LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND (ANS) -- An Anglican priest has finally cracked the code Methodist co-founder Charles Wesley used when writing about sensitive matters in his diary some 250 years ago.

Jenna Lyle, writing for Christiantoday.com  says that more than 1,000 handwritten pages dating from 1736 to 1756 have been deciphered by the Rev Professor Kenneth Newport, pro vice-chancellor for research and academic development at Liverpool Hope University.

Lyle says the transcribed pages reveal the extent of Charles’ anger with his brother, fellow Methodist founder John Wesley, over the latter’s plans to marry and disagreements over a split from the Church of England.

"He was very much opposed to separation, he saw the Methodist Societies as within the established church and anything that smacked of separation was something he took a very strong view of," Rev Prof Newport was quoted by The Telegraph newspaper as saying.

"At one point in the journal he is talking to the society at Grimsby and goes into block capitals and says 'I told them I would remain with them as long as they remained with the Church of England but should they ever turn their back on the Church they turn their back on me'."

Lyle writes that in one section, Charles expressed his disapproval of John’s plans to secretly marry Grace Murray because of her previous engagement to another man.

Wesley wrote: “He (John) is insensible of both his own folly and danger, and of the divine goodness in so miraculously saving him.”

Rev Newport has worked on the diary pages for nine years, studying photocopies of the originals which are stored at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

Newport's breakthrough in unlocking Wesley’s code of shorthand and abbreviations came when he used the King James Bible to transcribe excerpts from the Gospels.

Lyle reports the transcribed diary pages will be published together with 9,000 never-before-seen poems and hymns.

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael's involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International.