I Suppose you have receiv'd some Letters —
with the Reaſons of my not coming to
Lebanon, as I had
intend‐
ed —my Family moſt
of'em are unwell — & my 2
d Daughter
in a critical State of Life — & other things so with me, that my
Time is wholly took up— &
ſeveral things yet to do of imper‐
tance that I can't yet attend to — I saw
Mr-Hunt‐ington (whom you mentiond to Me when at
Lebanon)
who
informs me that He with 2 schoolmaſters are to
go soon for
Oneida, & the Ind
n Country — Per‐
haps as things are
cir
Circumſtanced — it me'nt
it
ment be beſt
to at preſent (till you ſir
ſee fur‐
ther) to employ more than One Miſsionary
(beſides
Mr K–d) & 2 Schoolmaſters — & perhaps
Mr Huntington (as things now are) may do beſt to
go — He is indeed young, &
haſ not had much time, or
advantage to get acquaintance in theſe affairs —
but (being, I hope, honeſtly
& heartily inclind to ſerve
the Redeemer, in this moſt important
^Cauſe)^ He may be ſuc‐
ceeded, &
bleſt in the undertaking -— There are many
difficulties, & dangers, attending ofit, eſpecially to one
unacquainted with The Ind
n Language, manner
^[below]&c^ But God is able to do all things, & even out of
weakneſs to ordain Strength -— I belive
ſir it
would be beſt (if poſsible) for one ofthe
Schoolmaſter
to go as an Interpreter to
Mr Huntn For He will
be put to difficulty otherwiſe to get an Interpre
tr — and moreover if
Mr Htn
propoſes to ſpend his
Life among the Ind
ns, to be ſure to give his Mind
to Learn their Language; The advantage ofit is
inconceivably great to a Miſs.
ry — nex
^t^ to the Grace
of God &
miniſterial Gifts it is the better halfe
of a Miſsion
ys qualifications to do ſervice in the
Cauſe — I coud
wiſh that all &
evry one that
think of doing Service as Miſsion
ies among the
Ind
ns woud give them selves to the Learning of
their Language, as one moſt
neceſsary ante‐
cedent qualification for their going among them
And for this moſt important purpoſe that
you woud
ſir get as ſoon as poſsible a pro‐
feſsor of Indian in your School and that the
Ind
n Language may be taught as equally if
not even more neceſsary than Latin Greek
or Hebrew as I am indeed certain it is in this
Caſe by my own moſt certain experience
There Language may be reduced to the rules
of Grammer
& taught as any other Language
and be learned as soon or sooner than any
other eſpecially by thoſe who have any taſt
or geneous for the Oriental Languages —as I
coud
eaſily
shew by what I learned ofit —
—was it the will of God I ſhoud spend as much
Time away there again as I did the laſt
winter I think I coud be maſter of their
Language & be able to reduce it to the Rules
of Grammer which I think woud be a ſervice
of unſpeakable
^advantage^ whoever does it to effect —And
if
your ſon or any other propoſes to go into the ſervice
I hope they will in the mean time give themſelves to
the ſtudy of the Indian Tongue —you ſee
ſir the affair
is ſo much on my Mind that I know not how
to diſmiſs it or give over urging it upon your
mind ſir
till you do ſome thing to effect about it
the which when I hear of my Mind will be eaſy
in that respect
[illegible][guess: m]— but I muſt not enlarge
May the Father of Lights direct you ſir in
all things & make his will in these & all respects
plain & perfect for the furtherance & upbuilding
the Redeemers Kingdom among the benighted
Heathen
P.ſ. I belive upon the whole it may be beſt for your
ſon
^Mr^
Radolp not to go for the
Oneida
untill you
ſir
&
yr
ſon have had a perſonal Interview with
Mr k–d at Your own Houſe
&
thoſe affairs —
ſubſiſting be conſiderd
& amicably settled to mutual
satiſfaction which I hope thro the mercy & Grace
of God may be done & well done ſo that the
path way of Duty may be open & plain That there
may be nothing in that reſpect within or
without to hurt or offend in all Gods Holy Moun‐
tain — It was my Laber there with
K–d
& prayer to
God then &
ſince tha
[gap: tear][guess: t]
[gap: tear] might be done —