The Henson Journals

[243]

14th Sunday after Trinity, September 1st, 1907.

A lovely morning, bright as an angel, fresh as a child. I went to S. Margaret's and celebrated. There were 21 comts.

Pearce preached excellently in the Abbey. He took for his subject 1. Cor. xi. 29, and handled a passage much victimized with superstition & intolerance with candour, intelligence, & good sense. He succeeded in being thoroughly reverent, and made his sermon an excellent prelude to the Holy Communion.

After service we walked round the bridges, and held much converse anent things ecclesiastical.

In the afternoon I preached to a very large congregation on 'the power of Christianity illustrated by the conflict between Mithraism & Christianity'.

Afterwards I called on Mrs Challenor at the Buckingham Palace Hotel.

Molony preached in the Abbey at 7 p.m.

Dennis Webster, George Mackarness, Gilbert Simpson, & Miss Scott came to supper.

[244] [symbol]

This week has been filled with the controversy caused by this miserable D.W.S. Act. I have written three letters to the 'Times' under the heading 'What is the Law of the English Church?'. These appeared on Aug. 27th, on Aug. 30th, and on Sept. 7th. The last was made the text of an appreciative article in the 'Westminster Gazette'. To this paper I also sent a letter which appeared on Sept. 4th, with the heading, 'The Shadow of the Curse'. This was reproduced in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

I devoted the week to the composition of an 'Open Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury': which will form the 'Monthly Review' for October.

I 'crossed the Rubicon' on Saturday, when I consented to officiate in S. Margaret's at the marriage of a man with his d.w.s.

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Issues and controversies: D.W.S. act