"
This condition carried the bill through; for the members, who had
oppos'd the grant, and now conceiv'd they might have the credit
of being charitable without the expence, agreed to its passage;
and then, in soliciting subscriptions among the people, we urg'd
the conditional promise of the law as an additional motive to give,
since every man's donation would be doubled; thus the clause
work'd both ways. The subscriptions accordingly soon exceeded
the requisite sum, and we claim'd and receiv'd the public gift,
which enabled us to carry the design into execution. A convenient
and handsome building was soon erected; the institution has
by constant experience been found useful, and flourishes to
this day; and I do not remember any of my political manoeuvres,
the success of which gave me at the time more pleasure, or wherein,
after thinking of it, I more easily excus'd myself for having made
some use of cunning.
It was about this time that another projector, the Rev. Gilbert Tennent,
came to me with a request that I would assist him in procuring
a subscription for erecting a new meeting-house. It was to be for
the use of a congregation he had gathered among the Presbyterians,
who were originally disciples of Mr. Whitefield. Unwilling to
make myself disagreeable to my fellow-citizens by too frequently
soliciting their contributions, I absolutely refus'd. He then
desired I would furnish him with a list of the names of persons I
knew by experience to be generous and public-spirited.
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