“ISABELLA GRAHAM.”

“ROCKAWAY, September 10, 1811.

“I have been here four Sabbaths.  The first I spent at home, the weather not permitting our going abroad; the second I spent at a prayer-meeting with the Methodist brethren; the third we rode to Hempstead, where I heard two plain gospel sermons from Mr. C——­, Presbyterian minister; and the last I attended at the Episcopal church, same place; heard a good plain gospel sermon from Mr. H——­, and witnessed the dispensation of the Lord’s supper.

“To sing the praises of our redeeming God, and to lift up my heart in prayer with my fellow-sinners, in the comfortable hope that there are other living souls praising and praying with me, refreshes me:  to hear the word of God read, and to be led to meditate upon it, however simple and common the exposition, also refreshes me.  I am generally led to pray much for minister and people; to consider myself as one with them in Christ.  However weak his natural powers, however few or small his talents, if I have reason to think that he is taught of God that which flesh and blood cannot teach, I desire to esteem him highly for his work’s sake.  I thank God for the meanest and weakest of such:  I believe they never labor in vain.  ’Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings,’ in talents as well as in years, God will perfect praise.

“In this new world, thickly settled in many places with natural men ‘eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,’ while the flood of wrath is hastening to overwhelm them, and none to warn them of their danger, nor point out the ark of safety; shall such men be reckoned of none account, and their labors of no value?  No, the wealth of both Indies cannot balance their work; nor all the talents ever possessed by fallen man, with all the orthodoxy which mere talents are capable of acquiring, without that divine teaching which many of those, thus contemned, possess.  That same small discourse, those few plain points, these same things repeated in the same way, contain truths by which sinners may be saved, by which sinners shall be saved.

“Suppose, for it is but a supposition, that these men have made a mistake.  They are the Lord’s, and in their place by his providence.  He will be forth-coming for them, and without miracle.  From him shall their fruit be found, and his power be manifested by their weakness.  Exert your energies, ye gifted doctors of divinity; and may the Lord prosper the means used to produce a ministry which shall render attendance upon their ministrations the interest of both the understanding and the heart.  Persuade men who are adding field to field, house to house, thousand to thousand, to provide a competent maintenance for them.  If these last remain obstinate, and it be idle to hope that youths of talents without fortune, whatever be their piety, will serve the church of God at the expense of devoting themselves to infallible penury, and all the wretchedness which belongs to it—­is it wise to weaken the hands and discourage the hearts of those ministers already settled pastors, or to furnish their people with arguments in their own vindication for leaving them in want and penury?”