The Henson Journals

[250]

Saturday, April 2nd, 1921.

South's Dedicatory Letter to Narcissus, Archbishop of Dublin, prefaced to twelve sermons is dated April 30th 1698. It contains a vivacious account of "two or three odd new terms of distinction maliciously invented & studiously made use of" for the undoing of the Church of England. He instances 'the inodiating character of high churchmen' applied to 'those of the ancienter members of her communion who have all along owned & contended for a strict conformity to her rules & sanctions, as the surest course to establish her", and 'the fashionable endearing name of low churchmen' given to 'those of the contrary way & principle'. He writes with vigour & pungency of the invasions of heresy. "Never certainly were the fundamental articles of our faith so boldly impugned, nor the honour of our church so foully blemished as they have been of late years; while Socinians have had their full uncontrolled fling at both: & the Tritheists have injured & exposed them more by pretending to defend them against the Socinians, than the Socinians themselves did or could do by opposing them." He congratulates the Archbishop on the happier state of Ireland, 'the climate there being not more impatient of poisonous animals, than the church of poisonous opinions: an universal concurrent orthodoxy shining all over it, from the superior clergy who preside, to the inferior placed under them". He sighs for some wholesome coercion to do the work of fire & faggot in happier days: "Nothing certainly but power, as the world now goes, can keep the church in peace."

[251]

I walked into the Park after lunch, and, falling in with two miners, had a talk with them about the strike. One of them, who was the principal speaker, & whose name, I learned later, was Robinson, had served throughout the war, but had been several weeks without work through the shutting down of the seam in which he worked. He spoke very bitterly against the Government, and not too kindly of the coal–owners. I was surprised at his complete equipment with plausible excuses for the strike, & his evident conviction that the first duty of the miner was to be loyal to his union. It is evident that much "spade–work" has been done in preparing the miners for revolution by poisoning their minds with sophistries. I was much attracted to the man in spite of his wrong–headedness.

An aspirant to Holly Orders, named Wright, came to see me. He is 32; has served through the war: hopes to take his degree at Cambridge in June, & then to read theology at Mirfield with a view to being ordained at Advent. I accepted him provisionally.

I wrote to Lang reporting what I had done in the woeful discipline case with respect to which I had consulted him. Also I declined his request that I should join the Joint Comtee of Convocation on the proposal to revive Diocesan Synods. I told him that it seemed to me silly as well as unwise! Besides I have better uses for my time.

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