I have now to thank you for your favors of the
9.th
Novr
&
3d
Decr
Aſ it is my sincere desire to alleviate
that load of anxieties & Care that you must necessarily
be under for I bear you much upon my heart & I do
believe I may safely assure you that my poor prayers
are not
wanting, I trust that kind Lord that has upheld
you hitherto will long continue your
valuable life &
direct & guide you thro every intricacy, I was sorry
to hear of
Mr Kirtlands going over to the
Boston
Trust which I did my utmost to prevent & with that view
offered to assist him with Money if his exigencies
required it, he had complained of your unkindneſs
on account of some disagreement with
your
Son which also
Mr Whitefield mentioned to me as well
as himself, he is as you
well know a valuable Man
much owned &
bleſsed, his Zeal runs away with him
sometimes & consequently leads him into some mistakes
but I believe even then his
intention is commendable
& all that will be set right by the Discipline of the
Spirit by a little more experience, you
well know what
slow proficients the best of us are in the School of Xt
the great forbearance we require & will I dare say make
every poſsible allowance, manifesting the Law of kindneſs
is wrote upon your heart, I hope all breaches will be
made up & every mistake over looked, the Gentlemen of
the
Boston ^Trust^ on this side are not in our Sentiments &
I wish that may not be a bar to a perfect union
for they have
testified opposition hitherto & you would
be grieved to see, how much has been said about
the
Trust being abused & the Moneys applied to very
different purposes from that for which it is collected
& there has been almost an outcry about it, that
you must let the
benefactions on your side be em
ployed towards the Building of both School & College
as we really have not a power vested in us to apply
our Monies
to any Building, if this should put you
to any difficulty I am ready to aſsist you with 4
to £500 out of my private fortune
^or
the double thereof if you judge it needful^ but we must
let our yea be yea & our nay nay for whatever is more
then this cometh of evil, many things have
been said
on this side maliciously to hurt the Cause but it matters
little for by our Master we stand or
fall & the most that
speak against us is on account of the Cause we are
engaged
in, however we must not only take heed that our end is
right, but also
that it is rightly pursued & that we give
no just occasion to those that such occasion, it has
been
surmised (but barely so) that you had changed your
religious Sentiments & was disposed to
Sandimans
ſenti
ments, I trust that like every other Calumny is believed
by few, that are
acquainted with Jesus & those who do
pretend to believe it, don't know what it means, I
presume you know
Dr Whitaker was thought a double
minded Man & artful while on this side the Water
that his espousing your Cause can by no
means help it
I really believe all the Gentlemen of the
Trust have
a just opinion of your Conduct, & as far as they think
they consistently can they will go hand in hand w
th you, but where they can not do it without Infring
ing on
the
Trust it can't be expected & they will
not depart one tittle therefrom—
I was grieved at what I heard of
Mr Occom indeed
I Fear he had hard usage & that drove him into
the horrid Sin of drinking, pray my dear ſir use
him tenderly for I am much mistaken if his heart
is not right with God, I apprehend the
Trust can
have no objection to your aſsisting him occasionally
if you can not do it for them, pray do it for me &
draw the money as before
I send you herewith a List of the Bills that
have appeared all
which are taken care of & as
there will be a neceſsity of producing some acco
ts I hope you will forward them as soon as poſsible
I trust every blessing of Covenant love will be
vouchsafed & that your unwearied endeavors will
be crowned with abundant succeſs which will
most sincerely rejoice
If I mistake not the
Revd
Mr John Todd is
your Neighbour & a valuable one
I saw an acco
t from him in
July 1768 when he was
bringing up
some young Men for the Ministry & I liked
what I saw so well that I was glad to throw in my
Mite to
forward the good Work —
Dr Whitherspoon gives me a pleasing acco
t of a great revival at his
College in New
Jersey, that the Lord has many Witneſses far & near.