The Henson Journals

[180]

Sunday after Trinity, September 29th, 1918.

1517th day

A dull morning, and very cold. I celebrated at 8 a.m. The communicants numbered about 70 persons, and included wounded soldiers & munition girls, the one distinguished by their uniform & crutches, the others by their acid stained hands. I was pleased with the good proportion of men, and with the reverent order of the service.

It is strangely significant that the Communion Service as we have it now in the Prayer book should be so fiercely denounced and so generally mishandled by the "High" clergy. Perhaps they have an instinctive perception of the fact that the spirit of the Reformation has there its completed expression.

Shortly before church–time the rain began to fall, and continued falling all day. In spite of this, there was a large congregation at Mattins, when I preached on "Covetousness". During the afternoon I finished Trollope's "The Warden". After tea I revised the notes of my sermon for Evensong when I had determined to preach "extemporaneously", as it is said, i.e. from notes. This is a method I dislike greatly, but it seems unavoidable in these parishes. My text is Psalm XXIV. "The earth is the Lord's, & the fullness thereof". I work in a reference to the Jews as the religious teachers of mankind, & this leads me to speak of the recovery of the Holy Land from the Turks, for which the Archbishop desires us to make public thanks today in the churches. The rain descended in torrents, & made so much noise on the church–roofs that my preaching was embarrassed. In spite of the weather there was a considerable congregation, though the church was not crowded.

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