preparing them to receive the good seed of the Word; Then, watering the good seed sown, that it may take Root downward, and bear Fruit upward, may spring and gradually grow up, first the Blade, then the Ear, then the full Corn in the Ear; in a word, gently Cooperating, assisting, striving together with them, throughout the whole Course of their Lives, that they may grow in Grace, advance from Strength to Strength, from lower to higher Degrees of Knowledge, of Faith, of Renovation of their Minds, of Virtue, of Righteousness and true Holiness, towards that Perfection which is attainable in this present State, of becoming the Children of God, by Adoption, regenerate or new born. "Thus, my Brethren, the Work of Regeneration is not the Work of a Moment, a sudden instantaneous Work, like the miraculous Conversion of St. Paul, or the Thief on the Cross; but a gradual and co-operative Work of the Holy Spirit, joining in with our Understandings, and leading us on by Reason and Persuasion, from one Degree to another, of Faith, good Dispositions, Acts, and Habits of Piety. So that (as speaketh* a divine Author,) in the Renovation of our Natures, we cannot certainly distinguish what is done by the Spirit, from what is done by our natural Reason and Conscience co-operating with him. This indeed we must certainly know, that in this blessed Work, the Spirit is the main and principal Agent; that, without him we can do nothing; that, he is the Author and Finisher of our Faith; and who worketh in us both to will and to do of his good Pleasure: But still we must no less know also, that he doth not work upon us as a Mechanic upon dead Materials, but as on living and free Agents, that can and must co-operate with him; that he doth not renew us whether we will or no, but takes our free Consent and Endeavour along with him; and that unless we do concur with him, we shall for * Scott's Christian Life, Vol. iii. p. 80. U ever remain and perish in our Sins, notwithstanding all the Aids and Graces he affords us." " The year 1740 was likewise memorable in the annals of South-Carolina, for a destructive fire which broke out in Charles-Town, on Tuesday, Nov. 18th. It began in a Sadler's shop on the South side of Broad Street, between Church-Street and East-Bay, about 2 o'clock in the Afternoon. The houses being generally of Wood, and the wind from the N. W. the fire raged with uncontrollable fury, and in four hours consumed every house south of Broad-street, and east of Churchstreet, both sides of which were burnt. All the Wharves, Storehouses and Produce were destroyed. The loss was estimated at nearly one million and an half of dollars, and the number of houses destroyed, at three hundred. Universal sympathy was excited for the distresses of the people. A Solemn Fast was observed on Friday, Nov. 28th, and collections were made at the Churches for the benefit of the sufferers. Subscriptions were likewise opened in town and country, and the Amount collected was paid into the hands of the Churchwardens of St. Philip's Church, to be distributed, according to their discretion, among the sufferers. The Receipts were as follow: Collected on the 28th November, at St. Philip's Church, Collection at St. Philip's, same day, Collection at the Presbyterian Church, From Christ Church Parish, £683 12 6 65 6 0 147 3 6 180 18 0 St. George's Parish, St. Andrew's Parish, St. Thomas' Parish, St. James', Goose-Creek, the General Assembly, Free Masons, Private Subscriptions in town, 14 1 0 121 1 0 363 14 6 15 3 0 142 6 0 1500 0 0 50 0 0 - 819 12 6 Cur. £4102 18 0 Beside these Collections and Subscriptions, a Donation of nineteen Barrels of Rice was received from St. George's Parish, and distributed among the sufferers by the Churchwardens of St. Philip's; and £20,000 Sterling was voted for their relief by the British Parliament. The consequences of this calamity were beneficial to posterity. Several Brick buildings were erected in the place of more combustible materials, and the risk of similar conflagrations was thereby greatly diminished. The Parochial charges of the Province, for the year, ending March 25, 1740, were £535, viz. St. Philip's, £55. and to twelve other Parishes, £40 each. The following is represented* as the state of the different religious denominations in Carolina, in 1740: The Episcopalians being the most numerous, and nearly equal to all the rest. The population in this year is not stated. The Commissary held his eleventh Visitation April 8, 1741, at which were present eight Clergymen, beside the Commissary. Three were recorded as absent. The Rev. Stephen Roe, Rector of St. George's, Dorchester, preached the anniversary Sermon. The Commissary communicated the following extract of a Letter from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts: "That whereas it has been too much the practice of this Province to defer electing the Missionaries sent to the different Parishes, they had deferred appointing new Missionaries in the room of Messrs. Small and Leslie, till the respective Parishes apply to them, and promise, if in a reasonable time there appears no objection against the gentlemen Anon. His. British Empire in America, i. 522. second Ed. sent them, to elect them their Rectors." A copy of this paragraph was sent to the vacant Parishes. The Rev. Mr. Orr, Assistant Minister of St. Philip's, was desirous of changing his situation; and as St. Paul's Parish was vacant, by the death of the Rev. Mr. Leslie, he solicited the Society to appoint him to that Mission. They granted his request, and he removed in 1741. St. Philip's Church being thus left without an Assistant, application was made by the Vestry to the Bishop of London, for his Assistance in procuring a Minister. The Society, being apprized of their want, sent the Rev. William M'Gilchrist, A. M. of Baliol Col. Ox. as a Missionary. He arrived in Sept. 1741, and was appointed Assistant in the -Church. He was Ordained Deacon by Dr. Reynolds, Bishop of Lincoln, May 20, 1733, and Priest, by Dr. Benson, Bishop of Gloucester, Aug. 17, 1735. In the year 1741, the number of Families in CharlesTown were computed at 250, and the population at 3000 souls. The Commissary held his twelfth Visitation April 28, 1742. Eight Clergymen were present, and four were absent. The Sermon was preached by the Rev. Levi Durand, Rector of Christ's Church Parish. Some Letters of Orders were examined by the Commissary, and appointments made to supply the vacant Parishes. The want of Schools for instructing the Negroes, so as to enable them to read the Scriptures, and to understand the nature of Redemption, had long engaged the feelings and the attention of the Clergy. At length, through the influence and exertions of the Rev. Mr. Commissary Garden, a School-house was built in Charles-Town, by private subscription, and opened on ' the 12th Sept. 1742. The Commissary purchased, at the expense of the Society, two intelligent negro boys, with the intention of having them prepared in this School, for the tuition of others.* Mr. Garden thought it probable that, if the experiment succeeded in town, similar institutions would be formed in the country, where the services of these youths would be of signal benefit, as he thought that the negroes would receive instruction from them with more facility and willingness, than from white teachers. The Bishop of London, Dr. Gibson, at his Primary Visitation in 1724, distributed throughout his Diocess, a book of directions to the Clergy for the due discharge of their ministerial functions.† At his Last Visitation, in 1741 and 1742, he delivered a Charge to his Clergy, from which the following are extracts: "III. I need not tell you, what gross representations have been made both here and in the Plantations, as if the generality of the Clergy of the Church of England were shamefully remiss and negligent in the pastoral Office. This slander upon our Church and Clergy has been publicly spread and avowed in a very unworthy and licentious manner, and has received a reprehension, though more gentle than it deserved, in a late Pastoral Letter against the enthusiasm of these days. But however, the reproaches of those men may be so far of use to us, as to be made a fresh incitement to care and diligence in the offices belonging to our function; that after the example of St. Paul in a like case, we may cut off all occasion of slander from them who desire occasion. And since it is not to be expected, that, amongst such a number of Clergymen, there should be, in all, the same degree of zeal and activity in the discharge of their duty; those of them who have been hitherto less zealous and less active than their neighbours, must increase their diligence, upon this, among other motives, that they may cut off These youths received the baptismal names of Harry and Andrew. They continued in the school in Charles-Town, and there are coloured persons now [1819] living here, who were taught by them to read. See Archb. Secker's Works, Ser. CXXXI. + See Page 102. |