Charles and John Wesley founded the Methodist movement in 1729 ( at Oxford University)
Charles (born prematurely in 1707) was the younger brother of John! (born in 1703)
Charles was the main hymnist in the family, but John also translated a number of hymns (mostly German) himself.
John began studying the German language on board the ship Simmons, which carried him and Charles to Georgia (USA) in 1735.
Also on the ship were 26 German Moravian colonists, and Wesley wanted to be able to talk with them and share in their worship services.
Methodists belong to that branch of Christianity who believe in using only the Bible to (Methodically) guide one’s religious beliefs.
Although John and Charles Wesley did not set out to establish a church, the Wesleyans and the Methodists are their offspring.
Both preached, both wrote hymns.
But John is more noted for his sermons and Charles for his hymns.
Throughout Charles Wesley’s life, his Methodist companions sang none of his hymns in Sunday worship.
Why?
Methodists stayed in the Anglican church (they were Anglicans) who did not allow the singing of the new hymns in worship.
Wesley’s hymns were sung in informal Methodist gatherings during the week.
What Made Charles Write Those Unbelievable Hymns?
The word “hymn” comes from the Greek word “hymnos” which means “a song of praise”.
Originally hymns were written in honour of the gods!!!
At Oxford, Charles formed a prayer group (made up of 4 men calling themselves “The Holy Club”) among his fellow students in 1727; his elder brother, John, joined in 1729, soon becoming its leader and moulding it in line with his own convictions.
They focused on studying the Bible and living a holy life.
Other students mocked them, saying they were the “Holy Club”, “Sacramentarians”, and “the Methodists”, being methodical and exceptionally detailed in their Bible study, opinions and disciplined lifestyle.
That was the beginning of the Methodists!!!
On February 28, 1784, John Wesley charters the first Methodist Church in the United States.
Despite the fact that he was an Anglican, Wesley saw the need to provide church structure for his followers after the Anglican Church abandoned its American believers during the American Revolution.
The first hymnbook of the Wesleys was published not in England but in America (in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1737).
And it contained no texts by Charles Wesley. For his effort, John Wesley was “arraigned before a grand jury for altering authorized psalms and for introducing unauthorized compositions into church services.”
The singing of hymns was not officially approved in the Church of England until 1820.
Peter Böhler, who helped lead John and Charles Wesley to experience conversions, once said, “If I had a thousand tongues, I’d praise Christ with them all.”
Charles Wesley expanded this stray comment into lines that became the well-known hymn “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”
The earliest written hymn (in our common era or after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) is the Heyr Himna Smi¢ur (Hear, the Maker of Heaven) from 1208 by the Icelandic bard (poet) and chieftain Kolbeinn Tumason (1173-1208)
Charles Wesley wrote over 6,500 hymns, which would be writing at least two hymns a week, every week for 50 years, from his conversion in 1738 to his death in 1788.
His hymns came out of what he saw as important occasions.
His own life inspired hymns: his conversion, his marriage, things he had seen, the death of his friends. Public events inspired hymns: the earthquake panic, rumors of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, the Gordon riots.
He wrote hymns for all the festivals of the Christian faith.
African-Americans became a part of Methodism in 1758 when John Wesley himself baptized two slaves, breaking the color barrier among Methodist and white societies.
To be continued…
