'I never was without some religious principles. I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity; that he made the world, and governed it by his Providence...'
While I certainly agree that Franklin was more Deist than Atheist, his comments about the preaching of Philippians 4 seem to demonstrate the Biblical principle that the things of God are foolishness to the world. As a Reformed preacher myself, I think you could make a very good case that at least four of the five points the Presbyterian minister made in his sermon are sound, reasonable, and incredibly practical to the professing Christian. To put it differently, I'd argue that Franklin's reaction to a sermon such as that is further proof that he was not actually in Christ.
While I certainly agree that Franklin was more Deist than Atheist, his comments about the preaching of Philippians 4 seem to demonstrate the Biblical principle that the things of God are foolishness to the world. As a Reformed preacher myself, I think you could make a very good case that at least four of the five points the Presbyterian minister made in his sermon are sound, reasonable, and incredibly practical to the professing Christian. To put it differently, I'd argue that Franklin's reaction to a sermon such as that is further proof that he was not actually in Christ.