your interests lie very near my heart; and that you, and all who are dear to you, will be happy both now and forever, if kind Heaven favours the warmest wishes of your very sincere and affectionate friend.

ISAAC S. KEITH,

TO REV. DR. S.

[THE FIRST LETTER WRITTEN AFTER HIS SETTLEMENT IN CHARLESTON.]

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

CHARLESTON, APRIL 18, 1789.

By the return of the same conveyance which brought me your very acceptable favour of the 10th of Dec. last, I wrote to one of your family, and desired my cor. dial thanks for it, to be presented to you. Particular circumstances prevented me from gratifying my wishes, in writing to yourself at that time. I rely on your well known benevolence, and long experienced friendship, to excuse the omission, and with pleasure, improve the present opportunity for returning you in this way, my best acknowledgements for your much valued letter, and for all the instances and expressions of your kind and friendly regards, with which you have honored me. The generous interest which your worthy family, together with yourself, take in my concerns, and the pleasure which you feel in what contributes to my happiness, afford me a very peculiar satisfaction. For such testimonies of the affectionate remembrance of me, by persons whose favourable opinion and good will, is so highly flattering and pleasing to me, what adequate returns can I make? They will be recollected with the

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liveliest gratitude; and as my heart has long cherished the sentiments and feelings of a sincere esteem, and cordial friendship for you, and can never forget the many improving and happy hours, which I have enjoyed among you; so it will, I think, never cease to feel itself very tenderly interested in your welfare, and fervently to pray, that the bountiful Author of all good, may suitably and abundantly reward all your kindness shewn to me, and make you all happy in every blessing of his providence and grace.

Your excellent hints of advice, are worthy of your character, your age and experience; and I hope they will be remembered by me for the government of my conduct, with the respect and reverence due to the counsels of piety and wisdom; and with the regards due to the dictates of an affection truly paternal.

I feel the weight of the charge which I have undertaken here; and under a consciousness of my unworthiness of the trust committed to me, and unfitness for the work in which I am employed, I find sufficient cause for humiliation, and many apprehensions. But I desire to have my dependence still placed, and fixed, on that grace, which I know is sufficient for me, and on that strength, which can be made perfect in the greatest human weak, ness. It is to me a very comfortable circumstance of my situation here, that the benevolent and friendly disposition of the people, whom I am called to serve in the gospel, inclines them, to receive such services as I am able to render them, with all the candor and indulgence, which I could reasonably wish or expect. May that candor and indulgence, and all their kind, and respectful attentions to their ministers, be graciously recompensed, and made mutually blessed, in the abundant success

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of our labours; and through grace, I cannot but encourage the hope, that we shall not labour altogether in vain. Serious impressions of religion appear to be sometimes made, under the ministrations of the word, upon many of our hearers, and particularly upon the poor sons of Africa and slavery. Several individuals, both white and black, have been lately added to the communion of our church.

An increasing acquaintance with the congregation, contributes to make me more and more sensible of the obligations which I am under to you and Dr. Duffield, for your friendly agency in introducing me to the connexion in which I am now united with a people, from whose religious character, friendly dispositions, and pol ished manners, the pastoral relation naturally becomes as pleasing and delightful, as it is in itself important aud interesting. It remains for me only to wish that I may never dishonor the partiality of the worthy friends to whom I am so much indebted. My worthy colleague, your friends, I believe, in general here, together with myself, are in usual health. Present my best regards and wishes to Mr. S. and all the family. With great esteem and affection, I am your, and their ob iged friend,

TO REV. DR. G.

ISAAC S. KEITH.

CHARLESTON, APRIL 20, 1790.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

HAS not the poet elegantly and emphatically expressed it? "Procrastination is the thief of time." And the truth of the expression, whose experience has not in a thousand instances confirmed?

As for myself, I feel it every week, in the loss of almost days; and every day, in the loss of hours, stolen from me by the habit of deferring something, that claims an immediate attention, and might be done at the present time, to a more convenient season. Many of these things will, of course, be left undone; and many of them, which cannot be finally and totally neglected, will be done. in a manner in which they ought not to be done. The review of such delays, and of their consequences, has seldom failed to awaken regret. I wish I were not obliged to add, and has almost as seldom served to promote amendment.

These reflections have been renewed in my mind, and naturally led my pen to begin this letter in the manner which you see, by the circumstance of reading over again, what I had several times read before, your val ued letter of the 26th of February, ult.

I sincerely thank you for your letter, and all that it contains. The expressions of your friendly regards for me, are very pleasing, as I cannot but think it particularly desirable to possess the esteem of those who themselves deserve it. And the assurance which it gives of your disposition, to maintain the correspondence begun, is not less acceptable to me; as it promises me much pleasure and improvement.

You have also my best acknowledgements for the copy of your sermon, which accompanied your letter. The occasion on which it was delivered, was truly solemn, and to every reflecting and well disposed mind, deeply · interesting and affecting.

Dr. Duffield's death will be felt much more extensively, than by his own congregation; and especially in your church judicatories, of which he was a well in

formed, industrious, zealous, and useful member. It is regretted by many of our church here, by whom he was personally known, and highly esteemed. The abridgement of his character, as it appeared in your papers, was transferred into ours; and by some good judges of the truth, as well as of the style, I have heard it pronounced justly and elegantly drawn.

With respect to the measure which you recommend, that some communications relative to our professional character and business, should have a place in our letters, my sentiments entirely coincide with your own. Communications of this kind, made in this way, are certainly peculiarly adapted to be useful, to the parties concerned in the correspondence. And if in this case, I should be the only gainer, as I certainly shall be chiefly so, in regard to instruction and improvement received, I hope that notwithstanding, you will not hesitate freely to impart; as the advantage in another point of view, will be no less in your favour; since according to the maxim of the Divine Author of our religion, "It is more blessed to give, than to receive."

The sample which you have already given of the measure which you have recommended, is on a very important point. All that you have said upon it is, I think, perfectly just; and is far from appearing in my view too much. If you have any more observations, as you seem to intimate that you have, to offer uponit, I shall receive them with pleasure, and I trust not without some profit.

Of the two different methods of preaching, the abstracted and the theoretical; the plain and practical; I think with you, that on every account, and with respect to all des criptions of hearers, the preference is unquestionably to be given to the latter. For the reasons