Sermons of the Late Rev. Charles Wesley
Overview
In the eighteenth century, traveling from place to place and preaching in the open air was extraordinary and new, and it was certainly irregular. Seeking to diffuse knowledge and awaken a sense of religion in the common people, brothers John and Charles Wesley, along with their friend and fellow preacher George Whitefield, excited the astonishment as well as the censure of the public with their preaching.. They felt it was of utmost importance to educate the common people in the principles of religion and the social duties of life—even if it meant preaching the Word in open-air fields against tradition. Sermons of the Late Rev. Charles Wesley brings together 13 of Charles’ best sermons, each characterized with his poetic style and spirit-filled love for God.
- Introduces the reader to this influential man
- Examines to whom and how these sermons were given
- Offers the unprejudiced sermons delivered to the laboring poor at the time of the Wesley brothers
Top Highlights
“Theirs was an outside holiness; ours is commanded to be the holiness of the heart. Their virtue consisted in their sanctified actions; ours in upright intentions. Their works of piety and charity were performed to be seen of men; ours must be performed to please our Father which is in heaven. In short, the scribes and pharisees considered external sanctity all that was required of them; whereas the Christian is taught principally to regard the state and disposition of his heart, and to regard his outward behaviour only as a testimony and proof of his internal spirit and temper.” (Pages 72–73)
“First, the end he proposes.—Winning souls may be considered first as bringing glory to God” (Page 2)
“But the piety of Christians is founded on a nobler principle, and proceedeth not from a view of human interest, but from the pure love of God.” (Pages 76–77)
“Ezekiel: ‘I gave them my sabbaths, that they might know I am the Lord which sanctifieth them.’ That” (Page 169)
- Title: Sermons of the Late Rev. Charles Wesley
- Author: Charles Wesley
- Publisher: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy
- Publication Date: 1816
- Pages: 244
Charles Wesley (1707–1788) and his brother, John Wesley, were the principal leaders of the Methodist movement. Son of Susanna and Samuel Wesley, Charles was born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, England. He graduated with a master’s in classical languages and literature from Christ Church, Oxford, where he also formed the Oxford Holy Club. In 1735, Charles and his brother sailed to America where Charles served as chaplain to the garrison at Fort Fredrica. One year later they returned to England. Charles and his brother traveled Britain extensively, often preaching outdoors or in town halls. Although Charles and John never officially left the Church of England, the Methodist movement that they planted quickly spread across England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and to colonial America. Today, over seventy million people belong to Methodist organizations in the Wesleyan tradition all over the world.
Charles Wesley is best remembered by his hymns, having written over 6,000 of them. Many have become standard classics, and are still used today—including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” and “Soldiers of Christ, Arise.”