A discourse concerning liturgies

In a word, of the reading of every thing that was wont to be read; but of the reading of Prayers, not a syllable. We may as soon find a saying of Mass, as reading of Prayers. None had then the opportunity till since it has been the happiness of many to merit the commendation which Pliny gave of his Servant Zosimus, ep. 19. 15.

In a word, of the reading of every thing that was wont to be read; but of the reading of Prayers, not a syllable. We may as soon find a saying of Mass, as reading of Prayers. None had then the opportunity till since it has been the happyness of many to merit the commendation which Pliny gave of his Servant Zosimus, ep. 19. 15.

If their Prayers had been written, and they confined precisely to the words and syllables of the Writing, as in prescribed Forms, this would have obliged them to have had the Writing before them, and to have read the Prayers out of it, to prevent varying from the prescribed Model, since there had been as much necessity to read then, as there is now.

Besides, Reading and Praying are still represented as distinct things, and such as were not then coincident. The Deacon, when he called to Reading, was said, [Greek or Hebrew]; but when to Prayer, [Greek or Hebrew]. Prayer began in Justin Martyrs time [Greek or Hebrew], when the Reader had done, Apol. 2. So Athanasius calls to Praying and Reading in terms quite different; [Greek or Hebrew]. So Socrates, l. 2. c. 8. p. 545. which in Theodoret is, [Greek or Hebrew].¹ l. 2. c. 13. p. 63, 64. And Sozomen, where he shows there was an uniformity in his time ⟨p. 9⟩in public Worship; tells us, [Greek or Hebrew]. Vide Just. nov. 6. Soz. l. 7. c. 19. It cannot be found p. 36. c. 4. that the same Prayers or Psalms, yea or the same Readings were used by all at the same time.