Entire Sanctification

This short "treatise" is actually the twelfth chapter of Christian Theology – a selection of Adam Clarke's writings arranged by Samuel Dunn and published in 1836. It represents a key doctrine of Wesleyan theology, related to the ever controversial idea of Christian perfection. The doctrine affirms that, following a believer's justification before God, in a moment there occurs an "entire sanctification" – a complete cleansing of sin and a filling of God's full Spirit – after which a believer continues to grow in the sanctified life. As the arranged extracts indicate, Clarke very much affirms, and was devoted to, Wesley's teaching, and the scriptural testimony which undergirds it. Nevertheless the very ideas of Christian holiness and perfection will necessarily remain both provocative and inspiring wherever and whenever they are examined.


The electronic version contains a brief account of Adam Clarke's life, with a discussion of his theology, related to this very doctrine.