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{{Infobox clergy
| honorific_prefix= [[The Reverend]]
| name            = Charles Wesley
| image           = Charles Wesley.jpg
| birth_date      = December 18, 1707
| birth_place     = [[wikipedia:Epworth, England|Epworth]], [[wikipedia:Lincolnshire|Lincolnshire]], [[wikipedia:Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| death_date      = March 29, 1788 (aged 80)
| death_place     = [[wikipedia:London|London]], [[wikipedia:Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| education       = [[wikipedia:Westminster School|Westminster School]] and [[wikipedia:Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church, Oxford]]
| occupation      = Cleric, hymnist, poet
| church          = [[Church of England]]
| congregations   = [[New Room, Bristol]]
| spouse          = [[Sarah Wesley]] (''{{née}}'' Gwynne)
| parents         = [[Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1735)|Samuel]] (father) and [[Susanna Wesley]] (mother)
| family          = [[Samuel Wesley (the Younger)|Samuel Wesley]] (brother), [[Mehetabel Wesley Wright]] (sister), [[John Wesley]] (brother)
| children        = 8, including [[Samuel Wesley (composer, born 1766)|Samuel Wesley]]<ref name="mywesleyanmethodists">https://www.mywesleyanmethodists.org.uk/content/people-2/the-wesley-family/charles-wesley</ref>
}}
'''Charles Wesley''' (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English [[Anglican]] [[cleric]] and a principal leader of the [[Methodist]] movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 [[hymn]]s during his lifetime.<ref name="Hunton1917">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/favoritehymnsst00huntgoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/favoritehymnsst00huntgoog/page/n140 94]–97 |title=Favorite Hymns: Stories of the Origin, Authorship, and Use of Hymns We Love |first1=William Lee |last1=Hunton |date=1917 |publisher=General Council Publication House}}</ref> His works include "[[And Can It Be]]", "[[O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing]]", "[[Christ the Lord Is Risen Today]]", "[[Love Divine, All Loves Excelling]]", the carol "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]", and "[[Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending]]".

Wesley was born in [[wikipedia:Epworth, Lincolnshire|Epworth, Lincolnshire]], the son of Anglican cleric and poet [[Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1735)|Samuel Wesley]] and his wife [[Susanna Wesley|Susanna]]. He was a younger brother of Methodist founder [[John Wesley]] and Anglican cleric [[Samuel Wesley (the Younger)|Samuel Wesley the Younger]]. He was the father of musician [[Samuel Wesley (composer, born 1766)|Samuel Wesley]] and the grandfather of musician [[Samuel Sebastian Wesley]].

He was educated at [[wikipedia:Oxford University|Oxford University]], where his brothers had also studied, and he formed the "[[Holy Club]]" among his fellow students in 1729. John Wesley later joined this group, as did [[George Whitefield]]. Charles followed his father and brother into [[Anglican ministry|ministry]] in 1735, and he travelled with John to [[wikipedia:Province of Georgia|Georgia]] in America, returning a year later. Following their [[Evangelical Revival|evangelical]] conversions in 1738, the Wesley brothers travelled throughout Britain, converting followers to the Methodist revival through preaching and hymn-singing. In 1749, he married [[Sarah Gwynne]], daughter of a Welsh gentleman who had been converted to Methodism by [[Howell Harris]]. From 1756 his ministry became more static and he ministered in [[wikipedia:Bristol|Bristol]], and later [[wikipedia:London|London]].

Despite their closeness, Charles and John did not always agree on questions relating to their beliefs. In particular, Charles was strongly opposed to the idea of a breach with the [[Church of England]] in which they had been ordained.<ref name=bbc>{{cite web|title=Charles Wesley|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/people/charleswesley_1.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=19 November 2013|date=6 August 2009}}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:Charles wesley.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The 'Lily Portrait' of a young Wesley in the [[New Room, Bristol]]<ref name="Vickers2008"/>]]

===Early life===
Charles Wesley was the eighteenth child of [[Susanna Wesley]] and [[Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1735)|Samuel Wesley]]. He was born in [[wikipedia:Epworth, England|Epworth]], [[wikipedia:Lincolnshire|Lincolnshire]], [[wikipedia:England|England]], where his father was [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]].<ref name=bbc/> In 1716, at the age of 8, he entered [[wikipedia:Westminster School|Westminster School]], where his brother Samuel was usher. He was selected as [[wikipedia:Queen's Scholar (Westminster School)|King's Scholar]] in 1721 and head boy in 1725–26, before matriculating at [[wikipedia:Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church, Oxford]].<ref name="Vickers2008">{{cite web |editor-last1=Vickers |editor-first1=John A. |title=Wesley, Charles |url=https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=2944 |work=A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland}}</ref>

At Oxford, Wesley formed a prayer group among his fellow students in 1727; his elder brother, John, joined in 1729, soon becoming its leader and moulding it in line with his own convictions. They focused on studying the Bible and living a holy life. Other students mocked them, saying they were the "[[Holy Club]]", "Sacramentarians", and "the [[Methodists]]", being methodical and exceptionally detailed in their Bible study, opinions and disciplined lifestyle.<ref name=bbc/> The Wesleys' future colleague, [[George Whitefield]]. joined the group. Wesley tutored while studying; he graduated in 1732 with a master's degree in classical languages and literature. He followed his father and brothers into [[Anglican orders]], being ordained as a [[priest]] in September 1735.<ref name="Vickers2008"/> That same year his father died.

===Voyage to America===
On 14 October 1735, Wesley and his brother John sailed on ''The Simmonds'' from [[wikipedia:Gravesend, Kent|Gravesend, Kent]], for [[wikipedia:Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] in the [[wikipedia:Province of Georgia|Georgia colony]] of [[wikipedia:British America|British America]] at the request of the governor, [[wikipedia:James Oglethorpe|James Oglethorpe]]. Wesley was appointed Secretary of Indian Affairs and while John remained in Savannah, Wesley  went as chaplain to the garrison and colony at nearby [[wikipedia:St. Simons, Georgia#Fort Frederica|Fort Frederica]], [[wikipedia:St. Simons, Georgia|St. Simon's Island]], arriving there on 9 March 1736 according to his journal entry.<ref name="nnu.edu">
{{cite book |language=en |last1=Wesley |first1=Charles |last2=Jackson |first2=Thomas |location=Kansas City, Mo |publisher=Beacon Hill’s |date=1980 |chapter=March 9 – August 30, 1736 |title=The Journal of Charles Wesley (1707–1788) (1872) |chapter-url=http://wesley.nnu.edu/charles-wesley/the-journal-of-charles-wesley-1707-1788/the-journal-of-charles-wesley-march-9-august-30-1736 }}</ref> Matters did not turn out well, and he was largely rejected by the settlers. In July 1736, Wesley was commissioned to England as the bearer of dispatches to the trustees of the colony. On 16 August 1736, he sailed from [[wikipedia:Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston, South Carolina]], never to return to the Georgia colony.

===Ministry===
In 1738 the Wesley brothers, both dejected following their unsuccessful mission, had [[religious experiences]]: Charles experienced an [[evangelical]] conversion (or "renewal of faith"<ref name="Nutter">{{cite book |editor1-last=Nutter |editor1-first=Charles Summer |title=An Illustrated and Annotated Edition of the Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church |date=1900 |publisher=[[Methodist Episcopal Church]] |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/hymnstudiesillus0000unse |access-date=30 April 2024 |pages=49–50}}</ref>) on 21 May and John had a similar experience in [[wikipedia:Aldersgate Street|Aldersgate Street]] just three days later. A City of London [[blue plaque]] at 13 [[Little Britain, London|Little Britain]], near the church of [[wikipedia:St Botolph, Aldersgate|St Botolph, Aldersgate]], off [[wikipedia:St. Martin's Le Grand|St. Martin's Le Grand]], marks the site of the former house of John Bray, reputed to be the scene of Wesley's evangelical conversion. It reads, "Adjoining this site stood the house of John Bray. Scene of Charles Wesley's evangelical conversion, May 21st 1738".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://openplaques.org/plaques/5300 |title=Plaque № 5300 |publisher=openplaques.org |access-date=4 March 2013}}</ref> Wesley commemorated the first anniversary of his religious experience by composing an 18-stanza poem, with its seventh verse, beginning "[[O for a thousand tongues to sing]]", now serving as the opening of a shorter hymn.<ref name="Nutter"/>

Wesley felt renewed strength to spread [[the gospel]] to ordinary people and it was around then that he began to write the poetic hymns for which he would become known. In January 1739, he was appointed as [[curate]] to serve at [[St Mary's Church, Islington]], but was forced to resign when the churchwardens objected to his [[evangelical]] preaching.<ref name="mywesleyanmethodists"/> Later that same year, finding that they were unwelcome inside parish churches, the Wesley brothers took to preaching to crowds in open fields. They were influenced by [[George Whitefield]], whose [[open-air preaching]] was already reaching great numbers of Bristol colliers.<ref name=bbc/> Charles Wesley wrote to Whitefield regularly and is mentioned in many of Whitefield's journal entries. [[George Whitefield|Whitefield]] drew from many of Wesley's hymns and even had one written to him by Wesley.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hendry |first=Micah |date=2023-07-19 |title=Christians You Should Know: Charles Wesley |url=https://enjoyingthejourney.org/christians-you-should-know-charles-wesley/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Enjoying the Journey |language=en-US}}</ref> From 1740, Charles and John were the joint leaders of the [[Evangelical Revival|Methodist Revival]] and [[evangelism|evangelised]] throughout Britain and Ireland.<ref name=Cheetham2003>{{cite book |last1=Cheetham |first1=J. Keith |title=On the trail of John Wesley |date=2003 |publisher=Luath Press |location=Edinburgh |isbn=9781842820230  }}</ref>{{rp|91–92}} They were opposed by many Anglican clergy, especially when their appointed [[Methodist local preacher|lay preachers]] began to preach in parishes without seeking permission. In [[wikipedia:Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], Wesley established its first Methodist society in September 1742 and faced mob violence in [[wikipedia:Wednesbury|Wednesbury]] and [[wikipedia:Sheffield|Sheffield]] in 1743 and at [[wikipedia:Devizes|Devizes]] in 1747.<ref |name="mywesleyanmethodists"/><ref name="Vickers2008"/>

Following a period of illness, after 1756 Wesley made no more journeys to distant parts of the country, mainly just moving between Bristol and London.<ref name="Rack45_46">{{Cite book | last=Rack | first=Henry D. | editor1-last=Newport | editor1-first=Kenneth G.C. |editor2-last=Campbell | editor2-first=Ted A. | title=Charles Wesley: Life, Literature and Legacy | publisher=Epworth | location=Peterborough | year=2007  | isbn=9780716206071 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWAmAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>{{rp|45–46}} Increasingly in his later years, Wesley became the mouthpiece of the so-called "[[wikipedia:Church of England|Church]] Methodists"—he was strongly opposed to a separation of Methodism from its Anglican roots.<ref name="Rack45_46" />{{rp|344–345}} In the 1780s, he was especially dismayed by his brother's [[ordination]] of Methodist ministers to serve in America (''see {{slink|John Wesley|Ordination of ministers}}''), which he criticised in a published poem.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tomkins |first1=Stephen |title=John Wesley: A Biography |date=2003 |publisher=Lion |location=Oxford |isbn=0-7459-5078-7 |page=186}}</ref>

===Marriage and children===
[[File:Charles Wesley (4368240967).jpg|thumb|right|Plaque in Marylebone commemorating the site of Wesley's house (now a pub)]]
In April 1749, he married the much younger [[Sarah Wesley|Sarah Gwynne]] (1726–1822), also known as Sally.<ref name=Cheetham2003 />{{rp|95–97}} She was the daughter of [[wikipedia:Marmaduke Gwynne|Marmaduke Gwynne]], a wealthy [[wikipedia:Wales|Welsh]] magistrate who had been converted to Methodism by [[Howell Harris]].<ref name="Barry141_146">{{Cite book | last=Barry | first=Joseph | editor1-last=Temperley | editor1-first=Nicholas |editor2-last=Banfield | editor2-first=Stephen | title=Music and the Wesleys | publisher=University of Illinois Press | location=Urbana | year=2010 | pages=141–146 | isbn=978-0-252-07767-8}}</ref> They moved into a [[Charles Wesley's House|house at 4 Charles Street in Bristol]] in September 1749.<ref name="Vickers2008"/><ref name=Cheetham2003 />{{rp|95–97}} Sarah accompanied the brothers on their journeys throughout Britain until at least 1753.

In 1771, Wesley obtained another house in London, and moved into it that year with his elder son. By 1778 the whole family had transferred from Bristol to the London house, at 1 Great Chesterfield Street (now Wheatley Street), [[Marylebone]],<ref name="Barry141_146"/> where they remained until Wesley's death and on into the 19th&nbsp;century.<ref name="Forsaith161_162">{{Cite book | last=Forsaith | first=Peter S. | editor1-last=Temperley | editor1-first=Nicholas |editor2-last=Banfield | editor2-first=Stephen | title=Music and the Wesleys | publisher=University of Illinois Press | location=Urbana | year=2010 | pages=161–162 | isbn=978-0-252-07767-8}}</ref> The house in Bristol still stands and has been restored,<ref name=Cheetham2003 />{{rp|95–97}} however the London house was demolished in the mid 19th&nbsp;century.<ref name="Forsaith161_162"/>

Only three of the couple's children survived infancy: [[Charles Wesley junior]] (1757–1834), Sarah Wesley (1759–1828), who like her mother was also known as Sally, and [[Samuel Wesley (composer, born 1766)|Samuel Wesley]] (1766–1837).<ref name="Temperley_ix_xv">{{Cite book | last=Temperley | first=Nicholas | editor1-last=Temperley | editor1-first=Nicholas |editor2-last=Banfield | editor2-first=Stephen | title=Music and the Wesleys | publisher=University of Illinois Press | location=Urbana | year=2010 | pages=ix–xv | isbn=978-0-252-07767-8}}</ref> Their other children, John, Martha Maria, Susannah, Selina and John James are all buried in Bristol, having died between 1753 and 1768. (See monument in garden on north side of junction of Lewis Mead and The Haymarket, Bristol.) Both Samuel and Charles junior were musical [[wikipedia:child prodigies|child prodigies]] and, like their father, became [[organist]]s and composers. Charles junior spent most of his career as the personal organist of the Royal Family, and Samuel became one of the most accomplished musicians in the world and is often called "the English Mozart".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blain |first1=Andrea |last2=Young |first2=Alison |title=Learning to Listen: Samuel Wesley, 'the English Mozart' |url=https://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2016/02/22/learning-to-listen-samuel-wesley-the-english-mozart |website=www.classicalmpr.org |date=22 February 2016 |access-date=1 February 2021}}</ref> Samuel Wesley's son, [[Samuel Sebastian Wesley]], was one of the foremost British composers of the 19th&nbsp;century.<ref name="Temperley_ix_xv"/>

===Death and burial===
[[File:Garden of Rest, Marylebone High Street 10.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Monument in St Marylebone Old Churchyard at the position of Wesley's original grave]]
On his deathbed he sent for the rector of [[St Marylebone Parish Church]], John Harley, and purportedly told him "Sir, whatever the world may say of me, I have lived, and I die, a member of the Church of England. I pray you to bury me in your churchyard." At the age of 80, he died on 29 March 1788 in London.<ref name="DNB">{{Cite DNB|wstitle=Wesley, Charles (1707-1788)|volume=60|first=Alexander |last=Gordon}}</ref> His body was carried to the church by six clergy of the Church of England. A memorial stone to him stands in the gardens in [[wikipedia:Marylebone High Street|Marylebone High Street]], close to his place of burial. One of his sons, Samuel, became the organist at the church.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stmarylebone.org.uk/history02.htm |title=St. Marylebone Parish Church |access-date=3 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430190655/http://www.stmarylebone.org.uk/history02.htm |archive-date=30 April 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

==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 [[wikipedia:Holy Spirit|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|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 [[wikipedia:Emory University|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>

==Legacy==
[[File:Wesley Oak marker, St. Simons, GA, US.jpg|thumb|Wesley Oak historical marker, near [[Christ Church (St. Simons, Georgia)|Christ Church, St. Simons]], Georgia]]
Wesley is still remembered for his ministry while in [[wikipedia:St. Simons, Georgia|St. Simon's Island]], [[wikipedia:Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], by the South Georgia Conference of the [[United Methodist Church]]; in 1950, the conference opened a Christian retreat center on the island by the banks of the [[wikipedia:Frederica River|Frederica River]], designating it [[Epworth by the Sea]] in honour of his and John's birthplace.

In the 19th century, Charles Wesley's legacy was downplayed by Methodist historians, largely because of his opposition to separating from the Church of England.<ref name="Vickers2008"/> He is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] (with [[John Wesley|his brother]]) in the Church of England with a [[Lesser Festival (Anglicanism)|Lesser Festival]] on [[May 24|24 May]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref>

He is commemorated in the [[Calendar of Saints (Lutheran)|Calendar of Saints]] of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] on 2 March with his brother. The brothers are also commemorated on 3 March in the [[Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)|Calendar of Saints]] of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church: Together with the Psalter of David|title-link=Book of Common Prayer#United States|publisher=Seabury |date= 1979|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofcommonp00epis/page/n450 23]}}</ref> Charles is commemorated on 29 March in the Calendar of Commemorations by the Methodist [[Order of Saint Luke]]; John is commemorated on 2 March; their parents are also commemorated.<ref>{{cite book|title=For All The Saints: A Calendar of Commemorations for United Methodists|editor-first= Clifton F.|editor-last= Guthrie |location=Akron, Ohio|publisher= Order of St Luke |date= 1995|isbn=1-878009-25-7|pages= 77–78, 95–96}}</ref>

As a result of his enduring hymnody, the [[wikipedia:Gospel Music Association|Gospel Music Association]] recognized Wesley's musical contributions to the art of gospel music in 1995 by listing his name in the [[wikipedia:Gospel Music Hall of Fame|Gospel Music Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Inductees Archive |url=https://gospelmusichalloffame.org/inductees/inductees-archive/ |publisher=Gospel Music Hall Of Fame |access-date=26 February 2021 |date=14 February 2017 |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918214943/https://gospelmusichalloffame.org/inductees/inductees-archive/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Wesley's hymns are utilised in not only Methodist churches but other Protestant denominations, and have been adopted by the Roman Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Winter |first1=Sean |title=Immense Unfathomed Unconfined: The Grace of God in Creation, Church and Community: Essays in Honour of Norman Young |date=9 August 2013 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-62564-313-1 |page=177 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mM1NAwAAQBAJ |access-date=11 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Wesley wrote two of the so-called [[Great Four Anglican Hymns]]: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Breed |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/historyandusehym007965mbp |title=The History And Use Hymns And Hymn-Tunes |date=1934 |publisher=Fleming H. Revell Company |pages=85}}</ref>

;Memorials
<gallery mode="packed" heights="145">
File:Wesley plaque, Postman's Park.JPG|Plaque at [[wikipedia:Postman's Park|Postman's Park]], [[wikipedia:London|London]], commemorating John and Charles Wesley
File:Charles Wesley 2.JPG|Wesley at [[St Matthew's Church, Cotham|St. Matthew's Church]] in Bristol, by [[Arnold Wathen Robinson]]
File:Church Musicians window, King's Heath, Birmingham.JPG|[[wikipedia:Bach|Bach]], Wesley and [[wikipedia:Handel|Handel]], at [[Cambridge Road Methodist Church]] ([[wikipedia:Birmingham|Birmingham]], [[wikipedia:England|England]])
File:17 22 169 window.jpg|Stained glass of Charles Wesley, John Wesley, and [[Francis Asbury]] at [[wikipedia:Lake Junaluska, North Carolina|Lake Junaluska]]
File:Charles Wesley by Frederick Brook Hitch 01.jpg|Statue by [[wikipedia:Frederick Brook Hitch|Frederick Brook Hitch]] at the [[wikipedia:New Room, Bristol|New Room, Bristol]]
</gallery>

===Tercentenary===
24 May 2007 was celebrated as the tercentenary of Wesley's birth, with many celebratory events held throughout England, even though Wesley was in fact born in December 1707.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 May 2007 |title=Hymnal tour marks Wesley tercentenary |language=en |work=Romney Advertiser |url=https://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/news/1409015.hymnal-tour-marks-wesley-tercentenary/ |access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> The date of 24 May is known to Methodists as [[wikipedia:Aldersgate Day|Aldersgate Day]] and commemorates the spiritual awakening of first Charles and then John Wesley in 1738.<ref>{{cite web|title=What is Aldersgate Day?|url=http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/what-is-aldersgate-day|website=umc.org|publisher=The United Methodist Church|access-date=21 May 2016}}</ref>

In November 2007, [[wikipedia:An Post|An Post]], the Irish Post Office, issued a 78-cent stamp to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Wesley's birth.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Knowles |first=Rebecca |date=22 November 2007 |title=Charles Wesley, hymn and carol composer, features on new stamp |language=en |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/charles-wesley-hymn-and-carol-composer-features-on-new-stamp-1.984430 |access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref>

==In film==
* ''A Heart Set Free'' – T. N. Mohan, 2007, a feature-length documentary on Charles Wesley's life and hymns.<ref>[https://wccls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S143C1207820 "A Heart Set Free", Washington County Cooperative Library Services]</ref>
* ''[[Wesley (film)|Wesley]]'' – Foundery Pictures, 2009, starring [[wikipedia:Burgess Jenkins|Burgess Jenkins]] as John Wesley, R. Keith Harris as Charles Wesley, and featuring [[wikipedia:June Lockhart|June Lockhart]] as [[Susanna Wesley]] and [[Kevin McCarthy (actor)|Kevin McCarthy]] as Bishop Ryder<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www2.journalnow.com/entertainment/2009/nov/12/3-ar-153038/|title=Methodist Man - Winston-Salem landmarks came in handy when the Rev. John Jackman was directing his latest film, Wesley. &#124; JournalNow.com|date=August 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820042917/http://www2.journalnow.com/entertainment/2009/nov/12/3-ar-153038/|archive-date=2012-08-20}}</ref>

==External links==
{{Commons category|Charles Wesley}}{{Archival records|title=Wesleyana Collection}}
{{Sister project links |author=yes |commonscat=yes |b=no |d= Q349070 |m=no |mw=no |n=no |species=no |v=no |voy=no |wikt=no}}
*[http://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/authors/pers00309.shtml Charles Wesley] at the [http://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/ Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)]
*Biography and works at the [http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/e/s/l/wesley_c.htm Cyber Hymnal]
*[http://www.churchsociety.org/issues_new/history/wesleychas/iss_history_wesleychas_intro.asp Biography and articles about Charles Wesley]
*[http://wesley.nnu.edu/charles-wesley/the-journal-of-charles-wesley-1707-1788/ The Journal of Charles Wesley]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151028110225/http://archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb135-ddcw Papers of Charles Wesley]
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Charles Wesley |sopt=t}}
* {{Librivox author |id=3504}}
*[http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/g26cr Charles Wesley family papers, 1740–1864] at Pitts Theology Library, [[Candler School of Theology]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061014235412/http://www.hope.ac.uk/research/call-for-papers-wesley-conference.htm Charles Wesley Conference 2007] held at [[wikipedia:Liverpool Hope University|Liverpool Hope University]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071005074149/http://www.gresham.ac.uk/event.asp?PageId=45&EventId=647 'Charles Wesley in Historical Perspective: Poet, Priest and Theologian'], lecture delivered by Revd Professor Kenneth Newport, at [[wikipedia:Gresham College|Gresham College]], 13 December 2007. (Available for download as MP3 and MP4).
*[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/text/contents_page.jsp?t_id=C_Wesley Charles Wesley's ''Journal'' 1736–56] on ''A Vision of Britain through Time'', with links to the places visited.
*[http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/glynn/a-man-named-wesley-passed-this-way A Man Named Wesley Passed This Way] historical marker at [[wikipedia:St. Simons Island, Georgia|St. Simons Island, Georgia]]
*[http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/glynn/reverends-john-charles-wesley Reverends John & Charles Wesley] historical marker
*[https://rose.library.emory.edu/ Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library], Emory University: [http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/g26cr Charles Wesley family papers, 1740–1864]

==References==

[[Category:1707 births]]
[[Category:1788 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Anglican theologians]]
[[Category:18th-century English composers]]
[[Category:18th-century English Anglican priests]]
[[Category:18th-century English Christian theologians]]
[[Category:18th-century English male writers]]
[[Category:18th-century English musicians]]
[[Category:18th-century English non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:18th-century evangelicals]]
[[Category:18th-century hymnwriters]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]
[[Category:Arminian ministers]]
[[Category:Arminian writers]]
[[Category:British chaplains]]
[[Category:Burials at St Marylebone Parish Church]]
[[Category:Church of England hymnwriters]]
[[Category:English Anglican missionaries]]
[[Category:English evangelicals]]
[[Category:English male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:English Methodist hymnwriters]]
[[Category:English Methodist missionaries]]
[[Category:English religious writers]]
[[Category:Evangelical Anglican theologians]]
[[Category:Evangelical Anglican hymnwriters]]
[[Category:English evangelists]]
[[Category:Lutheran saints]]
[[Category:Methodist missionaries in the United States]]
[[Category:Methodist theologians]]
[[Category:Methodist writers]]
[[Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar]]
[[Category:People educated at Westminster School, London]]
[[Category:People from colonial Georgia (British America)]]
[[Category:People from Epworth, Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Protestant missionaries in England]]
[[Category:Sacred music composers]]
[[Category:String quartet composers]]
[[Category:Wesley family|Charles]]