The Henson Journals

[684]

5th Sunday in Lent, April 9th, 1916.

615th day

A glorious sun, with the air mild, & all things calm & beautiful. But the day worsened in character as the hours passed, & by no means fulfilled its earlier promise. Knowling preached an excellent sermon on our Lord's challenge to the Jews, "Which of you convicted me of my sin?" which formed part of the gospel for the day. I celebrated the Holy Communion after Mattins. Miss Fogg Elliot came to lunch. I preached at Evensong to a scanty assemblage. The experience is salutary, if humiliating. It points the same moral as the failure to sell any book which bears my name. Such following as I have – on any showing a small one – is mainly outside the Church–going folks. In this little world of Durham, there are Evangelicals who distrust, and High Churchmen who dislike, a "liberal" clergyman, but there are some who welcome and support him. I am sure that, if one of the Minor Canons had been the Sunday afternoon preacher the congregations would certainly have been no smaller & might have been much larger! Clarence & I walked through Houghall Wood after tea. In the level evening sun the Cathedral looked superb. After dinner we sate round the fire in the drawing [room] talking by the fire–light.

[682]

Wesley's Journal, Jany 9th 1766 [v. Works iii. 229]

"I read Bishop Lowth's 'Answer' to Bishop W. If anything human could be a cure for pride, surely such a medicine as this would!"

Warburton writes from Durham, August 9th 1757.

"I have done feasting, & leave this place tomorrow. This luxury is not only opprobrious to us, but hurtful to the place, as only making a number of idle beggars. By that I spend, I reckon there is spent yearly by the Chapter at least £1000 a year in this unedifying way: a sum sufficient to erect and endow an Hospital for the sick. I have proposed to employ it that way. I don't meet with one who singly says yes: & yet I don't believe I could get one to second me in Chapter. However I shall try at the next General Chapter."

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