Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/115

Rh Ministers to Preach the Gospel in the said house as they should judge to be sound in their Principles, zealous and faithful in the discharge of their duty and acquainted with the Religion of the Heart and experimental piety without any regard to those distinctions or different sentiments in lesser matters which have to the scandal of religion unhappily divided real Christians.

The building, elsewhere described, was erected about midway of the lot facing eastward, and though but partially completed, even before the roof was completed, Whitefield had gathered his first congregation in it five days before the conveyance. Franklin gave a very liberal construction to this liberty of preaching, in writing of it in after years, for he describes the "design in building not being to accommodate any particular sect, but the inhabitants in general; so that even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service;" but Whitefield and Tennent would hardly have extended their liberality to even a Mufti.

Franklin referring again to the New Building and the obligations resting on the property, which latter formed the occasion for the Trustees of the Academy to consider the expediency of securing it, writes:

The enthusiasm which existed when the house was built had long since abated, and its trustees had not been able to procure fresh contributions for paying the ground rent, and discharging some other debts the building had occasion'd, which embarrass'd them greatly. Of the four original trustees, one of each sect was appointed, viz: Church of England man, one Presbyterian, one Baptist, one Moravian, who in case of vacancy by death, were to fill it by election from among the contributors. The Moravian happened not to please his colleagues, and on his death they resolved to have no other of that sect The difficulty then was, how to avoid having two of some other sect, by means of the new choice. Several persons were named, and for that reason not agreed to. At length one mentioned me, with the observation that I was merely an honest man, and of no sect at all, which prevailed with them to choose me. Being now a member of both boards of trustees, that for the building, and that for the academy, I had a good opportunity of negotiating with both, and brought them finally to an agreement, by which the trustees for the building