at were known as "hours of prayer." There were particular times
in the day, that is to say, which were held to be especially
appropriate for worship. "Peter and John went up together into
the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour." Again,
at Joppa, we find the former of these two apostles going up upon
the house-top to pray at "the sixth hour." Long before this David
had mentioned morning and evening and noon as fitting hours of
prayer, and one psalmist, in his enthusiasm, had even gone so far
as to declare seven times a day to be not too often for giving
God thanks. There was also the precedent of Daniel opening his
windows toward Jerusalem three times a day. As the love for order
and system grew year by year stronger in the Christian Church,
the laws that govern ritual would be likely to become more
stringent, and so very probably it came to pass. For aught we
know to the contrary, the observance of fixed hours of prayer
was a matter of voluntary action with the Christians of the first
age. There was, as we say, no "shall" about it. But when the
founders of the monastic orders came upon the scene a fixed rule
took the place of simple custom, and what had been optional
became mandatory. By the time we reach the mediaeval period
evolution has had its perfect work, and we find in existence
a scheme of daily service curiously and painfully elaborate.
The mediaeval theologians were very fond of classifying things
by sevens. In the symbolism of Holy Scripture seven appears as
the number of perfection, it being the aggregate of three, the
number of Deity, and four, the number of the earth. Accordingly
we find in the theology of those times seven sacraments, seven
deadly sins, seven contrary virtues, seven works of mercy, and
also seven hours of prayer. These seven hours were known as
Matins, Prime, Tierce, Sext, Nones, Vespers, and Complene. The
theory of the hours of prayer was that at each one of them a
special office of devotion was to be said. Beginning before
sunrise with matins there was to be daily a round of services at
stated intervals culminating at bedtime in that which, as its
name indicated, filled out the series, Complene. To what extent
this ideal scheme of devotion was ever carried out in practice it
is difficult positively to say.

Probably in the monastic and conventual life of the severer orders
there was an approximation to a punctual observance of the hours
as they successively arrived. P