Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was conducting a Methodist outdoor gathering in 1746 when a group of drunken sailors interrupted the service with their rendition of a raunchy sailor song. Charles was leading worship at the time but somehow managed to commit their bawdy lyrics and tune to memory. After the service, he composed seven stanzas as a worship substitute for their profane song. A few nights later, when the sailors resumed their barroom song, Charles motioned to his fellow Methodists, who proceeded to drown out the sailors with his substitute lyrics.
I was rummaging through John Wesley’s 1780 Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists and was reminded how many of Charles’ hymns are still sung in churches today. Ninety percent of the hymns in John’s book were written by Brother Charles. Where would we be without Charles’ Christmas carol, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” or his Easter anthem, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”? The hymn that opened his book is among my favorites: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” John edited his hymnbook to be small enough so poor people could afford it yet substantial enough to serve as a primer to theology and a resource for prayer. I was pleased John included his brother’s classic hymn “And Can it Be” in his collection which I selected for use in prayer today. The repeated references to “me” in the opening stanza were deliberate by Charles since he wrote the hymn shortly after his conversion. He made abundant use of Scripture as illustrated in verse 2, “He emptied himself of all but love” (Phil. 2.6-8) and verse 4, “No condemnation now I dread” (Rom. 8.1). He also lifted the phrase, “Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray” from a 1717 romantic ballad to suit his purposes. His mention in verse 3 to “My chains fell off” recalls Peter and Paul’s release from prison and acts as a metaphor for liberation from sin. You might want to access three online resources in connection with this hymn: Getty Kids Hymnal, Kim Collingsworth’s piano rendition, or the full-throttle sound of the Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA.