The Henson Journals

[92]

Monday, May 16th, 1927.

A wet day. Ernest went off for his holiday and Miss Headlam returned home.

I worked at the Sermon for the University. Also, I wrote to the Headmaster of Winchester and the Bishop of Oxford anent the chair of Greek in Durham.

Lionel and I walked in the Park in spite of the rain: and, falling in with Dr McCullagh, had much talk with him.

After protracted search, Fearne succeeded in discovering, my copy of Thomas Ellwood's Life, which I started to read again with enhanced appreciation. It is the most informing account of the beginning of the Quaker movement that I know. When he was but 21, this astonishing young man seems to have spent his time attending Quaker meetings & keeping a vigil in his own room, "in retiredness of mind, waiting on the Lord". In this way he saw "in the light of the Lord, the horrible guilt of those deceitful priests of divers sorts & denominations, who made a trade of preaching". Accordingly, he was led by what he conceived to be a special direction from God to write a fierce tract against the said deceitful priests. It is curious to note how the word 'priest' is always used of the Puritan ministers who held office in the parishes during the Commonwealth. Like 'mass' in Sweden today, the word 'priest' in the usage of 17th century Quakers had entirely lost its medieval sense. The one means now, any religious service, the other meant then any paid minister.

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