The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

THE CHURCH SERVICES.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Sin,—May I request the favour of your inserting the
enclosed letter in your journal ?—Yours faithfully-,
JOHN W. LESTER.
Ashton Hayes Parsonage, near Chester.

TO TUE ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS OP THE UNITED
CHURCH OP ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
My LORDS,—Loving as I do the Church established
in
these realms, admiring her beautiful Liturgy, receiving in
their fullest meaning her Scriptural Articles, believing
her capable of leavening with sound religious truth our
manufacturing, mining, and agricultural population, and
fitted alike to exalt the peasant and the peer in the ways
of a pure and heaven-born morality, I cannot yet but think
that by some little adaptation to the growing wants of the
age, by some slight modification, not of course in her holy
doctrines, but in her forms and ceremonies and discipline,
she might become still more abundantly useful to the
people over which God in his mercy has graciously placed
her, and more tenderly beloved and revered by her many
sons and daughters.
I am not for great changes; they do violence to our
feelings and principles ; or for the introduction of novel-
ties which likewise are repugnant to our national habits
and tastes. In some instances the modification should be
so slight as to oppose neither feelings, nor principles, nor
tastes, and yet at the same time so wisely and prudently
ordered, as to meet our urgent necessities.
One subject, my Lords, viz., the shortening of the Morn-
ing Service, has weighed much of late on my own mind.
I have given it careful thought and earnest prayer; and
in proposing the appended plan, I have endeavoured to
carry out the principle of avoiding great changes or intro-
ducing novelties. No words have been used but those
found already in our incomparable Liturgy ; some few
repetitions only have been left out. And I believe if the
plan. received your lordships' sanction, it would be found,
on trial, to increase materially our morning congregations,
and to take away the fatigue of which many truly pious
persons complain, without in the smallest degree lessen-
ing the beauty or destroying the completeness of the
Service.
Iu regard to ray own people, I 4941 And it benefit ;

for the service being thus shortened, it would enable many
of those who live at a distance to attend twice each Sun-
day, which they cannot possibly do now, owing to its
extreme length.
To all this it may be replied, why not shorten the ser-
mon ? But, my lords, I must confess that lam one of
those who like to carry out every part of divine worship
and teaching with the strictest propriety ; I would neither
hurry over the prayers for the sake of the sermon, nor
would I lightly esteem the sermon on account of the
prayers. I would so conduct every part, as though it, and
it alone, were the whole service. _ _

I would suggest also, my Lords, that in agricultural
parishes especially, the complete Communion Service ,
only, without morning prayers and litany, should be used
on Sacrament Sundays, the sermon following as usual the
gospel of the day, the minister then returning to the table
and commencing reading the offertory. I need scarcely
say how prolonged the service is at present, how filled with
needless repetitions, how exhausting to the clergyman if
he has no assistance, and how fatiguing to the communi-
cants; and how, in consequence, many find it altogether
out of their power to return in the afternoon. Good, lam
sure, would result from the adoption of such a plan, addi-
tional numbers would stay, and many who are not com-
municants, I doubt not, would remain and witness the
solemn rite, who at present never think of doing so.
I earnestly and respectfully call your lordships' atten-
tion to this subject. -I have used the liberty which, I
think, belongs to every minister of our beloved Church, of
speaking candidly and plainly in her behalf; but I trust
I have used that liberty with discretion and modesty, and
as becomes one of her younger sons, with deference and
respect to those in higher authority.
I am, my Lords, yours obediently,
JOHN W. LESTER.
Incumbent of Ashton Heyes, near Chester,

[The author here gives his proposed " Order for 3lorning
Prayer ;" but, upon careful examination, we cannot dis-
cover that it would make many minutes' difference in
point of time. He, however, forgets one important
element in the question, and that is, as to the mode in
which any alteration can be made. He must be aware
that none of the bishops, either individually or collec-
tively, have any authority to alter the order for divine
service.]

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