Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-17
CREED OF FRANKLIN
PHILOSOPHERS RELIGION AS HE
ENUNcIATED IT.

In connection with the 2oOth anniversary
OF the birth Of Franklin that is being cele-
brated throughout the country today the
people of the District will be Interested in
a letter In which the great American phil
osopher. statesman and diplomat defines
his views on the duties of man to his
fellow man. The letter appeared on We'd
nesday. April 16, 1877, in THE Messenger
a daily newspaper published In Georgetown.
and ~is dated Philadelphia. June, 1855"
Franklin states his views as folowsi
5, Dear Sir,
received your kind letter OF the I'd inst.
and am glad to hear that you increase in
strength hope you will continue mend
Ing until you recover your former health
and firmness. Let me know whether you
still use the cold bath, and what effect 1t
has.
AS to the kindness you mention. I wish
1t could have been Of more serious service
| to you; but IL it had, the only thanks 1
should desire, are that you would always
be ready to serve any other person that
| may need your assistance; and let good
offices go around; for mankind are ali of a
family For my own part when L am en-
ployed In serving others, l do not look
upon myself comforting favors but as pay
ing debts. In my travels and since my
settlement l have received 1huch kindness
from men, for whom l shall never have
an opportunity to make the least direct re-
turn; and numberless mercies from God,
who is infinitely above being benefited by
our services. These kindneSses from men,
I cam, therefore only return to their tel
| lowmen: and I can only shew my graft
tude to God by readiness TO help his
other children. and my brethren, for do
not think that thanks and compliments,
though repeated weekly. can discharge cur
obligations to each other, and much less
| to our creator.
Rewards Of Merit.
You will see in this, my notion of good
works, that am far from expecting to
merit heaven we understand state of
happiness infinite in degree ana eternal
in duration. l do nothing to deserve
such a reward. He that for giving q
draught of water to a thirsty person should
| expect to be paid with q good plantation,
would be modest In his demands, compared
with those, who think that they deserve
| heaven for the little good they do on earth.
| Even the MKT imperfect pleasures we en-
| joy in this world, are rather from Gods
goodness than our merit; how much more
| SO the happiness of heaven?-For my own
| part, I have not the vanity to think /
| deserve 1t, the foolish folly to expect it,
nor the ambition to desire it, but content
| God who made me, (who has hitharto pre-
served and blessed me, and in whose
| fatherly goodness 1 may well contlde) that
| he will never make me miserable. and that
| the aff1iction may at any time suffer, may
/ tend to my benefit.
| The faith you mention has doubtless its
| use In the word. I do not desire to see
| 1t diminished nor would 1 desire to lessen
| it in any man; but I wish 1t were more
| productive of good works than I have gen.
| orally seen it. 1 mean real good works,
works Of kindness, charity, mercy and pub
| lie spirit? not HOLIDAY keeping, sermon
| hearing, performing church ceremonies,
making long prayers filled with batteries
and compliments, despised even by wise
men and much less capable OF pleasing the
! Deity.
| Worship of God Dutv-
! The worship of God Is a duty, the hear
| Ing and reading may be useful, but If men
rest in hearing and praying as too many
do, 1t is If the tree should value itself on
! being watered and putting forth leaves,
| though 1t never produced.
| Your good master thought much less of
these outward appearances than many of
his modern disciples. He preferred the
| doors of the word to the 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 Sa-
| marian to the uncharitable but orthodox
| priest and sanctifed Levlte. And these
| who give food to the hungry, drink to the
| thirsty, and raimept to the naked enter
| tainment to the stranger, never heard of
| his name, he declares shall in the last day
! be accepted; when those who cry Lord!
| Lord! who value themselves their faith.
| though great enough to perform miracles.
! but have neglected good works shall be
| rejected. He professed that he came not
| to call the righteous but sinners to re-
| pentance, which implied his modest opin-
' ion, that there were some in his time, so
good that they need not hear even him
| for improvement But nowadays we have
| scarcely a little parson that does not think
| 1T the duty of every man within his reach
| to sit under his petty administration, and
| that whoever omits this offends God Il wish
| to such more humility and to you health
| and f1rmnesS.
! Being your Friend and
| Servant