Wesley, Charles
Wesley, Charles (1707–88). Hymn-writer. Like his brother John, Charles was educated at Oxford, ordained in the Church of England, and became a leading methodist preacher. Methodism, it has been said, was born in song; and this was facilitated by the magnificent collection of hymns written by Charles Wesley, perhaps the greatest hymn-writer England has ever known. Favourites like ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘Jesu, Lover of my Soul’ became familiar far beyond the bounds of methodism. The Wesleys understood the use of hymns for popular devotion and instruction. In Charles's eucharistic and advent hymns, or his celebration of the sacramentalism of daily life, traditional Christian teaching was restated, and indeed became part of the religious discourse for the next 200 years. Charles disapproved of John Wesley's ordinations and remained closer to the Church of England.
John F. C. Harrison
More From encyclopedia.com
NEARBY TERMS
Wesley, Charles
