CORRESPONDENCE.

Waiapu Church Times, Volume I, Issue 1, 1 July 1907, Page 13

CORRESPONDENCE.

We are not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents. All letters io the Editors must he accompanied by the names of the writers, though not necessarily for puUkation.

(To the Editor). Sir, — We waited a long time for the promised Jubilee literature and prayer, and the former arrived too late to be of much" use m arousing enthusiasm for the jubilee. The historical leaflets are excellent, but the liturgical forms seem to have be>en drawn up m a great hurry. Perhaps during* the 50 years' respite that we have before our centenary some competent liturgiologist may find time to prepare something better for that occasion; ♦ Accustomed as we are to the stately language and the exact theology of our prayer book forms, we expect, at any rate, good English and passable theology m any forms that are issued to supplement or supplant them ; we have a light . to ask that due care be exercised m their composition so that they may not be unworthy of a place m the offices of divire worship. We are much disappointed. Perhaps we could hardly expect our amateur liturgiologist to write collects m the language of St. Leo, but still- we want .something better than he has given us. I will mention only a few of the defects m the jubilee forms :— (a) The so-called "Collect of Thanksgiving" is headed " THE Collect of Thanksgiving." Why "the"? And it is not a " collect " at all. A collect is essentially a form of petition (not a thanksgiving) couched m well 'known style and form — this form of thanksgiving- has none of the characteristics of a collect, either m substance or form, (b) A form of, thanksgiving should not be parced m between two collects : the collects as. a "spries of petitions

should run on after one another, and are sometimes said without even the break of the Amen. They . form together one long intercession, (c) Does it not savor of pelagian-ism to say " Thou hast allowed us to be baptised," as though the first motions of grace came froni ourselves Admission to the kingdom " under which it has pleased God to call me " was given us because "we were called according to God's purpose by His spirit . . we through grace obeyed the calling . . we were made sons of God by adoption." The phrase decidedly bears a heretical meaning and is a serious blot upon the form of thanksgiving. . • 2. The well known prayer for unity (not " collect ") has been spoiled by the omission of the specially appropriate words m the last sentence " Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest one God." We are accustomed to the. better form— even the Roman Missal does hot omit " God." 3. In the bidding prayer, v-hich would surely have been better m the form of petitions incorporated m the great intercession, the word " having " would come much better before " m their generation." 4. Why such a wealth of special lessons for Matins and Evensong and none appointed for the Eucharist ? Why. could; we not have had a special epistle and gospel? 5. And finally the hymn appointed is certainly not poetry, is chiefly nonsense, and largely untrue." The Head of the Church is Christ Why is He called "Queenly"? The Holy Spirit brooded over Chaos, but surely not over Christ. . He dwells within the church. These are plainly the last times, and doubt and dissensions abound, yet the hymn says " No more the dark dissensions,' the day of doubt is done." The only passable verse is the third, and yet we had to import it from Canada !— Yours, CRITIC.