Samuel Brengle: The Prophet of Holiness
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey · 2 min read
Professor Gary Maxey quotes Colonel Samuel Brengle more than almost anyone else in his book on the Highway of Holiness. Brengle described, in plain words, what every believer eventually finds in his own heart.
A scholar who became a street preacher
Brengle was born on 1 June 1860 and died on 19 May 1936. He studied at DePauw University in Indiana, where he was an exceptional scholar. He then went to the Boston Theological Seminary. There he first met the teaching of holiness.
Boston Common
He later claimed the experience himself. He described it as an overwhelming immersion in the love of God. In his account he walked across Boston Common before breakfast, filled with joy. Then he did something unusual for a man of his education. He joined the Salvation Army. He had heard William Booth speak at an open-air service. He went to England to train. Booth was at first skeptical of him.
The brick
During his early years in Boston, a drunk man threw a brick at him. The injury kept him from preaching for eighteen months. He used the time to write articles. They became the foundation of Helps to Holiness. He also wrote Heart-Talks on Holiness and The Soul Winner's Secret. He rose to the rank of Commissioner, and his teaching on holiness became the Army's international voice. He retired in 1931 and kept preaching two more years.
The dark something
Professor Maxey quotes Brengle's description of the converted believer who finds "a big, dark something" within. It wants to get angry when things go wrong. It is touchy, grumbles, is proud and shuns the shame of the cross. The believer hates it and may think he has gone backward. Brengle says he has not, and that the answer is not to whitewash it or to grow out of it. God cleanses it.
Use this
Brengle's honesty frees us. If you have found something in yourself that shocks you, you may be where Brengle was. Read his words slowly. Then take the dark something to God and ask for the cleansing he promises.
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey and public biographical sources. Sources: Wikipedia, "Samuel Logan Brengle."
