Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-05-15
Letter and Prayer OF Bemjanaln
Franklin.

ist Whitefield, we are under obligs
tions to the venerable Judge Owe
. ton, of WoOdlawn, who has lon
preserved it as clipping from tn
New York Sun, in which paper
was originally published. The rt
ligious character of Franklin ha
often been called in question. T
us the following extract is conclus
i've on that head:
EDITOR OF THE SUN-SSr: / sen,
you for publication the fOll0winj
letter of DIR. Franklin, addressed f
the great and eloquent Methods
and revival preacher of the last cen
tury, George Whitefield, who ad
dressed and electrified audiences O
from 10000 to 60,0G0 people. Thi
letter seems to be applicable at tn,
/ present time of revival preachins
and praying.
The kindness alluded to in tn,
letter as done by Franklin to White
field, referred to the fact that Frank
lin had relieved Whitefield in {
paralytic case by the application o
electricity.
The prayer of DIR. Franklin, which
/ send, find is hardly known at all
| and L think republication of il
might be welcome to many:
FRANKLIN's LETTER.
SIR: / received your kind letter
OF the I'd inst, and am glad to hear
that you increase in strength. ]
hope you will continue mending till
you recover your former health and
firmness. Let me know whether
you still use the cold bath, and
what effect it has. AS to the kind
ness you mention, I wish it could
have been of greater service to you.
But if it had, the only thanks
should desire is, that you would al
ways be equally ready to serve any
other person that may need your
assistance, and so let good offices go
round, for mankind are all of a fam
lily. For my own part, when am
employed in serving others, do
not look upon myself as comforting
favors, but as paying debts.
In my travels and since my set
tlement, I have received much
kindness from men, to whom I
shall never have any opportunity
of making the least direct return,
and numberlesS mercies from God,
who is infinitely above being bene-
flied by our services. Those kind
nesses from men can therefore only
return on their fellow-men, and /
can only show my gratitude for
those mercies from God, by a readi-
ness to help his other children and
my brethren. For I don't think
that thanks and compliments,
though repeated weekly, can dis
charge our obligation to each other,
and much less those to our Creator.
You will see in this my notion of
good works, that | am far from eX-
pecting to merit heaven by them.
By heaven we understand a state of
happiness infinite in degree and
eternal in duration; / can do moth
ing to merit such rewards. Hethat
for giving draught of water to a
thirsty person, should expect to be
paid with good plantation, would
be modest in his demands, compared
with those who think they deserve
heaven for the little good they do
on earth. Even the mixed imper-
feet pleasures we enjoy in this
world, are rather from Gods good
ness than our merit! how much
more such happiness of heaven!
For my part, l have not the vanity
to think / deserve it, the folly to
expect it, nor the ambition to de-
sire it, but content myself in SUBJ
to the will and disposal of
that God who made me, who has
preserved and blessed me,
and in whose fatherly goodness
may well confide, that he will never
make me miserable, and that even
the Affections | may at any time
suffer, shall tend to my benefit.
The faith you mention has GER
tainly its use in the world. / do
not desire to see it diminished, nor
would / endeavor to lessen it in any
man. But / wish it were more pro-
of good works than / have
generally seen if. mean real good
works, works of kindness, charity,
mercy and public spirit; no holy
days keeping, sermon-hunting or
hearing, performing church cere-
making long prayers, filled
with batteries and compliments,
despised even by wise men, and
much less capable of pleasing the
Deity. The worship of God is
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 tree should
value itself on being watered and
putting forth leaves, though it never
produces fruit. Your great Master
thought much less of those outward
and professions than
many of his modern disciples. He
the dOers of the word to
The mere hearers; the son that SEEM
Ingly refused to obey his father, and |
yet performed his commands, to
him that professed his readiness
but neglected the work the hereti-
cal but charitable Samaritan to the
though orthodox priest
and sanctified Levite; and those |
who gave food to the hungry, drink
to the thirsty, raiment to the naked,
to the stranger, and |
relief to the sick, though they never
heard of bis name, he declares shall |
IN the last day be accepted, when
those who cry Lord, Lord, who
value themselves upon their faith,
though great enough to perform
miracles but have neglected good
works, shall be rejected. ~
He prOfessed that he came not to |
.all the righteous, but sinners, to |
which implied his mod
EST opinion that'there were some in |
his time who thought themselves
30 good that they did not hear even
him for improvement; but nova
laws we have scarce a little parson |
that does not think it the duty Of |
every man within his reach to sit |
lnder his pretty ministrations, and
whoever omits them Offends God |
wish to such more humility, and |
TO you health and happiness, being
your friend and servant,
b. FRANKLIN.
PRAYER OF DIR. FRANKLIN.
Merciful God! Wonderful Power! |
Increase in me that wisdom which |
discovers my truest interest /; |
my resolution to perform
what that wisdom dictates, and ac- |
rept my kind offices to Thy other |
gther creatures, as the only return |
In my power for Thy infinite good |
ness to me!