The Henson Journals

[126]

4th Sunday in Advent, December 21st, 1924. St Thomas's Day.

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As long as priests make their living by the altar they will be suspected (even where they are not guilty) of self–interested teaching. This is a great source of the weakness of religion in all ages and nations; not only as bringing priests (and consequently their cause) into discredit, but as separating church–life from civil–life to the great detriment of both.

Father Tyrrell. 1908 (v. Autobiography ii. 376)

Yet what was already necessary in the days of St Paul is little likely to be really superfluous in our own time. The truth is that the mercenary motion is only one of the factors that corrupt, weaken and discredit the Christian ministry. Lust of power and prominence may invade a voluntary clergy, and make their work as unspiritual, and morally nauseating as that of the nepotists & pluralists whose evil influence shadows the record of the Church. It is the commonest experience of the parish clergymen that the bickerings of his voluntary workers argue quite as low or even a lower level of spiritual living, as the too–eager aspirations for "a living wage" or something more which glow in the little pinched minds of the hirelings. The corruption of the Ministry is a very complicated phenomenon.

Almighty God, by Whose good Providence all things are ordered and Who by Thy Son Jesus Christ, hast taught us that not even the way of Thy children are outside Thy loving care, I pray Thee to look with mercy upon me, the worst and weakest of Thy Servants, whom yet in Thy mysterious wisdom, Thou didst call to the Ministry of Thy Church, and appoint to be a Bishop and [127] Pastor of Thy Flock; be with me this day as I exercise the highest duty of my office, and acknowledge my action by the Gift of Thy Holy Spirit to these men, on Whom I shall lay Hands in Thy Name. Govern my thoughts, and give me a comforting sense of Thy Presence in this high Service. And to those whom I ordain grant sincerity, courage, and great peace of mind. O God, have compassion on our weakness, and forgive us those things of which our conscience is afraid, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with Thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for evermore.

Amen.

The Ordination went through without misadventure. There was a considerable congregation of relatives and friends, so that there were nearly 200 communicants. The service began at 10 a.m., and went on until 12.45p.m. Then we had lunch in the Castle.

[128]

I sent for Ellershaw, and thanked him for the pains he had been at in arranging for the use of the Castle. He is evidently very depressed by the fewness of the students, and, indeed, it is difficult to avoid the fear that this may bring the College to an end. Clayton and I had tea in my rooms, & then we went our several ways, he to preach at New Shildon, and I to preach at St Helen's, Low Fell. Here the old Vicar, Canon Patterson, has just completed the 'jubilee' of his Ordination. The clergy of the Rural Deanery have marked the fact by presenting him with a set of Communion plate for use in communicating the sick. I dedicated the gift before pronouncing the Benediction. He has been 30 years in that parish, and has witnessed its transformation. It was once the residential suburb of Newcastle, in which lived the wealthy magnates of that flourishing city. Gradually it declined until today there are none of the magnates left in the parish. Their place has been taken by ship–workers and miners. The population is just under 4000: the value of the living is said to be £310.net: and the patron is Lieut. Colonel Joicey. After service, I motored back to Auckland Castle, the journey took exactly 50 minutes, which, perhaps is quick travelling.

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