The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-11-24 00:00:00

ID orsetsbire.

" ORNAMENTS IN THE CHURCH OF
ENGLAND.

The Bishop of Salisbury has issued the following letter
to his Aural Darns
Palace, Salisbury, November alb, lat.
"hear Mr. Rural Dean,—Now that the election of lay repre-
sentative. is over, and the constitution of our rurl-docianal
encethra completed In the diocese I am desirous to malt you to
woven: your own ruriv.leuenal meeting of clergy and laity, and
to submit to them the following questions uu the aubject of the
orusuients Rubric. There arc, nut conceive, three courses open
to the Church of England to take in regard to this Rubric,
respecting width 1 shall be 0.1 to gather the opinions of the
clergy and counauseicent laity in the &arnica. Ist. The exist.
lug Itubeic, which in terms legalises the Rubric of 1540 and has
In the main held its ground in our Prayer Book env. 1360,
though seldom, If ever. practically obeyed, may be retained
unaltered. This course (which after great debut', we.
Ultimately adopted by the Ritual Cummiesioners), would not,
al"Prehend be unwelonno to those who wish to bring tack the
medieval ritual in regard to the Holy Eucharist. and who argue
that whatever was not forbidden by the Act of the teed Edw.
VI. was practically authorised by it. It would probably be
acceptable also to those who, acknowledging the obscurity aced
intrkacy of the present law of ritual, are evident to have It
interpreted and enforced by the Court of Appeal, rather than
Incur the difficulty iif framing, in the present excited state of
I men's Inhofe, a rule which should be char lee it. terms, and
endeavour to give just expression to the historical mind of the
iteforunal Church of England on this controverted subject.
belly. A uew Rubric may be framed, which following the lead-
ing of the Rubric of 1551, au far se Ic, allow the surplice, with
or without the atom, to be the sufficient drew of the pried or
deacon lei all ministrations whatever, should penult a welded
Eucharistic vestiuent, whether the vestment or cope as
directed in the Ruhric of 15111, or preferably, the cope alone,
! according to the existing law of the 21th Canon. Or hnlly. To
re-enact • law like that of the Rubric of 1552 (which was hi
force only 161 the death of Edie VI. in 1563, and was not
restored Oil the acceatelote of Elisabeth) forbidding all vestments
se hate* cr, both 'a! the time of the Communion and all iithee
ipim.mtions,' except the surplice only (and perhaps the black
stow), and. In the mac iif graduate., the academicel hood. I
tannut couceal my fear that this course, If adopted, would
pr,4„bly tvacl tee,; aide and lamentable, rent in the Church or
ilbeglalel. I shall be glad that the meeting should be held at
any time in November or I.lovcruber that may be conveuient
to
pounced tehe clergy and laity of )cor deanery, an that I mg,
recite tier return, specifying the numbers rveeent, and vg.41,,,
upon any ropuluthen that may be proposed, by tte first of
January; 1875. It would also bee desirable that the tote. should
lee taken tit the cler„fy and laity separately -Believe tete
1.2, Mr Rural Dem, your eery feithful friend and brother,
beim,' Saki is."