for me to be left with Mr. Bridge of Boston N. E. Mr. Vesey at N. York, Mr. Evans at Philadelphia and Mr. Wallace in Virginia."

46

ROBERT WHEELER AND FAMILY.

February 21, Sunday, 1702. I preached at Burlington in West Jersey, on Rom. 10. 7, 8, 9.-[Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.]-and Feb. 22. I baptized the Wife of Mr. Rob. Wheeler and his three Children,† and five others: in all 9 Persons. He and his Wife had been Quakers, but are come over to the Church. He did most kindly and hospitally entertain us at his house, gratis, the several times that we travelled to and fro in those Parts: And the like kind and free Entertainment he gives to all Ministers of the Church that travel that way."-Keith's Journal.

TWO HUNDRED POUNDS TOWARDS A CHURCH.

Mr. Keith to the Bishop of London. Extracts.

"The Congregation here has been considerably enlarged in number by those called Keithian Quakers, coming into the Church, whose good examples many others have followed both in town and country, and since my arrival in this Country there has been some increase in Divers places both of those formerly called Keithians and others who are well affected to the Church. In E. Jersey the Keithians are generally zealous for the Church and divers others whom they have an influence upon. Mr. Talbot, my Companion, and I have laboured among them, in preaching from place to place, and had much con

+ In the first Parish Register-mentioned in the Preface-in the handwriting of Mr. Talbot, is this: "Rebekah Wheeler & her Children, John Rebekah, Robert & Mary Baptized by Mr. G. Keith on Sunday ffeb: 22, 1703.”

ference with them in private from House to House, for the space of two months, and we baptized two and twenty persons, young and old of those called Keithians. In W. Jersey also those formerly called Keithians are well affected and came from divers parts to visit me, and heard me, and showed me Love and Affection. I have been here not much above a month, and have preached nine times in the Church here, having had large auditories, sometimes about a thousand persons in the Church, but not all of the Church, many of them Presbyterians, some Anabaptists, and some Quakers, but the Quakers of late have made an Act that none of their way shall come, which has at present put a stop to their coming. I have also had much private discourse with some who yet remain Keithians, and use to meet together; of divers of them, I have good hope, they have frequently come to Church to hear me, and last Sunday I went and preached in their meeting, with which some of them were well pleased though others not.

*

*

"The people well affected to the Church have gathered two hundred pounds towards building a Church at Burlington, in W. Jersey, they are to begin to build as they have told me this Spring; also at Amboy, in E. Jersey, they intend to do the like. Colonel Morris is a very good friend to the Church and a promoter of it, and was very kind and assistant to us, and is very regular in his family, and his Lady is a very pious and good Woman, his family is a little Church; he useth the Common Prayer in his family daily, and on Sundays his neighbours come to his house, as to a Church, and at times Mr. Junesse preacheth in his house. I suppose your Lordship remembereth Mr. Junesse, a good man, but a nonjuror.

"My Lord, if but 3 or 4 pious and able ministers were sent over to supply the present necessity in these provinces of E. and W. Jersey and Pensylvania, it would be of exceeding great service to promote and increase the Church. At Chester, in Pensylvania, 16 miles Southward from Philadelphia, by the River Delaware, some well affected persons have built a brave Church. Mr. Yates, who lives at Chester, has been the main promoter of it; they are to write to your Lordship earnestly to request your Lordship to send them an able and pious Minister.

The Quakers are very many and rich, in and about that place, but some of good note of them called Keithians are well affected to the Church in that County who would certainly join with the Church, if they had a Minister. I have lately preached at Chester and had an auditory of above 200 persons, and also at the Houses of 2 Keithians, my former friends and acquaintances, who received me with much affection. I am forced to use this term of distinction to distinguish them called Keithians. from the other sort of Quakers who generally are most refractory and pertinacious in their Errors, but yet there is hope of many of the Youth among them.

"There is here at Philadelphia a brave vestry of men, both pious and very discreet and in good unity and harmony one with another, and kind to their Ministers, and they have been very civil and Respectfull to us. We have lodged all the time of our stay here at Philadelphia, with an ancient Gentlewoman, a widow called Mistress Welch, formerly a Keithian but now a zealous Church woman and so is her daughter.

"My Lord, having thus far given you an account in general. of things hereaway, I shall not enlarge upon this subject; what further shall occur in my Travels, I think to acquaint your Lordship from time to time. His Excellency Governor Nicholson is a very great patron and benefactor to all the NewErected Churches in these Northern parts of America.

"I remain your Lordship's most humble

"And most obliged servant,

"GEORGE KEITH."

LAND FOR ERECTING A CHURCH.

"WHEREAS severall well disposed Persons with others (Inhabitants in & about Burlington) together with Nathaniell Westland Robert Wheeler & Hugh Huddy have agreed together to purchase a Lott or parcell of Land as well for the Enlargeing of that or those parcells of Land ffenced in for Christian burying ground as also for the Erecting a Church & other buildings. as occasion may serve for Charitable uses and for the same intent & purpose have respectively disbursed or agreed to disburse into the hands of the said Nathaniell Westland Robert

Wheeler & Hugh Huddy (as ffeoffees in Trust) certaine Sumes of money," therefore, on the 6th of March, "In the Yeare of our Lord according to English acco" 1702, "the said Nathaniell Westland Robert Wheeler & Hugh Huddy, as well for themselves as also in trust," for the Sume of Twenty pounds of Currant Silver money within the Province," bought of "William Hollinshead & John Hollinshead, Yeomen," all that "Lott" of Land in Burlington "bounded Easterly by a street commonly called Wood street & adjoyning to & Rangeing with the Easterly end of that Land purchased lately & ffenced in for Christian burying ground & runs thence in a direct Line bounded by said Wood street unto the street called Broad street & soe runs Westerly bounded by the said Broad street until it Range in a direct Line with the Westerly end of the said Burying ground & is the same in Length with the said Burying ground," "to have & to hold the said Lott" "for the Publick uses aforesaid." Extracts from Original Deed.

"I have gone with Mr. Keith and without him, about East and West Jersey Preaching and baptising several scores of men, women and children, encouraging them to build Churches by promising them in time ministers from England, and that the Honorable Society would take care to send none but sober, good men well qualified in all respects for the work of the ministry. I look upon it that the sending Mr. Keith in quality of a missionary, to travel for the good of the Churches, has been the best service that has been done yet for the Church of England in these parts of the world; for he is a general scholar, an able disputant and a perfectly honest man. He is in a word Hereticorum malleus, and so he had need; having to deal with some of the worst that ever troubled the Church or the World. Here is little or no Government, and people in many places take the liberty to say there be three Gods, or no God, and nothing is done to them. Certainly 'tis better to live where nothing is

lawful than where all things are. Since I came to be more acquainted with the Quakers I have much worse opinion of them than ever I had. It appears by William Penn's book, that he is a greater Antichrist than Julian the apostate. He has said that Christ is a finite, impotent creature; and Faith in the History of Christ's outward manifestation is a deadly poyson these latter ages have been infected withal, to the destruction of holy Living. Who was defender of the Faith when the lewd Heretick was made Governor and Proprietor of a province? Certainly God gave this Land into the hands of the English, that they might Publish the Gospell and give knowledge of Salvation to these people; and I am sure the King gave this to William Penn, with Injunction expressly in his patent, that he should endeavor to convert the Indians to the Faith; but instead of that he labours to make Christians Heathens; and proclaims Liberty and Priviledge to all that believe in one God, and yet when they come here they say there are three or none, and yet be borne out by the Quakers against the Christians. They pretend they ought not to fight, yet I have seen several commissions, under several of their Governor's hands to kill, &e. God bless Queen Anne, and defend her that she may defend the Faith; and her Faithful Councellours if they have any piety or policy I'm sure will take some course with these Heathens and Hereticks, for if they be let alone to take the word (which they certainly will when they think they are strong enough) we shall perish with it, for not opposing them in due time. Notwithstanding the Toleration they are subject to all the penal laws, as you'll find if you read the Act, and were I in England, and had as much knowledge in Law as you, I would bring Statutes and Judgments against them. I have done so att New York where there is a good Governor, my Lord Cornbury.

"Last Lord's day I was at Burlington, the chief Town in West Jersey, where I have preached many times in a house hard by the Quakers' meeting; we shall have one too, I hope, when we return here again from Virginia, where we think to stay but two or three months; after sermon I went out with the rest of the people, and laid the corner stone of Saint Mary's

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