The Henson Journals

[240]

17th Sunday after Trinity, October 4th, 1903.

Harvest Thanksgiving.

O God, merciful Father. Who hast wonderfully led me to this hour, have compassion on my perplexity and trouble of mind, and let the Light of Thy Holy Spirit shine in my heart, and on my path. Cleanse my motives, I beseech Thee, and illumine my understanding: unseal the locked fountains of sympathy & love, and grant me the comfort of Thy Presence. O God, have mercy on Thy children, to whom in the strange ordering of Thy Providence, I, the worst & weakest of them all, am sent to be Thy witness & minister. Visit not on them my faults and failures, but be Thou the Pastor of Thine own flock. Make known to me the purpose with which Thou hast sent me to this place, and suffer me not to lack Thy grace that I may serve it. Show Thou me the way that I should walk in for I lift up my soul unto Thee.

Hear my prayer, O God, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy Son my Lord.

Amen

[241]

The day started wet, but quickly became bright and blustering. At 8 a.m. there were 53 communicants. I Celebrated: at 12.30 p.m. there were 75 commts. Kirshbaum Celebrated: a total of 128. The congregation at Mattins was large. I preached from Eph. IV.20 ‘Giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father'. The collection exceeded £20. At 4 p.m. I convened the members of the ‘Guild of the Chancel', in order that they might receive their cards of membership, and mark their Bibles for private reading, according to the rules. Ten boys turned up. Viz.

• Edwin Harold Saxton
• Henry Matthew Freeman
• William Edwin Chart
• Frederick James Brice
• Robert Henry Ward Stephens
• Charles Thomas Allen
• Philip Hulett Brind
• George William Silvester White
• Fred. Alfred Tisdell
• Harold Wilfrid Knowling

At Evensong the Church was thronged. I preached again. The Offertory amounted to £10.10.10. Lyster Jandron came to supper.

[242] [symbol]

The Rector to Mr Battersby-Harford: Oct. 5th 1903

[symbol] Dear Mr Battersby-Harford,

I am much obliged to you for your letter & much interested in the proposal it contains: but after turning it over in my mind, I think there is no course rightly before me but to say, no.

In the first place, I am pledged already to fully as much as I can see my way to do. My History of the Savoy Conference will engage me during the coming winter, and, then, I have a very old promise to Messrs. Methuen to fulfil in a short History of Dissent in England. Moreover I feel that my duties as Rector and Canon become more & more exacting; and I doubt whether it is right for me to count on being able to keep on doing much outside them.

In the next place I am always very doubtful of my personal fitness to collaborate in any religious scheme. It is mere matter of fact that the only possible standpoint of work for me is that of an absolute independence alike of party ties and party expectations. I do not mean for one moment to suggest that you would desire or intend any restriction of my liberty, but I think it not impossible that that notion might creep into my mind, and would probably be present in public opinion of work done in common.

Believe me,

Faithfully yours,

H. Hensley Henson

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