A short prayer. In the liturgy of the church of England, and the mass of the Romanists, it denotes a prayer accommodated to any particular day, occasion, or the like. In general, all the prayers in each office are called collects, either because the priest speaks in the name of the whole assembly, whose sentiments and desires he sums up by the word "Oremus." "Let us pray, " or because those prayers are offered when the people are assembled together. The popes Gelasius and Gregory are said to have been the first who established collects. Dr. Despence, of Paris, wrote a treatise on collects, their origin antiquity, &c.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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