N04497:5
Copies of the two letters cited by the Rev. Mr. Clap, Rector of the…
Copies of the two letters cited by the Rev. Mr. Clap, Rector of the college at New-Haven, in his late printed letter to a friend in Boston, concerning what he has reported, as from Mr. Edwards of Northampton, concerning the Rev. Mr. Whitefield. Communicated in a letter to a friend. : With some reflections on the affair those letters relate to, and Rector Clap's management therein. / By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Minister of the Gospel at Northampton, and writer of those letters.
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, 1745
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
SIR,
I Have lately had a Sight of a printed Letter from the Rev. Mr. Clap, Rector of the College at New-Haven, to his Friend in Boston, concerning that he has declared that he heard me say, that Mr. Whitefield told me, of a Design he had, of turning out the Generality of the Ministers in the Country, &c.—wherein he cites two Letters that I sent to him about that Affair. The Representation he makes of what I said in those Letters, make it necessary, in my Opinion, that those Letters should be published at large. I therefore here send you a Copy of each of them; and would pray you to publish them as soon as may be.
The LETTERS are as follows:
A Copy of the first Letter cited by the Rev. Mr. Clap. Rev. Sir, I Have often heard that you, when you was down at Boston and Cambridge the Summer past, did before many Persons, declare that you heard me say, that Mr. Whitefield told me, that he had a Design of turning out of their Places, the greater Part of the Ministers in New-England, and of supplying their Pulpits with Ministers from Great Britain and Ireland. ⟨p. 3⟩Particularly Mr. Williams of Pomfret told me that he was there, and heard you say it: But only instead of Great Britain and Ireland, says, that you said to him, Scotland and Ireland. And says that he could scarcely believe it: and therefore was particular in enquiring of you; taking Care that he might not misunderstand you: and you asserted to him more than once. I was exceedingly astonished to hear it; not only because that I knew that I never had said it to you, nor to any Mortal, as well as it is possible for me to know a Negative, or to know that I had not said any Thing whatsoever that could be mentioned; but also, because when I first heard this Report, the Thought of Mr. Whitefield's saying any such Thing, was perfectly new to me. Indeed I heard Mr. Whitefield say that he had Thoughts of bringing over a Number of young Men from England, into the Jerseys and Pennsylvania, to be ordained by the Tenants; but said not one Word of any Design of their supplying the Pulpits of other Ministers (made vacant by their being turned out) either there, or in New-England. I have also on some Occasions mentioned it as my Opinion, that Mr. Whitefield was formerly in the Opinion and Scheme of People's forsaking unconverted Ministers, which possibly you might hear of from others; for I have no Remembrance of my ever having any Conversation with you about Things of this Nature; and think it on some Accounts very unlikely that I should; I have had but very little Opportunity of Conversation with you, as you know, since Mr. Whitefield has been in the Country; and I have always known that your Thoughts of Mr. Whitefield, and the late Work, were generally supposed