CHURCH" UNION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 274, 12 August 1908, Page 8

CHURCH" UNION.

LAMBETH CONFERENCE SUCCESTIONS. ■ I A> PRESBYTERIAN VIEW. The Ret. J.'Kennedy Elliott, speaking to a .Dominion .representative" yesterday •on the suggestions • Lambeth Conference in, regard''!" to''-"union of the Anglican' "arid ""Presbyterian" churches, said that the idea had been frequently considered.:: Archbishop \TJssher was disposed to think : that tho two bodies might bo able to continue, the Presbyterian' moderators being regarded-as bishops. As a-matter of fact tho Anglican' Church should recogniso ordination by jPresbyterians, because'when a bishop ordained any man there must bo present three ' "presbyters," and some '"'of the greatest lights 'in'the Church" of England had-been Presbyterians, w'ho had riot had to undergo a second ordination., ;John Knox, the leader of Presbyterianism, .was a member of the estab-, lished in/ England, and tho "black rubric" in the Bqok^of.Cohimon Prayer which Btates that kneeling at'the Sacrament is not to be regarded as*'assign-of adoration was actually.framed by Knos; ArAhbishop Clarke, of- Melbourne, was very favourable to uriion, and Had brought the matter before the Lambeth Conference." He thought that it could be brought' about by "the,' bishops conferring on r moderators of the,: Presbyterian , Church the ' privileges and rights ■ of the Anglican Church, and by the, moderators giving tho right hand of fellowship to bishops, and conferring on them the rights of their denomination. - A great many Presbyterians would prefer union with the Anglicans to union with any other body. No Prfisbytcrian had any objection to the 39 articles,,;which were quite Calvinist. m tone. .When the question of Church union was "to tho fore in New Zealand, who looked with disfavour; upon- union' with - the other denominations signified that "they would prefer affinity with the Church of England. The Church of Scotland was a national church, concluded Mr. Elliott, and it was a pity that the two established churches should remain aloof.

',vSTATOiEN!r'M BEYv. :T. H. SPROTT. ""Rev. T.' H. 1 Sprott expressed disappointment that more .information was not : contained in the • news. The matter had evid■eritlybeen.-, brought by the Archbishop of Melbourne, and was the result of negotiations of, a year or so ago between the two Churches in-Australia. So far the resulti.of ithe-'inegotiations had " been . kept secret,, but to be given to the world after submission to the Lambeth Conference. It was therefore disappointing that this .information! was not to hand. .With the points of' divergence between the ; two bodies everyono,,;no', doubt, who took an interest, in the-, matter, was well aware, and ! all ,would "be" desirous of welcoming a .common basis. ,of agreement.