THE FIRST CHURCHWARDENS APPEAL FOR AID. The Church Wardens &c of Burlington to the Lord Bishop of London. "BURLINGTON in West Jersey 4 Sept 1703 "Most Reverend Father, "We few members of the church of England in this Collony of West new Jersey in America by the advice of our worthy Patron Coll. Nicholson Governor of Virginia did in November last penn our humble addresse to our majesty our Gracious Queen and also a petition to your Lordship wherein we demonstrated our Designe to erect a church for the worship of God according to Law as established in England. "But the Quakers being numerous amongst us, & we a very few concerned are not able without the assistance of well disposed christians to accomplish this our religious undertaking, yet tho' it was not quite covered and flored nor plastered, nor glazed the 22th of Aug. last M Keith & Mr Talbot preached before my Lord Cornbury therein, who was here then to proclaime her majesty's commission for Governour of the Jerseys. "With our petition to your Lordship we presumed to inclose a little memorial: That when our Infant church by divine providence mett with benefactors in England some things might be sent us as Common Prayer Books Catechisms necessaries for the Communion Table & Pulpitt, Glass, nayles, Linseed Oyle; &a Bell these are things not to be had here for money, so we are in hopes God Almighty will move the hearts of well disposed christians to help us. "By a Letter from your Lordship to Coll Morris of East Jersey we are informed your Lordship designed sending us a minister for wch we have cause to adore the goodness of God who is pleased to move your Lordships heart to take pity upon our poor souls, we most humbly begg your Lordships prayers for us, that the Almighty's Blessing may be upon us that Schisms & Heresies may vanish, that many souls amongst us may be brought into the true orthodox faith: then shall our congregation encrease we & our Posterity for so great a blessing will have ever cause to praise and magnify God Almightie's goodness for his Instruments in Promoting so religious and glorious a work. "We having but even now notice of Mr Thomas the Minister att Philadelphia his departing from thence in a day or two, we could not get more hands, many of our bretheren being att some considerable distance, on our own and their behalfs presumed to subscribe our selves. "Right reverend Father in God, your Lordships "ever obliged humble & obedient Servants, * 66 EVERY PLACE WANTS MR. TALBOT. Mr. Keith to the Secretary. "PHILADELPHIA, 4th September 1703. "Notwithstanding the averseness of those called Foxonian Quakers, everywhere generally (some few excepted) those formerly called Keithian Quakers both in E. & W. Jersey and Pensylvania and at New York did kindly receive us and most are come over to the Church with good zeal, so that in E & W. Jersey and some other places above a hundred have been baptized by Mr Talbot and me and Mr Evans very lately; most of them Keithians formerly so called, and their children: and they greatly desire that good and able ministers may be sent among them, particularly at Burlington in W. Jersey, at Shrewsbury in E. Jersey, where Coll. Morris lives, and who has been very Instrumental to them, & very kind to us and hospitable; also at Chester in Pensylvania they greatly desire a minister, and at New Castle by the River Delaware. In Burlington, the people assisted by the county and some others, especially by the beneficence of Governour Nicholson, have built a church of Brick where I preached two weeks ago before Lord Cornbury, who was come thither to publish his Commission to be Governour of these two provinces of E. & W. Jersey now put into one. The Church was very full of People, and the next Sunday after that, I preached there again and had a considerable auditory. * I had your kind letter wherein you give me notice -that the Hororable Corporation hath allowed Mr. John Talbot to be my associate in my travels, and that they give £60per annum to bear his charge, for which I humbly thank them: he hath been very comfortable to me and serviceable throughout, and is universally so well beloved that in every place where they want a Minister they have desired to have him, and especially at Burlington and in E. Jersey. He designs to stay in these American parts, and in my opinion I think the Corporation will hardly find any one fitter to send to be their missionary, (and . to give him the best post either on Long Island or E. or W. Jersey,) than he is, being so well known & beloved both for his preaching and good Conversation, and civil and obliging behaviour. But I leave it wholly to the discretion of the Honorable Corporation where to fix him after his time is expired with me, which will be about eight months hence, when my two years which I design to travel in these American parts will be out; and, God willing, I design to come to England in the Fleet that is to sail from Virginia to London next Spring or Summer, if God please to spare my life and give me health and Preservation. "As you advised me I keep a Journal of all observable occurrences which I hope to produce at my return. “I remain, "Your obliged and affectionate friend, "GEORGE KEITH." THE KEITHIAN QUAKERS WELL AFFECTED. "Dr. BRAY "Philadelphia, 24th Feb. 1703-4. "REVEREND AND WORTHY SIR: "My very humble and kind respects remembered to you, and all our friends with you; having this occasion I was glad to accept of it (as of all occasions that occur) to write unto you. I writ unto you from New York, in November last, together with our scheme of the State of the Church in these Northern parts of America, and therewith I sent a long letter to the Honourable Corporation for Propagating the Gospell in Foreign Parts, and a letter to my Lord of London, all which I enclosed in my letter to you, which I hope you havereceived. I have had no letter from you as yet, nor from any of your honourable Corporation, but one from my worthy friend, Mr. Chamberlayne,† wherein he signified to me that your Corporation had not met, betwixt his receiving my Letters and the time of his writing to me, so that he could not say any thing, what the Corporation would do, concerning allowing Mr. Talbot his charge in travelling with me, but he thought that they would be well satisfied that he was my companion, and would allow him what they thought was convenient. I have heard Mr. Talbot say that if they allow him £50 English money per annum, it will do, and indeed that is little enough, and would not near do, but that we are often upon free quarters, more especially among our friends. Mr. Talbot, I hear, has a good character given of him, to my Lord of Canterbury, and indeed he deserves it, he has been mightly serviceable and comfortable to me in all respects, as a Son to his Father, and is well beloved by all where we have travelled, who are well affected to the Church; and has been much desired by the People in severa Places, to be their Minister (after he has finished his travels with me, which are like to be done, somewhat above a year hereafter) particularly at Chester, about 16 miles Southward from Philadelphia, by the river Delaware, where he has once preached, and hath brought over the same time there also, in the said Town of Chester, Mr. Yeates who lives there, and who has been the principal person, to cause build a Church, very decent and convenient of Brick, that will hold a thousand people, it is well glazed, but not as yet wainscotted nor plaistered, but it is fit for use, and we have preached in it twice: the the 14th of this instant I preached in it, and there were above two hundred hearers, all generally well affected to the Church; but they greatly desire a Minister, and if the Corporation please to give an yearly supply of £50 per annum, the people there, and thereabouts, would contribute to make up the rest. This, He was Secretary of the Society. Mr. Yeates desired me to write to you to lay before my Lord of London and the Honourable Corporation. "Betwixt New York and Pensylvania we continued about a month, viz. from 14th of December to 11th of January travelling among the Friends, call'd formerly the Keithian Quakers especially for East Jersey, having been about a whole month travelling among them before that, which was in the month October; and by God's blessing our labour has had good success among them, so that generally very few excepted, all the Keithians in East Jersey are well affected to the Church, and we baptized twenty two persons in East Jersey, all either Keithians or Keithian children. I am forced to use this name of distinction to distinguish them from the other Quakers who are generally very stiff and averse from the Church, and all principles of true Christianity everywhere, and who decline all discourse or converse with us. Colonel Morris did very kindly entertain us at his house in East Jersey, and both he and his Lady went with us from meeting to meeting in divers places. At Amboy in East Jersey they have contributed about £200 towards building a Church and greatly desire a Minister. The Contributors are some Keithians and some other persons well affected to the Church. At Burlington also several persons (among whom some are Keithians) well affected to the Church have contributed about two hundred pounds towards building of a Church and they are to begin the Building this Spring. all these new erectings of Churches in these Northern parts, Governor Nicholson has largely contributed, and is a mighty promoter and encourager of them by his Letters and Advice as well as his purse; as not only at Boston and Rhode Island, but at Burlington, in West Jersey, Chester, in Pensylvania, and here at Philadelphia. In all places where I have yet travelled, at Boston, Rhode Island, N. York and Philadelphia, the Ministers live very regularly and are in good esteem, and the Churches in good order, and the people generally devout, and well affected to the Word and the publick worship of God; at Concord, in Pensilvania, and thereabouts, especially at Thomas Powell's, formerly a Keithian, several people formerly Keithians, are well affected to the Church and entertained us kindly. Mr. Evans, In |
