Wesley Corpus

cf. Baker list, 113 Editorial Introduction: John Wesley wrote a tract, with hymns attached, calling the English to repentance in October 1745, in light of the victory of Charles Edward Stuart (grandson of James II) in Scotland and the threatened invasion of England by Stuart's troops see "Hymns in Word in Season" (1745). Stuart did turn his troops southward toward England in December, leading King George II to declare a national day of repentance on December 18. Wesley records in his Journal distributing tracts in the street on that day, surely including Word in Season, which argued that God was allowing this invasion of Protestant England by the Roman Catholic Stuart line because of the sinfulness of the general population. Apparently Wesley decided that he needed to elaborate this concern. On December 23 his printer in London, William Strahan, records printing 3,000 copies of a new pamphlet titled Word to a Protestant. In this pamphlet Wesley first calls upon his fellow Protestants to reject the threefold error of "papism": the doctrine of merit, idolatry, and religious persecution. He then urges them to move beyond such minimal "purity" and to nurture true piety in their lives. His background assumption is again that God was allowing the present scourge because so many English Protestants were not truly pious Protestants. The first edition of Word to a Protestant was 12 pages long and apparently contained three hymns at the end, though no copy has survived to verify this fact. In February 1746 Strahan printed a further 1500 copies of the 12-page version for sale at a penny, along with 1500 copies of a 4-page edition, without the hymns, for free distribution. Many more editions of both sizes appeared during these crucial winter months, with only scattered surviving copies. The earliest extant copy of the pamphlet that contains the three hymns is dated 1745, but described as the eighth edition! This edition is the source used as "original" below. As with the hymns in Word in Season, the authorship of the three hymns included in Word to a Protestant is unclear. John often included hymns by Charles in his tracts without indicating source. In most cases we can establish Charles's role, because he republished in HSP (1749) several hymns that appeared first appended to one of John's tracts. But Charles did NOT include these three hymns in HSP (1749). It is also striking how closely the hymns echo the themes of the tract. The possibility must be considered that these three hymns were written by John rather than Charles. Editions: Charles Wesley??. "Hymns." In John Wesley's Word to a Protestant. London: Strahan, 1745. no copies extant London: Gideon Boyle, 1745?. Title: True Protestant Doctrine; no hymns. np, nd. no hymns np, nd. no hymns 8th London: Stahan, 1745. hymns included Bristol: Farley, 1746. hymns included Dublin: Powell, 1749. hymns included London, 1756. only first hymn included Included in Works (Bristol: Pine, 1772), vol. 9 hymns on pp. 326-33.