“What an excellent Grace of Christianity this is, St. Paul from the Spirit of God teacheth, (1 Cor. xiii.) saying, that when the Gift of Tongues, of Prophecies, of Miracles shall cease, a greater, even that of Charity, shall never cease in the Church militant, never in the Church triumphant; nor can there be any greater Inducements to provoke us to Charity, than first, it covers a Multitude of Sins, and next, bringeth God himself (as he is pleased to esteem it) in debt to us; for he who giveth to the Poor lendeth to the Lord, and look, what he layeth out shall be paid him again; paid in Blessings here, and hereafter eternal Life, if no mortal Sin continue in the Giver, to hinder these blessed Effects.—I need say no more to ye who read the Bible, how dear to God those Christians are, who according to their Ability are liberal to poor Persons and Families; so that what remains for me to say, is to expatiate a little upon the miserable State of the Poor of these two Parishes, and leave the whole to your pious Consideration.
“In one of these, St. Philip’s, mine Eyes beheld all the Signs of an approaching Famine; the Face of the Earth appeared as it were a dry Crust, burnt up and gaping for its watry Nutriment; hardly any thing green appeared, and I am told, the Face of the Country is much the same in Christ-Church Parish. Now how miserable must it be with the single Poor, and with Families! I assure you, several are come into ours, and others are gone farther Leeward to seek for Work and Food. You who are tender Parents, consider how terrible it must be for Families with nothing in their House, nothing growing on their Land, not a grain of any thing to support themselves and dear helpless Children: No Money, and no Credit, no Relief from without, and no Bread, nor Water either, hardly within or without. I have heard of poor Men going about for Work, to sustain their own Bodies, forced to leave Wife and Children at home to starve; sure your Hearts must relent, and every one of you give according as you are able, with a free Mind, and willing Heart. But here some may object, Why should I give to those two Parishes, when our own Poor may be in as great Want? I answer, some may be so; but the Calamity (blessed be God) is not so general here; it is not so bad with us in that one necessary Article of Water. Thirst is terrible, let us then pity our poor Brethren, their Wives and Children, who go so far for Water that they have not due time to get their Bread, were there Work for them to earn it by.
“I believe, you know we have here poor Families in great want, and I could wish our Vestry would meet, particularly to consider it; but in the mean time, let us not forget the poorer People of these two Parishes, as now perishing for want of Food; yea, his L——p and the Council’s Belief is, (you hear) that some have already died for want of Bread.
“What Christian Man or Woman then in Affluence and Plenty, can have an Heart so hard as not to bestow liberally on so great, so sad, so calamitous a Necessity and Misery? and what poorer Christian, who has somewhat, tho’ little above his daily Wants, but will fling his Mite to stop so dread an Evil?
“What Christian Woman, who has young and helpless Children of her own, and Bread to give them, but whose Bowels must yearn and Heart ake to hear, that in these two Parishes are many Infants crying at the empty Breasts of their Mothers, and their Mothers weeping and languishing at the same time for Bread to sustain themselves.
“What compassionate Fathers or Brothers but must grieve to understand, that grown Children too young to work, are now starving in these Parishes, and their Parents and Brothers nothing to relieve them.
“What good Children but must bleed at heart to see their Parents starving? yet such is the Fate of some in these Parishes.
“Christians consider, that one way of keeping Famine from us of this Parish, is to bestow our Charity in a Proportion to their Wants, and our Ability: That is the likeliest Method to move God to give us fruitful Seasons, to renew our Springs, and bring a cheerful Green over the Face of our Plants and Seeds.
“May the blessed Spirit, &c.”