hope that he would die before
her, for he felt he could not live without his mother. You may think,
then, how sad he was when, at last, the message came to him that she was
dying.

He was at Bristol when he received the news, and at once set off for
London. Arrived at his home at the Foundry, he found his five sisters
watching round the bed of the dear old mother.

Though she was too ill to speak to them, they could see she was quite
happy and peaceful, just waiting to be taken Home. Before long the call
came: "Come up higher."

A great number of people came to the funeral; and as Mr. Wesley stood at
the graveside, he preached one of his most wonderful sermons. His heart
was full; he had lost the friend of his life. But he knew it was not for
ever, one day he would meet her again; and as he looked on those
hundreds of people gathered there by the open grave, he longed that they
should, as surely, some day pass Home through the Beautiful Gate.

Work is the best cure for sorrow; and after his dear mother's death, Mr.
Wesley began his preaching again. Wherever he went people were
converted, and became followers of Jesus Christ; and also wherever he
went wicked men and women tried to stop him preaching, and sometimes
even wanted to kill him. But he was doing God's work, and God took care
of him.

Once he was preaching to hundreds of people in an open space somewhere
in London. In the middle of his sermon, several men tried to drive a
herd of cows among the listeners. They wanted to frighten them, and
force them to go away. But the cows were wiser than their masters, and
would not go among the people. Then these bad men started throwing
stones, and one of them hit Mr. Wesley just between his eyes. What do
you think he did? Give up preaching and go home? Indeed he did not; he
just wiped the blood off his face, and went on telling the people to
repent of their sins and believe on the Son of God. Brave John Wesley!

Bristol, you remember, was the first place where Mr. Wesley preached out
of doors, and it was at Bristol where there was the first great
disturbance.

I don't quite know how it was, but just about this time, wherever the
Methodists went, they were abused and ill-treated. I think Satan was
beginning to find out how much good the Methodists were doing, and
thought it was about time he did something to stop it. So, in all the
towns where the preachers went, he stirred up the worst men and women to
make rows a