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fervent entreaties of those with whom you now are,
yet if you was thoroughly acquainted with our situation, and saw the happy train of consequences,
which are connected with your becoming our minister, and which have respect to the well-being of
our Churches at large, you would not hesitate one
moment to consider our invitation as the call of
God."
"It is not only the prosperity of our large congregation, that depends greatly upon your becoming
our minister, but even the more extensive views of
supplying the many vacancies in our Churches. I
cannot do justice to the expectation and wants of
the Churches, unless I can be supported and succeeded by one, to whom the burthen of
ecclesiastical and parochial cares can be transferred. In you
I place, as you know, the fullest confidence, and
with me, the whole congregation."
"To the Lord, my waiting eyes are raised, and
I trust he will, at length, grant what has long been
fhe desire of my heart."
About the same time, the Consistory called also
the Rev. Dr. William Linn, of the Presbyterian
Church, to preach in the English language, who
accepted their call, and was soon after installed
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collegiate pastor, with Doctor Livingston, of the
Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of New-York.
His sentiments respecting this eloquent and accomplished divine, he very frankly expressed to his
friend Dr. R. "We yesterday," he informs him in
one letter, "sent a call to Mr. Linn. Whether
we shall succeed is uncertain. He is an excellent
preacher — appears to be a good and great man."
In another, dated January 29, 1787, after urging
still further the acceptance of the call, he says —
"Rest assured, my brother, of my fullest confidence, and sincerest love and friendship; and I am
peculiarly happy to add, that you will find in our
new colleague, Mr. Linn, that rectitude and approved abilities, mixed with the most affectionate
inclination to make all who are connected with him
happy, which cannot fail of rendering him an acquisition in general, and peculiarly acceptable to us."
The writer has been induced to present so much
of the correspondence in reference to these calls,
by a desire to remove a suspicion which he is aware
has been and still is harboured, though perhaps to
no very great extent — that the Doctor was envious
of the popularity of his new colleague, and unfriendly to the coming of Dr. R. More could not
have been said, in a few words, in favour of the
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