Susanna Wesley

by Arnold A. Dallimore

The fascinating story of Susanna Wesley, carefully documented, reveals an intelligent, strong-willed woman who suffered much in a male-dominated world but who prepared her children well.

Genres: Biography, Church History, Christian, History, Biography Memoir, Parenting, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Arnold A. Dallimore (1911-1998) was born in Canada of British parents. He was pastor of the Baptist Church at Cottam, Ontario, for almost twenty-four years. During his studies at Central Baptist Seminary, Toronto, he was awakened to a life-long interest in the great evangelist George Whitefield, whose biography he was to write (2 volumes, published by the Trust). He also wrote biographies of Edward Irving, the forerunner of the charismatic movement, Susannah Wesley and C. H. Spurgeon, whose preaching at the Metropolitan Tabernacle was frequently attended by his maternal grandfather and his mother (as a small child).

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent picture of who Susanna Wesley was. It was written by a Baptist pastor, who I think did an excellent job balancing giving Mrs. Wesley praise when it was merited without hiding her flaws. I also found the writing style pleasing and easy to read. Mrs. Wesley can serve as inspiration for struggling homemakers, especially those struggling financially. But she also serves as a warning that good works are not enough to save us, and our children are affected by our theology, for better or worse.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, albeit short biography of Susanna's life. She was a godly woman that suffered much and never really had it easy. The book often felt a bit disjointed and there was a lot of information about other members of her family and their relationship with her but not as much not about her personally. I'm sure a biography of someone who lived in the 1700's is no easy task but I wanted a bit more.

[Dee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible.com 4 hours and 53 min. Narrated by Bob Sauer (A)

This was an inspiring biography of the mother of Charles and John Wesley. It is also the sad story of the wife of Samuel Wesley.

[Cassidy Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the years, I have often thought of Susanna Wesley was "one of those amazing Christians" from history, yet this book revealed how little I truly knew about her profound life. In all honesty, I expected to read this biography and sense a disconnect from her. Surely her life was too picturesque and more vastly sanctified than mine for me to relate to. As I read these pages, it was as though I was viewing the most unique, heartbreaking, joyful, shocking motion picture. My heart swelled with compassion, empathy, pain, and rejoicing for dear Susanna. After finishing this biography, I cannot wait to meet this sister in Christ in heaven.

Susanna endured much suffering and difficulty in her life. She was the 25th child of puritan Samuel Annesly--a famous theologian with a deep love for his family. Although she grew up in what could be described as a theologically solid family, Susanna and her husband Samuel both chose to be a part of the church of England. Her writing reveals that for most of her life, she believed salvation could be attained through living a consecrated life (through works). The author of this biography states:

"As much as we may rejoice in the extraordinary earnestness manifested by Susanna in seeking [her son] Sammy's salvation, we cannot but regret that she did not know the 'finished' work of Christ, and the assurance of salvation which God grants to 'him that believeth.' How different was this concept of Susanna's from that experienced by Charles and John following their conversions in May 1738! It is evident that Susanna, holding so strongly to the doctrine of salvation by works, and depending on human reasoning rather than on divine revelation, would have rejected the teaching that man's salvation begins with God" (p.92).

Through most of her life, Susanna held this view of salvation. When she was older, her son's influenced her otherwise: "She had now heard [John and Charles] declare that salvation is not the reward of works but it is the gift of God 'to him that believeth'" (p.162). Eventually, Susanna was converted truly--knowing her salvation could not be obtained by her works.

One captivating theme in this biography is faithfulness. Susanna was a remarkably invested woman; she educated many of her children at home for some of their growing up years, taught them hymns, cared relentlessly for her family as they faced poverty and debt, stayed faithful to her husband even when he abandoned their family for a time, and continued to disciple her children as adults through writing. I have honestly never seen an example quite like Susanna's. I have never heard of someone so devoted to the training and teaching of one's children. Reading her biography made me long to follow in her footsteps--in this regard--and spend my hours pouring into my own children, earnestly praying for their salvation and training them to love God.

This woman lost many children; one of which was passed away when a servant accidentally fell asleep on top of her infant, smothering the child. The servant panicked and flung the deceased child into Susanna's arms; one can only imagine the trauma she must have endured, seeing her beloved baby dead. Yet Susanna is never found in anger or aimless doubt. Her heart was broken time and time again, yet at the end of her life, she concluded "All my sufferings..have concurred to promote my spiritual and eternal good" (p.165).

Susanna was a woman with a perfect blend of strong will, fierce conviction, drive, determination and submission, devotion, tenderness, and eventually peace.

The flavor of this book is beautifully enriched with a tad of old English. It is understandable, but also makes the reader think and inquire. I have already invested in another biography by this author because I was so intrigued by his knowledgeable, studied, and interesting tonality. I have read some English literature, but this piques my interest even more.

In short, this book will captivate you, cause you to examine your own beliefs (do you believe only because of pervading thought or because of the Word of God?), give you a picture of a rare kind of motherhood this world has barely seen, instill an increased gratitude for preachers like John Wesley and their boldness with the Gospel, and illustrate how God is abundantly able to bring beauty from the ashes. If you need some encouragement in your walk with Jesus, pick up "Susanna Wesley" and prepare to be profoundly stirred.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it’s said that Susanna wouldn’t allow her children to cry. This meant when they did cry, they did not do so at the top of their lungs. they weren’t taught to repress their emotions, but to express them in a healthy way. They were taught to fear the rod, but this doesn’t mean it was used constantly. They were taught that willful disobedience would result in punishment.

Susanna educated her sons and had unusual intellect.

Susanna & Samuel were not teetotalers regarding alcoholic drink. Pure water was difficult to obtain, and people resorted to brewing to remove impurities. The Wesley’s brewed in their kitchen, and John Wesley considered himself a connoisseur on the taste of good drink. But Susanna warned against intemperance, saying 2 glasses cannot hurt you, but have a care, stay the third glass. You have an obligation to temperance.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this small biography. The author did a great job doing research when there was very little available. He mostly read old letters between Susanna and her husband and children. Susanna bore 19 children in 19 years and 9 of these died in infancy. However she had a strong character and took an interest into each surviving child training them in the Lord. If women today think that they have a rough time then they should read this book.

[Pig Rieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I only listened to this one on Hoopla.

Susanna Wesley’s life reads like a Greek Tragedy. Arnold Dallimore’s fair and well researched tale of it leaves its readers gripped by the disfunction surrounding Susanna’s life. At times, the misery present is of her own doing, at other times it is the result of those around her, and still occasionally it is simply the result of a hard providence. Born the daughter of a Non-conformist Puritan minister, she was raised the sister of 24 siblings. After marrying an Anglican clergyman, she gave birth to 19 children. Her marriage was loathsome and her financial problems were no better. Her children’s lives were equally fond of pain and difficulty.

While she is heralded as an example of faith and zeal amount Methodist, the reality is that she was unconverted until two years before her death at age 73. Prior to her conversion, she embraced and taught her own unique theologic system that was devoid of the gospel, full of human effort, and stank of Pelagius. And from this theological seedbed, many of John’s own ideas grew. Charles and John commented on her late turning to Christ as the moment that “ended her long legal night.”

For those with even a mild interest in the person and life of Susanna Wesley, this book is sure to hold one’s attention.

[Rod Innis · Rating 3 out of 5]

We listened to this book on audio books; it was good but at times
a bit hard to follow.

Perhaps reading it might have made it a bit
easier. I have read several by this author and really enjoyed them.

[Erin Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one

This account of the life of Susanna Wesley is the one to read! It is a straightforward, well written telling of her life and the lives closest to her. You will come away with a good understanding of who she was and the life her son's were so well influenced by.

[Jordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing person. Horrific suffering. Biblical wisdom. A gift from God to the Church. A reminder to me of the tremendous gifts of my mom, wife, daughters, sister, and mother-in-law in my life!

[Tiffany Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, how different life was then! Susanna Wesley was a strong woman, a devoted wife, and a loving mother. She had 19 children, only 9 of which survived to adulthood. Mr. Dallimore expounds on the home life of Susanna and her husband Samuel as well as several different accounts of the growth and adulthood of their children. He gives a good view into her spiritual understanding and her late-in-life possible salvation experience.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to learn more about Susanna Wesley, so this book fulfilled that need. That said, it was written with a little too much speculation and sentences that began with "it can be assumed" or "we can deduct that"

[India Lee Starks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more about her husband, than about her. It’s really his biography, not hers. Some chapters only mention her once or twice, and in only a sentence or two. It was very frustrating; I felt misled and deceived. A major disappointment.

[Chuck Bonadies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that Susanna's children didn't think she was saved until a few years before her death? Not Dallimore's best biography, but nevertheless a fun read.

CB

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susanna Wesley is often used as an example of mothers raising their children in faith, but sometimes it’s not shown how difficult her life was. She had 19 children, 9 of whom made it to adulthood. One was accidentally smothered by a servant and thrown into Susanna’s bed before she was awake. (I can’t even imagine that trauma.) Her house caught fire twice. Her husband was always in debt so she lived in deep poverty. Her husband was domineering and even left and her young children for a year. He used what money he had to provide for his sons, while neglecting Susanna and his daughters.

But though it all, she never stops trusting in God and looking to Him to provide for her. The book quotes her as saying that becoming a widow and having no home or possessions was a good thing because it made her rely on God to meet her needs even more. She demonstrated great character, patience, forgiveness, and strength. She was humble but had strong opinions and principles.

Her life is remarkable, but I felt this biography could have been a little better. With 19 children, it was hard to keep track of them all. It would have helped to have a list of all her children with a note of the ones who passed away young or a timeline of her life. And at a certain point, this book becomes less about Susanna and more of a history of her family. That’s fine, but it’s a bit odd when she’s barely mentioned.

Speaking of her family, one chapter gives a brief summary of each surviving child’s life which was interesting. But when it gets to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the book essentially says that everyone already knows about his life because that’s why you’re reading this book, so you don’t need a summary of his life, but, by the way, he wasn’t as perfect as you think. But I was actually coming to learn about Susanna Wesley herself and would have appreciated a brief paragraph about his life since I know nothing about it. It seemed a little lazy.

This is an easy to read account of her life that does the best it can with limited information about her. Her life and faith and how she lived a very difficult life is remarkable.

[Jana Grote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this book. I can’t decide if it’s the subject that is not my favorite or the writing and way of presenting the subject. It’s probably both. If you are hoping for an encouraging inspiring book, this is probably not what you’re looking for.
Susanna’s life was very difficult and full of suffering. She had a very difficult marriage to her husband, lost many babies and children, and lived in poverty for most of her life. She was a faithful mother and wife who loved God and was very devout but her theology was very mixed and it seems unclear as to whether she was a true Christian until later in life. She expresses some beliefs in salvation by works earlier in life.
This book almost teeters on gossip by how much it talks about the terrible things her husband Samuel Wesley put her through. He truly seems like a difficult and foolish man but I’m not sure how necessary all the details were on all that. There was also a lot of speculation that I didn’t love. She lived so long ago so I’m sure some of that is normal but still.
The timeline of events was also confusing. I wish the author has stuck with presenting Susanna’s life chronologically instead of jumping around.
I do appreciate that the author was honest and clear about the not so good things in Susanna’s life and the lives of her husband and children. It was really heartbreaking to hear the sad stories of Susanna and her girls (especially Heddie).
The author also delved into the lives of Susanna’s husband, children, father, brother etc so much, it was hard to keep track of everyone and the timeline of everything. I wanted more details on Susanna herself.

Overall, this was intersting and gave good info about Susanna’s life but I feel it left me wanting less gossip and more clarity on Susanna herself.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susanna Wesley was the mother of the famous Wesley brothers, John and Charles. It is not a light thing to be blessed with parents who shape you into the best version of yourself that you can be. Susanna did her best to do this to John and Charles and although there were expected challenges, it is a fair thing to say it was a success. There are a lot of anecdotal stories about her and her family's lives, the siblings and other extended family members, the churches built and ministered in, and the deep theological truths that she instilled her son's. It should be noted that in "John Wesley: His Puritan heritage" by Robert Monk, one cannot walk away from reading believing that Wesley was not heavily influenced by puritan theology. His Grandfather, also named John Wesley, was a Puritan. His mother Susanna, who Wesley attributes much of his beliefs, was likewise a part of the Puritan tradition. Although Wesley strayed from Puritan orthodoxy, he was still brought up in and lived the majority of his life in the Puritan Heritage. Much more can be said about his brother Charles.

Children are often a reflection of their parents, and not just in terms of physical attributes, but primarily in their spiritual maturity and grasp of God and mankind. More to be said here, but Susanna should be commended for her rearing of the Wesley brothers.

[Joy]

It really surprises me that no one has as of yet (to my knowledge) written a decent academic treatment or a propulsive historical fiction or narrative non-fiction of the life and times of Susanna Wesley. This book falls in to none of those categories even as it cites many primary source letters, etc. to give a serviceable sketch of the story of this fascinating woman at the heart of an historic family. I thought I had a basic understanding of the Wesley family biography coming in to this book, however this book revealed it to be much more complicated and tragic than I imagined. As a family that encapsulated so many 'big personalities' it's unsurprising that so many of it's members found themselves bound for triumph or tragedy...and sometimes both. I read this with an eye of admiration for Susanna, while also a continual reminder that God's grace was at work in her family and in her parenting. She did not get everything right, her kids did not get everything right even as a few of them are heroes in our Christian story, but God worked it altogether for his glory.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. What a tough life Susanna Wesley had! 19 children, only 9 making it to adulthood. Living in poverty for much of her life. The book didn't paint her husband, Samuel, in a very good light. He clocked up huge debt throughout his life and abandoned his family for a long period of time. A lot of their children, especially the girls, had very sad lives.

It was a big surprise to learn that Susanna was probably not converted till a couple of years before her death. Before that she had believed in a works based salvation.


On a side note, I was more impressed with Susanna's father, Reverend Samuel Annesley. "Born of devout Puritan parents, he stated that he was so early instructed in the way of salvation that he could not remember a time when he was conscious of not knowing the Lord. At the age of five he began to read twenty chapters of the Bible a day and this practice he continued till the close of his life."

"Temperate in all things, he needed no stimulants, and from his infancy hardly ever drank anything but water. He could endure any amount of toil, preaching twice or thrice every day of the week without any sense of weariness. Until the time when the divine voice said unto him, 'Get thee up and die,' his 'eye was not dim nor his natural force abated'."

[Ifeoluwa Shobande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although these qualities, in varying degrees, were passed on to all of Susanna’s children, mankind has especial reason to be thankful that her sons Charles and John possessed them. We may all rejoice in the wealth of Christian song made available in the hymns composed by Charles, as well as in the masterly evangelistic career of John, culminating in his organising of the Methodist Church. But although certain of these abilities were derived from their father, Samuel, it was especially from their mother, Susanna, in the providence of God, that they inherited the qualities which enabled them to achieve so much.

What a woman ehhh.

Thank you, Arnold A. Dallimore

[Lisa Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a well-written account of the life of Susanna Wesley, primarily through describing her relationships, history, and events with her parents, siblings, husband, and children. The first-hand accounts offered through quotes from personal letters make the stories particularly interesting. Although her life could be described similar to that of Job, and the difficult times she faced can be rather depressing, the reader can be encouraged by her steadfast faith and commitment to passing on her faith to her children, who greatly impacted the history of the church.

[Luke Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a Christian biography. Susanna Wesley was born-again near the end of her life, at 95% of the way through this book. This should be understood as a story of a woman who led an outwardly moral life in the name of Christ, and by many accounts lived honorably with a proud legacy, yet this noble unbeliever was no closer to Heaven until she simply believed the words of Jesus in Matthew 26:28 "this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

So basically it's Beowulf for women.

[Aaron Beane · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a life, what a Savior. Not much is transferable, except her resilience, perseverance and steadfast devotion to training her children of whom many passed early in life. Her patience under trial, her encouragement given to her sons, and her commitment to a marriage that undoubtedly caused much despair. Good read!

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked educating myself on Susanna Wesley's life. She went through many hardships and even had a very hard marriage (even though he was a minister) but seemed to persevere in teaching her many children about God. Although I don't agree with all of her theology, sounds like she finally recieved God's true grace before she passed.

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I didn't come away with some great new insight on what an awesome woman Susanna Wesley was as I expected and hoped to. Instead, I was left with an understanding of how horrible Samuel Wesley was. The way he treated his wife and daughters was despicable, even for the time period. It is really horrible the suffering he put them through.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that this book was short and fairly easy to read. The timeline was a bit difficult to follow. There was far more speculation about things the author is sure would have happened than I was comfortable with. The author’s conclusion at the end of chapter 11 I found to be appalling. Samuel’s mistreatment of the women in his family was not justified by the future ministry of his sons.

[Dr. Paul T. Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it interesting how so many in this century came to "assurance" of salvation toward the end of their life, how imbalanced their life disciplines were, and thus how much we have to be thankful for that we have built upon the Reformation instead of remaining there.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, very informative. I had already heard of Susanna Wesley mostly in relation to teaching her children so it was nice to understand more of the details around that. Her life is an interesting one in contrast to the biography I just read on Dorothy Carrey.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, not bad for a popular history. Strikes me as somewhat uncharitable to Samuel Wesley, and a bit on the hagiographic side for Susanna. But the excerpts from letters are fascinating and helpful.

[Cheyenne Brunet · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating doesn’t necessarily reflect the authors writing but rather the subject itself. Susanna’s life was one of sadness and suffering - though she seemed to manage it well. If you want a biography for pure knowledge this is it, but I wouldn’t recommend it for encouragement.