The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 07 (of 32) — Reading Notes

Wesley’s Editorial Marks and Their Purpose

The transcriber’s notes alert us that Wesley used an asterisk (*) to indicate passages he considered most worthy of attention. In the excerpts, these marks appear near statements about the soul’s total dependence on God: “calling them to himself, to a birth of essential, inherent goodness, wisdom and holiness from his own eternal word and Holy Spirit.” The asterisks function as a silent commentary, directing the reader to the core of Wesley’s theological interest. They are not mere decoration; they are a deliberate editorial device that shapes how the text is read. By foregrounding certain sentences, Wesley effectively creates a secondary layer of emphasis within Law’s prose, turning the extract into a dialogue between author and editor.

The Recurring Contrast Between Inward and Outward

Across the letters and dialogues, a persistent binary emerges: the inward truth versus outward forms. In Letter II, Wesley’s extract advises that the clergyman should keep himself and his people “wholly intent on that spiritual good, of which these institutions are the appointed outward figures.” Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are described as “outward figures” pointing to spiritual regeneration and living in Christ. The same letter warns against overvaluing or disregarding outward practices, insisting that only “the inward regenerate Christian” knows how to use all outward things rightly. This pattern—privileging the inner reality over the external sign—recurs throughout the volume, giving it a cohesive argumentative thread.

The Doctrine of Imputation Challenged

Letter III contains a striking passage where Law (via Wesley’s extract) directly attacks the doctrine of imputed righteousness. The text calls it “absurd” to claim that fallen nature comes by imputation rather than natural birth, and similarly denies that Christ’s life is merely “accounted” to believers. Instead, it insists on a real new birth: “so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The language is blunt and polemical, using the analogy of hands and feet to argue that spiritual condition is as inherent as physical form. This section reveals Wesley’s willingness to include material that challenges mainstream Protestant orthodoxy, and it gives the volume a sharp doctrinal edge.

The Rhetoric of Direct Address in the Letters

The epistolary form dominates the latter half of the volume, and Wesley’s extracts preserve the intimate, hortatory tone of Law’s originals. Letters are addressed to specific clergymen—one in Bucks, another unnamed—and they open with phrases like “I am much surprised, my friend.” This direct address creates a sense of personal counsel, as if the reader is overhearing a private spiritual conversation. The letters blend theological argument with pastoral advice, urging the recipient to “go as in obedience to God, as on his errand, and say only what the love of God and man suggests to your heart.” The result is a text that feels both doctrinal and devotional, combining abstract reasoning with concrete guidance for ministry.

Readers approaching this volume should attend to the asterisks as Wesley’s signposts, and note how the extracts consistently redirect attention from external ceremonies to internal transformation. The collection is not a systematic theology but a series of pointed interventions, designed to provoke reflection on the nature of true religion. Those familiar with Wesley’s own sermons will recognize here the sources of his emphasis on holiness of heart and life.

There’s something almost tender in Wesley’s careful asterisks, his selecting only what feeds the inner life. It reminds me how old books hold private conversations. I sometimes wonder if Law would recognize himself there. Other times, my mind drifts to the Greeks and their quiet awe before the soul—Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality among the Greeks — Inside the Classic—as if both questions were somehow the same one.