Holiness Must Be Preached Part 2

149. Did Mr.Wesley preach often upon the subject of holiness?

We think he did, and for the following reasons:

1. Mr. Wesley was a consistent man, and it can not be supposed that he would in conference, in private, and by letter, urge and press his preachers to preach constantly, strongly, and explicitly on the subject, while he himself did not set them an example to be followed.

2. Mr. Wesley says, in his Plain Account, p. 88: "If I were convinced that none in England had attained what has been so clearly and strongly preached by such a number of preachers, in so many places, and for so long a time, I should be clearly convinced that we had all mistaken the meaning of those Scriptures."

3. In the journals of Dr. Adam Clarke, Bramwell, Carvosso, Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers, and Lady Maxwell, where a great number of Mr. Wesley's Sermons and texts are noticed, you will find a large proportion of them are on the subject of full salvation or perfection. More than one half of the hymns composed by Mr. Wesley were upon the subject of holiness.

The fact that but few of his published sermons are devoted specifically to the subject of Christian perfection does not argue against his preaching much upon it. The sermons which he published were designed to present a general survey of Christian theology. There are more of them, however, devoted specifically to the subject of holiness than to any other one topic.

Let it be remembered that we have but about one hundred and forty of his sermons; while he preached over seven hundred times a year during his ministry, and in his lifetime over forty-two thousand sermons.

150. Is there not a serious lack on the part of the ministry in preaching on this subject?

1. The special work of the Methodist ministry, is "to spread scriptural holiness over these lands." We are compelled to believe there is much less prominence given to this subject by our ministers than there should be. There is a serious neglect among us in not adhering to the matured advice of our great founder under God. "Therefore all our preachers should make a point of preaching perfection, to believers CONSTANTLY, STRONGLY, and EXPLICITLY; and ALL believers should mind this one thing, and continually agonize for it." This direction was given by Mr. Wesley in his mature years, and after an experience in the gospel ministry unequaled since the days of the apostles.

2. Bishop Peck says: "Alas! the truth can not be denied. The great privilege and duty of present salvation from all sin is omitted in so large a number of sermons as to leave many in doubt whether there be any such gospel, and grievously to discourage and mislead those whose spirits pant for full redemption." -- Central Idea, p. 113.

How true in many places, at this day, the declaration of Mr. Wesley at one period of his ministry: "I find almost all our preachers, in every circuit, have done with Christian perfection. They say they believe it; but they never preach it, or not once in a quarter."