A letter to Mrs. Bennis

Came across this in my research yesterday and wanted to share it:

A woman named Mrs. Bennis wrote to John Wesley in March of 1766 to ask about her religious experience and to seek advice. Wesley wrote back in a letter dated March 29th, with encouragement to share her experience with others. He also included some advice about Christian perfection.

One of the things most characteristic about Wesley's understanding of salvation is its progressive character. In fact, he didn't think it was possible to receive saving grace and then just sit still. The justified sinner either pushed forward in holiness of heart & life after receiving the new birth, or else he would backslide and lose the gift given to him. You can see that in Wesley's advice to Mrs. Bennis on the importance of sharing our faith and pressing on towards salvation:

"One reason why those who are saved from sin should freely declare it to believers is because nothing is a stronger incitement to them to seek after the same blessing. And we ought by every possible means to press every serious believer to forget the things which are behind and with all earnestness go on to perfection. Indeed, if they are not thristing after this, it is scarce possible to keep what htey have: they can hardly retain any power of faith if they are not panting after holiness."

Wesley's talking about sanctification here. And when he speaks of "perfection," he's talking about the character of entire sanctification, where the believer has been so transformed by the love of God that she no longer commits intentional sins.

His doctrine of perfection was controversial in Wesley's own day, and it has remained so ever since. But there are two important things to remember that can clear up most of the misunderstanding over Christian perfection: First, perfection is not a static state. It is a mark along the way of salvation, but it does not mean that a person will not keep growing in grace in this life. And second, perfection does not mean a person is free from ignorance, error, or unintentional sin.

Wesley makes this second point in spades in the letter to Mrs. Bennis:

"A thousand infirmities are consistent even with the highest degree of holiness, which is no other than pure love, an heart devoted to God, one design and one desire. Then whatever is done either in word or deed may be done in the name of the Lord Jesus."

The Christian character he's describing is, in terms of his own moral psychology, one marked by liberty. A person who is sanctified to the degree that, "whatever is done ... may be done in the name of the Lord Jesus," is one who is truly free. And the freedom possessed is the freedom to orient one's life toward God; it is exactly for this freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).

The doctrine of Christian perfection is not something Wesleyans should shy away from. In fact, our neglect of it has probably contributed to our loss of a full understanding of holiness of heart & life. We should pay attention to it, particularly since it is eminently biblical. Entire sanctification is, simply put, that form of life to which the whole New Testament points.

Coming across little gems like the letter to Mrs. Bennis is one of the real joys of graduate work. Does that make me sound like a complete nerd? Oh, well.

[If you're wondering, the letter to Mrs. Bennis can be found in the Telford edition of The Letters of John Wesley, vol. 5, p.6.]

The Imitation of Christ

I've been re-reading some books from the "holy living tradition" that were very influential for John Wesley during his early adulthood. They're good sources for understanding how Wesley was influenced in his thinking about holiness of heart & life. But the real joy in reading them is that they are all spiritual classics that offer great insight into the way of holiness for Christians today.

One of the best is the meditation of Thomas a Kempis called, The Imitation of Christ. (That's him in the picture, by the way.) Kempis was a 15th-century Dutch monk who was a member of the Brothers of the Common Life. His masterpiece, The Imitation of Christ, has inspired countless people in their devotional lives since he penned it in the early 1400s.

John Wesley talks about its influence on him in the opening paragraphs of A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, where he writes, "In the year 1726, I met with Kempis's 'Christian's Pattern.' The nature and extent of inward religion, the religion of the heart, now appeared to me in a stronger light than ever it had done before ... I saw, that 'simplicity of intention, and purity of affection,' one design in all we speak or do, and one desire ruling all our tempers, are indeed 'the wings of the soul,' without which she can never ascend to the mount of God."

I would encourage you to pick up a copy of The Imitation of Christ, which is available in a number of different versions. (The Thomas Nelson edition is good for devotional reading; it's not currently in print but is available for next to nothing from used booksellers). Keep in mind that it should be read slowly and savored. It's best read meditatively along with your morning Scripture reading, which allows you to reflect on its words throughout your daily tasks.

I'll also share a few passages from it over the next few weeks. Here's one from the opening section:

"The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ" (I.1).

Words of wisdom.

And words by which to focus our spiritual lives.