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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80 SUSANNA WESLEY.<br />
but I have thought of another experiment. Here, I<br />
will fix myself against the wall, lift a light man and<br />
set him upon my shoulders.' They did so, and he<br />
took me out of the window. Just then the whole roof<br />
fell in ;<br />
but it fell inward, or we had all been crushed<br />
When they brought me into the house where<br />
at once.<br />
my father was he cried out '<br />
Come, : neighbours, let<br />
us kneel down ;<br />
let us give thanks to God ! He has<br />
given me all my eight children ;<br />
let the house go. I<br />
am rich enough.' The next day, as he was walking<br />
in the garden and surveying the ruins of the house,<br />
he picked up part of a leaf of his Polyglot Bible, on<br />
which just these words were legible<br />
: Vade : vende<br />
omnia quo habes ; et attolle crucem, et sequere me"<br />
There are not many discrepancies in the three<br />
accounts ;<br />
for father, mother, and son were all clearheaded<br />
people, and John <strong>Wesley</strong>'s mind throughout<br />
life was singularly free from anything like " muddle/ r<br />
In fact the organization of Methodism is sufficient<br />
proof of the accuracy with which his brain worked.<br />
He neither forgot nor fancied, hasted nor rested, but<br />
did everything with such well-aimed precision that his<br />
rules and regulations were living forces instead of dry<br />
bones.<br />
The fire made more change in the lives of <strong>Susanna</strong><br />
and Hetty (Mehetabel) than in those of the other<br />
children, for their uncles Samuel Annesley and Matthew<br />
<strong>Wesley</strong> sent for them to come and stay in London ;<br />
and<br />
then was laid the foundation of a very warm attachment<br />
between the latter and his clever, sprightly<br />
nieces. It does not appear, however, that they were<br />
able to give much information of what followed the<br />
calamity to their brother at Westminster, for in June<br />
he wrote the following letter to his mother :
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