PERSONAL 119 



tion/ On the Bible and the Prayer-Book, but in 

 no ' metaphorical sense/ I take my stand that is 

 my Churchmanship." 



His faith was as deep-rooted as it was simple 

 and child-like, and to one thus impressed it was 

 distasteful to adopt practices that seemed to savour 

 more of party spirit than of religion. And yet he 

 was entirely for doing everything connected with 

 his clerical duty according to Church rule as he 

 understood it. On such a subject, for instance, as 

 Evening Communion, he never could bring himself 

 to adopt the practice ; his reasons for not doing 

 so might fall short of those of others. For him it 

 would be enough that the custom of having Holy 

 Communion after Evening Service was not in 

 accordance with the usage laid down in the Book 

 of Common Prayer, and he had never been accus- 

 tomed to any other usage than that. 



Although the services in his own church were 

 conducted in the most simple manner possible, yet 

 there was a reverence in his manner of performing 

 them that often struck strangers. He never could or 

 would intone the prayers ; it is probable he never 

 once did so throughout his clerical life, but there was 

 a richness and a softness in his voice which made 

 it an exceptionally pleasant one to listen to. 



He invariably preached from written sermons; in- 

 deed public speaking and extempore preaching were 

 alike distasteful to him through a natural nervous- 

 ness which he never overcame, but which he often 

 regretted. His sermons reflected his own simple 



