The Henson Journals

[212]

Thursday, May 23rd, 1907.

I wrote to my wife & to George Mackarness before getting up. The Moderator's breakfast introduced me to M. d'Aubigné and Mr Wallace. I took in one Mrs Alison, who professed herself a friend of Ella's. The post brought me the announcement that Mr Gough of the Colonial Office is dead. I wrote to his daughter; also to Whitton, the Dean of Ripon, & divers others. Then Mr. Wallace met me by arrangement concluded at breakfast at S. Giles' & showed me over the Church: & Advocates' Library. We saw the courts at their business; & then went on to the Assembly, where the discussion on the new Formula of Subscription began. Dr Scott and Lord Balfour of Burleigh spoke well: & there was a minister from the Shetlands, named I think Ker, who moved the hilarity of the House by a ready & humourous speech. In the end the motion to proceed to the drafting of a new Formulary was adopted by a large majority. Forsyth whom I had met overnight asked me to join him in some lunch; & we went together to a restaurant in Prince's Street, & lunched. He is an interesting man, who distinctly impressed me favourably.

[213] [symbol]

He speaks with much energy of the 'New Theology', which outrages his theological self–respect & alarms his Christian conscience. '"If they believe not Moses & the Prophets, neither will they believe though one rose from the dead" – that disposes of the evidential worth of Christ's Resurrection' – this observation impressed me: but he says many striking things. I took him to the Hotel, & gave him tea after lunch: & we had some conversation. Then I returned to the General Assembly, but there was in progress nothing beyond a dreary discussion of schemes for clerical pensions.

One incident in the Assembly's proceedings this morning impressed me. An assistant–Secretary had appointed for the Home Mission Committee, & the vote which effected this requested the Moderator to commend him in prayer to the guidance of the Almighty. This request was immediately complied: &, in the most natural way in the world, the Assembly fell to prayer: after which business was resumed. Nothing of this kind could happen in the formal & frivolous atmosphere of an English Convocation without giving a painful impression of unreality. Moreover, the use & custom of extemporaneous prayer would seem to be indispensable for such a purpose.

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