Letter to Governor Wright, Letter 9 – Letter 12
Mr. Whitefield to the Archbiſhop.
Tottenham-Court, October 16, 1767. May it pleaſe your Grace,
AFTER earneſt application to the Father of mercies for directions, I have endeavoured, as in his preſence, duly to conſider and weigh the contents of the Lord Preſident's letter, which your Grace was ſo condeſcending as to tranſmit for my peruſal. His lordſhip therein is pleaſed to inform your Grace, That he obſerves, that the ſecond draught of Mr. Whitefield's charter differs from that of New-York, in not requiring the head of the College to be a member of the church of England, which his Lordſhip thinks ſo material a qualification, that for one, he ſhould not be for diſpenſing with it. And his Lordſhip is alſo of opinion, that the publick prayers ſhould not be extempore ones, but the liturgy of the church, or ſome part thereof, or ſome other ſettled and eſtabliſhed form. Thus far his Lordſhip. And as I profeſs myſelf to be a preſby…er of the ſame communion with his Lordſhip, I cannot but applaud his Lordſhip's zeal for, and watchfulneſs over, the honour of the eſtabliſhed church—But if his Lordſhip would be ſo good as to take a particular view of the point of light in which I ſtand, I cannot help flattering myſelf that his Lordſhip will be ſo far from thinking, that being a member of the church of England is a qualification not to be diſpenſed with in the head of the intended College, that, on the contrary, it ought not ſo much as to be mentioned, or inſiſted upon, in the charter at all—For, not to trouble your Grace with a repetition of the reaſons urged againſt ſuch a reſtraining clauſe, in my letter of June 17th, I would beg leave further to obſerve to your Grace, that by far the greateſt part of the Orphan-houſe collections and contributions came from diſſenters, not only in New-England, New-York, Pennſylvania, South-Carolina, and Scot…and, but in all probability here in England alſo.—Moſt of theſe places I have viſited ſince the ſeveral audits of the Orphan hou…e accounts, together with the deſign of turning it into a College, and likewiſe the addreſs of the council and aſſembly of the province of Georgia, with his Excellency Governour Wright's anſwer, highly approving and recommending the deſign, have been publiſhed.—Being frequently aſked "Upon what bottom the intended College was to be founded," I not only moſt readily and repeatedly anſwered, Undoubtedly upon a broad bottom, but likewiſe, in moſt of the above-mentioned places, have ſolemnly declared from the pulpit, that it ſhould be upon a Broad Bottom, and no other.—This, I judged, I was ſufficiently warranted to do, from the known long eſtabliſhed mild and uncoercive genius of the Engliſh government—From your Grace's moderation towards proteſtant diſſenters—From the unconquerable attachment of the Americans to toleration principles, as well as from the avowed habitual feelings and ſentiments of my own heart. This being the caſe, may it pleaſe your Grace, I would humbly appeal to his Lordſhip, whether I can anſwer it to my God, my conſcience, my King, my country, my conſtituents, and Orphan-houſe benefactors and contributors, both at home and abroad, to betray my truſt, forfeit my word, act contrary to my own convictions, and greatly retard and prejudice the growth and progreſs of the intended inſtitution, by narrowing its foundation, and thereby letting it fall upon ſuch a bottom, as I am perſuaded will give a general diſguſt, and moſt juſtly open the mouths of perſons of all denominations againſt me.—This, as I acquainted your Grace, in the ſame letter referred to above, is what I dare not do—And therefore, as your Grace by your ſilence ſeems to be like minded with the Lord Preſident, and as your Grace's and his Lordſhip's influence will undoubtedly extend itſelf to others of his Majeſty's moſt honourable privy council, I would beg leave, after returning all due acknowledgments, to inform your Grace, that I intend troubling your Grace or his Lordſhip no more about this ſo long depending concern—As it hath pleaſed the great head of the church in ſome degree to renew my bodily ſtrength, I purpoſe now to renew my feeble efforts, and turn the charity into a more generous, and conſequently into a more extenſively uſeful channel.—If I know any thing of my own heart, I have no ambition to be looked upon at preſent, or remembered for the future, as a founder of a College—But I would fain, may it pleaſe your Grace, act the part of an honeſt man, a diſintereſted miniſter of Jeſus Chriſt, and a truly catholick moderate preſbyter of the church of England—In this way, and in this only, can I hope for a continued heart-felt enjoyment of that peace of God, which paſſeth all underſtanding, whilſt here on earth, and be thereby prepared to ſtand with humble boldneſs before the awful, impartial tribunal of the great Shepherd and Biſhop of ſouls in heaven.—That your Grace may ſhine as a ſtar of the firſt magnitude in that day, is the ſincere prayer of,
may it pleaſe your Grace, your Grace's moſt dutiful obliged Son and Servant, G. W.
Mr. Whitefield to the Archbiſhop.
Tottenham-Court, November 11, 1767. May it pleaſe your Grace,
THE bearer is my humble friend; one who hath been with me ſeveral years, and been my companion in travel through the continent of America. If your Grace would be ſo good as to ſend by him the plans and papers relating to the Orphan-houſe, it would much oblige,
may it pleaſe your Grace, your Grace's moſt dutiful, humble Servant, G. W.
P. S. I know not whether your Grace or the Lord Preſident hath the copy of the New-Jerſey college charter. I gave it to Mr. Secretary Sharp, in order that your Grace and his Lordſhip might ſee it. Mr. Sharp being dead, obliges me to trouble your Grace with this particular: I ſhould not otherwiſe have taken the freedom.
Mr. Whitefield to the Archbiſhop.
Tottenham-Court, February 11, 1767. May it pleaſe your Grace,
AS not only the Governour, Council and Aſſembly of Georgia, have been for a long ſeaſon, and are now waiting for an account of what hath been done in reſpect to the affair of the intended Betheſda college, I find myſelf under a neceſſity of giving them and the contributors, on this, as well as the other ſide, of the water, a plain narration of the ſteps I have been taking; and at the ſame time I intend to lay before the publick a draught of the future plan, which, God willing, I am now determined to proſecute. And as the letters which I have had the honour of writing to your Grace, contain moſt of what I have to ſay on this ſubject, I ſuppoſe your Grace can have no objection againſt my publiſhing thoſe letters, together with the anſwers returned, and the iſſue of the correſpondence.—To prevent your Grace's having further trouble, as I hear your Grace is at preſent much indiſpoſed, I ſhall look upon ſilence as an approbation, at leaſt as a tacit allowance of what is deſigned by,
may it pleaſe your Grace, Your Grace's moſt dutiful, Son and Servant, in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, G. W.
THUS, may it pleaſe your Excellency, concluded my correſpondence with his Grace, and I humbly hope, the province of Georgia, in the end, will be no loſer by this negociation.—For, God willing, I now purpoſe to ſuperadd a publick academy to the Orphan houſe, as the College*This College was originally built, above twenty-eight years ago, for a charity-ſchool and preaching place for me, and miniſters of various denominations, on the bottom of the doctrinal articles of the church of England.—The truſtees, as a publick and … acknowledgements of this, have inſerted a clauſe in their grant, for leave for a part of the building ſtill to be allowed for that purpoſe.—Accordingly I preached a ſerm…n, for the benefit of their charity children, in it when I was laſt at Philadelphia, before a very large auditory, and Dr. Smith, the preſent Pr…v…ſt, read …je…. of Philadelphia was conſtituted a publick academy, as well as charitable ſchool, for ſome time before its preſent College charter was granted by the honourable proprietors of Pennſylvania in the year 1755.
In purſuing a like plan, the preſent Georgia Orphan-houſe eſtate, which for near theſe three years hath been in a ſtate of ſuſpence, may be vigorouſly and properly improved, and thereby an ample and laſting proviſion made for the future maintenance and education of many poor indigent orphans, as well as more opulent ſtudents.—Proper maſters likewiſe may now be ſent over to inſtruct and prepare for academical honours the many youths who are at this time, both in Georgia and the adjacent provinces, waiting for admiſſion. In the interim, a proper truſt may be formed to act after my deceaſe, or even before, with this proviſo, that no opportunity ſhall be omitted of making freſh application for a College charter, upon a broad bottom, whenever thoſe in power ſhall think it for the glory of God and the intereſt of their King and country ro grant the ſame.—And thus, may it pleaſe your Excellency, my beloved Betheſda will not only be continued as a houſe of mercy for poor Orphans, but be confirmed as a ſeat of nurſery of ſound learning and religious education, I truſt, to the lateſt poſterity.—That this may be the happy caſe, as I am perſuaded is the deſire of your Excellency, his Majeſty's Honourable Council, and Houſe of Repreſentatives, in the province of Georgia, ſo it ſhall ſtill be, to my lateſt breath, as it hath been for many years, the earneſt endeavour and inceſſant prayer of,
may it pleaſe your Excellency, Your Excellency's, &c. G. W.