George Leile, Kingston, Jamaica, to John Rippon, London, 18 May 1792.

Kingston, Jamaica, May 18, 1792.

Rev. and dear Sir,

         In answer to yours I wrote 18th December last, and as I have not received a line from you since, I send this, not knowing but the other was miscarried. Mr. Green has called upon me, and very kindly offered his service to deliver a letter from me into your hands; he also advised me to send you a copy of our church covenant, which I have done: being a collection of some of the principal texts of scripture which we observe, both in America and this country, for the direction of our practice. It is read once a month here on sacrament meetings, that our members may examine if they live according to all those laws which they professed, covenanted, and agreed to; by this means our church is kept in scriptural subjection. As I observed in my last, the chiefest part of our society are poor illiterate slaves, some living on sugar estates, some on mountains, pens and other settlements, that have no learning, no not to know so much as a letter in the book; but the reading this covenant, once a month, when all are met together from the different parts of the island, keeps them in mind of the commandments of God. And by shewing the same to the gentlemen of the legislature the justices, and magistrates, when I applied for a sanction, [344] it gave them general satisfaction; and whenever a negro servant is to be admitted, their owners, after the perusal of it, are better satisfied. We are this day raising the roof on the walls of our meeting-house; the height of the wall from the foundation is seventeen feet. I have a right to praise God, and glorify him for the manifold blessings I have received, and do still receive from him. I have full liberty from Spanish Town, the capital of this country, to preach the Gospel throughout the island: the Lord is blessing the work every where, and believers are added daily to the church. My tongue is not able to express the goodness of the Lord. As our meeting-house is out of the town” (about a mile and a half), “I have a steeple on it, to have a bell to give notice to our people, and more particularly to the owners of slaves that are in our society, that they may know the hour on which we meet, and be satisfied that their servants return in due time; for which reason I shall be greatly obliged to you to send me out, as soon as possible, a bell that can be heard about two miles distance, with the price. I have one at present, but it is rather small. The slaves may then be permitted to come and return in due time, for at present we meet very irregular, in respect to hours. I remain, with the utmost regard, love, and esteem,

                                 Rev. Sir, yours, &c.

                                             George Liele.

Text: Taken from John Rippon, ed., “Sketch of the Black Baptist Church at Savannah, in Georgia; and of their Minister Andrew Bryan, extracted from several Letters.” Baptist Annual Register, vol. 1, 1790-93, pp. 343-44.