Book Review: “The Journals of John Wesley”

For the second time in just a few months, I ended finished reading three books at about the same time—in this case just a day apart. I finished The Potter’s Wheel one day, What If Jesus Was Serious the next, and The Journals of John Wesley, Vol 2 the day after that.

I bought a full set of the Wesley Journals, the edition edited by Nehemiah Curnock about twenty years ago when I was thinking of writing a small-group study about Wesley. The writing project died, and the journals sat on a shelf in the basement, all eight volumes. Sometime about three or four years ago, I decided it was time to read it, and pulled out and read Vol. 1. As best as I can remember, I kind of enjoyed that volume. Then, early last year, I pulled out Volume 2 and decided to read it for my morning devotions. I quickly found out that this journal, maybe especially this volume, didn’t real work well as a devotional.

I could find only one set of the Curnock edition for sale on Advanced Book Exchange. Mine will be $80 chapter than that one.

The book really consists of a mix of Wesley’s journal and his diary, along with many notes by editor Curnock. I tried to read the diary and journal chronologically. I was able to do that, but found it tedious. The diary had entries pretty much every day, whereas the journal had entries maybe every few days. Keeping track of where I was was tedious. As was reading the diary. There wasn’t much devotional about the diary, which was bland entries on what Wesley did those days. Both would be of great interest to a biographer, but they didn’t make for inspirational reading.

A typical page in the journal, where the reader has to juggle the diary, the journal, and the copious footnotes.

Actually, there wasn’t much devotional about the journal either. During the period of this volume, 1738 to 1742, Wesley was in the early days of the Methodist movement. He visited the Moravian Church in Germany, then got into disputes with them about worship practices and the fine points of salvation doctrine. He started field preaching at the suggestion of George Whitefield, then got into disputes with him over salvation doctrine. He also disputed with some early Methodists, who came to believe something different about salvation. It’s hard to take inspiration from a man who is mainly disputing with everyone.

Toward the end of the volume was a change. The diary ceased (Wesley’s biographers figure Wesley still kept a diary volume, but that a books of it is missing). The journal seemed to expand and deal more with the inspirational moments of the growing Methodist movement and less about disputes. It became much more pleasurable reading. It makes me wonder how the next volume is.

But I’m not sure I’ll find out. I’ve decided I won’t read the rest of them. I have too many things to read to think I’ll ever get to Volumes 3 through 8. Right after I post this, I’m going to put an ad up for selling the set, for a pretty penny of course. But while waiting for them to sell, maybe—just maybe—I’ll read a little of Vol. 3.

But how do I rate this series? For devotional purposes, 1-star. For historical purposes, 5-stars.

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