MEMOIR OF MRS. JAMES WOOD, JUN.,

Of Bristol:

BY HER HUSBAND.

As my dear wife kept a record of the Lord's dealings with her, the following narrative is, with but few additional particulars, extracted from her own diary.

Miss Randoll was born January 23d, 1777, at Avon, near Salisbury; and in early life, by the remarkable providence of God, was placed upwards of eight years under the care and tuition of Mrs. Voysey, of Salisbury, grand-niece of the Rev. John Wesley. Mrs. Voysey was a pious woman, and took great pains with her pupils, instructing them. on the subject of religion, particularly on the pride and depravity of the human heart. Yet nothing that Miss Randoll heard was selfapplied. She was spiritually dark, but approved of things excellent, and wished to be good; notwithstanding which, she was so extremely thoughtless, volatile, and easy in her temper, that she laid nothing to heart. This led Mrs. Voysey to say, in after years, that Miss Randoll was the very last person she ever expected to become religious, of all However, these instructions the young ladies she had in her school. must have had some influence on her conduct; for they prevented her from doing many things on the Sabbath, in which others who had not been religiously educated indulged. She dared not to take the Lord's name in vain. These things, and the circumstances of her not using the prayers she had been taught in her infancy, but praying extempore, excited alarm in the minds of her relations, and she was made to give a solemn promise that she would never enter into any place of worship, except a church, till she should attain the age of twenty-one years. Miss Randoll readily gave the pledge required, in the most solemn manner possible, and felt it had all the obligation of an oath. She was glad to promise in this way, and be restored to favour, having no deep work of grace on the heart. "What a mercy," she afterwards said, "that the engagement was limited to twenty-one years of age! So binding did I feel this engagement, that whenever I had reason to think any one was going to decoy me to a chapel, I would not go a step."

In January, 1797, she went, as teacher, to a school, which proved Here the evils practised formed a strikto be very gay and ungodly. ing contrast to the excellent manner in which she had been educated. She utterly detested the ways and spirit of her associates, who endeavoured to bring her to their way of thinking; but when they found this impossible, they relinquished their efforts, and eyer after treated her with marked respect.

In this place her concern to become religious increased, though she was yet a stranger to the religion of the heart; and finding the gaieties of the situation to be a great hinderance, she prayed earnestly that the Lord would remove her from that family, and place her in one where

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his fear might be found. This prayer was mercifully answered; and by a train of kind providences she became a teacher in the school of the late Mrs. M'Geary, at Keynsham. "Having now," she says, "by the mercy of God, obtained my heart's desire, I resolved to improve it. I accordingly attended the chapel, and made a number of good resolutions; but, notwithstanding all this, I was not really happy. I read, as often as I conveniently could, and found that there were sins of omission as well as of commission. I had recourse to Doddridge's 'Rise and Progress of Religion; and by comparing the Christian's rule of living with mine, I saw my great deficiencies, and determined to examine and regulate my actions by that; and if I could not attain to such perfection, at least to copy it to the utmost of my power. I read Mr. Wesley's sermon on self-denial; and approved it, though I thought it strict. Several others I read, and saw the great necessity of the one thing needful. But his sermon on the Almost Christian' staggered me exceedingly. I totally despaired of ever attaining to the character of the moral Christian described therein; but when I found that even this would not ensure my future happiness, I thought Mr. Wesley had gone beyond the truth; for I could not understand one word about justification by faith. It appeared quite a riddle. I asked the opinion of Mrs. M'Geary; and she confirmed the opinion of Mr. Wesley; but I could not comprehend it. To me it was an entirely new doctrine. However, I endeavoured to establish my own righteousness; was at times very attentive to the word preached; and received great comfort. I very faintly saw Jesus by the eye of faith; but this also I did not comprehend; but found myself happier at those times, and strove to keep him in view always during the preaching. This fixed my attention upon. the word, from which I frequently found a great blessing.

"On Easter-Sunday I received the sacrament, and strictly attended to the most minute circumstances which I thought to be sins. I strove against them, prayed three times a day, and felt myself comfortable. I now fancied that I was making rapid progress to heaven. Whenever I had denied myself of the gratification of any thing, I reflected upon it with delight, and supposed the Almighty was pleased with me. I conversed frequently on the grand principles of Christianity with Mrs. M Geary, and by her was convinced of the possibility that people might know their sins forgiven upon earth, a thing that never entered my mind before. But it was not till I had searched the Bible, (now a choice companion,) and read the Lives of many pious people, that I was able to receive that grand truth. Though I consented to this, I could not apply it to myself. I did not think that the Lord would do this great work for me; supposing it to be only a favour conferred on particularly pious persons: neither could I see it necessary to salvation. It appeared strange that I should never have heard of this before. I was an entire stranger to myself. I owned that I was a sinner; but I felt nothing on this account; and often thought of St. Paul's calling himself

'the chief of sinners,' and believed it impossible that so good a man should really mean what he said.

Having been thus feeling after God for some months, and the light gradually increasing on my mind, on Sunday, May 12th, 1799, when in Keynsham church, at the communion table, I was affected in such a way, that I could scarcely hold the cup. This continued in the pew afterwards. My mind was strangely influenced; yet I knew not what was the matter. In the afternoon I went to the Methodist chapel, as usual. I was not wrought upon particularly by the sermon; yet my burden grew heavier, and my convictions were deepened. I was so ill, that I scarcely expected to get home alive; and I was led by two friends. The next morning my distress continued; my burden increased; I wept exceedingly, and confessed to the Lord that I was sorry for my sins. I wrestled and pleaded for forgiveness, because I was sorry that I had broken his laws; yet I had then no perception of the Gospel way of salvation, and therefore did not trust in the Mediator. In anguish of spirit I retired to my room; where I opened Mr. Wesley's first volume When I came to of Sermons, and read that on Justification by Faith.

the words, Plead thou no works, no righteousness of thine own! no humility, contrition, sincerity! In no wise: that were in very deed to deny the Lord that bought thee,'-I knelt down, and looking up said, 'Lord, must I not plead my sincerity, contrition, and sorrow?' This was what I had been pleading all the time. I then saw myself bereft of every plea, and felt like a person drowning, looking about for someIn a moment the thing to lay hold of, to save himself from perishing.

Lord Jesus revealed himself clearly to the eye of my mind; I must say, with meridian brightness; and spoke these words to my soul: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' In an instant I had a clear perception of the whole plan of salvation, and was indeed a new creature.""

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Thus her mourning was turned into gladness; the joy of the Lord was her strength: feeling that the Saviour loved her much, she loved him much in return. She joined herself to his people, and instantly began to strive to spread the sacred flame. The young ladies under her care had her early and most assiduous attention. them met her daily in her own room for religious conversation and prayer; and on one very memorable evening the Spirit of the Lord was so graciously poured out upon them, that several of them found peace with God that night. Their letters to her, on that interesting occasion, were left by her among her papers. Many of these young persons will have to praise God for ever for his kindness in placing them under her care. Her delight in dress, which had formerly engrossed her attention in a high degree, vanished at once; and in this matter also she ever after adorned the doctrine of God her Saviour.

Her activity in the cause of Christ was unwearied. Her delight was with the children of God. She gladly attended all their meetings for

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prayer, and other religious exercises; visited the sick and dying; and was, under God, the principal instrument of raising the present chapel at Keynsham.

Following the guidance of divine Providence, she opened a boardingschool at Stapleton, on her own account; and the Lord prospered her. There also she exerted herself to be useful, raised a class, and secured a room in which the word of God might be preached. But no exertions were allowed to interfere with the important trust which devolved upon her, as the head of a family. She observes," It has been a custom with me, to meet the serious part of my family once a week; but having lately reflected on the necessity of advising all under my care to flee from the wrath to come, and of instructing those who are ignorant and out of the way, according to my ability, as also the servants who come under my roof, I have resolved to set apart the hour from half-past eight to half-past nine on the Tuesday morning, for the solemn purpose of assembling ourselves together, to seek earnestly the salvation of our souls. The Lord has given his blessing to our meeting, and good has already been done by it."

This practice she continued, with strict fidelity, so long as she had the care of a school; and many, through her excellent and interesting manner of conducting the meetings, were brought to embrace the religion of Jesus, and devote themselves to his service. Some of them have preceded her to the realms of bliss.

In a letter, written several years afterwards, adverting to her efforts to be useful to the pupils placed under her care, and also to her family, she observes,- 'I often look back, in these days of declining health, on the period when one and another could praise God for being brought under my roof; and no less than seven of my family have died happy in God, who had lived with me at different times before I was married. I bless the Lord I was saved from the fear of man. I saw the path of duty, and, through grace, was strengthened to pursue it, regardless of the opinions of others, while I enjoyed the approbation of God. It is also remarkable, that whatever might be the private sentiments of any of the children's friends respecting the religious instruction I gave them, they never objected to my plans. They knew I was decided, and therefore never interfered. When any of the friends visited me, I dared not to omit the regular order of duty, having an eye to the day when I should have to stand before God, and answer for the souls committed to my care, whether servants, children, or occasional helpers."

She subsequently removed to Lower-Easton, where she soon raised up another class. Here, also, she married, and in the year 1810 gave birth to her first and only-surviving child. Three others, who were born since, she followed to the grave. In her first confinement she was brought near to the gates of death; and she never fully recovered from the effects of that illness. In 1811 she removed to Bristol, where, also, in a short time, she became the Leader of two classes, and like

wise conducted a weekly meeting for young females who were seriously inclined. But all these active employments in the service of God our Saviour, in which her heart delighted, she was obliged totally to lay aside in the year 1818, through utter inability to continue them.

Her diary presents a painfully varied record of joy and sorrow, fear and hope, and often of spiritual and bodily anguish. The latter was principally attributable to a severe nervous fever, brought on by her almost unprecedented exertions, when only seventeen years of age, in arranging the affairs of her beloved governess, Mrs. Voysey, whose husband then failed in business; to a paralytic attack which she had at Stapleton; and, lastly, to the illness after her first confinement, which brought on such a distortion of the spine, as materially affected her stomach and other vital organs. It is judged advisable to name these circumstances, in order to show that there was a terrible reality in her sufferings, and that they were not of the imaginary kind, usually spoken of as nervous disorders.

Her spiritual anguish was in many respects the result of bodily sufferings, which so depressed her spirits as to prevent her from judging correctly of her religious state. They were also in part occasioned by her not distinguishing with sufficient accuracy, in her earlier religious. progress, betwixt the peculiar characteristics of a justified and an entirely sanctified state. Of this she herself became sensible in her later years. The following are some of the memoranda which she has left, relating to herself:

Feb. 27th, 1814, she writes, "On the 20th of December, 1808, I was married to Mr. James Wood, son of my highly-valued friend, the Rev. James Wood, Preacher of the Gospel; which I consider the greatest blessing of my life, next to the grace of God in Christ Jesus. The Lord has given me three children, and temporal mercies in abundance; for which I desire to be thankful. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places: I have a goodly heritage.' Yet, as there must be a bitter in every cup, so there is in mine. The Lord chastens me with affliction. I scarcely know what a day's uninterrupted good health means. A low, nervous complaint, added to a diseased stomach, almost drinks up my spirits. None but God knows what I sometimes suffer, and the awfully dark seasons I have to pass through. I find myself at those times altogether incapable of judging of my state. Heretofore I have believed all that the enemy advanced in those distressing moments, from a consciousness of the existence of much evil within; but now I can generally hope in the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, in the worst of times, and often enjoy peace with God. My memory and understanding are greatly impaired and my constitution is much shaken. Il health deprives me of the means of grace in a great degree; so that I lose much in this respect, and often feel as if I lived for nought, and am only a cumberer of the ground. O the goodness and forbearance of God! Were it not for his merey, what would become of me? O that I had health, and