SENSE OF GOD GONE

Evening Star, Issue 19994, 11 October 1928, Page 2

SENSE OF GOD GONE

ARCHBISHOP ON CHURCH'S PROBLEM PRAYER BOOK REVISION SECONDARY [Pek United Pkess Association.] AUCKLAND, October 10. “ Important as the revision of the Prayer Hook may be in England or in New Zealand, it is of less importance than > a revival of vital religion and real devotion to the Living Christ.” In these words Archbishop Averil! issues to the churchmen jn his charge and to the Synod a new and hopeful outlook in place of the spirit of despair occasioned in some circles by the defeat in the House of Commons of the Re vised Prayer Book measure. The only solution to the present impasse, in the Archbishop’s opinion, is for the church to endeavour to amend the Enabling Act of 1910 in order to give the church complete autonomy in matters affecting faith and doctrine, so long as that autonomy does not affect adverse!i the constitutional rights of the people. “It- is intolerable," he said, “that Parliament should have the last and vital word with regard to the church’s interpretation of what it considers to be for the highest welfare of the church. If Parliament continues, to have the right to defeat in a few-'hours measures which have taken the bishops nearly a quarter of a century to prepare. Epis copal supervision is altogether discounted. and there is no outlook for the church hut a continued reign of Wlessness.”

After dealing at length with the lessons to he learned from thp rejection of the revision, the Archbishop iontinued • “ Important as the Prayer Hook is in th« spiritual life of members of the church, it occupies the position of handmaid and not of master. It is a moans to an end. ard not an end : n itself. The church’s work and mis lon far transcend importance of thr nstniments and tut chinnel through ■ml by which it csoressw its faith and worship We are hvim'm a fool’s paradise if we are satisfied to imagine that i Revised Prayer Hook is going to re'■'merate sooictv The most serious j>n. Mem which we have to face is the fact Miat the sense of has been largely eliminated hmn the consciousness of men and women, and when that sense becomes atrophied materialism, superstition, disregard «T moral law, and mlfishness are bound to assert them--elvcs in individual and national life Tho work of the clergy, in particular, : s most difficult, and often most disippointing in these days, and there is a distinct danger of the church silting loosely to things which reallv matter, md concentrating upon matters of ccondary importance. It is not sufficient to deplore the worldliness and want of moral restraint which are so ■vident to-day. we must endeavour to *eek out and remedy the underlying cause, and that cause undoubtedly is that there is no fear of God before tho wes of many men and women.”