The Henson Journals

Sun 29 May 1904

Volume 15, Pages 307 to 308

[307]

Trinity Sunday, May 29th, 1904.

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A most glorious day: just such another was that day seventeen years ago when I was ordained. How well I call to mind Cuddesdon Church, and my own blunder when, as Gospeller, I added "Here endeth the Gospel" to my lection, to the consternation of the choir. A Manchester newspaper describes me as "perhaps, the best-hated man in the Church of England, certainly by the dominant High Church section". This is a suggestive result of 17 years clerical life. Yesterday I received a note from the Bishop of London returning my copy of the "Hibbert Journal". The note was very kindly expressed but informed me that his Lordshop was about to fulminate against me at Ely! It will be interesting to note what effect this will have on (α) the British Public, (β) the Church Association, (γ) the S. Margaret's congregation. Personally I am not one who regards a Bishop's lightest word as a weighty thing, but I suspect that in this respect also I am not representative.

I celebrated at 8 a.m.; there were but 18 comts altogether. At Mattins I preached a sermon originally written for another purpose, & but two years old! I appended a Trinitarian peroration, & it served well enough. Offertory £17.1.1.

[308]

Rashdall was preaching in the Abbey, & among his congregation was the Alake of Abeokuta, splendidly apparelled. After lunch he came & took me for a constitutional down the Embankment.

At Evensong there was but a moderate congregation; I preached another old sermon: the subject was the Christian Ministry. Offertory £5.12.4.

Herbert Cox, Edwin, Harold, Gilbert, & Chart came to supper.


Issues and controversies: strained relationship with winnington-ingram; resurrection