Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley (1707-88) was a great Methodist leader and, next to Watts, one of the leading hymn writers of the 18th century. Of his 9000 poems, ‘hymns’ (depending on definition) form between one- and two-thirds of the total. It is only fairly recently that he has received recognition as a poet because hymns have commonly been regarded as too limited in content, metre, and purpose to be assessed as poetry. Charles habitually expressed his feelings and beliefs on a wide range of religiously orientated private and public concerns in verse.  For a selection of his hymns, see A Collection of Select Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (London: R. Hilton, 1770).