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.
224 SUSANNA WESLEY. me, wherein (by His grace) I am not behind the very chiefest of them. Notwithstanding this, there remains in him something of his old regard for me which hehad at Oxford, and by-and-by it will prevail. He will find out these wretched men, and the clouds will flee away. " My belief is that the present design of God is to visit the poor desolate Church of England, and that, therefore, neither deluded Mr. Gambold nor any who leave it will prosper. Oh ! pray for the peace or Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee/ Mr. Hall ' has paid me for the books. I don't want any money of you, your love is sufficient. But write as often and as largely as you can to your affectionate friend and brother, "J.WESLEY." This letter proves how very far from John Wesley'sown thoughts was any secession from the Church of England, and also shows him to have been thoroughly aware of his own gift for organization. It is very uncertain whether Mrs. Hall confided in her relations so far as to tell them of her husband's infidelities till she had been outraged by them for many years. She was a woman of the highest and rarest type, and so resolutely crushed out all natural selfishness that she nursed the children of others with as much devotion as if they had been her own, while for the unhappy Hagars who gave them birth she showed as much tenderness and sympathy as if they had not been preferred by her husband to herself. Mr. Hall in his better moments felt and showed the greatest admiration of her conduct, but he was a weak mortal and had no control over himself. It is said that
8URVIVOBS AND DESCENDANTS. 225 on one occasion the father was angry with the Isaac of the family while his mother was tending an Ishmael, and frightened the child terribly by locking him up in a dark cupboard for some very trivial fault. This was almost more than she could endure, but she was determined that her husband's authority over his boy should not suffer. The punishment was out of all proportion to the offence, but she could not persuade him of it. At last she reminded him that though he was unreasonably passionate with her child she had not turned his out of the cradle, but declared that she would do it unless he released and forgave the terrified little fellow. John and Charles ultimately removed their nephew from his father's house and educated him at their own expense; but when about fourteen he caught the small-pox at school, and died before his mother could reach him. This was a grief which it was feared would have killed her ; but she was patient and resigned, and Time, the great healer, brought her consolation. Charles Wesley once asked his sister how she could provide comforts and even money in her hour of need for a woman who had usurped her " place. Ah," she said., "I knew I could obtain what I wanted from many but she, poor creature, could not, for so many ; would make a merit of abandoning her to the distress she had brought upon herself. . . . I did not act as a woman, but as a Christian/' It was a sublime Christianity and worthy of that Master who did not spurn Magdalen from His feet. Few, indeed, are the professing Christians who attain to like it. anything When Mrs. Hall fell into poverty she was still sogenerous that her brother Charles said, " It is in vain to give Patty anything to add to her comforts, for she 15
- Page 186 and 187: 174 SUSANNA WESLEY. " Your argument
- Page 188 and 189: 176 SUSANNA WESLEY. spiritual disea
- Page 190 and 191: 178 SUSANNA WESLEY. juncture I cann
- Page 192 and 193: 180 SUSANNA WESLEY. her husband's d
- Page 194 and 195: 182 SUSANNA WESLEY. CHAPTER XIV. WI
- Page 196 and 197: 384 SUSANNA WESLEY. and infirm moth
- Page 198 and 199: 186 SUSANNA WESLEY. consumed Ep wor
- Page 200 and 201: 188 SUSANNA WESLEY. method of preac
- Page 202 and 203: 190 SUSANNA WESLEY. our language an
- Page 204 and 205: 192 SUSANNA WESLEY. who is sufficie
- Page 206 and 207: 194 SUSANNA WESLEY. served faithful
- Page 208 and 209: 196 SUSANNA WESLEY. ing of a few ;
- Page 210 and 211: 198 SUSANNA WESLEY. your blessing u
- Page 212 and 213: 200 ^ SUSANNA WESLEY. indeed, is no
- Page 214 and 215: 202 SUSANNA WESLEY. And why is it s
- Page 216 and 217: 204 SUSANNA WESLEY. And thus the or
- Page 218 and 219: 206 SUSANNA WESLEY. let me rather g
- Page 220 and 221: 208 SUSANNA WESLEY. " She laboured
- Page 222 and 223: 210 SUSANNA WESLEY. not induce them
- Page 224 and 225: 212 SUSANNA WESLEY. CHAPTER XVI. SU
- Page 226 and 227: 214 SUSANNA WESLEY. A memorandum on
- Page 228 and 229: 216 SUSANNA WESLEY. on the " 7th, s
- Page 230 and 231: 218 SUSANNA WESLEY. besotted husban
- Page 232 and 233: 220 SUSANNA WESLEY. person you ment
- Page 234 and 235: 222 SUSANNA WESLEY. Martha Wesley,
- Page 238 and 239: 226 SUSANNA WESLEY. invariably give
- Page 240 and 241: 228 SUSANNA WESLEY. know a good dea
- Page 242 and 243: 230 SUSANNA WESLEY. Doctor, and sho
- Page 244 and 245: 232 SUSANNA WESLEY City Road Burial
- Page 246 and 247: 234 SUSANNA WESLEY. Sally, as she w
- Page 248 and 249: 236 SUSANNA WESLEY. Miss Wesley die
- Page 250 and 251: 238 SUSANNA WESLEY. one he was chos
- Page 252 and 253: LONDON : PRINTED BT W. H. ALLKN AND
- Page 254 and 255: OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. George Eliot
- Page 256: OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. Countess of
224 SUSANNA WESLEY.<br />
me, wherein (by His grace) I am not behind the very<br />
chiefest of them. Notwithstanding this, there remains<br />
in him something of his old regard for me which hehad<br />
at Oxford, and by-and-by<br />
it will prevail. He will<br />
find out these wretched men, and the clouds will<br />
flee<br />
away.<br />
" My belief is that the present design of God is to<br />
visit the poor desolate Church of England, and that,<br />
therefore, neither deluded Mr. Gambold nor any who<br />
leave it will prosper. Oh !<br />
pray for the peace or Jerusalem.<br />
They shall prosper that love thee/ Mr. Hall<br />
'<br />
has paid me for the books. I don't want any money<br />
of you, your love is sufficient. But write as often and<br />
as largely as you can to your affectionate friend and<br />
brother,<br />
"J.WESLEY."<br />
This letter proves how very far from John <strong>Wesley</strong>'sown<br />
thoughts was any secession from the Church of<br />
England, and also shows him to have been thoroughly<br />
aware of his own gift for organization.<br />
It is very uncertain whether Mrs. Hall confided in<br />
her relations so far as to tell them of her husband's<br />
infidelities till she had been outraged by them for<br />
many years. She was a woman of the highest and<br />
rarest type, and so resolutely crushed out all natural<br />
selfishness that she nursed the children of others with<br />
as much devotion as if they had been her own, while<br />
for the unhappy Hagars who gave them birth she<br />
showed as much tenderness and sympathy as if they<br />
had not been preferred by her husband to herself.<br />
Mr. Hall in his better moments felt and showed the<br />
greatest admiration of her conduct, but he was a weak<br />
mortal and had no control over himself. It is said that
Change language