remarks we are too well pleased to go out of our way to
dispute with him the truth of some other portions of his tract, which
are objectionable.

[Sidenote: Performed by the early Christians.]

That the early Christians continued after the time of the apostles to
observe the hours of prayer above enumerated is proved by Martene (De
Ant. Eccl. Rit. T. 3) who has collected many decisive passages from
the Greek and Latin Fathers. We shall content ourselves with one taken