Susanna Wesley
This is the story of Susanna Wesley, 1669-1742 Mother of Charles and John Wesley, who were founders of the Methodist Church. Susanna and her husband, Samuel, had nineteen children, ten of whom survived to adulthood. Her son Charles became a well-known hymn writer and her son John became the found of Methodism. Susanna was brought up in a Puritan home as the youngest of twenty-five children. As a teenager, she became a member of the Church of England. She became the wife of a chronically debt-ridden parish rector in an English village. She said, "I have had a large experience of what the world calls adverse fortune." Nonetheless, Susanna managed to pass down to her children Christian principles that stayed with them.
This is the story of Susanna Wesley, 1669-1742 Mother of Charles and John Wesley, who were founders of the Methodist Church. Susanna and her husband, Samuel, had nineteen children, ten of whom survived to adulthood. Her son Charles became a well-known hymn writer and her son John became the found of Methodism.
Susanna was brought up in a Puritan home as the youngest of twenty-five children. As a teenager, she became a member of the Church of England. She became the wife of a chronically debt-ridden parish rector in an English village. She said, "I have had a large experience of what the world calls adverse fortune." Nonetheless, Susanna managed to pass down to her children Christian principles that stayed with them.
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TSE SUPERNATURAL NOISES. 117<br />
speak, knock again;<br />
but it knocked no more that<br />
night, which made us hope it was not against your<br />
death.<br />
"Thus it continued till the 28th of December, when<br />
it loudly knocked (as your father used to do at the<br />
gate) in the nursery and departed. We have various<br />
conjectures what this may mean. For my own part,<br />
I fear nothing now you are safe at London hitherto,<br />
and I hope God will still preserve you though sometimes<br />
I am inclined to think my brother is dead. Let<br />
;<br />
me know your thoughts on it.<br />
" SUSANNA WESLEY."<br />
Samuel <strong>Wesley</strong> was very much impressed by<br />
this<br />
letter, and wrote to both his parents in reply, asking<br />
the minutest questions, as to the possibility of rats,<br />
mice, or other animals having caused the noises,<br />
whether there were fresh servants, &c., and requesting<br />
that his father would write, that Mr. Hoole would<br />
favour him with an account, and that each of his<br />
sisters would give her version of what had taken place.<br />
It is evident that he had a firm belief in the supernatural<br />
origin of the disturbance, and wished to have<br />
it confirmed. This called forth a second letter from<br />
his mother :<br />
SAM, "January 25th or 27th, 1716-17.<br />
" Though I am not one of those that will<br />
believe nothing supernatural, but am rather inclined<br />
to think there would be frequent intercourse between<br />
good spirits and us, did not our deep lapse into sensuality<br />
prevent it, yet I was a great while ere I could<br />
credit anything of what the children and servants<br />
reported concerning the noises they heard in several
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