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3. He taught the poor how to have a ________________ of their own.
4. The hope he gave to the poor was ________ reason why Britain had no
_______________________________.
John Wesley
1703 - 1791
Foundations of Our Faith 8
Background
England in the eighteenth century was a vicious place to live in. Hogarth and Swift bitterly
satirised the evils of the day, which included drunkenness, violence and press-ganging and
deportation.
The idea of a conscience and a living, caring God were far removed from men’s thoughts in the
eighteenth century. Men and women were trapped in their position in life with no hope of
improvement. Into this self-centred world, three men were propelled. They were John and
Charles Wesley and George Whitfield.
They were men who were called to swim against the tide.
Early Life
John was born in 1703, the fourteenth child of John and Susanna Wesley. At the age of seven,
he was rescued from a fire by two neighbours: “a brand plucked from the burning”, his mother
often said.
He was educated at Charterhouse and Oxford, very intelligent; he and his brother founded the
Holy Club. This was really a strict club aiming at salvation by works. On 24 May 1738, John was
born again at Andergate in London.
(Foundations for Life) 25
