Ratio disciplinae fratrum Nov-Anglorum. A faithful account of the discipline professed and practised; in…

The Length of a Sermon among them, is very much like the Length of […] Tractate among the Ancients. Jerome admonished Austin, That he should not be too long least the Sermon being too long dra•n ••t, should not be well comprehended. Gregory Nazianzen remarked 'That Satiety in a Sermon was no less an Enemy to the Ear, than too much meat to the Body. Basil would therefore End his Morning Sermon the sooner, least he should make his Hearers dull against the Evening Assembly. And Chrysostom compared the People to Infants, which were to have their Meat by little and little instilled into them; for which Cause, he says, Care was taken that the Teachers should neither weary themselves, nor the Hearers, with a Multitude of Words. Accordingly they generally limited themselves unto about an Hour. Wherefore both Basil and Austin we find sometimes declining to speak, What they could not finish in the space of an Hour. And Chrysostom reproved those who thought much to give unto the Lord, One or Two Hours, out of an Hundred ⟨p. 58⟩and Sixty Eight, of which a Week is composed. Nevertheless they did not so limit themselves unto an Hour, but that if they saw Occasion, they would enlarge beyond it, and plead (as Austin did) the Example of Paul Preaching till Midnight, for their Preaching a good way into the second Hour. Much hereabouts the Sermons of New-England.

The Length of a Sermon among them, is very much like the Length of 〈…〉 Tractate among the Ancients. Jerom admo••shed Austin, That he should not be too long least the Sermon being too long dra•n ••t, should not be well comprehended. Gregory Nazianzen remarked 'That Satiety in a Sermon was no less an Enemy to the Ear, than too much meat to the Body. Basil would therefore End his Morning Sermon the sooner, least he should make his Hearers dull against the Evening Assembly. And Chrysostom compared the People to Infants, which were to have their Meat by little and little instilled into them; for which Cause, he says, Care was taken that the Teachers should neither weary themselves, nor the Hearers, with a Multitude of Words. Accordingly they generally limited themselves unto about an Hour. Wherefore both Basil and Austin we find sometimes declining to speak, What they could not finish in the space of an Hour. And Chrysostom reproved those who thought much to give unto the Lord, One or Two Hours, out of an Hundred