of Walnut Street, eating my roll all the way, and, coming round, found myself again at Marketstreet wharf, near the boat I came in, to which I went for a draught of the river water; and, being filled with one of my rolls, gave the other two to a woman and her child that came down the river in the boat with us, and were waiting to go farther. I Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by this time had many clean-dressed people in it, who were all walking the same way. joined them, and thereby was led into the great meetinghouse of the Quakers near the market. I sat down among them, and, after looking round a while and hearing nothing said, being very drowsy through labor and want of rest the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and continued so till the meeting broke up, when some one was kind enough to rouse me. This, therefore, was the first house I was in, or slept in, in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin, Works (Boston, 1840), I. 33-34 9. Some Good Resolutions of a Puritan Parson (about 1727) By REVEREND JONATHAN EDWARDS A renowned clergyman whose Calvinistic theology and terrible discussions of eternal torment made him famous. "Remember to Read Over These Resolutions 1. RESOLVED, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory and my own good, profit and pleasure, ON THE WHOLE; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence; to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind . . . whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever. ... 2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find some new contrivance to promote the forementioned things. . . 4. Resolved, never to DO, BE, or SUFFER, any thing in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God. 5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. 6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live. 7. Resolved, never to do any thing, I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.... 13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality. 14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge. 15. Resolved, never to suffer the least action of anger to irrational beings. 17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die. 20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking. 21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. . . . 24. Resolved, whenever I do any evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it. . . . 28. Resolved, to study the scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. 33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, and establishing peace, when it can be done without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. 34. Resolved, never to speak in narrations any thing but the pure and simple verity. 36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any person, except some particular good call for it. 47. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done So.... 55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. Jonathan Edwards, Works (Worcester, 1808), I. 1417 passim. 10. Weakness of Colonial Government (1728) By GOVERNOR SIR WILLIAM KEITH The last governor of Pennsylvania to be commissioned by Penn. WHEN either by Conquest or Encrease of People, Foreign Provinces are possessed, & Colonies planted abroad; it is convenient & often necessary to substitute little Dependant Governments, whose People by being enfranchised, & made Partakers of the Priviledges & Libities belonging to the Original Mother State, are justly bound by its Laws, & become subservient to its Interests as the true End of their Incorporation. Every Act of Dependant Provincial Governments ought therefore to Terminate in the Advantage of the Mother State, unto whom it ows its being, & Protection in all its valuable Priviledges, Hence it follows that all Advantageous Projects or Commercial Gains in any Colony, which are truly prejudicial to & inconsistent with the Interest of the Mother State, must be understood to be illegal, & the Practice of them unwarrantable, because they Contradict the End for which the Colony had a being, & are incompatible with the Terms on which the People Claim both Priviledges & Protection. Were these Things rightly understood amongst the Inhabitants of the British Colonies in America, there wou'd be less Occasion for such Instructions & Strict Prohibitions, as are dayly sent from England to regulate their Conduct in many Points; the very Nature of the King wou'd be sufficient to direct their Choice in cultivating such Parts of Industry & Commerce only as wou'd bring some Advantage to the Interest & Trade of Great Britain, & they wou'd soon find by Experience that this was the solid & true Foundation |