Editing Charles Wesley (section)

==Hymns and other works==

Wesley was a prolific [[hymnwriter]]. Among the collections ([[hymnal]]s) of Wesley's hymns published in his lifetime were ''Hymns on God's Everlasting Love'' (1741, 1742), ''Hymns on the [[Eucharist|Lord's Supper]]'' (1745), and ''Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures'' (1762), together with others celebrating the major festivals of the [[Christian year]].<ref name="Vickers2008"/> His hymns are marked by their strong doctrinal content (notably the [[Arminian]] insistence on the [[unlimited atonement|universality of God's love]]),<ref name="Vickers2007"/> a richness of scriptural and literary allusion, and the variety of his [[metre (hymn)|metrical]] and stanza forms. They are considered to have had a significant influence not only on Methodism but on Christian worship and modern theology as a whole.<ref name="Vickers2008"/><ref name="Vickers2007">{{cite book|last=Vickers|first=Jason E.|editor1-first=Kenneth G. C.|editor1-last= Newport |editor2-first=Ted |editor2-last=Campbell|title=Charles Wesley: life, literature and legacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWAmAQAAIAAJ|year=2007|publisher=Epworth|chapter=Charles Wesley and the Revival of the Doctrine of the Trinity: A Methodist Contribution To Modern Theology|pages= 278–298|location= Peterborough|isbn=9780716206071}}</ref>

[[File:Charles-Wesley-preaching.jpg|thumb|right|Wesley preaching by [[William Gush]]<ref>{{cite journal |language=en |last=Swift |first=Wesley F. |title=Portraits and biographies of Charles Wesley |journal=Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society |publisher=Wesley Historical Society |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=86–89 |date=1957 |url=http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/whs/31-4.pdf }} See engraving of the portrait.</ref>]]
Wesley's poetry included [[epistles]], elegies and political and satirical verse. A collected edition of ''The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley'', edited by [[George Osborn (minister)|George Osborn]], was published in thirteen volumes in 1868–1872.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wesley |first1=John |title=A new and critical edition of George Osborn's The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley (1868–1872): with the addition of notes, annotations, biographical and background information.|volume=10, part 1 and 2 |date=2012 |publisher=Edwin Mellen Press |location=Lewiston, NY |isbn=978-0773426658}}</ref> Osborn's collection has now been supplemented by the three volumes of ''The Unpublished Poetry of Charles Wesley''.<ref name="Wesley1988">{{cite book|last=Wesley|first=Charles |title=The Unpublished Poetry of Charles Wesley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HYhbAAAAMAAJ|volume=2|year=1988|publisher=Kingswood Books|isbn=978-0-687-43311-7}}</ref>

Jason E. Vickers states that Wesley's 'conversion experience' in 1738 had a clear impact on his doctrine, especially doctrine concerning the power of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]]. The change was most prominent in his hymns written after the same year. From his published work ''Hymns and Prayers to the Trinity'' and in Hymn number 62 he writes "The Holy Ghost in part we know, For with us He resides, Our whole of good to Him we owe, Whom by His grace he guides, He doth our virtuous thoughts inspire, The evil he averts, And every seed of good desire, He planted in our hearts."<ref name=Vickers2008b>{{cite journal|last=Vickers|first= Jason E. |title='And We The Life of God Shall Know': Incarnation and the Trinity in Charles Wesley's Hymns|journal= Anglican Theological Review |volume=90|issue=2 |date=2008b|pages= 329–344|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/f3f126e2a13c5fee6d7fdfa9b6996276/}}</ref> Charles communicates several doctrines: the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the [[Sanctification in Christianity|sanctifying work]] of the Spirit, the [[total depravity|depravity]] of mankind, and humanity's personal accountability to God.<ref name="Vickers2007"/>

===Hymnody===
In the course of his career, Wesley published the words of between 6,500 and 10,000 [[hymn]]s,<ref name="Hunton1917"/><ref name="Vickers2008"/> many of which are still popular. These include:
* "Arise, My Soul, Arise" ([[Wikisource:Arise, My Soul, Arise|Words]])
* "[[And Can It Be That I Should Gain?]]" ([[Wikisource:And Can It Be That I Should Gain?|Words]])
* "[[Christ the Lord Is Risen Today]]" ([[Wikisource:Christ the Lord Is Risen Today|Words]])
* "Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies" ([[Wikisource:Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies|Words]])
* "[[Come, O Thou Traveller Unknown]]" ([[Wikisource:Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown|Words]])
* "[[Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus]]" ([[Wikisource:Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus|Words]])
* "Depth of Mercy, Can it Be" ([[Wikisource:Depth of Mercy|Words]])
* "Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee" ([[Wikisource:Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee|Words]])
* "Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise" ([[Wikisource:Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise|Words]])
* "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]" ([[Wikisource:Hark! the Herald Angels Sing|Words]])
* "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" ([[Wikisource:Jesus, Lover of My Soul|Words]])
* "Jesus, The Name High Over All" ([[Wikisource:Jesus! the Name High over All|Words]])
* "[[Lo! He comes with clouds descending|Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending]]" ([[Wikisource:Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending|Words]])
* "[[Love Divine, All Loves Excelling]]" ([[Wikisource:Love Divine, All Loves Excelling|Words]])
* "O for a Heart to Praise My God" ([[Wikisource:O For a Heart to Praise My God|Words]])
* "[[O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing]]" ([[Wikisource:O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing|Words]])
* "O Thou Who Camest from Above" ([[Wikisource:O Thou Who Camest from Above|Words]])
* "Rejoice, the Lord is King" ([[Wikisource:Rejoice, the Lord Is King|Words]])
* "[[Soldiers of Christ, Arise]]" ([[Wikisource:Soldiers of Christ, Arise|Words]])
* "[[Sun of Unclouded Righteousness]]" ([[Wikisource:Sun of Unclouded Righteousness|Words]])
* "Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose" ([[Wikisource:Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose|Words]])
* "Ye Servants of God" ([[Wikisource:Ye Servants of God|Words]])

The words to many more of Charles Wesley's hymns can be found on [[Wikisource]],<ref>Wikisource, [[s:Author:Charles_Wesley#Hymns|Charles Wesley: Hymns]], accessed 15 March 2023</ref> and in his many publications.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/hymnsandsacredpo00wesliala|title= Hymns and sacred poems|last1= Wesley|first1= John |last2=Wesley|first2= Charles|location= Bristol|date= 1743|edition=4th}}</ref><ref>[https://divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/cswt/charles-published-verse Complete texts of Charles Wesley's Published Verse at Duke Divinity School]</ref>

Some 150 of his hymns are in the Methodist hymn book ''[[Hymns and Psalms]]'', including "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing", and ''The Church Hymn Book'' (In New York and Chicago, US, 1872) where "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" is published. Many of his hymns are translated into other languages, and form the foundation for Methodist hymnals, as well as the Swedish ''Metodist-Episkopal-Kyrkans Psalmbok'' printed in Stockholm in 1892.

=== Psalms ===
Wesley's hymns are notable as interpretations of Scripture.<ref name="LeMon">{{youTube|id=1FNv_dY7h6A|title=Joel M. LeMon: The Controversial Introduction of Jesus into the Psalms by John and Charles Wesley}}</ref> He also produced paraphrases of the [[Psalms]], contributing to the long tradition of English [[metrical psalter|metrical Psalmody]]. A notable feature of his Psalms is the introduction of Jesus into the Psalms, continuing a tradition of Christological readings of the Psalms evident in the translations of John Patrick and [[Isaac Watts]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = The English Hymn|last = Watson|first = J. R.|publisher = Clarendon Press|year = 1997|isbn = 0198267622|location = Oxford|pages = [https://archive.org/details/englishhymncriti0000wats/page/230 230–251]|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/englishhymncriti0000wats/page/230}}</ref> The introduction of Jesus into the Psalms was often the source of controversy, even within Wesley's own family. Charles' brother Samuel Wesley wrote a poem against such practice.<ref name="LeMon" /> Of particular importance is Wesley's manuscript Psalms, held in the archives of the Pitts Theology Library at [[Emory University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pitts.emory.edu/archives/text/mss159.html|title=Pitts Theology Library Archives Finding Aid|access-date=28 January 2015|archive-date=15 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115142028/http://pitts.emory.edu/archives/text/mss159.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>