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appreciate them. As more room was wanting to accommodate those, which could be had by putting up the galleries in the church, this we took as a call from God to finish His house, which we attempted, some of us I hope like the builders in Ezra's day not by might or power, but by the spirit of God, hoping he will raise up for us unexpected friends to aid in carrying up the last stone of the temporal building as he did for them, for King Darius was made a nursing father to the church in his day, being overrated by the superintendent providence of God. He had the house of the rolls searched (wherein the treasure was laid up in Babylon), and there he found the decree of Cyrus, which he made in the first year of his reign, respecting the building of the house of the Lord, that it should be paid out of the King's treasury; this decree was enforced by King Darius, and the house was finished accordingly. In doing this, he fulfilled the prophecy and vision of Daniel respecting the Jewish Church. (Dan. Ch. 9th.) Now let the friends of Jesus look into the records of his decrees and see what he has said respecting the accomplishment of the Gospel church, and they will see his promises fulfilling in this day particularly as it respects Ethiopia, for she is now stretching out her hands to God or heart, through the means of Grace which she is now enjoying, and many of her sable sons and daughters are hopefully gathered in the bosom of the visible church, and as we are among that number glory is due to God from us, and humble thanks to that public spirit of benevolence which we have witnessed in this place. Having finished our building, we have set apart next Friday the 31st inst. as a day of thanksgiving to God for the innumerable blessings conferred upon us. The mode of spending this day will be in our private families in the morning, and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon we shall repair to the new finished building to present our public thank-offering to God, at which time there will be a sermon preached by a Rev. D. D., of Princeton, whose name I am not at liberty to mention, after which there will be a collection taken up to assist in defraying the expenses of this building, and we hope that those who gave us birth as a visible church will help this poor branch of God's vineyard in putting up the cap stone of this building, which is too high for our circumstances. Believing there is enough in the King's treasury, we throw ourselves at the feet of those with whom he has intrusted it, in hopes of receiving aid to finish a house which will stand as an eternal monument to the glory of God, the honor of the Christian religion in this place, and finally, we trust, will prove a blessing to many souls.
