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.
70 SUSANNA WESLEY. CHAPTER VIII. FIRE AND PERIL. CHARLES WESLEY'S infancy was longer than that of most children, and he was still a helpless babe when, on the night of the 9th of February 1709, Epworth Rectory was burnt down. Mrs. Wesley wrote a short account of this calamity to her eldest son at Westminster five days afterwards, in fact as soon as she had found shelter, rest, and clothing. " DEAR " SAMMY, Epworth, Feb. 14th, 1708-9. " When I received your letter, wherein you complained of want of shirts, I little thought that in so short a space we should all be reduced to the same and indeed a worse condition. I suppose you have already heard of the firing of our house, by what accident we cannot imagine; but the fire broke out about eleven or twelve o'clock at night, we being all in bed, nor did we perceive it till the roof of the cornchamber was burnt through, and the fire fell upon your sister Hetty's bed, which stood in the little room joining upon it. She awaked, and immediately ran to call your father who lay in the red chamber ; for, I being ill, he was forced to lie from me. He says he
heard some crying ' Fire ! FIEE AND PERIL. 71 ' in the street before, but did not apprehend where it was till he opened his door ; he called at our chamber, and bade us all shift for life, for the roof was falling fast, and nothing but the thin wall kept the fire from the staircase. " We had no time to take our clothes, but ran all naked. I called to Betty to bring the children out of the nursery ; she took up Patty, and left Jacky to follow her, but he, going to the door and seeing all on fire, ran back again. We got the street door open, but the wind drove the flame with such violence that none could stand against it. I tried thrice to break through, but was driven back. I made another attempt and waded through the fire, which did me no other hurt than to scorch my legs and face. When I was in the yard, I looked about for your father and the children ; but, seeing none, concluded them all lost. But, I thank God, I was mistaken. Your father carried sister Emily, Sukey, aud Patty into the garden ; then missing Jacky, he ran back into the house to see if he could save him. He heard him miserably crying out in the nursery, and attempted several times to get up-stairs, but was beat back by the flames ; then he thought him lost, and commended his soul to God, and went to look after the rest. The child climbed up to the window and called out to them in the yard ; they got up to the casement and pulled him out just as the roof fell into the chamber. Harry broke the glass of the parlour window and threw out your sisters Matty and Hetty and ; so, by God's great mercy, we all escaped. Do not be discouraged, God will provide for you. " SUSANNA WESLEY.''
- Page 32 and 33: 20 SUSANNA WESLEY. St. Dunstan's Ch
- Page 34 and 35: 22 SUSANNA WESLEY. CHAPTER IV. LATE
- Page 36 and 37: 24 SUSANNA WESLEY. in her own gener
- Page 38 and 39: 26 SUSANNA WESLEY. It was a rapid a
- Page 40 and 41: 28 SUSANNA WESLEY. How patiently sh
- Page 42 and 43: 30 SUSANNA WESLEY. was my principal
- Page 44 and 45: 32 SUSANNA WESLEY. ing timely corre
- Page 46 and 47: 34 SUSANNA WESLEY.
- Page 48 and 49: 36 SUSANNA WESLEY. should be always
- Page 50 and 51: 38 SUSANNA WESLEY. hardly have been
- Page 52 and 53: 40 SUSANNA WESLEY. (tithe?); and wh
- Page 54 and 55: 42 SUSANNA WESLEY. heir. Whether th
- Page 56 and 57: 44 SUSANNA WESLEY. CHAPTER VI. TRIA
- Page 58 and 59: 46 SUSANNA WESLEY. riding before hi
- Page 60 and 61: 48 SUSANNA WESLEY. authority, howev
- Page 62 and 63: 50 SUSANNA WESLEY. was the hero of
- Page 64 and 65: 52 SUSANNA WESLEY. Epworth, June 7t
- Page 66 and 67: 54 SUSANNA WESLEY. I thank God, my
- Page 68 and 69: 56 SUSANNA WESLEY. bring him in not
- Page 70 and 71: 58 SUSANNA WESLEY. 1 find I walk a
- Page 72 and 73: '60 SUSANNA WESLEY. never intoxicat
- Page 74 and 75: 2 SUSANNA WESLEY. of duty towards a
- Page 76 and 77: 64 SUSANNA WESLEY. will not), and d
- Page 78 and 79: 66 SUSANNA WESLEY. " The eternal, e
- Page 80 and 81: 68 SUSANNA WESLEY. " Epworth, " DEA
- Page 84 and 85: 72 SUSANNA WESLEY. One can imagine
- Page 86 and 87: 74 SUSANNA WESLEY. and asked her fo
- Page 88 and 89: 76 SUSANNA WESLEY. to his window, w
- Page 90 and 91: 78 SUSANNA WESLEY. as one of the ha
- Page 92 and 93: 80 SUSANNA WESLEY. but I have thoug
- Page 94 and 95: 82 SUSANNA WESLEY. not been preserv
- Page 96 and 97: 84 SUSANNA WESLEY. the very birth o
- Page 98 and 99: 86 SUSANNA WESLEY. to enlighten you
- Page 100 and 101: 88 SUSANNA WESLEY. the purpose of b
- Page 102 and 103: 90 SUSANKA WESLEY. to the principle
- Page 104 and 105: 92 SUSANNA WESLEY. the Danish missi
- Page 106 and 107: 94 SUSANNA WESLEY. soon after the r
- Page 108 and 109: 96 SUSANNA, WESLEY. " Thursday, Dec
- Page 110 and 111: 98 SUSANNA WESLEY. " I am straitene
- Page 112 and 113: 100 SUSANNA WESLEY. CHAPTER X. TEAC
- Page 114 and 115: 102 SUSANNA WESLEY. rated a little,
- Page 116 and 117: 104 SUSANNA WESLEY. day, and not th
- Page 118 and 119: 106 SUSANNA WESLEY. read, alas ! yo
- Page 120 and 121: 108 SU8AXNA WESLEY. sermon read, wh
- Page 122 and 123: 110 SUSANNA WESLEY. The next event
- Page 124 and 125: 112 SUSANNA WE8LET. Both with equal
- Page 126 and 127: 114 SUSANNA WESLEY. variably preach
- Page 128 and 129: 116 SUSANNA WESLEY. body did it to
- Page 130 and 131: 118 SUSANNA WESLEY. parts of our ho
heard some crying<br />
'<br />
Fire !<br />
FIEE AND PERIL. 71<br />
'<br />
in the street before, but<br />
did not apprehend where it was till he opened his<br />
door ;<br />
he called at our chamber, and bade us all shift<br />
for life, for the roof was falling fast, and nothing but<br />
the thin wall kept the fire from the staircase.<br />
"<br />
We had no time to take our clothes, but ran all<br />
naked. I called to Betty to bring the children out<br />
of the nursery ;<br />
she took up Patty, and left Jacky<br />
to follow her, but he, going to the door and seeing<br />
all on fire, ran back again. We got the street door<br />
open, but the wind drove the flame with such violence<br />
that none could stand against<br />
it. I tried thrice to<br />
break through, but was driven back. I made another<br />
attempt and waded through the fire, which did me no<br />
other hurt than to scorch my legs and face. When I<br />
was in the yard, I looked about for your father and the<br />
children ; but, seeing none, concluded them all lost.<br />
But, I thank God, I was mistaken. Your father<br />
carried sister Emily, Sukey, aud Patty into the garden ;<br />
then missing Jacky, he ran back into the house to see<br />
if he could save him. He heard him miserably crying<br />
out in the nursery, and attempted several times to<br />
get up-stairs, but was beat back by the flames ;<br />
then<br />
he thought him lost, and commended his soul to God,<br />
and went to look after the rest. The child climbed<br />
up to the window and called out to them in the yard ;<br />
they got up to the casement and pulled him out just<br />
as the roof fell into the chamber. Harry broke the<br />
glass of the parlour window and threw out your sisters<br />
Matty and Hetty and ; so, by God's great mercy, we<br />
all escaped. Do not be discouraged, God will provide<br />
for you.<br />
" SUSANNA WESLEY.''
Change language