The Henson Journals

[115]

Monday, February 8th, 1926.

"On being asked if they permitted dancing, the minister exclaimed, "And why not!" and again to the question: Why had they let Jesus Christ be represented in the windows of the church, and upon the organs newly built? and why had they set up divers images? he replied that they did not condemn the use of images as warnings & examples, but only as objects of worship. Again, when he was asked why they had removed from the churches the ancient images, he answered that it was not they who had done this, but their worthy disciples the Zwinglians, who had occupied the churches in the first instance, and, being stirred up by a spiteful humour, had done this outrage & divers others to boot. The same explanation was given to M. de Montaigne by other members of this confession during his travels, the doctor at Isse to wit, who, when he was asked whether he hated the figure & effigy of the Cross, cried out straightway: "How can I be such an atheist as to hate this figure so full of joy & glory to all Christians! Opinions like these are of the devil!" And as they sat at ease at table all declared the same: that they wd rather hear 100 masses than take part in the Calvinist supper."

(Montaigne at Kempton. v. Travels. i. 121,2.)

[116]

I went round to the dentist, but did not have the tooth drawn. He agreed to postpone operations until I could give him a longer time i.e. March 29th to April 10th Then I inspected the pig, the wood, and the glass–houses: gave Laws authority to buy the seeds &c he wanted for the garden: and "killed" the residue of the morning by reading Montaigne. I walked round the Park with Lionel, after lunch.

The persistence of feudalism is rather strikingly illustrated by a statement in today's Times under the heading "German Royal Claims":–

"Another list of smaller claims for baronial rights of various sorts amounts to over 200,000 marks a year. The rights in question include the right to permit dancing, to levy excise, road–toll, and licenses to Jews for permission to settle. One family has had the right for centuries to a tribute known as "bridal hens" and "bridal oats", on the occasion of the marriage of any daughter of the House: another to compensation in lieu of the right of serfdom."

I finished reading through the 3 fascinating little volumes of "The Journal of Montaigne's Travels in Italy by way of Switzerland & Germany in 1580 and 1581" translated & edited by W.G. Waters (John Murray. 1903.)

[117]

Pastors must explain that not only was it (Confirmation) instituted by Christ the Lord, but that by Him were also ordained, as Pope St Fabian testifies, the rite of chrism and the words which the Catholic Church uses in its administration. This is a fact easy to prove to those who acknowledge Confirmation to be a Sacrament, because all the sacred mysteries exceed the powers of human nature and could be instituted by no other than God alone.

v. Catechism of the Council of Trent for Parish Priests, issued by order of Pope Pius V. (1566) translated by McHugh & Callan. p. 202. (New York. 1923).

This provides an excellent illustration of the Roman treatment of the Scripture. The only evidence which could prove to a Protestant that Confirmation was instituted by Christ Himself would be that of the New Testament. A Roman Catholick is contented to eke out the silence of Scripture by a spurious decretal attributed to Pope St Fabian (ob. 250).

[118]

I ran through the Tridentine Catechism with the object of assisting myself to realize the difference between the Roman & the Protestant treatment of the Bible. Both regard it as inspired & infallible, but there agreement ends.

The morning post brought me a disconcerting letter from Johannesburg, to which I replied in the afternoon.

After lunch Lionel and I walked round the Park, to the accompaniment of intermittent hail–storms.

Mr Lloyd Thomas sends me a copy of "The Free Catholic", of which he is the Editor. His editorial is headed "Protestant Catholicism", & expounds the principles of the strange little body of eclectics with whom he is associated.

"The Roman Church asserts today the authority of Scripture quite as firmly as the Protestants used to do. The essential difference in this respect is not on the authority of the Scriptures but on the final court of interpreting the Scriptures. This, for the Romans, is the Vatican and, in the last resort, the Pope in the exercise of his infallibility. This, for the Protestants, is to be found in the Christ–enlightened minds of individual believers".

This may be sufficient for the guidance of individuals, but will it serve for the guidance of a Church? It will need supplementing by some recognized criterion of Christ–enlightenment.

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