"ANGLICAN RITUAL."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1006, 22 December 1910, Page 9

"ANGLICAN RITUAL."

• Shy-In your issue . of ■ December .12 . there appears a cablegram on some aciions' tliat the Bishop of Manchester is (akinj against Ritualism-.in the ■Church. Yoiy footuole puts it ns a "big task." barely... it-will bo conceded that tho said Bishop has tho courage of his convictions, and jf it is a "bif. task", I think ■.the';-Bishop o£ Manchester has inorc at his back than tho often quoted "Ornaments Rubric." This is tho shield that most of the High Church party uses to cover , these -, modern innovations into the Church. .1 think.it is .. time some of this party threw somo light 011 this ltubric" r its origin and history. "I find -from a book in my possession, that this "Rubric-"-docs not appear in the Second Prayer Book of Edward VI (1519), nor in 1552, and that it had 110 legitimate ■ authority, .to-'IOO2. ' Again, the. Church "Quarterly Review" for October, 18!)!), declares (alluding to a mistake made by -l)r. Sanday), that "The Times", had rightly -observed of . the "Rubric" of ; 1559 ..that, .as a matter of > fact, , the eariy Elizabethan Prayer Book was not" "annexed" to the Act of''-Uniformity; and tho "Ornaments Rubric" of the Prayer Book had no legitimate-,'authority, but .was:;a mere summary of tho. Act pre-fixed-by the printer, as a sort: of prefatory note." It was before our revisers

in- 1661, and adopted by them as we havo it now. J. .think', from tho above quotations it will bu seen that men liko the liishop ot Manchester have moro at • their back than the often-quoted decision ot the I'rivy Council. Again, you state that tho Royal Commission un Mcclesiastical Discipline practically ad- . mitted that the decision could not bu eni forced. 1 think this is stretching the . point, as the. commission, as i havo pointi ed out in previous letters, placed these j "Vestments" at til© head uf toe list oi . illegal practices. I might mention that • quite 1 recently the Bishop of Liverpool l lias made some changes as Dean oi' tho , new cathedral; one of these is, that the , candles will not bu lighted, except wheiu . necessary" for light. Also, quite recently tlto Archbishop of Dublin lias ' ordered i their, discontinuance. The clergyman . pleaded that they were necessary lor light; tho churchwardens undertook to . have additional light put in tho chancel. I .think from the above it will bo seen that the Dlshop ot Manchester has somu able men on "his side—lay as well as clerical. Personally, I think if tlio Anglican Church in New Zealand wishes to advance nfter the splendid stimulus given by the recent visit of tho missioncrs from. England, she should pause oeforo introducing any of these innovations in- . vented by man; and not be carried away by. elaborate ceremonial, which the majority of tho laity do not want. .It Is all very well for tho clergy to say "I ..would not. like .to do without these aids to worship," but they must know that by their actions tliey aro keeping men out of the Church.—l am, etc., THOS. M. MILLKSAN. December ,15, 1910.