The Henson Journals

[13]

Thursday, October 11th, 1923.

The Emmotts went off after breakfast. I went to my room, & tried to set my thoughts in order for the pronouncements of the day viz, a speech at the War Memorial Dedication in W. Hartlepool, and a speech at the Bible Society's Meeting in Consett.

Clayton and I motored to West Hartlepool, and lunched with the Mayor and a numerous company in the Grand Hotel. Lord Durham failed to appear, and his place was taken by his brother General Lambton. After lunch we went in procession through the streets, which were crowded, to the Memorial – a tall granite obelisk set on a wide base, & bearing 1547 names. Here a dedication service was held, & the monument was unveiled. After reading the Dedication Prayer, I made a speech. The Mayor had urged me to do so, and I yielded rather against my own judgement. A civic magnate who handed over the memorial to the Mayor rather damaged the ceremony by a long rant which was superfluous, tasteless and protracted. However, the whole business was well arranged.

We returned to Auckland, but within the hour left the Castle again. Clayton preached at Holmside, and I went on to Consett, where I addressed a meeting of the Bible Society. Before the meeting the Committee of Nonconformist Ministers welcomed me in their unctuous manner. The audience numbered about 300 persons, of whom three further were women, & not more than half a dozen were young men. We got back to Auckland a little before 10 p.m.

[14]

As touching the doctrine taught by our ministers, and as touching the administration of Sacraments used in our churches, we are bold to affirm that there is no realm this day upon the face of the earth that hath them in greater purity: yea, we must speak the truth whomsoever we offend, there is no realm that hath them in like purity. However sincere be the doctrine that is taught by some, all others retain some footsteps of Antichrist & some dregs of Papistry in their churches, & the ministers thereof; but we, all praise to God alone, have nothing within our churches that ever flowed from that man of sin.

John Knox (v. Hist: of Ref. p. 225)

How oddly all this language reads now, when the Kirk is quite evidently seeking to purge itself of the Knoxian tradition! Of all the Reformers surely John Knox was the least attractive and the most unreasoning. His brutal dogmatism would have been intolerable if he had possessed the authority of the Church Universal, or could have maintained his assertions by learning, or was standing at the head of the nation. But he stood practically alone, and his authority was nothing more than his own violent opinion, for which he offered no other justification that his own preposterous interpretations and applications of the Scriptures!

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