Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/78

Contributor - June/78

Title - Part VII - Sacred Composers of the Eighteenth Century - The Wesley Brothers

Topic - The Growth of Sacred Music

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians 5: 19.

John and Charles Wesley, like Martin Luther and the Apostle Paul, understood something of the value of sacred songs in impressing religious truths upon the hearts and minds of men. John and Charles Wesley were brothers; John was the preacher and Charles was the hymn-writer. No less than 6,500 hymns are said to have been written by Charles Wesley.

Wesley did not write hymns merely as a duty, nor as a pastime. His soul seemed to be filled with music and poetry, and when his genius became touched by the divine spark of Christ's Spirit, it burst into full flame. It has been said of Beethoven that "he had to write music". The same was true of Charles Wesley. Because his soul was full of song, he had to give expression to it in immortal lyrics. The inspiration for these came to him under all sorts of conditions. Some were composed on horseback, others in a stagecoach, or on a deck of a ship.

Both John and Charles Wesley were students at Oxford University. They soon became dissatisfied with spiritual conditions among the students. Soon they formed an organization devoted to religious exercises. Because of their strict rules and precise methods, they were nicknamed "the Methodists", a name that afterwards became attached to their reform movement.

The hymns of Charles Wesley are so numerous that only a few of the more outstanding can be mentioned here. "Hark the herald angels sing", "Love divine, all loves excelling", "Jesus, Lover of my soul", "A charge to keep I have", "Come, Thou long expected Jesus", "Soldiers of Christ, arise", "Christ the Lord is risen today", "Rejoice, the Lord is King", "Ye servants of God" and 0 for a thousand tongues to sing.

While hymns of many other writers gradually disappear from modern hymnals, those of Charles Wesley continue to reveal a remarkable hold on the worship life of the Church.

"Jesus, Lover of my soul" is generally recognized as the finest hymn of Wesley. There are several stories told as to the origin of the hymn. The most trustworthy of these tells how the author was deeply troubled by spiritual difficulties one day, when he noticed through his open study window a little song bird chased by a hungry hawk. AU at once the bird flew exhausted through the window and straight into the arms of Wesley, where it found safe refuge. Thinking about this unusual incident, the thought came to Wesley that, in a similar manner, the soul of man must flee to Christ in times of doubt and fear. Then he took up his pen and wrote:

"Jesus, Lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly-,,

Charles at first helped in preaching, but eventually devoted his time mainly to hymns. It is believed that John Wesley held no less than 40,000 preaching services, and travelled nearly a quarter of a million miles. It is he who said, "The world is my parish". John wrote some original hymns, but his translations of German hymns are more important. We are indebted to him for the English versions of the following: "Jesus, Thy boundless love to me", and "Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness".

The entire Christian world is indebted to both John and Charles Wesley for their stress on music in the Church. Reforms of the church are continually realized, yet the status of music is forever guarded sacredly. John and Charles Wesley, along with all the great Christians of the world, realized that the greatest of all forms of worship was that through music.

Next month Part 8 - "Sacred Composers of the Eighteenth Cent-ury - Isaac Watts and Jong Newton."

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