I just finished reading the chapter about Benjamin Franklin in John Eidsmoe's excellent book called Christianity and the Constitution. According to Eidsmoe, Franklin grew up in a Calvinist environment, but strayed from that teaching during his teen years after he was exposed to deism. In adulthood, Franklin seemed to struggle as he saw the positive benefits of orthodox Christianity on society while at the same time holding that deism, "tho' it might be true, was not very useful."
Eidsmoe makes this remark about Franklin's conclusion: "In other words, Christianity provided incentives for men to live moral lives, with its promises of eternal rewards and punishments, and deism did not. Franklin preferred that men live by Christianity even though it be objectively false, than by deism even thought it be objectively true."
So, Franklin came up with his own "Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection," and oddly, you'd be hard pressed to find one of his 13 points to be unbiblical. Here is his plan, which can also be found here:
1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
These weren't just platitudes he wrote down once and then ignored. He resolved to spend a week in self-evaluation on each point—jotting down his observations on a daily basis. At the end of the 13 weeks, he came to this conclusion:
"I was surpris'd to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined; but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish…But on the whole, tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man…"
Self-examination always leads to what Franklin concluded. We are far fuller of faults than we ever imagined, and no matter how hard we try to attain perfection, we fall short. But to his credit, that didn't stop him from trying and in doing so, he found happiness. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any evidence that his conclusions drove him to the Savior.
I did a little self-examination while I was reading this portion of the book, but I've certainly never set aside as much time as Franklin did and I wonder how many other people—Christian or not—have taken the time to do so. It would certainly be a good exercise.
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