Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
administrations, and I was now and then prevail'd on to do so, once
for five Sundays successively. Had he been in my opinion a good
preacher, perhaps I might have continued,[65] notwithstanding the
occasion I had for the Sunday's leisure in my course of study; but his
discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explications of
the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry,
uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single moral principle was
inculcated or enforc'd, their aim seeming to be rather to make us
Presbyterians than good citizens.
[65] Franklin expressed a different view about the duty
of attending church later.
At length he took for his text that verse of the fourth chapter of
Philippians, "_Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, honest,
just, pure, lovely, or of good report, if there be any virtue, or any
praise, think on these things._" And I imagin'd, in a sermon on such a
text, we could not miss of having some morality. But he confin'd
himself to five points only, as meant by the apostle, viz.: 1. Keeping
holy the Sabbath day. 2. Being diligent in reading the holy
Scriptures. 3. Attending duly the publick worship. 4. Partaking of the
Sacrament. 5. Paying a due respect to God's ministers. These might be
all good things; but, as they were not the kind of good things that I
expected from that text, I despaired of ever meeting with them from
any other, was disgusted, and attended his preaching no more. I had
some years before compos'd a little Liturgy, or form of prayer, for my
own private use (viz., in 1728), entitled, _Articles of Belief and
Acts of Religion_. I return'd to the use of this, and went no more to
the public assemblies. My conduct might be blameable, but I leave it,
without attempting further to excuse it; my present purpose being to
relate facts, and not to make apologies for them.
IX
PLAN FOR ATTAINING MORAL
PERFECTION
It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of
arriving at moral perfection. I wish'd to live without committing any
fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural
inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. As I knew, or
thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might
not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had
undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined.[66] While my
care was employ'd in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised
by another; habit took the advantage of inattention; inclination was
sometimes too strong for reason. I concluded, at length, that the mere
speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely
virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the
contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and
established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform
rectitude of conduct. For this purpose I therefore contrived the
following method.
[66] Compare Philippians iv, 8.
In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my
reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different
writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance,
for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by
others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure,
appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our
avarice and ambition. I propos'd to myself, for the sake of clearness,
to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annex'd to each, than a few
names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues
all that at that time occurr'd to me as necessary or desirable, and
annexed to each a short precept, which fully express'd the extent I
gave to its meaning.
These names of virtues, with their precepts, were:
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. Tranquillity.
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity.
Rarely use venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dulness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another's Peace or Reputation.
13. Humility.
Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
My intention being to acquire the _habitude_ of all these virtues, I
judg'd it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the
whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I
should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till
I should have gone thro' the thirteen; and, as the previous
acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain
others, I arrang'd them with that view, as they stand above.
Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness
of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept
up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient
habits, and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquir'd
and establish'd, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to
gain knowledge at the same time that I improv'd in virtue, and
considering that in conversation it was obtain'd rather by the use of
the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I
was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me
acceptable to trifling company, I gave _Silence_ the second place.
This and the next, _Order_, I expected would allow me more time for
attending to my project and my studies. _Resolution_, once become
habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavours to obtain all the
subsequent virtues; _Frugality_ and Industry freeing me from my
remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make
more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. Conceiving
then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras[67] in his Golden
Verses, daily examination would be necessary, I contrived the
following method for conducting that examination.
I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the
virtues.[68] I rul'd each page with red ink, so as to have seven
columns, one for each day of the week, marking each column with a
letter for the day. I cross'd these columns with thirteen red lines,
marking the beginning of each line with the first letter of one of the
virtues, on which line, and in its proper column, I might mark, by a
little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have been
committed respecting that virtue upon that day.
[67] A famous Greek philosopher, who lived about 582-500
B. C. The _Golden Verses_ here ascribed to him are
probably of later origin. "The time which he recommends
for this work is about even or bed-time, that we may
conclude the action of the day with the judgment of
conscience, making the examination of our conversation
an evening song to God."
[68] This "little book" is dated July 1, 1733.--W. T. F.
_Form of the pages._
TEMPERANCE.
EAT NOT TO DULLNESS.
DRINK NOT TO ELEVATION.
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| TEMPERANCE. |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| EAT NOT TO DULLNESS. |
| DRINK NOT TO ELEVATION. |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | S. | M. | T. | W. | T. | F. | S. |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| T. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| S. | * | * | | * | | * | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| O. | ** | * | * | | * | * | * |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| R. | | | * | | | * | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| F. | | * | | | * | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| I. | | | * | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| S. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| J. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| M. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| C. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| T. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| C. | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of the virtues
successively. Thus, in the first week, my great guard was to avoid
every the least offense against _Temperance_, leaving the other
virtues to their ordinary chance, only marking every evening the
faults of the day. Thus, if in the first week I could keep my first
line, marked T, clear of spots, I suppos'd the habit of that virtue so
much strengthen'd, and its opposite weaken'd, that I might venture
extending my attention to include the next, and for the following week
keep both lines clear of spots. Proceeding thus to the last, I could
go thro' a course compleat in thirteen weeks, and four courses in a
year. And like him who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt to
eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and
his strength, but works on one of the beds at a time, and, having
accomplish'd the first, proceeds to a second, so I should have, I
hoped, the encouraging pleasure of seeing on my pages the progress I
made in virtue, by clearing successively my lines of their spots, till
in the end, by a number of courses, I should be happy in viewing a
clean book, after a thirteen weeks' daily examination.
This my little book had for its motto these lines from Addison's
_Cato_:
"Here will I hold. If there's a power above us
(And that there is, all nature cries aloud
Thro' all her works), He must delight in virtue;
And that which he delights in must be happy."
Another from Cicero,
"O vitæ Philosophia dux! O virtutum indagatrix expultrixque
vitiorum! Unus dies, bene et ex præceptis tuis
actus, peccanti immortalitati est anteponendus."[69]
[69] "O philosophy, guide of life! O searcher out of
virtue and exterminator of vice! One day spent well and
in accordance with thy precepts is worth an immortality
of sin."--_Tusculan Inquiries_, Book V.
Another from the Proverbs of Solomon, speaking of wisdom or virtue:
"Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand
riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace." iii. 16, 17.
And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right
and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it; to this end
I formed the following little prayer, which was prefix'd to my tables
of examination, for daily use.
"_O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful
Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my
truest interest. Strengthen my resolutions to perform what
that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other