Born: 1736, Holbeck
Died: 1761, Fulneck
Read more about the life of George Wood
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Departed Feb 3, 1761 Personalia of the single Br George Wood, who in his sick room
left the following Acct of himself.
I was born at Holbeck in the Parish of LeedsAugust 25th 1735.
My Father was a native of Ireland &
my Mother a Yorkshire Woman.
When I was about 2 years old my Father left my Mother to Care
for herself & Children & went into Ireland. My Mother brought
me up as well as she could, but on Account of Poverly was not
able to give me any Schooling, the Loss of which I have
experienced
the most since I come amongst the Brn ; for as I had not learn’d to
read, I was deprived of that Opportunity which my Brn have, of
entertaining themselves, with reading something agreeable about
our Savr, in their sabbatic Hours: But this Loss has been suffic
ciently restored by our
Savr in granting me his precious
Nearness, whenever I wept for him!
In my Youngest Years, I was a Child of a quiet Disposition,
and liked best to be alone because when I happened to come into
the Company of other Children, something generally
occurred
about which my Mind was uneasy afterwards, I therefore kept
chiefly by to myself & often took a Walk alone, feeling my Mind
most easy and chearful in
this Course.
In my 12th Year, I was put apprentice to my Uncle Stancliff
who was then amongst the Brn, to be a Clothier & the first Sunday
he took me with him to Grace Hall, on which Day I felt something
powerful in my Heart from our Savr ; What I heard & felt had such an Effect that
I could not miss one Meeting afterwards
to which I was allowed the Priviledge of going. I soon got acquainted with dear Br Held, who gave me Leave to go to
all the
Childrens Meetings, Bands & Classes, which proved a real Blessing
to my Heart. “When I was about 14 Years oldI was recd amongst
the great Boys
by Br Charlesworth from which Time I attended
the Boys Meetings diligently & with Pleasure not obtaining any
Thing particular in
Mind or Body to what I had done in my
Childrens Years, but felt our Savr near my Heart, & was well
in the Meetings of the Boys; yet during all this time tho’ I felt
very well, I had not a real & solid Connexion & Conversation
with our Savr as a Sinner, which afterwards was made clear to me.
In my 18th Year I begun to perceive my natural Depravity and
Corruption pretty strongly, promting me to things which I know very
well were against
the Mind, of & Heart of our Savr, but has not sufficient
acquaintance with Him & Foundation in my own Heart to make the
right Use of him in
these new Circumstances, & was therefore brought
into Darkness & great Perplexity of Mind, so that I was sometimes
very dubious how it would at last End with me, yet
thein the
bottom of my Heart I had a real desire to be helped into a happy
clear Track but my greatest Misfortune was a false shame, which
caused me to conceal
the my true Condition & the Cause of my Differences
from my labourers, but being frequently visited by at that time
by Br Renatus, he perceived I was not so clear & lively as usual &
wanted to know the cause, but which I avoided telling, till I could
hold out no
longer, being compelled by the great Miseryof my Heart
to disclose every thing wherewith I was bound & entangled, & which
indeed proved very happy for me in its
Consequences. I then could
& did speak with our Savr in a sinnerlike, confident Manner, & often
times fell on my Face before him & wept bitterly,
till He melted my
Heart with his Nearness & rich Forgiveness, & cheared me with his
friendly look. I then resolved to devote my Soul & Body just as
it was to him,
& to speak quite openheartedly with my Labourers
about all my Circumstances for I felt the sweets of it, & since I
made that Resolution it has been my constant practice to
my
surprisingease & Blessing. From this time, I have had a happy Con:
nexion with our Savr, I went every Night into the Fields after I
had done work to speak
with the Friend of my Soul, whom incom
parable Nearness & presence always met me, so that my Eyes & Heart
were often overflowing with gratitude, on Account of what he had
done for & manifested to me. My concern about the Preservation
of my Soul & body was often the Subject of my Conversation with Him
& therefore I pray’d him with
Tears to make a Way for me to the Choir House
for I felt no place else in all the world could satisfy me. Some Weeks,
after I was loose of my Apprenticeship, I
had the Joyfull
News brought me that our Savrhad given me Leave to come & live
in the Choir House which Grace I accepted of with thousand
thanks
to my dear Savr, who thus graciously heard & granted my Request
& soon after I came with Joy & gratitudeof heart into my beloved
Choir house in my 20th year July the 8th 1756, and Novr: the 22d the
same year had the Grace to be
rec’d into the Congn to my inexpressible
Joy, and went the first Fine to the holy Communion with my clear Single
Brn at a Choir Communion
June 11th 1757 whereby my highest Wish
next to that of seeing & embracing him bodily was granted me, &
which I shall never forgot.
About Easter in the Year 1759 a gatheredHumour camefell into
one of my Feet & broke out in a running Ulcer whereby I was
incapable of
earning my bread for a long Time. I made Use of
many things & also by Advice went to the how, not without long
Effect, tho’ a real Care was not wrought by any thing I tried
or
did for tho it healed one quarter it broke out the next & now a Con
sumption cameadded thereto, so that I have a near Prospect of soon
kissing the
Points in Hands and feet for my Grace Election
I wait in my Savrs Hands & Friendship with ardentDesire
the happy End of all Complaint when I shall grow pallid
in Jesus Arms & Lap.”
So far his own account.
To which we will only add, that his course amongst us from
first to last has been as a youth of God, solid, steady & annointed.
and his Heart
past has has lived in a tender uninterrupted connexion
with the Man of Sorrows, so that it was always a pleasure to keep Band
with him. We kept his Hearts object
constantly in View & suffered
nothing to disturb him in the Enjoyment thereof, so that we have
had no Grief, but always Joy over him, & some Years since when the
situation ofit looked precarious with many of our young Single Brn seemed very precarious he was
not in the least disturbed thereby in
his happy Track, but cleaved
the more closely to our Savr & was heartilyglad of & thankful
for his election.
After the above mentionedHisSickness would not From the time that permit him to weave work any longerat he busied himself with such
little
Matters as he could do in the House & which he did with Faithfulness
& Pleasure as long as he could, & till he betook himself entering
to the Sick Room. Here he enjoyd a perfect Sabbath in the Nearness
of his bleeding Savr. It was a Pleasure to visit him & speak with
him abt. our
Savr.. He never liked to hear any thing about his reco-
very but wish’dthat his happy Hour might soon strike. He was patient in his Sickness
to
Admonition for said he, our Savr’s Nearness makes my Sickness tolerable & Happy.
& wasthankful to his Brn, as also to to his Sick Waiters for every Thing he
enjoyed. At the last time he was spoken withSpeaking before the Communion he said I think
this will be the last Time I shallenjoy His
Corpse Blood here & when
it was brought to him he enjoyd it with great Devotion & a particular
aweful Feeling attended it.
The 2 last times his Class was kept he decided it might be in his
Sick Room, which was granted. he told his Class Brn that his longing
to be with our
Savr was the only Concern he now had and entreated
them to beg our Savr to hear him soon. Feb 2d he was so very
weak that we expected
him soon to go Home. His Heart’s Situation and
Longing to go home was charming and pretty: Love verses were sung
for him & tho he could speak no more yet he gave signs with a
most lovely childlike Aspect & said at the end of every Verse, moor.
Feb the 3d betwixt 3 & 4 in the Morning he called to his Sick Waiter
&
wanted to get up. Upon being ask’d Why? he answered, “I am not
yet at Home, I want to go home to our Savr.” He was told that
our Savr would soon come &
take him to himself which he
was much pleased to be assured of, & thus he continued quite unfit
to his last Moment when about 8 o’Clock his Friend beckon’d
to
him, & he grew pale in Arms & Legs with the Blessing
of his Choir during the singing the Word “And now his
Mouth expiring on thy dear Breast recline &c and with
these fine Tents, The Sparrow hath found an House, and
the Swallow a Nest. lit: Tent. With my Spirit within me
I seek thee early. My Saviour, Ah! was I with Thee.
The Feeling
attending his Separture was inexpressible, &
caused the Eyes of the Brn presant to overflow, our Savr
was indeed there tho our Eyes could not see Him yet
the
Feeling testified it sufficiently.
