John Wesley - The story of his birth

Rupert Daries describes the birth of John Wesley, a man who later became a channel of God’s reconciliatory work, as ‘the fruit of reconciliation: There is an interesting story behind the birth of John Wesley which led Daries to make this comment.  Both Samuel and Susanna Wesley were principled and occasionally there were sharp disagreements on matters of conscience and political convictions. After the birth of their fourteenth child there was one such crash on matter of politics.  One day at family prayers,  Samuel prayed for King William III, and since Susanna would not support the King she refused to say ‘Amen’. Samuel was furious and in a rash said to his wife” Very well, Sukey, if we are to have two Kings, we must have two beds”. In anger he got on his horse and rode off to London.  However a few months later King William died and Tyre was crowned the Queen of England and so Samuel had to come back of Epworth. During the same period there was a fire outbreak at the rectory.  These factors forced Samuel to seek reconciliation with his wife, and as a seal of that John Benjamin Wesley was born on June 28^th 1703 as the fifteenth child of his parents.  He was named after his grandfather John Wesley.

  In all Samuel and Susanna had nineteen children but ten died at infancy.  Samuel was the first born and was named after his father.  Charles was the seventeenth child, who later become a prolific hymn writer. Some of the sisters were Emilia (Emily), Susanna, Mary, Methetable (Hetty), Anne, Martha and Kezia, the last born.