Wesley Corpus

Hymns for the Year 17561 Baker list, 214 Editorial Introduction: On November 1, 1755, Lisbon, Portugal was hit by a devastating earthquake, estimated as high as 9.0 on the Richter scale. Each of the three main shocks was followed by a tsunami, adding the destructive impact of flooding. The damage was widespread, reaching as far south as Morocco. It took over two weeks for details of the quake to reach England. When they did, in keeping with the common spirituality of the day, most viewed it as a sign of God's anger against human sin. For Charles Wesley's more apocalyptic reading, see "Hymn on the Lisbon Earthquake" (1756). The response of George II to the Lisbon earthquake was to proclaim February 6, 1756 as a general fast day. The primary purpose stated for the fast was to show contrition and repentance, imploring God's mercy, in hopes of diverting the apparent looming punishment. But tensions were also building again between Britain and France. Indeed, England had just concluded a pact with Prussia in anticipation of hostilities (and would declare war on France in May 1756). Thus, the king also instructed his people to pray for God's help in diverting the need for war and in strengthening the troops in case the war should come. Echoing his set of hymns on the Jacobite rebellion a decade earlier ("Hymns for 1745"), in January 1756 Charles Wesley published a set of seventeen hymns designed "particularly for the fast day." The opening hymn reflects clearly the immediate situation of the Lisbon earthquake. Subsequent hymns shift focus more to the continuing struggles with France (the "sons of Rome"), and were likely composed over the last decade. In particular, the six hymns on the fourth chapter of Jeremiah are most likely a republication of Hymns from Jeremiah (1745). None of the other hymns had been published prior to this collection. The hints of apocalypticism that began to surface in "Hymns for 1745" carry over into this collection, providing a map of the growth of this theme toward its zenith in "Hymn on the Lisbon Earthquake" (1756) and "Additional Hymns for 1756." After its initial use in 1756, Wesley republished the collection at least once for another fast day.