Katana VentraIP

Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime.[2] His works include "And Can It Be", "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing", "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today", "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling", the carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", and "Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending".

For other uses, see Charles Wesley (disambiguation).

Charles Wesley

(1707-12-18)18 December 1707

29 March 1788(1788-03-29) (aged 80)

London, Great Britain

Cleric, hymnist, poet

Sarah Wesley (née Gwynne)

8, including Samuel Wesley[1]

Samuel Wesley (brother), Mehetabel Wesley Wright (sister), John Wesley (brother)

Wesley was born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, the son of Anglican cleric and poet Samuel Wesley and his wife Susanna. He was a younger brother of Methodist founder John Wesley and Anglican cleric Samuel Wesley the Younger. He was the father of musician Samuel Wesley and the grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley.


He was educated at Oxford University, where his brothers had also studied, and he formed the "Holy Club" among his fellow students in 1729. John Wesley later joined this group, as did George Whitefield. Charles followed his father and brother into ministry in 1735, and he travelled with John to Georgia in America, returning a year later. Following their evangelical conversions in 1738, the Wesley brothers travelled throughout Britain, converting followers to the Methodist revival through preaching and hymn-singing. In 1749, he married Sarah Gwynne, daughter of a Welsh gentleman who had been converted to Methodism by Howell Harris. From 1756 his ministry became more static and he ministered in Bristol, and later London.


Despite their closeness, Charles and 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 in which they had been ordained.[3]

"Arise, My Soul, Arise" ()

Words

"" (Words)

And Can It Be That I Should Gain?

"" (Words)

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

"Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies" ()

Words

"" (Words)

Come, O Thou Traveller Unknown

"" (Words)

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

"Depth of Mercy, Can it Be" ()

Words

"Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee" ()

Words

"Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise" ()

Words

"" (Words)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

"Jesus, Lover of My Soul" ()

Words

"Jesus, The Name High Over All" ()

Words

"" (Words)

Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending

"" (Words)

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

"O for a Heart to Praise My God" ()

Words

"" (Words)

O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

"O Thou Who Camest from Above" ()

Words

"Rejoice, the Lord is King" ()

Words

"" (Words)

Soldiers of Christ, Arise

"" (Words)

Sun of Unclouded Righteousness

"Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose" ()

Words

"Ye Servants of God" ()

Words

Plaque at Postman's Park, London, commemorating John and Charles Wesley

Plaque at Postman's Park, London, commemorating John and Charles Wesley

Wesley at St. Matthew's Church in Bristol, by Arnold Wathen Robinson

Bach, Wesley and Handel, at Cambridge Road Methodist Church, Birmingham

Bach, Wesley and Handel, at Cambridge Road Methodist Church, Birmingham

Stained glass of Charles Wesley, John Wesley, and Francis Asbury at Lake Junaluska

Stained glass of Charles Wesley, John Wesley, and Francis Asbury at Lake Junaluska

A Heart Set Free – T. N. Mohan, 2007, a feature-length documentary on Charles Wesley's life and hymns.

[38]

– Foundery Pictures, 2009, starring Burgess Jenkins as John Wesley, R. Keith Harris as Charles Wesley, and featuring June Lockhart as Susanna Wesley and Kevin McCarthy as Bishop Ryder[39]

Wesley

Biography and works at the

Cyber Hymnal

Biography and articles about Charles Wesley

The Journal of Charles Wesley

Papers of Charles Wesley

at Internet Archive

Works by or about Charles Wesley

at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

Works by Charles Wesley

at Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology

Charles Wesley family papers, 1740–1864

held at Liverpool Hope University

Charles Wesley Conference 2007

lecture delivered by Revd Professor Kenneth Newport, at Gresham College, 13 December 2007. (Available for download as MP3 and MP4).

'Charles Wesley in Historical Perspective: Poet, Priest and Theologian'

on A Vision of Britain through Time, with links to the places visited.

Charles Wesley's Journal 1736–56

historical marker at St. Simons Island, Georgia

A Man Named Wesley Passed This Way

historical marker

Reverends John & Charles Wesley

Emory University: Charles Wesley family papers, 1740–1864

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library