 Charles Wesley wrote “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”He was the 18th child of Rev. Samuel and Susanna Wesley, born DECEMBER 18, 1707, in Epworth, England. Susanna Wesley home-schooled all her 19 children, giving them a classical education which included them learning Latin and Greek. Charles Wesley excelled in his studies, later attending Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he came to the attention of Garret Wesley, or Wellesley, a member of the British Parliament with a large fortune in Daugan, Ireland.Having no child, Garret Wellesley offered to adopt Charles as his heir, but Charles declined.
Garret Wellesley then left his estate to his cousin Richard Colley Wellesly, who was the father of Arthur Wellesley–Duke of Wellington, famous for his role in defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Charles Wesley graduated from Oxford and sailed to the Colony of Georgia in 1732, serving as secretary to the colony’s founder, General James Oglethorpe.
General James Oglethorpe had previously fought 200,000 Muslim Ottoman Turks who had captured Belgrade, Serbia.
James Oglethorpe served under Austrian Prince Eugene of Savoy, one of the most famous commanders in European history for his part in defeating 200,000 Muslim Ottoman Turks who were laying siege to Vienna, Austria, September 11, 1683, and for his victory over 100.000 Muslim Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Zenta, Serbia, September 11, 1697.
Get the DVD Islamic Conquest-Past and Present James Oglethorpe returned from Serbia to England, where he entered Parliament.
John and Charles Wesley’s efforts to evangelize the Indians proved more difficult than anticipated.
James Oglethorpe defended Georgia against attacks from Spanish Florida. The John and Charles Wesley returned to England where they were befriended by a Moravian missionary named Peter Boehler who was waiting for a ship to sail for Georgia.
Peter Boehler shared with the Wesleys regarding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which resulted in their “Aldersgate experience” in May of 1738. John Wesley wrote: “I felt my heart strangely warmed” and began to preach that God’s grace was “free for all.”
The Wesleys influenced George Whitefield, whose preaching spread the Great Awakening Revival throughout the American colonies.
John Wesley founded the Methodist movement and Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns. Charles Wesley penned “Hark! how all the Welkin rings” but George Whitefield changed the first line to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
It was put to the music of Lutheran composer Felix Mendelssohn, grandson of the notable Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn.
Around the same time 22-year-old George Washington and 20-year-old Daniel Boone were fighting for the British against the French in the French and Indian War, and miraculously spared, “Hark! the Herald Angels sing” was published in George Whitefield’s “Collection of Hymns for Social Worship,” 1754.
Get the book Miracles in American History-32 Amazing Stories of Answered Prayer “Hark, the Herald Angels sing, Christ by highest heav’n adored, Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Mild He lays His glory by,
Another Christmas carol sung at that time was “Joy to the World,” written by Isaac Watts in 1707. It has become one of the most published Christmas hymn in North America:
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns; No more let sins and sorrows grow, He rules the world with truth and grace,
At this time in Europe, composer George Frideric Handel was at the low point of his career, having suffered partial paralysis on his left side due to a stroke. Incredibly, beginning August 22, 1741, George Handel composed the Messiah in only 21 days, as part of a series of concerts in Dublin to benefit charities.
The premiere was met with overwhelming success. When it was performed in London, King George II stood to his feet during the singing of the “Hallelujah” Chorus. Another popular Christmas carol first published in 1751 was “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” originally written in Latin as “Adeste Fideles” (attributed to John F. Wade, music by John Reading):
O come, all ye faithful, O come, let us adore Him, God of God, Sing, choirs of angels,
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, O come, let us adore Him, For God’s Glory Alone Ministries thanks Bill Federer and www.AmericanMinute.com
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O come, let us adore Him,
