The Henson Journals

[231]

Wednesday, March 23rd, 1921.

"Let the Lord's Board be railed about never so high, never so low, never so close, yet Hypocrisy will either climb over it, or creep under it, or wind itself through it. The 'black devil' may, the 'white devil' never will be kept out of Christian congregations.'

Fuller. A.D. 1654

Fuller wrote this in 1654 when the attempt to "fence the table" was being vigourously made. It would seem that the clergy acted with singular lack of good sense. The questions proposed by way of testing the fitness of those who desired to receive the Sacrament were sometimes silly enough:–

"I speak it upon the complaint of those (whose report with me is above exception) how many difficult, yet frivolous questions have been propounded unto them; as what God did before he created the world? Where the soul of Lazarus was in the three days interval, whilest his bodie lay in the grave? A question which he who propounded it, I believe was as ignorant of, as the partie to whom it was propounded."

So rigorous were some of these ministers that "for ten years, I dare boldly say, some parishes in this Citie have fasted from the Sacrament". The result was "that thereby our adversaries of the Romish church have gotten a great advantage. This is a true maxime, 'A lean Communion maketh a fat Masse', and many are fallen off to Papistrie on this occasion". Fuller presses his brethren to relax this rigour of questioning.

[232]

The Order paper for the House of Lords contains the interesting item, "Thursday the 21st of April. Ecclesiastical Committee (Conference with Legislative Committee) eleven o'clock". I infer that exception has been taken by the lawyers to the treatment of the churchwardens.

I went to West Auckland in a furious tempest, and there confirmed 41 candidates in St Helen's Church. I was received by a guard of honour of the C.L.B. [Church Lads Brigade] who lined the approach to the Church. Nine of the boys were confirmed. The church is interesting, & dates from the 12th century. I was struck by the excellence of the singing. The Vicar, Dr Short, is choirmaster, & evidently an enthusiast.

Another letter from the Archbishop of York adds little guidance in this difficult case of discipline. It all comes to pressing the man "to make admissions which would justify withdrawing his licence". If he refuses to do this, as he probably will, I must either let the matter rest, or take legal proceedings. But in the latter case should I secure a verdict in the absence of corroboration? The Archbishop is evidently very doubtful, and so am I. The matter is so grave that it is hard to see any middle course between assuming his innocence, which is really impossible, and casting him out of the Church, which is so heavy a penalty that equity requires a firm justification in proof. However, I must at least let the wretch know that I am not ignorant of his ill–conduct. I sent him a summons to see me at my room in Durham Castle next Tuesday.

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