For other uses, see Charles Wesley (disambiguation).
The Reverend
Charles Wesley
Portrait by John Russell
Born
(1707-12-18)18 December 1707
Epworth, Lincolnshire, Great Britain
Died
29 March 1788(1788-03-29) (aged 80)
London, Great Britain
Education
Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford
Occupation(s)
Cleric, hymnist, poet
Spouse
Sarah Wesley (née Gwynne)
Children
8, including Samuel Wesley[1]
Parent(s)
Samuel and Susanna Wesley
Relatives
Samuel Wesley (brother), Mehetabel Wesley Wright (sister), John Wesley (brother)
Church
Church of England
Congregations served
New Room, Bristol
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".
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]
^"Charles Wesley". My Wesleyan Methodists. Methodist Church. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
^Hunton, William Lee (1917). Favorite Hymns: Stories of the Origin, Authorship, and Use of Hymns We Love. General Council Publication House. pp. 94–97.
^"Charles Wesley". BBC. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
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