Todd Schreiner CH 736 American Church History Dr. Ken Cleaver. Charles Wesley s Hymns

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1 Todd Schreiner Dr. Ken Cleaver

2 Todd Schreiner 2 Although there are many important aspects of Charles Wesley's life and ministry, it is, of course as a hymn writer that he is best remembered. Charles Wesley was born into a family or succession of hymn-writers. His father, the Rector of Epworth, was the author of various hymns. The Anglican musical tradition owes a great deal to Charles Wesley. Thirty of his hymns appear in Ancient and Modern Revised Hymnal, many of which are sung regularly, Sunday after Sunday even in our churches today. In total Wesley wrote no fewer than six thousand hymns, many of which were probably never published. Seven hundred and fifty appeared in a publication called "A collection of hymns for use by the people called Methodist" the first ever Methodist hymnbook. This was published in 1780, but remained in use until the early 1900's. While Charles Wesley cannot claim to be the father of hymn writing, he was probably the first to write popular hymns for singing by ordinary everyday church people, and furthermore, hymns with which people could identify with, devotional hymns which helped with personal situations and emotions, and hymns which helped to explain the meaning of scripture to many. Charles Wesley wrote hymns for the people, hymns of a devotional nature, hymns that had real meaning, and which gave comfort in difficult times. Many of these first appeared in cheap pamphlet forms, printed and distributed widely. Among these were editions entitled, "Funeral Hymns", "Children's Hymns" and "Hymns for Earthquakes and Tumults." The 1780 publication, "A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People called Methodists" became for the Methodists, after the Bible, their "devotional classic." I would like to examine more closely twelve of his hymns and take an in-depth look at each hymn in trying to discover the background, theology and implication for the body of Christ. Christ the Lord is Risen Today is one of the more popular hymns from Charles Wesley.

3 Todd Schreiner 3 This Christian hymn is traditionally associated with Easter. Most of the stanzas were written by Charles Wesley and this hymn first was titled Hymn for Easter Day in Hymns and Sacred Songs by Charles and John Wesley in It was written for the first service at the Foundry Meeting House in London one year after Wesley s conversion. The Foundry Meeting House was the first Wesleyan Chapel in London. However, this hymn is not a complete original. It is a variation of an earlier hymn called, Jesus Christ is Risen Today, which was a Latin hymn written in the 14 th century. This Latin hymn was later translated into English and published in Lyra Davidica (Songs of David) in 1708 and then published in Arnold s Compleat Psalmodist in No composer was ever acknowledged for the hymn Jesus Christ is Risen Today. The tune for Christ the Lord is Risen Today is from Jesus Christ is Risen Today. If you examine John Wesley s Hymnbook, A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists, you will notice that Hymn number 716, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, is missing the famous Alleluia at the end of each phrase which we are used to singing today. Charles Wesley's original text does not include the song's most distinctive characteristic, the "Alleluia!" that ends each line. The lyrics didn't quite fit the original tune, so an unknown editor added the famous alleluias" later. It seems that this addition is a perfect fit for the significance of saying alleluia, which means, Praise the Lord, during the celebration of Christ s resurrection. In 1849 the hymn entered the American Methodist hymnal with five of the original eleven stanzas. As I will show with many of Wesley s hymns, the words are rich with Scriptural reference and allusions. The first line of this hymn, Christ the Lord is risen today, can be referenced to Mark 16:6 or Luke 24:6. Another very famous hymn written by Charles Wesley for the Christmas season is Hark, The Herald Angles Sing. This hymn appeared in the Hymns and Sacred Poems in

4 Todd Schreiner The original opening line was "Hark! how all the welkin rings, glory to the King of Kings"; the version we know so well today is the result of alterations by various artists. Welkin means heaven. Because the verse was altered, today most people believe the Bible talks of singing angels. However, the scripture does not state that. In Luke 2:13-14 it states "A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. So we can see how this hymn was a direct correlation to the account of the birth of Christ stated in the Gospel of Luke. Again, Charles Wesley was always trying to give practical Biblical teaching through the hymns he wrote. One of the original tunes that Hark, How All the Welkin Rings was sung to was to the tune of Amazing Grace. This was common in the 18 th century when many hymns during that time were lyrics without music. It was left to choir directors to choose an appropriate tune based on the meter and verse. The tune of Hark, The Herald Angles Sing that is now widely known was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in It was part of the cantata Festgesang (Festival Song) honoring a famous printer of the Bible, Johann Gutenberg, and commemorating the invention of his printing press. The cantata was presented at the great festival held at Leipzig, Germany. William Cummings, an English musician, in 1885 was the one who altered the verses and thought it fit to combine it with the music from the second chorus of the cantata Festgesang, by Felix Mendelssohn. Wesley wrote this carol, Hark, How All The Welkin Rings, when there was a great need for Christmas carols in England. In 1627 The English Puritan parliament had abolished Christmas and the carols that pertained to what they felt had become a very secular or worldly celebration. Can you imagine what the Puritans would think of Christmas today? The church in the 17 th century was left with a void for some time of no new Christmas

5 Todd Schreiner 5 hymns/carols. Wesley wrote this hymn in 1738 to begin teaching the Christmas story through song again. This hymn not only helps us to sing the praises of Jesus birth but it teaches sound Biblical doctrine. The truths of Scripture are found in each stanza of the hymn. The virgin birth, Christ's deity, the immortality of the soul, the new birth, and Christ-like living are all presented in this great seasonal hymn, now known as Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. Love Divine, All Loves Excelling is another well-known hymn from Charles Wesley. This hymn alludes to the words of an English patriotic song by John Dryden entitled Fairest Isle, All Isles Excelling. Wesley recommends using the very tune to which Henry Purcell had set Dryden s poem in the opera, King Arthur. This tune was familiar among Wesley s contemporaries and a secular tune as well, but Wesley evidently thought it very fitting to have this be the tune for his hymn, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. The hymn suggests that one can be completely cleansed of sin in this life, an idea many, including Wesley's brother, John, found troublesome and prompted the alteration of verses in the hymn. However, it still is a beautiful and substantive expression of praise to God and petition to God to aid us in our growth in grace. This famous hymn "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" has been set to many different tunes depending on the tradition of the congregation, but found a home tune with Wesley from Henry Prucell s composition for Dryden s song. It is believed that the next day after Charles Wesley had come to faith in Christ and truly changed his life to follow in the Lord s ways he wrote the hymn, "And Can it be, That I Should Gain. Charles was inspired by the Apostle Paul's writing in Galations 2:20 where it states, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave

6 Todd Schreiner 6 himself for me. The foundational truth of the Christian doctrine of why Jesus had to go to the cross and die for sins is the central subject of this hymn. Charles was teaching basic Biblical doctrine of a conversion experience that one will and should experience when one chooses to believe and surrender their life to Christ. This was Charles Wesley proclamation of who he had become in Christ and what he as a humble servant of God gained through Christ. It was his response to his personal conversion to faith in Christ. Consider the intensely personal nature of the first stanza of this hymn. "And can it be that I should gain An interest in the Savior s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" He put his whole heart of his spiritual experience and encounter into the writing of this hymn. In some of today s churches they seem to shy away from the traditional or classic hymns because they feel that there is not enough personal connection with the individual and their worship to God. However, this great Wesleyan hymn is in direct opposition to that thought. The church could make a generalization of all hymns that they just don t connect with the people anymore or the church may not want to go back to organ driven songs. There are so many misconceptions, but what great time now to take current music and combine it with great hymn writing from the past as they did in the 17 th and 18 th century. I believe we should be teaching our churches continually the basic truth of scripture and there is no better way but through song, as Wesley did.

7 Todd Schreiner 7 Some have acclaimed that Jesus, Lover of My Soul is the greatest hymn ever written! Some years after the Civil War old soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies met together. A former Confederate told how he was sent to pick off an exposed Union sentry at his post. As he aimed his gun at the sentry, he heard him singing, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." The story is told that the Confederate didn't care if the sentry was a Union enemy or not, he just couldn't shoot, and lowered his gun. The Union solider said he had been depressed and fearful when assigned to the isolated sentry post and had begun to sing that hymn to keep his courage up and never realized that it saved his life. You can see why some have said this is one of the greatest hymns of all time and has personally impacted many lives throughout time. There are a couple of stories of how Charles Wesley wrote, Jesus, Lover of My Soul. One story is that Charles was returning to England in the fall of 1736 after serving as Governor Oglethorpe's secretary in the new colony of Georgia. A frightening storm arose at sea and it seemed that the ship would go down with all on board. A frightened bird flew into Wesley's window during the storm and sought safety and protection under Wesley's coat. Another account says that the hymn was written when an angry mob drove Charles and John Wesley from the place they were preaching. Charles was beaten and composed the hymn while hiding under a hedge or in farmhouse where he fled for safety. John Wesley, Charles brother, did not like "Jesus Lover of My Soul" when he first read it. He thought it was too sentimental. The hymn didn't really become popular until after Charles Wesley's death. Reading this hymn you can see how sentimental and personal this hymn really is. In the first stanza it reads. Jesus, lover of my soul

8 Todd Schreiner 8 let me to thy bosom fly while the nearer waters roll while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide till the storm of life is past safe into the haven guide O receive my soul at last The other stanzas are just as emotional and expressing a longing to be in the center of Christ s heart and will. Charles Wesley was suffering from pleurisy, a lung disease, in May, 1738, while he and his brother were studying under the Moravian scholar, Peter Bohler. in London. At the time, Charles was plagued by extreme doubts about his faith. Taken to bed with the sickness on May 21st, 1738 Charles was attended to by a group of Christians who offered basic care and prayed for and with him. This deeply affected Charles. Charles longed for a deeper walk with God. During this time of sickness he read from his Bible and found himself deeply affected by the words from the scriptures and was gaining a new sense of peace with God. His friends and his brother John came to Charles in his sickness and sang a hymn glorifying the Holy Spirit of God. This increased Charles hope and reminded him of Christ s words when He said he would send a comforter, the Holy Spirit. Shortly after this his strength began to return. He wrote of this experience in his journal and counted it as a renewal of his faith. His brother John had a similar experience in renewal of faith in God a couple days later. John s experience spurred on his teaching and organizing renewal groups within the Church of England. These groups became know as Methodists.

9 Todd Schreiner 9 One year from this renewal experience, Charles was prompted to write another hymn in commemoration of his renewal of faith in Christ. This hymn took the form of a 19 stanza poem, called O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing, and was published with the recommendation for singing on the anniversary of one's conversion to faith in Christ. We can see in the 9 th stanza of this hymn the reflection of Charles Wesley s personal renewal with God when it states, On this glad day the glorious Sun Of Righteousness arose On my benighted soul He shone And filled it with repose. Great spiritual battle hymn of Charles Wesley is, Soldiers of Christ Arise. Charles Wesley wrote Soldiers of Christ, Arise in 1747, originally calling it "The Whole Armor of God, Ephesians VI." The hymn was designed to confirm new believers. We see Wesley built the foundation of this hymn on Ephesians 6:10-18 where the Apostle Paul proclaims for the believer to be prepared and put on the full armor of God; going confidently into the spiritual battle that is as real as a physical battle. While the Bible does not explicitly declare that the church is an army, it implies that image by designating military garments for the Christian, and describing the Christian s warfare, which is stated not only in Ephesians 6:10-18 but also in 1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:4, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and others. Wesley proclaims throughout this hymn that this battle is not to be fought with one s own strength and might, but through complete dependence on the power that comes from God. In the first stanza it states, Soldiers of Christ arise

10 Todd Schreiner 10 and put your armor on strong in the strength which God supplies thru his eternal Son strong in the Lord of Hosts and in his mighty power who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror. As I mentioned before Charles Wesley and his brother, John, had become leaders of the movement known as Methodism. The Church of England did not approve of the Methodists and those associated with Methodism were persecuted. Their houses were vandalized and even worse, Methodists were sometimes threatened, stoned, mauled, and dragged through the streets. Given the threatening environment that most Methodists faced, Wesley no doubt thought of very real and spiritual battles as he wrote "Soldiers of Christ, Arise." Calling on Christians to fight these spiritual battles, the original version of "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" appeared in the 1749 publication Hymns and Sacred Poems. The lengthy hymn contained sixteen verses, each with eight lines. In John Wesley s Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists, published in 1780, only twelve stanzas appeared, divided into three separate hymns. The three-stanza version commonly used today dates from Another well-known hymn by Charles Wesley is, Rejoice, The Lord is King. As mentioned earlier Methodists were persecuted and lived lives of hardship from the Church of England. Charles Wesley, along with his brother, wanted to encourage the

11 Todd Schreiner 11 followers in Methodists denomination to be a singing, joyful people and discouraged and hopeless. Paul s letter to the Philippians gave Wesley the text for "Rejoice, the Lord Is King." Although Paul was imprisoned when he wrote this letter, he wrote a message of joy and encouragement, stating "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4). "Rejoice, the Lord Is King" was first published with six stanzas in 1744 in John Wesley s Moral and Sacred Poems. Two years later Charles Wesley included it in Hymns for Our Lord s Resurrection. Most hymnals include four stanzas, omitting the fourth and fifth stanzas of the original hymn. In today s churches they sing "Rejoice, the Lord Is King" to the hymn tune John Darwall s music for Psalm148. An alternate hymn tune, Gopsal, was composed by G. F. Handel for the hymn. At another time in Charles Wesley s life he went with his brother John on a mission to Georgia under the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel," but his efforts proved a failure. In feeble health he returned to England, during his two months' voyage he experienced a terrible storm at sea. The impression left on his mind by this voyage led him to write, in later years, the hymn, To Be Sung at Sea: "Throughout the deep Thy footsteps shine We own Thy way is in the sea O'er awed by majesty divine And lost in Thy immensity." This is not one of Charles Wesley s more popular hymns but none the less it is one of the numerous hymns he wrote in response to a real life experience in relation to his spiritual life. This was the pattern of how Wesley created his lyrics to his hymns;

12 Todd Schreiner 12 spiritual application to real life situations. Charles Wesley s hymn, Jesus, The Name High Over All, is great hymn that focuses on the person of Jesus Christ. This hymn even proclaims that the name of Jesus is powerful and is exalted over all. In Philippians 2:9 it states, Therefore God exalted Him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name. This hymn s foundation is found in the above scripture. In the first stanza it starts off with this clear message of who Jesus is. Jesus! the name high over all in hell or earth or sky angels and mortals prostrate fall and devils fear and fly. However, throughout the whole hymn the theme of Christ s name above every name is very clearly communicated. As you go through this hymn you see how Wesley was leading people to truly trust in Christ and never lean on their own strength. If we knew this name better, and trusted it more, our life would be more fruitful and enriching in the strength and power of Christ guiding us through each day. We could live out the last stanza and say with confidence: Happy, if with my latest breath I may but gasp his name preach him to all and cry in death Behold, behold the Lamb!" Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus is hymn by Charles Wesley that has sort of now become a popular Christmas carol. This hymn or carol is a little heavier than most of the

13 Todd Schreiner 13 Christmas music we are used to hearing today, and if we are not careful we will miss much of the meaning. The first stanza focuses on the fact that the coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled Israel's longing for the Messiah. As the one whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, He is the "long-expected Jesus." Although He fulfilled Israel's prophecies, Jesus came to bring salvation to the entire world, which is what Wesley was referring to when he described Christ as the "hope of all the earth" and the "dear desire of every nation." More than that, He is the "joy of every longing heart." He alone is the one who can satisfy every soul. This was Wesley s message in the first stanza. The second stanza tells us why Jesus can meet our expectations: He was "born a child and yet a King." As the One who is both God and man, Jesus was able to satisfy God's wrath completely by dying on the cross for our sins. When Wesley wrote about Jesus' "all sufficient merit," he was referring to Christ's ability to bring us to salvation. "Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus" is a great song for Christmas, focusing on the "longexpected Jesus" who was born to set us free from sin and to bring us salvation by His death. Charles Wesley sang the Gospel into hundreds of hearts that would never have been touched by the preaching of his brother, John Wesley. It is said that Wesley did as much with his hymns for the people as did the translation of the Bible did for Germany by Luther during the reformation. The basic and complex Biblical truths were proclaimed in his hymns and his hymns were also a voice for his own personal encounter with God.