Charles Wesley

Charles Welsey was the 3rd son and 18th child of a faithful preacher named Samuel Wesley.  As a preacher, Samuel was not popular.  In fact, his wife’s bible studies were known to have more attendees than Saumel’s church.  Nonetheless, Samuel loved Jesus and raised his sons to be pastors.  

Charles was educated at Westminster School and Oxford and graduated in 1730.  While there, he became very passionate about spiritual matters and organized a group called the “Holy Club,” which was soon lead by his brother John Wesley.  A few years later they were joined by George Whitfield and the group and became known pejoratively by others on campus as “Methodists,” referring to their methodical approach to bible study and Christian living.  Methodical these men were, and oddly enough, though they were vigilant, passionate and busy with their ministries, it wouldn’t be until much later, that Charles & John would to Jesus in full surrender. 

They stayed busy teaching the bible and in 1735 traveled as missionaries to Georgia.  This trip proved to be a total failure for Charles as up until this point he had lead a very sheltered life.  He was the assistant of the Governor, General James Ogelthorpe, but was not prepared for the trials and scandall he would endure in his short 2-year tenure.  In 1737, he left John behind and returned to London.  His friends wrote back saying they were concerned about Charles, that he was no longer himself.  Indeed he wasn’t, and he too wondered why. 

The time in Georgia had upended Charles’ world.  He didn’t know what he believed any more and begun to seek.  He talked to old friends from the Holy Club.  But that didn’t help.  He even took a stab at mysticism.  But it too fell short.  A year later, John returned from Georgia, reuniting with Charles, and Charles could not have been happier.  That is, until he contracted pleurisy, a disease which constricts the lungs.  He was very ill and found himself at the care of his friend John Bray who begun to read the scripture to him.  Over the course of a week and a half, Bray faithfully read Charles the scriptures and endured Charles’ deep doubts, taking care of him bedside.  On Sunday, May 21st, 1738, Charles wrote in his journal;

“I rose and looked into the Scripture.  The words that first presented were, “And now, Lord, what is my hope? Truly my hope is even in Thee.”  I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ.I saw that by faith I stood.I went to bed.confident of Christ’s protection.”

Things changed immediately.  His strength returned, and he became passionate to share the love of Christ with everyone he met.  2 days after his conversion, he penned his first hymn entitled, “Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin?”  Exactly one year later he wrote “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing” a song he concluded should be sung at the first anniversary of one’s conversion. 

So passionate he was, he begun extensive travel with his brother John and George Whitfield.  They preached outside, in town squares, sometimes to 10’s of thousands.  Nothing could stop Charles from exhausting himself to share the gospel with everybody.  He was known to embark on long journeys so he could preach Christ’s glory to sinners.  On one occasion he traveled 3 days in torrential rain, with no sleep, and collapsed upon arrival in the town of Garth, where is wife-to-be lived. 

On another occasion, he was traveling with a Mr. Combes who expressed his wish to believe in Jesus.  Charles answered by singing to him the hymns, “Salvation by faith,” and then, “Faith in Christ,”  The man was so moved that he had Charles pray for him to accept Jesus.  It is recorded they sang and shouted joyous hymns for the remaining duration of their journey. 

He wrote many hymns on while traveling and was known for bursting into peoples houses shouting, “Pen and Ink!  Pen and Ink!” 

While preaching in Wales, an angry doctor stormed the stage demanding an apology for being called a “Pharisee.”  But Charles simply responded, “I insist you still are a Pharisee.My commission is to show you your sins, and I shall make no apology for so doing.You are a damned sinner.”  The doctor beat him with his cane. 

The rigorous schedule and exhausting nature of travel of those times soon caught up with Charles.  His fiery temperament was prone toward high highs and low lows, and he was known to descend into deep depression at times.  He had worked very hard preaching the gospel, publishing hymns and poems, but could not sustain it anymore.  Plus, he was in love with Sarah Gwynne.   

In 1949 he and Sarah married, with John presiding over the ceremony.  Charles & Sarah settled briefly in Bristol before moving to London so he could be close to John and the ministry.  Though the exhaustion took its toll, Charles penned over 4000 hymns over the course of his remaining 39 years, many of which we still sing today.  Perhaps one of his sweetest, he wrote to his beloved wife Sarah on his death-bed:

In age and feebleness extreme
Who shall a helpless worm redeem?
Jesus, my only hope Thou art
Strength of my failing flesh and heart
Oh, could I catch a smile from Thee
And drop into eternity!