📖 Biblical Definition
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the brother of John Wesley and the greatest hymn writer in the English language. He wrote an estimated 6,500 hymns — And Can It Be, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, O for a Thousand Tongues, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, and thousands more. His hymns shaped Methodist and broader evangelical worship for three centuries; many remain in everyday Christian use.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Greatest English hymn writer (1707-1788); brother of John Wesley; co-founder of Methodism.
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Born Epworth (Lincolnshire); youngest son of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Oxford-educated; member of the Holy Club. Converted three days before his brother John (May 21, 1738), at the home of John Bray.
Wrote roughly 6,500 hymns over fifty years — an average of one every three days for half a century. Married Sarah Gwynne (one of the few happy clergy marriages of his era); remained a faithful Anglican to his death.
📖 Key Scripture
Psalm 96:1 — "O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth."
Colossians 3:16 — "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs."
Ephesians 5:19 — "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
Revelation 5:9 — "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern worship music often forgets Charles Wesley; his hymns remain among the most theologically rich and singable lyrics ever written in English.
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And Can It Be: Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night; thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light. The lyric distills regeneration in two stanzas. Few modern hymns reach this density.
Charles wrote his hymns to specific occasions and doctrines: Christ the Lord is Risen Today for Easter, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing for Christmas, And Can It Be for personal conversion. The catalogue is still being mined for hymnals; few singers know they sing him three times a season.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
English given and surname.
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Old English Ceorl — freeman; behind Charles.
Note: many of Charles's most famous hymns were written for specific occasions in the Methodist movement — conversion anniversaries, Christian holidays, brother John's sermons.
Usage
"An average of one hymn every three days for half a century."
"Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night."
"Few singers know they sing him three times a season."