Wesley, Charles, the great hymn writer
of the Wesley family, perhaps the great
hymn writer of all ages, no less than 6500
hymns being ascribed to him. He was the
youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley and was born at
Epworth Rectory December 18, 1707, receiving
his education at Westminster School
and Christ Church, Oxford. He became one
of the first band of Oxford Methodists,
and went in 1735 with his brother John to
Georgia as Secretary to Gen. Oglethorpe.
His stay there was very short; he returned
to England 1736 and shortly afterward
came under the influence of Count Zinzendorf
and the Moravians. His headquarters
were at Bristol till 1771 when he moved
to London devoting there much time to the
spiritual care of the prisoners in Newgate. He died in 1788. Cf.
p. 31.
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