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.
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
70 SUSANNA WESLEY.<br />
CHAPTER VIII.<br />
FIRE<br />
AND PERIL.<br />
CHARLES WESLEY'S infancy was longer than that of<br />
most children, and he was still a helpless babe when,<br />
on the night of the 9th of February 1709, Epworth<br />
Rectory was burnt down. Mrs. <strong>Wesley</strong> wrote a short<br />
account of this calamity to her eldest son at Westminster<br />
five days afterwards, in fact as soon as she<br />
had found shelter, rest,<br />
and clothing.<br />
" DEAR " SAMMY, Epworth, Feb. 14th, 1708-9.<br />
" When I received your letter, wherein you<br />
complained of want of shirts, I little thought that in<br />
so short a space we should all be reduced to the same<br />
and indeed a worse condition. I suppose you have<br />
already heard of the firing of our house, by what<br />
accident we cannot imagine; but the fire broke out<br />
about eleven or twelve o'clock at night, we being all<br />
in bed, nor did we perceive<br />
it till the roof of the cornchamber<br />
was burnt through, and the fire fell<br />
upon<br />
your sister Hetty's bed, which stood in the little room<br />
joining upon it. She awaked, and immediately ran<br />
to call your father who lay in the red chamber ; for,<br />
I being ill, he was forced to lie from me. He says he
Change language