Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788)
was a leader of the
Methodist movement,
son of Anglican clergyman and poet
Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of
Anglican clergyman
John Wesley and
Anglican clergyman
Samuel
Wesley , and father of musician
Samuel
Wesley, and grandfather of musician
Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Despite
their closeness, Charles and his brother John did not always agree
on questions relating to their beliefs. In particular, Charles was
strongly opposed to the idea of a breach with the
Church of England into which they had been
ordained. Charles Wesley is chiefly remembered for the many
hymns he wrote.
He founded Wesley Chapel in the village of
Brayton
, which is just south of Selby
. His
house, located nearby, can still be visited today.
Biographical details
Charles Wesley was the son of
Susanna
Wesley and
Samuel Wesley.
Like his
brother John, Charles Wesley was born in Epworth
, Lincolnshire
, England
, where their
father was rector. He was educated at Westminster
School
and Christ Church, Oxford
, where his brother had also studied, and formed the
"Oxford Methodist" group among his fellow students in 1727 which
his elder brother, John joined in 1729 soon becoming its leader and
moulding it to his own notions. George Whitefield also joined this group.
After
graduating with a Masters' in classical languages and literature,
Charles followed his father and brother into the church in 1735,
and travelled with John to the colony of Georgia
in America in the
entourage of the governor, James
Oglethorpe, returning a year later.
Charles
lived and worked in the area around St Marylebone
Parish Church
and so, just before his death, he sent for its
rector John Harley and told him
"Sir, whatever the world may say of me, I have lived, and I die, a
member of the Church of
England. I pray you to bury me in your churchyard." On
his death, his body was carried to the church by eight clergymen of
the Church of England and a memorial stone to him stands in the
gardens in Marylebone High Street, close to his burial spot. One of
his sons,
Samuel, was later organist
of the present church.
Marriage and children
In 1749, he married the much younger Sarah Gwynne, daughter of
Marmaduke Gwynne, a wealthy Welsh magistrate who had been converted
to Methodism by
Howell Harris.
She
accompanied the brothers on their evangelistic journeys throughout
Britain, until Charles ceased to travel in 1765 and they moved to
Great Chesterfield Street (now Wheatley Street) in Marylebone
, where they remained until Charles'
death.
Charles and Sarah had eight children, only three survived infancy,
Charles Wesley junior
(1757–1834),
Samuel Wesley (1766 –
1837) and Sarah Wesley. Both Samuel and Charles junior were
organist and
composers; Samuel Wesley's son,
Samuel Sebastian Wesley was one of
the foremost British composers of the nineteenth century, and some
of Charles junior's works are still available and played.
Best-known hymns
In the course of his career, Charles Wesley published the words of
over five and a half thousand
hymns, writing
the words for a further two thousand, many of which are still
popular. These include:
The lyrics to many more of Charles Wesley's hymns can be found on
Wikisource and "Hymns and Sacred
Poems".
Some 150 of his hymns are included in the Methodist hymn book
Hymns and Psalms and e.g.,
among several other hymns, "
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing is
published as number 403 in "
The Church Hymn Book" (In New
York and Chicago, USA, 1872) where "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" also
is published as number 799.
Many of his hymns are translated into other languages, and forms
the foundation for Methodist hymnals, as the
Swedish
Metodist-Episkopal-Kyrkans Psalmbokprinted in
Stockholm after a decission in New York, USA, 1892.
Legacy
He is commemorated in the
Calendar of Saints of the
Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America on 2 March with his brother John.
The Wesley brothers are also commemorated on 3 March in the
Calendar of Saints of the
Episcopal
Church and on 24 May in the
Anglican
calendar.
As a result of his enduring hymnody, the
Gospel Music Association recognized
his musical contributions to the art of gospel music in 1995 by
listing his name in the
Gospel
Music Hall of Fame.
Tercentenary
On 24 May 2007, there was a tercentenary celebration to celebrate
300 years since the birth of Charles Wesley, and many celebrations
were held throughout England. It was held on the 24 May, known to
all Methodists as 'Wesley Day,' although Charles Wesley was not
born until December 1707. The May date actually commemorates the
spiritual awakening of first Charles and then John Wesley in 1738.
In particular, in the Village of Epworth, North Lincolnshire, at
the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, there was a fantastic flower
festival, on the 26–28 May, with some of the most astounding flower
arrangements, representing some of Charles Wesley’s hymns, from ‘O
for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,’ to ‘And Can It Be,’ and not
forgetting ‘O For a Trumpet Voice,’ the name of the flower
festival.
In November 2007,
An Post, the Irish Post
Office issued a 78c stamp to commemorate the 300th Anniversary of
his birth.
References
- http://www.stmarylebone.org.uk/history02.htm
- Hymns and sacred poems, by Wesley, John and Wesley,
Charles, Bristol, 1743
- Abbey, Charles J. (1892) Religious thought in old English
verse, London: Sampson Low, Marston, 456p., ISBN (?)
0-7905-4361-3
- Tyson, John R. (Ed.) (2000) Charles Wesley: a reader,
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 519 p., ISBN 0-19-513485-0
- Tyson, John R. Assist Me to Proclaim: The Life and Hymns of
Charles Wesley. Grand Rapids: Wm. B.
Eerdmans and Göttingen: Edition Ruprecht 2007, ISBN
978-3-7675-3052-2 DOI 10.2364/3320751449
External links
, 13 December 2007. (Available for download
as MP3 and MP4).
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