Perfection and Millennium in the Eschatology of John Wesley
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Joy of Heaven to Earth Come Down: Perfection and Millennium in the Eschatology of John Wesley A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Master of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2011 Robert B. Brown This research was carried out at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester Contents Abstract 4 Acknowledgements 5 Author 6 Preface 7 Introduction 9 Part One – The Millennium Chapter 1 – John Wesley’s Millennial Views in Scholarship 15 Premillennial Postmillennial Chapter 2 – The Millennialism of Johann Albrecht Bengel 43 Bengel’s Writings Bengel’s Chronology Revelation and the Millennium Chapter 3 – John Wesley and the Millennium 64 Wesley’s use of Bengel The Millennium: Imminent and Literal The Millennium in Wesley’s sermons Part Two – Eschatological Hope in the Present Chapter 4 – ‘Inward and Outward Holiness’ 89 Thomas à Kempis, Jeremy Taylor and William Law Aldersgate Chapter 5 – Christian Perfection 114 Sin and the believer Wesley’s Belief in Entire Sanctification Wesley’s use of the Johannine Literature 2 Chapter 6 – Synergism 143 Prevenient Grace Eschatology and Social Concern Time in Eternity Conclusion 164 Appendix A – Eschatological Terminology 172 Appendix B – A Plain Account of Christian Perfection 188 Bibliography 194 Word total: 49,994 3 Abstract John Wesley was not a systematic theologian and therefore never expounded a systemized eschatology. Nevertheless, his soteriology and eschatology were inseparably linked. His belief in the possibility of entire sanctification in the present life of the believer meant that Christians could be perfected in love on earth as preparation for their eternal presence with God. Therefore, end-time events were already occurring now. Additionally, Wesley was an optimist of grace. He envisaged an extensive conversion of mankind throughout the world before Jesus’ second advent, through the preaching of the Gospel. This led naturally to his belief in a future millennium, for it was during this period that this spiritual utopia would take place. However, Wesley adopted much of the strange millennial eschatology of the German Lutheran Johann Albrecht Bengel, who believed in a double millennium. Furthermore, Wesley seldom wrote overtly about the millennia, especially the second 1000 year period. Thus as an 18th century evangelist, Wesley should not be so readily labelled using the familiar post-19th century millennial language which exists today, as previous scholarship has so often done. It is the conviction of this thesis that Wesley can only be described with any safety as a ‘millenarian’ in the broadest definition of that word. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Tom Noble, my supervisor at Nazarene Theological College, for the time he has given me during the research for, and writing-up of, this thesis. I have valued his encouragement and constructive criticism. I would especially like to record my thanks to him for helping me convert this dissertation into an MPhil thesis; it having originally been intended for PhD submission. I would also like to extend thanks to Dr Herbert McGonigle of NTC for his time and advice during 2009, when the process of turning my desire to study John Wesley’s eschatology into a working proposal was undertaken. I also wish to acknowledge with gratitude my circle of family and Christian friends who have prayed for me during the preparation of this thesis. Special thanks go to my wife Michelle who has been a great support to me in many ways over these last two years. To her, I dedicate this thesis. 5 Author The author holds an undergraduate honours degree in History from the University of St Andrews (1994), and a postgraduate Masters degree in Palaeography and Archive Administration from the University of Liverpool (1997). The author also obtained a postgraduate MTh in Biblical Studies from The Queen’s University, Belfast in 2007 (Belfast Bible College). Additionally, the author worked in a research environment as an archivist at the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh between 1997 and 2005 and as archivist/curator at Fife Mining Museum between 2007 and 2009, which the present writer set up and managed for a local mining charity. 6 Preface This thesis examines the eschatology of John Wesley, focusing on both his ‘realized’ understanding that the end times have, in part, already arrived with the first advent of Christ and on his interpretation of the millennium. This latter area has traditionally received only limited treatment, despite being an area of fervent debate in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.1 Most scholarship on Wesley’s eschatology has tended to home in on his soteriology because “situated on the cusp of time and eternity, entire sanctification prepares believers for service not only in this world, but also for the world to come.”2 Yet speculation over the millennium generally has intensified since the awakening of the 18th century and, especially, from the mid-19th century with J. N Darby’s dispensational reading of Scripture and the later emergence of the Scofield Reference Bible.3 This has brought a renewed interest in millennialism and, within Methodism, on Wesley’s understanding of Revelation 20 in particular. But despite this, when compared to other areas of his theology, his views on a 1000 year reign of Christ have continued to receive only passing attention. The primary purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to revisit these two areas of inquiry. Because scholars have tended to impose both formalized post-19th century models and eschatological language on an 18th century evangelist,4 as well as bring their own 1 Randy L. Maddox: Responsible Grace – John Wesley’s Practical Theology (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 230-1 2 Kenneth J. Collins: The Theology of John Wesley – Holy Love and the Shape of Grace (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007), 313 3 J. W. Montgomery: “Millennium” in Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Ed.): The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 3: 359 4 Of course, some millennial theories have existed since the early church period; yet not all. Dispensationalism is a relatively modern scheme and postmillennialism was hardly systemized before Daniel Whitby. Moreover, the terminology used to describe the eschatological models of today, were unknown in Wesley’s time. Even the word ‘eschatology’ was first only used in 1844. See Appendix A 7 predisposed millennial persuasions to Wesley, this thesis will attempt a fresh and independent look at his millennial eschatology. Additionally, whilst Wesley’s soteriology has received copious attention, it is inextricably linked with his eschatology and its relation to his millennial theology requires fuller consideration. As such, other areas of Wesley’s eschatology in the present are not the remit of this thesis.5 His doctrine of Christian Perfection will be the primary focus. This thesis is broken down into these two parts, the millennium and Wesley’s eschatological hope in the present. Chapter one examines the split verdict of historical scholarship on Wesley’s millennialism, with chapter two investigating the millennial beliefs of the Lutheran Johann Albrecht Bengel,6 upon whom Wesley so heavily relied. Chapter three focuses on the millennium in Wesley’s own writings, especially his sermons. In part two, chapter four examines the early influences on Wesley which convinced him that true Christianity was seated in the heart. His pursuit of scriptural holiness from 1725 was the basis for his doctrine of entire sanctification which is examined in chapter five. The final chapter focuses on Wesley’s synergistic understanding of soteriology. 5 Such as Holy Communion 6 Appendix B elaborates on the eschatological calculations of Bengel, so providing important background to aid understanding of his millennial theory 8 Introduction In 1953, C.H. Dodd’s book entitled ‘The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel’ revolutionized Christian understanding of eschatology. Dodd emphasized New Testament passages, especially in John's Gospel, which suggested that the kingdom of God was already a present reality in the ministry of Jesus. Dodd developed the idea of ‘realized’ eschatology which was later developed into an ‘already-not yet’ tension by later scholars.7 This tension discerned the work of the kingdom in two-stages, inauguration and consummation. Eternal life is not just a future reality but also a present one to be experienced from conversion. In Jesus Christ, the eschaton has already arrived. Certainly this was John Wesley’s understanding of the significance of the incarnation. So in some ways Wesley was a forerunner of Dodd. Yet clear differences remain between Wesley’s eschatology and that of Dodd’s, even when the latter modified his position later in his career having admitted that he “passed over too lightly”8 the future nature of the consummation. Wesley developed his eschatological assumptions based on a literal hermeneutic which would have been anathema to Dodd. Nor would Wesley, unlike Dodd, see the ‘Day of the Lord’ as being fulfilled in the first advent. Here Wesley was a futurist. Other differences such as the resurrection body were a departure between the two. But a major discrepancy was that Wesley saw the eschaton as having entered time and space history. For Dodd, Jesus’ coming was timeless and the relationship believers now have with Him cannot be 7 See Appendix A 8 Bruce Roger Marino: Through A Glass Darkly – The Eschatological Vision of John Wesley (Drew University: PhD Thesis, 1994), 223 n652 9 experienced in history.9 Wesley saw a future coming; for Dodd this had moved from the future to the here and now. So fundamental differences existed between the two and this should be borne in mind when examining Wesley’s ‘realized’ eschatology. Some have posited that, rather than ‘realized’ eschatology, a better description for Wesley should be ‘anticipated,’ because eschatology and soteriology are so closely linked.