Page:Sermons preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia.djvu/249

forever. At the age of seventeen or eighteen years, he became a communicant member of the Episcopal church of which Dr. Lisle was pastor. Soon after, he assisted an aged gentleman, whose name was Thomas McKoom, in giving catechetical instruction to the children assembled in a private room rented for that purpose. In the same place a number of adults regularly met on Sunday evenings for religious purposes. The exercises were generally conducted by Mr. McKoom. After the death of this gentleman, Mr. Williams was regularly appointed lay-reader. He acted in that capacity until the year 1820, at which time he was ordained deacon by Bishop Hobart in the church in which he dispensed the word of life to the close of his earthly pilgrimage. He was ordained priest by the same Bishop in the year 1826. He manifested a deep concern for the improvement not only of the people of his charge, but for his brethren generally. Hence he was found contributing