Memorial of the Rev Robert Wood Author:Robert Wood General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1854 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: MENTAL STRUGGLES. 15 " Hull, 30th Dec. 1808. " My Dear Parents, -- I think I never made the language of one of our hymns with so much propriety my own, as I have done lately: the part I allude to is this, -- " ' Lo! on a narrow neck of land, Twixt two unbounded seas I stand, insensible.' " I have often heard of this insensibility, but never proved what a dreadful thing it is till lately. I have known the time when such a letter as the last I received from my kind parents, would have made me weep for joy and sorrow at the same time; but instead of this, it scarcely produced any emotion. When I consider myself as a mortal that must bid adieu to this life, I know not how soon, I am ready to think, if this will not move me, I know not what will; and really I am ready to conclude that I am gospel-hardened; and if I were no't quite so insensible, I think I should tremble at myself. If you think as I do, you will very likely ask, ' What makes you still keep in the Society ?' To this question I may certainly answer, -- I dare not leave it; for I firmly believe that if ever I should withdraw myself from the people of God, I should be under the necessity, for the sake of stifling the reproaches of conscience, of turning infidel, -- and here I do tremble; I shudder at the idea. "But I might give another answer, and say, I love to be among the people of God. But why ? Because I think if I am safer in one place than another, it is there. You express a wish to see me : what will you think of me, if I say that I almost dread the idea of coming to Bristol ? I doubt not you will wonder at such an expression as ...« less