RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 61, 12 March 1921, Page 18

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

EXPLAINING THE COLLECTS. ,»_ Wl* M.i ■ \ Hisl-.n -f lhe ' olTcct-," by F-e.h-rick Arm':: ..--.-. has jn-t been pub-|-hed : by W- .i-.v aril ( .... of London. 1,.- liu'le ! h i- intended for the _, :.e r .il reader rather than t'ne student, ■".,miction ..;, the subject pre-enled i:: i ;. ,!■ 1\ and popui.ir i..rm. K.u-!i Collect - primed on a separate page, logef-i r ■~•:, a short historical end explanatory ~„; .. ~„,! where the Collect is taken f ~.;, . ;ie of ihe early service book- the ' .tin ori -iii:.l is given. In addition •here arc thirty page- of hi-torical introduction, tracing the hi-'ory of the "rav.r Hook and the -ucessivc r.-vi ...m, so which i: wa- subjected. A number of additional collects from tbe S.inim Missal arc given at the end of ■he 1 k. and lhe lest i- enriched Willi .evernl illustration- showing lhe tiilei. i-_:cs i:i dillcreiit editions of the Ibi.b- ---:'.".! Prnvor Ro»k. The writer is unable •o throw any fresh light on the origin ~i* :':■■ word' Collect, and fall- hack on •he obi suggestion that the-c prayers .we tlm- culled because when the people were c.11e.-tcd for worship the service .-:-.-.-. i- b.-gan with a Collect. There is a ve'rv interesting chapter on Ihe attempt's made to introduce the Prayer U..ok into Scotland, and the writer recuds how the S-a;,- papers in lti:*7mo-t untruthfully -:.:;.',': "The Scots havr •e.eivcl it with area! expressions of i.i\. not withstanding the report other- ■ i-e." Their expressions of joy seem to have taken the form of 'i riot when the 1,0,,k was used it Pt. 'liie* Church in Kdinbiirgh. and the Scots signed the National Covenant against the book. These things may have given rise to the "report otherwise"" which the State papers were ,' f such pains to contradict, liven the fa-t that the Prayer Hook was -old at -•' lor :', 4 bound in pasteboards) railed to commend i! lo ihe canny The Collects are unique ir. the perfection of their Knglisb,. Most of them ere translated from the Latin, but Cranmer aimed at making them read as if originally written in Kngli.-h. and not as having a taste of a foreign origin about them. Xot many readers would be able to say at a glance w'.ihdi Collects are translations and which arc original compositions, so well did Cranmer and bis fellow-workers do their 'a-k. It is an interesting study to com-p-ire the Collects written for the first Prayer Book in 1549 with those composed for the final revision in 1661. The Advent Collects afford a good illustration of the different periods. That for the first Sunday was written by the editors for the 1.")49 book, as also was that for the second Sunday, while that for the third Sunday was written in KiOl by Bishop Cosin. of Durham, and the Collect for the fourth Sunday is translated from the Latin of Pope Clelasius. There is a grandeur about the translation that is lacking in the others, and this is helped by the duplication of words, such as "sins" and "wickedness,"' "let*' and "hindered." "grace" and "mercy." and finally "keep" and "deliver." Readers will discover for themselves many other interesting poiuts of Knglish, such as the use of the word "fruition" about which there has been so much controversy, and the book can be confidently recommended to all who wish to know something of the history* and meaning of what Macaulay calls "those beautiful Collects which have soothed the griefs of forty generations of Christians."

CHTTRCH **T*-EWS AND NOTES. Tiie Southland Presbytery bas sus lamed the call of Knox* Church to th, I!pv. James Chisholm. Mr. H- M. Bannehr has accepted th position of organising secretary and treasurer for St. Saviour's Guild "in the South. The Methodist Episcopal Churcrt gained 130,535 members during the year from November, 1913, to the same month in 1920. The Rev. H. E. Edridge. late of the Baptist Church, Hastings, has accepted charge of Island Bay and Lyall Bay churches of that denomination. The Rev. Father Long, before leaving Christchurch to take up the position of Administrator at Greymottth, was presented with a well filled purse in appreciation of past services. The Rev. Father Fogarty, who had charge at Rangiora during the absence ,f Dean Hyland, was presented with a wallet of notes and a silver mounted walking stick before leaving to take charge of Ahaura parish. The Rev. W. Major Scott, M.A., of Dundee, speaking at London City Temple on "The Revolt of Youth." frankly criticised the ugliness and dullness ol many nonconformist churches, and the absence of good music and true art, which drove away some of the finest and hest of the young people, many of whom had been taught at public schools to love and reverence all thr.t was best in music and art. The pulpit of the Wellington X'nitarian Church is to be filled for the next three months by the Rev. Wyndham S. Heath.ote, who has resigned his pulpit in Adelaide, South Australia, and is on his way to the United States. He will hold this position until the newly-appointec minister, the Rev. J. S. Brown, arrive, from Manchester, England. After leav ing Oxford University Mr. Heathcot« was ordained a priest of the Anglicar < 'hureh, and served as a chaplain durin. the South African War. .He went tc Australia for the benefit of his health and for five years was rector at Bunda berg (Queensland). He afterwardf joined the Unitarian Church, his firsi charge being in Melbourne. For the las: two years he has been stationed at Ade laide.

Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, of Cardiff, writing regarding the Collins Street Independent Church, Melbourne, states riat the Rev. J. E. James, 8.D., is today one of the greatest forces in Congregationalism in Australia. Since he took charge of the church two years ago, its ancient glory has been restored. The emnty pews have been filled, and throughout the whole State of Victoria the power of Mr. James* ministry is being felt. It is Mr. .lames' scheme that preachers from Great Britain should be invited to visit his church act stated periods and to visit and inspire the other Congregational churches in Australia. The Sunday concerts in the Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia are likely to cease owing to the enforcement of the .Sabbath laws. The police notified those in charge that the cash box placed at the doors could no longer be permitted.