1777 November 20 (Thursday). Public Thanksgiving. Dr. Stiles preached on Gen. 49, v. 22, 23, 24. A very acceptable Entertainment. May God bless it to us, and may it please God to grant His servant Wisdom and Direction in the weighty Affair before [torn] respecting the Presidentship of Yale College, to which [he has?] [torn] Election, and concerning which he asks my Advice. N.B. a Number [of Persons?], namely Lt. Bond, Mr. Joseph Harrington, Mr. Ebenezer [torn], Mr. Jonathan Forbes and [blank] came in after the Exercise to manifest their Acceptance of what was delivered, and [torn]sult me touching the printing [illegible] but they d[torn]d to consult the Town on the [matter at their Meeting?] tomorrow.[1] May God be pleased to [illegible] this [torn] Glory and our highest Benefit! I am thankful for [torn] Providence which brought Dr. Stiles to us, and enabled him to [torn] so agreeably and profitably.
[1]“This day a Gen1 Thanksgiving through Mass. & Connecticutt. I preached at Westboro in Mass. for Revd & venerable Mr Parkman on Gen. xlix, 22-26. The people immedy requested a copy for the Press, but the Sermon being a hasty production only a few minutes of that Mornings Composition & mostly extempore, I declined it. Mr Parker [sic] persuaded me to accept the Presidency.” Franklin Bowditch Dexter, ed., The Literary Diary of Ezra Stiles, D.D., LL.D., President of Yale College (3 vols.; New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1901), 2:230. Stiles also noted that Parkman “gave me an account of Pres. Leveretts Presidency at Harv. Coll. where he was educated under him. Mr Parkman shewed me a Volume of his Academic Manuscript containg Copies of Brattles Logic, Leveretts Philosophy or Physics, Flynts Geography &c. Mr. Leverett was a fine classic Scholar but seldom made public Orations, not so often as Mr. Holyoke. Mr. Levrett great and awful in Government.” Ibid., 2:231.