30 History of Methodism 



which remained the law of the colony till the Ameri- 

 can Revolution. "Now as the civil power doth en- 

 danger itself by grasping at more than its essential 

 right can justly and reasonably claim, so the High- 

 church, by overtopping its power in too great a sever- 

 ity, in forsaking the golden rule of doing as they 

 would be done by, may so weaken the foundation of 

 the ecclesiastical and civil state of that country (Car- 

 olina), that so they may both sink into a ruinous con- 

 dition by losing their main sinews and strength, which, 

 as Solomon saith, lies in the multitude of its inhabit- 

 ants ; and this I am satisfied in, and have some exper- 

 imental reason for what I say, that if the extraordi- 

 nary fertility and pleasantness of the country had not 

 been an alluring and binding obligation to most Dis- 

 senters there settled, they had left the High-church 

 to have been a prey to the wolves and bears, Indians 

 and foreign enemies." (Archdale.) 



During the first thirty years of its history " there 

 was scarce any face of the Church of England in this 

 province" (Humphrey), and, for any success it may 

 have had for the thirty years following, it was chiefly 

 indebted to the assistance furnished by the Society for 

 Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, chartered 

 June 16, 1700, by William III. of England. The 

 Rev. Samuel Thomas was sent out to the colony by 

 this society, in 1702, as a missionary to the Yamassee 

 Indians, but was appointed by Governor Nathaniel 

 Johnson to succeed the Rev. Mr. Corbin in minister- 

 ing to the families settled on the three branches of 

 the Cooper River, and to make Goose Creek the chief 

 place of his residence. If we accept, however, the 

 statements of Oldmixon and the Rev. Mr. Marston, 

 this first selection of a missionary was by no means 



