THE ENGLISH CHURCH.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5324, 7 March 1879, Page 2

THE ENGLISH CHURCH.

Sir,— The letter of Mr Oolenso which appeared in your issue of Wednesday, will I am sore be read with r^uch interest by all those who respect and revere the forms of worship as established and adhered to by our forefathers. Nevej since the days of the reformation, was there more necessity for raising the voice in emphatic protest against corrupt practices iv our churches, than the present time, when vanity has apparently thrown its mantle over true sincerity aa<J 'tftkw

f till posession of the "Sanctuary." The enemy with which the Church is now called to do battle, is a foe of the most deadly kind. The external enemy haa been, and may still be successfully combated, but to contend with the internal foe is a matter of extreme difficulty, more particularly when amongst its ranks can be found those who are set apart to guard the " bulwarks of Zion." Some time ago when the ritualistic practices in the English Church attained such magnitude as to engage the attention of the House of Commons in the form of the "Public Worship Regulation Bill," Mr Disraeli ■expressed himself in something like these -words, (I quote from memory)— That " the vacillation in the forms of worship had been such as to render it necessary in order to view our true position to go back, and take our stand upon the broad platform of the Reformation." Were we to take that for our stand point of observation, and view the foundations of the Church, as laid by o\ir forefathers, subjected as they were to the horrid tortures of the " rack" and the " stake," and all the persecutions that it was possible for a bigoted church to impose, t we would at once see the necessity of stirring to effectually check such retrogressive movements as are now taking: place. The English Church in Napier may fairly be characterised as a true specimen of retrogression. So far has it been carried away on the wings of vanity, as to have apparently lost all self-control. Every new minister brings with him new introductions regardless as to the wishes of the congregation, which I have little hesitation in saying, will yet lead to an unfavorable termination. A house divided against itself cannot stand, neither can a church prosper where there is divisions amongst it. Let the congregation, therefore, stand boldly forth, and insist that the land marks as set by our fathers, be religiously preserved, leaving to whatever few dissentioniats there may be, the liberty of repairing some other church that might better serve their peculiar fancies. Mr Colenso is not the only one that has observed the "cloven foot" of Ritualism, in connection with the English Church in Napier ; indeed, it has become so apparent as to place 'the Church at a discount with its most faithful followers. Of Mr Colenso it may be said, that as a "minister of the Church of England " he can scarcely give as good an account of his stewardship as might be desired. Still, the "timely warning" he gives should not be set aside. As he says, " the straw thrown up is sufficient to indicate the path of the coming storm." So also the best means to prevent the disaster is to make due preparation before it has burst.— l am, &c., Observer. Napier, March 6, 1879.