Music seemed to pour from Charles Wesley’s heart after he committed his life to Christ. He went on to write more than 6,000 hymns, always carefully composing his message and music. He insisted that his hymns be reprinted “just as they are.” He was irritated when any words were altered and did not want to be blamed “for the nonsense or for the doggerel of other men.”
Perhaps this helps to explain why he became so angry at his friend and fellow evangelist, George Whitefield. In 1739, Wesley had written a Christmas hymn called “Hark! How All the Welkin Rings.” But when Whitefield published this song, he changed the title to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” He also altered some of the lyrics.
Wesley was furious. He felt that Whitefield had changed the meaning of his hymn. Wesley, a stickler for scriptural detail, knew the Bible never said that angels sang. With Whitefield’s changes, the hymn soon became widely popular, but Wesley never sang the revised version.
