"When the Son of Man cometh, think ye He shall find faith on earth?"
Appendix.
Relics of Paganism in Christianity as Approved by English Bishops.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, on being questioned as to certain Roman
observances carried on at St. Bartholomew's, Dover, admitted "There may
be irregularities," but added "they do not appear to be of any
importance." One of these "unimportant irregularities" was the
introduction of the Confessional.
The Archbishop of York considers the use of incense, which is a relic
of paganism, "a most beautiful and significant symbol of Divine
Service"--and though the services at Christ Church, Doncaster, are
known to be but a very slightly modified form of the Romish ritual, His
Grace has not seen fit to interfere. The parish church of
Hensall-cum-Heck, in the Archbishop's diocese, is entirely Roman
Catholic, and the Vicar, Mr. E. H. Bryan, might from his practices, be
a priest of Rome endeavouring by secret methods to "convert" his parish
to the Holy See.
The Bishop of London sanctions the use of incense and permits
children's Masses and hymns to the Virgin.
The Bishop of Chester advises the Rev. W. C. Reid, Vicar of Coppenhall,
to use incense preceding the service of Holy Communion.
The Bishop of Chichester ignores the fact that at St. Bartholomew's,
Brighton, seven hundred confessions were heard before Christmas, 1898,
and that ten thousand were heard in that parish last year.
The Bishop of Lincoln preached at "High Mass" at St. Mary Magdalene,
Paddington, on January 7, 1899. The only difference in the service on
this occasion from that of the Roman Church was the use of the English
language instead of Latin.
The Bishop of Oxford, on being appealed to by parishioners on January
11, 1900, attending at the Church of St. John, Cowley, Oxford, and
asked to suppress the Romish practices carried on there, which were
totally out of keeping with the simplicity of true Christian worship,
gave them no redress.
The Bishop of St. Aibans, charged in the House of Lords with favouring
practices not lawful in the Church of England, declined to answer. On
this point the Daily Telegraph wrote--"Does the Bishop of St. Albans
understand that he is responsible to the State as well as to his own
conscience? Has he any inkling of the notorious fact that the proper
administration of a diocese is not a private or a personal matter, but
an onerous public task, for which he is rightly held accountable?"