Nicholas Collin to William Temple Franklin (unpublished)
Philadelphia Oct. 30th. 1790
Sir

The life of your eminent grand: sire Doctor Franklin will, no doubt, be well written by a person, who joins to adequate talents a compleat knowledge of the Subject. As I often had the satisfaction of conversing with this immortal sage in his last illness, the following anecdotes may be of some use as additional testimonies of facts interesting to mankind. The Doctor had sublime and affecting sentiments of religion. He believed that, by the invariable laws of God in the moral world, all crimes are punished either here or hereafter; and that, consequently, an evil deed can never be profitable in any case whatever: He was equally persuaded that every good action has its reward. Under a painful disease he expressed a firm confidence, that all the sufferings of this life are but as the momentary pricking of a pin, in comparison to the total happiness of our existence: He rejoiced in a speedy approach to the regions of bliss and life eternal: He dwelt with rapture on the felicity of beholding the Glorious Father of spirits, whose essence is incomprehensible to the wisest of mortals; of contemplating His works in the higher worlds; and of conversing there with good fellow creatures from every part of the Universe.

I have the honour to be, with respect Sir Your most obdt hble svt

Nicholas Collin

nb The literal expressions are marked by Italics.
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