Wesley Corpus

Redemption Hymns (1747)1 Baker list, 140 Editorial Introduction: In July 1747, William Strahan published Hymns for Those that Seek and Those that have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ. While it was issued anonymously, Charles Wesley took the lead in its appearance, as he had with a series of shorter hymn pamphlets over the last two years. Most of the fifty-two hymns included in the collection can be traced to Charles's pen. Sixteen of the hymns appear in his manuscript notebooks. Only one of the hymns (39) had been published in another setting before finding a place in this collection. Some approach these hymns as if they were primarily autobiographical descriptions of Charles Wesley's spiritual journey. Undoubtedly many contain this element. But most are better seen as the work of Wesley as a "practical theologian," charting a narrative for the spiritual journey of those reading and singing the verse. The collection as a whole is marked by an evangelical focus, putting prayers and praise in the mouths of persons at various places in the spiritual pilgrimage. Like Graces (1746), Wesley suggests tunes for most of the hymns in this collection. The first twenty-four hymns were arranged metrically to pair in order with the tunes in Festival Hymns, a pattern obscured slightly by a printer error that put tune 6 between tunes 3 and 4. Twenty-five tunes from a number of other sources are suggested in the remainder of the collection. Redemption Hymns (1747) went through sixteen printings in England and Ireland by Charles's death, with several minor revisions. The revisions in the 1788 edition likely were made by John rather than Charles; see particularly the change from "God" to "Christ" on page 65. Editions: Charles Wesley. Hymns for Those that Seek and Those that have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ. London: Strahan, 1747. 2nd Bristol: Farley, 1747. Dublin: Powell, 1747. Cork: Harrison, ca. 1747. 3rd Bristol: Farley, 1749 . Dublin: Powell, 1750. 3rd Newcastle: Gooding, 1751. 4th London: Cock, 1755. 5th London: Cock, 1756. 6th London, 1761. 7th Bristol: Pine, 1765. 8th Bristol: Pine, 1768. 8th Bristol: Pine, 1769. 9th London: Hawes, 1776. 10th London: Hawes, 1779. London: New Chapel, 1788.