PRAYER BOOK.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19137, 21 October 1927, Page 15

PRAYER BOOK.

ARCHBISHOP AVERILL'S ADDRESS. APPEAL FOR FAIR PLY. [THE PRESS Speciil Service.] AUCKLAND, October 20. "Undoubtedly there is an appeal running through the whole of the revised Prayer Book for fair play on the part of both clergy and laity and for loyaltv to the authority of the Bishop," said his Grace Archbishop Averill at the meeting of the Synod to-day. "In view ol that appeal, I would venture to sav that there is no justification whatsoever for forcing unacceptable ceremonial upon an unwilling congregation and

that it is the bounden duty of a parish priest, more particularly in the country districts where parishioners have no choice as to which church they will attend, to remember that he is entrusted with the souls of all his parishioners and not merely of a little handful who may see eye to eye with himself. It is only by love, forbearance, and self-sacri-fice that the Church in England or in New Zealand can seize its great opportunities and be a real instrument in revealing and extending the Kingdom of God, and I am fully convinced that there is a wonderful future for the Church 'in New Zealand if she does not cast it away by wilfulness, self-pleasing, want of unity, and absorption in details instead of essentials.

"May God give to us vision and will to translate the vision into action so that in all. our deliberations and decisions His holy will may be done. It must be remembered," further pointed out Dr. Averill, "that the revised Pra} Ter Book, even if it is accepted by the British Parliament and receives the Boyal assent will have no authority in Now Zealand, and cannot bo substituted for the present Prayer Book unless the General Synod so orders. "In view of the possibility of General Synod at some future time accepting tho composite book, or the revised Prayer Book, or some other revision of the Prayer Book, is it not desirable that we should endeavour to cultivate a more open mind and charitable disposition towards ceremonial details and non-es-sentials in the expression of worship? Absurd Party Labels. "It is to my mind absurd and wanting in true perspective to put any party labels upon the use of two lights (as sanctioned by the Lincoln judgment in 1889), on the Holy Table, the particular vesture of the priest whilst celebrating the Holy, mysteries, the particular kind of bread used and the inclusion in the intercession of prayers for the faithful departed. There is nothing disloyal to Holy* Scripture, to the teaching of the Church of England, to Anglican tradition or real Reformation principles in these primitive customs and uses, even if we may not personally like or value them ourselves."

In dealing with the proposed revisions in detail, his Grace said it was quite obvious that the great bulk of the church people in England have welcomed the tremendous efforts of the Bishops in producing the revised Prayer Book and fully realise that they have succeeded beyond expectation in making a re-, vision which, by its dignity and purity of language, its wealth of liturgical knowledge, its reasonable liberty and elasticity, its careful balance of what is really evangelical and really ca olic and its evident. intention to express truth without fear or favour, would be worthy of. the great historic Church which, for centuries, had done so much for the spiritual welfare of England and the ideals and unity of the Empire. Unless they were very short-sighted and prejudiced and had not carefully considered the nature of the alterations permitted they must realise that the old Prayer Book which they loved had not Jieen overthrown or displaced but enriched and enlarged, and that even the changes made in services could only be used al the will of the laity. It could hardly be supposed that tho present composite book was intended to be perman* ent but was rather in the nature of an '' eirenicon'» to meet the • present distress and to unite, if possible, conflicting demands. The opposition to the revised Prayer Book arose partly from misunderstanding, partly from prejudice, and partly from ultra conservatism, and one could not but sympathise to some extent with the opposition. The opposition to changes and the ultra conservatism of many good and devout people were not overlooked by the Bishops in their revision, and that fact should be recognised by those who suspected the permissions granted in the alternative services.