A STUDY IN JOHN WESLEY'S EXPLANATORY NOTES UPON THE OLD TESTAMENT*

William M. Arnett
Asbury Theological Seminary

[*Documentation will be in the body of the paper. The three volumes comprising the Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament will be referred to as I.&II.&III. ]

INTRODUCTION

One of the least known, and therefore most neglected, of John Wesley's writings is his Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament. It is rarely, if ever, included in the primary sources in doctoral dissertations or other writings relating to John Wesley's interpretation of the Christian faith. The General Index to the "Proceedings" of the Wesley Historical Society, covering a period of sixty years of that publication from 1897 to 1956, has two references to "Notes on OT" (p.40). There is no reference to it in Thomas Walter Herbert's doctoral dissertation at Princeton University, John Wesley as Editor and Author (1940). In fact, there are only a few references to it in the definitive writings of John Wesley. The Thomas Jackson edition of Wesley's Works in fourteen volumes has three references to it in the index (XIV, pp. 4923) and two of these relate to the same thing. There are three references in the index of Nehemiah Curnock's Standard Edition of Wesley's Journal in eight volumes (VIII, p. 435). John Telford's Standard Edition of Wesley's Letters in eight volumes has seven references in the index (VIII, p. 355), and one of these is incorrect (IV, p. 118there is no reference to the Notes on this page).

There are some rather obvious reasons for the neglect of Wesley's most prodigious literary effort. The rarity, and therefore inaccessibility of Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament, is perhaps the most obvious one. Unlike his Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, published in 1755 and still in print at the present time, the Old Testament Notes did not go beyond the first printing (Cf. Richard Green The Works of John and Charles Wesley, p. 133). It contained 2,613 pages, numbered consecutively, plus nine pages of the "Preface"although actually there is a total of 2,626 pages because pages 7677 are followed by 7677, and 1715,1716 are followed by 1715, 1716. Both the size, and perhaps the cost of the notes when finally bound in three volumes, containing a total of 2,622 pages were additional factors which hindered their availability. The work, though generally helpful, did not have the popular acclaim or usefulness of his Explanatory Notes Upon the. New Testament.

LITERARY HISTORY OF THE EXPLANATORY NOTES UPON THE OLD TESTAMENT

There are some interesting facts concerning the writing and publication of the Old Testament Notes. In the June 5, 1765, edition of Lloyd 's Evening Post the following advertisement appeared.

On Thursday the 1st of August will be published, price 6d., Number 1. of Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament. By John Wesley, M.A., late fellow of Lincoln college, Oxford. Conditions. 1. That this work will be printed in quarto, on a superfine paper. 2. That it will be comprised in about 60 numbers (as near as can be computed) making two handsome volumes. 3. That each number will contain three sheets of' letterpress, printedon a new type. 4. That the first number will be considered as a specimen, and, if not approved of, the money paid for it shall be returned. 5. That the work will be delivered weekly to the subscribers, without interruption, after the publication of the first number. 6. That the whole will be printed in an elegant manner, no way inferior to the very best work of the kind ever offered to the public. Bristol: Printed by William Pine. Sold by J. Fletcher & Co., in St. Paul's Church yard, London; and by the Booksellers of Great Britain and Ireland. (Tyerman, II, pp. 55253).

Such was the advertisement, anticipating approximately sixty numbers appearing weekly with the obvious Intention of binding the whole work in two volumes, the second beginning with the Book of Ezra. Actually there were 110 numbers instead of the intended sixty, generally of twentyfour pages each, and though intended for two volumes, it was generally bound in three (yet not always. Green, p. 132). The first number is dated April 25, 1765, which appears at the end of the preface, written before the body of the work, as was Wesley's practice. The final number is dated December 24, 1766, giving the time of the completion of the manuscript.

The writing of the Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament was a task that Wesley undertook with a great deal of reluctance. He explains his reluctance at the beginning of the preface.

About ten years ago I was prevailed upon to publish Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament. When that work was begun, and indeed when it was finished, I had no design to attempt any thing farther of the kind. Nay I had a full determination, Not to do it, being throughly [sic.] fatigued with the immense labour. . . of writing twice over a Quarto book containing seven or eight hundred pages.

But this was scarce published before I was importuned to write Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament. This importunity I have withstood for many years. Over and above the deep conviction I had of my insufficiency for such a work, of my want of learning, of understanding, of spiritual experiences, for an undertaking more difficult by many degrees, than even writing on the New Testament, I objected, that there were many passages in the Old, which I did not understand myself, and consequently could not explain to others, either to their satisfaction, or my own. Above all, I objected the want of time: not only as I have a thousand other employments, but as my day is near spent, as I am declined into the vale of years. And to this day it appears to me as a dream, a thing almost incredible, that I should be entering upon a work of this kind, when I am entering into the sixtythird year of my age (I, p. iii).

On account of these considerations, he stated that he could not "entertain a thought of composing a body of Notes on the whole Old Testament" (I, p. iii). His only alternative was to abridge the work of another if there was such an exposition worth abridging. As Lecky has stated, "Wesley was a voluminous writer, and a still more voluminous editor" (quoted by John S. Simon in his article on "Mr. Wesley's Notes Upon the New Testament" in Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society IX, pp. 97105, 1914). Just as he had turned to John Albert Bengel (and Drs. Heylyn, Guyse, and Doddridge) for help in his Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, Wesley selected two writers for assistance on the Old Testament. The first was Matthew Henry's wellknown Exposition of the Old and New Testament; the second was Matthew Poole's Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Henry's work was particularly acceptable to those who believed the doctrine of absolute irrespective "unconditional Predestination," though Wesley is careful to tell his readers that he omitted completely all that Henry wrote in favor of"Particular Redemption" (I, p.v). Poole (16241679) was a non conformist who wrote a massive fivevolume publication in Latin, Synopsis Criticorum Biblicorum, intended primarily for scholars. Poole's Annotations was published posthumously in two folio volumes (16835), Jeremiah to Revelation being completed by other scholars. They relied, however, on Poole's Latin work so that really all of it is Poole's writings. The Annotations was reprinted in London in 1962 in three volumes with the title, Commentary on the Holy Bible. Actually, Wesley used Henry's Exposition as a basis for his own work as far as the beginning of Exodus, after which Poole's Annotations formed the foundation, with Henry's work being used to fill up any gaps (I, p. viii).

The task of completing the Notes on the Old Testament became a very laborious, burdensome undertaking for Wesley. He was engaged in an extensive itinerant ministry that was sufficient to employ all of his time and energy. It was while he was preaching in Northern Ireland in May, 1765, that he wrote in his Journal, "Monday, 13, and the following days, I had leisure to go on with the Notes on the Old Testament." But it is on the very same page of his printed Journal that he wrote on the following day in a letter to a friend, "I preach about eight hundred sermons in a year" (Jackson 111, p. 211). If Richard Green was greatly amazed how such a work as Wesley's Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament "could be written amidst so much labour and distraction" (p. 91), it is even a greater marvel that he was able to write his Notes on the Old Testament under even more intense circumstances. His work on the New Testament was begun when he was too ill to travel or preach, but his labor on the Old Testament was done while his itinerant ministry was in full swing. Tyerman describes the situation.

His societies were now so numerous and important, that it was a gigantic task to visit them, and regulate their multifarious affairs once a year. In addition, he was bringing out his Notes on the Old Testament, a work, in itself, quite sufficient for the time and energies of any ordinary man; and further, he had to enforce and to defend his doctrine of Christian perfection, a doctrine im perfectly understood, and bitterly assailed. Hence the publication of a small 12mo volume of 162 pages, entitled, "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, as believed and taught by the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, from the year 1725 to the year 1765" (II, p. 593).

Then too, there were the jibes and jeers that were being heaped upon Wesley at this period of his career (Tyerman, II, p. 593).

In a letter to Thomas Rankin on Septemberll, 1765, Wesley gave these instructions:

Recommend the Notes on the Old Testament in good earnest. Every Society as a Society should subscribe. Remind them every where that two, four, or six might join together for a copy, and bring the money to their leader weekly (Telford IV, p. 312).

A very practical matter concerned Wesley in letter written on January 23, 1766, again to Thomas Rankin.

Suppose the numbers swell to an hundred (as probably they will), consider what it would amount to give seventy persons 50s. apiece before I am reimbursed for the expense of the edition! Indeed, I did not think of this till my brother mentioned it. But all the preachers shall, if they desire it, have them at half price. (Telford IV, p. 320)

In his Journal on Sunday, February 23, 1766, he wrote, "In the evening I went to Lewisham, and finished the notes on the book of Job" (Journal, Nehemiah Curnock ed., V, p. 155). As Richard Green observes, "the Notes were composed wherever he could put down the ponderous tomes which must have accompanied him in his widespread journeys" (p. 133).

A circular letter written by Wesley on June 20, 1766, "To the Subscribers" to "Notes upon the Old Testament" indicates how difficult his task of completing the work had become. The letter was found by the Rev. Wilfrid J. Moulton in his copy of Wesley's Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament and forwarded to Richard Green. It was printed in the Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society in 1900 (II:219221; cf. Telford V, pp. 1214). "The letter is characteristic and interesting." It was written a little more than a year after he began writing the Notes while he was itinerating in Scotland.

From the time that I published the Notes on the New Testament [1755l I was importuned to publish Notes on the Old. I long resisted that importunity, but at length yielded and began the Work, supposing that it need not be above twice as long as the former: otherwise all the importunity in the world would not have prevailed on me to undertake it. But I had not gone through the book of Exodus, before I began to find my mistake. I perceived the work would be considerably longer than I expected, if I designed to make it intelligible to Commonreaders, and therefore immediately consulted with my friends, What was best to be done? Here was a difficulty on each hand, If I had went on as I had begun, and explained every text, so as to be understood by every reader, then the work would swell to 100, perhaps 110 or 112 numbers. This it was easily forseen, many would complain of; especially those who did not observe, that it was not possible to make the notes shorter, without making them almost useless. On the other hand, if I left many texts unexplained, they would have reason to complain. This was judged the greater evil of the two: so that every one, to whom I spoke, earnestly desired me, To go on as I had begun, and not to cramp the work. Several of them added, That even if the work should swell to 120 numbers, it would be far better than by labouring to shorten the Notes to make them unintelligible to ordinary readers. In the meantime, I myself have far the worst of it: the great burden falls upon me. A burden which, if I had seen before, all the world would not have perswaded [sic.] me to take up. I am employed day and night, and must go on, whether I will or no, lest the printer should stand still. All my time is swallowed up, and I can hardly catch a few hours, to answer the letters that are sent to me. Does any one who knows anything of me suppose that I would drudge thus for money? What is money to me? Dung and dross. I love it as I do the mire in the streets. But I find enough that want it: and among these I disperse it with both hands: being careful only to owe no man anything, to "wind my bottom round the year." For my own sake I care not how short the work is; for I am heartily tired of it. It is for the reader's sake, that I say as much on each verse as I think will make it intelligible. And there is no fear, I should say any more: for I am not a dealer in many words.

There was a note appended to the letter which is obviously the printers, as Richard Green points out (Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society II, p. 219 and pp. 22021 under "Notes and Queries" No. 131).

As it cannot be exactly ascertained in how many Numbers the Work will be compleated, [sic.] it is judged most necessary (for the sake of uniformity) with the last Number to give the Title pages and likewise directions to the Binder to divide the volumes; by which means it will be done with greater exactness than other wise it possibly can be. And as the Work unavoidably exceeds what was at first intended the subscribers shall receive GRATIS, A Print of Mr. Wesley, with each of the Volumes to serve as a Frontispiece.

In the "General Preface" to his Commentary (I, p. 8) Adam Clarke makes an evaluation and offers an explanation concerning Wesley's Notes.

The notes on the Old Testament are allowed, on all hands, to be meagre and unsatisfactory; this is owing to a circumstance with which few are acquainted. Mr. Pine, the printer, having set up and printed off several sheets in a type much larger than was intended, it was found impossible to get the work within the prescribed limits of four volumes, without retrenching the notes, or cancelling what was already printed. The former measure was unfortunately adopted, and the work fell far short of the expectations of the public. This account I had from the excellent author himself (I, p. 8).

It is difficult to reconcile Clarke's explanation with Wesley's letter "To the Subscribers." Clarke speaks about "retrenching the notes," while Wesley tells the subscribers that the Notes would not be shortened or curtailed. On December 26, 1788, Wesley informed Sarah Mallet in a letter that he "could not so well send the Notes on the Old Testament, as the edition is nearly sold off, and we have very few of them left, which are reserved to make up full sets" (Telford, VIII, p. 108). From an inventory of the books in stock in the Methodist Bookroom, taken immediately after Wesley's death in 1791, "rt appears that there were 750 copies of each volume still unsold" (Green, p. 133).

It has been the concern of this first section of the paper to set forth some of the pertinent facts regarding the literary history of the Old Testament Notes. Since so little has been known about the Notes, and information concerning them has been terse and scattered, our preoccupation in this area seems to be justified.

SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

There are some preliminary, as well as overall observations and impressions, that should be noted. Certain phases of the study are still in process, but at this stage some facts and general ideas have been formed.

The purpose for which Wesley wrote. In the preface Wesley states very clearly his purpose in writing the Notes.

Every thinking man will now easily discern my design in the following sheets. It is not, to write sermons, essays or set discourses upon any part of Scripture. It is not to draw inferences from the text, or to shew what doctrines may be proved thereby. It is this: To give the direct, literal meaning, of every verse, of every sentence, and as far as I am able, of every word in the oracles of God. I design only like the hand of a dial, to point every man to This: not to take up his mind with some thing else, how excellent soever: but to keep his eye fixt upon the naked Bible, that he may read and hear it with understanding. I say again, (and desire it may be well observed, that none may expect what they will not find) It is not my design to write a book which a man may read separate from the Bible: but barely to assist those who fear God, in hearing and reading the bible itself, by shewing the natural sense of every part, in as few and plain words as I can (1, p. viii).

The people for whom Wesley wrote. In Wesley's letter "To the Subscribers" of the Notes he expresses his concern for "Commonreaders" and "ordinary readers." He was motivated primarily by his sense of obligation to them. Similarly, his Notes on the New Testament were written, not for men of learning, but first and foremost for "plain, unlettered men, who understand only their mothertongue, and yet reverence and love the Word of God, and have a desire to save their soul" (Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament Preface, p. 6). He considered himself "an apostle to the common man," and it was his set purpose to help "unlettered and ignorant men," though he expressed the hope that the Notes on the Old Testament would be beneficial to "men of education and learning.... to make them think, and assist them in thinking" (I, pp. viiiix).

The Person about whom Wesley wrote. Wesley's vision was filled with Jesus Christ, the eternal, incarnate, crucified, and risen Saviour. He sees his form and hears his voice from beginning to end in the Old Testament. Christ is "the spring, the soul, and center of revealed religion" (II, p. 1516 Introduction to the Book of Job). Wesley can write as strongly as John Calvin about a Sovereign, Holy God in the Old Testament, but it is Jesus Christ who fills his vision. Again and again he calls attention to the Messianic element. Thus he sees Christ in Old Testament predictions and promises, types and appearances; he exalts the Deity of Christ, he recognizes his offices, he proclaims his atoning work, he rejoices in the hope of his return and reign. For Wesley, Jesus Christ is the very center of God's revelation and man's salvation.

The burden with which Wesley wrote. Wesley was concerned that there should be an exposition of Scripture more closely practical as well as more spiritual (I, p. vi). It was in this area that he sensed a deficiency in Matthew Henry. He could not remember that Henry had any where given "a satisfactory account of Spiritual Religion, of the kingdom of God within us, the fruit of Christ dwelling and reigning in the heart" (I, pp. vivii). In Wesley's helpful suggestions relating to the manner in which the Scriptures could be used most profitably, he insists that it should be read "with a single eye, to know the whole will of God, and a fixt resolution to do it." Serious and earnest prayer should be made before consulting the oracles of God, and "our reading should likewise be closed with prayer, that what we read may be written on our hearts" (I p. ix). And further, "whatever light you then receive, should be used to the uttermost, and that immediately" (I, p. ix).

The manner in which Wesley wrote. Wesley was primarily an evangelist. For him, the best knowledge is "to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent"(I, p. ix). He sounds the note of the evangel throughout his comments on the text. He sees the provisions of salvation as being universal in scope and that God is no respector of persons. "There is not a damned sinner in hell, but if he had done well, as he might have done, had been a glorified saint in heaven" (I, p. 21Note on Genesis4:7). His intensely practical suggestions on the use of the Scriptures are cumulative: "So shall you find this word to be indeed the power of God unto present and eternal salvation" (I, p. ix).

SOME MAJOR THEMES IN WESLEY'S OLD TESTAMENT NOTES

In stating his purpose for writing the Notes, Wesley said it was not his intent to see what doctrines may be "proved" by the text. And certainly this is not our present intention as we come to examine some of the major themes that are observable in his Notes. In Wesley's view, one of the effectual ways of reading the Scripture was to "have a constant eye to the analogy of faith; the connexion and harmony there is between those grand, fundamental doctrines, Original Sin, Justification by Faith, the New Birth, Inward and Outward Holiness"(I, p. ix). Our present purpose could be profitably served by tracing these themes in the Notes. At best, the collation of materials must be characterized by brevity, though with a view to some measure of comprehensiveness, it is hoped. With this in mind, perhaps those "grand, fundamental doctrines" suggested by Wesley can be encompassed in a little larger framework. My method has been to select relevant passages from the Notes, using almost entirely Wesley's own words, and present them under certain topical or doctrinal themes in relation to Scripture, God, Man, Jesus Christ, Salvation, the Church, and Last Things.

The Authority of Scripture

The Holy Bible, or Book is so called by way of eminency as it is the best book that was ever written (I, p. 1 Introduction to the Book of Genesis). The Scriptures were written, not to describe to us the works of nature, but "to acquaint us with the methods of grace, and those things which are purely matters of revelation" (I, p. 285Note on Exodus 25:9). The great things of God's law and gospel were recorded in the Bible in order that "they might be reduced to a greater certainty, might spread further, remain longer, and be transmitted to distant places and ages, more pure and entire than possibly they could be by tradition" (I, p. lIntroduction to Genesis). Wesley had a very high view of the Bible and regarded the Scriptures as the divinely inspired oracles of God. On several occasions he refers to the human authors as inspired men, and at times refers directly to the Holy Spirit as the author of particular narratives in the Scriptures (e.g., I, p. 11Note on Genesis 2:815; I, p. 26Note on Genesis 5:619; I, p. 50Note on Genesis 11:10). Even the inspiration of the Song of Solomon "is so clear" for Wesley.

And the same arguments which prove the divinity of other books, are found here, such as the quality of the penman, who was confessedly a man inspired by God; the excellency and usefulness of the matter; the sacred and sublime majesty of the style; and the singular efficacy of it upon the hearts of sober and serious persons (III, p. 1925Introduction to the Song of Solomon).

Attention should be called to the close correlation and interrelatedness of the Word of Scripture and the Holy Spirit in Wesley's thought. Commenting on Isaiah 59:21, he says the Word of God uttered by the prophet has been by virtue of God's Spirit, and he sees in God's covenant "a promise of the perpetual presence of his word and spirit with the prophets, apostles, and teachers of the church to all ages" (II, p. 2103). "The voice of my beloved" in Solomon's Song is Christ's voice, "the word of grace revealed outwardly in the gospel, and inwardly by the Spirit of God" (III, p. 1931 Note on the Song of Solomon 2:8). In the same chapter, verse 10, "My beloved spake...." is an invitation "outwardly by his word, and inwardly by his Spirit."

In his comment on Deuteronomy 11:18, Wesley gives "three rules" or guiding principles for an effective use of the Scriptures: (1) Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. Lay up these words in your hearts, as in a storehouse, to be used upon all occasions. (2) Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God: Bind them for a sign upon your hand, which is always in view, and as frontlets between your eyes, which you cannot avoid the sight of. (3) Let your tongues be employed about the word of God, especially with our children, who must be taught this, as far more needful than the rules of decency, or the calling they are to live by (I, p. 620).

The Sovereignty of God

By the parable of a potter in Jeremiah XVIII, "God's absolute power and disposal of nations is set forth" (III, p. 2175Introductory comment). The implication of God's question to Jeremiah (Jer. 18:6) "Cannot I do with you as this potter?" is "that God has an absolute sovereign power to do what he pleases with the work of his hands, though he acts as a just judge, rendering to every man according to his works" (Ibid) God is his own cause, his own rule, and his own end (111, p. 2283Note on Ezekiel I :4). The phrase concerning Ezekiel's wheels, "they turned ['returned' in Wesley's text] not when they went," is a clear indication that "so firm and sure are the methods, so unalterable and constant the purposes of God, and so invariable the obedience and observance of holy angels. So subject to the sovereign will of God are all second causes" (111, pp. 228485Note on Ezekiel 1:17). Divine sovereignty extends not only to natural but also to the voluntary actions of men. "A season" and "purpose" in Ecclesiastes 3: 1 indicate that sovereignty.

A seasona certain time appointed by God for its being and continuance, which no human wit or providence can alter. And by virtue of this appointment of God, all vicissitudes which happen in the world, whether comforts or calamities, come to pass. Which is here added to prove the principal proposition, That all things below are vain, and happiness is not to be found in them, because of their great uncertainty, and mutability, and transitoriness, and because they are so much out of the reach and power of men, and wholly in the disposal of God. Purpose not only natural, but even the voluntary actions of men, are ordered and disposed by God. But it must be considered, that he does not here speak of a time allowed by God, wherein all the following things may lawfully be done, but only of a time fixed by God, in which they are actually done (111, p. 1901).

This sovereign God is holy in his essence and in all his laws which are just and good (1, p. 408Note on Leviticus l9:2). There is no one holy besides God, namely, entirely or independently, but only by participation from him (11, p. 894Note on I Samuel 2:2). God is the creator who inhabits eternity. "Time began with the production of those beings that are measured by time. Before the beginning of time there was none but that Infinite Being that inhabits eternity" (1, p. 2Note on Genesis l: l). The great Creator was and is also the great Redeemer. The Angel of the Lord who called Abraham out of heaven in Genesis 22: 11 was "God himself, the eternal Word, the Angel of the covenant, who was to be the great Redeemer and Comforter" (1, p. 86).

The Depravity of Man

Man is the unique creation of God, created pure and upright, and was entrusted with the government of himself by the freedom of his will (I, p. 7Note on Genesis 1 :26, 27, 28). But man is deeply fallen. His sin in the Garden "implied the unbelief of God's word, and confidence in the devil's; discontent with his present state, and an ambition of the honour which comes not from God.... his sin was in one word disobedience" (I, p. 15Note on Genesis 3:6, 7, 8). As a result man became mortal, and spiritual death and the forerunners of temporal death immediately seized him (I,p.12NoteonGenesis2:16,17; cf.I,p.16Note on Genesis 3:6, 7, 8). When he was fallen and corrupted he begat a son in his own image and likeness (Genesis 5:3) who was "sinful and defiled, frail and mortal, and miserable like himself; not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul; but a sinner like himself, guilty, and obnoxious, degenerate and corrupt" (I, p. 26Note on Genesis 5:3). Though man is fallen he is not abandoned by God. The promise of Genesis 3:15 pointed to Christ for man's redemption and recovery, so that God's thoughts of love designed for our first parents a second state of probation upon new terms (I, pp. 17, 20Notes on Genesis 3:15, 24).

The Centrality of Christ

Wesley speaks of Jesus Christ as "the foundation, corner and topstone of all religion" (II, p. 1626Introduction to the Psalms). He was "constituted to be the person by whom the Father resolved to do all his works, to create, to uphold and govern and judge, to redeem and save the world" (II, p. 1845Note on Proverbs 8:23). In Wesley's comments regarding true worship on Leviticus 27:34, Christ is seen as "our priest, temple, altar, sacrifice, purification and all" (I, p. 448). Indeed, "Christ is the great blessing of the world" (I, p. 88Note on Genesis 22:27, 18).

From beginning to end Messianic promises and predictions are found in the Old Testament. The gracious promise in Genesis 3:15 concerning "Christ as the deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan" speaks of three things concerning Christ: (I) His incarnation, that he should be the seed of the woman; (2) His sufferings and death, pointed to in Satan's brusing his heel, that is, his human nature; (3) His victory over Satan, "to trample upon him, to spoil him, to lead him captive, and to triumph over him, Col. 2:15" (I, pp. 1718). Wesley sees several promises concerning the Redeemer in Genesis 22:17 and 18 (I, pp. 8788), and there is nothing in Psalm 2 which is not applicable to Christ (II, pp. 162728). Isaiah "so evidently and fully describes the person, and offices, and sufferings, and Kingdom of Christ, that some of the ancients called him the fifth Evangelist" (III, p. 1947).

In addition to Old Testament promises and predictions, Wesley sees Christ in many typologies of the Old Testament. For example, Joseph was a type of Christ (I, p. 147Note on Genesis 37:21), as was Aaron also (I, p. 298Note on Exodus 28:38). The serpent of brass raised in the wilderness signified Christ (I, p. 531Note on Numbers 21 :8), and the Cities of Refuge also pointed to Christ and typified the relief which the Gospel provides for poor, penitent sinners and their protection from the curse of the law and the wrath of God (I, p. 773Note on Joshua 20:2). The concept or office of the kinsmanredeemer "properly agrees to Jesus Christ" as our great KinsmanRedeemer (II, p. 1566Note on Job 19:25). Wesley sees much of the gospel in the ordinance of the Passover where four types are observed: (1) The paschal lamb was typical; (2) the sprinkling of the blood was typical; (3) the solemn eating of the lamb was typical of our gospel duty to Christ; and (4) the feast of unleavened bread was typical of the Christian life (I, p. 23233Note on Exodus 12:3).

These references to Christ in the Old Testament are only examples of many more. For Wesley, Jesus Christ is indeed the indispensable and in escapable One in Holy Writ.

The Reality of Salvation

In Wesley's conception of salvation there is combined a sense of complete dependence on God with a sense of man's complete responsibility. He thereby makes intelligible the universality of God's redemptive plan over against the apparently limited number of the redeemed. Wesley illustrates the interplay of dependence and responsibility in the account of Noah. God could have saved Noah from the flood by the ministration of angels without putting him to "any care or pains," but to the contrary he chose to employ Noah in making the ark which was to be the means of his preservation. This scheme was

. . .for the trial of his faith and obedience and to teach us that none shall be saved by Christ, but only those that work out their salvation; we cannot do it without God, and he will not without us: both the providence of God and the grace of God crown the endeavours of the obedient and diligent (I, p. 32Note on Genesis 6:14).

Here is a principle that applies throughout our Christian lives in the working out of our salvation continuously. It is illustrated in the case of Joshua to whom God had promised that he would deliver the enemies of Israel into his hands (Joshua 10:8). But the verse that follows immediately informs us that Joshua carried out his strategy to the enemy throughout the night. Thus "God's promises are intended, not to slacken, but to quicken our endeavours" (I, p. 738Note on Joshua 10:9). "We must go forth on our Christian war fare and then God will go before us" (I, p. 751Note on Joshua 13:6). The basis of our salvation, of course, is the atoning work of Christ. "Thus Christ was made sin and a curse for us, and it pleased the Lord to bruise him, that through him God might be to us not a consuming fire, but a reconciled father" (II, p. 1320Note on I Chronicles 21:26). But it is repentance and confession and faith that appropriate to ourselves the merits of Christ's atonement. For example, the jubilee trumpet was sounded on the day of atonement, the day when the people fasted and prayed for God's mercy to them in the pardon of their sins. Thereby we are taught that "the foundation of all solid comfort must be laid in repentance and atonement for our sins through Christ" (I, p. 432Note on Leviticus 25:9). Justification is by faith, which, as a foundational truth, can be traced back to the Book of Genesis. Through "the seed of the woman" in Genesis 3:15, God made a "gracious promise" concerning Christ as the deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. "By faith in this promise, our first parents, and the patriarchs before the flood, were justified and saved," and to this promise and the benefit of it they hoped to come (I, p. 17Note on Genesis 3:15). In Genesis 15:6 we are told that Abraham believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. In other words, Abraham believed the truth of that promise which God had made in Genesis 15: 5, "resting upon the power, and faithfulness of him that made it" (I, p. 61Note on Genesis 15:6). Wesley then makes this further emphasis:

See how the apostle magnifies this faith of Abram, and make it a standing example, Rom. iv. 19, 20, 21. . .This is urged in the New Testament to prove, that we are justified by faith without works of the law, Rom. iv. 3. Gal. iii. 6. for Abram was so justified, while he was yet uncircumcised If Abram, that was so rich in good works, was not justified by them, but by his faith, much less can we (I, p. 61).

Wesley observes that the term "sanctify" in the Old Testament has different meanings at different places. For example, in Exodus 19:10 it means a calling off from worldly business and a call to religious exercises, such as meditation and prayer (I, p. 261); in Numbers 11:18 it means to prepare (I, p. 490) in Joshua 7:13 it suggests purification from defilement and preparation to appear before the Lord (I, p. 725) in Joel 1:14, .o set apart (III, p. 2496), and so on. In such cases the people are called to sanctify themselves, or to sanctify something to the Lord.

In other instances God is said to have sanctified or set apart some person or people for particular service. For example, Jeremiah is said to have been sanctified by the Lord in the sense of being ordained for public service (III, p. 2125Note on Jeremiah 1 :5). In Isaiah 13 :3 the Medes and Persians are called the "sanctified ones" because "they were set apart by God, for his holy work of executing his just vengeance" (III, p. 1981). It is also Wesley's conviction that the Old Testament speaks concerning the inner purification and transformation of human hearts and lives, effected from God's side, thereby sanctifying them in this sense by his grace and Spirit. For example, in Daniel 9:24, the expression "to bring in everlasting righteousness" means to bring in justification by the free grace of God in Christ, and sanctification by his spirit: called everlasting, because Christ is eternal, and so are the acceptance and holiness purchased for us. Christ brings this in, 1. By his merit. 2. By his gospel declaring it. 3. By faith applying, and sealing it by the Holy Ghost (III, p. 2456).

The "fountain" in Joel 3:18 "no doubt is a shadow of the purifying blood of Christ, and his sanctifying spirit and word" (III, p. 2503). In Ezekiel 36 :25 God promises to "sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean."

This signifies both the blood of Christ sprinkled upon our con science, to take away their guilt....and the grace of the Spirit sprinkle en [sic.] the whole soul, to purify it from all corrupt inclinations and dispositions" (III, p. 2385).

In Ezekiel 36:26 the promise of "a new heart" means a new frame of soul, a mind changed, from sinful to holy, from carnal to spiritual. A heart in which the law of God is written, Jer. xxxi. 33. A sanctified heart, in which the almighty grace of God is victorious, and turns it from all sin to God (III, p. 2385).

And "a new spirit" promised in the same verse means "a new, holy frame in the spirit of man; which is given to him, not wrought by his own power" (III, p. 2385).

David recognized the need for this inner cleansing when he acknowledged that God requires truth ("uprightness of heart") in the inward parts, "as an aggravation of the sinfulness of original corruption, because it is contrary to the holy nature and will of God, which requires rectitude of heart: and, as an aggravation of his actual sin, that it was committed against that knowledge, which God had wrote in his heart" ([1, p. 1703Note on Psalm 51 :6). So David prays earnestly for the purging by hyssop and the washing that will make him whiter than snow. He implores God to "work in me an holy frame of heart, whereby my inward filth may be purged away," and for "a right spirit," which, in Hebrew, can be translated as firm or constant spirit (ibid.Note on Psalm 51:10), that is, "my resolution may be fixed and unmoveable" as a temper or disposition of soul.

In Daniel 9:24 the angel describes the disease of sin in three words, namely, "transgression," "sin," and "iniquity," "which contain all sorts of sin, which the Messiah should free us from by his full redemption. He shews the cure of this disease in three words. 1. To finish transgression. 2. To make an end of sin. 3. To make reconciliation: all which words are very expressive in the original, and signify to pardon, to blot out, to destroy" (III, p. 2456). Thus, a basis is found in the Old Testament for a free salvation for all men, and a full salvation from all sin.

To this salvation divinely wrought in the heart and life, the Spirit of God bears witness. In Joshua 14:8 there is recorded Joshua's testimony that he wholly followed the Lord, and Wesley remarks that selfcommendation was justifiable because it was necessary as being the ground of his petition.

Therefore it was not vain glory in him to speak it: no more than it is for those who have God's Spirit witnessing with their spirits, that they are the children of God, humbly and thankfully to tell others, for their encouragement, what God hath done for their souls (I, pp. 75556).

Wesley also insists that "God can give undeniable demonstrations of his presence, such as give abundant satisfaction to the souls of the faithful, that God is with them of a truth." This "abundant satisfaction" may not be communicable to others but it is surely convincing to themselves (I, p. 112 Note on Genesis 28:16).

The Antiquity of the Church

It is Wesley's view that the church is one and the same in all ages. He uses the term "Church" in its most comprehensive sense. For example, in his comments on the Song of Solomon 8:8, he speaks of "the present church," or the Old Testament Church as the church of the Jews, and"a future church," or the New Testament Church as the church of the Gentiles (III, p . 1945).

In his introduction to the Book of Genesis, Wesley says the name of the book, which signifies the original or generation, is very appropriate since it is "a history of originals": "the creation of the world, the entrance of sin and death into it, the invention of arts, the rise of nations, and especially the planting of the church, and the state of it in its early days, p. 1). In fact, the Old Testament contains the acts and monuments of the church from the creatlon, almost to the coming of Christ in the flesh, which is about four thousand years: the truths then revealed, the laws enacted, the prophecies given, and the chief events that concerned the church (ibid ).

There is further elaboration about his notion of the church in the introductory notes on the book of Exodus. Here it is stated that Moses preserved the records of the church in the book of Genesis while it existed in private families, and in the book of Exodus he gives an account of its growth into a great nation (1, p. 195). Later he stresses his conviction that the church in all ages is one and the same, and there is but one way for the substance, in which all the saints from the beginning of the world walk, Christ being the same yesterday, today, and forever. (111, p. 1929Note on the Song of Solo mon 1:8).

Wesley had a great deal to say about the worship and ordinances of the Church in his Old Testament Notes, particularly in his comments on the Ten Commandments in relation to the object, way, manner, and time of worship (I, pp. 26467Notes on Exodus 20:311). It clearly indicates that he had a very high regard for the worship and ordinances of the Church.

The Certainty of Judgment

Since Wesley sees the judgment of God as an intrinsic, inescapable part of life after death, human existence for him has an everpresent eternal dimension. There is an apocalyptic strain in his Old Testament Notes. "Certainly," he affirms, "there must be a judgment to come, when these things shall be called over again, and when those who sinned most and suffered least in this world, will receive according to their works" (II, p. 1 138Note on I Kings 13: 22).

In Joshua's carrying out of the Lord's command to utterly destroy the sinful nations of Canaan, Wesley sees a type of ". . . the final destruction of all the impenitent enemies of the Lord Jesus, who having slighted the riches of his grace, must forever feel the weight of his wrath" (I, p. 743Note on Joshua 10:40).

There are eschatological factors in Wesley's view to which we can only allude, such as human destiny and the hope of life after death (e.g., II, p. 1550Note on Job 12:6; II, p. 1157Note on I Kings 17:22; 11, p. 1186Note on II Kings 2:1; I, pp. 14445Note on Genesis 36:31; etc.); Christ's return and his millennial reign (e.g. III, p. 2106Note on Isaiah 60:18; 111:2341Note on Ezekiel 21:27; 111:2011Note on Isaiah 24:23 ibid.,Note on Isaiah 24:22; 111, p. 2104Note on Isaiah 60:6; 1, p. 690 Note on Deuteronomy 32:43; etc.); and the resurrection of the dead (e.g., III, p. 2387Note on Ezekiel 37:1; 1, pp. 46465Note on Numbers 4:32; III, p. 2492Note on Hosea 13:14, etc.).

CONCLUSION

It is hoped that this brief study in Wesley's Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament will stimulate further research in his monumental work. Actually, the present study opens only a few doors into a veritable treasure house. I can only wish that it was more available and accessible to a larger number. For me there are insights and gems in the Notes that are enlightening and enriching. I have found John Wesley's writings to be a continual source of inspiration. Nehemiah Curnock observed many years ago that one never saw a Wesley autograph without wanting to know what it said. I gladly confess that I share his enthusiasm. "Invariably and inevitably it says something that is worth reading. The manuscript or letter or memorandum is sure to be short, clear, neat, orderly, pithy, in pure English, containing something practical put into vigorous form, and not without a dash of imperiousness, lovingkindness, or raciness" (The Letters of the Rev. John Wesley, A.M., John Telford, ed., I, p. xv. Quoted by Telford in his "Introduction" to the Letters). Wesley's Old Testament Notes are worth reading! I tell my students that they can wellafford to get close to John Wesley, for he loved God with a holy passion; he bowed in adoring wonder before a Redeeming Saviour who died for him and who had strangely warmed his heart; and he loved the souls and bodies of all men, and especially the common man to whom his lifework was given. I can wellimagine that some presentday scholars who are preoccupied with critical problems would be impatient with Wesley's efforts on the Old Testament. But if there are such who hear or read these lines and are tempted to undue impatience, I beg you to remember the purpose for which Wesley wrote and the people for whom he wrote. Really, I stand in awe before the monumental labors of this man, and particularly his Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament when I recall the abundance of his travel and preaching in the months in which he produced it. It is amazing grace and an amazing achievement!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible, A Commentary and Critical Notes. S Vols. New York: Lane and Scott. 1850.

Curnock, Nehemiah, ed. The Journal of the Rev. John Wesley, 8 Vols. London: Robert Culley, md.

Green, Richard. The Works of John and Charles Wesley. London: C. H. Kelley, 1896.

Herbert, T. W. John Wesley as Editor and Author. Princeton Princeton University Press 1940

31 Jackson, Thomas, ed. The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, 14 Vols. London: John Mason. 1829.

Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society, 1897 to the present. Alfred A. Taberer Ltd., Bankhead Press, Broxton, Chester, England.

Telford, John, ed. The Letters of the Rev. John Wesley, A. M., 8 Vols. London: The Epworth Press, 1931.

Tyerman, L. The Life and Times of the Rev. John Wesley, M. A., 3 Vols. London: Hodder and Stoughton, n.d.

Vickers, John A. General Index to the "Proceedings" Vols. I XXXand Publicationsl IV (18971956). Printed for the Wesley Historical Society by Alfred A. Taberer, 295, Welford Road, Leicester, England, 1960.

Wesley, John. Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament, 3 Vols. London: William Pine, 1965.

Wesley, John. Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament. London: The Epworth Press, 1952.