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Brengle and
Scripture:
Saturated with the Whole Counsel of God
by Envoy Steve Bussey,
Railton School for Youth Worker Training
Introduction
“Now, when I am asked for my favorite promise, I smile.
It is not one text more than another, but a WHOLE BIBLE that
blesses me, assures me, warns and corrects and comforts me. A
hundred promises whisper to me. I never know when one of the
promises – perhaps one that I have not met for days or even
months – may suddenly stand before me, beckon me, speak to me
tenderly, comfortingly, authoritatively, austerely; speak to
me as though God were speaking to me face to face.”
– Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle ‘Texts that have
blessed me.’ The
Guest of the Soul, 1934.
Jesus
answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
- Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
When a person hears the name Commissioner Samuel Logan
Brengle, one can’t help but immediately think of the word,
“holiness.” His writings have helped to shape The Salvation
Army’s beliefs about what the Bible has to say about holiness;
what our unique, Wesleyan position is on the topic; how to
know about and experience holiness. While tradition, reason
and experience have informed these writings; as a true
Wesleyan, it is Scripture which dominates the writings of
Samuel Logan Brengle.
Scripture played a vital role in the life of Brengle.
·
“For several days conviction that he should be sanctified has
lashed his soul into relentless, rendering sleep almost
impossible; for weeks he has searched the Scriptures,
ransacked his heart, cried to God almost day and night. Today,
he tells himself, he must obtain – or be lost forever.”(Hall,
Portrait of a Prophet,
1933: p.54)
·
When Brengle approach General William Booth in 1887 about the
possibility of joining The Salvation Army and becoming an
Officer, Brengle found himself resonating biblically with
Booth, “He [William Booth] quoted Scripture to me, paternally
advised me not to take any vows upon myself hastily, assuring
me that The Army presented only a field for hard work and
self-denial, and that the greatest of all must become the
servants of all…” (Hall,
Portrait of a Prophet,
1933: p.87)
·
Towards the end of his life he said, “If I live for 26 years
more, I hope to read the Bible through a dozen or 20 times
more. I have read it through many times, but the more I read
it the more I love it. It never tires me, but always refreshes
me.” (Chesham, A
Brengle Treasury, 1988: p.45)
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