 Favourite Hymns Volume I More Favourite Hymns Volume II Hymns for Christmas Volume III The Hymns of Charles Wesley Volume IV Hymns for Special Occasions Volume V Hymns of Our Time Volume VI Hymns of the Great Composers Volume VII Poetry in Hymns Volume VIII Hymns and Prayers Volume IX Scripture in Hymns Volume X Hymns of the Victorian Era Volume XI Hymns of the Twentieth Century Volume XII  |
The Hymns of Charles Wesley Volume IV (ISBN: 0-9545046-3-1) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2004 Price: £16.00 each (inc. p. & p.) Orders for two or more books will qualify for a reduction, each book being priced at £14.00, and further discounts are available for group purchases on request. The Hymns of Charles Wesley Volume IV covers well-known hymns by one of our best-loved hymn-writers. Charles Wesley, the eighteenth child of the Revd. Samuel and Susanna Wesley, was born in 1707, educated at Westminster School and then joined his brother, John at Oxford. John, born in 1703, was somewhat serious by nature; Charles was regarded as fun-loving, cheerful and something of a harum-scarum. The lives of John and Charles Wesley – the founders of the Methodist Movement - encompassed nearly all the eighteenth century. Although we think of John as primarily a preacher and Charles as a hymn-writer, John did in fact write a number of hymns and Charles was a regular preacher. They were both ordained into the Anglican Church and thereafter lived and died as Anglican priests. In fact, it was not until the year 1808 – some years after their deaths – that Methodism was established as a separate dissenting sect. In the Foreword to this book, The Revd. Dr. Leslie Griffiths, (now Lord) writes: Charles Wesley was more than once referred to as ‘the sweet singer of the new Israel’. The genius of John’s younger brother is truly remarkable. His mastery of the art of poetry coupled with his burning desire to convey the deepest truths of the evangelical revival produced an inebriating mixture, a fizzing mass, of focussed energy, a vital tool for this life’s work. …. A saint as well as a poet. Those of Charles Wesley’s hymns included in this volume are: A charge to keep I have *** All praise to our redeeming Lord *** And can it be Captain of Israel’s host, and Guide *** Christ, from whom all blessings flow Come, let us use the grace divine *** Come, Thou long-expected Jesus Father of everlasting grace *** Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go God of all power and truth and grace *** Hark! the herald-angels sing Jesu, lover of my soul *** Let earth and heaven agree Lo! He comes with clouds descending *** Love divine, all loves excelling O come and dwell in me *** O for a thousand tongues to sing O Thou who camest from above *** Rejoice, the Lord is King What shall I do my God to love, my loving God to praise *** Ye servants of God Also included in this volume is a selection of readings from Wesley’s many unpublished poems. The editors of Charles Wesley’s ‘unpublished’ poems refute the myth that he wrote about 6,500 hymns. In fact, they estimate that Wesley wrote approximately 9,000 poems, of which a substantial number became hymns and others remained largely unpublished as poems. Altogether, 4,600 of his poems and hymns were published in his lifetime and another 3,000 or so published posthumously, leaving about 1,300 poem manuscripts remaining unpublished. Wesleyan devotees cannot do better than turn to the three volumes of Wesley’s ‘Unpublished Poetry’ edited by Dr. Kimborough and Dr. Beckerlegge, and published by Abingdon press, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. |
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© Grasshopper Publishing Limited
2003
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