NEW PRAYER BOOK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 23 November 1928, Page 4

NEW PRAYER BOOK

A PRESBYTERIAN REPORT

PRINCIPLES OF REEORMATION

THREATENED

(By Telegraph—Special to "The Mail")

AUCKLAND, This Day

The Protestant Principles Report presented tc the Presbyterian General Assembly yesterday by the Rev. A. S. Morrison' contained the following reference to the Prayer Book controversy: "We i'eel that the present conflict over the Anglican Prayer Book is a question that cannot be viewed as the private business of that church. It concerns the purity of and progress of the Gospel itself. The new Prayer Book has been twice rejected by the House of Commons because of its markedly Romanising tone, especially in relation to the reservation of the sacrament and the assimilation of Holy Communion to the Roman Mass. Among evangelicals of the Church,of England and among the Protestants of the world there has been much thanksgiving to Almighty God for the result in the House of Commons. That result proved that a large and vigorous body of opinion, both in and out of Parliament, was still strongly Protestant, still devoutly attached "to the Gospel in its simplicity, still strongly averse to the insidious efforts of Romanisers. It is surely fitting that in this great crisis, one of the greatest since the Reformation itself we should express our sympathy and unite our prayers on behalf of the evangelicals who are seeking to thwart insidious and determined sacramentarian propaganda." Mr Morrison said the principles of the Reformation were being gravely threatened by the undermining process going on in certain churches named. The Protestant report was adopted, and ministers, Sunday school teachers, and Bible class leaders enjoined to employ fitting opportunities of teaching the pdi'nciples of Protestantism.