The Express.
London, England, 1859-09-09 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, sap?. 9

Luau Esuas announces his intention to renew in
the next Seseion of Parliament the motion he made
last year, in the House of Lords, for an address to the
Quece, praying her Majesty to appoint a Commis.
lion " to consider whether the Liturgy of the Church
"of England be not capable of Inch alterations 15
" may render it more profitable than it now is for the
" ri .igious instruction and edification of the people...
And. as it has been stated by the Bishop of Loetiow
that the moot serious difficulty in the way of such a
propoel will be the opposition which will be offered
to it by the laity, his lordship hies invited the
she, chwardens of the metropolis, as representing the
laity of the most important portion of the moat im-
portia diocese in the kingdom, to furnish him with
information as to the correctness of that opinion.
A revieion of the Liturgy is called for on two
differant grounds by different clams of churchmen.
Then• are those with whom it means little more
th►u an abbreviation of the morning service,
and who would he content if some arrangement
conii be made by which that could be got through
together with the usual amount of chanting or
metrical psalmody, in thirty or forty instead of, as
at present, sixty or eighty minutes. To meet their
amplaints plans have been suggested foe abridging
and fusing the offices now in use, with
a single regard to the convenience of the
worshippers. These proposals are stoutly re-
eled, sometimes on the ground of a simple con-
tervaties, which is afraid to examine anything
IFllidh it has been accustomed to reeve, but more
powerfally with historical sad archaic reasoning. It
la argued that the attempt to shorten the morning
service by =Malone, and by bringing together dif-
ferent parts of different *erring, can only be made by
those who are totally ignorant of the deep meaning
which runs through each service, and unfamiliar
with the immemorial tradition of the Church. But,
a condition that the integrity of the offices shall not
be violated, these earn* parties are ready to consent
to a practical shortening of the period of at.
tendency at church, by disintegrating the
Morning Service. Considering that Morning
Prayer, Litany, and Holy Communion were
originally used fur distinct services, there is some-
thing plausible in the offer to celebrate them
at intervals but with few exceptions the attempt to
do ro has cot been successful in England. Abroad,
sr I:E.glishmen sem the people dodging in and out of
church all the &today morning, bat the practice is
repugnant to his notions. He likes to go into his
acciietnand seat, and remain there until his duties
are accomplished, and in this matter the habit. of
the people must be considered. We believe that
three people out of four who complain of the length
of the service oo:y mean to express a sense of tedium
caused bye want of aim and unity in the services as at
previ,t agglomerated. Remove this and the question
of minutes would vanish. Nothing is so weari-
some to the traveller as to find himself after long
exertion at the spot where he waa half an hone
befoi e. In a well arranged service, mochas each of the
set • rat of icce now united supplier, there is a definite-
any of scope which makes the worshipper conscious
et a progression and development which assist.
de. utioa. In the present arrangement this advan-
tage a last ; there is mechanical combination, but
me organic unity. The effects of this deficiency are
sensible, and an moot felt in those congreg►tions
where the people are best iodised to take their
par• is the service. Consideriog that the edification
of she people is the end and aim of the public mini-
'testis:gm of the Claurch.any proposal really calculated
Musk* ►ee serv:ees mon 'Metal should sot be re-
iee•e4 fess Mfg sentimental antiquarianism. The
Learn le valuable just so far as it helps men to
bourne ►etter Christians, and it does so just so far as
those who um it are irea,ed to enter into its spirit.
Ti.o is a question which any thoughtful intelligent
Nyman ie as well able to entertain as those who ban
all the old service-books, and ages by heart, and as
assign the origin of every venial* and every Collect.
But t►e petition of tie 460 clergymen which Lord
liver ►as eireelated reminds Us that there is a con-
siderable and incecuieg eau of churchmen who feel
tha• larger change" than mere abbe,' iations of services
are needed. They at that the ritual may be so
re% ,sed that it shall not express more than as good
ehurranen they an expected to believe, and they
specify alterations which we may describe ge-
ners,ly as calculated to remove hem the
Prayer.book those expressions which imply a
bil:h degree of priestly authority in the ministers of
the Church, and moire an exaggerated efficacy to
the Sacraments. Lord EBUILY is careful to explains
it. the correspondence with Lord LTTTELTON,
that he will sot be held responsible for all
that this petition contains, but has pre-
!nerd hie drain to substitute more general
terms for those sow made use of in enunciating
doctrines. Lord Lerretrox says this is unfair
"one-sided" is his expression. Lord Env*T
avows his ohjrct in desiring chill,. He says:
" I earnestly desire that some means should be
" discovered fora healing of that great breach be-
" tween ourselves and millions of orthodox noncon-

" formiets, both at home and in the colonies. I
" will not advert particularly to them hero,
"b it unquestionably there are not wanting at
" this moment many significant symptoms, on
both sides, of a movement in this direction-
One object it seems to me is common to both—
". rather to try and plant the standard of the Cross
" in the strongholds of him whom our Great Captain
" has taught na to cinquer, than to weary ourselves
" in attempting, in feeble and ever-changing human
" language, to define ineffable mysteries with logi-
" cal precision, for now we only know in part. For.
" give the hackneyed phrase, Ire rertis units., in
" 4144 iibertas, in onsnions caritas —such is this
" device I drains to inscribe on my peaceful banner."
Now, if be had proposed to compass this end by
introdociag into the Prayer-book passages directly
and positively condemning the doctrines of the party
fcr which Lord I.vrre LYON is solicitous there would
be some ground for his charge; het we can di►cover
an trim of such a design. Even the 460 clergymen
in their petition say that in their opinion no new
doctrine should be introdaosd. Lord Lrrratros