Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/228

224 with restless enemies, our Strength, our Success, and our future glory, depend upon our trust in God, our love and unanimity among ourselves, and obedience to that one thing, which is necessary to collect our scattered rays, and pour them, with impressive force, upon the heads of our proud foes. * * * Shall we, whose souls have been taught to exult at the sacred sound of liberty, not be roused, animated, and enflamed, by our present danger, to secure a treasure which includes in it almost every human felicity? Things of inferior concern maybe adjusted at another season; and those who pretend to the greatest public spirit, should be the first to give a proof of it, by turning their attention to the main chance, at a juncture when our strength and success so evidently depend on unanimity and immediate action. Is this is a time for dissensions about matters of trivial moment, when the very vitals of Liberty are attacked, which, once gone, may never be recovered? Is this a time to decline toils or dangers, or expence, when all lies at stake, for which a wise man would choose to live, or dare to die! So impressive was this Discourse and so timely its sentiments that the young preacher not yet thirty years of age, whose pulpit power was now further established in the community, was requested to give a copy of it for the press.

Braddock was then within a fortnight of his defeat and death. But of the confidence felt in the community generally in his success Franklin mentions an incident showing their faith in it of the two doctors Bond, his fellow trustees. Before we had the news of this defeat, the two doctors Bond came to me with a subscription paper for_ raising money to defray the expense of a grand firework, which it was intended to exhibit at a rejoicing on receiving the news of our taking Fort Duquesne. I looked grave, and said, it would, I thought, be time enough to prepare the rejoicing when we knew we should have occasion to rejoice. They seemed surprised that I did not immediately comply with their proposal. "Why the d 1" said one of them "you surely don't suppose that the fort will not be taken?" "I don't know that it will not be taken; but I know that the events of war