The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley was a great hymn writer, that isn't to be debated, and yet his hymns are popular in both Arminian and Reformed circles. What are we to think of him? One stanza in "And Can it Be that I Should Gain" seems to hint at him believing that it is God who gives us the ability to believe:<br><br>Long my imprisoned spirit lay,<br>Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;<br>Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—<br>I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;<br>My chains fell off, my heart was free,<br>I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.<br><br>On a similar, um, note there is an interesting anecdote I've heard about John Wesley and George Whitefield. After Whitefield's death, a woman asked Wesley whether or not he would see Whitefield in Heaven. When Wesley replied "no", the woman said she was afraid he would say that. Then, Wesley replied that Whitefield would be so close to the throne of God that Wesley wouldn't be able to see him from the back.

The truth is that Wesley wrote many hymns which are not generally known as his hymns are "hand picked" for the respective hymnals of each denomination. There are not a few that Reformed churches would not sing as they are clearly based upon Arminian theology. [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin[/img] Don't discount the fact, either, that Wesley's Arminianism was in some ways far more conservative and amiable to Calvinism than modern Arminianism, which is more akin to semi-Pelagianism. Some of his hymns were far more inline with Calvinism than some modern professing Calvinists. [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/rolleyes.gif" alt="rolleyes" title="rolleyes[/img]<br><br>I do believe that the quote concerning Wesley seeing Whitefield in heaven is backward. It was Whitefield who said that about Wesley and not the other way round.<br><br>In His Grace,

Wesley died after Whitefield<br><br>http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/W/Wesley-J1.asp 1703-1791<br><br>http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/w/whitefie.asp 1714-1770<br><br>Yeah, I agree his Arminianism was not as horrifying as modern day Arminianism.

Thanks. I didn't realize that there were two versions there! Whitefield/Wesley- similar names, different theologies! I had enough trouble this morning keeping the names Rehoboam and Jeroboam straight in Sunday School.<br>