The Henson Journals

[458]

16th Sunday after Trinity, September 26th, 1909.

A dull, damp day. Pearce preached well in the Abbey at the morning service. His delivery hardly does justice to his matter. Perhaps attendance at St Paul's has damaged him by the bad examples of Scott–Holland & Newbolt. It was a blessed & comforting spectacle to see the Westminster boys coming to the Communion together for the beginning of term. How could any tolerable substitute be found for this?

In spite of the rain a very large congregation assembled at 3 p.m. I took occasion from the circumstances that the 'Black Letter Saint' for Sept. 26th is St Cyprian to preach a careful sermon on Apostolical Succession. I made a reference to the negociation now proceeding in Upsala between the Churches of England & Sweden, & quoted the Bp. of Winchester's sermon, as it was shortly reported in the 'Times'.

After the Abbey service Harold & I hastened away to Chigwell, where I preached in the parish church to a very large congregation, of which a great part had to stand. It was their Harvest Festival, & I adapted the sermon which I preached on St Matthew's day in Brixton. We had supper in the Vicarage, where came also Swallow from the Grammar School, and got back to Dean's Yard about 11.15 p.m.

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