Errors on Holy Communion.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 257, 30 October 1877, Page 5

Errors on Holy Communion.

With regard to the Holy Communion, round which many of the controversies and law suits of the day cluster, I feel it right to put on record a protest against the view which regards the action of the Priest in what is called the Consecration Prayer, as being something no less than the performance of a miracle. The Roman Catholics believe this — we do not. Our belief is that it is the faith in the receiver's heart towards Christ which makes the partaking of the elements, already consecrated, to him the partaking of the body and blood of Christ. This being Hooker's view, and even Keble's in early days, no one holding such views as these need be tempted to doubt their own churchmanship. At the same time, it will be a subject of congratulation if attention shall have been called to this sadly neglected Christian ordinance which occupies so different a place in our day from what it did in primitive times. We have no right, even as a church, to make it inaccessible to simple minds, either by subtile definitions or by too elaborate conditions. To the primitive Christian it was a simple and spiritual feast, enjoyed only (in reality) by the earnest and honest believer, on the sacramental, not the actual body and blood of Christ. I pass on from these matters, which have pressed themselves on our notice through the proceedings which have just terminated, to some other questions. Unbelief. We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that there is a very widespread disbelief of that very faith — which we are organised to promote — that many have recourse to Christianity with a tone of condescension or patronage, and in some cases recognise it only with an air of pity and contemptuous compassion. The number of such has, I fear, increased. As a siga of the times pointing this way, few, very few, except our own members in the House of Representatives, supported the motion for allowing even the reading of the Bible in our public schools. Many were doubtless actuated by the fear of advantage being taken by the Roman Catholics of large educational grants, as is the case in America, but with many there is reason to fear it is an indication of a too wide spread depreciation of revelation. But if this is so with many of the members of our body, the sooner it is known to be so the better, we may then know how we must humble ourselves as a Church, and set our own house in order, so as to meet this new difficulty. The Church must ever win every portion of its area from the . world around it, and it must hold it too by force of spiritual arms when it has once got it. It will never have rest here. It can only speak of its portion — as that which it took with its sword and with its bow. The consideration of the attitude of the Church to what is known as " Modern Thought " is very serious, especially as regards the teachers of the rising generation in religion and spiritual instruction, and the need it exhibits for well trained and thoroughly efficient men for the Ministry. But those who watch and read the progress of events know that there was seldom a greater number of men of tried ability in the higher walks of Science to be found on the side of Biblical and Christian morals than are numbered at present, and that wise men distinguish between there being no answer known to difficulties and the alternative of those difficulties being demonstrated to be real ; with them an unproved difficulty is no difficulty, only a suspended thought.