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Purity of Heart

by William Booth

William Booth, who co-founded The Salvation Army with his wife Catherine in 1865, wrote several books on the subject of holiness. Purity of Heart, which was first published in 1902, is one of the most concise of these books. Its chapters were originally open letters Booth wrote and circulated throughout The Salvation Army to be read aloud as a ten-week sermon series on the subject of purity of heart. In the first letter, Booth explains what he means by the phrase "purity of heart", and the subsequent sermons build on this theme. Each letter focuses on a different aspect of holiness, such as reasons that a pure heart is desirable, the way to become holy, and examples of people whose hearts have been purified. In accordance with their initial purpose, the letters have a structure that is typical of Salvationist preaching; many of the letters begin with a summary of the previous week's message, include frequent appeals to quoted hymn lyrics throughout, and conclude with an altar call. Alt