September 3, 1739: Susanna Wesley and "Assurance of Salvation"

Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003.

Mr. and Mrs. Rusten tell the following, if somewhat sad if true, story. It's about the mother of John and Charles Wesley. We suspect it's laced with John's "evangelistic and evangelical" revisionism and the assumption (fidelity is measured by numbers).

September 3, 1739. (Rusten, 494-495).

On September 3, 1739, Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, confessed to her son, John, that she had come to "experience and believe" that she was a believer and had an “assurance of salvation.” She came to this realization at the communion rail in the service of Holy Communion in a Church of England parish. She was 69 or 70 and married to a Church of England cleric. 

Well, that is precisely what should happen at the Table of the Lord in Holy Communion, "assurance of salvation."  Why of course! Over and over...on through the many years!  But, the story appears to get manipulated into a "conversion experience" or "secondary blessing" known to the pietists.  What may have been left out is that Ms. Wesley may have been stating one of many such instances...which we trust is the case, not the "pietist version." Mr. Rusten doesn't help us much here.

For non-Anglican readers who have been—so regrettably—so deprived—yes, deprived—of these great words during Holy Communion, here is what Mrs. Susanna Wesley, aged 69 or 70, heard in a Church of England service as the elements were distributed:

“Then shall the Minister first receive the Communion in both kinds himself, and then proceed to deliver the same to the Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, in like manner, (if any be present,) and after that to the people also in order, into their hands, all meekly kneeling. And, when he delivereth the Bread to any one, he shall say,

“The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving.

“And the Minister that delivereth the Cup to any one shall say,

“The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ's Blood was shed for thee, and be thankful.”

The English Dissenters (Non-Church of Englanders) “crabbed” over the kneeling, notwithstanding the Black Rubric, history or theology, but we digress.

The back-story.

Susanna was born in 1669-1670 to a Dissenter’s family. Her father was Mr. (Dr.) Samuel Annesley. She heard the theological and political debates in their home and read from some of her father’s library. England had a grievous Civil War thanks in part to Anti-Calvinistic Anglicans, like Laud and his dragoons, and the Dissidents. At the age of 13, however, on her own, she returned to the Church of England...allegedly (494), as Mr. Rusten tells it, the same age at which she met her future husband, another Dissenter.

Her future husband, Samuel Wesley, was also from a Dissenter’s family. But like Susanna, he also returned to the Church of England. Perhaps he returned to the Church of England so he could go to Oxford? Who knows?

After Samuel Wesley graduated from Oxford at age 26, he married Susanna, aged 19. He was ordained to the Church of England.

19 children would be born of the union with 8 not surviving childhood. Charles and John would be two famous names with infamous ministries coming from the marriage. They were raised on the Book of Common Prayer. That's all they knew.

According to Mr. Rusten, both mother and father were “dogmatic, stubborn, and strong-willed” (495). Both were Tories. But, they held different views on two kings: William III and James II.

Samuel supported William III and the mother favored James II.

As a result, Susanna refused to say Amen to the “Collect for the Royals” at Evening Prayer (Evening Prayer, a daily event for faithful Anglicans). There was a dispute about it. Apparently, it was a sore issue between them. As a result, they even began sleeping in different rooms because of it. Matrimonial peace was re-established at the accession of Queen Anne. At least this is how Mr. Rusten has it.

Fast forward. John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 and he is another story for another time.

Fast-fast forward for the sake of the story to September 3, 1739. Susanna is 69 or 70 years old. She's been in the Book of Common Prayer for years...56 to 57 years.  Where's she been? She is talking to her Lad, John, the revivalist, the "Arminian," the "Methodist," the "enthusiast," and, yes, ultimately the "schismatic." She tells her “revivalist” son, John, that she "experienced assurance of salvation” at the communion rail during Holy Communion. It’s pietism. This is how Mr. Rusten writes the story. I'd have asked her: where have you been, Mrs. Wesley, for these many years? Were the ears closed?   Or, Mr. (Rev.) John Wesley, was this story manipulated by you? Or, by subsequent historians with an agenda (one must note that this happens often)? As you may note, we are not sympathetic to these views. 

(As an aside re: Reformed Confessions, we recommend a sober volume by Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) R. Scott Clark.  Recovering the Reformed Confessions. Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing, 2008.  It is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Recovering-Reformed-Confession-Scott-Clark/dp/1596381108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378349937&sr=8-1&keywords=r.+scott+clark.  It shows no regard for Prayer Book Churchmanship, but is good on Reformed Confessions; it's a parochial exhortation to NAPARC churches, but not to Anglican ones...who also need the exhortation.  But back to Ms. Wesley.)

We suspect the story to have revisionism to it, but who knows? We do not trust Mr. Wesley.

As much as we love our beloved 1662 Book of Common Prayer, transcendent to much if not most of what passes for anyone’s worship in the United States, it was clear she needed theological guidance, instruction and catechetization in The Heidelberg Catechism. Church of England attendees at Dordt signed off on the Heidelberg Catechism but that went nowhere.  It needs to be put at the front of any new and modernized Books of Common Prayer.

We suspect even Mr. (Rev.) John Wesley may be the source of the story, including the "revisionism." We do not trust the man. It must be remembered that he was involved in "heavy plagiarism" if Mr. (Rev.) Augustus Montague Toplady is to be believed.

But ya’ can’t tell English Churchmen or Church of England men much on the point. Nor Americans either. They're just so smart on the Confessions, donthcha' know? It's called hubris.

They still have no Confessional posture. It shows. We quietly leave them to themselves. Their day is over in England. And so says Mr. (Bp.) Michael Nazir-Ali recently about his own church. Or, "Anglican drunks" as Mr. Canterbury put it. Or, "Anglican leaders" leaving a "vacuum" as Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) Alister McGrath put it last week. Or, as Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) James Packer laments in the loss of Thirty-Nine Articles, a newly found theme with him these days.

Back to a better point. The statements above said at Holy Communion in the Book of Common Prayer: priceless and wonderful.   We must end on that note rather than the story of Ms. Wesley's insight on September 3, 1739.

Or, as Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) Trueman noted, the Gospel and Bible essentially oozes from the old book. He gives his views here: http://info.alliancenet.org/mos/podcast/calming-liturgical-heartburn