The Henson Journals

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Tuesday, December 8th, 1908.

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The 'Times' announces the death of the Bishop of Colchester. It is just 20 years since I made his acquaintance when I became Vicar of Barking. He was then Archdeacon of Essex. Mrs Johnson died a few days before her husband. My last sight of them both was on October 13th when I attended the Diocesan Conference at Chelmsford, & went round to the Rectory during the Luncheon Hour. He was extremely kind to me, but our intimacy never really survived my open association with the Broad Church Party: nor did I easily pardon his action in bringing Eisdell to Barking, an appointment which I resented as a job.

Winfred Burrows has declined the Abpk. of Capetown. I understand that the post has now been offered to the Bp. of Ipswich; & that he will decline it. There is only an increase of £1000: and a necessary expenditure of at least twice that amount.

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This week has been mainly wasted in attending the meetings of the 'Letters of Business' Committee on Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday. We had before us the record of the Lower House Ctee for York: this is on the whole more sacerdotalist than we. Especially on the subject of the Athanasian Creed, the Yorkists recommend that the Rubric be left unaltered. The Dean of Westminster moved to acquiesce in this, merely adding a resolution affirming the desirableness of giving power to the Ordinary to dispense the priest from saying the Creed. I resisted this motion strenuously, & it was finally rejected by 8 votes to 6. There is clearly a reaction in favour of 'orthodoxy' proceeding everywhere.

Loisy's"Quelques Lettres sur des Questions actuelles et sur des événements recents" arrived, & I fell at once to reading it. The extreme interest of Loisy's letters cannot conceal the intrinsic indefensibleness of his positions.

The Bishop of Winchester called on Saturday to ask me about Bainbridge, to whom he meditates offering the post of Suffragan Bishopric, vacated by Boutflower's departure to Japan.

George Dennistoun came to stay from Saturday to Monday.

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Issues and controversies: Athanasian Creed