“Let me be homo unius libri.”
I wish that this John Wesley quote was better known, and better embraced, by Methodists in Singapore. The quote is found in the Preface to Wesley’s Standard Sermons, a collection compiled to help Methodist Local Preachers promote scriptural holiness throughout the land. [In case you missed it, “scriptural holiness” is another Wesley phrase which I think we Methodists should embrace more fully.]
Homo unius libri – Latin for “a person of one book”. The book Wesley was referring to was the Bible. Wesley believed that God’s way of salvation through Christ was written down by God in the Bible.
“God himself has condescended to teach the way: For this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri.“
I think it would be great if Singapore Methodists were known as people who made the careful study and application of the Bible a fundamental feature of their lives. A people of one book – homo unius libri.
Praise God that there are Christians all over the world who have started using the 34 week Bible reading programme developed by the United Methodist Church known as Disciple. Many of our Singapore Methodist churches have small groups that use this series also. This is one way we try to promote the idea of being “a people of one book” committed to spreading “scriptural holiness” throughout the land.
Methodism is also famous for having given the world so many scriptural hymns and songs. John Wesley wrote a few, but his brother Charles is attributed with having composed over 7,000! And Can it be that I should gain and Hark the herald angels sing are among them.
This combination of the Bible’s teaching on Christ and the value of hymns and songs comes together in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (NASB)
I am thankful to be part of a Methodist heritage that urges me to be homo unius libri and to sing hymns and songs that inspire us to not only read the Scriptures, but to sing them. I hope you are thankful too.
Rev Dr Gordon Wong
TRAC President