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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142 SUSANNA WESLEY.<br />
weighed with him, for about this time he had some<br />
correspondence with Mr. <strong>Wesley</strong> on the subject, who<br />
very properly warned him against undue haste and<br />
also against mercenary motives. To his mother the<br />
young man confided many of his mental moods, as<br />
well as his doubts and questions. The next of her<br />
letters that has been preserved<br />
as with his desire for ordination :<br />
deals with these as well<br />
" "<br />
DEAR JACKY, February 23rd, 1735.<br />
" The alteration of your temper has occasioned<br />
me much speculation. I, who am apt to be sanguine,<br />
hope it may proceed from the operation of God's Holy<br />
Spirit, that, by taking away your relish of sensual<br />
enjoyments, He may prepare and dispose your mind<br />
for a more serious and close application to things of a<br />
more sublime and spiritual nature. If it be so, happy<br />
are you if you cherish these dispositions, and now, in<br />
good earnest, resolve to make religion the business of<br />
your life; for, after all, that is the one thing that,<br />
strictly speaking, is necessary, and all things else are<br />
comparatively little to the purposes of life. I heartily<br />
wish you would now enter upon a serious examination<br />
of yourself, that you may know whether you<br />
have a reasonable hope of salvation ;<br />
that is, whether<br />
you are in a state of faith and repentance or not,<br />
which you know are the conditions of the gospel covenant<br />
on our part. If you are, the satisfaction of knowing<br />
it would abundantly reward your pains ; if not, you<br />
will find a more reasonable occasion for tears than<br />
can be met with in a tragedy.<br />
" Now I mention this, it calls to mind your letter<br />
to your father about taking orders. I was much<br />
pleased with it, and liked the proposal well; but it
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