CHURCH UNITY AND THE PANANGLICAN SYNOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9182, 11 October 1888, Page 6

CHURCH UNITY AND THE PANANGLICAN SYNOD.

TO THE editor. Sir, —" X" finds a justification for Bishop Cowie's reference to the bread and wine as offerings in the prayer for the Church militant, which prays for the acceptance of "our alms and oblations," assuming that oblations means the bread and wine. This is clearly not the case. The rubrics at the end of the Communion Service direct that the " Bread and wine shall be provided by the curate and churchwardens at the charges of the parish." And the custom has been, until our recent recollection, to so provide them—churchman, dissenter, and infidel under compulsion alike contributing. Besides, the unconsecrated remains are ordered to be handed to the curate for his own use. Clearly the bread and wine are not the " oblations." What is meant by " oblations" in the prayer is indicated in the preceding rubric, which refers to the " alms for the poor and other devotions of the people to be received in a decent basin." "Other devotions of the people" are plainly synonymous with " oblations" in the prayer, and cover offerings for devout purposes other than alms for the poor. Bishop Ryle charges churchmen with "abounding ignorance with regard to the real principles of the Church to 'which they belong." Not an unfounded charge. If this ignorance could be in any measure removed, some of the chief barriers to the much-desired "unity" would disappear.lam, &c., H.S. 9th October, 1888