I
would give worlds, if I had them, if The
Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help me! Christ, help me!
Stay with me! It is hell to be left alone.
These were the dying words
of the well-known, eighteenth century American Deist, Thomas Paine.
Interestingly, Benjamin Franklin warned Paine of such pain and regret if he
persisted in attacking historic Christianity. This warning by Franklin was
prompted by Paine sending him a manuscript copy of The Age of Reason, or one of similar content.
Paine sent the manuscript to
Franklin because Franklin was a printer and because he knew of Franklin’s
fondness for Deism. By this time, however, Franklin had moved away from his
former Deistic thinking through the influence of the Great Awakening (1726-1770)
and his friendship with the most famous preacher of the Awakening, George
Whitefield.
Franklin and Whitefield had
become close friends beginning with Whitefield’s first visit to Philadelphia in
1739. They were not only friends, but also business partners with Franklin taking
on the task of printing and distributing Whitefield’s sermons. Franklin once
said to his brother James, a printer in Boston, “Whitefield is a good man and I
love him.”
It seems that Paine was one
person who rejected the positive influences of the Great Awakening. He
continued to attack Christianity and push Deism. Although it is not clear, some
think the manuscript he sent to Franklin was The Age of Reason, which was later printed and became quite popular
and influenced many away from historic Christianity.
Deism, which became very
popular in Europe during the 18th century, did not deny the
existence of a deity, but insisted that if such existed he was not concerned
about his creation. The god of the Deist was like the proverbial clockmaker who
made a clock, wound it up, and then left it to run on its own. Because they
rejected the Bible as a source of revelation, the Deist also denied orthodox
Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ and a future judgement
with eternal rewards and punishments. Prayer was meaningless and miracles did
not happen.
Although Deism gained some notoriety
in colonial America, it never gained the popularity it did in Europe. One big
reason was the Great Awakening, which directed the attention of the American populace
back to the God of the Bible. This was the experience of Franklin who moved
away from Deism and back to his Puritan roots as a result of the Awakening and
his friendship with Whitefield.
Franklin read Paine’s
manuscript in which he attacked the idea of a providential, caring God and
other aspects of orthodox Christian doctrine. He responded in very strong
language, urging Paine not to print the book or even allow anyone else to
see it. He warned;
I would advise you, therefore . . . to burn this
piece before it is seen by any other person; whereby you will save yourself a
great deal of mortification by the enemies it may raise against you, and perhaps a good deal of regret
and repentance. If men are so wicked with religion [Christianity], what would
they be if without it (Hyatt, The Faith & Vision of Benjamin Franklin, 50).
Franklin’s
words predicting regret and repentance for Pain if he persisted in attacking
Christianity proved to be prophetic. Many years later, on his deathbed in
England, Paine expressed deep regret for writing and publishing The Age of Reason. While in the throes
of death, he lamented;
I
would give worlds, if I had them, if The
Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help me! Christ, help me!
Stay with me! It is hell to be left alone (Hyatt, The Faith & Vision of Benjamin Franklin, 50).
This
example is merely one of many that demonstrate how Benjamin Franklin, America’s
so-called “nonreligious” Founder, was a defender of historic Christianity and believed
its values necessary for a stable and prosperous society. I pray that those today,
who would destroy America’s Christian foundations, will heed the warning of
America’s nonreligious founder.
This
article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s latest book, The Faith & Vision of Benjamin Franklin. This book, which
challenges many traditional ideas about Franklin and America’s origins, is
available in both Kindle and hard copy from Amazon and from the “Revive America”
online bookstore at www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.
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