The Life of Benjamin Franklin: With Many Choice Anecdotes and admirable sayings of this great man never before published by any of his biographersWeems, M. L. (Mason Locke)
Philosophy
The Life of Benjamin Franklin: With Many Choice Anecdotes and admirable sayings of this great man never before published by any of his biographers
Weems, M. L. (Mason Locke)
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790; Statesmen -- United States -- Biography
The faith you mention has, doubtless, its use in the world. I do not
desire to see it diminished. But I wish it were more productive of
_good works_ than I have generally seen it, I mean real good works;
works of kindness, charity, mercy, and public spirit; not holiday
keeping, sermon reading or hearing, performing church ceremonies, or
making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments, despised
even by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity. The
worship of God is a _duty_; the hearing and reading of sermons _may_ be
useful; but if men rest in _hearing_ and _praying_, as _too many do_,
it is as if a tree should value itself on being watered and putting
forth leaves, though it never produced any fruit. Your great master
thought much less of these outward appearances and professions than
many of his modern disciples. He preferred the _doers_ of the word to
the mere _hearers_; the son that _seemingly_ refused to obey his
father, and yet _performed_ his commands, to him that _professed_ his
readiness, but _neglected_ the work; the heretical but charitable
Samaritan, to the uncharitable though orthodox priest and sanctified
Levite: and those who gave food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty,
raiment to the naked, entertainment to the stranger, and relief to the
sick, though they never heard of his name, he declares they shall in
the last day be accepted, when those who cry Lord, Lord, who value
themselves on their faith, though great enough to perform miracles, but
have neglected good works, shall be rejected. He professed he came
"_not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance_," which implied
his modest opinion, that there were some in his time so _good_, that
they needed not to hear even _him_ for improvement; but now-a-days, we
have scarce a little parson that does not think it the duty of every
man within his reach, to think _exactly_ as he does, and that all
dissenters offend God. I wish to such more humility, and to you health
and happiness, being
Your friend and servant,
B. FRANKLIN.
What but the spirit of immortal love, which, not content with doing
much good in life, fondly looks beyond, and feasts on the happiness
that others are to derive from us long after we have ceased to live on
earth; what, I ask, but that love, could have dictated
DR. FRANKLIN'S WILL.
_"When thou makest a feast, call not thy rich neighbours: lest
they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee._
_"But when thou makest a feast, call the poor; and thou shalt be
blessed. For they cannot recompense thee, for thou shall be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just._
"LUKE, xiv."
Sentiments divinely sublime!--Who, without emotions indescribable, can
read them! And yet if they were lost from the Bible, they might be
found again in the _Will_ of Benjamin Franklin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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