532 APPENDIX. — NOTE F. 



NOTE F.— Pages 208, 211. 



EXTRACTS FROM AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE INCORPORATED 

 SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN 

 PARTS, &C. ALSO FROM THE JOURNAL OF GEORGE KEITH. 



" At the same time, [1704] the Society received a letter from the Vestry of 

 Chester in Pennsylvania, full of religious sentiment, ' that they did bless God 

 who had put into the Hearts of so many Charitable persons, to engage in the 

 great "Work of promoting the salvation of such as were so widely removed from 

 all Convenience of Divine ^Yorship, as they were, till the Christian Charity of the 

 Society, not only procured a Minister for them, but also supported him.' This 

 truly was absolutely necessary, for though in some parts of that province, and 

 particularly in and about Philadelphia, Abundance of Souls were daily added 

 to the Church, yet the number of this Parish being small, and the charge of 

 building their church (not then quite finished.) together with the great scarcity of 

 money among them since the war with Spain, had quite disenabled them from 

 taking that Weight from the Society, which otherwise they would have willingly 

 done. They never before had grounds to hope the Gospel would be Propagated, in 

 those above all other Foreign Parts, till they found themselves the subjects of the 

 Society's care." The Society received also letters ******* from the 

 Welsh people settled at Radnor, requesting the Corporation with great earnest- 

 ness to send them Missionaries, and expressing the greatest love and esteem for 

 the Doctrines and Discipline of the church of England." — p. 53. 



" The people of Chester County showed very early zeal to have the Church of 

 England Worship settled among them. This county is so called because most 

 of the first Inhabitants of it came from Cheshire in England. Chester, the chief 

 town of the county is finely situated on the River Delaware, at that place three 

 miles over ; the Road for Shipping here is very Commodious and safe, and so 

 large that a Royal Navy might ride there. The People here were stirred up by 

 Mr. Evans' Preaching to engage in building a church. They erected a very good 

 Brick Fabrick, one of the neatest on the Continent, and completed it in July 

 1702, at the sole expence of private subscriptions of the Church Members; it 

 was opened on St. Paul's Day, and therefore called St. Pauls, and Mr. George 

 Keith preached the first Sermon in it. The Society appointed the Reverend Mr. 

 Nicholls Missionary in 1703, he acquainted the Society in 1704, that he found 

 the People very well inclined to the Church of England, and recommended them 

 earnestly to the Society's care, on account of their good Disposition, tho they 

 had not any fixed Minister till now. The people made a subscription of £G0 a 

 year towards Mr. Nicholls" support, and became very regular and constant at 

 Divine Worship. Mr. Nicholls said he did not want a considerable Congregation 

 at his first arrival, notwithstanding his being seated in the midst of Quakers, 

 and ascribes this advantage to the industrious preaching, of the Society's itine- 

 rant missionaries, the Reverend Mr. Keith, and Mr. Talbot, who had prepared the 

 People very much by their labours. 



"Mr. Jasper Yeates and Mr. James Sandelands, two worthy Gentlemen of this 

 place, deserved particular mention here; they were the principal promoters of the 

 building of this Church ; .Mr. Thomas Powell gave also a valuable piece of ground 

 for the minister's garden, the Parishoners contributing the rest ; and as soon as 

 the Outside was completed, the inside was beautified mostly at the Expence of 

 those who frequented it ; and adorned with decent Furniture, a handsome Pulpit 

 and Pcwes. Mr. Nicholls continued here with good success in his Labours, till 

 about 17o8, at which time he removed to Maryland. The Revend Mr. Ross 

 came from New Castle and officiated here upon the Peoples Desire. He was 

 very industrious in his Ministry, and acceptable to the People. He moved the 

 Society to send some good Books here to prevent the Peoples continuing in un- 

 settled notions of Religion; and said he was much concerned to observe in his 

 Travels up and down the country that there were a variety of Books sent and 

 placed in almost every Quaker family, especially Barclay's Apology, to fortifie 



