ad with care and attention, as well as many others of my
congregation, and I heartily thank you for your friendly advice and godly
admonitions; believing them to have been given in that love which purifies
the heart. I am very sensible that the charge committed to my care is very
great; and am also fully convinced of my own inability for so great an
undertaking. And I do assure you, that when I was called to the task, I
trembled at the idea, and was ready to say, "Who am I." But when I consider
that God can send by whom he will, and as you very justly have observed, he
sometimes makes use of the feeblest instruments for the promotion of Truth;
I say under these considerations, I was led to believe that the Lord would
perfect strength in my weakness; and glory be to his ever-adorable Name for
it. I have cause to believe, my labour has not been altogether in vain.

You wish to know the number I consider to be under my care. Our list of
members contains about five hundred, although we have a great many more
who constantly attend worship in our church, of whom I have a comfortable
hope that they will be brought unto the knowledge of the Truth.

My wife joins me in love. I remain, with sentiments of high esteem and
respect,

Your esteemed Friend,

Absalom Jones

LETTER FROM AN AFRICAN MINISTER, RESIDENT IN PHILADELPHIA ADDRESSED TO
DOROTHY RIPLEY

Philadelphia, 24th, of 6th mo. 1803.

_Friend Ripley_,

I Received thy epistle, dated New-York, 26th of 5th month, with much joy,
thanks and satisfaction; and am thankful for thy kind spiritual advice, and
grateful for thy concern for me and my people.

With the assistance of the good Spirit, I will attend to thy serious
admonitions in the Lord, and listen to the small still voice of Christ
within, as thou dost observe in thy epistle, for it is He that must enable
me to observe his holy law written on the heart by his Spirit.

I wish to take thy sisterly counsel; but O! my abounding weakness. I wish
to be more sensible of it, so that I alone may feel it. I would hide it
from my friends, but they are too eagle-eyed not to discover it; yet they
have the charity to bear with me.--I often bow at the foot-stool of divine
mercy, that I may obtain strength to overcome corrupt nature.--None knows
but myself my strivings to walk in the narrow way, in which the poor worm
has no desire to rob God of his honor. I see the beauty of nakedness to be
far superior than to be clothe