Bishop Piers Claughton and the Bishop of Peterborough have had
a short controversy in the Times this week on the effect of the new Rubric proposed by Convocation in relation to the Athanasian Creed. Bishop Claughton maintains that the only effect of the now rubric is to warn Churchmen that the statements in the creed are not to be pressed beyond the drift of the general statements of Scripture on the same subject; whereas Dr. Magee holds that it must be understood. as asserting that the statements in Scripture mean as much as the statements in the creed. And Dr. Magee tells us that a clergyman "whose orthodoxy and. learning Bishop Claughton would, I am sure, be the first to recognise," writes to him to say that "should the rubric ever become law, he would be forced to consider whether he could remain in the ministry of our Church." Clearly, whatever Parliament may do in relation to the newly- proposed Ornaments Rubric, it had better leave the Athauasian Creed alone, until Convocation is pleased dis- tinctly to relax the rules for its recitation. Apologies for damnatory expressions. are always delicate, and generally ambiguous. You may retract them, if you can ; you may ignore them, if you must ; but better utter them without ex- planation, than explain them. Explaining them means making them clearer ; and making them clearer is apt to mean making them more offensive.
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