Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 21

From Henry Knox

From Thomas Jefferson
John Adams to Oliver Hart, 26 November 1791 Adams, John Hart, Oliver
To Oliver Hart
Sir. Philadelphia Novr: 26 1791:

I have received from you an agreeable present of your Thanksgiving Sermon; and have read it with pleasure; The text I think was very appositely chosen; for every Balaam in the world, I think, unless a more abandoned deceiver of himself than the original prophet of that name must cry, “How shall I curse, when God has not cursed,” when he is called upon to prophecy evil concerning America.1 Permit me to return you my thanks for your kind attention, and to request the favor of seeing you at my House when you come to Philadelphia.

I am Sir, with esteem, / your most humble Servt:

John Adams

LbC in TBA’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Revd / Oliver Hart”; APM Reel 115.

 1.

Born in Warminster, Penn., Hart (1723–1795) served as pastor of Baptist Church in Hopewell, N.J., from 1780 until his death. The subject of Hart’s sermon, which JA partially quoted here, was Numbers, 23 ( ANB ; Hart, America’s Remembrancer . . . A Sermon, Delivered in Hopewell, New Jersey, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1789, Phila., 1791, Evans, No. 23428).