Charles Wesley wrote a lot of hymns. About 9,000 of them. Many of these hymns are still sung today in worship services around the world. It should be no surprise that singing was a big part of Charles’s life and ministry.
Charles wrote a lot about singing. Here are twenty-one quotes to give a flavor of the role singing had in Charles’s life and ministry. Charles believed that singing was powerful both for individuals and for groups.
These quotes demonstrate the heart of Charles Wesley in singing to the Lord. Number 13 is my personal favorite.
1. Singing Suitable Songs
Charles describes a time of corporate singing. He says they spent about an hour doing so. He also expressed that they sang psalms suitable for the occasion.
After spending an hour at the camp in singing such psalms as suited the occasion, I went to bed in the hut, which was thoroughly wet with today’s rain.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Thursday, March 25, 1736.
The psalms are an inexhaustible resource for the people of God. They cover the full range of human emotions. In them, you will find suitable songs for every occasion.
There may be times when singing according to a schedule or liturgical calendar is appropriate. However, there can be great joy and blessing found in singing psalms selected to suit the occasion.
2. Delighted With Singing
After preaching the same sermon here, we drank tea at Mr Chadwick’s, and then took coach for College Street. They were much delighted with the singing there, and edified, I hope, by George Whitefield’s example.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Sunday, October 30, 1737.
Sometimes singing isn’t delightful. It can be dead and lifeless. However, sometimes singing can be truly delightful.
Charles described in this same entry waking his group at 5am. Throughout the day they listened to three total sermons. One from George Whitefield and the same sermon from Charles preached twice; once each in two different places. They had traveled to five different locations before arriving home at 11pm.
This was a long day. In only one place was the singing mentioned as delightful.
3. Fellowship In Song
We were joined by Mr Piers, the minister of Bexley, who delighted in every opportunity of conversing, singing, praying with us.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry January 5, 1738.
Charles only wrote one entry for January of 1738. In this short entry he gives some insight into his fellowship with fellow ministers.
That fellowship included conversation, singing, and praying together.
I’ve been to a lot of meetings with other pastors that included brief prayer before lengthy conversation. Few meetings include singing together. For Charles, singing was a normal and natural part of meetings.
4. Forced To Sing
The afternoon I spent with my friends in mutual exhortation to wait patiently for the Lord in prayer and reading. At night my brother came, exceeding heavy. I forced him (as he had often forced me) to sing an hymn to Christ, and almost thought he would come while we were singing, assured he would come quickly.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Saturday, May 13, 1738, bold added.
Part of the encouragement of the body of Christ is to praise the Lord with our lips. There are times when Christians are heavy-burdened and weary. At times like this it can be difficult to sing.
This is when it is loving and kind to force one another to sing.
The singing broke through the heaviness for Charles and his brother, John. They were almost expecting Christ to return during their joyous and triumphant song.
5. Revived A Little
My deadness continued and the next day increased. I rose exceeding heavy and averse to prayer, so that I almost resolved not to go to church … I returned home and lay down with the same load upon me. … They sung, but I had no heart to join; much less in public prayers. … I was very averse to coming among them, but forced myself to it, and spent two or three hours in singing, reading, and prayers. This exercise a little revived me, and I found myself much assisted to pray.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Saturday, June 3, 1738, bold added.
Charles was prone to depression. He didn’t always have the heart to join in singing.
By forcing himself to join with fellow Christians in singing, reading the Bible, and praying together, he was revived enough to carry on.
6. Singing The Day Away
Went to Mrs Syms and passed the afternoon singing and reading the promises.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Wednesday, June 7, 1738.
Singing wasn’t an add-on for Charles. It was a main dish.
Charles was content to spend the entire afternoon reading the promises in Scripture and singing the praises of God.
Although Charles had serious lows in his depression, he also had abounding joy in his heart which overflowed in praise and song to his God.
7. Sing and Shout For Joy
Some people see pictures of Charles Wesley and think he was stiff, lifeless, and dull. But the real Charles was often very expressive of his emotions, including his joy. He was often overflowing with a zest and zeal for life in Christ.
In riding thence to Blendon I was full of delight and seemed in a new heaven and a new earth. We prayed and sang and shouted all the way.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Thursday, June 8, 1738.
Charles describes a three to four mile horseback ride. They prayed, sang, and shouted the entire trip. This wasn’t a one-time thing for Charles.
We sang and shouted all the way to Oxford.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Wednesday, September 27, 1738.
8. Could Have Sung Forever
After dinner Jack Delamotte came for me. We took coach, and by the way he told me that when we were last together at Blendon singing, “Who for me, for me hast died,” he found the words sink into his soul; could have sung forever, being full of delightful joy.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Friday, June 16, 1738.
Charles describes the power of song. He understood that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word.
The word can be contained in good preaching. It can also be contained in good singing.
As the words were sung, the truth had sunk deep into this man’s soul. Filled with joy he testified that he could sing forever.
9. Refusing To Sing
Charles records a dispute over salvation being fully by grace through faith alone. The human merits have nothing to add to salvation.
This was a stumbling block for Charles, too, before his evangelical conversion. (You can read more about Charles Wesley’s conversion here.) It remains a stumbling block for those who trust in their own works.
His objection was that it is unjust in God to make sinners equal with us, who had laboured perhaps many years. We proposed singing an hymn. He saw the title, “Faith in Christ,” and owned he could not bear it.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Saturday, June 24, 1738.
The hymn, “Faith in Christ,” was written by Isaac Watts. Charles hoped they could agree and sing together. The inward disagreement made externally agreeing in song an impossibility.
10. Strengthened By Song
Being to preach this morning for the first time, received the strength for the work of the ministry in prayer and singing.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Sunday, July 2, 1738.
Charles testified of his being strengthened for the work of preaching through prayer and singing.
I can likewise testify of my own experience. I have been strengthened in preaching though prayer and singing in the past. I fully expect to find strength in these activities into the future for the work of the ministry.
11. I Believe, I Believe!
There was one Mrs Harper there, who had this day in like manner received the Spirit by the hearing of faith, but feared to confess it. We sung the hymn to Christ. At the words, “Who for me, for me hath died,” she burst out into tears and outcries, “I believe, I believe!” and sunk down. She continued, and increased in the assurance of faith; full of peace, and joy, and love.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Sunday, July 2, 1738.
This is the same hymn and stanza that influenced Jack Delamotte (#8 above).
Charles found strength in singing. Here, he records Mrs Harper finding the strength to overcome her fear of confessing Christ.
After confessing her faith publicly, she was filled with increasing assurance, peace, joy, and love.
12. Heart Ready To Burst
She owned she had been under the utmost uneasiness since our last meeting at her brother’s, unable to pray, or find any rest to her soul. While we were singing the Hymn to the Father, she did find the rest she sighed after; was quite pierced, as she said; her heart ready to burst, and her whole nature overpowered.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Monday, July 10, 1738.
This particular woman had been complaining to Charles about the hardness of her heart. She was troubled by this and couldn’t find rest.
Until they were singing.
While they were singing her heart was pierced and ready to burst. Another testimony of the power of song.
13. Singing From The Rooftop
We got upon the leads and sang; full of zeal, and life, and comfort.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Friday, August 18, 1738.
The “leads” refers to a flat area of roof on a house.
Charles was literally singing from the rooftop!
14. Singing The Invitation
Read prayers at Newgate, and preached the law first, and then the gospel. Sang. “Invitation to Sinners.” All were affected.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Wednesday, February 14, 1739.
Charles preached. Law first, then the gospel. Then he sang a hymn inviting his hearers to come to Christ and believe. (For more on Charles’s thoughts on evangelism and the gospel, check out these posts.)
Some may criticize this as enthusiasm or manipulation. However, Charles used all the means available to him to speak to the entire person: mind, emotions, and will.
Singing the invitation had a powerful affect on the entire congregation.
15. Raving Like A Madman
Mr Henry met me with threats and revilings. I began singing,
Shall I, for fear of feeble man,
Thy Spirit’s course in me restrain?
He ran about raving like a madman, and quickly got some men for his purpose, who laid hold on me. … Broke out into singing with Thomas Maxfield, and let them carry me whither they would.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Sunday, March 16, 1740.
It’s hard to really imagine this scene.
Charles is confronted by a hostile man. Charles begins to sing. The man begins running around gathering a crowd. The crowd puts their hands on Charles, and Charles just ramps up his singing, joining another friend.
The singing duo allowed themselves to be carried by the whims of this mob. Then Charles preached the gospel to hundreds of hearers.
Amazing.
16. Not Knowing When To Stop
I knew not when to leave off preaching, praying, singing.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Friday, April 11, 1740.
Charles wasn’t all the concerned with preaching within his allotted time limits. In this instance, he perceived that many of his hearers were in the pangs of the new birth.
His sensitivity to the spiritual state of the crowd led to him not knowing when to end his preaching, prayers, and singing.
The Spirit of God was moving. Charles didn’t want to simply end for the sake of time.
17. Nothing of Love
Attended my brother to Fetter Lane. The first hour passed in dumb show, as usual; the next in trifles not worth naming. John Bray, who seems to be a pillar, if not the main one, expelled one brother, and reproved me for not attending my band. We parted as we met, with little of singing, less of prayer, and nothing of love.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Tuesday, April 22, 1740, bold added.
Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. When the relationships and hearts were not right, the fellowship was hindered.
Trying to go through the motions when your heart isn’t in it yields nothing of value.
18. Kindling The Fire
The fire was kindled, while we were singing:
Bear we witness unto thee
Thou thy light to all dost give
That the World through it may see
Their Saviour and believe.
One cried out, “It is the truth!” Several found the same constraint of the all-loving Spirit. We blessed the God and Saviour of all men, who never leaves himself without witness where his true gospel is preached.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry May 17, 1741.
Charles believed in the power of God. He saw that power beginning during their singing.
The fire was kindled. Several found salvation through faith in Christ that day.
19. An Hour Longer
The prince of this world was displeased. One of his subjects threw a stone into the room, which had no permission to hurt. We accepted it as a challenge to stay and continued an hour longer, singing and praising God.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Sunday, May 24, 1741.
Charles had a high view of the sovereignty of God. He was also no stranger to opposition and persecution.
When someone threw a rock at them, it had the opposite effect of its intent. Instead of discouraging them, it encouraged them.
They continued their meeting for another hour, singing and praising God the entire time.
20. Persecuted For Singing
And still, if they hear any of them singing or reading the Scripture, they force open their doors by day and by night and spoil and beat them with all impunity.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Friday, February 3, 1744.
The Methodists had become an object of hostility, scorn, and persecution. They were known for their singing and Scripture reading.
Both activities were meeting resistance.
Even though the authorities were not restraining their persecutors, the Methodists were being encouraged to walk peacefully with their Lord and pray for their persecutors. They were continuing with joy and a song in their hearts.
21. A House Saved By Song
They had begun pulling down John Nelson’s house, when our singing damped and put them to flight.
-Charles Wesley, MS Journal entry Thursday, March 15, 1744.
Opponents were causing trouble. They were damaging property. They were attacking Charles and other ministers of the gospel.
In this case, they were tearing down a house. But they were stopped.
By singing.
The singing of Charles and his group stopped the destruction. It put the opponents to flight.
Violence was dampened without further violence. It was quieted and put to an end by praising the Lord.
A powerful testimony.
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For a similar themes, check out my article Charles Wesley on Music.
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