The Henson Journals

[16]

Thursday, April 12th, 1917.

983rd day

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More snow. The winter is endless. I went to the Cathedral at 8 a.m., and received the Holy Communion. Then, the newspaper not appearing, I went into town, & fetched it. The disastrous weather is paralyzing everything at the Front. I started going through the Anson letters. They are not rich in biographical material. Rather an unexpected effect of my City Temple sermons was a letter from the Serbian Minister in the following terms:–

Sir, I noticed in the papers some weeks ago reports of sermons preached by you on the future union of the churches, & I have recently had some enquiries from our high ecclesiastics, who are very interested in the matter and wish for particulars. I should be very much obliged to you if you could inform me if your sermons have been published, & where I can obtain them, in order to get the information we want. We consider the subject a very important one for the future, & would like to support the idea among our church people. I should be very grateful for any information you can give me, & remain.

Yours truly

For W. Firanovitz.

Serbian Minister.

[17]

It is not altogether easy to explain that I was concerned with the divisions of English Christianity, & incidentally to fasten his attention on the distressing unreality of the "national" character of the Church of England. Our Ritualists have been making a desperate effort to persuade these good Serbians that the English Church professes a version of Christianity kindred to their own: but, it would appear that suspicions have entered the Serbian embassy as to the truth of this representation.

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