The Henson Journals

[63]

12th Sunday after Trinity, September 4th, 1927.

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But above all, he excelled in prayer. The inwardness and weight of his spirit, the reverence & solemnity of his address and behaviour, and the fewness & fullness of his words, have often struck even strangers with admiration, as they used to reach others with consolation. The most awful, living, reverent frame I ever felt or beheld, I must say was his in prayer.

Fox described by Penn.

Prayer plays a smaller rôle in the drama of the Christian life than formerly, partly, because its pre–suppositions have largely lost their hold on men's minds, and, partly, because it has been thrust aside by the modern zeal for social work. Christians have generally ceased to pray because they are no longer very sure that prayer is effective, and because they think that they could employ themselves more acceptably otherwise. Be the reasons what they may, the fact appears to me indisputable. The ordinary Christian has ceased to bestow much time or trouble on his prayers. And yet, if there be any truth in the counsels of the Saints, or any authority in the words of the Scripture, prayer is the very sustenance of the Christian life, and its indispensable condition.

[64]

I celebrated the Holy Communion at 8 a.m. There were 16 comts, including the three Brydens. Before lunch I walked for an hour with the Dean of Westminster. In the afternoon we all motored to Durham, and attended Evensong. Then we scattered the party for tea, & I took some to the Castle, after which we returned to Auckland.

The Austin Car was damaged through the flying open of its door whereby a plate–glass window was shattered, & other mischief wrought. This was the more unfortunate since the car is needed for our journey to Scotland next Tuesday.

The Revd Harry Kenneth Luce, Master of the King's Scholars, Westminster School, sends me "A Modern Confirmation Manual", with a request that I will commend it to the clergy. It is published by the Committee of the Junior section of the Churchmen's Union, and exhibits a frankly "modern" handling of Christianity. The Divinity of Christ is thus stated:–

"In Jesus human nature rose to the divine. Jesus so perfectly controlled the instincts that He shared with other men that His nature rose to the highest that human nature can attain – till it was itself divine. So too each one of us must strive to rise above the lower self till there comes into life some reflection, however dim, of the beauty of God Himself."

This is certainly not orthodox. Is it satisfying or ^[word missing]^?