How to Read A Devotional Classic According to John Wesley

(Photo by Aaron Owens at Unsplash)

It is well known that John Wesley, the 18th century revivalist, was an avid reader. Although a self-proclaimed man of "one book," he read hundreds of others and often edited and condensed Christian classics for the common man. 

In his introduction to Thomas à Kempis' The Imitation of Christ, he gives "a few plain directions on how to read this (or any other religious book) with an eye to growing spiritually."

First, assign yourself a specific time each day.... We give ourselves plenty of opportunity for eating, why not adequate time for spiritual reading to improve our soul?

Second, prepare yourself for reading by purity of intention, aiming to improve yourself. Ask God to enlighten your understanding and open your heart for receiving what you read, so you can know what God requires of you and then do what He says to do.

Third, do not read out of mere curiosity or too quickly; rather, read unhurriedly, seriously, and with careful attention. Stop now and then to process fresh insights.... Read some passages over and again, especially those that deeply concern you yourself; then ponder how to put them into practice.

Fourth, work at putting yourself in a frame of mind that corresponds with what you read. Otherwise, it will prove empty and unprofitable, while it only enlightens your understanding, but fails to influence your will or emotions. Therefore, lift up petitions now and again for God's grace. Write down quotable sayings; treasure them in your memory bank so that when temptations come, you have a quiver full of arrows against sins you may be addicted to. 

Fifth, conclude your reading time with a short prayer to God, asking Him to preserve and prosper the good seed sown in your heart, so it will yield fruit in its season.

Blessings,

The Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson

Published in 1907, The Lord of the World was one of the first dystopian novels. The action takes place in the early 21^st century where established religion has all but been abolished. Catholicism has been confined to the Vatican and its surrounding cities, but by the novel’s end, faith of any kind has been outlawed. Two young priests, Father Franklin and Father Francis, play key roles as these changes take place.

 I was fascinated by Benson’s prescience about the devastating effects that socialism and communism would have on societies that embraced them. He mentions Karl Marx and Gustave Hervé (still living at the time Benson wrote) as key influencers. In the book, Esperanto is the main language and Euthanasia is widely accepted as a way to escape physical and emotional pain. Humanitarianism (as expressed through the teachings of freemasonry) is the new world religion since superstition and progress were irreconcilable enemies.

Oliver Brand, a leading figure in this future society is happy in the knowledge that men and women had learnt at least the primary lesson of the gospel, that there was no God but man, no priest but the politician, no prophet but the schoolmaster. He explains to his wife that the precepts of Christianity were nice, but not true… My dear girl, if I had told you in your cradle that the moon was green cheese, and had hammered at you ever since, every day and all day, you’d very nearly believe it by now.

In spite of the government’s best efforts to abolish Christianity, people must worship something and a messiah figure comes on the scene. I can’t tell much more without spoilers. Needless to say, the premise of the book is fascinating and many quotes are a hundred years ahead of their time. Sometimes the writing was uneven, but when the story dragged, I could count on the audio version by the excellent Simon Vance to keep me going.

This novel should not be avoided because it is “too Catholic.” There is a lot of rich food for thought in its pages.

Blessings,