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 JOHN WESLEY AND THE PSALMS:
THE MUSIC OF THE HEART

by
Ting Gah Hing

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree

Master of Arts (Research)

Asbury Theological Seminary

August, 1990

Approved by:
C^^U^^/^^t-y^^i^
Department :

Date :
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

CHAPTER 1: Wesleyan Spirituality and the Psalms

I. Introduction 1

II. The Statement of Purpose 3

III. Materials and Methods 3

CHAPTER 2: John Wesley and the Psalms

I. Wesley's Parental Influence 11

A. Samuel Wesley (1662-1735) 11

B. Susanna Wesley (1669-1742) 16

II. John Wesley and the Oxford Methodists (1725-1735) . . 19

III. Wesley's Missionary Days in America

1735-Feb 1738)
(Oct 25
IV. Wesley and Aldersgate (May 24th, 1738) 29

V. Wesley's Sunday Service of the Methodists in

North America (1784) 32

VI. John Wesley and His Final Days 38

Evaluation: Review of Related Literature 40

Summary 47

CHAPTER 3: The Music of the Heart

I. John Wesley: The Collector of Psalms and Hymns ... 49

A. The Collections of the Psalms in the

Prayer Manual 50

B. The Contents of the Psalms in the

Prayer Manual ..... 53

II. The Disposition of the Heart and Soul 58

III. The Music of the Heart 62

 Cont .
,

Page

A. A Collection of Psalms and Hymns

(Charlestown, 1757) 62

B. A Collection of Hymns for the use of the

People called Methodists 65

C. Select Psalms 69

Evaluation: Review of Related Literature .... 77

CONCLUSION 87

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Primary Sources 90

II. Secondary Sources 91

 CHAPTER 1

Wesleyan Spirituality and the Psalms

I . Introduction

In the summer of 1982, a group of Methodist Studies

scholars gathered at Keble College, Oxford. The occasion

was the Seventh Oxford Institute of Methodist theological

studies. The theme for the institute was "The Future of the

Methodist Theological Tradition."* Among the five different

Working Groups, one group in particular--the Working Group

on Wesleyan Spirituality and Faith Development �

was said to

have represented "a new focus of studies" in this Oxford

Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. This Working

Group discussed the various elements of Wesleyan

Spirituality and reported their major learnings.^ In order

to facilitate more fruitful research, the group suggested

*
See M. Meeks, ed ,
Douglas The Future of the Methodist
.

Theological Traditions (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1985). The

Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies meets once in
every five years.

^
Ibid. 193-208 contain the Working Group Paper on
, pp.
Wesleyan Spirituality and Faith Development. According to the
Group, "Spirituality concerns the Way, the Walk, and the Goal of
Christian discipleship It considers the direction of our
.

course. its temper and discipline.

. . It refers to. the . .

vision of God, perfection, deification, entire sanctif ication ,

heaven, the kingdom of God" (p. 193). My study assumes this
broad definition of spirituality, too.

1
 some specific topics for future study. Selected topics are

hereby listed;

1. Wesley as Homo Unius Libri: How Wesley's

Understanding and Use of the Bible informs
His Spirituality.
2. Wesley's Theology and Practice of Prayer,
3. The Holy Spirit and Sacraments in Wesleyan
Spirituality.^

Thus far. The Devotional Life of John Wesley --a

doctoral dissertation by J. Steven Harper

�

is, in my

opinion, the most extensive treatment that has been

rendered. In this dissertation Dr. Harper presents a

systematic study that assesses the various devotional

resources which John Wesley used and also the devotional

patterns that Wesley developed."^ The major thesis of this

work is "to show that Wesley's devotional life was a major

formative influence in his life and ministry."^

^
Ibid . , p. 207. My selected topics appear as Nos. 1, 3
and 5 in the original.
*
J. Steven Harper,of John Wesley
The Devotional Life
1703-38, (Durham, University, 1981).
N.C.: Duke
Dr. Harper
later published Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition ,
(Nashville: Upper Room, 1983).
Appendix A (pp. 323-335) of the dissertation contains an
extensive list of books which John Wesley read devotional ly from
1725-1738. This list, however, does not include Wesley's
systematic use of the Bible in devotion. Nevertheless, in a
response to Dr. William H. Vermillion's "The Devotional use of
Scripture in the Wesleyan Movement" in Wesleyan Theological
Journal, Vol. 16, No. 2, Fall 1981, Dr. Harper attributes
Wesley's systematic use of the Bible by "following the pattern
set forth in the Table of Lessons of the Book of Common Prayer"
(p. 8) .

Ibid .
, p. iv .

2
 II. The Statement of Purpose

In response to the suggestions given by the Working

Group on Wesleyan Spirituality and Faith Development, the

purpose of this study is to examine John Wesley's devotional

use of the Psalms and ways Psalms inform his spirituality.

This examination on the Psalms alone is primarily for the

^
purpose of delimitation in the study. The reason for

choosing the book of Psalms is also because

No book of the Bible seems to summon up the

concerns of spirituality in the biblical period
more than the Book of Psalms. Its prayer and
songs of
praise have served as a model and
focus of the spiritual concerns of later
ages, and its words have been incorporated
into, indeed have shaped, liturgies in
Judaism and Christianity for two millennia.
Little wonder, then, the Psalter itself
has served as the spiritual test
par excellence. J . .

III. Material s and Methods

The examination of Wesley's devotional use of the

Psalms will mainly be carried out chronologically in Chapter

^
For further delimitation of the study, the disputing
issues about particular authors and occasions of writing the
Psalms will not be discussed in my study since they have no
direct bearing on the purpose of this study. However, recent
research on the Psalms has accumulated a valuable reference
material for both the scholar and the non-scholar. For a good
list of resources for further study please see Patrick D.
Miller's Interpreting the Psalms (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986),
pp. 154-159.

James L. Kugel, "Topics in the History of the

Spirituality of the Psalms" in Jewish Spirituality, edited by
Arthur Green (New York: Crossroad, 1986) p. 113. (Underlines
are added for emphasis.)

3
 ^
Two of this study. In this chapter, I shall investigate

Wesley's parental influence in his acquaintance with the

Psalms during his early years. This inevitably calls for a

full report of "The Order How the Psalter is Appointed to be

Read" according to the Book of Common Prayer (1662). A

table which charts the Morning and Evening Psalms over a

thirty-day period will be produced to show the habitual

pattern which both his parents and Wesley would have

established in their lives.

Wesley's devotional use of the Psalms during his Oxford

days (1725-1735) will be examined through the construction

of the Oxford Diary of Benjamin Ingham.^ During this

period, Wesley read William Law's A Serious Call to a Devout

and Holy Life.^� The reading of this book also helped to

reinforce Wesley's practice of chanting the Psalms. This

^
Frank Baker
in his edition of The Works of John Wesley,
Vol 25, 1721-1739
Letters
I, provides a clear chronological chart
of some major events in John Wesley's life (p. xxi-ii). In this

chapter, ray interpretive analysis of Wesley's devotional use of

the Psalms is kept to the minimal. Interpretive analysis will be
left to the third chapter.

The reason that it has to be constructed from the Oxford

Diary of
Benjamin Ingham is because Wesley's Oxford Diary of this
time period will only be published in Volume 32 of The Works of
John Wesley edited by Richard Heitzenrater Heitzenrater also .

worked on the transcription of Diary of an Oxford Methodist;

Benjamin Ingham: 1733-1734 (Durham, N.C.: Duke University
Press, 1985).

*�
According to Dr. Harper's "Wesley's Devotional Reading
List," Wesley read William Law's book in Dec. 1730, (p. 327 of
Appendix A). Wesley re-read it in Aug. 1736 (p. 333 of Appendix
A) .

4
 can be substantiated in Wesley's Sermon, "The More Excellent

Way," when he referred to Law's advice on the methodology of

prayer and devotion.

Wesley's missionary days in America (Oct. 1735 to Feb.

1738) also gave ample evidences of his extensive use of the

Psalms. It was in this period Wesley began to learn the

German language and sing the German psalms and hymns. One

practical outcome was Wesley's translation of some of the

German hymns and his publication of them in his 1737

Charlestown A Collection of Psalms and Hymns.

Wesley's historic Aldersgate "heart-warming experience"

(May 24th 1738) could also be seen from a psalmic

perspective, since it was so intricately tied to his

detailed record in the Journal of the psalm-anthem that he

had heard that afternoon. The following two days indicated

similar detailed accounts of Wesley's response to the psalm-

anthems.*^

Wesley's final days revealed a continual use of Psalms.

His lifelong commitment to the use of Psalms, and also the

**
For a fuller treatment on the subject of Wesley's
translation of German hymns please see John L. Nuelsen, John
Wesley and the German Hymn, translated by Arthur Holbrook,
(Keighley: Mantissa Press 1972). Wesley's collection of psalms
and hymns will be discussed further.

The psalm-anthems were Psalm 130 on May 24th; Psalm 89:1

on May 25th and Psalm 62:1-2,8 on May 26th respectively. See The
Works of John Wesley, Vol. 18, Journal and Diaries I, edited by
W. Reginald Ward and Richard P. Heitzenrater (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1988), pp. 250-251.

5
 Book of Common Prayer can be seen from his significant

preparation of Sunday Service of the Methodists in North

America (1784). However, in the process of revision, Wesley

eliminated thirty-four Psalms. Hence, a second table

charting the Morning and Evening Psalras will be produced.

In December 1788, Wesley worked on the correction of his

brother Charles' posthumous poems on Psalras, hymns on the

four Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles.*^ Finally,

Wesley was reported as having uttered the words of the

Psalms when he was approaching his death.*'*

Chapter Two will end with a further interaction of

secondary resources of some erainent authorities on Wesley

and Wesleyan studies. They are used primarily for the

purpose of evaluating my study, in order to place Wesley's

devotional use of the Psalms in its proper framework and

perspective. A sumraary will then be given.

In response to Dr. Harper's desire for students to make

better use of his transcription of an unpublished Prayer

Manual of John Wesley,*^ I shall in my third chapter focus

*^
John Wesley, The Journal of Rev. John Wesley, A.M., Vol.
VIII, edited by Neheraiah Curnock (London: Epworth Press, 1938),
P. 452. See also p. 456.

Ibid . , see 131-137 for "Elizabeth Ritchie's Account

pp.
of Wesley's Last Day" in the Journal, Vol. VIII. The full,
proper quotation of the Psalm will appear in Chapter Two.

*^
The
transcription is placed in Appendix C of the
Devotional Life,
(pp. 346-606). Appendix D is a facsimile of the
Prayer Manual (pp. 607-692).

6
first on this block of primary material . A large portion of

the material is, in fact, Wesley's earliest collection of

Psalms from the Book of Common Prayer and also a collection

of six sets of metrical psalms from Tate and Brady's New

Version of the Psalms. My ^approach in this chapter will be

thematic, more analytical and interpretive. I hope to

affirm once again not only the systematic, liturgical

framework of Wesley's spirituality, but also the effects of

Psalms on Wesley. It seems that Wesley, from his habitual

devotional use of the Psalms finds the language of the

Psalms to be a very natural exposition of certain

theological themes. Furthermore, the devotional use of the

Psalms helps him to cultivate a certain disposition of the

heart �
the kind of religious affections that would only be

appropriate to validate the theological themes which he

advocates through the Psalms. In other words, Wesley's use

of the Psalms provides us with an important port of entry to

know the hidden depths of Wesley's spirituality, his way and

goal of life, and the principles of Christian living.

Evidently, the collection of Psalms in the Prayer

Manual is for a practical purpose. A cluster of the

metrical psalms and hymns appears in Wesley's first

hymn-book: A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, (Charlestown,

1737). Strictly speaking therefore, the six sets of

metrical psalms in the unpublished Prayer Manual is in fact

the first unpublished hymn-book. From a collector of psalms

7
and hymns, Wesley later becomes a producer and publisher of

psalms and hymns. The psalms and hymns have become the

music of his heart and the means of articulating certain

theological distinctives . In publishing them, Wesley

reveals his pastoral concern to provide a liturgical,

singing model of spiritual direction and the instruction of

scriptural Christianity. This introduces us then to

Wesley's famous Preface to A Collection of Hymns for the Use

of the People Called Methodists (1780). The Preface shows

the distinctive role that Wesley has attributed to poetry,

which in one sense is so intrinsically related to psalms-

versification. A full table of contents of the 1780

Collection of Hymns will be produced to show the liturgical,

singing model of spiritual direction and the instruction of

scriptural Christianity.

In like manner to Chapter Two, I shall interact with

some secondary resources for evaluating and the broadening

of perspective.

In the Conclusion, I shall once again present an

overall summary of the intrinsic relational nature of

Wesley's spirituality and the Psalms. Within such a

context, I shall advocate the continual, creative use of the

Psalms as an important resource for Christian spirituality.

The use of Psalms is indeed a well-tested model for

spirituality in the history of both Jewish and Christian

spirituality. Many saints of old have already drunk so

8
deeply from this well, and many more shall continue to do

just the same.

The Psalms are infinitely the very music of the heart!

9
 CHAPTER 2

John Wesley and the Psalms

How often has it been observed that the book of

Psalms is rich treasury of devotion, which the
a

wisdom of God has provided to supply the wants

of his children in all generations! In all ages
the Psalms have been of singular use to those that
loved or feared God: not only to the pious
Israelites, but to the children of God in all
nations. And this book has been of sovereign use
to the church of God, not only while it was in its
state infancy (so beautifully described by
of
St. Paul former part of the fourth chapter
in the
to the Galatians) but also since, in the fullness
of time, 'life and immortality were brought to
light by the gospel'. The Christians in every
age and nation have availed themselves of this
divine treasure, which has richly supplied the
wants, not only of 'babes in Christ' �
of those who
were just setting in the ways of God
out but of �

those also who had made good progress therein, yea,

of such as were swiftly advancing toward 'the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ'.*

The purpose of this chapter is to focus on Wesley's

acquaintance and use of the Book of Psalms as "a rich

treasury of devotion." I hope to show the pattern in which

Wesley constantly availed himself of this "divine treasure."

Wesley's use of the Psalms occurred not only in his early

years as "a babe in Christ," but also when he was advancing

*
John Wesley, "What is Man?" (Psalm 8:3-4) in The Works
of John Wesley, Vol 3: Sermons III, 71-114. Edited by Albert C.
Outler (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986), p. 455. Outler
attributes the sermon to be dated July 23rd, 1787. A good
indicator of Wesley's lifelong commitment to the use of Psalms.

10
 toward "his measure of the stature of the fullness of

"
Christ.

'
I .
Wesley s Parental Influence

John Wesley was born June 17th, 1703, the fifteenth

child of the Rector of Epworth, Samuel Wesley and his wife,

Susanna .

A. Samuel Wesley (1662 -

1735)

As a Rector of the Church of England, it would be most

incredible for Samuel Wesley not to be aware of "The Order

How The Psalter Is Appointed To Be Read" (1662).^

The Psalter shall be read through once every

Month, as it is there appointed, both for Morning
and Evening prayer. But in February it shall be
read only to the twenty-eighth, or twenty-ninth
day of the month. And, where as January, March,
May, July, August, October, and December have
one-and-thirty days a piece; it is ordered, that
the same Psalms shall be read the last day of the
said months, which were read the day before:
So that the Psalter may begin again the first day
of the next month ensuing.
And, whereas the 119th Psalm is divided into
twenty-two portions, and is over-long to be read
at one time; it is so ordered, that at one time
shall not be read above four or five of the said
portions.
And at the end of every Psalm, and of every such
part of the 119th Psalm shall be repeated this
hymn.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be: World without end. Amen.

In
my personal possession, I have The Book of Common
Prayer, (London: University Press, 1928). In page 7 is printed
"The Order How The Psalter is Appointed to be Read" (1662).
Evidently, I am also limiting Samuel Wesley's devotional use of
the Psalms, constructed from the Book of Common Prayer

11
 Note, that the Psalter followeth the Division of the
Hebrews, and the translation of the great English
Bible, set forth and used in the time of King Henry
the Eighth, and Edward the Sixth.

Consequently, one can safely assume that Samuel Wesley would

have used such a pattern of reading and chanting the Psalm

devotional ly over a thirty-day period. Table A charts the

specific Psalms covered each day.^

^
Book of Common Prayer (1928) pp. 336-447. My table
consists of the numbers of the Psalms only. It is here provided
for the purpose that one might like to use it as a pattern of
reading the Psalms over a month period.

12
 Table A

Day Morning Prayer Evening Prayer

1 1. 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8
2 9, 10, 11 12. 13. 14

3 15, 16, 17 18

4 19, 20, 21 22, 23

5 24, 25. 26 27, 28. 29

6 30, 31 32, 33, 34

7 35, 36 37

8 38. 39, 40 41, 42, 43

9 44. 45. 46 47, 48, 49
10 50, 51, 52 53, 54, 55

11 56, 57, 58 59, 60, 61

12 62. 63, 64 65, 66, 67

13 68 69, 70

14 71, 72 73, 74

15 75, 76, 77 78

16 79. 80. 81 82, 83, 84. 85

17 86, 87. 88 89

18 90. 91. 92 93, 94

19 95, 96. 97 98, 99. 100, 101

20 102, 103 104

21 105 106

22 107 108, 109

23 110, 111. 112 114, 115

113

24 116. 117. 118 119 (vs 1-32)

25 119 (vs 33-72) 119 (vs 73-104)
26 119 (vs 105-144) 119 (vs 145-176)
27 120, 121. 122, 126, 127, 128
123. 124. 125

28 132, 133, 134 136, 137, 138

135

29 139. 140, 141 142. 143

30 144, 145, 146, 147. 148, 149,

150

13
 Besides the order of how the Psalter is to be read, the

Book of Common Prayer contains also a list of "Proper Psalras

on Certain Days" which Sarauel Wesley would be familiar with:

TABLE B: Proper Psalms on Certain Days (1662)"'

Mat tins Evensong

Christmas Day 19, 45, 85 89, 110, 132

Ash Wednesday 6, 32, 38 102, 130, 143

Good Friday 22, 40, 54 69, 88

Easter Day 2, 57, 111 113, 114, 118

Ascension Day 8, 15, 21 24, 47, 108

Whitsunday 48, 68 104, 105

"The Order For Morning Prayer" and "The Order For

Evening Prayer," which are supposed to be used daily through

the year, reinforced further Samuel Wesley's familiarity

with the Psalms. Both the Morning prayer and Evening prayer

opening scriptural sentences consist of a cluster of verses

from Psalm 51 alone:

I acknowledge my transgressions, and

my sin is ever before me (Ps. 51:3).
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot
out all mine iniquities (Ps 51:9).
The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and contrite heart,

0 God, thou wilt not despise (Ps 51:17).^

Book of Common Prayer (1928), p. 7.

^
Ibid. p. 67, 79. In 67-87 the
,
completepages are
Order for
Morning Evening Prayer.and Other
Morning and
Evening opening scriptural sentences include: Ezekiel
18:27; Joel 2:13; Daniel 9:9-10; Jer 10:24, Psalm 6:1;
Matthew 3:2; Luke 15:18,19; Psalm 143:2; and 1 John
1:8,9.

14
Then "Morning Prayer" also enlists Psalms 95 and 100,

whereas the "Evening Prayer" includes Psalms 98 and 67.

From the above data, it would not be presumptuous to

say that both Samuel Wesley and John Wesley are therefore

the natural heirs to the liturgical heritage of the Church

of England. After all, both of them served as Anglican

priests. Perhaps in addition to all that have been

mentioned, Samuel Wesley's rendering of the Great Hallel

Psalms provides us an extra excellent window to his

spirituality. For example:

Psalm CXI II

Yepriests of God, whose happy days

spent in your Creator's praise
Are
Still more and more express!

Ye pious worshippers, proclaim

with shouts of joy his Holy Name,
Nor satisfied with praising, bless
Let God's high praises ay resound.
Beyond old times too scanty bound.
And thro' eternal ages pierce;

From where the sun first gilds the

streams.
To where he sets with purple beams.
Thro' all the outstretcht universe.^

It seems from this Psalm, that Samuel Wesley is fully made

aware of his role and duty as a priest of God. He lives to

^
Samuel Wesley, The Pious Communicant Rightly
Prepared: A Discourse Concerning the Blessed Sacrament.
(London: Printed for Charles Harper at the Flower-de-luce
over-against St. Dunstan's Church, 1700), pp. 251-52. The
original Psalm has 9 stanzas. My quote is from stanzas 1, 2
and 3 .

15
render praise to God. He also calls the pious worshipper to

praise and bless God's Holy Name. Can we say less about

John Wesley?

Last but not least:

Psalm CXVI

0 God, who when I did complain

Did all my griefs remove;
0 Saviour! Do not now disdain
My humble praise and love.

Since thou a gentle ear didst give

And hear me when I prayed,
I'll call upon thee while I live
And never doubt thine aid.

To him what offerings shall I make,

whence my salvation came?
The cup of blessing now I'll take
And call upon his Name.'^

These words aptly represented a life of trust,

gratitude and obedience. The language of the Psalmist is

justly employed, and Samuel has made them his very own.

Little wonder, then, that with John Wesley's natural bonding

and allegiance to his father, he should collect the whole

cluster of Samuel's rendering of the Psalms in his

unpublished Prayer Manual. This cluster of Psalms first

appeared then in A col lection of Psalms and Hymns,

(Charlestown, 1737).

B. Susanna Wesley (1669-1742)

Ibid. , p. 257. Psalm 116 has 19 stanzas all

together. The quote is from stanzas 1 & 2. The other
Hallel Psalms are 114, 115, 117 & 118.

16
 There has always been a consensus opinion among the

many Wesley Studies scholars in regard to Susanna's

influence on John Wesley's life. My focus here is again to

remain limited to Susanna's influence in getting Wesley

acquainted with the Book of Psalms.

For this examination, Wesley's Letters and Journal in

particular provide us the best entrance to this relationship

that he had with his mother. In his Journal (July 30th,

1742), Wesley gave a detailed account of the death of his

mother. In it, Wesley also added a letter that he had

received from his mother dated July 24th, 1732. The letter

has to do primarily with Susanna's principal rules in

educating her family. As a woman of deep piety, and one who

had a great concern in the care of the souls of her

children, the letter revealed this discipline:

The Children of thisfamily were taught, as

soon they could speak, the Lord's Prayer,
as

which they were made to say at rising and bed

time constantly; to which, as they grew bigger,
were added a short prayer for their parents,
and collects, a short catechism, and some
some

portions of Scripture, as their memories could

bear.�

In another paragraph of the letter, Susanna wrote:

When the house was rebuilt, and the children

are brought home, we entered upon a strict
reform; and then was begun the customs of
singing Psalms at beginning and leaving school,

John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley. Volume 19:

Journal and Diaries II, 1738-1743. Edited by W- Reginald
Ward and Richard P. Heitzenrater, (Nashville: Abingdon
Press, 1990),
p. 288.

17
 morning and evening. Then also that of a general
retirement at five o'clock was entered upon,
when the oldest took the youngest that could
speak, and the second the next, to whom they
read the Psalms for the day, and a chapter in
the New Testament; as in the morning they were
directed to read the Psalms and a chapter in
the Old, after which they went to their private
prayers, before they got their breakfast or came
into the family.^
At the time of writing, Susanna, "thank (ed) God this custom

is still preserved among us."

Thus we may observed from the above that what is true

about Samuel Wesley's practice and discipline of the

devotional use of the Book of Psalras is also true for

Susanna Wesley. Consequently, not only John Wesley, but

also the whole faraily could not help but learn from their

parents concerning the Book of Psalms as "a rich treasury o

"
devotion .

It is also highly coraraendable to note from the other

letter that Susanna Wesley also exercised such a practice i

which she took a proportion of time that she could spare

every night to discourse with each child apart. And her

^�
tirae with John Wesley was on the Thursday night. Little

^
Journal and Diaries II, 1738-1745, p. 290. "When
the house was rebuilt"-- this phrase referred to the
incident after the burning rectory at Epworth. John Wesley
was six years old then.

^�
Journal and Diaries II, 1738-1743, p. 285. This
letter also subjoined in the Journal.
was the letter was
originally a letter which Susanna Wesley wrote to her
husband, dated
February 6, 1711/12.

18
wonder, too, that Wesley would give such a detailed account

of the mother's death, and to note that when Susanna was

about to die, she requested that the children sing a psalm

of praise to God.*^

II. John Wesley and Oxford Methodists (1725-1735)

For many years, biographers of John Wesley had wanted

to transcribe Wesley's personal diaries but without much

success. It is because Wesley's diaries were meticulously

written in a unique combination of cipher, shorthand,

abbreviations and symbol. However, in 1969, at the

Methodist Archives, Richard P- Heitzenrater discovered the

diary of Benjamin Ingham, also an Oxford Methodist.

Ibid 28. Frank Baker, the editor-in-chief

.
, p.
-

for The of John Wesley, in his volume 26, Letters,

Works
included Wesley's fuller account of his mother's death in a

letter to his brother Charles on July 31, 1742, and to

Howell Harris on August 6, 1742, (p. 82 and P. 86 of Vol.
26). Seemingly, Charles Wesley was not around when his
mother died. Frank Baker attributed the psalm of praise to
be that of Ps. 26:7.

Richard P. Heitzenrater, Mirror and Memory:

Reflection on Early Methodism. (Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1989), p. 66. This book condensed the major thoughts of
'
Heitzenrater s doctoral dissertation on John Wesley and the
Oxford Methodists 1725-7235 Some other essays are also
.

included in Mirror and Memory. In 1985, Heitzenrater first

edited and published Diary of an Oxford Methodist, Benjamin
Ingham, 1733-1734. Then in 1988, together with W. Reginald
Ward, Heitzenrater edited The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 18,
Journal and Diaries I, 1735-38. In 1990, Heitzenrater
edited The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 19, Journal and
Diaries II, 1738-1743. Wesley's Oxford Diaries are yet to
be released in Volume 32 of the thirty-four volume
Bicentennial Edition of The Works of John Wesley. Thus for
the purpose of this study, I have to depend on Benjamin

19
Benjamin Ingham noted in his diary that he learned the

Wesleyan method of keeping a diary through Charles Wesley.

And Charles Wesley in turn, had learned from his brother

John Wesley. In his diary, Ingham recorded the key for the

Wesleyan scheme of symbols and abbreviations. This

discovery has therefore made possible the decoding of five

volumes of non-published Wesley's diaries, resulting also in

a reinterpretation of the rise of Methodism at Oxford.

How can one know about Wesley's devotional use of the

Book of Psalms at this period of 1725-1735? According to

Heitzenrater, Ingham's diary reveals not only "the scholarly

concerns of the Wesleyan movement at this stage," but also

"the range of books read by Ingham and his friends at

Queen's is almost identical to the spectrum read by Wesley's

group."*"* In my examination of Ingham's diary which has

already been transcribed by Heitzenrater, I find evidences

of Ingham's constant records of his using the Psalms.*^ The

entry on Friday, May the 10th 1734 is most fascinating when

Ingham's diary for the construction of Wesley's use of

Psalms and William Law's particular influence on the Oxford
Methodists in chanting the Psalms.

"
Ibid. , p. 11.

Ibid., p. 86. Heitzenrater also contends that only

ahandful of authors appearing on Ingham's pages are not
mentioned by Wesley during these years, p. 87.

Richard P.
Heitzenrater, ed.. Diary of an Oxford
Methodist, Benjamin Ingham 1733-1734. (Durham: Duke
University, 1985), pp. 194-199. See May 10th, 11th, 13th,
17th for the use of Psalms, Collects, etc.

20
he reflected on the activities of the day. At seven in the

evening, Ingham was meeting with Ford, Washington, Watson,

Smyth, and Atkinson. Together they were reading Law. At

eight we see again this word: "Read Law and good talk of

singing psalms."*^ Who is Law? I believe Ingham was

talking about William Law. And the book they read was

William Law's, A Serious Call To A Devout and Holy Life. It

is in Chapter 15 of the book that William Law has written a

full exposition:

Of chanting or singing of Psalms in our

private devotion.
Of the excellency and benefits of this
kind of devotion.
Of the great effects it hath upon our

hearts .

Of the means of performing it in the best

manner.

William Law greatly recommended "to begin all prayers with a

Psalm, so much so that he almost insisted it as a common

rule for all persons."*� From Law's writing we also

gathered a revealing fact that the method of chanting a

Psalm was used in the colleges, and in the universities and

in some churches.*^

Ibid., p. 194.

William Law, A Serious Call To A Devout and Holy

Life. Edited by Paul G. Stanwood. (New York: Paulist
Press, 1978), p. 209. The reciting and chanting of Psalms
34, 96, 103, 111, 146, 167 is particularly recommended.
*�
A Serious Call, p. 209.

Ibid., p. 209.

21
 '

Taking Heitzenrater s analysis into consideration, it

is almost certain that Wesley, too, would have read William

^�
Law's A Serious Call sometime in this stage .

Substantially speaking, one can refer to Wesley's Sermon on

"The More Excellent Way."^* In this sermon Wesley exercised

his pastoral concern for his people. He wanted them to walk

in the higher path, the more excellent way. This way

aspired after the "heights and depths of holiness, after the

image of God."^^ According to Wesley, the practical means

to walk in the excellent way is to be constantly in prayer.

In speaking on the form of prayer, Wesley was fully aware

that some were accustomed "to use some kind of prayer, and

probably to use the same form still which they learned when

they were eight or ten years old."^^ Certainly Wesley was

speaking here from his personal experience. Wesley himself

did not disapprove of such forms of prayer, however, he went

on to say:
But surely there is a more excellent
way of ordering our private devotions.
What if you were to follow the advice
given by that great and good man.

^�
Heitzenrater in his doctoral dissertation indicated
that Wesley read A Serious Call in summer 1732, or precisely
on Friday, July 7th. p. 171.

John Wesley, "The More Excellent Way" in The Works

of John Wesley. Vol. 3: Sermons III, 71-114, edited by
Albert C. Outler, (Nashville Abingdon Press, 1986), p. 264.

Ibid. , p. 264.

Ibid. , p. 265.

22
 Mr. Law, on this subject?

The reference here is of course to A Serious Call. Wesley

asked his people to consider their outward and inward state

of soul and vary their prayers accordingly. It is

interesting to note that Wesley recommended that if their

souls were in peace and rejoicing, then they should say with

the Psalmist: "Thou are my God, and I will thank thee; thou

art my God, and I will praise thee."^^

Wesley continued:

You may likewise, when you have time,

add to your other devotions a little
reading and meditation, and perhaps a

psalm of praise, the natural effusion

of a thankful heart.

Indeed, from the sermon, we see Wesley advocating literally

the same principles that William Law had laid down, showing

the influence of William Law.

In another of Wesley's sermons, "On Redeeming The

Time,"^^ we again observed the remarkable influence that

Ibid. , p. 266.

Ibid. , p. 266. The Psalm is Ps 118:28 of BCP

version .

Ibid p. 266. It is the scholar's consensus view

. ,

that William Law's A Serious Call... is one of the three most

influential books in Wesley's life. The other two are:
Jeremy Taylor's The Rule and Exercise of Holy Living and
Dying, and Thomas a' Kempis' The Imitation of Christ.

John Wesley, "ON Redeeming The Time" (Sermon 93) in

The Works of John Wesley. Vol. 3: Sermon III, 71-114, pp.
322-332.

23
William Law had over Wesley. The subject matter of this

sermon is in some way similar to "The More Excellent Way."

In the sermon, Wesley, subjoined a whole portion of Law's

work on A Serious Call, in which Law advocated the

importance of rising early. Albert C. Outler in his comment

on the Sermon introduces us to the interesting fact that in

1783, an anonymous editor who had been much struck with the

force and propriety of its reasoning abridged Wesley's

original and had it published in a pamphlet, "The Duty and

Advantage of Early Rising."^� In this edition, the editor

acknowledged the reprinting of the sermon without Wesley's

knowledge, but trusted in Wesley's understanding to allow

him printing it. Apparently, the editor was fully aware of

Law's A Serious Call too, because on top of what Wesley had

already subjoined on Law's work, he added the following

words of Law which revealed the use of Psalms in prayer and

devotion :

If our blessed Lord used to pray early

before day. . .

If the primitive Christians for several

hundred years, besides their hour of
prayer in the day time, met publicly
in the Church at midnight to join in
psalms and prayers, is it not certain
that these practices showed the state
of their heart?^�

Sermons III, p. 322.

The Archives in the Asbury Theological Seminary has

this editor's edition. The Duty and Advantage of
anonymous
Early Rising. (London: J. Paramore, June 29th, 1783). The
added quote is in p. 11 of the pamphlet.

24
Wesley evidently approved of the anonymous work, and

reissued this edited pamphlet with the same title in four

separate editions in his lifetime. Later he decided to

include it in the Sermons On Several Occasions under the

title of "Redeeming the Time".^� Thus, we can affirm Law's

influence on Wesley in the matter of devotional methodology

which involves the Psalms.

'
III. Wesley s Missionary Days in America
(Oct 1735 -

Feb 1738)

The period in which Wesley used the Psalms most

extensively was during his missionary trip to America. The

access to Wesley's Georgia Diary I (Oct 17, 1735 -

April 30,

1736) has made the examination so much easier.^* In the

diary, Wesley actually recorded the specific parts of the

service in the Book of Common Prayer, showing which he used,

and in what order. A full listing would read

' "^^
recappshsll2cl234xscptb. In this case, Heitzenrater has

infinitely helped us to understand the abbreviations Wesley

^�
Ibid. , Outler, p. 322.

John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley. Vol. 18:

Journal and Diaries I, 1735-38. Edited by W. Reginald Ward
and Richard P. Heitzenrater (Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1988) , pp. 312 ff .

Ibid . , p. 305. Examples of days with such a type

of entry: Oct 24, 25, 26,; Nov. 1, 18, 21, 23, 34 (1735);
Jan 13, 20, 21, 22, 23 (1736) .

25
used. This stands for 'read ejaculations (i.e. scripture

sentences), prayer of confession, absolution. Lord's Prayer,

Psalm, S^cripture (First Lesson), hymn (Te Deum, etc.).

Scripture (Second Lesson), _litanies (numbered), c^ollects for

the day (numbered), expounded, sang, collect (or creed),

prayer, thanksgiving, blessing. An earlier work by

Nehemiah Curnock however transcribed 'tb' as Wesley's use of

^'^
Tate and Brady's New Version of the Psalm. Personally, I

'
think Heitzenrater s transcription is most likely to be the

case, though we can be also sure that Wesley would have used

Tate and Brady.

This period also introduces us to a very important

aspect of Wesley's devotional life--his learning the German

language and German psalms and hymns. We note in the diary

that Wesley first began to learn German grammar on October

17th, 1735.^^ On October 27th Wesley began learning to read

and sing from the German Gesangbuch (meaning hyranbook) .^^

On February 23rd, 1736, Wesley translated German psalms and

Ibid .
, see 308-310 of the Journal and Diaries
pages
I. It contains a Glossary of symbols, abbreviations which
Wesley used.

John Wesley, The Journal of Rev. John Wesley A.M.

Vol. edited by Nehemiah Curnock,
I, (London: Epworth Press,
1938), p. 123. Curnock also gives a long construction of
Wesley's possible use of Psalms on Feb 4th, two days before
Wesley first set foot on American soil (pp. 145-146).

Heitzenrater, Journal and Diaries I, p. 312.

Ibid. , p. 316.

26
hymns I

The entry on March 5th, 1736 is worth noting. This was

a day on which Wesley was working industriously on a

revision of the prayer book and psalmbook.

Friday, March 5
5.15 Dressed; sang with Germans
(sleepy)
6 Necessary business; prayed;
write diary
7 Revised prayer book; tea,
religious talk
8.40 Prayed; sang
9 Looked over Psalmbook
10 Psalmbook
12 Prayed with Delamotte;
ended Psalmbook. .

In brief, Wesley's own word in the manuscript Journal

provides us the overall picture of his daily life during

this time:

Our common way of spending time was this:

From four to five we used private prayer.

From five to seven we read the Holy Scrip

tures, adding sometimes such treaties or give

an account of the sense there of, which was

once delivered to the saints. At seven we

breakfasted. At eightthe public

were

prayers. . . From nine to twelve I commonly

learned German. . . At twelve we met to give
an account to one another of what we had
done since our last meeting, and what we

Ibid. , p. 360.

^�
Ibid., p. 363. Heitzenrater did
identify which not
particular Psalmbook this was. again Curnock, however,
attributed it to be the New Version of Tate and Brady (p.
175 of Vol. 1). Personally, I think it might have been the
German Hymnbook which can also be translated as Psalmbook
(Gesangbuch) Perhaps Wesley was looking over what other
.

possible psalms and hymns he would like to include in his

translation. Regardless of the conclusion one draws, Wesley
has given us ample evidence of his use of Psalms in either
the German or the English language.

27
 designed to do before our next. About one we

dined. The time from dinner till four we spent

with the people, part in public reading or

speaking to those several of whom each of

us had taken charge. At four we had
Evening prayer. . . Between five and six we

joined in private prayer. From six to

seven I read in our cabin to one or two of
the passengers. At seven.. .I spend . .

with the Germans in their public service.

At eight we met again, to instruct and
exhort one another, and between nine and
ten we went to bed. .^^ .

From this we observed that Wesley's life is pretty much

marked by order and acts of devotion, either in private or

public. We also observed that a great portion of Wesley's

time was immersed in the German world �

learning the German

grammar and actually speaking it. He joined the German

Moravians in their public worship, almost ever single day,

singing and praising God in a new language.

Before turning to the next section, it can be further

noted that the remaining days (before Wesley returned to

England) he continued to use psalms and hymns in his private

devotions and public worship. In the context of what he

Ibid , p. 314. The manuscript Journal

. is the
editorial work of W. Reginald Ward though.

Curnock 's work on Wesley's Journal, (June 10, 1735.

Vol 1, pp. 226-230) furnished us with another source of
lengthy information on Wesley's use of the Psalms. He
revealed what Wesley commonly did on Sundays with the most
serious communicants. They sang, read, and conversed after
the public service. The reading was William Law's Christian
Perfection, They normally began and concluded with psalms.
Curnock noted that Wesley at this time was creating an
organized Christian fellowship companies societies like � �

their prototype, the Oxford Society (p. 229). Curnock

mentioned again Wesley's effort in transcribing German
Psalms and Hymns. Then added to his manuscript, was a

28
had done on March 5th 1736 (and his unrecorded subsequent

efforts) Wesley published his first official hyranbook A

�

Collection of Psalms and Hymns, (Charlestown, 1737). This

hyran-book introduced to the church a more lively forra of

psalra-singing and hyran-singing

IV. Wesley and Aldersgate (May 24, 1738)

A lot of things have been said about Wesley's historic

' '
Aldersgate heartwarraing experience when he heard the

reading of Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans,

However, rauch is to be desired from the scholars to address

the importance of the Psalms in Wesley's 'heartwarming'

experience. Wesley's Journal on May 24th, 25th and 26th

give quite an extensive account of his quotations from the

Psalms .

In the afternoon I was asked to go to

St. Pauls. The anthem was; Out of the
deep have I called unto thee, 0 Lord.
Lord hear my voice. 0 let thine ears
consider well the voice of my complaint.
If thou. Lord, wilt be extreme to mark
what is done amiss, 0 Lord, who may
abide it? But here is mercy with thee.

collection of some of the choicest metrical renderings of

the Psalms by Isaac Watts (p. 230). Curnock continued to
trace the development of the communicants' meetings. It

changed from meeting after the Sunday public service to

Wednesdays and Fridays, which accounted for the organization
of the Charlestown' s collection of Psalms and Hymns. The
collection was divided into 3 sections: "Psalms and Hymns
for Sunday;: "Psalms and Hymns for Wednesday or Friday;" and
"Psalms and Hymns for Saturday" (p. 230).

Ibid Journal, Vol I, p. 385 recorded Wesley's

. ,

having sorae troubles with Thomas Causton who objected to

Wesley's changing the version of Psalras.

29
 therefore thou shalt be fear. 0 Israel, . .

trust in the Lord: For with the Lord

there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous
redemption. And he shall redeem Israel
from all his sins.^^

Seemingly, Wesley finds great comfort in the Psalm,

reckoning in his heart that the Lord of Israel is full of

mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And perhaps it

is the light that the Psalm has attuned Wesley's heart to

receive the assurance of his salvation when he says:

About a quarter before nine, while he was

describing the change which God works in
the heart through faith in Christ, I felt
my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did
trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation,
and an assurance was given me that he had
taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me
from the law of sin and death.

Thus the 'heartwarming' experience in its literary

arrangement in the Journal is very much a fulfillment of

what the Psalmist has promised: "And he shall redeem Israel

from all his sins." This literary structure of 'promise and

fulfillment' can be further supported by the two other

scripture texts that Wesley recorded in the 24th morning.

I think it was about five this morning that

I opened my Testament on those words:

'There are given unto us exceeding great

and precious promises, even that yet

should be partakers of the divine nature.'
Just as I went out I opened it again on
these words, 'Thou are not far from the

Journal and Diaries I, 1735-1738, p. 249.

Ibid. ,
p. 250.

30
 kingdom of God.''*'*

Even though Wesley experienced his trust and assurance

in Christ, this did not end his sense of struggle. That

very night Wesley was "much inflicted with temptations."

And interestingly enough, Wesley's natural response was "to

lift up my eyes" (Ps 121:1) and God "sent me help from his

holy place" (Ps. 20:2; or even Ps. 121:2). Seemingly,

Wesley has taken the prayer language of the Psalmist for his

own expression of faith in God to deliver and help.

The day after Aldersgate in the afternoon, Wesley was

again in St. Paul's Cathedral. He said he could taste the

good word of God in the anthem, which began.

My song shall be always the loving-

kindness of the Lord: With my mouth will
I be showing forth
ever thy truth from one
generation to another.

Two days after Aldersgate Wesley's "soul continued in

peace, but yet in heaviness, because of manifold

temptations."'*^ The source of comfort that Wesley looked to

was again found in the words of the Psalmist:

My soul truly waiteth still upon God; for

of him Cometh my salvation. He verily is
my strength and my salvation; he is my

Ibid. , p. 249. The text is from 2 Peter 1:4, and

Mark, 2:34. The motif of God's promise is very strong in
both texts.

Ibid. , p. 250.

''^
Ibid. , p. 250. The anthem is from Ps 89:1 (BCP).
Seemingly, Wesley did not quote in full.

^''ibid., p. 251.

31
 defense, so that I shall not greatly fall. . .

0 put your trust always, ye people;

in him
pour out your heart before him, for God is
our hope."*�

By the providential care of God, it is amazing to

realize how aptly and timely are the words of the Psalmist

that were addressed to Wesley's existential needs, for they

offer him God's promise, God's salvation, and God's

continual help. In brief, the above extensive record of the

Psalms reveals nothing less but the unique role of them

which they also played in Wesley's Aldersgate event. Wesley

found in them a natural attraction, a means of prayer and

praise that he had been accustomed to in his earlier years.

And now they ministered to him in his crucial moment. It

cannot be anything less than the providential love of God I

'
V. Wesley s Sunday Service of the Methodists in North
America (1784 ) .

Another major evidence of Wesley's lifelong commitment

to the habitual use of Psalms is seen in his revision of the

Book of Common Prayer. In 1784, Wesley produced The Sunday

Service of the Methodists in North America. Wesley

explicitly declares his high regard and faithfulness to the

Book of Common Prayer. In the Preface, he says,

I believe there is no LITURGY in the

world, either in ancient or modern
language, which breaths more of a solid.

Ibid. , p. 251.
The Psalm is Ps 62:1-2, 8. Again I
believe Wesley, for the economy of space and time in the
Journal, did not write out the Psalm in full.

32
 scriptural, rational piety, than the
COMMON PRAYER of the CHURCH of ENGLAND:
and though the main of it was compiled
considerably more than two hundred years
ago, yet is the language of it not only
pure, but strong and elegant in the highest
degree.

In the sarae Preface, Wesley outlines the "little

alteration" that is made in his Sunday Service. One of the

four has to do precisely with the Psalms. For Wesley says,

"many Psalms left out, and many parts of the others, as

being highly improper for the months of a Christian

"^�
congregation. All together Wesley eliminated thirty-four

Psalms: 14, 21, 52, 53, 54, 58, 60, 64, 72, 74, 78, 79, 80,

81, 82, 83, 87, 88, 94, 101, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 120,

122, 129, 132, 134, 136, 137, 140 and 149.^* In addition,

portions of 58 others disappear to make a shrinkage from

2502 verses in the Book of Common Prayer to 1625 in the

Sunday Service .^^

Why are the Psalms eliminated? William N. Wade has

analyzed the deletions as falling into five general

categories :

John The Sunday Service of the Methodists

Wesley,
in North America. Introduced by James F. White (Nashville:
Quarterly Review, 1984). See page Al for a facsimile page
of the Preface. The work by James F. White gives a detailed
account of Wesley's revision. My study focuses on the
Psalms changes only.
^�
Ibid. , Al.

**
James F. White's Introductory Notes, p. 33.

Ibid. , p. 18.

33
 1. Curses, wrath, killing and war
2. Descriptions of the wicked, lack
faith, or special personal cir-
ciimstances.
3. At odds with salvation by faith.
4. Concerns exclusively historical.
or geographical, especially
pertaining to Jerusalem.
5. References to the use of instru
ments or dance in worship.^^
In brief, I see it as a good reflector of Wesley's

mature attitude of what it meant to use the Psalms as one

who has advanced "toward the measure of the stature of the

fullness of Christ."^* That is to say, when the Psalms are

being read or chanted in the Sunday service, Wesley wanted

to exert great care that they reflect the overarching

teachings and attitude of Jesus Christ.

Eventually, if one were to construct Wesley's new table

for the Psalms to be read over a thirty day period, it would

appear as follows:

William N. A History of Public Worship in the

Wade,
Methodist Episcopal Church and Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, from 1784-1905 (South Bend: University of Notre
.

Dame, 1981), pp. 52-76. James F. White summarized the five

points in his Introduction at page 18. It is interesting to
note that Wesley would object to point 5?!

quote from Wesley himself,

A please see p. 10 of
this study.

34
 TABLE C

Day Morning Prayer Evening Prayer

1 1, 2 3. 4, 5
2 6. 7 8, 9
3 10, 11, 12 13, 15, 16
4 17, 18 (Part 1) 18 (Part 2)
5 19 20, 22
6 25, 26 27, 28
7 29, 30 31, 32
8 33 34, 35
9 36, 37 (Part 1) 37 (Part 2)
10 39, 40 41, 42, 43
11 44, 45, 46 47, 48, 49
12 50, 51 55, 56
13 57, 59, 61, 62 63, 65
14 66, 67 68, 69
15 70, 71 73, 75
16 76, 77 84. 85
17 86, 89 90. 91
18 92, 93 95. 96
19 97, 98, 99 100. 102
20 103 104
21 107 (Part 1) 107 (Part 2)
22 111, 112, 113 114, 115
23 116, 117 118
24 119 (Part 1) 119 (Part 2)
25 119 (Part 3) 119 (Part 4)
26 119 (Part 5) 119 (Part 6)
27 123, 124, 126 127. 128, 130
131. 133
28 135, 138 139
29 141, 142 143. 144
30 145, 146 147, 148, 150

James F. White did not include the Select Psalms

(pp. 162-179) of the facsimile copy. The construction of

this table is from The Sunday Service of the Methodists ,
(London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1876), pp. 79-128.
White is right to identify that Wesley omits the Latin
titles for each Psalm. Please compare with the Table A
which appears in page of this study. Seemingly, this
reading is more manageable, making it an average of 28
verses per reading.

35
Apart from the Order of How the Psalter is to be read daily,

Wesley also worked on the revision of Proper Psalms for

certain Days and it appears as;

TABLE D: Proper Psalms for Certain Days^^

Morning Evening

Christmas Day 19, 45, 85 89

Good Friday 22, 40 69

Easter Day 2, 57, 111 113, 114, 118

Ascension Day 8, 15 24, 47

Whitsunday 48, 68 104, 105

Evidently, in comparison to Table B of this study, Wesley

has updated "Mattins and Evensong" into "Morning" and

"Evening." He removed "Ash-Wednesday" from the list which

involved Psalms 6, 32, 38, 102, 130, 143. These Psalms,

however, still appear in the thirty-day list. Wesley also

eliminated six other Psalms: Christmas Day

-

Psalm 110, 132

in the evening; Good Friday

-

Psalm 54 in the morning, 88 in

the evening; Ascension day

-

Psalm 21 in the morning, 108 in

the evening. These latter six Psalms were also the ones

which Wesley removed from his select Psalms.^'

Ibid . , p. A3 of facsimile.

See footnote 51.

36
 A major change occurs in the function of the Order for

"Morning" and "Evening" prayer. They serve as the Order for

every Lord's day and become the weekly Sunday Morning and

Evening service order. In both the "Morning" and "Evening"

prayer, for opening scriptural sentences, Wesley keeps only

Psalm 51:17 and 143:2, and removes Psalm 51:3, 9; 6:1. He

removes also the entire Psalm 95 in the morning and

preserves the 100th Psalm. He preserves Psalm 98 and 67 in

the evening order. The reason for such an abridgement is

not apparent. Perhaps he wanted to cut short the order for

both services.

Ultimately, as far as Wesley's revision of the Psalms

is concerned, one fact still stands--the 'Select Psalms' are

by far the largest single item in the Sunday Service.

Evidently it has largely to do with Wesley's habitual use of

the Psalms. "They were a major ingredient in his personal

formation, and he intended to transmit such a tradition,

reformed to make it even better."^�

^�
Ibid. , White, p. 19.
opinion that (It is White's
Wesley's service book
prime is liturgical
a source for
theology, i.e. theology based on the liturgical witness to
faith. The Sunday Service provides therefore important data
for theological reflection today (p. 16).

37
VI. John Wesley and his Final Days (1788-1791)

The Journal entry on Monday the 15th of December, 1788

provides us a glimpse of Wesley's own reflection "on the

gentle steps where by age steals upon us." Wesley in the

Journal expressed his concern for not being able to see

clearly. Still, he was glad for being able to travel and

that the memory he had was very much the same as compared to

years past. Then he wrote:

This week I dedicated to the reading over my

brother's works. They are short poems on
the Psalms, the four Gospels, and the Acts of
the Apostles. Some are bad, some mean,
some most excellently good. They give the
true sense of Scripture, always in good

English, generally in good verse; many of

them are equal to most, if not to any, he
even wrote. .^^ .

The Journal entries remind us of the Wesley we all seem to

know so well--Wesley the collector of poems or poetry.

Finally, the account which relates to Wesley's death is

also immersed in the atmosphere of songs and praises. While

we are familiar with the word on his lips: "The best of all

is, God is with us," I am personally more drawn to the role

and impact of Psalms in his life. A week before his death.

John The Journal of the Rev. John Wesley,

Wesley,
A.M., Vol.Edited
8. by Nehemiah Curnock, (London: Epworth
Press, 1938), pp. 456-57. Wesley began the correction on
Monday 8, a week prior (p. 452). There Wesley commented the
poem "having the same justness and strength of thought, with
the same beauty of expression; yea the same keenness of wit
and on proper occasions, as bright and piercing as yet."
Curnock mentioned that Charles Wesley's poetical version of
the Psalms never saw the light until 1854 (p. 456).

38
Wesley the preacher was still faithfully preaching in the

City Road Chapel, after this he gave out his favorite Psalm,

"^�
"I'll praise my Maker while I've breath. On Tuesday,

March 1, 1791, Wesley's strength began to fail him rapidly.

However, he still "broke out in a manner which, considering

his extreme weakness, astonished us all, in these blessed

words :

I'll praise my Maker while I've breath.

And when my voice is lost in death.
Praise shall employ my nobler powers:
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last.
Or immortality endures."^*

The Psalm was apparently the very same Psalm that he

had shared a week before.

Perhaps, the Psalm was very much sung in reminiscence

of his old days in America, because this Psalm was Wesley's

adaptation of Isaac Watts' Psalm 146, and was included in

'
his very first hymnbook-- T/je Charlestown s Collection of

Psalms and Hymns, (1737).^^ Life seemed to have come to a

^�
John Wesley, Journal Vol. 8, p. 132. To be
precise, the account is by Elizabeth Ritchie, who helped to
take care of Wesley in his last days. The authenticity of
her words is commonly accepted, though.

Ibid. , p. 138.

John Collection of Psalms and Hymns,

Wesley's A
(Charlestown: 1737), pp. 9-10. In my personal possession I
have a facsimile of A Collection of Psalms and Hymns,
(Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 1988). See
also John Wesley's First Hymn-book, a facsimile with
additional material, edited by Frank Baker and George Walton
Williams (Charleston: Dolcho Historical Society, 1964).
Pp. XXVII-XXXIV identify the sources of John Wesley's
conception of Psalms and Hymns.

39
full cYcle--he was returning to his great love for the

Psalms and hymns. Even more so, it revealed the perpetual

influence of Psalms in his life--a soul that refused to rest

in rendering praises to his Maker. And then the account

continued, showing that the next day, when he died, he

cried, "The Lord is with us, the God of Jacob is our

refuge!" (Ps 46; 11)*^ For the third time, Wesley could

finally only say, "I'll praise I'll praisel"^^

Evaluation ; Review of Related Literature

In this chapter, I have examined the normative

devotional use of the Psalms in the various stages of

Wesley's life. One task, however, still remains--to place

Wesley's habitual, devotional use of Psalms in its proper

framework and perspective.

Frank Baker, a professor of English Church History, in

his work John Wesley and the Church of England advocates how

imperative it is to understand John Wesley within the

ecclesioiogical framework of the Church of England. He

justly points out that "in thought and affection, in habit

and atmosphere, (Wesley's) while being was inextricably

John Wesley Journal Vol 8, p. 143. The account

does not identify the Psalm, apparently from Ps 46; 11.

Ibid. , p. 143.

40
interwoven with that of the Church (of England )."^^ "For

John Wesley, the Church of England formed an indispensable

"

part of life, a limb, a major organ, Baker continues.

Such a perspective is crucial and can not be overemphasized,

though in this chapter I have also briefly noted the

relationship that Wesley had with the Church of England.

The same must therefore be stressed for both Samuel and

Susanna Wesley. They are all sons and daughter of the

Church of England. From the Church of England they have

inherited the methodical, habitual and daily use of the

Psalms. They are used not only privately, but also

corporately �

in the family, in the societies, in the

liturgical worship of the church. The Psalms are being

sung, chanted and read.

Albert C. Outler, another eminent authority in Wesley

Studies, articulates the same emphasis. How does one best

characterize this man?

John Wesley was the most important Anglican

theologian of the 18th Century because of his
distinctive, composite answer to the age-old
question as to the nature of the Christian
life: its origins, growth, imperatives.

Frank Baker, John Wesley and the Church of England,

(London: Epworth Press, 1970), p. 1. See also pp. 7-21,
"A Son of the Church." Frank Baker is considered to be one
of the most eminent authorities on Wesley and Wesleyan
Studies among the current Methodists. For his concern over
matters of Wesley Studies, please read "Unfolding John
Wesley: A Survey of Twenty Years' Studies in Wesley's
Thought" in Quarterly Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, Fall, 1980. pp.
44-58.

Ibid. , p. 1.

41
 social impact, final end.^'^

Outler stresses, too, the importance of evaluating Wesley's

theology of his own stated Anglican norms: Scripture,

reason, and Christian antiquity.^� He believes, "Of all the

genres in the Wesley Corpus, the sermons focus and expound

"^^
his understanding of Christian existence most clearly.

The distinctive contribution of Outler 's massive editorial

work on Wesley's sermons is to footnote the full repertory

of Wesley's biblical citations in the sermons. Outler 's

finding indicates Wesley's familiarity with the Psalms:

We are reminded of his rectory upbringing

by the fact that when he quotes a Psalm,

it is almost invariably from the Psalter
of the Book of Common Prayer.^"

Albert C. Outler, "The Place of Wesley in the

Christian Tradition" in The Place of Wesley in the Christian
Tradition, edited by Kenneth E. Rowe, (Metachen, N.J.:
Scarecrow Press, 1976), p. 14.

^�
John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 1:
Sermons I, 1-33, edited by Albert C. Outler, (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1984), p. xi. Like Baker, Outler expresses
the concern for a methodological redefinition of Wesley
studies that would pay special attention to Wesley's sources
and his special way of using them. He emphatically stresses
the need to relocate Wesley's place in the history of
Christian tradition. That's why he believes in Wesley's
Anglicanism too, though he is truly aware of the vast mosaic
of the sources Wesley used. In 1982, he gave a challenging
address in the Seven Oxford Institute of Methodist
Theological Studies; please see "A New Future for Wesley
Studies: An Agenda for 'Phase III,'" in The Future of the
Methodist Theological Traditions edited by Douglas M. ,

Meeks, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1985), pp. 34-52.

^�
Ibid., p. xiii.

^�
Ibid . , Sermons I, p. 70.

42
Outler is infinitely right to say that "it would be

redundant to say more about Wesley's self understanding as a

biblical theologian." "He knew it so nearly by heart that

even his natural speech is biblical," Outler continues .

Outler' s findings suggest more areas of systemic

investigation as far as the role of the Psalms in Wesley's

life is concerned. Meanwhile, it is sufficient to say,

Wesley had indeed grown up with the Holy Scriptures and the

Book of Common Prayer as a second language. This is so much

so that in his death, Wesley found the language of Psalms

the best expression still to use.

Frank Whaling in his work, John and Charles Wesley;

Selected Writings and Hymns, renders a good service in

introducing the spirituality of both John and Charles

Wesley. Again, he sees how the Wesleys "were faithful to

the liturgy, doctrines, and sacraments of the Church of

Ibid, provides also detailed data

p. 69. Outler
concerning the scriptural texts that Wesley likes to use.
The Gospel according to Matthew was Wesley's favorite book
(1362 recorded usages), followed by Hebrews (965), John
(870), Luke (853), and 1 Cor. (779). His Old Testament
favorite was Isaiah (668 citations), followed by the Psalms
(624) and Jeremiah (208). Wesley's favorite N.T. preaching
text was Mark 1:15 (190 usages), followed by 2 Cor. 8:9
(167), Eph. 2:8 (133), Gal 6:14 (129) and Matt. 16:20 (117).
His favorite sermon text in the O.T. was Isaiah 55:7 (112
usages). His other favorites were Jer. 8:22 (102), Isaiah
55:6 (90), Hos. 14:4 (87 times) and Ps. 147:3 (72 times).
Please see Vol. 4, the Index of Scriptural Reference, pp.
651-687 for validation. Whenever Wesley cites the Psalms
from the Book of Common Prayer, Outler identifies it with a

bracket (BCP) .

43
 "'^^
England. He shares the consensus view: "Throughout his

life, Wesley nourished his devotion by means of the Book of

Common Prayer of the Church of England. This provided the

liturgical framework for his spirituality.'^^ Such an

understanding is vital in this study. It serves a checks

and balance purpose--to see Wesley's devotional use of the

Psalms in a wholistic perspective. For the purpose of this

study, Wesley's devotional use of the Psalms is singled out

and examined. Yet in reality, the Psalms are often used

together with ejaculatory prayers, confessions. Lord's

Prayer, scripture lessons, collects for the day. Very much

as revealed in the diary when Wesley entered

"'^'*
"ecappshscptb. Whaling introduces a very important term

in defining one overarching dimension of Wesleyan

spirituality--the "liturgical spirituality," and the Psalms

infinitely plays an important role in Wesley's liturgical

John and Charles Wesley; Selected Writings and

Hymns. Edited and introduced by Frank Whaling, (New York:
Paulist Press, 1981) p. 3.

Ibid .
, p. 14. Underlined mine.

Please see footnote 32 of this chapter.

44
 ''^
spirituality.

With Whaling's definition of Wesley's spirituality as a

liturgical spirituality, J. Brian Selleck offers a

refreshing insight to understand Wesley's Aldersgate. He

contends that Wesley's Aldersgate "has a liturgical

background and a liturgical setting as well as a liturgical

outcome .

It has a liturgical background because "as part of

Wesley's lifelong piety, liturgical discipline began in the

parental home."'^^ Again, Selleck stressed the importance of

the Holy Scripture and Book of Common Prayer in the family,

how the liturgical prayer and scripture reading played an

important par in family devotion, and how lessons opened and

closed with the singing of Psalms.

Wesley's Aldersgate has a liturgical setting because

Wesley, when "back in Great Britain, he lost no time in

continuing his priestly duties. . . He read prayers and

preached. . . most likely in the context of Mattins and

the term 'liturgical' a couple of

Whaling
uses

times in
his introduction. He informs us that the Wesley's
at the Oxford days were engaged in "Bible study, systematic
devotions, and regular communion. and to analyze the . .

implications of the works of the fourth-century monastic

fathers and the liturgical practices of the early church"
(p. 11). Thus the Holy Club sets "Wesley's spirituality
within a liturgical context" (p. 13). See also page 15.

J. Brian Selleck, "Aldersgate: A Liturgical

Perspective," in Doxology, Vol. 5, 1988, p. 35.

Ibid. , p. 35.

45
Evensong ." Selleck identified also Wesley's response to

the Psalm 130 on May 24th and the following two days. He

concluded in this section:

Wesley's experience of salvation may have

occurred in a society meeting, but he took
that experience to the Cathedral Church,
to offer it up to God where he worshipped.
To the liturgical setting of evensong,
his newfound trust received affirmation
and support. This, plus the fact that the
liturgy of the Church of England continued
as part of his devotional life, reveals that
Wesley did not understand the Aldersgate
experience as anti-liturgical, anti-sacramental,
or anti-church.'^

Wesley's Aldersgate has a liturgical outcome because

"Aldersgate did not cause Wesley to throw aside the means of

grace as experienced in the liturgy of the Church of

"��
England. Selleck then described Wesley's first major

crisis within eighteen months of his Aldersgate experience;

a crisis which was by nature liturgical. For a while,

Wesley had associated himself with the Fetter Lane Society

in London: A society which then began to stray from the

original Moravian principles toward the practice of quietism

or stillness. The adherents were not supposed to use the

means of grace, to communicate, fast, read the scriptures.

This disturbed Wesley greatly. However, they challenged

'�
Ibid. , p. 37.

'�^
Ibid. , p. 40.

ao
Ibid,

46
Wesley in a sense to clarify his own position on quietism.

As a result, Wesley held firm to and asserted that prayer,

communicating, and searching the scriptures (the three

components of Christian and Anglican worship) were

ordinances of the means of God's grace, and they must be

observed

Wesley evidently had "aligned himself with orthodox

Anglicanism in the value it ascribed to the means of

"�^
grace. Indeed, throughout Wesley's life, the Book of

Common Prayer was the center of methodist worship, though he

also added extemporary prayer, psalms and hymn-singing.

Wesley's 1784 revision of the Book of Common Prayer

basically showed his allegiance to the use of Anglican

liturgy. At heart, Wesley was still a "liturgical

Christian, a believer in eucharistic worship."�^

Summary

Wesley's lifelong habitual and devotional use of the

Psalms is a fact that cannot be overemphasized. He reads

them, sings them, collects them, translates them, writes

them, publishes them, memorizes them, preaches them, and

cherishes them to his very death.

Ibid.

82
Ibid.

83
Ibid .
, p. 44

47
 Since the use of Psalms is so integral to the liturgy

of the Church of England, Wesley's spirituality is

intrinsically liturgical. He is at the very heart a

liturgical person. He lives s life well ordered and formed

by habitual disciplines, devotions and discipleship.

Who is John Wesley? An authentic "Methodist" is he!

48
 CHAPTER 3

The Music of the Heart

In Chapter Two, I have examined the essential

characteristics of Wesley's spirituality in which the

devotional, habitual, and liturgical use of the Psalms was

predominant. I have also indicated that at heart, Wesley

was a very liturgical person. The task of this chapter is

to analyze and interpret in greater depth the extensive

effects of the Psalms on Wesley's spirituality.

I . John Wesley: The Col lector of Psalms and Hymns

In The Devotional Life of John Wesley, 1703-38, Dr.

Harper appended an important transcription of Wesley's

unpublished Prayer Manual. He considered the Prayer Manual

to be "in a sense, the heart of the dissertation, because it

contained the best insights into the content of Wesley's

devotional life between 1727 and 1733."* The Prayer Manual,

upon my examination, contained in fact a large portion of

Psalms-collection: Psalms which Wesley quoted mostly in

*
Steven Harper, The Devotional Life of John Wesley,
1703-38, (Durham, N.C.: Duke University, 1981), p. X, and
p . 337 .

49
parts from the Book of Common Prayer and also parts of the

metrical psalms from Tate and Brady's New Version of the

Psalms. Why should Wesley ever want to collect these Psalms

in the Prayer Manual? Especially, when he already had the

Book of Common Prayer? Most likely, too, he would have the

New Version of the Psalms.

A. The Collections of the Psalms in the Prayer Manual

A brief note to indicate Wesley's practice of

collecting materials is in order. According to Dr. Harper,

it was on February 8th, 1730, Wesley first entered in his

Oxford Diary the practice of collecting prayers. And on

June 7th of the same year, Wesley noted in his diary that he

was "Collecting Psalms" as part of his devotional

^
activities .

What were the kind of Psalms that Wesley collected?

Why did he collect them? Where were they placed?

Apparently, they were collected in this unpublished Prayer

Manual which Dr. Harper had transcribed.

1. First set of Psalms

The First set of Psalms consists of both the reading

Psalms from the Book of Common Prayer and the metrical

psalms from Tate and Brady. Then, there are also a number

^
Ibid . , p. 113. Dr. Harper had the access to Oxford
Diary in his research.
interesting to note how
It would be
frequently Wesley entered in the diary his practice of
collecting the Psalms.

50
of psalms from Wesley's father.

The Psalms from the Book of Common Prayer are: 16, 18,

21, 27, 28, 30, 36, 42, 59, 63, 65, 68.^ The metrical

psalms from Tate and Brady are: 8, 16, 18, 19, 63, 84."*

The psalms from his father are: 113, 115, 116, 117.^

2. Second Set of Psalms

The second set of Psalms consists of two metrical

psalms only from Tate and Brady. They are Psalms 67 and

85.^

3. Third Set of Psalms

The third set of Psalms consists of two metrical psalms

also. they are from Tate and Brady: Psalm 25 (2 parts) and

Psalm 31.'"

4. Fourth Set of Psalms

The fourth set of Psalms consists of six metrical

psalms from Tate and Brady. They are: 23, 32, 34, 36, 56,

57.�

^
Ibid. , pp. 367-370; pp. 373-376; pp. 377-380 of the
transcription .

^
Ibid. , pp. 370-373; pp. 376-377.

^
Ibid. , pp. 380-383, 388. In pages 384-387, it
contains 4 hymns from Samuel Wesley Jr.

^
Ibid. , pp. 401-403.

'
Ibid. , pp. 423-425.

�
Ibid. , pp. 448-453.

51
 5. Fifth Set of Psalms

The fifth set of Psalms consist of both the metrical

psalms from Tate and Brady and the reading Psalms from the

Book of Common Prayer. The metrical psalms are Psalms 6,

42, 51 (2 parts) and 69.^ The reading Psalms are: 6, 13,

17, 22, 25, 27, 28, 39, 40, 43, 31, 38, 56, 61, 69, 51, 88,

102, 103 and 143.*�

6. Sixth Set of Psalms

The sixth set of Psalms are the metrical psalms from

Tate and Brady. They are Psalms 19, 13, 65, and 67.**

If one were to read the facsimile of the Prayer Manual

manuscript, it would be relatively easy to distinguish the

reading Psalms from the metrical psalms. Wesley does not

numerate the reading Psalms from the Book of Common Prayer.

However, he numerates the metrical psalms clearly as 1 , 2, 3

and so on. For metrical psalms that have two parts, Wesley

numerates them accordingly. For example. Psalm 25 in the

third set is listed as numerical numbers 1 and 2. Psalm 51

in the fifth set is listed as 4 and 5. There are, however,

three metrical psalms that Wesley does not write the

wordings: Psalms 8 and 84 in the first set, and Psalm 23 in

^
Ibid. , pp. 484-487.

*�
Ibid. , pp. 497-516.

**
Ibid. pp. 516-519.
,
Wesley apparently in the
collection, collected Psalm 67 twice. The other time was in
the second set.

52
the fourth set. Perhaps, Wesley is able to memorize them.

Only one reading Psalm from the Book of Common Prayer Wesley

does not write the wordings of. It is Psalm 69 in the fifth

set .

B. The Contents of the Psalms in the Prayer Manual

Before one attempts to look at the contest of the

Psalms, it is imperative to note some explicit

characteristics of the unpublished Prayer Manual. In this

Prayer Manual, Wesley has apparently collected all the

materials and classified them under eight sections or

headings. The headings are:

1. Love of God
2. Love of a Neighbor

3. Humility
4. Meekness, Sweetness and Resignation
5. Sincerity and Courtesy
6. Mortification
7. (No heading here)
8. Miscellaneous*^

Evidently, the headings are also meant to correspond with

the seven days of the week. This can be substantiated by

Wesley usednumerals here for the headings.

Roman
He was not with 6; certain pages he used 6 and
consistent
returned to use VI The same thing happened to 7
. He used .

7, and VII. For 8, he used plainly 8 only. According to

Dr. Harper's research, Wesley's Oxford Diary's opening pages
listed "Particular Questions" for each day of the week with
the same theme as above. Thus, in construction, 7 should
be: Charity (see pp 115-117 of the dissertation). The
Oxford Diary is Oxford Diary II, pp. vii-x. The inspiration
for this kind of practice with special theme for the day is
likely to have come from Robert Nelson's True Devotion (p.
113 of dissertation).

53
the abbreviations of a certain day placed within each

section. For Example, 'M' for "Morning," 'Ev' for

"Evening," 'M.M' for "Monday Morning," 'M.Ev' for "Monday

Evening," and so on.

In view of the above headings and organization, it

gives us an indication then of the function of the Psalms

which Wesley has collected. They are used, first of all,

devotional ly. Like before, Wesley not only reads them, but

also sings them at Morning and Evening Prayers. They also

constitute part of the whole liturgical service which

involves the use of other prayers, collects, intercessions

and thanksgiving. It seems, however, on the second level,

they are used most appropriately to articulate the

theological emphasis of the day. In other words, it is

inherent within the nature of the language of the Psalms to

express a theological truth concerning God, a person's

relationship toward God and others.

For example, in using Psalm 63 to express the

theological emphasis of the love of God, the goal of one's

life is to seek after God and to love Him, and to proclaim

God's boundless grace, because God has shown first of all

his saving love.

0 God, my gracious God,

to Thee my morning prayers shall
offered be.
For Thee my thirsty soul does pant,
my fainting flesh implores thy grace.
Within this dry and barren place.
Where I refreshing waters want.
0 my longing heart once more,

54
 sense of saving love restore.
that
Which thy enlivening breath displays
then only dear Redeemer's love.
Then life its far sweeter prove:
My life shall always speak thy praise.*^

Psalm 67 of the second set demonstrates aptly the love

of neighbors and nation through one's intercession for God's

blessing and salvation, and the exhortation to glorify God

in return.

To bless thy chosen race, in mercy Lord,

incline;
And cause the brightness of they face
on all our hearts to shine.
0 may thy wondrous ways through
all the world be known.
May distant lands their tribute pay.
and thy salvation own.
Let differing nations join, to celebrate
thy fame;
Let all they creatures. Lord,
combine to praise thy glorious name.
0 let them shout and sing,
with joy and pious mirth:
For thou, the righteous God and King,
doest govern all the earth.**

In showing one's humility, Wesley collects Psalm 25:

For me 0 gracious Lord, thy secret

will impart;
And deep thy righteous covenant write,
in my obedient heart.
To Thee I lift my eyes,
and wait thy timely aid.*^

"
Ibid. , pp. 376-377. Tate and Brady Psalm 63.
Note: Wesley also quotes the same Psalm from the Book of
Cormon Prayer .

Ibid. , pp. 401-402. Tate and Brady Psalm 67.

*^
Ibid. , p. 424.

55
The theological motif of God's covenant written in an

obedient heart is eminent here. Seemingly, this is to

stress the humility as primarily a matter of the heart.

Psalm 32:5 illustrates beautifully one's total

resignation to God's wisdom and care.

To Thee, 0 God of truth,

my life and all that's mine;
For thou preservest me from my
youth,
I
willingly resign.
Whatever events betide,
thy wisdom made them all;
Then shalt thy servant satisfied,
from those that seek fall.
The brightness of thy face,
thou shalt to one disclose;
And with thy mercies still increase,
preserve me from my foes.
Ye that on God rely, courageously
proceed;
For he will still our hearts
supply with strength in time
of need.**"

On the theological theme of mortification. Psalm 51 of

the fifth set appears to be most illustrative. In this set,

Wesley collected not only the metrical psalm (2 parts), but

also quoted from the Book of common Prayer. Evidently, the

importance of this Psalm in theological articulation is

significant .

Blot out my crying sin, nor in me anger

view;
Create in me a heart that's clean,
an upright mind renew.
Withdraw not thou thy help,
not from they sight;
cast me

Nor let the Holy Spirit take His

Ibid., pp. 448-449. This Psalm is in fact

mislabeled by Wesley. It is actually from Psalm 31:5, 15-
16, and 24.

56
 everlasting flight.*'

What can one conclude from the above examples? the

general appropriateness of the language of the Psalms to

articulate the theological theme or emphasis of a certain

day of the week is intact. The above analysis also showed

the fact that not only was Wesley reading or singing the

Psalms devotionally , or liturgically , but by collecting them

under a special theological heading, Wesley was also

consciously involved in a process in which he has to think

theologically. There is therefore a very intrinsic

relationship between what one thinks about God and the

appropriateness of the language used to express that faith

about God. This leads us to consider even further a vital

aspect of the effects of Psalms in Wesley's life. They help

Wes,ley to cultivate a ruling disposition of the heart. In

other words, the Psalms provide us with an important port of

entry, a window to know the hidden depths of Wesley's

spirituality, his religious affections, his way and goal of

life, his principles of christian discipleship, his vision

of God and perfection. In turn, it explains the reason why

he continues to work on the Psalms, and has them published

to articulate the kind of scriptural Christianity that he

has envisioned in Psalms and also the hymns. It explains

the reason why he loves them, because they are the very

*^
Ibid. , p. 490.

57
music of his heart.

II . The Disposition of the Heart and Soul

To substantiate the theory that the Psalms helped

Wesley to cultivate a ruling disposition of the heart, one

has to return and examine the determinative influence of

William Law's understanding of the use of Psalms in Wesley's

life.

In Chapter Two, I have already briefly mentioned

Wesley's reading of Law's A Serious Call to a Devout and

Holy Life. The book has infinitely attuned Wesley to the

practice of chanting the Psalms during his Oxford days.*�

But what has been left unsaid in the chapter, is also the

accentuation of the chanting of Psalms and the cultivation

of the ruling disposition of the heart.

In stressing the excellency and benefits of chanting

the Psalms, William Law describes the effects they have on

the heart .

They create a sense and delight in God,

they awaken holy desires. .they .

kindle a holy flame, they turn

your heart into an altar. .

See Chapter Two of this study, pages 19 to 25.

*^
William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy
Life, (New York: Pauline Press, 1978), p. 210.

58
 However, William Law appears to have prepared for an

opposition from the readers: "Singing is a particular

"^�
talent that belongs only to a particular people, so they

cannot participate and use this method of devotion. In

anticipation of such a protest. Law repeatedly emphasizes

that it is the state of the heart that disposes a person to

a proper use of his voice. And he continues:

Thus if
you can find a man whose ruling
temper is devotion, whose heart if full
of God, his voice will rejoice in those
songs of praise which glorify that God
is the joy of his heart. .

William Law then exhorts them that instead of worrying

about learning a tune, they should learn to prepare their

hearts. He authenticates his ideas and draws inferences

from Jesus saying:

Out of the heart

proceed evil thoughts,
murders, etc., it is equally true
so

that out of the heart proceed holy joys,

thanksgiving, and praise.
Singing is a natural effect of joy in
the heart. .^^ .

Apparently, the deep psychological influence that William

Law has reached is pretty profound here. He goes on to

stress the unity of soul and body, and the integrity of each

affecting the other.

Ibid. , p. 212.

Ibid. , p. 213.

Ibid.

59
 As singing is the natural effect of
joy in the mind, so it is as truly
a natural cause of raising joy in
the mind.^^

Law also sees the unity between praying and singing:

Singing is as much the natural

language of praise and thanksgiving
as prayer is the natural language of

devotion.

Law then summarizes his argumentation with the

following thoughts:

The seat of religion is in the heart. . .

We are therefore as well to use outward

helps as inward meditations in order to
beget and fix habits of piety in our

hearts. . .

For there is holy,

no state of mind so

so excellent, and
truly perfect as so

that of thankfulness to God; and

consequently nothing is of more
importance in religion than that which
exercises and improves this habit of
mind . . .

You need not therefore now wonder that

I lay much stress upon singing a
so

psalm at all your devotions since you

see it is to form your spirit to such
joy and thankfulness to God as in the
highest perfection of a divine and
holy life.""^

From the above, it is sufficient to say that Wesley is

fully aware of Law's opinion on the matter of chanting the

Psalms and would well have taken his advice. This being the

case, the chanting or singing the Psalms does provide high

potential for preparing and turning Wesley's heart into an

Ibid. , p. 214.

Ibid.

Ibid. , pp. 216-218.

60
altar. On the other hand, it also reveals the habits of

Wesley's heart and the ruling disposition of his souls. His

heart is therefore marked by such characteristics of joy,

praise and thanksgiving.

It is in this light therefore that we see the

significant liturgical dimension of his Aldersgate

experience, where the intact harmony that Wesley had with

the language of the Psalms is revealed and affirmed. It is

also in this light that Wesley's lifelong commitment to the

use of Psalms and liturgy is established and understood. It

is even more so in this light; Wesley turns from a collector

of psalms and hymns and becomes a writer, a publisher of the

music of his own heart. He wants his people to be

cultivated in the disposition of the soul, so that "the

ruling temper of the heart is the most absolute submission

and the most tender gratitude to his sovereign

"^^
benefactor .

Wesley, "A Plain Account of Genuine

John
Christianity," (1753), John and Charles Wesley: Selected
Writings and Hymns. Edited by Frank Whaling, (New York:
Paulist Press, 1981), p. 121. Apparently, Wesley in this
pamphlet reflects a coherent structure of the theological
emphasis of "the love of God," "the love of Neighbor,"
"Sincerity and Simplicity," and so on to explain his
definition of what a Christian is. It is also interesting
to note Wesley's definition of genuine Christianity as "a
principle in the soul" (p. 126) inward principle of �

an

"holiness and happiness, the image of God impressed on a

created spirit; a fountain of peace and love springing up
into everlasting life" (p. 129). The psalmic aspect of
Wesley's spirituality would contribute much to that inward
principle of peace and love too �

understand as the
disposition of the heart.

61
III. The Music of the Heart

It is almost indisputable that Wesley loves the Psalms.

They are the music of his heart. They provide him the right

expression, depths and heights to vocalize his love of God.

However, it must be stressed that his psalmic spirituality

is not merely individualistic. He wants his people to share

in the benefits of singing the Psalms, singing the music of

his heart and heir own hearts. Consequently, one of the

most practical dimensions of the effects of Psalms in his

life is to write his own versifications of psalms and hymns

that are rich in psalmic allusions and to have them

published. There is a fountain of peace and joy springing

up within him.

In his lifetime, he and Charles Wesley had written many

psalms and numerous hymns. Together, they had published

many editions of psalms and hymns, though it was common

knowledge that Charles Wesley might better be considered as

the Psalmist of the Methodist movement. The two brothers,

however, had a general policy not to distinguish their

works. Eventually, what is true of Wesley's psalmic

spirituality is also applicable to Charles Wesley. They

shared the same vision of God, the same intensity of love

for God and for the world.

A. A Collection of Psalms and Hymns (Charlestown,

1737)

62
 Wesley's Charlestown Collection of Psalms and Hymns is

considered by many Wesley scholars to be the first hymn-book

^'^
Wesley ever published. However, I wish to draw attention

to the fact that a couple of psalms and hymns in the

Charlestown collection had their first appearances in the

unpublished Prayer Manual. Thus in one sense, the

collection in the Prayer Manual is having the seminal mark

of literally the first hymn-booki

The Psalms that Wesley had transferred from the Prayer

Manual into the Charlestown collection are Psalms 113, 115,

116, and 117. They were actually the works of his father

Rightly Prepar d^^

'
Samuel Wesley from Pious Communicant .

Four hymns without any title from the Prayer Manual were

also transferred into the Charlestown collection. They were

identified as the work of his elder brother, Samuel Wesley

Junior .

In the Charlestown collection, most of the Psalms were,

however, the works of Isaac Watts, or Wesley's adaptation of

The
source of the psalms and hymns have already been
thoroughly discussed in John Wesley's First Hymn-book, edited by
Frank Baker (Charleston: Dalcho Historical Society, 1964).

^�
Psalms 113, 115, 116, and 117 appeared in the first set
of the collection. See page of this chapter. They are
numerated as Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 respectively in the Charlestown
collection (pp. 5-9).

*�
The hymns are given the title: Hymn to God the Father,
Hymn to God the Son, Hymn to God the Holy Ghost, and Hymn to the
Trinity in the Charlestown collection. They appeared as Nos. 11,
12, 13 and 14 (pp. 11-14).

63
 Watts' works. A couple of hymns were Wesley's translation

^�
of the German hymns during his missionary days to America.

One Psalm in particular was to be noted for its

extensive influence in Wesley's life. It was Wesley's

adaptation of Psalm 146 by Isaac Watts: "I'll Praise my

Maker While I have Breath."^* This Psalm, as indicated in

the earlier chapter, was reckoned by Wesley himself to be

his favorite, and he sang and uttered those words before he

died. It signified immeasurably the heart of true

spirituality in Wesley's life, a life that was characterized

by joy ' gratitude and thanksgiving, and the desire to praise

and proclaim God's Almighty Name forever and ever.

One Question still remains: "Whatever happened to

those collections of psalms from Tate and Brady?" None of

them has appeared in the Charlestown Collection. "Does

Wesley ever use them in his other publications?"

On his return from America in 1738, Wesley published

another anonymous Col lection of Psalms and Hymns; the title

and the general arrangement were the same as of the one

published in 1737. Upon examination, this Collection had 14

psalms from the New Version of the Psalm by Tate and Brady.

They were Psalms 18, 89, 91, 103, 113, 114, 139, 140, 150

^�
See Frank Baker's work for all the details of individual
psalms and hymns.

Psalm 146 appears as No. 9 in the Charlestown Collection

See also page 39 of Chapter Two of
(pp. 9-10). this study for
the full quote and its role in Wesley's life.

64
 (under Part I: Psalms and Hymns for Sunday), 8, 29, 65, 65

(part 2), and 148 (under Part III: Psalms and Hymns for

Saturday ).^^ Then there was one psalm (Ps. 104) from the

New Version, but it was considered a hymn, and was given the

"^^
title, "David's hymn to the Creator. In cross-reference

to the Prayer Manual, Wesley had already collected Psalms 8,

18, and 65. The fact that the 1738 Collection had more

Psalms, serves as a good indicator of Wesley's continual use

of the New Version.

In the 1741 Collection of Psalms and Hymns, Wesley

included from the New Version Psalms 36, 51, 91, 93, 8, 16,
s.

68, 68 (part 2), 84, 89, 103, 104, 104 (part 2), 104 (part

3), 104 (part 4), 113, 114, 139, 148 and 150.^* Only Psalms

8, 16, and 51 (2 parts) appeared in the Prayer Manual.

Again, this Collection reveals Wesley's familiarity with and

continual use of the New Version.

B. A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the

People called Methodists

The 1780 Col lection of Hymns is reckoned by Wesley

himself to be the definitive edition of all his publications

John Wesley, The Poetical Work of John and Charles

Wesley, Vol. II, edited by G. Osborn (London: Wesleyan-Methodist
Conference, 1869), pp. 37-39.

Ibid. , p. 39.

Ibid. , pp. 3-6. It's most likely Ps. 104 is the hymn--
David's hymn to the Creator in the previous Collection.

65
 of psalms and hymns. It has also long been recognized by

the Methodists themselves and others alike to be a classic

representation of Methodist worship and spirituality. For

the purpose of this study, I will examine the Preface of the

edition to highlight the unique place that Wesley ascribed

to the role of poetry, and also the intention of this

edition to give a full account of scriptural Christianity,

to be further substantiated by its Contents.

In the Preface, Wesley states very explicitly that "the

"^^
spirit of poetry is the spirit of piety. In other words,

if one were to consider the psalms and hymns as poetry, they

would be used

as a means of raising or quickening the

spirit of devotion, of confirming his
faith, of enlivening his hope, and of
kindling or increase his love to God and
36
man.

Undoubtedly, Wesley is pretty attuned to the principles that

William Law advocated in the chanting of the Psalms, only

drawing more inferences. Apparently too, Wesley has learned

much from his classification of theological emphasis in the

Prayer Manual when he placed the love of God and man as the

top priority of Christian living. Now, in this edition, he

wants to advocate the same principles.

John Wesley, The Works Wesley, Vol 7:

of John A
Col lection of Hymns for the Use of
People called
the Methodists .

Edited by Franz Hildebrandt and Oliver A. Beckerligge, (Oxford:

Clarendon Press, 1983), p. 75.

Ibid.

66
 Besides the unique role that Wesley has ascribed to

poetry, he is also crystal-clear about the purpose of the

publication. He wants to give "an account of scriptural

Christianity," to declare "the heights and depths of

religion, speculative and practical."^' He desires to

direct the christians' "calling and election," and to

perfect their "holiness in the fear of God."^�

To achieve such a purpose, Wesley explains that "the

hymns are not carelessly jumbled together, but carefully

ranged proper heads, according to the experience of real

"^^
Christians . He eventually hopes to prove that "this book

is in effect a little body of experimental and practical

""^^
divinity.

Before one turns to look at the Contents, a brief note

concerning Wesley's spirituality and maturity is in order.

Wesley's Preface reflects a lifelong immersion in the

"spirit of poetry and piety," and for that matter, the

Psalms. He articulates the intrinsic relationship between

singing, prayer, and theology. Indisputabley , the Preface

also reflects a lifelong learning process in which Wesley

Ibid.

^�
Ibid.

Ibid., Even though Wesley only mentions hymns here, one

must also understand that a lot of hymns are full of psalmic

al lusions .

^�
Ibid.

67
continued to learn to do a better and a better job in his

art of collection and classification. It all humbly began

with the little-known collection in the unpublished Prayer

Manual, in which Psalms and hymns had already played a ma jo

role .

In order to fully appreciate Wesley's intention of

wanting to give "an account of scriptural Christianity," on

needs only look at the amazing clarity and classification o

his table of Contents.

The Contents
Part I

Containing Introductory Hymns.

Sect. I. Exhorting and Beseeching to Return to God
II. Describing, 1. The Pleasantness of Religion
2. The Goodness of God
3. Death
4 . Judgement
5 . Heaven
6. Hell
III. Praying for a Blessing

Part II

Sect. I. Describing Formal Religion

II. Describing Inward Religion

Part III

Sect. I. Praying for Repentance

II. For Mourners convinced of Sin
III. For Mourners brought to the Birth
IV. Convinced of Backsliding
V- Recovered

Part IV

I. For Believers Rejoicing

II. For Believers Fighting
III. For Believers Praying
IV. For Believers Watching
V. For Believers Working
VI. For Believers Suffering

68
 VII. For Believers Groaning for Full Redemption
VIII. For Believers Brought to the Birth
IX. For Believers Saved
X. For Believers Interceding for the World

Part V

Sect. I. For the Society, Meeting

II. For the Society, Giving Thanks
III. For the Society, Praying
IV. For the Society, Parting**

What is Wesley trying to do in the table of Contents? He is

mapping out the way, the crossroads, the ups and downs of

the Christian life. The headings are intrinsically related

to some of the most predominant theological themes that he

preaches: sin, grace, repentance, justification,

regeneration, sanctif ication , and perfection. They also

indicate that Christian spirituality is very much of a

corporate nature as the Methodist societies gather to

worship. In short, they may well be considered the changing

tempo, tune and orchestration of the music of the hearts 1

C. Select Psalms

By no means can one give an exhaustive list of the

versifications of Psalms that the Wesleys have written.

However, in order to authenticate the importance of their

giving "an account of scriptural Christianity" and "the

spirit of poetry in the spirit of piety," a few selections

Ibid .
, p . 722 .

69
 are essential.*^

1 . Psalm 1

Blessed is the man, and none but he.

Who walks not with ungodly men;
Nor stands their evil deeds to see.
Nor sits the arraign;
innocent to
Thepersecutor's guilt to share.
Oppressive in the scomer's chair.

Obedience is his pure delight.

To pleasure of the Lord;
do the
His exercise by day and night
To search His soul-converting Word;
The Laws of liberty to prove.
The perfect law of life and love.

Fast by the streams of Paradise

He as a peasant plant shall grow;
The tree of righteousness shall rise.
And all his blooming honors show;
Spread out his boughs, and flourish fair,
And fruit unto perfection bear.

His verdant leaf shall never fade,

His work of faith shall never cease.

The best primary material that lists all the

versifications of Psalms by the Wesleys is in. The Poetical Works
of John and Charles Wesley, Vol. VIII, collected and arranged by
G. Osborn, (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference, 1870). This
work identifies the source of each Psalm, that is, from which
particular publication of the Wesleys it appears. Some are only

published for the first time--the collector's time, 1870. This

primary material further study to provide a subject
deserves
index to some of dominant Wesleyan themes such as sin,
the most
grace, love, justification, sanctif ication perfection and so on. ,

One may question the validity of the O.T. Psalms giving "an
account of scriptural Christianity." Fortunately, in the process
of versifications of the Psalms, they are rendered in the light
and in the language and truth of the N.T., yet they retain the
beauty of prose and the poetry form of the Psalms. Oftentimes,
they are very Christocentric also.
I am also aware that the Preface to
Technically speaking,
the collection is meant for that precise edition.
1780 Yet the

"spirit of piety" is applicable to all of Wesley's former works

of Psalms and Hymns. One may also want to look at the hymns of
the 1780 edition with the psalmic allusions in the Index of
scriptural allusions of the Works of John Wesley, Vol. 7, pp.
727-729.

70
 His happy toil shall all succeed.
Whom God Himself delights to bless.
But no success the ungodly fine,
Scattered like chaff before the wind.

No portion and no place have they

With those whom God vouchsafes to approve;
Cast in the dreadful judgement-day.
Who trample on their Saviour's love;
Who here their bleeding Lord deny
Shall perish, and forever die.*^

Psalm 1 is without any question one of the most important

Psalms, not only to the Book of Psalms itself, but also in

our understanding of the major tenets of Wesleyan

spirituality and theology:

This psalm was put first as a preface

to all the rest, as a powerful persuasive
to the serious study of the whole book,
and of the rest of the holy scripture,
taken from that blessedness which attends
upon the study and practice of it. It

shows, the holiness and happiness of a

good man. .

The Psalm accentuates the major themes of "obedience," "the

soul-converting Word," "fruit of perfection," "works of

faith," and "happy toil." One is also clear, though, that

those who choose to do otherwise, "they shall perish and

forever die."

*^
Poetical Works, pp. 3-4. Source: Collection of
Psalms and Hymns, 1743.

**
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament ,

Vol. 2, (Salem, Ohio: Schmul Publishers, 1975), p. 1626.

Wesley's Introductory note to the whole Book of Psalms is also
"Wehave now before us one of the choicest
very remarkable:
the where in there is so much of
parts of O.T., Christ and his
well as God and his law, that it has been called the
gospel, as

summary of both testaments. . . This book brings us into the

sanctuary. � . and drives us into communion with God (p. 1625).

71
 2. Psalm 8

Sovereign, everlasting Lord,

Thy Name!
How excellent
Held in being by Thy Word,
Thee all Thy works proclaim:
Through this earth Thy glories shine,
Through these dazzling worlds above,
All confers the Source Divine,
The Almighty God of love!

What is man, that Thou, 0 Lord,

such respect to him?
Hast
Comes from heaven the incarnate Word,
His creature to redeem:
Wherefore wouldst Thou stoop so low?
Who the mystery shall explain?
God is flesh, and lives below.
And dies for wretched man.

Jesus his Redeemer dies,

the
sinner to restore.
Falls that man again may rise.
And stand as heretofore;
Foremost of created things.
Head of all Thy works he stood.
Nearest the great King of Kings,
And little less than God!

Him with glorious majesty.

Thy grace vouchsafed to crown;
Transcript of the Gne-in-Three,
He in Thine image shone;
All Thy works for him were made.
All did to his sway submit.
Fishes, birds, and beasts obey'd.
And bow'd beneath his feet."*^

Psalm 8 is a vital psalm for understanding Wesley's

doctrine of man in relation to God. This is also a psalm-

text that Wesley preached on a couple of occasions.*^ In

Ibid .
, pp. 15-17. Stanzas 2, 3, 4, and 7 are omitted
here. Source: Collection of Psalms and Hymns, 1743.

See footnote 1 of Chapter Two of this study. The long

quote there is in fact the introduction to Wesley's sermon on

Psalm 8, "What is Man" See also The Works of John Wesley, Vol.
4, Sermon IV, 115-151, pp. 19-27 �

the other occasion in which

72
 this versification of Psalm 8, we see explicitly his view of

God as the Source of love divine. We see clearly, too, the

doctrine of Chirst's incarnation and his redemptive work to

restore the image of God to the fallen man. Christ is to be

exalted in the final consummation, and that everyone shall

confess that Jesus Christ is the great King of kings, the

great Lord of all.

3. Psalm 51

Psalm 51 is definitely one of the most significant

Psalms for understanding Wesley's teaching on Original sin

and God's cleansing power through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Wesley's sermons often times have scriptural allusions from

this Psalm.*' It has 3 parts which are too long to be

quoted in full. For a sample of its beauty, though, it

reads ;

God of unfathomable love!

Whose bowels of compassion move
Towards Adam's helpless race;
See, at Thy feet, a sinner see!
In tender mercy look on me.
And all my sins efface.

Surely Thou wilt Thy grace impart.

Sprinkle the blood upon my heart
which did for sinners flow;
The blood that purges every sin,

Wesley preached on Ps. 8:4, "What is man?"

*'
See The Works
of John Wesley, Sermons I-IV, 4 Volumes.
Edited by Albert Outler.C.The Index of scripture reference
will provide a quick access to all sermons with Psalm 51
scriptural allusions.

73
 The blood that soon shall wash me clean.
And make me white as snow!

My wretchedness to Thee convert;

Give me a humble, contrite heart.
My fallen soul restore:
Let melife Divine attain.
the
The image of my God regain.
And never lose it more.*�

4. Psalm 116

What shall I render to my God

For all His mercies store?
I'll take the gifts He hath bestow' d.
And humbly ask for more.
The sacred cup of saving grace
I will with thanks receive.
And all His promises embrace,
And to His glory live.

The God of all-redeeming grace

My God I will proclaim.
Offer the sacrifice of praise.
And call upon His name;
Render my vows unto the Lord,
My gratitude approve.
And in His people's ears record
The wonder of His Love.*^

Psalm 116 is indisputably the choice for the most

beautiful and touching eucharistic psalm. It overflows with

the Wesleyan theme of God's all-redeeming grace, and a life

of gratitude and praise. Many thought it more like a hymn,

which in fact is a versification of a Psalm. It seems that

the dividing line is difficult to draw at times between what

*�
Poetical Work, Vol VIII, pp. 114-118. I quoted stanzas
1 (part 8
1), (part 2) and 11 (part 2). Source: Collection of
Psalms and Hymns, 1743.

Ibid. , pp. 200-203. I quoted stanzas 7 and 10 here.

source: Collection of Psalms andHymns 1743.

74
 is a psalm or a hymn.

5. Psalm 133

Behold how good a thing

It is to dwell in peace!
how pleasing to our King
This fruit of righteousness.
When brethren all in one agree!
Who knows the Joy of unity?

When all are sweetly join'd

True followers of the Lamb,
The same in heart and mind.
And think and speak the same.
And all love together dwell.
in
Thy comfort is unspeakable.

Where unity takes place,

The
joys of heaven we prove;
This is the gospel-grace,
The unction from above.
The Spirit on al believers shed.
Descending swift from Christ our Head.

Evennow our Lord doth pour

The blessing from above,

A kindly, gracious shower
Of heart-reviving love.
The former and thelatter rain.
The love of God and love of man.

The riches of His grace

In fellowship are given.
To Zion's chose race.
The citizens of heaven;
He fills
them with His choicest store.
^�
He gives them life for evermore.

Wesleyan spirituality is not just individualistic

devotions but also corporate fellowship and worship. The

^�
Ibid. pp. 250-252.
, I quoted stanzas 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10.
Source: Hymns and Sacred Poem, 1742. Again this psalm is
considered as a hymn! In this psalm, we also see Wesley's

remarkable ability to weave together other scriptural allusions

from books such as Philippians and Matthew.

75
importance of meeting in societies, classes, and bands is

obvious. What better psalm than the Psalm 133 to stress the

unity of fellowship? Instead of Aaron being the high

priest, Christ is the head of the body, and he bestows his

Spirit and grace abundantly. Our response is therefore to

exercise, "the love of God and love of man."

6. Psalm 150

Psalm 150 in the Book of Psalms is considered by many

to be the climax of the whole book. It ends with the

ceaseless doxologies and praises. Wesley's versification of

Psalm 150 achieves the same orchestration. It invites

everyone that has breath to join in the full concert, to

bring all the power of music, especially the very music of

the heart 1 Only then the music is true, authentic, and

inconceivably pleasing to the One to whom the music is

rendered and sung.

Praise the Lord, who reigns above.

And keeps His court below;
Praise the holy God of love;
And all His greatness show!
Praise Him for His noble deeds.
Praise Him for His matchless power;
Him, from whom all good proceeds,
Let earth and heaven adore.

Publish, spread to all around

The great Jehovah's name;
Let the trumpet's martial sound
The Lord of hosts
proclaim!
Praise Him in the sacred dance.
Harmony's full concert raise;
Let the virgin-choir advance.
And move but to His praise.

76
 Celebrate the eternal God
With harp and psaltery;
Timbrels soft, and cymbals loud.
In His high praise agree;
Praise Him every tuneful string,
All the reach of heavenly art;
All the power of music bring.
The music of the heart.

Him in whom they and live.

move

Let sing;
every creature
Glory to their Maker give.
And homage to their King!
Hal low 'd be His name beneath.
As in heaven on earth adored;
Praise the Lord in every breath;
Let all things praise the Lord!^*

"All the power of music bring, the music of the heart."

"Praise the Lord in every breath; Let all things praise the

Lord!" --This is the music, and message of Wesley's heart.

This is the way in which Wesley lived his life, to the very

end and in eternity!

Evaluation ; Review of Related Literature

As in the evaluation of the previous Chapter, my task

in this section is to review some related secondary

resources for the purpose of evaluating and broadening my

perspective .

Don Sailers, Professor of Theology and Worship at Emory

University, Atlanta, Georgia, is one current Methodist

scholar who has done extensive thinking, studying and

Ibid .
, p. 262. This psalm is often times sung as a hymn
too! Source: Collection of Psalms and Hymns, 1743.

77
 writing on the intrinsic relationship between prayer,

liturgy, theology, religious affections, spiritual formation

and even ethics. His systematic analysis is shown most

thoroughly in the work. The Soul in Paraphrase: Prayer and

the Religious Affections . In this book, he is involved in

a search for a language by which to

describe and understand, so far as
possible, the intricate connections
between self, world, and God which
are the heart of Christian prayer.
Put in another way, we are concerned
with the grammar of the religious
affections in the context of prayer
and life.^*

By religious affections he means, "a pattern of

particular affections which constitutes and governs the life

"^^
of the Christian . In other words, they are the

"dispositions of the heart," "the affections of gratitude,

holy fear and penitence, joy and suffering, and love of god

and neighbor."^*
In this work. Sailers sees "the language of prayer and

worship" as primarily "the language of faith" or "the

"^^
language of the heart. As such, it indicates "matter of

"^^
passionate conviction and commitment . To illustrate that

E. Saliers,
Don The Soul inParaphrase: Prayer and
Religious Affections, (New York: Seabury Press, 1980), p. 6.

Ibid. , p. 8.

Ibid.

=^
Ibid. , pp. 21-22.

Ibid. , p. 22.

78
relationship, he turns to the language of the Psalms in the

Scripture :

Have mercy on me, 0 God,

according to thy steadfast love;
according to thy abundant mercy
blot out my transgression (Ps. 51:1)

I give thee thanks, 0 Lord, with my whole heart;

before the Gods I sing and praise;, , ,

and give thanks to thy name for they steadfast

love and thy faithfulness. (Ps. 138:1-2)

As a hart longs for flowing strecims.

So longs my soul for thee, 0 God (Ps. 42:1).^'

Consequently, he shows from the above examples that "the

manner in which descriptions and ascription of God are

intrinsic features of the language as repentance, desire,

praise and longing,"^� and "the language of prayer--in this

liturgical prayer--evokes and educates us in certain

specific emotions by ascribing to God what is believed about

God, in the vocative mode."^^ Thus, repeatedly in the work,

Saliers emphasizes that prayer, "particularly in its

communal forms, both shapes and expresses persons in

fundamental emotions," "gives utterance to the Christian

"^�
affections .

In summary, Saliers points out:

1. Prayer is a logically required context for

the utterance of theological truths.

Ibid. , p. 28.

Ibid.
 2. Prayer is the most fitting context for
asserting things religiously about God.
3. Theological understanding of the Christian
faith depends partly on a person's being
habituated in the "liturgical" us of
religious language.
4. The vocative use of language about God
"shows" something about the logic of
religious beliefs.
5. The vocative mode shows the relation
between the life of one who prays and
the words about God.^*

In a separate article, "David's Song in Our Land,"

Saliers demonstrates an even more explicit feature of this

thought--his love for the Psalms coming from his

professional training as an organist and choir director. He

thinks that the Book of Psalms is rightly called "a school

& 2
fii
prayer .

For we find and experience anew the

ongoing liturgy and response
of call
between Israel and the Lord God. In

every age the Psalms provide models

and images of authentic faith and
honest prayer.

In the same tone as the previous work, Saliers sums up his

thought :

1 . The Psalms are the language of the

human heart at full stretch before
God.
2. They are integral to the Church's
prayer, season
upon and season

throughout the ages.

3. The Psalms provide an ever-fresh

Ibid. , pp. 82-84.

Ibid. , Don E. Saliers, "David's Song in Our Land," in

Liturgy, Vol. 3, No. 3, summer, 1983, p. 24.

Ibid.

80
 place of encounter between God and
God's people, a crucible of faith
experience.^*

Finally, in another article still advocating

practically the same theme, Saliers investigates "the

relations between the explicit music we make when we gather

to worship and the deeper, implicit music of all our liturgy

and life before God."^^ He offers a deep insight that

the very pattern of the gathering for

prayer, praise, reading, proclamation,
responding, feeding, feasting, embracing
in peace, and blessing is itself the
dance and the song even if there is
�

relatively little explicit music.

What makes Saliers say that? He evidently has understood

and experienced "the secret of the formative power of

liturgy."^' He testifies that

the speaking, listening, movement,

gesture, and silence, all create
rhythm and possess pitch,
intensity and tonal register.^�

Consequently, as in all his other works., he drives home the

same message, sounds the same music about the formative and

expressive power of the sung prayer of Christian liturgy.

^*
Ibid. , p. 25.

Ibid., Don E. Saliers, "When in our Worship God is

Glorified: The Music of Liturgy and Life," in Weavings, Vol. 4,
No. 4, July/August 1989, p. 8.

Ibid. , p. 10.

Ibid.

Ibid.

81
 The very shape, language, and hidden
music of liturgical assembly, then,
is the language of the human heart
and soul and mind tutored by the Word
of God and given meaning and depth by
the Holy Spirit. This is why the Psalms
and canticles of the whole Scripture are

crucial to our experience of liturgy �

they
should permeate our prayer and action. . .

The power of gathering to acknowledge

God, to confess, to hear, to remember, and
to take to heart what God in Jesus has
to say and do with us goes well beyond our

beliefs or our cognitive assent to doctrine.

The liturgy, well celebrated
time, forms over

us in the way of living signified by the words:

to repent, to love, to be thankful, to see

justice and mercy, to hope, to love and serve

the neighbor, and to look for what is yet to
come from the promises of God to this world

cosmos.

The implication of Saliers' thought is obvious: "We must

draw deep from the wells of tradition, yet not fear to

"'�
employ our imaginative arts in the assembly.

From the above, it is adequate to see the extensive

effects that the devotional, liturgical use of Psalms had on

Wesley's life and spirituality. Wesley is infinitely well-

trained in the "school of prayer" of the psalms and

canticles and hymns. He is in fact raised in the liturgical

church. He goes through the "rhythm of prayer, praise,

reading, proclamation, responding, feeding, feasting,

embracing in peace and the giving of blessing." The psalras

become ont only the music sung or prayed, but they also

Ibid. , p. 12

^�
Ibid. , p. 14.

82
 become the hidden music of his heart, the dispositions of

his soul 1 They are also the context and means in which he

has so effectively and affectively articulated the major

tenet, the overarching theme of his faith 1 Wesley's

lifelong immersion in the Psalms and liturgy provides an

essential link for understanding Wesley, his personality,

his spirituality and even his theological system and

presentation. This introduces us then to the works of

Gregory S. Clapper, which are greatly influenced by Don E.

Saliers, yet open up more grounds for investigation.

In his work, John Wesley On Religious Affections ,

Clapper advocates the same basic emphasis. He views

Wesley's definition of Christianity as "a disciplined form

of life distinguished by a certain pattern of

af f ectivity . However, he comes to such a view by

studying Wesley's abridgement of Jonathan Edward's Treatise

on Religious Affections . He sees that the task of theology

is "to provide the paradigm, the defining vision, of the

essential features of the Christian life, including speech,

actions, and emotions."'^

Undoubtedly, Wesley's psalmic spirituality has all the

potential to be the best paradigm of the defining vision of

S. Clapper, John Wesley On Religious Affections:

Gregory
His Views Experience and Emotions and their Role in the
on

Christian Life and Theology, Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press,

1989) , p. 157.

Ibid. , p. 158.

83
 who God is, and the instruction of the essential features of

the Christian life. The use of Psalms certainly will

provide the right channel and expressions of our faith and

theology, which includes speech, actions and appropriate

emotions or religious affections.

One thing is almost certain �

Wesley Studies in the

twentieth Century will be very exciting. Hopefully, more

will also discover that "Wesley used affection language to

express many of his important theological concepts and

doctrines."'^ I see the primary reason for this could well

be the psalmic dimension of Wesley's spirituality.

Last, but not least, I introduce the work of an

Episcopal priest for interaction. John H. Westerhoff in his

article provides us a unique kindred insight that

Methodism at its best is properly

understood as a movement in the history
of spiritual life, a school of
the
spirituality and an understanding of
and method for guiding the spiritual
growth of persons in community.'*

He also sees Wesley's most significant and lasting

contribution as being that of a spiritual educator.

Surely, no one in the history

of Protestantism cared more about
spiritual formation and education
than he. Indeed, Wesley sought to
describe the process and develop

''^
Ibid. , p. 45.

'*
John H. Westerhoff, "The Pastor as Spiritual Educator
in Quarterly Review, Vol. 5, No., 2, Summer 1985, p. 44.

84
 a method for spiritual growth.'^

Having established the qualities of the spiritual

educator, Westerhoff goes on to suggest the processes of

spiritual formation and education. Seemingly, he must have

derived these from his own Anglican tradition, which is also

Wesley's. Some examples of the processes are:

1. To provide help for persons in their

establishment of a fourfold spiritual
discipline comprising meditation, praying
the Scripture, communal life, and caring.
2. To provide opportunities for persons to use
all their senses and to encourage their
participation in the arts.
3. To provide opportunities for an engagement
with the spiritual experiences and wisdom of
those in the past who in some way have
exemplified the spiritual life.
4. To provide opportunities for a critical
examination of the language and images
used in our life of prayer and worship.
5. To provide resources for the life of prayer.
6. To provide for daily morning and evening
common prayer.
7. To provide for meaningful weekly
participation in the Eucharist.
8. To provide for small group to aid us on our

journey.

As one goes through the list of processes, one can be

absolutely certain that they explain most of the factors

which prepare and make Wesley so good in his role as

spiritual director, since he has been raised in that unique

heritage. It is from such a perspective, one begins to see

the many dimensions of Wesley's spirituality and ministry.

Ibid. , p. 44.

Ibid. , pp. 48-51.

85
Wesley indisputably has fulfilled his tasks as spiritual

director well. He shall continue to serve as a model for

our learning in spiritual education or direction.

Wesley is indeed a person who is well-trained in the

"school of prayer" of the Psalms and the Anglican liturgy.

They provide the primary context and means by which his

spirituality is formed and shaped. The content of his

spirituality is in his ruling tempers, the disposition of

the heart, manifested as the religious affections of

gratitude, holy fear, pentinence, joy, and love of God and

neighbor. This same spirituality in turn, brings him back

continuously to find in the language of the Psalms, the

language of his prayer, praise and faith. The Psalms have

become the melody and message of his heart, soul and mind.

He wants to sing them, share them and make them known to his

people, to the Church. The psalms and hymns also provide a

kind of liturgical model in which Wesley is able to exercise

his role as a spiritual director to give the essential

instruction of scriptural Christianity and to guide the

people in the path of perfection. Consequently, the Psalms

have affected Wesley in both the cognitive and affective

levels, consciously and subconsciously. They give rise to

the wholeness of his theological system, in which there is

much integration between faith and experience, reasons and

affections, individualism and corporateness , worship and

service !

86
 CONCLUSION

How can one understand Wesley's spirituality? The

approach in this study has been to examine Wesley's

devotional use of the Psalms. It is the thesis of this

study that the use of Psalms provides us with a good port o

entry for understanding the depths and heights of Wesley's

spirituality. The study shows the use of Psalms in the

various stages of Wesley's life as being normative and

formative. It is normative because Wesley uses the Psalms

practically every day of his entire life. He reads them,

studies them, sings them, and cherishes them as the music o

his heart--his personal appropriation of the language of th

Psalmists as the language of prayer and praise. It is also

formative because, not only does Wesley love or cherish the

Psalms, but they begin to fill his thoughts and life deeply

-they actually shape his very thoughts, words and deeds.

They cultivate the kind of religious affections that enable

him to relate to God, the world and others. In turn, he

collects them, publishes them, preaches them, and has them

sung as the music of the hearts of the people called

Methodists. Subsequently, we are able to see that the

relationship between Wesley's spirituality and the Psalms i

very much reciprocal. On one hand, the Psalms shape

Wesley's spirituality, and on the Other hand, Wesley's

87
spirituality shapes the further use of the Psalras araong the

Methodists and the Christian Church.

Apparently, what Wesley does with the Psalms and to the

Psalms is in fact nothing extraordinary. He, like the many

saints of old, have drunk deeply from this important well of

spirituality. That is to say, the Psalms as prayers and

songs of praise have served as an important model and focus

of spiritual concerns through the ages, and they shall

continue to do just the sarae. The prayers and songs of

praise are infinitely the rausic of the hearts.

Since Wesley uses the Psalras devotionally,

liturgically, and pastorally, we, as his Methodist heirs,

also the heirs of the common Christian faith, will certainly

do well to learn from this important practice. We must

learn to treasure the Psalms as "a rich treasury of

devotion, which the wisdom of God has provided to supply the

wants of his children in all generations."* We must see to

it that the Psalms be used in our private devotion, in the

family, and in public worship. We must learn to grow up

together with the Psalms, from a stage of infancy to a stage

of full maturity "in the measure of the stature of the

fullness of Christ."^ No model seems to be more appropriate

to aid us in the practice of the presence of God than the

See footnote 1 of Chapter Two.

Ibid .
, Footnote 1, Chapter Two.

88
praying, singing and studying of the Psalms. Indeed over

and extended time, we shall also see and experience the

formative power of the Psalms in cultivating within us the

kind of religious affections that enable us to love God with

singleness of heart, mind and soul, and to love our

neighbors as ourselves!

Praise the Lord, who reigns above.

And keeps His court below;
Praise the Holy God of love;
And all His greatness show!
Praise Him for
His noble deeds.
Praise for His matchless power;
Him
Him, from whom all good proceeds
Let earth and heaven adore.

Celebrate the eternal God

With harp and
psaltery;
Timbrels soft, and
cymbals loud.
In His high praise agree;
Praise Him every tuneful string.
All the reach of heavenly art;
See the power of music bring.
The music of the heart.
Amen !

89
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