FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS An Account of the Life of John Wesley John
Wesley was born on the seventeenth of June, 1703, in Epworth
rectory, England, the fifteenth of nineteen children of Charles
and Suzanna Wesley. The father of Wesley was a preacher, and
Wesley's mother was a remarkable woman in wisdom and
intelligence. She was a woman of deep piety and brought her
little ones into close contact with the Bible stories, telling
them from the tiles about the nursery fireplace. She also used
to dress the children in their best on the days when they were
to have the privilege of learning their alphabet as an
introduction to the reading of the Holy Scriptures. Young Wesley
was a gay and manly youth, fond of games and particularly of
dancing. At Oxford he was a leader, and during the latter part
of his course there, was one of the founders of the "Holy Club,"
an organization of serious-minded students. His religious nature
deepened through study and experience, but it was not until
several years after he left the unive