Jacky put out his arms as far as he could,
and the man lifted him out of the burning room, and he was safe. Two
minutes afterwards the roof fell in with a big crash.

Jack was carried into a neighbour's house, and they all knelt down while
the minister thanked God for taking care of them, and so wonderfully
preserving all their lives.

Jack never forgot that terrible night, and all his life afterwards he
felt that God had saved him from being burnt to death, in order that he
might do a great deal of work for Him.

You will not be surprised to hear, that it was the wicked people in
Epworth who had set the minister's house on fire. But as Jesus forgave
His enemies, so Mr. Wesley forgave these men, and tried more than ever
to show them how much Christ loved them.

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[Illustration]

CHAPTER II.

Jacky learns his A B C.--A wise mother.--Christ's
little soldier.--A chatterbox.--The big brother
and the little one.--Jacky poorly.--The bravest of
the brave.--A proud father.

JACK'S father and mother were not rich people, and they could not afford
to send all their children to school, so Mrs. Wesley taught them at
home, and as there were so many of them it was almost like a proper
school. When Jacky was five years old, he became a little scholar. The
first day he learnt his alphabet, and in three months could read quite
nicely.

Mrs. Wesley was a dear, kind mother, and took a great deal of trouble,
and often put herself to much pain to train her little boys to be
Christian gentlemen, and her little girls to be Christian ladies. As
soon as they could speak, they were taught to say their prayers every
night and morning, and to keep the Sabbath day holy. They were never
allowed to have anything they cried for, and they were always taught to
speak kindly and politely to the servants. Bad words were never heard
among them, and no loud talking or rough play was allowed. This wise
mother also knew that little people are sometimes tempted to tell
untruths to hide a fault for fear of punishment, so she made it a rule
that if any of the children did what was naughty, and at once confessed
and promised not to do it again, they should not be whipped.

One of the little boys--I'm afraid it was Jacky--did not always follow
this rule, and so he sometimes got what he did not like. But Mrs. Wesley
never allowed her children to taunt one another with a fault, especial