GETTING OUT OF THE RUTS.

Northern Advocate, 1 September 1913, Page 3

GETTING OUT OF THE RUTS.

* The Bishop of London is characteristically outspoken, and at his last Diocesan Conference he delivered his soul of an appeal for less conventionality in the services of the Church, especially in their relation to evangelistic work. He maintained that the Chrn-ch was losing its efficiency in a groove of customary methods of worship and effort. "We get tied down too much to 'Dearly beloved brethren" and about six hymns," he said. "You really would suppose, if you went about the diocese as much as l I do, that there were only about six hymns in the Church of England—"The Church's One Foundation,' 'Onward, Christian Soldiers, , 'O Jesus, I have Pvomised,' ! the Good Fight,' ant' perhaps iwo others. I took the trouble J .o si'ii'd some two dozen others for Confirmation, and the S.P.C.K. kindly jM!!M-..i them on sheets, and I thought that this year we might really have a little variety, but not at all: 'Soldiers of Christ, Arise' and '0 Jesus, I have Promised,' it; is all the same from end to end of the diocese. I honestly saythat no one loves the Prayer-Book more than I do. But in our evangelistic effort to win a great population to God we were never meant to be confined to Matins and Evensong. The great majority of the four millions in the diocese are not ready for them, and we must bring home the old historic faith with the inventive genius which the Holy Spirit will jrive us in a thousand ways." The London diocese is doubtless not pecu-li.-ir in this need for adopting method.-; adapted to the changed demands w ;h" times. The ever new wine of •.he Gospel requires new bottles, and no ;',)• at revival of religion has bles- .-(] any country permanently that i!ii! :•.!)! break away from the conventions of established method. Light abides the same, but ways of illumination change with the years, indicative of a desire to get away from the old order, a proposal of a more drastic kind has been considered by the Church of England,—the provision of a new Lectionary. A Committee of the Lower House of the Canterbury Convocation, under the presidency of Dean Furneaux. has had entrusted to it the task of furnishing "a really scientific Lectionary," one that should not be open to the common criticism that many of the passages in the Bible read in all Anglican churches year after year are not the best, suited for the occasion. That Committee has made recommendations in the direction of change.

These have yet to be considered by the Southern Convocation. As was to ~ be expected, any suggestion of change has aroused keen opposition. The "Church Times" 'has uttered severe condemnation: "The proposed T,ectionary is undoubtedly in sympathy with the contention that the Bible contains, but not is, the Word of God. The Word of God lies there in seams and veins, and the ore has to be separated from the dross. The Bible of the new L»ectionary is an expurgated Bible."