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Title
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Mary Wood (1729-1763)
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Creator
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Wood, Mary, 1729-1763
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Publisher
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Moravian Lives Project
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Date
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1763
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Type
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Text
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Format
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image/jpg
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Description
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Written in English, this document is an autobiographical spiritual memoir of Mary Wood (1729–1763) associated with the Moravian community. The narrative recounts her childhood in Derbyshire, early exposure to Moravian preaching, and growing spiritual attachment to Christ through fellowship with the Brethren and the Sisters’ communities at Lamb’s Hill and other Moravian settlements. Written largely in the first person and later supplemented with memorial remarks after her death, the memoir reflects on her struggles with doubt, humility, illness, obedience, and spiritual self-examination, as well as her deep devotion to Christ, participation in the sacraments, and commitment to communal religious life. The account concludes with descriptions of her prolonged illness, longing for union with her “Bridegroom,” and peaceful death in 1763 surrounded by members of the congregation.
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Subject
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Wood, Mary, 1729-1763
Moravians--Biography
Women--Biography
Autobiographies
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Identifier
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Ful/SS/60
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Place
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Fulneck, England
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Language
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eng
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Extent
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5 pages
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Rights Holder
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Fulneck Moravian Archives, Fulneck, England
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transcript of
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I was Born in Gloslop Parish near Hayfeld in Darbisher Aprell ye 6 1729 My Parints being Church pepell & endevered to being us up for the Lord and endeverd to keep us from worly Company as far as they Could, My Mother ust often tell us of our Sav, at the time when I got the Smallpox I was so ill that I was given up by the Doctor my father asked me if I could Like to go to our Sav I Sade yes for I felt Somthing of our Savs love in my Heart, but I soon recovered again, In the year 1732 David Talor Came about a preaching My Father and mother went to hear him & took me with them which I liked soon after Mr Inrom came his preaching I liked Still better for I now felt that I wanted somthing for my Heart, In a short time after ye Brethen came and Settell a Laity at our House which gave us an oppertunity to speak to them about our Hearts which often proved a Comfort and Consolation to me at that time, in ye year 1736 I Came the first time to Yorkhir I had the pleasur of geting Acquainted with Some of ye Sisters they took me to the econimy in pudsy for a few Days were I had some Conversation with Ann Burkbe & Sis Clacket the latter asked me if I was Resolved to be our Sav & live for him I told her that it was my whole intention so to do She spoke to me of our Sav, love to poor Sinners which made a deep impression on my heart the fellowship which I injoyed with ye Sisters & Blessed feeling I had of the place made me think that Lambshill was a heaven upon earth which Caused me much pain to Leave it, Some day after I got to my father I begun to grow more and more unesy & distress in my mind I ust to go by myself into the feld and prayed our Sav, that he would let me feell his Grace as I found that I had no lasting satisfaction in any thing but our Sav was pleased to draw nigh to my Heart which proved a real comfort to me thus I went on for Some time in a Chearfull way being our Sav to preserve me from day to day for I felt that in myself I was a poor and good for nothing Creater, when Bro & Sis Heakerwelder Came to Care for the plan in Duckinfeild I gained much Confidence to them both & Could Acquaint them with every thing which opprest my mind, in ye year 1748 our Sav was pleased to Call my Mother to himself which went very near me for I loved her exceedingly she comforted us in the Best Manner and Assured us that our Sav and his dear Congreation would know Better how to Care for us then She had done her last words were I am quite Ready to go to my dearist Bridegroom which had a very Blessed effect on my Mind from this time on I felt a real Desire in my heart to become a member of the Congreation in ye year 50 on ye 13 of June our Sav granted me my Requste to be Reciveed which unexpected Grace and faviour bowed me in the dust at the feet of my Dearist Bridegroom In the same year I was made a Candiate for the holy Sacreament and was confirmed at Christmas which Grace I cannot express in words but my being So far a distance from the Congreation delayed my going to the Communing for Sometime Longer it however brought me into a Close and Strick exsamanation in my own heart and one Day as I was walking alone by myself in the feilds Medeatating what a grate matter it was to go to the holy Sacreament and that no one Could Injoy it right but such as Could know that there Sins was
Forgiven them by our Sav and thou Hearts washed in his Blood, but I found that it was not so with me it brought me into great perplexity of mine which I strove to hide from my Father & Sis, I felt a great inclination to be allways by myself Sometimes thoughts would arise in my Mind as if our Sav did not like to have any thing to do with me; my Misry daly increased so that I thought that I Should never come thro feeling very much destress In my Soul I retired into a room were I prostrated and prayed our dear Saviour that he would be pleased to Manifest himself to my poor Heart in that figure were in for all my Need he did die on the Cross for poor me I was Cheared & Comforted by the greatious Absolutison which I Recved as a poor pardon Sinner which Melted me like wax before my only Machless Heart whose thro bored feet I kiss and weted with many a thankfull Tear beging that he would keep me as a poor Child that had no dependance but on him alone in ye year 1751 Aprell 16 I had the unspeakabell Grace and faviour to pertake for the First time of our Sav Corps & Blood in the holy Commuion which day I Shall never forget it was to me as if our Sav was Bodly present in the Congreation, I retured home again with a Heart throly thankfull for what I had injoyed But being Convinced in my own heart that I was not as yet in that pleace which our Sav had called me too My desive to live with the Sis grew more & more stronge and after Coming again to Yorkshir I Spoke to Sis Mary about Coming to live with the Sisters in the econimy but she desired me to be Sattisfyed till Surcumstance would make it so that and My Sis Ester Could Both Could Come at a time and assured me that we should not be unforgoten but Cared for as well as if we lived amongst them, in the same year it was thought well by the Brethen for my father to be Married again which gave me and My Sis some hope of our going to live at lambshill, we Both made our desire known to Sis Mary in wrighten and got leave to Come as soon as we Could make it possabell in ye year 1752 in September the long wished for time came when Both I and My Sis came to live with the Sisters in the Econimy were we was Reced amongst them with much love which put us quite to Shame Sis Mary acquainted me that my Sis would stay in the ecominy at lambshill and for me to go to that ecominy at the tiersellhall which I felt to be quite sattifed with I soon found myself at home amongst them and injoyed much Grace and happiness in that place when the quire house was Finished I amonget the rest got leave to move into it which I esteemed a grate Grace and faviour for which I could never be thankfull Enofe to our dear Sav for I beged My dearist Bridegroom very tenderly that he world make me a obbedent good Child according to his heart and mind So that he could obtain his full aime with me in every respect for I felt that it was a new Scoul for my heart werein I had much to Larn
everyday what poor Creater I was in myself and in how much need I stood of our Sav reaching in my heart being Masterly of a Close dispositson and unremovable In my own way of thinking and lacking the occation that the Sister was after obblige to reprove me which I did not take well of them alltho I Spoke as littell against it as posiabell yet in my heart I had not that true Sinnerlike feeling which I beleved that the rest of my Sisters did injoy and on account of this I felt often unesy and keept many a hearty Band with my Best beloved friend which was pleased to Show me my falts by Name and comforted me about it in a unspea kabell Mannar
I soon began to grow Sickly got a pain in my Side and by a Rumactket dissoder in my Back was rended in some Measure unabell for my work which Caused a Certain Fretfullness in my mind all posiabell means was used to get me some help yet to very lettell efect Sis Mary advised me to go for a short time home to my Father to see if the Change of the air would do me good but after a true consideration about it I found no liberty in my heart for it I therefore beged to be excuse as I had the assurance from our Sav that I was in the right pleace which he had alloted for me I did address myself to the freind of poor needy Sinners and prayed him to stand by me and help me thro tell he had prepared me for himself in ye year 1753 when Anna Jona pade a viset in Yorkshire She Spoke to all the Sisters and I had likewise had the Sattifaction to keep a hearty Band with her which proved a grate Blessing for my heart, in the year 1754 to we had the pleasure and satifaction to see our dear Papar & Mamaen amongst we which happy and Blessed time will never be forgoten by me and what I felt and injoyed at that cause most memorabell Choir Sacrament and foot washing, cant express in Words O how was I struck when was made acquainted that I was to be one of that number I could hardly contain for Shame and thankfullness to think that our Sav Should Chuse me one of the poorist and the unworthist of them all I devoted myself anew to the Bridegroom of my Soul to live for him in this world and I will kiss his bored Feet in Eternity for all what I have injoyed from him when I look back and consider the Manifold Graces and Blessings which he has been pleased to bestow on me the poorist of all and yea what Love and patiance he has shown to his poor helpless Child it bows me in the dust with a heart full of Gratitude and my whole wish is to keep my eye fixt upon his Marterd Pirson so that nothing May come betwen him and me. So far her own words
Our haply Departed Sis was In Ganrall of a still & quiet disposion one that never made much show with what our Sav did intrust her with but past on her time in a Childlike and happy Mannar Reling as a poor sinner on her hearts Best freind to whome She had devoted her self with Soul & Body to become an intire Joy to him and his dear Congreation She often spoke to her Labours with an only tender feeling about the injoyment of the Choir and Choir Grace and what She had felt and experance in her own
Heart yay and how much Her Dearist Bridegroom had done on her from time to time her parisabell in Regard to orders & Regulations in a Choir House were such as affords Sattion to moste of the Sister that knew her be a honest Heart She had the ofred commited to her to be a helper in a Room of Sisters werein she asked with all faihfullness according to the Grace which She had Recved but as her poor State of health rendered her unabell for going much about which it gave her In the begin a Good deall of Consarn that she Could not lend that Assistance to her Sisters which She know was her Duti to do and moreover instead of that she could not think her self to be trobellsome to them but however be there Love and kindness towards her she often was quite but to shame her Close attachment to Sav as likewise to her Choir made her very Chearfull & Contented to evry Sisters admiration when She at times was Left alone in a Room by her self which happened very often when all the Sisters went to the Meetings she ust to say when I am thus left by my self if give me allways an oppertunity to speak to our dear Sav about my own Heart and to Lay my Surcumstances before him his nearless ???? Chears and Comforts me in an unspeakabell Mannar she frequently wish that her beloved would soon prepare her for Himself and Seemed Something thoughfull wye She had to Stay So long here, in the year 1761 in ??? She was Sees with a sore cofe attend with a pain in her side by the ???? of which was ??? that it would be a Consumtion which gave her hope that her time Sartainly would not be Long of which she was exceeding glad she was allways very Devrious to go to the Choir and Congreations oppertunity which she sade proved a grate Refreshment to her Heart in 1763 July ?? She was the last time present at the Holy Commuion in the Congn ???? being very much spent by coming Home she sade now I shall go no more till I’m carried as a Corps and this I wish may soon come to pass after a few days she became a littell easyer again which made her afraide that she would have to wate Still Longer she pray our Sav that he might be near ????? and give her patiance to wate his time on the 19 of Aug she expressed her quite desire after the holy Communion and spoke with a perticular Chearfullness about going home and her being buried that week on the ??? in the ??? she pertook once more of her Lords Corps and blood with a hungry and needy Heart after which she sade with a Chearfull Countinance now it is ???? I am quite ready My dearist Bridegroom come yea come and fech me take me O thou precious Lamb of God after a littell pains she asked the Sisters that stood by her Bed if this did not feell very happy for it were so with her as our Sav was so near he is come to fech poor me to himself this will be a grate joy Indeed to me wereon I shall be call home to him where my Soul ???? which accordingly hapened that night on the 19 of Aug between two and three oclock
In the morning when she Recved the last kiss from her Bridegrooms lips and went over into the joy of her Lord with the Blessing of her Choir under these words at the end of all her need be her untion wounds so read Mary Wood dep Aug 15 1763
