THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER AS ABRIDGED BY LORD DESPENCER AND FRANKLIN
The book, which is now a very rare and costly relic, a single copy selling for over a thousand dollars, was known in America as “Franklin’s Prayer-Book,” and he was usually credited with the whole revision, although he expressly declared in a letter on the subject that he had abridged only the catechism and the reading and singing psalms. But he seems to have approved of the whole work, for he wrote the preface which explains the alterations. A few years after the Revolution, when the American Church was reorganizing itself, the “Book of Common Prayer” was revised and abbreviated by competent hands; and from a letter written by Bishop White it would seem that he had examined the “Franklin Prayer-Book,” and was willing to adopt its arrangement of the calendar of holy days.[9]
The preface which Franklin wrote for the abridgment was an exquisitely pious little essay. It was written as though coming from Lord Despencer, “a Protestant of the Church of England,” and a “sincere lover of social worship.” His lordship also held “in the highest veneration the doctrines of Jesus Christ,” which was a gratifying assurance.
When Franklin was about twenty-two or twenty-three and wrote his curious creed and liturgy, he seems to have been in that not altogether desirable state of mind which is sometimes vulgarly described as “getting religion.” He was not the sort of man to be carried away by one of those religious revival excitements of which we have seen so many in our time, but he was as near that state as a person of his intellect could be.
Preaching to him and direct effort at his conversion would, of course, have had no effect on such an original disposition. The revival which he experienced was one which he started for himself, and, besides his creed and liturgy, it consisted of an attempt to arrive at moral perfection.
“I wished to live,” he says, “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.”
So he prepared his moral code of all the virtues he thought necessary, with his comments thereon, and it speaks for itself:
“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 employed 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 extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
“10. Cleanliness.—Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, 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 dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
“13. Humility.—Imitate Jesus and Socrates.”
He thought that he could gradually acquire the habit of keeping all these virtues, and instead of attempting the whole at once, he fixed his attention on one at a time, and when he thought he was master of that, proceeded to the next, and so on. He had arranged them in the order he thought would most facilitate their gradual acquisition, beginning with temperance and proceeding to silence; for the mastery of those which were easiest would help him to attain the more difficult. He has, therefore, left us at liberty to judge which were his most persistent sins.
He had a little book with a page for each virtue, and columns arranged for the days of the week, so that he could give himself marks for failure or success. He began by devoting a week to each virtue, by which arrangement he could go through the complete course in thirteen weeks, or four courses in a year.