The Henson Journals

[226]

Whitsunday, June 4th, 1911.

~~Surely God wd have the Church, his Spouse, as not an Harlot, so not a Slut; & indeed outward decency in the Church is an harbinger to provide a lodging for inward devotion to follow after. But we wd not have Religion so bedaubed with lace, that one cannot see the cloth: & ceremonies which shd adorn, obscure the substance of the Sacraments, & God's worship.~~

Thos Fuller. "Joseph's Parti–coloured Coat" [v. Selected Sermons vol: I. p. 217]

A brilliant warm morning. I celebrated in St Margaret's at 8 a.m. There were 73 comts.

At 11 a.m. the congregation was unusually small, and the commts only numbered 168. I preached for 33 minutes, but with difficulty on account of the heat.

At 4 p.m. I baptized Ethel Grace White, another of the Stockwell College Students.

Sir Dyce Duckworth came to show me a letter he had written to Dr Cobb. I advised him to keep a copy.

Ernest & I walked Logic round St James's Park.

Edwin Saxton came to see me. He has rushed across to get Whitsunday with his family, & sails again tomorrow.

[227]

At Evensong the Church was by no means crowded. This may, perhaps, be explained by the great heat. I preached an abbreviated Sermon on I. Thess: V. 19, 20.

Linetta, Westlake, Gilbert, Ernest, George, & Reggie came in to supper.

~~The Holy Ghost is not an idle spectator, but a party that leads us by the hand, & holds up our hands to conquer these Amalekites, as Aaron & Hut held up the hands of Moses. The Apostles were like things shut up, that durst not come abroad till they were filled with the Spirit, that had no heart to offer themselves to the trial of any affliction, but kept out of the way: but in God's help, as David says, they leapt over the wall, & ventured forth out of that narrow imprisonment.~~

Bishop Hacket (ob: 1670)

'A Century of Sermons' p221

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