The Henson Journals

[124]

15th Sunday after Trinity, September 24th, 1922.

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I celebrated the Holy Communion in the Chapel at 8 a.m. My guests communicated. It is odd to think that this amiable little baronet, Sir Robert Lighton, was a protagonist in the struggle organized by the E.C.U. to prevent my consecration in 1918. Of course he was merely made a cat's paw by those cunning knaves, who flattered his vanity, and played on his ignorance. Time brings its revenges on that kind of achievment.

I spent an hour and a half in carefully revising my sermons. Then I read an admirable piece by that excellent divine "the ever–memorable Mr John Hales of Eaton". It is entitled "A Tract on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper and concerning the Church's mistaking itself about fundamentals", and is extraordinarily terse, lucid, and convincing.

At 2.30 p.m. I left the Castle, & motored to Darlington, where I preached in the parish church to the Freemasons at 3.30 p.m. It was a very impressive sermon. Clayton carried the staff, although not being a mason he ought not to have been present! We had tea with Cosgrave, & then separated. He went to preach in S. Matthew's: & I went to S. Paul's, where the Jubilee of the church was being celebrated. There was a very full and attentive congregation. We returned home together arriving at 8.15 p.m. On the whole I was pleased with S. Paul's. The listless and irreverent habit of most Evangelical congregations was not observable in this.

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