THE REJECTED PRAYER BOOK
[To the Editor of the, . „ . . SIR,—Many of us have much sympathy with those who opposed' the new Prayer Book in the Houk of Commons, although We should hm,e voted against them. If should not be impossible to agree upon a few extra rubrics to guard against evils which we deplore not less than they. British good sense and good temper may bring much advantage out of the present confusion. I should imagine, however, that the Bishops would. never be able to get any representative Church Assembly to agree to alterations in the- actual text, of the services—even if _ they desired it • May we hope that ,during this cAuiet interval many
, will study carefully the new Communion Service. Some facts also may well be borne in mind _
1. The new Conimunion Service will be a very fine enrich- ment in itself. •
2. The use of more than one Liturgy is the practice in many Churches, and works extremely well. All the Eastern Ortho- dox Churches have two Liturgies ; some of the lesser Eastern Churches have more than two'; the Scottish Episcopal Church has two, and allows the use of an older form of the present Scottish Liturgy, which makes three.; the 'early Church had an infinite number because the prayers 'were- extemporary, though there was a general agreed pattern of the Service: • 8. The proposed new Liturgyfollows the earlier pattern,and belongs to the non-Roman type. - It is very like those of the Scottish 'Episcopal Church and the -Protestant Episcopal - Church of the United States';' and in its oonseeration prayer closely resembles not only these, .but that also recently produced by the Established Church- of Scotland, -which is Presbyterian. -- . • 4. Since it is really Important that there should- be some . knowledge of this rather technical subject of the -Communion Service, may I refer your readers to Mr. F.- C. Eeles' Prayer Book Revision and Reunion (Cambridge University Press, 1923)-? --There is also a short pamphlet -explaining the litur.-•
gieal- points -from the scholar's point of view; Tkies _the New Book Change Doctrine? - (League of -Loyalty and- Order, 14 Biniteigh Street, -Strand).- _ _ . 51, No one, I think, will wish to use the New Liturgy, when. it -is-authorized, to-the exclusion of the old. -It will be popular
• With many, including a large number of Liberal Evangelicals ; but it is not a party Service ; -and its main practical use at • first will be to remove all excuse for that deforming of the . Communion Service,- both- by omissions and • interpolations, which has been deplorably common during the last fifty years. The Bishops will be able to require strict fidelity to the
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