CHARACTERS. 



391 



lious for the betauty of the im- 

 pression. Please to accept it for 

 vour Colle"'e libraiv. I have sub- 

 scribed for the Encyclopedia now 

 printing here, with the intention 

 of presenting it to the college. I 

 shall probably depart before the 

 work is finished, but shall leav.e 

 directions for its continuance to 

 the end. ^Vith this you will re- 

 ceive some of the first numbers. 



You desire to know something 

 of my religioii. It is the first 

 time 1 have been cpiestioned upon 

 it. But I cannot take your curi- 

 osity amiss, and shall endeavour 

 in a few words to gratify it. Were 

 is my creed : 1 believe in one 

 God, the creator of the universe. 

 That he governs it by his Provi- 

 dence. That he ought to be wor- 

 shipped. That the most accep- 

 table service we render to him is 

 doing good to his other children. 

 Tiiat the soul of man is immortal, 

 and will be treated with justice in 

 another life respecting its conduct 

 in this. These I take to be the 

 fundamental ])oints in all sound re- 

 ligion, and I regard them as you do 

 in whatever sect I meet with them. 

 As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opi- 

 nion of whom you particulaiiy 

 desire, I think the systepi of mo- 

 rals and his religion as he left 

 them to us, the best the woild 

 ever saw or is like to see ; but I 

 apprehend it has received various 

 corrupting changes, and ] have, 

 witli most of the present dis-cn- 

 ter.s in England, some doubts us 

 to his divinity ; though it is a 

 i|uesti()n I do not dogmatise u])on, 

 having never studied it, .ind think 

 it needless to busy myself witji it 

 now, when I exi)ect soon an op- 

 poitunity of knowing tlic tiulh 

 with k as trouble. 1 see no harm 



hpwever ip its being believed, if 

 that belief has the good conse- 

 (]uence, as probably it has, of 

 making his doctrines more re- 

 spected and more observed ; (.•.spe- 

 cially as I do not perceive that the 

 Supreme takes it amiss by dis- 

 tinguishing the unbelievers in his 

 government of the world with any 

 peculiar marks of his displeasure. 

 1 shall only add respecting myself, 

 that having experienced the good- 

 ness of that being in conducting 

 me prosperously through long 

 life, 1 have no doubt of its conti- 

 nuance in the ne.\.t, though with- 

 out the smallest conceit of merit- 

 ing such goodne.ss. My senti- 

 ments on this head you will see 

 in the copy of an old letter 

 inclosed, which I wrote in an- 

 swer to one from an old reli- 

 gionist whom } liad relieved in a 

 ])aralytic casje by electricity, and 

 who being afraid I should grow 

 proud upon it, sent me liis serious 

 though rather impertiaent caution. 

 I seiul you also the copy of ano- 

 ther letter, wiiich will show some- 

 thing of my disposition lelating to 

 religion. With great and sijitere 

 esteem and affection, 



I am, &c. B. Franklin. 



P S. Had not your college some 

 present of books froni the king of 

 France r Please to let me linow if 

 you had an expectation given you 

 of mpre, and the nature of that 

 expectation ? I have a Reason for 

 the inquiry. 



I confide that you will not ejc- 

 j)ose me to criticisms and censiues 

 by pidilisiiing any part of this 

 cunimunication to you. 1 have 

 ever let otliers ei)joy their reli- 

 gious sentiments \vithout reflect- 

 ing on them for those that ap- 

 peared to ipe ynt^upporti^ble yr 



even 



