Heavenly Father," we know not. He then laid out the business of
the day, and for a short time directed his mind to the especial virtue
which he intended that day and week to cherish.[18]

[Footnote 18: "It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous
project of arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live without
committing any fault at any time. 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 that I had undertaken a task of
more difficulty than I had imagined."--Autobiography, p. 105.]

In the freshness of all his morning energies he devoted himself to his
books for an hour and a half. This brought him to breakfast-time. At
eight o'clock he commenced work in his shop, to which he devoted
himself assiduously until twelve. An hour was then allowed for dinner
and rest. At one he returned to the arduous labors of his shop, labors
which engrossed all his energies, and continued the employment until
six. His day's hard work was then ordinarily closed. He took his
supper, received his friends, or more commonly read and studied until
ten o'clock at night, when almost invariably he retired to his bed.

His mind still for a time continued much interested in his plan for
the church of the Free and Easy. We find among his papers that he
decided that candidates for admission should, after a careful
examination, to ascertain that their creed was, to have no creed, and
that their faith was, to abjure all faith, be subject to a probation
of thirteen weeks. It seems that no candidate ever applied for
admission. There were no apostles to wander abroad proclaiming the new
gospel. Increasing business absorbed Franklin's time, and the new
church was forgotten.

The sole motive which Franklin urged to inspire to action, was
self-interest. "You should be honest," he would say, "because it is
politic. You abstain from vice for the same reason that you should not
drink poison, for it will hurt you." In the enforcement of these views
he writes,

"It was my design to explain and enforce this doctrine,
_that vicious actions are not hurtful because they are
forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful_. It was,
therefore, every one's interest to be virtuous who wished to
be happy in this world. And I should from this circumstance
(there being always in the world a number of rich
merchants, nobility, s