24 DECEMBER 1927, Page 2

Again it may be objected that in spite of the

sanction of the Ecclesiastical Committee the new Prayer Book does actually trespass upon the Reformation settlement by making the Holy Communion rather more Romish. As everybody knows it was the anti-Popery cry which had as much influence as any other in the House of Commons. We can only say that in this matter we are utterly baffled by the assertion that the new Prayer of Consecration is more Romish than the old one. The purpose of the Prayer Book revisers of 1662 was to give enough satisfaction to the conflicting parties in the Church to keep them all in one family. Their Prayer of Con- secration first said that the bread and wine were blessed "in remembrance of Christ's death and passion," but then added a phrase about the communicants being "partakers of His most blessed body and blood."