NEW PRAYER BOOK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 17, 19 December 1927, Page 8

NEW PRAYER BOOK.

REASONS FOR REJECTION

APPEAL TO CHURCHMEN

Received December 19, 10.10 a.m. .LONDON, Dec. 18. “Let us. concentrate our thoughts on political happenings and not alter spiritual facts,” states the Bishop of Ripon in appealing to supporters of the new Prayer Book to stand fast. “If we love and believe in the Church let those ready for sacrifice whereby the new Prayer Book may be validated still move toward tho centre, proving that their attitude is due to God’s unchanging, spirit in the Church and not as our opponents suggest due to indifference to truth. Let us bravely learn- the lesson. The fruit of our toil has been lost owing (1) to the rank and file of the laity’s ignorance, and prejudice which teaching might have done more to dissipate; (2) to suspicion of anything suggesting the surrender of the heritage of the Reformation; (3) to the extermist intolerance which is the negation of the spirit of Christ. If the spiritual forces which at the end of twenty years’ labour and prayer have drawn churchmen closer can survive the trial, the Church will soon qualify to give the spiritual lead that the House of Commons declined to accept.” The Bishop urges prayers for the Bishops, especially the Archbishops, for whom the blow was most crushing of all. Conversations between the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, which originally were fixed for Tuesday and Wednesday, have been cancelled.

The Sunday News says that it is able to state that the Archbishop of Canterbury" does not contemplate resigning.—Australian Press Association and Sun cable.