The Henson Journals

[105]

Wednesday, January 2nd, 1918.

1248th day

Beyond writing letters to acknowledge the congratulations of Bishops, I did very little. The morning post brought a curious letter from Newbolt. He says that he writes "with the greatest possible reluctance" but "Stone's letter in the Times has considerably startled and shocked" him.

“I feel that I must say that I view with the greatest sorrow & apprehension, an episcopate based on the foundation which Stone seems to disclose, and although I am content to leave the matter in God's hands, yet you must not count on my goodwill as anything more than personal to yourself, while I must leave myself free to dissociate myself from the position which you are taking up. I write this with great sorrow and repugnance. But I feel that I must tell you the altered stand–point from which I view the matter. God bless you and direct you!”

The afternoon post brought me a letter from the Bishop of Chelmsford, enclosing another, apparently designed for publication, asking me to re–assure him & his friends as to my orthodoxy!

“Can you see your way to affirm that what you have written does not imply that you have departed from the traditional & almost universal meaning wh. is attached to the words of the Creed "Born of the Virgin Mary", "The third day He rose from the dead".

To this I returned the following answer by the afternoon post:–

[106]

To the Bishop of Chelmsford

My dear Bishop,

I am obliged to you for your letter, the kindly intention of which I cannot doubt. But I think you will understand that it is quite impossible for me to do more than refer inquirers to my published statements on doctrinal issues. I assume that no just or reasonable man would judge of my teaching by sentences, selected with a hostile purpose, divorced from their context and argument, & set before the public in a compromising envelope of innuendo.

Five years ago, when leaving Westminster, I set down "the Notes of my Ministry" in a sermon preached in S. Margaret's, and subsequently published. That sermon still seems to me a sufficient statement, and, as you may not have seen it, I take leave to send you a copy with my good wishes for the New Year.

Believe me, my dear Bishop,

Yours very sincerely,

H. Hensley Henson

These letters of Newbolt and Watts–Ditchfield suggest that there may be a revival of the famous "Lord Shaftesbury–Dr Pusey" alliance. The peer would this time be on the "Catholick" side, & the divine on the Protestant: but a "Lord Halifax–Dean Wace" alliance would serve well enough to sustain the great tradition!

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