"This Collection of Hymn and Psalm Tunes is presented as a benefaction to the Hospital, that the profits arising from the sale of it may be applied for the benefit of the Charity."

   Martin Madan was no stranger to the fact that many, if not most of the prostitutes suffering from venereal diseases at the London Lock Hospital, were abandoned mistresses who had been forced to enter prostitution rather than see their children starve. After years spent ministering to the abandoned and now diseased mistresses of the London "gentlemen," Madan released his book called Thelyphthora [miracle 8]. Attorney that he was, he put forth his case, from the Bible, that polygamy must be accepted by the church and society. Part of the book also set forth the case that the men who impregnated these prostitutes must be forced to support them as wives. His years as an attorney had served him well. He so forcefully exposed the hypocrisy of the day that his book was met by no less than 19 rebuttals written by prominent English moralists. None, however, could match his prowess in biblical exposition and his book remains unmatched to this day in its full treatment of the arguments favoring the acceptance of polygamy as a valid form of Christian marriage.

   During many of these years, Martin Madan's godson, Samuel Wesley, had been spending a lot of time with him. Oh, did I fail to mention that Martin Madan was so beloved of Charles Wesley that he was named godfather to Samuel? Now Samuel, this son of Charles Wesley, had musical talent to match his father's lyrical talent. Martin Madan would take him along with him on visits to friends and the two made any Christian gathering a festive musical occasion. During this time his godfather did not fail to teach him the things he'd written in Thelyphthora, his pro-polygamy book. It's clear that Samuel agreed with his godfather for he wrote the following concerning his first wife prior to his licensing their already consummated marriage.

   "She is truly and properly my wife by all the laws of God and nature. She never can be made more so by the mercenary tricks of divine jugglers but yet, if a million of ceremonies, repeated myriads of times, by as many successors and imitators of Simon Magus, can serve to make her more happy, or more honourable, I am ready to pay them for their hocus pocus, for I am told that in this evangelical age, the gift of God is not to be purchased without money."[3]

   Samuel Wesley had learned well. He knew that no license was needed to be wed and he learned that he could have more than one wife from the Bible under his godfather's able instruction. Now it must be said that many years prior to Samuel's taking Pexy (Sarah Suter) as a wife, that he may have had another wife but there is little known about her. She was his sister Sarah's best friend, Anne Dean. One of the reasons that little is known about her may be that Samuel continued the relationship but hid it. We can't know for certain since there is no physical evidence of their consummating a marriage as was the case with Pexy, the physical evidence being the 9 children which she bore him.

   Charlotte, Samuel Wesley's first wife, was leery from the start of letting Pexy come to live with them as a maid. Her resistance is understandable considering that Samuel would have been as vocal concerning the biblical acceptability of polygamy as any of today's Christian polygamists, after all, his godfather had written the book on Christian polygamy. Pexy's coming to stay with them would put such a relationship within reach, quite literally. Despite Charlotte's misgivings, Pexy came to live with them as their maid and soon after she was pregnant by Samuel. It was now visibly apparent to Charlotte that her husband had indeed taken Pexy as a wife [miracle 9] but Charlotte didn't leave this polygamous relationship immediately. She remained in what was certainly one of the most unusual of living arrangements of the day for months after Pexy had conceived. Charlotte Wesley left her husband Samuel by some estimates as late as May of the year 1810. Pexy gave birth to Samuel Sebastian Wesley, the first child of nine that she would bear to her polygamous husband, Samuel, in August of the year 1810. It's apparent that Charlotte was considering remaining in this polygamous marriage based on the fact she remained far beyond the time at which Pexy was visibly pregnant but such was not to be the case. Her Victorian upbringing, despite her initial unconventional marriage to Samuel, won out. Samuel and Pexy's firstborn son, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, went on to be the greatest composer of Christian hymns of the 19th century.

   Without Martin Madan's hymnal the revivals to follow would have been delayed. Without his teachings on polygamy, the greatest Christian composer of the 19th century would not have been born.
   What may be the most amazing miracle of all is that Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Samuel's son through Pexy, was never considered illegitimate by the church or society [miracle 10] and Samuel was recognized as being married to Pexy despite the fact that he remained legally married to Charlotte throughout his life. The hypocrisy of today's churches is in stark contrast to the churches of that time in that fornicating ministers and musicians, even adulterers and adulteresses, are tolerated today but one who might take a wife without a license or take a second wife while still married to the first wife are cast aside as useless.

   Samuel Wesley, son of Charles Wesley, the greatest hymn writer of the 18th century, was indeed the most famous polygamist to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob since Solomon. Samuel Wesley, the most famous Christian polygamist of all time.

Coming soon! Read how the sister of John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, married a polygamist. Read how it wasn't Martin Madan who introduced polygamy to the Wesleys but it was likely the events in the life of John Wesley's sister that opened Martin Madan's eyes to this subject.

Note: Copyright 2006 Pastor Don Milton
The Wesleys have categorized their correspondence in great detail and copies of them are available through various church, educational, and commercial establishments. Much of the information in books about the Wesleys has been gleaned from these letters.

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