I have to change up the titles or they will all look like the same thing on Substack.
Section 2
Section 2 opens with a date, 1725. In that year, John Wesley was at Oxford University. He starts his journey into the priesthood this year, becoming ordained as a deacon by the bishop of Oxford. When Wesley states he “met with Bishop Taylor’s Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying” p.4 he is talking about a pair of books written by Jeremy Taylor in 1650 and 1651. The first book is The Rules and Exercises of Holy Living, and the second is The Rules and Exercises of Holy Dying. These two books are a collection of devotions. The first intends to instruct the reader in virtuous living, while the second book lays out a course for dying well or a “blessed death.”
Wesley mentions these two books because they moved him to decide to dedicate his entire life to God. Wesley believed, rightly in my opinion, that we are either in God’s camp or in Satan’s camp. There is no middle ground. In Wesley’s words, “…being thoroughly convinced, there is no medium: but that every part of my life (not some only) must either be a sacrifice to God, or myself, that is, in effect, to the devil.” p. 4. Wesley closes this entry asking the rhetorical question that, in effect believes everyone agrees with his understanding that everything is either to God or Satan.
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
25And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
27“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
28“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:24–37 (NASB95)
Section 3
We jump an entire year to 1726 from Section 2 to Section 3. Wesley is still at Oxford University, where he is elected a fellow of the university. A fellow is a member of the staff elected to that position by the University staff, meaning those already teaching at the university recognize the person’s ability and contribution to their organization. Those people agree they want the “fellow” among them, helping them, and they are worthy of the position.
The “Simplicity of intention, and purity of affection” p.5 quote is from Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ. This book is on The Cavalier’s list of books to be done in The Book Club, but that sucker is deep, and while some of you may be ready for it, I am not. Feel free to venture into those deep waters if you wish. I’ll catch up, just know I have a copy on my desk as I type this, and it is calling to me. Wesley was already clearly familiar with this book at this point in his life. The “The wings of the soul” quote is also from Kempis.
Those two quotes Wesley brings up to confirm his Section 2 entry that dedicating all his life in words only is not enough. The implication of Wesley here is akin to the Pharisees’ belief that as long as they kept the letter of the law physically, they’d be fine. What that means is, and what the Pharisees ended up doing in practice was, they believed they could knowingly and willfully break God’s Law as long as they paid the appropriate penance later. What Wesley contends here is that it is not enough. We cannot simply keep the letter of God’s Law in the flesh and expect to please God. We have to have the intention of keeping it in our hearts, too. Our motivations have to actually be wanting and desiring to be godly and righteous people. Those motivations behind our actions are just as important to God as the actions themselves. In fact, to Wesley, the actions lost all their “sweet savor to the Lord” as a sacrifice or as righteous actions if our hearts didn’t intend to be obedient because we wanted to please God. God cares about our heart-position as much as He cares about what we do and say.
6When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:6–7 (NASB95)
1The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives.
3Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:1–3 (NASB95)
1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:1–8 (NASB95)